Media itt: movie/film discussion - Beware Spoilers

[TheValkyries]

IM FINALLY DOING IT FOLKS.

I finally figured out how to look up all my Netflix views so I compiled the list of all the Asian Language Films I had watched last year. +5 from November of 2014 at the very start... just cuz I wanted to include them.

THE LIST

Oldboy
13 Assassins
Ip Man
Ip Man 2
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Journey to the West
Kung Fu Hustle
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Tai Chi Master
No Tears for the Dead
White Haired Witch
House of Flying Daggers
Kundo: Age of the Rampant
Fist of Legend
Martial Arts of Shaolin
True Legend
Dragon
The Pirates
I Saw the Devil
14 Blades
Shaolin Soccer
A Company Man
The Admiral: Roaring Currents
Saving General Yang
The Divine Move
Iron Monkey
Chocolate
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
Woochi
The Man from Nowhere
The Thieves
War of the Arrows
The Taking of Tiger Mountain
Bodyguards and Assassins
Kung Fu Killer
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Commitment
The Suspect
Confession of Murder
Monster
Flu
The Host
The Five Venoms
Firestorm
Outrage
Beyond Outrage
Shaolin
Flash Point
The Assassins Blade
Nightfall
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai
Little Big Soldier

HERE WE GO

OLDBOY

First off is the Korean Cult Classic noir thriller. From all accounts I've heard of the book this movie is basically cinema's Lolita. Fantastically well loved and doted upon as a masterpiece, but holy shit it's just filth yo. This movie is amazingly paced, it's brilliantly intriguing and just unfolds in such a way that grasps your attention and never lets go. But it kinda handwaves it's literal defense of (HUGE TW:) incestuous sexual assault...

Summary:
Actor Choi Min-sik plays Oh Dae-su an alcoholic father and husband who is suddenly framed for the murder of his wife on his daughter's 4th birthday. He is kidnapped to be held in a private black market prison as the world thinks he escaped after committing this crime. For 15 years his only human contact is a tv with some basic cable and so he spends his days learning how to fight, training everyday until suddenly he's released. He immediately sets out on a search to find who did this to him rather than going to search for his lost daughter (who the news had reported was adopted in Sweden). Aided by an old friend a young sushi chef he parses through his life while fighting the goons of his mystery nemesis. Every step of the way his nemesis seems to be tracking him, setting obstacles in his way and controlling his efforts as if Dae-su were his personal puppet. When Dae-su finally confronts the man behind the murder of his wife, telling him the conclusions of his investigation into the villains motives recalling how he witnessed a young girl and a young boy having sex in a school classroom late one day when he was a teenager, and how in looking through old yearbooks he discovered who they were. A brother and sister Lee Woo-jin and Lee Soo-ah heirs to a multimillion dollar conglomerate, the latter of which reportedly committed suicide soon after the discovery. Dae-su however discovered that the autopsy reported that she was pregnant at the time of her death and accused the brother and his nemesis of murder. In this climax Woo-jin reveals his ultimate plan of revenge didn't end with Dae-su's release from the prison.

SPOILERY BIT:
This movie is largely a good thriller but has the same morally questionable trappings of all noir. It treats vile and disgusting and morally reprehensible acts as mere window dressing. The more aggressively gross a noir movie is the more it feels it has achieved. Making people walk through the filth of humanity and deciding "yeah humanity really sucks" and ultimately puts an astounding nihilist viewpoint on things. In being so nihilist it makes the story the literal least capable to deal with such sensitive material. Oldboy's climax is hinged upon two instances of incestuous sexual assault and sexual violence and it kinda tries to make you root for it. The movie tries to make you feel like these instances are tragedies for all parties and not a horrible act in which there is a clear perpetrator. The narrative is literally the villain stating his case for why what he did was okay and justified. And then the end of the movie is Dae-su attempting to make himself forget his relationship with his daughter... except he wants to forget that she's his daughter and continue his sexual relationship with her. The coda is a literal attempt to continue on with an incestuous relationship based on assault by forgetting about all the horribleness of it. THAT'S NOT REALLY A MESSAGE IM AT ALL ON ANY LEVEL COMFORTABLE WITH. Nor should anyone be honestly...

I could rate it, but my take on it isn't easy to capture in a simple rating. I seriously don't think anyone should watch it, and if they do I'm sure they'll find a lot to enjoy because a lot of it is so well done, but it's just not something I'd ever in good faith recommend to anyone. NO RATING


13 ASSASSINS

After such an uplifting start (/s), I move on to a movie that I was left jaw struck with my awe dropped, the Japanese samurai movie 13 Assassins.

In Feudal Japan the likely successor to a collapsing shogunate is a brutal warlord who would assuredly ravage the country under his reign. An aging samurai, Shimada Shinzaemon, gathers 11 other Samurai compatriots and enlists the help of a forest thief to help them track the Warlord's band of 200 soldiers in order to ambush and prevent his rule from occurring. The first half of this epic is spent getting to know Shinzaemon and his governments attempts to enlist him in this clandestine mission against his fellow countrymen. In one of the movies most powerful scenes Shinzaemon meets with the horribly mutilated only survivor of one of the warlords recent ventures. With her tongue cut out, and her limbs cut off she must use her teeth to write the fate of her village on a sheet of paper: "Total Massacre". Motivated to prevent such horrors from befalling the country he asks for the help of some of the best Samurai and Ronin around to wage this small war. Ultimately they catch up to the Warlord and his troops and use explosives and barriers to herd all the soldiers within the town walls. The 130 remaining soldiers at the warlords disposal after the explosive trap are thusly surrounded by a mere 13 men, as Shinzaemon reaches into his robe and displays a scroll for all of them to see before the climactic battle commences: "Total Massacre".

This movie on its surface is just such a fucking amazing heroic epic tale that on those merits alone would make it rank super high for me. But the movie also has a wonderfully personal drama play out throughout what is effectively a small scale civil war, with parties on all sides who know each other, who don't know each other, motivated by honor, respect, justice, revenge, loyalty or money. The story is immensely rich and weaves an outstanding tapestry of diverse emotions with a third act all time great samurai battle for the ages. This movie breezes to a 10/10 for me in the most ridiculous way.

 

[vonFiedler]

TheValkyries

Spoilers

On one hand you've got the villain defending his actions... but he's the villain. He can just be wrong. On the other hand, things are so horribly fucked up, because of said villain's villainy (remember that he uses mind control to manipulate the wrongdoings of the mc) that the mc either kills himself or hits reset just to have some sort of happiness in their lives. That's no kind of message... as you say, it's fucked up noir. But as the guy who has complained several times on every page about misogyny and rape culture in movies, including Old Boy, I'd still say someone should man the fuck up if this was a reason they didn't want to watch it.

 

[TheValkyries]

TheValkyries

I meeeeeeean yeah but the villain admits the narrative is literally orchestrated by him, and the cinematic language itself is all in service to make these fucked up deplorable things more sympathetic. Like, yeah, technically he is the villain but it's about how the movie itself treats these events not just how the plot treats it. Because both are necessary for a proper reading.

And also, if someone doesn't want to watch the movie because it's really fucked up then people should be allowed to say "Nah, I'm good thanks." People can watch it if they'd like but like I said it's not a thing I'd ever recommend.

 

[ButteredToast]

Lemme toss my two cents into the hat about Old Boy.

For the first part dealing with "morals" and "messages" of the movie, I don't think any exist and I side with vonFiedler on this one. At no point does the movie itself try and treat incestuous relationships as glorified. The mc was pretty much psychologically experimented on to the point where his rational for his incest is highly warped. The incest between the mc and his daughter is far from glorified in any respect and the shear pain of this abuse inflicted onto the protagonist is felt. Keep in mind that the mc has lived through massive trauma in that his wife is murdered, he is imprisoned for 15 years in which he was psychologically experimented on, and the destruction of his life and his daughters life through this manipulation. The conclusion for the ending for me was not a sane man choosing to continue having sex with his daughter, but rather a completely broken man afraid of death looking to create a life for himself where he can live with himself and be happy. He is not rational or sane in any means of the term, and making this choice as a broken and conflicted man leads to warped consciousness.

I also do not really recall many other cinematic languages in the film that leads the viewer to see the villains situation as deserving sympathy outside the fact that he obviously has a great deal of mental illness and experienced trauma with the result of his sister and lovers death. Just because we are led to see the villains side of the story does not make it inherently justified nor was it my opinion that it was intended to be taken that way. Understanding the villain's revenge based on his warped logic is a necessity for this film to work, and even though it is logical, there is no doubt that it is warped logic that does not make rational sense.

As with the second part dealing with people seeing this movie, I agree with Valkyries. This movie is a pretty great movie in that its well a told, highly entertaining, and extremely unique. But the degree of disturbing is way to high to recommend the movie to someone. This movie definitely goes into the Requiem for a Dream bin in terms of a really great movie that might be better should people not view them. Or at the very least should choose themselves to undertake the movie.

 

[TheValkyries]

THE LIST

Oldboy - No Rating
13 Assassins - 10/10
Ip Man
Ip Man 2
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Journey to the West
Kung Fu Hustle
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Tai Chi Master
No Tears for the Dead
White Haired Witch
House of Flying Daggers
Kundo: Age of the Rampant
Fist of Legend
Martial Arts of Shaolin
True Legend
Dragon
The Pirates
I Saw the Devil
14 Blades
Shaolin Soccer
A Company Man
The Admiral: Roaring Currents
Saving General Yang
The Divine Move
Iron Monkey
Chocolate
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
Woochi
The Man from Nowhere
The Thieves
War of the Arrows
The Taking of Tiger Mountain
Bodyguards and Assassins
Kung Fu Killer
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Commitment
The Suspect
Confession of Murder
Monster
Flu
The Host
The Five Venoms
Firestorm
Outrage
Beyond Outrage
Shaolin
Flash Point
The Assassins Blade
Nightfall
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai
Little Big Soldier

Ip Man and Ip Man 2

I didn't know who Donnie Yen was going into these movies but I was pleasantly surprised by his infectious smile and his incredible ability to be humble and yet powerful and confident at the same time. These Hong Kong Martial Arts movies also utilized Yen's outstanding martial arts proficiency to craft some truly memorable action sequences.

Donnie Yen is Ip Man, a practitioner of Wing Chun martial arts in South China's Foshan. He is well respected as being the best in his local area of acclaimed Martial arts schools. A Northern Teacher travels to Foshan and fights every Sifu in the area until finally he is told to see Master Ip. In a private contest in Ip's house he handily defeats the visitor from the north but promises to tell no one of the match's result so that he may maintain face. Soon after China is invaded by Japan in World War II and the local structure and community is turned on its head. Ip's wealth and mansion is confiscated by the invasion force and all the old Kung Fu teachers must work as day laborers to provide for their familys. The Japanese commander is an expert at Karate who holds exhibition matches providing a supply of rice for each martial artist who can win a match against his training soldiers. When a fellow teacher and friend is shot dead after his Victory Ip, demands to be allowed in the ring and takes on 10 soldiers at once, deftly defeating them all with his speed and perfect defense. The Japanese commander is impressed and demands Ip to teach his soldiers, Ip refuses and instead challenges the commander to a public match. Forced to accept to prevent shame on Japan the commander enters the ring with Ip Man and is ultimately overwhelmed by Ip's ridiculous speed and defense. Ip man is shot after his victory by the commander's lieutenant, causing a large scuffle amongst the locals and the soldiers in which Ip is smuggled out and away to safety.

In the sequel, Ip has moved to Hong Kong after the events of the previous film and has decided to open a school. After finding a few students and training them, his best pupil finds himself in a scrap with students of another martial arts school. After winning the fight he is chased down by other students of the school forcing Ip Man to his rescue and encounter his fellow schoolmasters and how exclusionary they are. The local schools have formed a collusion mob preventing new schools from opening unless the master proves their skills. Ip faces every school's master in a special match, and defeats all save the last, whom he draws with. Later Ip is invited to an exhibition Boxing Match with a an arrogant racist British boxer. The British boxer murders Ip's rival teacher in the ring and issues an open challenge to any martial artist who dreams they can defeat him. Ip accepts the challenge, and throughout the match is consistently limited in what he can do but carries the day by negating the boxer's length by closing in and then laying fast repeated short blows in close quarters combat.

Both movies are threaded with the theme of cultural pride and honor. A genuine attitude of defiance permeates through the victories of Ip Man over the arrogance and disrespect of the foreign cultures. He fights because he wants to prove that the Chinese are still strong despite their current standing, winning private ideological victories in an ostensibly lost war. Ip is portrayed as a man of honor who effectively layed the seeds amongst his fellows and his pupils that brought China back to world power. What really carries these films though is the action choreography. every fight sequence is impressive in scope, layout, and cinematography. Every movement is precisely shot and is immensely dynamic. Ip Man gets an 8/10 and while I feel it's only slightly generous the action carries Ip Man 2 to a 7/10.


Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
NOW, Most people have at least heard of this Hong Kong movie or even seen it long ago so I'm not gonna go overboard with the summary and just make it super rough. Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat, and Zang Ziyi are the leads in this epic Wuxia legend by Ang Lee.

Like most Wuxia this story is about political drama and intrigue, laced with romance and tragedy. The thing that lifts this movie to its fame is it raises the action itself to match melodrama of the plot. People leaping buildings and walls in single bounds every movement and motion traces like flowing water. The movie becomes a visual myth with heroes and legends filling every frame allowing the scope of the story to feel well sized and proportionate. The vibrancy of the colors and the beauty of the sets are stunning and the whole movie is a confectionary delight for the eyeballs. The legacy of this movie is immense in how Wuxia films were since made in the Hong Kong. Fans of Nickelodeon's Avatar series: Crouching Tiger's brand of Wuxia is made for you and earns it a 8/10 from me.

 

[TheValkyries]

Oh shit yeah Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2 was just released on Netflix Ima have to check that out soon.

 

[Eagle4]

Oscars tonight! These are my thoughts and predictions. Nomination I think will win in BOLD. Nomination I want to win in ITALICS.

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Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Honestly, it's really difficult predicting between The Revenant and Spotlight. Every bookie has odds on Revenant but due to the Oscar rank-vote system, Spotlight is my prediction as it's less divisive and more universally acclaimed. Brooklyn and Bridge of Spies have absolutely no chance of a win, though it would be lovely if in an alternate universe Brooklyn did just that. The Big Short is a very enjoyable, often scathing insight into corporate greed but it's not an astounding piece of film-making, while Room and The Martian.. well, people already know my opinion of them. Mad Max: Fury Road is quite brilliant though - endlessly rewatchable, rich with story (not plot, story), fantastically-crafted and deeply imaginative. In an ideal world, where the Academy don't look down on action flicks, Fury Road would be a clear frontrunner, but alas.

Actor in a Leading Role
Bryan Cranston - Trumbo
Matt Damon - The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl

Haven't seen either of The Danish Girl or Trumbo, so can't comment. Damon makes a good everyman, and is perfect for the role written for him, but that's all his performance extends to. I know everyone loves to bash DiCaprio's performance for being all suffering and no end product, but honestly it's the best performance out of a sorry bunch. This year's nominees are so average it's incredible - Fassbender is the nearest to DiCaprio's half-decent performance, but honestly his performance is nothing special. DiCaprio deserves this win, but in any other year he may not even be nominated. Where's Attah for Beasts of No Nation? Even Jason Clarke for Everest deserves a place on this list.

Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Brie Larson - Room
Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn

Haven't seen 45 Years. Blanchett has been nominated based on her reputation - she hams it up in Carol and is made to look inexperienced against Mara's more nuanced performance. Lawrence is the best thing about Joy - she's really good in it, and well worth her nomination. Brie Larson cries convincingly in Room, so good for her, but it's the mature, charming performance from Ronan that's my pick. She elevates a tired story and her chemistry with Emory Cohen is palpable. Larson is gonna win this outwright, but Ronan's performance is the one that I'll remember for a very long time. Either way, the winner is gonna be stronger than the Best Actor category no doubt.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale - The Big Short
Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Actor in a Supporting Role is stackedd this year. Stacked I tell ya! No room for Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation or del Toro in Sicario. Still, what' Rylance doing here? What was so special about his performance? Am I missing something? And christ, he's probably gonna win it as well. My pick is for Bale in The Big Short - embodies the character perfectly - though I wouldn't be displeased with Ruffalo in Spotlight, who stands out amid a stellar ensemble. There's no excellent performances here, however - Hardy is menacing and primeval, but not deserving of anything more than his nomination. Haven't seen Creed.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara - Carol
Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

Actresses have been so much stronger than actors this year. Jason Leigh is terrific in The Hateful Eight, demented and memorable, but Rooney Mara is the best thing about Carol - emotive and conveying great innocence. McAdams was... ok in Spotlight? She was a good listener? Not sure why she was nominated to be honest, other than due to the film she was in. Winslet was similarly just OK in Steve Jobs, her performance about as solid as her accent (read: not that solid). Haven't seen The Danish Girl, but I hear she's most likely to win - which brings me to ask why she was nominated, like Mara, for Supporting Actress? Surely she was a co-lead? Anyway, imo this list is missing Chastain in Crimson Peak and Clare Burt in London Road.

Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Haven't seen Boy and the World or When Marnie Was There (who has). Happy to see Shaun the Sheep Movie here - it was good, witty fun, though the omission of The Good Dinosaur is disappointing - it suffered greatly from being released in the wake of the infinitely-better Inside Out. Inside Out was absolutely terrific, and one of the most heartfelt films of 2015. The same can be said of Anomalisa tbh, and I'd be happy with either winning. Both should have been nominated for Best Picture.

Cinematography
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario

Mad Max bias is obv an influence but I can't look past how stunning and iconic the movie really is. Revenant looked beautiful, and the camera work was admirable, but it's just more showy rather than being overall better. Fury Road's camerawork was designed with intention to allow the audience to follow the action - a feat much more difficult than what the Revenant accomplished. Carol looked drab but is worth its nomination for evoking its era of time pretty well. Sicario and The Hateful Eight have no chance at all of winning, but each deserve their nomination. Sicario has a few stand-out shots - bodies lining walls and shadows sinking into sunset - but some shots were just pretty for pretty's sake - floating dust, anyone? Hateful Eight's cinematography just simply wasn't as strong as the other contenders (but still incredibly strong).

Costume Design
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

I have a feeling that the Academy will divert from their usual 'let's just award the movie with the best period dresses!' and give it to Mad Max: Fury Road, which, unlike its contenders, didn't have an era of time to base their costumes off of. Honestly, the amount of detail that goes into the costumes in Fury Road is magnificent - it needs to win this category. Have a sneaky suspicion that Cinderella may just edge past it, but hopefully not.

Directing
Adam McKay - The Big Short
George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G.Inarritu - The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson - Room
Tom McCarthy - Spotlight

It annoys me so much that Inarritu is gonna take this award - he made it hell on set and all the reported 'suffering' that each actor went through on The Revenant could have been reduced if not for how much of a twat he was. The whole point of a director is to bring together every component of the film, and Inarritu goes against that description. George Miller, on the other hand, directed Fury Road terrifically - it really shows how much the film is a labour of love for him. Spotlight was really well-directed by McCarthy also - he did a non-showy, non-obtrusive job, perfect for the film. Big Short's direction was serviceable, and nothing more, but Abrahamson is very undeserving. So many better directors could have been picked. Alas.

Film Editing
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Yeah, I know, I'm going for Mad Max again, but Jesus it deserves this win so much. The action was fluent and kinetic, and all because of its editing. Spotlight may come close to knocking Mad Max off its perch, but this award belongs to the mad.

Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant

Haven't seen the 100-year film. Revenant's makeup and hairstyling was great, but what Fury Road did was astounding - it manafactured a world - from the pastly-white complexin of the War Boys to the grease-smeared Furiosa to the deformities of The People Eater, this is an award that Fury Road truly deserves.

Music (Original Score)
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Can't remember Bridge of Spies' score for the life of me. Star Wars' score relied heavily on nostalgia while adding a few unmemorable tracks of its own. Carol's score was beautiful at first but became repetitive. Sicario only has one memorable track (but what a track it is) (The Beast). This is an easy and deserved win for The Hateful Eight. Though where's It Follows in this list? Mad Max Fury Road?

Production Design
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant

This is Fury Road's most obvious win.

and

should be sufficient enough as reasoning.

Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Martian
The Revenant

Ex Machina's effects were minimal, but really-well executed, well worth the nomination. The Martian was similarly stunning in terms of visual effects. Yet Star Wars and Mad Max are a league above the rest - for CGI and practical respectively. I would love to see practical effects triumph, but Star Wars' effects - aside from Nyongo's Maz - were all executed with aplomb.

Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room

The Big Short's screenplay is excellent, and does an excellent job in explaining the intricacies of the housing market crash. Brooklyn is overall the better film, but has a weaker screenplay. Carol, The Martian and Room's screenplays are nothing special whatsoever.

Original Screenplay
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton

Bridge of Spies' screenplay was the best thing about it, but Inside Out's is a league above. Spotlight's gonna win this one - it's well-handled and competent, but that's all, unfortunately.

 

[Eagle4]

MAD MAX WITH 4 WINS ALREADY

OH WHAT A DAY WHAT A LOVELY DAY

E: MAKE THAT 6 WINS

 

[GatoDelFuego]

Great showing by Mad Max too. Glad to see a fantastic film from a dedicated design team succeed not only commercially, but critically, and receive so much for their efforts. Maybe the rest of the production companies will take a hint.

 

[Eagle4]

predictions post

Don't mean to brag but 14/16 ain't half-bad ;)

Nice surprise that Fury Road won over Revenant for Makeup & Hairstyling, and who coulda seen Ex Machina winning over Mad Max and Star Wars in the effects department??

Also, I always seem to favourite the 2nd place Best Picture :( I preferred Revenant this year, preferred Boyhood last year and preferred Gravity the year before... oh well.

 

[DHR-107]

I have to agree that I am happy Leo finally won, but sad it was for the drivel that is The Revenant.

 

[Soul Fly]

Got around to watching Carol. Holy Shit how did it even not get a fucking nomination for best picture? If I didn't know the nomination list I would have taken it for a frontrunner. Why aren't more people mad about this?

 

[g]

inarritu winning over Miller is simply stupid since what makes the revenant a good movie (not great) is the acting and photography if anything, inarritu is just scholastic compared to the amazingness and creativity of Miller. I am glad it won editing, at least, since I consider it as prestigious pretty much and I am mad it didn't win best picture since it is one of the best action movies in the past 20-25 years, come on. Spotlight winning was so damn predictable because academy and yeah spielbergscars are just a show (could bother you with mad max not getting nominations for actor because it is a film di genere) and the prizes that matter are in other festivals :)
A note on the foreign picture: watch Italy's nomination which didn't make top 5, Non Essere Cattivo.
There is a lot of Pasolini in there and it is pretty interesting.
Also keep it up TheValkyries with Asian action movies which are definitely interesting and fresh. I loved 13 assassins by Miike a lot but many of his movies are just amazing (Visitor Q, The Audition, something I am missing since he made 4 per year). Honk Kong cinema is also a favorite of mine so if you have seen Fallen Angels or Honk Kong Express please post about those :)

Excited for the upcoming LVT movie as well

 

[vonFiedler]

#148: A Beautiful Mind
What I thought going into this was that it would be another Good Will Hunting. But it quickly veers sharply away from that territory, into something very bizarre but very fascinating. It's a hard movie to talk about because it has, in spite of being a true story, a twist that I don't hear people talking about. And even though I probably should have, I didn't see it coming. Before I had a lacking understanding of the movie, I'd have said it was very good but flawed. All things considered though, I think this was an amazing film and a high recommendation.

#151: Rebecca
I didn't think I'd talk about Hitchcock on this list. The Halloween before last I watched ten of his best films. Some were absolutely amazing, though some were just okay. This, sadly, is the latter. It's a good adaptation of a bad book. The story of Rebecca is a terribly watered-down version of Jane Eyre. No interesting characters. No struggle between forgiveness and justice. Just the events from the middle of Jane Eyre, portrayed as blandly as possible. Only Hitchcock's ability to create tension and suspense redeem this film at all. You'd think it was a fluke, but Hitchcock directed ANOTHER adaptation from the same author, Jamaica Inn, which I'm told is a ripoff of another Bronte novel. Is this shitty author only famous because of Hitchcock?

#152: The Deer Hunter
I watched this movie with a 103 degree fever, which made it all the more surreal to say the least. But the fact that I have no real desire to go back and watch it with a clear head speaks volumes. Its well known motif, the game of russian roullete, always creates for amazingly tense scenes. But there's a lot of the film that is just backwoods idiots acting like dumb teenagers. A lot of the early movie barely feels like a film at all, and many scenes are transitioned to with little explanation of what is going on or how far the story has progressed. It's okay I guess.

#154: Incendies
This is a film about arab French Canadians who are sent to Lebanon after the death of their mother to find a father and brother they don't know about. That synopsis might imply that they meet these people quickly and learn about other family in a very different culture, but the mystery of who these family members are isn't unraveled until almost the end of the movie. It's the persistent mystery that drives the film forward, and it's all fascinatingly well told with many flashbacks to the mother's experiences. There's another great movie I've reviewed already that draws obvious comparisons to this one, but to say it would spoil things. All I can do is recommend it. It's a great foreign film worth checking out.

 

[vonFiedler]

I got a week behind, but that's because of:

#154: Gone with the Wind
I've never known anyone who has seen this movie and didn't think it was a real piece of shit. And they were all right. This 4 hour shitfest isn't the worst movie I have ever seen, but it was possibly the hardest to watch.

First, there's the obvious but somewhat sidelined racism. 154 movies in and I haven't accused a movie of racism, but Gone with the Wind does its best to make up for lost time. The south was glorious and the north was cartoonishly evil. All black slaves were perfectly happy to be slaves and several golden opportunities to escape slavery are ignored. Arguments against slavery are presented as slim strawmen.

Second, there's the more subtle but absolutely plot-relevant sexism. Scarlet O'Hara is a thin pastiche of all the supposed evils of woman. She changes, but never actually learns her lessons. Though if she had it would still only result in the condemnation of traits that are stereotypes to begin with. Or things that aren't even bad except in the movie's worldview, such as running a business and making money as a woman. Note that it's not just presented as something that would be frowned upon in the 1800s, in the view of the 1939 movie itself this behavior is wrong. And because she's such a bad guy, it's totally okay if she's subjected to physical and emotional violence, and it's hardly an event at all when her husband rapes her. If you're too busy tipping your fedora to take my accusations of sexism seriously, then let me interpret in a way you'll understand: Scarlet is the kind of character you would find insufferable and take to forums calling her such a stupid bitch and then you'd send death threats to her actress, all the time thickly unaware of the problems that cause such a character to exist.

But lastly, this movie is just so fucking boring. I had to watch it in one hour chunks, and even then they were excruciatingly painful. I split the final hour into 10 minute segments. It's so fucking hard to watch. It ends much the way the intermission starts, leaving you to wonder if their would be another meandering two hours if only the studio had more money and source material.

It seems like critically most people who talk about Gone with the Wind these days talk about what a bafflingly bad movie it was and how weird it is that it won an oscar over The Wizard of Oz. Hattie McDaniels is considered a disgrace in the black community (though I don't think this movie was her fault). Nobody really cares that the best movie oscar and Hattie's actress oscar have gone missing. The Academy itself doesn't like talking about the movie. And I agree with one internet critic who suggests that Gone with the Wind should be relegated to museums next to the confederate flag. But to most people who have not seen Gone with the Wind, it is still an irrefutable classic just because it's supposed to be. With inflation it made the most money. It started the 3+ hour supermovie (and FUCK it for that too). Its oscar sweep is still remembered.

Do yourself a favor. Don't even bother watching it. It's not a classic. You were misinformed. Gone with the Wind should be gone with wind.

#155: Cool Hand Luke
This movie should be my jam. It is two things that generally work well for me. It's a prison movie and non-conformist movie. The problem I guess is that these are both things that are just done better by now. Cool Hand Luke is no Shawshank Redemption or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest... it's not even a Last Castle or Holes. It's very bare bones, and with a comparable two hour run-time that makes it seem somewhat slow. It's by no means a bad movie... but it's my bias for the setting and themes that probably let me wring out what little enjoyment I got out of it already.

 

[ButteredToast]

NSFW

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Yes, this is a real movie. Based on some of the casting decisions it appears this might actually be done right. If so, this has some serious potential.

 

[Eagle4]

Films I've seen since last update:

Why Don't You Play in Hell - ★★★ - had high expectations after lovin' Tokyo Tribe. Unfortunately, it wasn't as entertaining or as wild as I was expecting - though to be fair, it's hard to match the batshit craziness of Tokyo Tribe. An excellent final act redeems a lot of the previous hour's lethargic nature.

Reservoir Dogs - ★★★★★ - First time watching Reservoir Dogs! As someone who's not a huge fan of Tarantino (Pulp Fiction was OK, Django Unchained wasn't great, neither was Kill Bill imo, and Inglourious Basterds has grown on me), this + Hateful Eight has resulted in me finally understanding why he receives so much love. Reservoir Dogs is sharp instead of baggy, intensely clever, unpredictable and god damn was that Tim Roth story scene brilliant.

Mustang - ★★ - Eh. I admire the message of Mustang but I didn't find it at all interesting or engrossing. There's some heart felt moments but overall it was poorly paced.

Brooklyn - ★★★★★ - (REWATCH) - The Irish Amelie through and through. I can't stop grinning whenever I watch it.

Mad Max: Fury Road - ★★★★★ (REWATCH) - Yeah, I've seen this film more than 10 times now. It's still incredible.

The Double - ★★★★★ (REWATCH) - On par with Ayoade's previous effort, Submarine, The Double is sorely underwatched. The world-building is fantastic, the story is evocative, the technical aspects are marvelous, and the way in which the plot wraps up is superbly intelligent. It's also open to vast interpretation, which I like.

The Lobster - ★★★ (REWATCH) - An original, if non-subtle approach to the way in which we view relationships or lack thereof. The first act in the hotel is great, and then it loses all momentum as we arrive at the second and third act in the woods, which is dull, though I suppose necessary in conveying the film's message. I'm still unsure over why the humans-into-animals plot device exists - it just seems a way of saying 'hey everybody! Look how weird this film is!'. It's seemed to have worked on other critics, however.

Grimsby - ★★★★ - I just don't get it. Zoolander 2 is getting shit reviews, and I really enjoyed it. Now Grimsby is getting shit reviews, and I really enjoyed it. It's gross-out humour at its finest, and while some jokes don't land, the ones that do are well worth the price of admission. Plus it manages to maintain a heartfelt story, culminating in a hilarious contrast as Mark Strong smiles to Sacha as they both stick rockets in their assholes.

Hugo - ★★★★★ - Well, this was a surprise. Hugo is a lovely film, brimming with charm and a yearning for old cinema. I loved everything about this film.

Hail, Caesar! - ★★★★ - Critics have stated that this film is made up of individually entertaining components that don't amount to anything more. I completely agree - and don't think that's necessarily a negative. It's quintessential Coens, and while light, one of the most enjoyable films I've seen this year. I love the film's sense of humour, but also its exaggerated portrayal of Hollywood and the balmy characters it gives us.

Where The Wild Things Are - ★★★★★ (REWATCH) - This film is so undervalued. Jonze was originally gonna direct Synecdoche (look below), but couldn't because he was working on this instead. And as such, two of my favourite films ever have been made, within a year of each other. Where The Wild Things Are is bursting with emotion, a sense of youth and spirit that captures childhood in all of its intricacies. It's wonderful, wonderful work, beautiful to watch, beautiful in its emotion.

Synecdoche, New York - ★★★★★ (REWATCH) - My 6th time watching this masterpiece. Synecdoche, New York is my favourite film of all time (See my profile pic, my signature). It works on every level. It's an epic film that, until its final act, gives the appearance of being contained. Yet, just like Caden's theatre piece, it extends and extends it extends, almost immeasurable in its profundity. The film shares so many themes of my life or of my concerns, and due to that, I'd agree with Kaufman when he said that he was trying to make a horror. The film leaves me so emotional and emotionless at the same time, and its astounding in how the film can manage to be so funny and so deeply upsetting. PSH's performance is incredible, and his untimely death only exaggerates the film's themes. Kaufman has a lot to say with his directorial debut, and he does it perfectly. There are so many hidden details and clever insights that can't be seen on first viewing - it demands a rewatch, and then some. It's Ebert's favourite film of the 2000s, and for good reason - Synecdoche is a brilliant, brilliant film with the perfect script, and a fine balance between the surreal and the horrifyingly real.

I'm just a little person,
One person in a sea.
Full of many little people,
Who are not aware of me.

Anomalisa - ★★★★★ (REWATCH) - And then from the same director, Anomalisa. Kaufman's followup isn't as outstanding as Synecdoche, but it's still outstanding. It's a much more minimal, contained piece that is ingenious in its portrayal of an unlikable protagonist, and how frustrating the human condition is. The film looks superb, is framed brilliantly, the lighting is outstanding, and the score is evocative. But it's the script, penned by Kaufman of course, that lays bare the cleverness of the film. It's a film compiled of a few brilliant moments, and a few moments of mundanity (not a criticism - it's excellent in conveying human nature) that only compound how brilliant the brilliant moments really are.

2016 RANKED (UK RELEASE DATE)
1. Anomalisa
2. The Hateful Eight
3. The Revenant
4. Hail, Caesar!
5. The Big Short
6. Spotlight
7. Partisan
8. Grimsby
9. Zoolander 2
10. Deadpool
11. Chi-Raq
12. Room
13. Youth
14. Mustang
15. Joy

Not on course to beat the 80 of last year, but early months are always scarce in the films that they offer, and I'm hoping to see High-Rise / Zootropolis / BvS by the end of the month.

 

[vonFiedler]

#150: Zootopia
I could not have been more skeptical going in. Frozen is mediocre. Wreck-It-Ralph is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. And as a result of the last one specifically, there was a constant dread that Zootopia would turn around and reinforce the bad morals that at first, it seemed to be casting in a bad light. But that didn't happen. True, it does some shit that is very CG Disney, like making Shakira a character with a song that has nothing to do with the movie and playing it TWICE. A lot of the humor is based around low-hanging fruit. But it IS humorous more often than not.

Zootopia is frankly stunning. I'd say it was the most innovative animated movie in years if Inside Out hadn't just come out. It's a complicated critique on modern under-the-surface racism, and even, maybe coincidentally, Trumpism. Certain animals don't correspond to certain minorities or anything, but the viewer can really understand certain prejudices (all foxes are sly) and the negative impacts those might have. It feels very organic, like a culture that just works because unfortunately it's so human, even though it's represented in this fantastic setting. It's absolutely doing what animation should be doing, and it's a great movie for parents to show their children.


And now for a "materialistic society is fucking stupid" double feature.

#158: Trainspotting
Like Fight Club, Cool Hand Luke, and a few movies on this list, these films stem from the perils of materialistic society. But rather than being the focus, these two offer different alternatives (I suppose American Beauty offered chauvinistic fantasy, but fuck that movie). In Trainspotting the alternative is... lots of fucking drugs and no shortage of debauchery.

I'll start by pointing out that the movie was clearly made on a low budget and that makes many of the special effects very impressive. Some still look bad though.

Look, I've rarely known less what to think about a movie. Not because it's out there or confusing or anything. I mean it probably leans on the side that drugs are bad. Really bad things happen because of them, and they create a culture that is hard to get away from. But they're still pretty glorified. Well, it's hard to really talk about the movie without talking about the ending.

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In the beginning, the main character rails against the modern standard of getting a job, a family, and a pretty specific list of "things". But in the end, he decides to go straight and choose those things. So going straight is right, right? Except, he only does this after a drug deal and betrayal of his friends (however bad they are) that gives him a large sum of cash. I think the implication is that, as much of a fucked-up crook he's been all movie, those who live straight are just crooks themselves. That's all I can really take from the movie really. It's not a whole lot.

#163: Into the Wild
Whereas in this movie, the protagonist chooses to spend his life in nature away from the corruption of society... which doesn't work out to be better than heroin addiction when he idiotically gets himself killed (well known true story spoiler alert). Not that I'm in the camp of movie viewers (and real people) who hate Chris... everything he says is absolutely true. And he gets a profound epiphany in the wilds of Alaska. But then dies. Which kind of just makes me feel empty to be honest.

I've heard this was a "hollywoodized" version of the book. Which is weird, because the book is way over the top romanticism, while the movie is one of the most literary movies I've seen on this list. It didn't merely reference books like Sunset Blvd. It embodies them. It has a main character that is an avid reader (like many classic novels). It builds its narrative on lyrical play and creates arguments with encounters with diverse characters. It tries to mean something and leave an impression on the viewer that will extend between the run time of a movie. It's just that... the movie isn't really sad, it's not framed that way. It didn't make me cry. But it's a rare true story where I think of the real person and think, damn, that was really fucking sad. So it's hard to view it as just a story or a message, and it left a mixed-impact on me.

 

[Matthew]

#163: Into the Wild
Whereas in this movie, the protagonist chooses to spend his life in nature away from the corruption of society... which doesn't work out to be better than heroin addiction when he idiotically gets himself killed (well known true story spoiler alert). Not that I'm in the camp of movie viewers (and real people) who hate Chris... everything he says is absolutely true. And he gets a profound epiphany in the wilds of Alaska. But then dies. Which kind of just makes me feel empty to be honest.

I've heard this was a "hollywoodized" version of the book. Which is weird, because the book is way over the top romanticism, while the movie is one of the most literary movies I've seen on this list. It didn't merely reference books like Sunset Blvd. It embodies them. It has a main character that is an avid reader (like many classic novels). It builds its narrative on lyrical play and creates arguments with encounters with diverse characters. It tries to mean something and leave an impression on the viewer that will extend between the run time of a movie. It's just that... the movie isn't really sad, it's not framed that way. It didn't make me cry. But it's a rare true story where I think of the real person and think, damn, that was really fucking sad. So it's hard to view it as just a story or a message, and it left a mixed-impact on me.

I think it's worth noting that the death of Chris is actually debated (not the fact he died but how he died exactly). Krakauer's conclusion of it being the fungus on the seeds is just the most popular theory as his book is really the only kind of report on Chris aside from "oh he died." The book was sensationalized, but that was due to Krakauer's almost obsessive passion towards this boy.

 

[vonFiedler]

I think it's worth noting that the death of Chris is actually debated (not the fact he died but how he died exactly). Krakauer's conclusion of it being the fungus on the seeds is just the most popular theory as his book is really the only kind of report on Chris aside from "oh he died." The book was sensationalized, but that was due to Krakauer's almost obsessive passion towards this boy.

Oh, I know. But the more I read up about it, I still can't shake the idea that he was very unprepared to try what he did. I know he prepared more than in the movie, but then the question of why he died does become such a mystery.

 

[Matthew]

Oh, I know. But the more I read up about it, I still can't shake the idea that he was very unprepared to try what he did. I know he prepared more than in the movie, but then the question of why he died does become such a mystery.

It still isn't much of a mystery in the book. He honestly didn't prepare much more than he did in the film, instead it's just more dragged out on him actually getting to Alaska. At the end of the day he was an early 20-something who decided to give up his upper(-middle) class life and instead go live in the wilds of Alaska without any proper training or anything because society is evil or something. Yes he was smart but not smart in the ways of one-man survival.

EDIT:

I read this thread a lot and I watch a bunch of movies but I've never felt that I've actually ever really wanted to contribute to this. HOWEVER I've kind of broken that so the last film I watched was:
Deadpool

My opinion on Deadpool is it's basically a slapstick 4th wall breaking version of Sin City. The characters are so unbelievable it's almost hilarious but it honestly just feels so natural. Watching Wade be a snarky bounty hunter, fall in love with a prostitute, to insane murderer in a mask just honestly works. I think it wouldn't really have the same tone if it wasn't broken up the way it was, and thank God it was, since if I wanted to watch two hours of gore and one-liners I could just turn on Daredevil on netflix.

What came of it was this really almost sweet story of love (through vengeance?) that lead to a story-breaking ending (I get why they had to do it) that left the viewer feeling good at the end. Is Deadpool a "film" if you want to get snobby, the way something Star Wars V is a film? No. But it's a pretty damn good movie if you want to kick back for a few hours and, once all is said and done, not feel like you've wasted time watching it.

 

[vonFiedler]

#166: It Happened One Night
For starters, I don't know what happened which night, as there are a handful of nights and days in this movie. This is a movie by Frank Capra, renowned for feel-good films like It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and it's also credited as the first screwball comedy.

As comedy goes, it's one where I can appreciate the cleverness while only laughing maybe once. As for the screwball comedy label, if this is what people in the 30s thought was screwball, they would likely suffer an aneurysm if shown anything on adult swim. This movie is actually very in line with what plays had been doing for decades, a good comparison (in subject matter and also not being as good) being The Importance of Being Earnest.

Did it feel good? Not compared to the other movies I mentioned. The relationship established honestly feels doomed.

#168: Mary and Max
Holy shit, where the fuck did this movie come from? It's a stop motion film that somehow did not get nominated for best animated picture, yet has gotten increasing critical attention over the short years it has existed. And for good reason. I was just saying that Inside Out and Zootopia show a maturity and ambition that hasn't been seen in animation in a while, but Mary and Max beat them to it.

To many, this would seem like the antithesis of an animated movie. It's dark, gross, and ugly. It deals lightly with a wide variety of fucked up subject matter. But it's also an anthem for life-long friendship, for struggling to be comfortable with oneself, and a strong statement on not trying to "cure" society of its abnormalities. And it absolutely had me in tears at points. This is a massive recommendation if, as is likely, one hasn't heard of it.

 

[Eagle4]

What are everyone's thoughts on Batman v Superman? There's a lot to talk about.

Non-Spoiler Pros & Cons

+ Visually stunning, as with every Snyder film. Dia de los Muertos scene was particularly great eyecandy.
+ There are individual moments of brilliance, such as the opening 20 minutes.
+ Batman was portrayed perfectly - I know there's been a lot of complaints that he goes ahead and kills people, but I thought that was the ideal contrast to Superman's purity. He's gritty and murky and an /actual/ vigilante.
+ Damn son, that score! The two particular stand-outs for me were Wonder Woman's theme (when she enters, it's insane how well the score enhances the hype), and Lex Luthor's theme, that's quite different from any villain theme in recent memory (though very similar to another film's score that Jesse Eisenberg has starred in, The Double).
+ Top notch production design

- Holy hell, the editing was a shambles, and condemned the film completely. There's no sense of plot movement; the scenes are just there and then gone again without any cohesion.
- For a 2h30m movie, there was a ton of unecessary filler. The dream sequences seemed very odd, for example.
- Justice League setup was lazy writing x100
- Lois Lane had zero plot development, and did literally nothing for the whole movie.
- I feel like it's impossible to make Superman more than a one-dimensional character, and the film really exemplified this.
- Luthor's motives were not explained well, if at all.
- Again, I'd just like to reiterate how fucking horrible the editing of this movie was. Scene, cut to another scene, again, again, oh look now they're fighting.
- Pacing was all over the place.
- It's miserable and dour throughout, making for a miserable and dour film

Spoiler Pros & Cons

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+ Despite what was spoiled in trailers, the film still managed to surprise. Explosion scene was great (had zero impact on the film though!) and Superman's sort-of-death was unexpected

- For a film titled Batman v Superman, I expected more than a 10 minute fight that was lethargic in every way.
- The resolution of that fight was also a bit shitty - like, I get that it's meant to humanise Superman, but it didn't convey it very well (at first I thought it was resolved because their mums were both named Martha), and Batman's trust in Superman was too sudden.
- Doomsday was completely unecessary. Explosions and more explosions to the point of Michael Bay-esque mayhem, with little cohesion or structure. It's a spectacle, but a tedious one.
- The action is so excessive - especially during the Doomsday fight - that you just get extremely bored. And thus the death of superman had zero impact on me, or anyone else in the audience.

2/5

 

[vonFiedler]

I was waiting very patiently for Batman v Superman to become stupid, have characters acting inconsistently, open up major plot holes, or just have warped morality that no one in the world understands, and after a long two and a half hours it didn't happen and frankly every plot point was where it needed to be, every scene transitioned just fine, and even Hans Zimmer's monotony is kept in check by Junkie XL, the guy who composed Mad Max: Fury Road.

But I was never like, fuck yeah we got the awesome DC movie we deserved. It just wasn't as bad as it should have been. Like X-Men: Days of Future Past. Only nobody is kidding themselves that this is the best Batman movie (it may be the best Superman movie, that is just saying absolutely nothing).

 

[Eagle4]

I was waiting very patiently for Batman v Superman to become stupid, have characters acting inconsistently, open up major plot holes, or just have warped morality that no one in the world understands, and after a long two and a half hours it didn't happen and frankly every plot point was where it needed to be, every scene transitioned just fine, and even Hans Zimmer's monotony is kept in check by Junkie XL, the guy who composed Mad Max: Fury Road.

But I was never like, fuck yeah we got the awesome DC movie we deserved. It just wasn't as bad as it should have been. Like X-Men: Days of Future Past. Only nobody is kidding themselves that this is the best Batman movie (it may be the best Superman movie, that is just saying absolutely nothing).

Spoilers

Characters do act inconsistently - Man of Steel set up Superman to be a righteous figure and beacon of humanity, but here he's sort of an asshole (maybe not to that extent, but certainly not a do-gooder). He skimps on hearings, shows up out of nowhere to stop Batman chasing bad guys - at least he's consistently bland. Batman's transition from 'God I fuckin hate this hero dressed like a clown' to 'Oh my god our mothers share the same names, pls be my friend Superman' to 'I failed him' at his funeral was sooo rushed and unwarranted also.

Also I respect your opinion, but I can't really understand how you didn't find any of the transitions jarring in any way. A massive Doomsday fight is occuring in the background, explosions and shockwaves, etc, and then you have Superman and Lois Lane attempting to share a tender moment/snog. It's completely ridiculous and has no emotional impact. The transition to the desert dream was perplexing and I had no idea what was going on, or why. Then there was a transition from a cool-ass Batman action scene to a sudden dream sequence on a mountain where Superman mulls over emotional consolidation with his papa, but you don't really give a shit about what either character is saying because 1) Superman is bland and 2) There was an amazing action sequence before! Who has time for this emotional jargon! There were other transitions that really stood out at the time, but I can't exactly remember them anymore.

There may not be warped morality as such, but what were Luthor's motives? I feel like the film needed time to explain why Luthor was doing all the stuff he was doing. If he was simply trying to stop Superman from his 'reign of terror' then why would he create Doomsday? In that sense it bleeds into Batman v Superman indeed becoming stupid.

You're right though, no major plot holes, which is impressive for a film of this scale.

And the two stand-out themes of the film - Lex Luthor's and Wonder Woman's - were composed solely by Zimmer, so don't give me that 'Zimmer is so monotonous guys'. The whole of the score was great though, and the two composers worked brilliantly with one another.

Also, saw Mulholland Dr. recently and holy shit what an awesome film! Definitely makes it in my top 40 of all time, and probably in the upper echelons of that list as well!