What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

[Buscemi2]

Tim Burton's animation background shows in his feature debut. Basically a Buster Keaton movie for the 80's, it's best to view Pee-wee's Big Adventure as a series of vignettes strung together with a light plot. But the wackiness that ensues is why the film is so endearing. There's no other way to imagine this film existing other than as a festival of pop art and wild imagery. And it's kind of amazing that a major studio made it. Today, this would be a small indie film that would die after a week and no one would get it. Were audiences more patient in 1985 or was Pee-wee Herman's popularity the big selling point?

Up next: Grave of the Fireflies.

[Buscemi2]

One of the best World War II films ever made. The emotion that goes through the viewer as they watch the two children to survive is overwhelming and really gets to you. This is the kind of film that is made from the heart and affects you. I'm at a loss of words as to just how effective this one is and its devastation towards the audience.

Up next: Tommy Boy.

[Ron Burgundy]

ah i should have seen Pees Wees big adventure by now, been on the watchlist for a long time.

But i did cross off the other one on the list, only just last year.

Grave of the Fireflies
Sad sad stuff. But a good insight of the plight of the Japanese people. Im almost shocked to as how the adult characters reacted towards the children but tough times, tough love.
7.5/10

[Ron Burgundy]

Movie review time

The Sister's Brothers
How did this get swept under the carpet? Joaquin Phoenix and John C Reilly play the outlaw sisters brothers on the hunt for a man (Riz Ahmed) also being pursued by Jake Gyllenhaal- who is supposed to deliver said man to the brothers to collect a bounty.
What starts off as almost a buddy cop western, with the brothers being complete opposites, sensitive and logical, the other just gung-ho and careless. Things dont go to plan when the two parties never meet up and what follows is a game of cat and mouse that leads to a final act that is both rewarding and melancholic. And i knew i knew the name Jaques Audiard (The Prophet- one of my favs)
Special recommendation for Shryke to see this one, i think you love it
7.5/10

Ace in the Hole
Sometimes its good to play your best cards last, but you can never hold off a films as well reviewed as this for too long. And besides Billy Wilder and Kirk Douglas are awesome. A jobless journo stumbles into a small town seemingly full of confidence- you almost think straight away this guys mouth is bigger than what he makes out to be. But he charms his way up the chain, first a job, then a story - the story ends up becoming a festival with hundreds of people flocking to the centre of attention. But Douglas' confidence is not his foresight and bit by bit things start to crumble, great character.
8.5/10

Mandy
I knew nothing about this movie before watching it- i dont want to spoil anything though -

Starts off slow, trippy colours (a theme throughout) gets weird pretty fast. Piecing things eventually, theres a bunch of inbred weirdos and a group of armoured VERY tripped out thugs roaming in the same area. Nicolas Cage and his GF Mandy are then kidnapped out of the blue.
What follows is less a horror movie and more a revenge flick, gore and all. I dont think its for everyone and it is slightly predictable after the first third but i think someone like Tranny might enjoy it.
6/10

T2: Trainspotting
I loved the first movie, even showed it to my little bro recently. And i was almost scared to see this, cause i didnt want to ruin the first one- but then i remembered A- its Danny Boyle and B- its not a comedy.
But it didnt disappoint, with the full cast returning (which helps) the guys all go by their first names these days, 20 years later but none are prospering as you may have expected...
Plenty of little turns where you aren't ever quite sure if things are gonna go smooth, Mark returns to his so called mates and Simon hatches a plan.
It may not have had the same scope as the last one, and you can feel that but i certainly wasn't let down.
6.5/10

The Nun
A sister travel to Europe, i forget why, think its cause of all these Nuns disappearing. Helped with a Father played by Demian Bechir (one of those actors that automatically make a movie better like Barry Pepper or Steve Buscemi).
Anyhoo, this evil Nun you may or may not have seen from The Conjuring universe is one evil bitch or demon, or spirit, whatever. Lots of shock scares, dim lightning and sacrificial death to a main character. These are love it or hate it movies but i always fall in the middle.
5/10

Love, Simon
So, the movie starts off like this, im a normal middle class kid (who i think has everything he wants except one thing): i have a secret. Is it contrived? Saccharine? Nah i dont think it was, maybe a little.
Its a decent teen movie coming from a different angle and the characters are all well fleshed out. The lead who plays Simon holds his own, i think we'll be seeing alot of him, Nick Robinson.
6/10

Blue Valentine
So heard about this one dozens of times, so had to check it out. 2-Time crossing love story with a heralded performance from the leads Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. In the end, i didnt know what i felt for Gosling, who ranges from ultimate loving father to raging psycho. Williams does her part well, actually really well. Its a story of a relationship of people, sometimes shit happens, especially over time. And thats it, its just a sad love story.
5.5/10

Leave No Trace
Surprisingly good. Ben Foster and his daughter who bond strongly live out in a state park, which is illegal btw. I like how the director gives us a little insight to their life in the park (bit like Captain Fantastic) before somebody reports them. Foster plays a former solider who suffers from the effects of war and he nails the role bigtime, so restrained but you can feel his pain. So the two go into society against their will into the system but clearly its unbearable. A slow film which i quite liked. Also, some good tips if u ever go off grid
6.5/10

[transformers2]

Mandy
I knew nothing about this movie before watching it- i dont want to spoil anything though -

Starts off slow, trippy colours (a theme throughout) gets weird pretty fast. Piecing things eventually, theres a bunch of inbred weirdos and a group of armoured VERY tripped out thugs roaming in the same area. Nicolas Cage and his GF Mandy are then kidnapped out of the blue.
What follows is less a horror movie and more a revenge flick, gore and all. I dont think its for everyone and it is slightly predictable after the first third but i think someone like Tranny might enjoy it.
6/10

Might?!?!?! Mandy was made for people with my depraved tastes. In other words, I loved it and it made my top 10 films of 2018.

[Buscemi2]

The 90's version of Laurel and Hardy. Basically a road movie built around gags and an underdog storyline, the film serves as a showcase for Chris Farley's physical brand of humor. And watching this again makes me realize how much I miss him. He had so much to offer but never really got to show it as he'd pass away two years later. And this, along with The Emperor's New Groove, might have David Spade's best performance.

Also, where else are you going to see a deer tear up the inside of a car?

Up next: Clue.

[Buscemi2]

This film, along with Murder by Death, more than likely made it impossible to take the "whodunit" genre seriously again (funny that Eileen Brennan's in both films). Easily the best film based on a board game, it succeeds where many toy or game-based fail by being tongue-in-cheek while appreciating the audience's intelligence. It's funny without needing to make fun of the idea of a movie based on a game.

It's also interesting to note that the prints currently showing in theatres are all based on the home video version. The film originally had three different endings depending on which theatre you saw it at and it flopped partially because of this (well, that and most theatres got the weakest of the three endings). The decision to combine them into one ending might have saved the film as everyone wins with them together. But I would have loved to have been in a theatre showing just the second ending and it ending that abruptly.

Up next: All That Jazz.

[Screen203]

It's also interesting to note that the prints currently showing in theatres are all based on the home video version. The film originally had three different endings depending on which theatre you saw it at and it flopped partially because of this (well, that and most theatres got the weakest of the three endings). The decision to combine them into one ending might have saved the film as everyone wins with them together. But I would have loved to have been in a theatre showing just the second ending and it ending that abruptly.

What did you think of Blumhouse trying to bring this back with the Unfriended sequel? The only ending I saw on that one was so poorly done I think they (in combination with Netflix doing it with Bandersnatch) could have killed the idea of alternate endings by theater entirely.

[Buscemi2]

#48 in my Criterion challenge.*

Possibly the best musical or musically-themed film of the 1970's. This might be one of the most aesthetically perfect films ever made. Everything about it, from its surrealist style to the contrast of the reality and fantasy, makes it a feast for the eyes and ears. And it may also be one of the last, if not the last, great New Hollywood film. Something like this would never be made today as musical theatre has become more about profit than art and the theatre crowd would have a hard time understanding it. There are a distinct lack of Bob Fosses today and when he died, it seems like the drive and spirit of the stage died with him.

Also, Roy Scheider was one underrated actor.

* - Note: you'd probably think this was #46 and you would be correct. However, I decided to count screenings of Arsenic and Old Lace and Bram Stoker's Dracula I saw in school as even though there weren't in an actual theatre, they were with an audience in a room that could very well be an auditorium. This also means I've seen The Princess Bride twice in a theatre or theatre-like setting.

[Chienfantome]

I've actually never seen All that jazz. Gotta catch it one of these days.

[Buscemi2]

It's one you need to see in a theatre. It doesn't have the same effect on the small screen.

[Chienfantome]

It's one you need to see in a theatre. It doesn't have the same effect on the small screen.

It's definitely the idea. I'm sure it's gonna get screened here in the Quartier Latin theaters or at the French Cinémathèque at some point. I'm patient.

[Buscemi2]

#49 in my Criterion challenge (almost there!).

Monty Python might better watched alone than with a group. Too many shrill voices quoting the entire movie instead of allowing one's self to savor it. Or maybe I just prefer Life of Brian more. Anyway, this film has one of the best third acts ever. The killer rabbit always gets me laughing and I fail to understand how anyone can hate the intentional cop-out ending. It's a lot funnier that they don't find the grail and reality kicks in because we don't expect it. Also, having it follow the standard Arthurian legend would defeat the purpose of Monty Python.

But we got our own coconuts to beat around.

Up next: Ben-Hur (funny that the quad above references Ben-Hur and I'm seeing it tomorrow).

[Buscemi2]

Another movie that needs to be seen in a theatre to get the desired effect. Not a best of all-time movie but it's still an exciting adventure that is able to play to audiences religious and not. No Evangelical pandering here. Just strong filmmaking, excellent set pieces, and a hammy Heston. I also noticed the plot of Gladiator is very similar.

And Fathom had a strange attachment to this, showing the trailer for Poms in addition to their upcoming product. I wonder if this is going to get sneaked in the same way Tolkien is.

Up next: who knows?

[Buscemi2]

It's amazing that it took this long for me to see a Robert Altman film in the theatre (and I live in an area that I'd expect to revive his movies, I guess people would rather watch Top Gun and Mean Girls over and over again). The inspiration for the later Downton Abbey (which was originally developed as a follow-up to this), this might be the closest to a good whodunit since Clue. But the film really isn't about the murder, though it could be viewed as Altman's version of the post-modern slasher, as the film is very self-referential, much like Scream was, but much classier. I feel it's more about the class divide and how both sides live and have their own struggles. The best moments are with the servants and pretty much any scene with Emily Watson (whom I'm amazed wasn't nominated for an Oscar) and/or Kelly MacDonald are among the highlights of the film. And by the time the film ends, you'll want more.

Meanwhile, Universal's DCP is not very high quality. This was taken from an older master (before Arrow Video restored it for their Blu-ray) and the audio is quite muddy (and seeing how this is an Altman film, you need a clean, multi-channel mix to understand all the dialogue). At times, it can be hard to watch this presentation and it makes you wonder why Universal hasn't redone this one yet. MGM has been redoing several of their DCP's to have the new masters they've done. Universal can do the same.