MUBI

fisgon

Ham on Rye – Tyler Taormina – 2019
The constant change of tone is difficult to follow – one minute it is a light-hearted high-school story, the next it is all surreal and dreamlike. The musical interludes at times work, at times don’t, and the mix makes it a little hard to watch. There’s no flow to the narrative; it’s just a series of semi-charming vignettes. The kids in the film do a lot of waiting around for something to happen – a bit like the viewer. Far, far less interesting than it thinks it is.
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Harmonium - Fukada – 2016
There is so much pain and loss in this film, it is sometimes too much to take. Story of the past coming back to haunt, a past that will never truly die. Powerful and moving, but really overwhelmingly bleak.
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The Fantastic Mr Fox – Anderson – 2009
An absolute joy from start to finish. The animation is spectacular; it gets a range of expression from animated animals that most human actors would struggle with. The script is wry, subtle and hilarious, the characters rich and complex. There is even a message about being true to your nature and the value of the natural world. Wonderful.
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Enormous – Letourneur – 2019
Pregnancy and babies, and a father who wishes he was the one giving birth. The central idea is very problematic;

a man tricking his wife into getting pregnant.

The birth itself looked incredibly realistic, and at least gives a good idea of what the process is like. Not sure why her belly got so big – was this a message? Some nice moments, but Fred and Claire are both annoying, in different ways.
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fisgon

mikhail wrote: »

I love that movie. The tone is perfect. Gould is perfect. I've only seen a handful of Altman (including MASH, which Gould is also great in), but TLG is my favourite. It's almost as close to The Big Lebowski as to the old Bogie noirs, though witty rather than overtly comedic.

It was made years before Schwarzenegger really got into acting, so cameo is the right word. I don't think he has any dialogue.

No, Arnie has no dialogue, he just stands around looking muscly

Big Lebowski is a good comparison, though The Long Goodbye is prob a bit bleaker and more violent. The books were set in the thirties so moving the setting to the seventies is an interesting choice, and it doesn't really lose anything from the change.

fisgon

Once upon a time in America – Leone – 1984
Firstly, the score is really terrible; pan pipes and sickly sweet melodies for a gangster movie. Our central character does something in the middle of the film that makes it impossible to relate to him. The other main characters are murderers and rapists. The story is badly told and even in 4 hours the film does not tie up the loose ends. Way too long and very overrated.
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The Silence – Makhmalbaf – 1998
Some nice elements in this; the girl with the plaits, her dancing, the music, the rickshaw ride, Khorshid putting cotton in his ears to keep out the siren song, a la Odysseus. It is full of non-professional actors, some of whom are very wooden, and the story just drifts off into an unhappy ending. Apparently symbolic, but this is not clear. A mix of enchanting and tedious.
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Sunchaser – Cimino – 1996
This is a bad film. The characters are – what is less than one dimensional? Woody Harrelson’s doctor is pompous and arrogant and never takes his tie off during the whole kidnapping. The whole “open up your heart” narrative from the old lady is ludicrous, Blue is not believable and there is no subtlety or nuance. Gets worse as it goes along.
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In the cut – Campion – 2003
The tying up of the loose ends at the end is not convincing and is done too swiftly, but there is a lot of atmospheric stuff before that, and Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo work together, in a strange way. Doesn’t quite come together, but has its moments.
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padjocollins

Kuessipan .
This is what makes paying a mubi subscription worthwhile, that and 3 or 4 such films in a good year.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4292432/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 . Is it a brilliant film, probably not but it's a powerful well acted film nonetheless.

your lenses may vary

padjocollins

beginning 2020 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12444572/ Georgian film. Well worth a watch.
ps i see Rjd2 mentioned beginning in late Jan . harmonium was a decent film

jeepsterboy

hello to all.... i've read your comments with interest, but i want to ask something else.

according to some negative reviews i read from a year or so ago, the mubi offering in ireland is very limited compared to 'across the water'.... is this true?

and regarding the streaming experience itself (and i confess to being a technophobe, i'm simply wondering about the end result), some reviewers complained about buffering and other issues re viewing, resulting in cancelled subscriptions, hair-tearing, poor customer support, and so on .... is this your experience as of feb 2021, or have things improved?

i'm seriously thinking about subscribing, so i'm just looking for advice from anyone whose signed up.

many thanks for your comments thus far, and for any advice or feedback you can give!

Irish Aris

jeepsterboy wrote: »

hello to all.... i've read your comments with interest, but i want to ask something else.

according to some negative reviews i read from a year or so ago, the mubi offering in ireland is very limited compared to 'across the water'.... is this true?

and regarding the streaming experience itself (and i confess to being a technophobe, i'm simply wondering about the end result), some reviewers complained about buffering and other issues re viewing, resulting in cancelled subscriptions, hair-tearing, poor customer support, and so on .... is this your experience as of feb 2021, or have things improved?

i'm seriously thinking about subscribing, so i'm just looking for advice from anyone whose signed up.

many thanks for your comments thus far, and for any advice or feedback you can give!

Hello jeepsterboy,

I have never heard of quantity differences between countries. The main concept of mubi is 30 films available at any given point. Everyday one film is leaves and a new one is added. In recent months Mubi have also opened their library, which gives some more options on top of the standard 30 films.
There are differences in what 30 films are available in each country.

Regarding buffering: I normally watch using their app that's available in Play Station 4. There have been intermittent buffering issues with this app, doesn't look like they maintain it to a high standard. Thankfully it doesn't happen very often and doesn't really affect my viewing experience. Never had any buffering issues when watching on the website directly (using google chrome). In the one occasion I had to contact customer service, I found them decent enough, fairly timing resources and eventually, because it was an issue on their side, they added one free month in my annual subscription.

I am generally quite happy with mubi. Lots of art films from all around the world that would never be in my radar otherwise

jeepsterboy

many thanks for this; much appreciated...

i think there were diffs between what was offered in britain, due to copyright or distribution, though i'm not 100% about that...

re the actual using of mubi.... i'd be watching this on a tv, nothing else..... does it require particular set-ups? boxes, and so on (like my roku box for netflix)?

cheers.

Irish Aris

jeepsterboy wrote: »

many thanks for this; much appreciated...

i think there were diffs between what was offered in britain, due to copyright or distribution, though i'm not 100% about that...

re the actual using of mubi.... i'd be watching this on a tv, nothing else..... does it require particular set-ups? boxes, and so on (like my roku box for netflix)?

cheers.

I think you are right about distribution rights, it can affect what is available in each country.

Regarding actual use, have a look at the link below, it's from their website and lists all types of devices you can watch - I can see Roku in the list, so maybe that will do for you
https://mubi.com/devices

Bozo Skeleton

I signed up to Mubi again recently. I had the free trial version a couple of years ago. Some great stuff on there, but ultimately I didn't subscribe because of the limited 30 films available at any one time.
Signed back up about 6 weeks ago, and was very pleasantly surprised to find a library there in addition to the 30 day rolling Now Showing collection. I'm loving it, and have moved in to the paid subscription.
I have three versions of the app, and all are a little bit different!
1 - Android phone app.
Doesn't show the library, but does have a search option, which is handy. Other two versions don't have this option. I never watch it on the phone.
2 - PS4 app. Doesn't have the library. But I use a proxy server to watch BBC iPlayer on my PS4 (BBC iPlayer is great, as an aside) When I have the proxy server on I get another country's Mubi, not sure which (Netflix is set to USA, BBC set to UK) Not much difference, but maybe 3 or 4 different movies to the Irish Now Showing section. I've watched a couple, but with some buffering issues, I think caused by using a proxy server.
3 - Smart tv app (Samsung) This is the version I use. Has the Library available as well as the 30 now showing. Never had any buffering issues at all here. Only buffering issues I've had were on the PS4 with the proxy server on.

I'm well happy with it. Probably watching 2 movies a week on average, so worth the subscription for me.

jeepsterboy

thanks Bozo and Aris, that's good news all round.... def going to go for it then... glad to have your opinion of the service and any issues in 'reception'. cheers!

Fuascailteoir

You can use three mobile phone credit to pay for the subscription

jeepsterboy

thanks for this, but big confession to make: i have a dumb phone!

Bozo Skeleton

If you scroll down through the library there's all sorts of hidden gems.
Currently watching Jeune Femme, which is in the Leaving Soon films. Been meaning to watch this for a couple of years.

jeepsterboy

well, i am looking forward to taking out a mubi subscription, but in the meantime here's some international recs on netflix

the break (belgian)
inhuman resources (french)........... both v good, certainly worth watching...

a bit thinner on films, though.....

fisgon

jeepsterboy wrote: »

hello to all.... i've read your comments with interest, but i want to ask something else.

according to some negative reviews i read from a year or so ago, the mubi offering in ireland is very limited compared to 'across the water'.... is this true?

and regarding the streaming experience itself (and i confess to being a technophobe, i'm simply wondering about the end result), some reviewers complained about buffering and other issues re viewing, resulting in cancelled subscriptions, hair-tearing, poor customer support, and so on .... is this your experience as of feb 2021, or have things improved?

i'm seriously thinking about subscribing, so i'm just looking for advice from anyone whose signed up.

many thanks for your comments thus far, and for any advice or feedback you can give!

There have been some comments about the offering of films on Irish MUBI not being up to those on other places. I don't really get this; fundamentally, what you regard as a good film is totally subjective; one man's meat is another man's poison etc.

On Irish MUBI in the last year I have watched films by Fellini, Scorcese, de Palma, Almodovar, Francis Ford Coppola, Cimino, Antonioni, Kieslowski, Sergio Leone, Wong Kar Wai, Wes Anderson; some of the greatest directors in the history of cinema.

There are generally more films there I want to see than I have time to watch. For me it has been a complete revelation, and has probably saved my sanity during three lockdowns.....:)

fisgon

L’auberge Espagnole / The Spanish Apartment - Klapisch - 2002
Light hearted, likeable, a kind of love-letter to the Erasmus programme, to Europe, to multinationalism, multiculturalism and multilingualism. It is quite slight, romantic, idealist, but fun and bright and optimistic. A celebration of youth, Barcelona and the power of imagination.
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The Twentieth Century - Rankin - 2020
All sorts of weirdness here; though in a good way. Echoes of Monty Python, Oedipus Rex, South Park, German Expressionism, Sesame Street, the Hunger Games. “The competition” is hilarious, as is a lot else (Rex’s inability to tell a trumpet and a harp apart, for instance). We have shoe fetishes, ejaculating cacti, the Boer War. A kind of satirical and also affectionate view of Canada, this film is almost uncategorisable. Unique.
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Todos os mortos/ All the dead – Dutra – 2019
Black Brazil and white Brazil, Africa and Europe, slavery and freedom. A film of opposites and contradictions, like the country it is portraying. The ending is jarring and disturbing, and then it completely turns the story on its head and makes a connection to present day Sao Paulo. A bit slow at times, but rich and subtle.
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The African Queen – Huston – 1951
A good old-fashioned adventure story/ romance. Not one hundred per cent convinced by Rosie and Charlie’s relationship, but it is nice to see a love story between two people well out of their twenties and thirties. Some great shots of Africa, a film really embedded in its setting. The ending is a little glib.
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Bozo Skeleton

fisgon wrote: »

There have been some comments about the offering of films on Irish MUBI not being up to those on other places. I don't really get this; fundamentally, what you regard as a good film is totally subjective; one man's meat is another man's poison etc.

On Irish MUBI in the last year I have watched films by Fellini, Scorcese, de Palma, Almodovar, Francis Ford Coppola, Cimino, Antonioni, Kieslowski, Sergio Leone, Wong Kar Wai, Wes Anderson; some of the greatest directors in the history of cinema.

There are generally more films there I want to see than I have time to watch. For me it has been a complete revelation, and has probably saved my sanity during three lockdowns.....:)

I completely agree with this. It's been a revelation to me, even more so with the library having been added. I've been looking for something like this for ages. The Criterion Collection would have been good, but the app wasn't available in Ireland, then they shut down, BFI could be good too, but again locked out of Ireland. Maybe there was a way in to those two, but I couldn't find it without it being a hassle
I have the Mubi app on PS4. When I use a proxy server (for Netflix, BBC) I get a different country's Mubi (not sure which country!). The difference is minimal. Maybe 3 or 4 different films in the 30 in the Now Showing section.
So much good stuff in there. I'm well happy I dipped in and subscribed.
Edit: The PS4 App doesn't have the library. I use the Smart tv app, which does, would recommend that version of the app if you can get it.
Edit 2: The Spanish Apartment is also on the list to watch. Partly because I want to see Barcelona again. I've missed it over the last year

Lionbacker

fisgon wrote: »

There have been some comments about the offering of films on Irish MUBI not being up to those on other places. I don't really get this; fundamentally, what you regard as a good film is totally subjective; one man's meat is another man's poison etc.

On Irish MUBI in the last year I have watched films by Fellini, Scorcese, de Palma, Almodovar, Francis Ford Coppola, Cimino, Antonioni, Kieslowski, Sergio Leone, Wong Kar Wai, Wes Anderson; some of the greatest directors in the history of cinema.

There are generally more films there I want to see than I have time to watch. For me it has been a complete revelation, and has probably saved my sanity during three lockdowns.....:)

What we have been getting for well over a year now is exactly what the UK is getting. At some point in 2019 approx, they must have aligned the service between the 2 regions, because keeping track of whats films have been shown in both countires, it's been the exact same in each of them.

Edit: BTW love your reviews fisgon. They are much appreciated. Missed them the last week or so. Keep them coming. Sometimes helps me find a hidden gem:)

brevity

Mubi for 15 months free

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/15-free-months-of-streaming-films-at-mubi-3680385?utm_source=mappshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=3680385

Worth a shot I think.

pm1977x

brevity wrote: »

Mubi for 15 months free

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/15-free-months-of-streaming-films-at-mubi-3680385?utm_source=mappshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=3680385

Worth a shot I think.

Worked for me from the bargain thread, feeling guilty now, hope they don't go bust!

fisgon

Listen up, Philip – Alex Ross Perry – 2016
The two writer central characters are so odious that it is impossible to identify with them, and so the film just doesn’t engage. There are vignettes of humour and beauty, but not enough to save it. “Philip” could be a reference to Philip Roth, a famously egocentric and difficult personality, and the view of writers in general is not positive. Great cast, slightly disappointing film. Two and a half stars.
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Russian Dolls – Klapisch – 2005
A bit disappointing. The first film in the series; L’Auberge Espagnole, had energy, idealism, a sense of fun. This is full of disillusion, aimlessness, a kind of millennial angst that is just mostly tedious. Xavier reveals himself to be an asshole and his first world problems are hard to identify with. There is still some fun here, and a kind of wistfulness, and a hymn to friendship and internationalism, but it doesn’t really work.
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The king of Comedy – Scorsese – 1982
“Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime.”
A story of celebrity obsession and derangement. Sandra Bernhart and Robert De Niro are chilling and hilarious at the same time; their insanity makes the few scenes they have together memorable. Bernhart is tremendous in this and should have had more screen time.
In the end, it seems, crime does pay. A movie somewhere between disturbing and genius.
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Fire will come – Laxe – 2019
The atmosphere created here is one of the strong points of the film. There is also a strong sense of place; Galicia is lush, rural, traditional and wet. A mixture of beautiful, powerful images. Where it falls down is in the characterisation; we learn almost nothing of Amador, or of why he had it so hard, as we are told in the middle. Nature wins here, in more ways than one, but there needed to be more focus on the people.
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Watching Listen Up, Philip right now... It reminds me of Noah Baumbach at times but keeps jumping between great scenes and feeling incredibly pretentious. Finding the Elizabeth Moss portion a lot easier than Schwartzman's..

camz09

I have MUBI until August 2021 on my current account. Should I just sign up on a new account for the 15 months offer (so I'll theoretically have MUBI till June 2022)? OR will they extend my current account if I use that? Probably not. Oh well.

Also, watching the Three Colours trilogy atm, on Mexico MUBI ! It has better selections, imo.

fisgon

Deleted User wrote: »

Watching Listen Up, Philip right now... It reminds me of Noah Baumbach at times but keeps jumping between great scenes and feeling incredibly pretentious. Finding the Elizabeth Moss portion a lot easier than Schwartzman's..

Yeah, I found that. Noah Baumback came to mind for me too, though the characters in Listen up, Philip are much more horrible than Baumback's.

Just watched Ross Perry's next film on MUBI; similarly suspect people populate that one too, though I thought it was a little more interesting. He seems to like Elizabeth Moss.

fisgon

camz09 wrote: »

Also, watching the Three Colours trilogy atm, on Mexico MUBI ! It has better selections, imo.

The grass is always greener

I have to say that the selection at the mo on Irish MUBI is the best I have seen. I am going to have to choose what not to watch, as I want to watch them all. Especially looking forward to rewatching Fight Club.

padjocollins

Ayka https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8305116/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 , very hard to watch a person trying to make it from day to day and being in debt. Well worth viewing.

Fysh

I got around to watching L'Auberge Espagnole yesterday and really enjoyed it (if you want to watch it, you have 5 or 6 days left). As fisgon said it feels like a love letter to the Erasmus scheme, multiculturalism and Barcelona. The ability to travel within Europe is something I've really missed over the last year and this really scratched that itch. Well worth a watch.

I also enjoyed rewatching Fight Club on Sunday - a very good film adaptation, and a great soundtrack too.

padjocollins

french film, Tu merites un amour, you deserve a lover, 2019, enjoyable enough . A look at a young womans romantic relationships. Not everyones cup of tea.

Rjd2

Not really watched Mubi recently which is a shame as its good value especially compared to netflix which costs stupid money for **** all.

Anyhow the stand out recommendations are Lucky which starred Harry Dean Stanton in one of his final roles playing a 90 year old man who somehow is in perfect health but is beginning to think about the end, its only 90 minutes long, but its funny, poignant and well worth a watch. 4/5

The Battle Of Algiers,,,shows the struggle from both sides, its over 50 years old but the theme of the battle to overcome colonial oppression still packs a punch today. It's very authentic and the Ennio Morricone soundtrack tops it all off. 5/5

Beginning,,,,I dunno, I just wasn't in the mood for this. It's got striking imagery, but maybe in these times I wasn't in the mood for 2 hours of utter bleakness.

3/5.

Rjd2

Pleased to see one of the greatest crime films of the last 20 years arrive today, A Prophet.

Please watch if somehow you missed it.

One of the more absurd Oscar **** ups was it and also the excellent The White Ribbon losing to the somewhat mediocre The Secret In Their Eyes in the best foreign film category.

adrian522

Has anyone watched the documentary Notturno?

It's a documentary about the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Syria filmed over 3 years. It seems to be getting good reviews so I'll try to give it a watch over the weekend.

I'll also check out A prophet. It looks very good also.

I watched The King of Comedy last week on Mubi. One of Scorcese's movies that I hadn't previously seen, probably as relevant now as it was in 1982. You could view it as a follow on from Taxi driver in some ways. It's very interesting in any case.

Lionbacker

Rjd2 wrote: »

The Battle Of Algiers,,,shows the struggle from both sides, its over 50 years old but the theme of the battle to overcome colonial oppression still packs a punch today. It's very authentic and the Ennio Morricone soundtrack tops it all off. 5/5

Saw this a few days ago myself, although I saw it on Amazon Prime. Didn't even know it was available on Mubi.
But I agree with you on that rating. It's a fantastic film especially considering how long ago it was made. Reminds me a lot of the movies made about Ireland's struggle to rid itself of the British empire back in the 1910's & 20's, although the sentimentality of those films is removed from Battle of Algiers, for the better tbh.

Fysh

I caught Russian Dolls last night, the follow-up to The Spanish Apartment. I really enjoyed it, although I did find myself wishing occasionally that we could see more of some of the rest of the group (Alessandro, Tobias and Soledad). As fisgon mentioned, Xavier reveals himself to have become more of an arsehole than in the first film, simultaneously searching for an impossible ideal of a perfect woman and descending ever further into cynicism, misogyny and womanising. He's sufficiently unsympathetic in most of this film that it might have put me off, were it not for the wonderful parallel storyline of William in this film, who has actually changed in the intervening 5 years unlike Xavier. I will say that the end of the film feels very pat and unearned, despite meta jokes in the script that sort of set it up.

I'm looking forward to watching The Chinese Puzzle, but I will probably leave it a few days.

fisgon

Legend – Ridley Scott – 1984
You watch this for the visuals, which are impressive and creative. There is no great reimagining of the fantasy genre here; we have the old cliches; good v evil, light v darkness. Fun at times, not to be taken seriously.
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The Queen of Earth – Alex Ross Perry – 2015
“I could murder you right now and no one would ever know.”
Alex Ross Perry seems to specialise in assholes; people who are self-obsessed, misanthropic, quick to conflict. This film centres on two friends who seem to hate each other. Elizabeth Moss is great as a woman on the verge, descending into insanity. Could have given us more depth to the characters, but it is an atmospheric and intriguing watch.
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The Imperialists are still alive - Durra - 2010
New York and a multitude of languages and cultures. It feels like being everywhere and nowhere; from minute to minute we get Arabic, French, Spanish, Chinese, English. The narrative is a bit uneven, but the moments of charm and humour are enough to carry the film. The story drifts, moves between seriousness and humour. Worth a watch for the portrait of New York and the mix of cultures.
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Inflatable sex dolls of the Wastelands – Yamatoya – 1967
Starts off promisingly but goes off the rails later on. The portrayal of women is troubling; they are victims and objects, and there is a lot of casual sexual violence, which is exploitative. There seem to be two endings, and neither completely makes sense. Great title, but in the end rapey and disappointing.
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Bozo Skeleton

I watched The Spanish Apartment about 3 weeks ago, I confess I was drawn in by a film set in Barcelona, I miss that city in these lockdowns. Found the film to be an enjoyable chaotic ride.
Watched Russian Dolls tonight, the follow up, as I saw it's leaving soon. Really enjoyed it. It occurred to me the characters are the same age as I was then, and I could really identify with what they were going through. Aside from that I thought it was a good story well told. 8 out of 10

johnny_ultimate

Oh, Legend of the Stardust Brothers has been added. An under viewed cult gem - an 80s nonsense musical full of bizarre ideas and set pieces. It doesn’t all work, but when it does it’s a trippy joy with some killer tunes and laughs.

Fysh

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Oh, Legend of the Stardust Brothers has been added. An under viewed cult gem - an 80s nonsense musical full of bizarre ideas and set pieces. It doesn’t all work, but when it does it’s a trippy joy with some killer tunes and laughs.

The description didn't grab me but the mention of Hausu did, so I'll be watching this one.

fisgon

Chinese Puzzle – Klapisch – 2013
A return to form for the third film in the Spanish Apartment series – getting back the wit and energy that the first film had. Xavier now ends up in New York, and here continues the theme of a multinational planet populated by citizens of the world. Audrey Tatou seems not to age. A charming journey through a globalised world.
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Fight Club – Fincher – 1999
“You met me at a very strange time in my life.”
Just tremendous. Fast paced, funny, witty, brutal, smart. A commentary on modern masculinity, on violence, consumer culture, our divided selves. The end is almost perfect, fading out as the Pixies play and the buildings tumble. Tremendous.
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Cute Girl – Hsiao-Hsien – 1980
An extremely patriarchal world, where fathers still decide who their daughter marries and the Cute Girl protagonist in the film is almost completely passive right through the story. A corny, cliched Taiwanese rom-com with an unbearable soundtrack and only a little charm saving it from complete silliness.
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A Prophet – Audiard – 2009
The first 30 minutes are pretty brutal and bloody, though it settles down a little into a more familiar tale of prison rivalry, gangs and gangsterism. Malik is a compelling character, as we see him grow and build his own little empire from nothing. This is not a moral tale; there is no real justice or any emphasis on right or wrong – murder and violence are simply stuff that happens. Powerful and well-told.
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adrian522

A Cambodian Spring - 2017

Documentary from Irish film maker Chris Kelly, filmed over 6 years, telling the story of cambodians protesting against development and trying to save their homes. It's very well made, if a little confusing at times. Well worth a watch though 4/5.

Suspira - 1977

Classic Italian Horror. I loved this even if the story is not the most linear. The use of music and effects is great. Weirdly it seems like some of the parts are in English and other parts dubbed into English which was a bit off putting but overall very good. 3.5/5

Bozo Skeleton

Involuntary (Sweden, 2008)
Several disparate stories told in long static takes. All about the misbehaviour of individals and how they can get away with it by being complicit in group behaviour or simply by keeping schtumm, was my take.
The long static shots reminded me of the magnificent Roy Andersson. About Endlessness is on Mubi, I'm sure some of you have seen his films. If anyone hasn't, I'd recommend diving into his earlier ones, About Endlessness is really the fourth part of a trilogy.

padjocollins

dead pigs https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7476810/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 , a bit formulatic , if that's a word. Still , if you go along with this it's a decent engouh film.

Bozo Skeleton

Meshes Of The Afternoon (Maya Deren 1943)

A 15 minute film. A dream/nightmare like surreal silent short. Pretty sure David Lynch has seen this. Some innovative stuff going on here for 1943.

Fysh

Watched Chinese Puzzle today, and really enjoyed it - truth be told I've really liked all 3 films in the trilogy, but I did find Xavier's arseholeness in the 2nd film a bit grating since he's the protagonist. Chinese Puzzle overcomes that and even sort of addresses it, in that while he's still clearly a very self-absorbed individual he also clearly takes seriously the importance of being a present and engaged father for his children, and

he even sees, and challenges, his own former behaviour in Isabelle when she starts her affair with the babysitter

. 5 days left to watch it if you want to round out the trilogy, and I reckon it's well worth doing so if you liked the first film.

Bozo Skeleton

Yeah, I enjoyed the Spanish Apartment trilogy. Was nice to catch up on the characters, even though I watched them all within a month. I thought Chinese Puzzle was very good in that regard. A charming trilogy.

Bozo Skeleton

Zombi Child.
Deadly.

Edit: I thought this was great. Would have been a long and covoluted post to review it.

Lionbacker

Fire will come (2019)

The real star of this movie is the Galician countryside. Some stunning cinematography is on show throughout.

As for the the cast and characters here, we never really get to know them or their backstory all that well. There's a razor-thin plotline that goes nowhere & by the end, nothing is resolved & questions have been left unanswered. Slightly disappointed by it. 2.5/5

Leaving tonight if anyone is still interested.

fisgon

Lionbacker wrote: »

Fire will come (2019)

The real star of this movie is the Galician countryside. Some stunning cinematography is on show throughout.

As for the the cast and characters here, we never really get to know them or their backstory all that well. There's a razor-thin plotline that goes nowhere & by the end, nothing is resolved & questions have been left unanswered. Slightly disappointed by it. 2.5/5

Leaving tonight if anyone is still interested.

I had a similar impression; this is all about the natural world, and the humans play a distant supporting role. It had potential, but it neglects character and story.

fisgon

Computer chess – Bujalski - 2013
A mockumentary nerd-extravaganza. There is an interesting idea here, but it keeps going down blind alleys and taking diversions that lead nowhere. There is some exploration of AI before AI really existed (the film is set in the 80s), but it is too bitty to really work and never commits to any of its many random ideas. Two and a half.
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Los conductos – Restrepo – 2020
A film that never goes anywhere. There is a germ of an interesting story here, but the film does everything it can to waste the opportunity to explore this story. The central character does stuff, wanders around, says some things. There is an attempt at philosophising, but it is mostly half hearted. Pseudo-intellectual, profoundly boring.
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El Sicario Room 164 - Rosi – 2008
One man, one room, a pen and some paper. Nothing else, and yet this is riveting, chilling, impactful. Hard to watch and hard to stop watching. A tale of violence as a way of life, as a way of controlling people and money and a whole country. The insanity of a place where 25% of trainee cops are already working for the narcos. Simple and devastating.
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Stardust Brothers - Tezuka - 1985
A mild satire on the manufactured pop of the eighties, but really the satire is pretty weak. If you are not a fan of eighties Japanese pop, then this could be a long slog. Has energy and some humour, but not enough.
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Bozo Skeleton

Oh man, Audition is the new one showing now. One of my favourite films of all time. A masterpiece.

Edit: If you haven't seen it, go in to it cold.

Kiri kiri kiri