Movies recently watched

#1

slight departure from ‘what are you watching?’ thread, this is specifically about movie talk. try to elaborate on what you watched

finally got around to seeing midsommar. what really stood out to me was how well crafted this film was. i previously read in an interview with Ari Aster that he shot the thing really quickly… yet the film feels grand and meticulous. really impressed.

will have to check the directors cut down the line. as far as i’m concerned this stands head to head with The Witch as the best two horror movies of recent (still need to see The Lighthouse).

#2

Watched the first half of Clouds of Sils Maria. So far so good. I like but it feels too much like watching over privileged white people dealing with mishaps. I used to enjoy these movies much more. Will see how the second half fairs.

My two recent favorites are Paterson and Columbus. Very similar meditative films. If you have any recommendations for similar movies please shoot.

I also really want to see the Lighthouse.

Ad Astra is in theaters, and I think the Joker is still showing. Want to check those too.

#4

Yeah, I’m no stranger to Jarmusch’s work.

I will definitely check Birds of Passage and At Eternity’s Gate.

How you describe Ad Astra is really making me want to see it. I was worried it would be too hollywood for my taste.

Also love American Honey. Such an amazing film. I

#5

Parasite is my favorite so far this year. I still have to check out Midsommar tho.

#6

Recently watched The Farewell, which I found a pretty awesome,

Heard a lot of good about Midsommar too.

#7

Didn’t love Midsommar to be honest. Hereditary was way better.

The Lighthouse is completely fucked in the head and open to millions of interpretations, but beautifully shot, would highly recommend checking it out.

Parasite is the best film I’ve seen all year. A complete masterpiece.

Really enjoyed Bait recently too – a b+w meditation on the changing times of a fishing village.

#8

on your recommendation i went and watched Parasite last night. had not heard of it so had no expectations and thought it was quite well done. really loved the way the way the climax handled (what i’ll call) the “metanarrative” of the myriad unspoken, dark forces that play out in one’s life and no one, including the Park family, is any wiser of it. not sure if the fact that the Kim family’s cover was never blown was somehow a nod to the deeply internalized ways “polite” society operates in Asian cultures or just an interesting plot device to get us back full circle – in any case, it was a nice little stroke of storytelling.

loved Midsommar. i’ve been up north in the summer when the sun doesn’t set and it can be very psychedelic. thought that was a fun reversal of horror’s facile reliance on “nighttime” settings to convey uncertainty and fear. the suicide scene early in the film was brutal; a particularly indelible cinematic memory for me.

#9

To your point about the story looping back at the end of Parasite, I also saw it as a nod to typical Korean society tropes; save face and live through trauma to make it. I’d like to read some perspectives from Koreans on that part, since I’m extrapolating based on my outsider viewpoint. My favorite scene was when the Kim family enters the bunker for the first time. The sudden change in color warmth (warm to cold), the seemingly never-ending tunnel, and the warping soundtrack actually made me physically sick but it was really exciting to experience and was worth enduring.

Thanks for the headsup on the suicide scene of Midsommar… hope I can stomach it.

#10

rewatched Mandy recently, still a lot of fun. Ad Astra is clunky for most of its runtime but it all relies on that one bit where Brad Pitt’s stoic emotionless character cracks a genuine smile and tries to talk his dad into his newfound love of humanity, and that bit kicks ass, so on balance it’s good!!!