movies What's the last film you watched? And rate it!
- Thread starter GerryLovesU
- Start date
Yeah I love To Live as well but not quite as much as Raise The Red Lantern. Really you can't go wrong with any Yimou from 1987-1994, and then selections from later in his career. I saw To Live when I was much younger, so I can't wait to re-watch that and see what I think of it now, I remember that it was a masterpiece and had a very heartbreaking story for me.
22 Jump Street - 9.5/10
Effing hilarious sequel to 21 JS.
Absolutely fantastic development of the two primary characters, integration of elements from the first film, and complete disregard for conservatism.
I could recommended watching both without being embarrassed.
The Signal - 3/10 (and one of those points is just for cinematography)
Just save yourself an hr and and a half, read the wikipedia synopsis, and go watch 22JS.
Plodding trod through the introduction of unremarkable characters through an ever-increasingly absurd environment towards a SciFi variant of "it was all just a dream."
Waste of time and money producing this.
Camera work is often nice, but nothing ooo-ahh worthy.
Effing hilarious sequel to 21 JS.
Absolutely fantastic development of the two primary characters, integration of elements from the first film, and complete disregard for conservatism.
I could recommended watching both without being embarrassed.
The Signal - 3/10 (and one of those points is just for cinematography)
Just save yourself an hr and and a half, read the wikipedia synopsis, and go watch 22JS.
Plodding trod through the introduction of unremarkable characters through an ever-increasingly absurd environment towards a SciFi variant of "it was all just a dream."
Waste of time and money producing this.
Camera work is often nice, but nothing ooo-ahh worthy.
Django Unchained directed by Quentin Tarantino - 8/10
This is more like it! I actually liked this film a lot, it's just a lot of fun and yet it has a more serious tone than other Tarantino films. My only problem would be the music choices (they just feel inappropriate for this kind of film, I know Tarantino loves his own music taste but would it kill him to use a full original non-pop musical score for once!) and that the movie is just too damn long for it's own good. Thirty minutes could have been cut out, and this would probably be my third favorite Tarantino film and a near-masterpiece, but whatever I liked it a lot. I hope Tarantino keeps moving in this direction.
Kokushi muso (existing fragments) directed by Mansaku Itami - 8/10
Why are so many great films lost!? This is like the precursor to all the great action-comedy movies I like, and it is just really funny, I wish I could watch the whole film!
wkw/tk/1996@7’55’’hk.net directed by Wong Kar-wai - 5/10
A pretty useless short film, has some nice shots though and it isn't really long so it is watchable.
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer directed by Phil Roman - 4/10
Yeah it's awful, but I love it! My favorite scene is when the grandfather decides to sing even though he understands that he's supposed to sign instead of sing, you don't get these kind of moments in films where the filmmakers think a little bit about logic in traditional narrative film.
Ghost In The Well directed by Toshikazu Kono; starring Hibari Misora - 6/10
The first Japanese film of the 1920s-1960s period that I see that is just "meh." Don't get me wrong, there are other 6/10s and worse scores I've given to Japanese films of this period, but all of those are failures made by real great cinematic masters that just had a misstep (usually in the script). This film is the first I've seen that is "it is what it is." It's your typical Japanese ghost story that takes cues from love suicide plays as well. Perhaps I'd like it more if I hadn't taken a course on traditional Japanese drama where I read the masterpieces of this genre, but there's really nothing too good or too bad about this film. The interesting thing about it though is that it stars Hibari Misora, arguably the most important classic Japanese pop singer and the biggest Japanese movie star, and what's interesting is that apparently her films haven't stood the test of time as she has starred in over 100 films and none of them make it on best films lists nor are they really available with subtitles anywhere.
I Killed My Mother directed by Xavier Dolan - 6/10
I've heard a lot about this wunderkind that directed his debut feature at 19 years old, is he the real deal? Well I feel like it's unfair to judge him by his debut film as is supposed to have grown considerably with subsequent films but I just felt like this particular film was problematic. The premise of the film is great, and the overall filmmaking is solid but I find it to be too derivative of European arthouse filmmakers (and other similar filmmakers like Wong Kar-wai) without bringing anything new to the table. The story also doesn't go anywhere, and I'm not saying that it should be a traditional three act structure, it just doesn't go anywhere even as an arthouse offering. Still, it is a decent film and I look forward to seeing how Dolan grows as a filmmaker (and hopefully in maturity since this felt like a pretty immature effort).
College Boy: Indochine directed by Xavier Dolan - 4/10
I just decided to skip ahead to watch a short film because I had time to watch a short film, and I kinda hated this film. Visually it's pretty good but the concept and song and everything is just annoying and stupid.
White Christmas directed by Michael Curtiz - 8/10
Okay I just loved this film a lot. At first I didn't know what to expect but then it just brought me to the wonderful world of Hollywood with all of its great dialogue, misunderstandings, wonderful musical sequences with especially wonderful dance numbers. It's not a perfect film, but it is probably one of the perfect films to watch during the Christmas season.
The Snowman directed by Dianne Jackson - 8/10
Just wonderful. I love the animation style, the fact that it's a silent film, and the fleeting joy of this film. This is now one of my favorite Christmas films.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer directed by Larry Roemer - 7/10
Yes it's very flawed, but it's also very charming. My favorite character was Yukon Cornelius, he is just insane!
The Little Drummer Boy directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. & Jules Bass - 6/10
I liked this a lot too, the ending is really touching.
Frosty the Snowman directed by Jules Bass & Arthur Rankin, Jr. - 7/10
This is probably my favorite of these Christmas specials, it's just too sweet and Frosty the Snowman is one of my favorite Christmas songs (probably my second favorite) and they sing it like a million times, so how can I not like this one?
A Christmas Story directed by Bob Clark - 7/10
This was a nice warm Christmas comedy film, but I don't like it as much as everyone else seems to. Maybe I need to give it a re-watch, but I didn't find this film to be the best Christmas film of all-time.
The Battle Over Citizen Kane directed by Michael Epstein & Thomas Lennon - 5/10
This is barely even about the battle, and the battle itself wasn't as interesting as I expected. The best thing is of course the archival footage of that era, but this film is too long and doesn't offer very interesting insights for the most part. A one hour doc would have been good for this material.
This is more like it! I actually liked this film a lot, it's just a lot of fun and yet it has a more serious tone than other Tarantino films. My only problem would be the music choices (they just feel inappropriate for this kind of film, I know Tarantino loves his own music taste but would it kill him to use a full original non-pop musical score for once!) and that the movie is just too damn long for it's own good. Thirty minutes could have been cut out, and this would probably be my third favorite Tarantino film and a near-masterpiece, but whatever I liked it a lot. I hope Tarantino keeps moving in this direction.
Kokushi muso (existing fragments) directed by Mansaku Itami - 8/10
Why are so many great films lost!? This is like the precursor to all the great action-comedy movies I like, and it is just really funny, I wish I could watch the whole film!
wkw/tk/1996@7’55’’hk.net directed by Wong Kar-wai - 5/10
A pretty useless short film, has some nice shots though and it isn't really long so it is watchable.
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer directed by Phil Roman - 4/10
Yeah it's awful, but I love it! My favorite scene is when the grandfather decides to sing even though he understands that he's supposed to sign instead of sing, you don't get these kind of moments in films where the filmmakers think a little bit about logic in traditional narrative film.
Ghost In The Well directed by Toshikazu Kono; starring Hibari Misora - 6/10
The first Japanese film of the 1920s-1960s period that I see that is just "meh." Don't get me wrong, there are other 6/10s and worse scores I've given to Japanese films of this period, but all of those are failures made by real great cinematic masters that just had a misstep (usually in the script). This film is the first I've seen that is "it is what it is." It's your typical Japanese ghost story that takes cues from love suicide plays as well. Perhaps I'd like it more if I hadn't taken a course on traditional Japanese drama where I read the masterpieces of this genre, but there's really nothing too good or too bad about this film. The interesting thing about it though is that it stars Hibari Misora, arguably the most important classic Japanese pop singer and the biggest Japanese movie star, and what's interesting is that apparently her films haven't stood the test of time as she has starred in over 100 films and none of them make it on best films lists nor are they really available with subtitles anywhere.
I Killed My Mother directed by Xavier Dolan - 6/10
I've heard a lot about this wunderkind that directed his debut feature at 19 years old, is he the real deal? Well I feel like it's unfair to judge him by his debut film as is supposed to have grown considerably with subsequent films but I just felt like this particular film was problematic. The premise of the film is great, and the overall filmmaking is solid but I find it to be too derivative of European arthouse filmmakers (and other similar filmmakers like Wong Kar-wai) without bringing anything new to the table. The story also doesn't go anywhere, and I'm not saying that it should be a traditional three act structure, it just doesn't go anywhere even as an arthouse offering. Still, it is a decent film and I look forward to seeing how Dolan grows as a filmmaker (and hopefully in maturity since this felt like a pretty immature effort).
College Boy: Indochine directed by Xavier Dolan - 4/10
I just decided to skip ahead to watch a short film because I had time to watch a short film, and I kinda hated this film. Visually it's pretty good but the concept and song and everything is just annoying and stupid.
White Christmas directed by Michael Curtiz - 8/10
Okay I just loved this film a lot. At first I didn't know what to expect but then it just brought me to the wonderful world of Hollywood with all of its great dialogue, misunderstandings, wonderful musical sequences with especially wonderful dance numbers. It's not a perfect film, but it is probably one of the perfect films to watch during the Christmas season.
The Snowman directed by Dianne Jackson - 8/10
Just wonderful. I love the animation style, the fact that it's a silent film, and the fleeting joy of this film. This is now one of my favorite Christmas films.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer directed by Larry Roemer - 7/10
Yes it's very flawed, but it's also very charming. My favorite character was Yukon Cornelius, he is just insane!
The Little Drummer Boy directed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. & Jules Bass - 6/10
I liked this a lot too, the ending is really touching.
Frosty the Snowman directed by Jules Bass & Arthur Rankin, Jr. - 7/10
This is probably my favorite of these Christmas specials, it's just too sweet and Frosty the Snowman is one of my favorite Christmas songs (probably my second favorite) and they sing it like a million times, so how can I not like this one?
A Christmas Story directed by Bob Clark - 7/10
This was a nice warm Christmas comedy film, but I don't like it as much as everyone else seems to. Maybe I need to give it a re-watch, but I didn't find this film to be the best Christmas film of all-time.
The Battle Over Citizen Kane directed by Michael Epstein & Thomas Lennon - 5/10
This is barely even about the battle, and the battle itself wasn't as interesting as I expected. The best thing is of course the archival footage of that era, but this film is too long and doesn't offer very interesting insights for the most part. A one hour doc would have been good for this material.
Captain EO directed by Francis Ford Coppola; starring Michael Jackson - 6/10
OK so I don't know what the heck this is about, nor do I even really care. The crazy special effects, sci-fi setting, and Michael Jackson singing and dancing is just awesome so time flies by with this short film. Unfortunately, Michael Jackson is too Michael Jackson-ey for me to ever take seriously in any role, even in cheesy sci-fi so the non-singing and dancing scenes aren't very enjoyable for me. But I find it cool that Michael Jackson worked with just about every great mainstream American director of his era.
Sincerity directed by Mikio Naruse - 7/10
Finally I'm back to watching Naruse films, and this is the 20th one I've seen which means I've finally concluded watching all of his surviving 1930s films. Visually, this film is very impressive (as with most Naruse I've seen) and the story is very interesting but I felt like it could have been so much more. This is one of the few times when I think a longer length would make one of these films better since this one tries to cover a lot of different characters and plot points within a short 60 minutes. This is one of the few endings of a Naruse film that I hate with its over the top nationalistic celebration of a character taking the train to go to the war, if Naruse would have ended it without the propaganda scene, the film would have been more powerful.
OK so I don't know what the heck this is about, nor do I even really care. The crazy special effects, sci-fi setting, and Michael Jackson singing and dancing is just awesome so time flies by with this short film. Unfortunately, Michael Jackson is too Michael Jackson-ey for me to ever take seriously in any role, even in cheesy sci-fi so the non-singing and dancing scenes aren't very enjoyable for me. But I find it cool that Michael Jackson worked with just about every great mainstream American director of his era.
Sincerity directed by Mikio Naruse - 7/10
Finally I'm back to watching Naruse films, and this is the 20th one I've seen which means I've finally concluded watching all of his surviving 1930s films. Visually, this film is very impressive (as with most Naruse I've seen) and the story is very interesting but I felt like it could have been so much more. This is one of the few times when I think a longer length would make one of these films better since this one tries to cover a lot of different characters and plot points within a short 60 minutes. This is one of the few endings of a Naruse film that I hate with its over the top nationalistic celebration of a character taking the train to go to the war, if Naruse would have ended it without the propaganda scene, the film would have been more powerful.
Hateship Loveship 4/5
WOW! Kristin Wiig is a real actress, color me impressed. I thought she was just a comedian. This movie had so much honesty and character, it was very open and moving. Definitely better than the usual films that I watch as of late.
My only complaint is that this movie should have been 10 or 20 minutes longer at the end. Guy Pierce plays a drug addict and they really could have explored this aspect of his character more in the 3rd act.
How rare is that. I actually want a movie to be longer for once
WOW! Kristin Wiig is a real actress, color me impressed. I thought she was just a comedian. This movie had so much honesty and character, it was very open and moving. Definitely better than the usual films that I watch as of late.
My only complaint is that this movie should have been 10 or 20 minutes longer at the end. Guy Pierce plays a drug addict and they really could have explored this aspect of his character more in the 3rd act.
How rare is that. I actually want a movie to be longer for once
Snowpiercer - 7/10
Eh... this is a difficult film to levy empirical judgement upon.
On the one hand, it's just plain childish, but it's grisly and definitely R rated-worthy.
On the other hand, it's cartoonist, but it's not very entertainingly "fun", it's trying to be darkly serious.
But the story is just too stupid to take serious.
But it's told well-ish.
Don't know why it received either the attention or rewards that it did, but... cool beans for the filmmakers!
Just turn your brain off at the door and enjoy the show.
Also, I think Paul Verhoven would have done a better job of rewriting the source material and directing this, IMHO.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - 6/10
I enjoyed the original. This story isn't written with the same grin-worthy fun as its predecessor. This one is also kinda serious, bordering on tedious.
Once you start looking at it as cartoon drama instead of cartoon entertainment you'll likely enjoy it more.
It's like watching the world through the eyes of a child.
Eva Green's boobs = woot. Whatever.
Jessica Alba's boobs = pfft. You wish.
The bonus feature green screen material is good, though.
Eh... this is a difficult film to levy empirical judgement upon.
On the one hand, it's just plain childish, but it's grisly and definitely R rated-worthy.
On the other hand, it's cartoonist, but it's not very entertainingly "fun", it's trying to be darkly serious.
But the story is just too stupid to take serious.
But it's told well-ish.
Don't know why it received either the attention or rewards that it did, but... cool beans for the filmmakers!
Just turn your brain off at the door and enjoy the show.
Also, I think Paul Verhoven would have done a better job of rewriting the source material and directing this, IMHO.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - 6/10
I enjoyed the original. This story isn't written with the same grin-worthy fun as its predecessor. This one is also kinda serious, bordering on tedious.
Once you start looking at it as cartoon drama instead of cartoon entertainment you'll likely enjoy it more.
It's like watching the world through the eyes of a child.
Eva Green's boobs = woot. Whatever.
Jessica Alba's boobs = pfft. You wish.
The bonus feature green screen material is good, though.
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Also the film "Into the Wild" 9/10
contrasting opinion (again; that really ought to be my username!), I loved the new Hobbit. Great fun, not perfect, but just about everything I could have wanted. There's a couple bits I'm sure will be smoothed out with the extended edition. Only two gripes from me:
But the caveat to all of that is I am a fantasy junkie, and approach everything with the unabashed glee of an overly excited 10 year old. I make no claims to being objective about these films!
Tauriel really should have taken care of Bolg; not just fall apart while Legolas kill-steals. Also I was expecting my favorite poem from the Hobbit, Roads Go Ever On (http://allpoetry.com/Roads-Go-Ever-On) to make an appearance. Sure, it got a minor reference in Fellowship, but they could have really nailed it. Maybe I should do a version. Anyway, I didn't make the connection to Galadriel's "drowned woman" look when she engages ring power to her ring, having domain over water (just as Gandalf's is fire) before. Solid detail work.
But the caveat to all of that is I am a fantasy junkie, and approach everything with the unabashed glee of an overly excited 10 year old. I make no claims to being objective about these films!
The Battle Of Midway directed by John Ford - 4/10
Good war footage, bad narration.
Salomé directed by Pedro Almodovar - 7/10
Interesting debut short film, I love the way it portrays and ridicules a religious story at the same time.
Attack On The Bakery directed by Naoto Yamakawa - 8/10
Insane story by Haruki Murakami, equally insane filmmaking by Naoto Yamakawa. I wish she would have made short films of every Murakami short story!
Hero directed by Zhang Yimou - 9/10
Surprisingly I really liked this a lot, even more than Crouching Tiger. Christopher Doyle's cinematography is spectacular as always, and Yimou employs a Rashomon-style of narration that was interesting to follow. Great performances by Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung make it even better. I do wish there were a bit more of Jet Li and a bit more intimate moments in this film, but I really enjoyed it from beginning to end.
Erotique directed by Peter Tscherkassky - 7/10
I love it whenever Tscherkassky puts effort in making something that's like a cinematic lightshow, this one was pretty good but not his best work.
Shot - Countershot directed by Peter Tscherkassky - 2/10
This doesn't even need to exist really, it's short but it's nothing.
Café Lumière directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 5/10
I can't really get into Hou's 2000s stuff, it just feels like there's nothing to watch. I like this film even less than Millennium Mambo which at least dazzled me with impressive technique, a beautiful star, interesting 3rd person voiceover narration, and the always fascinating Jack Kao.
Metro Lumière - 6/10
Yes, I liked the documentary about the film more than the film itself. In some ways it makes me want to watch the film again since the way they discuss it is so interesting.
A Tree In Tanjung Malim directed by Tan Chui Mui - 8/10
Wow, great contemplative cinema. This made me realize that I do still love glacially paced stuff, it just has to have something there. This was a great film about those little moments in life that people don't usually make films about. I look forward to watching more Malay cinema.
Sex Hygiene directed by John Ford - 6/10
Thank you Mr. Ford, I will make sure not to be a fool and have sexual relations which cause venereal diseases.
Ani*Kuri15: Good Morning directed by Satoshi Kon - 7/10
Operation Concrete directed by Jean-Luc Godard - n/a
Nice shots of construction, no subtitles on my copy, don't really need them though it's just a short film about construction.
The Flight of the Red Balloon directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 8/10
Wow so I don't dislike every 2000s Hou film, this one was just incredibly charming and felt lighter than his other work. All of the characters were just fascinating, and I was happy to discover that Fang Song (a film student character in the film) is actually a filmmaker herself, hopefully I can find her debut feature somewhere.
Once Upon A Rainbow directed by Agnes Ng; written by Wong Kar-wai - 5/10
The most insane Hong Kong film I have seen, it is just way too fast paced, and that's saying a lot since most HK films are fast-paced. I don't even know, there were scenes I liked, but I got a headache from this film since it went too fast.
Pink Cut: Love Me Hard, Love Me Deep directed by Yoshimitsu Morita - 6/10
Okay so, after watching Tokyo Decadence I got interested in the pink film genre, and this is the first real pink film I've seen. It's just like really well shot porn with simulated sex, a short potential rape scene, and a sick love story. This isn't the hardcore pink stuff yet, but I find it strange that this can even exist in the filmography of an acclaimed director.
Crazed Fruit directed by Ko Nakahira - 10/10
The best film I've seen in a long time. This is just filled with emotion and sadness and a youthful spirit. Give me this over most New Wave films anywhere, this was the real New Wave before the New Wave existed. It's a shame Nakahira would go on to not really do anything with his career.
Straight Shooting directed by John Ford - 7/10
Wow, you can really see a master from the very start of his/her career (just as I noticed with Mikio Naruse). This is John Ford's earliest surviving film, and it's just really well-made even if it isn't a masterpiece. The use of montage in the battle sequence at the end is incredible, but even more incredible is the one on one duel between the protagonist and one of the major villains which seems to do a bit of what Leone did much earlier. I actually think this could have been an even better film if Ford would have integrated the love story at the end more throughout the film and didn't let some scenes drag along in the first half of the film. As it is though, this is a must-see for John Ford fans and probably for anyone into American silent film (even though it isn't a masterpiece, it's still a great film).
Days Of Being Wild directed by Wong Kar-wai - 9/10
Another impressive film that really stuck with me emotionally. This is by far Andy Lau's best performance, and it's one of Leslie Cheung's best too. I love the ensemble cast, I love the story and the scenes and the mood. This is just a really great film though it's not on the level of Happy Together or In The Mood For Love, in my opinion.
La pierre de l'attente directed by Tran Anh Hung - 6/10
Good early short, the cinematography is awesome. I like the visual motifs in the film, but I feel like it would have been better with a stronger narrative structure.
Housing Problems - 6/10
Notable for being the first documentary to use interviews, not much else to it.
The Harder They Fall directed by Mark Robson - 7/10
Humphrey Bogart's final film, and it's pretty good even though it's nothing special. Sports films make me think of sports as the modern slavery, it's really sad. The film is very well-made, I just think that it's no masterpiece.
Project A2 directed by Jackie Chan - 8/10
I have mixed feelings about this film because on the one hand, it has some of the best scenes in a Jackie Chan film (or even any HK film). The action choreography, the comedic staging, the cinematography, the music, it's all just so perfect. I could probably make the argument that 90% of the scenes in this film are masterpieces in themselves. However, the overall form of the film, the plot and the narrative structure is so goddamned muddled that it is frustrating. My only minor complaint about the first film was that it was a bit too plotty for HK standards, this one amps up the plot times 100 and suffers from it. Regardless, I'll say it's a great film because these scenes are just too good.
Goodbye To Language directed by Jean-Luc Godard - 8/10
Wow, this is by far the most impressive use of 3D in a film I have ever seen. Godard is playful and youthful as always, and the film is aesthetically stunning in its use of high-end digital cameras all the way down to a GoPro. Do I understand what the hell the film is about? No. But I do know that I was entertained from beginning to end, I was marveled by the 3D technique (I mean twice Godard even allows us to edit the film for ourselves), and I would totally watch it again.
Good war footage, bad narration.
Salomé directed by Pedro Almodovar - 7/10
Interesting debut short film, I love the way it portrays and ridicules a religious story at the same time.
Attack On The Bakery directed by Naoto Yamakawa - 8/10
Insane story by Haruki Murakami, equally insane filmmaking by Naoto Yamakawa. I wish she would have made short films of every Murakami short story!
Hero directed by Zhang Yimou - 9/10
Surprisingly I really liked this a lot, even more than Crouching Tiger. Christopher Doyle's cinematography is spectacular as always, and Yimou employs a Rashomon-style of narration that was interesting to follow. Great performances by Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung make it even better. I do wish there were a bit more of Jet Li and a bit more intimate moments in this film, but I really enjoyed it from beginning to end.
Erotique directed by Peter Tscherkassky - 7/10
I love it whenever Tscherkassky puts effort in making something that's like a cinematic lightshow, this one was pretty good but not his best work.
Shot - Countershot directed by Peter Tscherkassky - 2/10
This doesn't even need to exist really, it's short but it's nothing.
Café Lumière directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 5/10
I can't really get into Hou's 2000s stuff, it just feels like there's nothing to watch. I like this film even less than Millennium Mambo which at least dazzled me with impressive technique, a beautiful star, interesting 3rd person voiceover narration, and the always fascinating Jack Kao.
Metro Lumière - 6/10
Yes, I liked the documentary about the film more than the film itself. In some ways it makes me want to watch the film again since the way they discuss it is so interesting.
A Tree In Tanjung Malim directed by Tan Chui Mui - 8/10
Wow, great contemplative cinema. This made me realize that I do still love glacially paced stuff, it just has to have something there. This was a great film about those little moments in life that people don't usually make films about. I look forward to watching more Malay cinema.
Sex Hygiene directed by John Ford - 6/10
Thank you Mr. Ford, I will make sure not to be a fool and have sexual relations which cause venereal diseases.
Ani*Kuri15: Good Morning directed by Satoshi Kon - 7/10
Operation Concrete directed by Jean-Luc Godard - n/a
Nice shots of construction, no subtitles on my copy, don't really need them though it's just a short film about construction.
The Flight of the Red Balloon directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien - 8/10
Wow so I don't dislike every 2000s Hou film, this one was just incredibly charming and felt lighter than his other work. All of the characters were just fascinating, and I was happy to discover that Fang Song (a film student character in the film) is actually a filmmaker herself, hopefully I can find her debut feature somewhere.
Once Upon A Rainbow directed by Agnes Ng; written by Wong Kar-wai - 5/10
The most insane Hong Kong film I have seen, it is just way too fast paced, and that's saying a lot since most HK films are fast-paced. I don't even know, there were scenes I liked, but I got a headache from this film since it went too fast.
Pink Cut: Love Me Hard, Love Me Deep directed by Yoshimitsu Morita - 6/10
Okay so, after watching Tokyo Decadence I got interested in the pink film genre, and this is the first real pink film I've seen. It's just like really well shot porn with simulated sex, a short potential rape scene, and a sick love story. This isn't the hardcore pink stuff yet, but I find it strange that this can even exist in the filmography of an acclaimed director.
Crazed Fruit directed by Ko Nakahira - 10/10
The best film I've seen in a long time. This is just filled with emotion and sadness and a youthful spirit. Give me this over most New Wave films anywhere, this was the real New Wave before the New Wave existed. It's a shame Nakahira would go on to not really do anything with his career.
Straight Shooting directed by John Ford - 7/10
Wow, you can really see a master from the very start of his/her career (just as I noticed with Mikio Naruse). This is John Ford's earliest surviving film, and it's just really well-made even if it isn't a masterpiece. The use of montage in the battle sequence at the end is incredible, but even more incredible is the one on one duel between the protagonist and one of the major villains which seems to do a bit of what Leone did much earlier. I actually think this could have been an even better film if Ford would have integrated the love story at the end more throughout the film and didn't let some scenes drag along in the first half of the film. As it is though, this is a must-see for John Ford fans and probably for anyone into American silent film (even though it isn't a masterpiece, it's still a great film).
Days Of Being Wild directed by Wong Kar-wai - 9/10
Another impressive film that really stuck with me emotionally. This is by far Andy Lau's best performance, and it's one of Leslie Cheung's best too. I love the ensemble cast, I love the story and the scenes and the mood. This is just a really great film though it's not on the level of Happy Together or In The Mood For Love, in my opinion.
La pierre de l'attente directed by Tran Anh Hung - 6/10
Good early short, the cinematography is awesome. I like the visual motifs in the film, but I feel like it would have been better with a stronger narrative structure.
Housing Problems - 6/10
Notable for being the first documentary to use interviews, not much else to it.
The Harder They Fall directed by Mark Robson - 7/10
Humphrey Bogart's final film, and it's pretty good even though it's nothing special. Sports films make me think of sports as the modern slavery, it's really sad. The film is very well-made, I just think that it's no masterpiece.
Project A2 directed by Jackie Chan - 8/10
I have mixed feelings about this film because on the one hand, it has some of the best scenes in a Jackie Chan film (or even any HK film). The action choreography, the comedic staging, the cinematography, the music, it's all just so perfect. I could probably make the argument that 90% of the scenes in this film are masterpieces in themselves. However, the overall form of the film, the plot and the narrative structure is so goddamned muddled that it is frustrating. My only minor complaint about the first film was that it was a bit too plotty for HK standards, this one amps up the plot times 100 and suffers from it. Regardless, I'll say it's a great film because these scenes are just too good.
Goodbye To Language directed by Jean-Luc Godard - 8/10
Wow, this is by far the most impressive use of 3D in a film I have ever seen. Godard is playful and youthful as always, and the film is aesthetically stunning in its use of high-end digital cameras all the way down to a GoPro. Do I understand what the hell the film is about? No. But I do know that I was entertained from beginning to end, I was marveled by the 3D technique (I mean twice Godard even allows us to edit the film for ourselves), and I would totally watch it again.
Yeah, pretty much.
The Wind Rises directed by Hayao Miyazaki - 10/10
A great swansong for a master filmmaker, this time Miyazaki moves away from more magical adventure stories to more realistic human drama. Yet it is still filled with dreams that add that uncontainable creativity that Miyazaki has. I simply find this film to be practically perfect in the way that Miyazaki gives it the right amount of everything, it is never too sentimental, never too sad, never too romantic, never too childlike, it has the right amount of all of these elements and it is so perfectly paced. The credits also roll with one of my favorite 70's Japanese songs by Yumi Arai. Although this is such a great film, I still have hope that Miyazaki will come back once again.
The Hobbit 3
Difficult to rate this one. I really enjoyed myself but I haven't been to a theatre since the avengers. I've never seen a 3D movie that I could appreciate. And I've never seen anything at 48FPS. It was really fantastic in all of those areas. I don't think I can rate this fairly as a story, the way I would against other stuff that I watch at home.
Wow those fight scenes!! All action movies should be filmed at 48FPS it was incredibly smooth.
Difficult to rate this one. I really enjoyed myself but I haven't been to a theatre since the avengers. I've never seen a 3D movie that I could appreciate. And I've never seen anything at 48FPS. It was really fantastic in all of those areas. I don't think I can rate this fairly as a story, the way I would against other stuff that I watch at home.
Wow those fight scenes!! All action movies should be filmed at 48FPS it was incredibly smooth.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - 6/10
I about gave up on this 30min in, read wiki synopsis & reception, lotta "Oooo ahh!", gave it another chance, finished it - meh.
The reviews gave it a lot of credit for being great scifi for which I admit the CG tech is so good (credit where credit due - it is) that I ceased watching it as scifi and watched it as polisci, in which case I thought it was childish and poor.
There's no way the two populations could be so close to each other and not be aware of each after ten years existence.
I realize < 1/500 of the human population remains, but surely someone would have figured out a neural zone between the two populations.
Barter systems and commerce of some sort would have emerged.
Simple negotiation strategies were completely ignored.
It was just all so ridiculous.
But it did look great.
Horseback monkeys with machine guns was da bomb!
I about gave up on this 30min in, read wiki synopsis & reception, lotta "Oooo ahh!", gave it another chance, finished it - meh.
The reviews gave it a lot of credit for being great scifi for which I admit the CG tech is so good (credit where credit due - it is) that I ceased watching it as scifi and watched it as polisci, in which case I thought it was childish and poor.
There's no way the two populations could be so close to each other and not be aware of each after ten years existence.
I realize < 1/500 of the human population remains, but surely someone would have figured out a neural zone between the two populations.
Barter systems and commerce of some sort would have emerged.
Simple negotiation strategies were completely ignored.
It was just all so ridiculous.
But it did look great.
Horseback monkeys with machine guns was da bomb!
Edge of Tomorrow: Live, Die, Repeat - 7.5/10
Technically well made & shot.
Story is fair, not great, not bad.
Writers did a good job avoiding the 'Groundhog Day' cliché, too.
Would watch it again in a few years.
Irritates me TCruise having all his grey hair dyed out. Pfft. "Dude... Give it up."
Technically well made & shot.
Story is fair, not great, not bad.
Writers did a good job avoiding the 'Groundhog Day' cliché, too.
Would watch it again in a few years.
Irritates me TCruise having all his grey hair dyed out. Pfft. "Dude... Give it up."
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Stray Dogs directed by Tsai Ming-liang - 6/10
The first Tsai film that didn't really do it for me. This has the most extreme form of his style in the form of an approximately 20 minute static long take shot with no dialogue and two characters that are practically not moving. Rather than being a great film on alienation with a really interesting set-up, this is a film with a half-interesting set-up and the best parts of the film are the parts Tsai chooses not to focus on, instead he becomes more deliberately confusing and alienating the audience from the film instead of showing characters that speak to the audience's alienation with the world.
Becoming John Ford - 5/10
Talking head documentary on possibly America's finest director in an interesting period of his career. Not much that's interesting here though, a few nice anecdotes but the documentary didn't really show me anything I couldn't have read on Ford's Wikipedia page.
Herbie directed by George Lucas & Paul Golding - 5/10
Maybe as a student film this could be seen as okay, but as far as I'm concerned Lucas isn't very good at making abstract films either.
The Romancing Star directed by Wong Jing - 6/10
Very fun HK broad comedy featuring Chow Yun-fat in a film filled with moments referencing and poking fun at the film that made him a star A Better Tomorrow. Maggie Cheung is absolutely adorable in this film too, and it's just a blast to watch. I have mixed feelings about the supporting players, Eric Tsang and a few other HK faces that I know but whose names I do not know, they just weren't given the best jokes but they did the best they could with them.
Viennale Walzer directed by Agnes Varda - n/a
Just a decent trailer, the version I saw had no subs so I didn't understand it, I'm not sure it would have been a revelatory piece of cinema.
The Romancing Star II directed by Wong Jing - 4/10
Gone is Chow Yun-fat, in comes Andy Lau in one of his most unlikeable roles. Some fun moments, but this film doesn't sustain the fun the way the first film did.
The Romancing Star III directed by Sherman Wong - 3/10
Even less star power in this film with Andy Lau only jumping in occasionally (much in the way that The Happy Ghost did in all of the sequels to that series, but especially 5 which has less appearances), again some fun gags but not that many. Overall, I think this series is a third-rate version of the Lucky Stars series without the martial arts or the crazy stunts, fans of that series will enjoy the first film but the other two just aren't that good.
Fahrenheit 9/11 directed by Michael Moore - 7/10
Okay, the filmmaking is good, very good but this film is very manipulative and one-sided so I can't give it a higher rating since that bothered me. It also goes on for a bit too long. There are some really emotional moments though, I prefer those to Bush-bashing (but that's just me since I was a child during this era and just heard Bush-bashing too much already).
She's Gotta Have It directed by Spike Lee - 8/10
Wow, what a great debut by Spike Lee! How did he make this with only $20,000!? The black & white cinematography is gorgeous, the film already has signs of Spike Lee's use of more experimental formal techniques to enhance his story, and it establishes his Woody Allen-esque persona. Not a perfect film by any means, but I think it's pretty great.
Baby Burlesks starring Shirley Temple - 2/10 (overall average for these 8 short films)
I love Shirley Temple, but this is not her best work. All short films are creepy, most sexist, many racist, and none of them are entertaining from beginning to end.
Chungking Express directed by Wong Kar-wai - 10/10
I finally got to watch this HK classic that I wanted to watch for many years, and I ended up loving it! I won't make a long review here, but I just think this film is pretty much perfect.
By Indian Post directed by John Ford - 7/10
Nice short film by the master, it's basically a slapstick comedy Western. Unfortunately the plot is set in motion due to a racist set-up, but the rest of the film is just all fun, especially the ending which is pretty rebellious for 1910's standards!
The first Tsai film that didn't really do it for me. This has the most extreme form of his style in the form of an approximately 20 minute static long take shot with no dialogue and two characters that are practically not moving. Rather than being a great film on alienation with a really interesting set-up, this is a film with a half-interesting set-up and the best parts of the film are the parts Tsai chooses not to focus on, instead he becomes more deliberately confusing and alienating the audience from the film instead of showing characters that speak to the audience's alienation with the world.
Becoming John Ford - 5/10
Talking head documentary on possibly America's finest director in an interesting period of his career. Not much that's interesting here though, a few nice anecdotes but the documentary didn't really show me anything I couldn't have read on Ford's Wikipedia page.
Herbie directed by George Lucas & Paul Golding - 5/10
Maybe as a student film this could be seen as okay, but as far as I'm concerned Lucas isn't very good at making abstract films either.
The Romancing Star directed by Wong Jing - 6/10
Very fun HK broad comedy featuring Chow Yun-fat in a film filled with moments referencing and poking fun at the film that made him a star A Better Tomorrow. Maggie Cheung is absolutely adorable in this film too, and it's just a blast to watch. I have mixed feelings about the supporting players, Eric Tsang and a few other HK faces that I know but whose names I do not know, they just weren't given the best jokes but they did the best they could with them.
Viennale Walzer directed by Agnes Varda - n/a
Just a decent trailer, the version I saw had no subs so I didn't understand it, I'm not sure it would have been a revelatory piece of cinema.
The Romancing Star II directed by Wong Jing - 4/10
Gone is Chow Yun-fat, in comes Andy Lau in one of his most unlikeable roles. Some fun moments, but this film doesn't sustain the fun the way the first film did.
The Romancing Star III directed by Sherman Wong - 3/10
Even less star power in this film with Andy Lau only jumping in occasionally (much in the way that The Happy Ghost did in all of the sequels to that series, but especially 5 which has less appearances), again some fun gags but not that many. Overall, I think this series is a third-rate version of the Lucky Stars series without the martial arts or the crazy stunts, fans of that series will enjoy the first film but the other two just aren't that good.
Fahrenheit 9/11 directed by Michael Moore - 7/10
Okay, the filmmaking is good, very good but this film is very manipulative and one-sided so I can't give it a higher rating since that bothered me. It also goes on for a bit too long. There are some really emotional moments though, I prefer those to Bush-bashing (but that's just me since I was a child during this era and just heard Bush-bashing too much already).
She's Gotta Have It directed by Spike Lee - 8/10
Wow, what a great debut by Spike Lee! How did he make this with only $20,000!? The black & white cinematography is gorgeous, the film already has signs of Spike Lee's use of more experimental formal techniques to enhance his story, and it establishes his Woody Allen-esque persona. Not a perfect film by any means, but I think it's pretty great.
Baby Burlesks starring Shirley Temple - 2/10 (overall average for these 8 short films)
I love Shirley Temple, but this is not her best work. All short films are creepy, most sexist, many racist, and none of them are entertaining from beginning to end.
Chungking Express directed by Wong Kar-wai - 10/10
I finally got to watch this HK classic that I wanted to watch for many years, and I ended up loving it! I won't make a long review here, but I just think this film is pretty much perfect.
By Indian Post directed by John Ford - 7/10
Nice short film by the master, it's basically a slapstick comedy Western. Unfortunately the plot is set in motion due to a racist set-up, but the rest of the film is just all fun, especially the ending which is pretty rebellious for 1910's standards!
Last night I watched Don Hertzfeldt's "It's Such a Beautiful Day" I don't know how I missed this before (but I've been pretty out of touch when it comes to animation these days). Absolutely stunning, provided you have a taste/tolerance for lo-fi animation. I was expecting morbid surrealism (his "Rejected" short is one of my favorites), wasn't expecting it to be so serious. Also: his narration sort of reminded me of John S. Hall.
It's on Netflix, so if you have it, watch this. Doubly so if you have any experience dealing with/supporting someone with mental illness.
It's on Netflix, so if you have it, watch this. Doubly so if you have any experience dealing with/supporting someone with mental illness.