Recently Seen, Part 29 (July 2019)

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
Suicide Club (2001)

Ok; I liked this quite a bit more than Noriko's Dinner Table, which I commented in either May or June's thread. I thought Suicide Club was set up as an interesting mystery and police procedural. Some good scenes, and the side-track with the faggy punker who lived in an abandoned bowling alley was bizarre, but compelling, even if it had nothing at all to do with the rest of the movie.

It was pretty obvious from the get-go that the suicides were tied to the Dessert/Desert/Desret girl-group; and when the girlfriend discovered the hidden clues, I thought we were in for an interesting reveal or explanation.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Nothing in the last half hour really answered any questions or made much sense. Deep philosophical questions coming from 10-year-olds, with no supporting explanation...well, I wasn't sold. No reason is ever given for anything and the tie to the girl group, hinted at, is never established. Secret meetings with 10-year-olds who obviously set up a website and operate a skin-grafting cabal? Strains credulity. So at the end of the movie we have just been treated to random scenes.

Obviously it's a Japanese "thing" (the Koreans do it to, to a lesser extent), to go for effect even if it means sacrificing logic; they are willing to allow mysteries and contradictions that western filmmakers would regard as "plotholes," but the Japs obviously don't give a shit. A little more thought into the plot and we could have had a masterpiece.

But the individual scenes were good and I liked the mystery even if nothing was ever "solved" or explained, so that accounts for my basically positive rating. But it could have been higher.

3.5 stars
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
Once a Thief (1991)

Nope. Did not click with me. I like comedy caper films, but the overacting silliness in this one really put me off. I have to give some credit to the main performers (Yun-fat Chow, Leslie Cheung, and Cherie Chung, who is just cute as the dickens)--they really put their all into it and try their best. But the 10-week filming schedule means a lot of choppy edits and plot holes and extreme changes in tone. The French Riviera setting was a plus and having the James Bond car chase choreographer guru involved was also a plus, but there's only so much you can do on a shoestring budget (which was probably 90% used up for salary and location shooting).

A lot of stuff didn't make sense; the capers were half-assed, and the humor was very very silly. And Chow Yun-fat was chewing gum in every single scene. Now, I don't have an "eating acting" phobia like @sitenoise, but 90 minutes of gum-smacking is very distracting.

I wish I could give a John Woo film a better rating, especially with the first rate cast. But I can't.

1.5 stars
 

plsletitrain

Member: Rank 5
I'm pretty sure I've seen Once A Thief and even thought I made a review of it but checking on IMDb I haven't rated it. lol. Ugh, I still have Noriko's Dinner Table on my watchlist first but reading your review, I think I'll watch Suicide Club first.
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
I still have Noriko's Dinner Table on my watchlist first but reading your review, I think I'll watch Suicide Club first.
It's better to watch Suicide Club first. It's not settled whether Noriko is a sequel or prequel or just some other movie. They're both part of a novel Sono wrote, so they are both from the same distant planet. If you watch Noriko first the references to Suicide Club will seem like foreshadowing. Explode your mind lol1.gif

I've watched Noriko 3 or 4 times and loved it every time. I recently did a Suicide/Noriko doubleheader. It was like watching Love Exposure.
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
hinted at, [...] never established
That's both cool and frustrating. I think a lot of "artists" do that. Philosophers say it's because they are of weak mind. I'm cool with that. Sono buries his head in it. He's first and foremost a painter and a poet. Not logical pursuits. As for film, he's said Quantity is more important than Quality. What can we do?
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
punker who lived in an abandoned bowling alley ... had nothing at all to do with the rest of the movie
They thought he was the ringleader ... I think as a ... uhm ... pop culture stardom thing juxtaposed to the "Just Desserts", or whatever that kid group were called. I don't think @plsletitrain is going to like the punker scene. What's in the bag, and whatnot.

btw, I dug those kids' tune.

Gosh I'm going to have to revisit some Sono.
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
They thought he was the ringleader ... I think as a ... uhm ... pop culture stardom thing juxtaposed to the "Just Desserts", or whatever that kid group were called. I don't think @plsletitrain is going to like the punker scene. What's in the bag, and whatnot.

btw, I dug those kids' tune.
I get that he ("Genesis") was supposed to be a red herring. The cops, for a moment, thought they had solved things. Even the viewers might have been inclined to tie them together, especially when Genesis kidnapped "The Bat." But a red herring in a mystery only satisfies if there is an "aha!" moment that clues you in to the real circumstance. Otherwise, it's just a random scene for effects, or a director's "gee I'm so kewl and edgy" indulgence.

But I thought those scenes were effective--just wish they weren't complete sidetracks. And I agree that @plsletitrain might not like the punker scenes. I mean, if seeing female nudity squicks you out, I'm pretty sure seeing a glammed out punker in platform shoes stomping puppies in pillowcases will send you over the edge.

And I agree the kids' tunes were very catchy! Their dancing choreography pretty much sucked, but the kids were cute and I could easily find myself singing along with a big grin on my face. Didn't make me want to off myself, though.

"The Bat" could have been one of the most interesting characters in the movie. I wish there was a lot more with her. But she basically turned into a sniveling, crying "damsel in distress" and nothing else came of her presence in the movie. Even the other girl--the one with the pissy attitude, was just a tease. She's solved the mystery! The hidden symbols! And...and...nothing. It means nothing.
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
@divemaster13 are you fed up with Sono or are you going to keep digging? Why Don't You Play in Hell? is probably the only Fan Favorite left you haven't seen.
I'm not "fed up" with him by any means! I liked his Love Exposure and Strange Circus so much that he bought himself a helping of good will from me. And Suicide Club I also gave a pretty good rating to, although with a couple of caveats.

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sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
I spent the last few days watching David Lynch: The Art Life on my iPad while I ate my meals. I wish I could keep doing it for months. He's a wonderful storyteller. It's basically him recounting his life from childhood to Eraserhead. Most of it is probably licensed very poetically, but that's art. After showing his dad his art studio where he has a bunch of dead animals and whatnot that he makes art with, his dad tells him: "Dave, I don't think you should ever have children". Then he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. You know ....

The lead singer for the J. Geils Band, his roommate, turned him onto pot for the first time and took him to see Bob Dylan. Lynch hated it and walked out. That was the end of their friendship.

I also very much enjoyed his artwork on display throughout. It's creepy and childish, but the way he talks about it, as it accompanies his stories, and when they show him in his studio ... he's such a gentle guy, with the voice of a kindly grandpa ... it makes sense.

Excellent insight and entertainment value.
 

plsletitrain

Member: Rank 5
Watched some decent American thrillers lately….


The Invitation (2015)- Okay so Logan Marshall-Green has probably the deepest voice I’ve heard from a man. No? The movie utilizes what do you call that technique whereby integral scenes are made in slow-mo with a contrasting music, usually either a classical piece or a rock music, as background. The film could get too “thriller-y”, you know, too much suspense music, dark lighting, contorted brows and faces from the actors---which could sometimes be overkill but with this one, I think I was bit engrossed. Maybe I was engrossed on finding out, as is in usual thrillers, whether what we suspect is right or there’s a mind-bending twist in the end. The movie does good in playing with viewer’s detective skills, not giving away too much, but not detracting too far from the main meat of the story either.

Will gets invited to a reunion of sorts at his ex-wife’s house. Eden, his ex-wife, now has a new husband, I forgot the name. They all had some common names so its hard to keep track of the names when the acts take place in one setting (just the house) with a handful of two/three-dimensional characters acting it out. Things start to get fishy when uninvited guests who display questionable personalities enter the scene. Will suspects the “invitation” was actually a form of a recruit to join the cult, which he believes was introduced into Eden’s life by her new husband.

The movie goes into dark territory, with graphic violence here and there. The movie sequentially explains whether it was indeed a cult, or was just a product of Will’s paranoia. It’s a well-laid storytelling.


Gerald’s Game (2017)-Oh gad I’ve had enough blood I just can’t with that scene of her wrists breaking. Where's that vomiting emoticon. I just can’t. I thought I had high tolerance for scenes with graphic imagery (do I?) but I just feel like I’m being skinned just watching that one scene. Okay the movie got me. I was thrilled.

I haven’t read the novel but as a stand-alone, I think the movie is a decent thriller. I like that concept of “battling with your inner demons” and I think the movie did well on this concept, all because of awesome performances from the leads. As with The Uninvited, the movie also takes place in one setting. The viewer is absorbed on Jessie’s struggle to get off from shackles. Literally. I was amused during these scenes, where she gets into a dialogue with her mind, arguing with herself. Perfect.

The movie also gets into dark territory, although there’s not much graphic violence or gore, but more on the theme. Jessie’s childhood, and her marriage. What happened, why it failed, and how it haunts her. Run time isn’t too long, just fine to lay out everything without rushing nor dragging.

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I promised myself I would watch Suicide Club next but man I may be the noisiest in the group when it comes to graphic violence and I may have seen a lot already but why can't I get jaded? lol I still feel weak and nauseaous when seeing blood or any pain of some sort. Maybe I really imagine it like its for real. lol I know I could get "detached" from a film but most of the films I really feel the feels of it. :((((
 
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clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
The Invitation (2015) ... The movie goes into dark territory
You've seen Sion Sono's Love & Peace right? I thought a particular scene towards the end of that, and the whole premise of The Invitation, were both based on, or at least heavily influenced by, a certain real-life incident that occurred back in 1978.

Gerald’s Game (2017) ... I haven’t read the novel but as a stand-alone, I think the movie is a decent thriller.
I might have said this before, but I thought the novel of Gerald's Game would be unfilmable.
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
I really liked The Invitation a lot. I went into it stone cold, so I had no idea what it was about. I didn't see that coming. Or that. Or that. Every turn and reveal caught me by surprise. Yes, the big one, I "caught" it about 20 seconds before the reveal, but even that was perfect timing b/c I had that short "No. No way. OMG" reaction to savor waiting for it to hit.

And the final, final scene. My jaw dropped at the implications.

Regarding Gerald's Game...I'm a huge Stephen King fan and have enjoyed or loved most of his books. But I disliked Gerald's Game so much I never considered looking for a movie version. Didn't even realize there was a movie version.
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
The Devil's Backbone (2001)

Spanish gothic-style ghost story directed by Guillermo del Toro. Setting is a war-torn boarding school/orphanage set during the Spanish civil war.

I'm not sure why this movie got so many positive reviews. It's at 7.4 on IMDb and 92% at RT. But it did nothing for me at all. Ghost stories don't have to be scary, and "horror" films (which this really is not) don't have to be full of graphic scares or "kills" or whatever. But they should at least be interesting.

We see the ghost before the opening credits are over, so there's no mystery element whatsoever. Everyone knows there's a ghost and the main kid who sees him isn't really scared. The ghost just stands around. There's no great revelation about WHY there is a ghost kid. It's fairly obvious and is explained in due time--one of the orphan boys died (was killed) and now he's a ghost. He won't go away until his killer is punished appropriately.

So, nothing mysterious. And I didn't care about any of the characters. That's a fatal flaw. Well, I liked the old doctor dude, but the "kindly grandpa" fellow isn't going to carry the movie. The only interesting scene was the "boys with pointy sticks" scene. I didn't buy the motivation of the baddie to do what he did. And there's not even any real interesting context for the war, other than some vaguely leftist propaganda by the director.

Finally, so much is made over the "visual style" of the movie. Well, I hope you like sepia because most of the movie is various shades of brown. At least del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (another movie I didn't like much, but at least more than this one), had vivid colors.

1.5 stars
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
I tried to watch this a couple times when del Toro became hip but couldn't get attached to it. Or wait, maybe it was that other early 'horror' film of his, about bugs or something. I liked Pan's Labyrinth, (and Pacific Rim a bit--even though it was dumb) but after Crimson Whatever and I'm in love with a Fish, I'm not too keen on delving into his filmography.
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
You've seen Sion Sono's Love & Peace right? I thought a particular scene towards the end of that, and the whole premise of The Invitation, were both based on, or at least heavily influenced by, a certain real-life incident that occurred back in 1978.
I googled around but can't discern what 1978 incident you suggest. There was a mention of "Heaven's Gate" but that came later. Hmm.

I like that @divemaster13 found it effective and @plsletitrain found it, but I have a knee-jerk run-and-hide response to "Dinner Party From Hell" movies.
 

clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
There was a mention of "Heaven's Gate" but that came later
Yeah, you're right ... Heaven's Gate wasn't released until 1980. I really should continue under cover of a spoiler alert -

The 1978 incident I was referring to was the Jonestown massacre. That particular event is an indelible memory for me, the voice of Jim Jones on the tapes made a huge impact on an impressionable young clayton and still rings in my ears, whereas the news of the Heaven's Gate suicides is just a vague recollection from the distant past. I don't know much about the later event, but particularly with the scale of what happens in The Invitation, and the way that the plan turned out to be to take all loved ones to another plane whether they liked it or not, the parallels with the Peoples Temple and Jonestown seemed obvious to me.

The reference to Jonestown in Love & Peace is far more oblique and, dare I say it, cute? Santa Claus organising a ritualistic Christmas Eve suicide of all last year's discarded toys, so that they can cross over into another plane and be reborn under a different tree.
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divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
I like that @divemaster13 found it effective and @plsletitrain found it, but I have a knee-jerk run-and-hide response to "Dinner Party From Hell" movies.
I'm not quite sure from this comment. Did your distaste for the genre prevent you from ever seeing it? Or did you watch it and just not like it?

I was just about to mention how much I love the "locked room mystery" or 1-setting films, if done well. Heck, I just watched Liam Neeson's Non-Stop last night and really liked it a lot. There's a killer on the plane. He announces his kills. There's nowhere to really go; should be easy to spot and catch, right? Not so much. I know that's not a dinner party from hell movie, but even those I like if there's a mystery component. To me, The Invitation was mystery done right. And full of surprises.
 

plsletitrain

Member: Rank 5
Heck, I just watched Liam Neeson's Non-Stop last night and really liked it a lot.
I liked that one too! The thrill just keeps me................uhm, thrilled.

I watched Battle Royale (2000) last week and nothing remarkable on it except that, is it true that The Hunger Games riped it off???hairrise.gif Okay kidding, I haven't seen The Hunger Games and no plans of watching it but I heard its about everyone trying to outlive everyone which is basically what was Battle Royale was about. I like thrillers but BR was too much.
 
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