Your last watched film? Your review?
Anonymous :
22 days ago :
No.3829
>>3865
>>3829
Funny, I felt underwhelmed by Cure but kind of liked Pulse. There was clearly a lot of film-making craft in Cure: very well shot, tasteful color grade, good performances etc, but somehow it didn't quite cohere for me. Perhaps detective genre expectations were a factor-- I feel like the best crime/mystery movies have a very tight plot and a lean script, whereas the somewhat meandering discursive nature of Kurosawa's style fits an offbeat horror mold better. I wanted to like Cure more than I did-- it has such a large cult following that I'm sure there's something to it I'm missing.
How was Charisma? Worth a watch even for a Kurosawa skeptic?
Few weeks back I've watched Kurosawa's "Cure", and it really stuck with me, much more so than "Pulse" or "Charisma". Superb psychological thriller kind of movie, and the psychological themes and social commentary land really well in it unlike with most of the genre. It's amazingly filmed, not just because of Kurosawa's overall directing talent and penchant for showing decrepit urban spaces in great detail, but more so because of its hypnotic rhythm that it induces in the watcher. Managed to make me feel escalatingly uneasy through the whole experience, without ever missing the beat or relying on cheap horror bit.
Anonymous :
22 days ago :
No.3831
>>3932
I watched Conclave on a plane which feels like the kind of viewing it deserved. It's hard to describe how inadequate the script is to the rest of the film. The performers were A-level, but the script gave no one a great moment to deliver. The costumes, set, and staging were all vivid but without any purpose or insight. The plodding drama eliminated one rival after another in a way that achieved no higher synthesis or complication (>>3867 "kindergarten politics" is a good way to put it). And so the ending seemed absolutely absurd (actually "silly" is the right word, thank you for that >>3831) in the sense that it was untethered from everything else.
The fact that this is supposedly inspired by real personalities is, I think, the worst possible explanation for how boring it is. Why fucking bother making a roman-a-clef if they're just going to be sequentially subtracted out of the plot? Why not put the different personalities in a room and let them shout slurs at each other?! At least that would be something you couldn't get from the news.
I watched Conclave last night. Meant to watch it when it came out, felt relevant these days.
Thought it was an okay political drama, wrapped in papal robes. The plot was kind of by the numbers (taking down the bad pope contenders in various ways, the good, progressive pope contenders trying to be in the lead) and the ending twist, while humorous, felt a little too silly (and, if it's a lefty criticism/satire, on the nose). The looks of the movie were quite nice though, costumes, set, etc. And the main actors had chops, but the supporting actors falter and don't feel like they have the gravitas that the subject demands. In general, fine enough to please, but not great.
Sometimes in April (2005) a made-for-TV film about the Rwandan Genocide. Starring Idris Elba as a moderate Hutu army officer with a Tutsi wife.
Pretty good film, doesn't pull punches when it comes to the violence and bloodshed. One standout scene is when Elba's character is forced to murder his friend and colleague at a roadblock - though the man is shot at the instant that Elba resolves to machete him, thus betraying his friend but proving his loyalty. The scenes at the end where the survivors hide in the marshes are very compelling too. It's hard to imagine how awful that experience must have been for those who lived through it (or, for that matter, didn't live through it).
Very much follows the orthodox narrative when it comes to the role of colonialism in racialising the Tutsi/Hutu distinction and also the status of the RPF forces as unambiguous saviours. Notably, the downing of the presidential LearJet is attributed to either the army or undetermined 'rebels' - it is not suggested that the RPF may have been responsible. It is likely that you do not get to make a film about the Rwandan Genocide in Rwanda if you do not follow the party line so this is perhaps unsurprising.
All in all a good film, worth a watch.
Anonymous :
22 days ago :
No.3865
>>3872
>>3865
It might simply be because I watched Pulse few years ago, and Cure is much fresher in my mind. Plus I had also heard about Pulse's most famous scene prior to watching and that, similarly to what you're describing, its label as a horror film set certain expectations for me. Perhaps the lack of any sort of expectation from Cure did it for me, I went in not knowing anything. And while yes the plot meanders a lot, it ends up fitting together very well for me, with even seemingly minor scenes and iconography playing into the overall themes. I was taken by surprise by how dreadful and uneasy the film managed to keep me through the whole experience without releasing it until the very end, maybe the fact that it has little to no supernatural stuff compared to Pulse (that you will always try to spend some viewing time trying to dissect the logic of, fruitlessly in its case) helped with that. I should probably rewatch Pulse though.
Charisma on the other hand is even more meandering, and it’s a veeery weird movie to me. At least it left me very perplexed. It’s on YT, so you lose nothing by giving it a go, but I struggle to actually articulate any opinion on it, it’s left me very confused to say the least.
>>3829
Few weeks back I've watched Kurosawa's "Cure", and it really stuck with me, much more so than "Pulse" or "Charisma". Superb psychological thriller kind of movie, and the psychological themes and social commentary land really well in it unlike with most of the genre. It's amazingly filmed, not just because of Kurosawa's overall directing talent and penchant for showing decrepit urban spaces in great detail, but more so because of its hypnotic rhythm that it induces in the watcher. Managed to make me feel escalatingly uneasy through the whole experience, without ever missing the beat or relying on cheap horror bit.
Funny, I felt underwhelmed by Cure but kind of liked Pulse. There was clearly a lot of film-making craft in Cure: very well shot, tasteful color grade, good performances etc, but somehow it didn't quite cohere for me. Perhaps detective genre expectations were a factor-- I feel like the best crime/mystery movies have a very tight plot and a lean script, whereas the somewhat meandering discursive nature of Kurosawa's style fits an offbeat horror mold better. I wanted to like Cure more than I did-- it has such a large cult following that I'm sure there's something to it I'm missing.
How was Charisma? Worth a watch even for a Kurosawa skeptic?
Anonymous :
22 days ago :
No.3867
>>3883
>>3867
Haven't seen the Young Pope actually, but been meaning to give it a go. I like Sorrentino a lot.
My roommates dragged me to see Sinners in theaters, which was among the worst movies that have graced my eyes. So you can count yourself luckier than me.
>>3932I watched Conclave on a plane which feels like the kind of viewing it deserved. It's hard to describe how inadequate the script is to the rest of the film. The performers were A-level, but the script gave no one a great moment to deliver. The costumes, set, and staging were all vivid but without any purpose or insight. The plodding drama eliminated one rival after another in a way that achieved no higher synthesis or complication (>>3867 "kindergarten politics" is a good way to put it). And so the ending seemed absolutely absurd (actually "silly" is the right word, thank you for that >>3831) in the sense that it was untethered from everything else.
The fact that this is supposedly inspired by real personalities is, I think, the worst possible explanation for how boring it is. Why fucking bother making a roman-a-clef if they're just going to be sequentially subtracted out of the plot? Why not put the different personalities in a room and let them shout slurs at each other?! At least that would be something you couldn't get from the news.
>3831
I found it underwhelming, like a discount version of The Young Pope, with kindergarten politics. Even the aesthetics felt a bit flat, despite trying. (I'm still regretting paying to see it in theater).
The Seventh Seal. Pretty good, quite a philosophical movie.
>>3865
>>3829
Funny, I felt underwhelmed by Cure but kind of liked Pulse. There was clearly a lot of film-making craft in Cure: very well shot, tasteful color grade, good performances etc, but somehow it didn't quite cohere for me. Perhaps detective genre expectations were a factor-- I feel like the best crime/mystery movies have a very tight plot and a lean script, whereas the somewhat meandering discursive nature of Kurosawa's style fits an offbeat horror mold better. I wanted to like Cure more than I did-- it has such a large cult following that I'm sure there's something to it I'm missing.
How was Charisma? Worth a watch even for a Kurosawa skeptic?
It might simply be because I watched Pulse few years ago, and Cure is much fresher in my mind. Plus I had also heard about Pulse's most famous scene prior to watching and that, similarly to what you're describing, its label as a horror film set certain expectations for me. Perhaps the lack of any sort of expectation from Cure did it for me, I went in not knowing anything. And while yes the plot meanders a lot, it ends up fitting together very well for me, with even seemingly minor scenes and iconography playing into the overall themes. I was taken by surprise by how dreadful and uneasy the film managed to keep me through the whole experience without releasing it until the very end, maybe the fact that it has little to no supernatural stuff compared to Pulse (that you will always try to spend some viewing time trying to dissect the logic of, fruitlessly in its case) helped with that. I should probably rewatch Pulse though.
Charisma on the other hand is even more meandering, and it’s a veeery weird movie to me. At least it left me very perplexed. It’s on YT, so you lose nothing by giving it a go, but I struggle to actually articulate any opinion on it, it’s left me very confused to say the least.
I watched Guadagnino's 'Challengers' last week and found it a bit mediocre, although it was notable for its depiction of what romance is like for ordiary modern 20-somethings nowadays: flicking through dating apps, unglamorous, being down-low bisexual, etc. I don't like anything by Trent Reznor either so the soundtrack didn't speak to me.
The Brutalist, which I saw a little while back, was simply awful. It is remarkable that no-one in the media picked up on its pro-Zionist messaging.
Anonymous :
21 days ago :
No.3883
>>3933
>>3883
Conclave gave me such an appreciation for Young Pope that now I'll die defending it. At least YP has a perspective, even if that perspective is often bonkers.
>>3867
>3831
I found it underwhelming, like a discount version of The Young Pope, with kindergarten politics. Even the aesthetics felt a bit flat, despite trying. (I'm still regretting paying to see it in theater).
Haven't seen the Young Pope actually, but been meaning to give it a go. I like Sorrentino a lot.
My roommates dragged me to see Sinners in theaters, which was among the worst movies that have graced my eyes. So you can count yourself luckier than me.
I watched Conclave on a plane which feels like the kind of viewing it deserved. It's hard to describe how inadequate the script is to the rest of the film. The performers were A-level, but the script gave no one a great moment to deliver. The costumes, set, and staging were all vivid but without any purpose or insight. The plodding drama eliminated one rival after another in a way that achieved no higher synthesis or complication (>>3867
>3831
I found it underwhelming, like a discount version of The Young Pope, with kindergarten politics. Even the aesthetics felt a bit flat, despite trying. (I'm still regretting paying to see it in theater).
"kindergarten politics" is a good way to put it). And so the ending seemed absolutely absurd (actually "silly" is the right word, thank you for that >>3831I watched Conclave last night. Meant to watch it when it came out, felt relevant these days.
Thought it was an okay political drama, wrapped in papal robes. The plot was kind of by the numbers (taking down the bad pope contenders in various ways, the good, progressive pope contenders trying to be in the lead) and the ending twist, while humorous, felt a little too silly (and, if it's a lefty criticism/satire, on the nose). The looks of the movie were quite nice though, costumes, set, etc. And the main actors had chops, but the supporting actors falter and don't feel like they have the gravitas that the subject demands. In general, fine enough to please, but not great.
) in the sense that it was untethered from everything else.
The fact that this is supposedly inspired by real personalities is, I think, the worst possible explanation for how boring it is. Why fucking bother making a roman-a-clef if they're just going to be sequentially subtracted out of the plot? Why not put the different personalities in a room and let them shout slurs at each other?! At least that would be something you couldn't get from the news.
>>3883
>>3867
Haven't seen the Young Pope actually, but been meaning to give it a go. I like Sorrentino a lot.
My roommates dragged me to see Sinners in theaters, which was among the worst movies that have graced my eyes. So you can count yourself luckier than me.
Conclave gave me such an appreciation for Young Pope that now I'll die defending it. At least YP has a perspective, even if that perspective is often bonkers.
It does delight me that the appreciation for TYP is shared. I have fond memories of /tv/ threads discussing Voiello's motives.
Saw Taymor's Titus (1999) recently. Really fun. The general absurdity of how she chose to depict it adds to the original play rather than taking from it. Although, of course, the actors made it shine through when it started dropping off. Unsurprisingly, Hopkins does a great job, especially during the dinner/feast scene. Lennix plays Aaron (imo one of the best Shakespeare villains) perfectly.
Anyways, great movie. It reminded me a lot of Brazil for some reason.
Watched Kieslowski's 'Double Life of Véronique' for the nth time: an unusual and poetic work about doppelgangers, the nature of sensorial experience, love, and inexplicable connections between strangers. It is lucid but difficult to understand, the plot incoherent but the mood powerful. It also features a beautiful Irène Jacob, who never had a better role than this.
Watched "My Cousin Vinny" last night. Good, funny, unpretentious film. Marisa Tomei deserved her Oscar just for being insanely hot.
I watched Radio Days a couple nights ago. It's my first Woody Allen watch. Actually liked it more than I expected, but I was biased by how much I enjoyed Orson Welles' hatred of Allen. It was pretty humorous throughout, and had a great, cohesive veneer of nostalgia. I mean, some really great bits, like the limbless baseball pitcher. Some moments were cloying, but I appreciated that this particular movie keep it moving and didn't linger too long on moments. On the other hand, I don't know how well the episodic format really worked out. It does an excellent job setting up scenes, and we do have a lingering thread of childhood Allen to keep chugging along, but it feels to falter a little in making a truly excellent movie. Like, the episodic format perhaps cannot sustain a really put together great movie, due to the fact that it is naturally fractured.
But this movie did make me more disposed to watching another Allen movie. Crimes and Misdemeanors and Annie Hall are on my watch list.