Spoilers What Movie Are You Watching?

[IronWaffle]

Those who consider themselves cinephiles but who also have a(n understandable) disdain for anime should really check out the two titles below. The first is based on an account from World War II in Tokyo and is utterly unique, in my opinion. One reason it was animated was, if I recall, that the producers didn't feel right having real children re-enact some of the more harrowing moments. Unlike many "based on a true story" films (something I generally loathe), this is very economical and doesn't drip with saccharine. It is, in fact, filled with touching moments and complicated situations not whitewashed. I rarely use the word masterpiece but this one deserves it.

For those who have seen and appreciated Grave of the Fireflies, coming soon to home video is In This Corner of the World. These days I try not to know too much before going to a movie so I can't vouch for it beyond it seems a fair companion piece to the above. Here's the trailer:

​

Also for grown-ups, I recently picked up the film below. Perfect for our current situation:

From the moment I first saw the trailer for Kaguya it was at the top of my "to see" list. It was a full year before it came to my area and it was well worth the wait. It's much lighter in tone than the three films above but is gorgeous and unique for its watercolor aesthetic. As previously mentioned, it's based on a Japanese folktale that makes for great discussion in how its values and messages cross paths with our own times and our own culture. For those not interested in that, well, it's a simple tale well-executed visually and, both in its original and English dub, verbally. A real gem.

"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya". Based on Japanese folklore, this is a breathtaking movie, and my favorite of 2017. Every frame looks like a painting. It is made up of some very mature themes which anyone can relate to IMHO.

I think the more I say about it, the stupider I'll probably sound, so here's a short clip from the movie instead...

Cheers

 

[pachyderm]

Those who consider them cinephiles but who also have a(n understandable) disdain for anime should really check out the two titles below. The first is based on an account from World War II in Tokyo and is utterly unique, in my opinion. One reason it was animated was, if I recall, that the producers didn't feel right having real children re-enact some of the more harrowing moments. Unlike many "based on a true story" films (something I generally loathe), this is very economical and doesn't drip with saccharine. It is, in fact, filled with touching moments and complicated situations not whitewashed. I rarely use the word masterpiece but this one deserves it.




For those who have seen and appreciated Grave of the Fireflies, coming soon to home video is In This Corner of the World. These days I try not to know too much before going to a movie so I can't vouch for it beyond it seems a fair companion piece to the above. Here's the trailer:

​

Also for grown-ups, I recently picked up the film below. Perfect for our current situation:

From the moment I first saw the trailer for Kaguya it was at the top of my "to see" list. It was a full year before it came to my area and it was well worth the wait. It's much lighter in tone than the three films above but is gorgeous and unique for its watercolor aesthetic. As previously mentioned, it's based on a Japanese folktale that makes for great discussion in how its values and messages cross paths with our own times and our own culture. For those not interested in that, well, it's a simple tale well-executed visually and, both in its original and English dub, verbally. A real gem.

anxiously anticipating the release of in this corner...
[doublepost=1509204623][/doublepost]

This was the one that depicted the infamous dinner in that Islington Italian restaurant, - the Granita, I think.



Sigh. Pathetic, @pachyderm.

Is that supposed to be a joke?

Humour rarely translates entirely successfully across cultures.

Actually, I don't get American humour, especially the feeble sort that finds the mere fact of being female funny.

yes that was a joke. a play on words...

women have been referred to as "broads"... surely not only in America?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

anxiously anticipating the release of in this corner...
[doublepost=1509204623][/doublepost]
yes that was a joke. a play on words...

women have been referred to as "broads"... surely not only in America?

Yes, only in America, @pachyderm. I have never hard the term used in Europe, unless by someone who wished to signal familiarity with American movie culture.

Actually, I am familiar with the term only from reading books such as "The Godfather" (another book I had read, borrowed from my father's shelves, before I ever saw the movie) and seeing American gangster movies set in the 30s, 40s, and 50s; generally, the term is not one used in Europe.

However, reading this thread, I must say that Grave of the Fireflies does sound extremely interesting; I must see if I can find a copy when I am next home.

 

[twietee]

However, reading this thread, I must say that Grave of the Fireflies does sound extremely interesting; I must see if I can find a copy when I am next home.

Do it! It's utterly exceptional and manages to tell beautifully a simple yet griping story set during WWII. I recall having some minor issues with how they spun the story finale initially but found my peace/interpretation with it so I too would call it a masterpiece.

Thanks for the recommendation, Ironwaffle. Trying to keep it in mind..

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Tough one, huh?

Powerful stuff eh? This is the one movie I could not bring myself to watch all the way through, after I realized what was going on.

That film devastated me the first time I viewed it, and it still gets me choked up at times even today. To me it's the most poignant film that Ghibli ever produced.

Those who consider them cinephiles but who also have a(n understandable) disdain for anime should really check out the two titles below. The first is based on an account from World War II in Tokyo and is utterly unique, in my opinion. One reason it was animated was, if I recall, that the producers didn't feel right having real children re-enact some of the more harrowing moments. Unlike many "based on a true story" films (something I generally loathe), this is very economical and doesn't drip with saccharine. It is, in fact, filled with touching moments and complicated situations not whitewashed. I rarely use the word masterpiece but this one deserves it.




For those who have seen and appreciated Grave of the Fireflies, coming soon to home video is In This Corner of the World. These days I try not to know too much before going to a movie so I can't vouch for it beyond it seems a fair companion piece to the above. Here's the trailer:

​

Also for grown-ups, I recently picked up the film below. Perfect for our current situation:

From the moment I first saw the trailer for Kaguya it was at the top of my "to see" list. It was a full year before it came to my area and it was well worth the wait. It's much lighter in tone than the three films above but is gorgeous and unique for its watercolor aesthetic. As previously mentioned, it's based on a Japanese folktale that makes for great discussion in how its values and messages cross paths with our own times and our own culture. For those not interested in that, well, it's a simple tale well-executed visually and, both in its original and English dub, verbally. A real gem.

Do it! It's utterly exceptional and manages to tells beautifully a simple yet griping story set during WWII. I recall having some little issues with how they spun the story finale initially but found my peace/interpretation with it so I too would call it a masterpiece.

Thanks for the recommendation, Ironwaffle. Trying to keep it in mind..

Okay: You guys (and gals and people) have convinced me that this is now a must see. This is an impressive list of - as in people whose views I rate & respect - of recommendations.

Will order it before I next return home so that it is there before I arrive.

 

[0388631]

Atomic Blonde

Absolute wonderful camera work. Very realistic fight scenes. Captured the mood of Berlin well at that time. Wonderful music choices. Possibly one of the best films I've seen in years.

 

[Huntn]

Young Frankenstein (1974)- A favorite comedy. Saw this in the theater 3 times! I really liked how this movie mirrored scenes from the original serious version.

 

[arkitect]

Another Old Curmudgeon Review. Be warned.

Yesterday afternoon went to see In the Thick of It chez Kremlin, aka Death of Stalin.

Well, yes. It left me really conflicted.

Great cast… Oh look! Isn't it… whatsisname from…you know…?
Reasonably witty script… hahahaha!!
The absolute bizarreness of the Soviet system… hohohoho!
Murder and summary executions… errr… hahahahaha?
Rape… hhhmm… hahahahaha?

Oh the audience did (feel obliged) laugh as a man got shot in front of his wife. Because, you know… fun-neeee! No?
No. Not really.

Yeah, I dunno. The jokes wore thin. Rather fast.

Death of Stalin is certainly no Der Untergan.
Entertaining, but it is really uncomfortable viewing.

Steve Buscemi's Khrushchev is well cast as he quietly plans his long game. As Svetlana says, "I never thought it would be you."

Oh, and @Scepticalscribe Do not expect this to be historically accurate. I have a vague knowledge of Soviet history and boy, talk about playing loose and fast.

But then again what do I know? Rottentomatoes gives it 96% and the Grauniad had several orgasms over it.

Meh…

Though, judging by the trailer, I suspect a hell of a lot better than the steampunk version of Murder on the Orient Express coming up. Jesus wept.

 

[hawkeye_a]

Jaws(1975).

Watched it for the first time in HD. One of my favorites. It does such a great job of transporting the viewer to a different time and place.

'That's some bad hat, Harry.' - Chief Brody

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Another Old Curmudgeon Review. Be warned.

Yesterday afternoon went to see In the Thick of It chez Kremlin… aka Death of Stalin.

Well, yes. It left me really conflicted.

Great cast… Oh look! Isn't it… whatsisname from…you know…?
Reasonably witty script… hahahaha!!
The absolute bizarreness of the Soviet system… hohohoho!
Murder and summary executions… errr… hahahahaha?
Rape… hhhmm… hahahahaha?

Oh the audience did (feel obliged) laugh as a man got shot in front of his wife… because, you know… fun-neeee! No?
No. Not really.

Yeah, I dunno. The jokes wore thin. Rather fast.

Death of Stalin is certainly no Der Untergan.
Entertaining, but it is really uncomfortable viewing.

Steve Buscemi's Khrushchev is well cast as he quietly plans his long game. As Svetlana says… "I never thought it would be you."

Oh, and @Scepticalscribe Do not expect this to be historically accurate. I have a vague knowledge of Soviet history and boy… talk about playing loose and fast.

But then again what do I know? Rottentomatoes gives it 96% and the Grauniad had several orgasms over it.

Meh…

Though, judging by the trailer, I suspect a hell of a lot better than the steampunk version of Murder on the Orient Express coming up. Jesus wept.

Thanks - thoroughly enjoyed this Old Curmudgeon Review.

 

[JamesMike]

Will watch 'The Mummy' and 'The Mummy Returns'.

 

[0388631]

Murder on the Orient Express coming up. Jesus wept.

Might turn out to be good. There's another Dench film coming up I'm looking forward to.

 

[arkitect]

Might turn out to be good. There's another Dench film coming up I'm looking forward to.

*Might* being the operative word…

But I guess Branagh wants to do to Poirot what he did to Wallander… all so very deep and dark and "actorly".
Just leave these simple little Christie whodunnits alone FFS.
They can only stand so much psycho-poppy analysis and 21st century angst projection.

 

[twietee]

Watched The Sect yesterday in preparation of Halloween

Spoiler

and because I basically watch horror movies all year long anyway

- good flic! Thanks @kazmac for the recommendation!

Ending was a bit too wishy-washy for my taste but unlike many other entries it did keep me interested and quite entertained for the complete running time, which is super rare .
Cast was superb imho and I liked that it wasn't nearly as gory as the usual Dario flic is, which was a nice change. Some nice shots too so glad I got to see it!

 

[kazmac]

Watched The Sect yesterday in preparation of Halloween

Spoiler

and because I basically watch horror movies all year long anyway

- good flic! Thanks @kazmac for the recommendation!

Ending was a bit too wishy-washy for my taste but unlike many other entries it did keep me interested and quite entertained for the complete running time, which is super rare .
Cast was superb imho and I liked that it wasn't nearly as gory as the usual Dario flic is, which was a nice change. Some nice shots too so glad I got to see it!

Haha!

I liked that ending. Glad you enjoyed: my fave parts dealt with the rituals and that tree.

Bonkers.

Watched the original Halloween last night. Loomis remains my favorite thing about it. Not sure if I will watch anything today: learning MS Office on a PC is terrifying as it is.

 

[twietee]

Ms Office? The horror!

Oh, I liked the "Rosemary's Baby" style ending just fine - crazy scene with the maggots and the horny pelican btw - but the very last sentence/scene did confuse me a bit. Not sure whether it makes much sense or not.

The tree scene was good!
Funny to see all the 90s German style items in the background - nice touch, brought me back into my childhood

 

[hawkeye_a]

A couple of new-ish movie recommendations for Halloween...

 

[D.T.]

A couple of new-ish movie recommendations for Halloween...

Two outstanding recommendations. It Follows can be a little divisive, even for fans of the genre, I loved it. The House of the Devil is a ton of fun, nicely done throwback vibe - if you like it, Ti West has a couple of other terrific horror films I'd recommend: The Innkeepers and The Sacrament.

 

[kazmac]

Ms Office? The horror!

Oh, I liked the "Rosemary's Baby" style ending just fine - crazy scene with the maggots and the horny pelican btw - but the very last sentence/scene did confuse me a bit. Not sure whether it makes much sense or not.

The tree scene was good!
Funny to see all the 90s German style items in the background - nice touch, brought me back into my childhood

And here I thought the Herbert Lom possessed wash cloth was the nuttiest thing in the movie. What I liked about the ending was the irony of the character in question having free will (Which if you believe in whole Do as thou Wilt silliness) then I thought that made the Rosemary’s Baby angle work even better. I do not want to spoil for those few who might be thinking of looking this daft movie up.

Don’t know why I am thinking of Demons today... probably because it is so meta and Soavi’s man the mask just creeps me out.

 

[twietee]

And here I thought the Herbert Lom possessed wash cloth was the nuttiest thing in the movie. What I liked about the ending was the irony of the character in question having free will (Which if you believe in whole Do as thou Wilt silliness) then I thought that made the Rosemary’s Baby angle work even better. I do not want to spoil for those few who might be thinking of looking this daft movie up.

Don’t know why I am thinking of Demons today... probably because it is so meta and Soavi’s man the mask just creeps me out.

I loved that creepy dirty wash cloth thingy!! Seriously though, that was quite well made effect-wise imho. If I'd ever come across a wash cloth so full of dirt it almost comes to live I'd imagine it looking quite like that. Worked for me.

Nah, I meant:

Spoiler

the very last inner monologue she held. Something like: "He protected me?! So he really must have been my son! Fin - my problem with that crap is that I have no clue how he actually was able to protect her from the flames in the first place? Why he protected her instead of the baby? And last but not least: the whole angle of her being an orphan (which somehow also made her a single living way outside in the booneys) she somehow finds comfort thinking that that utter creep may actually be her son (and father ). WTF?

Demons is truly a great one! Did I ever mention that the initial scene is shot at the Heidelberger Platz metro station where I used to hop in? And the punks cruising down the Ku-Damm snorting cocain is the icing on the cake!

 

[kazmac]

I loved that creepy dirty wash cloth thingy!! Seriously though, that was quite well made effect-wise imho. If I'd ever come across a wash cloth so full of dirt it almost comes to live I'd imagine it looking quite like that. Worked for me.

Nah, I meant:

Spoiler

the very last inner monologue she held. Something like: "He protected me?! So he really must have been my son! Fin - my problem with that crap is that I have no clue how he actually was able to protect her from the flames in the first place? Why he protected her instead of the baby? And last but not least: the whole angle of her being an orphan (which somehow also made her a single living way outside in the booneys) she somehow finds comfort thinking that that utter creep may actually be her son (and father ). WTF?

Demons is truly a great one! Did I ever mention that the initial scene is shot at the Heidelberger Platz metro station where I used to hop in? And the punks cruising down the Ku-Damm snorting cocain is the icing on the cake!

Ah...right. Thanks for clarifying. I understand. Though I think

Spoiler: Spoiler

it is the baby protecting her since it was supposed to be the Anti-Christ and defied it's father...the Satanic pelican...it's been a while since I watched so I may very well be forgetting something.

That part of my brain is filled with selective snatches of Soavi's imagery.

Demons...I believe you may have mentioned that after you watched. Very cool.

In the midst of Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971) There's still four scenes that make this worth viewing, including a creepy pursuit in a mannequin factory. I am very surprised that Blue Underground's ancient SD version looks so darn good. As typical of that era, there's some very unPC stuff going on (but at least the human monsters were punished by the undead templar knights.)



Very surprised the score was never released officially as it's perfect.

 

[pachyderm]

 

[twietee]

Though I think

Spoiler: Spoiler

it is the baby protecting her since it was supposed to be the Anti-Christ and defied it's father...the Satanic pelican...it's been a while since I watched so I may very well be forgetting something.

Well, that makes more sense I probably got some mumblings the wrong way

Spoiler: ....

and wasn't really that sure with the father/son thing to begin with since I thought it to be strange Lom being the pelican while also getting reborn as her child. Was quite sure Lom spoke about it in first person..anyway. Good fun flic (and better not think too much about it anyway )

In the midst of Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971) (...) As typical of that era, there's some very unPC stuff going on (but at least the human monsters were punished by the undead templar knights.)

Doesn't ring a bell, sounds intriguing. And good point about the unPC stuff in those movies. That's one thing I seriously like about them as it helps a ton in cracking up otherwise formulaic conventions and the more inventive the better in those cases imho. A lot of those great soundtracks are another good reason.).

Also for the record: I couldn't care less about Halloween

Spoiler: last one for today

(poor kids from the neighborhood as we always forget to buy candy before and well, have them basically waiting at the front door while frantically searching the kitchen...with no success Almost breaks my heart sending them away just to run to the supermarked around the corner, ending up eating all the candy ultimately myself since they don't bother to come again..lol)

 

[Huntn]

That sounds familiar, but I can’t picture it.

 

[kazmac]

Well, that makes more sense I probably got some mumblings the wrong way

Spoiler: ....

and wasn't really that sure with the father/son thing to begin with since I thought it to be strange Lom being the pelican while also getting reborn as her child. Was quite sure Lom spoke about it in first person..anyway. Good fun flic (and better not think too much about it anyway )

Doesn't ring a bell, sounds intriguing. And good point about the unPC stuff in those movies. That's one thing I seriously like about them as it helps a ton in cracking up otherwise formulaic conventions and the more inventive the better in those cases imho. A lot of those great soundtracks are another good reason.).

Also for the record: I couldn't care less about Halloween

Spoiler: last one for today

(poor kids from the neighborhood as we always forget to buy candy before and well, have them basically waiting at the front door while frantically searching the kitchen...with no success Almost breaks my heart sending them away just to run to the supermarked around the corner, ending up eating all the candy ultimately myself since they don't bother to come again..lol)

LOL...yeah, The Sect poses some interesting and bizarre questions. I blame the Pelican.

No Halloween for us either. I had to put a sign up but there was still door bell ringing a plenty. I love dressing up though (haven't been able to in a very, very long time, but I know what characters I'd be as soon as everything falls back into place.)

Tombs of the Blind Dead was the start (and only good film) of a Spanish series of movies about the Templar Knights legend in which they gain their wealth and land due to worshipping the devil (or some Lovecraftian thingy as later movies would suggest.) Anyway, The Blind Dead are those pesky templar knights (struck blind as they were executed so they could not find their way back to the villages they terrorized.) Well, of course they rise from their tombs, but they track you by sound instead, and they drink your blood. The subsequent movies got progressively worse, so I'd just recommend this one. The Blind Dead are great monsters and the mannequin stalking sequence is quite good.

If you want to see a great Hitchcockian thriller, The Fox With the Velvet Tail (1971) is fantastic. Probably the best "new to me' European movie I've seen in some time. Not a giallo per say, but some very good twists.