magical girl (2014) 3/5 "A desperate man (Luis Bermejo) blackmails a mentally ill woman (Bárbara Lennie) to buy a dress for his terminally ill daughter (Lucía Pollán)." just a touch too long & a shade too ponderously paced, and the pieces don't quite mesh in the most satisfying way, ultimately. there are enough interesting moments in here to make this a recommendable film, but i definitely found it frustrating & a bit less than what it could have been.
sins of the fleshapoids (1965) 3.5/5 "The survivors of a nuclear war are taken care of by robots called “fleshapoids.” bizarre, absurdist cult item that has moments of delirium that made me laugh and a few that grated on me, the last few moments in particular. worth a look, and given its brisk running time probably worth seeking out if you fancy weirdness in your films.
the nice guys (2016) 3.5/5 - feels very much like the kind of smile-inducing film you might have seen starring elliot gould around 1973. a few of the jokes don't quite land, and i don't think the plot made a great deal of sense, but it's mostly quite a good time.
the girl without hands (2016) 4/5 animated telling of the very dark 'brothers grimm' fairy tail, done with a unique & i thought very beautiful animation style. i did feel there was a touch too much vagueness in the story-telling here & there, as i did find myself stumbling over occasional plot points, going back five minutes as i felt i might have missed something. but quibbles aside, this is a really terrific little gem, clearly made with a lot of care & craft.
the congress (2013) 3/5 robin wright, playing herself, accepts an offer to supply her digital image to a movie studio. the opening of this film sets up the premise (based on a novel by solaris author stanislaw lem) perfectly, but it takes a leap into the unknown at a certain point, and even after two watches i'm not really sure i put together what happened or what the movie was trying to get across. intriguing premise certainly, but ultimately it felt like there was less here than the film promised.
avengers infinity war 4.5/5 i thought it was absolutely great.
Yeah, it was kinda fun, but nowhere near the best superhero movie. It was simply an (expensive) disposable popcorn movie.
I can't think of superhero movie I liked more. So for me, the best.
Not second-guessing you, I just was surprised by the ranking. It was a long but fun ride. They did a good job of making a Thanos movie disguised as an Avengers sequel.
Good night, sweet Prince | 7 June 1958 - 21 April 2016
Props will be withheld until the showing and proving has commenced. -- Aaron McGruder
I can't think of superhero movie I liked more. So for me, the best.
Not second-guessing you, I just was surprised by the ranking. It was a long but fun ride. They did a good job of making a Thanos movie disguised as an Avengers sequel.
The plot wasn't perfect, but the magic of seeing all the characters from the disparate movies together, many of whom interacting for the very first time (similar to the first Avengers movie), in addition to the well-choreographed fight scenes made me overlook most of the flaws.
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) directed and narrated by Cecil D. Demille, this is the closest thing I will ever get to watching a traditional circus and it was fabulous. Sure the story line is a bit melodramatic, but the performances here were great, especially Betty Hutton (as Holly) and Cornel Wilde (as "The Great Sebastian") who did their own aerialist acrobat routines , and by James Stewart who played "Buttons the Clown" who was hiding a dark secret. It's beautifully shot, the music is memorable and look out for audience cameos by Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra......I give this classic film a 4.5 out of 5 "Come to the circus, the greatest show on earth"....
Un beau soleil intérieur / Let the Sunshine In (2017) - Isabelle, Parisian artist, divorced mother, is looking for love, true love at last.
This screening was followed by a Q&A session with actress Juliette Binoche. It's a pleasant and emotionally complex romantic comedy, but not something I'm anxious to watch again. 3/5
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Just watched this today, and I must say the last 20 mins was really intense and that cliff hanger Without giving too much away there is alot of action, everyone in the cast gets to shine (but where was Ant Man? ), and I really dug Captain America's new look Stay for the end credit scene. I give this 4.5 out of 5
It's fine, nothing great, an enjoyable film nonetheless. But I have to say, I truly hate Marvel's stupid sense of humor, too much for my taste. Is this a comedy or what. 3/5
Black Panther was great. Loved it. That said, I think it was over-hyped. From the reactions and reviews I expected it to be one of, if not the best of the MCU so far. I'd put it closer to the middle of the first 18 films in the series. My biggest problem with it was the CGI which I did not find to be up to the standard of series. It was more in line with the much maligned CGI of the DCU. No need to flame me though, as I said, I loved the movie.
Ready Player One was excellent, best new movie I've seen yet this year (have NOT seen Avengers Infinity War yet). Can't wait to see this one again. It'll be fun to watch it with a remote in my hand so I can pause and catch more of the visual references.
I'll be buying both of these on bluray as soon as they are available.
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors.
Far more enjoyable than I thought. Matt Damon was as good in it as anything I've seen of him since The Departed and the cast was superb. I found the scene where everyone is talking about the Lord of the Rings reference to the mission name while Sean Bean is just sitting there silent was hilarious. One of the better films of the decade.
Good night, sweet Prince | 7 June 1958 - 21 April 2016
Props will be withheld until the showing and proving has commenced. -- Aaron McGruder
8/10. I didn't know much but expected this to be a little more like a traditional, hero-saves-the-girl-kills-1000-bad-guys movie. Couldn't be further from that, it's an unsettling, upsetting, slow (but completely suspenseful) and dark psychological thriller.
read about the book, discovered there was a movie. not bad. well done re-creation of depression era LA, and a revealing window through time. and goddamn, i absolutely adore salma hayek...7/10. i'm sure i'll enjoy the book more.
so filmstruck is showcasing billy wilder...would 'sunset boulevard' have made it into my top 10 of all time? i think maybe it could have...
10/10...somehow movies about los angeles really like me to like them.