Rate The Last Movie You Saw

[dave jenkins]

A Matter of Life and Death/ Stairway to Heaven (1946) - I hate P&P's stories but I always shell out for a new Archers' title whenever Criterion releases one. Jack Cardiff's Techincolor photography is a thing of beauty and I can never get enough. Story: 4/10. Photography: 10/10. Transfer 11/10.

[noodles_leone]

I’m doing a film for Ariane 5 so I just took a long flight to French Guyana. In the plane:

Thor Ragnarok - 6/10 - fun, for a dumb Marvel flick.
Red Sparrow - 6/10 - clean and unoriginal. One very good torture scene toward the end.
the Shape of Water - 6,5/10 - looks good, mostly terrific cast in great costumes.

[noodles_leone]

Mission: Impossible: Fallout (2018) IMAX 2D - 9/10. The plot is recycled from every thriller ever made but, of course, is just an excuse for the action set-pieces. Locations include Paris, London, Kashmir (or its double). The helicopter duel at the end is a gas. Took the wife, her first IMAX experience, seemed to enjoy it, but later complained about motion sickness. Suck it up, newbie! The $18 admission fee included a T-shirt with the message "See It in IMAX." Yeah, baby!

I saw it yesterday, to my regret not in IMAX. The Paris sequences are absolutely amazing, then things go slowly downwards. The helicopter duel is nice but the rest of the final is a total bore, as is everything that follows the chase scene on the roofs of London.

Ps: the geography of the Paris scene is total nonsense, they get teleported from a side of the city to the other side every few seconds. They even say “metro Bastille” when they obviously are at the total opposite. I guess they always do that but it’s funny when you know the place.

[dave jenkins]

Ps: the geography of the Paris scene is total nonsense, they get teleported from a side of the city to the other side every few seconds. They even say “metro Bastille” when they obviously are at the total opposite. I guess they always do that but it’s funny when you know the place.

I could do a very funny commentary on McQ and its use of Seattle locations. The funniest teleportation moment comes at the end when Wayne and Diana Muldaur are leaving town, driving due south. Suddenly they're 150 miles away, on the Pacific coast. That one always cracks me up.

SPOILERS
Thanks for your comments on the Paris chase(s). I looked at that and thought, Man, maybe that's a fun city after all! Sorry the helicopter sequence didn't do anything for you--I thought it was hilarious that the derelict copter, instead of falling, ended up suspended with its tow hook wedged in a crevice--not once, but twice. The second time I almost choked to death, I was laughing so hard.

[XhcnoirX]

Undertow (1949): After Scott Brady is released from prison, his former syndicate boss, also uncle of his fiancee Dorothy Hart, is murdered and all signs point to Brady. With the help of friendly school teacher Peggy Dow he tries to clear his name. Decent but slightly underwhelming noir, Brady is a bit bland, like his real life brother Lawrence Tierney but without his charisma, and the movie is duller than you'd expect with such a plot. 6/10

One Girl's Confession (1953): Cleo Moore steals 25K from her boss and turns herself in, knowing she can dig up the money after her release. But after her release from prison things go in a different direction when she starts to work for the jolly Hugo Haas, who's addicted to gambling. A typical Hugo Haas movie, which he also directed, produced and wrote, with one of his muses as the leading lady and an ironic plot. 7/10

Watched both via yt.

[cigar joe]

Thanks

[dave jenkins]

First fruits from the Jacques Becker retro at Film Forum . . .

Les aventures d'Arsène Lupin (1957) - 8/10. Three episodes and an epilog concerning the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin (Robert Lamoureux). In the first, Lupin boosts priceless oils from under the noses of hosts and guests at a swank party; in the second, Lupin makes off with jewels in a hotel (hmmm, I've seen that bureau-against-the-wall gag somewhere before); finally, Kaiser Wilhelm II calls in Lupin to test the invulnerability of a new hiding place (but Lupin has other plans). Although separate, the three episodes build and there are characters from the first who return in the second and third (and then in the epilog). This film is full of wit and invention, and a Technicolor marvel. It is completely unknown in the U.S.--for last night's screening they had to bring in a guy from the French consulate to generate subtitles for simultaneous projection. The image was immaculate, however. Surely this has been restored, so there must be a Blu in the offing. If so, I will purchase it, with or without subtitles.

[drinkanddestroy]

First fruits from the Jacques Becker retro at Film Forum . . .

Les aventures d'Arsène Lupin (1957) - 8/10. Three episodes and an epilog concerning the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin (Robert Lamoureux). In the first, Lupin boosts priceless oils from under the noses of hosts and guests at a swank party; in the second, Lupin makes off with jewels in a hotel (hmmm, I've seen that bureau-against-the-wall gag somewhere before); finally, Kaiser Wilhelm II calls in Lupin to test the invulnerability of a new hiding place (but Lupin has other plans). Although separate, the three episodes build and there are characters from the first who return in the second and third (and then in the epilog). This film is full of wit and invention, and a Technicolor marvel. It is completely unknown in the U.S.--for last night's screening they had to bring in a guy from the French consulate to generate subtitles for simultaneous projection. The image was immaculate, however. Surely this has been restored, so there must be a Blu in the offing. If so, I will purchase it, with or without subtitles.

Too bad I couldn't make it to the film, due to work duties. But we did get a beer afterward, and I finally got to meet the lovely Mrs. Jenkins. Good times!

[XhcnoirX]

Watched some bottom of the barrel no-budget crime flics, made by PRC, one of the Poverty Row studios. Both are on yt.

Crime, Inc. (1945): Tom Neal is a crime reporter and best pals with local mobster Danny Morton. Morton refuses to join the local crime syndicate and gets killed for it. Neal and Morton's sister, nightclub singer Martha Tilton, set out to find out who's the top man of the syndicate and why the local police are unable to do anything. A fast-paced movie, not bad. 6-/10

Paper Bullets aka Gangs, Inc. (1941): Joan Woodbury's bf kills someone while driving drunk but Woodbury takes the rap and  goes to jail to protect her bf's father and his political career. But after she's released she finds out they've all but forgotten about her. She decides to take matters in her own hands and with the help of Jack La Rue quickly rises to the top of the local crime syndicate. Another entertaining and fast noir-ish crime flic, with a small part for Alan Ladd. After his rise to fame the movie was re-released as 'Gangs, Inc.' and he received top-billing. 6+/10

[noodles_leone]

Barry Lyndon - 8.5/10

I like this film better each time. And it keeps getting more beautiful to look at (first "serious" HD viewing for me).

Like DJ the other time, I was slightly annoyed by the overuse of slow zoom in/out. They even create some jarring cuts when we jump from a zoom to a still shot without waiting for the zoom to finish its course. Of course, there is the occasional handled shot that works pretty well, but that's a film that would have HUGELY benefited from more dolly/steadycam shots. The incredible extended steadycam shot of Lord Bullingdon entering the palace to defy Barry towards the end makes the whole thing even more painful: the camera goes from a beautiful set to another and let the audience witness how magnificent Kubrick's static compositions look with dolly in/out movements.

Last, we repeated viewings, I tend to like more and more the downfall of Barry Lyndon (everything that happens after the intermission) as opposed to my first viewings, where I was more seduced by the cross country adventures of Redmond Barry. My favorite and least favorite scenes don't change though: I'm still in love with the final duel and I'm still half bored by the pseudo love story with the cousin (the one with the German farmer is far better with the best use of ironic voice over I can think of).

The thematics of the movie are rich but still a bit muddy to me.

Side note: I wrote "first serious HD viewing" at the beginning of the post because I've put the movie in the background a couple of time while working in the last 12 months while working. The sound was turned of while I used Spotify. I was amazed to see how great the images work with the soundtrack of The Social Network or The Neon Demon as well as with some Gesaffelstein tracks. Kubrick played an important role in bringing electronic music to mainstream audience with Clockwork Orange and the fact that modern electronic music still complement his images says a lot about his work.

[XhcnoirX]

The Hoodlum (1951): Lawrence Tierney's paroled from prison and starts to work for his brother (Lawrence's real life brother Edward). But he can't stop wanting bigger things and starts to plan an armored car robbery. A bleak and hard-hitting movie, Tierney dominates the screen as a through-and-through nasty person, with a heart-breaking speech by his mother Lisa Golm when she's finally admitted to herself there's nothing good inside her son. 'YOU are the smell! YOU are the stink!' It's not a perfect movie by any means, but wow, it packs a punch. 8/10

[dave jenkins]

Barry Lyndon - 8.5/10

Like DJ the other time, I was slightly annoyed by the overuse of slow zoom in/out. They even create some jarring cuts when we jump from a zoom to a still shot without waiting for the zoom to finish its course. Of course, there is the occasional handled shot that works pretty well, but that's a film that would have HUGELY benefited from more dolly/steadycam shots. The incredible extended steadycam shot of Lord Bullingdon entering the palace to defy Barry towards the end makes the whole thing even more painful: the camera goes from a beautiful set to another and let the audience witness how magnificent Kubrick's static compositions look with dolly in/out movements.

It's my understanding that steadycam was not available in 1975. In fact, I believe that The Shining was the first film Kubrick used it on. Perhaps, then, the truly amazing thing to note is that Kubrick got steadycam results without even needing to use it!

Side note: I wrote "first serious HD viewing" at the beginning of the post because I've put the movie in the background a couple of time while working in the last 12 months while working. The sound was turned of while I used Spotify. I was amazed to see how great the images work with the soundtrack of The Social Network or The Neon Demon as well as with some Gesaffelstein tracks. Kubrick played an important role in bringing electronic music to mainstream audience with Clockwork Orange and the fact that modern electronic music still complement his images says a lot about his work.

You should try Dark Side of the Moon (as has been done with 2001). In fact, Kubrick's approach to filming lends itself to any number of soundtrack accompaniments. It even works with pieces of shopworn classical music.

It's interesting you mention the final duel scene. That's the one scene Kubrick invented for the film (in the book Bullingdon merely gives Barry a severe beating). My theory is that Kubrick wanted to appropriate some of the elan on view in Leone's cinema and decided to use a showdown for the climax. Smart man!

BL is without a doubt one of the most beautiful films ever made. When I wish to stimulate my eyes and can't face Technicolor I put this on--or Tess.

[dave jenkins]

Two more from FF's Becker retro, and they are not good.

Falbalas (1945) - 6/10. This starts out great, with an introduction to the Paris fashion scene and an imperious couturier (it's the original Phantom Thread!). But then it devolves into a not very interesting love triangle/quadrangle, with characters ridiculously killing themselves over unfulfilled romantic longing. Puh-lease. Great fashions, though, and some amazing hats. I wish I could own all the suits the lead wears in this--and those ties!

Goupi mains rogue (1943) - 5/10. I convinced D&D to watch this with me and he made a Herculean effort to arrive at the cinema by screen time. But the film is bad. Those FF fucks advertised this as a "mystery" and even dropped the "n" word--but it's actually a very lame comedy (Sorry, Drink). Oh well, now I know not to bother with the French Blu-ray.

This retrospective has allowed me to fill in most of the Becker films I hadn't seen. Now that I've seen most every one of his features I think I can make a few observations. First, he made a handful of films that are justly famous (Casque d'or; Grisbi; The Hole) and one or two that, though not as well known, are good (the one about Modigliani; Arsene Lupin). But he made a lot of mediocre films as well. For the most part the films are well made, but the subjects aren't always worthwhile (his youth "trilogy"). He doesn't seem to have exercised much discernment when choosing projects. So he was a great craftsman, certainly, but no auteur.

[noodles_leone]

It's my understanding that steadycam was not available in 1975. In fact, I believe that The Shining was the first film Kubrick used it on. Perhaps, then, the truly amazing thing to note is that Kubrick got steadycam results without even needing to use it!

Oh, yeah, I didn't think of that small point.
Actually, a dolly would be more in line with the "stillness" of the movie and its very geometrical compositions anyway.

You should try Dark Side of the Moon (as has been done with 2001). In fact, Kubrick's approach to filming lends itself to any number of soundtrack accompaniments. It even works with pieces of shopworn classical music.

Dark Side of the Moon works with pretty much anything! Many people put it with Wizard of Oz.

It's interesting you mention the final duel scene. That's the one scene Kubrick invented for the film (in the book Bullingdon merely gives Barry a severe beating). My theory is that Kubrick wanted to appropriate some of the elan on view in Leone's cinema and decided to use a showdown for the climax. Smart man!

I didn't know he invented almost from scratch.

It's interesting you mention Leone. In one of the Kubrick books I own that are filled with interviews of Stanley and his collaborators, Kubrick talks about the difficulties they had to find the right music for that scene. I don't remember the other solutions they tried, but they included composing original music and none of them worked. Then finally went for the brand new suspenseful arrangement of Händel's Sarabande that perfectly fits the scene. In the interview, Kubrick concludes by "This is the closest we could get from Ennio Morricone" (in the context, "while staying coherent with the rest of the soundtrack" is implied).

[stanton]

This retrospective has allowed me to fill in most of the Becker films I hadn't seen. Now that I've seen most every one of his features I think I can make a few observations. First, he made a handful of films that are justly famous (Casque d'or; Grisbi; The Hole) and one or two that, though not as well known, are good (the one about Modigliani; Arsene Lupin). But he made a lot of mediocre films as well. For the most part the films are well made, but the subjects aren't always worthwhile (his youth "trilogy"). He doesn't seem to have exercised much discernment when choosing projects. So he was a great craftsman, certainly, but no auteur.

I disagree. Of course he was an auteur.

I re-watched some of his films in the last 2 years (Falbalas, Grisbi, Lupin, Le trou), and they were all a great pleasure to watch. And now that I had fun with Arsene Lupin too, the only one I did not remember fondly positively, there is no one left too be called mediocre. Of those I watched, which are most, but not all of his films.