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Post by essien on Jan 21, 2018 8:36:29 GMT -5
Yeah, it's great to find someone with similar tastes in film like that. I go to the cinema a lot with one of my coworkers since our office is next door to one. We don't like exactly the same films but there's some overlap. I veer more towards art house than she does. We had very different opinions on A Ghost Story and Personal Shopper, for example. But it's still fun to discuss. I want to get better at analysing films so I can talk about them in more depth. I've watched a couple more movies from my list: Deep Red and The Iron Giant. Deep Red was quite a trip. I'd seen Dario Argento's Suspiria, so I knew I was in for something unorthodox, but this was the first time watching a giallo. It took me a while to settle into it: the acting is kind of hammy, the music is weird and the camerawork is something else. But once I got used to it and realised this was all totally intentional, I could really appreciate it as a film. It's a well told crime story with lots of memorable scenes. I'm keen to watch more giallo movies now: I'm a big fan of the slasher movies of the 70s/80s and there's definitely some crossover between the two. 4/5. I was less impressed with The Iron Giant. I added it to my list because of its reputation as an animation classic, and also because I remember seeing trailers for it when I was a kid but never getting to see it. I didn't particularly like the art style - it felt like a drab, budget Disney - and I didn't connect with the story or characters either. Maybe I needed to have seen it when I was younger, or maybe it's because I was subconsciously comparing it to the unobtainable standards of Miyazaki's movies. 3/5 Def agree with you on getting better at analyzing film. As it is now, I'm greatly enjoying this thread because of the conversation opportunities it gives to those of us with that kind of yen. On another tangent, I do hate it when I subconsciously compare films; it takes me out of the experience and I won't enjoy as much as I normally would have. My mind likes to mess with me in other ways, taking apart scenes shot by shot and also subconsciously analyzing special effects. I've never seen The Iron Giant, but it seems to me that it would have to get judged on a different plane, apart from Disney. It seems to me that, despite me not seeing it, the film has a sense of maturity and heart that one doesn't typically find too often in a Disney film, and the animation style is reminiscent of "The Brave Little Toaster". Yeah, over-comparing definitely does hinder your experience. Because Disney and Studio Ghibli have such a monopoly over animation, I was thinking "this looks like a Disney film but the plot is more like a Ghibli film" instead of judging it on its own merits. Either way, I still didn't find a connection with it and it could just be one of those subjective things. Planning to watch Ozu's Late Spring today. |
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Post by essien on Feb 1, 2018 17:20:26 GMT -5
I've watched four more films since I last posted and loved them all. Here's a few short reviews...
Late Spring. Simple story about the relationship of a woman with her family, beautifully told by Ozu. Setsuko Hara is perfect. 4/5
Talk to Her. A bit of a masterpiece from Almodovar. The way he works with really difficult and challenging themes is unique. 4.5/5
The Spirit of the Beehive. Another one that I had to read up on afterwards to fully appreciate. It's a real experience and I can see how Guillermo del Toro was influenced by it. 4/5
A Single Man. Really poetic film making. Stunning performance by Colin Firth. The cinematography is possibly the best depiction of the 60s that I've seen. Loved the music too. 4.5/5
How's everyone getting on with their lists? I've just hit the halfway mark with mine (and it's only February...)
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Post by stuartoxlade on Feb 2, 2018 10:09:44 GMT -5
I've watched four more films since I last posted and loved them all. Here's a few short reviews... Late Spring. Simple story about the relationship of a woman with her family, beautifully told by Ozu. Setsuko Hara is perfect. 4/5 Talk to Her. A bit of a masterpiece from Almodovar. The way he works with really difficult and challenging themes is unique. 4.5/5 The Spirit of the Beehive. Another one that I had to read up on afterwards to fully appreciate. It's a real experience and I can see how Guillermo del Toro was influenced by it. 4/5 A Single Man. Really poetic film making. Stunning performance by Colin Firth. The cinematography is possibly the best depiction of the 60s that I've seen. Loved the music too. 4.5/5 How's everyone getting on with their lists? I've just hit the halfway mark with mine (and it's only February...) I've been sharing viewings with my friend. I've done 2 of his films and 1 of my own. Gonna take all year by the sounds of it |
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Post by tao on Feb 2, 2018 15:18:43 GMT -5
TBH, I haven't been setting aside time to watch any films in particular lately, preferring more to read through several books and history magazines that I've neglected, so yes, I've been sloughing off. No worries though, I'll get back to it in the next several days.
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Post by essien on Feb 12, 2018 18:15:08 GMT -5
Watched a few more...
Mulan. I think this falls into the second tier of Disney movies. There's a clear gap in quality compared to the likes of The Lion King and Aladdin. It was beautifully animated but beyond that, the plot felt pretty insubstantial and the characters were forgettable. 3/5.
The Right Stuff. Very, very long movie about the early days of American space travel. It's highly rated but, for me, it doesn't quite nail the epic feel that it's going for. I enjoyed it from a historical point of view and the action scenes involving the flights/take offs were pretty gripping. 3.5/5
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? Not a perfect movie but Joan Crawford's performance is amazing and her character is one of the best I've seen from that era of Hollywood movies. I need to watch Feud now, apparently. 4/5
14 movies down, 6 to go!
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Post by tao on Feb 12, 2018 19:32:55 GMT -5
essien, would you be doing a second list after your first list will soon be completed?
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Post by tao on Feb 13, 2018 0:05:55 GMT -5
.jpg) This. This is devastatingly fantastic. This is simplistically brutal in its satire of media and entertainment. This is probably the best film I've seen to date that effectively mixes biting cynicism into a comedic art form. To crow the praise of one singular actor or actress in here would be to effectively damn the others, so therefore it would be literally impossible to do so. Peter Finch is superb, and William Holden, Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall are all simply magnificent. Hell, even though Ned Beatty has what amounts to a glorified cameo, his performance is flawless. Every point the script raises is crystal clear and understandable, and even 40+ years after its release, it still holds up perfectly. This is required watching for anyone and everyone. 10/10 |
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Post by essien on Feb 13, 2018 5:58:59 GMT -5
essien , would you be doing a second list after your first list will soon be completed? I will, and I've already put the list together. I've been a bit more relaxed with the criteria for the second one, so it's a combination of classic movies, popular movies and movies I've been meaning to watch for a while. I'm quite OCD so just having a list of films to pick from when I'm choosing what to watch is helpful. I'll post the new list when I'm done with this one. |
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Post by tao on Feb 13, 2018 7:10:24 GMT -5
essien , would you be doing a second list after your first list will soon be completed? I will, and I've already put the list together. I've been a bit more relaxed with the criteria for the second one, so it's a combination of classic movies, popular movies and movies I've been meaning to watch for a while. I'm quite OCD so just having a list of films to pick from when I'm choosing what to watch is helpful. I'll post the new list when I'm done with this one. Sweetalicious. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you pick next. |
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Post by v9733xa on Feb 13, 2018 18:13:23 GMT -5
Network is so goddamn good. You'd think a movie about the media from 40 years ago would be way out of step, but it's still perfect. Also, tao, i wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but make an effort to watch Broadcast News sometime, if you never have. It weaves in a romantic theme that doesn't harm the story at all, but it's also decades old and still holds up.
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Post by tao on Feb 13, 2018 23:50:18 GMT -5
Network is so goddamn good. You'd think a movie about the media from 40 years ago would be way out of step, but it's still perfect. Also, tao, i wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but make an effort to watch Broadcast News sometime, if you never have. It weaves in a romantic theme that doesn't harm the story at all, but it's also decades old and still holds up. I'll add it to my list, thanks! Always happy to have recommendations! |
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Post by stuartoxlade on Feb 14, 2018 3:40:04 GMT -5
Network is so goddamn good. You'd think a movie about the media from 40 years ago would be way out of step, but it's still perfect. Also, tao , i wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but make an effort to watch Broadcast News sometime, if you never have. It weaves in a romantic theme that doesn't harm the story at all, but it's also decades old and still holds up. I'll add it to my list, thanks! Always happy to have recommendations! Did you guys see Christine last year? Has Rebecca Hall in it. Kinda similar to Network. |
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Post by tao on Feb 14, 2018 14:07:08 GMT -5
No I haven't. TBH I never heard about it until you mentioned it here.
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Post by v9733xa on Feb 14, 2018 18:24:30 GMT -5
I'll add it to my list, thanks! Always happy to have recommendations! Did you guys see Christine last year? Has Rebecca Hall in it. Kinda similar to Network. Is that the movie about the TV journalist who... kills herself on live TV? If so, i didn't, but i'd check it out someetime. |
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Post by stuartoxlade on Feb 15, 2018 4:25:20 GMT -5
Did you guys see Christine last year? Has Rebecca Hall in it. Kinda similar to Network. Is that the movie about the TV journalist who... kills herself on live TV? If so, i didn't, but i'd check it out someetime. Yeah man that's the one. Check it out. Really good. |
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