Uni hasn't made this easy, but here's the last week of movies I watched. If I had the time to really feel anything about them, this week would be pretty memorable. As always, check out the IMDb links in the titles for a description of the synopsis.
265. Chimes at Midnight (1965) - September 24th
I expect nothing less from Welles at this point; the man has an understanding of Shakespeare that's deep and distinctly his own. Taking that work and focusing on what you identify most strongly with is a pretty bold idea, and the way Welles eschews a lot of the technique and style he was known for in order to focus entirely on actor and performance is alone enough to make this a noteworthy entry in his career, but the film uses it to go further with its concept, taking Shakespeare's influence on modern storytelling in a very literal way while limiting the mode of storytelling to that of Shakespeare's chosen medium. The film feels like a play, but with the addition of techniques used in film to emphasise and exaggerate the performances further. It's honestly really cool to behold, but also the sort of thing that you can't take in with just one viewing. Everything I've said or could say her feels limited by how little time I've spent with it, so I'll say no more, other than to absolutely see this if you're taking a run through Welles' best work. - 8.5/10
266. Session 9 (2001) - September 24th
This was fairly unique and intriguing, a solid mystery horror with some genuine chills to it and a supernatural force that is left blessedly ambiguous and actually does what most other horror forces fail to do an actually get a few people killed. The film isn't astonishing, nor is it always great at what it's trying to do with the paranoid mood it sets, but as fast, fun and forgettable horror is concerned, I'm glad I saw it, and I do recommend it. Special props goes to Peter Mullan in the lead role, pained and desperate for answers to a question he doesn't know as a way of finding meaning in his slowly deteriorating life; it's more than enough to make the role work, and it stands out for how emotional he allowed himself to get as a contrast to how he ultimately acted when under the influence of supernatural force. - 6/10
267. Alien Predator (2018) - September 25th
This might be one of the worst things I've seen all year, but at some point I realised that the monsters were wearing discount cosplay Halo Spartan armour, and I stopped hating it. By every measure, this is cheap and terrible and no-one should watch it, but along the way things got so terrible that it was mildly entertaining. Not quite 'so bad it's good', more like 'so bad I can sit through it', and as awful as it is, if I'm being completely honest, I hated it less than The Predator, but I also expected far more out of that. I only make the comparison because one is obviously a cheap knock-off designed to capitalise on the release of the other; I expect basically nothing from this, and at most I got a terrible fan-film with no sense of direction or plot of performance or anything of note that's only slightly more watchable than the other worst things I've seen all year by being so cheap it's a little endearing. - 2/10
268. Red State (2011) - September 25th
This kind of works as a comedy, but fails as a horror. It's a neat bait-and-switch that doesn't go very far, and the political commentary is obnoxious but not out of place while also allowing for some solid moments of dark comedy, but there's not a lot of tension here besides the initial sermon. That scene is pretty damn good as a chilling revelation of cult attitude and with some tense action and clever follow-up, but the film rarely comes close to feeling this way again. I essentially liked the first half and didn't like the second, which is kind of funny to me, because for the last Kevin Smith film I watched, Tusk, it was the opposite (while I'm here, I like Tusk quite a bit more in retrospect; the movie is too insane not to be enjoyable). The film never quite gets me where it wants me to be, but I saw some potential in the film, and don't dismiss it altogether. - 5.5/10
269. Once Upon a Time in China (1991) - September 26th
This was pretty awesome; it feels like the prototype to basically every Kung Fu Chinese Hero movie ever, with tonnes of fast-paced, well-choreographed action, lots of wire-Fu, more than its fair share of discussion of Chinese nationalism, and a fair amount of hero-worship. It's silly, it's clever in both dialogue and fight progression, and it's fair to say that it's a big part of what my favourite genre of Chinese cinema is today. - 7/10
270. He Got Game (1998) - September 27th
Magic realism is probably my least favourite mode of storytelling, but in the same way I feel about found footage films, it's not the individual idea as it is in how common it is for the technique to be executed lazily. Thankfully, Spike Lee has shown me with He Got Game that you can use to ambiguity magic realism affords you in order to tell a compelling story with deep thematic exploration. The final moment, where Jake passes the last of who he is on to his son, Jesus (as I've said, Lee is the opposite of subtle), is an incredibly powerful moment, and no matter how many of the film's numerous ideas end up going nowhere, this film is beautiful, messy, thematic dynamite for what it says with its core relationship. Add the that the strong performances of both key players in this piece, and you have a really good film. - 7/10
271. The Mechanic (1972) - September 29th
This is kind of good, but also lack focus, and while I'm sure the contrast is intentional, I'm not sure why. The film is at once a slow and meticulous examination of a lonely assassin who is inherently self-destructive, and it's a silly Moore-era James Bond-style action thriller with a bike chase that unmistakably alludes to Live and Let Die. The film wants to be brooding and tragic and melodramatic, but also seems to want to acknowledge the light-hearted and unrealistic nature of its thrills, which is a difficult task to manage that I don't think the film ever quite mixes right. Bronson is really good; without an emotion across his face the man manages to express so much about what he feels and why he does the things that he does. It makes the film a little dry, but also eerily watchable, and despite how empty this film feels at times, I like it just a little bit. - 5.5/10
272. The Mechanic (2011) - September 29th
When I saw that this was shorter, I expected the film to trim a lot of the style from the original; less a slow, ponderous piece with an emotionless yet expressive Bronson that seems unclear on what it wants to be, this is more self-serious and focused but also kind of obnoxious in its hand-holding approach to a lot of the plot points. The film can't have you see that Arthur is lonely without also having someone say it out loud, you can't have visual expression of how Arthur works without voice-over narration that only tells you what you already know. I do like some of the changes, particularly to the music, and to the character of Steve, who is far more interesting and sympathetic without taking away from Arthur. Speaking of these two, both actors suit their roles well enough, with Foster offering a lot of that brooding emotional work that is the backbone of his considerable career, and Statham playing something that I like but also think is far too serious for the man who had already done every parody of this type of character. It's not that I can't buy him in his role, I definitely can, but the film takes its melodramatic subject matter too seriously for his work to overcome the silliness of trying to be super brooding in a movie about disaffected assassins in a convoluted plot of betrayal and connection. I guess, in retrospect, it makes me appreciate the silly, James Bond-esque bike chase of the original, goofy tone and all, a little more. This version comes close with its bus fight using every conceivable tool as a weapon, but not quite; it tries to be cool more than funny. That said, I still liked this a little, at least as much as the average Statham flick; even if the tone is too self-serious, the plot and action are excessive enough to be entertaining and the performances at least as good as the original (except for maybe Statham in comparison to Bronson - I'm not sure why, Bronson just has an inescapable 'it' factor) - 5.5/10
Re-watches
56. Mandy (2018) - September 24th
Not a week later and I already re-watched this out of sheer enjoyment. The film is fantastic stuff, all the weird stuff included, because without exception it adds to the mood of this piece, the suffocating air of repressing emotion, the feeling of release falling flat as the pain gets tighter, the distractions and disconnect and humour embedded in to little moments in this film in bizarre and creative ways; the film has only a few points to make, but it keeps making them in new ways, with the dream-like nature of the movie allowing for more than a few curve-balls and some unsubtle imagery about love, zealotry, sexuality and unhealthy internalisation. It might just be my surprise favourite movie of the year. - 8/10
Published October 1st, 2018
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