Mar 13, 2016

Rocky Balboa. Creed inspired me to go back and check this one out. What an awful awful movie. Easily the worst Rocky movie. It literally did nothing for the franchise except let people know that Adrian died at some point between 5 and 6. The fight scene was just as bad. Stallone wanted it to look like you were watching a live fight instead of a fight in a movie. Bad choice. And 60 year old shirtless Stallone boxing just came across as corny. 3/10.

 

Mar 13, 2016

• 
  Deadpool 2016
  ★★½ Watched 11 Mar, 2016
  
  That pesky, needy kid trying to impress the grown-ups through flippant/'cool' behaviour. you pity but appreciate the effort.
  
  61/100 - Decent.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Human Centipede (First Sequence) 2009
  ★ Watched 10 Mar, 2016
  
  A streamlined narrative takes the viewer on an accidentally self-parodying gimmick flick more awkward than alluring.
  
  38/100 - Awful.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Universe 1960
  ★★★★½ Watched 10 Mar, 2016
  
  An impressive and informed documentary short with a breathtaking visual style only minorly slighted by its didactic approach.
  
  85/100 - Excellent.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Last Laugh 1924
  ★★★★ Watched 08 Mar, 2016 2
  
  An early melodrama with questionable values and final segment but evocative subjective-expressionistic tendencies.
  
  80/100 - Great.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Walk 2015
  ★½ Watched 05 Mar, 2016
  
  The few bits of spectacle do not make up for this instagram filtered assault on cinematography.
  
  43/100 - Bad.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Un Français 2015
  ★★★★ Watched 05 Mar, 2016
  
  Boasting narrative economy and a rich mise-en-scene, French Blood offers a provocative glimpse of restraint.
  
  82/100 - Great.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Butler 2013
  ★★★ Watched 03 Mar, 2016
  
  Superficially gleans over context-informing histories to produce a poorly developed but well performed portrait of a man, who is poignantly presented as the epitome of a dignified black American amid 20th century racial tensions.
  
  66/100 - Good.
  

 

Mar 13, 2016

Currently watching "Resevoir Dogs". One of my favourites.

 

Mar 14, 2016

been watching a s--- load of martial arts/foreign movies on netflix lately

IP Man, IP Man 2, IP Man: The Final Fight, Kung Fu Killer, Legend Of The Fist: The Return Of Chen Zen, the new Crouching Tiger movie, No Tears For The Dead, Commitment. I liked most of them a lot, tho Legend Of The Fist was sort of boring imo, and the new Crouching Tiger sort of lame and anticlimactic...

Bout to dig into IP Man 3 in a bit, and later Mockingjay Part 1/2. Also been rewatching the Resident Evil movies, and the Underworld movies. Planning to rewatch Constantine, Queen Of The d---ed, and Hellboy 2 (just watched 1 again a couple weeks ago).

 

Mar 15, 2016

• 
  Waging War 2013
  ★★★ Watched 14 Mar, 2016
  
  A thoughtful, finely composed, and dynamically realized short subtly commenting on adolescent existential angst.
  
  69/100 - Decent.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Zero Dark Thirty 2012
  ★★★½ Watched 13 Mar, 2016 1
  
  Supported by a strident performance from Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty is a process film and a dramatically human film in one, most telling of determination, will, and finding meaning in one's activities.
  
  77/100 - Very Good.
  
  1 like
  
  
• 
  On the Road 2012
  ★★★ Watched 13 Mar, 2016 3
  
  Taken by itself, this is a pretty good film, and so I will give it a pretty good rating. The cinematography, lighting, and set design are good; the performances vary, most are mediocre but all are passable. The problem isn't that On The Road is a bad film but that it is an inauthentic adaptation of a great novel. Though the film tries adamantly to hold fast to the tidings of the book, following the script and dialogue very closely (aside from jumping lengths of Parts 3 and 4), reciting lines and following a previously treaded journey is not the same as living the part, and none of the characters on screen resemble those in the book, even less so the real folk the characters are based on (Kerouac, Cassady, Ginsberg etc.).
  
  The film only surveys the beat generation on the surface. That is, the film only adapts Kerouac's book on the surface. This film mortifies Neal Cassady's eccentricities and Kerouac's rambling prose (learned from Cassady) by presenting a relatively conservative slow-talking Dean Moriarty in place of the beat symbolic ecstasy sharing Saint that is Dean Moriarty. The filmmakers' poor casting here is telling; On The Road, the film, is a different story altogether, a different story with parallel happenings, and one which exploits the success of Kerouac's infamous novel. The 'cinematic' finale which manipulates the time sequence of certain events is the proof in the pudding.
  
  Truly, the film should have been made with more effort to realize its feeling than its plot, because the plot itself could have been adapted to a 2000s aesthetic and felt more authentic. That the film parades as a close reading while missing the sensibilities of the Beat generation, which Kerouac himself felt required Cassady's eccentric, manic-depressive, ranting form of prose in order to realize, is where the film's screenplay draws faults and runs inconsistent to the quality of its more than adequate cinematography.
  
  65/100 - Pretty Good.
  

 

Mar 15, 2016

I liked that one, at least i can say it's not the worst

@FilmAndWhisky The Last Laugh is great, one of my favorite Murnau films

 

Mar 15, 2016

I think it truly could have shined without studio interference. I think it's great, but not the masterpiece it could have been.

 

Mar 15, 2016

i finally watched guardians of the galaxy lol

 

Mar 15, 2016

Which do you think is the worst? I'm assuming 5? Which is your favorite?

Honestly I think the weakest link of the entire series was the character of Rocky's son. It's no coincidence that the only two bad films of the series (5 and 6) were the two in which he had a starring role. Having him "move away" in Creed might've been the best decision of the series. Lol.

 

Mar 17, 2016

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009) ★★★✩✩


I was in the mood for some William Defoe and stumbled upon this Werner Herzog directed crime story based on true events and starring Michael Shannon. I'm going to be honest and say I think Herzog makes more engaging documentaries than he does films at least from what I've seen. Still, his style of story telling is so uniquely patient that I usually enjoy myself. I liked the structure of having the story focus on the day of the crime with the detective doing interviews to piece together what drove Michael Shannon's character to do it. There are a few unforgettably strange moments which is par for the course for Herzog, but overall I found it a little anticlimactic.

http://boxd.it/8WXc9

Black Death (2010) ★★✩✩✩


Some of the least memorable characters ever put to screen. There's a love interest you get to know for one scene yet the whole climax revolves around. There's a band of brothers you find out the most about through a single conversation with exposition like "That's Igor. He's a brute. Killed his own mother." When they sit around the campfire, you expect them to bond or something, but they each just rattle off one liners. The villain might be the best character, but the script does very little to make her unlikable. There's a strong argument to be made that she was in the right in defending her village from religious nuts who would bring the Plague. She provided medical care. Everybody seemed way better off than in the city. Sure, she occasionally drugged people to stage miracles, but our protagonists were all ****** murderers besides Eddie "Inexplicably Successful" Redmayne. To end this review on a positive, you don't have to pay very much attention to it and the costume/set/sound design were all pretty good.

http://boxd.it/8YtRP

 

Mar 19, 2016

I watched this last night on Showtime. Enjoyed it from the start, it's a charming film that lifts your charm and spirit in many ways..will own it when I get the chance.. 8.7/10

 

Mar 19, 2016

Godzilla (2014) ★★★✩✩


While I admire Garreth Edwards' restraint in focusing on the human story and denying us the spectacle until the final act, the human story feels contrived, and the spectacle is tarnished by poor lighting. Why hide the purposely gratifying climax in the shadows? The sound design might be its most divisive quality, using silence to bolster uproar despite breaking immersion. This movie is almost as good as the trailers, which means success for a blockbuster. Props to Warner Brothers for giving an indie director a shot. It worked a lot better here than with Jurassic World.

http://boxd.it/8ZZOv

 

Mar 19, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It was alright, I don't think I'd watch it again. Felt a little long towards the end. Was amazed at how much screen time Harrison Ford got.

 

Mar 20, 2016

10 Cloverfield Lane - It was an odd movie, especially the end. Just overall felt strange. Some shocking parts, somethings left in mystery (not explained). I was engaged watching it though, I'll give it that. It kept my interest. But the last 10 minutes or so is a bit meh.

 

Mar 21, 2016

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  A Brighter Summer Day 1991
  ★★★★★ Watched 20 Mar, 2016
  
  Yang's pragmatic use of visual and narrative space masterfully presents all of life's intricate dimensions.
  
  98/100 - Masterful
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Moscow Elegy 1987
  ★★★½ Watched 19 Mar, 2016
  
  Tarkovky's cinema demonstrates the impermanence of time and immortality of eternity. Sokurov recognizes this by documenting Tarkovsky's Russian humanist resolve in contrast to socialist shifts and exile. Subtle yet forthcoming, with Sokurov's voice-over narrative providing candid and moderate insight.
  
  76/100 - Very Good
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Prisoners 2013
  ★★★★★ Rewatched 18 Mar, 2016
  
  96/100 ~ MASTERFUL. Boasting powerful performances, a strong visual design, and, most importantly, a sophisticated script, Prisoners achieves what few recent Hollywood productions have accomplished: a film that delivers on both the commercial and cinematic front.
  
  Formerly 98/100 (old rating scheme), and reviewed at Next Projection for TIFF13. Third screening.
  
  nextprojection.com/2013/09/07/tiff-2013-review-prisoners-2013-np-approved/
  
  1 like
  
  
• 
  The Spirit of the Beehive 1973
  ★★★★★ Watched 15 Mar, 2016
  
  A gorgeous golden colour palette, arresting cinematography, and wonderful child performance mesmerize the viewer.
  
  95/100 - Amazing.
  
  1 like
  
  
• 
  The Help 2011
  ★★★ Watched 15 Mar, 2016
  
  A safe, Oscar-type film with amiable performances from several charismatic actresses.
  
  71/100 - Good.
  

 

Mar 21, 2016

For A Few Dollars More

another really good western. and it wasn't too much like a fistful of dollars, which is a great thing. clint eastwood is awesome in these movies and too quick with his gun. next up i'm gonna watch the good, the bad and the ugly

 

Mar 23, 2016

 

Mar 24, 2016

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  Hit 2 Pass 2014
  ★★★½ Watched 22 Mar, 2016
  
  Post-cinematic affect manifested through the use of thematically substantial, narratively abstract, visual motifs. Multifaceted filmmaking in the digital age.
  
  77/100 - Very Good.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Harakiri 1962
  ★★★★★ Watched 22 Mar, 2016
  
  Few films compare when regarding the meticulous detail and affecting nature of each structured composition. Film as craft.
  
  94/100 - Amazing.
  
  No likes
  
  
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  Stereo 1969
  ★★★★ Watched 21 Mar, 2016
  
  A highly intellectual demonstration of futurist scientific theory regarding telepathy & omnisexuality--the discovery of man's truth.
  
  80/100 - Great.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Hole 1998
  ★★★★ Watched 20 Mar, 2016
  
  Sometimes unsettling or surreal, atmospherically charged, eccentric and sexual, perverse, dark yet illuminating.
  
  84/100 - Great.
  

 

Mar 24, 2016

I watched Good Will Hunting for the first time a few weeks ago. One of the best movies I've ever seen. Also watched Assault on Wall Street. Was pretty good.

 

Mar 29, 2016

• 
  Predestination 2014
  ★★★★ Watched 29 Mar, 2016
  
  An immensely captivating and truly entertaining blockbuster, in spite of certain narrative flaws, made-for-audience cinematography, and requisite for suspension of disbelief.
  
  76/100 (critical score) + 5 Bonus personal experience points.
  
  81/100 - Great.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Jungle Book 1967
  ★★★½ Watched 27 Mar, 2016
  
  Classic disney with strong morals and positive role-modeling.
  
  75/100 - Very Good.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Knight of Cups 2015
  ★★★★½ Rewatched 26 Mar, 2016
  
  Softened a bit on KNIGHT OF CUPS re-watch, but critique it the same, 'It borders between genius and superficial'.
  
  Terrence Malick has slowly slipped further into solipsism with each new film. Self=Universe. Discovery of internal through external.
  
  bit.ly/1Rmk5No
  
  85/100 - Excellent.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Taxi 2015
  ★★★★½ Rewatched 25 Mar, 2016
  
  Panahi's most aesthetically pure and visually provocative film, chalk full of self-reference, cultural exposition, and homage to cinema. The Kiarostami-esque close up of a rose, eastern string instrumentation in the soundtrack, and long tracking takes from the taxi's interior render a profound and verisimilar experience. May have worked even better as a single long take.
  
  85/100 - Excellent
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  A Most Violent Year 2014
  ★★★ Watched 25 Mar, 2016
  
  Some great tracking shots and a nice mise-en-scene, but the narrative is rhythmically flat and a tad convoluted.
  
  72/100 - Good.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  Lincoln 2012
  ★★½ Watched 24 Mar, 2016
  
  Pedantic and verbose, theatrical non cinematic, stiff and staged, with a few strong but far spread monologues.
  
  63/100 - Decent.
  
  No likes
  
  
• 
  The Departed 2006
  ★★★★½ Rewatched 24 Mar, 2016
  
  An intricately structured, well performed tapestry of the deceit, fear, and hypocrisy found within the games of cops and criminals.
  
  86/100 - Excellent.
  
  1 like