Amph What was the last movie you saw?

I've watched repo the genetic opera, i love this movie

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Started watching Jennifer Aniston in Cake late last night and fell asleep.

 

To Be Takei... a lovely documentary, though sometimes uneven in its depiction George Takei- just a little more on his animus towards William Shatner, and his parents thoughts & reactions to him being gay would have been nice. To that end, my only actual serious criticism is the running time... 90+ minutes? Way too short! Regardless, 'twas a viewing experience that was great. ***1/2 out of ****.

 

Jaws... a rewatch, of course. And after all of the glowing praise so many of us here have heaped on this movie recently, I don't really have much else to add now. It's such a perfectly constructed movie, with every part just right.

 

Cake grows on you after certain plot elements are revealed in the second act.

 

All About Eve: Went into it dreading pushing start, but loved just about every minute of it.

Another Classic knocked out.

 

She: the Hammer Films production of the H. Rider Haggard story starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Ursula Andress as She Who Must Be Obeyed. Was a great adventure story (I can kinda see where Steven Spielberg and George Lucas got the idea of casting people into a pit of lava for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom from), and the treatment of black native peoples in Africa is kinda....problematic, but not too much. Worth a watch, if you come across it.

 

Legendary Weapons of China 1981 Where do I begin? What I thought was going to be a dead serious film about martial artists training themselves deflect firearms (this was set some time around the Boxer Rebellion), became a completely WTF delight when the three clans of martial artists: Spiritual Boxers, Maoshan and Magic Fighters all try to outdo each other in the deflect bullets department. And they also all want hunt down their former clan chief who gave up on all this because he knew his students could not defeat foreign firearms. The WTF came in seeing all these tricks Ninjas would weep over in the introduction to the Magic Fighters clan (whose leader made his followers poke their eyes or scrutum out - yes this is definitely not a film young ones can watch.)

And an even better ROTF extended cameo of Fu Sheng who was paid to pretend he was this former chieftain. while his mates tried to 'kill him' That sequence with the Fu Sheng fake out was one of the funniest, crazy sequences I've seen in any of these movies. I've heard about Fu's comedic prowess and thought he could be amusing, but LOL funny? Yeah, he did that too. The film became a bit too serious after that, but the end fight between the Lau brothers was pretty spectacular. I completely see where people lost their minds with respect to Lau Kar Leung, the man was an amazing choreographer, director and actor / martial artist. 8.5 / 10.

 

Please tell me that there's a twist where Jennifer Aniston breaks character and has to deal with the fact that she wasn't nominated for an Oscar.


Mr. Turner (2014) – Mike Leigh



Mr. Turner is a quasi-biopic from thorny British director Mike Leigh. If you know Leigh’s stuff, you’ll know what I mean when I say this is a quasi-biopic. It’s certainly not a normal one. What it is . . . a great one. Timothy Spall, veteran character actor, gets the title role, British painter J.M.W. Turner, and it’s a role that Spall can sink his teeth into and he delivers a once in a lifetime performance. The Turner conjured by Spall & Leigh is a mass of contradictions; he’s charming and bellicose; he speaks of painting in lengthy, elevated prose and he communicates via only aggrieved grunts; he’s the consummate distinguished gentleman and a vile repulsive human being. Or maybe those last two words sum it up; Turner here is completely believable as a human being and the film is more interested in treating him as such than it is in treating him as a “historical figure” or a “great artist” as any other biopic might. The film has odd rhythms; scenes never play out the way you think they will and the film leaps from scene to scene in ways that are often confusing. And the score is odd, dissonant and striking, not at all the kind of score one expects from a British pastoral/drawing room drama. But Spall is simply doing some of the finest acting you’ll ever see, acting as purely without vanity as you’ll ever see. A visit to a brothel creates one of the most devastating performances that I think I’ll ever see. He’s ably supported by a cast of Leigh regulars and everyone is at the top of their game, giving utterly real, utterly naturalistic performances. Of special note: Dorothy Atkinson as Turner’s long-suffering, ultimately tragic housekeeper; Paul Jesson as Turner’s exuberant father; Martin Savage as the bitter, unsuccessful painter Benjamin Haydon; and James Fleet as a pitch-perfect, if sadly underused, James Constable, Turner’s chief “rival” in the world of painting. It’s an odd movie, as I say, and one that will take a while for you to get acclimated to, but stick out those first fifteen or twenty minutes. What lies on the other side is a “biopic” like none I’ve ever seen – a work of surpassing beauty. And Spall’s Mr. Turner scowls and grunts dismissively at the very notion. 4 stars.

tl;dr – Timothy Spall’s once in a lifetime performance as landscape painter J.M.W. Turner anchors this innovative, strange and utterly transfixing film. 4 stars.

Love & Mercy (2014) – Bill Pohlad



We are living, it kind of seems to me, in a moment when the traditional biopic is being exploded in all kinds of interesting ways. Selma & The Imitation Game eschew telling a whole life story and instead focus on a particular period; Mr. Turner refuses to cohere into anything like traditional narrative at all. And then there’s this wonderful deconstruction of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, musical genius behind Pet Sounds & Good Vibrations and mentally ill drug addict. Pohlad focuses on a period in the 1960s beginning when Wilson began work on Pet Sounds, still one of the best albums I personally have ever heard, and following him through his mental collapse into paranoia, drug abuse and some sort of schizophrenia. Wilson is played in this section by Paul Dano and it’s an amazing performance from one of the finest young actors of today, just another in a never-ending string of performances I almost want to call “disappearances” so fully does Dano disappear into his characters. Pohlad also focuses on a period in the eighties when Wilson, played in this section by a hang-dog John Cusack, is under the sway of an abusive crackpot of a psychiatrist, played with real menace and rage by Paul Giamatti. This also details the romance between Wilson and the woman he would eventually marry, played here by Elizabeth Banks. What Pohlad has done is eschew traditional narratives in order to link things thematically; the film jumps back and forth between time periods instead of simply moving chronologically and it always just feels right when the film moves in that way. Personally, I found this film constantly engaging. The sections surrounding the Pet Sounds recording sessions are pure exuberance and joy and it’s heartbreaking to see Wilson’s world collapse in on itself; Dano has a scene involving headphones, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. Meanwhile, Giamatti is fantastic as always in a role he can really dig into and Elizabeth Banks, always an underrated actress in my opinion, is nothing short of tremendous. She’s career best, I’d say. But let me go back to Cusack & Dano for a minute because I really can’t say enough good about their performances. Dano in particular, but also Cusack. Neither of them attempt anything even remotely approaching an imitation; they aren’t doing voices or body language or verbal tics – they’re just getting to the emotional heart of Wilson. And they do it so perfectly that when Dano’s version of Wilson disappears from the film for the last few scenes, it doesn’t even feel jarring; the film and the performances have so convinced you, by that time, that Dano & Cusack are the same character that you feel the presence of both of them in Wilson at the end, even though only Cusack is on screen. Oh and the score/sound design is incredible; Atticus Ross creates this astounding sonic soup that veers from exalted to sorrowful to terrifying in an effort to put us inside Wilson’s head, a place where music seems to be perpetually playing even in his best times. Anyway, it’s a masterfully directed film with a strikingly unique vision; but the amazing quartet of actors at its center elevate it even more. It’s a film that continues to grow in my estimation the longer I live with it. I think it’s a masterpiece, albeit one with a few flaws here & there. So, anyway, watch this movie & listen to Pet Sounds. Not necessarily in that order; you know, whatever. Highly recommended. 4 stars

tl;dr – a quartet of brilliant performances elevate a “biopic” that already has a lot of fascinating ideas and unique perspectives going for it. 4 stars.

More Movie Reviews!

 

A New Nightmare

 

Open Windows. Hobbit and ex Porn star vs. a laptop. Terrible.

 

'Ted 2',

I'm not going to lie. It has about three bellyache laughs that might be worth the price of admission or a rental. But really it's just McFarlane doing his same schtick. He does sometimes get a really really good laugh and 'Ted 2' is no exception but you do have to sit through a lot of stuff that is pretty offensive. I mean there are a lot of racial and homosexual stereotypes that really shouldn't be in a movie like this nowadays especially from McFarlane who likes to claim to be a great progressive.

Also, I think people really need to call him out on lifting scenes verbatim from better films and passing them off as jokes. Two scenes from 'Jurassic Park' and 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' are taken and are basically just done without any sort of irony or parody. When does this become plagiarism?

 

Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, for the first time.

 

Woah!

 

Whiplash, the feel bad movie of 2014.

 

Let Me In (2010)

A really effective horror flick, though I really need to see Let the Right One in. All the performances are great especially Richard Jenkins.

 

Wood's kind of gotten into this phase of doing really high concept thrillers. He did Maniac (which I did see and thought was excellent) where the entire movie is shot from his perspective, so you only see him in mirrors and such and then Grand Piano where the entire film takes place while he's playing a concert and then this one. I think he's kind of getting into being experimental just for the fun of it. Grand Piano looks awesome; I need to see it sometime. But you are far from the first person to say Open Windows is dreadful so I'll skip that one.

Gave Night Moves a rewatch. I'll just repost my original review, because it's never a bad time to recommend a Kelly Reichardt film.


Night Moves (2013) – Kelly Reichardt



This newest film from Kelly Reichardt follows three radical environmentalists, played by Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard, as they plot to blow up a dam as an act of protest. It's a film that marries the thriller and the character study really, really well. There are moments that are very suspenseful, but it really is the characters that make the film work. I first saw the "no-longer-child" version of Dakota Fanning last year in The Motel Life and she's quite good in both that film and this one. There's still something of the distinctiveness she had as a young child; at the same time, she's very natural, minimal and real - she doesn't seem at all like a "movie star." Eisenberg is really excellent; he's an actor who gets dinged for being the same in every role, but watch him here and you'll see that he's more than capable of giving a deeply emotional, profoundly great performance without any of the tics that he sometimes uses in his schtick. Sarsgaard is, unfortunately, underused, but he's always a pleasure to watch. The scripting is really wonderful; the three mains are all different from each other in really obvious ways, but they're not cardboard stereotypes. You can generally know how the characters will react to different events and to each other, but just when you're getting really comfortable about it, one of them will act in a way that's surprising. They feel absolutely real, in other words. And a word for James Le Gros, who shows up in a nice, very small role as a feed store clerk; he proves the "no small parts" cliche to be true by making the character one of the most memorable parts of the film. All in all, it's a moody, methodical, gripping and bleak film. The ending will be divisive, I suppose, but for me it's perfect. It fits right in with Reichardt's great theme of being directionless, lost, wandering, in both the physical and the emotional senses. It may take you a bit to adjust, or readjust, to the rhythms of Reichardt; I had some difficulty for the first twenty to thirty minutes myself, but once you let her take control, you're in for greatness. Great film. Highly recommended. 4 stars.

tl;dr – a trio of great performances and a smart, minimal script make Night Moves the perfect marriage of character study & thriller. 4 stars

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*Approving grunt*

 

Before I launch into a Ti Lung mini marathon, I decided to rewatch the first Wuxia I saw, the somber Secret Service of the Imperial Court (1984)

A more grounded wuxia featuring the leader of the Emperor’s sercret assassination squad having second thoughts about his job when a young recruit refuses to kill.

Leung Kar Yan is pretty much the Franco Nero of Martial Arts films. His acting is often over the top and his mimicry of kung fu is simply amazing. Like Franco, he can occasionally turn in a really nuanced excellent performance and Secret Service... is one of those films where Mr. Leung’s acting is spot on. His heroic Captain slowly begins to realize he’s being used to kill innocent people, not by the Emperor but through the Eunuch controlling the Emperor. And so Bufa rebels against the Eunuch. Partially inspired by his younger relative Buqun whom Bufa thought was killed because the younger man could not commit to being a member of the Secret Squad. Buqun is not a ruthless killer. Nor is Bufa as it turns out, despite the death he unleashes.

While fleeing the Imperial court, Buqun comes to Bufa’s aid. The younger man sacrifices himself so the Eunich believes that Bufa is dead and Bufa’s family and larger clan can avoid persecution. While I came into the movie loving Leung Kar Yan’s gruffly stoic almost Mifune-like performance, it’s Lo Meng’s beautiful cameo as Buqun which really makes this movie for me now. Buqun is one of the most subtle and hushed characters he’s performed and one of the most heroic. I’ve discovered whenever Lo Meng has a cameo in these films he tends to steal the movie away from everyone else (Human Lanterns is another instance of Lo stealing the movie.)*

And, yes, Lo looks utterly hot whenever they slap a fake beard on him too, but ultimately Secret Service... is about standing up for what for what is right rather than what is expected. It’s a very violent, sometimes OTT wuxia; but for the two heroes it’s a tour de force for both Lo and Leung. Also the costumes, set design and fight choreography are wonderful too in the Shaw Brothers tradition. This film feels more Japanese than most swordplay wuxia I’ve seen. 8.5/10 for Mssrs. Lo and Leung and their terrific heroes.

*I am particularly touched by Buqun's line about visiting their mother's grave on her birthday. "Let's go to worship mom." The community belief of reverential love and respect toward one's elders is something that has deeply touched me these past two months as I become more entrenched in Hong Kong's Kung Fu cinema. I've always known of this belief, but it's a lovely lesson to impart. I think that line also made me connect with just how loyal and devoted Buqun is.

 

Please tell me that there's a twist where Jennifer Aniston breaks character and has to deal with the fact that she wasn't nominated for an Oscar.

Such clever, @Rogue1-and-a-half! I think she was better in Life of Crime, the Jackie Brown prequel. She certainly has pluck and courage and intelligence in that one. In Cake she's rather morose, understandable given the subject matter. I don't know if she deserves an Oscar nomination for either of them, though. She's more understated in these films than most actresses who win those trophies tend to be. If that makes any kind of sense.

 

Inside Out.
Of course it's overrated because it's Pixar but still really good. Not close to their best IMO.