Movies Thread
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I watched Bookie about a year or two ago for the first time and loved it. Ben Gazzara, man. A couple great bit roles of his in Buffalo 66, and Happiness.
Still haven’t seen Opening Night, but Woman Under the Influence is an all-timer for me, and Shadows, Faces, Gloria, and recently saw Minnie and Moskowitz on a big screen in 35mm. Very big Cassavetes guy.
Finally watched this. I was huge on Wes Anderson since I saw Bottle Rocket in a theater when it came out. Tenenbaums is a top 20, maaaybe top 10 for me all-time. But I’ve had Wes fatigue for a long while now.
For whatever reason, this one broke that streak. Really came together for me.
B+
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I tried to watch "The Substance". I gave up after the person came out of her back.
I like Minnie and Moskowitz quite a lot, though it feels like an adulterated version of Cassavetes inasmuch as it was greenlit as part of Ned Tanen's youth-cult push at Universal. Granted, Tanen also greenlit The Last Movie, which is maximalist Hopper.
I think Cassavetes make the most sense--in particular the two movies I listed--when you keep in mind that the goal is to produce a sort of "onstage" (onscreen) sense of dramatic truthfulness derived from American takes on Stanislavski and the like. In the case of Opening Night, this ideal makes sense of the poor framing, the out-of-focus shots, pointless dialogue, etc. Put those elements in a Malick movie (and add lens flare), and you've got the aesthetic of spontaneity, a sort of New Hollywood shorthand for the guiding presence of a filmmaker behind the camera. But put those same elements in Opening Night, a film about marginalizing the director, screenwriter, and producer responsible for staging a play, and you've got the techniques whereby Cassavetes presumes to show that the film director has created the conditions for truthfulness onstage/screen. In short, Cassavetes's camera struggles to anticipate the movements of characters because Cassavetes has ceded control over those elements to the actors themselves.
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Ooh. Happiness. I’ll never forget going to see that in the theater. About midway through the movie, a woman sitting behind me stood up, yelled, “This movie is disgusting!,” and stormed out of the theater. When she yelled, “This movie is disgusting!,” she did it in a tone and manner as if she was chastising the rest of the audience for its depravity in continuing to watch the movie.
I watched the movie again several years later, and regardless of how well-done it might have been, it’s a movie I have no interest in ever seeing again, nor would I recommend it to anyone unless they are in search of a disturbing movie.
Insane movie. Very *very* unsettling. Talk about the absolute underbelly of suburban decay. Philip Seymour Hoffman was as incredible as ever.
Don’t let the trailer fool you:
I really dislike Cooper but liked the movie despite his dumb little role and wannabe flashy camera.
Dern was really good (and my crush on her goes back to Mask, Smooth Talk, Wild at Heart, Jurassic Park…) and Arnett too. Fun to see a spotlight on the NYC comedy scene and some Cellar regulars featured. Jordan Jensen was great.
Some of the plot points got a little thin and silly but the two leads carried it very well.
B
#8 of 10: "Marty Supreme". Grade: C+
This review will be short. For a 2 1/2 hour movie, "Marty Supreme" kept me mildly engaged. That's a plus. The acting was adequate. That's another plus.
Now, for the biggest minus: the script was a disaster. It meandered aimlessly, with many scenes that dragged down the film's momentum. Thirty minutes could have been lopped off the runtime and the movie would have been tighter and better. Character development was horrible. Maybe the director/screenwriter intended the viewer not care about any of the characters. If that's true, he succeeded spectacularly. Both my wife and I were left with a feeling of "meh" towards every character in the movie.
I wouldn't be surprised if "Marty Supreme" got completely shut out after nine nominations. It was watchable but it left almost no lasting impression.
This review will be short. For a 2 1/2 hour movie, "Marty Supreme" kept me mildly engaged. That's a plus. The acting was adequate. That's another plus.
Now, for the biggest minus: the script was a disaster. It meandered aimlessly, with many scenes that dragged down the film's momentum. Thirty minutes could have been lopped off the runtime and the movie would have been tighter and better. Character development was horrible. Maybe the director/screenwriter intended the viewer not care about any of the characters. If that's true, he succeeded spectacularly. Both my wife and I were left with a feeling of "meh" towards every character in the movie.
I wouldn't be surprised if "Marty Supreme" got completely shut out after nine nominations. It was watchable but it left almost no lasting impression.
It had its moments, but mostly I just thought it was fine. The acting was also fine by everyone, not award-worthy by anyone. I gave it a B-.
‘One Battle After Another’ Wins Producers Guild Award. Is Oscar Next?
The Paul Thomas Anderson film also took the top Directors Guild prize as well, a good sign for the movie’s best picture prospects at the Oscars.
I like the momentum for One Battle. Mostly I just really don’t want to see the mess that was Sinners taking recognition from some excellent movies this year.
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Watching 2073.
49 minutes in and it's basically looking back from 2073 when the world has fallen apart and talking about how it happened.
Which is what we are living now.
Edit: finished the movie.
It's not a great movie, but it seems obvious that it is trying to make a statement. I believe it made that statement.
What is 2 + 2? The answer is 5. What is 2 + 2?
49 minutes in and it's basically looking back from 2073 when the world has fallen apart and talking about how it happened.
Which is what we are living now.
Edit: finished the movie.
It's not a great movie, but it seems obvious that it is trying to make a statement. I believe it made that statement.
What is 2 + 2? The answer is 5. What is 2 + 2?
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theel4life
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So so good.
Rewatched this one. A tale of modern Russian corruption and how it extends to the local level. It’s outstanding.
I saw it when it came out in 2014 (was Oscar nominated for best international) but it didn’t land quite like it did this time. Feels much more relevant to the US now.
#9 of 10: "One Battle After Another". Grade: A
Except for a break in my suspension of disbelief at the end, this movie could have been an A+. Still, it is far and away the best of the nine I've seen. It should and will win Best Picture and several other Oscars. From the leads to the walk-ons, the movie was well cast. Sean Penn will likely nab his third Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. And keep an eye out for rising star Chase Infiniti. She was subtly amazing as Willa Ferguson. Then again, as I said before, EVERYONE was perfectly cast in this movie.
I went in with sky-high expectations, and this film delivered at almost every level. Even the nearly 2 3/4 hour runtime wasn't a stumbling block. Every scene/every shot fit into the plot and moved the story along at a determined clip. The last scene struck a somewhat discordant note of calm and domestic tranquility. Unless we're looking at a sequel, it was incongruous with the danger that preceded the moment and likely would follow it. So, take a couple of points off its screenplay score if you wish, but the movie's still a solid A.
Except for a break in my suspension of disbelief at the end, this movie could have been an A+. Still, it is far and away the best of the nine I've seen. It should and will win Best Picture and several other Oscars. From the leads to the walk-ons, the movie was well cast. Sean Penn will likely nab his third Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. And keep an eye out for rising star Chase Infiniti. She was subtly amazing as Willa Ferguson. Then again, as I said before, EVERYONE was perfectly cast in this movie.
I went in with sky-high expectations, and this film delivered at almost every level. Even the nearly 2 3/4 hour runtime wasn't a stumbling block. Every scene/every shot fit into the plot and moved the story along at a determined clip. The last scene struck a somewhat discordant note of calm and domestic tranquility. Unless we're looking at a sequel, it was incongruous with the danger that preceded the moment and likely would follow it. So, take a couple of points off its screenplay score if you wish, but the movie's still a solid A.
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*ONE BATTLE SPOILERS*
I took that to be partly the fact that Lockjaw was dead, and word would’ve no doubt gotten to them one way or another that he’d vanished (dead). So it’s like there was a tiny bit of respite, evidenced by him learning to use his phone, and the happier tone of the scene.
But he knows that she is her mother’s daughter, and she’s got that “runner” instinct just like her, and there’s no hope of keeping her down. Hence the title, One Battle After Another — the cause marches on.
With “American Girl” blaring, I thought it was pitch-perfect.
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Among noms, my preference:
1. “One Battle After Another” / “Sentimental Value”
3. “Hamnet”
4. “Frankenstein”
5. “Train Dreams”
6. “The Secret Agent”
7. “Bugonia”
8. “Marty Supreme”
9. “Sinners”
NR. “F1” (did not care to watch cars speed around for 2.5 hours, maybe on a plane sometime when killing time is handy)
A lot of what I liked didn’t make it but that’s my list for what did.
Sentimental Value has no chance of winning, but I still can’t choose my favorite between that and One Battle, with Blue Moon a distant 3rd.
1. “One Battle After Another” / “Sentimental Value”
3. “Hamnet”
4. “Frankenstein”
5. “Train Dreams”
6. “The Secret Agent”
7. “Bugonia”
8. “Marty Supreme”
9. “Sinners”
NR. “F1” (did not care to watch cars speed around for 2.5 hours, maybe on a plane sometime when killing time is handy)
A lot of what I liked didn’t make it but that’s my list for what did.
Sentimental Value has no chance of winning, but I still can’t choose my favorite between that and One Battle, with Blue Moon a distant 3rd.
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Watched Nouvelle Vague which was fun and funny. They wrote Godard as everyone would want him to be. Then I rewatched Breathless and Pierrot le fou and was struck by how much rhythm they have. My memory of Breathless was that it was jagged and fragmented but this time it didn’t seem so. I’d never seen Pierrot le fou and the heightened absurdism might make it the better film. Also Godard was a pretty early feminist, in a French chauvinist way.
I hope to watch "The Secret Agent" tomorrow. Afterwards, I'll post my list.
I don't disagree with anything here. In fact, it's likely what the screenwriter/director intended the viewer to take from the ending. I guess I've just seen too many domestic terrorists/violent protestors/bank robbers/murderers/etc. chased for decades until arrested. In real life, neither father nor daughter would likely be allowed to slip back into a peaceful, worry-free life unless they were pardoned by a certain president. Since it's unlikely MAGA, or any rational politician for that matter, would ever embrace the politics and methods of The French 75, it's unlikely that peace & freedom await Bob and Willa. They would be perpetually on the run. But that's another movie, isn't it?