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Film What's the Last Film You Saw? v. Tell Us What You Thought!

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ANNA (2019) - The story is another Russian girl trained as a spy in the late 80's. I liked the feel of it (lighting, angles, plot and twists), but spent the whole time feeling like "I have seen this before." That's actually possible given how much I watch films, I could end up seeing one a second time and realizing afterward I'd already seen it, but no - this was a first viewing, it just felt like deja vu. Maybe part of my disappointment lies in expecting something like Hanna where someone is raised remotely and trained specifically most her life. Instead, the only background reference is a short mention of playing chess, training and dropping out of some military school when her parents died. Nearly everything is from her mid-20's on, and she is just 'adept' at learning things despite arriving at a point in life of being a fk-toy girlfriend for a druggie loser. Everything just 'fit' so much to the trope without standing out to me in any special way in how she was 'found' and trained, and deployed. If I hadn't seen Red Sparrow, or any of the Nikita-esque films, I might have liked this more - I mean, there's nothing inherently wrong with it. But, overall, left me with ... Meh. 7/10


Brightburn (2019) - tagged as horror with the thought 'what if superman were evil?'. We start with some home video clips of an average boy growing up in a rural town raised by loving parents, and when he hits 12-13, he hears voices and realizes he has powers (indestructible, can fly, etc). You can see a little bit of a young person figuring out who they are, pushing boundaries to determine their own future and definition, but that is very small. The film instead turns to him killing those around him, often without a lot of reason beyond 'they just made me angry'. The deaths are somewhat enjoyably gruesome, but I struggle with the 'why' in a lot of them - case in point he goes to a diner where they had his birthday party (him, mom&dad, aunt&uncle), and once everyone leaves but the main waitress lady he tortures and kills her. Why? Because she served a baby cake with a candle days-weeks earlier? Pointless. Bloody fun, but pointless. We roll towards a climax where he confronts his parents about who/what he is, and honestly, it felt weakly written and executed. The closing credits have interspersed clips of him going on a rampage destroying things, an implication of him possibly heading off to destroy the world (a set up for a sequel? I hope not). Bottom line, if you like some bloody deaths, you'll rate this about a 4-5/10, if you want something with more substance, look elsewhere. 4/10.
 
Don't remember if I posted about Knives Out

Saw it in theaters 5 weeks ago. Absolutely terrible IMO. 4/10. Only because it was still gorgeous, though I didn't think the cinematography was special, let alone even coherent. Guys, I HATE this movie. Absolute contemporary dogshit. Virtue signalling with prolific Juul and iPhone shots, use of progressive/left wing slang, ridiculous tropes of characters, etc.
 
‘The Vanishing of Sidney Hall’ starring Logan Lerman.

It’s about an author who writes a hit novel, but the fame basically ruined his life. He disappeared from the public eye and someone goes on a mission to find him. It’s really good. It’s heartfelt. Oh and Logan looks like a hot bum at some point with long hair and a huge beard. Hobo sexy.
 
The West Frontier (1957(?))

Decent sweeping period piece taking place in early 20th century British ruled India. A Muslim insurgency is targeting the life of a young boy as he's the last living heir to a Hindu principality. The lead character is tasked with getting him away to safety, via a railroad. Many obstacles come-up as expected. The movie reminded me a lot of (or rather the reverse of that) The Jewel in the Crown, a 1980s PBS Masterpiece series that takes place roughly 40 years later at the end of English rule.

Anyways, pretty good movie if you're into the adventure/period piece genre. I agree with the majority of imdB reviewers in its rating.

7/10
 
Identity (2003)

This is one that didn't get a lot of attention, but remains near the top of my list of favorites. One of the few I'd be wanting to re-watch periodically, so I did The film opens with lawyers gathering for a midnight review of 'new evidence' for their client, scheduled for execution the following morning. They argue the newly discovered log books, lost in the evidence rooms, lends credence that their client is suffering from multiple personality disorder. The film abruptly switches to John Cusack driving an actress (Rebecca De Mornay) through a rainstorm in the desert where the roads have washed out. They, along with a few others, end up gathered at a motel in the middle of nowhere. This is a significant jump from the opening, as if you just started watching a different film. However, as the night progresses, more and more folks arrive until there are about 10 stranded at the motel together including newlyweds, a cop (Ray Liotta) transporting a prisoner (Jake Busey), the hotel manager, a hooker, and a family of three. Then, one of them ends up dead. As the characters try to protect themselves and find the killer, more continue to die - there's even an in-story reference to Agatha Christie's 10 Little Indians, for those that remember that one (more homage than a remake). Most of the actors you will recognize, but following the story you don't really grasp what's happening until near the end when Cusack flashes out of the rainstorm and finds himself sitting with the lawyers....and then he flashes back to the motel. I don't want to put anything more that may spoil it, but this is one of those thinkers I've been wanting for a while, keeps you hooked throughout. This won't wow you with horror on the killings (they aren't the point, so much as who survives), nor is this a special effects bonanza. It's a story, with a good plot, good acting, and a great twist at the end (I'd forgotten about it). This gets my rare 9/10.
 
identity is great -i've not seen it for many years so may need to revisit.

i saw 1917 in the theatre. it was pretty good - absolutely beautifully shot and it's great that roger deakins is finally getting some formal recognition for a lifetime of amazing cinematography...

alasdair
 
"Identity" was fairly entertaining as I remember it, the plot device/"twist" of

characters in the film merely being a figment in another character's imagination

isn't my favorite though, I think it's kind of overdone...but yeah, worth checking out
 
Oh yeah! ‘Identity’ was when they were all stuck at that hotel? I remember liking it. Good psychological thriller.

Case 39 is a horror movie I hadn’t even heard of. It went under the radar, happened to see it on Amazon Prime. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was actually scary. A little girl gives a chilling performance. It stars Renee’ Zellweger and Bradley Cooper from 2009. Glad I watched it.
 
1917.. saw it tonight. I was not as impressed as I hoped to be. cinematography showed flashes of magic, but came off kind of limp overall. Plot also was sterile and stayed undeveloped at one level.
 
Pi ( 1998 )

This is the film that Requiem for a Dream wished it was. I often find directors to be most inspired in their earliest and latest films. To be quite frank, the plot is a bit hard to describe. A mathematician is obsessively seeking the answer to the ultimate question in essence. And the rest is just... something. I really quite enjoyed it hahah. Very existential.

Worth a watch for sure, I'd even say I highly recommend it among other existential questioning type films.

8/10
 
I liked A Quiet Place.

You have to be extremely quiet or the aliens will get you. It’s not a good time to have a dumb baby around, that’s for sure.

Also, the 2 main actors who are a couple in the movie are actually married in real life. Just some useless info I have.
 
Cream Gravy? said:
Pi ( 1998 )
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I think back on that film once in awhile. May go back to watch again at some point. Like you said though, "the rest is just ... something".

Anonymous Dissiden said:
A Quiet Place
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I like horror a lot. This film, honestly, felt a grade below where it should have been. It did the best it could, I suppose, given the story. I mean, the monsters were decently done, and the acting/honesty of survival were reasonable. It's just the film overall left you so depressed and wondering how people had survived this long and what was the point in going on? I mean, the conclusion gave you some hope, but getting there was demoralizing, IMO.
 
Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989). Andie MacDowell steals the show with a simple smile. Everything else was uncomfortable. I don't always appreciate small things about movies.
 
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