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MEN & CHICKEN
An irreverent and at times absurdist cross between The Three Stooges and The Island of Doctor Moreau. Lottsa politically incorrect humor, overt allusions to bestiality, masturbation, and gerontophilia, and just an overall sense of weirdness.
Starring Mads Mikkelson in a role quite different from what Western audiences know him for.
RIYL
Flickering Lights
Has this been mentioned yet? Based on the Krakauer book of the same name…..Absolutely riveting……And insane.
https://youtu.be/IDRqWtwbiSM
Just finished itQuote:
Originally Posted by seano732
Amazing story really well told
TITANE
Screenwriter/director Julia Ducournau’s sophomore effort won The Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Which just goes to prove that not only are the French adept at making fucked-up films, they are also adept at enjoying them.
As with her previous effort, Raw, Titane is a difficult film; difficult to watch, difficult to grasp. On the one hand it’s a gonzo Greek tragedy. On the other, it’s a Shakespearean mistaken identity melodrama soaked in petrol and dizzy off of exhaust fumes.
One thing for certain: it’s never not engaging.
Whereas Ducournau’s debut was a twisted coming-of-age story, here she throws a head-spinning array of ideas into the mix. There’s incestual innuendo, hints of homoeroticism, body-horror-meets-womb-horror, feints of Fregoli, auto(mobile)eroticism, steroidal rage, mechanophilia, serial killings, and imposter syndrome fallout, just to name a few of the myriad and deranged themes the story appropriates and hugs tightly to its chest.
The film comes out the gate with a wash of visceral violence that had me cringing, squirming, and muttering “what-the-fuck-what-the-fuck-what-the-fuck?!?” more than once. Then it dips into a strange and unnerving familial drama taking place at a firestation. To say any more would ruin the experience of watching it yourself.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the entire thing, but I feel that at its core it’s a rumination on loss, getting old, loving cars, and hating your parents. I think.
RIYL
Irreversible; Dead Ringers; Annette
One episode in on The Old Man; I'm lovin' it. Bit of a retread on plot but sheeeee-it it's good. The pacing is superb, scene framing excellent, dialogue spot on, and Bridges and Lithgow F'in kill it. And the dogs ......
Funny you mention this one. I meant to review it a while back. I'm pretty damn open minded when it comes to cinema, typically enjoy French films, love out there bonkers movies, and even a lot of "bad" movies, and even I ended up pretty much hating this one. I suffered through the entire thing. I was even sorta ok with the entire WTF 1st act. But what honestly killed it for me was the entirely uneven pacing. Went from a nuts movie to a slow burn with a pretty incoherent plot altogether.Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
Seriously though, unless your Dookey, skip this one. However feel free to watch the first 1/2 hour or so if you're curious about quite possibly THE most WTF events in cinematic history. Then skip STRAIGHT to the last few minutes for the ending. You can entirely skip the rest of the movie. Kind of a snoozefest with no point. The entire first act makes for possibly some interesting water cooler talk tho. I'm still kind of shaking my head like...
https://c.tenor.com/23b9jBqJUWsAAAAC/wtf-blink182.gif
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Oh yeah. And word to the wise. Do NOT watch this one with your family, spouse, gf, whomever. They will question your sanity and quite possibly who you even are as a person. Haha. It's THAT effed up.
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The film owes a huge debt to David Cronenberg, so if you dig his oeuvre, then you will dig Titane.Quote:
Originally Posted by MontuckyFried
But, yeah, unless you like extreme body horror wrapped in an arthouse vibe, probably best to have the wife and kids skip it.
Speaking of Cronenberg, I took a GF in college to see Dead Ringers. That did not go over well.
:wink:
MANDIBLES
Sacre mouche merde!!!
If you are familiar with the work of Quentin Dupieux (Rubber), then you know to strap in for some absurd and wacky dark comedy.
RIYL
Dude, Where's My Car; A Fish Called Wanda; Dumb & Dumber; Surfer Dude
LikewiseQuote:
Originally Posted by PB
Bridges is the new Clint
Haha. I love Cronenberg's stuff. He is a master of the grotesque and I am always along for that ride. Guys got a lot of masterpieces under his belt. Loved the Fly, Existenz, Crash, Scanners, Eastern Promises, the list goes on. Dead Ringers is tame compared to Titane though. At least HIS films usually have cohesive plotlines and are interesting. But speaking of Cronenberg, I'm really looking forward to his latest creation, "Crimes of the Future." You seen it yet?Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
https://youtu.be/QVX7df79BNo
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I was lucky enough to get to interview Mr. Cronenberg a couple of times back in another career life. I recall him being cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by MontuckyFried
But I digress.
Sadly, due to mitigating circumstances, I missed the brief, local theatrical run of CotF.
Gonna have to wait for the DVD or streaming.
Speaking of DC, quite a number of his films are streaming for free via Tubi and Kanopy...
ABOUT ENDLESSNESS
Roy Andersson's latest endeavor is a collection of droll and aloof vignettes overseen by an unnamed, unseen, casually omnipresent narrator. The overall theme seems to be not only the mundanity of human life, particularly the lives of Swedish city folk, but also the joys and fears of being human.
There are delayed callbacks and often times the real action is going on in the background of a scene. It is teeming with a very dry sense of whimsy and scenes are often set-up like an Edward Hopper painting, albeit with a much staider color palette (Anderson favors "institutional" colors like beige, greys, and muted greens).
I laughed, I scratched my head, and was left with a few thoughts to mull over post-screening.
I only just discovered Andersson's films this year, but he is now one of my favorite filmmakers.
BOSS LEVEL
This film is a balls-to-the-wall, bofo action packed maelstrom.
Sure, the premise is familiar and is pretty much a well-worn gimmick, but the whole package comes out the gate with such ferocity that you're immediately hooked.
Of course it helps that Frank Grillo completely owns his character and brings the badassery with charm galore.
It's a shame it didn't get a theatrical release as it's heads and tails above most of the bigger budgeted action films that slide into the Cineplex these days.
RIYL
Crank; Shoot 'Em Up; xXx: The Return of Xander Cage; The Suicide Squad (2021)
*****not including the trailer as it gives away the gimmick and shows most of the funny bits and killer action sequences
Agree; a delightfully pleasant surprise; Grillo killed it.Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
Bonus Points galore since you perfectly summed up the film in 3 words.Quote:
Originally Posted by PB
Delightfully pleasant surprise indeed! :D:cool:
I was super hesitant to watch it given that all the advance press (news about the production, reviews, film festival blurbs, trailers, etc.) revealed the gimmick/main plot device.
But the first 10-minutes alone are so off-the-nuts gonzo thanks to keenly choreographed action and well-written and razor sharp dialogue that I was immediately won over.
It's a stupidly smart action film brimming with brio, the likes of which, sadly, don't come along often enough.
I watched Good Luck to You, Leo Grande last night.
It really was a play made into a movie, every scene but 2 took place in the same hotel room. It was well done, believable, and Emma Thompson is a hot older lady. Full frontal nudity! But it also was a small movie, it won't blow you away or anything.
CRYPTOZOO
If you enjoy quirky, hand-drawn animation, mythology, and quasi socio-political sci-fi, then chances are you'll dig this flick.
It wasn't at all what I expected, which was cool (the film starts with a mature content warning).
There is some nudity, sex, and plenty of violence, but underneath is a message about utopian naivety, government corruption, and environmental frailty.
But honestly, its just a damn good, fun, and visually engaging fantastical yarn.
RIYL
Nova Seed; Heavy! Metal; April and the Extraordinary World
•▪•▪•Clip included because the trailer gives away quite a few surprises and practically the whole plot.
Don't worry, the version of the film on Hula is not subtitled.
:biggrin:
I thought this was excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
I did too, maybe I didn't convey that well enough. I just meant that it's small in terms of subject matter, plot, effects, etc. But if you watch a trailer and wonder "is this actually any good", the answer is definitely "yes".Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWbrit
GAIA
Full disclosure: I am cutting this film some slack due to exotic bias.
:cool::D
It's a South African ecological horror/revenge of nature yarn that contains some familiar plot elements, yet the cast, cool practical effects, hallucinatory camera angles, and insanely creepy sound design more than make up for the routine storyline and oh-so-obvious "twist" at the end.
Not a great film, but a decent one with enough interesting moments to warrant a recommendation.
In English and Afrikaans.
RIYL
In The Earth; Fantastic Fungi; The Descent; The Cave
FLEE
A thoroughly engaging, often harrowing, and heartfelt coming-of-age/coming out story wrapped in a 10-year long endeavor to escape from war torn Afganistan.
Told from the perspective of an Afghan refugee living in Denmark, the protagonist's epic journey is relayed in animation which flits between vibrantly colorful clean lines and smudgey black-and-white shadows.
Highly recommended.
RIYL
Waltz With Bashir; Funan
UNDINE
As with his previous film, 2018's excellent Transit, writer/director Christian Petzold's latest endeavor is a restrained romantic fable with an undercurrent of dark fantasy.
While it helps to know the etymology of the word/name "undine," it is not essential to enjoying the film; it does add an interesting subtextual nuance to the story though.
Quiet, haunting, slightly strange, and wonderfully engaging.
RIYL
Ondine; The Secret of Roan Inish
The Old Man is excellent. Highly recommend it.
Just stumbled across this last night…..Instantly hooked. Awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sluff