as i mentioned last week, i didn't really love king of new york, but i have a bit of a block when it comes to crime films.
my week:
the decameron (1971) 3.5 knowing pasolini only really through salo, abel ferrara's biopic and the assorted stories i've heard of his life over the years, i wasn't expecting this to be so light-hearted & even goofy. a few of the stories are genuinely fun, some are slightly enjoyable. it's all perfectly watchable, but i don't see it having much staying power with me.
dr strangelove (1964) 4.5 even though i've watched this a bunch of times, i'd never caught strangelove sitting at the table in the war-room prior to his first words.
the only reason i don't rate this perfectly is that i've always found strangelove's closing moments a bit unfunny & too slapsticky.
iron man 3 (2013) 4 that this has developed a rep as one of the bad marvel films mystifies me.
it has a funny, clever shane black script, and it actually does the thing so many people complain mcu films don't: it develops and deepens the character & has heart. people complain about formulaic mcu films, then wail on the film that does the best job of departing from that formula.
that makes no sense!
and it does all that while still having lots of genuinely exciting action moments. the barrel of monkeys scene? one of the great action moments in the mcu and in blockbuster films of the last 10 years.
it's seriously good.
the night sitter (2018) 3 all the elements are in place to make this a fun time. the lead actress is very foxy, the bad babysitter is a trope that almost never lets us down, and it looks very slick & professional & argento-influenced.
but it never quite takes off. it seemed to need more drive, more gore, more chaotic energy, more something.
it's still good fun, much better than most horror fare you'll stumble onto on tubitv, but it feels like there was a better film, a better watch out or a babysitter, in here that didn't quite make it into the final product.
the road warrior (1982) 3.5 i've had a few internet fights over the past few years with the folks out there that insist that fury road actually isn't good, or at least isn't as great as this film.
i just can't go with that. i've watched this a good number of times over the years, not as much as some 80s kids, but often enough, and i'll absolutely stand up for its last 20 minutes. that's a truly great sequence.
but the rest of the film is just not that good. has some exciting moments, but it just doesn't have the level of sustained, insane excitement of fury road.
it's great, one of the best films of its kind. but not as great as fury road to me.
the man with the golden arm (1955) 3 lots of good qualities, but overlong, overladen with plot, silly subplot with the wife. still a mostly entertaining watch, but definitely not perfect.
tremors (1990) 4 b-movie film-making done right.
condemned (2015) 3.5 yegads, this is one of the ugliest films i've ever seen. it's pretty entertaining, definitely will appeal to people who fancy the 70s grindhouse vibe, but even at a brisk 80m running time all that oppressive ugliness gets to be a touch wearing.
definitely worth a watch if this is the kinda thing you like. it is not great, but it is disgusting & may entertain you as much as it entertained me (quite a bit).
gloria (1980) 3.5 if i'd known what this was about, i almost certainly wouldn't have watched it. i just can't cope with 'children in peril' films. they just bum me out and leave me feeling bad, even if they end in triumph.
this is fine. not the kind of film i expected knowing what i do of cassavete's stuff. it could have been a little tighter in terms of pacing, but i certainly don't think it was bad by any stretch.
but i still wish i hadn't watched it.
the lobster (2015) 4 that scene where they mime the maid getting raped made me truly laugh my goddamned ass off.
re-watch confirms my first impression: the opening hour is the director at his silliest, absurdist best, the back end sags a bit. not dogtooth or sacred deer good, but still enjoyable for people who like such things.
fun size horror vol 1 (2015) 2.5 slightly below average anthology. only one segment really stood out as having a bit of bite & morbid humour (birthday party), at least to me, but they're all short, so even if you don't like one, it will be over quickly.
deadpool 2 (2018) 3 i said some really pissy things about this when i watched it last year, but i had a perfectly fine time watching it tonight. the jokes mostly don't make me laugh, but i'm kinda hit or miss on such things. it chugs along nicely and never bored me. the only thing i really disliked was the attempt to make me cry during the ending. this silly movie isn't going to make me cry.
the pawnbroker (1964) 4 very bleak, dark & really effective holocaust survivor drama. slightly meanders, loses focus in its second hour, but still a very stark & powerful film.
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[deleted]
4 years ago
blood machines (2020) 3.5 don't ask me for a plot summary, cuz i don't think i can really explain exactly what this was about.
but if went through a heavy metal magazine phase in your teen years, you will probably find yourself recognizing the visual sensibilities on display here. this definitely has the feel of someone's adolescent metal fantasies being brought to the screen.
if it's true that this cost $250k, then that is pretty astonishing. it looks better than most cgi blockbusters, and it's definitely much, much more inventive. my gosh, it is very nice to look at.
i'm glad it's not a minute longer than its brief running time - probably only 45m once you take out the credits - but i had a blast watching this, and i hope we get more.
mauvais sang (1986) 2 i found this terribly, terribly dull tbh. 2 hours of people whispering & speaking in hushed tones and lots and lots of quiet. too much quiet. if i wanted endless quiet, i'd put on a meditation app.
i love holy motors. one of my favourite films. but i didn't not dig lovers on a bridge, and this did absolutely nothing for me.
hats off to people who dig this, but i got nothing but a numbing boredom out of this.
except for the modern love scene, which was energetic and fun.
3:10 to yuma (1957) 3.5 tightly plotted western. concise, short, doesn't dawdle, which is something i always appreciate.
gravity (2013) 4 my first watch since it played in theatres. i'd always assumed that it wouldn't have enough impact to make an at-home watch worthwhile, but i was wrong again. even minus the big screen immersion, this is really a thrill-ride. it has a few unnecessary moments - don't need that talk about deceased children to make this a gripping story - but i'm happy to put that aside.
chasing the devil (2014) 3 not terrible demonic possession film. a nice surprise, even, in that the first 50 minutes or so are actually fun & even a little intriguing and imaginative. it kinda turns into a bit of dreary chaos with people running about and screaming and doing very generic horror things in the last 20m. but overall i would declare this to be fairly good by no budget found footage standards.
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StoneKeeper (21033)
4 years ago
What up bruh!
Iron man 3: I so agree with you! 7.5/10
Tremors: you saw my thoughts last week
the lobster: pretty painful to watch. 4.5/10
Deadpool 2: 7.5/10
Gravity: I need to give this one a second chance someday, I did not watch it properly the first time. 6/10
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