Last movie you watched

[erilaz]

Studio 666 (2022) — Foo Fighters (playing themselves) move into a mansion in Encino to record their tenth album, but the house was the scene of a multiple homicide back in the 1990s, and there's some weird, creepy, supernatural shit going on. It's a fun little horror-comedy.

[esm]

I watched Turning Red. I thought it was going to be kinda childish but it was actually a pleasant watch and it was aesthetically pleasing overall. The whole early 2000s thing also made it relatable to people my age since we were in middle school then.

[Zunu]

Just saw the 2021 Japanese film "Drive My Car" in a local arthouse theater. [trailer link (spoiler)]. It clocked in at just under 3 hours long, but it definitely used that time wisely, to make us feel the full weight of the protagonist's experience. This is not a fast paced movie. There were scenes with long soliloquies but no action. And scenes with long periods of driving with little dialog. A really interesting play-within-a-play conceit which gave a layered meaning to certain lines of dialog. Overall it was very thought provoking and highly recommended.

My companion drifted off a couple of times even though she picked the film. She did enjoy it overall, it's just that it was easy to be lulled because there were many scenes where little was happening on the surface. There were very few loud or jarring moments, period, although the few that existed were used quite effectively.

I went in completely blind to this film, not having viewed the trailer or read any reviews. So the direction the film ended up taking really surprised me. There was a long setup which seemed very conventional, even cliché. From then I was expecting nothing unusual to take place. But after getting past the prologue, at every juncture where a less-skilled script would've proceeded down a well-travelled road, this film made different choices that proved to be deeply rewarding.

I highly recommend it. It may cause you to reflect upon your own life, even.

The soundtrack by composer Eiko Ishibashi was sparse but effective.

[erilaz]

^ I jumped on that the first weekend that it played here, thinking that it would be one of those foreign films that runs for a week and then disappears. I couldn't have been more wrong! It's still showing at the same theater, three and a half months later.

Like you, I went in completely blind, but I really liked it, too.

Last night I saw Alice, starring Keke Palmer and Common. I enjoyed it, despite the thrashing it's been getting from critics. Yes, the premise is a bit far-fetched (though inspired by actual events), and part of the movie is reminiscent of a similarly maligned M. Night Shyamalan film, but part of it is a '70s grindhouse revenge movie, a staple of my cinematic diet, and I found the mix entertaining. We even get a taste of a Pam Grier classic that I mentioned in this thread eight years ago.

Bonus points for casting Alicia Witt, one of my favorite actresses from the '90s. You might remember her as the little girl who played Alia in David Lynch's Dune.

[Zunu]

That little girl who played Alia is 46 years old?!! Also, seems that both her parents died tragically of cold exposure late last year. And that her mom at one point had 10 foot long hair that she used to catch fish with. Weirdest flex ever.

[Amped]

I haven't seen it yet, but "Drive My Car" just won an academy award for best international film. Now I feel like I should watch it.

[erilaz]

I'm happy that Drive My Car won Best International Feature Film, but I'm just as happy that it was beaten by CODA for Best Picture.

But of course I'm biased toward any film that has the main character geeking out about the Shaggs' Philosophy of the World.

[erilaz]

The Automat (2021) — A fascinating documentary about a Philadelphia and New York City institution from a bygone era: Horn & Hardart's Automat Cafeterias.

[erilaz]

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) — I've been eagerly awaiting this since I first saw the mind-blowing trailer, and the movie has finally arrived in the East Bay. It did not disappoint. An absolutely unique roller coaster ride.

[Zunu]

I saw The Lost City today. Didn't read any reviews of it or even see the trailer that I can recall, but I like Sandra Bullock and was looking for something lighthearted and diverting. It is not a five-star movie, 3 1/2 stars at best. But I'd give it an extra honorary star for fulfilling exactly what I wanted from it. If you remember Brandan Fraser, this was like one of his adventure movies, except without any supernatural mumbo-jumbo or dinosaurs. So, if you're in the mood for that type of flick, you'll probably enjoy this, and if not, not. Brad Pitt had a supporting role where he played the same kind of nigh-Batman-level physical prowess character that he played in "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood." Weird niche, but seems to be working for him. Channing Tatum shows a lot of skin, far more than Sandra. Good for her. Usually films have nubile young actresses falling head over heels for guys old enough to be their fathers. Here Sandra Bullock at 57 is the romantic interest for a ripped 41 year old Tatum and you don't even blink.

The only bad thing about the movie was that there were quite a few scenes that were meant to be awkwardly funny but were just awkward. But there were still enough genuinely funny parts to make up for it.