What DVD / Video did you watch last night? (pt3)

[Reno]

The Pledge, from 2001, neo-noir by Sean Penn, starring Jack Nicholson and based on the Dürrenmatt "anti-detective" novel, which has seen several adaptations (I've seen the German one from the 50s) It was good but it wasn't the overlooked masterpiece it's reputation would have you believe.

I wished this had starred someone else than Nicholson. It's a low-key performance only by Nicholson's standards, there is something self-regarding and unconvincing about him trying to dial himself down. At the end he has a slack jawed expression of surprise at the outcome, which he holds for ages, like a beached fish. Another actor would have registered surprise and anguish more subtly.

Penn managed rope in a lot of famous actors for one-scene cameos, which becomes distracting. I think now this would have been made as a lower budgeted independent film or a mini-series for Netflix, relying on character actors rather than on stars, which would have served the material better.

Otherwise Penn's direction is very good, the film is atmospheric and sinister.

 

[platinumsage]

Ava (2020) - a succession of dull fights between cardboard characters, and guess what the main one is an alcoholic, how interesting.

Yet more evidence that I shouldn't watch anything with Colin Farrell in it.

 

[Reno]

Ava (2020) - a succession of dull fights between cardboard characters, and guess what the main one is an alcoholic, how interesting.

Yet more evidence that I shouldn't watch anything with Colin Farrell in it.

Or just don't watch one of the worst reviewed films of the year.

 

[platinumsage]

Or just don't watch one of the worst reviewed films of the year.

I don’t read reviews before watching films, often I disagree with them, and I don’t even like tiny spoilers.

 

[Reno]

I don’t read reviews before watching films, often I disagree with them, and I don’t even like tiny spoilers.

Everybody who reads reviews often disagrees with them, but when every critic across the board thinks a film is a piece shit, I've found that it usually is. Critics aren't a homogenous group who all hold uniform opinions on a film. I'd rather risk tiny spoilers (as in finding out what the premise is) than waste an evening. I try to find out a little bit more about a film than rely on the advertising and films are not the only product I do that with. It's also odd to pin this on Colin Farrell, he's been in some very good films and tv series.

 

[redsquirrel]

Otherwise Penn's direction is very good, the film is atmospheric and sinister.

I found that one of the most exhausting and depressing films I've ever seen, not that is is a bad film, quite the opposite, but by the end I felt just felt totally drained. Like Loach's Sweet Sixteen part of me wants to see them again to see if they stand up to a second viewing but another part of me doesn't want that emotional punch again.

 

[Reno]

I found that one of the most exhausting and depressing films I've ever seen, not that is is a bad film, quite the opposite, but by the end I felt just felt totally drained.

Maybe its my high tolerance for depressing films but after reading how depressing this is, I didn't feel I got my money's worth. That may be because Nicholson's performance never drew me in.

 

[T & P]

Anything for Jackson. An interesting dark humour supernatural horror. Interesting because in many respects this is pretty much Fargo in a supernatural horror setting.

Relatively small cast but most of the characters are weird and hapless, and even the baddies are somewhat likeable. Even the geographical setting reminds you of Fargo. Not superb but good enough.

 

[T & P]

Ava (2020) - a succession of dull fights between cardboard characters, and guess what the main one is an alcoholic, how interesting.

Yet more evidence that I shouldn't watch anything with Colin Farrell in it.

Half way through, and I don’t think he’s the biggest problem with the film, so far at least.

Jessica Chastain is a superb actor but imo she was somewhat miscast here, in terms of her inner demons and past problems. Her character is not very well written though, so I am not sure anyone else would have done a significantly better job of the role.

 

[platinumsage]

Perpetual Grace Ltd. Its a new series on US channel Epix with Ben Kingsley, Jackie Weaver and Jimmi Simpson who was in Westworld. Simpson plays an addict involved in an con with Kingsley and Weavers estranged son . Kingsley and Weaver have a religious community and a bank account of donations , Simpson and the son want to extract 4m. Its quite quirky , bit Fargoish , you have to get used to black and white flash backs but its a good plot twister well acted. Seen two episodes so fingers crossed.

I watched the first episode last night. It felt like the first half of a feature film so I hope they can keep it up through ten episodes.

 

[The39thStep]

I watched the first episode last night. It felt like the first half of a feature film so I hope they can keep it up through ten episodes.

I really liked it probably the best series I saw this year.

 

[Part 2]

Japanese week, my son's here and writing an essay for his film course...

Tokyo Story, Ozu classic once voted by directors as the best non English film. Grandparents travel to visit their children in Tokyo. It's very slow and not much seems to happen, then there's the moment that everything comes together. I'm not sure it's the best film I've ever seen but I like how gentle it feels.

An Autumn Afternoon. Ozu's last film, a widower arranges the marriage of his daughter. There's a few funny moments in this and Chishu Ryu does his lovely face while 'Mmmming' plenty but ultimately it left a sad feeling.

Like Father like Son. Koreeda who also made Shoplifters. A couple discover the 6 year old boy they've been raising as their own was switched in hospital. Father, a high achiever finds his approach to parenting has been much different to that of the man who has raised his 'real' son.

Our Little Sister. Another Koreeda. Three sisters discover they have a younger sister following the death of their father and invite them to live with them. Another film where not much appears to be happening but slowly their characters develop. A heartwarming film with a happy ending.

I'd recommend any of these.

 

[redsquirrel]

The Green Ray - Easily the best Rohmer I've seen. The simplicity of it is really appealing, and of course it looks gorgeous, you can almost feel the sun. smell the hydrangeas, etc. Delphine is often exasperating but you can understand her loneliness and frustration.

 

[Sue]

The Green Ray - Easily the best Rohmer I've seen. The simplicity of it is really appealing, and of course it looks gorgeous, you can almost feel the sun. smell the hydrangeas, etc. Delphine is often exasperating but you can understand her loneliness and frustration.

Yeah, this and Ma Nuit Chez Maud are definitely the best of his I've seen, though they feel quite different to each other. (Not that I've seen all of his mind.)

 

[DaveCinzano]

Saw Nobi AKA Fires On The Plain the other day. A sick Japanese soldier wanders across a Pacific island as the war's end creeps ever closer. Dark shit happens.

Kind of like slamming a cupboard door on your balls, then finding a bigger cupboard and slamming the door harder, and repeating the process with ever bigger cupboard doors and ever harder slamming, only in a good, or at least meaningful, way. May your bruised balls forever remind you that War is Hell.

ETA Apparently there was a remake in 2014. I watched the 1959 original by Ichikawa.

 

[DaveCinzano]

PS I am available to review movies for your website, payable in exposure.

 

[Sue]

PS I am available to review movies for your website, payable in exposure.

I'm still not quite sure whether you liked Nobi AKA Fires On The Plain or not so... .

 

[DaveCinzano]

I'm still not quite sure whether you liked Nobi AKA Fires On The Plain or not so... .

Who doesn't like catching their balls in a cupboard door?

 

[Sue]

Who doesn't like catching their balls in a cupboard door?

Each to their own...

 

[DaveCinzano]

Each to their own...

That's exactly the argument my lawyer put forward

To little avail

 

[Sue]

Victim. Groundbreaking (and very controversial at the time) film that highlights how the criminalisation of homosexuality left gay people vulnerable to blackmail. Interesting for the historical context and from a 'thank fuck things have changed' POV. And Dirk Bogarde. I love Dirk Bogarde.

 

[redsquirrel]

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence - Roy Andersson's follow up to his great You, the Living, I do not think APSOABROE is quite in the same class as its predecessor, for me it did not have the same pathos that YtL did, but even so you have to admire Andersson and his co-workers care and attention to detail.

Angel's Leap - a revenge thriller with Sterling Hayden (yay) in a supporting role. Billed as a French Get Carter there is a nice 70s bleak vibe, the first half of the film is very good and almost in the same league as GC but it loses its way a bit and the finish is somewhat lacklustre. Still one worth checking out.

The Night of the Big Heat - aliens are invading a small island and causing the temperature to rise, Christopher Lee is the only hope. Hammer horror that is kind of fun enough and (just) does not go on too long for you to lose interest. Large proportion of the film involves Jane Morrow wandering around causing havoc (apparently hot temperatures cause men to sexually assault women) in states of undress.

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend - final Rohmer film in the Comedies and Proverbs hexalogy (that is a terrible word, is there not a better alternative?) I do not like it as much as The Green Ray but there is quite a lot to enjoy (visuals are great) as well as some stuff that does not quite work.

Comedies and Proverbs - having completed the viewing of all six films I'm glad I've finally got around to watching Rohmer. Prior to the MUBI season I had not had seen any Rohmer despite being familiar with his material. Rohmer does will not make the list of my favourite directors, there are things I love in his films and this I do not like, but even those films that I like the least have elements of interest. Also one very big tick Rohmer gets is length, all these films are less than 2 hours. some around 90 minutes, and yet none of them really feel hurried, it is just that the films are tight with no time wasted. A huge number of modern directors could learn from Rohmer in that respect.

 

[redsquirrel]

I love Dirk Bogarde.

He's one of those actors that cane even make twaddle, like Doctor in the House, watchable via his presence alone.

 

[Reno]

I Start Counting, oddball British thriller/coming of age film from 1970, starring a young Jenny Agutter. It's about a 14 year old teenage girl who comes to suspect that her 32 year old step brother, who she has a crush on, may be a serial killer. The thriller elements are mostly in the background, the bulk of the film is about Agutter's character's sexual confusion. Superficially a kitchen sink Shadow of a Doubt, this is very much of its time, with some hair raising sexual politics. I liked the brutalist high rise Agutter's family lives in, looked it up, Point Royal in Bracknell.

 

[redsquirrel]

I Start Counting, oddball British thriller/coming of age film from 1970, starring a young Jenny Agutter. It's about a 14 year old teenage girl who suspects that her 33 year old step brother, who she has a crush on, may be a serial killer. The thriller elements are mostly in the background, the bulk of the film is about Agutter's character's sexual confusion. Superficially a kitchen sink Shadow of a Doubt, very much of its time, with some hair raising sexual politics. I liked the brutalist high rise Agutter's family lives in, looked it up, Point Royal in Bracknell.

Heh, snap I forgot to include that in my list above. Like you say it is dated, but it also has strong points that really work well

 

[belboid]

A Riddle for Puppets

Included in my Columbo box set, it’s an episode from the spin off series that I was vaguely aware of but had never seen - Mrs Columbo.

A series so bad that in its eight episodes it got renamed thrice -as Kate Columbo, followed by Kate the Detective and then Kate Loves a Mystery. Mrs C gets quietly divorced at some point in the show and becomes Kate Callahan, presumably so as not to destroy the reputation of the original, but it was no good, the show was doomed.

in this episode Mrs C sees a ventriloquist show where the puppet starts behaving oddly. Starring Jay Johnson - who also had a ‘real’ puppet as Chuck/Bob Campbell in Soap - his doll starts acting up and demanding that he kill the man who taught him his trade, for reasons not entirely clear.

All of which makes it sound more interesting than it is.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I liked the brutalist high rise Agutter's family lives in, looked it up, Point Royal in Bracknell.

You love a ubiquitous brutalist southern English filming location don't you

It was used in The Offence as well IIRC - the flat where Connery had his stormy argument with his wife.

 

[Reno]

Save Yourselves !, indie comedy about a Brooklyn hipster couple who decide to "unplug" and go on a digital cleanse at a friends cottage, just as an alien invasion is about to kick off. Not the first alien invasion film which foregrounds a couple's relationship against the backdrop of an alien invasion (Monsters, Extraterrestre) this was watchable but not nearly as funny as it should have been. The aliens, which resemble the Tribbles from Star Trek, are too silly even for this and the end is unsatisfying.

 

[Part 2]

This week...a few from the end of year lists and one from last year.

The Assistant...Julia Barner (Ruth Langmore in Ozark) plays an assistant in a film production office as she goes about her duties over the course of a day. It's a #metoo film, I'm guessing possibly based on the directors own experiences. It's really well shot and the lead puts in a good performance but don't expect too much to happen aside from her doing a shitty job with shitty people.

Only the Animals...A french film in a rural setting somewhere cold. The story begins with a woman going missing and the events being told through the stories of 4/5 main characters. Then it jumps to Africa where we find out whats really been going on. I really liked it, it's a good story and I'd not seen the issue raised in film before I don't think. (Trying not to say too much or I'll spoil it). The ending could've been better though, I felt a bit disatissfied.

The Golden Glove...Follows the true story of Fritz Honka, German serial killer in Hamburg in the early 70s. It's a good serial killer film and feels filthy and disgsuting. The killing scenes are sometimes long and violent and it's not an easy watch. By the looks of the photos of real life Fritz, his victims and his flat, the wardrobe, make up and set designers did an excellent job of recreating the things. Apparently the Golden Glove where Fritz used to drink is still there. Reminded me of Angst that I watched not so long ago.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Lynn + Lucy - really interesting film, brilliantly acted and every scene is thought-provoking/insightful. Got the feeling that the big thing that happens in it (which you think is going to be the focus) isn't really what it's about. One of those films that you want to watch again after knowing where it goes.