Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

[bizarre]

I liked it, but Iwish it had lived up to the promise of its first 15 minutes - here Clément does something interesting, and very appropriate, with the war genre. In shooting these 'action' sequences mainly in medium-long shot, with uncomplicated editing and a lack of intrusive scoring, Clément makes the bridge scene seem both viscerally, immediately gutwrenching and utterly ordinary and cuts to the core of war as the destruction of a mundane reality rather than the enrichment of a cinematic reality with action and bathos. It is what makes the image where Paulette's parents die so shocking and powerful. The film explores other tonal ground as it wears on, and never quite manages to marry its semireligious warmth and comedy with the sober treatment of death it originally sets out to create. And near the end it seems to fizzle out - those last images would have been far more effective with more context. Brigitte Fossey is a revelation and Georges Poujouly is also very strong.

[Sabin]

Only a B+ for Forbidden Games, bizarre?

Twas a time where I held Rene Clement's film above most any other.

[Precious Doll]

Tyrannsaur (2011) Paddy Considine 7/10
Perfect Sense (2011) David MacKenzie 5/10
Dream House (2011) Jim Sheridan 4/10
The Big Picture (2010) Eric Lartigau 5/10
Waste Land (2010) Lucy Walker 7/10
Jew Suss: Rise and Fall (2010) Oskar Roehler 7/10
Against the Wind (2011) Jalil Lespert 6/10
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011) Robert Guediguian 9/10

[bizarre]

Shadow of a Doubt (1943, Hitchcock) ... A-
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944, Sturges) ... A-
The Innocents (1961, Clayton) ... A
Nabi (2001, Moon) ... B-
Rebecca (1940, Hitchcock) ... B+
Blue (2001, Ando) ... A-
A Letter to Three Wives (1949, Mankiewicz) ... B
Dirty Girl (2010, Sylvia) ... C-
Bashing (2005, Kobayashi) ... C
Terri (2011, Jacobs) ... B-
Fireworks Wednesday (2006, Farhadi) ... A-
X-Men: First Class (2011, Vaughn) ... C-
Raging Bull (1980, Scorsese) ... A
They Made Me a Fugitive (1947, Cavalcanti) ... A-
The White Reindeer (1952, Blomberg) ... B+
Forbidden Games (1952, Clément) ... B+
The Headless Woman (2008, Martel) ... B+
Ikiru (1952, Kurosawa) ... C+
Late Autumn (1960, Ozu) ... A-
Yield to the Night (1956, Thompson) ... B+
Pépé le Moko (1937, Duvivier) ... B+

[rudeboy]

We Bought a Zoo (2011) Cameron Crowe - 5
Plein Soleil (1960) Rene Clement - 8
Dodsworth (1936) William Wyler - 8
The Most Dangerous Game (1932) Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack - 7
Remember the Night (1940) Mitchell Leiser - 6
The Descendants (2011) Alexander Payne - 4
The Grey (2012) Joe Carnahan - 5
Beautiful Boy (2010) Shawn Ku - 4
Chronicle (2012) John Trank - 7

[Reza]

And the Ship Sails On (Federico Fellini, 1985) 7/10

A group of opera singers and other assorted admirers board a luxury liner to scatter the ashes of a great opera singer near an island far out to sea. The film is a visual feast of great production design, exotic characters with faces that tell stories and soaring music. The fake sets, sounds and visuals add power to the whole piece just like Grand Opera.

My Week With Marilyn (Simon Curtis, 2011) 5/10

Outstanding performance by Michelle Williams as Marilyn, who arrives in London to shoot The Prince and the Showgirl to be directed by Laurence Olivier (played by Kenneth Branagh doing a wicked take on Olivier). The film deals with the problems faced by both stars - she having to deal with her shyness and neurosis and he having to deal with a troubled production thanks to her. Williams does not try to create a carbon copy but manages to successfully convey the fragile nature of the sex bomb. Interesting bits by Judi Dench (as Dame Sybil Thorndike) and Julia Ormond (as Vivien Leigh). The London of the 1950s is perfectly captured.

Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes, 2011) 5/10

The language of Shakespeare, although sometimes difficult to understand, is the whole show. Coriolanus, a Roman general is a war hero but at odds in his politics with the citizens of Rome. He is urged to run as Consul by his mother Volumnia (the superb Vanessa Redgrave) but as he is not diplomatic he is banished by the people. He then joins hands with his enemy and returns with an attack on Rome leading to the inevitable tragedy. Fiennes has transported the story to modern times with scenes of violent modern warfare and for the most part it woks. The only fly in the ointment is a miscast Gerald Butler playing Fiennes' rival. And Jessica Chastain has a thankless part as Coriolanus' wife.

The Flowers of War (Zhang Yimou, 2011) 7/10

Fascinating film set during the 1937 rape of Nanking by Japanese forces. An American comes to the aid of a group of young Chinese girls trapped in a convent by impersonating a priest. Also seeking refuge at the convent are a group of Chinese prostitutes. Bale starts off very annoying but gradually settles into the role as a self centered man who redeems himself by putting the lives of others before his own. Stunning battle scenes with graphic violence that recreates a horrific event in history. As with all of Yimou's films this one, too, has great production values and superb cinematography.

Le Passager de la Pluie / Rider on the Rain (René Clément, 1970) 8/10

A woman is assaulted by a man and she kills and disposes off his body. The following day a mysterious stranger in town starts playing a cat and mouse game with her accusing her of the murder. Of course there is more to it than meets the eye. Solid suspense film with an outstanding performance by Marlene Jobert and Bronson gives solid support as the stranger with the ''Cheshire Cat' grin who appears to be hiding something.

[HarryGoldfarb]

These three, watched before the Academy Awards...

The Descendants (2011): 7/10
Not perfect, but I really enjoyed it, something I wasn't expecting specially after all the hate the film has received in here. For my money, either Clooney or Pitt would have been very decent choices for Best Actor, at least as much as Dujardin.

A Separation (2011): 8,5
I really thought this could take Allen's award out of his hands. Sareh Bayat deserved a nomination for Best Supporting Actress (had it happened, I would have really thought the award wasn't a sure thing for Spencer).

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956): 7,5
An outstanding piece of entertainment, filled with so many interesting ideas. Existentialism for the masses... I just loved it, even though there's a big plot hole nearing the end.

After Academy Awards...

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011): 7,5/10

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011): 9/10

War of the Worlds (1953): 6/10
The film hasn't stood up that well through time, specially in the acting department. The effects are impressive and I can not understand how did it fail to win the award for Sound Recording. Those special sound effects have been unbelievably overused, at least as recently as the 80's. The technical features of the film are way too interesting.

[Precious Doll]

The Human Centipede 2 (2011) Tim Six 2/10
Civic Life (2011) Christine Molloy & Joe Dawlor 6/10
I Flunked But....(1930) Yasujiro Ozu 5/10
Like Crazy (2011) Drake Doremus 7/10
Carnage (2011) Roman Polanski 4/10
The Devil's Double (2011) Lee Tamahori 7/10
Tiny Furniture (2010) Lena Dunham 7/10
Miss Bala (20110 Gerardo Naranjo 7/10
Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) Dario Argento 7/10

[Precious Doll]

Jess + Moss (2011) Clay Jeter 5/10
Trespass (2011) Joel Schumacher 1/10
Mother's Day (2011) Darren Lnn Bousman 2/10
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) 4/10 Stephen Daldry
This Means War (2012) McG 4/10
The Mob (1951) Robert Parrish 4/10
Drive a Crooked Road (1954) Richard Quine 5/10

Repeat viewings

Prostitute (1980) Tony Garnett 8/10
Handgun (1984) Tony Garnett 7/10

It's such a shame that British directory Tony Garnett has only ever directed two feature films. His first film Prostitute is probably the best film ever made dealing with the 'issue' of prostitution whilst Handgun, made in the US, is one of the most effective rape/revenge dramas made. Never film is exploitive in the least, but nor are they sentimental takes on highly emotional issues. If someone had shown me these films without the directors credit I would have thought they were made by a feminist filmmaker. Tony Garnett's two films are somewhat in the style of Ken Loach and Handgun also gave actress Karen Young the best role of her career. I hadn't seen either since there initial release and didn't remember much about them and it was a rewarding experience to rediscover them.

Listzomania (1975) Ken Russell 7/10
Gothic (1986) Ken Russell 6/10

Only last week when I stated that 'all' of Ken Russell's films have stood the test of time a reviewing of two of his films I thought my highly of a couple of decades ago proved me wrong. Funny seeing a much younger Timothy Spall (totally unknown in 1986) in Gothic.

Shanghai Express (1932) Josef von Sternberg 6/10

I first saw this at a repertory cinema in the 1980s and found it a mid range von Sternberg effort. I'm afraid my feelings haven't changed but Dietrich is as captivating as ever. The Scarlet Empress, Morocco & Blond Venus remain the quintessential Dietrich/von Sternbergs for me.

The Last Days of Chaz Nous (1992) Gillian Armstrong 8/10

I saw this twice when it was first released and it remains the only Gillian Armstrong find (aside from some of her documentary work) that I like. My partner and I watched it again primarily because it was filmed where we now live and was surprised to see that the house used in the film is just around the corner from ours and hasn't changed in 20 years. The film itself hasn't lost it's power and much of that is due to Helen Garners screenplay and a fine ensemble cast with the standout being New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, who is heartbreaking real in the film. The great Kerry Fox places her free wheeling sister.

[Reza]

The Deep Blue Sea (Terence Davies, 2011) 6/10

Postwar London 1950s: Emotionally needy Rachel Weisz, the wife of a much older titled judge (Simon Russell Beale), leaves him and gets involved in a self destructive affair with a Royal Air Force Pilot (Tom Hiddelston). Much unhappiness all around with acting honors going to the superb Weisz who cannot understand why her lover cannot love her with the same intensity as she does him.

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan / My Brother's Bride (Ali Hussain Zafar, 2011) 5/10

Ali Zafar, living in London, wants to marry an Indian girl from India. He asks his brother (Imran Khan) to find a girl for him and Katrina Kaif is presented and accepted. The obligatory complication: Little brother falls in love with the bride-to-be. Cute comedy with one outstanding song by Rahat Fateh Ali. Katrina plays a free spirit and her energetic performance netted her a Filmfare nomination. However, the film belongs to young Imran Khan who is going places with each film.

The Monte Carlo Story (Samuel L. Taylor, 1957) 5/10

Silly film about two ''mature'' down-on-their-luck fortune hunters on the prowl at the casinos of Monte. The two stars - De Sica and Dietrich - are both charming, he very debonair and she dressed to her teeth in Jean Louis with a dead pan Kabuki like face stretched taut via various facial surgeries. No wonder there are no close up shots of her face, which for a Dietrich film is extremely rare. She even walks like a robot which could have something to do with being stitched into those tight gowns. Lovely views of Monaco and the Riviera throughout.

The Woman in Black (James Watkins, 2012) 5/10

Creepy ghost story with the real stars being the production designers and the sound effect editors. A young solicitor travels to a remote village to sort out the papers of a deceased client and is instead confronted by a village full of scared people and a house that goes bump in the night thanks to the pesky woman in the title. A couple of great scares. Oh yes, this is Daniel Radcliffe's first film after the end of the Harry Potter series and, although a good try, he is too young for the part.

I'm All Right Jack (Roy Boulting, 1959) 7/10

A naive aristocrat is used as a tool by his rich Uncle and the labour union at a factory when he decides to go into his family's business and start at the bottom of the ladder. Amusing film with a superb cast of British character actors all at their peak.

The Grey (Joe Canahan, 2012) 4/10

Liam Neeson leads a motley group of six men after a plane crashes in an icy wilderness. They fight the harsh elements and a pack of wolves who are out to get them. Neeson's angst is laid on a bit too thick and after the first hour the film begins to drag endlessly and I seriously began to root for the wolves.

Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus, 1959) 8/10

The mythical story of Orpheus and Eurydice is retold via the meeting and instant attraction between a bus conductor and a woman who has run away from her village and come to Rio. The story is set during Carnival time with vibrant music from start to finish. Feels like a musical with the characters dancing from the word go and leading to the inevitable finale. An Oscar winner.

Too Bad She's Bad (Alessandro Blasetti, 1954) 6/10

Amusing comedy about De Sica and Loren playing a father and daughter who along with their family members are all petty crooks. Mastroianni is a taxi driver who's car she tries to steal. An early teaming of the star duo and their chemistry is very evident. The best part is listening to the rapid fire delivery of the Italian language spoken with such passion by every character.

[flipp525]

Joe (John G. Avildsen, 1970) 7/10

A rather shocking portrait of urban despair and cross-generational angst. When a well-to-do father (Dennis Patrick) accidentally kills his daughter's drug dealing boyfriend (who has the kind of fantastic abs you can only get from mainlining heroin and not eating), it sets him down a chaotic path of sex, drugs and murder as he navigates his way through the counterculture of early 70's New York with the help of a new friend (the titular character played by Peter Boyle). Boyle's "Joe" is something of a fabulous creation—harnessing all the rage of an older generation, yet naturally drawn to the hippie counterculture. He is racist, bigoted, misogynistic (the prototype for "All in the Family" Archie Bunker, it would seem) but he's also the kind of guy who still asks after his wife's soap operas when he comes home from work. When he's lying in bed after a bout of "free love" with a hippie chick and asks the girl if they can do it again, there's an earnestness that seems to partly explain his verbal contempt for the group he spends most of the film vilifying. The ending sequence must have absolutely shocked audiences upon its initial release. Susan Sarandon plays the small, yet pivotal role, of Patrick's free-thinking daughter.

Joe is gritty and realistic, very much capturing a particular milieu that would be almost unachievable today. In fact, the film would probably not even be made today, which is unfortunate. Norman Wexler's screenplay received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

[Reza]

I agree. The Cranes Are Flying and Ballad of a Soldier were films univesal in their appeal that helped thaw the cold war if just a tiny bit in their day and remain very moving today.

I meant to rate Cranes a 7/10. Typo error. However, I would rate Ballad an 8 or a 9. What a moving film.

[Reza]

I don't really understand anyone grading The Cranes Are Flying so low.

It was a typo. Meant to give it a 7/10.

[HarryGoldfarb]

The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius, 2011): An unexpected and surprisingly INNOCUOUS film. A well-made movie in any case, but I'm surprised at the reception it has gotten. For my money, it is so far incredibly overrated. Perhaps the consensus only proves the lack of current productions levels, the current crisis of auteur cinema. This device looks interesting because of the "occurrence" of Hazanavicius to make a silent and black & white movie. The script is obviously committed to entertain, and of course it does and it is enjoyable, but above all, very accessible. What I do not like is that thanks to the "trick" (the "silent" aspect of it, the color of it) the film has been elevated somehow to a work of art, and it isn't. The tribute is accomplished, but that's it ... The film is one of those where the form prevails over substance, and of course it is a lovely "form" but I really expected a lot more "substance". The very same film, made with spoken dialogues and in full color, would have been an incomplete and maybe uneventful one. I hope it encourages more people to go and check more of the 20's cinema, but sadly I doubt it. It is purely a phenomenon of the moment. Good performances (I wasn't that awed), good music (at least very reminiscent of the old scores) and a great dog. If this film wins the Oscar (of course it will), it'll be some kind of equivalent to Chicago (the final scene, the tap dancing, is the exact equivalent to "Nowadays"). 7/10

Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011): Maybe the exact opposite to The Artist. I wasn't expecting to like this film but then I found a very smart script, with an engaging story and great performances. Pitt did an amazing job, specially considerinng that he doesn't go to the overused in our times gimmick of "deglamourizing" himself in order to portrait a regular character. The oddity of the film is that it doesn't depend on big in-your-face over-emotional scenes or grandiloquent speeches. That's what I liked the most, how it was at the same time both entertaining and illustrative with a pitch perfect rythm. A masterpiece? No, but I film I deeply enjoyed. By the way, Miller was far better here that in Capote. This is a solid directing work. 7/10

Steel Magnolias (Herbert Ross, 1989): A very (unintentional?) campy film. Very hard to sat through the whole thing (it took me a few days). Cheesy to say the least. Dukakis and McLaine were more interesting than Roberts, who got a nomination for playing one of the most inaccurate descriptions of a chronic disease ever. Field's breakdown scene is more laughable than moving. Hannah was actually invisible and Parton was somehow a nice presence through the mess the film is. 3,5/10

The Help (Tate Taylor, 2011): While I liked the film as a whole, I can not treat it as it is a good one. It is not. I can not believe how, having such a powerful material, they wasted it with this summer-type condescending product. Maybe the source is the one to blame, but in adapting it the filmmakers could have done a much much better work. It is at some points a soap-opera, an episode of a TV Mini-Series (lighting included), a summer chick-flick, a light comedy, and all of those moments try to pass for a serious drama. A very cheap direction, a wost screenplay but then again we have a wonderful cast doing marvelous stuff with this great story and very bad script (the good gals are VERY good and the bad girls VERY bad so no one gets confused). Spencer is a winner in my book. I didn't buy Davis that much (she reminded me, constantly, to Whoopi in The Color Purple). 5,5/10

Fired Up! (Will Gluck, 2009): How Gluck was allowed to direct after this mess is beyond me. Some points just because a few lines actually made me smile. 2/10

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011): 10/10

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Kevin Tancharoen, 2011): One of the worst concert films ever. A pure, simple concert, without the uninspired narrative devices (the chopped interviews and the "sad but encouraging" stories, yikes!) would have been better 2/10

La Niña de Tus Ojos (Fernando Trueba, 1998): Very funny. A very good film despite its flaws. I loved the mixture of comedy and costume film. Penélope Cruz and the rest of the cast did a wonderful work. Maybe the biggest flaw of the film is its ending, somehow rushed and sadly it is not effective at all. 6,5/10

Elipsis (Eduardo Arias-Nath, 2006): An interesting attempt to make a film about (too many) literary devices. This Venezuelan film is highly praised here but I am not sure why. It has some (not so) good performances and the script tries too hard to create something "different" to the local standard productions, but it feels way too theatrical. The film is very self-important, pretentious and in the end it seems naive. The script deserved a better director. The best thing about it was the performance by Brazilian composer Seu Jorge. 4/10

La Hora Cero (Diego Velasco, 2010): I really tried to stay away from this film. It was one of the highest grossing films here in Venezuela last year (maybe the highest grossing Venezuelan film ever, but I am not sure) and its popularity made me suspicious. Finally my brother made me watch it and I must say I really enjoyed it. It is one of the few Venezuelan films I can honestly say doesn't have anything to envy to big countries productions. It doesn't look cheap, its production values are great to see and it is incredibly acted and written. The story itself has some flaws but in the end it was a great and pleasantly surprising experience. 6/10

Belle Epoque (Fernando Trueba, 1992): Re-watched. It has aged quite nicely. Great cast (it is always a pleasure to see Fernando Fernán Gómez) and a nice story. Enjoyable all the way. 7,5/10

La Piel que Habito (Pedro Almodóvar, 2011): Far from being one of Pedro's best film, but it is all the same the work of his restless and creative mind. Banderas should be very grateful: he looks like a good actor. 7/10

The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey, 2009): Re-watched and fully re-enjoyed! 7,5/10

[anonymous1980]

A Touch of Zen (King Hu) - 9/10.