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Films you have seen at the cinema 2024

The Werckmeister Harmonies. So I'd never seen a Béla Tarr film (I was going to see Sátántangó once but the seven hour or whatever running time kind of put me off.) This one looked a bit more manageable length-wise at a mere two and a half hours and was on at my local cinema so...

A circus -- which consists of a dead whale in a trailer and a mysterious character called the Prince -- rolls into a small town and somehow provokes mob violence. Lovely black and white cinematography and has a kind of mystical feel to it (the how or why of events isn't explained, they just are.) Tarr loves a lingering shot -- why show something for 15 seconds when you can show it for two minutes? -- and I did think this was very good, if on the slow side. It still hasn't convinced me on the seven-hour film thing though may give some of his other films a go.
 
Trap - premise is that it follows a serial killer (played by Josh Hartnett) evading a police blockade while attending a concert with his daughter.

My first thought while opening credits played: I like this music, wonder who it is. Turns out M. Night Shyamalan cast his daughter Saleka as the singer whose concert is the backdrop for events, 'Lady Raven'. She's good.

Anyway, re the main story, the cops and serial killer cat and mouse game. It's tense. If tension was measured on the same scale as volume it's 8+ pretty much all the way through, and then goes up to 11.
 
3 Women. A Robert Altman film I hadn't seen. Great film, with excellent performances by Duvall and Spacek. And also very funny.

Duvall's character makes much of her culinary skills. It's (of course) 70's terrible. We do get to see cheese in a can on crackers and vol au vonts stuffed with something so swings and roundabouts..
 
The Werckmeister Harmonies. So I'd never seen a Béla Tarr film (I was going to see Sátántangó once but the seven hour or whatever running time kind of put me off.) This one looked a bit more manageable length-wise at a mere two and a half hours and was on at my local cinema so...

A circus -- which consists of a dead whale in a trailer and a mysterious character called the Prince -- rolls into a small town and somehow provokes mob violence. Lovely black and white cinematography and has a kind of mystical feel to it (the how or why of events isn't explained, they just are.) Tarr loves a lingering shot -- why show something for 15 seconds when you can show it for two minutes? -- and I did think this was very good, if on the slow side. It still hasn't convinced me on the seven-hour film thing though may give some of his other films a go.
I read some critic say this one is better than Satantango, why go 7hrs when you can get the jist with 2hrs 20. Well they're different films really. Saw it at BFI, so relevant to our times still.
 
Stalker. 3hrs of long, ponderous shots where nothing much happens, but in a metaphysical way. Watched with my 15yo; we agreed that we both enjoyed it, but have many more questions than answers.
Ooh, would have loved to see it on the big screen. It's beautiful and strange and very different from the source material (which also enjoyed).

The backstory and legacy of the film is quite sad.
 
3 Women. A Robert Altman film I hadn't seen. Great film, with excellent performances by Duvall and Spacek. And also very funny.

Duvall's character makes much of her culinary skills. It's (of course) 70's terrible. We do get to see cheese in a can on crackers and vol au vonts stuffed with something so swings and roundabouts..
I saw this a few years ago and like you loved it, both quite Altman and not Altman at the same time if you know what I mean.
 
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I Saw The TV Glow.
I liked parts of it. Could identify with the two awkward oddball teen characters bonding as kindred spirits over a teen show. My first romantic relationship was partly grounded through a mutual love of Twin Peaks, and looking back now we, and our small group of friends were probably considered weirdos, though I didn’t notice or care at the time.
But the music kind of ruined it for me. It was way too loud in the mix for me and I do not care for that particular type of music. Which is putting it mildly to be honest.
 
This is happening in my city next month BTW. Was pleasantly surprised by the programme. Looking forward to it. We’ll see if it is a successful way to promote cinema visits
The films are:
Moonrise Kingdom
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Lost In America
But I’m A Cheerleader

Haven’t seen Lost In America and it’s been a while since I’ve seen the others, so looking forward to it, but that’s some impressive programming IMO
 
Trap
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller with Josh Hartnett as a dad with a secret taking his daughter to the stadium concert of a Swiftian megastar. It’s another misfire from Shyamalan - not the most consistent of film makers. He can make clever compelling blockbusters, but he can also make lazy Swiss-cheese-plotted turkeys, and this one is the latter.
A load of claptrap
2 undertalented nepobabies out of 5
 
Not seen anything new in a while. August is a month full of action films, horror and slasher flicks and superhero sequels which aren’t my cup of tea.

I have watched the following old films on a big screen, Blue Velvet, Top Gun, My Neighbor Totoro (subtitled version natch). All very different.

Top Gun was a first time viewing and was quite good except for the scenes where the actors were talking. Was glad to have caught it on a big screen, the flying scenes were well shot.

Blue Velvet I last watched on a laptop screen two decades ago. You can see the genesis of twin peaks here, with Lynch’s subversion of the suburban American wholesome mirage.

I think I watched Totoro a few days before Blue Velvet but on reflection it would be a wholesome palate cleanser if watched after. The plot is simple, it’s an uplifting film and I’m still humming the theme tune. I’m not really into anime but this is a film for everyone I think.
 
Tonight I went to see Blink Twice which seemed to be the first thing on general release with an original plot not based off IP.

Zoe Kravitz directs her debut, set on the Eden like paradise island of a disgraced billionaire - Channing Tatum - and his gang of hangers on and sycophants. Very clearly referring Epstein, and it felt to me Tatum’s security guard resembled JE. Are you having a good time he asks the women, “yes we are having a great time” they parrot back. Something is up. We soon find out what. Supposedly Get Out was an influence (not seen that though)

I wasn’t a fan of the final act,
while appropriate revenge is of course taken out on the vile men, I wanted to see the billionaire dead too but perhaps this final outcome is more of a fitting punishment
 
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Tonight I went to see Blink Twice which seemed to be the first thing on general release with an original plot not based off IP.

Zoe Kravitz directs her debut, set on the Eden like paradise island of a disgraced billionaire - Channing Tatum - and his gang of hangers on and sycophants. Very clearly referring Epstein, and it felt to me Tatum’s security guard resembled JE. Are you having a good time he asks the women, “yes we are having a great time” they parrot back. Something is up. We soon find out what. Supposedly Get Out was an influence (not seen that though)

I wasn’t a fan of the final act,
while appropriate revenge is of course taken out on the vile men, I wanted to see the billionaire dead too but perhaps this final outcome is more of a fitting punishment
Is it worth seeing? The trailer looked okay but know nothing more about it.
 
Not seen anything new in a while. August is a month full of action films, horror and slasher flicks and superhero sequels which aren’t my cup of tea.

I have watched the following old films on a big screen, Blue Velvet, Top Gun, My Neighbor Totoro (subtitled version natch). All very different.

Top Gun was a first time viewing and was quite good except for the scenes where the actors were talking. Was glad to have caught it on a big screen, the flying scenes were well shot.

Blue Velvet I last watched on a laptop screen two decades ago. You can see the genesis of twin peaks here, with Lynch’s subversion of the suburban American wholesome mirage.

I think I watched Totoro a few days before Blue Velvet but on reflection it would be a wholesome palate cleanser if watched after. The plot is simple, it’s an uplifting film and I’m still humming the theme tune. I’m not really into anime but this is a film for everyone I think.
Top Gun is some nasty shit. Am amazed that the sequel is so enjoyable!

Have only seen Blue Velvet once but agreed on the Twin Peaks comparison (which am currently rewatching).

Oh and if you liked Totoro, would reckon Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke from the same director.
 
Is it worth seeing? The trailer looked okay but know nothing more about it.
Just about. I hadn't actually seen a trailer. I went partly as I was already going to be in Exeter for rugby and it was on just after the match finished. I wouldn’t have travelled otherwise (50 minute round trip).

Worth noting that the screen (probably 50 or so seats) was full, which is good to see
 
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Top Gun is some nasty shit. Am amazed that the sequel is so enjoyable!
The plot is very silly. I was surprised they didn’t fly the planes in their cloth towels they spent half the time in them. Not really my sort of film, but I did concede to friends for whom it’s one of their favourites that the action scenes at least were superb.

like a lot of films etched in the collective cultural consciousness is that the memes and quotes mean that it’s never a totally new film even if it’s the first time you’ve watched it.

My dad said the sequel was popular at the village film club. I’ll save it for the big screen rather than watch at home though.
Have only seen Blue Velvet once but agreed on the Twin Peaks comparison (which am currently rewatching).
I could rewatch series 1 of twin peaks over and over. Was less keen on series 2 and just didn’t understand The Return though critics seemed to love it. Perhaps it needs a rewatch. I do struggle when things become a bit supernatural.
Oh and if you liked Totoro, would reckon Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke from the same director.
Thanks, I have seen Spirited away but will look out for the other one.
 
The plot is very silly. I was surprised they didn’t fly the planes in their cloth towels they spent half the time in them. Not really my sort of film, but I did concede to friends for whom it’s one of their favourites that the action scenes at least were superb.

like a lot of films etched in the collective cultural consciousness is that the memes and quotes mean that it’s never a totally new film even if it’s the first time you’ve watched it.

My dad said the sequel was popular at the village film club. I’ll save it for the big screen rather than watch at home though.

I could rewatch series 1 of twin peaks over and over. Was less keen on series 2 and just didn’t understand The Return though critics seemed to love it. Perhaps it needs a rewatch. I do struggle when things become a bit supernatural.

Thanks, I have seen Spirited away but will look out for the other one.
Top Gun is well dodgy. Himself walking into the women's toilets, the only black character is the only person Maverick gets arsey with... saw it when it was released and watched it a few days before seeing the new one. Was told that even if the first one irked, I would enjoy the second. And yes, it's fun. Although it's beloved by right wingers, apparently!

Twin Peaks season 2 I really enjoyed because of the sci-fi weirdness that really takes off. Rewatched the film a while back and am more favourable to it these days. Haven't seen the third season yet.
 
Didi

Sean Wang's Taiwanese-American semi-autobiographic film about the problems of coming of age in California for a teen living in a Taiwanese family. For once, I agree with Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian who made it his film of the week.

It's very good at portraying just how difficult it can be to navigate teenage social interactions, especially if you're balancing two cultures, and the sheer awkwardness of much of teenage life. Also, there's a poignant sub-plot around the thwarted dreams of his mother.

It's a relatively light and thoughtful film - which I very much enjoyed. But it must have pressed some buttons around my own teenage years, as I felt oddly dazed and emotional leaving the cinema.
 
Top Gun is well dodgy. Himself walking into the women's toilets, the only black character is the only person Maverick gets arsey with... saw it when it was released and watched it a few days before seeing the new one. Was told that even if the first one irked, I would enjoy the second. And yes, it's fun. Although it's beloved by right wingers, apparently!
The women’s toilets bit I was a bit wtf about.
Twin Peaks season 2 I really enjoyed because of the sci-fi weirdness that really takes off. Rewatched the film a while back and am more favourable to it these days. Haven't seen the third season yet.
sci-fi weirdness is where I have problems; think I am too rooted in the real world and lack the imagination to fully appreciate the ideas outside of what I recognise the world as. My own issue though!
 
Tonight I went to see Blink Twice which seemed to be the first thing on general release with an original plot not based off IP.

Zoe Kravitz directs her debut, set on the Eden like paradise island of a disgraced billionaire - Channing Tatum - and his gang of hangers on and sycophants. Very clearly referring Epstein, and it felt to me Tatum’s security guard resembled JE. Are you having a good time he asks the women, “yes we are having a great time” they parrot back. Something is up. We soon find out what. Supposedly Get Out was an influence (not seen that though)

I wasn’t a fan of the final act,
while appropriate revenge is of course taken out on the vile men, I wanted to see the billionaire dead too but perhaps this final outcome is more of a fitting punishment
Just saw it , enjoyed it but agree about the ending. Also the 1st film I've seen where vaping is integral to the plot.
 
The Werckmeister Harmonies. So I'd never seen a Béla Tarr film (I was going to see Sátántangó once but the seven hour or whatever running time kind of put me off.) This one looked a bit more manageable length-wise at a mere two and a half hours and was on at my local cinema so...

A circus -- which consists of a dead whale in a trailer and a mysterious character called the Prince -- rolls into a small town and somehow provokes mob violence. Lovely black and white cinematography and has a kind of mystical feel to it (the how or why of events isn't explained, they just are.) Tarr loves a lingering shot -- why show something for 15 seconds when you can show it for two minutes? -- and I did think this was very good, if on the slow side. It still hasn't convinced me on the seven-hour film thing though may give some of his other films a go.
This is one of my favourite films. I've never seen it at the cinema so I'm envious.

The lingering shots do serve a purpose imo. Their repetition adds to the feelings of frustration and desperation. And eg, walking around the whale takes time because it's so big. Showing size in time rather than in space. The moment when the mob come to a sudden stop in front of the the naked old man is incredibly powerful. And it has the best opening scene of any film ever imho.

I watched Satantango when it came up on Mubi a few months ago. Don't know if it's still there. I've also read the novel and the reason the film is 7 hrs plus is because it is very faithful to the book without leaving anything out and, yes, with very lingering shots and scenes. But it is episodic and can be watched the way you would read a novel - one or two chapters at a time. I watched it over four evenings. It's worth it - it's really good, and genuinely disturbing at one point (you'll know which point I mean when you come to it).

Tarr does amazing opening scenes. This is the opening of Satantango, setting the scene of a human collapse without any human presence.

 
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This is one of my favourite films. I've never seen it at the cinema so I'm envious.

The lingering shots do serve a purpose imo. Their repetition adds to the feelings of frustration and desperation. And eg, walking around the whale takes time because it's so big. Showing size in time rather than in space. The moment when the mob come to a sudden stop in front of the the naked old man is incredibly powerful. And it has the best opening scene of any film ever imho.

I watched Satantango when it came up on Mubi a few months ago. Don't know if it's still there. I've also read the novel and the reason the film is 7 hrs plus is because it is very faithful to the book without leaving anything out and, yes, with very lingering shots and scenes. But it is episodic and can be watched the way you would read a novel - one or two chapters at a time. I watched it over four evenings. It's worth it - it's really good, and genuinely disturbing at one point (you'll know which point I mean when you come to it).

Tarr does amazing opening scenes. This is the opening of Satantango, setting the scene of a human collapse without any human presence.


I'm literally just back from watching The Turin Horse. Shoot me now. And I say that as someone who likes potatoes.

(I'm definitely definitely never going to watch Satantango.)
 
Turin Horse is unrelentingly grim.

Boots on. Potatoes. Boots off.
Boots on. Potatoes. Boots off.
Someone buys some booze.
Boots on. Potatoes. Boots off.
Etc.

Tbf Satantango isn't like TH. Stuff does actually happen.
 
Turin Horse is unrelentingly grim.

Boots on. Potatoes. Boots off.
Boots on. Potatoes. Boots off.
Someone buys some booze.
Boots on. Potatoes. Boots off.
Etc.

Tbf Satantango isn't like TH. Stuff does actually happen.
And unrelentingly dull. I was wondering just how many days (weeks? :eek:) it would go on for.

(You missed getting water from the well and pouring it into various basins. That was definitely a highlight.)
 
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