Garland has a knack for story structure, Civil War has a good setup and hits the right narrative beats without being too cliche. The action sequences are also wonderfully directed, the climax of the second act with Jesse Plemons is just phenomenal. The dialogue and how some of the themes were tackled in this film were just lackluster though. Civil War barely explores what an actual civil war means, much less in the modern USA. I've read criticisms that this movie makes the statement: "both sides bad," but so much of this is so politically ambiguous that it doesn't make much of a statement at all. Garland seems to focus more on cool modern warfare on American soil set-pieces and the problems of journalism. (7/10)
Östlund consistently finds the perfect balance between tension and humor. This pull back and forth not only creates an uneasy atmosphere cut by wit, but this balance also supports the central themes of his works. Here the characters are subject to their own hypocrisy, at odds with how they think they should behave and their instinct actions. All of this set against a super privileged ski vacation, set with expensive urinals and all forms of convenient transportation.
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with this, probably the worst Tsukamoto I have seen so far. There are the grimy moments typical of this director's work, and the dreamlike imagery is on full display. A lot of the charm of the low-budget thriller aspects of Tsukamoto's filmmaking though is traded for melodrama and underwhelming performances.
Haneke adds such a unique approach to narrative filmmaking, leaving a lot unsaid, encouraging or even forcing the viewer to understand through investigation. Challenging in a way that experimental cinema tends to be. This challenge makes the climax of this film all the more powerful.
I love how these filmmakers can take such advantage of the medium. They are able to make jokes that only work within the context of a movie, and push that artistry to its full extent. I also love the adherence to spy movie tropes and the blending of 40s, 60s, and 80s cultural pastiche. Unfortunately some of the humor does not hit, and missed jokes have a tendency to undermine a comedy.
The Pope of Trash in top form! Wicked and funny, delirious in all aspects including performances, dialogue, costuming, and set design. So committed to a particular brand of sleaze and it matches its exploitation with wit.
The best adaptation of the story of Christ, and perhaps the best film from Pasolini. The director remarkably toes the line between realism and the fantastic. From the well-casted actors to the settings in Palestine, the images here reflect most vividly was the the subject time and place must have looked like. On the other hand, the beautiful cinematography evokes an awe-inspiring holiness, especially with the young Mother Mary.
Traits that seem to carry over in Visconti's work include: lush photography, a grand scale centered around a handful of characters, and an infatuation with melodrama beyond everything else. I did not care for anyone in this story and it dragged on quite a bit, never showing the charm one can find in The Leopard. I also have draining patience for romanticizations of infidelity anyway.
Such a charming romp! Capra leans into the stage play aspects of this script and shoots it in such a way as to make the camera invisible. His technique and direction here allows the performances to shine, and the cast here is wonderful. Cary Grant and Peter Lorre are treasures.
How Ozu lingers on certain aspects of life, taking a moment to appreciate moments like rain falling into a teacup, is suited well by the medium of silent cinema. The heavy reliance on dialogue, here intertitles, does not serve the movie well however. A melancholic story that just misses the mark for me, high hopes for Ozu's own remake near the end of his life.
As with most of his work, this loose premise mostly serves to set up great physical comedy set-pieces. The staging and acrobatics required to accomplish some of the brief gags here show how talented Keaton was both physically and mentally. The whole diving suit bit is great of course, and the wet deck of cards gave me a good chuckle.
An early cinema pioneer, Griffith set himself apart from others by leaning into the medium of film, using the camera and editing to do things you couldn't in media like stageplays or books. The Avenging Conscience is best at these moments, when the camera zooms in on fretting hands or insects killing each other. These moments of montage work well to enhance the horror aspects of this story. Most everything else is pretty meandering and unfocused though.
Not a single thing going for this movie... A crazy combination of the lifeless cinematography of Hellraiser 10 and the nonsensical script writing of Hellraiser 9
CotC is an odd series, this entry and 6 & 7 are all spectacular failures, but all for very different reasons. This 2009 remake is much more technically adequate than the worst of the bunch, but the characters are so much more unlikeable and the children so unbelievably not scary. The Vietnam flashbacks in the middle of a cornfield, my god...
And in typical 2009 fashion, there is a terrible, meaningless post-credits scene.
In addition to making little sense, this movie also looks like shit and has terrible effects. Shout-out to the crotchety wheelchair man, yelling the most blunt profanities at the main character.
WTF happens in this movie? Halfway through every scene I was more confused than when I started. A masterclass in piss-poor editing choices. Even though his presence makes little sense, I still do enjoy John Franklin's portrayal of Isaac.
I appreciate that this fifth entry tries to lean into the scarce Corn Lore, and the effects in the last 20 minutes are pretty rad. Terrible camerawork, pacing, editing, and performances tho (however the bad acting all around made it a bit fun).
Gonna give this a "hell yeah, fuck yeah"
Leans into ripping of Hellraiser rather than 80s/90s slashers, and I am all for that. Still some pretty poor pacing issues, but the effects, especially the ending, kill it.
Never watched these corn children, now I'm going to try to watch all 11.
There's a good amount of creepiness in this first entry. Ominous corn fields and fucked up looking children sell the vibe. Pacing is pretty poor though, especially with the awkward "epilogue"
Comments 1 - 25 of 236
Movie comment on Civil War
mcmakattack
Garland has a knack for story structure, Civil War has a good setup and hits the right narrative beats without being too cliche. The action sequences are also wonderfully directed, the climax of the second act with Jesse Plemons is just phenomenal. The dialogue and how some of the themes were tackled in this film were just lackluster though. Civil War barely explores what an actual civil war means, much less in the modern USA. I've read criticisms that this movie makes the statement: "both sides bad," but so much of this is so politically ambiguous that it doesn't make much of a statement at all. Garland seems to focus more on cool modern warfare on American soil set-pieces and the problems of journalism. (7/10)Movie comment on Turist
mcmakattack
Östlund consistently finds the perfect balance between tension and humor. This pull back and forth not only creates an uneasy atmosphere cut by wit, but this balance also supports the central themes of his works. Here the characters are subject to their own hypocrisy, at odds with how they think they should behave and their instinct actions. All of this set against a super privileged ski vacation, set with expensive urinals and all forms of convenient transportation.Movie comment on Vital
mcmakattack
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with this, probably the worst Tsukamoto I have seen so far. There are the grimy moments typical of this director's work, and the dreamlike imagery is on full display. A lot of the charm of the low-budget thriller aspects of Tsukamoto's filmmaking though is traded for melodrama and underwhelming performances.Movie comment on 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls
mcmakattack
Haneke adds such a unique approach to narrative filmmaking, leaving a lot unsaid, encouraging or even forcing the viewer to understand through investigation. Challenging in a way that experimental cinema tends to be. This challenge makes the climax of this film all the more powerful.Movie comment on Top Secret!
mcmakattack
I love how these filmmakers can take such advantage of the medium. They are able to make jokes that only work within the context of a movie, and push that artistry to its full extent. I also love the adherence to spy movie tropes and the blending of 40s, 60s, and 80s cultural pastiche. Unfortunately some of the humor does not hit, and missed jokes have a tendency to undermine a comedy.Movie comment on Female Trouble
mcmakattack
The Pope of Trash in top form! Wicked and funny, delirious in all aspects including performances, dialogue, costuming, and set design. So committed to a particular brand of sleaze and it matches its exploitation with wit.Movie comment on Il vangelo secondo Matteo
mcmakattack
The best adaptation of the story of Christ, and perhaps the best film from Pasolini. The director remarkably toes the line between realism and the fantastic. From the well-casted actors to the settings in Palestine, the images here reflect most vividly was the the subject time and place must have looked like. On the other hand, the beautiful cinematography evokes an awe-inspiring holiness, especially with the young Mother Mary.Movie comment on Senso
mcmakattack
Traits that seem to carry over in Visconti's work include: lush photography, a grand scale centered around a handful of characters, and an infatuation with melodrama beyond everything else. I did not care for anyone in this story and it dragged on quite a bit, never showing the charm one can find in The Leopard. I also have draining patience for romanticizations of infidelity anyway.Movie comment on Arsenic and Old Lace
mcmakattack
Such a charming romp! Capra leans into the stage play aspects of this script and shoots it in such a way as to make the camera invisible. His technique and direction here allows the performances to shine, and the cast here is wonderful. Cary Grant and Peter Lorre are treasures.Movie comment on Ukikusa monogatari
mcmakattack
How Ozu lingers on certain aspects of life, taking a moment to appreciate moments like rain falling into a teacup, is suited well by the medium of silent cinema. The heavy reliance on dialogue, here intertitles, does not serve the movie well however. A melancholic story that just misses the mark for me, high hopes for Ozu's own remake near the end of his life.Movie comment on The Navigator
mcmakattack
As with most of his work, this loose premise mostly serves to set up great physical comedy set-pieces. The staging and acrobatics required to accomplish some of the brief gags here show how talented Keaton was both physically and mentally. The whole diving suit bit is great of course, and the wet deck of cards gave me a good chuckle.Old Stoneface never fails to make me smile.
Movie comment on The Avenging Conscience: or 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'
mcmakattack
An early cinema pioneer, Griffith set himself apart from others by leaning into the medium of film, using the camera and editing to do things you couldn't in media like stageplays or books. The Avenging Conscience is best at these moments, when the camera zooms in on fretting hands or insects killing each other. These moments of montage work well to enhance the horror aspects of this story. Most everything else is pretty meandering and unfocused though.Movie comment on Children of the Corn: Runaway
mcmakattack
I've watched so many of these shitty Corn movies in a row, I nearly got fooled into thinking this was good (4/10)Movie comment on Children of the Corn: Genesis
mcmakattack
Not a single thing going for this movie... A crazy combination of the lifeless cinematography of Hellraiser 10 and the nonsensical script writing of Hellraiser 9Movie comment on Children of the Corn
mcmakattack
CotC is an odd series, this entry and 6 & 7 are all spectacular failures, but all for very different reasons. This 2009 remake is much more technically adequate than the worst of the bunch, but the characters are so much more unlikeable and the children so unbelievably not scary. The Vietnam flashbacks in the middle of a cornfield, my god...And in typical 2009 fashion, there is a terrible, meaningless post-credits scene.
Movie comment on Children of the Corn: Revelation
mcmakattack
In addition to making little sense, this movie also looks like shit and has terrible effects. Shout-out to the crotchety wheelchair man, yelling the most blunt profanities at the main character.Movie comment on Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return
mcmakattack
WTF happens in this movie? Halfway through every scene I was more confused than when I started. A masterclass in piss-poor editing choices. Even though his presence makes little sense, I still do enjoy John Franklin's portrayal of Isaac.Movie comment on Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror
mcmakattack
I appreciate that this fifth entry tries to lean into the scarce Corn Lore, and the effects in the last 20 minutes are pretty rad. Terrible camerawork, pacing, editing, and performances tho (however the bad acting all around made it a bit fun).Movie comment on The Scorpion King
mcmakattack
The Rock delivers the corniest DVD commentary of all timeMovie comment on The Butterfly Effect 2
mcmakattack
Don't your salesman protagonist a raging douchebag challenge (impossible)Movie comment on The Butterfly Effect
mcmakattack
One of the best exploitation filmsMovie comment on Dollman vs. Demonic Toys
mcmakattack
I like clip shows just as much as the next guy (I don't like clip shows)Movie comment on Children of the Corn: The Gathering
mcmakattack
A totally adequate movie. No charm, no teeth. Hits all the right beats, leans into all the tropes that fit. Just not much there, feels very TV movie.Movie comment on Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
mcmakattack
Gonna give this a "hell yeah, fuck yeah"Leans into ripping of Hellraiser rather than 80s/90s slashers, and I am all for that. Still some pretty poor pacing issues, but the effects, especially the ending, kill it.
Movie comment on Children of the Corn
mcmakattack
Never watched these corn children, now I'm going to try to watch all 11.There's a good amount of creepiness in this first entry. Ominous corn fields and fucked up looking children sell the vibe. Pacing is pretty poor though, especially with the awkward "epilogue"
Showing items 1 – 25 of 236