Dunno about hollywood but like some kind of premature greyhair weekday 2pm moviegoer I joined my fellow visibly decaying octogenarians for their usual slow-paced foreign movie matinee the other week and saw Toni Erdmann, the nearly 3-hour father-daughter German comedy (yeah, hard sell).
Really enjoyed it, think it had some serious shit to say about maintaining a connection not only to your family, but to humanity in general, especially when you're in a job that removes it from you - which seems to be the case for more and more jobs these days. But it was still funny, in a "the Office" kind of way. I wasn't rolling but it kept me onboard for the whole duration, which is an achievement I think.
Watched the first 3 hour chunk of Made in America on BBC, started the second, gave up on the gruesome murder shit. I remember that stuff too well from the first time around, but the first part with the background of his career, how he treated his success as an escape from responsibilities to the community he grew up in, how his attitude seemed to be that he could get away with anything, and putting all that in the historical context of what was happening with civil rights, black athletes taking political stands, and the LAPD, all that stuff was great and newer to me as I was too young to know all the background when the trial went down.
Just hit up Mubi for a French double feature at home last night - Cléo from 5 to 7, Agnes Varda's ultra classic new wave, and the only new wave film I've seen where a female character seems to be more than an object; and Le Parc, a weird recent film of a teenage date in a park that turns to nighttime and basically all dialogue stops about halfway through and things get weirder and weirder when darkness falls. Definitely a mood piece that will try your patience if you're not ready for that kind of thing, but I really liked it and busted out laughing at one part way harder than if the rest of the film hadn't been so meditative and withdrawn.
I dunno if Mubi's selection is the same worldwide, I imagine so, but compared to Netflix etc.
Finally saw Rogue One! I really enjoyed it, esp b/c I didn't realize it was a prequel to Ep 4 until the very end. It was a bit long, and there were too many obvious/direct references to other movies in the series, but still: 8/10.
Saw Get Out too and it was a riot. Such a great Rosemary's Baby vibe.
Watched Free Fire last week. It felt like the kind of film that Tarantino might have made if he hadn't got lost to a world of self-pleasure and cocaine 15 years ago. Not perfect but short and very entertaining - Wheatley doing Billericay proud.
Yeah Free Fire was great, the highlight of a 9-hour, five-movie flight. Made me laugh a few times despite the crowded plane. Exactly as I'd have described it - Tarantino basically without all the massive drawbacks and hangups of Tarantino.
On that same flight I caught up with a few others I'd been meaning to watch -
Hell or High Water, which was good and made me wanna check out more from the same director, but not the next-level stuff some critics were calling it.
La La Land - it was fine, not worth a best picture nor a "backlash". Even if this was the movie Damien Chazelle WANTED to make when he made Whiplash instead, Whiplash is better.
Moonlight - latte pass, but it was really, really good and not in the artsy hard-to-watch way. The way people have been talking about it makes it sound like a chore, like "Crash" or other Best Picture bait that was half about feeling proud that you got through it as a viewer, but Moonlight is totally not that, really watchable, character-driven, story-driven, not stupid with aesthetics shitting all over the story, but also not workmanlike. Had a distinctive visual touch still.
Moonlight - latte pass, but it was really, really good and not in the artsy hard-to-watch way. The way people have been talking about it makes it sound like a chore, like "Crash" or other Best Picture bait that was half about feeling proud that you got through it as a viewer, but Moonlight is totally not that, really watchable, character-driven, story-driven, not stupid with aesthetics shitting all over the story, but also not workmanlike. Had a distinctive visual touch still.
That reminds me I really need to see Moonlight. I was a little bit wary about it for exactly the reasons you mention about but this is the kind of ringing endorsement that convinces me I need to get on with watching it. It's still on at the cinema here so perhaps I'll go to a showing this week.
In other news, I finally, finally, saw Rogue One. What an entertaining film - ropey Cushing CGI apart it was fun from beginning to end and showed you can balance fan service without having to constantly labour the point.
I already couldn't tell you the plot but the obvious love the filmmakers have for their subject shone through. Managed to be very funny without the continuing snark of Deadpool. I really liked it.
Also, the film is stupendously gorgeous. A proper psychedelic mix of neon and mushroom trips.
I'm conflicted about G odda G 2. I generally hate comic book movies and therefore haven't seen the Marvel dreck that the first film supposedly exceeded enough to make all my friends recommend it with that usual "this time it's different! I know it's Marvel/superheroes/comic adaptation but THIS TIME it's not mega juvenile weightless consequenceless CG, blah blah" that I get told with about one film a year (recently been aggressively recommended "Logan). The first was "different" compared to my usual superhero movie experience in that it was fine, a fun space adventure, but if it had been much worse I'd have felt like I'd been proven right again. I've heard it's not as good as the first so...
It depends what you're looking for. This is not going to leave a lasting impression on your soul or give insights into the human condition. But it is very funny and has a warmth to it I've not seen in any of the other Marvel films.
As someone with no connection to the core material, I personally enjoyed it more than the first one. Also, I have time for any film that makes Michael Rooker one of its leads.
Logan is about as far down my watch list as I can get. I really could do without ever seeing another "dark" superhero movie.
[...] the film is stupendously gorgeous. A proper psychedelic mix of neon and mushroom trips.
I managed to convince Marvel-cynic friends to watch GOTG1 on the strength of the humour and music, and they were converted. Can't wait to see vol2 on teh big screen.
would also add that all of the "serious" film buffs I know all really enjoyed Logan too.
[...] the film is stupendously gorgeous. A proper psychedelic mix of neon and mushroom trips.
I managed to convince Marvel-cynic friends to watch GOTG1 on the strength of the humour and music, and they were converted. Can't wait to see vol2 on teh big screen.
would also add that all of the "serious" film buffs I know all really enjoyed Logan too.
Yeah sorry Duder, I didn't mean to suggest Logan wasn't decent - I've heard very complimentary things about it- I just can't get with any more miserable superheroes right now. I will give it a look at some point though.
And yeah I watched GOTG2 with a mixture of diehards, the mildly interested and one who not only had no interest in superhero films but hadn't even watched the first one (shout out to my Frau). They all came out of it grinning from ear to ear.
This finally comes out here this week. Am very excited about watching it.
Watched this last night and it was indeed great. A lot of the audience were really sure about how to react to the suspense in the first hour which was also the strongest part of the film for me.
Funnily enough, apart from the obvious Society comparisons it actually also reminded me a bit of The People Under The Stairs (movie not Thes related).
This isn't that current as it's a film from 2009 and the director tragically died of malaria whilst shooting a film in Liberia in 2014, but I want to vent about this - I just watched Michael Glawogger's "Contact High" having only ever seen his documentaries Megacities and Workingman's Death.
Both those documentaries are ultra essential (especially Workingman's Death), cold, voice-over-free, observational films with something serious to say about the future of the world.
Contact High is a stoner comedy caper movie where every character with a speaking part either is on mushrooms or is acting like it, which ends when, with nothing resolved, all the protagonists and antagonists and also everybody in the world get high as fuck together. I have never in my life experienced such a difference in directorial style, genre, tone, aesthetic, everything between two movies by the same director. I dare anybody to watch WD and Contact High and name a director who made two more different movies. Very enjoyable, if half for the surprise.
david gordon green goes from george washington/joe/prince avalanche to your highness/pineapple express stuff, and masters all of it, i think. but props to this other guy for crossing the fiction/non-fiction barrier.
Yeah I could think of a couple other people who've done both - Herzog is the obvious one, but his documentaries are pretty much dramas and his dramas are pretty much documentaries. Even the mainstreamy ones like Rescue Dawn and Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans are tonally very Herzog.
Comments
Really enjoyed it, think it had some serious shit to say about maintaining a connection not only to your family, but to humanity in general, especially when you're in a job that removes it from you - which seems to be the case for more and more jobs these days. But it was still funny, in a "the Office" kind of way. I wasn't rolling but it kept me onboard for the whole duration, which is an achievement I think.
Watched the first 3 hour chunk of Made in America on BBC, started the second, gave up on the gruesome murder shit. I remember that stuff too well from the first time around, but the first part with the background of his career, how he treated his success as an escape from responsibilities to the community he grew up in, how his attitude seemed to be that he could get away with anything, and putting all that in the historical context of what was happening with civil rights, black athletes taking political stands, and the LAPD, all that stuff was great and newer to me as I was too young to know all the background when the trial went down.
A few that come to the top of my mind.
Moonlight. Sing Street. The Nice Guys. Kubo and the Two Strings.
I'm looking to check out Logan. T2 Trainspotting. Dunkirk.
I did see Toni Erdmann and it was silly af. The first hour drags a bit, but loved it in the end.
I dunno if Mubi's selection is the same worldwide, I imagine so, but compared to Netflix etc.
Saw Get Out too and it was a riot. Such a great Rosemary's Baby vibe.
On that same flight I caught up with a few others I'd been meaning to watch -
Hell or High Water, which was good and made me wanna check out more from the same director, but not the next-level stuff some critics were calling it.
La La Land - it was fine, not worth a best picture nor a "backlash". Even if this was the movie Damien Chazelle WANTED to make when he made Whiplash instead, Whiplash is better.
Moonlight - latte pass, but it was really, really good and not in the artsy hard-to-watch way. The way people have been talking about it makes it sound like a chore, like "Crash" or other Best Picture bait that was half about feeling proud that you got through it as a viewer, but Moonlight is totally not that, really watchable, character-driven, story-driven, not stupid with aesthetics shitting all over the story, but also not workmanlike. Had a distinctive visual touch still.
In other news, I finally, finally, saw Rogue One. What an entertaining film - ropey Cushing CGI apart it was fun from beginning to end and showed you can balance fan service without having to constantly labour the point.
They have invented Hyperspace, yet lack email.
Incredible-but-true story. Hits very hard if you have kids yourself.
I already couldn't tell you the plot but the obvious love the filmmakers have for their subject shone through. Managed to be very funny without the continuing snark of Deadpool. I really liked it.
Also, the film is stupendously gorgeous. A proper psychedelic mix of neon and mushroom trips.
As someone with no connection to the core material, I personally enjoyed it more than the first one. Also, I have time for any film that makes Michael Rooker one of its leads.
Logan is about as far down my watch list as I can get. I really could do without ever seeing another "dark" superhero movie.
would also add that all of the "serious" film buffs I know all really enjoyed Logan too.
Funnily enough, apart from the obvious Society comparisons it actually also reminded me a bit of The People Under The Stairs (movie not Thes related).
Both those documentaries are ultra essential (especially Workingman's Death), cold, voice-over-free, observational films with something serious to say about the future of the world.
Contact High is a stoner comedy caper movie where every character with a speaking part either is on mushrooms or is acting like it, which ends when, with nothing resolved, all the protagonists and antagonists and also everybody in the world get high as fuck together. I have never in my life experienced such a difference in directorial style, genre, tone, aesthetic, everything between two movies by the same director. I dare anybody to watch WD and Contact High and name a director who made two more different movies. Very enjoyable, if half for the surprise.
david gordon green goes from george washington/joe/prince avalanche to your highness/pineapple express stuff, and masters all of it, i think. but props to this other guy for crossing the fiction/non-fiction barrier.