Nilade
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Post by Nilade on Jul 11, 2023 17:49:35 GMT -5
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 11, 2023 17:52:08 GMT -5
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 11, 2023 17:53:38 GMT -5
I can probably do The Gentleman |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 11, 2023 18:01:20 GMT -5
Those are good. I'll do either Sherlock Jr. or Secrets & Lies. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 11, 2023 18:16:18 GMT -5
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 12, 2023 15:06:09 GMT -5
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 12, 2023 19:00:05 GMT -5
Lots of options. If MUBI hooks me up with another sponsorship I'll do Another Round, otherwise, we'll see. I could see myself going any way to be honest. |
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Nilade
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Post by Nilade on Jul 12, 2023 22:55:49 GMT -5
I think I'll go with His House. |
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 16, 2023 9:19:08 GMT -5
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
This is a wacky little sci-fi comedy from Japan that I had never even heard about before, so nice pull Drac. This is one of those films where the premise is intriguing, but even them we've seen fascinating premises shrivel up when the film -makers don't know what to do with it. Luckily that is not the case here.
So what is this premise? A cafe owner realizes that his computer monitor in his bedroom can see two minutes into the future from the monitor from downstairs in the cafe. So he can actually have conversations with himself and then relive the conversation from the other side in two-minutes time. Once his friends learn about this, it doesn't take long for them to try to find ways to exploit it. While most of their ideas are kinda dumb, and his friends do seem to be big goofballs, one of them does strike up a really good idea which takes the premise to a whole new place.
So how do the filmmakers use this premise well? This escalation of finding ways to exploit it is one way. Another is simply the skill required in actually filming these sequences from multiple perspectives, as well as the mental bookkeeping needed to keep everything straight. And while the tone is kept pretty light-hearted, the tension does start to mount as the story progresses and danger does become an aspect. There is one confrontation scene in particular where the main character has to rescue someone that brings this idea of short-term prescience into play is a very fun and interesting way.
Thematically there's actually quite a bit to sink your teeth into here, as the movie, simply in its very nature, has a lot to say about determinism, fate, and free will. They definitely lean into these ideas, but in a way where if you don't really feel like exploring them and going that deep, you can just enjoy the story and the characters' mishaps as well. Certainly a fun watch.
8/10
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 17, 2023 19:16:34 GMT -5
Catching up...
Paper Moon (1973)
I was previously only aware of Paper Moon as one of the more highly-lauded films of the New Hollywood era, and not much more. So, I had only a basic understanding of what to expect from it going in, and I think that served me well, because Paper Moon is an absolute joy of a movie. And a lot of the delight of it in this first viewing was the pleasant surprise of seeing how everything unfolded. Not that Paper Moon is some kind of twist-filled narrative where the rug is constantly pulled out from under you. No, the surprise here comes from just how charmed by and invested I became in these characters, their relationships and the various misadventures they get up to throughout the course of the film. The sort of surrogate father/daughter relationship that develops between these two main characters, played by real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O' Neal, is absolutely the heart and soul of this film, but they're not the only reason it works so well. Director Peter Bogdanovich populates this movie with a whole cast of colorful characters that help build this movie's personality, which helps ensure that there's never a dull stretch to be found in this thing. Paper Moon can most simply be qualified as a "con man movie", but at the same time, it's so much more than that. Also at the same time, it's kind of hard to succinctly put into words just what makes this movie work so strongly. It's really like a carefully-constructed house of cards, where each piece relies on the other, and removing one could bring the whole thing down. And yet, it's still immaculately constructed. There's true fun to be found in the central relationship, their various cons and characters like Madeline Kahn's (who's great here), but also legitimate drama and danger that comes into play in the second half -- and the tone always manages to feel balanced. The film finds so much to mine here, and feels so simple but so rich at the same time.
Paper Moon might just be one of the best movies from arguably the best time in filmmaking.
****/****
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Jul 18, 2023 12:11:22 GMT -5
I'm looking back on the movies I did for film club. Wow, quite a lot of them are now among my favourite movies.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 18, 2023 12:21:31 GMT -5
I'm looking back on the movies I did for film club. Wow, quite a lot of them are now among my favourite movies. Top Ten Movies Recommended to you in Film Club list. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 18, 2023 12:30:28 GMT -5
I See You (2019)
Sitting down to watch I See You, all I really knew about it was that it was a horror movie, and that it had gained some recent popularity on Netflix. And knowing as little as possible about it going in proved to be beneficial, because this is absolutely one of those movies where the experience of it for the first time really is something else. I'm not exactly sure that it lends itself well to potential rewatches in that regard, but as a piece of horror cinema, I can't deny just how effectively it did its job throughout the runtime. It's also one of those movies that's hard to talk about in any sort of great detail, because the twists here definitely need to be experienced as freshly as possible. But I CAN say that this screenplay, written by Devon Graye, does a very solid and clever job of not only keeping you invested in what's happening and where the story is going, but also structuring and executing the story in such a way where when it reveals its hand after a certain point, you're taken by surprise in a really good way. I will say, however, that a good portion of the suspense and tension is taken away as a result of that, but not enough that it ruins the film in any fashion. And that's primarily due to director Alex Russell being able to maintain a steady sense of atmosphere throughout the whole thing, even after the film takes its big turn. Again, I don't think the second half of this movie is QUITE as gripping as the first half, but it still works. I think more could have been done in terms of character development, at the very least, to help take this movie to the next level...but overall, I See You is a very solid and enjoyable little horror film that gets points for its creativeness, and I am legitimately glad that I watched it.
***/****
Okay, back on track!
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 25, 2023 7:39:09 GMT -5
The Gentlemen (2020)
Somehow circumstances have now led me to watch all of Guy Richie’s 2020s output despite him being a filmmaker I generally consider inessential. Kind of crazy that he’s gotten so much work lately though. With his other three post-pandemic movies Richie kind of seemed to double down on being an “action” director but this one is meant to be more of a throwback to his time making movies about “geezers” doing crime stuff in the UK like Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, almost to the point of feeling like self-plagiarism to some extent. Personally I was never the biggest Snatch fan in the first place and wasn’t really clamoring for another Snatch, but I don’t hate Snatch either so there is some charm to be found in another Snatch too. This one has more of a meta-quality to it than some of Richie’s other gangster movies, with much of the story framed through conversations being had in frame stories which is probably the most interesting aspect of the film. Beyond that the film has some pretty entertaining scenes here and there but none of it really coheres into something that’s remotely meaningful, but moment to moment the movie passes the time efficiently enough.
*** out of Five
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 31, 2023 20:05:52 GMT -5
Black OrpheusBlack Orpheus is a take on the Orpheus myth which translates the material to 1950s Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. That setting is far and way the film has going for it, Black Orpheus flush with colourful costumes, fantastic music, and vibrant cinematographer. There's a palpable energy that very much carries the movie through. What holds the film back a bit are the story and characters which never really leap off the screen. The framework of the Orpheus myth at least provides some structure, but the film doesn't do enough to really flesh out its characters or even simply tell that story beyond just referencing the myth. I get the sense that director Marcel Camus cared much more about capturing Carnival on film than he did telling a fully engaging story. That's a choice, but one that becomes far more frustrating in the third act where the energy really drops for the story's somber ending, something which would have landed a lot better had I invested more in the characters. It's also completely buckwild that this beat both The 400 Blows and Hiroshima Mon Amour for the Palme D'Or. B-Okay Doomsday I'm ready for the next round let's go.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 1, 2023 9:00:06 GMT -5
I watched Sherlock Jr. late Sunday night and loved it. Will have a review up later today, if I get time.
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Nilade
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Post by Nilade on Aug 14, 2023 18:20:28 GMT -5
His House
His House is about a Sudanese couple who are refugees in England. They escaped from their war-torn homeland by taking a bus, and then a small boat across the sea, the latter of which ends it up claiming their daughter’s life when she drowns. After they arrive in England, they are set-up in a house with poor living conditions by the agency that is sponsoring them. Soon after, both Rol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) begin to see ghostly figures in their walls and images of their deceased daughter, and a witch who promises to return their daughter if Rol sacrifices himself.
I had to sit on this one for a couple days and soak it in. This is more about trauma, grief, and survivor’s guilt than a straight up horror film, that’s all right, because it works. Part of the film chilled me to the bone and then ended up giving me an emotional gut punch. For the last act, I didn’t really see that coming. Great film, just a little slow at first.
7.5/10
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 14, 2023 20:15:06 GMT -5
Nice! Out of five for this round it looks like we have three reviews, one promise of a review and one holdout. While we wait, who's all in for the next one?
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Aug 14, 2023 20:22:18 GMT -5
Who's the holdout?
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Aug 14, 2023 21:37:05 GMT -5
In
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 15, 2023 6:34:18 GMT -5
Nice! Out of five for this round it looks like we have three reviews, one promise of a review and one holdout. While we wait, who's all in for the next one? In. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 15, 2023 9:37:58 GMT -5
In.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 15, 2023 11:25:15 GMT -5
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Aug 15, 2023 12:01:17 GMT -5
If you are referring to me, I was the first one to get mine in, sir.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 15, 2023 12:35:10 GMT -5
Oh shit you're right, dunno how I missed that. Welp as a token of my goodwill and in order to extend an olive branch I offer you a spot in the next round.
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