Last (x) movies you saw (II)

Zola is kinda like Lynch doing Spring Breakers with a bit of Uncut Gems in it. Really well cast.

December (so far)

*Ghostbusters (Reitman, 1984) 7/10
Onibaba (Shindo, 1964) 8/10
Maeve (Murphy/Davies, 1981) 8/10
The Power of The Dog (Campion, 2021) 6/10
Benedetta (Verhoeven, 2021) 8/10
Orpheus (Cocteau, 1950) 8/10
Testament of Orpheus (Cocteau, 1960) 6/10
Microhabitat (Jeon Go-Woon, 2017) 8/10
*JFK (Stone, 1991) 9/10
L'argent (Bresson, 1983) 10/10

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021) is an overstuffed absurdist art-film omelette; erudite, profane, funny, ugly, perilously obtuse, penetrating in any way you'd care to think of and several I bet you haven't. It is a story in three pieces: the first, a perambulatory exploration of a Westernized Romania, rife with anger and lack of privilege by degrees, that begins with a few minutes of fully-consensual, gonzo hardcore suburban sex. Our lead actress, Katia Pascariu, has been taped by her husband en flagrante delicto and the video has leaked out onto the internet. A teacher at a prep school, the students have discovered the tape and the PTA is calling for her head. Her travelogue around Bucharest, nearly hyperventilating beneath her mask, tempts the patient filmgoer with a soak in a city straining against COVID. The explorations are clever and dense, overheard conversations mixing with random passersby and insight into the rough, crumbling facade of civilization. Ruins gain gravitas and the notes of modernity radiate base plasticity. In this section, cards are clutched close to the vest.

In part two, a treatise by means of lexicon emerges. The director, Radu Jude, offers a Devil's Dictionary of definitions as a key to clearer understanding of his intent. Tongue lodged firmly in cheek, Jude presents TikTok-sized vignettes on the nature of patriarchy, Eastern European history, fucking, genocide, economics and cinema theory. Imagine Adam Curtis by way of The Kentucky Fried Movie and you're in the right zip code. The third and final act, labelled a "sitcom," is an Ionesco-esque play within a play as Pascariu faces a masked outdoor tribunal of parents, half demanding her resignation and most of the rest there to jeer. There is ample opportunity for opprobrium by all except our heroine who bravely withstands the madness of the crowd. The movie splinters into a series of endings, suggesting a viewer foolish enough to have made it this far and still demand narrative continuity deserves the Marvel-ous aftertaste of the punchline Jude rams down your throat.

"It's definitely not for everyone" was my impulse but Bad Luck is honestly more perverse than that: it is active in its desire to not be for anyone, apart from a selection of critics, dark souls and over thinkers. Which is to say, I really rather loved it.

otm

No Way To Treat A Lady
Somehow nor seen this though been aware of it since my early teens. Somebody was talking about the s/trk lp on FB which prompted me to d/ld a copy.
Rod Steiger as a master of disguise serial killer, George Segal as a Jewish cop hen pecked by his mother who he lives with. Lee Remick as neighbour at first murder shown who becomes Segals love interest.
Quite good though I did go and do a few things around the room as it was on.

Great Expectations
The Jon Mills & Alec Guinness and loads of familiar faces late 40s version.
My eyes spend a lot of time looking at the costumes in these Dickens films. I get ideas for things I want to make and then don't get to make them this year at least.could do with a set of stills though.
Missed the beginning but I think it's a classic well acted version of the story.
I was interested to note the presence of a black defendant in the court scene towards the end. Had noticed the somewhat tokenism presence of one black extra filling out scenes in French films of a similar time and had wondered if any British films of the time did the same. I hadn't thought they did. I think real life of the time depicted did have at least some BIPOC presence.

oh yeah thought there was another one
Hitman's Bodyguard
Samuel jackson and Ryan Reynolds in hyper violent buddy movie where loads of henchmnen get beaten up and shot a lot.
Including chase scenes in the streets and canals of Amsterdam and shoot ups in London and fun things like that.
Well its beginningto look a lot like Xmas

"Cusp" was pretty illuminating (and not just because the whole thing seemed to be shot at magic hour). I had to keep reminding myself it was a documentary. I glanced at the background, and it was pretty fascinating, too. I guess the filmmakers were on the way back from shooting a commercial or something and stopped at this small Texas town for gas at 2:30 in the morning, where they met this trio of teen girls who invited them to go swimming. They ultimately spent 90 days following these girls around, and the results are frighteningly honest, almost uncomfortably so.

Zola is kinda like Lynch doing Spring Breakers with a bit of Uncut Gems in it. Really well cast.

Streamed it at home; if I get a second chance in a theatre, I'll see it again--I liked the quieter driving scenes, good visuals throughout. This is probably a genre by now, with a Florida version (this, Spring Breakers, Bully) and a California version (Palo Alto, The Bling Ring). I wouldn't know what to call it: something shorter and pithier than Loathsome People (Not Everyone) Photographed Dreamily. American Honey, for me, is the pinnacle, but I usually come away with something. I'd include the Clickettes here, a girl group I don't think I'd ever heard before.

and The Florida Project!

I listed that at first, then took it out for Bully--only because so much was focussed on the kids, otherwise it fits for sure.

Between Zola and American Honey, I hope someone's working on a Riley Keough-Elvis thesis of some kind.

Speaking of Florida Project, anyone see Red Rocket yet?

The Saturday Night Kid (Sutherland, 1929)
*Night Parade (St. Clair, 1929)
The Last of the Mohicans (Beebe & Eason, 1932)
Crashing Hollywood (Arbuckle, 1931)
Three Women (Lubitsch, 1924)
Absinthe (1913)
The Spectacle Maker (Farrow, 1934)
A Warm Corner (Saville, 1930)

Between Zola and American Honey, I hope someone's working on a Riley Keough-Elvis thesis of some kind.

?? (I have only seen half of one Elvis movie)

She's Elvis's granddaughter; in both films, she plays a female, Albert Goldman version of Elvis.

Right - saw @Zola, just didn’t get any Elvis refs.

Well, there is a scene where she uses a toilet and iirc does not flush.

Just watched The Card Counter and wow, that sucked. I think of myself as a longtime Schrader fan, but looking at his IMDB page I realize I haven't liked anything he's done since Affliction, and that was in 1997. (I haven't seen First Reformed yet. Now I'm scared to.)

First Reformed was not bad, but Schrader seemed to think that the blatancy of his Bergman and Bresson imitations somehow made the film a commentary rather than a copy. Affliction was great, probably my favourite of his.

Copshop: a police station siege movie directed by Joe Carnahan, starring Frank Grillo and Gerard Butler, but the real star is Valerie Young, who should become a major star based on this. It's dumb, but smarter and funnier than it needed to be. Between this and Boss Level, Carnahan's on a streak.

Apocalypse Now: I love this movie so much. (Only the theatrical cut; every re-edit has been terrible.) If this was the only movie Coppola ever made — shit, if this was the only movie America ever produced — that would be fine with me. It's like Miles Davis's On the Corner; I notice something new every time.

April Fool (Ross, 1926)
*Hogfather (Jean, 20006)
Honey (Ruggles, 1930)
*The Thin Man (Van Dyke, 1934)
The Insects' Chriatmas (Starewicz, 1913)
Don't Look Up (McKay, 2021)
Whoopee! (Freeland, 19300

I really wanted to like Judas and the Black Messiah, and Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield were both great. But the movie just didn't fully come together for me.

Thelma (2017) 7/10
Censor (2021) 7/10
The Power of the Dog (2021) 8/10
The Headless Woman (2008) 8/10
Se7en (1995) 6/10

(The latter two a coincidence of timing, we weren't doing a headless woman marathon or anything.)

John Wick 3 cos it's great Xmas Day viewing
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as I ate dinner. & can get the book it's based on alter thsi week
Carousel
South Pacific cos I somehow haven't seen the original or at least not since childhood or early teens. Last time i saw it was on tv it turned out to be the remake

this year's christmas crop/crap

Mixed Nuts (Ephron, 1994) 3/10
Four Christmases (2008) abandoned
*Home Alone (Columbus, 1990) 5/10
A Christmas Tale (very french guy, 2008) 6/10

also
The Great Muppet Caper, which doesn't have anything to do with Christmas but feels like Christmas to me, (Henson, 1981) 8/10

Last Christmas (very literal...)
Bloody Spear At Mount Fuji
Gunda: Mother, Pig
Love, Actually
Grapes Of Wrath
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On

I watched the first Hanzo the Razor movie last night without knowing anything about it and expecting something like Zatoichi or Lone Wolf...wtaffff o_O

Criterion's entirely anodyne one-sentence description borders on malfeasance

Licorice Pizza: Maybe PTA's worst film? It had moments but it really didn't add up to much for me. My fellow audience gasped in dismay at the John Michael Higgins scenes.

Mortal Engines Peter Jackson 2018
Interesting premise in a post apocalyptic world cities are now mobile fighting vehicles that eat up smaller cities to keep them going.
Result is semi enjoyable, helped pass the time. & I had wanted to go and see it when it was out. Not caught it until now when it was on Film4 last night.
Could be better but so could a lot of things.
I hadn't taken in that it was a Peter jackson film I don't think . It has some of his tropes i guess.
So shoot em up steam punk adventure with a hidden evil and some lower status individuals showing they're as good as some aristos and things. But still viewing true aristos to be decent upstanding people.
& the system to be something that can be corrupted but should be maintained for teh common good or something.
I dunno, would it be better with a more leftists slant?

Saw and mostly enjoyed "Red Rocket," which definitely fits the/an ongoing trend of sweaty, sleazy and desperate indies a la this year's "Zola," "Uncut Gems," etc. indirectly addressing class, capitalism, ethics and politics in America.

(Curious about other takes, I thought this Indiewire review nailed it: https://www.indiewire.com/2021/07/red-rocket-review-sean-baker-simon-rex-1234651067/)

Peter Jackson did not direct Mortal Engines, but he and his writing partners adapted the screenplay

This is probably a genre by now, with a Florida version (this, Spring Breakers, Bully) and a California version (Palo Alto, The Bling Ring). I wouldn't know what to call it: something shorter and pithier than Loathsome People (Not Everyone) Photographed Dreamily. American Honey, for me, is the pinnacle, but I usually come away with something. I'd include the Clickettes here, a girl group I don't think I'd ever heard before.

― clemenza, Sunday, 19 December 2021 23:04 (one week ago) link

I saw someone on Letterboxd refer to it as "the dirtbag picaresque"

December so far:

A Bigger Splash (Hazan, 1973)
The Sixth Sense(Shymalan, 1999)
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (Mekas, 2000)
Shirley (Decker, 2020)
Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground (Smith, 2018)
*The Shop Around the Corner (Lubitsch, 1940)
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Hittman, 2020)
Shoplifters (Kore-eda, 2018)
Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick, 1999)
Intermission (Crowley, 2003)
The Rules of Attraction (Avary, 2002)
Hour Glass (Gerima, 1971)
Fine Lines (Khreino, 2019)
Bush Mama (Gerima, 1979)
Another Round (Vinterberg, 2020)
Philomena (Frears, 2013)
Filth (Baird, 2013)
Sunshine Hotel (Dominic, 2001)
Fedora (Wilder, 1978)
Pig (Sarnoski, 2021)

Finally watched EWS after long dreading and... was actually fun (despite Cruise being a smirking twerp, as ever). The Mekas was the easiest 5-hour watch I can remember, loved it.

Azor (Fontana, 2021) 8/10
Wrath of Man (Ritchie, 2021) 7/10
Cloud Atlas (Warchowski/Tyler, 2012) 7/10
*The Irishman (Scorsese, 2019) 10/10
Health (Altman, 1980) 5/10
*Dr T and The Women (Altman, 2000) 7/10
OC and Stiggs (Altman, 1987) 8/10
Secret Honor (Altman, 1984) 7/10
Thieves Like Us (Altman, 1974) 7/10
*Bohemian Rhapsody (Singer, 2018) 2/10
A Rainy Day in New York (Allen, 2019) 3/10
*The Graduate (Nichols, 1967) 8/10
Red Rocket (Baker, 2021) 8/10
The Harder They Fall (Samuel, 2021) 5/10

Benedetta (2021) 4/5
Mighty Peking Man (1977) 3/5
Black Book (2006) 4/5
Days (2020) 2.5/5
Platform (2000) 4.5/5
The Day He Arrives (2012) 4/5
Licorice Pizza 3.5/5
King Boxer/Five Fingers of Death (1972) 4/5
* The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) 4/5
* The Lion in Winter (1968) 3.5/5
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 5/5. first complete viewing
* The Shop Around the Corner (1940) 5/5
Throw Down (2004) 4/5
* Only Angels Have Wings (1939) 4/5

Shorts by Niki Lindroth von Bahr, in order of preference:
The Burden
Bath House
Tord and Tord
Something to Remember

Shorts by Vitoria De Seta:
Islands of Fire
The Forgotten

Licorice Pizza...My fellow audience gasped in dismay at the John Michael Higgins scenes.
― reggae mike love (polyphonic)

Unbelievable. I've defended Lost in Translation, and will continue to do so, but a 2021 version of Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, I don't get that at all.

don't think i saw the Muppet Christmas carol in any of the listings this year. is it another thing that disappeared from free tv like Elf?

anyway, continuing December

Parasite (Korean Oscar winner)
Battles Without Honour and Humanity (chaotic Yakuza film)
Stephen (technically a miniseries about the Stephen Lawrence case)
Anna and the Apocalypse (zombie musical)
Dreams of a Life (documentary about the woman found dead in her flat after 3 years)
Ready Player One (lost interest half way through)
Floating Clouds (naruse, 1955)

December:

Drive a Crooked Road (Quine, 1954) 7/10 BLU-RAY - part of Indicator's Columbia Noir 1 set
*Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Siegel, 1956) 8/10 BLU-RAY
Madhouse (Clark, 1974) 6/10 DVD
Convict 99 (Varnel, 1938) 6/10 DVD - Will Hay comedy
The Power of the Dog (Campion, 2021) 7/10 NETFLIX
Phantom of the Paradise (De Palma, 1974) 6/10 BLU-RAY
Where is the Friend's House? (Kiarostami, 1987) 9/10 BLU-RAY - part of Criterion's The Koker Trilogy set
The House That Dripped Blood (Duffell, 1971) 6/10 DVD - part of the Amicus 'coffin' collection
Sabata (Parolini, 1969) 7/10 BLU-RAY - part of the Eureka Sabata Trilogy collection
Criss Cross (Siodmak, 1949) 8/10 BLU-RAY
Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion ((Ito, 1972) 7/10 BLU-RAY - part of Arrow's Complete Female Prisoner Scorpion collection
Twentieth Century (Hawks, 1934) 9/10 BLU-RAY - one of the all-time great comic performances from John Barrymore here
Fascination (Rollin, 1979) 8/10 DVD
Wuthering Heights (Wyler, 1939) 6/10 DVD
See No Evil aka Blind Terror (Fleischer, 1971) 7/10 DVD
Free Hand for a Tough Cup (Lenzi, 1976) 8/10 BLU-RAY - one of the most likeable Poliziotteschis, with Tomas Milian wonderfully over the top as his hippy crook 'Garbage Can' character, plenty of action, and a minimum of misogyny
Bless This House (Thomas, 1972) 6/10 DVD

LOL Tough COP

Watched Godzilla vs Kong last night; completely idiotic. 2/10 at best.
Watching The Hitcher (the original version) this morning. One of Rutger Hauer's best performances, in a genuinely frightening movie. 8/10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZlmjZ-rIBU

My Generation 2017
Documentary on the 60s presented by Michael Caine and with input from Twiggy, David Bailey, Mary Quant and a few others.
It was written by Dick Clement and Ian le Frenais which I only noticed on end credits.
Quite watchable and captured a lot of the spirit of why I got into the decade I think.
Was on BBC tonight not sure what release it got at the time it came out.

Swan Song: Udo Kier plays a hairdresser who comes out of retirement to make up Linda Evans' corpse at her request. Really well done.

One False Move (8.0)
13 Going on 30 (5.5)
Zola (6.5)
Atlantic City (7.5)
Urgh! A Music War (5.5)
Il Posto (9.0)
The Lady from Shanghai (7.5)
Don’t Look Up (5.5)
Licorice Pizza (6.0)
Where Are We? Our Trip Through America (7.5)
Breaking Bad (S1-S5: 8.5)

Tired Feet (Gillstrom, 1933)
False Impressions (Pearce, 1932)
Business and Pleasure (Butler, 1932)
I'll Be Alone After Midnight (de Baroncelli, 1931)
Fine Manners (Milestone & Rossson, 1926)
The Black Watch (Ford, 1929)
Drive My Car (Hamaguchi, 2021)
Sin's Pay Day (Seitz, 1932)

non-christmas december

Computer Chess (2013) 4/10
The Power of the Dog (Campion, 2021) 9/10
Black Widow (Nunnally Johnson, 1954) 5/10
The Matrix Resurrections (Wachowski, 2021) 7/10
Lady on a Train (Charles David, 1945) 8/10
The Innocents (script by Capote, Jack Clayton, 1961) 8/10
Man on a Swing (Frank Perry, 1974) 6/10 a vehicle for joel grey to show off in

Anyone else see "Ascension"? Hypnotically beautiful narrative free doc about labor and aspirational capitalism in contemporary China. I think it's on Paramount. Good score from Dan Deacon.

Kate. Mary Elizabeth Winstead kills half the gangsters in Japan while trying to figure out who poisoned her...so, half John Wick, half Crank. A little long at an hour 45, but made with real love of the action-movie craft.