What are you watching?

[Wilfrid]

"Close Your Eyes," directed by Victor Erice, is the movie referred to in the previous post. It's long, the pace is stately and it's one of the best movies I have ever seen. I think it would work even if you haven't see "Spirit of the Beehive."

I re-read Chang's review in the New Yorker last night after seeing it and he completely nails it so I have nothing to add, except that it's at Film Forum through 9/5.

[Wilfrid]

Season 4 of “Only Murders in the Building” posted episodes without me noticing. ❤️

[small h]

Just the one so far.

[small h]

https://tv.apple.com/us/show/bad-monkey/umc.cmc.2qoep59s6qukjonprttysfs8x

I might like it, I might not. Two episodes in, and it's gotten a little less stupid macho manbaby. But maybe too slowly.

[bloviatrix]

Season 3 of Shoresy dropped without me realizing it. It's just a profane and as funny as the first two seasons. I should be embarrassed that I like it as much as I do.

[Wilfrid]

On 8/30/2024 at 10:28 PM, small h said:

Just the one so far.

I mistook. We have number two now.

”Mabel, it’s a ham!”

😂

[Wilfrid]

On 1/15/2024 at 4:05 PM, Wilfrid said:

I will probably watch the Emmys, but not for the first time the classifications seem weird. Take comedy. The Bear is funny? Jeremy Allan White is a comic actor? Poker Face, with all those brutal murders? Yes, there are funny scenes in Wednesday, but a comedy series? To me, The Honeymooners is a comedy series. Wednesday is actually quite dark.

The Bear is still not a comedy. I guess it does well entered in that category

 

[Wilfrid]

I watched one of those Yorgos Lanthimos movies just before I went away, Kinds of Kindness. My first one. I thought the performances were all electric. No idea what it was about, what was happening, or why. Should I watch another one?

[small h]

2 hours ago, Wilfrid said:

Should I watch another one?

You should watch all of them, but particularly The Favorite.

[hollywood]

Watched the first two (of three) episodes of "A Very Royal Scandal" on Prime.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Very_Royal_Scandal

Pretty good stuff.  Is Andrew really this odd?

[hollywood]

Finished the final chapter.  Quite satisfactory.  Having watched all of this, I have to consider whether the monarchy is cost effective.  The number of Firm staff per royal is gigantic.  Someone to make the tea and meals, serve them, keep their calendar, dress them, open every door, chauffeur them, guard them, advise them, etc., etc.

[Wilfrid]

“Evil Does Not Exist,” the new movie from Hamaguchi, was shown live on Criterion last night. Since it was less than two hours long, unusual for Hamaguchi, I watched it. 

Whether you see references to Kobayashi as one review I saw did, or find it showered with Ozu, it’s very beautiful.

Viewers will be “exasperated” by the ending. It’s the journey to get there. 
 

[small h]

9 hours ago, Wilfrid said:

Viewers will be “exasperated” by the ending.

This is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

[Wilfrid]

A critic, I think in the Guardian, used the word. It's a bit of an overstatement, but I also don't see audience members walking away saying "I totally get the ending." But it really doesn't matter.

[hollywood]

"The Apprentice" is really well-crafted.  The writing, the directing and the acting are top notch.  It's not all of the Don's story.  You might call it Trump, the Roy Cohn Years.

[hollywood]

"Conclave" features quality acting from Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and Sergio Castellito.  Something to appeal to papist and antipapist alike.  Entertaining if a bit stagey.

[Wilfrid]

I finally got to the Season 4 finale of “Only Murders.” The Streep subplot is a yawn and (no spoiler) I thought the way the killer was taken down was a bit silly.

Otherwise great and suspenseful and yay looks like a Season 5 coming. 

[hollywood]

"Juror #2" is Mr. Eastwood's latest (last?) film and a pretty good one at that.  A cast member I know says that Clint was consuming Cheez-its throughout the shoot.  Anyway, lots of tension all the way through up to and including an ambiguous end.

[bloviatrix]

Finally finished watching season 3 of The Bear. I think this season was better than the last one. Definitely intense.

[small h]

My Old Ass. Very sweet, mostly predictable, picturesque and under 90 minutes. A good use of my time. The performances are natural and effective.

[Wilfrid]

I have to give credit to Mubi. It sent me an email promising to diagnose my movie-watching personas for the past year. It identified four. The last two were not interesting (“romantic,” what even is that?).

But the first two startled me. #1 “philosopher.” Well yes.

#2 “slow burner.” Again yes, I love slow cinema. Each persona comes with recommendations so this directed me to “Alcarras,” a 2022 Catalan-language movie about peach farmers. Exactly what I would want to see.

Well done Mubi’s algorithms.

[StephanieL]

HBO's Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary.  It's a fairly in-depth, sincere exploration of this mocked genre, which actually has a lot of influences from jazz, soul, and R&B.  Great interviews with Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, members of Toto, and others.  All of the music brought me back to long car rides between NJ and Brooklyn/Queens when I was a kid, listening to AM radio (WNBC and WABC). 

Edited December 4, 2024 by StephanieL

[Wilfrid]

I bet it doesn't feature Yachts.

[backyardchef]

27 minutes ago, Wilfrid said:

I bet it doesn't feature Yachts.

Suffice to say....you are right

[Wilfrid]

Very good!