Bones and All
Somewhat recommended.
Well, Timothy Chamalet can act and this movie at least proves this. He is actually quite emotive and good in the movie. It is about a couple of cannibals who go cross-country trying to find a way to survive. Yes, the cannibals are the sympathetic protagonists of this movie.
It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t groundbreaking or amazing. It held my attention, but was somewhat overlong in part.
I just got out of seeing the latest Mission: Impossible movie (Dead Reckoning, Part One) a few minutes ago. I went to see it because I enjoyed the earlier installments (from what I can recall since none are all that memorable), generally like Tom Cruise movies, but mostly because it has a stellar 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
I was sorely disappointed. I thought it was a hot mess. It was boring and long and a retread of earlier movies in the series. I found myself repeatedly looking at my watch. I had no idea who the antagonists were, nor did I particularly care. I’m sad I wasted my money and three hours of my life.
I’m surprised that Rotten Tomatoes steered me so wrong.
I saw it many decades ago in college and found it unnerving in an oddly tense sort of way. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Awhile later I chanced upon an article in a horror magazine (back in those days) talking about Argento’s use of lighting and color in it and I realized that had to be what was going on. It’s a film that “pops” in an unusual fashion.
One review on Letterboxd says:
actors: $2000
hair/makeup: $300
dubbing: $1050
lighting: $12 million
special effects: $750
I just watched Citizen X (1995, on MAX) and liked it. It wasn’t horribly depressing for a film about murdered children because you didn’t “get to know” the victims — I’m often squeamish about such things.
The plot turned on the fucked-up social/legal systems of the USSR. That made it interesting to me because Russia’s current war in Ukraine is heavily affected by similar issues.
Embrace of the Serpent (2015 on Kanopy) is also an interesting film
‘based on true events’, in this case on the writings of botanists/anthropologists who explored the Amazon in the early-and-middle 20th century.
It has a 96% Fresh on RottenTom, and was on many top-10 lists. Shot in nice BW, the main character is a shaman estranged from his tribe and very pissed off about White colonialists; the scientists implore his help to locate certain ‘sacred’ psychoactive plants.
The film walks the line of respecting the indigenous culture and scientific research (that inescapably helps corporate interests). It generally does a good job. There are some nods to the supernatural, but they aren’t offensively woo-woo. For me a B+, but it has a complex original feel that could be very appealing to some people.
For the first time in over ten years, I rewatched one of my favourite films, A Knight’s Tale. It’s still as good as ever. And I miss these kinds of films, medium budget high concepts, they tend to not be made anymore, or get lost and overlooked on streaming.
And what a great cast. Not just names like Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany, and Alan Tudyk, but I have always loved Laura Fraser, Rufus Sewell, and James Purefoy. Plus it’s genuinely funny.
Geoffrey Chaucer did apparently write a story called “The Knight’s Tale” but none of this stuff happened in it.
Just saw it, and completely agree with all of that. A bit uneven in places, but worth seeing, and Jennifer Lawrence is always delightful.
Two oldies:
The Postman Always Rings Twice. This is one of the most well known noirs, but I somehow have missed it over the years. John Garfield and Lana Turner are both terrific. Beautifully shot b&W, good script, and lots of twists and turns. I liked having Lana Turner always dressed all in white, until near the end when things get, well, dark. One quibble is why the DA (Leon Ames) is suspicious of Garfield from the jump. He doesn’t really give a reason. Hume Cronyn gives a wonderfully greasy portrayal of a slick lawyer. He was a kick.
Down Argentine Way. A typical flm musical from the era (this one was made in 1940), so it won’t be for you if you hate musicals. But it has a great cast starring Betty Grable and Don Ameche (who also starred in one of my favorite childhood movies – Moon Over Miami). It was Carmen Miranda’s first Hollywood movie (she’d made several movies in Brazil) and also the first film appearance of the Nicholas Brothers (who had been on tour with Miranda and got in the movie on her recommendation). Interesting fact from Ben Mankiewicz in the intro on TCM that the director Irving Cummings wanted to cut their number down, but during previews the audiences were so wildly enthusiastic, that he kept it fully intact. In one screening, the audience made the projectionist roll the film back, so they could watch it again! The movie is worth watching for their number alone.
Other stalward support players were Henry Stephenson, J. Carrol Naish, and the 1940s actress with the odd sideways kicking dance style – Charlotte Greenwood.
Just watched Cargo with Martin Freeman on Netflix- I don’t know how I missed it , I think it’s been on there for awhile. Basically, it’s yet another Zombie film but this one focused more on just one man’s journey to get his daughter to a safe place. It was just the right length and even though Zombies are not usually my thing, I do like Martin Freeman and the story was just enough action without losing the characters and the emotional elements of the story.
Cargo was based on a 7 minute YouTube short of the same name that was pretty damn good. Check it out:
That was great- thank you!
My pleasure. You might want to catch Maggie with Abigail Breslin and some guy named Schwarzenegger. He’s a farmer dad and she’s his daughter who is slowly dying from the zombie virus. Arnold is outstanding — he hired an acting coach and it shows. Very light on gore, it’s almost like one of those After School Specials except z-virus instead of cancer.
My wife had never seen The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, so we watched that last night. It really is quite good, even though it’s one of those “dirty New York City” movies that were so popular in the 70s (and which would culminate in the greatest movie of all time, The Warriors).
Having lived in NYC in the 1970’s as a young lad, they’re really not all that far off 
.
I really like the original, very solid cast. The remake…ehhhh.
I never saw the remake, sounds like it’s a good thing I didn’t.
That film is one of the few ones I’ve watched which could be the rational and sensible reaction to a zombie apocalypse.
So many of these films/series end up with people being utter idiots. It takes about five minutes of anyone vaguely intelligent to work out a strategy to survive a zombie apocalypse. Find a multi story building, block the stairs, and enter via a ladder you can pull up. Find a boat, live on the water. Live is a room WITH A LOCK ON THE DOOR.
Cargo had this. In multiple cases. Surviving on a boat. Aboriginal people living off in the wilderness miles from a city. It gave me hope for humanity in a fictional universe full of stupid people who want to die.
I tried to see Oppenheimer yesterday. About 2/3 of the way through (it’s spring 1945 at Los Alamos) there were technical difficulties with the projection and it was taking some time to get going again. After about 20 minutes we left and got a refund. Will probably see the end when it turns up on streaming services.
We were watching it in IMAX and it was not a great experience…the sound was terrible. The crashes and booms of the special effects were deafening but all the dialog was muddy and barely audible. Is this typical (this was my first IMAX experience)?
This is Chris Nolan. He deemphasizes dialogue.
I saw it at a normal screening, not Imax, and it was absolutely fine, so perhaps the mix levels are different? I’ve seen a lot of reports of inaudible dialogue but I could hear it fine. Tenet was another matter, that was tricky to say the least.
No that’s not normal. I’ve seen the film twice in IMAX and the sound was perfectly fine both times. No issue hearing any of the dialogue. It sounds like your theater had the levels set incorrectly.