Babylon is a wonderful little film set in early 80's brixton and I think Skinny especially would love it
I can't wait to see that this Good Friday, in a Siskel Film Center triple feature also included Three Faces and Fantastic Planet
(And then going to a Music Box triple feature the next day to see The Big Sleep,Diane, and Her Smell with Alex Ross Perry giving a Q&A afterwards)
. Arctic (by Joe Penna): a survival tale in harsh conditions
. Stan & Ollie (Jon S. Baird): where tears and laughs mix, à la Chaplin
. Bad times at the El royale (Drew Goddard): as unpredictable as "Cabin in the woods" was; and thus totally different
. Green Book (Peter Farrelly): serious and light in one stroke; great acting
and last but not least
. Us (by Jordan Peele) : a horror film like "The Godfather" trilogy and "Goodfellas" are gangster flicks, or "2001..." and "Blade Runner" are sci-fi films. Genre-transcending stuff.
. Arctic (by Joe Penna): a survival tale in harsh conditions
Just watched this last night and was quite impressed. It's not a knockout, but it's definitely a film that knew what it wanted to be and succeeded at it. Incredibly immersive despite practically no dialogue. It's somewhere in my top 50 of the 2018, along with this recent watch:
Birds Of Passage. Probably somewhere in my top 100 of the decade. Incredibly strong imagery and a gripping plot. I should probably write more detail about it rather than a lazy 'you should watch this', but I'll leave it at that for now. Simply hoping it doesn't slip under people's radars. Ciro Guerra's definitely a name to watch.
(Also got around to watching Booksmart, which I'll combobulate a reaction to eventually)
I saw a stranger one... The house that Jack built. It's a good movie until the unnecessary last part, when von Trier decided emulate What Dreams May Come.
Even so, Matt Dillon was a excelent choice for the role.
Had a load of fun recently watching some Ernst Lubitsch films. To Be Or Not To Be, The Shop Around The Corner, Trouble In Paradise and Ninotchka. The dialogue in every one was delightfully witty and just fresh. Seemed somewhat out of place for 40s/30s releases.
"So they call me Concentration Camp Earhardt?" _________________ "Drink beer, smoke pot, and create something that will storm heaven. That's all I ever really cared about." - Ron House
You zeroed in on his best films well. Design for Living's very good too.
Have you seen any Preston Sturges? I just rewatched Sullivan's Travels and The Great McGinty (didn't make it all the way through McGinty the first time). Plan to watch Christmas in July soon. More screwball, but also witty and fresh. His best period was 1940-44.
Without sparking whatever online shitstorm is going on, what's BEA's thoughts on Joker?
(keeping in mind, no spoilers, it just came out and all)
It was okay, in my opinion. I'm very temped to discuss the controversies surrounding it, but I won't. I'll just say it's certainly not the most violent or disturbing movie ever made. Anyways, Joaquin Phoenix did great (though not quite Heath Ledger-great), and the cinematography, as derivative as it was, was still wonderful, especially in a landscape of rather lackluster effort in that regards, epecially in that genre. The writing was the weakest part. Certain story elements just don't flow well, or even always add up. I also feel it had a weak ending. It's not a bad movie by any means, there are simply too many great moments for that, but before the ending, when I was still convinced I liked it, I had to come up with a lot of excuses for my enjoyment of it. And, to be completely, 100% honest, it's boring. It's simply not that interesting. It's not violent or sick enough to have left that much an impact on me, nor is the character and writing that complex. The best I can say is that Phoenix's performance was great, though even with that I still had some problems (mostly his voice being much too soft throughout the film's duration). And there were a lot of moments that were supposed to be shocking that simply weren't. It was very predictable throughout. The only scene that surprised me, without spoiling it, was the subway scene (there are a few of them, but you'll know which one I'm talking about after you see it). And even that wasn't as strong as it should've been. Again, the direction, Phoenix's performance, and certain stand-out scenes prevent it from truly being bad, but it's certainly a mess.
Without sparking whatever online shitstorm is going on, what's BEA's thoughts on Joker?
(keeping in mind, no spoilers, it just came out and all)
It was okay, in my opinion. I'm very temped to discuss the controversies surrounding it, but I won't. I'll just say it's certainly not the most violent or disturbing movie ever made. Anyways, Joaquin Phoenix did great (though not quite Heath Ledger-great), and the cinematography, as derivative as it was, was still wonderful, especially in a landscape of rather lackluster effort in that regards, epecially in that genre. The writing was the weakest part. Certain story elements just don't flow well, or even always add up. I also feel it had a weak ending. It's not a bad movie by any means, there are simply too many great moments for that, but before the ending, when I was still convinced I liked it, I had to come up with a lot of excuses for my enjoyment of it. And, to be completely, 100% honest, it's boring. It's simply not that interesting. It's not violent or sick enough to have left that much an impact on me, nor is the character and writing that complex. The best I can say is that Phoenix's performance was great, though even with that I still had some problems (mostly his voice being much too soft throughout the film's duration). And there were a lot of moments that were supposed to be shocking that simply weren't. It was very predictable throughout. The only scene that surprised me, without spoiling it, was the subway scene (there are a few of them, but you'll know which one I'm talking about after you see it). And even that wasn't as strong as it should've been. Again, the direction, Phoenix's performance, and certain stand-out scenes prevent it from truly being bad, but it's certainly a mess.
Y'know what? Same. Maybe for slightly different reasons, but the same result. I thought it was okay (not bad, not great, just kinda in the middle somewhere). Shocked it's causing such a stir.
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