I enjoyed Knives Out. It was nice.
I wouldn't gush over it, but the acting was delicious.

Apocalypse Now (1979) - A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.

I saw the theatrical release on DVD 20 or so years ago and was not engaged with it at all (I don't generally care for war films) and may have even fallen asleep. However, watching the final cut version in 4K at home over the weekend was a completely different experience. I found it riveting from beginning to end and understand why it's considered one of the best films ever made. 5/5

sexton said:

Apocalypse Now (1979) - A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.

I saw the theatrical release on DVD 20 or so years ago and was not engaged with it at all (I don't generally care for war films) and may have even fallen asleep. However, watching the final cut version in 4K at home over the weekend was a completely different experience. I found it riveting from beginning to end and understand why it's considered one of the best films ever made. 5/5

It was also a great film to see on the big screen with its brilliant cinematogrophy.

I resisted seeing this movie for the longest time because I didn't think I could accept the premise enough to be emotionally involved with the story. However, after seeing so much Coronavirus news this week, I decided to change channels and found this movie right as it was starting to play on HBO. I think my need for some escapism enabled me to accept the premise for the sake of watching the movie. I didn't think it was great, but I have to say that I actually enjoyed it. It also was yet another reminder of how incomparable the Beatles melodies are.

and one half of 5.

Seven Samurai (1954) - A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.

This was my first time seeing this classic which I found incredibly rich and engrossing. I thought the long runtime would wear me down, but quite the opposite, I loved that the film took its time to tell the story. 4.5/5

sexton said:

Emma. (2020) - In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.

I haven't read the book or seen any of the previous adaptations (including Clueless). If you can keep track of all the characters, it's very satisfying--and funny. I also found the pastel palette quite comforting--a great film to watch in bed on a rainy day. 4/5

I want to see this, but not enough to pay 20 bucks to stream it.

sexton said:

Emma. (2020) - In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.

I haven't read the book or seen any of the previous adaptations (including Clueless). If you can keep track of all the characters, it's very satisfying--and funny. I also found the pastel palette quite comforting--a great film to watch in bed on a rainy day. 4/5

FInally watched this! I really enjoyed it. I have seen the other versions (including Clueless) and this ranks right up there. Visually it was perfection - beautiful scenic and architectual sites, and the costumes and sets popped with bright color. I did like the snarkier Emma, even at her most vulnerable she does not bend so far as to think she will not retain her strongest charcateristics. 4/5

[Edited 3/29/20 10:32am]

Last night I watched the direcror's cut of this:



A few added scenes gives you more of the break down of Wolfy as his desperation grows. I had not seen this is a long time, and I really appreciate how Forman mixed the contemporary with the historical - I remember some saying he was drawing comparisons to the current lifestyle of rock stars of the time. That last image of Mozart - one of the greatest geniuses who ever walked this planet - bagged in a burlap sack, and dumped into a open "debtor's grave" was heart wrenching. The performances by Hulce and Abraham are A+ excellent. 5/5

[Edited 3/29/20 10:45am]

Rise of Skywalker 0/10

so I finally succumbed to rent it now that it was a available to rent.

it doesn't even feel like a Star Wars movie. It has the look and feel of a Star Trek The Next Generation theatrical movies, except without any of the charm or cohesive story.

By far the worst Star Wars movie. At least the prequels had creativity.

.

So the only saving grace of these dreadful sequel movies is The Last Jedi. #4 on my list after the originals.

L'Avventura (1960) - A woman disappears during a Mediterranean boating trip. During the search, her lover and her best friend become attracted to each other. 4/5




La Notte (1961) - A day in the life of an unfaithful married couple and their steadily deteriorating relationship. 4/5




L'Eclisse (1962) - A young woman meets a vital young man, but their love affair is doomed because of the man's materialistic nature. 4/5


In Michelangelo Antonioni's trilogy it may seem like not much is going on, but there is a lot of social commentary and attention to detail and they're all beautifully shot. Of the three, I give L'Eclisse the edge despite the goofy blackface scene--or maybe because of it.

gandorb said:

Parasite. (of 5),

Yes, I rated it here before when I saw it the first time, but I thought perhaps I wouldn't like it as much the second go around given all the surprise twists would be expected. Surprisingly, I liked it better the second time as knowing how it ended somehow enriched what led up to the ending. It was also fun seeing it with some newbies and watch their reactions. Finally, a best picture Oscar winning movie that deserved it.

I'm not sure if it deserved best picture, but I did enjoy it quite a lot. It was very unique and I loved the different twists. I would give it 4/5*.

12 Monkeys (1995)


It felt right to revisit it. It was eerie how timely Terry Gilliam's time-bending epic feels even after 25 years.

gandorb said:

sexton said:

Apocalypse Now (1979) - A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.

I saw the theatrical release on DVD 20 or so years ago and was not engaged with it at all (I don't generally care for war films) and may have even fallen asleep. However, watching the final cut version in 4K at home over the weekend was a completely different experience. I found it riveting from beginning to end and understand why it's considered one of the best films ever made. 5/5

It was also a great film to see on the big screen with its brilliant cinematogrophy.

I saw it on the big screen in '81 and it blew me away...

Empress said:

gandorb said:

Parasite. (of 5),

Yes, I rated it here before when I saw it the first time, but I thought perhaps I wouldn't like it as much the second go around given all the surprise twists would be expected. Surprisingly, I liked it better the second time as knowing how it ended somehow enriched what led up to the ending. It was also fun seeing it with some newbies and watch their reactions. Finally, a best picture Oscar winning movie that deserved it.

I'm not sure if it deserved best picture, but I did enjoy it quite a lot. It was very unique and I loved the different twists. I would give it 4/5*.

Part of the reason why I thought it deserved Best Picture was that most of the competition last year just wasn't that stellar. Curious, was there another picture last year that you thought was better?

namepeace said:

12 Monkeys (1995)


It felt right to revisit it. It was eerie how timely Terry Gilliam's time-bending epic feels even after 25 years.

Ah, yes. I really liked this movie.

gandorb said:

Empress said:

gandorb said:

Part of the reason why I thought it deserved Best Picture was that most of the competition last year just wasn't that stellar. Curious, was there another picture last year that you thought was better?

No, not really. It was a bit disappointing this last year. I really enjoyed Tarantino's latest, but again, not the usual best picture selections.

Hmmm... I disagree. All of these are very good, well-crafted films: 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Joker, Parasite, JoJo Rabbit.

DiminutiveRocker said:

I watched this last night - harkening back to the ealry 90s when grunge was on the rise (Eddie Vedder plays bandmate to Matt Dillon) and Cameron Crowe was morphing from a Rolling Stone reporter into a budding filmmaker. Fluffy and light fair - an enetraining romcom ovrerall. Chris Cornell and Soundgarden appearance.


1/3 stars

[Edited 4/19/20 12:02pm]

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Willem Dafoe's Oscar nod for his nuanced take on Van Gogh was very well earned. Julian Schnabel's film is gorgeous and even reverential of the artist and the artistic process. It gets a llittle pretentious and slow in the second act, but it's a fine film. Rupert Friend and Oscar Isaac stand out and Mads Mikkelsen delivers a great cameo.

.5

namepeace said:

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Willem Dafoe's Oscar nod for his nuanced take on Van Gogh was very well earned. Julian Schnabel's film is gorgeous and even reverential of the artist and the artistic process. It gets a llittle pretentious and slow in the second act, but it's a fine film. Rupert Friend and Oscar Isaac stand out and Mads Mikkelsen delivers a great cameo.

.5

Interesting, I will check it out.


I usually find Schnabel's films to be self-indulgent and pretentious - but I hear DaFoe's performance is stellar, and the cast here sounds very good.

The second half of Once Upon a Time In Hollywood was great, just wonderful I loved the Dicaprio performance, Brad was great as well. Wish that were the way the story had gone in real life.

DiminutiveRocker said:

namepeace said:

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Willem Dafoe's Oscar nod for his nuanced take on Van Gogh was very well earned. Julian Schnabel's film is gorgeous and even reverential of the artist and the artistic process. It gets a llittle pretentious and slow in the second act, but it's a fine film. Rupert Friend and Oscar Isaac stand out and Mads Mikkelsen delivers a great cameo.

.5

Interesting, I will check it out.


I usually find Schnabel's films to be self-indulgent and pretentious - but I hear DaFoe's performance is stellar, and the cast here sounds very good.

Both are true. And it's a really good looking film.

DiminutiveRocker said:

I watched this last night - harkening back to the ealry 90s when grunge was on the rise (Eddie Vedder plays bandmate to Matt Dillon) and Cameron Crowe was morphing from a Rolling Stone reporter into a budding filmmaker. Fluffy and light fair - an enetraining romcom ovrerall. Chris Cornell and Soundgarden appearance.


1/3 stars

[Edited 4/19/20 12:02pm]

one of the 5 strongest soundtracks ever.

I hate that these days every second movie starts with the end, and then goes '2 days earlier'.

WTF? As if i want to know the end before the movie starts??? Who invented this bullshit?

TheFman said:

I hate that these days every second movie starts with the end, and then goes '2 days earlier'.

WTF? As if i want to know the end before the movie starts??? Who invented this bullshit?

Orson Wells, "Citizen Kane" 1941?

gandorb said:

I resisted seeing this movie for the longest time because I didn't think I could accept the premise enough to be emotionally involved with the story. However, after seeing so much Coronavirus news this week, I decided to change channels and found this movie right as it was starting to play on HBO. I think my need for some escapism enabled me to accept the premise for the sake of watching the movie. I didn't think it was great, but I have to say that I actually enjoyed it. It also was yet another reminder of how incomparable the Beatles melodies are.

and one half of 5.

Very enjoyable, but the premise has no sense at all.

slyjackson said:

gandorb said:

I resisted seeing this movie for the longest time because I didn't think I could accept the premise enough to be emotionally involved with the story. However, after seeing so much Coronavirus news this week, I decided to change channels and found this movie right as it was starting to play on HBO. I think my need for some escapism enabled me to accept the premise for the sake of watching the movie. I didn't think it was great, but I have to say that I actually enjoyed it. It also was yet another reminder of how incomparable the Beatles melodies are.

and one half of 5.

Very enjoyable, but the premise has no sense at all.

slyjackson said:

gandorb said:

I resisted seeing this movie for the longest time because I didn't think I could accept the premise enough to be emotionally involved with the story. However, after seeing so much Coronavirus news this week, I decided to change channels and found this movie right as it was starting to play on HBO. I think my need for some escapism enabled me to accept the premise for the sake of watching the movie. I didn't think it was great, but I have to say that I actually enjoyed it. It also was yet another reminder of how incomparable the Beatles melodies are.

and one half of 5.

Very enjoyable, but the premise has no sense at all.

It's a fantasy - they don't always make sense, but can still be fun none the less.