For anyone who's seen The Substance this is a pretty great making of video. Really fascinating to find out how much of the effects work was practical, and how often the director was the camera operator:

Last night I felt like having a good cry and a good scare, so to those ends I rewatched Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk) and His House.

I've seen both versions of Imitation of Life so many times I've lost count. Sirk's wonderfully camp and melodramatic remake makes it's painful themes of identity, race relations, and friendships easy to swallow.

His House is one of the best recent horror films dealing with the immigrant experience framing it with an intense spook house.

I was verklempt and terrified. What a rollercoaster.

enframed wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2025 4:52 pm

rsmurphy wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2025 4:42 pm

enframed wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2025 4:33 pm Highly recommend the new series Ripley if you haven't seen. Very different than the film, IMO much better.

It's hard for me to get into tv series but I've heard it's much darker and that makes it easier.

It's darker yeah, the pacing is slower (in the best possible way), and it's much better looking. It's not young Jude Law, though. It's only eight episodes. You can do it!

Loved it. Best-looking Netflix production I've seen. Great acting and cinematography.

Andrew Scott is perfect. He's like a poisonous lizard masquerading as this total blank of a human being.

He makes an excellent decision as an actor to blink very very rarely--it's almost his character's only tell if he's getting flustered.

I said this elsewhere but--the first couple eps are very gradually paced. Don't let that throw ya off.

We saw the Talented film again for the first time in a long time. It's good. Much different iteration of Ripley. There's a weird, wiry force to Scott's, it's modern and odd and really unsettling.

Blink Twice is good.

Isaac wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2025 7:57 am

rsmurphy wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2025 4:31 pm Fargo

Took me long enough. Made me think of FM Isaac.

The Shawshank Redemption

Good stuff

Yah, you betcha!

Wait until you see A Serious Man. Saw that while going through some significant issues in my personal life, waiting to get tenure from a dean who was probably a sociopath, and loved crawling on top of roofs. Weird experience for me!

Watched it last night; it made me laugh! Accept the mystery

Casablanca - Bogie was letting those zingers fly!

rsmurphy wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 4:09 pm Last night I felt like having a good cry and a good scare, so to those ends I rewatched Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk) and His House.

I've seen both versions of Imitation of Life so many times I've lost count. Sirk's wonderfully camp and melodramatic remake makes it's painful themes of identity, race relations, and friendships easy to swallow.

All those Sirk movies are great.

I thought The Substance was fantastic. Not for everyone. I don't even know if it was "good" or whatever, I just really loved it and thought it was vicious and hit all its marks. Don't look back!

Finally got my wife to watch Fall. It's not a good movie. It was sort of generically palm-sweat-inducing until they showed the CGI of the ladders falling off the radio tower, at which point it stopped being remotely believable visually and got dumb in a hurry.

eephus wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2025 3:45 pm Finally got my wife to watch Fall. It's not a good movie.

It stinks. Forgot I watched it until your post. The dialogue was the worst.

On Sirk, if you ain't seen Carol by Todd Haynes, it's an excellent Sirk homage ala Far From Heaven, maybe marginally less obviously so, just as good a film

rsmurphy wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2025 4:09 pm

eephus wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2025 3:45 pm Finally got my wife to watch Fall. It's not a good movie.

It stinks. Forgot I watched it until your post. The dialogue was the worst.

Similarly dumb and stupid (and timely for my upcoming travels): Frozen. They get stranded on a chairlift on the last run by a stoner lift operator. Interpersonal drama and grossness ensues.

lovely cast.
glad i watched this instead of the shorter & older jude law version.