Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[Old_Hunter_77]

I didn't get why Anora is considered so good. It was a fine enough and entertaining movie (like 7/10 territory). I didn't think the performance was anything special or really that difficult from an acting standpoint. I thought editing was rather lacking in that it felt like 20 minutes or so too long and the movie also stalls at points during what is supposed to be a frantic night because of the editing. I just rewatched Unstoppable (the Denzel train movie) the other day, that is way fucking better than it has any right to be, and that is a masterclass on how to edit a movie like that to keep it feeling frantic and constantly moving.

Your description of Anora can also work for The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, and Conclave.
So that's kind of my point about this year- there's really no "reason" for one movie to win or lose, other than Emelia Perez that had to lose.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Come think of it the last two Oscar ceremonies have established a pattern: Best Actor goes to a portrayal based on a real-life tortured genius of Jewish heritage who was traumatized by their involvement in WW2 and subsequently ostracized by an American society that didn't give them the recognition they deserved despite being shaped by their work, while Best Actress goes to a sex worker.

So eyes on... a Kissinger biopic? And the next prostitute.

 

[Ezekiel]

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)



With bombastic, loud music playing over the opening credits, I sensed it was gonna be fun. Seriously, those opening credits, plain white text on black, were so cool. Four lead by Robert Shaw (Jaws, From Russia with Love, The Sting) take a New York City train car and its eighteen passengers hostage for 1 million dollars. On the other side, transit chief in the command center played by Walter Matthau. After the first hour, I realized that it's to a large degree actually DIE HARD. The humor and playfulness is there through the scary ordeal, and the many different characters. (Mayor gets the money together, but plot doesn't know what to do with him after that. To be honest, could have written him out.) But it's played more straight, doesn't have the excessive comical incompetence and clumsiness of the police and media in Die Hard and "I shot a kid"-type cheese, doesn't let its pacing get dragged down by those side characters like all the time away from John McClain in Die Hard. The two lead actors were great. Ending satisfied too.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)



With bombastic, loud music playing over the opening credits, I sensed it was gonna be fun. Seriously, those opening credits, plain white text on black, were so cool. Four lead by Robert Shaw (Jaws, From Russia with Love, The Sting) take a New York City train car and its eighteen passengers hostage for 1 million dollars. On the other side, transit chief in the command center played by Walter Matthau. After the first hour, I realized that it's to a large degree actually DIE HARD. The humor and playfulness is there through the scary ordeal, and the many different characters. (Mayor gets the money together, but plot doesn't know what to do with him after that. To be honest, could have written him out.) But it's played more straight, doesn't have the excessive comical incompetence and clumsiness of the police and media in Die Hard and "I shot a kid"-type cheese, doesn't let its pacing get dragged down by those side characters like all the time away from John McClain in Die Hard. The two lead actors were great. Ending satisfied too.

Yo this movie is badass for real for real. And a textbook example of a movie that did NOT need a remake, because the remake was actually not bad but separating from the time it was made and set in just made it another movie instead of something totally cool.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I didn't get why Anora is considered so good. It was a fine enough and entertaining movie (like 7/10 territory). I didn't think the performance was anything special or really that difficult from an acting standpoint. I thought editing was rather lacking in that it felt like 20 minutes or so too long and the movie also stalls at points during what is supposed to be a frantic night because of the editing. I just rewatched Unstoppable (the Denzel train movie) the other day, that is way fucking better than it has any right to be, and that is a masterclass on how to edit a movie like that to keep it feeling frantic and constantly moving.

I think Anora works as a character study and that Mikey kills it, which is something that is maybe lost amidst all of the shouting and the slapstick. But the movie is a solid emotional chart: Anora starts off simply donning the luscious sex worker persona against a relatively bleak, quiet life, so that's already the actress playing to the duality of the character, and then she goes from that sort of resignation to daring to fantasize about a better life and in some way maturing based on her imagination, then goes into panic mode when that future is threatened and she's sort of checking out into anger/denial mode, eventually redirects her anger from a nebulous "they" to Vanya, snaps at what little sympathy she gets from the other dude, and finally breaks down in defeat and acceptance.

This is the kind of emotional journey that you rarely see in a movie. Like I compared her to Poor Things because of the sex worker angle but that movie too is essentually about a person "taking shape". Most genre movies merely have characters learn a lesson, while "character studies" tend to be more like puzzle boxes for the viewer. But to tether your whole movie to someone whose dreams and worldview are roused and shattered within a single story, with such stark ending/starting points, I think is something special. And Mikey performed it beautifully. I also thought the movie was generally very funny and the Armenian dudes killed it.

So ultimately while the whole plot can be boiled down to kind of a non-event, I think the journey for the character was massive, and the movie benefits from that lived-in feeling that Baker's movies tend to have, where everything can feel cozy and familiar but also sleazy and ugly without feeling like he's exaggerating any of it to make a point.

I do think Best Editing is a bit of a stretch and it probably went to Baker based on the notion that it somehow "saved" the movie, whereas I think Conclave made much more creative, stylistic use of editing.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★ review of Christine (1983)

“Watch what you call my car. She’s real sensitive.” After producing the 1979 miniseries for Salem's Lot, Richard Kobritz apparently struck a bit of a chord with Stephen King, who sent him manuscripts for two of his upcoming novels, Christine and Cujo. Intrigued by the former's "celebration of...

letterboxd.com

 

[Ezekiel]

Yo this movie is badass for real for real. And a textbook example of a movie that did NOT need a remake, because the remake was actually not bad but separating from the time it was made and set in just made it another movie instead of something totally cool.

I thought as I watched it, This would be so pointless for Hollywood to remake. What would they improve? After finishing the movie, I learned that they did.

 

[thebobmaster]

A review of Nosferatu (2024)

“I am an appetite, nothing more.” This film was actually first announced to be in the works in 2015, and was intended to be the second film for Robert Eggers after his debut of The Witch. However, for one reason or another, it kept getting pushed back as Eggers first worked on The Lighthouse...

letterboxd.com

For some reason, it isn't showing on the thumbnail, but I gave it 4 stars.

 

[Gordon_4]

Yo this movie is badass for real for real. And a textbook example of a movie that did NOT need a remake, because the remake was actually not bad but separating from the time it was made and set in just made it another movie instead of something totally cool.

What about the 1998 made for TV version?

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

What about the 1998 made for TV version?

huh... TIL

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I think Anora works as a character study and that Mikey kills it, which is something that is maybe lost amidst all of the shouting and the slapstick. But the movie is a solid emotional chart: Anora starts off simply donning the luscious sex worker persona against a relatively bleak, quiet life, so that's already the actress playing to the duality of the character, and then she goes from that sort of resignation to daring to fantasize about a better life and in some way maturing based on her imagination, then goes into panic mode when that future is threatened and she's sort of checking out into anger/denial mode, eventually redirects her anger from a nebulous "they" to Vanya, snaps at what little sympathy she gets from the other dude, and finally breaks down in defeat and acceptance.

This is the kind of emotional journey that you rarely see in a movie. Like I compared her to Poor Things because of the sex worker angle but that movie too is essentually about a person "taking shape". Most genre movies merely have characters learn a lesson, while "character studies" tend to be more like puzzle boxes for the viewer. But to tether your whole movie to someone whose dreams and worldview are roused and shattered within a single story, with such stark ending/starting points, I think is something special. And Mikey performed it beautifully. I also thought the movie was generally very funny and the Armenian dudes killed it.

So ultimately while the whole plot can be boiled down to kind of a non-event, I think the journey for the character was massive, and the movie benefits from that lived-in feeling that Baker's movies tend to have, where everything can feel cozy and familiar but also sleazy and ugly without feeling like he's exaggerating any of it to make a point.

I do think Best Editing is a bit of a stretch and it probably went to Baker based on the notion that it somehow "saved" the movie, whereas I think Conclave made much more creative, stylistic use of editing.

Well said, I couldn't have put it better. Agree 100%.

I been seeing so much pushback against this win because it's a small movie. Ultimately it's just kinda stupid to say "Anora or Dune, what gooder?" but here we are.

Personally these days I'm way more into the small character arc story than a bunch of multi-hour space nonsense.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I think Anora works as a character study and that Mikey kills it, which is something that is maybe lost amidst all of the shouting and the slapstick. But the movie is a solid emotional chart: Anora starts off simply donning the luscious sex worker persona against a relatively bleak, quiet life, so that's already the actress playing to the duality of the character, and then she goes from that sort of resignation to daring to fantasize about a better life and in some way maturing based on her imagination, then goes into panic mode when that future is threatened and she's sort of checking out into anger/denial mode, eventually redirects her anger from a nebulous "they" to Vanya, snaps at what little sympathy she gets from the other dude, and finally breaks down in defeat and acceptance.

This is the kind of emotional journey that you rarely see in a movie. Like I compared her to Poor Things because of the sex worker angle but that movie too is essentually about a person "taking shape". Most genre movies merely have characters learn a lesson, while "character studies" tend to be more like puzzle boxes for the viewer. But to tether your whole movie to someone whose dreams and worldview are roused and shattered within a single story, with such stark ending/starting points, I think is something special. And Mikey performed it beautifully. I also thought the movie was generally very funny and the Armenian dudes killed it.

So ultimately while the whole plot can be boiled down to kind of a non-event, I think the journey for the character was massive, and the movie benefits from that lived-in feeling that Baker's movies tend to have, where everything can feel cozy and familiar but also sleazy and ugly without feeling like he's exaggerating any of it to make a point.

I do think Best Editing is a bit of a stretch and it probably went to Baker based on the notion that it somehow "saved" the movie, whereas I think Conclave made much more creative, stylistic use of editing.

I don't know if she really grows much during the movie. To me, she saw Vanya as her golden ticket to money and was just trying to hold on to that the whole time. The character/performance reminded a bit of Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. Even when you do think she was changing a bit with that one Armenian guy, the end shows she really hasn't changed and then just realizes kinda what she is and doesn't like who she is. I do agree the Armenian dudes killed it and made the movie for the most part IMO.

It just seems like no one knows how to edit anymore; every movie is feels like it's at least like a half hour too long. I even felt the cinematography was pretty bad as well, I get they were going for a "you're there" type feeling so it was purposefully not great framing and whatnot, but some shots I was like "I don't think you make a worse shot if you tried". I recall even Poor Things had that subplot where Defoe finds that other chick that he reanimates and that subplot goes absolutely nowhere and could've been cut easy.

 

[Gordon_4]

huh... TIL

It’s also based on a novel.

Now the first one is pretty obviously going to be the best adaptation by sheer virtue of proximity. The book was published in ‘73 and the film came out in ‘74 so one tenth of fuck all has changed in the world.