FRENCH EXIT (2021), directed by Azazel Jacobs, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
The movie takes its time getting to where it wants to be and it requires some patience, but ultimately once I got there, I was happy to be in that place with those characters. The reason I could stay with it and get to that place is Michelle Pfeiffer. A lesser actress wouldn't be so compelling to watch, but Pfeiffer kept my attention.
VISIONS (2010), directed by Margarethe von Trotte, about Hildegard von Bingen.
This was a good enough movie for the director's intentions, but those intentions annoyed me. Some biopics about great individuals get on my nerves, because instead of detailing the remarkable achievements of these geniuses, they dwell on their mundane personal lives. Hildegard von Bingen was a great woman of science, music, literature--someone who was famous in her time and sought out by others across Europe--but you wouldn't know that from this movie.
It bugs me that so many biopics want to make extraordinary people ordinary--to bring them down to our level rather than raise us up to their level. I want to see the genius, the achievements. I want to understand what made them these remarkable beings. It's like how super-hero movies try to make the super-hero relatable, just one of us. What makes a super-hero a super-hero is that she isn't just one of us, she's greater, and we admire such super-heroes for their amazing abilities and strength of character.
We get these movies because it's easier to write a kitchen-sink drama than to write about something or someone greater.
The Fighter
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Just watched Greenland on HBO Max. Was pleasantly surprised. I'm a Butler fan but he' picks horrible movies alot of the time. This was weirdly emotional. Iono if the child actor was just good or its because he looks like a whiter version of my son. But this movie got me legit emotional several times throughout.
Rewatched it today. Pretty slick detective story. I'm hoping Ed Norton directs more.
The Hunt- wow, surprise action hit. The lead character is kinda creepy and cool at the same time. And a surprise role for a major actress.
Guardians vol. 2: When I first saw it, I thought it was too long, far fetched, forced funny. With knowing that, I was prepared and thought it was way better then the first time.
Revenge: Almost cannot remember what happened. Girl gets revenge on some guys like in " I spit on your grave"
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Found it on Blu-Ray at Barnes & Noble on Saturday and watched it that night. A Sci-fi classic that's still great after all these years.
Avatar: Here's to the late, great Steve Dillon. Best. Punisher. Artist. EVER!
I must confess I like the Tom Cruise one the most. The sound of the Tripods give me the creeps, every time I hear it. Its like the trumpets of Jericho you can hear all over the world (when you are in the right place at the right time) Creepy.
As a kid i was **** scared of the tv show Tripods lol
Back when I would go see Tom Cruise movies, I saw that one in the theatre, but to me it was your generic kind of disaster movie. I would never bother to watch it again. Seeing the 1953 movie after all these years (as I said on the previous page) was a much more satisfying experience.
I don't know why Stephen Spielberg wastes his time remaking other movies. Where's that Blackhawk movie he promised?
There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!
I saw West Side Story from 1961 for the first time. I thought it was beautiful.
Aside from the stellar performances by the lead actors like Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, I'd have to say my favourite supporting character was Anybodys. I liked how she was the feistiest of the bunch, even though the other Jets were always on her case for being a girl.
Take my dreams, childish and weak at the seams
Please don't analyze, please just be there for me
Last film, First Viewing: Mortal Kombat
Last film, Rewatch: Ready Player One
MK was surprisingly fun. I didn't expect much. Only needed a decent enough plot to move from place to place "leveling up" and the actors pulled that off well enough. Seeing Mechad Brooks in this was a drastic departure from Jimmy Olsen, that man beefed up! Also the 'stache!! hahaha
This was the first time I had rewatched RPO since I saw it in the theater years ago. Again, such a fun film! It is one of those "why you go to the movies" type films.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
THE BRIDE WORE BLACK/LA MARIÉE ÉTAIT EN NOIR (1968), directed by François Truffaut, starring Jeanne Moreau, score by Bernard Herrmann.
On another thread, I mentioned that this film provided the plot for Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL. Since, I hadn't seen it in awhile, I wanted to remind myself what the film was like. I got this on disc from the local library--it's from the Metro Goldwyn Mayer archive.
I always thought Jeanne Moreau was a little too old for the part--which is true, I think given the Bride's back story--but I can understand why Truffaut was obsessed with her stone face, which gives nothing away. So she's perfect for the role of the Bride.
It's a well known fact that Truffaut had a lengthy interview with Alfred Hitchcock in 1962, and this time watching the movie, I understood it as an homage to Hitchcock. He uses Herrmann for the score, many camera angles and movements are quotations of Hitchcock. The thriller plot gives him a way into exploring the lives of others.
Unlike Tarantino, Truffaut uses economy not excess. It's very precise and he withholds information, to create a greater sense of anxiety in the viewer. Like with Hitchcock, we're drawn into siding with the villain. We want to see her get away with her crimes and we worry that she might not get to pull it off. The other characters, her victims, all show glimpses of their own guilt. In Hitchcock movies, everyone is guilty--even if they are punished for a crime they didn't commit, instant karma is going to get them for something they did do.
I really admire, the control that Truffaut uses here. So it's sad to read that he actually regretted this movie. Maybe he listened to his critics. Artists should never listen to their critics.