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Mary Shelley - 7/10
I've always been fascinated in that fateful, rainy event regarding the Shelleys, Lord Byron, and his betrayed physician, that gave birth to our modern flights of fantasy, which this film provides in dutiful fashion, portrayed by a cast swept in the tumult of poetic immaturity and mixed with lasting hardships, the kind most period pieces shy from. It's this fresh air that give the ending its credence beyond any unfounded criticisms of "muh wimmins' lib muh".
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Velvet Buzzsaw
3.25/10
Turns out it's just a not very good straight-to-DVD type horror. I was thinking it might tonally be more along the lines of American Psycho but it more like a witless "horror" film they churn out by the dozen these days, that make little sense and where anything can happen if it means a half-interesting visual. Jake Gyllenhaal is very watchable and does a nice turn as an acerbic art critic. More of him would have been welcome. There are some nice lines and humorous moments but they just aren't enough.
Bohemian Rhapsody
5/10
Enjoyable enough. Remi Malek is very good in the lead. More than anything it made me want to watch a documentary and listen to Queen's Greatest Hits.
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"......it made me want to watch a documentary and listen to Queen's Greatest Hits.,"
Why?!
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Posted: |
Feb 11, 2019 - 3:18 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD (2018) - 8/10
Peter Jackson used all the technical wizardry that you would expect from the man who brought THE LORD OF THE RINGS to the screen in order to produce this new-as-today semi-documentary about World War I. Starting with hundreds of hours of silent footage and spoken word audio recordings from the Imperial War Museum in Britain, Jackson has used digital enhancement, colorization, sound syncing, and 3-D to craft a two-hour recreation of the trench warfare experience of a typical British soldier during that war.
Perhaps even more fascinating than the film itself, is the 20-minute "making of" documentary that Jackson provides following the film proper. In it, he explains the artistic choices he and his team made, and shows some of the before-and-after results of their work. One of the major coups of this film is that it brings to the public new footage that has not been previously seen in the multitude of WWI documentaries that have been made for film and television in the century since the war. That is because Jackson was able to use computer tools to pull out images from film that was either too light or too dark to be usable for prior documentaries. Those earlier filmmakers just moved on to other footage, much of which had been used before. But Jackson had the ability (and the budget) to use the unusable (see examples below), and we are the beneficiaries.
 
 
You should know beforehand that Jackson's aim was not to comprehensively cover all aspects of, nations involved in, or theaters of the war, but to show how the war experience might have looked to an average Briton pulled from his domestic bliss and thrust into the maelstrom--and to do it all using footage of the actual participants rather than re-creations. In that regard, he has been very successful indeed.
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Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter
7.25/10
I liked the theme music. There was some nice camera work and interesting compositions.
It had some interesting ideas regarding vampire lore. Vampires are all different and can die in different ways; which leads to a horrible (but also pretty funny) scene where they're trying to kill someone they like and have to try various methods.
Kronos is a bit blandly played but his character is actually pretty interesting and carries a katana and a sort of fencing sword. There's a not very well done fight scene that's going the way of a Yojimbo one-versus-many face-off, and earlier in the film a 3-versus-1 fight in a tavern that is very spaghetti westerm
Apparently, it was to be the start of a character franchise that never happened. I can actually see it working now if they took the basic idea now and amp it up a bit with a decent cast. It could be fun (or would it end up like Van Helsing?). Cast an interesting actor as his hunchback professor sidekick, and flesh out the Caroline Munro character.
For me, Hammer films could never make a forest look scary, no matter how hard they tried, though.
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Posted: |
Feb 13, 2019 - 9:08 AM
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By: |
Ado
(Member)
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Wow I never post here!
A recent movie I really loved was The Rider by Chloe Zhao, about the rodeo rider who has to recover physically and from a far place within. Joshua James Richards' camerawork was exceptional, probing and incisive and deeply empathetic. It's a rare digital movie that has a personal feeling, I thought.
Good to hear from you, as well good to hear someone of the few that have seen The Rider. I agree, excellent film, not always an easy watch, but it really does get into your thoughts and feelings, once you reach the end, it is a remarkable place.
It is an excellent film, one of the best of 2018.
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Posted: |
Feb 14, 2019 - 3:53 PM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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The Medusa Touch (1978) 3/10 ... coming at the end of the big disaster-craze and combining this genre with the contemporary fascination with telekinesis this British/French co-production hosts an array of well-known faces and, for me, the fun was spotting and seeking to name each and all (many have short cameos, only).
Fascinating as to how the story will develop it soon becomes apparent that we're going to see a series of flashbacks demonstrating the antagonist's other-worldly talent.
Each of the three main stars were past their best (though, maybe, Richard Burton was in training for his active role to come next) and I was left wondering if they'd fully appreciated their roles when accepting the parts. I know many actors like to take on the nasty role, instead of forever playing the hero, but for RB's character I failed to spot any humanity ... there was nothing to care for. Lino Ventura was wonderful but had little to do and Lee Remick's character was not wholly likeable.
For such a production the budget needed enhancement but that was never going to happen ... the script was too weak.
I like Michael J. Lewis's score, it is largely effective adding a sense of unease at appropriate times. It also includes another of his lovely melodies but I can't understand the use of said theme during the flashback scene where RB's character and his wife and her lover have a few words ... To me, this music was wrong.
And, whilst the film is watchable ... I'm afraid that real-life events make one scene in particular very uncomfortable to watch.
I think I'd seen parts of the film some years ago but did not recall much. No plans to watch it again.
Mitch
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Good assessment of bear island TG. It was one of the last McLean adaptions. Considering how good Eagles, gubs of novocane, fear is the key, etc had been, it was one of the weakest. I wanted to like it, rewatched years later thinking Maybe itll be better and i was probably too harsh - then i watch again and realise i wasn't.
I might have given it 6.
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Mitch - 3 out of ten for medusa touch is harsh, even by your eccentric scoring. It isnt as good as some of the ITC films like Love n bullets but its still a very chilling film. Vastly helped by MJs creepy prominent theme.
I would say 6.8 is fair.
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Medusa is a lot better than Bear Island! 
One thing that i did notice was the voice dub for Lino Ventura was that famous voiceover guy de Keyser who did tracey's father (Gabriele Ferzetti) in OHMSS.
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You would watch skyfall again? 
Thats the diff between connery bonds and the later ones- partly because the dialogue was so good - they were infinitely more watchable again and again than the routine blurs of samey twaddle we are fed nowadays. Mr potato head films. Not helped by the music - which only comes to life when the bond theme arrives!
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