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May 2016 Movies

By far, the least number of movies I've watched in a month in almost two years (since I've been keeping track).

  1. Tiny Homes House Hunters - Silly, but some cool houses. 
  2. Son Of Saul - Auschwitz from almost a found footage style. Cinematic Masterpiece.
  3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Truly horrible in every way, but script and acting is atrocious.
  4. Philomena - Dench and Coogan's chemistry shines in this hilariously poignant film. 
  5. The Club - Poorly shot and directed film about repenting priests (or not). Didn't work for me.
  6. The Girl In The Car With The Glasses And A Gun - Stylish. Hard to like; impossible to hate.
  7. Close-up - Abbas Kiarostami's masterpiece is what docufiction should be. Left me speechless.
  8. The Traveler - Kiarostami's first. A boy experiences life. Surpasses 400 Blows in my opinion.
  9. The Lady In The Van - Despite Maggie Smith's presence, you never feel it. Awful last half.
  10. L'Eclisse - Antonioni's third part of "Trilogy," doesn't work at all, yet is revered as a top film.
  11. A Day In The Country - Renoir's 40 minute short is almost perfect, but feels like a feature.
  12. Ugetsu - Mizoguchi's feels as if the ending was made for the West at end, despite beauty.
  13. Taste of Cherry - Kiarostami's Cannes success is wonderfully simple, until that ending.
  14. They Look Like People - Microbudget horror, offensive in its depiction of mental illness.
  15. Zoombies - Zombie zoo, but these are endangered species. It's as bad as it sounds.
  16. The Revenant - Absolutely awful. Iranittu's ego is all we feel. The visuals, we've seen before.
  17. The Witch - Borders on greatness and rubbish. The final two scenes are unnecessary. 
  18. Mustang - Turkish coming-of-age story about five sisters. Painful at times, but beautiful.
  19. Samsara - Easily one of the greatest documentaries. Beautiful, no dialogue, but says so much.
  20. Beyond The Black Rainbow - Tries so hard to be special, but feels like an 80's gimmick.
  21. Alleluia - French horror love story, delivers with great acting and vicious violence. Very good.
  22. Pickpocket -Bresson's tale of a petty thief is revered for things I don't believe were intended.
  23. Frozen - Disney failure. Feels at times like an anti-feminist film, then bails at the end.
  24. Playtime - Tati's visual feast, left me hungry. Silly monotony, felt like a bad Monty Python skit.
Top Three: Son of Saul, Mustang, Close-Up, Samsara (all perfect 10's)
Bottom Three: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, They Look Like People, Beyond the Black Rainbow
Biggest Surprise: The Witch
Biggest Letdown: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I would also like to add this....if I ever go back to school for film study, my thesis will be on how Frozen is the most anti-feminist, anti-disabilities and most misogynistic movie I've ever seen. I'm still angry about this, but have been told by many to.....Let It Go! 

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 16, 2016 at 6:17 PM

    Hi Hop! It's been a while! Ok...I'm intrigued. Love to hear your take on Frozen and how it's misogynistic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hop's ThoughtsJune 17, 2016 at 12:14 PM

      Hey! I really disliked the movie on many levels. I felt Elsa was the female equivalent to Damien in The Omen. Nothing she does is evil, but evil surrounds her, sort of thing. I also didn't like the way the movie made her "sexy" once she was considered bad. She also had no real love for her sister and it wasn't until the end, she paid her any mind. Then of course there's the typical Disney deal where a woman can't possibly not fall in love with a prince the second he meets her and they have no clue people are bad. Oh and the fact she needed his help, for whatever reason, but was too blind to realize she needed his help...the other guy, haha. Then of course there's my take on Disney's look at how to deal with the disabled. Lock her in a room, as not to negatively affect the "good" sister. Parents had to die or this story never happens. Oh yeah and the music is uninspired. Did I go too far and ruin a million kid's childhood, haha. I'll "Let It Go" haha

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJuly 7, 2016 at 10:46 PM

      Oh wow - those are really good points! Yes - it was annoyng that she really didn't give a crap about Elsa until her life was in danger. And yes - she all of a sudden became sexy when she became bad. (The hubs refers to the scene where she sings "Let It Go" as she shimmees to the window in her new dress as the "Ice Tramp" part!) Well analyzed. I guess the only good thing to truly come out of that movie is Olaf. Some people are truly worth melting for. :)

      Delete
    3. Hop's ThoughtsJuly 9, 2016 at 2:53 PM

      Team Olaf!!!!
      Boo Ice Tramp! I love it! HAHA!

      Delete

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