coffee_rules Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 28 minutes ago, Lord said: Can't rate those on public forum You can’t rate nothing right? Lord 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted August 31 Author Share Posted August 31 King Solomon”s Mines (1950) 1/2 This is an adventure film par excellence. It takes the viewers on a trip to 19th century Africa. You are drawn into Africa’s remoteness, culture, terrain, creatures, and the danger at almost every step. It appears as if films with adventure elements such as the Indiana Jones ones, the Mummy (1999), etc., are inspired by it. It is old fashioned but that also means that it is difficult to make a film like this today. Recenly, this was released on blu-ray by Warner Archives. The new transfer is said to be gorgeous. If you are in North America, you should look to order its blu-ray. I have the film on digital where the transfer has not been updated to the latest one yet but it is serviceable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 (edited) Drive My Car (2021) I saw this film twice in the last few weeks. It is on Criterion and suppose to leave it in August so I took the opportunity to watch it twice. I will probably purchase it on digital (if not the 4k blu-ray) in the future. The film is based on a short story by Haruki Murakami. It has various layers to it. With a run time of 3 hours, it can be a slow burn, but it is one of the films where you like to spend time with its characters. The film has a red Saab 900 Turbo. The quirky car connected with me. When I came to India, one of the things on my mind was to actually drive my red car. When the red car was parked outside my house, some old friends came to inquire about me as seeing the car made them wonder if I was back! Overall, this is a beautiful film if you have the patience for it. In the future, it has the potential to get on my top 10 or so best films list. Edited September 1 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 (edited) A Clockwork Orange (1971) This is one of Kubrick’s controversial films. It is a well made film that tackles tough issues with humor/sarcasm. However, the violence and nudity, along with certain costumes and props, are vulgar. Viewers have to go through one horrific sequence after other without respite as if Kubrick is giving viewers the Ludovico treatment. As such, many (if not most) are going to find the film off-putting. I took a off its rating for vulgarity. If I have to nitpick, the ending could have been better. It is as if the unlikable key character returns to (or close to) his “original” state of mind after listening to Beethoven’s 9th, which had turned into his Achilles’ heel. What a shame. Watch it at your own peril! Edited September 1 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted September 2 Author Share Posted September 2 (edited) The Legend of Tarzan (2016) I have the 4k digital transfer of this film. I have watched it a few times so went through the film quickly, skipping some parts. The goal was to see how a modern adventure film, which takes place in a remote area, compares to King Solomon’s Mines (1950). The difference is telling where it makes you appreciate King Solomon’s Mines even more. The composition, cinematography, on location shooting, etc., make King Solomon’s Mines a film of a higher level. And it is a proper adventure film. In the Legend of Tarzan, you can observe the hands of CGI. While the cinematography with modern equipment is good and competitive, it lacks that relative X factor that King Solomon’s Mines’ has. King Solomon’s Mines received an Oscar for cinematography. Overall, the Legend of Tarzan is a decent time pass film (esp. when you don’t get into comparisons) with some good action sequences and a good performance, as is usual for him, from Christop Waltz. He is a bit like Pran, who moulds himself to a role where if he is playing a good guy, you feel that he is good, and if he is playing a bad guy, you feel that too. Edited September 2 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted September 3 Author Share Posted September 3 (edited) The Secret in Their Eyes (2009, Spanish) I have watched this film at least 3-4 times now. This is a unique film: * It tells the story in a non-linear fashion, weaving events in Argentina from 70s to 90s. It goes back and forth b/w the periods seamlessly. * It is not only crime police procedural film but also a slow burn drama with a layer of romance (so not your typical fast paced crime thriller). * The on-screen violence in the film is minimal but when shown, most of it is brutal such that the film remains in the shadow of violence. * Love is one of the binding elements. The two leads love each other but cannot express their feelings, and as a viewer, you are rooting for them to get together. Then, there is the grieving husband whose wife has been murdered, and for the love of his wife, he is focused on bringing the bad guy to justice (the justice system in Argentina isn’t great), so as a viewer, you want him to get justice. To get these answers, you have to watch the film till the end, and in that sense, it also builds suspense. PS Hollywood remade this film in 2015 with Julia Roberts. It turned out to be a bad remake. That film appeared to have a different tone and did not capture the emotional struggles of the original well. Edited September 3 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted September 3 Author Share Posted September 3 (edited) Paprika (2006, Japanese) 1/2 A surreal psychological mystery thriller. It is said that this anime has given Nolan certain ideas for Inception (2010). This film is a part of my collection. The 4K HDR transfer sports saturated colors and good contrast. First, there are dreams of a person, then the dreams of multiple persons get merged, and then dreams merge with reality. Therefore, this film may require multiple viewings to grasp the finer points. Overall, Paprika is a top-tier anime that provides an excellent viewing experience esp. in its latest 4K transfer. Edited September 3 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted Wednesday at 08:26 PM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 08:26 PM (edited) A Separation (2011, Iranian) This is the only Iranian film in my collection. It has won tons of awards including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, the Golden Bear for Best Film, the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film, etc. The film has a wonderful screenplay. The characters - a man whose dad suffers from Alzheimer's, his wife who wants to go abroad and leave Iran, the daughter sandwiched b/w the two and trying to get them together, a careless house maid, her angry husband, their kid, a judge investigating the case that they are involved in, etc., are all weaved together seamlessly. There is almost no background score in the film but you don’t notice that. It also captures the everyday life of common men in Iran nicely. Edited Wednesday at 08:30 PM by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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