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

[Reza]

A Hard Day's Night (Richard Lester, 1964) 10/10

The phenomenon that was the Beatles - John, Paul, George & Ringo - is here captured inventively by Richard Lester as the Oscar nominated screenplay captures 36 hours in their life making this the perfect record of Beatlemania. Seemingly improvised with Lester's use of French New Wave jump cuts stunningly photographed by Gilbert Taylor in stark black and white. The four musicians are mobbed by hysterical fans as they board a train to London with Paul's randy grandfather (Wilfred Brambell). Cavorting all over London to the tune of their numerous classic tunes the foursome are in town to make a live studio appearance where their compulsive improvisitions cause major consternation for the tv director (Victor Spinetti). Smart, irreverant and electrifying, the film is one of the great rock and roll films with the Fab Four ushering in the swinging sixties with their uber cool personas. The closing scene where they sing "She Loves You" to screaming fans is a time capsule moment of the frenzy they caused whenever they appeared and it's perfectly captured here by Lester in all it's joyous life affirming moment.

[Reza]

Hacksaw Ridge (Mel Gibson, 2016) 8/10

Gibson's directorial return to the screen after 10 years effortlessly creates one of the best war films which he shot on Australian soil with a mostly Aussie cast and crew. The true story of WWII conscientious objector, US army medic Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), who demonstrated extreme bravery under enemy fire without killing anyone and won the Medal of Honor. The film begins in conventional manner - Doss growing up in rural Virginia with an abusive and alcoholic father (Hugo Weaving), loving mother (Rachel Griffiths) with his strong Christian beliefs. A corny but charming romance with a young nurse (Teresa Palmer) followed by a stint with bootcamp training (Vince Vaughn is the witty sergeant), his court-martial for refusing to lift arms and reinstatement into the army leads the plot into the brutal Battle of Okinawa sequence set in the Pacific. It is here that Gibson excels in scene after scene of excessive mayhem that is war. This sequence - superbly choreographed almost like a horror film - rivals the opening Allied landing in Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" with moments of sheer horror as men die horrifically with limbs torn apart as Doss and his unit wade through mutilated corpses. Garfield, playing the "ornery" Doss with a perpetual grin on his face, gives a superb performance. He is endearing, kind and extremely likeable. An everyman we can easily identify with and root for. The character's final redemption is also Gibson's in this epic film which should finally lay to rest the actor-director's past "indiscretions" and give him a new lease of life in Hollywood.

[Reza]

Le Diable au Corps / The Devil in the Flesh (Claude Autant-Lara, 1947) 9/10

Swooningly romantic story based on a scandalous novel by Raymond Radiguet - very modern in theme - which caused eyebrows to be raised and censors to quiver back then. The film also made huge romantic stars of both leads. During WWI a 25 year old voluntary nurse (Micheline Presle), first engaged and then married to a soldier away at the front, has a passionate affair with a 17 year old student (Gérard Philipe) causing an uproar in their community. The stars were both the same age but Philipe's scrawny appearance makes him look younger than Presle. The lovers revel in the world they have created for themselves and innocently flaunt their passion without a care in the world. Deep down both know the relationship will not last but they continue to meet - he all but moves into her apartment with Autant-Lara's camera following their every touch and kiss and discreetly moving towards the fireplace as the lovers consumate their passion. The tragic ending - it wouldn't have been effective if the ending hadn't been tragic - leaves the young man sad but mature. One of the great romantic films.

[Reza]

Collide (Eran Creevy, 2016) 2/10

A young man (Nicholas Hoult) gets involved with a gang of drug smugglers in order to get money for a kidney transplant for his girlfriend (Felicity Jones). Absurd plot has car chases and crashes on the German autobahn, two leads who have zero chemistry and two former Oscar winning knights - Sir Ben Kingsley & Sir Anthony Hopkins as rival mobsters - in competition to see who can out ham the other. Absolute trash.

[Reza]

Absolutely Fabulous (Mandie Fletcher, 2016) 3/10

Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) go on the run from the police and hide out in the South of France after knocking superstar model Kate Moss off a balcony into the Thames. The hilarious British sitcom finally gets a big screen interpretation with the entire cast - Jane Horrocks, Julia Sawalha, June Whitfield - on board but it's all pretty forced with corny situations galore. The two leads are fun doing their "thing" but stretched out to feature length it gets boring very quickly.

[Reza]

A Bigger Splash (Luca Guadagnino, 2015) 7/10

Highly strung melodrama set in Italy is the second collaboration between the director and star Swinton. A remake of Jacques Deray's "La Piscine" which starred the golden romantic couple of the 1960s - Alain Delon and Romy Schneider. An androgynous (Bowie comes to mind) rock star (Tilda Swinton), having undergone a throat operation, is on a secluded vacation on an island off the coast of Sicily with her moody younger boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts). They are unexpectedly visited by her overly gregarious record producer and former lover (Ralph Fiennes) and his newly discovered teenage daughter (Dakota Johnson). Sparks fly as the nubile young girl attracts the attention of the singer's lover while the singer herself fends off the overly amorous advances of her former friend. Jealousy and sexual tension are the order of the day as matters come to a head and a dead body turns up in the swimming pool. The title of the film is inspired by David Hockney's famous 1967 painting with the director giving us shots of the pool and dead body reminiscent of the painter's work. Dressed in casual Dior, Swinton looks magnificent with her tall imposing body posed against the rugged countryside with her natural hauteur a sharp contrast to the feminine "Lolita-like" Johnson. Fiennes has an actor's field day strutting around shirtless in constant motion - he gets to play a hyperactive scene where he dances while lip-syncing to the Rolling Stones' song "Emotional Rescue". This is in sharp contrast to most of his famous past roles where he played repressed lovers or quietly evil killers. All four leads get to display their nude bodies with the camera lingering over them posing in bed or by the pool. The stylish images here evoke Italian films from the sundrenched 1950s but with characters striking poses out of an Antonioni drama. Although all four characters are individually interesting they fail to connect emotionally with each other as couples or as a group. Looking below the surface of the plot one senses an aroma of pretension which the director tries to cover up with stylish flourishes.

[Reza]

The Birth of a Nation (Nate Parker, 2016) 6/10

This film got rave reviews at the start of the year during the Sundance film festival which is now obvious that the reason was the Oscar "blacklash" that took place just then over the Academy not nominating any actors of colour (particularly "black" aka African-American). This seemed (in print at least) the film to beat come Oscar time 2017. Well we are here now and this film, although extremely well shot, is yet another film about the gross misjustice towards slaves (and black people in general) in the United States and handled in a mostly feeble manner - the screenplay churns out the usual beatings, whippings, rapes that we have seen in countless similarly themed stories in the past - with nothing new to say. The true story of slave-preacher Nat Turner (Nate Parker), owned by a "good" master (Armie Hammer) and who as a child was taught to read the Bible by his master's compassionate mother (Penelope Ann Miller), ends up leading a revolt after his wife is beaten and raped by scummy white men (Jackie Earle Hayley plays one) - something that never really happened but is used as a plot point as a catalyst. The revolt led to the death - decapitations, hacking with axes, shootings and stabbings - of over 50 white people, which then led to a savage retaliation by the white militia and mobs who indiscrimately hung or killed over 200 black men, women and children while putting down the rebellion. Turner gave himself up and was in turn hanged. The revolt was a turning point in history and it eventually led to the abolishment of slavery 35 years later although that didn't change things too much. The United States continues to remain one of the most racist countries on this planet. Parker is a visionary film maker and I look forward to his future films just as long as he doesn't keep playing the "angry black man" and using that for future subjects.

[Reza]

Southside With You (Richard Tanne, 2016) 6/10

Barack Obama goes on his first date with Michelle Robinson in 1989. He is a likeable Harvard student working during the summer at a Corporate Law firm and she is his spiky advisor seemingly with a giant chip on her shoulder. Talky script follows the two characters as they walk, discuss music, visit a museum, go to a community meeting where he addresses the gathering, watch Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and finally eat ice cream rounding up the day. Ineffectual little film not without charm.

[Reza]

Bridget Jones's Baby (Sharon Maguire, 2016) 4/10

Third time not so lucky. The wonderfully ditsy but endearing title character, played once again by Renée Zellweger, quickly becomes tiresome. Her dilemma - which of the two men she bonked - past-love Darcy (Colin Firth) or American billionaire (Patrick Dempsey) - is the father of her child. The film is replete with corny and dated pregnant-woman humor that very quickly wears out. And I won't even discuss the disaster Zellweger's face is after her pathetic attempt to look less droopy via surgery. The best bit comes on at the end where we catch a glimpse of a person who is obviously shown in order to gear him up for yet another sequel.
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[Reza]

Assassin's Creed (Justin Kurzel, 2016) 1/10

This convoluted crud of a film is based on a video game about a 15th century order of Spanish assassins who are at loggerheads with the Knight Templars over possession of the sacred apple (that holds the genetic code to man's free will.....or some such nonsense) that Eve took a bite of in heaven. Just writing this bit makes me cringe. Eve's apple. Although one must give credit to the person who thought up the apple as the sacred object people would kill for. The usual suspects so far have always been the Arc of the Covenant or other holy relics. The plot jumps from 1492 Andalusia to Madrid, London and Texas with a brief stopover in 1986 California. An assassin (Michael Fassbender), who jumps through time, finds himself coerced into an experiment by an organization run by the cadaverous Jeremy Irons and his daughter (Marion Cotillard) into going back in time via virtual reality to seek that pesky apple. The relentless action is full of bone crunching violence as characters jump up and down the walls of spectacular castles in Seville. In the present Charlotte Rampling makes a grim appearance as some sort of holy leader bankrolling the experiment that allows the assassin to go back in time. The screenplay provides no depth to any of the characters. Instead it concentrates strictly on the visuals with spectacular stunts (via CGI) which quickly become repetitive. This film is nothing but a sleep-inducing bore and yet another attempt by Hollywood to con people into watching a lousy movie using a hit video game as a premise. Skip this film like the plague.

[Reza]

Nocturnal Animals (Tom Ford, 2016) 4/10

A case of more style over substance. This is basically three totally different stories forcibly crammed together with none of them interesting either separately or together as a whole. Nothing here gels. An avant garde art gallery owner (Amy Adams), dissatisfied with her career, life and husband (Armie Hammer), receives a manuscript of a novel from her ex-husband (Jake Gyllenhaal) which he has dedicated to her. The book is a repellent tale of a man (Gyllenhaal again) who is stopped on a highway by three rednecks who kidnap, rape and murder his wife and daughter. Coming to his rescue is a dying cop (Michael Shannon) who helps him confront the murderer (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Haunted by the tale she thinks back to her life with her first husband whom she chose despite opposition from her bourgeoise mother (a wickedly funny Laura Linney) and later unceremoniously dumped because she found him too weak. Pretentious nonsense with Adams posturing like a diva and Gyllenhaal acting boyish and hysterical in his two avatars. The two grotesque characters come off best - Shannon as the laconic cop coughing his way through the role and Taylor-Johnson as the rough and unrepentent killer. Using the plot of the book as a revenge motif comes off rather absurd. The wide screen cinematography by Seamus McGarvey splendidly captures the barren rural vistas and the souless architectural cityscapes evoking Antonioni.

[Reza]

Fort Apache (John Ford, 1948) 7/10

Amidst the noble Ford ladies (Anna Lee, Irene Rich, Mae Marsh), the teenage romance (John Agar and Shirley Temple) and Ford's usual stock actors playing buffoons, heroes and drunks (Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond, Guy Kibbee, Grant Withers, Pedro Armendáriz, George O'Brien) is the main plot which is a take on the Custer myth - the new Commander at the Fort, a stiff and strict disciplinarian (Henry Fonda) who makes an ill-judged decision to take on the Apache leader Cochise resulting in a suicidal battle. John Wayne is the sole voice of reason in this the first of Ford's Cavalry trilogy which glorifies Army life and chivalry. Archie Stout's magnificent cinematography shows off Ford's Monument Valley in all it's splendor.

[Reza]

Captain Fantastic (Matt Ross, 2016) 8/10

A control-freak Dad (Viggo Mortensen) lives an unconventional life in the wilderness and has raised and trained his six children to survive the elements. They hunt animals for food, go through extreme rituals of exercise to keep body and spirit alive and follow an advance form of education courtesy of Nabakov's "Lolita" and Dostoevsky's " The Brothers Karamazov" along with impromptu musical jams. When his wife commits suicide he is forced to "re-enter" civilization which the kids find confusing and overwhelming. Giving him strong opposition is his grief stricken father-in-law (Frank Langella) who is horrified at the way his grandchildren are being raised. Interesting (and very funny) social commentary on education, parenting, handling grief, societal norms and societal influences. The film is superbly acted by the entire cast with Viggo Mortensen heartbreaking as the proud father who's visionary life begins to crash as soon as his children are exposed to the "world".

[Precious Doll]

A Man Called Ove (2015) Hannes Holm 7/10
Masterminds (2015) Jared Hess 4/10
The Confirmation (2016) Bob Nelson 2/10
Jackie (2016) Pablo Larrain 8/10
O.J.: Made in America (2016) Ezra Edelman 9/10

Repeat viewings

The Quiet Man (1952) John Ford 9/10
Election (1999) Alexander Payne 9/10
Doomwatch (1972) Peter Sasdy 6/10
Valkyrie (2008) Bryan Singer 7/10
Tony Manero (2008) Pablo Larrain 8/10
Trafic (1971) Jacques Tati 6/10
Post Mortem (2010) Pablo Larrain 8/10
The Goodbye Girl (1977) Herbert Ross 7/10

I hate lowing ratings for films on a second viewing and don't do it. The Goodbye Girl is a case in point. When I first saw the film at the cinema I found it very engaging and likeable. It was the first Neil Simon film I had ever seen. However, my second viewing 39 year later was a major disappointment. The film has aged terribly and Neil Simons screenplay is a clunky as most of his work. Marsha Mason and Quinn Cummings were both terrible . The saving grace of the film is Richard Dreyfuss. His performance is still so fresh and alive, Elliott feels like a real human being not just a cog in the screenplay like Mason & Cummings. I'd give the film 4/10 now and that is really for Dreyfuss.

[Precious Doll]

Perfect Obedience (2014) Luis Urquiza 4/10
The Intervention (2016) Clea DuVall 6/10
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words (2016) Thorsten Schutte 6/10

Repeat viewings

Boom (1968) Joseph Losey 3/10
Something for Everyone (1970) Harold Prince 7/10
Dangerous Liaisons (1988) Stephen Frears 9/10
The Devil Rides Out (1968) Terence Fisher 6/10
The Apartment (1960) Billy Wilder 9/10
The Lion in Winter (1968) Anthony Harvey 10/10
Fargo (1996) Joel Coen 9/10
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) Richard Brooks 8/10
The Night Porter (1974) Liliana Cavani 10/10
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Arthur Penn 9/10
The Elephant Man (1980) David Lynch 10/10