March 20121 Films

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March 20121 Films

1Carol420
Fev 27, 2021, 1:38 pm



What movies are you watching in March???

2aussieh
Mar 4, 2021, 6:17 pm

Mona Lisa 1986
5/5

A favorite re-watch. Three of my favorite actors, Bob Hoskins, Michael Caine and Robbie Coltrane.

3Carol420
Mar 5, 2021, 9:39 am



Heredity (2018)
2/5

When her mentally ill mother passes away, Annie, her husband, son, and daughter all mourn her loss. The family turn to different means to handle their grief, including Annie and her daughter both flirting with the supernatural. They each begin to have disturbing, otherworldly experiences linked to the sinister secrets and emotional trauma that have been passed through the generations of their family.

It started as a good idea but soon went off in so many different directions. The only character I felt any empathy for was the husband.

4JulieLill
Mar 5, 2021, 1:11 pm

Ghosts of War
Set in WWII in France, 5 soldiers are sent to a mansion held by the Nazi's to retake.
I thought this was going to be your typical WWII film but I was mistaken because at the end of this film there is a huge twist which was really interesting and really upped my feelings about this film.

5featherbear
Mar 5, 2021, 7:06 pm

To Sleep With Anger (1990). 1 hr. 40 min. Caught this via TCM. A film I want to see again, & happily it’s available for rental on Amazon Prime. Director & screenplay: Charles Burnett. Cinematography Walt Lloyd. Film editing, Nancy Richardson. Production design, Penny Barrett. Takes place in what appears to be post-war South Central LA. The African-American community is in a moment of the transition from the Jim Crow South to urban life in California, expressed subliminally by the background music – urbanized blues of Bobby Bland & Jimmy Witherspoon (who has a cameo singing See See Rider at a family get together), the popular music still shows its country roots, but we have not yet reached the R&B of the 70’s that saw the collapse of their middle-class hopes – the setting pre-dates the Watts riots. We see middle-aged wife Suzie (Mary Alice, in an excellent performance) teaching Lamaze technique to black and white expectant mothers, but also taking care of chickens & a vegetable garden, commonplaces of rural life.

The disruptive event occurs when an old friend Harry (Danny Glover) of Suzie's husband Gideon (Paul Butler), shows up at the door. He is “country” (“make me a pallet on the floor” he says, echoing a country blues song), but of a certain kind, a trickster demon of self-destruction, who insinuates himself into the family, exacerbating tensions between youngest son Samuel, “Babe brother” (Richard Brooks), his brother Junior (Carl Lumbley), and father Gideon. In some ways the film just skirts being an urban horror story, though the only explicit supernatural elements take place in the opening credits. The body in the kitchen that keeps turning up in shots in the long epilogue is quite funny, and is consistent with the ultimate comedic resolution, despite the foreboding that always seems to be in the background of the family relationships throughout the … uh … body of the film. It was all fascinating and absorbing for me, and highly recommended.

6JulieLill
Mar 8, 2021, 10:33 am

Crawl
"A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators." From IMDB
We watched this last night and if you are a disaster film fan this is for you. We got a kick out of this film. Some of it was just plain ridiculous but we had to see how this was going to end!

7Carol420
Mar 8, 2021, 12:38 pm

>6 JulieLill: I was born and grew up in Florida and lived 32 years of my life there. I NEVER saw anything that even resembled what these people encountered. As you said...it was entertaining but really ridiculous. I started rooting for the alligators:)

8.cris
Editado: Mar 9, 2021, 5:30 am

It took me about 6 attempts to get to the end of Nomadland. Francis McDormand is a mighty fine actor(ess), but in this, her face barely moved, so her thoughts were indiscernible. There have been few Hollywood films made this year, so I would expect it to win some statuettes.
The Dig, depicted the unearthing of a very old burial ship at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. UK (my neck of the woods). Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) was employed by the lady of the manor (Carey Mulligan) to excavate some mounds on her land. The treasures found were priceless and the undignified cat fight to take ownership of them was like a bare-knuckle fight. Liked it!
Monster Hunter What's to say. Alternative universe. Super-duper monsters AND Tony Jaa (although his talent was dimmed down when he was fighting/training with the heroine (Milla Jovovich...who happens to be the directors wife). I don't know why I enjoyed it so much (as did my daughter)

9aussieh
Mar 9, 2021, 5:35 pm

>8 .cris:

Sorry to read your thoughts re Francis McDormand ,she is a favorite of mine. Loved her in Fargo and Three Billboards.

10.cris
Mar 10, 2021, 11:15 am

>9 aussieh: Me too.

11Carol420
Editado: Mar 11, 2021, 4:59 pm



Evelyn (2019)
5+

The uplifting movie is based on the true story of the Doyle Family in 1950's Ireland. Desmond Doyle is abandoned by his wife who runs off to Australia and leaves him with their three small children. He tries his best to continue supporting them singing in the pub and doing painting here and there, only to have the government and child services remove his children stating there has never been a precedent of a Father raising his children without a Mother in the picture. He goes to court, and loses, and is told he cannot appeal his case. He then happily finds a retired lawyer who has taken on constitutional law successfully in the past, who willingly helps him take his case to The Supreme Court.

It was something totally different. Pierce Brosnan does a beautiful job of portraying a house painter and part-time singer, who shows tremendous depth in this role of a hard-drinking, heavy smoking individual whose love for his children transcends all. He engages three attorneys to help him try to change the Irish Constitution and defy the Catholic Church to recover his three children. Irish law at that time would not allow one parent in Doyle's situation to decide what's right for their children. The little girl that portrayed 9-year old Evelyn Doyle did a heart wrenching job.

12Carol420
Editado: Mar 12, 2021, 11:04 am



Nightmares and Dreamscapes (2006)
3/5

Stephen King will also be the "KING" when it comes to good horror.

A television mini-series adaptation of Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Stephen King's collection of short horror stories.

1. "The End of the Whole Mess" - Very well done. Good adaptation of a neat little story. Livingston's performance is perfect - heartfelt and desperate. Henry Thomas was good too.

2."Battleground" - When I first read this story (about 15 years ago) I thought it would make a great TV movie - not a feature film - but at the time, I didn't think the SFX of the day could pull it off. This was a pretty good effort though, and I loved the lack of dialog. Hurt is not too bad either.

3."You Know They Got a Hell of a Band" - Not a bad adaptation. This was a good short story, one I always try to read when I pick up Nightmares & Dreamscapes.

4. "Umney's Last Case" - A really good story, Macy's performance pulled it off perfectly. I always wondered why they chose to adapt this one though, especially over some of Kings other classics.

5. "Autopsy Room Four" - Again, another great story...however the adaptation leaves a lot to be desired because of the hokey, over the top performances, especially from Richard Thomas and Greta Scacchi. Better actors could have produced a better episode.

6. "The Fifth Quarter" - Good performance from Sisto, but again, why do this story over something like "Grandma" or "The Jaunte". Loved the "Grandma" story.

7."The Road Virus Heads North" - The only thing they actually got right was the painting. Everything else, including Berringer's performance, was cheesy and not even a real part of the story. There was enough though, that if you have read the book you can see some of the original King story.

8. "Crouch End" - This was a good story, but the adaptation did not capture the creepy feel King brought out in the narrative. The performances were OK, and it started off on the right foot, but things quickly went south after they started wandering around the empty streets. I think director Mark Haber, just couldn't put his finger on what the point of that story was.

13JulieLill
Mar 12, 2021, 11:34 am

>11 Carol420: I saw this last year and really enjoyed it. Of course Pierce Brosnan is one of my favorite actors.

14Carol420
Mar 12, 2021, 12:13 pm

>13 JulieLill: He was so good in this role.

15Carol420
Editado: Mar 13, 2021, 11:42 am



Something Wicked (2014)
2.5/5

As a young couple embarks upon their wedding plans, gruesome secrets from their past collide with sinister forces of the present to ensure these newlyweds do not live "happily-ever-after."

There were times that I just didn't understand the "WHY" of what was happening. If you are looking for a good horror film and scary time filled with suspense you will be disappointed with this one. I just kept hoping that something would make sense. The ending was surprising enough to give it 2.5 stars, but even this isn't enough to make me recommend this film to anyone.

16featherbear
Editado: Mar 13, 2021, 5:53 pm

Millennium Actress (2001). Anime, 1 hr 27 min. Director & original story, Satoshi Kon. Screenplay, Sadayuki Murai & Satoshi Kon. Music, Susumu Hirasaw. Chief animator, Junko Abe. Been hunting around for this years ago, lost track, but then came upon it yesterday in Amazon Prime (where it can also be rented or purchased for streaming). Kon also is responsible for Tokyo Godfathers & Paprika which I’ve seen years ago (the DVDs are somewhere in my apartment unless I’m misremembering rentals from Blockbuster days; I first saw Paprkia in a theater when it came out 2006), though I hadn’t realized he also did this one. Kon died in 2010, & I believe he only made 4 features, all anime; the fourth is Perfect Blue which I haven’t seen.

Ostensibly the memories of the most important actress of the recently defunct (fictional) Ginei Studio, being interviewed by an assistant director for the studio, Tachibana (Shozo Izuka) with his much younger video tech (Kyoji Ida according to Wikipedia) to commemorate the closing of the studio. The actress, Chiyoko Fujiwara, is played by Miyoko Shoji (in old age), Mami Koyama (age 20 to early middle age) & Fumiko Orisawa (age 10-20). The story is anchored by 3 real life events: the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the year Chiyoko was born, the Niigata Earthquake of 1964, presumably the year she ended her career & became a recluse, and the Western Honshu Earthquake of 2000, the year of the interview & her death (hence the title).

The film is so fascinating because it is happening on so many levels. Movie about a movie being made (i.e., Tachibana’s documentary), the evocation of Chiyoko’s career follows the history of Japan from its medieval past to the year of the Apollo Mission of 1969 & the history of the Japanese film industry, but in so doing, it blurs the lines between her movies, the industry, & her own life. As to her own “life,” what part really happened & what part has been generated by her emotions? Moreover, Tachibana & his tech step into her memories without cinematic signaling, in both the historical events & her films, & Tachibana frequently plays the role of Chiyoko’s protector in both history & in her films, a bit of emotional wish fulfilment on his own part. If you’re a fan of Japanese films, you will probably recognize the call-out to Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood & homages to Ozu’s camera angles. Tachibana’s character(s) might be a mild dig at Mifune’s blustery performances in Kurosawa’s films. I’m pretty sure there is also an allusion to the Lady Snowblood movies, pulp fiction in comparison to the classical stuff, & I thought I saw a kaiju somewhere in the background. And Hollywood: Kon was probably aware of Sunset Boulevard at some level. There might be some All About Eve in Chiyoko's relationship with an older studio actress, Eiko Shimao (Shouko Tsuda).

The story arc begins with a chance meeting between the 10 year old Chiyoko & a young man fleeing from the police for political reasons; the suggestion is he is a left wing activist battling the beginning of the rightward turn of Japanese politics that eventually leads to the invasion of Manchuria & the World War. She shelters him from the authorities. It turns out that his true avocation is as a painter & he leaves a special key behind when he finally escapes. The rest of her life as represented by the film is an effort to find the painter/activist & return the key. Her professional career begins when she accepts a role in a movie because it will be filmed in Manchuria, where she believes the artist has escaped to. Late in her career she loses the key & this probably is one reason she retires & withdraws from the world. Tachibana gains access to the reclusive actress by presenting her with the long-lost key. His is an unrequited love for Chiyoko that seems to mirror her search for the artist. There is a sequence near the end where she finds the mysterious place the artist has promised to meet her. Her emotional life has merged with one of her last films, & she is on the moon, but the moon becomes a snowy landscape in Hokkaido, where she comes upon a canvas painted by the artist. She seems to have found him in the work, but he waves to her and disappears, just as she merges with the reality of her film art, and as the director/author circles back to the picture he has painted in animation, in which he vanishes.

17Carol420
Editado: Mar 16, 2021, 9:25 am



Monster (2003)
2.5/5

The true story of serial killer Aileen, "Lee", Wuornos who was convicted of luring men to their death and eventually executed in 2002. In 1989, she was working as a prostitute and finally makes a friend when she meets and begins a relationship with a young woman, Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, she tries to find legitimate work but with little education and limited social skills, she fails at every turn. She starts working as a hooker hitching rides along the local interstate highway and after robbing a few clients has an encounter with a vicious client whom she kills in self-defense. After that however she just takes to killing clients taking their money and car. Once arrested she claims self-defense but is eventually convicted.

It was one of those movies that you didn't know if you wanted to continue to watch the fiasco this woman was making of her life or just give it up. I grew up in Florida so I well remember the trail of chaos that she left in her wake and also the people that protested her execution instead of the state supporting her the rest of her life. When the film first came out in 2003 I heard some people claim that the film "misinterprets" some of the victims, and that it over-sympathizes with Wuoronos...but as far as I could see there was maybe two redeemable human beings in the entire thing.

18Carol420
Editado: Mar 16, 2021, 9:31 am



Inside The Rain (2019)
2/5

College film student Benjamin Glass has it all: ADHD, OCD, borderline personality. And he's also bipolar. But Glass is more than his diagnoses - he prefers the term "recklessly extravagant" -- and he's determined to prove his genius. When a misunderstanding threatens to expel him from college, Glass pushes back; he plans on recreating the incident on video, with the help of a moonlighting porn actress to clear his name. But how will he raise the money for the film, when his parents dismiss the scheme as another manic episode? The ultimate proof that if you believe in yourself anything is possible.

What a waste of good film. Benjamin is totally unlikeable and you just can't believe that this man got into any college anywhere.

19featherbear
Mar 18, 2021, 6:32 pm

1917 (2019). 1 hr 29 min. Director, Sam Mendes. Screenplay, Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Cinematography, Roger Deakins. Music: Thomas Newman. Film editing, Lee Smith. Watched this last night since Showtime was scheduled to drop it from rotation today. Interesting that both this film and Dunkirk are both considered noteworthy (in part anyway) for reasons of technical production. Dunkirk cuts back and forth among story arcs in different time frames: several days, one day, & 1 hour. 1917’s claim to technical fame is that it tries to give the illusion of being filmed in one long take, a modern version of Rope but at a higher level of difficulty, since the Hitchcock film takes place on a single stage set, while Mendes’ movie takes place, for the most part, outdoors. The purpose of the long take approach is to laser focus on the experience of two soldiers. In terms of story-telling, it reminded me a little of Underwater: quick set up, the rest of the movie almost one long action sequence, and indeed, the singular focus invites comparison to a war video game with avatars (as opposed to films based on “shooter” videos). One other production note: the score by Thomas Newman has been criticized for being too heavy or over highlighting emotions. For me, the momentum of the film was such that I didn’t notice the score.

The premise is simple: it’s World War I & we’re in the trenches with the British. The Germans have withdrawn from a key area on the front, about a day away. Col. McKenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch), commanding ca. 1600 soldiers, is close to that area & is going ahead with plans to attack the supposedly retreating Germans. But back at headquarters, aerial footage indicates the Germans intentionally withdrew in order to lure the British into an attack, where they will be slaughtered. The colonel can’t be warned remotely because the telephone lines have been cut. General Erinmore (Colin Firth) back at headquarters orders a corporal to deliver a letter to McKenzie commanding him to cease and desist from the attack. Corporal Blake (Dean Charles-Chapman) has an incentive to be the messenger (which is why he was chosen), since his brother is a lieutenant under Col. McKenzie. Corporal Blake is allowed to bring one additional soldier on his journey across No-Man’s-Land to McKenzie’s headquarters: Corporal Schofield (George McKay). Schofield was chosen at random, he has no skin in the game, though the two seem to be friends. And so the two corporals stumble off on their journey/adventure.

The story itself seems implausible: video game meets Saving Private Ryan. Sending only one tiny group of messengers seems crazy in itself & the grounds for selecting the 2 corporals seem weak as well (admittedly British army officers during this period did not have a reputation for being very good strategists, thus leading to many unnecessary deaths). The two messengers encounter & escape too many contrived obstacles, bullets, bombs, & artillery shells to a point that it sometimes seems like an allegorical quest rather than an actual war movie. In fairness, the creators did not use very much cgi. The long shot technique must have worked on me since I was sucked into the what happens next whirlpool. Mendes claims the story is based on his uncle’s tales, though maybe Uncle Mendes was telling some tall ones. Photography was excellent; Deakins certainly justified his salary and reputation.

20Carol420
Editado: Mar 19, 2021, 10:47 am



The Emperor's Club (2002)
5/5

William Hundert is a passionate and principled Classics professor who finds his tightly-controlled world shaken and inexorably altered when a new student, Sedgewick Bell, walks into his classroom. What begins as a fierce battle of wills gives way to a close student-teacher relationship, but results in a life lesson for Hundert that will still haunt him a quarter of a century later.

I couldn't image how anyone, much less a group of 13-16 year old boys could possibly be so interested in the Roman emperors...or that a school...private or public would pay a teacher to teach nothing else for nearly 40 years...but that's part of the story here. Something I did find interesting as a sideline was an article that I found about Kevin Kline who portrayed...beautifully I might add...Professor William Hundert. I will include it at the end of this. I was not expecting too much from this movie, other than the always pleasurable experience of watching Kevin Kline. It was the story of a good man doing the only great thing left for him to do: trying to correct what he considered a grievous wrong. Watchers learn that every time it really is the thought that counts.

Kevin Kline attended Saint Louis Priory School in Missouri, a private, all-boys Benedictine high school similar to the school in the film. He drew inspiration for his performance from his experiences there, including one of his Latin teachers.

21Carol420
Mar 20, 2021, 8:46 am


4.5/5

Tommy Season 1 -( 2020)

A former high-ranking NYPD officer becomes the first female Chief of Police in Los Angeles.

I like the character of "Tommy". In spite of what the old established clique of police officers try to throw at her, or how they try to justify the old establishment...she pushes for and on the side of right and justice. She sticks up for her cops...bashes reporters when they cross the line... and it has a touch of humor. Plus...IT"S EADIE FALCO!

22JulieLill
Mar 20, 2021, 10:25 am

>20 Carol420: I don't think I ever saw The Emperor's Club. Will have to try and find a copy of it. I do like Kevin Kline!

23Carol420
Mar 20, 2021, 10:47 am

>22 JulieLill: I was surprised how much I liked it. Hope you do also.

24.cris
Mar 25, 2021, 7:56 am

Sound of Metal 2019. At last, an Oscar nominee that (imho) deserves it's place. Riz Ahmed is brilliant as a drummer who is, at a time in his life, as happy as he's ever been. He realises he is going rapidly deaf and very reluctantly books into a facility for deaf addicts, just waiting for the day he can raise the money for implants and return to his "perfect" life. I loved it. I loved Riz Ahmed. I loved the story-line. Thumbs up (at last) from me.

25featherbear
Mar 28, 2021, 6:12 pm

Watching Div 1 Women’s Basketball the past week, but had a day open to catch up on a number of movies which I started the week before:

Juliet of the Spirits (1965). 2 hr 17 min, color (and how!). Director/screenwriter: Federico Fellini. Cinematography: Gianni di Venanzo. Film editing: Ruggerio Fellini. Music: Nino Rota (the catchy score must have had some popularity back in the day ‘cause it seemed familiar). As far as I know, the zany “look” can be attributed to Piero Gheradi (Art Direction & Costumes) and Vito Anzalone (Set Direction), although I’m sure Fellini had some input.

The whole film revolves around Giulietta (Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s wife in real life) who is trying to decide what to do with her philandering husband Giorgio (Mario Pisu). The milieu is among the ultra-rich of Italy. Masina seems an odd bird as an actor; she seems to be someone from the silent film era. She hardly speaks (her character in La Strada is mute), and then in short sentences or yes/no. But her face and body language is subtle and expressive, if reserved. Everyone else chatters & acts out non-stop. I’ve been trying to track down what I’ve read is her greatest role in Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria to see if her acting style is consistent with my take – she plays a prostitute.

But back to Giulietta. Although everyone in her circle is secular to the point of decadence, she seems to be unworldly – the film has a flashback where she plays a martyr in a play at her primary Catholic school (nuns all over the place). She lies in a bed of (stylized) flames & ascends to heaven through stage machinery, until her role is interrupted by her atheist father. There’s a parallel scene when she is raised up in a basket to the treehouse of her eccentric & highly sexual neighbor Suzy (Sandra Milo, who plays multiple roles). She has an encounter with a guru who also encourages her to be more relaxed about sexual relationships. In all cases she politely declines. She also seems to be attracted to her husband’s handsome guest, a Spanish bullfighter. Both of her parents were highly secular – her mother (Caterina Boratto) appears to have been intimidatingly beautiful & worldly; we have already met her atheist father, both made to seem larger than life in the flashbacks. Although Fellini obviously has a strong affinity for the flashy and trashy, he also presents Giulietta’s spiritual & moral struggles sympathetically, mostly by letting Masina be her reserved self, while the rest of the world seems to be going crazy. Maybe a film about his own psychological ambivalence?

26.cris
Mar 31, 2021, 10:19 am

The Father 2021. A beautifully acted and touching film about a man disappearing into dementia. Sir Anthony Hopkins and (eventually, I hope) "Dame" Olivia Colman are the father and daughter caught up in the mystery of what is real and what is warped memory. Loved it to bits, as sad as it was.

27Carol420
Mar 31, 2021, 10:35 am

>26 .cris: I have this one but haven't watched it yet. I'm looking forward to seeing it now.

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