PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 15, 2022 12:11:28 GMT -5
I would say I enjoy it a little more than you, but still, glad you liked it. Makes sense. I know the first movie is one of your all-time favourites so you probably have more affection for the characters in general. |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 15, 2022 13:23:53 GMT -5
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 15, 2022 13:29:31 GMT -5
Sure
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 15, 2022 14:54:40 GMT -5
I would say I enjoy it a little more than you, but still, glad you liked it. Makes sense. I know the first movie is one of your all-time favourites so you probably have more affection for the characters in general. Yep, that's exactly it. |
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thebtskink
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It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.
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Post by thebtskink on Jul 15, 2022 15:45:38 GMT -5
Still out for now. More vacation coming next month |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 18, 2022 10:24:24 GMT -5
Got some errands to run this afternoon, but I watched my movie over the weekend and I'll type up my thoughts once I get back later.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 18, 2022 13:30:00 GMT -5
We have a couple leftovers but I'm sure they'll be coming in. For the rest of us, new round starts now. Round 221Dracula - IanTheCool PhantomKnight - Doomsday PG Cooper - donny Let's aim for August 15th as a due date. I have faith in you all (not really). |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 18, 2022 13:44:14 GMT -5
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 18, 2022 13:56:48 GMT -5
Limited to mobile for the next few days so I can't post links or tag anyone but, donny, for you:
To Live and Die in L.A.
Secrets and Lies
Hour of the Wolf
Far from Heaven
Young Mr. Lincoln
Seconds (1965)
Lemme know of you need more picks.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 18, 2022 16:08:26 GMT -5
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 18, 2022 17:41:55 GMT -5
If I can find Night of Kings, I will go with taht. If not, exit through gift shop probably
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 18, 2022 21:41:18 GMT -5
Leaning towards Fail Safe right now. Will have a list for you imminently. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 18, 2022 23:25:26 GMT -5
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
I think it's fair to say that Richard Linklater is one of the more interesting, even daring, filmmakers out there today. And A Scanner Darkly is proof positive of that. I remember seeing trailers for this back when it was first released, before I was anywhere close to being familiar with Linklater's work, and thinking it looked...odd. And after having seen it, that's still pretty much my prevailing opinion.
A Scanner Darkly seems like a standout/odd duck within Linklater's filmography, insomuch as it's a sci-fi -- well...it has traces of science fiction DNA, being based on a Phillip K. Dick novel and taking place in a dystopian future, but the film doesn't feel overtly sci-fi. Certainly not to the degree of movies like Minority Report or Blade Runner. Instead, Linklater's approach to this dystopian world is much more grounded, subtle, and realistic in terms of how it portrays everything. Partly because it's actually not THAT much of a dystopia. The film concerns a future that sees a powerful hallucinatory drug spreading through the population, and the undercover cop who's been tasked with tracking its source. Yet while the film does have a basic/straightforward plot, it's not really driven by it. Much like the vast majority of Richard Linklater's works, A Scanner Darkly is driven more by the dialogue and characters-hanging-out vibe that populates most of his other films. And at first, that was perfectly fine with me because I was pretty much digging the tone and the animation style (more on that in a minute). But as the film went on, the less patience I started to have with these characters. Not to the point where I started to resent my time with them, a la Trainspotting, but more so that their scenes just started to feel somewhat monotonous. I guess there's only so much time I can spend listening to stoned characters rambling on about random things, ideologies, theories, etc. before it starts to feel like I'm going in circles. A Scanner Darkly DOES have a more solidified story thread than something like Dazed and Confused, but I could've maybe used more intrigue there to maybe balance out all the musings and ramblings. Or perhaps just funnier humor? And yet, actors like Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Winona Ryder and Woody Harrelson all put in their best efforts, so it's not a lack of charisma on the actors' part, just the writing for the characters.
But the most interesting thing about A Scanner Darkly is most definitely the visual style. The film employs a rotoscope style of animation that quite honestly had my eyes glued to the screen a lot of the time while also enhancing the theme of being stoned out of one's mind. It definitely gives the movie a unique flair all its own. Yet the animation style and conviction of the actors can only do so much for a movie that's a bit more lacking in plot than I would've hoped. A basic overall story structure is in place here and themes that Linklater touches upon that are interesting, but I could've used more time developing that plot and less time hanging out with stoners in aimless scenes. Or, at least, having more of a balance between the two. A Scanner Darkly is interesting, if anything, but I just could've used more of a driving force behind everything.
**1/2 /****
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 19, 2022 12:49:22 GMT -5
I've seen A Scanner Darkly floating around on Criterion Channel. I heard mixed things when it came out and although I love some of Richard Linklater's stuff he can also miss kinda wide. Hmmm, hmmm indeed.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 19, 2022 14:01:12 GMT -5
Hopefully those work for you.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 19, 2022 14:10:35 GMT -5
Cool, there are a few for me to choose from that I haven't seen.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 19, 2022 18:14:55 GMT -5
Sorry you didn't like it more Phantom. I was mixed on my first viewing but it really clicked on a rewatch. Definitely top ten Linklater for me.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 19, 2022 18:29:34 GMT -5
Sorry you didn't like it more Phantom. I was mixed on my first viewing but it really clicked on a rewatch. Definitely top ten Linklater for me. Well, who knows, maybe that'll happen for me as well somewhere down the line. |
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donny
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Post by donny on Jul 20, 2022 6:40:59 GMT -5
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 20, 2022 7:50:17 GMT -5
Nice, I'll do Brute Force. |
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 22, 2022 20:39:54 GMT -5
Exit Through the Giftshop
A documentary by Banksy about a guy who wanted to make a documentary about Banksy. I gotta say, this one was quite interesting. At first I wasn't too into this ridiculous guy, but the movie grew more compelling as it went on. The subject sort of comes off as the Michael Scott of the street art world. There's a Tommy Wiseau energy to him in the way that he sees his art and his vision.
As a documentary of street art, this fills that capacity well. We get a glimpse into how they do their work, and we even get a peek behind the curtain of Banksy himself (which I'm sure he's fine with as it only adds to his carefully crafted mystique). There's a particular scene where they are sneaking into Disneyland which was neat to see.
The doc manages to be quite humourous, particularly in Banksy's reactions to Terry's antics. "I told him I hadn't seen anything like it. At least I wasn't lying about that." There's also a scene where Terry spills a bucket of paint in the back of his vehicle which had me laughing out loud.
This is a really goo movie that makes you think about art and the motivation of artists. Its also simply an engaging watch. The story progresses at a good pace and the footage, narration and interviews are balanced well.
8/10
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 27, 2022 17:39:13 GMT -5
The Perfection (2018)
Confession: which I picked this movie to watch I had it mixed up with another classical music themed thriller from the 2010s called Grand Piano, a film in which Elijah Wood is making a comeback to concert piano and receives a threat that while he’s playing a sniper will be watching with intent to shoot him if he plays a single wrong note. Shortly into my watch of The Perfection I realized my mistake and that I was watching something else… imagine my surprise when I came to realize that the movie I was watching was likely even nuttier than the piano sniper movie that I thought I was getting myself into. This is a hard movie to talk about because it’s basically built around big plot twists and is one of the few movies that can truly be spoiled by spoilers. I guess I’ll just say that it’s an over the top thiller involving cellos, lesbians, lesbian celloists, amputations, freakouts on busses, and cults. It’s kind of crazy, but I will say some of this absurdity feels bold while some of it just seems kind of dumb and ridiculous. I would also say that the basic filmmaking here often doesn’t really live up to the film’s audacity. Director Richard Shepard made nine movies prior to this, most of them pretty much forgotten, and he’s not what you’d call a “visionary” and I think something this wacky really needs a stronger stylist to really make it entirely work and that doesn’t really happen here. It’s a fun enough ride while it lasts though.
*** out of Five
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Jul 27, 2022 22:30:13 GMT -5
The Invisible Man (2020)
James Whale's Invisible Man was one of my favorite selections when I discovered the Universal horror franchise of the 1930s and 1940s. There have been several films since that have featured invisible characters, mostly as antagonists but also as the key character in the story. Leigh Whannell's take is a reversal in that the 'invisible man' in this film isn't the central character at all and instead acts as an unseen and unknown character to everyone but his wife. His character is both a tormenter as well as a metaphor for domestic violence, often unrealized and unspoken below the surface.
The plot is almost like an inverse Invisible Man movie. Instead of a mad scientist accomplishing the feat of turning himself invisible and having the audience watch as he goes hog wild, we watch Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss), the wife of the rich scientist Adrian Griffin (a nod to Whale) flee from her abusive husband in the dead of night. Weeks later she's recovering from her abuse with the help of her sister and a police officer friend when she gets word that Adrian has committed suicide and has left her an exorbitant sum of money much to her surprise. Suddenly bizarre happenings occur like her stove burning, documents missing from an important job interview and friends in close proximity being assaulted. She's convinced that Adrian has faked his death and is further tormenting her but her cries only lead to skepticism and anguish. She soon takes it upon herself to prove that there is indeed an invisible man at work who is still committed to torturing her.
Elizabeth Moss carries the whole movie as she goes through a range of emotions from desperation, ease, panic, dread and finally determination. I think the theme of abuse is pretty on the nose but makes sense given the history of the character we're following. Like I said, it's a unique way of looking at a movie like this when the title is 'The Invisible Man' but the main character is someone completely different. It also displays some restraint in that having an invisible character invites all sorts of possibilities but the focus remains on Cecilia. The movie only really starts to go off the rails in that sense in the middle of the third act during Cecilia's escape from the institution and the guards are all attacked by someone/something that is very clearly not Cecilia. You would think the game would be up by then but the movie wraps up in a somewhat sensical if also predictable way. Overall Leigh Whannell's vision of The Invisible Man is effective and unique, restrained when it has to be and indulgent in the 'invisible' character when necessary.
B+ so says Doomsday
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donny
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Post by donny on Aug 5, 2022 16:20:20 GMT -5
From last round.
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Directed by Carol Reed, director of the classic The Third Man, Agony and Ecstasy is centered around famous Renaissance artist, Michelangelo (Charlton Heston) and his struggles with Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison) while attempting to paint what would become his masterpiece, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Told over the 4 year period it took to build during the 16th century. Reed and team do a good job of highlighting the challenges that sprung about during the production of the painting, with much of the central conflict taking place between Heston and Harrison. You get the sense there is a level of admiration between the two, but it gets overshadowed by their differences, and growing impatience with one another.
This is a very pivotal time for the Catholic Church, one I vaguely remember from all my grade school and high school teachings, but one of the strengths of A&E is providing the viewers with a comprehensive insight to what was going on with the Church at the time. Along with this, the opening 15 minutes or so are all done in documentary style, with narration, all with the intent of chronicling, albeit dryly at times, Michelangelo's work up to this point. Conversely, Reed makes clear the stress Julius is under, partly due to the impending War, and Harrison plays it well. Part of the back and forth between Julius and Michelangelo is just how long it will to take to complete this work, as Julius is looking for anything as a point of inspiration in these troubling times. I enjoyed some of the recurring themes or conflicts that were at play throughout, for example Michelangelo every now and then making sure he would be paid, only to be rebuffed by Pope Julius. I also like how Michelangelo constantly referred to himself not as a painter, but more of an sculptor or architect. Despite this Harrison, still wants him to paint the ceiling. Very neat.
With a run time over two hours, this does feel like a very informative, comprehensive look inside not only the relationships between two important men, but at what exactly the church was going through. I do feel though, at times, with the long run time, it does drag a bit. It feels a little more dialogue driven than much action in the plot, and as Michelangelo, Heston comes off a little flat at times. They sort of build up his relationship Contessina de' Medici, but I don't think we got enough. It does though, deal with some of the more spiritual themes in a mature manner though.
7/10
In for next round.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 8, 2022 18:40:30 GMT -5
One week left.
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