Lets share what we've been watching and any recommendations I just watched this knowing nothing about it, it was intense and creepy but really good. Even though it was over 2 hours it definitely held my attention. I do think it would have been better if it ended 10-15 minutes earlier, the last part seemed unnecessary to me Demi was really good but I thought Margaret was so-so, frankly I kept thinking about how she looks a bit downsy like Sydney Sweeney, there must be a Hollywood producer with a type The theme of the aging female is very obvious, but not in an annoying way. But Liz and Sue really reminded me of the kind of mother daughter relationship where the mother is jealous and resentful of her daughter who she feels she gave herself up for. I wonder if that was intentional
I thought it was a bit crap to be honest. I agree with you on the Margaret Qualley thing -- she never sells America's sweetheart or hotter and meaner Demi Moore (I think there's also a problem that since she's Andie Macdowell daughter, Qualley isn't even able to sell struggling young woman finally getting a big break either). My biggest problem was how the movie was shot. I can't tell if its the influence of tiktok or something, but it was shot like a music video. All close ups, lots of quick smash cuts to things we need to be paying attention to--no establishing or medium shots to give you a sense of equilibrium or place. I can see why this might be tempting for a movie like this (which includes Qualley's essentially working at a music video factory), but 140 minutes is a long time for a style like this. It made the film difficult to look at, in that sense. Also, the ending was so empty. The gore was not as shocking as I think the film thinks it is, and felt very much like Coralie Fargeat was trying to force an ending because she didn't have anything meaningful or insightful to say. But! It's not a franchise or a sequel or an adaptation of a fucking comic book, so I can't hate it.
Last night I saw Network for the first time. I'd recommend it
I liked The Substance a lot. It was like an arthouse Cronenberg film. The story was predictable but not bad. Striking visuals with a striking lead.
I saw I saw the TV glow last night. I really liked it but idk lol, it's been almost year since I last did mushrooms and I haven't even really had bad trips, but watching that movie and The Substance, lol I must've fried my brain or maybe I've always been sort of ungrounded and schizo, but is it like a thing where you see a movie and you're like, "woah, the odds that this exact piece of media was created and I encountered it at this moment in my life. I'm sure it can't be real, it must be something technical that's casting this magical spell, the crunchy audio or the vfx or some point of raw inspiration. And don't worry, I will obsessively search the internet afterwards or rewatch and compulsively dissect that sequence until I master the thing that makes it tick and the power it has over me. and yet..." and it's so funny to have this reaction to these movies, why couldn't it be like cool movies... I guess with the TV Glow movie, at least it's thematically appropriate lol. At what point is some artistic experience so compelling to you that you just gotta be like: ok I guess I'm a lil kooky. Like are you gonna have that experience and then be like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I'm not kooky actually I'm based and the movie sucked because the story wasn't believable and the actors were kinda bad at acting and the writing was on the nose. pros: other people think ur not crazy. cons: u become a soulless vampire. Even if you really do resonate with some niche experimental film from the 60s, I think there's something ghoulish about rejecting the spirit of art when it calls out to you. If any film truly didn't resonate with you, then that's based, go off king, but I think its p common in contrarian spaces to be afraid of liking liberal mainstream whatever. But who gives a shit. Mostly I'm writing this cause is there a word for like ego death when sober in reaction to some art. I guess it must be like awe or the sublime or a psychotic break. And I guess the reason you don't hear too much about the ineffable is because it's ineffable. Whatever, movie. I guess there is still time for me to be sincere ps i would like to see whatever kinos inspired these movies but idk i think it's too much for my mind to handle. now that he's dead i should probably watch lynch, i at least saw mulholland drive and it was p good, and i guess lots of people compare cronenberg to the substance. why are the things that are best for your soul the hardest to swallow. god didn't think that one through
Watched Four Lions again recently, one of my favourite British films. It's amazing how likeable Omar is, he spends the whole film planning to do a terrorist attack and I still found myself wishing we could be mates lol. The ending montage with the Aphex Twin song is tremendously moving as well as funny.
i tried watching Four Lions several years ago. it's just so tough to watch as a non-British person. the whole movie feels like a parody of a parody. I couldn't laugh at these terrorists and how stupidly they acted, even if it was "on purpose". i felt sorry for the state of england and these people and turned off the movie. if i was british I think I would have felt some sort of healing or laughter. but instead I only felt pain, like the writers of the film were masking pain with laughter
Had a great time with Four Lions as a non-brit
Parthenope is on my very short list of movies to see at the theater. Sorrentino rarely disappoints, there is always beauty in his works.
I had always heard Sansho the Bailiff was one of the all time greats of Japanese cinema, but I was pretty underwhelmed seeing it for the first time. Felt a bit shallow and Spielbergian. Some truly excellent moments visually but they were spread pretty thin across the 2 hour runtime.