Monday, January 09, 2017

Movies from 2016: My Reviews of the Good, the Meh, and the Ugly.

My thoughts on movies I saw in 2016 

(Note: some movies come late to BKK so there are some 2015 movies that I didn't see until 2016. Also, I watch movies on planes... so some are even older.)

The Good:
A Bigger Splash: That scene with Ralph Fiennes! The Hot Matthias Schoenaerts. I'd link to the scene with him and Tilda Swinton in the pool but that might be NSFW.

A Perfect Day
: Despite the fact it was shot in Spain and about Wat/San Engineers - it was quite good at the annoyances and joys of being an aid worker. I really think Benicio Del Toro has been a MSF log. And that grumpy French girl is for sure an aid worker.

A Conspiracy of Faith: Danish film that I watched at the Sarajevo Film Festival. Sort of like a Kurt Wallendar book.

As I Open My Eyes: A stunning Tunisian film about what it means to be young and a woman who loves music. Lovely.  Sarajevo Film Festival.

The Big Short - made me cry because people are so greedy and there is nothing we can do to fix the world.

Brooklyn: love Saoirse Ronan.

CameraPerson: Lovely and evocative.

Captain Fantastic: I love Viggo Mortenson.

The Childhood of the Leader: One of the most atmospheric and interesting films I saw this year. Loved the imagery. Watch the trailer and tell me what you think. It's a pity that the whole crowd that came to see it at the Sarajevo Film Festival were only there to ask Ser Davos inane questions about Game of Thrones.

Dead Pool: I've always been a fan of Ryan Reynolds but he has picked some shitty movies. This one was good and brought us back to his glory days of Van Wilder.

Hail Caesar! Love the Coen Brothers but Channing Tatum channeling his Gene Kelly! And "Would that it were so simple."

I, Daniel Blake: It broke my heart. Also Sarajevo Film Festival

The Legend of Tarzan: Alexander SkarsgÄrd in a loincloth. Need I say more?




Letters from War: Like watching a poem unfold. A Portugese film about the angolan civil war - a Sarajevo Film Festival special.

The Lobster: One of the oddest but best movies I saw last year. What animal would I be? Maybe a long haired pony. :)

Love and Friendship: Whit Stillman! A mean Kate Becksindale! Saw it at the Sarajevo Film Festival where after watching Lady Susan scheme and cheat everyone, a clueless female festival attendant stood up and told us and Whit Stillman that she really admired her and she was a "real woman" and all of us should be more like her.

Rogue One: Oddly, I read no previews before I went so was blown away! And Diego Luna!

Sicario - Emily Blount as a bad ass and serious evil drug lords but a bit confusing and not quite sure what was going on .

Testament to Youth - doomed british young men and Jon Snow marching off to war instead of Oxford. Weep Weep Weep

Taxi Driver:

The Meh:
Absolutely Fabulous: I wanted it to be so much more. But it was just okay. But I still love Patsy and Edina.

Burned - Bradley Cooper trying to channel Anthony Bourdain without the charm and saucy sexy sparkle but serious food porn

Hacksaw Ridge: Andrew Garfield alternating between Jesus and Forrest Gump. Some of the grossest violence ever. But an amazing man and a real life story. Too bad Mel Gibson was directing it.

Doctor Strange: Is there a movie that Benedict Cumberbatch WON'T do? He's turning into Nicolas Cage.

Zootopia: Not a huge fan of animated films. Cute but not memorable.

Land of Blood and Honey: Angelina Jolie's film about rape in Sarajevo. Some good performances but very dull. She seems to equate dull with serious.

Graduation: A Romanian film about a young girls' rape and her fathers ambitions for her. Just meh.

Various short movies at the Sarajevo Film Festival - not a fan of short movies.

The Awful:

The Hateful 8 - awful and boring "a long racist play."

Humidity: A Sarajevo Film Festival Serbian Film. I was so bored and annoyed. It made me hate everything about Serbia. At the end, the man next to me and I just sighed and said "Thank god its over."

Los Bastardos: Just like this skit from Saturday Night Live ... a pretentious and weird student film.

How to Be Single: One of the worst films I've ever seen. Dakota Johnson has ZERO chemistry. She is sooo lame.












2015: A year in movies

The good:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Bridge of Spies

Spectre

Magic Mike: XXL

Spy

Mission Impossible

What we do in the shadows

White God



Meh:

Jurassic World

Hunger Games: Part 4

While We're Young


The Bad:

Avengers: Age of Ultron


Countries I have visited (2017)

Afghanistan
Albania (2017)
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia - Herzegovina (2017)
Botswana
Bulgaria (2017)
Burma/Myanmar
Cambodia
Canada
Central African Republic
Colombia
Democratic Republic of Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Czech Republic
Denmark
Egypt
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece (2017)
Guatemala
Guinea
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong (2017)
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Laos
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Luxembourg
Macedonia (2017)
Malaysia
Mexico
Montenegro (2017)
Nepal
Netherlands
Norway
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia (2017)
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Uganda
United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland but not Northern Ireland)
United States of America
United Arab Emirates
Vatican City
Vietnam
Zimbabwe