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FilmEra |OT| January 2018
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
I dont really know what you mean by 'interesting' collaborations but these are some cool scores which I love
Nick Cave - Assassination of Jesse James (Song for Jesse and Bob are GOAT).
Anything Desplat does - although he reuses melodies more than your average composer, still Grand Budapest is godly.
Of course most of Johnny Greenwoods scores - Phantom Thread is my favourite
Radioheads song for Spectre which wasn't used is really good
Other that are nice are Mica Levi as you mentioned with Jackie
Nick Cave - Assassination of Jesse James (Song for Jesse and Bob are GOAT).
Anything Desplat does - although he reuses melodies more than your average composer, still Grand Budapest is godly.
Of course most of Johnny Greenwoods scores - Phantom Thread is my favourite
Radioheads song for Spectre which wasn't used is really good
Other that are nice are Mica Levi as you mentioned with Jackie
Midnightcowboy-
It's super bizarre that there was a Wes Anderson discussion going on because I came here to say with isle of dogs coming up we should do a spotlight on each of his movies.
We could probably make this happen starting in February leading up to the film
It's super bizarre that there was a Wes Anderson discussion going on because I came here to say with isle of dogs coming up we should do a spotlight on each of his movies.
We could probably make this happen starting in February leading up to the film
Good Time is now on Netflix and Amazon. My favourite English film of 2017. If you haven't seen it yet somehow, correct that mistake.
Watching just the cross the room scene at the end, and already welling up.
Watching just the cross the room scene at the end, and already welling up.
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A Cure For Wellness
Fire and water. A tale as old as time!
Good lord, this movie is a looker. If it weren't for Columbus and Blade Runner 2049, this movie would get a ton of love for the cinematography and the composition on those wonderful Swiss locales. Gore Verbinski of Mouse Hunt fame knows how to frame his movies, that's for sure. It's a long psychological trip, but I never found it boring in the slightest. There was always something bananas happening. The atmosphere of the sanitarium is incredible. The constant creak of the crutches is a really nice touch, a tick tock creak that has impeccable timing to it. There are some real issues with logic at times, and characters going back to situations they can easily just leave, but it's not as bothersome as it sometimes can be in other films. I ended up really liking it, even if a lot of the qualities are surface level. There's enough tension, great use of space and presence and sound, that it comes out ahead.
Why you gotta do the teeth stuff, though? The movie has two of my fears, teeth stuff and drowning, and I thoroughly enjoyed disliking those parts.
Fire and water. A tale as old as time!
Good lord, this movie is a looker. If it weren't for Columbus and Blade Runner 2049, this movie would get a ton of love for the cinematography and the composition on those wonderful Swiss locales. Gore Verbinski of Mouse Hunt fame knows how to frame his movies, that's for sure. It's a long psychological trip, but I never found it boring in the slightest. There was always something bananas happening. The atmosphere of the sanitarium is incredible. The constant creak of the crutches is a really nice touch, a tick tock creak that has impeccable timing to it. There are some real issues with logic at times, and characters going back to situations they can easily just leave, but it's not as bothersome as it sometimes can be in other films. I ended up really liking it, even if a lot of the qualities are surface level. There's enough tension, great use of space and presence and sound, that it comes out ahead.
Why you gotta do the teeth stuff, though? The movie has two of my fears, teeth stuff and drowning, and I thoroughly enjoyed disliking those parts.
OP
OP
Does anybody remember the 2007 high concept - low budget The Man from Earth? Well, 10 years later, apparently it got a sequel.
The Post was b o r i n g.
Maybe I shouldn't have expected Spotlight-level quality from it but I didn't expect to put me to sleep. The opening was promising, with the kinetic way they filmed the Pentagon Papers being stolen, but after that was conversation after conversation over whether they should do something I know they're going to do and not face any consequences for. Streep and Hanks weren't as electric together as I thought they'd be. Maybe it's because they were playing themselves with affects on their accents. Bob Odenkirk outdid them both. Other than him, I couldn't tell you any of the characters' names and it's only been a few hours.
Maybe I shouldn't have expected Spotlight-level quality from it but I didn't expect to put me to sleep. The opening was promising, with the kinetic way they filmed the Pentagon Papers being stolen, but after that was conversation after conversation over whether they should do something I know they're going to do and not face any consequences for. Streep and Hanks weren't as electric together as I thought they'd be. Maybe it's because they were playing themselves with affects on their accents. Bob Odenkirk outdid them both. Other than him, I couldn't tell you any of the characters' names and it's only been a few hours.
Someone told me about this a few weeks ago and I couldn't believe it. Is it any good?
OP
OP
I will let you know!
The director himself distributed the movie on file-sharing sites, pleading in an intro that if you like the film, you can donate.
The director himself distributed the movie on file-sharing sites, pleading in an intro that if you like the film, you can donate.
It's really good. Never saw Bone Tomahawk but this was good.
Anyway, saw 47 Meters Down last night and the Faux ending ruined it.
Hey guys, looking for the name of a movie for my wife.
Apparently a french film (she once caught it on german/french tv channel ARTE) about an african immigrant who's life turns to sh*t - losing his wife, his son turns out to be gay, which clashes with his conservative beliefs etc. Apparently a kind of tragic comedy, where you actually still feel for the guy because he's so miserable.
Ring any bells?
btw. saw Okja last night. I liked it. Nothing super special but quite enjoyable.
Apparently a french film (she once caught it on german/french tv channel ARTE) about an african immigrant who's life turns to sh*t - losing his wife, his son turns out to be gay, which clashes with his conservative beliefs etc. Apparently a kind of tragic comedy, where you actually still feel for the guy because he's so miserable.
Ring any bells?
btw. saw Okja last night. I liked it. Nothing super special but quite enjoyable.
Good stuff. Give me a score and I will add it to the site.Under the Skin
What.
It's a gorgeous film that Jonathon Glazer has created. Shots of city streets and countrysides, all slick with recent rain or the impending storm, crosses before Scarlett Johansson's The Female, a stone-faced and determined predator that takes her time to find lone prey and sneak them back to her apartment building.
The film takes its time, her means of capturing normally involving directions and giving someone a lift. She only shows emotions with her words, but otherwise her blank gaze covers the area in the hopes of finding a lone soul. The way her character unfolds over the course of the events is a unique way to take things, and takes the movie in a direction I had not been expecting. Then again, the whole movie is something I had not been expecting (apart from seeing clips of the goo sinking).
The ending (without spoilers) is sudden and pretty dark, and left me at odds. I think it was the right move to end the movie with, though with how the second half plays out, it is a conflicting end nonetheless.
The music is chilling and ominous, kicking in at the right times and really setting the right pace to what's coming.
But the visuals. The visuals! The imagery in the movie is exceptional, the twisting roads as a motorcycle barrels down it, the creaking trees of a cold forest and its mossy floor, the interesting Scotland villages and cities... but by far the most interesting is when it gets experimental after she enters the black void with someone.
I loved it. I'm making 2018 about watching all of the greats I've missed, and this is by far an amazing start to that.
Fancy Clown lordxar Mariachi507
Send me a quick summary of who you are for the site. Few sentences to a paragraph. Basically like a quick bio for the readers.
Discord. Pm here or the email should do
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Hey guys, which version of "Murder of the Polar Express" would you say is better? I haven't seen either and I thought about watching the original first but then that might make me not enjoy the new version if the new one is significantly worse but then if I watch it the other way round it could make me appreciate the older version more...if you get what I mean.
Murder of the Polar Express sounds amazing
Tom Hanks walking around like "ONE OF YA'LL NIGGAS KILLED SANTA!!!!"
Tom Hanks walking around like "ONE OF YA'LL NIGGAS KILLED SANTA!!!!"
Hahahaha my friends and I kept calling it Polar Express as a joke so much I didn't even notice I typed it out then! My bad. Murder On the Orient Express****
I'm on it. We got anyone else's bio up yet? Not sure what to put.
I feel like Bone Tomahawk pulled off the abrupt tonal shift better.
Phantom Thread
It's always interesting, perhaps difficult to attempt a write up or review on anything Paul Thomas Anderson has made. In every film of his you can see the attention to detail, the craft, the great acting, the purpose to the pace and each cut or non-cut in a scene. It's all there, but not always do his films resonate outside of being well-made. It's not that his films lack emotion or human characters, they always do, but stories often feel less grounded and more fanciful if not fantastical - as though it's just a step outside of our own reality as characters inhabit a world where nobody really says what they're thinking and everyone wears a mask.
In trying to "connect" with a film, that at first becomes implausible. You kind of take an Anderson movie in and it sits with you a bit, not a human or emotional level but on a "mood" level. What it evokes in you having experienced it over what really happens in it. Again, it's that craft at work that manages to connect you to the material, not necessarily a deep or engaging story that hits you with tears or waterworks because it's like watching aliens act like humans rather than actual humans.
But that's where it gets you: it's the interpretation of how these people, and thusly us, act and feel towards each other. It's not obvious or sentimental and when you start putting pieces together, such as me looking at Woodcock and realizing his connecting to his mother was what made every life decision he ever made, is when you start to understand it. Again, like most of his films, you enjoy the craft at work, then it sits in you as you start thinking more of it and recalling moments and scenes that form the greater picture and connects you on an entirely different level than before. Phantom Thread is that type of complexity that will turn people away, much like Inherent Vice or even Magnolia did, but it's still there. Rooted in your thoughts as you go about your day - and that means a film did something to you which is what we all want in some way - on the nose or, here, understated.
It's always interesting, perhaps difficult to attempt a write up or review on anything Paul Thomas Anderson has made. In every film of his you can see the attention to detail, the craft, the great acting, the purpose to the pace and each cut or non-cut in a scene. It's all there, but not always do his films resonate outside of being well-made. It's not that his films lack emotion or human characters, they always do, but stories often feel less grounded and more fanciful if not fantastical - as though it's just a step outside of our own reality as characters inhabit a world where nobody really says what they're thinking and everyone wears a mask.
In trying to "connect" with a film, that at first becomes implausible. You kind of take an Anderson movie in and it sits with you a bit, not a human or emotional level but on a "mood" level. What it evokes in you having experienced it over what really happens in it. Again, it's that craft at work that manages to connect you to the material, not necessarily a deep or engaging story that hits you with tears or waterworks because it's like watching aliens act like humans rather than actual humans.
But that's where it gets you: it's the interpretation of how these people, and thusly us, act and feel towards each other. It's not obvious or sentimental and when you start putting pieces together, such as me looking at Woodcock and realizing his connecting to his mother was what made every life decision he ever made, is when you start to understand it. Again, like most of his films, you enjoy the craft at work, then it sits in you as you start thinking more of it and recalling moments and scenes that form the greater picture and connects you on an entirely different level than before. Phantom Thread is that type of complexity that will turn people away, much like Inherent Vice or even Magnolia did, but it's still there. Rooted in your thoughts as you go about your day - and that means a film did something to you which is what we all want in some way - on the nose or, here, understated.
The Untamed (2017)
Really well shot and some insanely creative ideas, but it didn't go as far with them as it should have and the plot gets super muddled by the end. Pretty disappointing. There is a really good movie in here somewhere. [6/10]
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
An intriguing start to Del Toro's career, with a natural sense of eeriness and mystery, but ultimately, like a lot of his other films I've seen, it falls short of being great and settles as just a good solid flick. Still, you can already see his confidence as a director, just hope to see something from him that aims higher and really hits the mark. [7/10]
Really well shot and some insanely creative ideas, but it didn't go as far with them as it should have and the plot gets super muddled by the end. Pretty disappointing. There is a really good movie in here somewhere. [6/10]
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
An intriguing start to Del Toro's career, with a natural sense of eeriness and mystery, but ultimately, like a lot of his other films I've seen, it falls short of being great and settles as just a good solid flick. Still, you can already see his confidence as a director, just hope to see something from him that aims higher and really hits the mark. [7/10]
Papa by Bambadjan Bamba perhaps?
Edit: Oh sorry, you said French. This likely is not what she was looking for then.
FilmStruck has kind of a shitty video player and a not-that-intuitive website, but holy hell, this selection.
Chungking Express
The first cop's story wasn't really grabbing me, and I didn't like the slowed-framerate blurring effect of some of the running sequences. But the second cop and Faye's story was sensational, I absolutely loved it. So altogether, it averages out to...pretty great! In the Mood for Love left me kind of cold when I first saw it tbh, and this is only my second Wong Kar-Wai, but I really really enjoyed (most of) it. Also, despite being played like 300 times in an hour, I never not wanted to hear California Dreamin.
8/10
Elevator to the Gallows
This was Malle's debut? At 24?! Goddamn, what have I done with my life. This is a really good noir, with a surprisingly intricately criss-crossed plot loaded with irony and a killer Miles Davis score. So good.
8/10
The Circus
The last of Chaplin's silent comedies (for features at least) I hadn't seen yet. It might be the least among the five for me, but there's nothing really wrong with it; there just isn't a memorably standout sequence or character that the other four had, though there are some really nicely put together sequences and gags here. A sweet, fun, and funny romp with an unexpectedly downbeat ending.
7/10
Chungking Express
The first cop's story wasn't really grabbing me, and I didn't like the slowed-framerate blurring effect of some of the running sequences. But the second cop and Faye's story was sensational, I absolutely loved it. So altogether, it averages out to...pretty great! In the Mood for Love left me kind of cold when I first saw it tbh, and this is only my second Wong Kar-Wai, but I really really enjoyed (most of) it. Also, despite being played like 300 times in an hour, I never not wanted to hear California Dreamin.
8/10
Elevator to the Gallows
This was Malle's debut? At 24?! Goddamn, what have I done with my life. This is a really good noir, with a surprisingly intricately criss-crossed plot loaded with irony and a killer Miles Davis score. So good.
8/10
The Circus
The last of Chaplin's silent comedies (for features at least) I hadn't seen yet. It might be the least among the five for me, but there's nothing really wrong with it; there just isn't a memorably standout sequence or character that the other four had, though there are some really nicely put together sequences and gags here. A sweet, fun, and funny romp with an unexpectedly downbeat ending.
7/10
I believe kevin posted his in the discord but I can ask him again. I can also show you what mines looks like.
Filmstruck website is booboo compared to the app version. I told everyone not to sleep on Elevator to the Gallows.
sorry for double post guys. messed up the quoting
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Opinions and all, but I can't imagine being left cold by In the Mood for Love. That's like the most tender, warm movie ever, or at least one of them.
It's so elliptical and restrained I could see it being a little off-putting at first.
But if it leaves you cold a second time...you're a lost cause.
But if it leaves you cold a second time...you're a lost cause.
It Comes At Night - Dang this was bleak. I went not knowing what direction this film would take, only that it was the sophomore work from the director of Krisha, and that it divided general audiences. Was not expecting that it was a post-apoc setup. Very grounded set up with the survivalist patriarch taking on guests. I didn't mind the slow pace; thought the tension was high from the jump, and only went up as the end approached. Wavering between a 3.5, but that ending got me shook. 4/5
Thanks for the heads-up. I can cancel my hold on the DVD at the library. Loved the Safdie brother's last film, Heaven Knows What.
Thanks for the heads-up. I can cancel my hold on the DVD at the library. Loved the Safdie brother's last film, Heaven Knows What.
Yo flow pls feel free to use the below for the site if you like it/want it/fits what you're looking for:
Darkest Hour
Too in love with its lead performance to really allow itself to grow beyond that, Darkest Hour attempts to draw chief inspiration from Spielberg's Lincoln, focusing on a crucial period in a legendary figure's life and the politics that influenced proceedings rather than going for straight biopic. However, Wright falters in numerous ways that a better craftsman and filmmaker like Spielberg avoids.
Firstly, he spends too much time with Churchill; Wright is so concerned with showing every part of his journey over this tumultuous period that not only does it give no breathing space to a generally talented supporting cast (Stephen Dillane manages best, drawing subtlety and catty clipped tones in a semi-antagonistic part, while Scott-Thomas and Mendelsohn only flutter through the film as vessels for Oldman to bloviate at), it also means that Wright spends the entire film trying to have his cake and eat it; he fully commits to trying to humanise someone who is such a character and a larger-than-life figure that it leaves an curious Uncanny Valley-esque atmosphere.
Lincoln makes excellent use of its supporting cast, letting Day-Lewis' underplayed and understated Lincoln slowly come to the fore; all of Churchill's distinctive features are forced upon the audience from minute one. Another film that this decision - and Oldman's performance - brought to mind was Capote, where a technically impressive and accurate lead performance comes to overshadow the film itself. Spending so much time with Oldman's Churchill only dulls his impact come the end of the film, when the crescendo of a famous speech is delivered in the same mumbling, clumsy manner every line that's come before it has. There's no build-up or raising of stakes because we get the 'full Winston' from minute one; accurate it may be, tiresome it certainly is.
Oldman himself will more than likely win an Oscar that was far more deserved as recently as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; as impressive a physical transformation as it is, it's one-note, Oldman fully committing to the stereotypical public image of Churchill and playing very little shades of that image throughout. There's notable moments where the accent slips too and his natural lilt jars with such a distinctive voice. It's a good performance that is played far too big in order to catch attention, but it's worked well enough.
Wright makes some curious creative decisions as well; one aerial shot of a bomb about to hit its target plays as unintentionally funny, Lily James' character is given more influence come the climax than the rest of her presence dictates, and an entirely fictional and manufactured sequence where Churchill comes to realise the fighting spirit of Britain comes across as cloying, uninspired and nothing but a substitute for the screenwriters being unable to create a scenario where Churchill shows his intellect or political prowess. In fact, Churchill seldom seems a master politician or tactician; in attempting to humanise his protagonist, Wright detracts from the enduring power of his image.
The film does make some lovely use of colour - a scene in which Churchill speaks to the nation through the wireless is thoroughly comparable to Snoke's throne room in The Last Jedi - and the score is pulsating and full of energy, giving the film a life it never truly earns elsewhere.
Also, it's historically accurate and all, but a bunch of old white dudes cheering for war played weird. Optics.
Darkest Hour
Too in love with its lead performance to really allow itself to grow beyond that, Darkest Hour attempts to draw chief inspiration from Spielberg's Lincoln, focusing on a crucial period in a legendary figure's life and the politics that influenced proceedings rather than going for straight biopic. However, Wright falters in numerous ways that a better craftsman and filmmaker like Spielberg avoids.
Firstly, he spends too much time with Churchill; Wright is so concerned with showing every part of his journey over this tumultuous period that not only does it give no breathing space to a generally talented supporting cast (Stephen Dillane manages best, drawing subtlety and catty clipped tones in a semi-antagonistic part, while Scott-Thomas and Mendelsohn only flutter through the film as vessels for Oldman to bloviate at), it also means that Wright spends the entire film trying to have his cake and eat it; he fully commits to trying to humanise someone who is such a character and a larger-than-life figure that it leaves an curious Uncanny Valley-esque atmosphere.
Lincoln makes excellent use of its supporting cast, letting Day-Lewis' underplayed and understated Lincoln slowly come to the fore; all of Churchill's distinctive features are forced upon the audience from minute one. Another film that this decision - and Oldman's performance - brought to mind was Capote, where a technically impressive and accurate lead performance comes to overshadow the film itself. Spending so much time with Oldman's Churchill only dulls his impact come the end of the film, when the crescendo of a famous speech is delivered in the same mumbling, clumsy manner every line that's come before it has. There's no build-up or raising of stakes because we get the 'full Winston' from minute one; accurate it may be, tiresome it certainly is.
Oldman himself will more than likely win an Oscar that was far more deserved as recently as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; as impressive a physical transformation as it is, it's one-note, Oldman fully committing to the stereotypical public image of Churchill and playing very little shades of that image throughout. There's notable moments where the accent slips too and his natural lilt jars with such a distinctive voice. It's a good performance that is played far too big in order to catch attention, but it's worked well enough.
Wright makes some curious creative decisions as well; one aerial shot of a bomb about to hit its target plays as unintentionally funny, Lily James' character is given more influence come the climax than the rest of her presence dictates, and an entirely fictional and manufactured sequence where Churchill comes to realise the fighting spirit of Britain comes across as cloying, uninspired and nothing but a substitute for the screenwriters being unable to create a scenario where Churchill shows his intellect or political prowess. In fact, Churchill seldom seems a master politician or tactician; in attempting to humanise his protagonist, Wright detracts from the enduring power of his image.
The film does make some lovely use of colour - a scene in which Churchill speaks to the nation through the wireless is thoroughly comparable to Snoke's throne room in The Last Jedi - and the score is pulsating and full of energy, giving the film a life it never truly earns elsewhere.
Also, it's historically accurate and all, but a bunch of old white dudes cheering for war played weird. Optics.
Boogie Nights : Scorsese :: Magnolia : Altman :: There Will Be Blood : Kubrick :: Phantom Thread : Hitchcock
1. Need a third person bio of yourself. Few sentences or paragraph will do with your real name or fake name.
2. Editor will run through it leaving comments
3. I will then make it pretty for the site adding the pics and title where they fit in your review.
4. Need a score. We score out of 5 stars.
5. Reviews must be limited to nil on spoilers of the film with few curse words for reviews. Anything else is fair game when it comes to content
Gave it a read through. I like it. Send your info over to the discord or [email protected]
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - Felt pretty bored throughout. Movie did almost nothing to stand out, a few good jokes but honestly never found myself interested. It's a generic, by the numbers plot and the kids who take up 20+ minutes were awful. The Jonas was also no good. The main 4 driving this movie all have clear chemistry that levitates this above awful.
2/5
Columbus - Stunning looking movie. Was worried it would get by due to how beautiful the architecture in the area was but was swiftly proven wrong. The care put to each facet of life within the town (the library, the mother's workplaces, that alley way) elevates every single bit of spectacular architecture. The movie is driven by minor key dialogue between two characters traversing life. It's reminiscent of the Before trilogy though not to that standard. Still, it's one of the more emotionally affecting movies I saw in 2017 and the love for the city is felt. Shoutout to Cho and especially Richardson.
4.5/5
Paddington 2 - Holy shit what a fun movie. Flawlessly paced, set pieces that each change it up just enough and Hugh Grant kills this shit. It ups the game over the first by feeling a little more brief and it felt more visually inventive. I actually can't imagine being so at ease during a movie. I think the emotional beats are stronger here too.
4.5/5
I have a pretty good hit rate in December/January so far. Jumanji stunk, Star Wars is crumbling in my mind when I attempted to defend it to friends, but I got Phantom Thread coming and those two movies above.
2/5
Columbus - Stunning looking movie. Was worried it would get by due to how beautiful the architecture in the area was but was swiftly proven wrong. The care put to each facet of life within the town (the library, the mother's workplaces, that alley way) elevates every single bit of spectacular architecture. The movie is driven by minor key dialogue between two characters traversing life. It's reminiscent of the Before trilogy though not to that standard. Still, it's one of the more emotionally affecting movies I saw in 2017 and the love for the city is felt. Shoutout to Cho and especially Richardson.
4.5/5
Paddington 2 - Holy shit what a fun movie. Flawlessly paced, set pieces that each change it up just enough and Hugh Grant kills this shit. It ups the game over the first by feeling a little more brief and it felt more visually inventive. I actually can't imagine being so at ease during a movie. I think the emotional beats are stronger here too.
4.5/5
I have a pretty good hit rate in December/January so far. Jumanji stunk, Star Wars is crumbling in my mind when I attempted to defend it to friends, but I got Phantom Thread coming and those two movies above.
The student surpasses the master (except with Magnolia).
Share it with me. I'll PM you my gmail address so I can run through an edit for you.
Nightcrawler
What a devastating critique of capitalism and the dynamics of social darwinism. Lou Bloom is the psychopathic human face of a society that rewards spectacle and ends no matter their costs.. He is pragmatic, obsessed with the dogma of self-improvement business talk and, somewhat like Anton Chigurh, adherent to moral code which privileges efficiency and loyalty . Jake Gyllenhaal's bug-eyed performance is reptilian to the extreme, adding a level of menace to his character's otherwise admirable actions, and is complemented perfectly by Rene Russo (who I thought was Michelle Pffefier). My favourite element of the film is how it satirizes the traditional small-guy success story to unveil the true horror of an entrepreneurial society. Elswitt is also superb, I honestly think this may be his best work - the lighting here is gorgeous.
9.5/10
Also - There Will Be Blood is definitely more Scorsese (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) than Kubrick as a character study of a flawed man and also as a rise-and-fall narrative. I can't see the similarities with Kubrick at all - steady rather than swooping camera, dry colours, small cast etc.)
What a devastating critique of capitalism and the dynamics of social darwinism. Lou Bloom is the psychopathic human face of a society that rewards spectacle and ends no matter their costs.. He is pragmatic, obsessed with the dogma of self-improvement business talk and, somewhat like Anton Chigurh, adherent to moral code which privileges efficiency and loyalty . Jake Gyllenhaal's bug-eyed performance is reptilian to the extreme, adding a level of menace to his character's otherwise admirable actions, and is complemented perfectly by Rene Russo (who I thought was Michelle Pffefier). My favourite element of the film is how it satirizes the traditional small-guy success story to unveil the true horror of an entrepreneurial society. Elswitt is also superb, I honestly think this may be his best work - the lighting here is gorgeous.
9.5/10
Also - There Will Be Blood is definitely more Scorsese (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver) than Kubrick as a character study of a flawed man and also as a rise-and-fall narrative. I can't see the similarities with Kubrick at all - steady rather than swooping camera, dry colours, small cast etc.)
Death Wish V: The Face of Death. 1994. 5/10. Though not as fun as the last two Death Wish movies, the concluding entry into the franchise is probably the goofiest of the five films, with its exploding football bombs, cannoli poisonings, clingfilm traps and acid bath deaths.
Charles Bronson was more convincing than I expected here considering he was well into his 70s while filming it, and he still brought that grizzled charm all the way to the finish line. The plot is pretty boring and only really boosted by Michael Parks' highly amusing performance as the villain. And there's no rape in this one, so that's cool.
Probably the worst Death Wish film, but honestly nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.
Charles Bronson was more convincing than I expected here considering he was well into his 70s while filming it, and he still brought that grizzled charm all the way to the finish line. The plot is pretty boring and only really boosted by Michael Parks' highly amusing performance as the villain. And there's no rape in this one, so that's cool.
Probably the worst Death Wish film, but honestly nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.