Films You Have Watched

[fuse]

One Fine Morning - Paris-based drama starring Léa Seydoux as a young widow, navigating parenthood, a messy relationship, and caring for her father as his health deteriorates. Nothing’s overplayed, instead it’s a smart little slice of life which reflects on these circumstances in a thoughtful and quite charming way.

The King of Comedy - the De Niro / Scorsese pairing is again far too good at nailing the bleak weirdos who fall down the cracks. Struggle with the labelling of this as a comedy, as anything funny about it is totally pitch black, but still, enjoyed this.

Weird: The Al Yankovich Story - like the man, don’t care for the music, but as it happens I am way more down with him parodying artist biopics than an artist’s actual art, and particularly when served with a generous helping of self deprecation. Really, really daft, and got a lot of genuine laughs out of me. I don’t think there’s any better indication of the tone of this than letting you know Conan O’Brien has a cameo role as Andy Warhol.

Buffalo ’66 - always meant to watch this but also very aware that it’s a big contributor to the perception of Vincent Gallo being an arsehole. Art from the artist and all that - his awful character does at least grow a little over the course, whereas the whole time it is stylish, shot quite beautifully, and does have some really memorable moments.

Dead Man’s Shoes - very British small-town revenge film that’s clearly put together on a low budget, but that lack of glamour is absolutely what fits what’s going on in it. Crucially, Paddy Considine is intense as all hell, and I was a big fan of the ending.

Breadcrumb Trail - Lance Bangs doc about the band Slint, and if that doesn’t immediately sell it to you then it’s unlikely to be worth your time, as it’s a pretty hands-off series of interviews with the people who were there, and very little to help you understand why anyone should give a **** that doesn’t already.

[wakka]

The King of Comedy - the De Niro / Scorsese pairing is again far too good at nailing the bleak weirdos who fall down the cracks. Struggle with the labelling of this as a comedy, as anything funny about it is totally pitch black, but still, enjoyed this.

Love, love, love this film. For me the humour is pitch black but razor sharp. The part where the guy is tied up and they put him on the phone to his producer and De Niro is holding up the cards with what to say and he keeps holding them up the wrong way and out of order just absolutely destroys me, so funny.

The ending is spot on for me, too, and brilliantly original.

->Open Spoiler<-

Jerry Lewis wanted a different ending, in which De Niro murders him. I'm so glad that didn't happen, because it would have been so lame and predictable.

Instead that Pupkin finally achieves fame as a result of his actions is kind of, idk, bathos. It's such a cool reversal that this semi-sympathetic psycho receives not his just desserts but his wildest dreams.

Finally getting to see Pupkin's routine towards the end is such a bittersweet moment, too. I think they get it just right. He's not awful, he's not incredible, he's surprisingly not bad, but it's inflected with such incredible sadness and explains so well why he acts the way he does.

One of my faves.

[QualityChimp]

I took my daughter to see Inside Out 2, and it was lovely.
It's more of the same with a new selection of emotions and lessons to be learned.
I laughed quite a lot at times, despite it not being as good as the original.

We saw it in 3D and there was some really inventive uses of the medium like deep shots, transparent layers and loads of things popping near the screen.

The main thing I liked was a trip to the cinema with my daughter.

[QualityChimp]

The death of Donald Sutherland was the kick up the arse I needed to move the Arrow Blu-Ray disc of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers from my wishlist to my basket.
Watched it last night and I still love it. Director Kauffman uses the city of San Francisco so brilliantly by having the setting part of the sense of discomfort the viewer feels.
Those steep hills, but the camera is set flat so it looks like they're walking at an angle.

The first time I saw it was on Alex Cox's Moviedrome and remember him talking about the Trans America Tower appearing like another character, but something unusual and out of place.

The original film of people becoming emotionless clones was a metaphor for the American fear of the unknown elements of Communism, but by the time the remake came out, America's bigger fear was paranoia and that nameless corporations or government agencies were after you and that's what drives this.

It's fascinating to see this when you know what's going on with loads of little hints right from the opening scenes in San Fran after the storm.
A priest on a swing (an uncredited Robert Duvall!) having an unspoken conversation with a teacher, who looks suspiciously at one of the lead characters as she walks past then tells her class to pick the unusual flowers to take home.
Characters oblivious to bin lorries full of mysterious husks or blanking crowds chasing after someone.

I particularly love how the film ratchets up the tension with a combination of unusual camera shots (like the tilted camera) or the shots behind the cracked windscreen and sparse or intense lighting.

Hats off to the score too. Yes, there's dramatic orchestral music, but the constant bleeps and bloops just makes you so unsettled.

By the final section when they have the evidence of what's happening, it's too late and it turns into a thrilling chase.

That ending is amazing - no spoilers in case it hasn't been ruined for you, but it was kept secret and only very late in shooting did they speak to Sutherland about what they'd planned and he totally agreed and the first time anyone knew about it was at a test screening at Skywalker Ranch.

I got that titbit from the commentary track, so I'm looking forward to listening to the whole thing.

Here's the Moviedrome into - which I think the BBC is really missing these days.

[Dogg Thang]

It's an absolute masterpiece. I have that Arrow version too and have rewatched it twice in the last year. The atmosphere is perfect and it's so unsettling. And that ending gets me every time even though I've seen it countless times.

[QualityChimp]

It's that little smile when she first sees him, thinking he's also been following her advice on how to blend in. Heartbreaking.

Some nice practical effects (although I love the trippy opening in space), but I definitely thought about The Thing, which has a similar theme of clones.
I'm looking forward to the making-of section about the special effects. I'm guessing there's some reverse footage as the tendrils snake out of the pods.

[Atticus]

Last night I felt compelled to pull my Arrow copy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers off the shelf Hadn't seen it since the Moviedrome screening on tv so it was pretty fresh again (though I did remember a couple of parts which aren't easily forgotten once seen). Absolutely loved it and felt a new found appreciation. So good. Listened to the Arrow podcast after too and agreed with Sam's recommended They Live double-bill.

Also watched Rio Bravo. This is the kind of cosy western I love. The sets are warm and colourful. It's a romantic wild west. Especially when Angie Dickinson rolls into town The story is probably as old as the genre itself ... with an unlikely trio guarding a prisoner from a gang determined to bust him out. But it does it to perfection. John Wayne and Dean Martin are both on such fine form ... delivering some great lines (singing some in Dean's case). There's a nice John Carpenter commentary on the disc too, him being a massive Howard Hawks fan and Rio Bravo inspiring his own Assault on Precinct 13.

[Dogg Thang]

I rewatched Annihilation last night. I really like it. It has an eerie atmosphere. The writing isn't fantastic and there are a few clunky bits but the strong cast and their performances smooth over that, reminding me of Chris Hemsworth's recent interview where he said an actor's job is to make bad lines sound good. And the overall vibe and the creepy moments just pull it all together and make it work.

[QualityChimp]

I want to like Annihilation more than I do, but I think I should probably see it more like Garland's recent Civil War where it's not about the war, but a story set within those guidelines.

Likewise Annihilation is not really about the Alien event, but how the event affects the women sent in to investigate.

That bloody bear bit is freaky AF though.

[Dogg Thang]

Likewise Annihilation is not really about the Alien event, but how the event affects the women sent in to investigate.

That's exactly it. It really answers nothing about the event itself and, for the most part, even avoids asking the questions.

And yes, that bear bit is disturbing.