list/discuss/rate - your recently watched movies

I saw Scott Pilgrim vs The World yesterday. I must admit that I typically don't like comedy, especially long form comedy, but certain things really can get my going. Those things are surreal humour and absurdist humour. Well! This movie was about as surreal as it gets, making absolutely no attempt to make things make sense in a real world context. Yet the plot was never confusing, because it was pretty simple behind all the bass gorillas fighting keyboard dragons and vegan police. I actually laughed out loud multiple times during the movie, which is a rarity for me. 8/10.

M. Hulot's Holiday

Before Peter Sellers, John Cleese or Rowan Atkinson, Jaques Tati was silly-walking along the French seaside in one of the great physical comedy performances in film history.  But Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot is also a quiet, easygoing film that lets you to take in the sunny & sandy atmosphere of a tiny coastal village and the havoc well-meaning Mr. Hulot brings to an otherwise lazy pace.  Beautifully photographed in 1953, and a seminal performance from Tati.  A undoubted classic.

F.W. Murnau's Schloss Vogelöd (AKA The Haunted Castle)
Wasn't nearly as consistently enjoyable as his other films I've seen, Faust or especially Sunrise. But it became pretty interesting in the latter half of the film. I kinda hated the audio track for the version I saw too.

Watched Iron Man 2 last night, it was dreadfully tedious. Too many plots and characters only half-developed, too jingoistic. It would have worked better as an episode of Family Guy.

Pale Rider

The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Fine Eastwood cinema.

Henry Plainview wrote: A Serbian Film--I didn't actually see this but I wanted to link it.

Sounds like my kind of movie.

Seven Days in May

Maybe the greatest conspiracy movie ever made and a classic regardless, Rod Serling chillingly adapts the bestselling book about a military plot to take over the U.S. government.  Kirk Douglass at his most restrained as a military aide who discovers paranoid general Burt Lancaster has laid devious plans for a power grab.  Taught and riveting, the fact that it was made the year Kennedy was killed and released a year later makes it undeniably prophetic.  A unique thriller and quite bold for its time.

Atavachron wrote: Pushing Tin Dark comedy about a tight-knit community of air traffic controllers with John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton as rivals.  Their wives become involved and the fun ensues.  Reasonably clever with great tech dialog as controllers incomprehensibly spew directions to pilots narrowly avoiding midair collisions.  Not bad, could've been better.

Gotta love those air turbines blowing them all over the place. Adrenalin!!

^ it still can provide some good entertainment if you manage to ignore what a great director he was and much he's lost it. It is a million miles from Gladiator, though. 

Enchanted