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You're being too kind imho, although Elba was quite good in it.
9: Darkest Hour (#27 overall for 2017)
8: Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (#12 overall for 2017)
7: Lady Bird (#11 overall for 2017)
6: The Post (#10 overall for 2017)
5: Get Out (#9 overall for 2017)
4: Dunkirk (#7 overall for 2017)
3: Phantom Thread (#6 overall for 2017)
2: Call Me by Your Name (#4 overall for 2017)
1: The Shape of Water (#2 overall for 2017)
1. The Shape of Water
2. Dunkirk
3. Phantom Thread
4. Get Out
5. Lady Bird
6. The Post
7. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Didn’t see Darkest Hour or Call Me By Your Name yet.
1. Phantom Thread
2. The Shape of Water
3. Dunkirk
4. Three Billboards
5. Lady Bird
6 .The Darkest Hour
I've only seen three of his films, but I loved all three. Excited to see Phantom Thread, have never watched Magnolia or Inherent Vice. Seen bits and pieces of Punch Drunk Love but it didn't do anything for me.
Magnolia: Eh. It was alright, but definitely overhyped; it's just too busy.
Punch-Drunk Love: Very good. Sandler's best movie by far; a great drama/dark comedy.
There Will Be Blood: Masterpiece. One of the best films ever.
Phantom Thread: Very good. One of 2017's best, and a worthy sendoff for Day-Lewis.
I want to check out The Master next; the subject material looks fascinating.
The Master was an incredible piece of filmmaking to me. On point acting from Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as usual. The latter was also excellent in his rather short appearance in PTA's Boogie Nights.
Seems a lot of people felt that way about Inherent Vice. I heard it was incredibly muddled and tough to follow, it's what has kept me from checking it out.
@Birdleson That’s funny you feel that way, because for me Magnolia could be somewhat dull, while There Will Be Blood was riveting and holds my attention 110%. I guess that just comes down to what one finds more interesting in a story. Magnolia just had too much going on and didn’t make me care enough about a couple of the characters (which is inevitable when there’s so much going on). I do have to watch Boogie Nights as well.
Robert Aldrichs movie about hoboes riding illegally on the trains in the depression era. Lee Marvin is A no. 1 and Ernest Borgnine the sadistic train guard determined to keep him from travelling on his train. Great adventure with sterling work from all concerned. Rousing Frank DeVol score too.
I’ll keep that one in mind; thanks.
So it seems several here have seen much of PTA’s work and have varying opinions. Makes for good discussion I think. My next step in movies has been to finish every Guillermo del Toro and PTA film.
I've seen all his films, but i am not really a huge fan. Non of his films would be in my top 100 of all time.
Here is my ranking of his work.
1. Phantom Thread
2. Hard Eight
3. Boogie Nights
4. There Will Be Blood
5. The Master
6. Magnolia
7. Punch-Drunk Love
8. Inherent Vice
Have to agree with Birdleson, both There Will Be Blood and The Master are very well made films, but can be hard to get through.
Edit: When i think of it, any of the top 3 can be #1
This one doesn't need much of a review. I'll just say it's definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of the spy genre and like me have been longing for a decent mystery thriller. It's best characterized as a mix of La Femme Nikita with a bit of Gorky Park and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy thrown in for good measure. It's not 'wall to wall' action (in fact, there's surprisingly little of it), so don't go in expecting Atomic Blonde. It's actually perhaps more Le Carre or Forsyth. Sure, it has typical plot contrivances and a convenient ending, but it's also glossy, atmospheric, intriguing, and makes good use of its locations (which include London, Budapest and Vienna). Director Francis Lawrence (no relation to star Jennifer) keeps it tight and tense throughout (the opening sequence is really well done and ropes you in), Jo Willems cinematography is impressive and composer James Newton Howard's excellent score reminded me of later Barry in places.
JLaw plays Dominika Egorova, a promising Bolshoi ballerina who is recruited into the Russian Foreign Intelligence Serice after a career ending accident. Needing money for her sick mother's medical expenses, she reluctantly agrees to be a Sparrow (a femme fatale skilled in the art of seduction and manipulation). Her mission? Find a Kremlin mole by deceiving a CIA agent (Joel Edgerton). Lawrence is very good as always, and projects a sort of stoic calm here. Edgerton is certainly serviceable, but I found he and Lawrence lacked chemistry, and a bit more spark between them would have helped sell the the romance. The film is helped along by a tremendous supporting cast (many of whom could easily light up a Bond film) including Matthias Schoenaerts (I'm telling you this guy could play a young Putin if he wasn't so tall. It's shocking how much he looks like him), Charlotte Rampling (who is perfect here as a steely Klebb type), Ciaran Hinds (no explanation required), Joely Richardson and the always watchable Jeremy Irons.
The PC female and minority empowerment crowd perhaps won't like this one too much (I can imagine they would find it exploitative). Screw them. This reminded me of an old school Reagan era 80's style thriller, and is well worth your time.
Fun movie. I've missed seeing Joe Pesci in movies.
The two youts
The two what?
A fitting title, because it’s a masterpiece. Enjoyed it a LOT. Unbeatable acting.
Perhaps so. Day-Lewis was excellent as Lincoln, but Phoenix and Hoffman delivered such amazing performances in The Master. I wish they both could have gotten Oscars for their work on that film. I was floored by The Master; for now, I put it just behind There Will Be Blood in my favorite PTA films. It was just stunning.
I have been wanting a glossy spy thriller, and when I first hear of Red Sparrow, it was one film I was really looking forward to (the involvement of Rampling is a bonus).
Definitely on my watchlist. Though you’re right the PC crowd already panned it over here in Belgium.
Haven’t seen it yet, so I have no idea how far the supposed misognysm goes, but as a spy film fan I’ll definitely give it try.
I was not aware that it had been panned but it doesn't surprise me. It's painfully apparent to me in general that some of the Oscar contenders and reviews of this (and last) year's films are influenced by attempts at psychologically promoting gender neutrality, or even overt girl or minority power. I have no problems if reviewers feel a social responsibility to do this, even if I feel it's a dereliction of their duty to be objective. Perhaps it's subconscious.
However, when it comes to the spy genre (and James Bond in particular) these PC advocates can 'hiss off'. This is not a genre that panders to equality. To paraphrase Bond, "It's a tough business you picked Ms. Bouvier"!
This movie is an instant classic from the first frame to last. Spielberg set out to create his own James Bond, and within one film he achieved it. Not even he was able to top what he did here, it's a true masterpiece of action and adventure. Temple of Doom was slightly too dark and intimate, and Last Crusade was slightly too light and globetrotting. Raiders succeeds at a sense of danger and adventure, and with room for plenty of appropriate humour. There really isn't a false note, I don't think. Although the action is scattered throughout, the scenes are sharp and to the point, so there is really room for a detailed story and good characters. The finale is quite modest by modern standards, and the baddies kinda commit suicide rather than Indie saving the day, but then again, I don't think he was ever a hero like we think. His concern was always for the artifact and the girl, not for victory. He's just trying to save his neck a lot of the time.
If there is a film that can rival Star Wars and Goldfinger for Iconic images and moments, this is it.
10/10
Not bad, I suppose, but not for me.
Cars 3 (2017)
Well, I needed to check out Jackson Storm... and he made me laugh, so all good. I realize I'm hardly the target audience for these, but they're still watchable even when one has no interest in cars or car races. (Though I don't remember the 1st, and haven't seen the 2nd).
Phantom Thread (2017)
I really liked this, DDL, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville were all fantastic, good score.
Truth (2015)
Watched for Blanchett. Boring film, ugly cinematography.
One and Two (2015)
Watched for Chalamet, not familiar with the rest of the cast or the director. Not a good movie, but I kinda liked the quietness, weirdness, and that I didn't quite get what the heck this even was.
Coco (2017)
There's a hell of a lot of stuff in there, perhaps a bit too much at times, but a lot of it is interesting and it's generally well made. I don't particularly care for the style of animation in most animated films no matter how much distraction - colors, action and whatnot - they try to put in, it will still lack that human touch.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Okay... Good enough to be watched once. I mean not bad by any means and I like a lot of the cast anyway (I wouldn't necessarily give them Oscars for this, but it seems McDormand and Rockwell are winning.) Just on the whole... eh.
(So either this or The Shape Of Water is winning best picture on Sunday? I don't really care much which, and either way del Toro presumably gets Director, anyway.)
Personal Shopper (2016)
I found this slightly boring, and I hated having to read texts on a mobile in a movie, ugh.
Frank & Lola (2016)
Watched for Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots. Didn't particularly like it.
The Family Fang(2015)
Watched for Nicole Kidman and she was by far the best thing in this. Somewhat bored by the movie.
Blackout (2008)
The idea of strangers getting stuck in an elevator has potential, and the actors could have done better if given a chance (even Aidan Gillen, surely), there were glimpses of good in this. But the script and the director ruined this, and it went too over the top towards the end. Baaad.
Final Portrait (2017)
This is about an artist painting a portrait, and the story is based on the book written about that process by the man who sat for that portrait. The artist (Alberto Giacometti) was played by Geoffrey Rush, the subject of the portrait (Giacometti's friend, writer James Lord) by Armie Hammer. Both actors were lovely and hilarious in their roles. I wasn't expecting humor, but there sure was, mostly in little things. The rest of the main people in the story are the artist's wife, lover and brother, and the story takes place in Paris in 1964. A wonderful little movie. This is Stanley Tucci's 5th movie as a director, so how come I haven't seen the others? Gotta do something about that...