Moves like movies

This post is about recently seen films (after a looooong drought). There is “Movie” in my blog name after all. And the screen is a Monday window too, in a way.

Except for the last ten years or so, I always watched plenty of films. (Here is the list of my favourite films of all times.) Then films got progressively worse, and my life started to gain momentum. I let them go almost completely, as I did to books as well. I chose to leave other people’s stories to other people and live mine.

I have not seen any series either, not since Touch and Once Upon a Time and that one with the 2-minute global premonition… ah… I forgot all about it even though I loved it… oh right. FlashForward. And then I stopped watching TV.

It seems that now the time has come again to have a peek, or several. Below please find film titles that I’ve seen in the last month or so, roughly in the order of enjoyment.

I give a sentence for each, as much a reminder to myself as a chance for you all to agree or not, as the case may be. Sounds like my whole blog.

I separate the first two from the others as it’s not really the same ball game. I’m amazed they even got made. Plus they made me paranoid. *Waves*

• Snowden: Oliver Stone did it. I didn’t know it while watching. The actor who plays him – famous, forgot the name, ah, Mr. Gordon-Levitt – donated all his earnings.
• Citizenfour: A documentary by Laura Poitras, one of the journalists who first got in touch with him.

And now those movies that made me grin/reflect/feel worthwhile watching them the most:

• Houston, We Have a Problem!: Slovenian paradocumentary about how Tito, the President of Yugoslavia, sold its space program to the Americans.
• Anomalisa: A cartoon for grown-ups who are having a good day. Since this one won’t cheer you up but rather linger in your mind for quite a while.
• Samsara: I nodded off, woke up, and rewound. It’s not a movie, it’s an experience. And it hurts.
• Before the Flood: Leonardo DiCaprio in a documentary on climate change. Goes well with the one above. They make it so clear that you really start wondering why the hell doesn’t somebody do something.
• A Perfect Day: I have never seen the Balkans in a foreign film explained as well before. Plus Mr. Benicio and Mr. Robbins.
• Straight Outta Compton: Whad up, boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? It’s always chilling when the son plays the father.
• Cloud Atlas: Up and down and all around kind of movie. Loved it though. Tom Hanks as that wicked mobster author was my favourite. Lots of colour and character in this one, and food for thought. (The more sensitive should abstain from watching this clip, or better freeze before he falls down.)

• Lo and Behold: Werner Herzog’s documentary on the subject of the Internet. Meaningful and exemplary. Started to follow him on Twitter too.
• Boyhood: They were filming it for 12 years! The star went from 7 to 18! What if he didn’t grow up just right for the role? Plus Ms. Patricia Arquette who is good people.
• A Dangerous Method: Loved this one, despite everything – it’s about Jung and Freud, after all. And Ms. Knightley. I hope it portrays goings-on as they really happened.
• Force Majeure: NOT a catastrophe movie I thought it was. And it’s Swedish! Made me wish to make her some tea.
• Hello I Must Be Going: I love Ms. Lynsky. She is born on my birthday but in my sister’s year. A rather different love story.

Here are some that I still enjoyed watching, even though they were not really urgently necessary.

• I’m Not There: Original take on biopics. Bob Dylan’s soul in different bodies. Ms. Blanchett wins.
• 20,000 Days on Earth: Nick Cave. Nick Cave. Nick Cave.
• Atonement: Read the Ian McEwan book and picture Ms. Knightley. Even though photography is nice.
• Sleeping Beauty: 2011; nothing to do with the fairy tale, more like a nightmare. Disturbing but rightly so.
• The Meddler: Susan Sarandon is my mom. 😮 Rather Hollywoodly but with the heart of gold.
• Silver Linings Playbook: Happy-go-lucky-depressives go a-dancing.
• Ender’s Game: Yes, after the book. Only watched it to bitch, but I didn’t since the author supervised the filming. Still: read the book.
• The Body: A Catalan crime tale with a twist, slickly done.
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople: A feel-good New Zealand teen flick.

Then there were three which really bounced off with minimum impact, possibly due to high expectations.

• Only Lovers Left Alive: No matter how much I love Mr. Jarmusch and Ms. Swinton, this one was stretching it.
• Captain Fantastic: Nah – no matter how I’m going to celebrate Noam Chomsky day too now. But what is it saying? If you’re hip you get to bully and steal with no prosecution? It’s the same old, just the opposite.
• Inglourious Basterds: Nahhhhh, didn’t buy this one. Just silly.

As for the series, I watched one random part of Black Mirror to see what’s the dillio. Cool, but need to see more for an opinion. I hear Westworld is the direction to go, too.

And filmwise I’m looking forward to, to name but a few, The High Sun (“Zvizdan”), Detachment, Nightcrawler, The Salt of the Earth, Whiplash, The Spectacular Now, Sicario, Where to Invade Next, The Imitation Game, Blue Ruin, and A Bigger Splash.

Before I leave you with an assortment of outdoor furniture calling you to see a film outside, I invite you to leave your opinion on the films I’ve seen, or to name any that you think I’d love based on the ones I’ve enjoyed already.  Thank you.

ADD-IT: Whiplash was whooo-that-boy-can-play and aaaa-that-man-is-a-mofo, whereas The Spectacular Now was more low-key and young-oriented. Yes, I watched both today, and by chance they both feature the same actor, previously unknown – to me: Teller. Mr. Miles Teller.

Photo: a © signature mmm production