NOW CLOSED ; List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV... and give a */10

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Sep 29, 2004
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The Greatest Showman
10/10

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Showman

Went in to see this for a date. Didn't know anything about it. It's a musical and it's amazing. It basically tells the story of the creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Hugh Jackman Killed it! OK, it was nice seeing him in this movie since it's not what he's known for and he did very well!
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
because it wasn't absolutely evident from my previous statements, *I AM* italian. Proper, full 100% italian.

Kinda. Sort of. Half and half. Well i was born there and lived .. look, it's complicated.

My reason for disliking some well known classics is that i disapprove of the emotions that the film intends to portray. I don't like films which are sad, where the character has no control over its life, or it is weak willed, and i also don't like films which are boring, which take too long to make a point, what i like is films where the good guy kills the dragon with the sword and everyone lives happily everafter.
I accept that filmmakers have the right to make films which are the opposite of this, and some films i have very much loved which go against the simple concepts of entertainment, such as La Haine, or Film Blue. I also accept negative emotions, as long as there is some struggle from the Hero to overcome these sentiments. For me, Melancholia is shit.

Now, Sordi in particular is a drama actor. Many of his films are tragedies. There is even one film, whose title i have long forgotten, but essentially the plot is so:
1. Sordi is making a lot of sacrifices to succeed in life
2. his friend seems to succeed by simply smiling and everyone gives him everything
3. friend commits an atrocious sex crime
4. when the police show up, Sordi is so incapable of accepting that this guy is a criminal, that he takes the blame for the crime. without any f* reason.

This, you will find, is what *most* of italian film is like. There is always tragedy looming, we are constantly depicted as beings who live in a state where we suffer the inevitable tragedy, and to even try to fight tragedy is foolish. And, this reflects in the actual IRL lives of italians. "You are what you are, you cannot better yourself" should be on the flag.

Now, Sordi in these roles can be intolerable, but the thing is, these are the kind of films that Criterion will bring to the US. They won't bring his FUNNY films, and god, he is funny.

The film you pointed out has Nino Manfredi in the lead. You can see him in In Nome Del Papa Re (and you should), and many, many other works. And, if you want, you can see the "full" (23 minutes) film Il Santo Soglio (The Holy Seat) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZGM0Auwlo
It's got auto-translate CC, good luck. Nino Manfredi stars. He also stars in many other films, but he's never been a solid lead, rather he works well as supporting actor. His best work is Nell'Anno Del Signore (again, one of those "old Rome cycle" films) where he plays the part of the rogue poet Pasquino, in a time where you would be put in jail for speaking out about the Pope.
 
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Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,014
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Spaghetti Westerns? Ok. One of my favs is El Topo.

Parts from this review will (hopefully) tell you why:

"It's a violent, brutal, to some confusing, but fascinating and ultimately a brilliant allegorical film. It was the first of the midnight cult films.

Unrelenting at times. There are several characters and situations the protagonist experiences. Each of these characters and situations have a connection to various (mostly Eastern) religions. The feel of the first part is almost like a mid-period Fellini spaghetti western (had Fellini made a spaghetti western--which he did not). The second half of the film has an entirely different feel, message and pacing. The second half of the film is an allegory of the New Testament. Eventually it does all tie together however.

[...]

Most agree it is art---- many don't like the film---many find it too disturbing, too violent, too sacrilegious, too scattered. Others disagree over the various messages and meanings they receive from the film. Others just 'enjoy' it as a wild, weird, disturbing film.

Usually video copies of the film are from Japanese laserdiscs which fog all pubic hair. It looks strange if you are not familiar with this.

It is a film akin to an Opera. Although it was extremely low-budget, the film is an epic and has, if not a big budget feel to it, an impressive grandeur and sweep that few films achieve."


BUT my all time fav "Allegorical Western" is Greaser's Palace, written and directed by Robert Downey Sr. (a prince of a man), which is said by some to be a parody of El Topo.

A parable based on the life of Christ. This ain't your father's Bible story, full of references about the destruction of the world through massive constipation and a New Mexican setting.
 
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Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,014
8,646
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. . . But I digress. I came in here to herald the beginning episode of the second season of Atlanta: 10/10.

Dat ep. So good. So very, very good.

Also, I saw Call Me By Your Name: 8/10. A friend proposed 6 movies at his local art cinema. Turns out, somewhat amazingly, I'd already seen 5 of them, so this won by default. It wasn't a movie I felt drawn to see, but I'm glad I did. Sometimes the serendipity of circumstance takes you by the nose and delivers.
 

Thebobo

Lifer
Jun 19, 2006
18,592
7,673
136
Damn just looking at the pictures I'm going to have to watch El Topo. Its got everything a young man could want.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
Get ready because El Topo is a shocking experience. You did not know your personal limit for WTF tolerance would be so high.

I wanted to take a second to talk about Gary Oldman, his Oscar, and the film Darkest Hour.

I like Gary Oldman as much as the next guy. I think he is a fabulous supporting actor, and does well as lead too, but not Oscar-worthy. I don't think Zog Of Zog Industries is an Oscar role. And neither do i think this Churchill is an Oscar role. Or rather, i do.

You really want to look at Brendan Gleeson doing the very same role. That is what Churchill was like. And Gleeson has the handicap that he's NOTHING like Churchill.
I do admit that Oldman, for being skiny and wiry and thin, he sure looks physically like Churchill, which is weird and eerie and spooky.

But, the part seems to have been built to bait Oscar voters. His churchill is a ridiculous person who overacts everything, nothing like churchill was. I reserve the right to be offended even though i'm neither English not a member of the Churchill family, for how over the top this churchill is.

Now, having said that .. it's fun. It's a very entertaining film vaguely inspired by actual events, but that's no churchill you see there.
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
13,682
119
106
there were plenty of undeserved winners last night but oldman winning was the one that annoyed me. I didn't see it but the movie and the performance does seem like oscar bait. can't imagine that performance was better than chalamet or DDL
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,014
8,646
136
i prefer to place it in the Surrealist film genre.
Little known fact: Originally a Disney project, it was going to be a stop-motion project made entirely with legos, but they couldn't get the pubic hair right with the lego technology of that time. Of course, I could be making all this up. Who can say, really?
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,014
8,646
136
there were plenty of undeserved winners last night but oldman winning was the one that annoyed me. I didn't see it but the movie and the performance does seem like oscar bait. can't imagine that performance was better than chalamet or DDL
Agreed on both counts. Oldman's Churchill was old-school Oscar bait, while Chalamet's performance was stunning. I didn't watch the Oscars, but I assume Dunkirk didn't win. So, there still is a God. ;)
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
dang .. @Perknose agrees with me. i am in shock.

Senor Perk, have you watched Dernier Combat ? (stars Jean Reno in his first role)

if you like El Topo, you would like that as well.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
if the fuckin Oscar committee wasnt so simple, pretentious, and predictable there wouldnt be such a thing as Oscar bait.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
dang .. @Perknose agrees with me. i am in shock.

Senor Perk, have you watched Dernier Combat ? (stars Jean Reno in his first role)

if you like El Topo, you would like that as well.

That's a good one. Luc Besson's first film, Jean Reno's first major role, black and white, nothing like the popcorn action movies Besson has made since then.

From wiki, don't go there or you'll be spoilered:

Le Dernier Combat (French pronunciation: [lə dɛʁnje kɔ̃ba], English: The Last Battle) is a 1983 post-apocalyptic French film. It was the first feature-film to be directed by Luc Besson, and also features Jean Reno's first prominent role. Music for the film was composed by Éric Serra. The film was the first of many collaborations between Besson, Reno and Serra. A dark vision of post-apocalyptic survival, the film was shot in black and white and contains only two words of dialogue. It depicts a world where people have been rendered mute by some unknown incident.

For Jean Reno, I also recommend Wasabi (fun with Reno playing a Clint Eastwood rogue cop in Japan) and The Big Blue (Le Grand Bleu) about free diving.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
if the fuckin Oscar committee wasnt so simple, pretentious, and predictable there wouldnt be such a thing as Oscar bait.

well that's because everyone there is terrified of making a mistake.

i'm sure you'll find this is what happens in most "position of power" situations.
 

snoopy7548

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2005
8,048
5,043
146
I'm a bit behind the times, but I just watched Repulsion. 8.5/10. Still haven't seen The Tenant.

For the nth time I also watched Death Proof (8/10) and Inglourious Basterds (9.5/10) over the weekend. I love Quentin Tarantino's films.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,512
29,099
146
Black Swan is an ok film, but the interest on the story is much less than the interest that any sane human would have in a lesbian scene between mila kunis and natalie portman.

The producers i'm 100% convinced followed this train of thought:
1. everyone is talking about mila and natalie
2. everyone wants to bang them
3. a lesbo scene will capture the imagination of nearly everyone
4.. lets start with that and write a story around it
5. lets make the story really pretentious so people can go watch it and pretend it's "art".

Pretty sure Arronofsky has full control over his stories and scripts, and quite possibly casting as well.
 
May 11, 2008
19,303
1,130
126
9/10 Sleepy hollow season 4.
I like this series very much.
I will watch it all again when autumn is starting and while it is still available on netflix.
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,476
523
126
^^^ I enjoyed the first two, but got kinda out there for me.

Wind River 8/10 on Netflix. Has Jeremy Reener in it, playing a tracker/hunter. I thought he played a very believable character. Nothing over the top, and pretty gritty. Someone dies, he sets out to find out who. The Indian reservation aspect of the movie is also believable from what I have experienced. Has a short bit from John Bernthal from The Walking Dead and The Punisher fame. I felt cold the whole damn movie because of where it was set, Wyoming.

Everything Sucks! 9.2/10 on Netflix again. If you grew up in this era, the biggest draw is the nostalgia. My wife and I did, she was a little behind me but not too far to where she didn't get it. I mentioned before that it was like a Stranger Things. But without the Stranger aspect. A group of A/V freshmen trying to make their way through high school. Dealing with being gay, nerdy, dances, divorces, blending families (in more way than one). not giving up, sticking with friends, and making your own way.. Just a really good, and short show. I thought that the message was good, and not over the top. Great music and fun walk down memory lane.
Plus the couple is like us which we like, and try to support when we can. Black female and white male. Getting FAR more common in shows and even commercials.
 
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snoopy7548

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2005
8,048
5,043
146
Everything Sucks! 9.2/10 on Netflix again. If you grew up in this era, the biggest draw is the nostalgia. My wife and I did, she was a little behind me but not too far to where she didn't get it. I mentioned before that it was like a Stranger Things. But without the Stranger aspect. A group of A/V freshmen trying to make their way through high school. Dealing with being gay, nerdy, dances, divorces, blending families (in more way than one). not giving up, sticking with friends, and making your own way.. Just a really good, and short show. I thought that the message was good, and not over the top. Great music and fun walk down memory lane.

Never heard of it but I just watched the trailer and it seems pretty cool. I grew up in the 90s so it should be fun to watch, if for nothing else than the music. I hope they play N64...
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,476
523
126
Actually... I think the N64 was left out. So much other stuff though. The music is perfect, surge, trolls, feeding pikachu, the internet, etc. So many things that you say "I remember that!!!"". They seemed to have hit everything about perfect. Its 10 episodes, but they are short. We watched it in 2 days easily. Good, clean fun that you can watch with the kids running around if you can stack their mocking.
 
May 11, 2008
19,303
1,130
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4/10 Star trek beyond
It started good but the whole cyperpathic thing was a huge let down.
Reminded strongly of Independence day. Which i also found a lousy way how they conquered the enemy.
They all knew at once how to take down a powerful enemy.
After the cyperpathic thing it was ok again.
4 for the nice pictures.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
i haven't had a chance to watch The Executioner yet, because instead i watched

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2283362/


aah haha haahaha .. well ..

so much wasted potential.

The idea is good, you take a film star like The Rock, and you pretend that he's a different character. It's been done before, from Big to .. well, it's been done before.
So, basically you got The Rock, playing a skinny kid playing The Rock playing Dr. Smolder Bravestone.

Also you got Karen Gillian, Kevin Hart and Jack Black in the same situation.

So much potential for comedy. And, it's the kind of comedy i like most, where the characters do not take themselves too seriously .. like Central Intelligence Agency, or Wayne's World.
The film is also shot very well, but whatever photography does, CGI then undoes.

And the direction is really shoddy, the film never seems to find its voice. It's funny for the first five minutes, and then you feel something is missing, and it's not the actors, or the sets, but the direction is to blame.

It could have been a fun romp for all the family with The Rock being awesome as he always is and for once, casting realized Karen Gillian should not be put in serious roles.
Jack Black does some really nice work with his character, but sicne the lead is The Rock, and the story centers on him, Black end up being just a footnote, and the story never gives him a chance to shine.

And the character arcs are pretty badly built. And the villain is crap.

So...

6/10. i cannot vote a The Rock film any lower.
 
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clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
26,255
403
126
I had seen the preview for it a couple times recently but checked Hulu last night and sure enough it's been released (the first four episodes are out, anyway). The Looming Tower -- ComingSoon/10.

I've only watched the first episode and I guess I could leave a score now but I wanna watch at least another one before I do. It seems pretty good so far though, and Jeff Daniels is boss as usual.

I gotta remember to check out Everything Sucks too. I grew up during the 90s so it should be fun.
 
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