This is mostly for me to track the films I've seen.
Lower Case= I watched it
UPPER CASE= I watched it and found something in it
UPPER CASE BOLD= Recommended
- NEW WORLD
- IL POSTO- 4 OUT OF 5- If you liked The Bicycle Thief you'll like Ermanno Olmi's truth-telling style.
- THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN- 3 OUT OF 5- Anthony Hopkins owns this gem. Good story.
- ROSEMARY'S BABY
- WORLD WAR Z
- THE BABADOOK
- THE MAN NOBODY KNEW
- VERNON, FLORIDA
- An Honest Liar
- Casting By
- SNOWPIERCER
- PRINCE OF EGYPT
- YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW- 3 OUT OF 5
- THE BOXTROLLS- 3 OUT OF 5
- TERRIERS- Loved the chemistry of this show glad there were so many even though it was canned.
- THE BLIND SWORDSMAN: ZATOICHI- 4 OUT OF 5- Very fun movie and even funny. Kitano!
- RUBBLE KINGS
- OUT OF THE FURNACE
- THE WRECKING CREW
- What Happened, Miss Simone?
- SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS
- Life Itself
- Swimming With Sharks
- THREE KINGS- 4 OUT OF 5- Finally saw this. Stylish and well-made despite the director's outrage.
- LORD OF WAR- 4 OUT OF 5- Andrew Niccol is a sharp storyteller. Great cast, good acting.
- NARCOS
- Just About Famous
- FREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM
- KEITH RICHARDS: UNDER THE INFLUENCE
- PUSHER TRILOGY- 3 OUT OF 5
- Outrage
- Beyond Outrage
- VEEP- Not since Arrested Development has an ensemble been fun to watch.
- IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA- Crazier than shit-house rats.
- DICTE- Very different but very interesting characters. Not great, but worth a look.
- DETECTORISTS
- THE BRIDGE- Great thriller show. Really interesting character choices and high stakes.
- MAKING A MURDERER
- MASTER OF NONE- Important work that I hope gets better.
- Things To Come
- SOME CAME RUNNING
- HELL IS FOR HEROES
- RICHARD PRYOR: ICON
- John Denver: Country Boy
- Secrets of Scotland Yard
- ANTARCTICA: A YEAR ON THE ICE
- IRIS- 3 OUT 5- I love fashion documentaries and Iris is a riot to watch. Man...so classy.
- BLUE RUIN- 4 OUT OF 5- This one has some real punch. Sloe gin revenge film.
- CHAMPS
- GOTHAM- Closer in character than the comics seem these days.
- THE HUNT- 3 OUT OF 5- Mads does great subtle work here. Solid.
- THE CHORUS- 4 OUT OF 5- Fantastic story and I'm glad to have finally seen it. Good casting.
- Nostalghia
- LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM
- BREATHLESS (KOREAN)- Great chemistry, weird film, rough subject-matter. Go South Korea!
- MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
- Twinsters
- BELTRACCHI: THE ART OF FORGERY
- Lilyhammer
- RIVER- Skaarsgard does a great job with this role.
- SLINGSHOT- 3 OUT OF 5- If we could all have such an impact. Good inspiration. We are lucky.
- F IS FOR FAMILY- Wow, gutsy and poignant and hard not to like.
- Jessica Jones
- DARK VALLEY- 4 OUT OF 5 Takes a German to make a good western these days.
- JOHN WICK- 3 OUT OF 5 Surprisingly well-meaning action movie
- THE MARTIAN- 4 OUT OF 5 Thanks Ridley Scott for making a great film...finally! Refreshing cast.
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- BETTER CALL SAUL- So well-written and it's flavor and tempo. Highly recommended.
- Hot Girls Wanted
- THE GOOD GUYS
- Velvet Goldmine
- MARON
- MEET THE PATELS- Again, fantastic to see other families of similar and dissimilar cultures.
This is mostly for me to track the films I've seen. If I like it enough to recommend I review it. If it's a show I liked I'll BOLD it here.
- NIGHTCRAWLER
- DAREDEVIL
- LOUIE
- WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER
- THE ROVER
- THE KNICK
- BOARDWALK EMPIRE
- SENSE8 Ep.1
- BLACK MIRROR
- THE PRINCE OF EGYPT
- CROODS
- THE HONORABLE WOMAN
- HAPPY VALLEY
- FOYLE'S WAR
- BROADCHURCH
- BORGEN
- LONGMIRE
- THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE WEIRD
- LIFE OF PI
- AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
- CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER
- WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?
- A YOUNG DOCTOR'S NOTEBOOK
- WALLANDER (UK/DANISH)
- PEAKY BLINDERS
- SHERLOCK
- KILLING THEM SOFTLY
- BLOODLINE
- DAMAGES (SEASONS 1-2 ONLY)
3 out of 5. Noah Baumbach's black and white film FRANCES HA pins down what it's like to go after ones dreams and fall short. In the easily likable character of Frances, played by Greta Gerwig, you get a sense of someone who's spirited outlook on life seems indomitable. Her forward motion doesn't take time to ponder to long before going onto the next thing. Which is easily frustrating for those around her. She won't be kept down for long before bouncing back into some other wish fulfillment. It makes those who are somewhat jaded (moi?) and serious long for that bit of adolescent naivete in their daily life. It's a very refreshing film and very New York.
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3 out of 5. Marius Holst weaves a dark tale based on a true story in the KING OF DEVIL'S ISLAND. Having Stellan Skarsgard in the lead role doesn't hurt either. He's as icy and bitter as the winter winds in this Nordic tale of a school for delinquent boys. Benjamin Helstad does an equally excellent job at standing his ground and foregoing the harshest conditions. It's not much different than Cool Hand Luke in terms of story but it does offer some really excellent situations and character development that is harrowing and heartbreaking. The ending...man...good stuff.
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3 out of 5. It's rare when a documentary director finds such a unique angle. Joshua Oppenheimer's THE ACT OF KILLING could have been a Ken Russell film. It was bizarre right from the start and a little unnerving how matter-of-fact the death squad leaders were about their "jobs". When they recreated the scenes of murder in lavish crime numbers or musical numbers, the haunting pallor would blanket the people involved. You could see the thousand yard stare of reliving history in their eyes. This is brave filmmaking and Oppenheimer does an excellent job at capturing it. Not for everyone, but everyone should watch if nothing more than to understand what humans are capable of.
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4 out of 5. Satyajit Ray's THE BIG CITY marks a moment in time when a woman steps outside of her role as housewife in contemporary India and sets to earn to help out the family even more. His ability to capture very real and honest portraits of life is always mesmerizing to me. He's one of the few directors who I completely trust to get at the emotional center of his characters. The circumstances he creates for his characters elicit a universal response while remaining unique to that character. Like the Apu Trilogy, his power of listening is as great as his gift of showing. I can't wait to seek out more of his films.
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4 out of 5. This is one of those movies from the 70s I remember as a kid. A stranger in an even stranger small town and things just go wrong. Ted Kotcheff is bold and daring in WAKE IN FRIGHT. Gary Bond as the lead is great but Donald Pleasance somehow gets under your skin. There's some excellent cinematography and lens choices that really create paranoia and fear. I have to admit though, it's a little rough around the edges, especially during the kangaroo hunt which was relentless and real. There was a real mix of that relentlessly male dominant culture verging on the edge homoerotic and then obliterating that line. It's raw, it's rough and it's a significant Australian film worth a watch.
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4 out of 5. Masaki Kobayashi's THE HUMAN CONDITION 1-3 was a masterfully done almost 10 hour epic telling the tale of a pacifist in totalitarian Japan during WWII. The cinematography was gorgeous and the acting was fantastic. You follow the main character Kaji, played by Tatsuya Nakadai (of SAMURAI REBELLION) as he's given a job in a mining town after marrying the love his life. He doesn't want to run things the way his bosses want him to. It's a clash of ideals and he spends most of the film trying to keep the humanity of his men in tact while almost losing his. Having to watch it in 2 hour chunks a night, made it feel quite episodic and gave one much food for thought. Highly recommended.
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4 out of 5. I think Rupert Wyatt's RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES washed a bad taste out of most people's mouths that the sequels of the original left. I mean, if I was truly being honest aside, other than the killer score by Jerry Goldsmith, the Planet of the Apes is a well-made B-movie. This one however was a great popcorn flick. It had a nice story set-up, great set-pieces, and characters who's actions were believable given the extraordinary circumstances. It delivers on all cylinders and doesn't leave you with an empty stomach like most tent-pole movies. It was a wild ride that you didn't want to stop. The motion-capture and stunt acting is tremendous. What are you doing right? GO WATCH THIS, ALREADY!
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4 out of 5. Thomas McCarthy is a really fantastic director and THE VISITOR is just as good if not better than his other works. I think being an actor really helps if one sets out to direct. I generally see better performances overall and Richard Jenkins does great as the lead. Usually I find a lot of unique story situations come out of South East Asia or especially when they are culturally specific. This is a unique story where the recently widowed main character finds illegal immigrants living in his apartment. The setup is great and possibilities keep you guessing, making this film feel fresh and believable as everyone finds their way. It's a great film with deep repercussions.
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3 out of 5. David Frankel's THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is an infectious comedy that you can't stop thinking about. Maybe it's because of the under-dog lead played by Anne Hathaway that most people can identify with. Or it's her high-status boss played by Meryl Streep who's performance seems to diminish everyone under her affecting gaze. Plus, Stanley Tucci is always fun to watch. Overall it's a fairly predictable storyline but the journey is what makes it fun. By the third act it does lose a little bit of the snap and bite of the opening but it's because the character arcs are converging. Great fun.
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3 out of 5. Hong jin-Na's THE YELLOW SEA is a crazy, violent ride taken by a former taxi driver looking for his wife. The directing is really good and the stakes just keep piling on top of each other until they reach a very crazy apex. The lead, Jung woo-Ha plays a great everyman character whose mission is believable and who continues to surprise by his choices. Yun seok-Kim is also great to see as he brings real weight to the screen. He was great in The Chaser and is always fun to watch. South Korea has had a lot of violent films come out on Netflix, this one is little less violent and maybe not as pretty but it's still quite good.
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4 out of 5. Wolfgang Petersen's DAS BOOT should also be called a psychological thriller as it messes with your aural senses the entire time. This WWII film has a unique perspective of taking place for the most part in a German submarine. The claustrophobia and grime of living and making choices in close quarters grips you the entire time. Relief doesn't come until near the end where things open up and without warning the real Hell breaks loose. The cinematography choices were excellent all around especially in the sub. The detail could have easily overwhelmed the frame but choosing to use atmospheric fog and variations in saturated and desaturated lights to evoke mood was smart.
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3 out of 5. Kevin Smith while not one of my go-to director's makes a fun and risque film with ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO. I think what's funny is my mother recommended it to me after seeing it in a theater. I'd never pay that kind of money to see a comedy but took her up on the challenge of watching it. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth banks have great sincere chemistry that makes there situation believable and absurd. Kevin undoubtedly has a gift with dialogue that is unique. The acting in general is really fun and funny. At first blush you might think this is just more gross-out humor from Smith but honestly it rises above that to tell a great little story.
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3 out of 5. In CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa spin a very fun tale that doesn't leave your brain at the door. This is one of those films where the casting works so well for the story that the chemistry sparkles between the actors. It shows yet another facet of Ryan Gosling's abilities if you're tired of the gloom and morose work he's done lately. But really all the acting is quite good. I think the only thing that probably worked against this film is the title. In a sea of "like" marketing it's easy to miss this great little film when it's up against Eat. Pray. Oh, and the ending is actually pretty damn good.
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4 out of 5. It's hard to imagine it but Gavin Hood who just completed Ender's Game actually made an amazing crime/drama in TSOTSI. It was reminiscent of City of God with it's music and atmosphere. The cinematography was sharp and clear and I loved the palettes overall. But Presley Chweneyagae was the real diamond in this tragic storyline. Man, what a great performance. The subtle qualities and shifts of emotion constantly telegraphing everything he's thinking without saying a word. What a treat. The casting was excellent all around and the acting was really top-notch with clear defined motivations and character. There was only one technical hiccup for me that didn't make sense otherwise this was a near perfect film.
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4 out of 5. Yasujiro Ozu's minimalist approach continues to be timeless and expressive in letting characters breathe, especially in AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON. I haven't seen anything of his since TOKYO STORY. His strong locked camera choice is so signature that it showed me possibilities of characters and their relationship to the space around them. There was nothing wasted in frame and it all served the scene. The cinematography, costumes and production design are equally deft in illustrating this point. When you watch a simple story like this in the hands of an artist there's a lot more that is peeled back and revealed. In that is where Ozu truly shines.
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4 out of 5. BLAST OF SILENCE, by Allen Baron is raw on every
level. I'll admit it I flinched a little, I'm not proud. Allen Baron is
not only ambitious but he portrays a really tough bastard of a killer
who takes on the world with equal
heavy-handedness. There's a lot of great scenes in this film and the
story is compelling. All of it combines if a very textural piece that
has a teeth-clenching finale that you won't want to miss. Universal
Studios buried this for years but now it's been finally released by
Criterion. There's a reason for it. This isn't polished hollywood
noir...it's the stuff crime novels are made of.
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5 out of 5. THE BURMESE HARP by Kon Ichikawa
was a surprising film. There's a lot going on here and the backdrop of
Burma is well-suited to it. The male chorale aspect of the film is both
haunting and uplifting. I'm not a fan of
musicals but this was incredibly effective. The lone character of
Mizushima, the harp player was the antithesis of change brought on by
the conflicts of war. But how he changes is really intriguing and the
way Ichikawa films it is quite masterful. If you like the Apu trilogy or
Frank Capra films, you will totally dig this. Try not to weep too much.
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4 out of 5. Jason Kohn captures the flavor and feel of a filmic bygone era in MANDA BALA. More than once I had to check the date because the cinematography and color-timing of this great little documentary had me thinking it was from the 70s. There is so much to like about this quirky film. From the players, connected to political crime bosses, to the framing of people on the extreme edges of the camera. There's an underlying threat throughout the interviews too from a plastic surgeon who makes ears out of rib cartilage to a guy who specializes in bullet-proofing vehicles. There's a few very unsettling scenes but if you can hold steady you'll be surprised by this film.
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