Films you have seen at the cinema 2022

[Jeff Robinson]

The Banshees of Inisherin

Pretty good. Feels like an episode of Father Ted morphing into a Samuel Beckett play. Personally, I preferred the Father Ted-like parts. Like other McDonarg movies I’ve seen this was enjoyable, but his trade mark dark comedy has never resonated especially strongly with me, nor have his movies had much emotional impact.

 

[furluxor]

Reno & stdP you're right that such lifestyles are commonplace in Scandinavia, the issue is that it will limit to how real they feel to people elsewhere. My parents are big fans of that Scandi life and I can just barely picture myself in that environment (not that I want to) but a friend I went with found zero of it relatable. The characters were reasonably affluent people in a way that most people are not.

It's true that no one should really aspire to be a yoga influencer but people do, and the whole idea of it is built on aspiration.

The rest, yes, it's a matter of taste. I thought this movie was alright, I just didn't love it. My partner did, and so I'm sure many others. To each his own and all that. I love my share of movies that are much, much worse than this one.

 

[stdP]

Whilst I don't disagree with you at all, I don't really get why a films needs to be relatable (similarly I'd be interested to see how said Scandiwegian middle-classes might react to a film like Fish Tank or The Bicycle Thieves for instance) in order to be taken on its own merits, especially when so much of these tend to be drawn from the writers' own experience. Given the setting I thought it was a great portrayal of, for want of a better word, a flibbertigibbet.

I wouldn't say I loved it either, but I certainly liked it a lot, mostly because for me at least at heart it's a deconstruction of the "manic dream girl" stereotype overly present in romcoms that I so despise. I didn't really see it as aspirational at all - the protagonist herself swerves the chance to embark on more "serious" careers and the yoga influencer in particular was practically held up for ridicule for doing little but show off her arse.

As you say though, each to their own, my interpretation of the film above probably says more about me than it does about the film

 

[furluxor]

Whilst I don't disagree with you at all, I don't really get why a films needs to be relatable (similarly I'd be interested to see how said Scandiwegian middle-classes might react to a film like Fish Tank or The Bicycle Thieves for instance) in order to be taken on its own merits, especially when so much of these tend to be drawn from the writers' own experience. Given the setting I thought it was a great portrayal of, for want of a better word, a flibbertigibbet.

I wouldn't say I loved it either, but I certainly liked it a lot, mostly because for me at least at heart it's a deconstruction of the "manic dream girl" stereotype overly present in romcoms that I so despise. I didn't really see it as aspirational at all - the protagonist herself swerves the chance to embark on more "serious" careers and the yoga influencer in particular was practically held up for ridicule for doing little but show off her arse.

As you say though, each to their own, my interpretation of the film above probably says more about me than it does about the film

Relatability is important to me. First, after watching a movie I often ask myself 'what was it trying to say and why?', then 'did it do it well?'. Neither of the answers are objective, of course, but sometimes for me it has to be relatable to convey the message. I imagine that even for Norwegian middle-classes watching Fish Tank, something has to touch them on a personal level in order to take them inside. In other words, 'why should the writer's personal experience matter to me?'.

I like your description of it as a 'deconstruction of the "manic dream girl" stereotype', it rings true and is worth doing. And the movie provoked some interesting (to me) discussion here so something good has come out of it.

Whilst I think that audience response does say a lot about the film, it's true that it says a lot about us as well. I'll be giving this some thought. Lately I'm having a hard time connecting to a few movies on the modern life, and maybe certain people as well. This is not the place to articulate it but definitely something to chew on.

 

[metalguru]

Living

Enjoyed this overall - but with some reservations. The acting is very good, though Bill Nighy is hardly stretched. It's well paced.

But I'm a bit bored of the main theme and I thought the film overdoes the sentimentality somewhat ludicrously in the final few minutes.

 

[Orang Utan]

#LIFF2020 Film 8: Huesera
Mexican queer feminist maternal PND-themed pyschological horror. Will be compared with Rosemary’s Baby but this is much better IMO. Goes well deep into the exhausting demands of societal expectations of mothers and mothers to be. 4 snapping fingers out of 5
(It seems twitchy clicky contortionists writhing around are a thing - see Sadako/Ringu, Babadook, Malignant etc)

 

[Orang Utan]

#LIFF2022 Film 9: Project Wolf Hunting
Korean Con-Air-On-Boat meets Universal Soldier meets The Raid cartoonish gorefest action horror. Don’t try to make sense of the plot, it doesn’t matter as there’s blood and guts and smashed skulls n that.
3 staple-eyes impossibly strong zombie supersoldiers out of 5

 

[Orang Utan]

#LIFF2022 Film 10: RoboCop
My most-watched VHS in my teens, so had to see it on a massive screen. It was of course a funny and violent delight and as topical as ever (privatised police not exactly sci-fi now hmm?).
5 shot-to-bits yuppies out of 5

 

[Thora]

The Banshees of Inisherin

The In Bruges gang reunite on Craggy Island at the end of the Irish civil war and play out a hilarious parable. Almost absurdist, playing upon the stereotypical Irish yarn but with so much more going on under the surface.

Great performances, occasionally shocking, word perfect and fecking funny.

I watched this last night and almost left halfway through

 

[Reno]

View attachment 350377
#LIFF2022 Film 6 - Incredible But True
Another wacky but insubstantial Quentin Dupieux film, this time a trite parable about vanity and ageing. I always look forward to his films yet am always disappointed. Like Gilliam and Gondry before him, he has an extraordinary imagination that he struggles to materialise into extraordinary films.
2 steerable genitalia out of 5

At least Gondry has Eternal Sunshine and many of the greatest pop promos ever made on his CV and while an uneven filmmaker, Gilliam has made some great films. I've been burned by every Dupieux film I've seen. Each has a temptingly wacky premise which even at his usual running time of 75 minutes, feels wildly overextended. They are the art house version of the Sharknado movies.

 

[Orang Utan]

#LIFF2022 Film 11 - Alcarras
Sweet, rambling drama about a Catalan family in conflict over the future of their farms. Great kids’ performances.
4 ripe figs out of 5

 

[Orang Utan]

#LIFF2022 Film 12 - Matter Out Of Place
Absorbing but depressing documentary on how we dispose of our waste. It would be easy to say it’s a load of old rubbish as it literally is, but I’m still giving it 4 rotting bin bags out of 5. (I was also impressed by some very efficient (Swiss) parallel parking)

 

[Sue]

At least Gondry has Eternal Sunshine and many of the greatest pop promos ever made on his CV and while an uneven filmmaker, Gilliam has made some great films. I've been burned by every Dupieux film I've seen. Each has a temptingly wacky premise which even at his usual running time of 75 minutes, feels wildly overextended. They are the art house version of the Sharknado movies.

I quite liked Deerskin.

 

[Reno]

I quite liked Deerskin.

That one I haven't seen.

 

[Orang Utan]

#LIFF2022 Film 13 - Viking
Low-budget comedy about volunteers simulating the experience of isolated living as a mirror to a real space mission to Mars.
People behave in predictably terrible ways. Well I never. 3 insincere platitudes out of 5

 

[Orang Utan]

#LIFF2022 Film 14 - Close
Tender portrayal of a close boyhood friendship thwarted by narrow societal perceptions of masculine behaviour.
Lukas Dhont, whose work is reminiscent of Celine Sciamma, continues to impress with his 2nd feature. 5 play fights out of 5

 

[DJWrongspeed]

LeedsIFF looks pretty good.

"No Bears" by Jafar Panahi ( now in prison) . It's a miracle it ever got made. Recommended.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Anyone been to see Smile? I'm looking for reasons to drive to a farther away cinema than the 3 locally (that aren't showing it any longer).

Smile (2022) ⭐ 6.5 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

1h 55m | 18

www.imdb.com

 

[CNT36]

Anyone been to see Smile? I'm looking for reasons to drive to a farther away cinema than the 3 locally (that aren't showing it any longer).

Smile (2022) ⭐ 6.5 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

1h 55m | 18

www.imdb.com

I saw it. Second scary film of the year. Freaked me out a little but maybe my tolerance is pretty low these days. Probably watched four ir five horrors in the last decade though I used to watch a lot. I thought it was pretty good with a pretty nasty concept. There were plenty of screams in full cinema. There was a group of young lads next to me possibly students. One who thought he was coming to see a comedy was nearly in tears by the end and kept muttering fucking film whenever the tension mounted. There were a few tropes though that I was fed up of by the mid 2000s.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

I saw it. Second scary film of the year. Freaked me out a little but maybe my tolerance is pretty low these days. Probably watched four ir five horrors in the last decade though I used to watch a lot. I thought it was pretty good with a pretty nasty concept. There were plenty of screams in full cinema. There was a group of young lads next to me possibly students. One who thought he was coming to see a comedy was nearly in tears by the end and kept muttering fucking film whenever the tension mounted. There were a few tropes though that I was fed up of by the mid 2000s.

Ta

 

[Reno]

Anyone been to see Smile? I'm looking for reasons to drive to a farther away cinema than the 3 locally (that aren't showing it any longer).

Smile (2022) ⭐ 6.5 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

1h 55m | 18

www.imdb.com

Favourite Horror Film

I think my favourite bit in the visit, both our favourite bit, was that stomach lurch moment when you realise everything is terribly wrong, I LOVE that feeling in films, and we both got it at exactly the same time. I guess it has to be unexpected though. I thought it was one of the better...

www.urban75.net

 

[CNT36]

Favourite Horror Film

I think my favourite bit in the visit, both our favourite bit, was that stomach lurch moment when you realise everything is terribly wrong, I LOVE that feeling in films, and we both got it at exactly the same time. I guess it has to be unexpected though. I thought it was one of the better...

www.urban75.net

I'd go further and say it ends predictably

Spoiler

then, predictably, ends predictably again.

 

[A380]

Just seen Living.

A really lovely film. Very slow but almost every scene and character was perfectly drawn.

 

[BigMoaner]

this is supposed to be amazing. relatable for me. seeing it alone on tuesday

 

[Sue]

this is supposed to be amazing. relatable for me. seeing it alone on tuesday

Saw it last night. It's good but very low key.

 

[Orang Utan]

Daughters Of Darkness - 1971 Belgian lesbian vampire flick - it was shown at LIFF2022,, and while it is loads of fun - camp, sexy and lushly designed - it's located in a deserted but huge lavish hotel in Ostend - the director of the film, Harry Kumel, in his introduction, was very insistent that it is was only intended to be a stylish-looking exploitation flick and that any retrospective cultish interpretation of the fiilm was wrong as it 'had no significance whatsoever', thus throwing shade at the young programmers of the LGTB strand the film was being presented in
One of the most enjoyable viewing experiences of a disappointing festival.
Anyway, I want what she's having:

am also now in lust with Delphine Seyrig (above) and Andrea Rau (below, not to be confused with overly-moneyed Dutch fiddler and Vigo-The-Carpathian lookalike, Andre Rieu):

 

[Reno]

Daughters Of Darkness - 1971 Belgian lesbian vampire flick - it was shown at LIFF2022,, and while it is loads of fun - camp, sexy and lushly designed - it's located in a deserted but huge lavish hotel in Ostend - the director of the film, Harry Kumel, in his introduction, was very insistent that it is was only intended to be a stylish-looking exploitation flick and that any retrospective cultish interpretation of the fiilm was wrong as it 'had no significance whatsoever', thus throwing shade at the young programmers of the LGTB strand the film was being presented in
One of the most enjoyable viewing experiences of a disappointing festival.
Anyway, I want what she's having:
View attachment 352475
am also now in lust with Delphine Seyrig (above) and Andrea Rau (below, not to be confused with overly-moneyed Dutch fiddler and Vigo-The-Carpathian lookalike, Andre Rieu):
View attachment 352477View attachment 352478

One of my favorite vampire movies !

 

[Orang Utan]

One of my favorite vampire movies !

Got any recommendations for similar exploitation flicks of the era? must have nice interior decorations and costumes, sexy European actors and a modicum of far-too-red Technicolore Kensington Gore.
I've just added Fearless Vampire Killers to my list, for example.

 

[Reno]

Got any recommendations for similar exploitation flicks of the era? must have nice interior decorations and costumes, sexy European actors and a modicum of far-too-red Technicolore Kensington Gore.
I've just added Fearless Vampire Killers to my list, for example.

I love the Fearless Vampire Killers, some people don’t take to its sense of humor. I find its atmosphere more unsettling than any of the Hammer movies it was a parody of.

Of the Hammer vampire movies I’d recommend Brides of Dracula for colorful entertainment and when it comes to stylish Euro-horror Mario Bava is your man. Give Blood and Black Lace and Kill Baby Kill a try.

 

[Orang Utan]

I love the Fearless Vampire Killers, some people don’t take to its sense of humor. I find its atmosphere more unsettling than any of the Hammer movies it was a parody of.

Of the Hammer vampire movies I’d recommend Brides of Dracula for colorful entertainment and when it comes to stylish Euro-horror Mario Bava is your man. Give Blood and Black Lace and Kill Baby Kill a try.

Ooh yeah haven’t seen any Bava movies, I don’t think - ta