Recently Watched Films 2019

[Dan Warburton]

David Miller, Executive Action, 1973

This must have caused something of stir back in Watergate days, telling as it does the classic conspiracy theory story of JFK's assassination (three shooters, Oswald well and truly framed, etc, you probably know the story). Fine performances from Burt Lancaster and Robert Ryan as the "whisky drinkin' evil old men who run the United States of America" (WSB). Dalton Trumbo did a great job on the script, and the contemporary footage of Kennedy, King et al. is skilfully incorporated.

[Dan Warburton]

Lodge Kerrigan, Clean, Shaven, 1994

Yikes, never seen self-harm so disturbingly displayed in film.. Buy you a pint if you can bear to watch Peter removing his own fingernail with a penknife. I can't think of any film that deals with schizophrenia as effectively as this. Not only is Peter Greene's portrayal of the hero breathtaking, but Kerrigan's sound design - excellent music by Hahn Rowe - is as distressing as Splet and Lynch's in Eraserhead (praise indeed) and his framing and editing exemplary. But not a happy experience.

[henriq]

Hirokazu Koreeda, Shoplifters, 2018

A worthy winner of the Palme d'Or last year, indeed. Beautifully done at every level, the way the story unfolds gradually and somewhat elliptically, the minimal dialogue delivered with precision and elegance by an excellent cast, subtle (for once) use of music, and an eye for detail - both cinematic and societal - worthy of Ozu. First Koreeda I've seen - thanks to my son for hipping me to this one, and to Mark for writing it up earlier - and certainly not the last.

If you liked that, you will love Nobody Knows!

[Steve Minkin]

COLD WAR (2018) – Both my wife and I left the theater saying this was the best movie either of had seen in a long time. It's up for Academy Awards for Best Director (Paweł Pawlikowski, who won at Cannes), Cinematography and Foreign Film, and I'm sure the only reasons it's not up for Best Picture is that it's in Polish and black and white.
Every frame seizes your eyes the way a great photograph does. The music is plentiful and wonderful – mostly Polish folk songs and dances, with a strong sprinkling of jazz (Marcin Masecki), Parisian cabaret tunes, early rock, Chopin, etc. And the politically-complicated love story at the center of the film is passionate, rocky, unsentimental and unfolded with a minimalist script that makes the unusual assumption that the film's viewers are intelligent. The dialogue is spare and pointed, no wasted brush strokes here.

Starting in the mid-1940s, the film traces twenty years in the lives of Polish musicians and musicologists, first researching Polish folk tunes and dances throughout the countryside, then assembling a national troupe of young singers and dancers to present them, and eventually going on tour with the group, first throughout the eastern bloc countries and then to the west. (That arresting cinematography is set in Poland, Croatia, and Paris.) The two Polish actors at the center of the film (based on the directors' parents) are pitch perfect – Joanna Kulig (who won best actress at the European Film Awards for this performance) and Tomasz Kot. Everything a movie can be! And a vivid reminder of the beauties of b&w films.

[Antoine]

THE FAVOURITE (2018) -- directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, with Olivia Colman as the sickly and insecure Queen Anne, and Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz as her two viciously competing favourites and sex toys. Visually very lush, full of pointedly funny skewerings of the crass and dim-witted extravagances of early 18th Century aristocracy, startlingly frank and frequent explorations of the sexual mores of the age, and utterly devoid of any sympathetic major characters. Unique! Not for all tastes, but I loved it!

I had bad memories of The Lobster (pretentious, narcissist and involving Colin Farrell), but I enjoyed this one and its pretty strong trio of actresses. Rhythmic, fun, entertaining.

[walto]

Loved this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy8z_Tq_VHo

[Dan Warburton]

What, the film or her speech? Is that Heisenberg presenting the award?

[Antoine]

Is that Heisenberg presenting the award?

I'd say... Sam Rockwell?

[henriq]

Loved this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy8z_Tq_VHo

You're right, it's absolutely adorable.

[walto]

Roma



Not sure why it's called Roma, must've missed something. Really cool long panning shots of sidewalk scenery, set in 1970/71 in Mexico, it follows an upper middle class family and their two maids Cleo and the other maid. It focuses on Cleo and her one night stand with Fermin which leads to something, can ya guess what, and it's a straight up story and can be emotional to watch at times. Gorgeous lens work, without being too accurate or focused.

Saw it yesterday. Very beautiful. I was glad it won the Oscar for cinematography. Every shot was magnificent.

[Piano Mouth]

I thought the Oscar awards were kinda of good and entertaining this year in general
Checking out the documentaries on KG now...

[henriq]

Matthew Saville - Noise (2007)

Great one, and I will return in greater detail later. Check it out in the meantime, see what you think.

[Dan Warburton]

Matthew Saville - Noise (2007)

Great one, and I will return in greater detail later. Check it out in the meantime, see what you think.

It's bookmarked. Will get to it someday, if I can tear myself away from trash like



Russ Meyer, Finders Keepers Lovers Weepers!, 1968

The fact the only screenshot I could find worth using is of a soundtrack album might give you an idea.. One of Russ's weaker efforts, but there are (as usual) some snappy lines of dialogue, a deliciously cheesy jazz soundtrack and the de rigueur topless dancers ogled by fat, sweaty middle-aged white males.

[Dan Warburton]

Mikhail Belikov, Raspad ("Decay"), 1990

One of the best Featured Torrents - I only wish it would appear in a decent quality non-hardsubbed rip. I heartily concur with this review and recommend it without reservation https://timespentwatching.wordpress.com ... ecay-1990/

[Dan Warburton]

William Dieterle, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1939

Well, I suppose it's worth a look for Laughton's makeup and the decor, but the Code folks couldn't use the original unhappy ending of the Hugo book. So Maureen O'Hara (a lousy actress, really, but it's not much of a part to start with) rides off into the proverbial sunset. Bit of a bore, but I thought I ought to give it another look, as I hadn't seen it since I was a kid

[henriq]

Mikhail Belikov, Raspad ("Decay"), 1990

One of the best Featured Torrents - I only wish it would appear in a decent quality non-hardsubbed rip. I heartily concur with this review and recommend it without reservation https://timespentwatching.wordpress.com ... ecay-1990/

Snatching right now. Chernobyl holds a morbid fascination for me. Will get back to writing about Noise after the weekend.

[Dan Warburton]

Julio Bressane, Miramar, 1997

Nice trip! Based (loosely, I suppose) on a book by Brazil's arch-modernist Oswald de Andrade https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_de_Andrade, this tale of the boy sent off to study (filmmaking.. we see his copy of Eisenstein's book on several occasions) followed by his parents' joint suicide is anything but linear, so don't expect a straight story. Instead there are some wonderfully incomprehensible set pieces, the whole thing liberally peppered with voiceover quotations from literature and other films - I spotted The Searchers and Pickup On South Street amongst others - and extended musical passages. Strauss and Debussy. Rich and strange. Rather fuzzy watermarked rip seems to be the only one available, so deal with it

[Dan Warburton]

Barbet Schroeder, Koko le gorille qui parle, 1978

As is often the case with Schroeder's documentaries, he's perfectly content to the let the protagonists speak for themselves without any directorial commentary (à la Herzog). For you to decide if the gorilla in question isn't brighter than the folks who look after him.

[Dan Warburton]

Robert Altman, That Cold Day in the Park, 1969

Altman's third - or was it fourth? - feature is a splendidly intriguing tale set and filmed in Vancouver of a seriously sexually frustrated early middle-aged woman (Sandy Dennis, eyes like a dead fish) who takes in a young man she sees sitting on a park bench in the rain. It takes a very long time for him to say a word - and I'm not spoiling the story any more - but when he does, things get very interesting. Enjoyed it.

[Dan Warburton]

Guy Gilles, Le jardin qui bascule, 1975

I'm open to suggestions from you all (ha, all five people who ever read this stuff) as to which woman has the Most Beautiful voice in Film. Maybe vote for your Top Five? Hm, must think about that myself, actually. But topping the list without a doubt would be Delphine Seyrig. How could anyone ever consider assassinating her? That's the dilemma our hero faces here in another unjustly neglected post-Nouvelle Vague outing from Guy Gilles. Don't read too much into this bit of his Wiki page: "His first feature film, L'Amour à la mer (1962), starred Juliette Greco, Romy Schneider and Jean-Pierre Léaud". Replace "starred" with "featured briefly" and you'd be closer to the mark. But he did have a thing going with Jeanne Moreau, who does appear for the length of a song here. Think you might like Monsieur Gilles, Henrik.