The Koreeda film Monster. He goes for the Rashomon angle, but uses it to explore our mistaken perception of people and things.
It's subtle and masterfully executed. Very moving. Dude's still at the top of his game.

Yeah that's a lovely film - a bit clunky in its plot mechanics but the heart of it is pure and compassionate. Still unsure of the ending, which could be read two ways.

Monkey Man is really, really fun. It's better than the John Wicks and incorporates trans rights and anti-fascist sentiment to boot.
It's Dev Patel's first film as director. It's a revenge flick with a schlocky 90s Hollywood Big Bad Guy who needs taking down (which we've all kind of missed), but he incorporates Indian mythology, while the action sequences are (i) nerve-wracking and (ii) fucking BRUTAL at points.
The script was a bit underdeveloped overall, but there's enough originality in the film that I'm genuinely interested to see what he does next.

Inspired by Teorema. Hook me up.

Civil War. Strange cut-and-shut movie: 3/4 is a sympathetic portrayal of the job of (war) reporting, using the neat device of switching the foreign for the domestic (although with the clunky device of introducing a naïve new reporter). The politics here is irrelevant, and it's basically a road movie. ... and then there's the final section which seems like the complete reverse of everything I just said.

It's like someone came in and said "yeah, it's all very complicated isn't it? Anyway how about [spoiler] we lose the dowdy middle-aged chick and have the reporters execute Trump? [/spoiler] And get them to say something cool, ok?" I'm not opposed to that per se, but I have whiplash.

Edit: sorry, no spoiler tag support hence the tiny text - is that better?

pldms wrote: Wed Apr 17, 2024 2:51 am Civil War. Strange cut-and-shut movie: 3/4 is a sympathetic portrayal of the job of (war) reporting, using the neat device of switching the foreign for the domestic (although with the clunky device of introducing a naïve new reporter). The politics here is irrelevant, and it's basically a road movie. ... and then there's the final section which seems like the complete reverse of everything I just said.

It's like someone came in and said "yeah, it's all very complicated isn't it? Anyway how about... I'm not opposed to that per se, but I have whiplash.

Dude, spoilers...

Is Civil War any good? The idea of Texas and California teaming up is preposterous. Had this British dude never heard of Alabama or South Carolina?

It's got some really great moments, but it's not a great film. Still liked it. The origin of the alliance is not really discussed and largely irrelevant, although it is mentioned that they will probably fall out later.

Civil War is pretty good.

Just finished watching Come and See (1985), which narrates nazi atrocities in Belarus during WW2.
It has the most beautiful cinematography I have ever seen, all in service of terribly violent imagery.
The pacing is purposefully slow, gradually luring you into the finale, which is a sudden and vicious assault on the senses. Yet the movie never revels in its blood, on the contrary, it appeals to the higher self of its audience.
It's free to watch on youtube, and I humbly recommend it.