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

[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

[Reza]

The Man From the Alamo (Budd Boetticher, 1953) 7/10

A man is branded a coward after he leaves the Alamo to go check if families living on farms out in the open are safe from Mexicans. Glenn Ford is very good as the loner who has to go through great lengths to prove his innocence. One of the many great 'B' films directed by Boetticher which are now acknowledged as Western classics.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) 8/10

Rousing old fashioned adventure film about a British Naval Captain who relentlessly pursues a French Naval ship during the Napoleonic Wars. Russell Crowe is a standout as the brash Captain who is ferocious in his pursuit of the enemy but compassionate towards his crew. Superbly directed by Peter Weir with excellent production values from top to bottom.

Son of Fury (John Cromwell, 1942) 7/10

A young man (Tyrone Power), mistreated and cheated out of his inheritance by his sadistic Uncle (George Sanders), escapes to the South Seas to make his fortune to return and seek vengeance. Action packed film with romantic interludes. Good cast across the board - Frances Farmer and Gene Tierney (in a sarong) play the love interest while Elsa Lanchester is wonderful in a brief bit as a prostitute who saves the hero.

The Professionals (Richard Brooks, 1966) 9/10

A cattle baron hires four men to go into Mexico to bring back his wife kidnapped by a notorious bandit. One of the great Westerns with a perfect cast - Marvin, Lancaster, Ryan, Strode and Palance - a witty script, wide screen cinematography of the desert landscape, music score and the stunningly beautiful and feisty Claudia Cardinale. A must see.

[Reza]

The Awakening (Nick Murphy, 2012) 7/10

A hoax exposer visits a boy's boarding school to investigate the sighting of a child's ghost. Atmospheric ghost story with quite a few chills. Rebecca Hall is excellent as the woman who discovers more than she bargained for.

The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2011) 5/10

Gruesome slasher film about 5 kids who go to spend the weekend in a cabin in the woods and the obvious happens although with a twist. Very amusing to see Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford playing God.

Ek Tha Tiger (Kabir Khan, 2012) 4/10

An Indian RAW agent is pitted against a Pakistani female ISI agent as he goes to Dublin to see if an Indian scientist is leaking out information to the ISI. The film was the huge Eid attraction this year in Pakistan only it got banned by the Government - of course I managed to find it on DVD the second day of Eid. The film has a great opening roof top chase sequence but soon fizzles out. Absurd portrayal of a Pakistani woman which is not helped by the wooden Katrina Kaif. One great song sequence set in Cuba. Some great International locations add color but the film is disappointing.

Agent Vinod (Sriram Raghavan, 2012) 2/10

India's answer to James Bond who has action packed adventures in colorful locations (Afghanistan, Kazakhistan, Russia, South Africa, Pakistan & England) and beds beautiful women (in this case Kareena Kapoor playing three characters). The film starts well but soon becomes lost thanks to a confusing script. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor have no chemistry whatsoever and she is unbelievably bad just going through the motions. A total misfire. By the way this film was also banned in Pakistan.

[Reza]

Everyone Says I Love You (Woody Allen, 1996) 8/10

Woody's ode to the Hollywood musicals of the 1930s and 1940s. An all star cast brings to life this piece of fluff about the love lives of an upper crust Manhattan family. The story is set in Venice, Paris and of course Manhattan. Great fun.

Celebrity (Woody Allen, 1998) 6/10

Woody deals with the subject of our fascination with celebrities. Kenneth Branagh (playing the neurotic Woody character) divorces equally neurotic Judy Davis and pursues a bunch of celebrities in the hope of selling his screenplay. Many stars, shot by the great Sven Nykvist in black and white, play the characters the writer comes across. Acting honors go to Davis who is wonderfully pathetic throughout and has a hilarious scene learning how to give a blow job from a hooker. Famke Janssen and Charlize Theron provide the sizzle. Not top notch Woody but worth watching. Leo DiCaprio has a field day as a spoilt star trashing his hotel room.

Dark Tide (John Stockwell, 2012) 3/10

Sharks, Halle Berry in a bikini, the South African coastline. It's still crap. A shark expert (Berry) runs a boat service and takes people deep sea diving to swim with the sharks. Sharks are always fascinating to watch but the plot is terribly stale.

Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992) 8/10

Brilliant black comedy about a real estate office where the salesman are under great pressure to sell bogus deals to unsuspecting clients or get fired. A wonderful group of actors star in this stage adaptation of David Mamet's hit Broadway play with the lacerating dialogue intact. Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino are dynamic. And I think this film breaks all records of Al Pacino using the most F words in any film including Scarface. A must watch.

Short Cuts (Robert Altman, 1993) 6/10

A look at the lives of ordinary citizens of suburban Los Angeles played out by an all star cast in one of Altman's typical films set on a vast canvas. Most of the characters are unpleasant but one is drawn into their individual stories.

Lonely Hearts (Todd Robinson, 2006) 5/10

Two detectives track down a pair of killers who lure their victims (lonely spinsters and widows) through the personals. Graphically violent and unpleasant film with Salma Hayek a standout as the deliciously deranged one half of the killer duo.

Exodus (Otto Preminger, 1960) 5/10

Sprawling, old fashioned epic about the founding of the State of Israel. An excellent all star cast is led by Paul Newman, suitably heroic but miscast as a Palestinian Jew, in a film that goes on and on and on. Sal Mineo is a standout as a Polish refugee fighting the Brits. Memorable Oscar winning score by Ernest Gold that is instantly recognizable.

[bizarre]

Hondo (1953) John Farrow 10/10

How on earth?

[Precious Doll]

In Darkness (2011) Agnieszka Holland 1/10
The Blue Lagoon (1949) Frank Launder 6/10
4:44: Last Days on Earth (2011) Abel Ferrara 4/10
Beauty (2011) Oliver Hermanus 2/10
Appointment For Love (1941) William A. Seiter 4/10
Bernie (2012) Richard Linklater 6/10
Goon (2012) Michael Dowse 4/10
The Hunger Games (2012) Gary Ross 2/10
The Campaign (2012) Jay Roach 6/10

Repeat viewings

Barbarella (1968) Roger Vadim 8/10
Hondo (1953) John Farrow 10/10

[Sabin]

Well, this thread has been going on for 216 pages. It had to happen first. Y'know. Save for films about Hitler.

[Reza]

And I can't believe you made a Hitler comparison!

But a Hitler comparison is always the best. It always shakes up a conversation.

[ksrymy]

The Sandman (David Teague, 2001) 7/10

A young man writes letters to a woman detailing his bizarre accounts with a barometer salesman who may or may not be the sandman who threatening to take him eyes from him as a child. A beautiful film. The film feels like it was filmed for a college course, but it rises above that. Shot in black and white on super eight film, the film harkens on German Expressionist horror in every way from makeup to story. The epistolary narratives seem a tad out-of-place as the audio quality is very good compared to the graininess of the film. Watch it if you can find it, it's only 56 minutes long