Recently Seen, Part 2 (Mar 2017)

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
I hope I'm not being presumptuous to start a March thread.

Viewed last night:
The Lower Depths (1957). A group of down-and-out tenants of a slum-hut bicker amongst themselves and have varying hopes for bettering their circumstances. The movie itself looks like a filmed stage play--because that's exactly what it is. Kurosawa was a fan of Russian literature, and this is his filmed (extremely faithful) adaptation of a well-known Russian play. With the exception of a 10-minute stretch, the entire movie takes place on one stage set. While I totally admire Kurosawa's effort here, and the technical aspects of setting, blocking, framing, and lighting a movie have rarely been better, the story did not really up and grab me. For example, the character played by Mifune disappears from the play/movie just when he was getting interesting. There is some great dialogue: "You're nothing but a two-dollar whore!" "Yeah? One that you've been hounding to buy for 20 cents!" And the last line of the film is great.
3 / 5
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
I was going to suggest we go monthly given the addition of images. It will keep things loading quickly, so I'm on board. I don't have anything recently seen except for the Japanese women's V. Premier league volleyball finals
 

Daniel Larusso

Member: Rank 3

Army of Shadows (1969)
An account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France. This film is all about the loyalty and fear of getting caught within the group, I understand that was the main focus, but we never see the resistance members doing anything besides trying to escape the nazis or trying to not get arrested. We never see them making any plans to take down the nazis like in Black Book, which makes it more fun to watch. I thought the atmosphere and the cinematography were great, but I got really tired after getting the point of this film. The second time the main character was arrested and how he escaped was very dumb though...
5/10


Passengers (2016)
It's like Woman in the Dunes, but in space. It's always entertaining and it kept me wondering if I would take the same actions as the main character. The reveal scene was very intense, but from that point I didn't find the film as exciting. The visual effects are okay but the inside of the spaceship is really cool. The ending was meh.
7/10


Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Great film about nothing ever happening. Loved the ending.
8/10


Mystery Train (1989)
Just like Strangers Than Paradise, this film feels like real life. I like these films where different characters become connected in very absurd situations. It's quirky and great fun. The japanese couple deserve their own film.
8/10


The Danish Girl (2015)
Alicia Vikander made me watch the entire film.
5/10


Still Alice (2014)
It's a good film to watch if you wanna know about Alzheimer's Disease, Julianne Moore has a great performance, but the script is so linear I skipped some of the boring scenes.
4/10
 

ebossert

Member: Rank 3
Highly Recommended

Headshot (2016) (Indonesian Action/Thriller) – After waking from a coma, a trained fighter (Iko Uwais) must save his doctor (Chelsea Islan) from a vicious group of gangster thugs led by Sunny Pang and Julie Estelle. The acting is good, but character development and motivation are weak. Doesn’t matter though, because this movie offers tons of action and bloody violence to compensate. Action choreography ramps up its complexity during the final 3rd, leaving the opening 2/3rds to pile on the nasty thriller elements. I don’t think 10 minutes went by – at any point in this film – without someone getting violently murdered or beaten. This could be the Mo Brothers’ most purely entertaining film to date.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) (American Action) – After returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life. This is a very entertaining film that infuses a storyline that is more interesting than its predecessor, with a focus on the underworld hotel of assassins. The action is plentiful and of a nice variety, from car chases to catacomb shootouts to colorful mirror room fights. Lots of gunshots to the head, which I appreciate. I enjoyed the “fancy underworld weapons shopping” sequence too. Check out the YouTube video of Keanu Reeves’ tactical gun shooting, because it’s pretty damn cool.

As the Gods Will (2014) (Japanese Horror/Comedy) (repeat viewing) – Takashi Miike goes insane . . . again. A group of highschoolers must outwit some sadistic Japanese dieties in a series of deadly games. Right from the opening scene, the viewer is going to realize that this is something quite different. This has one of the more creative and entertaining opening sequences in recent memory. It’s extremely demented and nutty, with a wide variety of supernatural death games that utilize culturally specific objects as the physical bodies of gods. Some of the games are solved in clever ways too. Lots of CGI is used, but it’s still fun due to the fantastical nature of the attacks as well as the boatload of black humor that is present. Very fast paced and enjoyable.

Killers (2014) (Indonesian/Japanese Thriller/Drama) (repeat viewing) – A Japanese serial killer and an Indonesian vigilante communicate on the internet while they murder their victims. This is a fairly ambitious character study that takes its time to develop the two leads. To this film’s credit, it is successful at doing so and that results in some dramatically intense moments. At times you fear what they do to the likeable victims, but other times you wait in bloodlust anticipation for what they do to the unlikeable victims. The plot is also somewhat unpredictable at times. Kazuki Kitamura isn’t typically billed as a lead actor, but he’s damn good here and Oka Antara is also very impressive. This does get violent, but not absurdly so. Despite some implausibilities and contrivances, this is quality stuff from the Mo Brothers.

Don’t Breathe (2016) (American Horror) – A blind, reclusive man is secretly hiding a mountain of cash in his home. He’s the perfect target for a trio of teens carrying out a string of robberies. Unfortunately for them, this man can defend himself. This is expertly directed and has a few very nice tracking shots. Scoring and sound design are solid too. Most thankfully, this film relies on suspense instead of gore or jump scares. There is quite a bit of well-earned intensity because of this, and the short 88-minute runtime helps to pack that intensity in while cutting out any unnecessary filler. Stephen Lang gives a very menacing performance, and Jane Levy is also very good. There are a few moments that stretch credibility, but they’re not deal-breakers by any means.

X Game (2010) (Japanese Horror/Thriller) (repeat viewing) – Four young people are kidnapped and forced to torture one another. This is definitely a step above the typical torture film because it has properly developed characters, an engaging storyline that incorporates the theme of bullying, and also some good suspense. Even the torture game itself is interesting to watch because it’s unpredictable and uses a variety of exaggerated bullying tactics. The script is fairly ambitious with a lot of ground to cover in its three-part structure. The final section is twisty, but the twists make sense and maintain one’s interest despite dragging the film out a bit. There are also a few creepy moments to enjoy. Do not get this confused with “Death Tube”, which is similar but very poor.

Recommended

Sword Master (2016) (Chinese Action/Drama) – A sword master searches to fight the greatest swordsman in the land, but finds out that he died mere days before reaching his residence. Frustrated and distraught, the sword master abandons his fighting ways and decides to live out the rest of his life with the common folk. The CGI effects are poor, but the sets and environments are consistently very nice from start to finish. This also has pretty good story and characters that get more interesting as the film moves along. The acting is exaggerated, but feels appropriate for some reason. Admittedly, it’s still a bit silly and cheesy. The wuxia fights are good, but nothing special. Directed by Tung Shing Yee.

Arrival (2016) (American Sci Fi Drama) – When twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, a linguistics professor is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors. Nicely directed and very atmospheric, with a creepy vibe early on. It also employs an interesting twist and concept. Performances are generally good. After a while, however, it does get a bit tedious and feels drawn out.

Ura Horror (2008) (Japanese Horror Anthology) – Koji Shiraishi directs this anthology of 12 found footage horror films, approximately 6 minutes each. This is a success overall, with a nice variety of scare tactics and scenarios, some of which are oddball. The short runtime of each story helps to maximize pacing, making this very easy to watch. Grainy, low-def visuals do help matters. (Viewed without subtitles.)

I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016) (Chinese Comedy/Drama) – Bingbing Fan is on a quest for justice. She and her husband got a divorce so they could get a better apartment, but after the divorce, he married someone else. So she wants the divorce overturned, so they can be married again, whereupon she will sue for a divorce. For most of the film, the images are restricted to a circle in the middle of the frame; it’s odd but you get used to it after a while. It is an interesting premise, with good performances and a dry form of humor. The music is good too. Runtime is definitely on the long side, which results in a sense of repetition. A few scenes are rather dumb and contrived, but this is a pretty good flick.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) (American Animated Drama Musical) – This is the famous story about a jealous queen, her beautiful stepdaughter, seven lovable dwarfs, and a handsome prince. Not much of a plot or character development here, and much of the runtime shows animals and dwarfs doing household chores, or just goofing around. Some films meander in interesting ways, but this one feels too inconsequential and monotonous at times. Still, there is a moderate enjoyability to some of these moments, and the scenes that do showcase the primary conflict are quite good. There’s also a light horror element that I enjoyed.

Not Recommended

Lights Out (2016) (American Horror) – Rebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with an entity attached to their mother. Cheap jump scares galore in this incomprehensibly stupid film that uses a lame shock tactic during the opening 5 minutes, then proceeds to repeat that exact same obnoxious tactic in uncreative ways for the remaining runtime. Between the jumps, the story and characters are extremely dry and sleep-inducing. The psycho mom angle is irritating. Dialogue and performances are underwhelming, with the lead actress being particularly weak. The attempt at melodrama near the end is pathetic.

Blair Witch (2016) (American Horror) – After discovering a video showing what he believes to be his vanished sister Heather, James and a group of friends head to the forest believed to be inhabited by the Blair Witch. This is a very poor rehash of the original film that feels more like a remake than a sequel because it introduces many moments that mimic the original, only executed terribly (how many close-up shots of screaming faces do we really need?). It gets so bad that a few gross-out moments are inserted (involving a foot infection), as well as a human threat – both of which are used to lazily create discomfort for the viewer, but consequently destroys any sense of fear and makes it feel like the witch is absent for most of the film. The opening set-up is fragmented and clumsily executed, failing miserably to create tension. Actually, the entire film is that way. Performances are crap across the board. The filmmakers also cheat by attempting to create a “found footage” film by using dozens of cameras from a variety of angles. What’s the point? Just shoot it conventionally then. This is incompetent, amateur hour filmmaking. “The Guest” must have been a lucky mistake, because everything else Adam Wingard has directed has been terrible.
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
Perfect Match (2001). Formulaic but cute Korean romantic comedy--nothing you haven't seen before. Clumsy but accident-prone lady (Hyo-jin) works at a matchmaking/dating agency, but is recently dumped herself. She ends up falling for one of her clients, who is a fairly oblivious doofus. Gee, I wonder where this is heading?

What bumps this film up a half-notch is the little scenes and asides thrown in. Hyo-jin's girlfriends constantly bicker in very funny ways. Several references to pop culture at the time (classic rock; Tell Me Something; Eun-ha Shim) are quite clever. The movie has a few winks for the audience. For example, the movie starts off with Hyo-jin coaching a nervous gentleman on how to conduct himself on a date. At one point, he tries out a pick-up line on her ("You look like that actress from My Wife is a Gangster"). The joke being, that Hyo-jin is played by the actress from My Wife Is a Gangster. And the nervous fellow? He's the husband from that movie. I did laugh at that.

I don't really recommend anyone to drop everything and seek this one out. It's pretty much par for the course. But if you happen to catch it somewhere, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes. 3.5 / 5
 

plsletitrain

Member: Rank 5
I'll add Perfect Match to my watchlist.

I've been unproductive lately so I'll just review the film that my kids watch all day long, everyday, for the past month or so. TROLLS (2016).

I would like to recommend this to everyone. This is not just a "for kids" movie. It does not have any sad story of someone dying, etc. as with our usual animated films. This is just a simple story of friendship, selflessness, and happiness. I think what will capture the interest of the viewers here is the cool story and the very colorful trolls! Their colors are very friendly to the eyes I could watch them all day. Another thing that's positive about this film is the remake of some classic songs, and some originals too that have very catchy tunes. There are a lot of it in the film, but my most favorite is their version of "The Sound of Silence" because it has singing flowers and bugs.


The story is about a group of trolls. They just live happy lives away from the Bergens (ugly creatures who eat trolls because they believe its what gives them happiness). One night they hold a special party, which caught the attention of the Bergen chef. She takes some of the trolls to be fed to the Bergens at Bergen town. Princess Poppy then resolves to rescue her friends with the help of Branch, a troll who was consumed by sadness (his color is all gray instead of the usual colorful troll). The resolve here is he finds to be happy again and Bergens realize that true happiness can be achieved even without eating a troll.

This is a great fun movie. We watch it all day I can literally memorize the dialogue already.
 

Zelena

Member: Rank 2
Mystery Train (1989)
Just like Strangers Than Paradise, this film feels like real life. I like these films where different characters become connected in very absurd situations. It's quirky and great fun. The japanese couple deserve their own film.
8/10
This looks good. I never got into Jim Jarmuche because it was sort of mandatory to like JJ for a certain subculture of a certain generation, so I ignored him. Also I can't stand Tom Waits -- he could ruin the greatest of films, as far as I'm concerned -- so I can't watch anything with him "singing" in it. But this one looks good and certainly rooted in the time it was made.


I happened to have seen Jim Jarmuche's documentary on Iggy and the Stooges -- Gimme Danger -- recently. It was done in a very novel way, with a lighthearted, creative visual approach, so I can recommend it unreservedly to anyone who likes that kind of music. One can get too much Iggy Pop, however. I did not leave the theater hungry for more Iggy Pop. One interesting thing was that since Iggy was really on the cultural bleeding edge of the 60s -- the noise music that led to punk -- it shines a light on a very small, very distinct subculture that didn't get much exposure, because it barely existed and barely left a record. The stuff about MC5.

On the negative side, I found it deeply depressing on a lot of levels, but I don't think most people would share my concerns. I wish Jarmuche had just left it off with the historical footage of the 60s and 70s and maybe some interviews, without including so much recent footage of white-haired 60-70 years olds reuniting the band and rocking on stage. Depressing as hell. What's really depressing is that at this point -- rock n' roll seems to be basically something that elderly people are into. I find it really disturbing how much Generation X and Baby Boomers are mainlining nostalgia these days, living in a solipsistic facebook/netflix bubble watching a nonstop documentary about themselves, or the selves they think they are. It's sad that American culture is so far past its peak now, that the people who "peaked" it are on aged and dying. This really made me want to run screaming back to Korean media world.

true happiness can be achieved even without eating a troll.
You make this all sound very pleasant. I have mixed feelings about contemporary Pixar/Disney films, but they are always well-made. I don't want to sound like a grumpy old Werner Herzog, but these hallucinogenic Pixar things always make me feel like either I'm going insane for thinking there's something wrong here, or the world has gone insane because they don't think there is something wrong. And I'm pretty sure it's not me! The other problem is that the animation at this point just looks too real, so I think this stuff is really happening in reality lol. :emoji_ghost: I think I would rather watch Snow White and Seven Dwarfs putz around and do nothing.
 
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sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
including so much recent footage of white-haired 60-70 years olds reuniting the band and rocking on stage. Depressing as hell. What's really depressing is that at this point -- rock n' roll seems to be basically something that elderly people are into.
I'm surprised you don't like Tom waits. Maybe not.
Back in the day my gf worshipped the Ig. This created problems for us. I considered him the Hong Kong comedy of rock. But our experience was not in real time. I watched Gimme Danger recently and blurbed here that those white haired guys created rhythm problems for the film. I'm okay listening to Iggy. I like how he tries (and succeeds sometimes) to be poetic. But those other white-haired guys were so doped out and used to being loved they were fatiguing. I also watched that doc Danny Says for a double feature.
 

Zelena

Member: Rank 2
the Hong Kong comedy of rock
Yeah he is, that's not inaccurate. He's very slapstick, so I never really considered him that cool. I did like that stuff when I was a punk-rocker lad, but ... and I can't even think of a "but" really. He's just Iggy. He's around. It annoyed me that he's so old now that he's trying to claim he was influenced by Soupy Sales (he later jammed with two of his sons). I think I saw him play in about 1994, and I was like, man, he's old! To this day the loudest show I've ever been to, and apparently he's still stage diving at 70. That kind of thing depresses me. Like, do something dignified now, Ig. It's time.

Another thing that annoyed me is just that it didn't have much of their music. I thought it was charming when JJ would repeat visual images, but annoying when he repeated songs, or just bits of them. I really didn't want to see Coachella. I would have enjoyed a Gimme Shelter style thing of 1969 footage a lot more. I used to hate the Stones immensely but now I can see the poetry.

I guess I missed your review of this. Not sure if you're thinking the same thing as me, but the drummer Scott Asheton bugged me because he seemed so fried. But then I read on wikipedia that he had had a major stroke not long before those interviews, and died not long after. The rest of them have no excuse; I was also annoyed to be back in the world where I'm listening to junkies regaling their tales of being junkies. I guess if you had a nickel for every time I said "annoyed" or "depressed" about this movie, you could take yourself to another double feature, but man, as much as I was jazzed remembering what it was like to play music live, this whole rock world is just so played out as far as I'm concerned.
 
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Daniel Larusso

Member: Rank 3

Night on Earth (1991)
5 interesting stories with wonderful characters and great dialogue. I'm really enjoying Jarmush's humour.
8/10


Dead Man (1995)
Psychedelic western. Very unique film.
8/10

I haven't watched Gimme Danger yet as I'm watching JJ's films in their order of release dates.
 
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clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
Headshot (Kimo Stamboel & Timo Tjahjanto, 2016) could best be summed up with four words – a whole lotta fun. Because comparisons with The Raid films are inevitable, it sits nicely between the two – while it never lets up, it is more plot driven and varied in the thrills than just the relentless fight after fight after fight format of The Raid: Redemption, yet it is simple enough to avoid the convolutions of The Raid: Berandal. A couple of random thoughts:
  • A lot can be forgiven when a film is as entertaining as this. The character Tuan Lee speaks mostly English because he’s such a goddamn badass that he can damn well speak whatever language he wants. It’s just natural, there’s no reason to even stop and think about it – I certainly didn’t until after the credits had rolled, when I thought “hmm … probably actually because Sunny Pang is Singaporean.”
  • Warning: Provincial hospitals in Indonesia in real life are not like those depicted – do not go there expecting a public health system that would be the envy of the first world. If you are planning to get washed up on a beach with a bullet lodged in your head during your next Bali holiday, it is better to have prearranged travel insurance.
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
Shin Godzilla was named Best Picture of 2016 at The Prize Awards or, as it’s more often referred to, the Japanese Academy Awards. The film received the main honour as well as nods for Best Director and six other awards, and it also beat Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name for the highest number of awards. The latter won three awards at the event for best soundtrack and technical awards, but lost out on best animation which was awarded to In This Corner of the World directed by Sunao Katabuchi
Yikes
 

Daniel Larusso

Member: Rank 3

Permanent Vacation (1980)
It's alright for a debut film.
6/10


Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Pretty cool. Loved the mix of black, japanese and italian culture, it's a bizarre film yet it works so well. It's very reminiscent of Le Samourai but it also feels very unique. Chill soundtrack.
My favourite from Jarmusch so far.
8/10
 

Zelena

Member: Rank 2
Best Picture of 2016 at The Prize Awards or, as it’s more often referred to, the Japanese Academy Awards. The film received the main honour as well as nods for Best Director and six other awards, and it also beat Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name for the highest number of awards. The latter won three awards at the event for best soundtrack and technical awards, but lost out on best animation which was awarded to In This Corner of the World directed by Sunao Katabuchi
Yikes
Wow. Good for Godzilla and Mr. Ano. Not great cinema, but it was great fun to watch in the theater, and I really thought it was brilliant to just adopt the manga style to a live-action film and just go whole-hog with it. Oddly enough, of everything I saw this year, Shin Godzilla probably pushed the boundaries of form more than any other, which maybe says something bad about the state of culture in the world overall, but you gotta give credit where it's due. I would have given it "Most Differentest." Makes sense to give them the gong.

A little surprised that Your Name got snubbed, since it was such a massive blockbuster in Japan, but it was definitely over-hyperventilated by people who apparently were new to Mr. Shinkai or are just super-fangurlz.

I guess these are not to the taste of you, comrade, but what else to award this year? I thought A Bride for Rip Van Winkle and After the Storm were good, but not the best of either director, so kind of b-game. What else is there? The cat movie? Himeanole, which started off really strong and then turned into a shambolic, dreadful b-horror? I guess we ought to have a thread for bickering about unjust awards and critics' best-of rankings. Did I miss any other good ones? Maybe the cat movie is good, I haven't got around to it yet. In This Corner of the World looks pretty conventional, I'm not spitting out my popcorn and diving to the keyboard to get it. Quite a few 2016 titles are not subtitled and, er, released yet.
 

Hux

Member: Rank 6

Army of Shadows (1969)
An account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France. This film is all about the loyalty and fear of getting caught within the group, I understand that was the main focus, but we never see the resistance members doing anything besides trying to escape the nazis or trying to not get arrested. We never see them making any plans to take down the nazis like in Black Book, which makes it more fun to watch. I thought the atmosphere and the cinematography were great, but I got really tired after getting the point of this film. The second time the main character was arrested and how he escaped was very dumb though...
5/10
The film is less about the Nazis and more about collaborators. They're an army of shadows because they cannot trust their own people. Most resistance films espouse a simplistic view of the brave, heroic fighters standing up to fascism but this film turns a spotlight on those who worked with the Nazis.

It's still not a subject the French enjoy exploring. It's one of Melville's finest films.
 

Daniel Larusso

Member: Rank 3

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
Obviously some sketches were funnier than others, but overall it's good stuff, I liked the concept.
7/10


Broken Flowers (2005)
Wonderful film, loved Murray's character. It was easy to feel all the awkwardness.
8/10


The Limits of Control (2009)
I also liked the concept of this one. It's slow and quiet but it looks gorgeous. It's a film that makes you use your imagination to make a story based on what you're watching.
7/10
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
The Bad Sleep Well (1960). Another Kurosawa gem, and another of his 16 collaborations with Toshiro Mifune. Strongly messaged film about the evils of public corruption and of those who would seek to right wrongs through vengeance. Mifune plays a man driven for personal revenge against those who he sees as corrupt and who contributed to a great wrong. Kurosawa has a lot to say here, including: 1) you can't beat City Hall, 2) public corruption and moral corruption are two sides of the same coin, and 3) vendettas rarely work out like you think they should.

The first scene with Mifune, I didn't even recognize him, since he plays a corporate businessman type. But then he stood up and cut that impressive figure, and there's no mistaking that voice. The movie has a little bit of everything you would want in a revenge drama: suicide, murder, kidnapping, bribery and extortion, tabloid journalism, a faked death, an unconsummated marriage, and psychotic paranoia. The first 10 minutes or so is a wedding banquet scene, which is so surreal it defies description. By my count, at least three people receive arrest summons for bribery/corruption pretty much in the middle of a celebratory toast, and at one point the best man threatens to kill the groom. Ah, but it's all part of Mifune's plan...

I really enjoyed this. 4 / 5.
 
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sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
Broken Flowers (2005)
Wonderful film, loved Murray's character. It was easy to feel all the awkwardness.
I had no idea JJ made so many films. He never found his way onto my radar, but I did see Broken Flowers and loved it. I watched it for Bill Murray and he delivered. He had a period there where he was doing some good stuff.
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
The movie has a little bit of everything you would want in a revenge drama: suicide, murder, kidnapping, bribery and extortion, tabloid journalism, a faked death, an unconsummated marriage, and psychotic paranoia.
I had no idea these old-timey movies knew about contemporary problems. lol1.gif
 
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