What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[Markgway]

35mm screenings are extremely rare in this country. It's always digital. Basically Ultra HDs projected large.

[HungFist]

35mm screenings are extremely rare in this country. It's always digital. Basically Ultra HDs projected large.

In Tokyo there's a dozen 35mm screenings of Japanese films every day. But non-Japanese films are nearly always digital screenings

In Sapporo area where I live everything is DCP, and almost no old Japanese films at all. So I make a few trips to Tokyo every year when they have something super cool, e.g. Chiba films that cannot be viewed at home in any format, or just a large bunch of cool films at the same time. So I stay a few nights in a cheap capsule hotel and watch 4-6 films a day.

I used to consider DCPs of old films a waste of money, but nowadays I attend them more often. If it's a film I haven't seen (in a long time) then it's nicer to see it in cinema than at home. Just earlier this week I watched Blade Runner and Night of the Living Dead on 4k DCP. But old Japanese film I still skip on DCP, since there are plenty of opportunities to see them in 35mm in Tokyo and they nearly always look better than digital versions.

The print quality varies of course, but compared to (what I hear of) many other countries, the prints tend to be very good. Most of them are in great shape: relatively clean, complete and with superb colours. A lot of them wipe the floor with any BD or UHD releases available, though there are also prints that have faded to pink, or look like they met Freddy Kruger somewhere along the way.

For the sake of comparison, the 35mm sourced The Family version of Violent City, included on the 88 Films BD, looks like it comes from a really crappy print. I don't know if that quality is typical for the US, but if that print was circulating in Tokyo, it would be in the bottom 10% or 5% quality wise.

[grim_tales]

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - first time (BD): 4/5

The new villain Bane is genuinely threatening - Anne Hathaway is breathtaking
Michael Caine is very good in it as well, showing Alfred's world-weariness I think.
Overall the movie feels a bit long, it's good but I think I preferred Dark Knight.

[saltysam]

The Black Phone 2/5
Hyped horror disappoints.

Phantom Of The Open 2/5
Based on a true story from the 70's hack golfer blags his way into the British open qualifying round. Inoffensive but forgettable.

Ambulance 2.5/5
Noisy but entertaining Michael Bay actioner is about 30 minutes overlong.

Cry Macho 2/5
Clint Eastwood is in his 90's and looks it in this story of an old guy sent to rescue his old boss son from Mexico.

[grim_tales]

Lightyear (USA, 2022) - first time viewing: 3/5

Seemed to take a while to get going and I wondered how good the story could be, but I liked the references to other scifi movies and there were some great set pieces.
The twist of Future Buzz as the villain was cool, wasn't expecting that.

[saltysam]

Brian & Charles 2/5
Brian lives in a remote welsh village,is a bit of an oddball who invents crap.One day he manages to build a robot as a companion.Quaint british film is harmless but a once watch deal.

[grim_tales]

The Gray Man (USA, 2022): 3.5/5

Enjoyable action/spy thriller.

[grim_tales]

Peeping Tom (UK, 1960) - rewatch (DVD): 4/5

Controversial British film about a psychopathic loner who films the looks of terror on women he kills.Well acted but tough to watch in places, feels older than the 60's, I guess because it was the very beginning of the decade

[grim_tales]

Three Colours: Red (1994) - first time viewing - BD: 4/5

I'd never seen this one before - really well acted I didn't like the old judge at first but I felt more sympathy for him later on?
Irene Jacob was lovely
One touch I noticed was
The survivors of the disaster at the end are all characters from other Kieslowski movies

[grim_tales]

Hard Target (USA, 1993): 3.5/5

[grim_tales]

Bullet Train (USA/Japan, 2022) - first time viewing (Cinema): 4.5/5

I really enjoyed this. Kind of reminded me of Kill Bill but more self aware and cynical, with more UK humour, crossed with Chang Cheh's The Five Venoms (or now I think about it perhaps Reservoir Dogs is a better comparison), and it's hilarious. How can you not a love a movie that has an existential discussion on Thomas the Tank Engine and a shootout set to Holding Out for a Hero, with one character being a cross between Hit-Girl and Gogo Yubari?

[HungFist]

American Gigolo (USA, 1988) [VoD] – 3.5/5
Richard Gere bangs elite women for money until one of them is found dead. No one is willing to testify for his innocence. Predictable, but enjoyable neo-noir with some wonderfully atmospheric sequences with lonely Gere cruising in the neon night. Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive owes a lot to this film.

[grim_tales]

William Shakespere's Romeo + Juliet (USA, 1996) first time viewing: 3.5/5

Modern version of the famous play, shot like a Tarantino movie or music video - I've never seen the play but kind of familliar with the the story.
It felt odd hearing the dialogue given the modern setting, music etc - I know this is Shakespere's language and you don't fool around with this stuff, but still...
Feels like a product of it's time - Leo DiCaprio a teen poster boy and Claire Danes (from teen drama My So Called Life) has a sweet, innocent look about her but doesn't she look disturbingly young in this

[grim_tales]

Ghost Busters (USA, 1984) - cinema: 5/5

Classic comedy This wasn't 35mm, maybe 4K on a cinema screen probably - it looked very good

[grim_tales]

See How They Run (US/UK, 2022): 4/5

Entertaining Christie-esque murder mystery with humour, good fun and reminded me of Knives out (2019) I enjoyed it.

[grim_tales]

I Am Bruce Lee (Canada, 2011) - first time: 3/5

Thought this was OK but in some ways it felt like an extended version of one of those "EPK" features you used to get on DVDs - lots of bits and pieces from different interviews cut together really.

I don't know about you, but I'd never thought of Bruce swearing so couldn't believe he said "It is my intention to make... pardon the expression, the fuckingest action picture ever made" But that was a quote attributed to him in the film.

[Markgway]

Are you sure it isn't "the funkiest action picture ever made"?

That sounds more like something Bruce would say.

The other thing doesn't make sense at all.

[grim_tales]

Yeah, I wondered that and thought I misread or misheard! But apprently

https://twitter.com/bruceleeliveson/sta ... 1110013953

https://www.reddit.com/r/entertainment/ ... ssion_the/

Maybe it was quoted wrong, I'll have to watch that part again.

And I meant obsession not intention.

[EvaUnit02]

Avatar: The Way of Water - 3/5

-The writing was far from perfect, but it was perfectly coherent. No better or worse than the first film's. For the most part plot threads aren't forgotten and come together at the end. Remember Unobtainium, the unexplained McGuffin from the first film? Never mentioned in this film.
-Characterisation wasn't malicious. No post-modernist bullshit like taking legacy characters and making them broken husks of their former selves, a la Luke in The Last Jedi.
-The same type of Duplo brick environmentalism commentary as the first film. It was a natural part of the story, not a lecture on real world issues.
-The 48fps HFR scenes were jarring. Made the CGI effects look much faker. Probably the easiest way to view the film completely at 24fps will be to watch it in 1080p, since 4K supports up to 60fps.
-Zero wokeness. As in the first film, both sexes are portrayed as equals. A core pillar of the story is traditional family bonds and strong parental figures of both sexes. Men aren't shat upon.
-The pacing is perfectly fine. Despite the film's one run time, it never felt like a drag.

Hopefully the story arc started here gets resolved in the 3rd film, because I seriously doubt that the 4th and 5th films will get made. This will film probably flop, but at least the 3rd has already been made.

The quality bar for most stuff out of modern Hollywood is so low, that mediocre stuff like this film series seems amazing by comparison. Truly is a sad state of affairs.

[grim_tales]

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) - Streaming: 4.25/5
Interesting version of the classic story, there are some parts similar to the Disney version but some differences too, and it has it's own darkness. The animation is unique. The movie has soul, reminded me of The Snowman and the Snowdog at first for some reason

[grim_tales]

Knives Out 2: Glass Onion (2022) - Streaming: 4/5

Like the first one, an entertaining murder mystery but seems even more outlandish and up to date - a stupidly rich billionaire gathers people on an island to play a "murder game"

[EvaUnit02]

True Romance (1993) - 5/5
This movie was awesome! I'm kicking myself for not seeing this until now, but at least I got to see it in glorious 4K. This was Tarantino at the top of his writing game, just that Sicilian monologue from Dennis Hopper made the film worth seeing.

[grim_tales]

The Double Life of Véronique (France/Poland, 1991) - BD: 4/5

Interesting drama movie, Irene Jacob is excellent in a dual role as French and Polish young women whose lives seem similar.

[grim_tales]

Three Colors: Blue (France/Poland/Switzerland, 1993) - Blu Ray: 4/5

The music is amazing in this movie, the story seems a bit slow at times but Juliette Binoche is really good in it
Did Julie really compose her husband's symphony? Is that why she tried to destroy it so no one would know?

[grim_tales]

Three Colors: White (France, Poland, Switzerland, 1994) - Blu Ray: 4.25/5

Has a lighter touch than "Blue", it's more of a.. comedy? I recall seeing parts of this during my teen years