I finally got around to The Last Duel. I thought it was pretty good. Not fun, but interesting and poignant. It kind of deconstructed the medieval drama the way Unbroken, or Assassination of Jesse James.. did the western.

After being raised with the knight in shining armor mythology it was good to think about how savage and misogynistic the dark ages were.

Haven't seen The Last Duel yet, but a good film for demystifying the Middle Ages, or at least the Arthurian Legends, is Bresson's Lancelot du Lac, which came out on blu-ray within the last year or so, with a new 4k transfer. I used to not like this film nearly as much as most of his others, and it is an acquired taste, but it finally clicked when revisiting it this year, owing in part to the many far less ambitious and more undisciplined movies I've seen during the pandemic. (Have seen some real doozies.)

Just watched Finders Keepers - a documentary from a few years back that somehow passed me by. Often moving and frequently hilarious. I enjoyed it.

DaveA wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 4:49 am Haven't seen The Last Duel yet, but a good film for demystifying the Middle Ages, or at least the Arthurian Legends, is Bresson's Lancelot du Lac, which came out on blu-ray within the last year or so, with a new 4k transfer. I used to not like this film nearly as much as most of his others, and it is an acquired taste, but it finally clicked when revisiting it this year, owing in part to the many far less ambitious and more undisciplined movies I've seen during the pandemic. (Have seen some real doozies.)

I like me some Bresson, but this one felt a little too lazy and loose-limbed for me, and left me feeling like I was watching Monty Python's Holy Grail...but without the jokes. I think I gave up caring when one of the knights was clearly wearing jeans under his armor.

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 10:45 am Just watched Finders Keepers - a documentary from a few years back that somehow passed me by. Often moving and frequently hilarious. I enjoyed it.

Oh my that sounds so insanely American.

Bullet Train.

Exactly what I thought it would be, which wasn't a bad thing.

Made it halfway through a horror movie called Allegoria before I shut it off because of boredom. Had to investigate the director who was named Spider One. His name didn't bother me one way or the other until I came to know that Spider One is the lead singer of Powerman 5000, a band who's music I actively avoided because Powerman 5000.

Watched The Blob (1988) afterwards. What a fun time! So gross. Love the remake. Should get around to checking out the original in the near future.

zorg wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:46 amI like me some Bresson, but this one felt a little too lazy and loose-limbed for me, and left me feeling like I was watching Monty Python's Holy Grail...but without the jokes. I think I gave up caring when one of the knights was clearly wearing jeans under his armor.

As mentioned, it's an acquired taste, fine if someone doesn't take a shine to it. I think if one goes into Lancelot du Lac expecting a dramatic, pulse-pounding take on the Arthurian legends, they will leave disappointed, even if the film does sport some well executed jousting and sword-fighting scenes.

The film is centered on a certain disillusionment and listlessness that can settle in when a goal isn't reached. The Knights of the Round Table have failed to find the Holy Grail, several of them have perished in the process, and now the survivors have returned home with no path forward. In-fighting ensues in the absence of clear objectives and earthly heroics. The girl-to-guy ratio is off, so the knights can't help but covet Guinevere, even if most of them won't openly admit it.

With a dearth of music the knights are shown suited up in armor that creaks and bogs them down just as much as it protects them. They aren't quite emasculated, but they're also not embodying the swashbuckling stuff of fantasy most of the time--everything is grounded in scope, austere, and at times there's a frailty at hand, which comes into the fore more when someone bleeds out profusely. Thinking back on it, it's surprising the film got made as such characteristics make it seem uncommercial. Thankfully it's shot well (something more evident in the new blu-ray), not overlong, and well paced. But as worthwhile as it might be, I wouldn't put Lancelot du Lac on the shortlist of Bresson films to recommend to someone who hasn't seen any before.

Watched Prey, for brainless fodder. Absolute crock of shit, yet thought-provoking for a ton of reasons I hadn't anticipated.

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 2:25 pm Watched Prey, for brainless fodder. Absolute crock of shit, yet thought-provoking for a ton of reasons I hadn't anticipated.

What were you expecting or hoping for?