Nosferatu
Fantastic! Great first outing this year. Going back to watch Queer tomorrow.
Fantastic! Great first outing this year. Going back to watch Queer tomorrow.
Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched
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A ★★★★★ review of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
“There is no expiry date on sorrow. Ooh, that’s good.” The idea for a sequel to Beetlejuice has actually been kicking around in one form or another since...well, since basically right after the original movie came out. In 1990, two different scripts for a sequel were commissioned. One of them...
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What makes this movie stand out for me is that it's both. It manages to weave together the super natural and the paranoia very well. It's clear by the end that Thomasin was the the target, and to turn her family against her to the point that she had no road left other than death or joining this covenant. I also can really appreciate some ultimate destruction in a story; literally no one is spared in this movie, and I love how the father in his final moments kinda laughs at how badly he fucked over his whole family.
Vastly prefer this over The Lighthouse by the way. Couldn't really get into that one.
A ★★★★½ review of Spider-Man 2 (2004)
“Intelligence is a privilege. It’s a gift, to be used for the good of mankind.” The plan for a sequel to the smash hit Spider-Man was greenlit pretty quickly, with the first script being written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on their work on Smallville. David Koepp was brought in to...
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Nosferatu, 8/10
Eggers continues his streak with this one. I'd perhaps rank this my third favorite of his, just above The Witch. It doesn't quite have the unique craziness of The Lighthouse, or the scale and visual splendor of The Northman, but in what it sets out to do it achieves with flying colors. Which is kind of funny to say, because this is one of the most monochromatic color films perhaps ever. It is relentlessly grim both in tone and presentation, but to me it worked. I wouldn't necessarily call this a horror movie, more of a grandiose, horror-inflected Shakespearean melodrama. It's all about big emotions and characters grappling with larger than life events.
Perhaps this film's biggest success is Bill Skarsgård's performance as Count Orlok. It takes a lot to make a character like this to 1. not feel like something we've seen a thousand times, and 2. not feel like a ridiculous camp caricature. Skarsgård pulls it off, both with his physicality but even more with his voice. He manages to do an iteration of the classic eastern european "dracula" accent that feels both faithful to previous incarnations, yet also distinct for this character. Even though his screentime is relatively limited, you can feel his presence hanging over every scene. Not that the rest of the actors are slouches either: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eggers alumnus Ralph Ineson and Willem Dafoe all turn in performances that would be right at home in Bloodborne. Special mention must be made for Lily Rose-Depp, whose performance is absolutely deranged and genuinely disturbing. There's a particular scene between her and Skarsgård about 3/4 through the film, and the acting was just setting the screen ablaze. The weak link here is possibly Nicholas Hoult, but I think that's more to do with his character not having a lot to do in the story.
The film looks great, as can be expected of Eggers at this point. It's almost completely devoid of color, with gloomy downcast Germany being the most vibrant the film gets. The rest is an exercise in blue-to-black nightscape, or dark interiors lit by torch- and candlelight. It all serves to pull you into the story and atmosphere, which I'm glad to report Eggers once again brings by the bucketload. I saw it in IMAX, and while there were occasional breathtaking wide shots, most of the movie is shot in relatively tight quarters and up close, which I'm not really sure the IMAX benefitted in any special way.
I have to admit there was a twinge of letdown in the experience: the trailers did their utmost to hide Nosferatu, making him seem more like an eldritch presence than a concrete entity, but in the film he's very much physically present. Not that there isn't that spectacular shadow imagery, I just wish the movie leaned into it more. But this is what you get when you watch trailers: misled expectations leading to disappointment. It was also maybe a bit long for my liking. Maybe some of Rose-Depp's character's despair over her predicament could have been cut out, it felt like it was repeating itself somewhat. While I did praise her performance previously, her acting can also be a bit hard to parse overall, because she spends so much of the movie sobbing, pleading desperately or in demonic convulsions. She does that stuff wonderfully, but it does kind of hang a question mark over her acting in other types of situations. The only other thing I know her from is that infamously panned show The Idol, in which I heard she did similar things. So while I am convinced of her acting skills with this particular type of thing, I'm not so sure of her range.
Eggers continues his streak with this one. I'd perhaps rank this my third favorite of his, just above The Witch. It doesn't quite have the unique craziness of The Lighthouse, or the scale and visual splendor of The Northman, but in what it sets out to do it achieves with flying colors. Which is kind of funny to say, because this is one of the most monochromatic color films perhaps ever. It is relentlessly grim both in tone and presentation, but to me it worked. I wouldn't necessarily call this a horror movie, more of a grandiose, horror-inflected Shakespearean melodrama. It's all about big emotions and characters grappling with larger than life events.
Perhaps this film's biggest success is Bill Skarsgård's performance as Count Orlok. It takes a lot to make a character like this to 1. not feel like something we've seen a thousand times, and 2. not feel like a ridiculous camp caricature. Skarsgård pulls it off, both with his physicality but even more with his voice. He manages to do an iteration of the classic eastern european "dracula" accent that feels both faithful to previous incarnations, yet also distinct for this character. Even though his screentime is relatively limited, you can feel his presence hanging over every scene. Not that the rest of the actors are slouches either: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eggers alumnus Ralph Ineson and Willem Dafoe all turn in performances that would be right at home in Bloodborne. Special mention must be made for Lily Rose-Depp, whose performance is absolutely deranged and genuinely disturbing. There's a particular scene between her and Skarsgård about 3/4 through the film, and the acting was just setting the screen ablaze. The weak link here is possibly Nicholas Hoult, but I think that's more to do with his character not having a lot to do in the story.
The film looks great, as can be expected of Eggers at this point. It's almost completely devoid of color, with gloomy downcast Germany being the most vibrant the film gets. The rest is an exercise in blue-to-black nightscape, or dark interiors lit by torch- and candlelight. It all serves to pull you into the story and atmosphere, which I'm glad to report Eggers once again brings by the bucketload. I saw it in IMAX, and while there were occasional breathtaking wide shots, most of the movie is shot in relatively tight quarters and up close, which I'm not really sure the IMAX benefitted in any special way.
I have to admit there was a twinge of letdown in the experience: the trailers did their utmost to hide Nosferatu, making him seem more like an eldritch presence than a concrete entity, but in the film he's very much physically present. Not that there isn't that spectacular shadow imagery, I just wish the movie leaned into it more. But this is what you get when you watch trailers: misled expectations leading to disappointment. It was also maybe a bit long for my liking. Maybe some of Rose-Depp's character's despair over her predicament could have been cut out, it felt like it was repeating itself somewhat. While I did praise her performance previously, her acting can also be a bit hard to parse overall, because she spends so much of the movie sobbing, pleading desperately or in demonic convulsions. She does that stuff wonderfully, but it does kind of hang a question mark over her acting in other types of situations. The only other thing I know her from is that infamously panned show The Idol, in which I heard she did similar things. So while I am convinced of her acting skills with this particular type of thing, I'm not so sure of her range.
Queer
Another great movie theater experience to kick off the year. This is Luca Guadagnino's second movie released in 2024, following Challengers, and not only do I think it's the better of the two, it might be my favorite of his overall.
I haven't read Queer. I did read Junky (Burroughs' first novel and arguably "part one" to the latter Queer) and Naked Lunch, and found that made the experience perfectly rewarding. Actually I saw a lot of Junky in this. That book ended with Burroughs taking up the quest to find the fabled ayahuasca drug deep in the Amazon, which Burroughs was convinced would grant him "telepathy".
That actually becomes the framework of Queer, which believe it or not, despite its hangout vibes and lots of meandering, isn't wholly plotless: it's about Burroughs trying to connect with another fellow expat on a level that he ultimately deigns unreachable lest they partake in ayahuasca. Burroughs is crazy about this other dude, who's clearly just along for the ride - if and when he can be bothered.
I liked it a lot. I was just completely transported by the movie. What I've always gathered from Burroughs is that he was equally fascinated and disgusted by himself, this pathetic little muerto en vida who seems to be coming and going in every scene like a gray ghost. Daniel Craig nails the part, and the movie captures that sadness and darkness and wry sense of humor perfectly.
Nosferatu
I already said this was fantastic. But I was thinking about Queer, and how so many of Guadagnino's movies are about asymmetrical, lovelorn relationships, and it hit me that Nosferatu belies the same concern found in every Eggers movie: the all-consuming, self-defeating need to trace the source of evil, and that characters are at their most empowered when they surrender themselves to their fate.
So of course adapting Nosferatu was a no-brainer.
By my count I've only seen the three Nosferatu movies (Murnau, Herzog, Eggers) and the three of them are bangers. Just chef's kiss perfect, the lot. For my money Nosferatu is only second to Macbeth in having so many incredible adaptations (Welles, Polanski, Kurosawa, Kurzel, the elder Coen).
Another great movie theater experience to kick off the year. This is Luca Guadagnino's second movie released in 2024, following Challengers, and not only do I think it's the better of the two, it might be my favorite of his overall.
I haven't read Queer. I did read Junky (Burroughs' first novel and arguably "part one" to the latter Queer) and Naked Lunch, and found that made the experience perfectly rewarding. Actually I saw a lot of Junky in this. That book ended with Burroughs taking up the quest to find the fabled ayahuasca drug deep in the Amazon, which Burroughs was convinced would grant him "telepathy".
That actually becomes the framework of Queer, which believe it or not, despite its hangout vibes and lots of meandering, isn't wholly plotless: it's about Burroughs trying to connect with another fellow expat on a level that he ultimately deigns unreachable lest they partake in ayahuasca. Burroughs is crazy about this other dude, who's clearly just along for the ride - if and when he can be bothered.
I liked it a lot. I was just completely transported by the movie. What I've always gathered from Burroughs is that he was equally fascinated and disgusted by himself, this pathetic little muerto en vida who seems to be coming and going in every scene like a gray ghost. Daniel Craig nails the part, and the movie captures that sadness and darkness and wry sense of humor perfectly.
Nosferatu
I already said this was fantastic. But I was thinking about Queer, and how so many of Guadagnino's movies are about asymmetrical, lovelorn relationships, and it hit me that Nosferatu belies the same concern found in every Eggers movie: the all-consuming, self-defeating need to trace the source of evil, and that characters are at their most empowered when they surrender themselves to their fate.
So of course adapting Nosferatu was a no-brainer.
By my count I've only seen the three Nosferatu movies (Murnau, Herzog, Eggers) and the three of them are bangers. Just chef's kiss perfect, the lot. For my money Nosferatu is only second to Macbeth in having so many incredible adaptations (Welles, Polanski, Kurosawa, Kurzel, the elder Coen).
A ★★ review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
“You didn’t win the war. Hitler just lost it.” Given the length of time since the last Indiana Jones movie, you might expect this movie had some turbulence getting made, and you'd be right. George Lucas began work on researching for a new artifact to drive the plot of a fifth movie almost...
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Fun fact; Alvin Sargent also wrote the screenplay for What About Bob. Might be why Spider-Man 2 is so good at dropping in quick comedic character scenes.A ★★★★½ review of Spider-Man 2 (2004)
“Intelligence is a privilege. It’s a gift, to be used for the good of mankind.” The plan for a sequel to the smash hit Spider-Man was greenlit pretty quickly, with the first script being written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on their work on Smallville. David Koepp was brought in to...
Thor the Dark World - 8/10
Fuck you, this movie gets a bad rap and its largely undeserved in my opinion. Not totally, but largely. The weak points are they don't do quite enough with Malekith to make him super interesting but credit to Eccelston he imbues him with enough presence and gravitas to make him an effective presence. Also some of the effects - there's a flock of birds for example - did need another going over in post. And the awkward subplot of Jane trying to date Roy from the IT Crowd should have been cut and fucked off for more scenes with the Warriors Three and Sif. Although in Sif's case its more understandable as Jamie Alexander got badly injured during filming. And we didn't get nearly enough of the Warriors Three at all. Also Odin is a bit of a dick in this one, which seems at odds with his characterisation in Thor. It feels as if most of his scenes were written with prior knowledge of Frigga's death.
However, beyond that, I really enjoy this movie. Which again has much to recommend it. It moves quickly, the intro with Bor and the Dark Elves is fun, we spend lots of time on Asgard, Loki and Thor's chemistry is delightful and honestly the death and funeral of Frigga - and many other Asgardians - is still a very emotionally effecting scene. Arguably one of the most solemn in the MCU until T'Challa's funeral in Wakanda Forever. Score is great, and the dialogue retains that sort of Shakespearean tone as the first one. I don't mind the changes in Ragnarok and Love and Thunder, but I do miss that part of Thor's personality. Also, I like Thor and Jane; Hemsworth and Portman do have a nice chemistry together and the obvious pride the characters show in each other's accomplishments makes it come across as a very equitable relationship.
Next up, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Fuck you, this movie gets a bad rap and its largely undeserved in my opinion. Not totally, but largely. The weak points are they don't do quite enough with Malekith to make him super interesting but credit to Eccelston he imbues him with enough presence and gravitas to make him an effective presence. Also some of the effects - there's a flock of birds for example - did need another going over in post. And the awkward subplot of Jane trying to date Roy from the IT Crowd should have been cut and fucked off for more scenes with the Warriors Three and Sif. Although in Sif's case its more understandable as Jamie Alexander got badly injured during filming. And we didn't get nearly enough of the Warriors Three at all. Also Odin is a bit of a dick in this one, which seems at odds with his characterisation in Thor. It feels as if most of his scenes were written with prior knowledge of Frigga's death.
However, beyond that, I really enjoy this movie. Which again has much to recommend it. It moves quickly, the intro with Bor and the Dark Elves is fun, we spend lots of time on Asgard, Loki and Thor's chemistry is delightful and honestly the death and funeral of Frigga - and many other Asgardians - is still a very emotionally effecting scene. Arguably one of the most solemn in the MCU until T'Challa's funeral in Wakanda Forever. Score is great, and the dialogue retains that sort of Shakespearean tone as the first one. I don't mind the changes in Ragnarok and Love and Thunder, but I do miss that part of Thor's personality. Also, I like Thor and Jane; Hemsworth and Portman do have a nice chemistry together and the obvious pride the characters show in each other's accomplishments makes it come across as a very equitable relationship.
Next up, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
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That's interesting. Because I haven't read Queer either but I own this paperback with a collection of Burroughs' novels that includes Junkie, Yage Letters, Naked Lunch and Nova Express. And his experiences travelling to South America to try Ayahuasca are what he wrote about in Yage Letters. Yage being a term for Ayahuasca.
Right, that collection was probably edited by Oliver Harris, who shows up first thing in the movie's end credits as literary consultant. I suspect the movie, as uneventful as it is, is bigger than the book and takes from Burroughs' life and other work. Allen Ginsberg is in it (Jason Schwartzman, killing it) and Joan Vollmer's death haunts the movie in a way that Burroughs rarely acknowledged in his work. And having read Junky, the movie - especially the first half - felt like I was revisiting that particular book.
I liked the trippy/nightmare parts. It's nowhere near the cabinet of curiosities approach of Cronenberg's Naked Lunch but there was plenty more than I expected.
And they do mostly call it yage in the movie until Burroughs does a little theatrical reveal ("you might know it as ayahuasca here"), which made the audience go oooooh because that's what everybody calls it here.
A ★★★★ review of Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
“You should be careful. You’re playing a game, and you don’t know the rules.” After the success of Bad Boys For Life, it was not surprising that a sequel was greenlit pretty quickly. However, after a certain incident at the Academy Awards hit the fanbase of Will Smith like a slap to the face, it...
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