The Duel http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2436682/

A Texas Ranger is sent to investigate a series of murders in a town called Helena, run by religious zealot Abraham, (Woody Harrelson).

Slow paced, simmering drama that engages you from the start. Great movie imo.

Audrie & Daisy http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5278460/

Sad and somewhat disturbing documentary about online and offline bullying of young schoolgirls who have suffered sexual assaults by other schoolkids.

My Fantastic Fest has been outstanding so far and I just finished day 3 of 8!! here's my letterboxd list

Have to be brief here, I'm exhausted!

The Handmaiden by Park Chan-Wook is outstanding. It's my current favorite of the fest. I participated in a round table interview with Chan-Wook and it was like film school for 40 minutes. He's such a smart man (obviously), and is passionate about his films. I asked him to talk about working with Chung-Hoon Chung, his DP. I also asked him if he plans on moving back to shooting on film, or if he will continue to shoot digital. In a nutshell, he said Chung-Hoon is not a co-worker, he's a brother. He said from the very start, they sit side by side while Chan-Wook writes the script. They talk about narrative, and shot composition. He said that shooting on film while filming in Korea is not possible. He would shoot on film if he gets another American film. He sounds interested in making another American film, which is promising!

Arrival is great, my second favorite of the fest. Villeneuve has an interesting way of viewing the world. I believe he's offering life lessons, and we all better listen up! Some are saying, "It's what Interstellar aspired to be."I think that's an unfair statement, but I understand where people are coming from. On the surface, it's a movie about humans learning to communicate with aliens. Peel back the layers and it's a movie about humans learning to communicate with each other. Fascinating dynamics between men and women, too.

The Red Turtle is co-produced by Studio Ghibli and Wild Bunch. It's about a man stranded on an island. A red sea turtle prevents him from escaping via the rudimentary raft he builds. This film is largely unspoken, and contains a variety of colorful characters; like a group of crabs that behave much like the cockroach in Wall-E. The animation and artisty are breath-taking. I adore this film and love what they have to say. I'm being deliberately vague because it's one that should be discovered on your own with little knowledge going in.

That's about all I have the energy for tonight.

So jealous, I really want to see the red turtle.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

This is truly a cinematic masterpiece. The filming of this epic Western is so expertly crafted, that I felt entranced by the movie, with every shot just filling me with awe and admiration for what I was viewing. Each angle, each landscape, every lighting choice, was meticulously thought out, and it shows. This is very possibly the most beautifully filmed movie I've ever witnessed.

It's long (160 minutes), and it's slow, but the pacing is intentional, and necessary, to develop the nuances of these very rich characters. The title of the movie is great, because we know what's going to happen, and yet the slow build up to it, and not knowing exactly when it will happen, filled me with such tension and dread, that there were several relatively innocuous scenes that had me holding my breath the entire time.

The dance that Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck do throughout the movie is spectacular. Casey plays the coward Robert Ford, and he admires Pitt's James so much, some might called it more than infatuation, some might actually call it lust. James recognizes Ford's obsession, and recognizes that death hangs between them the entire time, and yet allows him to remain. He is tempting fate, or maybe accepting his fate. It's such a strange character, and yet Pitt breathes so much life into it. He is a sociopathic killer, and yet we can't help but feel some regret for what is James' destiny.

The supporting cast was great as well. Saw Rockwell as Ford's dim witted brother. Sam Shepard as James' older, and wiser brother, who just chews the few scenes he's in. Jeremy Renner as the menacing Wood. They all fill in this world with such color and intrigue.

I may even argue that this was greater as a Western than No Country for Old Men (they both used the same cinematographer). I'm glad I finally saw it, and can't wait to watch it again.

great review of a fantastic film (from 2007 just fwiw.....)

in my year in film draft write up I wrote of TAOJJBTCRF that before I saw it I thought only the coens could make blood meridian, but after I watched it I think Andrew Dominik is the guy to do it.

really hope he decides to give it a shot at some point.

Lounge movie stalwart Rushmore really loved The Assassination...Ford, I remember. Like it was his favorite movie evaa or close to it.

Has anyone tried applying an entirely new soundtrack to a movie with great results?

I'm sure it's been done before, but google not turning up much of anything.

It's in my top 10 all time as well. Best looking film of the last 20 years, hands down.

besides barry lyndon can't think of a better looking film

The Huntsman - Winter's War I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting. Of course, I had pretty low expectations going in.

Just the fact that Kristin "Eeyore" Stewart wasn't in it made it infinitely better than the first.

There were some decent chuckles in it., The special effects were pretty good. The story wasn't anything special and a little corny with the love conquers all stuff but I liked the interaction between the sisters quite a bit.

I mean, nothing groundbreaking about it at all, but fun to watch.

K, I'm embarrassed to say I've never seen that one. I'll put it on my list.

Watched these recently:

Don't Breathe. Three young thieves break into the home of a blind war veteran looking for a big score and right away you recognize this as one of those "they picked the wrong person to mess with", which is fine......lots of tension and drama throughout. Kinda had a Green Room feel to it. Saw it in a theater with 3 other people in the entire theater and thought it was well worth the time. 6.5/10


The Neighbor This was done by the same director as The Collector which I thoroughly enjoyed. This started out promising enough as a couple running drugs for kingpin uncle start noticing their neighbor acting strangely and things take off from there. Laid down the groundwork for something decent but fell really flat the last third of the movie. Just not gritty or intense enough. Disappointed. Villain just not creepy enough to make it a bonified thriller. 4/10.

Departures This is just a great film. I've seen it a couple times but it's just really good. Japanese film about a young but very charismatic cello player whose orchestra disbands leaving him jobless. Responds to an ad thinking departures means travel agency related but it's really about preparing the recently departed for their journey after they pass. Genuinely funny parts and a really captivating movie as this young cellist learns a greater appreciation of life as he deals with the uncomfortable job of casketing the recently deceased. Highly recommend. 8/10

I rate departures higher than that...

Where did you see this?

Also regarding "Wilderpeople", I'll also give it a thumbs up. Agree that it's like a really good, low budget Wes Anderson movie, with less colour and absurdity... not much less absurdity, but a little.

I saw it on Amazon Prime or Hulu...I don't remember which. I have those and Netflix and they all run together.

Spotlight

Sick story, great movie.

Yeah, this was infuriating. That sheriff......just wow.

X-Men Apocalypse A solid entry in the X-Men franchise. Feels more like a proper follow up to First Class than Days of Future Past did.

The Witch A puritan family in 17th century New England is expelled from their colony due to religious differences and tries to make it on their own until strange things start happening to them. Very tense and shot and acted well.

I believe it's Hulu. Or if you prefer to see it on the big screen and you're in a city with independent and/or art theaters, it is currently in distribution. I know that in SoFla it has been showing in Coral Gables, Miami, Miami Beach and Ft. Lauderdale.

The Confessions Of Thomas Quick http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4857574/

Fascinating, intriguing and shocking story of Swedens most notorious serial killer.

BBC did a re-score of Drive last year. From what i recall it was pretty good, since they were trying to replace a pretty GOAT score. Elevator scene new score was pretty jarring though

I always wanted to do this with whatever movie and a random good album, and report on how it was for the morons who think the Wizard of Oz Pink Floyd thing has validity.

Kubo and the Two Strings

This is a somewhat limited review, as I brought my 4 year old to this movie, and he was hands down the worst behaved lad in the movie theater (though if you are going to a Sunday 130PM showing of a cartoon, what do you expect). I was busy trying to keep him quiet, keep him in his seat, keep him from eating popcorn off the floor, and keep him from hiding underneath his seat on the sticky ground (I failed on all of those accounts).

This is a phenomenal movie, with deep ideas about loss, memory, and choosing your path. While more recent animated movies have tackled themes of family and choosing your destiny like Finding Dory, this is not quite as light hearted. It is a true struggle of both mind and matter to get Kubo to where he is intended to be, instead of just a bunch of goofy set pieces tied together.

The stop motion animation brings this world to light, and the visuals are stunning to look at. The action sequences are fantastically choreographed, and may be a little scary for the little ones (don't worry, my son was never paying enough attention to get scared).

The story is a nice quirky idea. Kubo has this magical power where when he plays his guitar like instrument, he is able to make strange origami creatures come to life. This leads to some wonderfully clever moments in the movie, both from an anumation and from a originality perspective. Kubo is pursued by his evil Aunts (Rooney Mara) and his Grandfather (the great Ralph Fiennes as a Voldemort like terror), and he must procure 3 magic items to face off against his Grandfather.

This movie is likely intended towards older children. I promise you the themes presented in this film went right over the head of my son, not entirely because of his lack of attention. Bringing your kid is a good excuse for you to see this movie. If your kid is younger than about 7, you are watching this movie for you, not for them.