mirai
Last Watched
And there was KING KONG on TCM yesterday, and sometimes a guy's gotta go with what he knows and loves.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
SCARAMOUCHE -- Rex Ingram's sumptuous super-production of Sabatini's novel, and some good solid stuff, particularly when he gets in close and lets some of his actors actually act. Ramon Novarro and Lewis Stone do some very fine work, with Stone in particular enjoying himself as the film's Upper Class Villain. The currently available print has a nice score and looks good overall, but a couple of jumps in the narrative suggest that a couple of important scenes are missing. A tasty piece of Big Studio Silent Filmmaking. 7.5/10
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD -- cool Harryhausen animations, some interesting attempts to disguise the film's low budget, but there's not a lot much else here aside from Herrmann's score. Loved it in fourth grade.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
HAMILTON on Disney Plus, and yeah, it works. Done as well, mainly, as this kind of thing can be done, with some quibbles about camera placement and shot choice -- no director with any sense does anything but keep Renee Elise Goldsberry in closeup whenever she sings. Well worth shelling out the membership for a month. This show will never have a better cast giving better performances than these.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
signed up for a mubi free trial just to see the director cut of graf die sieger/ the invincibles, which is i think some kind of very weird great film. if anyone has that streaming service and 2 1/2 hours free can't recommend highly enough.
Argh, signed up today to watch but apparently it isn't available for another 10 days in my country
real talk, is there a more MEDIOCRE filmmaker than james l. brooks? in the entire world? is there??
Broadcast News is gonna be on my top 55, I think...
definitely my least disliked of the four i've seen now. as good as it gets, spanglish and how do you know, are all just a mishmash of horrible, corny, and boring. i'll still check out terms of endearment i guess, but i'm not expecting much
i watched as good as it gets to get some bonus marks in abnormal psychology and it was pretty good
Inferno (Stanislav Barabas, 1973) - Obscure TV adaptation of August Strindberg's novel detailing his mental disintegration whilst living in Paris. Def a curiosity, it's a European co-production but it's got a strong Czech New Wave vibe to it, especially the visuals. Kinda like Hunger (1966) as directed by Juraj Herz, as it's got Per Oscarsson doing a similarly mad performance. My only encounter with actual movie people, to this day, is when Oscarsson patted me on the head after I recognized him in a shopping centre when I was a kid.
James L. Brooks' work in television commands my total respect. His work as a filmmaker is remarkable for having none of the quality of his best TV work -- I'll never forgive or forget that goddamn TERMS OF ENDEARMENT or that BROADCAST NEWS thing. But even BN has that glorious moment where a fired worker responds to his boss's phony sincere "Let me know if there's anything I can do" by saying "You can die soon."
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
Midsommar (Aster, 2019).
I'm not completely sure, but I think it might have been really bad. I know for sure that I found it extremely predictable, though.
I'm not completely sure, but I think it might have been really bad. I know for sure that I found it extremely predictable, though.
Spoiler!
I liked the dark humour but it's definitely overly brooding and over-long. One of the best depictions of a bad trip I've seen in a movie in a while, though.
I'll give it that.
sally irene and mary - edmund goulding (1925)
serves me right miss narcissism. this is the most dreadful piece of pathetic crap i've seen in ages. joan what the hell. sally, what the hell. i'm amazed i even managed to type this without a wise godlike man helping me.ffs
after last night and reginald denny being so comically charming, this is such a let-down i might have to spend some time with the talkies. or even dammit, working out my 55 for the poll
serves me right miss narcissism. this is the most dreadful piece of pathetic crap i've seen in ages. joan what the hell. sally, what the hell. i'm amazed i even managed to type this without a wise godlike man helping me.ffs
after last night and reginald denny being so comically charming, this is such a let-down i might have to spend some time with the talkies. or even dammit, working out my 55 for the poll
I CLOWNS -- Fellini's love note to the circus, and to clowns, and charming from start to finish with some dashes of bitter to cut the sweet, and I'm always a little choked up at that ending. 10/10.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
TREASURE ISLAND -- Disney's first full length live action feature, and a more or less rattling good time. There's some creepily androgynish about Bobby Driscoll with all that makeup and lipstick they slather all over him, but nothing can dim the genius of Robert Newton's Long John Silver, leaving no piece of scenery unchewed and revelling in every glorious bit of pirate-speak, and still conjuring a real menace that can't help but delight. Only Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West matches Newton's Silver for sheer lip-smacking relished menace. His dire threat "them that dies'll be the lucky ones!" had me reaching for the remote to view it a few more times.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
If you only have access to the theatrical cut, it doesn't really make a difference. The director's cut only contains some 4 minutes of badly sourced footage (probably old Betacam or such, definitely not 35mm), which is great, but doesn't change the film in any significant way.
Graf couldn't shoot the film the way he wanted to, so he already had to change the script, so there never will be an actual director's cut.
But in my opinion the film is a masterpiece anyway, and definitely some of the best work Graf ever did.
Glad to know there is a subtitled version out for the non-german speaking cinephiles!
"I too am a child burned by future experiences, fallen back on myself and already suspecting the certainty that in the end only those will prove benevolent who believe in nothing." – Marran Gosov
I enjoy Brooks. Nothing special, but you can do worse, far worse. Does that spell mediocrity? I don't know, but it might be so.
"I too am a child burned by future experiences, fallen back on myself and already suspecting the certainty that in the end only those will prove benevolent who believe in nothing." – Marran Gosov
tiger in the smoke (roy ward baker) 1956
astonishing. i had read the book, and it was so-so. but this film is exactly what i saw in my head whilst i read it. even missing half the characters. i've never had that before. means the film was only so-so too, but still, astonishing
astonishing. i had read the book, and it was so-so. but this film is exactly what i saw in my head whilst i read it. even missing half the characters. i've never had that before. means the film was only so-so too, but still, astonishing
i think the pandemic is getting me down. i haven't seen the sun for a week and some cows got aggressive at me today (no joke, 1 person dead, another hospitalised in local incidents in the past two months, they've gone berserk this year) so i had to jump over a wall and my thigh is now black and blue and bleeding....
so i watched carnet de bal so i could get angry at duvivier the sexist old fart, but now i've remembered i'm in love with louis jouvet and have to limp off to bed screaming 'atmosphere'
so i watched carnet de bal so i could get angry at duvivier the sexist old fart, but now i've remembered i'm in love with louis jouvet and have to limp off to bed screaming 'atmosphere'
Last edited by sally on Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I feel you, I went for a run the other day to break the ennui and encountered an agressive gull. It kept swooping down and flying past me, could feel the breeze from it. Was kinda like a North by Northwest/The Birds crossover. It's nest was probably close by.twodeadmagpies wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 9:29 pm i think the pandemic is getting me down. i haven't seen the sun for a week and some cows got aggressive at me today (no joke, 1 person dead, another hospitalised in local incidents in the past two months, they've gone berserk this year) so i had to jump over a wall and my thigh is now black and blue and bleeding....
animals trying to move in on us while we've been locked down
also louis jouvet is MINE
also louis jouvet is MINE
Last edited by rischka on Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
during these trying times, turn to the book of curtis, chapter boxd, verse alone in the wilderness: 'you know how some people say that humans are a virus and the earth is a powerfully self-preserving living entity that will find a cure? what if all animal life is a virus and humans are the cure?'
