Where did you see those? I don’t think they’re scheduled to be released in the United States for a couple of months.
The AMC in the “if you have to ask the price you can’t afford it” mall on the Westside has turned into the Los Angeles early premiere theater now that both the Landmark and the Arclight are no more. (for example, Anora started at this theater about two weeks before its release to other theaters) The Brutalist started on Friday. I saw the Saturday morning performance and the theater was sold out.
The Count of Monte Cristo is showing at one of the plucky, reliable venues for foreign and low profile indies, the Laemmle (the Royal on Santa Monica Blvd). Saw that one on Sunday.
My college campus had a few examples of Brutalism (including the one housing the Architecture Department). As an ignorant 18 year old I had no idea what it was called, other than f***ing ugly.
PEARL. My son and I were scrolling Netflix for something to watch, and this popped up under horror… I knew nothing about it other than it’s part of some kind of trilogy with Mia Goth.
Absolutely enjoyed the hell out of it. Exactly what I was in the mood for.
London has lots of brutalist architecture (most notably the South Bank). I’ve always been of the view that in the post-war era there was a subconscious desire for buildings that look like they could withstand a direct bomb hit. Does the film mention this?
Either that, or be improved by a direct hit.
The movie is not about Brutalist architecture. It is about a Brutalist architect and he does address his personal relationship to the architecture he designs.
The Brutalist is playing in NYC. I saw it last week.
Films have to play for at least a week in 2024 for Oscars eligibility which is why many have a limited run in NY and LA starting mid-December before expanding to other cities in January.
Note that the eligible cities were expanded a couple of years ago to include Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Chicago, and “the Bay Area”.
To be eligible for the Oscar for Best Picture, a film (which was not eligible in any previous year) must show in a movie theater that year for at least seven consecutive days with at least one showing per day beginning between 6 PM and 10 PM. They must be over 40 minutes long. Those seven consecutive days must be at a movie theater in one of the six metropolitan areas of Los Angeles County; the City of New York; the Bay Area; Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia. The showing of a film at a film festival doesn’t count for making a film Oscar-eligible.
The Academy’s eligibility rules don’t include Miami.
For Academy Awards consideration, a feature film must have a qualifying theatrical release between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024 . Drive-in theaters will no longer be a means of qualification, and the six qualifying U.S. metropolitan areas will now include Dallas-Fort Worth, in addition to Los Angeles County; the City of New York; the Bay Area; Chicago, Illinois; and Atlanta, Georgia.
Pearl was the best of the trilogy.
I copied those metropolitan areas down at one point from the eligibility rules website, so they must have changed at some point
At my brother’s house and all they have on the TV is movies, so I’ve watched more in 36 hours than the previous 8-10 months, so here’s a passel of reviews.
Carry On, pretty standard airport scare with valiant hero trying to overcome crafty evil-doer…think Die Hard2, but the plane is on the ground. It’s Ok but nothing special and you can see things coming fairly well into the future,
Murder in the First, about a prisoner brutally treated, valiant lawyer fighting the system…we’ve seen this plot before, but Kevin Bacon as the inmate makes it worth watching, IMHO.
Walking Tall, the original film starring Joe Don Baker in the lead role, rather over-done and you can see things coming way early, probably worth watching just to see what started the whole series of films.
The Adam Project about time-travel and family, so-so film and plot.
The Old Guard, probably the one I would recommend the most, well-acted, violent but central to the plot, and they kept it moving along.
Totally agree; this one is outstanding.
I just watched I Trapped the Devil. I could have sworn it was already mentioned here, and if so, apologies.
It’s the lowest of low budget, with basically three characters in one location. Basically, a man with a history of ‘troubles’ has what he believes to be The Devil trapped in his basement. Every time I saw the description I thought " already done on the Twilight Zone 60 years ago". This is so much better than The Howling Man (to be fair, that’s not one of my favorites anyway).
Creepy and claustrophobic, with great performances by ordinary looking people saying believable things. It’s a little production with a big kick.
Deleted and moved to the thread on the movie
American Fiction - we just watched it and I thought it was great. Serious and funny at the same time. The writing was great and the entire cast was excellent. Probably one of my favorite movies ever. Highly recommended.
Deep Red (1975). I guess my disappointment in this production is from the high expectations I had because it was directed by the Italian master of horror, Dario Argento, maker of such horror classics as Phenomena, Opera, and the original Suspiria, among many others.
But despite the relatively high rating on IMDb, to me it seemed disjointed and often rather meandering. Most of the action is in the last half-hour, and seekers of blood’n’gore will find it there, if that’s what they’re after. But other than a few typically Dargento visual touches, I don’t find much here to recommend it.
A Complete Unknown. An enjoyable Bob Dylan biopic that mercifully confines itself to the four most important years of his career. Good performances (especially Edward Norton as Pete Seeger) and great music. The story is a familiar one about musicians of that era with the destructive behavior limited to personal relationships (although that motorcycle is prominently featured).
It’s a Wonderful Life I usually just skip the first 2 hours and jump to the point where Uncle Billy loses the money. But this year I decided to watch the whole thing from the beginning for the first time in several years. I was really struck by how dark it was. George Bailey is really angry and bitter…until, of course, he gets better.
But the ending gets me all verklempt, every time.