At 12 years old?Quoting Skitch (view post)
At 12 years old?Quoting Skitch (view post)
Yep. Growing up in the amish community is fucked upQuoting Dukefrukem (view post)
Edit: I didn't mean it as a criticism if anyone couldnt relate to any of those. That would be totally understandable.
Last edited by Skitch; 12-29-2020 at 04:38 PM.
It's a great mini movie. Maybe my favorite mini tale told in the context of a larger narrative aside from the bathroom tale in Reservoir Dogs. This trope is separate from omnibus movies like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
Ratings on a 1-10 scale for your pleasure:
Top Gun: Maverick - 8
Top Gun - 7
McCabe & Mrs. Miller - 8
Crimes of the Future - 8
Videodrome - 9
Valley Girl - 8
Summer of '42 - 7
In the Line of Fire - 8
Passenger 57 - 7
Everything Everywhere All at Once - 6
Now I want to watch this again.Quoting Pop Trash (view post)
#42
Opening Night
Opening Night is a riddle inside a puzzle wrapped up in an enigma. Well, actually, it’s a play inside a movie wrapped up in a real-life marriage. There are so many layers to this film, I’m pretty much convinced the only people in the world who could reveal the underlying truths are Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes themselves—and of course they would never actually do that. Simply stated, Opening Night is about a middle age woman who struggles to accept the play she’s starring in is about a middle age woman. As soon as we think we’re getting a handle on how the play is a meta-commentary on her life, she belligerently goes off-script (in both rehearsals and preview performances) and—not knowing where the play’s script ends and her wild improvisations begin, much less which is the greater mirror of her own experience—we find ourselves fully disoriented once again.
Add to this the fact that Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes were married from 1954 until his death in 1989, and that Cassavetes himself plays the romantic lead opposite Rowlands within the in-movie play, and Opening Night becomes one of the most richly layered, boldly acted, and brutally honest depictions of modern relationships I’ve ever seen. If you can make it through the anxiety-inducing closing sequence, you’ll be rewarded with a redemptive ending. But is it actually? After all, Opening Night has something in common with any relationship that has been thoroughly tested: it’s complicated.
42.
Movie: Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Director: Sergio Leone
Commentary: A better mediation on the passing of time than The Irishman, Leone turns his mythmaking eye to a more recent period. The opium haze of the opening hangs in the air throughout as we track a parade of deplorable characters trapped in amber, destined to look back with rose-tinted glasses at a childhood that may never have even existed. Innocence curdling into opportunism and then egotistical amoralism - all ushered through by a cinematic master.
Key Quote: “Well, at least you recognized me. That's something.”
Best Moment: That infernal ringing of the phone sets the mood and the teeth on edge.
Director: Zhang Yimou
Films Seen: 6
Average: 69.66
Commentary: I’m still more of a pre-Hero Zhang fan, when he was less concerned about choreography and spectacle. But that is not to say he hasn’t been churning out high quality studio efforts all this time; it just seems to be more of a technical exercise a lot of the time.. as such, I have not been racing out to see many of his recent films, but I think I need to sit one down and reacquaint myself with this guy.
Best Film: Not One Less (1999)
“Worst” Film: Coming Home (2014) [this is 64/100 and has no right to be considered bad, but what are you gonna do. The rules are the rules.]
Key Quote: “To make art, one thing you should always remember - subjects of people in misery have deep meanings.”
Musical Artist: Faith No More
Commentary: “Epic” was one of my absolute obsessions as a youngster, thus Faith No More has always been cloaked in nostalgia for me. I grew apart from them for a while, first a little alienated by the scuzzy weirdness of Angel Dust and then dismayed by their mainstream saturation with King for a Day…. But as always, the best music and musicians outlast the hype and the critical consensus, and it is always nice to fall back in love all over again with a band. A great mix of creative, messy, melodic, crunchy and with just the right seasoning of pretentiousness.
Best Album: Angel Dust (1992).
Best Song: “Just a Man” from King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime (1995)
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
YES. Are we close to the same age?Quoting transmogrifier (view post)
I'm older I'm pretty sure. Born in 1977.
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
By about 7 years. But when I read your Faith No More summary I had flashbacks to my youth.Quoting transmogrifier (view post)
"Epic" hit big in my first year of high school, then Angel Dust came out when I was into the more sandpapered Nirvana and Peral Jams of the world, and then King for a Day came out in my first year of uni, where it was almost mandatory to be disdainful of what received mainstream radio play.... but then I grew up and just liked what I liked.Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
That' makes sense. Epic was super inspirational for me as I started to learn about music and obviously Last Cup of Sorrow was part of that. I remember recording that song on the radio with a cassette, and then trying to figure out WHO the band was. Because they didn't always tell you immediately after the song was over. Or sometimes they said it before the song came on and didn't reiterate it. Eventually figuring it out and buying the CD.
Gotta love recording things off the radio! Such a big part of my childhood/teenage years.
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
I recorded everything off the radio too. Ahh the Youtube generation kids... they don't know the satisfaction of getting the tape REC button hit right when the song you want to hear starts.
and good luckQuoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
There's a part of me that wants to express unmitigated love for The Nightingale as a reward to myself for being brave enough to watch it in the first place. If you hate it when movies almost show you something truly horrible but cut away at the very last second to a shot of birds flying out of trees or axes chopping through wood, well, this is the movie for you. It gains a lot of its power and austerity from realistic depictions of brutal violence, and I can't think of anyone better to direct it than Jennifer Kent. (I kept thinking about that one scene in Saving Private Ryan, where two soldiers struggle over a knife before one gains an advantage and the knife slowly descends into the other's chest. Clumsy and realistic.) It is incredibly well made, and I'm glad I watched it (thanks Duke). But in addition to one or two minor annoyances, I think I'll go on preferring directors generally imply the most horrible parts of their stories.
Last edited by Idioteque Stalker; 01-06-2021 at 01:52 PM.
42. LITTLE WOMEN (2019)
What else is there to say about Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel Little Women. A sweeping, accessible (if not routinely assigned) text that has become a beloved staple of American literature. Several film adaptations later, the story still manages to surprise and delight on-screen, even when you might assume there isn’t much new to tell of the March family and their young daughters. The long tradition of adapting Louisa May Alcott’s novel is made new again in the hands of Greta Gerwig, a typically joyful presence on-screen when acting, though now Ms. Gerwig has successfully spread her charm from behind the camera as a writer and director.
Her fantastic debut film Lady Bird came awfully close to making this list- a swift, relatable 90-minute teen comedy with some of the sharpest, intricate editing I’ve ever seen for a movie that doesn’t feature a single car chase. When I heard that Greta Gerwig would be adapting a new version of Little Women, I questioned why Gerwig would want to adapt this story yet again. Little Women has been done before many times and her first film was strikingly original, so why bother with such a familiar story? I went to the theater the day after Christmas excited yet cautious, though found myself crying almost the entire runtime.
Much like Gerwig’s Jo March, I’m not sure I’ll ever marry, but I strive for success and happiness through my work and creativity, as well as supporting my family and friends to the best of my ability. Gerwig looks back at the way these characters once were, emphasizing love and safety in family- how taking care of others helps us learn and grow into being better people. This last decade has dealt some of my family members a difficult time with relationships and serious health problems. All through this pandemic, it is my biggest fear that, since I live with my parents, I would inadvertently be the cause for any of my family members to die because of this awful virus. Obviously this isn’t the same as the movie and its events (scarlett fever and parents experiencing loss of their children), but just the same- there is so much I have and will do to make sure my family is ok until the world is a safer place to be from this invisible enemy. The warmth of this film may not hit the same way for all, though I do hope they have their own films that bring such emotional cinematic richness to them in that unique, comforting way. I love this film for providing such perspective and heart. Through familial strife, personal passions, desires, and ambitions - without having a single inauthentic moment that feels overdone or disrespectful to the source and its audience. There is no weakness in filmmaking that brings the human condition to the forefront to help others understand what the important things are as we live our lives.
(Available on STARZ)
Well written Mal. Though I never have seen any of the films, I know the story and I can understand the link with COVID; just being that close to people during dark times.
It's a sinking feeling.
Thanks, I recommend checking out the 1933 or 1994 version first if you're interested.
Duke's Top 50 Most Influential Movies Throughout Life
The movies I've seen from age 10-35 that have had ANY (small or large) impact on my personal viewpoint on life, lived by myself, or the perceived perspective of someone else's life.
#41
The ’Burbs (1989)
I came across this movie on a Saturday afternoon sometime in the late 90s. My father and I were bored and this was playing on cable TV. The spooky overtones and unconventional score caught our interest. It then became a family "classic". Quoting everything, everywhere. Any situation that was mildly applicable:
*Check out my new tools*
"Ohh those are beauties... you gonna build something with those?"
"I'm thinkin about it"
...
"..wait how do you know that?"
"biology 101"
...
"I want to kill, everyone. Satan is good. Satan is our pal."
The Burbs probably has the best supporting character that we never saw again. Art Weingartner played by Rick Ducommun (RIP). The brilliance of the nutty neighbor up against the skeptic neighbor is pure comedy. Add in Bruce Durn, Corey Feldman, all the Klopeks and TOM HANKs.
"I'm only trying to take a nap. I'm only laying here with my eyes closed, trying to get some GD sleep"
I stand this is Joe Dante's best work.
I only saw that for the first time in like 2019.
#41
The Wind In the Willows
ducks are a-dabbling
as we glide on toward Toad Hall
wind beckons us home
41.
Movie: Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Director: Terry Gilliam
Commentary: Brilliant film, possibly Gilliam's best. It is so seedy and grim, with its version of 1996 society so alien and scuzzy, it helps to put in sharp relief Cole's immense joy at the simple pleasure of freedom. The whole movie seems liable to collapse at any moment, skirting the line between a coherent, internally rigorous depiction of social anarchy and simply being incoherent and gauche. But it holds its nerve and lands an impressively emotional ending. Willis at his best.
Key Quote: “You know what crazy is? Crazy is majority rules.”
Best Moment: The animals run free
Director: Robert Altman
Films Seen: 25
Average: 69.76
Commentary: The perils of making this list based on strict mathematical averages; when pushed, I would call Altman my favorite ever director. There is something about his shaggy digressions and commitment to letting his actors swim around in their characters, looking to find moments of clarity and emotional resonance, while all the while people are chattering in the background, life continuing on in the margins. His very best films feel lived in and effortless, embracing the best and worst of human nature (Short Cuts, Nashville) and poking at the foundations of genre (The Long Goodbye); his worst ones are tone deaf (Pret-a-Porter) and shrill (Beyond Therapy) and sometimes mean-spirited (Kansas City). But I don’t care about the misses - it’s the hits that matter.
Best Film: Short Cuts (1993)
Worst Film: Pret-a-Porter (1994)
Key Quote: “Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes.”
Musical Artist: Ween
Commentary: I became interested in Ween when “Push the Little Daisies” unaccountably made headway on alternative radio for a while there, leading me to pick up Chocolate and Cheese and then suffer the whiplash of an album that pivots from creepy first-person accounts of childhood disease to Mexican corridos and everything in between. I didn’t know what to make of it, so I went to sleep on them for more than a decade or so. Then I started to play Chocolate and Cheese again and the seemingly self-conscious smart-assedness faded away to be replaced with awe at their ability to write fantastic tunes while having the musical version of ADHD. That led me forward to The Mollusk, which is more conventional, and backwards to the harder edged experiments of The Pod and GodWeenSatan and I haven’t looked back. If I want to listen to 100 genres all at once, I put Ween on shuffle and go from there.
Best Album: The Mollusk (1997)
Best Song: “If You Could Save Yourself (You'd Save Us All)” from Quebec (2003)
Last edited by transmogrifier; 01-30-2021 at 12:59 AM.
Last 10 Movies Seen
(90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)
Run (2020) 64
The Whistlers (2019) 55
Pawn (2020) 62
Matilda (1996) 37
The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) 61
Moby Dick (2011) 50
Soul (2020) 64
Heroic Duo (2003) 55
A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
As Tears Go By (1988) 65
Stuff at Letterboxd
Listening Habits at LastFM
I am definitely on board with this possibility.Quoting transmogrifier (view post)
Everybody knows Gilliam's best film is The Crimson Permanent Assurance.
Just because...
The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg, 2022) mild
Petite maman (Céline Sciamma, 2021) mild
The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh, 2022) mild
The last book I read was...
The Complete Short Stories by Mark Twain
The (New) World