the wicker man is a fun folk-horror movie. a sadly underpopulated genre, though i think midsommar was a worthy addition. haven't seen any of your other films, but i'm probably gonna finally catch toy story 4 this week.
my week:
a girl walks home at night (2014) 4 a bit strangely put together, but in a way that really pleases me. doesn't quite add up to much, but gosh it looks so pretty.
the big lebowski (1998) 5 unseen by me until this week. can't really say why. i love the coens. even when they're not at their best, they're always worth the watch i find.
i was afraid its cult reputation would soil my enjoyment. not at all, as it turns out. it's exactly the kind of thing i love.
madison county (2011) 2 could have been written by a bot that had been fed a billion slasher movie cliches.
boring gore, almost no nudity, but it moves reasonably well. if you have low standards & just want movies to fill empty hours, it will work. if you're more discerning, you should find something better.
wicked little things (2006) 2.5 this is a little better. mostly ok, even. i don't find the idea of zombie children all that terrifying, but at least this was a little different.
t-men (1947) enjoyably straightlaced crime noir, though i found it a bit tiresome towards the end, even at a fairly short 90m running time.
the gravedancers (2005) 2.5 drunk friends inadvertently awaken the ghosts of various killers. no imagination to be found, & the creature effects look pretty bad, even by low-budget standards. but all the women are really attractive, & it manages to chug along at a reasonable pace & ends up as a fairly entertaining watch.
silver linings playbook (2012) 4 if romantic comedies were actually like this, i would start watching them.
thou wast mild & lovely (2014) 3.5 i gave this a watch when it was first added to shudder years ago, and i remember thinking it was an interesting but ultimately ephemeral film.
now that i've seen decker's madeline's madeline a few times & think it's one of the best films of the century for sure, a revisit seemed in order.
i can't say my position shifted much. it has a weird, hypnotic buzz that i enjoy all the way through, & it certainly takes a turn at the end, but it still feels like she was just taking a few stretches & warm-up swings here before m's m, which is simply an enormous step up from this in every way imo.
the invoking 4 (2017) 2.5 horror anthology. starts promisingly. the first two segments are pretty solid, have genuine atmosphere, though they don't really pay off in any meaningful way. the quality kinda declines from there, but all the segments are watchable, and they're all pretty short. not terrible!
back to the future (1985) 4.5 the bttf films are disappearing from netflix at the end of the month, in case you feel like indulging in some 80s nostalgia. just about a perfect mainstream comedy, crowd-pleasing in the best sense.
the invoking (2013) 1 i thought this was an anthology horror film.
my mistake.
it's just one long boring, endless, extremely non-interesting 80 minute droning bit of nonsense.
there is nothing good in it.
i did think the blonde girl was cute. i liked looking at her. i'll give it an extra 1/2 star for that.
bottle rocket (1996) 3.5 i'd probably rather watch this than anything else anderson's made tbh. it's slight & modest, but i absolutely love it.
back to the future pt 2 (1989) 3.5 never seen by me before this week.
the first 30 minutes or so really felt off. like everyone was trying to be funny by waving their arms around & acting cartoonish.
but it settled down nicely after that, & i quite enjoyed it. its biggest pleasures piggy-back off the original, and ultimately it's not 1/2 as fun as the original recipe, but it's still a nice breezy watch. michael j fox was so very likable.
the invoking 2 (2015) 0.5 incredibly dull anthology.
i like anthologies because they usually have at least a bit of energy & will give me some trashy fun.
this was nothing. completely lifeless. nothing.
once upon a time in hollywood (2019) 4 the first time qt moved me.
i am not quite ready to declare this his finest film, but i reserve the right to do so at some point in the undetermined future.
but it is definitely his most sombre & emotional film.
i loved it.
jackie brown (1997) 3.5 i've always held this as perhaps my least favourite tarantino, too long, too plodding in its finale.
i now have to admit i was wrong.
i still feel that it lags just a bit in its finale. where it feels there ought to be a climax, i feel the film just sags a little.
regardless, part of being an adult is admitting when you're wrong, & i was wrong about this movie.
it's really good.
barbara (2012) 3.5 director petzold truly knows how to stick a landing.
while watching, i thought this was fine, an interesting look into east germany, but nothing to compare to the lives of others, to use the most famous & obvious point of comparison.
but what a great ending, i thought.
reply
share
[deleted]
5 years ago
inside llewyn davis (2013) 4.5 'i don't see a lot of money here' may be the coldest words ever uttered in a film.
nightcrawler (2014) 4 absolutely chock-full of tense & genuinely nerve-rattling moments.
but i think it's a little undercut by some far too on-the-nose moralizing.
if you want to bash media, i'll be happy to form a line with you.
but i thought the portrayal of blood hungry media whores willing to sell their souls to save their careers was obvious & felt very dated & inauthentic.
but yay for the acting & the tension & everything else.
charlie says (2018) 3 another manson family film. pretty good. focus is on the girls & off the gore & brutality & drug fueled orgies (though there's some of that).
it lags a bit over its almost 2hr running time, but i think it can be added to the short list of good manson-inspired films.
apartment 1303 (2012) 0.5 all i would have had to do was look up apartment 1303 on letterboxd & see its 1.3 rating.
would have taken 10 seconds.
but i didn't. i pressed play first.
& because i have this sick ocd-ish compulsion to finish films, i watched it all the way through.
pretty much a worthless movie.
reply
share
Mrmojo4700 (20440)
5 years ago
Damosuzuki, you have just seen The Big Lebowski? This aggression will not stand man! 😀
reply
share
[deleted]
5 years ago
i have no excuse!
i've seen most coen films. & liked almost all of them. some of them are among my favourite films of all time.
& i knew lebowski's reputation, of course.
i've had lots & lots of people tell me i needed to see it.
for some reason, i never did it until this weekend.
my folly.
reply
share
StoneKeeper (21186)
5 years ago
a girl walks home at night looks interesting.
Im surprised that it'S your first time seeing the big lebowski. I rate it 8/10
I agree with you on silver linings playbook. Such a delightful film. 8/10
back to the future: classic 8.5/10
Bottle rocket needs a rewatch and I bought it a few years ago.
back to the future pt 2 : we agree on this one. Here is my review: The first 30 minutes of this sequel are over-the-top and a bit too pompous but hey, it introduced the hover-board so that’s worth something. After that the movie gets better and makes for another fun ride. 7/10
Jackie Brown: Solid but not my favorite either. 8/10
inside llewyn davis: own it, been on my watchlist for ever.
Nightcrawler: had so much potential but I did not care much for the direction it took. 6.5-7/10
reply
share