Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

[Precious Doll]

High Time (1960) Blake Edwards 6/10
The Lawless (1950) Joseph Losey 5/10
Gran Casino (1947) Luis Bunuel 4/10
The Watch (2012) Akiva Schaffer 4/10
The Labyrinth of Sex (1969) Alfonso Broscia 4/10
Headshot (2011) Pen-ek Ratanaruang 6/10

Repeat repeat repeat repeat viewings of two of my all time favorites

The Night of the Hunter (1955) Charles Laughton
Crimes of the Heart (1986) Bruce Beresford

[Precious Doll]

I enjoyed his first three films, along with Mr. Fox (his best film to date) but this felt too much like and attempt to make a live-action film with animated sensibilities to me.

[Bog]

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Wes Anderson 4/10

How have you felt about Anderson's films in the past? Many have left me cold but this just must have hit all the right chords...I just adored this picture.

[Precious Doll]

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Wes Anderson 4/10
Seven Minutes in Heaven (2008) Omri Givan 5/10
The Art of Love (2011) Emmanuel Mouret 4/10
The Avengers (2012) Joss Whedon 4/10
Love (2011) William Eubank 1/10
Your Sister's Sister (2012) Lynn Shelton 5/10
If Not Us, Who (2011) Andres Veiel 2/10
Return (2012) Liza Johnson 5/10
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2009) Jessica Oreck 2/10
Donkey Love (2012) Daryl Stoneage 4/10
Kath and Kimderella (2012) Ted Emery 4/10
Too Late Blues (1961) John Cassavetes 4/10
Elles (2012) Malgorzata Szumowska 6/10

[bizarre]

Compliance (2012, Craig Zobel) … C+
Bigger Than Life (1956, Nicholas Ray) … A
Crime Wave (1954, André de Toth) … B
Vive L’Amour (1994, Tsai Ming-liang) … A-
Yang Yang (2009, Cheng Yu-chieh) … B
Tokyo Trash Baby (2000, Ryūichi Hiroki) … B+
To Sleep with Anger (1990, Charles Burnett) … B
Moving (1993, Shinji Sōmai) … A-
High Hopes (1988, Mike Leigh) … B+
Dancing in the Rain (1961, Boštjan Hladnik) … B

[Cinemanolis]

Cinemanolis wrote
Love Is All You Need ** 1/2
Susanne Bier's attempt to make a blockbuster ala Mamma Mia. A young couple and their families (which include Pierce Brosnan and Paprika Stein) gather in an italian villa for their wedding. Wonderful italian locations in a romantic romedy that is extremely predictable but amusing.

Oscar chances?

None. I don't think it will be eligible in the foreign film category. It has too much english (around 60% of the dialog), as Brosnan is one of the two protagonists and he only speaks english in the film.

[Sabin]

Cinemanolis wrote
Love Is All You Need ** 1/2
Susanne Bier's attempt to make a blockbuster ala Mamma Mia. A young couple and their families (which include Pierce Brosnan and Paprika Stein) gather in an italian villa for their wedding. Wonderful italian locations in a romantic romedy that is extremely predictable but amusing.

Oscar chances?


/JFK/ (Oliver Stone) - 8/10
/Nixon/ (Oliver Stone) - 9/10

Don't know why I watched both of these at the office on a whim. Probably acclimated to regular consumption of a political narrative these days. Really do love the way Oliver Stone ends his films with a cast roll call.

It's pretty hard to take JFK seriously as more than an exercise in formal mastery. The twenty years+ that followed have rendered it clearly what it likely always was (though not to my youthful eyes upon my early viewings): a loony movie. Oh, I've no doubt that Stone is onto something, but it's ludicrously homophobic in that it lumps gays in with the Mafia, the Cubans, the CIA as an alien "Other" that conspired against our President. And because there seems to be no concrete case against Clay Shaw that I can ascertain, that's ultimately what makes the film worthwhile. It's a portrait of late 60s fears and anxieties that sees Costner's Garrison spiral into a world of corruption only to emerge out the other end to his white bread family life. This is made even more evident by the infinitely worse Director's Cut replete with a gay sex sting in the bathroom that as depicted cannot be believed at best, and at worst tilts the balance of the film towards an offensive looniness. As it is, this is a fairly gripping looniness a little too often leadened by narrative signposts of a neglected family provided by Sissy Spacek in a thankless role. JFK is at its best when it's essentially a filmed documentary. I've heard some complaints about Donald Sutherland's Mr. X scene, to which I have to ask: when is the film NOT Donald Sutherland's Mr. X scene?

I love how the JFK music returns as a reprise in Oliver Stone's Nixon, which is the meatier film. Unlike JFK which is compelling and devoid of humanity, Nixon tackles the legacy of our 37th President and casts him as a linchpin of an era who ultimately sacrifices himself rather than release into the world the great evils that he took part in. It's selfish no doubt, but the greater implications are certainly there in his gesture, and Nixon while a lumpier film remains just as compelling for how much Stone speeds through American history staging Nixon as beneficiary to a quasi-Faustian bargain of the right. There is something more concrete to the conspiracies in Nixon. When he speaks of "That Bay of Pigs thing", it carries for me more weight than anything spoke about in JFK. Whereas JFK is a more focused work of propaganda, Nixon sees Oliver Stone losing his shit with imagery and jump-cuts that often makes no sense. Just as often, he stumbles up on an edit that is incredibly revealing and beautiful. I wouldn't trade them for the batshit. It's surprising how well the life of Richard Nixon conforms to the narrative that Stone plots out. Only the final half hour or so does Stone lose his through-life, Nixon's flailing downfall as evidence of the wretched excesses of power seeming kind of purposeless. De facto tragedy. And Nixon's farewell speech is a little too graceful for what Stone's "quest for understanding" warrants the man.

[Reza]

The Woman on the Beach (Jean Renoir, 1947) 5/10

Overheated melodrama about a disturbed Coast Gauardsman involved with a blind painter and his wife on a windy sand swept beach town. Joan Bennett and Charles Bickford are superb as the sado masochistic couple hating and loving every minute of their twisted relationship. Apparently RKO studios meddled with the film and did not present the film Renoir originally filmed. This was Renoir's swansong in Hollywood.

Fashion (Madhur Bhandarkar, 2008) 7/10

A small town girl with ambitious aspirations goes to Bombay to become a model. The rise and rise and rise and ultimate fall of a fashion model in the ruthless world of haute couture. Priyanka Chopra is superb and conveys the various facets of her character who reaches the top of her profession only to fall just as suddenly and then makes a comeback. Equally good is Kangana Renaut as the show stopper model who plunges to the pits due to her arrogant ways, bad behavior and drug problems. Wonderfully directed by Bhandarkar who has done an expose of the fashion world which even Hollywood hasn't attempted so completely.

Casino Royale (Val Guest, Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish & Richard Talmadge, 1967) 7/10

A spoof on the James Bond films with some major characters from Ian Fleming's first novel showing up - Bond (Peter Sellers), Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress) & Le Chiffre (Orson Welles) - all played for laughs. It is one of the great fun films for major star gazing with everyone from David Niven to Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer to William Holden. Even a very young Jacqueline Bisset in a small role and the hilarious Woody Allen in the role of Jimmy Bond. Chaotic production that needed over 5 directors it is, nevertheless, worth a watch for the zany humor. And Ursula Andress is even more stunning here than she was in the first Bond film.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 8/10

1943 Burma - a POW camp where British soldiers are interned and forced to build a bridge so the Japanese can forge a train route to India. An anti-war film about British soldiers hanging onto discipline and pride even when prisoners at a Japanese camp. Alec Guinness is superb as the Colonel who leads his men and refuses to break down in front of the Japanese Commander. William Holden is the ''star'' of the film but this is not his finest hour. This was David Lean's first ''epic'' but unlike the three films that followed he retains the small personal details of the characters - hallmark of the more intimate films that came before this one. Great use of widescreen and the famous theme tune add to the classic status of the film. Sessue Hayakawa (as the Japanese Commandant) is equally great and his scenes with Guinness are the highlights of this film. Guinness richly deserved his Oscar and Hayakawa should have won too.

Asteroid (Bradford May, 1997) 3/10

An asteroid is about to hit earth and various people flay about trying to find ways to deflect it. When it hits the aftermath is not that good. Cheesy special effects and cliches abound in this tv film.

Basic (John McTiernen, 2003) 6/10

During a training exercise a drill sergeant and his cadets disappear. Two survivors are grilled by an investigation team led by John Travolta who tries to uncover who murdered the cruel sergeant. The film is structured in Rashomon style and gets more and more confusing with all the flashbacks. But a witty Travolta carries the film on his ample shoulders.

Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson, 1981) 9/10

Exhilarating film about the 1924 Olympics in Paris focusing on two runners from Britain. The Vangelis score helps the film move at a fast pace. Impeccable production with a wonderful screenplay. Every actor gives a superb performance. Deserved the Best Picture Oscar.

Bell, Book and Candle (Richard Quine, 1958) 6/10

Offbeat, rather silly film about a witch (sultry Kim Novak) in modern day New York who falls in love with a neighbor (James Stewart). The two charming stars have great chemistry (used to even better effect by Hitchcock earlier that year in Vertigo) and carry the plot along. A superb group of character actors - Hermione Gingold, Jack Lemmon, Janice Rule, Ernie Kovacks and the great Elsa Lanchester - aid and abet the two stars.

Somebody Up There Likes Me (Robert Wise, 1956) 6/10

The story of Rocky Graziano, a juvenile delinquent from Brooklyn, who grows up to remain in constant trouble with the law until he channelizes his anger in the boxing ring and wins the heavyweight title. Paul Newman is very good as the angry and mixed up young man.

Walk, Don't Run (Charles Walters, 1966) 6/10

An acute housing shortage during the Tokyo Olympics a young woman (Samantha Eggar) ends up sharing her apartment with an older man (Cary Grant) who in turn rents out his own room to another man (Jim Hutton). Complications ensue. The film is watchable solely due to the droll performance of Grant who is utterly charming. What a pity this was his last film.

Dark Shadows (Tim Burton, 2012) 8/10

Hilarious big screen version of the hit tv show from the '70s. A vampire, buried for 200 years, returns to his family home to live with his descendants and confronts the woman who cast a spell on him and drove his lover to kill herself. Very much in vein of The Addams Family, the cast is totally game and give it all they've got with everyone in top form. Best bit: Eva Green seducing Johnny Depp while Barry White sings on the soundtrack.

Arabesque (Stanley Donen, 1966) 8/10

A university Professor gets involved with Arabs with everyone after a hieroglyphic which holds the key to something important. Witty film set in VERY mod London and two stars - Peck & Loren - at the top of their game. Even Loren's costumes are witty. Alan Badel as the heavy, with a shoe fetish, is great fun. A great romp.

The Night of the Generals (Anatole Litvak, 1967) 3/10

A promising start - about the murder investigation of a prostitute in wartime Warsaw - soon goes to pot thanks to a lousy screenplay which appears to have been tampered with along the way. A wonderful cast of distinguished British character actors - Harry Andrews, Donald Pleasence, Tom Courtenay, Nigel Stock, John Gregson, Charles Gray - play assorted Nazis. What a delight to hear their famous voices. Surprisingly Peter O'Toole gives a lifeless performance as an intense Nazi general. Omar Sharif is good as the officer in pursuit of the murderer. Many other stars appear in smaller roles with Coral Browne also a standout.

The Guns of Navarone (J. Lee Thompson, 1961) 9/10

One of the great adventure films. Just sit back and enjoy the stars - Peck, Niven & Quinn - leading a team to destroy a set of huge Nazi cannons on a Greek island during WWII. Non stop action with all the actors in fine form.

[Cinemanolis]

Some random thoughts from the films i saw in Venice

The Reluctant Fundamentalist **
Too didactic for my taste. I wonder how american audiences will react to it. Fine central performance by Riz Ahmed. Kiefer Sutherland was effective, Kate Hudson had nothing to do and was on screen for 20 minutes. Schreiber's role was underwritten.

Enzo Avitabily Music Life **
Jonathan Demme's documentary about the musician is a gift for those not familiar with his music, but offered no insight on Enzo the man.

The Iceman **1/2
Michael Shannon was wonderfully creepy, nice to see Winona back. Ray Liotta plays the same character for the 100th time (effectively i must admit) and the transormation of Chris Evans was welcome surprise. James Franco has a 2 minute cameo.

At Any Price **1/2
Zac Effron and Dennis Quaid were good, but the director and the screenwriter didn't help them by giving a nuance to their story, which they handle ___.

Paradise: Faith ***
A provocative film about faith that shocked many from the italian audience, particularly when the protagonist throws down and breaks a picture of the pope and when a cross is used by the actress to satisfy her sexual needs. Could be a Best Actress contender.

Winter of Discontent * 1/2
A film from Egypt that means well, but comes off pretentious.

Heritage (Inheritance) *
Hiam Abbas' first film as a director amazed me by how badly acted it was. Particularly in scenes with english dialog. The screenplay was week too.

The Master *** 1/2
I didn't love this as much as many others have. I didn't feel that the story went somewhere and i didn't get what PTA intended to say. However Phoenix was phenomenal as was Hoffman. Amy Adams plays IMO the same role again and again. PS. I worry for Joaquin Phoenix. His behavior at the press conference clearly showed that he has many unresolved problems (in other words he was high)

Cherchez Hortense **
This Kristin Scott Thomas and Jean Pierre Bacri french comedy was below my expectations.

Bob Wilson's Life and Death of Marina Abramovic **1/2
As a documentary it wasn't particularly insightful (it was directed by Dafoe's wife) but seeing glimpses of Williem Dafoe, Marina Abramovic, Bob Wilson and Anthony (... and the Johnsons) working behind the scen es is extremely interesting.

Boxing Day 1/2
Hated it.

To the Wonder ** 1/2
The Tree of Life was the favorite film of 2011, but Malick's latest didn;t impress me. With much less dialog than TOL, i doubt the actor had any kind of script to work with. Wonderful images but nothing really happens in this one. Rachel McAdams (who is in the movies poster and is the second name in the billing) got the James Caviezel treatment by Malick. Her role was really cut in the editing room and she is left with around 5-10 minutes of screen time and only a few sentences of dialog.

Love Is All You Need ** 1/2
Susanne Bier's attempt to make a blockbuster ala Mamma Mia. A young couple and their families (which include Pierce Brosnan and Paprika Stein) gather in an italian villa for their wedding. Wonderful italian locations in a romantic romedy that is extremely predictable but amusing.

Not a good festival for me, but i hope that my last screening tomorrow (Assayas' Apre Mai) will be good.

Something In the Air *** 1/2

[Precious Doll]

North Sea Texas (2011) Bavo Defume 6/10
Bully (2012) Lee Hirsh 6/10
Gong Down in LA-LA Land (2012) Casper Andreas 6/10
Vulgaria (2012) Ho-Cheung Pang 5/10
Livid (2011) Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury 5/10
The Source (2011) Radu Mihaileanu 5/10
Himizu (201) Shion Sono 6/10
Once Upon a Time in Antatolia (2011) Nuri Bilge Ceylan 7/10
Chinse Take-Away (2011) Sebastian Borensztein 5/10

[kaytodd]

Y'know, bizarre, I would not try to disagree with most of the individual points you made about The Secret In Their Eyes. Several people have made the same points to me after following my advice and seeing the film. It is flawed but it is also one of the most enjoyable film going experiences I had in the last couple of years. I found the story as entertaining as Son Of The Bride, the same astute blend of drama and comedy, but set on a much larger canvas. I thought it was well acted across the board but I agree Pablo Rago's performance deserves special recognition. It did not occur to me that Campanella used CGI, not even in the chase scene during the football game. And there are pretty big holes in the plot. But those things occurred to me well after I left the theatre. They did not bother me while I was enjoying the film and, in the opinion of this lay person, that is a sign of solid professionals behind and in front of the camera.

[bizarre]

The Secret in Their Eyes (2009, Juan José Campanella) … C

I really liked this one, and it's one of my favourites of 2010

Why didn't you like it?

It just... really bad, lol. Fun rubbish but still rubbish. An utterly ordinary melodrama dressed up with ostentatious, CGI-assisted trick shots, failing woefully as an exposé of the mindset that would inform the Dirty War. Badly written and in bad taste, too - offscreen histories are hinted at but don't illuminate the characters at all, characters like Francella's are clichés shoehorned in to adorn the story, and the lead female character is set up as a strong woman solely so she can stop being one to accommodate the lead male's character arc. It develops an almost interesting subjective framing structure at the beginning (writing the novel) but forgots about it completely and settles into banal procedural. Pablo Rago's scenes are the only ones that approach some kind of emotional honesty, imo, even if the distracting old age makeup in the latter act's make the characters look like burn victims.

[mlrg]

The Secret in Their Eyes (2009, Juan José Campanella) … C

I really liked this one, and it's one of my favourites of 2010

Why didn't you like it?

[bizarre]

Just the Wind (2012, Fliegauf Benedek) … B-
Holy Motors (2012, Leos Carax) … A-
La ciénaga (2001, Lucrecia Martel) … A-
The Man Who Left His Will on Film (1970, Nagisa Ōshima) … B
Our Daily Bread (1969, Mani Kaul) … B+
Happy Flight (2008, Shinobu Yaguchi) … C-
Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Patricio Guzmán) … A-
Blood on the Moon (1948, Robert Wise) … B+
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009, Juan José Campanella) … C
A Hen in the Wind (1948, Yasujirō Ozu) … B
Devi (1960, Satyajit Ray) … A-
The End of Evangelion (1997, Hideaki Anno & Kazuya Tsurumaki) … A

[Precious Doll]

Passion Play (2011) Mitch Glazer 1/10
Another Happy Day (2011) Sam Levinson 8/10
Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957) J. Lee Thompson 7/10
The Sapphires (2012) Wayne Blair 7/10
Hope Springs (2012) David Frankel 2/10
The Taste of Money (2012) Sang-soo Im 7/10
Top Cat (2011) Alberto Mar 3/10
The Innkeeper (2011) Ti West 4/10
Arirang (2011) Ki-duk Kim 5/10
Jackpot (2011) Magnus Martens 4/10
Seeking a Friend at the End of the World (2012) Lorene Scafaria 4/10