2020 Quarantined Watches

[Pop Trash]

"Fleabag" is great, but you might have to have a specific sense-of-humor (then again, it won a slew of awards, so maybe not that specific). It's similar to Ghost World only add UK humour and the two leads are a bit older and sisters. Or imagine "Curb Your Enthusiasm" but with a 30-ish UK lady instead of a grumpy old Jewish Angelino. A bit more pathos than "Curb" as well. It's similar to stuff like Inside Llewyn Davis, Ghost World, and Rushmore, in that their caustic leads are acting out because of past trauma that gradually reveals itself (death of a friend or family member).

[Dukefrukem]

So... I think I might be coming around on Batman v Superman....

[Morris Schæffer]

Call of the Wild was just, really odd. Incredibly artificial, and not just the main character, but locations just have that emhasized sheen to them, like no one went the distance and decided to really shoot on location. The dogs are attributed human qualities, like Harrison Ford's Thornton wanted to drink Whisky because he was feeling shitty, and so the dog took the bottle and emptied it.

Yeah right.

[Grouchy]

Call of the Wild was just, really odd. Incredibly artificial, and not just the main character, but locations just have that emhasized sheen to them, like no one went the distance and decided to really shoot on location. The dogs are attributed human qualities, like Harrison Ford's Thornton wanted to drink Whisky because he was feeling shitty, and so the dog took the bottle and emptied it.

Yeah right.

Every bit of promotional material for this gave me an awful vibe.

[Skitch]

So... I think I might be coming around on Batman v Superman....

ONE OF US...ONE OF US...

[Ivan Drago]

Finally broke out of my movie-watching fast/funk with Godzilla vs. Megalon. I'm curious how all who complained about Godzilla not being in the 2014 reboot would feel about this, because the first two-thirds are very much The Jet Jaguar Show, while Godzilla doesn't show up until the final 30 minutes in an AWESOME tag team battle against Gigan and Megalon. Still, Seatopia looks like a world in Flash Gordon art directed by Andy Warhol, and there's enough B-movie ridiculousness to go around until the climax for it to be enjoyable. I admittedly only threw it on because with its place in the Criterion Collection, it warms my heart to see Godzilla's dropkick recognized as one of the most important moments in cinematic history.

[Mal]

Saint Frances may be available as a digital rental via your local art house and I highly recommend it. A very naturalistic story of a 30-something figuring things out and being a failure of sorts. Genuine acting, direction with a nice ease. It’s indie but nothing trite nor precious.

[Dukefrukem]

ONE OF US...ONE OF US...

Something clicked with me today. Going to sleep on it. And don't get me wrong. Everything at and after the Martha scene is terrible, but the first half is interesting and makes me wish the rest of his vision in JL and Deathstroke came true.

[Skitch]

Not now or ever said its perfect. But it does have a certain vision for its sequel that was never realized.

[Pop Trash]

Finally watched The Long Goodbye ... which is quite good. I've seen bits and pieces of it over the years (an ex coworker at an indie video store I worked at several lifetimes ago LOVED it, but he and I bickered a lot about movies, which is one of the reasons I never watched it back in the day, it's petty but I had a mnemonic association about it with him). Elliot Gould seems born to play this shambolic version of Marlowe (who many think is actually closer to the book version of Marlowe than Bogie ... I haven't read the books).

The only nitpick I have is using the ironic needle drop of "Hooray for Hollywood" for no reason. This takes place in Los Angeles but really has zilch to do with Hollywood as far as I can tell. It would make more sense in The Player, but even then, outside of Kubrick, ironic needle drops kinda make my eyes roll. I remember 'Film Comment' had a whole article about them, but can't remember if they mentioned the use of "Hooray for Hollywood" in this.

Also people mention the shocking violence of the mob goon smashing a coke bottle on his girlfriend's face to intimidate Marlowe. Later she shows up with a big bandage across her face. That is straight up ripped from The Big Heat. In The Big Heat (made 20 years before The Long Goodbye) Lee Marvin's goon throws a pot of scalding coffee at Gloria Grahame's character's face, puts her in the hospital, and later she shows up wearing a big bandage across her face. The homage doesn't bother me, but people acting like this is "new" because a New Hollywood movie could show some R-rated violence and be more honest about how these sleazebags treat women isn't really true.

Rest of the film is good shit. I like how it goes from being fun and goofy to gradually getting existentially dark, leading up to the "nothing says goodbye like a bullet" ending. Sterling Haden is really good, apparently basically playing his drunken, stoned self from what I've read. Almost all of it improvised. Washed out cinematography is aces.

[Morris Schæffer]

Pop trash is that the one with Schwarzenegger?

[Pop Trash]

Pop trash is that the one with Schwarzenegger?

Yes, but by "with" it means he's in it for like five minutes, has no lines, and plays the bodyguard of a gangster goon (the one who breaks a coke bottle over his girlfriend's face). Memorable for Arnold taking off his shirt and showing off his 36 DD pec muscles because the goon inexplicably wants everyone to get naked(?) something about finding missing cash he thinks Elliot Gould is hiding from him. Also, Arnold has a groovy '70s stache.

[Grouchy]

The only nitpick I have is using the ironic needle drop of "Hooray for Hollywood" for no reason. This takes place in Los Angeles but really has zilch to do with Hollywood as far as I can tell. It would make more sense in The Player, but even then, outside of Kubrick, ironic needle drops kinda make my eyes roll. I remember 'Film Comment' had a whole article about them, but can't remember if they mentioned the use of "Hooray for Hollywood" in this.

Agreed, but Altman is basically an "ironic needle drop" director all the way. It's part of his style.

Also people mention the shocking violence of the mob goon smashing a coke bottle on his girlfriend's face to intimidate Marlowe. Later she shows up with a big bandage across her face. That is straight up ripped from The Big Heat. In The Big Heat (made 20 years before The Long Goodbye) Lee Marvin's goon throws a pot of scalding coffee at Gloria Grahame's character's face, puts her in the hospital, and later she shows up wearing a big bandage across her face. The homage doesn't bother me, but people acting like this is "new" because a New Hollywood movie could show some R-rated violence and be more honest about how these sleazebags treat women isn't really true.

Yup. I can't remember which movie I saw first but that was definitively a Big Heat reference.

As for Gould being a more literary-based Marlowe than Bogart, it's an interesting point but I'm not sure. Chandler gave Marlowe a lot of characteristics which were his own, or at least how he saw himself - a man of integrity and uncompromising morals in a world of sleazebags. The interesting thing is that Marlowe never shows that side of himself to anyone but the reader, at least until the later books where he settles down with a wife and leaves the detective business. He prefers to be considered a sleazebag because he has to operate in that world. I think what Altman did was take the character and place it in a modern ('70s modern, obviously) Hollywood environment that's also filled with sleazebags but where his style and personality are somehow anachronistic and he's confused by the world that surrounds him instead of taking advantage of it. So, no, I think Bogart is closer to the books, both his performance and even Bogart himself.

[Peng]

Funny Face (1957)



Musicals are all about blissful unreality, but even then, literally putting a magnifying glass on Audrey Hepburn's picture to comment on how she lacks "grace, elegance, and pizzazz" kinda breaks my brain for some minutes there. The dead-on-arrival romance's age gap also doesn't help; it's an unfortunately common trend throughout Hepburn's career, but 1957 must be a banner year for her, having both this and Love in the Afternoon with Gary Cooper (the latter film at least has Billy Wilder's swoon mode power and the age gap feeding into the film's text, making it still somewhat work).

Some of the most gorgeous, visually imaginative musical set-pieces happen here though (with each mostly set to different color schemes no less, all of them stunning), and Donen and Gershwin together are too good a combo for any musical to be brought down by story flaws too much. Donen's infectious comedic sense that I've cherished since Singin' in the Rain are also embraced whole-heartedly by all performers, with Kay Thompson being the MVP. 7/10

[Peng]

The Dirty Dozen (1967) - Surprised by the ratio of training to actual mission (7 : 3), but it's a nifty strategy since the former is rollickin' fun, and pays off in the latter with our group investment making the mission all the more suspenseful. Bizarre to think that this is John Cassavetes' only acting nom though, even if he turns in a nicely unruly, crazed turn. 7.5/10

[Grouchy]

I love that film so much. Best war flick ever in my opinion.

[transmogrifier]

I love that film so much. Best war flick ever in my opinion.

Funny way to say Apocalypse Now.

[Skitch]

Funny way to say Apocalypse Now.

Facts

[Grouchy]

It's... different? Apocalypse Now is a work of art to be sure, but I don't know if it's intended as a war flick. Perhaps I should have said best "men on a mission" movie ever.

EDIT: I know there's a very clear mission in Apocalypse Now, it's just ultimately not the focus of the film.

[Dukefrukem]

Apocalypse Now might sit right next to the Godfather as the most overrated movies of all time.

[transmogrifier]

Apocalypse Now might sit right next to the Godfather as the most overrated movies of all time.

Not in a world where Marvel and Nolan movies exist, it don't. Zing!

[Morris Schæffer]

Apocalypse Now might sit right next to the Godfather as the most overrated movies of all time.

And you dared criticize my appraisal of The Princess Bride.

[Skitch]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture remains my favorite Trek film.

[Dukefrukem]

Not in a world where Marvel and Nolan movies exist, it don't. Zing!

Apocalypse Now is on your top 100 list I'd imagine. No Marvel movies exist on mine.

[Morris Schæffer]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture remains my favorite Trek film.

Well, I suppose ya coulda said The Final Frontier.