Recently Watched Films 2018

[Dan Warburton]

Shane Meadows, This Is England, 2006

Picked this one up because I heard Mark Kermode wax lyrical about it in his "Coming Of Age" films episode - and was well-impressed (sorry to have missed it when it came out). Outstanding performance from young Thomas Turgoose - alarmed to see that there have been three TV series sequels, as the ending of the film is awesome, and really an ending (obvious comparison with Truffaut's 400 Coups, which also spawned three and a half subsequent adventures of Antoine Doinel) - and especially Stephen Graham, who you probably know better as Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire. The "is" in the title still applies, too, even if the film is nominally set in 1983, and images and soundbites of Thatcher abound - the ugly racism is still there, but it smirks behind a jolly bonhomie. Ask Boris.

[Piano Mouth]

Hirokazu Koreeda - Like Father Like Son



An incredibly crappy situation to be in I can't even imagine what these parents have to deal with when they find out that the hospital mistakenly switched their kid with someone else's, but only when the kid is 8 years old. Two families have to deal with what to do, whether or go on living life as it is, or to switch children. A few twists and turns and filled with wonderful acting, and lots of cute Japanese kids, watch for yourself as the drama unfolds.

Crazy Rich Asians



It was great seeing an all Asian cast on the big screen, but of course it wasn't very shocking to me as I have watched quite a bit of Asian horror and art house films where it's still an all Asian cast. But I think this movie is geared to those who probably haven't seen anything like that in awhile, (the target audience has probably never seen many Ozu films etc). It was entertaining though, just when you think it'll get boring, something interesting happens and it grabs you back. Awkwafina rocks as Constance Wu's "You Go Girl!" friend character even though she's been criticized for cultural appropriation because of her "blackness" and how she tries to sound "black.

[Piano Mouth]

Ryuchi Sakamoto - Coda



We got the theater a bit late, but caught most of it. It was cool seeing his career of making soundtracks and albums throughout the years starting from Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and Solaris and through Last Emperor and 9/11 and The Revenant soundtrack. Cancer doesn't seem to hold him back as Ryuchi works in his studio, which looked like a set up I once had, but with newer and more expensive computers and keyboards. Didn't really touch upon his collaborations with David Sylvian or Alva Noto. Not the greatest filmmaking in the world, but it was cool to watch.

[Dan Warburton]

Edgar Wright, Baby Driver, 2017

Another highly entertaining heist adventure, but no amount of stunning stunt driving and cracking car chases can really make up for a rather limp plot (especially the later stages). The Mike Myers mask fuckup is hilarious, though. Jamie Foxx can't act his way out of a paper bag, which means he's perfect here. Elsewhere, there's a cameo for Walter Hill apparently (Wright cites The Driver as a major influence, not surprisingly), and Spacey looks particularly tired, but maybe he had other things on his mind at the time.

[walto]

BlackKklansman (Lee, 2018)

I found this enjoyable in spite of its pretension, a couple of plot flaws, and the fact that the star (Denzel Washington's kid) is neither handsome enough nor charismatic enough for the role. But it's a political three-bagger, whacking the present administration at every turn, and Driver is very good. It's long but moves pretty well, being fairly suspenseful in parts. There are a couple of humorous bits too, and not every single white guy is disgusting, which I found kind of refreshing. Unfortunately, all the black characters are saintly, except for the protagonist, who has the flaw of naivete for awhile.

[walto]

Edgar Wright, Baby Driver, 2017

Another highly entertaining heist adventure, but no amount of stunning stunt driving and cracking car chases can really make up for a rather limp plot (especially the later stages). The Mike Myers mask fuckup is hilarious, though. Jamie Foxx can't act his way out of a paper bag, which means he's perfect here. Elsewhere, there's a cameo for Walter Hill apparently (Wright cites The Driver as a major influence, not surprisingly), and Spacey looks particularly tired, but maybe he had other things on his mind at the time.

That seemed like an old-fashioned superhero movie to me.

[Dan Warburton]

Oliver Hirschbiegel, Das Experiment, 2003

Based on a novel by Mario Giordano, itself loosely inspired by what happened during the Stanford Prison Experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_ ... experiment, this is something of an emotional bruiser, but I thought the ending was pretty lame. For a film that purports to show man's inevitable propensity for evil to end so nicely makes the whole thing feel more like an exploitation flick. Straw Dogs, anyone?

[Dan Warburton]

Andrey Zvyagintsev, The Banishment, 2007

From what I can glean, this follows the original storyline of William Saroyan's 1953 novel The Laughing Matter quite closely, while relocating the drama from California to Russia (shot in Moldova, in fact) - it's a self-consciously arty affair, beautifully shot (Tarkovsky casts a long shadow, of course) and very well-acted, but frustratingly heavy, portentous and ultimately only partly comprehensible. In itself, that's not a problem - there's always been plenty of inexplicable magic in Tarkovsky, for example (hands up who "understands" The Mirror) - but I reckon the director could have achieved the same result in a film half as long. Whatever, all you Tarr lovers will probably like it. But despite the title of Saroyan's novel, there's not a single laugh to be had in the 157 minutes. In fact, I don't think anyone even smiles. Dour, da.

[Dan Warburton]

Patrice Chéreau, Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train, 1998

https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_S ... 58,00.html He's right about that closing shot, wow.

[Dan Warburton]

Bill Forsyth, That Sinking Feeling, 1979

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/m ... nch-review I agree with him on Housekeeping, but this comedy caper about a bunch of unemployed lads who rob a warehouse full of stainless steel sinks has dated rather badly. The story's fun, but the dialogue's pretty ropy, and the humour is like the Glasgow weather - dreich.

[Dan Warburton]

Robert Altman, 3 Women, 1977

Wow, trip.. It's a more or less normal narrative - though a disconcerting one - until Pinky wakes up from her coma and fails to recognise her parents (if indeed that's who they are..). Thereafter we go into an almost Lynchian loop of exchanging identities, with Pinky's disturbing dream sequence the clearest (?) indication of Altman's confused dreamworld. Apparently, he dreamt the whole thing with these actresses in mind - Sissy Spacek did indeed come from Quitman TX like the character she plays - and cooked it all up from there.. "Writer/Producer/Director" sez the billing, and the likes of Andy Sarris couldn't possibly find a better example of "cinéma d'auteur". The Californian Persona, perhaps. Truly outstanding work from all concerned, especially Duvall and Spacek (is there any other actress who, at the age of 28, could easily pass for a gawky12-year-old and then morph into a bitchy sex kitten?), and composer Gerald Busby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Busby), whose unsettling score adds as much as Willie's scary paintings to the film's unique atmosphere.

[Dan Warburton]

Claude Chabrol, A double tour, 1959

Chabrol's second feature is an odd affair, a curious mix of thriller, B-melodrama (the music is as gaudy as the sets) and slapstick (Lafont and Belmondo are particularly over the top) set in the director's beloved environment of the detestable morally suspect bourgeoisie. (Scrpitwriter) Gégauff really goes bananas. There are some stunningly weird edits - put that down I imagine to youthful enthusiasm - but, while it's certainly possible to see where the mature Chabrol would take his storylines, the whole thing comes across as rather cartoonish, which detracts from the serious dénouement.

[Dan Warburton]

Ed Harris, Pollock, 2000

I haven't read any Pollock biographies, so I can't comment on the historical accuracy of some the events depicted - did he really overturn the Thanksgiving dinner table? did he really take an injured stray dog to the vet before the fateful car crash? did he really suffer from erectile dysfunction trying to screw Peggy Guggenheim? (the question is rather why the hell would he even try?) - but Harris's performance, and the scenes where he actually paints, are impressive. Clement Greenberg comes across as a bit of a wanker, which he probably was. Surprised to see Val Kilmer as Willem de Kooning. All in all, a well-made film, but I didn't learn much about Jackson Pollock, come to think of it. But most biopics are a waste of time anyway, so wtf

[Dan Warburton]

Guy Debord, In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni, 1978

Finally persuaded my beloved but notoriously sceptical (when it comes to Monsieur Debord) wife to watch this - and, obvious reservations regarding Debord's spectacular (pun intended) arrogance notwithstanding, she enjoyed it. Well, "enjoy" isn't really the word.. Harrison Birtwistle's description of Feldman - "poetic extremism" - comes to mind. The spectre of death haunts those long drifting tracking shots across the Venetian lagoon, and his choice of Carne chestnuts (Les visiteurs du soir, Les enfants du paradis) adds a curiously reactionary edge to his musings. There's an air of desperation to the whole affair, and while Debord's excoriating criticism of both right and left still smarts - magnificent quotations abound - you sense he knows he's failed in his mission, whatever it was. As luck would have it, I came across my father's old 1948 copy of Housman's A Shropshire Lad just before we watched the film. The following verse - which Roeg also swiped for Walkbout - was fresh in my mind, though I doubt Debord ever read it

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

[walto]

Robert Altman, 3 Women, 1977

Wow, trip.. It's a more or less normal narrative - though a disconcerting one - until Pinky wakes up from her coma and fails to recognise her parents (if indeed that's who they are..). Thereafter we go into an almost Lynchian loop of exchanging identities, with Pinky's disturbing dream sequence the clearest (?) indication of Altman's confused dreamworld. Apparently, he dreamt the whole thing with these actresses in mind - Sissy Spacek did indeed come from Quitman TX like the character she plays - and cooked it all up from there.. "Writer/Producer/Director" sez the billing, and the likes of Andy Sarris couldn't possibly find a better example of "cinéma d'auteur". The Californian Persona, perhaps. Truly outstanding work from all concerned, especially Duvall and Spacek (is there any other actress who, at the age of 28, could easily pass for a gawky12-year-old and then morph into a bitchy sex kitten?), and composer Gerald Busby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Busby), whose unsettling score adds as much as Willie's scary paintings to the film's unique atmosphere.

I love this movie. Duvall and Spacek are kick-ass and the plotting and dialogue are brilliant.

[surfer]

Starting to watch some movies with my son, trying to pick out ones he'd like:


WarGames (Badham, 1983) - Like the leads, a very young Broderick and Sheedy, this movie now comes off as a bit naive but still fun. Spent some time explaining to my son what a modem and floppy disk were. and good ol' Dabney Coleman. My son loved this, big thumbs up.


The Money Pit (Benjamin, 1986) - Another '80s classique. Chose this because my son is obsessed with design and home renovation shows. Very thin on plot, but a few of the house gags are practically Rube Goldberg-esque in their choreography. The one pictured Hanks ends up on the room with a plaster bucket and sheet over his head, and makes his way down the scaffolding is very well done. The chemistry between Hanks and Long bored him.

[Wombatz]

Starting to watch some movies with my son, trying to pick out ones he'd like:

how old is he again? my older boy is 12, and it's strange how you have to teach him to want to watch a movie ... because (outside of star wars) proper movies might turn out to be too much work, so he and his friends would rather play video games. anyway, between some of the stuff i picked and a bag full of dvds that a mother of one of his friends gave us, we watched: 20,000 leagues under the sea (the 1954 richard fleischer version), which we liked a lot (begins a bit slow and kirk douglas much overdoes his character, but all the unresolved moral conflicts were riveting to the boy); john houston's moby dick, which is great (i seem to remember this thread doesn't like gregory peck, but he's just glorious, as wooden as his leg and yet deeply driven (by his own ambitions to become an actor or by the director's whip)), some scenes, like those in the boats, when they're just waiting for something to happen with birds circling over them, have immense power like bergman or whatnot, only ... the fish is too small ... absolutely looks like something in a bathtub and all but ruins the film ... please someone do a remaster and cgi the heck out of that whale; the original planet of the apes, i don't know, knowing where it all went i just found it unpleasant to watch, very didactic, and all the rubber faces, and out of the charlton heston dystopian trilogy this is his worst performance (not his fault ... during the beginning (which is very good) he sets up a most entertainingly unlikeable character, but all that is for nothing when the apes turn up and he becomes the classic insurgent hero); e.t. ... that is by one steven spielberg, dan, and i've never seen it before! actually the kitsch was handled with marvelous taste (though too much for my older boy, but his younger brother loved it), the only thing i couldn't get over was how the movie first made fun of the single mother, then made her betray her son, and then, when she finally should have stood by him, she still wasn't allowed and they rather introduced peter coyote as the nice and caring fbi (or whatever) doctor ... now coyote was aware something was wrong and didn't know what to do with his role at all, just standing around smiling sheepishly like a good mother hen who would never question her offspring while actually as the spy doctor he should be really mean and keen on ripping up that alien to see what's inside ... anyway, most misogynist movie ever; the back to the future trilogy, oh man, that was a drag (i'd also never seen that before) ... first half of the first part was just boring, then some time travel elements crept in that were nice but you've seen them better on star trek the next gerneration ... the first half that played in the future of the second part was intolerable, like they had to continue with the cliffhanger but not a single idea where this might go except in the future the weaknesses of past plots will be amplified, then the second half of that was actually the most fun of the bunch, with three different timelines interacting, footage from the first film remixed etc., very nice ... during the third part i remembered something i had to do in the household which seemed more entertaining; then finally the tribbles episode of the original star trek ... perfect for both boys, but on the whole original star trek is still a bit too spooky for them to love ... much of it is probably in the soundtrack, all the subtle hums and beeps and then the actors staring disconnectedly into the void on full stun power, before remembering the illusion of their lives can only be upheld as long as they keep the dialog going ... these little downtimes really make for an intense vibe, and the most damaging thing to the original series was the introduction of chekov, who ignores all the shades and provides silly comic relief before it is needed.

[walto]

That's Dan. I love Gregory Peck. But then, he likes Lancaster, so I guess we're even.

[surfer]

Starting to watch some movies with my son, trying to pick out ones he'd like:

how old is he again? my older boy is 12, and it's strange how you have to teach him to want to watch a movie ... because (outside of star wars) proper movies might turn out to be too much work, so he and his friends would rather play video games.

He's almost 11. I agree its hard to get him to sit down and watch a movie, especially ones with soft patches of human interaction and emotion. He would also much rather play video games or watch youtube. That being said, he loves history and is fascinated by WWII. After visiting London and Churchill's war bunkers last year, he told me he wanted to see Darkest Hour with Oldman, and we were the only moviegoers in the theatre under the age of 65. He was a bit bored by the middle, but overall he liked it. He was 9 when we saw that.

20,000 Leagues is a good shout, I will queue that up along with maybe Moby Dick. I cannot get him to want to watch ET. I've tried. He hates everything fantasy and superhero. Aliens too. Never watched a animated movie in his life. Back to the Future would go over his head a bit, and also bore him and me. I think MJ Fox is insufferable. However (speaking of insufferable) I think he would like National Treasure, which is history mashed up with Indiana Jones and action stuff he will eat up. Trying to think of others: Lost Boys is probably next because it was filmed in Santa Cruz, and maybe Cloak and Dagger for more Dabney Coleman . . . .

Any other suggestions are welcome.

[surfer]

How about Bridge on the River Kwai? I know its 3 hours long but its PG.

I actually thought about The Party with Sellers for the physical comedy but after I watched the preview I remembered its too mature for him. Any other Sellers movies?