Films Recently Watched

  On 5/16/2017 at 11:34 PM, marf said:

Oxyana, wow. depressing. Very american, sadly. This is the America the tourists don't see.. They should just let that fat guy take as much drugs as he wants after the murder of his family. Sad sad sad stories

 

Interstellar. Pleasantly surprised. Not much of a Mathew Mccon-ahay fan (great in buyers club and dazed and confused, tho )

but i loved the subject of gravity and time. Excellent. 

Watched Oxyana the other night. Gutting shit.

I also watched a documentary by the same guy called Florida Man. One thing I noticed is that the Appalachian southerners were much more eloquent than the Florida ones (even when they were on mad pills). I live in Florida, and the rednecks here are just seem to have much less in the vernacular department compared to Appalachian folk. 

get out - i thought it was really funny, scary, and thought-provoking. i liked how it seamlessly weaved its trenchant social critiques into a brilliantly effective and entertaining horror/comedy thrill ride.

The Aviator, review lifted off my new Letterboxd account

3.5/5

Although it's first and foremost a biopic of Howard Hughes, an extraordinary but troubled director and aviator during the early-to-mid 20th century, The Aviator is essentially Scorsese's love letter to Hollywood's golden age. The color grading and music, together with stellar set pieces and actors' performances, does a wonderful job of reeling you into the time period. The cold two-tone technicolor emulation of the first half of the film may be off-putting to some, but I embraced it as part of the film's charm. Those faded blues have a certain shimmer to them. The later three-tone color is absolutely lush and an invigorating respite from the all-too-common bleak pictures of present day.

The film unfortunately struggles with uneven pacing and suffers from it's roughly 2hr40min of run time, as is typical for a Scorsese film but more prominent this time. As the story moves on to Hughes' relationship dramas and economic problems, it kind of dithers and peters out, although the way it portrays his OCD problems is gripping. Leo DiCaprio still carries the story with ease as he has a knack for eccentric, passionate and subtly psychotic individuals, especially under Scorsese's direction (just look at Shutter Island and The Wolf Of Wall Street!). Cate Blanchett struck me as particularly lovely in her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn, and Adam Scott's old-time radio accent is just tip-top. Golly!

  On 5/17/2017 at 3:06 AM, chim said:

The Aviator, review lifted off my new Letterboxd account

 

3.5/5

 

Although it's first and foremost a biopic of Howard Hughes, an extraordinary but troubled director and aviator during the early-to-mid 20th century, The Aviator is essentially Scorsese's love letter to Hollywood's golden age. The color grading and music, together with stellar set pieces and actors' performances, does a wonderful job of reeling you into the time period. The cold two-tone technicolor emulation of the first half of the film may be off-putting to some, but I embraced it as part of the film's charm. Those faded blues have a certain shimmer to them. The later three-tone color is absolutely lush and an invigorating respite from the all-too-common bleak pictures of present day.

 

The film unfortunately struggles with uneven pacing and suffers from it's roughly 2hr40min of run time, as is typical for a Scorsese film but more prominent this time. As the story moves on to Hughes' relationship dramas and economic problems, it kind of dithers and peters out, although the way it portrays his OCD problems is gripping. Leo DiCaprio still carries the story with ease as he has a knack for eccentric, passionate and subtly psychotic individuals, especially under Scorsese's direction (just look at Shutter Island and The Wolf Of Wall Street!). Cate Blanchett struck me as particularly lovely in her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn, and Adam Scott's old-time radio accent is just tip-top. Golly!

Just watched Get Out, one thing really bugged me.

  On 5/17/2017 at 11:40 PM, Gocab said:

Just watched Get Out, one thing really bugged me.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

How the fuck did he get the cotton into his ears while he was strapped down to the chair

 

This!

A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence - 4/5

"It's nice to hear that you're doing well."

Only Roy Andersson could use such a meaningless line to state something profound about the human condition. The third and final film in a series of existential surrealist comedies(?), A Pigeon... inhabits a strange place between reality and fantasy. Showcasing various barely related absurdist scenes, it attempts to paint a picture of man's lot in life... Or something like that. It's never quite clear what it is that Andersson actually intends. What is, however, is that he is a master of capturing and relating his own particular brand of melancholic, strange and awkward social situations. All interiors are drab and carefully decorated with the most depressing 50's-60's European props and furniture imaginable, vestiges of the old Swedish socialist ideal Folkhemmet ("the people's home"), or perhaps a bit influenced by the eastern bloc. Very ordinary people in poorly fitting clothes mostly whine or speak in a convoluted, formal tone and are exceedingly polite unless somebody deviates from the rules and regulations. Shame seems to be a recurrent motif. Occasionally, there is singing, with lyrics as empty as the faces of stationary background characters. The wide, blank spaces around these people give most scenes a dreamlike quality.

As a Swede, I find it fascinating that this film has had such a positive international response. Obviously, there is a universal element to the existentialist themes and awkwardness, but in some ways it feels intimately Scandinavian. I've been in rooms, hallways and apartments so closely resembling those featured on screen, reacting similarly at the horribly bad taste, reflecting with equal parts humor and sadness on the absurd nature of modern life's situations. I've heard countless of strange dialogues and misunderstandings so close to this film's awkward interactions, in the same cadences and melodies. A Pigeon... makes for comedy and tragedy at the same time, and I'll be the first to admit the film is so accurate in reflecting this element of real life, it is at times painful to watch. I have friends who recognize the surgical precision that Roy Andersson operates with, but do not cringe at it at all. Is it not close enough to home, perhaps? For whatever reason, they might laugh whereas my mild smirk hides a more conflicted reaction. At other times, the film is wildly funny in it's controlled insanity. Often, it's so warm and honest in relating life's imperfections and contradictions that the screen almost glows. The cinematography is excellent.

I can't help but feel that each aspect of every frame was deliberately conceived and executed by Andersson. Regardless of any discomfort felt during the journey, I am left with a decent bit of awe at his achievement.

a documentary about one of the most corrupt cops in united states history mostly focusing on michael dowd. has some really interesting video footage of the late 80s east brooklyn

ten out of ten corrupt amerikan cops

  On 5/17/2017 at 11:40 PM, Gocab said:

Just watched Get Out, one thing really bugged me.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

How the fuck did he get the cotton into his ears while he was strapped down to the chair

 

waaay more things bugged me about it. Still enjoyed it though.

He bent over until he could reach his ears, his upper body wasn't restrained. Dumbass crackers.

I had other issues, but this was the only thing that didn't really make any sense within the film's internal logic.

something wild - i don't usually delve into pre-90's stuff because it's all mostly irrelevant, but i was curious to see what jonathan demme did besides the lambs and somehow got to this one. and it's a pretty fun ride, it's very vivid, witty and free in a way you don't get to see in modern films that are all self aware and considerate of whatever written and unwritten laws of modern film-making there are. it's full of colorful characters and is constantly in motion and grabbing your attention with music (and he got pretty hip people here for that job, like david byrne, the feelies, john cale and laurie anderson), scenery and all kinds of 80's quirks and details (but not of the "it's the 80's!" variety, it's more natural and humanistic here). daniels is very enjoyably as yuppie weasel, but griffith is pretty awful, especially with her dialogue delivery, the golden blob people probably hit their heads really hard before considering nominating her. liotta is fun too, although it gets laughably over the top for them all in the climatic fight scene where lots of wooden things get destroyed.

  On 5/18/2017 at 11:13 AM, Rubin Farr said:

He bent over until he could reach his ears, his upper body wasn't restrained. Dumbass crackers.

  On 5/18/2017 at 11:18 AM, Gocab said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

That's not how stuffing things in your ear canal works, but I'll give it a pass

 

I had other issues, but this was the only thing that didn't really make any sense within the film's internal logic.

i don't understand

I take it all back. I guess he could've done it, I thought he was more restrained than he actually is.

  On 5/18/2017 at 12:59 AM, chim said:

A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence - 4/5

 

"It's nice to hear that you're doing well."

 

Only Roy Andersson could use such a meaningless line to state something profound about the human condition. The third and final film in a series of existential surrealist comedies(?), A Pigeon... inhabits a strange place between reality and fantasy. Showcasing various barely related absurdist scenes, it attempts to paint a picture of man's lot in life... Or something like that. It's never quite clear what it is that Andersson actually intends. What is, however, is that he is a master of capturing and relating his own particular brand of melancholic, strange and awkward social situations. All interiors are drab and carefully decorated with the most depressing 50's-60's European props and furniture imaginable, vestiges of the old Swedish socialist ideal Folkhemmet ("the people's home"), or perhaps a bit influenced by the eastern bloc. Very ordinary people in poorly fitting clothes mostly whine or speak in a convoluted, formal tone and are exceedingly polite unless somebody deviates from the rules and regulations. Shame seems to be a recurrent motif. Occasionally, there is singing, with lyrics as empty as the faces of stationary background characters. The wide, blank spaces around these people give most scenes a dreamlike quality.

 

As a Swede, I find it fascinating that this film has had such a positive international response. Obviously, there is a universal element to the existentialist themes and awkwardness, but in some ways it feels intimately Scandinavian. I've been in rooms, hallways and apartments so closely resembling those featured on screen, reacting similarly at the horribly bad taste, reflecting with equal parts humor and sadness on the absurd nature of modern life's situations. I've heard countless of strange dialogues and misunderstandings so close to this film's awkward interactions, in the same cadences and melodies. A Pigeon... makes for comedy and tragedy at the same time, and I'll be the first to admit the film is so accurate in reflecting this element of real life, it is at times painful to watch. I have friends who recognize the surgical precision that Roy Andersson operates with, but do not cringe at it at all. Is it not close enough to home, perhaps? For whatever reason, they might laugh whereas my mild smirk hides a more conflicted reaction. At other times, the film is wildly funny in it's controlled insanity. Often, it's so warm and honest in relating life's imperfections and contradictions that the screen almost glows. The cinematography is excellent.

 

I can't help but feel that each aspect of every frame was deliberately conceived and executed by Andersson. Regardless of any discomfort felt during the journey, I am left with a decent bit of awe at his achievement.

an immense film, blending the droll & the utterly surreal.....loved the sales blokes, their lost causes and bickering but underpinned by the true meaning of long term companionship, the colour scheme interiors especially & the icing on the cake was the way the cavalry regiment struttted through town that metaphorically blew my mind, even more so during the impact of their failed venture & return

it blended contemporary malaise with an incredible historical element to the extent that after watching it i spent a few hours reading around Swedish territorial histories across the region, which revealed so much and made the film even more poignant, not many directors can force you to want to explore certain cities but Andersson succeeded here and i hope to complete a mini tour in the not too distant future

its my favourite Andersson filem after Du Levande, another genius critique of culture, personalities and those pastel colours that seep out of the screen into the viewer's psyche

he's v similar to Kaurismäki, but much more nuanced at integrating the inconceivable into audio/visual feasts, i just hope he gets 1 or 2 more releases out given his age and the likelihood this could possibly be his last production

  On 5/17/2017 at 2:20 AM, Auditor said:

Watched Oxyana the other night. Gutting shit.

 

I also watched a documentary by the same guy called Florida Man. One thing I noticed is that the Appalachian southerners were much more eloquent than the Florida ones (even when they were on mad pills). I live in Florida, and the rednecks here are just seem to have much less in the vernacular department compared to Appalachian folk. 

 

Ive always viewed Florida as not part of the south. maybe cause it's so transient and the huge influence of cuban culture? i dont know

Charade (1963) - 4/5

Paris, the early 1960's. Regina (Audrey Hepburn) is weary of wedlock with a rich but unloving and distant husband, but before she manages to initiate a divorce, he is found dead. A number of mysterious circumstances are revealed, including a fortune he stole from the US government and stowed away. Before long, Regina finds herself in a high-risk cat-and-mouse game, chased by suspicious men after a sum of money she wasn't even aware of. She finds some security in the new acquaintance Peter's (Cary Grant) company, but who can she really trust?

Charade is a lighthearted 1963 caper mystery in dazzling technicolor and filled with witty dialogue to die for. Both Hepburn and Grant are effortless in their element, but it's safe to say Hepburn steals the show with her lovely looks and accent. She is unfortunately reduced to a rather passive role in the events but keeps a sharp tongue, even when threatened by dangerous men.

My goodness, how I love these transatlantic thrillers from the 60's. Right from the start, we're treated to a gorgeous psychedelic intro sequence that puts Bond films to shame. The score by Henry Mancini could not have been more fitting. It takes a lot to melt my heart, but scenes with vibraphone stings will do the job. The cinematography is rather straightforward with plenty of still shots utilizing the beautiful Paris backdrop, but the lighting is exceptional. The interplay between shadow and light is frequently used to its fullest.

The story moves in a classically reserved pace but takes the twists and turns necessary to keep the mystery alive, and the inevitable playful romance between Hepburn and Grant is expected to keep us engaged. Grant's imposing stature towers over the poor girl and a word or two could probably be said about the age difference, seeing as he is 25 years older and his character continually refers to her as a child. But I suppose age is only a number and it was more than appropriate at the time. I found the sharp quips between the exceptional actors particularly entertaining. There is plenty of humor to spare amongst the supporting characters, including an intimidating James Coburn, and a dash of typically 60's clumsy action scenes. Anybody with the slightest interest in classic Hollywood will find this a delight.

https://youtu.be/zzbpoP6Ro60

this was an amazing early piece of softcore sleaze. a couple leave the big city and move into a "small town" only to end up next door to a very buxon and beauty satanist. the husband is naturally obsessed with her, and she seems obsessed with his wife- whom she's constantly seducing by turning herself into a guy and sleeping with. she later turns herself into the wife and sleeps with the husband.

things then turn (ugly?) when the wife sneaks a peak on her doing some ritualistic drawings and she immediately runs back home to tell her husband who then suggests they go investigate: and that's when things get really satanic. the film begins by saying only you can decide whether this film is true, while the end tries to tie this up with an unfortunate ending for the main protagonist

this nudie-cutie was considered lost for more than 50 years until it was "discovered" in 2014 much to the pleasure of many of a raincoater

eight and a half sexy satanic witches out of ten

"There is nothing left to see after this picture..." God damn beautiful!

Xenogenesis (1978) early James Cameron short. Watched on youtube. This is about as trademark Cameron as can be.

Epic creation story. Biblical nudity. Dinosaur fight. Cannibals. Dick inspection. Green tits. Bear fight. Love rivalry. Pretty decent.

watched this last night: very interesting documentary- i've been interested in the idea of faking or frauds since f is for fake. this however is more of a straight film in that it doesn't meander into other stories: you're more or less watching a documentation (including slight recreations) of how beltracchi made his fakes with the occasional interview for "an expert" or gallery owner. one thing i really disliked was the artists(?) attitude: he's very nonchalant about the whole thing and claims faking people like davinci or rembranbt is too easy. yeah- fuck you asshole

seven fake monet's out of ten

Watched this the other day. Full of lols.

A.D. Skinner/10