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[Messofanego]

Best original film song of 2017 has to be The Pure and the Damned.

Every day I think about untwisting and untangling these strings I'm in
And to lead a pure life
I look ahead at a clear sky
Ain't gonna get there
But it's a nice dream, it's a nice dream

 

[Macleoid]

Silence by a landslide

then:
Departed
Wolf of Wall Street
Shutter Island
Gangs of New York

Definitely agree that Silence is out in front alone.

Then for me, The Departed is decent and the rest are all right. Though only just for GoNY, with Daniel Day Lewis acting as a nessecary counterweight to Cameron Diaz's awful Oirish accent.

 

[T Dollarz]

Really surprised to see all the Silence praise. I loved certain aspects of it and it had beautiful shots and individual scenes, but as a whole it didn't really work for me.

 

[shaneo632]

The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017) - 6.3/10. Unquestionably the weakest of the three Lego movies so far, Ninjago still serves up enough consistent laughs and spritely animation to satisfy.

The law of diminishing returns in full effect here but I still feel like the reviews were pretty harsh. The emotional stuff later on doesn't work at all but the blending of animation and live-action was great, and Jackie Chan was especially good.

A nice, easy watch, even if I'll probably never see it again.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Really surprised to see all the Silence praise. I loved certain aspects of it and it had beautiful shots and individual scenes, but as a whole it didn't really work for me.

I just looked at it to put it on my redbox wish list, to remind myself to pick it up, and looked at the comments.

They're about as 'Murica as you can get.

"I thought there was gonna be more action but it's all talk."
"Slow, and then when you think it can't get slower, it slows."
"Way too long and slow."
"Couldn't wait for it to be over."
"Boring."

 

[JonnyKong]

I watched The Ritual today.


It wasn't tooooo bad, I'd give it a 7/10. I don't think I'd recommend you all rush out to see it at the cinema, definitely wait for it to appear on Netflix or whatever else you use to stream.

There's nothing particularly wrong with the film, it's well acted, the characters and dialogue are realistic, it's got a pretty low budget and simple storyline which is sometimes all you need for a horror film, it just doesn't do anything truly original or outstanding. There's no getting around the fact the film is essentially Blair Witch with 4 middle aged men, but the final 20 minutes are at least completely different to Witch. Unfortunately the final 20 minutes is where the film becomes a mixed bag. What starts off as a series of quite creepy and effective moments, soon becomes quite comical and needlessly silly. It's a shame the ending left me on a bit of a limp note, but everything else before that I liked a fair bit.


I think the scariest thing about the film was realising that I actually fancy Rafe Spall.

 

[Sean C]

Village of the Damned (1960): Late-career George Sanders heads the cast of this oft-parodied horror film about creepy blonde children with mental powers. There’s a pleasing ambiguity to the proceedings (what caused the birth of the children and what they’re trying to do is never spelled out), and a couple of kills that are atypically graphic in their implications for the period (they're still offscreen, of course).

 

[shaneo632]

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) - 7.3/10. A pretty conventional prison movie but elevated substantially by the witty dialogue, Vince Vaughn's savage, possibly career-best performance, and the occasional flashes of nauseating violence.

I didn't really care for how the film looked visually at all; the direction seemed really unfussed and the washed-out grading wasn't particularly nice to look at. At times it looked like a TV movie.

However, it's easy enough to let this slide thanks to Vaughn, who is highly compelling throughout and surprisingly convincing as a total badass. Those final 20 minutes, man.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

I just looked at it to put it on my redbox wish list, to remind myself to pick it up, and looked at the comments.

They're about as 'Murica as you can get.

"I thought there was gonna be more action but it's all talk."
"Slow, and then when you think it can't get slower, it slows."
"Way too long and slow."
"Couldn't wait for it to be over."
"Boring."

Redbox reviews trigger me every time.

 

[kevin1025]

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) - 7.3/10. A pretty conventional prison movie but elevated substantially by the witty dialogue, Vince Vaughn's savage, possibly career-best performance, and the occasional flashes of nauseating violence.

I didn't really care for how the film looked visually at all; the direction seemed really unfussed and the washed-out grading wasn't particularly nice to look at. At times it looked like a TV movie.

However, it's easy enough to let this slide thanks to Vaughn, who is highly compelling throughout and surprisingly convincing as a total badass. Those final 20 minutes, man.

I liked it but then it elevated quite a bit once the Redleaf super max part kicked in. Definitely a strong finish.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Ugh slow month for me so far. I've only watched 47 Meters Down which was pretty bleh. I'm working my way through I Love You, Man, which is hilarious but I'm only grabbing like 10-15 minutes at a time because of how freakin' busy everything is.

Family is watching PotC: Dead Men Tell No Tales tonight.

I need another biz trip like last month where I polished off like 6 movies on my flights lol.

 

[shaneo632]

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017) - 7.5/10. Noah Baumbach's output tends to be pretty hit-and-miss for me; there's only so much of his upper-class fancies I can tolerate before I end up being left cold, but thankfully The Meyerowitz Stories has a more relatable, universal sense of humanity to it than many of the director's previous films.

It doesn't hurt that Dustin Hoffman, Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller in particular are really great here, and I laughed out loud a good deal more than expected.

 

[EverydayBeast]

The Blob 1988 - Awesome death scenes whenever "the blob" absorbs its victims.

7/10

Payback - 1999 - Great film from start to finish. 8/10

Final Destination 3-5 2006, 2009, 2011 - All great and I can't wait for Final Destination 6 and 7.

 

[shaneo632]

Kingdom of Us (2017) - 7.7/10. An emotionally shattering documentary about a father's suicide, Kingdom of Us is almost discomfortingly intimate at times, getting into the trenches with the family left behind as they try to make sense of the tragedy.

As a look at mental illness, family, memory, mortality and the passage of time, this was very perceptive and, if perhaps a little too long, undeniably gratifying on the most visceral, human level.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

The Spectacular Now is fine, its boring and the acting isn't great from any of the cast and the plot is boring and its not well shot and the music wasn't specially gripping, but it was fine, whatever. But Miles Teller trying to do well, any role in any film was really distracting, because Miles Teller always has been and always will be terrible. Even in good films like Whiplash, thats good in spite of him, not because of it. Good actors can act around him, but not in this, he just hangs around like a bad fart where you can't rid of the smell.

Spectacular Now is ok though. Feels like it could have been better, not enough Brie Larson.


To The Bone is not a perfect film. It's plot isn't that great, its highly cliched and easy to guess in places, there's some dodgy acting and badly written characters, including a romance thing thats so awfully crowbarred in it was kind of embarrassing, and in a lot of ways it comes across as the edgy tumblr account version of this story, especially given its not an explicit condemnation of the illnesses and themes presented (I said not explicit as in not said)

But its highly effective in getting across its theme of the pain and effects of anorexia, its unflinching and almost painful to watch at times, and Lily Collin's acting is absolutely superb. I'm not sure I love it really, partly because I don't like the edgier Tumblr esque stuff mentioned, the fact it is so painful to watch at times, and partly because it seems to reinforce the idea of well, if you aren't this sick, you are not worth the attention.

But I also have to recommend it for the bits to work, and the excellent acting from Collins. Not one for the faint hearted though.

 

[shaneo632]

Gotta get up at 6:30am to go see Three Bilboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. Not sure I can stomach this, on a Sunday no less. But it's not out in the UK til Jan 12th so I must try!

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) - I kinda feel bad that I like these movies. When this one ended, I said, "that was fun and silly and crazy" and my eldest said "just like all the Pirates movies."

This one had some extra campiness to it. I thought it ended in a way that could wrap up the series nicely, but I understand they are considering yet another one.

There are some particularly great special effects in this one... and some particularly horrid ones. This movie attempts to recreate the magic from the original, all the way down to recreating Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Alas, the newbies don't quite have the same chemistry as the originals, nor the same screen presence, and let's face it, Captain Jack Sparrow's schtick has gotten a bit worn out. The originality of the character has simply been lost.

And yet, I liked it. It amused me, made me laugh out loud (that guillotine scene in particular), made me go "oh!!!!!" out loud (Jack with dat turn, then swinging the compass).

3 / 5

 

[Borgnine]

The Dork Tower: 5/10. I mean I'm the first one to complain about bloated 160 minute shit shows, and this thing breezes by in a cool 95 minutes, but... it feels like something's missing? I didn't read the book or know anything about the book. Kind of a neat idea I guess. Really rushed.
Monkey Planet 3: 5/10. As reported by far the weakest of these pretty ok films. What was with that 50 minute fucking infiltration scene, jesus christ pick up the pace.

 

[shaneo632]

I made it for this ludicrously early press screening, feel like I'm about to die tho. See you on the other side.

 

[True Savior]

Blade Runner 2049 - Denis Villeneuve

I probably would have liked it way more if this wasn't a BR sequel cause it goes in the direction I was afraid since I watched the trailers. Lesser cyberpunk and much more post-apocalyptic dystopia. Everything is sterile, barren, wastelands are prominent. A lifeless representation of a past rich world could be a rational evolution, but it feels detached from the crowded and textured world established. It's also incredible small, there's 4 cops, Tom Hanks substitute captain, a bunch of kids, annoying neighbors and plot chess pieces.

The more human than human and digital interactions with ai's is certainly a very rich premise (although seems a bit distant from BR roots, even technologically) but it's all a bit hamfisted in some (bizarre) messianic plotting to connect to Rachael and Deckard actions. There is also no Vangelis. BR is defined for it's soundspace and its melodic nature. The synths here are much more absence through the story and they are cruder. If 2049 is so inert, it's very much related to its music choices.

But it's a very well made film. Extremely refined, great scene control, terrific escalation from the main character and some nice striking shots. Backs never looked this good.

It's both a disappointment and a film that I enjoyed.

 

[Messofanego]

Gotta get up at 6:30am to go see Three Bilboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. Not sure I can stomach this, on a Sunday no less. But it's not out in the UK til Jan 12th so I must try!

I gotta see Three Billboards at 20:30 and have an early shift tomorrow lol. If the film was being released this year, I would have skipped it.

Off to see You Were Never Really Here and Lu Over The Wall.

 

[shaneo632]

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) - 8.6/10. Martin McDonagh's best and most emotionally complex film to date, this is a savagely hilarious but also unexpectedly tragic film that effortlessly glides between tones, in large part thanks to the Oscar-worthy efforts of Frances McDormand (I can't imagine any other actress topping her in Best Actress stakes) and Sam Rockwell. The entire ensemble is great though, especially also Woody Harrelson.

What surprised me most about this film is its nuanced treatment of flawed human beings; there is a spine of optimism and compassion running through the entire story that ensures it's more than just a quip-heavy sarcasm-fest. Even the movie's shittiest people are explored and humanised in unique ways, and it really adds a lot of weight to the overall film without getting overly sentimental.

Best film of the London Film Festival and easily one of the year's best. I hope it cleans up at the Oscars, but outside of an Original Screenplay and Best Actress nod I doubt it'll do much business.

---

I've got access to the screener library for a few more weeks but the festival is effectively over now. Top 5 films I saw:

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2. The Florida Project
3. The Shape of Water
4. Kingdom of Us
5. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

What did you guys think of The Glass Castle? Can't decide what I think yet.

 

[Theorry]

War of the Planet of the Apes.

Movie could have been 20/30 min shorter imo. Dragged on abit in the middle. Didnt like Bad Ape also. He was there for the comic factor wich is not needed imo and was to clearly a human actor. But overall a solid movie. Hope they wont milk it to much now with maybe space or something. Let it be.

 

[Sean C]

What did you guys think of The Glass Castle? Can't decide what I think yet.

Hated it. Manipulative attempt to make the audience think an abusive asshole was just a quirky dad.

 

[Messofanego]

I won't regret my choices in life. Either you accept me as I am or it's over.

In Between aka Bar Bahar (dir. Maysaloun Hamoud) is a fascinating and eye-opening feminist drama about three Palestinian women basically fighting against the patriarchy. Salma is a wannabe-communist lesbian, Layla doesn't care to stop drinking/weed/smoking and dress conservatively as a successful lawyer, and Noor the devout jilbab girl has to contend with an abusive fiance who devolves into a rapist. The title possibly refers to how these women are between the traditional and modern generations and because of the system they're under, it's ridiculously hard to just be yourself. The relationship between these flatmates grows and they come to support each other in crucial situations that gives the film its heart. There are really only two good males which are the gay guy and surprisingly Noor's dad ("A guy like that doesn't deserve a single tear of yours"). The trio of actors (Mouna Hawa, Sana Jammelieh, Shaden Kanboura) are fantastic, one of my favourite acting bits being Layla pushing back up her sunglasses to indicate intimacy with this guy is now over. Funnily enough, this film has more smoking in it than classic Hollywood. It'd be awesome if this was made into a miniseries. Highly recommended especially for muslims, arabs, and for LGBT issues in the muslim communities.

 

[Borgnine]

 

[Fancy Clown]

Yeah I saw dat high Borgnine rating. I still haven't opened my Chimes criterion, but now I'll get on it sooner rather than later.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

I won't regret my choices in life. Either you accept me as I am or it's over.

In Between aka Bar Bahar (dir. Maysaloun Hamoud) is a fascinating and eye-opening feminist drama about three Palestinian women basically fighting against the patriarchy. Salma is a wannabe-communist lesbian, Layla doesn't care to stop drinking/weed/smoking and dress conservatively as a successful lawyer, and Noor the devout jilbab girl has to contend with an abusive fiance who devolves into a rapist. The title possibly refers to how these women are between the traditional and modern generations and because of the system they're under, it's ridiculously hard to just be yourself. The relationship between these flatmates grows and they come to support each other in crucial situations that gives the film its heart. There are really only two good males which are the gay guy and surprisingly Noor's dad ("A guy like that doesn't deserve a single tear of yours"). The trio of actors (Mouna Hawa, Sana Jammelieh, Shaden Kanboura) are fantastic, one of my favourite acting bits being Layla pushing back up her sunglasses to indicate intimacy with this guy is now over. Funnily enough, this film has more smoking in it than classic Hollywood. It'd be awesome if this was made into a miniseries. Highly recommended especially for muslims, arabs, and for LGBT issues in the muslim communities.

This sounds dope.

 

[number11]

Watched a few films at the London Film Festival. Just some quick thoughts..

Lady Bird 5/5 : One of my favourite films of the year. If you loved how charming Frances Ha was, you’re gonna love this. Saoirse Ronan was amazing.

On Chesil Beach 3/5 : Pretty forgettable film. Gets an extra point just for Billy Howle and Saoirse Ronan.

Bad Genius 4/5 : The way they filmed the school tests in this were more intense than a lot of action movies. Loved how a basic premise about cheating on a test turned into a stylish Oceans 11 type flick.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 4/5 : Just like Bone Tomahawk, I love the slow burn into the eventual madness. Vince Vaughn gives one of his best performances.

The Shape of Water 4/5 : Classic Del Toro storytelling Easily his best film since Pans Labyrinth.

Stronger 4/5 : Pretty generic character arcs we’ve seen dozens of times. What makes this work is Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany. They definitely carry this movie.

Blade of the Immortal 3.5/5 : Had a ton of fun watching this. 100 films in from Takashi Miike, i love how much energy is in. At 2.5 hours runtime, the constant limb slicing does get repetitive.

 

[lordxar]

Your usual ratings are much much lower so anything that gets a 5 is an easy add lol

 

[Cripplegate]

Karaoke Terror (3/10) - I was digging through my old movie collection (I was an obsessive collector in college and can't even remember a fraction of what I own) and pulled this out, thinking it might be a horror movie and thus seasonally appropriate (imdb also has Horror as one of its two genre tags). But, no. More of a black comedy, but really more of a wayward social allegory (not being Japanese, I'm sure I'm missing something, but I'm also not sure how that batshit ending could be anything other than a pointless troll). It's about a group of middle-aged women who seek revenge for the death of a friend at the hands of a group of troubled, aimless teens, who then seek revenge in turn, and so forth, in an endless escalation of violence. Amusing on paper, perhaps, but largely aimless itself, with red herrings and non-sequitur subplots that are mostly just dull and boring. Great cast, couple of genuinely funny scenes, and, sure, dat ending... but really, no, just a bunch of dumb trash.

 

[sunshine and gasoline]

The Outlaws ( Korean - 2017)

Way more enjoyable than I expected this cops and gangsters film to be. Starts off a bit weak/bland but once the main antagonist gets going it really picks up. It is no New World when it comes to intricacies of gangs (especially the various power plays) but there is enough to satisfy anyone looking for a light snack and doesn't mind some comedic qualities. As for our protagonist and their fellow cops? Pretty okay group that doesn't play by the rules in order to keep the peace and the protagonist himself reminds me of a Bollywood action film star with the larger than life persona. Not bad but eh.

Solid 4/5 film. Midnight Runners still remains my favorite Korean film of the year.

 

[Icolin]

I won't regret my choices in life. Either you accept me as I am or it's over.

In Between aka Bar Bahar (dir. Maysaloun Hamoud) is a fascinating and eye-opening feminist drama about three Palestinian women basically fighting against the patriarchy. Salma is a wannabe-communist lesbian, Layla doesn't care to stop drinking/weed/smoking and dress conservatively as a successful lawyer, and Noor the devout jilbab girl has to contend with an abusive fiance who devolves into a rapist. The title possibly refers to how these women are between the traditional and modern generations and because of the system they're under, it's ridiculously hard to just be yourself. The relationship between these flatmates grows and they come to support each other in crucial situations that gives the film its heart. There are really only two good males which are the gay guy and surprisingly Noor's dad ("A guy like that doesn't deserve a single tear of yours"). The trio of actors (Mouna Hawa, Sana Jammelieh, Shaden Kanboura) are fantastic, one of my favourite acting bits being Layla pushing back up her sunglasses to indicate intimacy with this guy is now over. Funnily enough, this film has more smoking in it than classic Hollywood. It'd be awesome if this was made into a miniseries. Highly recommended especially for muslims, arabs, and for LGBT issues in the muslim communities.

I'll definitely be on the lookout for this. Great review as always.

 

[Roberto Duran]

All Eyez on Me - Pretty meh movie

Colossal - not bad. Anne Hathaway was really good in this, but I found some parts of the movie to be kinda boring. 3/5

 

[Messofanego]

You Were Never Really Here on paper as a premise of a killer who rescues young girls from sex trafficking sounds generic. Yes, he has a tortured past as an army vet. Yes, he has PTSD-like flashbacks to a bad childhood. What's different on film is Lynne Ramsay's poetic style and Joaquin Phoenix's surprising warmth. His character actually has a healthy and funny (this involves Psycho, ironically) relationship with his mother. His voice isn't gravelly, it's quite soft. Despite a runtime of 85 minutes for a crime thriller (along with Good Time another one set in New York!), it's satisfying in how everything plays out. Lynne's direction and Joe Bini's editing says as much outside of the frame as what's visible, which avoids glamorizing the violence. The score is memorably abrasive and beautiful (again, like Good Time!), thanks to Jonny Greenwood. There's an overall theme of cycles of violence that makes it feel like a less romantic and more brutal Leon.

Now Lynne, don't take 5 years or more for the next film

 

[Sean C]

In Between aka Bar Bahar (dir. Maysaloun Hamoud)

Sounds great. There have been some really compelling films by Muslim women about life in the the region in the last few years that I've been a big fan of (Wadjda, Mustang, to a lesser extent Circumstance).

Sticky Notes (2017): Rose Leslie is of uber-posh Scottish aristocratic background, but has become known for playing a series of roles onscreen that are the exact opposite of this, between coming to attention first as a maid on Downton Abbey and later the Wildling Ygritte on Game of Thrones. To that roster, you can add the role of Athena, a vaguely white trash Floridian aspiring hip hop dancer, who returns to her home after learning that her father (Ray Liotta) is dying of cancer. The biggest problem with this movie for most of its running time is Liotta's utterly unlikeable character. Then the final minutes contain a totally nonsensical twist that doesn't add anything to the story. Leslie is a charming presence, so if you're a fan this might be worth it just to see her (the film also has Gina Rodriguez in a small role, which I enjoyed).

 

[Puck Beaverton]

Kopek was a nice film about modern day Turkey as well. Highly recommend.

 

[Divius]

Watching a movie that gets hyped because of - and even in its marketing uses reviews excerpts about - "that one spectacular action scene" has me approaching every action scene with curious hesitation and excitement: "Ooh, is this one it?" only to be let mildly down a bunch of times before losing focus and eventually realizing at the end of a scene "That might've been it.." - Probably not a good mindset to take into a movie viewing.

Spoiler

Atomic Blonde

 

[Fast Forward]

Blade Runner (Final Cut).

I'm 33 years old, so it is a movie regardless of the cut/version I should have seen forever ago.

That being said, now I have seen it 3 times in the last two weeks... now it feels like I have seen it for forever. Weird feeling. Not perfect by any means, but pretty damn great regardless.

 

[True Savior]

I've listened to 2049 soundtrack a couple of times and this is some dogshit music. Synths are all hidden, I don't remember a single melody. This might just be the biggest downgrade of music of a sequel. Fucking Gits from this year might be more interesting musically.

Blade Runner (Final Cut).

I'm 33 years old, so it is a movie regardless of the cut/version I should have seen forever ago.

That being said, now I have seen it 3 times in the last two weeks... now it feels like I have seen it for forever. Weird feeling. Not perfect by any means, but pretty damn great regardless.

Now listen to the soundtrack regularly and you will feel that you've seen it every day.

 

[smisk]

Raw (2016) - Just realized last night this is on Netflix and decided it'd be a suitable movie for October. I ended up really liking this.. I went in expecting more of a horror movie, but it's not really scary, or even that tense. You could describe it as a coming-of-age drama with a few really gruesome cannibal scenes.
The relationship between Alexis and Justine really made the movie work for me. Both actresses are fantastic (especially Ella Rumpf &#128525 and despite the gruesome subject matter, I found their interactions really touching.
It definitely feels like an artsy French film - some sequences don't really make logical sense, which is fine; I get the feeling that this film is intended to provoke a reaction via it's imagery rather than focusing on a tight plot. It really is a beautifully shot film, and has pretty sparse dialogue throughout. Also loved the ending, felt like it elevated the whole film for me.
Definitely check this out over the next couple weeks.

4/5

 

[jett]

Barry Lyndon's getting a Criterion release!

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Barry-Lyndon-Blu-ray/183915/#Overview

I had no idea. Picture quality isn't all that improved from the previous release but there's a healthy amount of new featurettes.

 

[Blader]

I like that Borgnine has a Crazy, Stupid, Love gif on file.

Barry Lyndon's getting a Criterion release!

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Barry-Lyndon-Blu-ray/183915/#Overview

I had no idea. Picture quality isn't all that improved from the previous release but there's a healthy amount of new featurettes.

I had to cut myself off from buying Criterions every time a sale happened because I have a bunch I haven't even opened now...but I am definitely breaking my rule for this.

 

[More_Badass]

The Foreigner was really enjoyable. Don’t go into it expecting a Jackie beat-em-up or a fight heavy action movie; it’s a political thriller that happens to have a small revenge story occurring in the middle of the large-scale pieces and events. While Jackie may not be in this as much as people want, I felt he was utilized well; the movie was well paced, the action was brutal and well-choreographed, and Brosnan’s story/the larger plot was as engrossing as Jackie’s smaller story.

 

[Messofanego]

The White Girl (dir. Jenny Suen) is an interesting nostalgic drama about Hong Kong/Pearl Village eventually disappearing. It's gorgeous to look at thanks to Christopher Doyle but if we're going by recent village movies, Lu Over The Wall is better formed. The characters in this aren't as engaging like the Japanese Sakamoto (Joe Odagiri) who starts squatting in the "Ruins" where he plays around with a giant camera obscura or the titular girl (Angela Yuen) who hides from the sun (hence the nickname) and wants to find out about what happened to her singer mother. The young boy Ho Zai (Jeff Yiu) is really the life of the film in his fight to keep the village from being subsumed by commercial mainland China. Some of the scenes and shots are slow to little consequence other than exercising being a fan of slow cinema. Still, the lamenting atmosphere and sense of place is strong, and worth watching if interested in Hong Kong's death by 2047.

Lu Over The Wall (dir. Masaaki Yuasa) is a thrilling and uplifting Japanese animated film about Hinashi, a Japanese fishing village, overcoming their prejudice of merfolk. It's very much a mix of Ponyo and Beck, as the reluctant protagonist Kai must contend that in Hinashi it's either work in seafood processing like his dad or make umbrellas like his grandpa, which is why he's secretive on his music-making. His music gets spotted online by his neighbours, Yuho and Kunio, and so they try to form a band when they encounter Lu, a mermaid that loves music so much she forms feet when it's played. Lu has a dad simply called Papa who is a giant shark that can transform into a shark businessman when he comes into town for seafood inspection. The character relationships are enjoyable and while friendship is a cliched theme in animated fare, it's very much earned here especially in the current climate of xenophobia and bigotry. The film is full of wonderfully animated sequences. This is Masaaki Yuasa at his finest in purely Flash animation where surrealism, unnatural proportions, movent and exertion are given extraordinary power. There are some mindblowing 360 shots. While it's a fun adventure movie, it also delves into fears, insecurities, and past traumas of the residents that gives the film some more subtext. This is all built up to a flooding climax that is even more exciting than Your Name's earthquake. Honestly, it's the most satisfyingly Spielberg-like film I've seen in a long while, more so than the disappointing Super 8 or the nostalgia exercise that is Stranger Things. Also, mer-doggies are the cutest damn thing in a film this year.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

Dead Poets Society: To begin, I'm not one for poetry. Also, Robin Williams isn't this as much as I thought, but he's great in every scene he's in. The movie instead focuses on the students in his class. I do love the scenery and atmosphere in and around the school. There's a plot twist I thought would be going in a different direction. Overall, it is a good movie worth checking out. I recognize Kurtwood Smith (Red from That '70s Show) in there too.

Also, wouldn't ripping pages out of a school book be damaging school property?

 

[SeanC]

Breathe

There are a lot of good elements going on with Breathe, but it's a movie where the parts are ultimately better than the sum. There's a good script, there's gorgeous cinematography (especially considering the budget), there's great performances and the directing strong, but it all never quite comes together to form a good, consistent whole. The editing and pacing, the sense of jumping around and just hitting story beats, starts to become too obvious early on and, soon, completely distracting.

It's a great story, but not necessarily told well. It captures moments and a "feel" wonderfully, there's a great intimacy (perhaps too sentimental at times) to it all and the theme is incredibly strong throughout that is bittersweet, but it lacks a cohesion for it to remain in your thoughts. A perfect example of this is the in-and-out nature of every other supporting character. The end has grand speeches and wonderfully personal one-on-ones, yet I'd be hard pressed to recall any scene that made those feel earned and, moreso, recall the names of the characters themselves. A movie I wanted to like more, but didn't.

2.5/5



The Meyerowitz Stories

Absolutely adored this movie. It's a familiar trope, but Baumbach throws in some elements that helps subverts it. Fantastic performances by every person, yeah even Sandler in a "shit I know this guy" familiar way, but Dustin Hoffman is the show-stealer and reminds us just how damn good he really is. Baumbach's distinct style of dialogue and conversation is at its best when he is in a scene - the pace and the inflection and the way conversations run over each other, it's no wonder people assumed his movies are improvised. When you have brilliant actors delivering brilliant dialogue, it feels that way. Real. Emotional. Clever. But also incredibly funny at the right moments, serious at the next.

My only complaint is the final Act(s) feel a bit rushed, but by that point I was so engaged I didn't even mind.

4/5

 

[shaneo632]

Anyone seen Marjorie Prime? Might watch it later this week.

Also missed 78/52 (the Psycho documentary) at the LFF but it's available on YouTube for $3.99 if you use a VPN. Tempted.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

Proud that I knew this was Doyle.