Hey everyone, been a while since I posted here!
It's the end of the year so I just had to squeeze in one last post with all the rest of the films I've seen this year, 47 since my last post, to be exact.
I'll try to keep these short when possible!
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Mon Amour:
A 3h long documentary, where the director goes to Siberia as he's dealing with the suicide of his lover. While there, he interviews local couples from all walks of life, and asks them about love, heartbreak, and the like.
I was very surprised once the credits started rolling, because I thought the film was only halfway still.
So pacing-wise, no problems whatsoever. I did, however, find the Siberia/local stuff much more interesting than the personal life of the director (which is spliced in throughout with thoughts, pics of him and his lover, details of their relationship, etc.).
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The Turin Horse:
After yearssss of wanting to see this one, I finally got around to, and on the big screen no less.
Unfortunately, it just wasn't anything like what I had in mind.
I can certainly appreciate the craft behind it, and I wouldn't call it "boring", but I just didn't get anything from it, I don't think.
Also they kept re-using the same song over and over and over again. Repetition is a big theme throughout the entire film, but my god that music was killing me.
Glad I can finally cross this one off my list. Still want to see more Béla Tarr films, but so far the 2 I've seen left me very displeased.
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The Best Is Yet To Come:
The movie had its moments, but unfortunately I think it waited until wayyy too late towards the end of the film to finally get to what it was all about (I went mostly blind into this one), so that was weird.
It was an enjoyable watch, with a couple of strong moments, but it could've been better told (based on IRL events I believe).
At least the film gave me this dope track which I loved for some reason, played in the film, and then again during the credits:
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In The Dusk:
Thought I was going to see a war film, left extremely disappointed. I got up immediately as soon as the credits started rolling, and usually I always sit down until the lights come on. I couldn't wait to get out of there. It just wasn't interesting in the least.
Well shot? Sure, but that was about it. Just a collection of events, no real "story" behind it. Waste of time for me.
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Beginning:
Was really looking forward to this one. Even though I didn't quite get what I was expecting, it was still a solid watch, but not everyone will find it satisfying. Lots of people left during this screening, I mean for reference there's like a shot that goes on for a few good minutes where you're just staring at the face of a woman sleeping, so you get the idea.
I liked it, but I didn't love it, which I really wanted to. Good performances, great cinematography.
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There is No Evil:
An "anthology", comprised of 4 separate stories. 1st one is incredible, 2nd one as well (although some things towards the end just didn't sit right with me), but the last 2 just didn't do it for me. The film is about the death penalty and the ones that carry it/are opposed to it.
First 2 segments are worth watching, but the last 2, I don't know, felt like they were reaching a little too hard to tell a slightly different story.
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Run:
I don't get the "love" for this movie and how it managed to land in so many "best horror" of the year lists. It was just average at best, nothing about the story/twists and turns was surprising. It felt like something I'd seen a million times before, and the ending felt kinda "edgy" and nonsensical to an extent.
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His House:
The concept was nice and I can appreciate horror stuff when it comes foreign cultures, you always learn something new, but I didn't find it to have anything memorable.
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She Dies Tomorrow:
I really liked the premise, but this was another waste of time. I don't mind slow, weird/awkward movies, but this felt more like something about relationship break-ups disguised as a horror(?) movie.
Like, at the end of the day, I get it, it's one of those films where it's not about "what it appears to be about" (in this case, people start infecting each other with the notion that they're going to die tomorrow, and it spreads among the characters) and it's just using that as a vehicle to tell the "real" story, but there just wasn't enough content, at least not for me. Wish I'd seen something else.
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I'm Thinking of Ending Things:
This is a weird one to talk about, whether you've seen it or not.
Best way to put it for me, is as such: once you're done with the film and look up stuff on it (if you need) and you figure out the whole story/what was really going on, in my opinion, it's not that interesting. The "story", wasn't that interesting.
However, what "makes" this film, is the editing/directing, how everything is put together. The editing in particular, it's what makes the film, and coincidentally, it's also this particular "editing" that tells the story.
Confusing? I know, yeah, but that's all I can/want to say, no need to spoil stuff.
Basically, for me at least, it was worth waching solely to witness how it was put together, from a crafting perspective. But as for the actual story/plot itself? It's just eh.
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The Call:
You've probably seen this new Korean thriller being talked about recently.
You know, I was enjoying myself, and I could "ignore" some plot-hole-y stuff throughout the film, but the ending absolutely shocked me in just how non-sensical, unexpected and pointless it was.
Kind of ruined the movie for me, I'll be honest. It was such a random ending that interrupts the credits as soon as they begin. I absolutely don't understand how someone decided that it was a good idea. Absolute nonsense, I was baffled by it.
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The Devil All The Time:
Nothing special to say about it. Not bad, not great. Seeing it and not seeing it would've been the same, I feel like.
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Babyteeth:
Good indie drama, good and dare I say real, human performances. Not one of my favorites of the year, but worth the watch, would recommend this one.
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The Hater:
From the director of
Corpus Christi (seen earlier this year, one of my favorites of 2020). It's a good film, but not as great as Corpus Christi. The theme also prevented me from getting some kind of connection with the main character. Like, the film is cool and all, kinda predictable but solid performances, but Corpus Christi wins against it 10-0, easy.
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Sputnik:
Had somewhat positive expectations for this one, but turned out to be a waste of time. Set-up was cool, but the movie and characters went absolutely nowhere. Sad.
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A Dirty Carnival:
Had this one on my list for ages as well. Korean gangster-shiet. I liked it. Good, not great.
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Maborosi:
Not one of my favorites, but lots of scenes stuck with me. This is Hirokazu Kore-eda (
Shoplifters) debut film if I'm not mistaken, really worth the watch in my opinion.
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Sound of Metal (RECOMMEND):
One of my favorites of the year, easily.
Going into it, I thought it was going to be a lot grittier and grimy, but it wasn't.
I wasn't expecting the story to go a certain way, but I'm glad it did. Really solid movie with amazing performances.
I would also recommend watching this one with headphones, it really got to me. If you look up the plot, you'll understand why, I think they really did a good job with the sound.
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Black Bear:
The embodiment of "meh, I guess that was a film?"
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After Life:
Interesting concept, good watch, but I feel like towards the end of the film it just went down a way too familiar route. Still glad I finally saw it.
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A Bittersweet Life:
Pretty much the same thing I said above for "A Dirty Carnival".
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Pulse (Kairo):
I liked it, glad I finally watched this one, but it wasn't spectacular or anything, although I really liked this "moody horror", if you can call it that.
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The Painted Bird:
Had high hopes for this one, especially considering its nearly 3h runtime.
Extremely disappointed. Well shot I guess, but that's about it, sadly. Otherwise just not interesting at all for me.
Like the main characters just keeps going from place to place and people are always shitty to him in some way or another, and that's it.
It turns into a game of "oh, I wonder how badly he's going to be treated next", it almost becomes comical.
Very disappointing.
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I'm a Cyborg But That's OK (RECOMMEND):
By the man behind the Vengeance Trilogy and The Handmaiden (which I still haven't seen), finally got around to see this one, and loved it.
So much detail gone into the characters and the directing, such a rich and rewarding film.
Probably not one of his best, but incredibly rich throughout in so many aspects. Would really like to re-watch this some day on the big screen.
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To The Ends of the Earth:
Just ok. I understand the intention, putting the characters in a country where they feel displaced, I could really empathize with the lead actress and was afraid for her in some scenes, but that was about it. I think it does its job at conveying the message, but it wasn't particularly memorable, even thoguh I guess part of it working the way it does is due to its simplicity.
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Moss:
Oh boy. Another one of those I've been trying to get my hands on for years, only to be left utterly disappointed by the end. The build-up is nice but so many character interactions don't make sense, and neither does the ending. Don't really feel like putting any more thought into it. Had really high hopes for this one, sad.
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Archenemy:
Fucking terrible. Like, I "liked" the background for the main character, this guy who claims to be a superhero from another dimension, who "crashed" in ours, and is now a hobo who has lost his powers. But everything else in the film? The storyline they came up with where he ends up inserting himself in? Just cliché garbage from beginning to end, no interest at all, character motivations that flip-flop around every minute.
Waste of a good concept, "
Daniel is Real" was so much better. Apparently the director intends to make a "trilogy" where the 3 films will be loosely connected... I don't know, I guess I'll watch the 3rd, but this one was yikes, huuuge miss.
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The Blood of Wolves:
Watchable, extremely confusing and way too over the top for its own good.
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Aguirre, The Wrath of God:
Yet another one I've wanted to see for a long time. Expected a lot more from it, but I can see why it's(?) a cult classic. Kinda wish there was more to it, but I'm glad with what I got.
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Die Tomorrow + Heart Attack + Happy Old Year (RECOMMEND):
If some of you remember, earlier this year (June) I saw "
Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy", and was blown away by it.
Finally I got around to seeing another 3 films by the same director, and I also really liked each and every one of them.
There's something really special about the way he films and tells his stories, and as I said before, I really like the snappy, quirky, funny dialogue, whether the situation is humorous, or serious.
Heart Attack for example, I had my doubts going into it because it was tagged as "Romance", but it's sooooo so different from what you'd usually envision as a romance film. One could even say there's barely any romance going on.
But yeah, something about this director just makes me fascinated. It all feels very grounded and genuine.
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Bedevilled:
Strange and pretty much disappointing. Appreciate the "subversion", I guess, but I expected a lot more from it. Wish I'd seen something else.
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Silenced:
This film was a very big oof, really hard to watch because of the story/themes, also based on IRL events. Made me sick to my stomach, and sad as well. Good performances, but kind of a bleak story
.
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Better Days:
I want to say "good, not great", but the truth is that this movie also got me in some moments, really moving in some aspects. It's uneven, but once the credits start rolling, I was like "okay, I can vibe with this, I get it", so yeah. I believe this was China's pick for Best Foreign Film submission.
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Memories:
Japanese film, anthology with 3 segments. 1st one was great, 2nd was ok but predictable (sadly), 3rd was meh. Was good to watch some animation to add some variety though.
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Another Round (RECOMMEND):
Glad I got to see it before the year was over, but I'll be honest; I put this one in my favorites of the year, but I could've easily not done so as well. It was good, enough to stand apart from so many others, but it wasn't spectacular.
Still definitely worth the watch for sure, Mads is amazing.
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Failan (RECOMMEND):
I had this one ready to watch a few years ago, but sadly I ended up accidentally destroying my external disk, so yeah.
Anyway, really sad film. Loved the performances, and loved the titular character, Failan, as well, wish we had gotten more from her.
Really made me sad, like damn. Oof, I'm shaking my head as I type this just thinking about it.
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Breathless (Korean film, 2008)
(RECOMMEND):
Good drama, solid performances, but hard to watch at times due to some themes. Lots of violent interactions, but there were some scenes that really made me go "damn, this makes me feel stuff" and got em teary-eyed.
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House (1977)
(RECOMMEND):
Took me this long to finally watch one of the most talked-about weird Japanese movies ever, and I can definitely understand why now that I've seen it. The effects were incredible, so much is going on, but it's so interesting to see this type of creativity. It's really worth the watch.
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Blue Spring (RECOMMEND):
Can't believe I finally got to see this one, and I found it on Youtube! Loved it, same director who made
9 Souls (one of my favorites of 2018) and this one didn't disappoint. Hope I can read the manga some day.
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GO (2001):
An alright watch, had higher expectations for it.
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Hanging Garden:
Same director of "Blue Spring". Weird, but ok, definitely not favorite material.
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13 Assassins:
An ok watch as well, nothing more to it.
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Angel's Egg (RECOMMEND):
I'm sure you've all probably heard about and/or seen this one at some point, directed by the man who gave us Ghost in the Shell. I found the film on youtube (in great quality), and it's also very short (1h11mins). I think it's worth watching at least one time, or at least try to. Loved the visuals and how the "story" was told, even though it is all mostly left to interpretation/experimental.
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Hanagatami (RECOMMEND):
Reason I decided to watch "
House", is because I wanted to see it first before I saw this one, a nearly 3h film from the same director, much more recent (2017) that employs some similar techniques.
The movie flew by for me, but mind you, the acting feels very "theater-like" so it might not be the ideal thing for most people, but I had no problem with it.
There's also lots of dialogues and rapid back-and-forths, which again is what made me think of it being very "theater-like" (+ the fact that the film is divided into 3 acts) so you have to focus throughout most of the film, but for me it was a very gorgeous and rewarding experience.
And finally, I decided to pick the massive, 3h37mins long
Eureka (RECOMMEND) as my last film for 2020.
I'll start off with this; Kôji Yakusho, one of the leads, is quite possibly one of the best Japanese Actors of all time. I'm pretty sure at this point in his career he's already considered "legendary".
Coincidentally, he also appears in 3 others on this list, but I'm bringing this up just to say that it was great seeing him in a movie that's almost 4h long, it's always a pleasure seeing him (seriously, he's one of those rare cases that makes me want to see every film he's in), and in this case it was all the more great because I could see his character evolve for such a long period of time.
As for the story itself, the synopsis reads:
"
The traumatized survivors of a murderous bus hijacking come together and take a road trip to attempt to overcome their damaged selves. Meanwhile a serial killer is on the loose."
Sounds very ominous, right? Especially with the people coming together + the "serial killer" angle that looms like a shadow on the horizon.
I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to risk spoiling stuff, but here's what I will say:
It didn't play out exactly like I had in mind. The description makes it sound ominous, and it kinda is to some extent, but not really.
I also assumed the main cast would be larger, but it isn't.
It's a shame, but at the same time, the story somewhat more focused on a set of characters.
However, one could say that it never quite really goes into too much depth.
Like, essentially, it's a film about people trying to deal with PTSD and reclaim back their "self" and find their place amongst the others.
I wish it went into more detail in some aspects, but at the same time, it was great because you see these characters dealing with PTSD, and the film doesn't need to spell things out for you.
You're seeing it for yourself, so even though I wanted more of certain things, like more of this and that, more behind certain actions, at the same time it fits the theme of the film.
People are damaged and just trying to make sense of their own lives, I guess it would be a way to put it.
Even though the film takes its time, I had ZERO issues with the pacing, the flow was perfect from beginning to end.
So yeah, that's it from me this year.
If some of you are interested, in a subsequent post I can post my stats for the year, which I've done for the previous 2. If not, I understand, I just figured I'd ask this time around so as to not bore you even more, definitely wouldn't have included it in this post for sure, long enough as it is.
Still need to run some maths but yeah, let me know!
Happy holidays, happy new years, and hopefully 2021 brings us a lot of films, especially ones shelved from 2020!
9 / 10 - Film is actually pretty good and probably one of the most awkward Christmas movies every made. Gibson and Goggins were great in this.
8 / 10 - I'm familiar with "Citizen Kane" and this movie was like a behind the scenes documentary to it. I think, watching CK first will help you appreciate this film more.
9 / 10 - Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman both go back and forth with their acting talent. Felt like watching a broadway play done well.
