Good
Not the greats, but ones I like that I want to make note of (not an exhaustive list of non-fav good films).
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- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGregory PeckJean SimmonsCarroll BakerA New England sea captain in the 1880s arrives at his fiancée's sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.
- DirectorMark AndrewsBrenda ChapmanSteve PurcellStarsKelly MacdonaldBilly ConnollyEmma ThompsonDetermined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
- DirectorZaza UrushadzeStarsLembit UlfsakElmo NüganenGiorgi NakashidzeIn 1992, war rages in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. An Estonian man, Ivo, has decided to stay behind and harvest his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo takes him in.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsPaul NewmanSteve McQueenWilliam HoldenAt the opening party of a colossal, but poorly constructed, office building, a massive fire breaks out that threatens to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsJason SchwartzmanBill MurrayOlivia WilliamsA teenager at Rushmore Academy falls for a much older teacher and befriends a middle-aged industrialist. Later, he finds out that his love interest and his friend are having an affair, which prompts him to begin a vendetta.
- DirectorDean DeBloisChris SandersStarsDaveigh ChaseChris SandersTia CarrereA young and parentless girl adopts a 'dog' from the local pound, completely unaware that it's supposedly a dangerous scientific experiment that's taken refuge on Earth and is now hiding from its creator and those who see it as a menace.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsCate BlanchettMatt DamonLiam NeesonA five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsChristopher LambertIsabelle AdjaniRichard BohringerOn improvising a burglary at a shady tycoon's home, Fred takes refuge in the hip and surreal universe of the Paris Metro and encounters its assorted denizens, the tycoon's henchmen and his disenchanted young wife.I like it. Same setting, something lovable about the characters & acting (very French?), appreciate the music. It's subtle – little standouts or excites: little action. But it's an enjoyable drama
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.good setting & engaging beginning & end, a number of plot annoyances and ommissions and frustrating ‘mistakes’ in the middle
- DirectorScott HicksStarsGeoffrey RushArmin Mueller-StahlJustin BrainePianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsMonica BellucciVincent CasselAlbert DupontelEvents over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.--1st watch
not 'enjoyable' but impactful: disturbing, unsettling, strong (rape scene, gay club (Thomas Bangalter - Rectum))
---2nd
the rape scene has got to be the 'worst' scene I've ever witnessed on film: the hardest to keep your eyes open for. It's 1 continuous shot of pure suffering and mindless brutality. It's done very well: it's relentless and squirmingly realistic.
Great? It feels maybe too chaotic and experimental as a whole to be in that category, although I think that scene is worthy, and I think the rest of it's still engaging. The 1 continuous shot feel throughout was like Before Sunrise, and made the conversations felt authentic which I liked. Also simple which is good: just 1 evening centered on 1 event + revenge - DirectorWes AndersonStarsJared GilmanKara HaywardBruce WillisTwo 12-year-olds, who live on an island, fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. While people set out on a search mission, a violent storm approaching them catches their attention.authentic, not cliché, idiosyncratic. Love young romance. Genuinely funny in places. Rare that I like light hearted: this is exception (as it's in a dead pan, weird style)
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsAmy AdamsJeremy RennerForest WhitakerA linguist works with the military to communicate with alien lifeforms after twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world.
- DirectorAlex GarlandStarsAlicia VikanderDomhnall GleesonOscar IsaacA young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
- DirectorMike CahillStarsMichael PittSteven YeunAstrid Bergès-FrisbeyA molecular biologist and his laboratory partner uncover evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it.an effectively depressing film
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderCarey MulliganJames Badge DaleA sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.in an informative ‘I don't want to be a sex addict’ effective way
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsSophia LorenJean-Paul BelmondoRaf ValloneIn WWII Italy, a widow and her lonely daughter seek distance between themselves and the horrors of war.realistic portrayal of plight of Italian mother and daughter in WW2
- DirectorYôjirô TakitaStarsMasahiro MotokiRyôko HirosueTsutomu YamazakiSoon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.liked the Japanese take on death. Good balance of humour/light-hearted + weighty. Realistic, not exaggerated. Biggest problem: clichéd
- DirectorBilly Bob ThorntonStarsBilly Bob ThorntonDwight YoakamJ.T. WalshKarl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.good, not great (bit moralising in places, meh OST; but endearing
- DirectorChristopher McQuarrieStarsTom CruiseRosamund PikeRichard JenkinsA homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.boring on paper (murder mystery, inside job, vigilante justice etc), but executed uniquely: slower pace, fewer clichés, funny parts, grittier. Enjoyed it. Downside was it still had the clichés, and didn't quite do enough to break the trite murder mystery paradigm (eg mastermind Russian villain)
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsTom HanksBarkhad AbdiBarkhad AbdirahmanThe true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the U.S.-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.good thriller. Tense. Emotional end. Makes you hate Somalis. Felt realistic
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.Great -> Good
more meandering than I remember, and the big, dramatic scenes aren't as amazing the 2nd time. The shock and mystery is what makes it, I think. But, it's an absolute classic, and the iconic scenes are still amazing. Eg loved decapitated android scene, running back to ship, alien burst through chest etc. In places, the Xenomorph was less scary than I remember too (eg, you can clearly see the human acting inside of it when Dallas dies in the vents, and as a ragdoll when it's shot out of the airlock) - DirectorArthur PennStarsWarren BeattyFaye DunawayMichael J. PollardBored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks.light-hearted yet dark (murder, death, life as criminals on the run), no cliches; pacing felt frantic / rushed at times (got little of the dialogue, not much nuance), straight to the point (eg when they die it's just 'the end', which I like)
- DirectorMichael CristoferStarsAngelina JolieFaye DunawayElizabeth MitchellThe story of the life of Gia Carangi, a top fashion model from the late 1970s, from her meteoric rise to the forefront of the modeling industry, to her untimely death.really underrated movie; dark, poignant, Jolie beautifully acted; indie-feel
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsTobey MaguireCharlize TheronMichael CaineA compassionate young man, raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor there, decides to leave to see the world.dealt with some dark themes sensitively without being political/biased (abortion, rape, incest, adoption, affairs in long-distance relationships, treatment of blacks, paralysis). A heart-breaker (dark themes) posing as a heart-warmer (endearing music like Shawshank/Dead Poets)
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsSean GulletteMark MargolisBen ShenkmanA paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.content wise, it wasn't anything to shout about, but the style was excellent: gritty, psychological, black-and-white, dark, jarring 90s house music
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.a not-as-good-but-still-good Snatch. Funny British heist-gone-wrong setup (clearly influenced by Italian Job). Good dark humour
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..it captures the repetitive, meaningless, harshness of life and the horrors and struggles of addiction, self-control, drug abuse, loneliness etc, and only problem is exaggeration: all 4 are extreme examples. It's not a fav just because it's too stressful to enjoy: it's more a cautionary tale through long, tragic experience than a story: the music (1 repeated intense theme with ambient rave tracks in-between) helps it to feel like it's all heading in 1 disastrous, predictable (not in a bad way) direction: it doesn't have the twists and turns and change of pacing and tone and scene changes that a usual story does. It makes the depressing point very well and helps me to re-evaluate my life (like Shame). Love all the music + cinematics. mini-documentsry (5mins) explains really well: obsession with escapism, urban horror film https://youtu.be/DxockfJddFU
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.it succeeds its aim of giving a survey of American history in a beautiful way, even if its lightheartedness isn't my cup of tea
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsFranka PotenteMatt DamonChris CooperA man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.has all the ingredients for being a fav (2000s, gritty, bare, serious spy film (ie, a better Bond film), more about plot unravelling and escaping authorities than mere action (opposite of John Wick)), but I guess it just doesn't quite do enough to escape the cliches (best agent they've ever had, amnesiac, only failed when it was moral quandry (failed to assassinate target because he was with his kids)) and stereotypes of a spy film (American agent gone rogue on the run from FBI, terminating their assassin super soldier)
- DirectorPaul GreengrassStarsMatt DamonEdgar RamírezJoan AllenJason Bourne dodges a ruthless C.I.A. official and his Agents from a new assassination program while searching for the origins of his life as a trained killer.nothing special, but the very ending got me in the feels: good end to the trilogy: when the music plays (Moby, Bourne theme), she smiles, and you know he's still alive
- DirectorFlorian Henckel von DonnersmarckStarsUlrich MüheMartina GedeckSebastian KochIn 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.very understated in both a poignant (tragedy of the awful state + her death) and heart-warming way (the moral triumph of the Stasi man who revolted against the system) -- nothing overdramatic, no cliches, no famous actor ego trip (all German cast + style). A beauty to it behind the ugly 80s-East-Berlin-Communist-Satellite-state aesthetic, that somehow reminds me of Let the Right One In. Good music
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsMichael DouglasGlenn CloseAnne ArcherA married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.technically, not good: some bad cuts, plenty cliches, typical + lacklustre 80s music, and the unnecessary very ending (the couple scenes after the climax of mistress' death -- seriously, why not end at the climax? The tone you're left with instead is 'happy family!' which is ridiculous after what they've been through). But in terms of a thriller: it got me -- you felt the entrapment of a man in a catch 22 between telling the women he loves he's cheated on her and the relentless pursuance of his psychotic mistress. It had that gritty 80s realism + music was sparse enough (film wasn't shy to let scenes bubble in silence) to let you feel the grimness of it all. Like Mad Max, it had the linear focus which a good thriller needs: the whole film is about the consequences of 1 affair -- it's tensions and reliefs. It doesn't over-complicate, but neither does it bore, and neither does it overexaggerate, all while keeping a believable, albeit crazed, character development on the basis of a woman with mental problems. Glenn Close acted it very well too. So, it's a film I understand why it has a sub-7.0 rating, but I disagree: it's worth watching.
---2nd watch
the sense of guilt and fear and stress is palpable: Douglas + Close are great and the plot's well constructed. Even side characters good (wife good: to hear the news of your husband's affair would be hard to act convincingly I bet, child actor ok: some scenes not so great, some scenes good). He's not a villain or a saint, but a screw up. She's crazy, yet believabley crazy. The number of times I felt like screaming 'WHY! YOUR WIFE IS GORGEOUS!' + 'JUST TELL HER!' + 'YOU FOOL! DON'T YOU KNOW THIS WILL NEVER END!'. Especially true since Close isn't particularly attractive. It's a romance horror, and Close is a good villain. The violent scenes are intense. A strong 'Good' (almost considered it 'Great') - DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweJoaquin PhoenixConnie NielsenA former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.it's objectively a great movie; a modern classic. But it just feels a little overdramatic, like it knows that it's a classic. The music, the acting, certain scenes feel like they're playing up to an Oscar nomination.rather than being a unique tale. And nothing especially grabbed me: the music's good, the acting is good, all the production quality is faultless. But the only special bits are moments that Joaquin + Russell Crowd have to deliver some great lines/performances. Even the action scenes aren't that remarkable
- DirectorTodd FieldStarsTom WilkinsonSissy SpacekNick StahlA New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman who has two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband.terrible trailer (makes it look cheap + weird); good movie. Acted v. well, minimal soundtrack (which was effective). Slow pacing (really helped you wallow in the grieving as well as to feel the normal mundane lives they live), realistic (no plot holes, all believable plot and characters). Only problem was the plot was pretty basic, verging on cliched (boy in love, ex-lover kills him, father kills him), but it did the simple story v. well: you really feel their pain in mourning, the tragedy and shock of the death, really want the lovers to succeed etc
- DirectorJuan José CampanellaStarsRicardo DarínSoledad VillamilPablo RagoA retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.I don't like murder mysteries. However, 2 great/excellent moments in the film redeem it -- 'the love that could never be' scene at train station platform (the poignancy of unfulfilled passion -- tear to my eye) + denouement (cold, calculated retribution and the prisoner's heart-wrenching, tortured hopelessly desperate plea: 'please tell him to talk to me')
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsNatalie PortmanMila KunisVincent CasselNina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
- DirectorCatherine HardwickeStarsKristen StewartRobert PattinsonBilly BurkeWhen Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire.why does everyone hate it!? I love the alternative universe, awkward characters (like Silent Hill) + fast pacing. Sure, the CGI vampire powers are a bit dated and adopting a common fantasy trope of vampires + lycans automatically sets a high bar, and in lots of ways it's a typical teenage romance film and the fast pace makes it shallow in many places and the plot is nothing special, but they're notwithstanding. The universe + the relationship make the movie, but little else to make it a 'best'/'great' movie. Good music + visuals (landscapes particularly) too. I love the casting: Pattison's oddness + Stewart's awkwardness make their romance so much more compelling.
Kermode: film about celibacy + angst https://youtu.be/UD3BXpHwWHo?t=329 - DirectorJohn DuiganStarsSam RockwellKathleen QuinlanMischa BartonWhen Devon, a 10-year-old girl, forges a friendship with Trent, a 21-year-old outsider who mows the neighborhood lawns, things suddenly get very complicated and private.like Paper Moon + Leon, love the young girl + older guy friend relationship -- well acted; enjoyed the indie feel (simple plot, short film yet good spacious pace throughout; ending felt extreme (would a 10-YO girl do that?); wasn't a fan of the caricatured (desperate housewives, American dream etc) and imaginary (forest springing up, water rising) parts; music: one of those 1-or-2-track movies that repeats the theme over & over
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.???
liked the dark down-to-earth superhero drama, although the ending became more fantastical (whole city coming to his side) and it became more about being a prequel (setting up Dark Knight trilogy) than a standalone film (would have been better) - DirectorJohn McNaughtonStarsKevin BaconNeve CampbellMatt DillonA police detective uncovers a conspiracy behind a case involving a high-school guidance counselor when accusations of rape are made against him by two female students.as a light-hearted film, I enjoyed it. Particularly as a cult-film. Plot was fantastical, but it's meant to be tongue in cheek. It does the 'multiple twists' well. Too much sex. Liked the music.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanLaurence OlivierRoy ScheiderAfter the shocking murder of his older brother, a New York history student finds himself inexplicably hounded by shadowy government agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who is trying to retrieve smuggled diamonds.the thriller part (running away, not knowing what's going on) was good. But plot was confusing, and suffered old film problems (unnecessarily/inexplicably weird, some poor edits / music moments / effects)
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTilda SwintonDaniel YorkOn vacation in Thailand, Richard sets out for an island rumored to be a solitary beach paradise.technically not good: some bad acting, bad voice overs, dated CGI + frame drops, felt very 2000s, weird unexplained parts (Dicaprio running round woods going crazy like Daffy, how the farmers worked out he played with their guns, Bugs not doing anything after sternly warning Dicaprio not to shag his partner then he does etc), cliched ending, pretty shallow (more about showing you a fantasy and sex then attaching any deeper significance and moral to the story), but it's a good 'trouble in paradise' setting: it gives you a taste of a millenial's fantasy then crashes it with natural suffering and immorality in hard hitting ways (shark deaths, forced euthasia, gunned down 20 y/os, suicide, debauchery etc); probably the nostalgia makes me enjoy it more too!
- DirectorOliver HirschbiegelStarsBruno GanzAlexandra Maria LaraUlrich MatthesTraudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.such an important movie. It'll never escape me that the apocalyptic world so many fictions have been based on happened at the fall of WW2, and this captures it from the Berlin perspective as Hitler's Reich came to its bitter end. It's haunting to think every awful scene really happened: the bundled corpses in the hospital, the disregard of civilian life, the indoctrinated children fighters, the suicides etc. The only part that didn't feel real was HItler's mental descent: his being so out of touch with reality demonstrates an insanity that's hard to believe, but true I'm sure. He just, surprisingly, seems so frail. The film epitomises hopelessness: as the Nazi's last are either surrendering (and considered traitors by the Führer), committing suicide or drinking and smoking, awaiting their inevitable demise, while Hitler's dream city is burned and bombed around him and he leaves his people to die facing the unstoppable Red Army. The worst part is Goebbel's children: lying to, sedating then poisoning your own incapacitated, innocent children one by one because they were deluded to think a post-Nazi world was unliveable. I think it's the bleakest film I've ever seen because it all happened. Like Requiem for a Dream, I struggle to say I enjoy it -- it's just so horrible. I liked the end though: a little glimmer of hope with Hitler's secretary and the orphaned boy holding her hand to escape
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsJude LawEd HarrisJoseph FiennesA Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad.a very-good ok film: the war parts were excellent: up there with Saving Private Ryan (I'm certain it was a major influence) + dark (infanticide, horrors of war) + great to have it from the 'other' perspective (ie, Russian); star cast with believable romance. BUT, the tone (unlike Saving Private Ryan for example) was lighthearted which I didn't appreciate; I think it's the French director's influence: felt similar tone to eg The Big Blue; eg, melodramatic, shallow bits, light music + repeated obvious leitmotifs, superficial acting (everyone felt 2D); corny scenes ('forgive me, forgive me, grandfather' flashback); essentially, the focus on Jude Law's character (most of the film) were the 'meh' parts, while the war bits were excellent. Also just some odd bits: Joseph Fiennes recanting communism before his death (too political) and that everything is dubbed despite being an English film (added to the fake feeling). PS, shouldn't say this, but has the best sex scene of any film i've ever seen
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonAn undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.couple great scenes at the end and funny Walberg scenes; otherwise just a plain good movie. Least convincing part was how obviously Dicaprio was the rat
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroSharon StoneJoe PesciIn Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.???
- DirectorMartin CampbellStarsDaniel CraigEva GreenJudi DenchAfter earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.???
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsDustin HoffmanSusan GeorgePeter VaughanA young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment.weird and confusing for most of the film, but after a long build up, it becomes a compelling thriller: adult home alone. Feels very much like a video game at the end (in a good way): desperately surviving against attacks on your home from all sides. It's like a realistic zombie survival: it's in the West country and the enemies are thugs. Also, impactful rape scene
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsMatthew McConaugheyCharlie HunnamMichelle DockeryAn American expat tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.great fun! Short & sweet. Solid film, but just perhaps not enough to make it a favourite. Very Guy Ritchie – a 2019 take on Snatch / Lock-Stock. Hugh Grant not playing himself! Definitely watch again
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsBruce WillisSamuel L. JacksonRobin WrightA man learns something extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident.???
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsJohnny DeppKate WinsletJulie ChristieThe story of Sir J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.Not my kind of movie: family film, fantastical, childlike etc. But it dealt with mature themes of death and separation beautifully that it won me over. Wasn't too silly, but still fun; sentimental, but appropriately so. Strong acting, particularly Depp + Freddie Highmore (Peter) (although Winslet unconvincing as a sick mother). Depp’s reserved take on his character worked really well: he's a believable fun father figure as well as a caring husband figure.
- DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsJack NicholsonHelen HuntGreg KinnearA single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.Under the veneer of a cheesy 90s feel-good movie, it's complex and emotional. Really unusual film despite feeling really familiar. It's raw and real under the guise. Great acting, superb from Nicholson, and well written. Deals with the issue of social awkwardness with great accuracy and without unnecessary flair. It lingers and expounds on issues where others wouldn't. The mother sums up its realism perfectly: (in reply to her daughter's exclamation ‘Why can't I just have a normal boyfriend?’) ‘Everybody wants that, dear. It doesn't exist.’ Or as the title puts it: it's as good as real life gets. Training a very unusual man to be usual. The way she liberates him is shown tactfully: it's painfully slow and back & forth and confusing just like real life.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsJeremy IronsDominique SwainMelanie GriffithAn English professor falls for a minor, and has to face the consequences of his actions.dark romance. Good music. Loved the ending of despair. Quite long: great beginning and end but wanes in the middle. Makes you both hate and love Irons + Swain – his selfishness but also his desire for love; her bratty attitude + seduction + getting herself into the mess, but also her abuse, entrapment, and loss of her mother.
---2nd watch
Love the performances, music and cinematography. The main online critiques are the deviance from novel in terms of taking a darker tone and departing from the black comedy of the original. I prefer straight dramas generally, although there is a somewhat blurred line between his relationship being attractive and repulsive -- because we're made to see her from his perspective, this 14-y/o girl is sexualised and beautiful; it's only the bitter consequences and the fact of the matter that their love is cast in a dim light; otherwise, it's a classic tragic romance but paedophillic. I'm glad they didn't swing too far the other way and make him out as an unempathisable monster, but I can't help feel a paedophile would love to watch it (unlike, say, a drug addict would be ashamed to watch Breaking Bad or a porn addict would wince watching Shame). So I find it morally dubious. But otoh, it's pretty unique and done well. Definitely underrated.
'We are co-conspirators in his crime, and at the end we share his shame. Rather than shocking us (and having us pull away in revulsion), Lyne draws us in and makes us face the Humbert in ourselves.' (IMDb user review) -- I feel this is almost true, except that we don't feel shame, because he doesn't: the ending is tragic (he loses her), not shameful (he abused her). - DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesToby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonShirley MacLaineFred MacMurrayA Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsBryan CranstonKoyu RankinEdward NortonSet in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJim CarreyEd HarrisLaura LinneyAn insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsMasaharu FukuyamaMachiko OnoYôko MakiRyota is a successful workaholic businessman. When he learns that his biological son was switched with another boy after birth, he faces the difficult decision to choose his true son or the boy he and his wife have raised as their own.Sensitive tale of fatherhood and adoption.
- DirectorHiromasa YonebayashiStarsBridgit MendlerAmy PoehlerWill ArnettThe Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family's residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their teenage daughter Arrietty is discovered.
- DirectorTaylor SheridanStarsElizabeth OlsenJeremy RennerGraham GreeneA wildlife officer, who is haunted by a tragedy that happened because of him, teams up with an FBI agent in solving a murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation and hopes to get redemption from his past regrets.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsGarance MarillierElla RumpfRabah Nait OufellaA young woman, studying to be a vet, develops a craving for human flesh.---2nd watch
310723 with Connor. Noticed more minor flaws than I remember (the stereotyped extreme university experience as if a fearful mum wrote the screenplay, the slightly B-movie feel at points from the acting and skin peeling), but overall experience definitely still Good: pretty unique horror - DirectorJ.C. ChandorStarsOscar IsaacJessica ChastainDavid OyelowoIn New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.liked it. Alternative gangster film: reluctant mobster / virtuous don. Instead of the inevitable increasing violence and crime, he's fighting against the corrupt system within and out to stand up for good. Hard to love: fairly slow paced, nothing especially sad or exciting happens. Most of the time it's about rooting for him to be strong, empathising with his struggles; but unlike a hero movie, it's very grey: part of a criminal ring, but also trying to do good. Crime drama.
- DirectorMichaël R. RoskamStarsTom HardyNoomi RapaceJames GandolfiniBob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deeply into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living--no matter the cost.high point: acting (some of them)
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsOmar SharifJulie ChristieGeraldine ChaplinThe life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsBrad PittCate BlanchettGael García BernalTragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, which jump starts an interlocking story involving four different families.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsShahab HosseiniTaraneh AlidoostiSahra AsadollahiWhile Ranaa and Emad, a married couple, are participating in a production of "Death of a Salesman," she is assaulted in their new home, which leaves him determined to find the perpetrator over his wife's traumatized objections.Very realistic (no clichés, music, humour), which made it unpredictable and therefore gripping. But also very slow: it's not a long film, but drags in the first half because of the realistic passage of time. Not sure it'd be as good the second time, knowing the ending – wait till I've forgotten the ending!
- DirectorDrake DoremusStarsNicholas HoultKristen StewartVernetta LopezIn an emotionless utopia, two people fall in love when they regain their feelings from a mysterious disease, causing tensions between them and their society.it's a fairly shallow plot without much invention (I see Shakespeare in the 'I got the treatment because I thought you were dead'; although the 'utopian' setting and idea of emotionless society felt new), but i liked it's simplicity: was effective; and it felt more arty + indie (despite big cast) and fresh with its visual + aural emphasis on colour of emotion vs dystopian white and post-rock buzz vs silence -- I liked the soundtrack and aesthetic. It's an emotional film about emotions: passion & repression. I liked Guy Pearce + Bessie and Kirsten (<3) in it particularly (only the cagey guy in the support group felt fake).
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsRobert De NiroRobin WilliamsJulie KavnerThe victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.worst part: sentimentality + platitudes at the very end; best part: realism + tragedy of degenerating illnesses near the end
- DirectorFritz LangStarsGlenn FordGloria GrahameJocelyn BrandoTough cop Dave Bannion takes on a politically powerful crime syndicate.nothing special, but I liked it
- DirectorRichard FleischerKinji FukasakuToshio MasudaStarsMartin BalsamSô YamamuraJason RobardsThe story of the 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor, and the series of preceding American blunders that aggravated its effectiveness.convoluted, got lost in details, but exciting because it's real
v. good FX: clearly a huge budget (although some obviously dated parts where they'd have used CGI today)
felt v. balanced (no jingoism), although typical fall guys (Japs blame army, US blame particular admin failures)
more factual than emotional, almost feels like documentary - DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsJake GyllenhaalNaomi WattsChris CooperA successful investment banker struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. With the help of a customer service rep and her young son, he starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew.fun, good music, love Jake & Naomi (bias)
feel-good film without being happy-go-lucky: light (care-free, comedic like American Beauty dad) but dark (grief, broken familied)
definitely not a great movie, but I liked it
I can see the critique that it's clichéd (certainly not a novel idea), but I liked the execution. Didn't feel like it was just making a quick buck: overall didn't feel typical Hollywood (although it was in places). Disagree that it's ‘confused’: I think it balances well both humourous absurdity and poignant loss with his period of mourning. - DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.ok/good: really honest, well acted, good soundtrack. Indie and stylish. Feels meandering in a good & bad way: felt realistic, but a bit purposeless (eg unresolved ending). More a portrait of a gay black guy's life than any moral to the story. No corny moments. (no politics)
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael DouglasDeborah Kara UngerSean PennAfter a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.
- DirectorStephen NorringtonStarsWesley SnipesStephen DorffKris KristoffersonA half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.Mostly enjoyable: for a clichéd, shallow vampire action thriller about starting the apocalypse by the blood of the chosen one that's largely ridiculous, it's pretty good. Cool, dark, great action. Best parts: my soft spot for the 90s alternative vibes + electronic music. Worst part: lame + cheesy villains. Also mother was a complete non-character. Some really, really bad FX too. Beginning/middle definitely better (before it becomes too fantastical)
- DirectorNeil MarshallStarsShauna MacdonaldNatalie MendozaAlex ReidA caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.Despite it's clichés and horror tropes (young characters out in the woods but ‘surprise’ it's not just a holiday but one of them planned dangerously and they discover more than they bargained for and get picked off one by one), it stands out as a good horror: tense (you felt their entrapment), somewhat realistic (people died when they were meant to, no-one pulling off the impossible), dark (gouging eyes with thumbs), unique (all underground). Liked the twist ending. What they discover in the caves turns this impressively realistic horror (claustrophobia, darkness, survival underground) into a more typical monster one, but this also makes it more exciting as they face a new challenge and it becomes more action-y. But considering they could have rushed the caving part to get to monsters, they did a good job of using the natural horror of getting lost & stuck in unexplored caves. Surprisingly the dialogue was mostly good too: not cringe or superficial as you expect from this genre. And dare I say it has more character since they're British adults and all women (not typical American horny teen slasher). Worth re-watching.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsWalter MatthauRobert ShawMartin BalsamFour armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. The city's police are faced with a conundrum: Even if it's paid, how could they get away?
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsThomas AdlamWilliam ArgentJohn AshbyA documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.For a documentary, was excellent --
v. focussed: purely the soldier's experience from their words and real-life footage, no history lessons with dates or politics or narration or maps or graphs, just testimonials;
great length and structure: v. natural, continuous flow from England 1914 -> fighting in the trenches -> England 1918, without over labouring anything;
good editing: all the colourisation + remastering + dubs + sound additions were good, only a few points where they kept trotting out the same footage (eg same picture of dead German whenever discussed);
v. real: it's the honest reflexions of those men: the prostitutes they visited, the great fun they had, the angry slaughter of Germans... a real transparent look inside their mindset
It's only the fact it's a mere documentary with footage being put to voiceover that makes me less enthusiastic as it's not quite as entertaining as a Saving Private Ryan; but that's just what it is, not a criticism. - DirectorMichael MannStarsWilliam PetersenKim GreistJoan AllenFormer FBI profiler Will Graham returns to service to pursue a deranged serial killer dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" by the media.liked the way it was acted + shot: music, cinematography, edits etc
- DirectorDaniel KokotajloStarsMolly WrightPoppy JhakraSiobhan FinneranA faithful Jehovah's Witness is forced to shun her own sister because of a religious transgression. As the separation draws out, she starts to question the meaning of God's love.basic + extremely down to earth (pure drama, no music or melodrama or effects etc): a very relatable tale of loved ones leaving the faith and the hardship & conflict that brings (as well as a look inside JW specifically); hence one empathises strongly with characters: their awkwardness and sadness, desires and regrets etc. Apart from its simplicity it's nothing special, but I'm very interested in the subject matter: only Silence is a comparable film on this topic that I'm aware of.
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsRobert De NiroCharles GrodinYaphet KottoA bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsDustin HoffmanRobert RedfordJack Warden"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.fast-paced. Like Zodiac killer, was engaged throughout the crime discovery drama. Good cinematography. Although, movie didn't really pay off: no climax. I appreciate this stopped it being melodramatic and formulaic (along with no music and being fact based), but we didn't get the sense all their investigation hardwork was worth it: only the last scene with the typewriter headlines gave us the ‘how it really ended’, but that was just fact, not cinema
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsMeryl StreepKevin KlinePeter MacNicolSophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.???
some powerful moments (namely the eponymous choice + Holocaust experience) and well acted - DirectorBryan SingerStarsTom CruiseBill NighyCarice van HoutenA dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II.Excellent tension build up, helped by the fact it really was a historical moment. Didn't like the Britishness (eg the light humour): felt the opposite of what Downfall achieved (no melodrama, distinctly German)
- DirectorJack GoldStarsAlan ArkinJoanna PaculaRutger HauerGerman death camp in Sobibor, Poland, killed two hundred fifty thousand Jews. It had the most successful prisoner escape in World War II on October 14, 1943.some poor acting (very much a B-movie), but absolutely tragic and well captured: no sensationaling, just pure historical horror. Felt a realistic portrayal: awful, but not overly dramatic. Some weird bits too: triumphant music as Jews are slaughtered trying to flee was a poor choice
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsGene HackmanJohn CazaleAllen GarfieldA paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.---1st watch: Good
Loved the music and style and way it's shot: horror, thriller, mystery. The way it captures obsession, reclusiveness, isolation, loneliness, fear, paranoia.
Although it is slow which makes it less easy to watch, but it was still engaging.
---2nd: Good
Great?? It's excellent (in all the above ways), it just doesn't quite emotionally resonate with me as other 'Great's for some reason. I think maybe the surprise of the end didn't pay off that well, so there's never a 'oh man this is awesome' moment, it's just solidly good the whole way through.
(To add to the above too:) the slowness definitely excellently sets the tone and I wouldn't have it any other way, it's just the intrinsic downside is less stimulation. Also, Hackman's great: he plays an odd man in a relatable way: not overdone so he's caricutared nor underdone so that you don't believe he's a recluse; spot on.
PS I love mystery movies because they're realistic: you inhabit the ignorance of the characters, rather than the perfectly curated knowledge you're given in most thrillers. - DirectorRichard FleischerStarsRichard AttenboroughJudy GeesonJohn HurtWhat happened to the women at 10 Rillington Place? The story of British serial killer John Christie, who committed most or all of his crimes in the titular terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving Timothy Evans.Very dark, gritty, simple, kitchen sink murder. No melodrama, just pure, factual, horrific crime
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsPaul Walter HauserSam RockwellBrandon StanleySecurity guard Richard Jewell is an instant hero after foiling a bomb attack at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but his life becomes a nightmare when the FBI leaks to the media that he is a suspect in the case.It's a fairly typical drama of a falsely accused man vindicated, but Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell) is superb: he brings real authenticity and heart: he brings real weight (pun intended) to emotional scenes and Eastwood rightly lingers on him. Rockwell and Bates support pretty well (although some melodrama). Wilde and Hamm felt fake/typical: shallow characters (especially contrasting to the depth of the lead).
- DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsAnton YelchinImogen PootsAlia ShawkatA punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.liked the fairly original setup (punk band witnessing crime), terrifying (esp arm scene), gripping (you want them to escape), short, Patrick felt unbelievable as neo-Nazi villain, plot gets more unbelievable as it goes on (why armed criminals can't kill 5 teenagers is beyond me), punk music intensified it well, liked the quiet ending, liked the pretty down-to-earthness (not a supernatural horror: no monsters etc)
- DirectorCatherine CorsiniStarsCécile de FranceIzïa HigelinNoémie LvovskyA young woman moves from the French countryside to Paris and begins a passionate love affair with a feminist leader in this drama set in 1970s France.Ending left me on tenterhooks: could have gone either way and I liked it. Even though clearly from a LW influence (LGBT, feminism, pro-choice), didn't feel preach-y, just an honest romance. More about the conflict of life commitments/responsibilities and romance than ‘lesbians are oppressed’. Wasn't particularly unique (plot of closet homosexual country girl meets city girl, takes her back home and conflict ensues between her love life and family), but it was well done.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsHenry FondaJane DarwellJohn CarradineAn Oklahoma family, driven off their farm by the poverty and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl, joins the westward migration to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsNathan FillionGina TorresChiwetel EjioforThe crew of the ship Serenity try to evade an assassin sent to recapture telepath River.It's not a good action movie (which is how I watched it first time), but it is a good Firefly movie (how I watched it 2nd time, having then watched the series): it's b-movie-ish, 00s clichés etc, but that's the charm of Firefly. PS not sure how I felt about pilot's death: otoh a central character is brushed off v. quickly and wife shows almost no emotion; otoh she's a soldier and it's mid-action and she expresses it in her own way in combat.
- DirectorMax OphülsStarsJoan FontaineLouis JourdanMady ChristiansA pianist about to flee from a duel receives a letter from a woman he cannot remember, who may hold the key to his downfall.Liked it: very romantic and tragic. But can't help feeling it could have resolved if she'd confronted him: about never showing and not remembering. But that's life + that's people!
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsWinona RyderAngelina JolieClea DuVallA directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.Particularly moving: Daisy's story (father, chicken, suicide)
- DirectorHideo NakataStarsNanako MatsushimaMiki NakataniYûko TakeuchiA reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.love the 90s vibes: aesthetics, music, clothes, tech
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJessica ChastainShea WhighamPlagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.
- DirectorLuis MandokiStarsCarlos PadillaLeonor VarelaXuna PrimusA young boy, in an effort to have a normal childhood in 1980's El Salvador, is caught up in a dramatic fight for his life as he desperately tries to avoid the war which is raging all around him.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJude LawNicole KidmanRenée ZellwegerIn the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.???