I don’t like Yorgos Lanthimos as much as some. I find many of his movies to be somewhat engaging while watching, but not great or impactful once done. I’ll list my likes and dislikes at the end.
Bugonia is one of the top movies I’ve seen for him. I did NOT see the original Korean movie, which is odd since I watch a lot of international cinema(original is Save the Green Planet).
I liked the movie a lot and if you are considering seeing it, you should. I think it is a hard movie to talk about without discussing spoilers, so I will start another thread. Jesse Plemmons is amazing, though, and is the real standout performance of the movie. I hope he gets an Oscar nomination for it. Emma Stone is good, but this was Jesse Plemmons movie to shine.
Lanthimos movies I liked(in no order)
Dogtooth
The Lobster
Bugonia
Ones I was mixed or didn’t like:
Kiling of a Sacred Deer (didn’t like)
Alps (didn’t like)
Kinds of Kindness (mixed)
Poor Things (mixed)
The Favourite (didn’t like)
A couple of Brad Pitt vehicles seen streaming on Netflix:
Most if everyone has seen them. Inglourious Basterds : Directed by Quentin Tarantino. With Brad Pitt,… It’s a WWII US propaganda film careening into a WWII Nazi propaganda film. The Basterds collide with a Jewish-French resistance fighter (she’s avenging her family). The target is the Nazi high command in a theater. The forces for good are unaware of each other. Action by Tarantino does not disappoint. Christoph Waltz shines as the immoral Nazi evil archetype. Somewhat Detective Columbo style. Good over evil triumphant finish. Holds up as entertainment with lots of period slurs in the dialogue.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) Pitt and Jolie in friendlier times. Vince Vaughn there too.
The stars are both handsome and beautiful. Vicious and violent fun. No serious messaging. Get your popcorn and beverage and watch the destruction.
Their get-together at the finish kindles a fantasy that they could get together again in real life after all the animosity. It would be made into the all time greatest schmaltzy Christmas movie, Mariah Carey would sing the songs, life on earth would end - CUT!
Train Dreams on NFLX. An odd little movie about the life of a woodcutter and loner in America’s west during the very late 1800s and into the 1960s. The only actor I recognized was William H. Macy. He’s not on screen much, but makes his usual impact. It’s narrated by Will Patton, who has done a lot of work, but I couldn’t come up with his name on my own if I tried. Anyway, it’s a peculiar effort, but well done.
Better than the somewhat similar Life of Chuck from this year. I swear I thought Train Dreams was an adapted short story or novella of Stephen King. Nope.
Good, but I did not love it. When it ended, I was staring at the screen thinking…“that’s…it???”
Yeah, it’s pretty offbeat. There is little violence, and what there is is more of a reflection on history than it is gratuitous. Just a story about a man who goes through life without really participating in it.
I am absolutely not the target demographic for this movie. But it’s been having a “moment,” so the wife and I decided to have a look.
It’s not essential viewing by any means, but it’s well-made and engaging. Stylish animation and catchy music. It hits some well-trod YA themes about empowerment and self-acceptance and the like.
I can definitely see why it’s become so popular among the younger folks.
A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
I know it’s been discussed here before, but I just got around to seeing it three years in.
I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It’s nearly impossible to recapture the charm of the original, of course, but it does indeed feel like the same world, with lots of the original cast and just the right mix of silliness and sentiment. A worthy follow-up for the next generation.
Thanks for that review. I still haven’t got around to watching Bugonia (too many other things to watch – I’m still engrossed in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour followon to the classic half-hour series). As a director and movie producer Yorgos Lanthimos is creative and unpredictable, but his movies are always fun. I’m glad that you enjoyed Bugonia and now I’m looking forward to it more than ever. But, FWIW, I disagree with your assessment of Poor Things. It has its faults, for sure, but overall I’d consider it a work of creative genius.
Just watched Ambulance, although I’m not sure why. Starring Jake Gyllin. . .Gillyn. . .that guy with the sister Maggie. Two hours of nonstop action. Seriously nonstop. Then a nonsensical wrap. Or should I say more nonsensical. Anyway, it killed a couple of hours and must have cost them a fortune in pyrotechnics.
Made before the Hayes Code. The movie depicts the characters descent into madness and violence. Tame by todays standards. It’s impressive that a naked guy could kill over 125 people without frostbite.
The early audiences must have been astonished with the special effects. Making a character invisible, long before green screen is challenging.
Wikipedia describes the special effects.
They had trouble casting the role because the actor is only shown as a shape dressed in a bathrobe/suit and bandaged head. Today they would probably use voice over for his dialog.
I think Prime has the restored version. The print looked very good.
The recent Netflix doomsday thriller A House of Dynamite launched a few comparisons with1964’s Fail Safe. Released in the midst of the Cold War, directed by Sidney Lumet and filmed in stark black-and-white, “Fail Safe” tells the harrowing story of an accidental attack on Russia and the steps President Henry Fonda takes to stop it from escalating into Armageddon.
It’s Dr. Strangelove without the laughs. (“Fail Safe” was released several months after “Strangelove,” and even launched a lawsuit due to the similarity of the two stories.)
Hank Fonda plays an intelligent, capable President. The supporting cast is first-rate and believable, though it was odd seeing Dom Deluise in a minor serious role. Walter Matthau’s character was a bit over the top. He was adept at playing nasty characters until one day someone discovered what a wonderful comedic actor was hiding behind the villains.
I hadn’t seen “Fail Safe” since the 1960s, and honestly did not remember how it ended.
My God. What an ending.
“Fail Safe” is available on Tubi with commercials and elsewhere without.
Enjoyed this one, perhaps not quite as much as the first, which came out a scarily long time ago (nearly a decade, good grief! Who did they have in charge of making the decision to go ahead with a sequel, a sloth?!).
The wholesome, rather direct messaging about being tolerant and accepting of others who may be different is present again (along with the main plotline about a monority group being demonised), told with what seems today to be the standard superb CGI visuals.
Yes it was a tad predictable but kids and adults alike are going to get plenty of enjoyment out of this one.
Flight Risk on Max. Action/Adventure with most of the action taking place inside a small plane flying over the Alaskan wilderness. Michelle Dockery, Mark Wahlberg, and Topher Grace are the principals, and they all do an adequate job. The plot is okay, although a bit predictable. Not a great film, but okay for 90 minutes of entertainment.
The one thing about that movie that I found weird is that every battle scene is in bright sunshine under beautiful blue skies. I don’t know, it just seems so incongruous that it’s off-putting.
I hate that movie. The subject matter should make for a good movie. This isn’t that movie. The combat violence was less realistic than Commando. For a movie that came out after Saving Private Ryan it should have been filmed in a more realistic manner.
I watched the made for Netflix movie The Rats: A Witcher Tale so you don’t have to. Season 4 of The Witcher was the weakest but I found it entertaining enough. The worst part of it was the introduction of a band of thieves called The Rats. For some reason they felt the need to make a prequel movie showing the origin of the Rats. None of them are particularly interesting or memorable. The actor who played Reef annoyed the shit out of me. She should be banned from all media. The heist that was central to the plot was boring. The twist was obvious. Dolph Lundgren convincingly played a block of wood. His bonding with the Rats was abrupt and unrealistic.
The only bright spot is Sharlto Copley. He is very good reprising his role as the bad guy from The Witcher.
I finally got around to del Toro’s Frankenstein. Nicely set and well acted, but I’m not sure he brought anything new to the story except for the rather ham-fisted moral the ship captain takes from the tale. Like Dracula, I just feel like any original ideas have already been wrung out of the story.
