Main Menu

Recent theatrical viewings

Started by Rev. Powell, January 26, 2009, 09:48:33 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Rev. Powell

THE SUBSTANCE (2024): An aging actress (Demi Moore) is offered a mysterious "anti-aging" treatment with an injection regime that must be followed exactly, under pain of Faustian irony. Sledgehammer satire about America's superficial worship of youth and beauty, with horror movie effects out of the David Cronenberg school of body horror; since the director's a woman, she gets away with some amazing nude scenes that would raise eyebrows if a male directed them. Even if you're not entirely digging the first 2/3, stay tuned for the unexpected B-movie finale--it's worth seeing, especially if you like grossout comedy. Seriously, ya'll, this is something, like what might happen if Hollywood gave Frank Henenlotter millions of dollars and access to Hollywood stars.  5/5.
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...

Rev. Powell

RUMOURS: G7 leaders, meeting at a German resort to draft a statement on an unspecified crisis, find that everyone else has disappeared, leaving them stranded in the woods; is it the end of the world? Masturbating bog-men zombies, a giant brain, and an A.I. chatbot offer no answers in this absurdist satire about liberal democracy's impotence in the face of whatever rough beast is currently slouching towards Bethlehem. Seeing a Guy Maddin movie with known actors (Cate Blanchet, Alicia Vikander) in an actual AMC theater made me afraid he might have gone mainstream. My fears were assuaged at the end of the movie when the five other people in the theater all started loudly complaining to each other: "That made no sense at all!" "That was terrible!" "I wanted to leave but I just thought it had to get better!" "Who did Cate Blanchet owe money to?" 4/5.
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...

Rev. Powell

THE WILD ROBOT: After a shipwreck, a new robot finds itself on a wilderness island where its human-service-oriented programming is useless, but adopts a gosling as it searches for a purpose. From Dream Works, so the animation and action scenes are impeccable; it carries strong themes of motherhood, finding purpose in life by overcoming instinct, and a strong anti-materialist message that shades into a near Christ-allegory at the end. 4/5.
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...

Rev. Powell

PIECE BY PIECE: An autobiographical documentary about hip-hop producer/musician Pharrell Williams, with all interviews and dramatizations recreated in Lego animation. Inevitably self-serving, but the Lego angle and the occasionally stunning psychedelic visual effects spice up what otherwise would be a by-the-book musical biodoc, while also serving as an apt metaphor for the creative process. I'm proudly ignorant of modern pop music and had never heard any of his hits--I recognized his name and names of his collaborators like Jay Z, No Doubt, and Snoop Dog, but I'm not a fan of any of them either--and yet I still found this fairly enjoyable. Someone who was into pop and hip-hop would probably find this immensely cool. 3.5/5.
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...

Rev. Powell

A REAL PAIN (2024): Two close cousins, one a neurotic introvert (Jesse Eisenberg) and the other an eccentric extrovert (Kieran Culkin) go on a Holocaust remembrance tour in Poland to honor their recently deceased grandmother. Culkin's performance as a charismatic but emotionally-stunted firebrand (you could reductively describe him as bipolar) makes this comedy-drama character study a real pleasure. I was glad to have a theatrical alternative to GLADIATOR II or WICKED. I think the screening was mostly attended by Jewish people thanks to the Holocaust angle, but this will play fine on the small screen and reach a larger audience. 3.5/5.
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...

Rev. Powell

JUROR #2: With a pregnant wife at home, juror #2 finds himself in a moral quandary when it turns out he has an unexpected connection to the murder case he's been chosen to try. TWELVE ANGRY MEN with a twist, this suspense drama from Clint Eastwood, headlined by Nicolas Hoult and Toni Collette, nails exactly what it aims for. A lot of old guys (even older than me!) turned out for this screening, lol.4/5. If you like the courtroom drama genre, 4.5/5.
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...

Dr. Whom

The Substance (2024)

A not too subtle satire on beauty standards and addiction with lots of body horror. According to Wikipedia, the crew used 21,000 liters of fake blood and a fire hose. Great performances and amazing practical gore effects, not for the squeamish. I liked the combination of ultra stylised imagery (with a strange predilection for very long hallways) and full on gore, making this a kind of love child of Wes Anderson and David Cronenberg.
It is a fable, of course, but definitely worth seeing.
"Once you get past a certain threshold, everyone's problems are the same: fortifying your island and hiding the heat signature from your fusion reactor."

Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ... Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.

indianasmith

NOSFERATU (2024) - My daughters and I had all been looking forward to this one, and it did NOT disappoint when we went to see it Christmas night!
First off, mega-props to Bill Skarsgard for one of the most incredible acting jobs I have ever seen.  Count Orlok is hideous, terrifying, sinister, and strangely pitiful all at the same time.  Lily-Rose Depp plays the role of Ellen, a young psychic whom Orlok is fixated upon. She is compelling in her portrayal of a woman caught in the toils of madness, desire, and deep concern for her loved ones, threatened by Orlok's insatiable appetite.  The "sexy vampire" trope doesn't exist here; Orlok is utterly revolting, and unquestionably DEAD. His voice - deep, guttural, punctuated by gurgly, rasping breath that sounds like a death rattle - is one of the most haunting parts of the film.  Nicholas Holt plays the role of Thomas, Ellen's husband, with a desperation and fright that is completely convincing (and understandable!).  And, of course, Willem Defoe chews up the landscape as Professor Albin von Franz, the "Van Helsing" of this story.
  All in all, this is the best vampire film I have seen in many years, and I think it will be hailed as one of the best of all time.  HIHGLY recommended!
"I shall smite you in the nostrils with a rod of iron, and wax your spleen with Efferdent!!"

Dr. Whom

Nosferatu (2024)

Now that is how you do a remake! There are many homages to the original (I probably missed some, it has been a while since I saw the original). The Biedermeier/Transylvanian settings are exquisitely done. It also resists the temptation of inserting action scenes to please modern audiences, but keeps to its own deliberate pace of inexorable doom. The reimagining of Orlok is great. The Murnau one, while effective, leaned a bit too heavily on the rat/pest trope, what with the rodent teeth and all. This version is truly threatening.
If Tim Burton is gothic posturing, this is gothic horror.
"Once you get past a certain threshold, everyone's problems are the same: fortifying your island and hiding the heat signature from your fusion reactor."

Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ... Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.

M.10rda

#1224
NOSFERATU (2024):
That's two seasoned votes in favor, so I'll respectfully keep my thoughts in this Board... iirc Indiana also enjoyed THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER ONE w/ their daughters and I think that's great. If I was lucky enough to have daughters, I would want to enjoy horror movies of any stripe w/ them and I'd be grateful for the experience.

So, we're in Houston, TX tonight, visiting Madame's brother Pete and his wife Amy. Madame eagerly suggested we go see this @ the Alamo Drafthouse Houston and my in-laws thought that was a lovely idea. Madame opted out of THE WITCH after 10 minutes and didn't want to see either THE LIGHTHOUSE or THE NORTHMAN, but man was she ever gung ho for NOSFERATU, so in spite of my own agnostic attitude (I could've happily waited for streaming), I endorsed her enthusiasm. Long story short for my fam: Amy slept through at least half of it, Pete remained awake but was quite unhappy at the end, and Mme.10rda was not just deeply disappointed but also additionally angry that her selection had subjected her brother and sister-in-law to prolonged unhappiness. She just walked in while I was typing this and began to complain bitterly anew. I guess there is now zero chance of me ever persuading her to watch THE LIGHTHOUSE with me.

The Drafthouse itself is lovely, of course, and I liked the pre-show features: a generous celebration of Willem Dafoe's screen career and a short where Robert Eggers talks about films that inspired this one, including THE INNOCENTS (which is wonderful), CRIES AND WHISPERS (which I've long meant to watch), a 1949 film I'd never head of called THE QUEEN OF SPADES, and ANGELS & INSECTS, one of the worst excuses for a motion picture I've paid to see in my long adult life. I guess it's fair to say that the span in quality from the first title to the fourth is manifest in Eggers' NOSFERATU.

Full disclosure, I reclined in the too comfy Drafthouse seat for the first 20 or so minutes of NOSFERATU and assumed an "Impress me!" attitude, skeptical that there was anything new that Eggers could bring to a story that is hoarier by now than the origins of Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man combined. Nevertheless I sat up or forward a couple of times in those early minutes and withheld a critical conclusion. Around the midway point I saw Amy asleep, and my wife looking restless, and I too wanted to succumb to a brief nap, but I rallied. Because Eggers intermittently sprinkles tiny dashes of novelty into the familiar narrative, I kept hoping there might be at least one major curveball in store for the faithful, particularly as minutes ticked towards and past the two hour mark and my patience waned. There is no need for a spoiler warning re: the climax, as it is essentially identical to that of the previous versions. Eggers' iteration delivers perhaps more of a punch than earlier versions, but purely on the strength of its final images and not, I think, for any of its languorous elaborations. This identical ending would have been as impressive had it come after 80 minutes (as in the early 1920s) or after 105 minutes (as in the late 70s).

While watching, I wondered if Eggers had rationalized the expense of effort, money, and his audience's attention span as the means to some kind of post-modern commentary on the material's dodgy gender politics. Indeed, the female lead and Dafoe's Van Helsing character get some new Eggers-contrived dialogue to highlight this objective. I'm not a woman, though, so instead of resolving to be underwhelmed, I waited to hear the reactions of the two women sitting next to me in the theater. "Obnoxious exploitation" was one particularly juicy quote from post-film discussion, though naturally mileage may vary.

There is a lot of admirable filmmaking on display from a technical perspective, and (though my three fellow viewers disagreed) I do think Eggers maintains a sense of tension and forward momentum for much of the film, in spite of one's knowledge of all forthcoming plot beats. I also liked the work of all the supporting actors, as well as the bold performance by L.R. Depp - though I will mention that one of her showier scenes drew spontaneous laughter from a group of patrons outside my party. Nicholas Hoult plays this very specific kind of Nicholas Hoult role - the brittle, affronted, emotionally unraveling anglo - so very well that I do fear he may eventually fall into the kind of sad recursion that the outstanding Sam Neill began to suffer in the mid-90s, perhaps at his nadir during the final scenes of EVENT HORIZON. Dafoe? We all enjoy a good Dafoe performance, but here no one is having as good of a time as Dafoe himself, cutting ham by the pound. Among the handful of moments where NOSFERATU, in spite of its assuredness, struck me as outright risible: Dafoe in ECU, looking upwards while underlit, intoning his revelation that "She is the one!" O spare me.

As for the performance of Bill Skarsgard - I was afraid during his first appearance from the lighting, the camera artistry, and the sound design. Afterwards I received no sympathy, perhaps a detached sense of the loathsomeness of his rapey behavior, and beyond that I can only recall his enormous Teutonic moustache, though my brother-in-law said it looked more like "national park ranger".

?/5
I mean what does it matter what I think, ultimately, I'm glad this movie made some people happy.

Skarsgard is no Kinski, for sure!

But Reggie Nalder's Barlow remains the scariest nosferatu in cinema history.

Rev. Powell

THE BRUTALIST: A Jewish-Hungarian architect escapes the Holocaust and immigrates to America, where he has a tough time finding work until he encounters a rich (and patronizing) patron who commissions him to build a massive memorial community center in Doylestown, PA. Impressive in theory and it does have its rewarding moments, but I fear that it would still be something of a chore even at half its brutal 3.5 hour runtime. Of course, I've always been more of a Googie guy. 2.5/5. It's gotten good reviews from both critics and audiences so I am clearly in the minority here, but I genuinely don't get what people are responding to here. It seems like realism for realism's sake.
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...

Rev. Powell

LOVE ME (2023): After the apocalypse wipes out Earth's entire population, an AI-equipped buoy connects with an AI-equipped satellite that holds a digital record of humanity, and together they decide to recreate what they believe to be a human relationship in virtual reality. This oddball romance had difficulty connecting with an audience, but it does offer a fresh existential spin on some worn-out romantic tropes. 3/5.   
I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...