Lord_Lyndon's movie thread

[Lord_Lyndon]

Well if it helps I don't like All the President's Men either.

Yeah. That actually makes perfect sense.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Scent of a Woman (1992; Martin Brest)
Pretty solid film with two highlights: Al Pacino's performance and one scene near the end where he delivers one of his trademark speeches.

And Justice for All (1979, Norman Jewison)
Very good legal drama/satire which climaxes with yet another one of Pacino's legendary monologues/speeches.

Lucy (2014; Luc Besson)
I thought it was a rather entertaining nonsense by Besson. I wouldn't call this science fiction, though. More like fantasy/superhero film.

Fist of the North Star (1986; Toyoo Ashida)
A Japanese animated film. It is a very bloody post-apocalyptic martial arts film. It isn't the most narratively focused thing ever, but I really liked it.

Ninja Scroll (1993; Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
An excellent Japanese animated samurai film. I would recommend it.

Sword of the Stranger (2007; Masahiro Andô)
Another excellent Japanese animated samurai film. Animation was really beautiful in this one.

Leave Her to Heaven (1945; John M. Stahl)
Very good Technicolor drama/noir. I decided to check it out because Gene Tierney was my favourite classic beauty.

Police Story 2 (1988; Jackie Chan)
Very good sequel. I still think I preferred the first one because I liked the stunts/set-pieces in the first one more.

The Villainess (2017; Jung Byung-gil)
Surprisingly good Korean action film with Kim Ok-bin in a leading role. She is mostly known because she was in Park's underrated vampire film called Thirst (2009). I would certainly recommend that one.

Kong: Skull Island (2017; Jordan Vogt-Roberts)
John C. Reilly was good, but this is mostly a disappointing effort. A couple of good action scenes, but it is mostly boring. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Raxivace]

Police Story 2 (1988; Jackie Chan)
Very good sequel. I still think I preferred the first one because I liked the stunts/set-pieces in the first one more.

I'd have to think about which one I'd like better but right now I'd probably also go with the first one.

Kong: Skull Island (2017; Jordan Vogt-Roberts)
John C. Reilly was good, but this is mostly a disappointing effort. A couple of good action scenes, but it is mostly boring. I wouldn't recommend it.

Ah I liked this.

[Lord_Lyndon]

RED (2010; Robert Schwentke)
Very entertaining action comedy with many veteran actors in leading roles. I loved it.

Two Women (1960; Vittorio De Sica)
An Italian neorealist film. Sophia Loren won a Best Actress Oscar for it. I really liked the last 30 minutes, but the rest was just too much talking and nothing really interesting happened. Overall, it's just a solid film.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982; Nicholas Meyer)
I decided to see this because everyone was saying it's the best Star Trek film. I thought it was only okay. Call me crazy, but I enjoyed the ones directed by Abrams much more.

Self/less (2015; Tarsem Singh)
An underrated action thriller with an element of sci-fi. It's nothing original, but it is slick and entertaining. I think it's worth watching.

Bullitt (1968; Peter Yates)
A good cop film directed with an European flair. If I didn't know it was directed by Yates, I'd have thought Melville himself came to San Francisco to direct it. It is mostly know for one really excellent car chase. Also, it is probably somewhat similar to The French Connection in style. So I'm not sure you would like it, Rax.

St. Vincent (2014; Theodore Melfi)
A solid dramedy with very good performances from Bill Murray and Naomi Watts. I guess it is worth watching.

Knight and Day (2010; James Mangold)
A watchable action comedy with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. Not recommended. It's probably Mangold's worst film.

Stand Up Guys (2012; Fisher Stevens)
Al Pacino and Christopher Walken play two old gangsters who are trying to recapture their glory days. I have to say this film really resonated with me for some reason. I think it's really underrated.

Bridge to Terabithia (2007; Gabor Csupo)
An excellent film that is essentially 'Pan's Labyrinth' for children. I really recommend it.

The Way Way Back (2013; Nat Faxon, Jim Rash)
Now I know why they call him Sam Rockwell. Because he friggin' ROCKS! But seriously... This is a fantastic coming-of-age film with a fantastic supporting performance from Sam Rockwell. Highly recommended.

[Raxivace]

Yeah unfortunately I haven't seen any of these. I don't remember what I've said about The French Connection specifically before but yeah its not one of my favorites so Bullitt might do much for me either, unless McQueen's performance is just really strong or something.

Speaking of Mangold, did you see Ford v Ferrari?

[Lord_Lyndon]

Speaking of Mangold, did you see Ford v Ferrari?

I haven't seen it. I did see Bale's interview about the film where he said he thinks the film is poignant because basically it's a story about underdogs succeeding against all odds. I'm sure the film is well executed but it seems like something fairly conventional. So it's not a big deal if I miss it.

[Raxivace]

Yeah it was pretty conventional. Its my own least favorite of Mangold's films that I've seen, which makes me wonder how it might compare to something like Knight and Day.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Its my own least favorite of Mangold's films that I've seen, which makes me wonder how it might compare to something like Knight and Day.

What have you seen from Mangold so far? Other than Knight and Day, I've seen:
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Identity (2003)
Walk the Line (2005)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Logan (2017).
I heard that Cop Land (1997) is really good too, and that Stallone is excellent in it. I haven't seen it yet.

[Gendo]

Wow he did a lot that I didn't know about... I only knew him as "the guy that did Logan". The ones I've seen:

Kate & Leopold - Forgettable standard romcom dumb.

Identity - Huge fan; seen multiple times.

Walk the Line - Don't remember much about it; but I said it was "good" in another thread a few years ago.

3:10 to Yuma - I also liked this one even though I don't remember it all that well.

The Wolverine - Didn't really like it.

Logan - Loved it.

I've always wanted to see Cop Land and Girl, Interrupted.

[Raxivace]

Its my own least favorite of Mangold's films that I've seen, which makes me wonder how it might compare to something like Knight and Day.

What have you seen from Mangold so far? Other than Knight and Day, I've seen:
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Identity (2003)
Walk the Line (2005)
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Logan (2017).
I heard that Cop Land (1997) is really good too, and that Stallone is excellent in it. I haven't seen it yet.

I've seen:
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
The Wolverine (2013)
Logan (2017)
Ford v Ferrari (2019)

[Lord_Lyndon]

I'm back.

A Short Film About Killing (1988; Krzysztof Kieslowski)
Very good and aesthetically pleasing film that seems to be a condemnation of not only capital punishment, but any kind of violence/murder. It is available on Youtube with English subtitles.

A Short Film About Love (1988; Krzysztof Kieslowski)
Another good film by Kieslowski with shades of 'Rear Window'. It is also available on Youtube with English subtitles.

Ordet (1955; Carl Theodor Dreyer)
This is considered as one of all-time great films and I'm not going to dispute that. I loved it (especially the ending).

Breaking the Waves (1996; Lars von Trier)
Tieman said that this is a 'gritty sequel to Dreyer's Ordet' so I decided to see it right after Ordet. I thought it was only good.

L'Humanité (1999; Bruno Dumont)
Excellent art film by Dumont that is heavily influenced by Bresson. I loved it.

The Devil, Probably (1977; Robert Bresson)
Now an actual film by Bresson himself. It is incredibly bleak and depressing. Unlike Dumont's film, it offers no hope for its protagonist and society as a whole.

The Color of Paradise (1999; Majid Majidi)
An acclaimed Iranian art film. I was a bit bored during this one.

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970; Vittorio De Sica)
Apparently one of the best Holocaust films. I was bored during this one too.

Andrei Rublev (1966; Andrei Tarkovsky)
There is not much to say here. It is an epic film that is magnificently directed by Tarkovsky. I would recommend it.

The Sacrifice (1986; Andrei Tarkovsky)
It was his last film. Not only is it in Swedish, but it feels much more like a Bergman film. I thought it was solid.

Nostalgia (1983; Andrei Tarkovsky)
This, on the other hand, fells like an actual Tarkovsky film. I loved how he filmed/used architecture in this one. Absolutely brilliant. His trademark directing style is apparent in this one.

The Cranes Are Flying (1957; Mikhail Kalatozov)
Another excellent film by guy who did 'I am Cuba'. The story itself is nothing special (two lovers are separated by war), but his excellent direction really elevates things. He was a master with camera.

[Raxivace]

I haven't seen any of this bunch either. :(

[Eva Yojimbo]

Lots to catch up here too.

American Beauty (1999)
I rewatched this after 20 years. I liked it. It was funny.

City of God (2002)
Another rewatch. I think there are three reasons why I and everyone else liked it:
1) It is a very entertaining gangster film.
2) Its unique setting; favelas of Rio de Janeiro.
3) The film is made with some really audacious style; it features some really inspired camerawork and editing.
Highly recommended.

Stardust (2007)
Another rewatch. I think this film is one of the greatest fantasy films of all time. Also highly recommended.

Hard Eight (1996)
I rewatched PTA's debut film. I liked it much more this time. It features some really nice ambiance; it is a very good character study. Philip Baker Hall is excellent in it. It is a minor film, but it is worth watching.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Great animated film that has something for everyone: an emotional story, great action sequences, lovable characters. Recommended.

Stir of Echoes (1999)
Film with Kevin Bacon that is somewhat similar to Sixth Sense. It came out the same year as Shyamalan's classic and it was rightfully overshadowed. It is a solid film that is worth watching.

Frailty (2001)
Interesting serial killer film directed by legendary Bill Paxton. Most of the plot is told in flashbacks narrated by McConaughey's character. It is not quite as good as something like Se7en, but I have to say that I loved it overall. I would certainly like to hear your opinion guys (if you decide to check it out) as it seems the film is quite divisive.

Cloverfield (2008)
Another film like Mendes' 1917 which has characters traveling from point A to point B. I liked this one much more. It was just so much more thrilling.

I said it in Gendo's thread, but American Beauty is one of those films that shouldn't work as well as it does. It definitely has a bit of cheese and Oscar Bait-y aspect to it, but something in the combination of the performances, music, and general tone still works.

City of God is awesome. Just a pure adrenaline rush from beginning to end and, yeah, the style definitely galvanizes that energy.

Stardust was good. I mostly saw it because of Neil Gaiman, though he's had a spotty track record with films and adaptations. It's not perfect, but probably the best thing he's done.

I hated Hard Eight back when I saw it, though I couldn't say specifically why. I just remember thinking it was completely bland/boring. I may think later PT Anderson got a little too pretentious, but I prefer most of his try-hard films to H8 where it doesn't seem like he's trying much at all.

Kubo is awesome. Here was my review:

Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight) - 8.5/10

Here's a wonderful surprise: an American animated from a studio besides Pixar that has aspirations to something beyond family entertainment—namely art. Laika was not a name I was familiar with, though I realize that I've seen their previous films—Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls. None of them were adequate preparation for a phenomenal success such as this.

It's essentially a classic fable rooted in Japanese lore and culture: Kubo is a young boy who takes care of his ill mother on an isolated mountain while traveling to town and delighting audiences with his magical ability to bring origami to life while playing his shamisen. After being attacked by his evil, magical ninja aunts, his mother sends him on a quest to retrieve his father's magical samurai items to guard against his grandfather's evil. On his journey he's joined by a talking monkey statue and an amnesiac Beetle/samurai warrior.

It sounds silly, and while Kubo isn't without its whimsical humor it's most remarkable for its darker elements—broaching the subject of mental illness and death—and the complexity of its themes, which are essentially told in an allegorical fashion: the association of the night/moon with coldness, forgetfulness, death, and anti-social behavior as a defense mechanism.

But animated films sink or swim on the strength of their visual imagination and this is where Kubo joins the ranks of the great. If not quite as gorgeous as the best Ghibli or, say, the films of Tomm Moore, it's perhaps a step above Pixar and Dreamworks, with the most memorable sequence being an underwater adventure with the “Garden of Eyes," huge monster plants/flowers whose gaze causes hypnosis and hallucinations.

Really, from the so-smooth-I-can't-believe-it's-stop-motion animation, to the superb voice vast—Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Roony Mara, Matthew McConaughey—who bring the perfect balance of levity and gravity, there's only top-shelf quality here wherever you look; and perhaps most exciting is the thought there's another serious contender in the animated age of Ghibli and Pixar.

Stir of Echoes is one I know I saw but don't remember much. I know my mom loves that one so I've caught bits and pieces when she's had it on and I'm visiting.

Ditty with Frailty (seen it, don't remember much).

I love Cloverfield. Am talking about it some with Rax in his thread.

8MM (1999)
Certainly a darker portrayal of pornographic world than something like Boogie Nights, which came out a couple of years before. I really wanted to like this film. It was written by the same guy who wrote Se7en, and Se7en is probably my favourite screenplay ever. But I didn't like it. I'm not 100% sure why. Schumacher's direction was actually pretty good, and the film is really well shot. I think it was writing that was a bit of a letdown.
At least I finished this film. There are more and more films I give up on after 30 minutes.

I remember that film completely sucking ass.

I rewatched two John Woo films.

Face/Off (1997)
Ridiculous plot. Over-the-top action scenes. Two hilarious performances by Travolta and Cage. Those are three reasons why this film is an action classic from the 90's. Definitely one of the greatest action films of all time.

The Killer (1989)
A Hong Kong action film about friendship, betrayal, redemption and honor. It is mostly elevated by Woo's direction of action scenes, but it is pretty good in its quieter moments too. I do think it is a slightly overpraised film, though.

Both of these are awesome. Woo is a fantastic stylist, so you just have to appreciate his films on that superficial level and they're fine.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981; Steven Spielberg)(rewatch)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989; Steven Spielberg)(rewatch)
Probably two best adventure films of all time.

There's Something About Mary (1998; Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly)
Finally saw this classic comedy in its entirety. I liked it. It was funny.

Sexy Beast (2000; Jonathan Glazer)(rewatch)
'A beguiling conglomerate of romanticism, perversity absurdity and bloody gallows humor.' Indeed. This crime film also must be watched because of Ben Kingsley's utterly bizarre and hilarious performance. That he was nominated for Oscar was an inspired choice by the Academy.

Wings of Desire (1987; Wim Wenders)
A story about an angel who yearns to be human. Didn't particularly like this one.

L'Argent (1983; Robert Bresson)
Brilliant film which examines corruptible nature of capitalism, all that done in Bresson's signature austere/minimalist style. Really loved this one.

Diary of a Country Priest (1951; Robert Bresson)
Film about a priest trying to uphold his morals/worldview while dealing with various people in his parish. This is essential Bresson.

Au Hasard Balthazar (1966; Robert Bresson)
Film about society's moral decay told from perspective of a donkey. It is a good film but I didn't love it like everybody else.

Satantango (1994; Béla Tarr)
An excellent film by Tarr which is basically a 7 hour long mood piece. Needless to say... this film is not for everyone. Also... this is not the longest film I've seen. I saw Rivette's legendary Out 1, noli me tangere (1971) which is 12 hours long.

While I really like the Indiana Jones Trilogy I've always thought they were slightly (only slightly) overrated. TBH, The Last Crusade might be my favorite, if only because I loved the ending and the chemistry between Ford and Connery as father/son.

I remember enjoying There's Something About Mary, but I never quite got the hype. It's funny, but not all-time-great-comedy funny.

Sexy Beast is good for Kingsley's performance and that's it. I really disliked the film otherwise.

Loved Wings of Desire. Beautiful, haunting, meditation on the nature of life and mortality and, well, desire. It's also an utterly unique film too. I can't think of another that spends so much time from such an outside perspective as when the angels are observing/commenting on humanity. I'm a pretty big fan of Wenders as a filmmaker in general and that's probably his masterpiece, though many prefer Paris Texas.

I love Bresson, but L'Argent didn't do a lot for me, though I'd be interested in seeing it again. Funnily enough I actually remember reading the Tolstoy short story it was based on. Diary of a Country Priest is a masterpiece, however, and one of the finest films about religious faith ever made. It's just such an agonizing depiction of the everyday struggles of life and how people use faith to fight through them and how difficult it is to maintain faith in the face of that struggle. Balthasar is, IMO, Bresson's supreme masterpiee. "The whole world in 90 minutes" as Godard said. Shame you didn't love it. It's such a beguilingly simple film, so much so that the ending is surprisingly devastating.

Satantango is a masterpiece too, but you nailed it by calling it a 7-hour mood piece. There's definitely more substance there about post-war communism/capitalism in Hungary and its economic effects, and the opening shot of cattle wandering aimlessly is quite appropriately symbolic of its characters. That scene with the kid and the cat haunts me to this day. Even though I know the cat was fine it's still a bit hard to watch, especially given its length.

The Turin Horse (2011; Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky)
Another film from Tarr in which nothing much happens; as we observe daily life of two people in long takes. He creates ominous mood using mostly wind. That was cool.

Dust in the Wind (1986; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Goodbye, South, Goodbye (1996; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Not sure what to say about these two, except that the first one was very good and second one was only good.

Distance (2001; Hirokazu Koreeda)
Underrated film which tells a story of people brought together by a traumatic event in the past. In that respect, it is sort of similar to another good Japanese movie that came a year earlier. It is called Eureka (2000). Both are recommended.

Chunhyang (2000; Im Kwon-taek)
Solid film which combines traditional Korean storytelling called 'Pansori' (singing narrator accompanied by drums) with cinematic storytelling. Certainly an interesting experiment.

The Double Life of Véronique (1991; Krzysztof Kieslowski)
Excellent film from Kieslowski that is mysterious, haunting and sumptuous. I loved it so much that it probably rivals 'Red' as my favourite Kieslowski film.

Turin Horse is probably Tarr's most metaphysical/allegorical film. What, exactly, it's an allegory for is hard to say, but the longer that film goes on, the more it feels like they're trapped in a kind of hellish purgatory, with that home being the only shelter against the evils of the outside world. It also has something of a modernist chamber play to it, like a Beckett or Ibsen play.

Dust in the Wind is perhaps the most wistful film in existence. There's just something about that film that captures the passage of time so beautifully. Even after having seen it three times I couldn't tell you much of what the plot is about, but the whole film feels the way that nostalgic memories feel. Goodbye South, Goodbye isn't one of my favorite Hou's, but I think it's interesting because it was his first mature film that really focused on the present rather than the past, and his distaste for Taiwanese youth and especially the gang culture is pretty evident in how he depicts them as aimless and lost. There's some great moments in that film but I don't think it quite works as a whole, and I also think his style here is a bit at odds with the themes; it's a bit too superficially beautiful. I think with Millennium Mambo (and the modern section of Three Times) he found a style that was much better at depicting the problems he saw with Taiwanese youth. FWIW, it's really best to watch Hou in chronological order starting either with The Boys from Fengkuei or The Time to Live and Time to Die (the latter is his first masterpiece, but the two films before it are pretty good too). The reason being is that his style has radically evolved over time and you really get a much better idea of where he's coming from as a filmmaker going chronologically in a way you don't otherwise.

Double Life of Veronique is Kieslowski's most beautiful, perhaps most haunting, film. I don't put it quite on the level of Dekalog or Red/Blue, mostly because I think those films have more substance to them, but as an aesthetic exercise it's probably his best.

Spotlight (2015; Tom McCarthy)
I know you didn't like this one, Rax, but I thought it was fabulous. Sort of reminded me of a classic film All the President's Men (1976).

Neither Rax nor I liked this one. We discussed it a lot a while back. Here was my review:

Spotlight (Tom McCarthy) - 5/10

The plot of Spotlight involves the Boston Globe's investigation and unveiling of the Catholic Church's coverup of
the pedophile priest epidemic. The film is told with all the factual detail accruement of a great documentary,
all the drama of bad fiction, and all the aesthetic style of a string mop. How the Academy went from awarding
one of the most aesthetically daring mainstream film in recent memory like Birdman to awarding this is a
mystery.

On the plus side, the performances are uniformly excellent. Watching this veteran cast do their
things is one of the film's few real highlights. Unfortunately, the writing doesn't do much to create or develop
them as characters. Instead, they exist mostly as cogs in a procedural structure.

All of this could've been forgiven if the film had managed to generate real drama or excitement, but there's
even very little of that. There are a few attempts made, but they're mostly impotent: the conflict over whether
to run with the story or wait, the growing realization of how deep it goes and how many are complicit, the
constant threat of it being hushed up or buried; but none of it really materializes into anything of substance.
Compare this to a film like Zodiac where the ambiguous atmosphere of paranoia and fear hovering over the
detailing of facts concerning a case could become almost oppressive.

Ultimately, this is another mediocre Best Picture whose only saving grace is the interesting story, the decent
writing, and excellent performances, but which has nothing to offer beyond that.

Scent of a Woman (1992; Martin Brest)
Pretty solid film with two highlights: Al Pacino's performance and one scene near the end where he delivers one of his trademark speeches.

Fist of the North Star (1986; Toyoo Ashida)
A Japanese animated film. It is a very bloody post-apocalyptic martial arts film. It isn't the most narratively focused thing ever, but I really liked it.

Ninja Scroll (1993; Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
An excellent Japanese animated samurai film. I would recommend it.

Police Story 2 (1988; Jackie Chan)
Very good sequel. I still think I preferred the first one because I liked the stunts/set-pieces in the first one more.

Scent of a Woman is another of my parents' favorites. I never cared much for it but Pacino's performance and that speech is a lot of fun.

I didn't care much for Fist of the North Star or Ninja Scroll. I think the animation was the main selling points for both, but story-wise they were incredibly meh. I also think Ninja Scroll was quite notable for how violent it was for an anime back then.

I really enjoyed the Police Story's back when I was into Jackie Chan as a kid. Really fun stuff. Another good martial arts/wuxia film that gets overlooked is the Once Upon a Time in China series.

Two Women (1960; Vittorio De Sica)
An Italian neorealist film. Sophia Loren won a Best Actress Oscar for it. I really liked the last 30 minutes, but the rest was just too much talking and nothing really interesting happened. Overall, it's just a solid film.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982; Nicholas Meyer)
I decided to see this because everyone was saying it's the best Star Trek film. I thought it was only okay. Call me crazy, but I enjoyed the ones directed by Abrams much more.

St. Vincent (2014; Theodore Melfi)
A solid dramedy with very good performances from Bill Murray and Naomi Watts. I guess it is worth watching.

Bridge to Terabithia (2007; Gabor Csupo)
An excellent film that is essentially 'Pan's Labyrinth' for children. I really recommend it.

Yeah, Two Women is one of those I saw from that Loren/DeSica box set I got, but it was pretty damn forgettable.

I tried to get into Star Trek as a kid but it just never resonated much with me. STII is probably the most praised because it still kinda works as drama even if you know nothing about the characters/world, while most of the other films perhaps capture more of ST's oddities. Of the other films I remember enjoying STVI a lot, actually, and Generations was interesting because of Picard/Kirk meeting. I also remember the first film having this odd, almost Solyaris quality to it, though not as well made (and I'm not a fan of Solyaris anyway).

St. Vincent was mostly only worth it for Murray and Watts, but otherwise forgettable.

I enjoyed Bridge to Terabithia and "Pan's Labyrinth for kids" is a pretty good description. Not a masterpiece, but pretty solid.

I'm back.

A Short Film About Killing (1988; Krzysztof Kieslowski)
Very good and aesthetically pleasing film that seems to be a condemnation of not only capital punishment, but any kind of violence/murder. It is available on Youtube with English subtitles.

A Short Film About Love (1988; Krzysztof Kieslowski)
Another good film by Kieslowski with shades of 'Rear Window'. It is also available on Youtube with English subtitles.

Ordet (1955; Carl Theodor Dreyer)
This is considered as one of all-time great films and I'm not going to dispute that. I loved it (especially the ending).

Breaking the Waves (1996; Lars von Trier)
Tieman said that this is a 'gritty sequel to Dreyer's Ordet' so I decided to see it right after Ordet. I thought it was only good.

The Devil, Probably (1977; Robert Bresson)
Now an actual film by Bresson himself. It is incredibly bleak and depressing. Unlike Dumont's film, it offers no hope for its protagonist and society as a whole.

The Color of Paradise (1999; Majid Majidi)
An acclaimed Iranian art film. I was a bit bored during this one.

Andrei Rublev (1966; Andrei Tarkovsky)
There is not much to say here. It is an epic film that is magnificently directed by Tarkovsky. I would recommend it.

The Sacrifice (1986; Andrei Tarkovsky)
It was his last film. Not only is it in Swedish, but it feels much more like a Bergman film. I thought it was solid.

Nostalgia (1983; Andrei Tarkovsky)
This, on the other hand, fells like an actual Tarkovsky film. I loved how he filmed/used architecture in this one. Absolutely brilliant. His trademark directing style is apparent in this one.

The Cranes Are Flying (1957; Mikhail Kalatozov)
Another excellent film by guy who did 'I am Cuba'. The story itself is nothing special (two lovers are separated by war), but his excellent direction really elevates things. He was a master with camera.

While I really like both of Kieslowski's "Short Films," I do feel they work better in the context of Dekalog. If anything, it's possible to just watch Dekalog, but watch the "A Short Film" version of those two episodes.

Ordet's a masterpiece, of course. When a film can make an ending that ridiculous transcendent rather than silly you know it's done something right.

I don't see much in common between Breaking the Waves and Ordet, though I know Von Trier was a big Dreyer fan. I think his most Dreyer-esque film is probably Medea. To me, Breaking the Waves is all about Emily Watson's heartwrenching performance. If Dreyer's and Bresson's films were about the positive aspects of faith in the face of struggle, I think BtW was the opposite. It shows how faith can delude people and lead them down terribly destructive paths.

I remember really liking The Devil Probably. I'm not sure why it's so underrated in Bresson's filmography, and I'd love to see a Criterion version of it as the version I had was pretty bad visually.

I enjoyed The Color of Paradise and the other Majidi film I saw called Children of Heaven. I think the latter was slightly better, but I preferred both to Kiarostami's films about kids like Where Is My Friend's Home?

Andrei Rublev is Tarkovsky's masterpiece. I think it's only rivaled by Stalker, and while I probably enjoyed Stalker more I think Rublev is much more impressive. One of the most uniquely structured, formal films ever made for sure.

I think I still have my reviews for both Nostalgia and The Sacrifice:

The Sacrifice - Andrei Tarkovsky - 8/10

Shot in Sweden by Sven Nykvist and starring Erland Josephson, it's hard not to think of Ingmar Bergman
watching Tarkovsky's last film. Even the premise, which involves Josephson's Alexander praying and offering a
“sacrifice" to a servant girl (who may be a witch) named Maria to save them from a nuclear holocaust, is like
a cross between Bergman's Shame and Winter Light.

The difference between the masters is that Tarkovsky lacks Bergman's sense of drama, which leads to much
metaphysical ponderousness.

The first 20 minutes consist of little more than a superficial philosophical conversation between Alexander and
his friend, Otto, shot at a great distance; and the final 30 minutes seem an interminable and turgid creep
through the process of Alexander burning down his house to offer his sacrifice (someone should've told
Tarkovsky he isn't Victor Fleming and this isn't Gone with the Wind). One also can't help but recall Tarkovsky
had also chosen a similar ending with his previous film.

The middle 100--minutes--or--so, however, is some of the most beautiful cinema ever crafted.

Because of the lack of dramatic momentum, Tarkovsky was at his best when his characters were more like
sculptures in a silent space, allowing the maestro to conduct his haunting symphonies with his moving camera.
There are scenes and images of rare visual and poetic power, from something as simple as a curtain billowing
in a room pregnant with light, to seeing the news of the impending nuclear war as flickering lights across the
faces of the frozen--with--fear characters.

Ultimately, this film is typical of the cryptically poetic Russian; simultaneously beautiful (often peerlessly so)
yet hollower than his greater predecessors like Bergman and Dreyer.

Couldn't find my one for Nostalgia, but I think I gave it the same rating. To me, they're strangely opposite films where I think Nostalgia is more consistent, while The Sacrifice has much stronger highers, but much lower lows too. If forced to pick I'd probably take The Sacrifice if only because it's memorable bits are among the best of Tarkovsky's career.

Cranes are Flying is great too, though I still feel it pales a bit compared to I Am Cuba.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Dust in the Wind is perhaps the most wistful film in existence. There's just something about that film that captures the passage of time so beautifully. Even after having seen it three times I couldn't tell you much of what the plot is about, but the whole film feels the way that nostalgic memories feel. Goodbye South, Goodbye isn't one of my favorite Hou's, but I think it's interesting because it was his first mature film that really focused on the present rather than the past, and his distaste for Taiwanese youth and especially the gang culture is pretty evident in how he depicts them as aimless and lost. There's some great moments in that film but I don't think it quite works as a whole, and I also think his style here is a bit at odds with the themes; it's a bit too superficially beautiful. I think with Millennium Mambo (and the modern section of Three Times) he found a style that was much better at depicting the problems he saw with Taiwanese youth. FWIW, it's really best to watch Hou in chronological order starting either with The Boys from Fengkuei or The Time to Live and Time to Die (the latter is his first masterpiece, but the two films before it are pretty good too). The reason being is that his style has radically evolved over time and you really get a much better idea of where he's coming from as a filmmaker going chronologically in a way you don't otherwise.

Here is what I've seen from Hou so far. I will try to rank them from my favourite to least favourite.

1) A City of Sadness
2) Café Lumière
3) Three Times
4) The Puppetmaster
5) A Time to Live and a Time to Die
6) Flowers of Shanghai
7) Dust in the Wind
8) The Assassin
9) Millennium Mambo
10) Goodbye, South, Goodbye
11) The Sandwich Man

I loved the top 8. As for the bottom 3, I only liked them. I'm not a completionist, so I don't know if I'll ever see more of his films.

[Eva Yojimbo]

Here is what I've seen from Hou so far. I will try to rank them from my favourite to least favourite.

1) A City of Sadness
2) Café Lumière
3) Three Times
4) The Puppetmaster
5) A Time to Live and a Time to Die
6) Flowers of Shanghai
7) Dust in the Wind
8) The Assassin
9) Millennium Mambo
10) Goodbye, South, Goodbye
11) The Sandwich Man

I loved the top 8. As for the bottom 3, I only liked them. I'm not a completionist, so I don't know if I'll ever see more of his films.

Cool that you've seen so much Hou. I haven't even seen The Sandwich Man yet! You should definitely Flight of the Red Balloon, which is also a masterpiece, and Good Men, Good Women, since it's basically the final part of his "Taiwan Trilogy" after ACOS and The Puppetmaster. Here's my rating/rankings:

10/10
1. A City of Sadness
2. The Puppetmaster

9.5/10
3. A Time to Live and Time to Die
4. Flight of the Red Balloon

9/10
5. Dust in the Wind
6. Flowers of Shanghai
7. The Assassin

8.5/10
8. Cafe Lumiere
9. Millennium Mambo
10. Good Men, Good Women

8/10
11. A Summer at Grandpa's
12. Goodbye South Goodbye
13. Three Times

7.5/10
14. Boys from Fengkuei

4/10
15. Cute Girl

[Lord_Lyndon]

Hot Fuzz (2007; Edgar Wright)
Fabulous film. I was expecting a murder mystery with a slight comedic touch for some reason, but this is more of an unabashedly post-modern dark comedy/action film. Highly recommended. Simon Pegg stars and he co-wrote it.

Baby Driver (2017; Edgar Wright)
I think Gendo saw this. It is a very good film which owes a lot to Mann's classic 'Heat' and even more so to Hill's 'The Driver'. It does get weaker as it progresses, but I think it's worth watching.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962; David Lean)
A very good epic film which is mostly remembered for its magnificent cinematography. I think everyone who loves that aspect of filmmaking should watch it.

Suicide Squad (2016; David Ayer)
A mediocre superhero film with two standout performances: Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Jared Leto as The Joker.

Wonder Woman (2017; Patty Jenkins)
This was very good. It was entertaining and it had a good mixture of action/comedy/romance/mythology. I think Rax saw this and he liked it too.

A Moment of Innocence (1996; Mohsen Makhmalbaf)
Interesting self-reflexive film from Makhmalbaf which blurs the boundaries between documentary and fiction, past and present. It ends with a glorious freeze-frame which was a nice nod to Truffaut's 'The 400 Blows'.

Good Men, Good Women (1995; Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
Very good film in which Hou explores the connection between Taiwan's past and present. It is his final film in his trilogy (as Eva said), and also the weakest. It is not a big deal, though, especially considering the fact that A City of Sadness (1989) and The Puppetmaster (1993) are both masterpieces and among greatest films ever made.

Porco Rosso (1992; Hayao Miyazaki)(rewatch)
Interesting film from Miyazaki (about an Italian fighter pilot) which is somewhat influenced by some Bogart films (namely 'Casablanca' and 'To Have and Have Not'). It allows Miyazaki to indulge in one of his biggest obsessions: flying sequences. And boy are they gorgeous. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy the scenes on the ground as much as the first time I watched it. This film definitely went down in my estimation. It doesn't change the fact that it's a very good film.

[Raxivace]

Yeah I liked Wonder Woman. Honestly I thought Suicide Squad was fine too.

Lawrence of Arabia never did much for me though tbh. A rewatch may change my opinion, but at four hours in length its not one I'll go to again on just a whim.

[Gendo]

Lawrence of Arabia is coming up very soon for me. Maybe in about a week; basically the next time I have a chance to sit down for 4 hours.

Hot Fuzz (2007; Edgar Wright)
Fabulous film. I was expecting a murder mystery with a slight comedic touch for some reason, but this is more of an unabashedly post-modern dark comedy/action film. Highly recommended. Simon Pegg stars and he co-wrote it.

Have you seen Shawn of the Dead and The World's End? I need to re-watch Shawn of the Dead now that I understand Edgar Wright, but I remember liking Hot Fuzz a lot and really love The World's End.

Baby Driver (2017; Edgar Wright)
I think Gendo saw this. It is a very good film which owes a lot to Mann's classic 'Heat' and even more so to Hill's 'The Driver'. It does get weaker as it progresses, but I think it's worth watching.

Yeah, this is the most recently Wright I've seen. It's gotten better in my mind as more time as passed since seeing it. But really just for the music and style. The story was just lacking to me; compared to Wright's other stuff.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Have you seen Shawn of the Dead and The World's End? I need to re-watch Shawn of the Dead now that I understand Edgar Wright, but I remember liking Hot Fuzz a lot and really love The World's End.

I haven't seen them. I saw that 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' film and I quite liked it.
I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Lawrence when you see it.

[Lord_Lyndon]

I saw some films by the legendary Greek filmmaker Theodoros Angelopoulos. They were good.

Broadcast (1968)
Reconstruction (1970)
Days of 36 (1972)
The Travelling Players (1975)
Voyage to Cythera (1984)
Landscape in the Mist (1988)
Eternity and a Day (1998)

I can't say anything particularly interesting. I will say that 'The Travelling Players' is my favourite of those.

[Raxivace]

Is there a film you'd recommend starting Angelopoulous with? I've eyed his filmography a few times over the years (I think I've seen Jimbo recommend Ulysses' Gaze before) but I have yet to take the plunge into it.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Is there a film you'd recommend starting Angelopoulous with?

I would suggest trying with Landscape in the Mist (1988) or Eternity and a Day (1998). Those two seem to be his most beloved films. Why? Probably because they are not too long and they are some of his most accessible films.

[Eva Yojimbo]

Is there a film you'd recommend starting Angelopoulous with? I've eyed his filmography a few times over the years (I think I've seen Jimbo recommend Ulysses' Gaze before) but I have yet to take the plunge into it.

Short on time again, but I'll make this quick: The Traveling Players is his masterpiece, but it's nearly 4 hours and steeped in both 20th century Greek history (mostly the WW2 period) with tons of references to classic Greek literature. If you plan on reading The Oresteia by Aeschylus, wait to see TTP until after you've read that, or just familiarize yourself with the House of Atreus mythology. His most accessible films are, as Lyndon said, Landscape in the Mist and Eternity and a Day. The former has a reference to TPP, though it's not a huge deal if you miss it. Ulysses' Gaze was the first of his I saw and I love it too, and it's probably more visually interesting than Landscape or Eternity. So take your pick. I will say that most of his films are peerlessly beautiful.

FWIW, here's my Angelopoulos rating/ranking:

10/10
1. The Traveling Players

9.5/10
2. Landscape in the Mist
3. Alexander the Great

9/10
4. Ulysses' Gaze
5. Voyage to Cythera
6. The Suspended Step of the Stork
7. The Hunters

8.5/10
8. Eternity and a Day
9. The Weeping Meadow
10. Reconstruction

8/10
11. The Dust of Time
12. The Beekeeper

7.5/10
13. Days of 36

[Raxivace]

If you plan on reading The Oresteia by Aeschylus, wait to see TTP until after you've read that, or just familiarize yourself with the House of Atreus mythology.

Thanks for the writeup. I did pick up a copy of The Oresteia btw, and was planning on read it sometime after I finish the few Euripides plays I have.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Black Death (2010; Christopher Smith)
Solid film with Eddie Redmayne and Sean Bean set in England during the bubonic plague. The film is well shot and boasts a fine atmosphere. Basically a bunch of Christians searching for witches and necromancers. Not sure if I would recommend this one.

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020; Cathy Yan)
Basically another average superhero film with a fine performance from Margot Robbie. It was not dark and brooding like 'Suicide Squad', but a bit more colorful. For Margot Robbie fans only.

The Boondock Saints (1999; Troy Duffy)
This was awesome. I just love over-the-top action films like this one.

Little Odessa (1994; James Gray)
Tim Roth was great, but this was a relatively boring gangster film.

Predestination (2014; Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig)
Unlike Rax, I really liked this one. I liked the 'snake eating its own tail' concept. So we get a film in which a person not only gives birth to itself, but is its own father and mother. Neat. Also, Sarah Snook was simply amazing.

Dogma (1999; Kevin Smith)
I love how Smith used Christian mythology to create a really funny and entertaining film. I loved this one.

Law Abiding Citizen (2009; F. Gary Gray)
This is one of those films which starts out brilliantly, but gets worse as it progresses. Still, it is a very good film overall and I would recommend it. Gerard Butler was loads of fun.

RocknRolla (2008; Guy Ritchie)
It is a solid gangster film with Gerard Butler. It isn't as amazing as some other gangster films by Richie, but it is worth watching.

Vixen (1969; Yasuzô Masumura)
Old and obscure Japanese film which I didn't like. The only thing I can say about it is that legendary Japanese actress Ruriko Asaoka is in the lead role. I doubt anyone here has heard of her, though.

[Raxivace]

Predestination (2014; Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig)
Unlike Rax, I really liked this one. I liked the 'snake eating its own tail' concept. So we get a film in which a person not only gives birth to itself, but is its own father and mother. Neat. Also, Sarah Snook was simply amazing.

Snook and Ethan Hawke are doing their damnedest to make this work, but I just find the spoiler you mentioned to be too silly of a premise to the point it overwhelms everything else about the movie.

Dogma (1999; Kevin Smith)
I love how Smith used Christian mythology to create a really funny and entertaining film. I loved this one.

I remember liking this when I was young, but haven't seen it since then.

Law Abiding Citizen (2009; F. Gary Gray)
This is one of those films which starts out brilliantly, but gets worse as it progresses. Still, it is a very good film overall and I would recommend it. Gerard Butler was loads of fun.

I remember having a similar reaction, but tbh I can't remember what I actually disliked in the later parts of the movie. Butler is the highlight though, yeah.

The only thing I can say about it is that legendary Japanese actress Ruriko Asaoka is in the lead role. I doubt anyone here has heard of her, though.

Unfortunately I have not heard of her before.

[Gendo]

Predestination (2014; Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig)
Unlike Rax, I really liked this one. I liked the 'snake eating its own tail' concept. So we get a film in which a person not only gives birth to itself, but is its own father and mother. Neat. Also, Sarah Snook was simply amazing.

See that's what I'm talking about!

Dogma (1999; Kevin Smith)
I love how Smith used Christian mythology to create a really funny and entertaining film. I loved this one.

Never get tired of this one. Affleck and Damon are at the top of their game.

Law Abiding Citizen (2009; F. Gary Gray)
This is one of those films which starts out brilliantly, but gets worse as it progresses. Still, it is a very good film overall and I would recommend it. Gerard Butler was loads of fun.

I think I liked this when I saw it; have been thinking lately about rewatching it.

[Lord_Lyndon]

I rewatched 4 films and saw a new one.

Apocalypse Now Redux (1979; Francis Ford Coppola)
I saw it last time 3 and a half years ago. It is one of my favourite films so I decided to revisit it. I really had a good time, mostly because it is so visually accomplished. It is a great directorial achievement.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966; Sergio Leone)
I could repeat everything I said about 'Apocalypse' for this one. I can only add that Tuco is probably my favourite character of all time.

Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983; Tsui Hark)
It is a fantasy wu xia film. I didn't really like it, but I will say it is probably the fastest paced movie I have ever seen. The pace is simply relentless. It is also quite visually imaginative.

The Prestige (2006; Christopher Nolan)
I rewatched this after probably 8 years. I still like it, but it lost that wow factor because I had already known the twist/reveal.

Reservoir Dogs (1992; Quentin Tarantino)
I rewatched it after a really long time. Two guys I read on imdb, tieman and tedg, say that Mamet does this stuff better. I mean this kind of dialogue based films. I have never seen anything from Mamet, so I can't tell. I can tell that I absolutely loved the film. I think it's in my top 3 Tarantino films.

[Raxivace]

Apocalypse Now Redux (1979; Francis Ford Coppola)
I saw it last time 3 and a half years ago. It is one of my favourite films so I decided to revisit it. I really had a good time, mostly because it is so visually accomplished. It is a great directorial achievement.

I love Apocalypse Now. I think I prefer the theatrical cut to the Redux, though the latter is still nice to have.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966; Sergio Leone)
I could repeat everything I said about 'Apocalypse' for this one. I can only add that Tuco is probably my favourite character of all time.

Love this as well. RIP Morricone.

The Prestige (2006; Christopher Nolan)
I rewatched this after probably 8 years. I still like it, but it lost that wow factor because I had already known the twist/reveal.

I liked this when I saw it, but I've wondered how well it stands up to rewatch.

Reservoir Dogs (1992; Quentin Tarantino)
I rewatched it after a really long time. Two guys I read on imdb, tieman and tedg, say that Mamet does this stuff better. I mean this kind of dialogue based films. I have never seen anything from Mamet, so I can't tell. I can tell that I absolutely loved the film. I think it's in my top 3 Tarantino films.

I also like Reservoir Dogs.

I don't really get where the comparison to Mamet is coming from, at least based on the films I've seen that his name is attached to (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Verdict, The Untouchables, and I think I've seen Hannibal. He also directed an episode of The Shield). Like yeah they're both dialogue driven I guess (Maybe not The Untouchables), but the dialogue seems to be toward different ends to me from what I can remember of Mamet anyways.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Dunkirk (2017; Christopher Nolan)
I saw this last year and it bored me to death. I decided to rewatch it and now I see it is a very good film. First hour features some really fine directorial moments by Nolan. Also, no one is going to accuse him of too much exposition for this one.

Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970; Yasuharu Hasebe)
First out of five films in Stray Cat Rock series. It is basically a gangster film with a little twist: one of two gangs that clash in the film is comprised only of women. I think these films are mostly notable because legendary Japanese actress Meiko Kaji is in them. She was really popular in the 1970's. Have you heard of her, Rax? By far her most famous film is Lady Snowblood (1973), a revenge film which was a big inspiration for Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Check that film out if you haven't. It is an excellent film. Meiko Kaji plays the lead in the movie.

Hunter x Hunter (2011-2014)
Excellent anime series that is incredibly epic (148 episodes) and incredibly entertaining. I decided to watch it because it is the 4th highest rated anime series on imdb. The only series that are rated above it are Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Cowboy Bebop. I've seen all of these. Hunter x Hunter has an average rating of 8.9/10 on imdb. Huge. And it just goes to show how much everybody loved it. Anyway... It is comprised out of several story arcs. My favourite is probably the Phantom Troupe arc, which occurs in the first half of the series. Despite the epicness of the series, at its core this series is about importance of love and friendship. Main characters go through a lot in this series. But they go through it together. And I must say that I enjoyed this series much more that anything anime related I've seen last year.

I, Tonya (2017; Craig Gillespie)
A very good drama with yet another good performance by Margot Robbie. It is about controversial ice skater Tonya Harding. Its direction is inspired by Scorsese. I certainly recommend it.

Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo (1970; Toshiya Fujita)
Second film in the series. It is basically about bunch of delinquents horsing around. And then it turns into a heist film in the last 25 minutes. It is just a solid film, just like the first one.

Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970; Yasuharu Hasebe)
Third and most popular film in the series. They tried to make this one more substantial by having Japanese gangs harass Afro-Japanese people and thus including the theme of racism. I must say that it didn't work for me.

Stray Cat Rock: Machine Animal (1970; Yasuharu Hasebe)
Fourth film of the series. This one is my favourite, probably because it has the best plot. It involves gangsters, LSD and Vietnam deserters. While the film is slightly more entertaining than first three, it doesn't approach any kind of greatness. I won't be seeing the fifth film in the series (allegedly it is the worst), so I can have my final say. I think these films are only good if you are interested in the vibe/atmosphere of early 1970's Japan. I haven't seen almost any Japanese films from that time, so it was kind of cool. But I have to say that these films are ultimately rather forgettable.

[Raxivace]

Also, no one is going to accuse him of too much exposition for this one.

Lol yeah. Whatever the faults the movie does have I appreciate that Nolan was trying to change his approach with this one.

Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970; Yasuharu Hasebe)
First out of five films in Stray Cat Rock series. It is basically a gangster film with a little twist: one of two gangs that clash in the film is comprised only of women. I think these films are mostly notable because legendary Japanese actress Meiko Kaji is in them. She was really popular in the 1970's. Have you heard of her, Rax? By far her most famous film is Lady Snowblood (1973), a revenge film which was a big inspiration for Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Check that film out if you haven't. It is an excellent film. Meiko Kaji plays the lead in the movie.

I didn't recognize the name Meiko Kaju at first, but I have seen and liked the Lady Snowblood movies.

Kind of shame to hear these Stray Cat Rock movies aren't the best though. I do think its kind of weird that Japanese gangster movies seem to have sequels and just be full blown film series though (Even the Yakuza games seem to be this way)- its just kind odd after how many American gangster films are just one and done stories, usually with the lead dying in the end because of the legacy of the Hayes Code or at least having their life ruined forever (With The Godfather maybe being the only major exception here until gangster TV shows became with a thing with The Sopranos and the like).

Hunter x Hunter (2011-2014)
Excellent anime series that is incredibly epic (148 episodes) and incredibly entertaining. I decided to watch it because it is the 4th highest rated anime series on imdb. The only series that are rated above it are Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Cowboy Bebop. I've seen all of these. Hunter x Hunter has an average rating of 8.9/10 on imdb. Huge. And it just goes to show how much everybody loved it. Anyway... It is comprised out of several story arcs. My favourite is probably the Phantom Troupe arc, which occurs in the first half of the series. Despite the epicness of the series, at its core this series is about importance of love and friendship. Main characters go through a lot in this series. But they go through it together. And I must say that I enjoyed this series much more that anything anime related I've seen last year.

Maybe one day I'll actually watch this. As popular and highly rated it seems to be, I think you're first I've known to actually watch Hunter x Hunter.

BTW do you have a MyAnimeList account?

[Lord_Lyndon]

I don't have a MyAnimeList account.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017; Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg)
It was better than the fourth. Really good fun from start to finish.

The Legend of Tarzan (2016; David Yates)
Another film with Margot Robbie. It was mediocre. There must be some film version of Tarzan story that is much better than this.

Life Is Beautiful (1997; Roberto Benigni)
Finally saw this Italian classic. It is the most famous Italian film of all time. I thought it was very good.

Transformers (2007; Michael Bay)
I was really looking forward to this one, but it proved to be a bit disappointing.

Titan A.E. (2000; Don Bluth, Gary Goldman)
Very good animated sci-fi actioner.

Treasure Planet (2002; Ron Clements, John Musker)
Another very good animated film that is a mixture of pirate and sci-fi films.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012; Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt)
Very endearing animated pirate adventure. I loved this one.

The Adjustment Bureau (2011; George Nolfi)
Excellent sci-fi romance with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. I loved this one too.

Terminator Genisys (2015; Alan Taylor)
I know many people hated this, but I really enjoyed it. It had good action and good humor.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019; Tim Miller)
Not quite as good as Genisys, but it was solid.

Rambo (2008; Sylvester Stallone)
Beautifully shot and very violent, bloody, brutal action film. It was good, but it's not for the faint of heart.

Iron Man 2 (2010; Jon Favreau)
I'm a big fan of the first Iron Man film. I'm also a big fan of Robert Downey Jr. So I decided to see this. It wasn't nearly as good as the first one, but it was okay I guess.

Iron Man 3 (2013; Shane Black)
It was better than the second one, but not as good as the first one.

[Gendo]

Yeah I think I preferred Genisys over Dark Fate too. At least it was trying something new.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972; Werner Herzog)
This is a rewatch. It is great. My favourite parts are the grandiose opening and pretty much everything that happens after Kinski starts his journey down the river on a raft.

RED 2 (2013; Dean Parisot)
It was just as fun as the first one.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014; Anthony Russo, Joe Russo)
I thought it was very entertaining.

Captain America: Civil War (2016; Anthony Russo, Joe Russo)
I thought it was very entertaining.

Alexander the Great (1980; Theodoros Angelopoulos)
While this isn't one of Theo's more popular films, I definitely agree with Eva that it is one of his best.

Ulysses' Gaze (1995; Theodoros Angelopoulos)
Beautifully incorporates landscapes into its ever-flowing visual narrative. Really good film.

[Raxivace]

I wasn't too into those Captain America movies (Civil War in particular seemed to have very sloppy editing to me), but I really enjoyed Aguirre.

One day I need to start watching Angelopoulos movies, they always sound interesting.

[Lord_Lyndon]

I saw some more art films/classics.

Day of Wrath (1943; Carl Theodor Dreyer)
I thought this was fine, but unfortunately it didn't quite reach the heights of 'Ordet' or 'Passion'.

The Island (2006; Pavel Lungin)
An acclaimed Russian art film made in the vein of Tarkovsky. Not quite as good, though.

Pandora's Box (1929; Georg Wilhelm Pabst)
I thought this was a bit underwhelming. But, after reading some reviews, at least I understood what others saw in it.

Diary of a Lost Girl (1929; Georg Wilhelm Pabst)
I liked this one. Some really memorable moments in the last 30 minutes.

Through the Olive Trees (1994; Abbas Kiarostami)
A film that is similar to Makhmalbaf's A Moment of Innocence (1996), but nowhere near as good.

Close-Up (1990; Abbas Kiarostami)
I agree with Eva that this is a must-see. Very interesting film.

The Wind Will Carry Us (1999; Abbas Kiarostami)
Probably Kiarostami's most beautiful film. Good stuff.

Rome, Open City (1945; Roberto Rossellini)
I thought this was okay. Not a big fan of Italian neo-realism.

L'Atalante (1934; Jean Vigo)
Truffaut loved this film, and you can see why: it features some really inspired camerawork/cinematography.

Bicycle Thieves (1948; Vittorio De Sica)
The most famous Italian neo-realist film. I actually liked this one.

Beyond the Clouds (1995; Michelangelo Antonioni, Wim Wenders)
This art film had some really interesting ideas, but unfortunately they were lost in a quite dull narrative.

I Vitelloni (1953; Federico Fellini)
Basically a film about a bunch of 'slackers'. Not sure what's the big fuss about this one.

The Great Escape (1963; John Sturges)
A solid WW2 prison break movie. Sturges' direction was okay at best. I'm sure you liked this one more than me, Rax.

35 Shots of Rum (2008; Claire Denis)
Interesting French art film that is heavily inspired by Ozu and Hou's 'Café Lumière'. I liked it.

[Raxivace]

Rome, Open City (1945; Roberto Rossellini)
I thought this was okay. Not a big fan of Italian neo-realism.

I liked this one. Italian neo-realism isn't my favorite movement either but I thought Rossellini did it well here and in the other War Trilogy films.

I'll always have a soft spot for Rossellini in general because he was one one of the first non-American directors I really dug into, since a TV channel here marathoned like 7 or 8 of his movies one day years ago. Journey to Italy is probably my favorite of his films.

L'Atalante (1934; Jean Vigo)
Truffaut loved this film, and you can see why: it features some really inspired camerawork/cinematography.

This one I did feel pretty underwhelmed by tbh. In general Vigo doesn't do much for me, but that short he did about the swimmer was kind of neat I guess.

Bicycle Thieves (1948; Vittorio De Sica)
The most famous Italian neo-realist film. I actually liked this one.

That ending is a gut punch.

I Vitelloni (1953; Federico Fellini)
Basically a film about a bunch of 'slackers'. Not sure what's the big fuss about this one.

I wasn't super thrilled by this as I watched it, but it ended up lodging itself in my mind a little more than I expected for a time. Now I seem to only have vague sensations in my memory about those dudes slacking around lol.

[Lord_Lyndon]

I'll always have a soft spot for Rossellini in general because he was one one of the first non-American directors I really dug into, since a TV channel here marathoned like 7 or 8 of his movies one day years ago.

I don't really remember who were my first non-American directors. I only remember that, when I started watching films more seriously 10 years ago, my favourite directors were Aronofsky, PTA and Lynch.

I'm sorry I assumed that you've seen 'The Great Escape'. For some reason I thought I was the only one who hasn't seen it yet. Very silly of me.

[Raxivace]

I'm sorry I assumed that you've seen 'The Great Escape'. For some reason I thought I was the only one who hasn't seen it yet. Very silly of me.

I'm the one that should feel bad, because I missed that you mentioned me there.

But yeah, I never saw The Great Escape.

[Lord_Lyndon]

I saw 16 new films.

Wagon Master (1950; John Ford)
Solid Western from Ford. It was beautifully shot.

Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976; Robert Altman)
Altman tries to explore themes of history vs. myth with this revisionist Western. It was boring.

Wake in Fright (1971; Ted Kotcheff)
Easily one of 5 best Australian films of all time.

Delicatessen (1991; Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
I thought this quirky film was only okay.

The City of Lost Children (1995; Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
I really liked this one. It reminded me a lot of Terry Gilliam's 'Brazil'.

In the Heat of the Night (1967; Norman Jewison)
Probably Poitier's most famous film. I really enjoyed this one.

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014; Ridley Scott)
Solid biblical epic with amazing visuals.

Dead Alive (1992; Peter Jackson)
Excellent horror comedy from Jackson. It was quite disgusting at times.

The Remains of the Day (1993; James Ivory)
Excellent drama with an excellent performance from Anthony Hopkins as the butler.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992; James Foley)
Great writing. Great acting. Standout performances are from Pacino and Lemmon.

The King of Comedy (1982; Martin Scorsese)
Big fan of Scorsese. This was very good. I liked it a bit more than the 'Joker'. De Niro was simply fantastic.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946; Frank Capra)
I thought this was good, and then it became great when an angel appeared and started showing things to George.

Inside Out (2015; Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen)
Excellent animated film that is incredibly imaginative and emotionally affecting.

Toy Story 3 (2010; Lee Unkrich)
This wasn't as imaginative as 'Inside Out', but it was arguably more entertaining.

Coco (2017; Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina)
Just like Gendo, I really liked this.

Mary and Max (2009; Adam Elliot)
Excellent animated film that is more adult-oriented, especially in comparison to those Disney/Pixar films.

[Raxivace]

Wagon Master (1950; John Ford)
Solid Western from Ford. It was beautifully shot.

The bit where the one guy throws the gun away in that film really stuck with me.

In the Heat of the Night (1967; Norman Jewison)
Probably Poitier's most famous film. I really enjoyed this one.

Its one of those movies that I'm not sure is a great film necessarily but Poitier is really good in it.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992; James Foley)
Great writing. Great acting. Standout performances are from Pacino and Lemmon.

The King of Comedy (1982; Martin Scorsese)
Big fan of Scorsese. This was very good. I liked it a bit more than the 'Joker'. De Niro was simply fantastic.

I like both of these. Agreed on King of Comedy being better than Joker.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946; Frank Capra)
I thought this was good, and then it became great when an angel appeared and started showing things to George.

I really love this film. People deride the ending as "Capracorn" or whatever but a lot of the film surrounding it is still pretty bleak, and even the central tension about Potter is never quite resolved. Its one of those examples of a popular that I'm not sure quite gets enough credit for how good it really is.

Toy Story 3 (2010; Lee Unkrich)
This wasn't as imaginative as 'Inside Out', but it was arguably more entertaining.

I'm not really up to date on most of the recent Pixar stuff but I like Toy Story 3. I'll always associate this prank video with it though lol.

[Gendo]

I'm a big fan of Toy Story 3, at the time it came out, it jumped almost straight to the very top of my Pixar rankings. Of course there's been a lot more since then, so not sure if I have a favorite anymore.

Also fun fact, thanks to recent sales on several Pixar movies, including Onward (which I haven't seen yet), I now have every single Pixar movie in my DVD collection.

[Gendo]

Question about Doctor Sleep... I know it's a sequel to The Shining, but is it a sequel to Stanly Kubrick's The Shining? Or just a sequel to the book? I know Kubrick deviated from the book a fair amount. I also have King's The Shining miniseries to watch (even though I've mostly heard bad things), does it matter at all if I watch that first before watching Doctor Sleep?

Second question, my edition of Doctor Sleep came with theatrical and director's cuts... which should I watch?

[Raxivace]

If the trailers are any indication Doctor Sleep is intended as a sequel to Kubrick's film, though I haven't seen it myself and dunno about the merits of the theatrical vs. director's cut.

I read like half of the book Doctor Sleep though, and FWIW it seemed pretty bad (I might go back and finish it for completion's sake though. Of course I thought The Shining novel itself wasn't anything to write home about (And BTW the horrid miniseries adaptation is pretty true to the book), so maybe the Doctor Sleep film is transformative enough to be interesting.

[Lord_Lyndon]

I just want to say a couple of things. I will be very short. As usual.
First of all, I am not a fan of horror films in general, and I have never read any of King's books.

Question about Doctor Sleep... I know it's a sequel to The Shining, but is it a sequel to Stanly Kubrick's The Shining?

Mike Flanagan, director of 'Doctor Sleep', said that his film is a sequel to Kubrick's film, but also somewhat of an adaptation of King's book Doctor Sleep. What he meant to say is that, while his film does deviate somewhat from King's book, it retains the spirit of the book.

I also want to say a couple of words on both films.
Kubrick's Shining is a masterpiece. It is not so much a horror film, as it is a 'philosophical horror' film. Kubrick was a philosophical filmmaker, and his film is one of the most complex and multilayered films of all time.
Flanagan's film, on the other hand, is not on that level. It is very good. It boast a fine atmosphere, and it is entertaining from start to finish. I only saw director's cut which is 3 hours long. And it is good. Very good. But it is not a work of genius.
Doctor Sleep is worth one viewing. The Shining is worth multiple viewings.

[Lord_Lyndon]

I saw some new films. I managed to see some horror classics.

Klaus (2019; Sergio Pablos, Carlos Martínez López)
Wonderful animated film. It is a Santa Claus origin story of sorts. It was incredibly emotionally affecting. Highly recommended.

The Exorcist (1973; William Friedkin)
It was slow, but good. Really good. I particularly enjoyed Friedkin's graceful camerawork.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984; Wes Craven)
Excellent horror that is incredibly entertaining and imaginative. Also... wow... Johnny Depp was so young in this. It was his first film. Big fan of his.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974; Tobe Hooper)
I liked Hooper's direction, but this story did very little for me. I didn't care for any of the characters and Leatherface as a villain did very little for me.

Following (1998; Christopher Nolan)
This is one of those famous 'no budget' films. It is a very solid neo-noir. It is mostly significant because it served as a training of sorts for the excellent 'Memento'.

Insomnia (2002; Christopher Nolan)
I can definitely see why this is Nolan's lowest rated film on imdb, but I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was very good. Everything about it was very solid. Acting, cinematography, screenplay... It was really good.

Tenet (2020; Christopher Nolan)
I saw it too. I was really looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. Unlike Rax, I LOVED it. I thought the scenes with inverted entropy were really cool and awesome. I would definitely say that this is a film with many memorable individual scenes that do not necessarily cohere to form a meaningful whole. But despite that... I really had a great time.

The New Mutants (2020; Josh Boone)
This got really bad reviews. I saw it and it wasn't good, but it certainly wasn't bad to the point of being unwatchable. I wouldn't recommend it. I saw it mostly because Anya Taylor-Joy is in it. I thought she was very funny and amusing in it. Also, her character had some really cool superpowers. I loved watching her performing and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in the future. I got what I wanted out of this film.

[Gendo]

Man I can't wait to see Tenet. Huge Nolan fan. Have you see the original Insomnia? I only recently learned that Nolan's was a remake.

[Lord_Lyndon]

Have you see the original Insomnia? I only recently learned that Nolan's was a remake.

I haven't seen the Norwegian original.

[Raxivace]

The Exorcist (1973; William Friedkin)
It was slow, but good. Really good. I particularly enjoyed Friedkin's graceful camerawork.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984; Wes Craven)
Excellent horror that is incredibly entertaining and imaginative. Also... wow... Johnny Depp was so young in this. It was his first film. Big fan of his.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974; Tobe Hooper)
I liked Hooper's direction, but this story did very little for me. I didn't care for any of the characters and Leatherface as a villain did very little for me.

I felt similarly about all three of these. TCM in particular I didn't quite get the adoration for.

Elm Street is good but I feel like the franchise doesn't get much more imaginative than the first film unfortunately. After 3 I think it just runs out of ideas, which is a bummer considering the premise.

Following (1998; Christopher Nolan)
This is one of those famous 'no budget' films. It is a very solid neo-noir. It is mostly significant because it served as a training of sorts for the excellent 'Memento'.

Insomnia (2002; Christopher Nolan)
I can definitely see why this is Nolan's lowest rated film on imdb, but I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was very good. Everything about it was very solid. Acting, cinematography, screenplay... It was really good.

Yeah Following feels a bit like Nolan preparing himself for Memento. I liked Insomnia well enough, but it does feel like Nolan proving he can work within studio system more than anything. I also haven't seen original film either.

Tenet (2020; Christopher Nolan)
I saw it too. I was really looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. Unlike Rax, I LOVED it. I thought the scenes with inverted entropy were really cool and awesome. I would definitely say that this is a film with many memorable individual scenes that do not necessarily cohere to form a meaningful whole. But despite that... I really had a great time.

I mean I liked the movie, I'm not one of these haters, it just didn't wow me.