Glóin the Dark

Killers of the Flower Moon
 
This is an excellent picture. It's a brooding, operatic meditation on Scorsese's familiar themes of power and corruption but in a far more compelling spiritual context. De Niro is absolutely terrifying in one of his best roles in years (decades?) and Lily Gladstone just draws you in from her very first frame. Beautiful visual gestures disrupt the narrative, evoking the metaphysical qualities of Scoresese's often-overlooked 21st-century masterpiece, Silence. The framing of his subjects and narrative just goes to show that Scorsese, as an inherently cinematic filmmaker, has still got that spark in a way I feel his contemporaries have lost over the years (I'm looking at you, Spielberg). The unreliable narration of the events of this epic draws our sympathies in directions that make the experience thrillingly ambiguous and uncomfortable. And while there is a point where the investigation starts to draw the spotlight away from the magnetic Gladstone and become a third-act courtroom drama that I thought would actively decenter the Osage people, the film doesn't get "lost" for too long and brings us back on track with a very thoughtful coda. 
 
Robertson's score remains the only uninspired facet of this production. When it works, it works, albeit often too buried underneath everything. But either the film needed a score with real personality or should have played out with no score at all.

SERPICO is good but the Pacino/Lumet DOG DAY AFTERNOON is better.

The “orthodox” in “Orthodox Judaism” doesn’t refer to Orthodox Christianity.
 

I assumed they were supposed to be roughly the same age (though, admittedly, the age difference probably didn’t occur to me).

Disobedience
 
Interesting drama where Rachel Weisz returns to her Orthodox Jewish community in North London after being in American for some time, upon learning that her father has passed away.  At the funeral, she reconnects with childhood friends Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola.  She is surprised to learn the two have married each other, and that her father has given away the house to the temple instead of to her.  As the movie unfolds, it slowly reveals why these things are the way they are, though sadly that's given away by the the poster and trailer.  I liked the slow burn nature of this film and the terrific acting by the three leads, as well as the insight into Orthodox Jewish culture, something I knew nothing about.  The only thing I was never clear about was how old the characters were supposed to be (is McAdams' characters supposed to be almost a decade younger than the other two like she is in real life, or are they all supposed to be the same age? How old was Weisz's character when she got kicked out, and how many years later is she returning now?), but that's a minor quibble.  The kind of movie that lingers with you longer afterward than many do.  It also reminded me of Shiva Baby a bit at times, though this isn't a comedy.
 
It's on Hoopla or Kanopy

Yeah the same concept explored as a 3 season TV series could really work. With a slightly different ending so the entire thing doesn't have to be found footage 

I find performances of repugnant characters more interesting to watch, generally speaking.

Wow, I didn't know he has worked as a doctor besides his movie career! Is this why his movies have so much blood? 

I liked it too!  The Back to the Future-esque song and dance number was really fun

Body Snatchers remains one of the biggest scares I ever saw on a screen.
 
Don't Look Now also scared the shit out of me when I first saw it. It wasn't that bad in a later rewatch, but it certainly has a very persistent atmosphere of dread throughout. Here's a photo of my mother I took in Venice three years ago:

I saw this and found it very enjoyable. Somewhat more lightweight than the trailer suggests - there are several high-concept ideas on the table simultaneously and they don't seem to be explored beyond a superficial level.  I'd like to watch it again some time, nonetheless.

I had no choice - I had to run like the hammers to catch my train. A bit like the end of the film.

I saw it at my local art house (whatever the hell that means) cinema.
After it had finished, I sat there, numbed at the artistic and technical achievement of the film. I simply couldn't move from my seat, for a few minutes.

He's always talking about how The Red Shoes was one of his early favourites.
 
 
I saw it in the cinema in 2009 too. (Pretty small auditorium, but beggars can't be choosers...)

This is as much Australia as I'm good for...


 

Some here don't like Scorsese because he attacked Marvel superhero movies. 

I'm with the others on that one. Granted, I'd say his 21st Century output is merely excellent, on average, rather than great. But what he did in the 70s and 80s earns him a place alongside the likes of Kubrick, Welles, Renoir and Murnau.

Not remotely! I’ll be on the opposite hill yelling that The Office is hilarious and masterful throughout. The Office: An American Workplace is like a kids’ version of the concept, with the usual draining of subtlety that the US networks seem to insist upon in their comedy translations (similar to the dumbing down that’s evident in the comparison between The Thick of It and Veep).

how about this, the UK version has moments that are funnier than ALL of the US version combined, but still somehow I prefer the characters in the US version.
 
One thing I do love about the US version, the side characters never go further than their schtick --- they knew that would kill the humor of the characters.
 
fuck me guys, i'm defending the US version of the office on a friday night...send help.
 
also if it helps, Gervais's Life's Too Short with Warwick Davis is my favorite show of all time next to The Sopranos.

Come over to our hill!

i agree with this somehow
 
Gervais did eventually learn to weave emotion into his works though.

Watched a bunch of movies in a film festival and here are my thoughts on some of them:
 
Monster
The film surprised me a lot in the way it tells its story, being fragmented in three separate points of view. Each fragment is very different from each other in the emotions it conveys, and it constantly keeps you guessing and wondering what the film is really about, until the beautiful and emotional third act. It might feel a bit repetitive but the payoff is quite satisfying, Kore-eda's direction is beautiful and subdued and is accentuated by a beautiful score by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.
 
Bastarden
Danish period drama that is like a western in the topics and ideas it explores (ambition, pursuit of greatness, fighting against adversity), but set against the beautiful backdrop of the danish heath in the 18th century. The story is quite predictable, but everything is really well executed making for a gripping and entertaining movie. Mads Mikkelsen is great in this, and Dan Romer's score was a nice surprise!
 
The Killer
Fincher's latest film is a cold and clinical return to his roots, focusing on a merciless and calculating character perfectly impersonated by Michael Fassbender. The movie feels a bit boring or perhaps emotionally detached at points, and I feel the ending was quite disappointing, but Fincher's directing, the captivating cinematography and the break-neck editing make it entertaining throughout. The use of The Smiths on the soundtrack was a nice touch, but I found Reznor and Ross' score generic, bland and even distracting at times.

There are explicit choral references to a deity in his Symphony No. 8 (which begins and ends with the exhortation "Veni creator spiritus!", and in major chords too!), and also in No. 2.

Max Steiner.

Ha, I knew that would be your favourite.
 
My boring choice is the one where he plays the Duck of Death.

This made the rounds a year ago:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/aug/30/jared-harris-father-richard-harry-potter-ghost-hell-raising