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

[Reza]

Cargo (Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke, 2018) 6/10

In post-apocalyptic Australia a man (Martin Freeman) struggles to keep alive after he has been bitten by his zombie wife. With only 48 hours left before he also becomes one he needs to find a safe haven for his infant daughter. Helping him along the way is a young independent Aboriginal girl who is trying to save her father. Both find themselves allies with a common goal. The film is a celebration of the vast Australian outback along with the important theme of the strong bond between parent and child and the sacrifices one makes for a loved one. Freeman gives a moving performance as the kind loving man who has to make tough decisions all of which go against his gentle nature.

[Reza]

1408 (Mikael Håfström, 2007) 6/10

John Cusack is good as a cynical writer bent on debunking paranormal activity in this adaptation of a Stephen King short story. As with most such films the set-up proves far more interesting than the visual effects which take over most of the story as the character is assaulted body and soul. A writer checks into room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, a room that has seen various suicides and gruesome deaths in the past. The hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson in a kick-ass cameo) discourages the writer but gives him the key. Gradually things start to go bump in the night as the room and its ghosts try to kill the new occupant. Cusack is alone on screen through most of the film and does an admirable job as the hapless man finding himself in over his head with the terrifying assaults to his senses. Are these things actually happening to him or is it all in his mind and he is slowly going mad? He does have a sad family history behind him as his daughter died and his marriage collapsed. King basically rehashes "The Shining" - old wine in a new bottle - with paranoia and guilt thrown into the mix. Ok as a horror film but nothing really new here.

[Reza]

Devices and Desires (John Davies, 1991) 4/10

Dull P.D. James mystery with Commander Adam Dalgliesh (Roy Marsden) visiting Norfolk where he gets embroiled in a series of murders as various women are found strangled by a serial killer. The screenplay goes off in a number of directions - the dangers and benefits of a nuclear power plant (which is in the vicinity) and the loss of a mother on her family. Meanwhile more and more murders occur along with a suicide and a drowning. When the serial killer is found dead by suicide he leaves a note insisting he did not kill one of the women. This puts suspicion on someone amongst the townfolk, all of whom are interacting with each other - having affairs, lying to the police to create an alibi and holding onto long hidden secrets involving child molestation and murder in the past. Lifeless pacing (the film is in 6 parts) has Dalgliesh merely an observer providing occasional views on the case to the police. Susannah York, Gemma Jones, James Faulkner guest star as the suspects in town.

[Reza]

Se7en (David Fincher, 1995). 9/10

Riveting thriller that takes a perverse delight in its grisly images. A serial killer, using the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth) of the Biblical faith, gruesomely murders his victims baffling the police. The detectives assigned to the case are a well read extremely articulate veteran (Morgan Freeman) about to retire and a brash young rookie (Brad Pitt) who has just moved to New York with his beautiful but unhappy wife (a stunningly beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow who provides the film's only light during her brief appearance). The murder victims are shown in graphic detail adding to the film's overall bleak atmosphere which Fincher brilliantly creates using the stunning imagery of Darius Khondji's camerawork - all in muted palettes of beige and browns - constant rain falling which adds to the simmering dread, foreboding production design of the buildings and rooms where the bodies are found and Howard Shore's pulsating score (using Bach and songs by David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails) which add a sense of urgency. Both Freeman and Pitt give memorable performances. John Doe the serial killer, making a sudden appearance towards the end of the film, is played by a once-great actor and star (winner of two Oscars) who has now been made to stand "in the corner" by Hollywood and labelled a "very naughty and despicable boy". The actor is absolutely brilliant giving a performance of great wit and evil. His monologue at the end proves very ironic knowing now the reason for his recent disgrace. Superb film has an extremely disturbing twist ending which fits completely into the scheme of the plot and gives the film it's true gravitas.

[Reza]

Twenty Feet From Stardom (Morgan Neville, 2013). 7/10

Oscar winning documentary celebrates the unsung heroines on stage - the coloured backup singers seen harmonising behind famous rock, pop and soul superstars like Mick Jagger, Donna Summer, Ray Charles, David Bowie, Tom Jones, Bette Midler and countless others. Fascinating interviews reflect their joys, sorrows and hard work creating impressions very integral to the main act right in front of them. With their powerful voices, dance moves, costumes and often stunning coiffures these integral ladies in the back managed to enhance the performance of the lead singers without whom the act would not have had the right impact. Very few managed to attain stardom by going solo while some (Darlene Love) had to face the indignity of seeing their songs given by producers to other singers who lip synced them on to success. What is lovely to see here is the ladies reminisce about the past with good humour, with happy memories of time spent in the spotlight even if it was twenty feet behind the spot where they deserved to be.

[Reza]

Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham, 2018) 8/10

The screenplay perfectly captures, in an almost cinéma vérité manner, teenage angst with all it's fears, uncertainty, self-loathing awkwardness, annoyances and doubts. The plot puts a shy, plump, pimple-faced, introverted 13-year old (Elsie Fisher) through the grind during the pressure-filled last week of eighth grade as it captures her hapless interactions with other girls (mostly mean or indifferent towards her), a boy she has a silent crush on, the class geek, her dad (Josh Hamilton) who she constantly pushes away and her obsessive need to be on social media 24/7. She comes into her own in the privacy of her bedroom while making self-help videos for YouTube. Compassionate coming-of-age film manages to sharply put the viewer in the young girl's shoes bringing back many of the similar nightmarish memories from one's past as it wades through the overwhelming emotional insecurities of a typical teen. The film is also a walking talking advertisement for Facebook (one girl says "no one uses Facebook anymore - yeah right), Tumblr, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and Buzzfeed. The film ends on a warm note as father and daughter come to terms with each other over a fireside téte-â-téte. Sharply written film is alternately sad and joyful with an outstanding "real" performance by young Elsie Fisher.

[Reza]

A Taste For Death (John Davies, 1988) 7/10

Police Commander Adam Dalgliesh (Roy Marsden) investigates a number of deaths - a Minister of the Crown and a tramp are both found with their throats slashed in a church and a woman drowns mysteriously. The deceased Minister's wife (Fiona Fullerton) is having an affair with their family doctor (Simon Ward), his sharp old mother (Dame Wendy Hiller in fine form) is evasive, his daughter was estranged from him, his cook and chauffeur act suspiciously while a maid who had a crush on him is found to have had an abortion and then later commits suicide. P.D. James (like Agatha Christie) creates a marvelous group of characters - her mystery was nominated for the Booker prize - and a dogged but reserved detective (minus the eccentricities of Christie's Poirot) who sniffs out and solves the mystery.

[Reza]

Histoire immortelle / The Immortal Story (Orson Welles, 1968) 8/10

Baroque adaptation of an Isak Dinesen story is one of Orson Welles' last finished projects. It was his first film in colour, which he reluctantly agreed to, even though Willy Kurant does an admirable job with his offbeat camera placements and lush lensing which enhance the surroundings - both indoor and outdoor - disguising the film's small budget. The story is set in Macao but filmed on location in Spain with all of the interior scenes filmed inside the villa of Welles in Madrid using staff from a nearby chinese restaurant as extras. This little melodrama (barely an hour long) is an ode to the beauty of Jeanne Moreau who, dressed by Pierre Cardin, plays a bitter prostitute hired by a rich old merchant (Orson Welles) to recreate the story of a sailor who is paid to impregnate a man's wife. The prostitute refuses because the old man, through ruthless business dealings, ruined her father many years ago and took over their house. Later she agrees for a hefty price and so does a derelict Danish sailor for a small sum. Both have their own reasons for going through the ruse while the old man, since he has no heir, hopes to leave his wealth to the child he hopes will be conceived. An emotionally rich film, beautifully shot, edited and acted with the sonorous voice of Welles on the soundtrack creating a mesmerizing and menacing mood.

[Reza]

De Palma (Noah Baumbach & Jake Paltrow, 2015). 9/10

Fascinating documentary about Brian De Palma's career which is just as exciting as his movies. The camera stares at him throughout as he discusses with immense detail (and good humour) every film he has made interspersed with memorable moments from his films along with glimpses into his personal life, flashes of which appear as moments or characters in his films. Many interesting anecdotes about the off-camera moments are highlighted which help us to understand the images in his films a lot of which, of course, stem from his obsessive interest in Alfred Hitchcock. Many motifs from his previous films find room once again in most of his subsequent films. He mentions that George Lucas and he were both casting for their movies simultaneously - for "Star Wars" and "Carrie" - and that's how he managed to get both Amy Irving and William Katt for his film when they were both rejected for the parts of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. He liked to work with the same actors many of whom became part of his stock company acting for him in more than one film - Robert De Niro, Jennifer Salt, John Lithgow, Nancy Allen, Amy Irving, Keith Gordon, Kirk Douglas, Al Pacino, Melanie Griffith, Sean Penn. His disagreements with Tom Cruise over the screenplay and ending of "Mission Impossible" is discussed along with the failure of "The Bonfire of the vanities" which veered off into a different sphere once the studio insisted on the casting of Tom Hanks as the lead. His constant battles with the censors over violence and blood (Sissy Spacek drenched in red in "Carrie", Piper Laurie impaled Christ-like with knives in the same film, Angie Dickinson and her bloody encounter with a blade in an elevator in "Dressed to Kill", Al Pacino and the infamous chainsaw in "Scarface", Deborah Shelton and an enormous safe-cracking drill in "Body Double") and the treatment of women in his films which created an uproar, his friendships with fellow directors (Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas, Spielberg and Schrader), his dislike of actor Cliff Robertson who behaved unprofessionally on "Obsession" when he realised the film was being stolen by co-star Genevieve Bujold, his working relationship with great technicians like Bernard Herrmann, Pino Donnagio and Ennio Morriconi who scored his films and his use of the steadicam with his trademark long takes of scenes involving one character following another. De Palma is one of the great directors with a very distinct style recognised not only by film geeks but also by the general public who follow his career as a means to re-live the cinema of the great Alfred Hitchcock.

[Reza]

Driftwood (Ronan O'Leary, 1997) 4/10

A cross between "Misery", "The Collector" and "Psycho" borrowing choice moments from all three. A man (James Spader) with amnesia and a broken leg is washed up ashore and rescued by a woman (Anne Brochet) who lies to him that they are on an uninhabited island. She has abandonment issues, talks to her dead mother (Anna Massey) and gradually begins to lose her mind when the man tries to get off the island. Silly film with a miscast Brochet.

[Reza]

The Square (Ruben Östlund, 2017). 5/10

Disjointed film uses black humour to show the alienation of modern society. The plot darts around all over the place - a curator (Claes Bang) has his phone and wallet stolen and he uses elaborate means to get them back, has a one night stand with an American tv personality (Elisabeth Moss) after which they argue what to do with the used condom, he later alienates a young kid, a video goes viral putting his job on the line and the film's major set piece is set at a swanky dinner attended by the Swedish elite who are in turns embarrassed, fascinated and horrified at the evening's performance act - a man acting like a primate who carries the act too far and viciously attacks a woman causing the men in the room to kill him. Forced social satire that just goes on and on. The film was nominated for an Oscar and inexplicably won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival.

[Reza]

Disobedience (Sebastián Lelio, 2018) 8/10

Moving and beautifully nuanced drama about the conflict between the life one wants to live versus a rigid life, bound by religion, that we are born into. The screenplay handles the issue in a delicate but sexually explicit manner involving the lives of three characters who come together and find a balance with surprising maturity. A woman (Rachel Weisz), estranged from her much respected jewish orthodox rabbi father, returns for his funeral much to the consternation of her family and community. Years ago she had escaped from the stifling rigidity of her father after her affair with a childhood friend was discovered. She returns to find her friend (Rachel McAdams) now married to another childhood friend (Alessandro Nivola) who was her father's protege and now expected be the deceased man's religious successor at the synagogue. Old passions are reignited when the rabbi's wife makes a play for her old lover which in turn is reciprocated with deep passion. The film scores points on vividly showing small day-to-day details about the jewish community - whether praying at the gravestone or at the dining table, men recoiling from touching an unmarried woman and other small gestures - all of which have a startling similarity to the Muslim culture and religion which is understandable since both religions ultimately follow an Abrahamic origin. Both Weisz and McAdams are heartbreaking and Nivola, playing a difficult character who has to balance religious rigidity and compassion for his wife who wants a free will to live life on her own terms, is equally superb. Thought provoking film with many layers.

[Reza]

Destination Wedding (Victor Levin, 2018) 3/10

Two miserable wedding guests find themselves at a destination wedding. His (Keanu Reeves) brother and her (Winona Ryder) ex-boyfriend is the groom whom they both hate. They also hate their lives, their jobs, everyone around them and themselves. They meet cute (at the airport), quickly hate each other and to their disgust are thrown together eventually developing a mutual interest. Boring talk-fest with the film's apparent novelty being that only the two lead characters have dialogue while every other person around them remains silent. This makes for one hell of a chore to sit through as both Reeves and Ryder are saddled with such unpleasant characters to play who spend all their time together whining. The only redeeming factor is the film's stunning location of San Luis Obispo in California which looks exactly like Tuscany with it's sun-drenched golden fields. Skip this dull film.

[Reza]

Jane Fonda in Five Acts (Susan Lacy, 2018) 8/10

Fascinating look at a remarkable life full of conflict of the inner soul. This informative documentary provides an insight into many issues that are common to everyone around - prickly issues that involve relationships, career, health and especially the need for self preservation which many fail to achieve in their quest for perfection and the need to please others. As Fonda says, "Trying to be perfect is a toxic journey …Good enough is good enough". Her story is covered in five acts - the first four deal with the complicated men in her life, her father (Henry Fonda) and her three husbands (Roger Vadim, Tom Hayden, Ted Turner) and the last act is about her own self preservation where she comes full circle (as an actress, feminist, activist) but with the added realization that living a life is not complete until you also live it for yourself as well.

[Reza]

Jezebel (William Wyler, 1938) 7/10

This is clearly a second rate Southern potboiler which the studio took on based on a play meant for Talullah Bankhead but played instead on stage by Miriam Hopkins who was later pissed off for not getting to star in the film version. The project was especially adapted for Bette Davis who had won a poll by the public to star on screen in "Gone With the Wind" but was never seriously considered by producer David O'Selznick for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. So in compensation she was cast instead as another spoiled southern belle who's tantrums cost her the love of her life much to the dismay of her sympathetic aunt (Fay Bainter who won an Oscar). The film is mainly remembered today for its famous set-piece where a strong-willed belle (Bette Davis) attends a ball with her beau (Henry Fonda) wearing a bright red gown when white was considered to be an appropriate dress for young maidens. She is further disgraced when her angry lover forces her to dance with him in full view of everyone. To add insult to injury he breaks off their engagement (she gets to slap his face), leaves town and returns a year later with a wife (Margaret Lindsay) in tow. To spite him she goads another admirer (George Brent) to fight a duel with him, a plan that backfires when his younger brother (Richard Cromwell) accepts the duel and in turn shoots dead the admirer. The plot then veers off into melodrama with an outbreak of yellow fever which he catches and she decides to sacrifice herself and accompany him in quarantine to an island. This sudden redemption is unconvincing as Davis goes from being a spitfire to simpering nobility in a flash. Davis won her second Oscar and cemented her leading lady status at the studio but her performance is erratic and overblown. All the "tics" she is remembered for (which later became heady material for drag queens to copy) are on full display - the flashing eyes, her fast speech and the rapid hand movements (minus the usual cigarette here). The film does have many things going in its favour - outstanding production design, Orry Kelly's superb costumes, Max Steiner's score, Ernest Haller's cinematography (bathing the cast in shadows while keeping the ballroom scene fully lit) and of course Wyler's direction who started an affair offset with his leading lady which would last through filming of two more famous projects.