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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2016 14:50:13 GMT -5
I really liked the Jungle Book
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber 
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
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Post by Dellarigg on May 7, 2016 18:18:49 GMT -5
Sicario
I liked it, don't think I loved it. The passing of the focus from Emily Blunt to Benicio Del Toro was necessary and interesting, I suppose, but it made for a slightly lop-sided story. A couple of good and tense set-pieces, though, I'll give it that.
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Pear
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Post by Pear on May 7, 2016 18:59:42 GMT -5
SicarioI liked it, don't think I loved it. The passing of the focus from Emily Blunt to Benicio Del Toro was necessary and interesting, I suppose, but it made for a slightly lop-sided story. A couple of good and tense set-pieces, though, I'll give it that. Agreed. I'd say I respected its craft--because duh Roger Deakins, among others--more so than I got into the story. |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 16:23:26 GMT -5
Parents died V Glasses make him completely unrecognizable
I liked it, it was a mess, and really really weird at times, but it was fun. It was super weird though. I actually can't wait till the rumored R rated directors cut comes out. It felt like a good bit was cut for running time, even though it was already super long. Lex Luthor was an effective villain even if that wasn't really Lex Luthor. The way Batman and Superman became friends though was the dumbest thing ever.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on May 9, 2016 8:49:36 GMT -5
Peanuts Movie
I know it got a pretty cold reception when it came out, but I liked it. It was a pleasant hour and a half, I got a good chuckle out of a couple lines, and 4-year old Owl Jr. thought many of the gags were hilarious. Hard to ask for more from a kids animated movie. I can see some finding the odd animation style off-putting, but I dug it.
Daddy's Home
It was Mother's Day and Owlette requested I fetch a comedy, but the pickings were slim as far as things we hadn't already seen. I do love The Other Guys though, so I figured the re-teaming for Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg was worth a shot. Kind of clunky, won't go down as one of the better "Will Ferrell Movies", but it was fine. I also found myself cracking up at Hannibal Burress's inexplicable handyman house guest.
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2016 9:22:48 GMT -5
HushGritty, hand-held Brit horror-thriller, in which a couple driving see a glimpse of a caged woman in the back of a lorry. Tension follows, nicely done, though the dialogue never felt too convincing, especially in the early stages. Not much is explained, hints only, adding well to the menace. Aw, damn. I was hoping it was the horrible late 90s thriller that had Jessica Lange devouring the scenery and Gwyneth Paltrow over acting her ass off while wearing a ridiculous wig. - 2016 film about a deaf woman being stalked by a masked killer, and it turns into a cat and mouse game. I really liked this one! Apparently this is the same director as Oculus, which was fucking garbage, but this one was pretty smart and relatively believable. When people made mistakes, it felt well thought out. |
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Post by Mindymoo, Human Bradypus on May 9, 2016 9:46:40 GMT -5
Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. It's a sequel to Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, which was a two part, 4 1/2 hour silent epic, and also his last film before he fled Germany. I'd seen it before, but watched it again because it was on the DVR from the Weimar marathon TCM had a few weeks ago. An interesting aspect is that it has the character Inspector Lohmann, from M, a movie that you really wouldn't imagine taking place in that universe because it was so straight-forward.
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Post by Douay-Rheims-Challoner on May 9, 2016 15:07:19 GMT -5
Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. It's a sequel to Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, which was a two part, 4 1/2 hour silent epic, and also his last film before he fled Germany. I'd seen it before, but watched it again because it was on the DVR from the Weimar marathon TCM had a few weeks ago. An interesting aspect is that it has the character Inspector Lohmann, from M, a movie that you really wouldn't imagine taking place in that universe because it was so straight-forward. It's not even the last Mabuse film he made (he did another as one of his last films after returning to Germany in the 1950s) but Testament is the last film with Rudolf Klein-Rogge in the title role, a scant year prior to his death (and in his only sound picture.) One commentator once said he seems like an exile from the silent film world, quietly scribbling on his notes and his voice only heard as a spectral whisper. Also the gangster with a flower in his jacket's buttonhole is intentionally coded as gay; this was a fashion favoured by Oscar Wilde... I rather like this film, long story short; my avatar in another location is taken from it. |
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Post by Mindymoo, Human Bradypus on May 9, 2016 15:55:55 GMT -5
Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. It's a sequel to Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, which was a two part, 4 1/2 hour silent epic, and also his last film before he fled Germany. I'd seen it before, but watched it again because it was on the DVR from the Weimar marathon TCM had a few weeks ago. An interesting aspect is that it has the character Inspector Lohmann, from M, a movie that you really wouldn't imagine taking place in that universe because it was so straight-forward. It's not even the last Mabuse film he made (he did another as one of his last films after returning to Germany in the 1950s) but Testament is the last film with Rudolf Klein-Rogge in the title role, a scant year prior to his death (and in his only sound picture.) One commentator once said he seems like an exile from the silent film world, quietly scribbling on his notes and his voice only heard as a spectral whisper. Also the gangster with a flower in his jacket's buttonhole is intentionally coded as gay; this was a fashion favoured by Oscar Wilde... I rather like this film, long story short; my avatar in another location is taken from it. I have yet to see that one, but I know that's also Lang's final film. They made a bunch of Mabuse "sequels" after that too, but they were B-Movie quality. I didn't know that about the gay flower; that's quite interesting. I'm a big fan of the film too. Weimar is my favorite era of film, and Lang is my favorite director of that great wealth of talent that came from there. Even his American films are incredible. And that's a great avatar. Rudolf Klein-Rogge, even in the mainly the background of this film, is such an imposing presence on screen. And that image is really quite terrifying. When you hear the little bit of speech he was given in the film, a lot of it came pretty much directly from what the Nazis were saying at the time, and that is a huge reason why they banned it. That, and seeing Mabuse scribbling in that notepad in his cell, the documentary From Caligari to Hitler said that it was an allegory of Hitler himself writing Mein Kampf. Pretty bold for any filmmaker, especially a Jewish one, to be doing in Germany at the time. |
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Post by rimjobflashmob on May 9, 2016 19:16:43 GMT -5
Wings of Desire (1987)
This one will probably take a while to sink in. I liked it... in theory? In practice, it was more than a little glacial, and some of the moodiness felt a little overwrought, but any film that has a performance by Nick Cave is legit in my book. Might need to see this again in winter and not on a bright and sunny afternoon.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2016 9:24:07 GMT -5
The Hateful Eight - Finally! I enjoyed it a ton. My wife thought it was dumb. It kinda was, but I liked it because of/despite that.
Wow, you can totally see Jennifer Jason Leigh freaking out when Kurt Russell destroys the guitar that was NOT a prop!
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repulsionist
TI Forumite
actively disinterested
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Post by repulsionist on May 10, 2016 10:59:24 GMT -5
The Minions (2015)
Fuck your feature-length advertisement for The Minions' ride at Universal. Hateful cynicism and thorough reflections of a vapid culture. Are we to deduce that happy fun is always in the service of evil? YAY!
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Ice Cream Planet
AV Clubber
I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy.
Posts: 3,833
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on May 10, 2016 17:46:10 GMT -5
How to Survive a Plague 'There are many years to come... let's hope.'Ray Navarro, an AIDS activist, speaks these words around the halfway point of this exquisitely painful documentary, which charts ACT UP and TAG's activism from 1987 (when less than 500,00 people worldwide had died of the disease) to 1995 (where more than 8 million had perished). Navarro was featured earlier in the film, protesting against the Catholic Church's anti-contraceptive stance, dressed as Jesus. He was a beautiful, vibrant person, and by the time he says the aforementioned quote, he's blind, gaunt, mostly deaf, and confined in a wheelchair. He died in 1990. Look, I could go on and on about what the film details, the new facts I learned, how it expertly blends archival footage with just the right amount of contemporary interviews, but I'll just say few films have shattered quite like this. I mean, I cried multiple times watching it. Besides how accurately the film captures the apocalyptic nature of the AIDS epidemic, the one part that was the saddest to personally watch was the bits involving Robert Rafsky*. He came out in his 40s (he was still on good terms with his wife and daughter, and the home video footage of him interacting with them is absolutely heartbreaking), and even as AIDS destroyed him bit by bit, eating away at his health, reserve, and appearance, he never stopped fighting. The scene of his young daughter crying at his funeral... it's one of the saddest things I've seen in a film, documentary or otherwise. A father, a friend, a lover, and activity, just... gone, and all because he got something that was the cruel fate of a chance encounter. The world will never know what he could have done, and to think he died a couple years after I was born and that he worked tirelessly, along with so many other people in the film and across the world, so I, and the rest of my generation, could have a fighting chance... I have nothing but the deepest gratitude toward them. The film begins with a miscellaneous protestor saying this in an interview at a rally and it feels like an appropriate way to end: 'I just love all of these people and I think what we are doing is really right.'
That it was. *Rafsky's daughter Sara has some powerful, sweet things to say about her father in this interview and this letter.
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on May 10, 2016 22:23:21 GMT -5
Aw, damn. I was hoping it was the horrible late 90s thriller that had Jessica Lange devouring the scenery and Gwyneth Paltrow over acting her ass off while wearing a ridiculous wig. - 2016 film about a deaf woman being stalked by a masked killer, and it turns into a cat and mouse game. I really liked this one! Apparently this is the same director as Oculus, which was fucking garbage, but this one was pretty smart and relatively believable. When people made mistakes, it felt well thought out. I thought at least Oculus had some good ideas and visuals in there. It just went for a twist that was unnecessary and stupid. I definitely suggest giving Flanagan's earlier movie, Absentia, a try. |
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on May 11, 2016 1:22:57 GMT -5
Captain America Civil War
I mean, at least it's a step-up from the incoherent and dull mess that is Age of Ultron and several characters are pretty cool here, but it's too long and a lot of it feel pretty uneventful even though it's so busy.
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on May 11, 2016 1:24:15 GMT -5
How to Survive a Plague 'There are many years to come... let's hope.'Ray Navarro, an AIDS activist, speaks these words around the halfway point of this exquisitely painful documentary, which charts ACT UP and TAG's activism from 1987 (when less than 500,00 people worldwide had died of the disease) to 1995 (where more than 8 million had perished). Navarro was featured earlier in the film, protesting against the Catholic Church's anti-contraceptive stance, dressed as Jesus. He was a beautiful, vibrant person, and by the time he says the aforementioned quote, he's blind, gaunt, mostly deaf, and confined in a wheelchair. He died in 1990. Look, I could go on and on about what the film details, the new facts I learned, how it expertly blends archival footage with just the right amount of contemporary interviews, but I'll just say few films have shattered quite like this. I mean, I cried multiple times watching it. Besides how accurately the film captures the apocalyptic nature of the AIDS epidemic, the one part that was the saddest to personally watch was the bits involving Robert Rafsky*. He came out in his 40s (he was still on good terms with his wife and daughter, and the home video footage of him interacting with them is absolutely heartbreaking), and even as AIDS destroyed him bit by bit, eating away at his health, reserve, and appearance, he never stopped fighting. The scene of his young daughter crying at his funeral... it's one of the saddest things I've seen in a film, documentary or otherwise. A father, a friend, a lover, and activity, just... gone, and all because he got something that was the cruel fate of a chance encounter. The world will never know what he could have done, and to think he died a couple years after I was born and that he worked tirelessly, along with so many other people in the film and across the world, so I, and the rest of my generation, could have a fighting chance... I have nothing but the deepest gratitude toward them. The film begins with a miscellaneous protestor saying this in an interview at a rally and it feels like an appropriate way to end: 'I just love all of these people and I think what we are doing is really right.'
That it was. *Rafsky's daughter Sara has some powerful, sweet things to say about her father in this interview and this letter. That's a movie I've been avoiding because I worry it'll destroy me, and just when I was warming up to it I read this thing and was starting to tear up, so thanks for that. |
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Ice Cream Planet
AV Clubber
I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy.
Posts: 3,833
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on May 11, 2016 4:45:59 GMT -5
How to Survive a Plague 'There are many years to come... let's hope.'Ray Navarro, an AIDS activist, speaks these words around the halfway point of this exquisitely painful documentary, which charts ACT UP and TAG's activism from 1987 (when less than 500,00 people worldwide had died of the disease) to 1995 (where more than 8 million had perished). Navarro was featured earlier in the film, protesting against the Catholic Church's anti-contraceptive stance, dressed as Jesus. He was a beautiful, vibrant person, and by the time he says the aforementioned quote, he's blind, gaunt, mostly deaf, and confined in a wheelchair. He died in 1990. Look, I could go on and on about what the film details, the new facts I learned, how it expertly blends archival footage with just the right amount of contemporary interviews, but I'll just say few films have shattered quite like this. I mean, I cried multiple times watching it. Besides how accurately the film captures the apocalyptic nature of the AIDS epidemic, the one part that was the saddest to personally watch was the bits involving Robert Rafsky*. He came out in his 40s (he was still on good terms with his wife and daughter, and the home video footage of him interacting with them is absolutely heartbreaking), and even as AIDS destroyed him bit by bit, eating away at his health, reserve, and appearance, he never stopped fighting. The scene of his young daughter crying at his funeral... it's one of the saddest things I've seen in a film, documentary or otherwise. A father, a friend, a lover, and activity, just... gone, and all because he got something that was the cruel fate of a chance encounter. The world will never know what he could have done, and to think he died a couple years after I was born and that he worked tirelessly, along with so many other people in the film and across the world, so I, and the rest of my generation, could have a fighting chance... I have nothing but the deepest gratitude toward them. The film begins with a miscellaneous protestor saying this in an interview at a rally and it feels like an appropriate way to end: 'I just love all of these people and I think what we are doing is really right.'
That it was. *Rafsky's daughter Sara has some powerful, sweet things to say about her father in this interview and this letter. That's a movie I've been avoiding because I worry it'll destroy me, and just when I was warming up to it I read this thing and was starting to tear up, so thanks for that. I aim to please! For as harrowing and heartbreaking a film as it is, I would strongly recommend that you watch How to Survive a Plague (and We Were Here, which is a touch less devastating in my opinion, but still plenty shattering). It's likely not a documentary you'll want to watch again (or at least not for a while), but it is one of the few that I would say is important. It pays tribute to those who truly did risk everything so others wouldn't experience the horrors they suffered. It's one of the most remarkably compassionate, angry, wonderful films I've ever seen. |
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Ice Cream Planet
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I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy.
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on May 12, 2016 17:07:15 GMT -5
Before I Go to Sleep
A Lifetime film with an overly talented cast that feels like it was accidentally released on the big screen. Based on SJ Watson's bestseller (unread by me, but hard not to imagine it borrowed liberally from the Gillian Flynn domestic thriller playbook), it's a tepid potboiler that no doubt aspires to be a contemporary heir to Hitchcock or De Palma (from his early days). Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong are all excellent actors, but the dialogue is so banal and the characters so thin, it's hard to care much about what happens to them or who has the dark secret and why. Add some badly placed sentiment a fight scene near the end that is both unconvincing and mean-spirited, the whole film is a sour yet oddly toothless affair. Granted, for passive viewing, one could do a lot worse. But, that's perhaps not a strong selling point.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2016 18:46:59 GMT -5
Deadpool. I liked it, lots of fun. Didn't love it though. This movie came out right after I was put in BMT, so I was salivating over seeing this. Especially when newer people I was with after my injury had seen it and hyped it up a lot. I was let down a bit to say the least. I don't think it is revolutionary, the wall breaking wasn't even that much. Just a very effective raunchy comedy with cool action scenes.
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repulsionist
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actively disinterested
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Post by repulsionist on May 12, 2016 19:46:04 GMT -5
The Gnome-Mobile (1967)
Weird Disney from Upton Sinclair novel.
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Ice Cream Planet
AV Clubber
I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy.
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on May 13, 2016 12:46:24 GMT -5
Green Room
A thriller that truly thrills and easily the best film I've seen this year (I anticipate it'll make the top five cut by year's end). I liked Blue Ruin, but I absolutely adored this. One thing I particularly like is how the direction is so taut and the writing so sharp, and it brings so much intelligence, humor, and some powerfully moving and depressing scenes into what is essentially a slick exploitation film. I hesitate to say it transcends its genre roots: it pays full respect to them, but brings a level of sophistication that shows how sometimes a scuzzy sounding premise can be made into art. Beautiful visuals and atmosphere aside, the cast is simply astonishing. Stewart (who in a fairer universe would already be a lock for an Oscar nomination) and Yelchin are terrific, but the real standout for me was Imogen Poots and her brilliant work as Amber (a great subversion of so many lethargic, secondary characters that populate too many thrillers). Her character is a true original and Poots, who has always been a sterling actress, is a marvel to watch.
All and all, an exhilarating film; one I can't wait to see again. And as an added bonus, I had the whole theatre to myself! Fuck yeah, first showing of the day!
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on May 13, 2016 23:30:49 GMT -5
Green Room A thriller that truly thrills and easily the best film I've seen this year (I anticipate it'll make the top five cut by year's end). I liked Blue Ruin, but I absolutely adored this. One thing I particularly like is how the direction is so taut and the writing so sharp, and it brings so much intelligence, humor, and some powerfully moving and depressing scenes into what is essentially a slick exploitation film. I hesitate to say it transcends its genre roots: it pays full respect to them, but brings a level of sophistication that shows how sometimes a scuzzy sounding premise can be made into art. Beautiful visuals and atmosphere aside, the cast is simply astonishing. Stewart (who in a fairer universe would already be a lock for an Oscar nomination) and Yelchin are terrific, but the real standout for me was Imogen Poots and her brilliant work as Amber (a great subversion of so many lethargic, secondary characters that populate too many thrillers). Her character is a true original and Poots, who has always been a sterling actress, is a marvel to watch. All and all, an exhilarating film; one I can't wait to see again. And as an added bonus, I had the whole theatre to myself! Fuck yeah, first showing of the day! I want to see this again as well! I had the opposite theater experience and it was one of the rare movies I LOVED seeing with a crowded and rowdy audience. People were gasping, yelling out in shock, visibly jumping in their seats, and (when the Prince reference was made) clapping enthusiastically and it only added to the show experience. I could also see it being great to experience in a mostly empty theater though! |
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Post by songstarliner on May 14, 2016 0:07:57 GMT -5
Green Room A thriller that truly thrills and easily the best film I've seen this year (I anticipate it'll make the top five cut by year's end). I liked Blue Ruin, but I absolutely adored this. One thing I particularly like is how the direction is so taut and the writing so sharp, and it brings so much intelligence, humor, and some powerfully moving and depressing scenes into what is essentially a slick exploitation film. I hesitate to say it transcends its genre roots: it pays full respect to them, but brings a level of sophistication that shows how sometimes a scuzzy sounding premise can be made into art. Beautiful visuals and atmosphere aside, the cast is simply astonishing. Stewart (who in a fairer universe would already be a lock for an Oscar nomination) and Yelchin are terrific, but the real standout for me was Imogen Poots and her brilliant work as Amber (a great subversion of so many lethargic, secondary characters that populate too many thrillers). Her character is a true original and Poots, who has always been a sterling actress, is a marvel to watch. All and all, an exhilarating film; one I can't wait to see again. And as an added bonus, I had the whole theatre to myself! Fuck yeah, first showing of the day! I skimmed through your review so as to avoid any hints of spoilers, but fuck yeah, empty theater! Love that. |
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber
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Post by Dellarigg on May 14, 2016 3:08:21 GMT -5
The Decline Of Western Civilisation.
My first time with this, American hardcore punk being only a recently-sparked interest. I found it interesting and amusing in equal measure, with a gob of disappointment along the way. It looked like it had been shot and recorded on appropriately scuzzy equipment (some of the interviews appeared to be played back on crackly vinyl), and most of the interviewees were just on the illuminating side of inarticulate. I didn't know heroin hiccups were a thing, and such a charming thing. X were the band I thought the most musically interesting, if not quite foursquare hardcore, with Germs the funniest, especially the lead singer, who seemed barely above the status of a legitimate moron. Fear seemed pretty good once they shut up goading the audience for perceived homosexuality and started playing. There were some moments of misogyny and homophobia showing that this wasn't as decisive a break with the sins of classic rock as everyone could've wished for, and I had thought Dead Kennedys were in it, but there you go. The dancing was hilarious. Perfect date movie.
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Ice Cream Planet
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on May 14, 2016 3:29:01 GMT -5
The Decline Of Western Civilisation. My first time with this, American hardcore punk being only a recently-sparked interest. I found it interesting and amusing in equal measure, with a gob of disappointment along the way. It looked like it had been shot and recorded on appropriately scuzzy equipment (some of the interviews appeared to be played back on crackly vinyl), and most of the interviewees were just on the illuminating side of inarticulate. I didn't know heroin hiccups were a thing, and such a charming thing. X were the band I thought the most musically interesting, if not quite foursquare hardcore, with Germs the funniest, especially the lead singer, who seemed barely above the status of a legitimate moron. Fear seemed pretty good once they shut up goading the audience for perceived homosexuality and started playing. There were some moments of misogyny and homophobia showing that this wasn't as decisive a break with the sins of classic rock as everyone could've wished for, and I had thought Dead Kennedys were in it, but there you go. The dancing was hilarious. Perfect date movie. I remember loving this documentary as a kid (why yes, I did watch it with my parents when I was 8 or 9 years old). Like you said, X was my favorite musically, so I remember paying very close attention to whenever they were on-screen Everyone else, not as much. I should revisit them. I do remember my mum saying, while we were watching the film, 'At first I thought I was too hard on Germs back in the 80s, but nope, they still suck.' That still makes me laugh. |
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on May 15, 2016 0:25:47 GMT -5
High-Rise
Well, I just did not enjoy that at all.
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on May 15, 2016 3:16:48 GMT -5
MrsLangdonAlger I've been looking forward to that but now that it;s been made more available domestically and word of mouth has truned toxic I no longer know what to expect.
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Ice Cream Planet
AV Clubber
I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy.
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on May 15, 2016 5:56:27 GMT -5
MrsLangdonAlger I've been looking forward to that but now that it;s been made more available domestically and word of mouth has truned toxic I no longer know what to expect. Whether you love it or hate it (I'm firmly in the love it camp), it does have its own uncompromising vision, which is admirable in its own right. Plus, it's very pretty to look at. |
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on May 15, 2016 8:59:48 GMT -5
It's one where I do get why people like or love it. And it is indeed very pretty to look at. Here's my take:
Iffy and I spent the entire movie not knowing what the hell was going on. He and I are both intelligent people who have no issues with complex themes or complicated movies in general. But I feel like this movie didn't flow well at all: I felt more like I was watching vaguely interconnected very short films than one long narrative. I'm okay with movies not explaining themselves, but I don't think there was an explanation to be had even if I had wanted one.
To be honest, if we had seen this in a theater and couldn't have kept ourselves entertained by chatting a bit once we knew we weren't going to understand what was up, I would have walked out of the movie.
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on May 15, 2016 16:10:48 GMT -5
World of Tomorrow (2015) - I'm a pretty big fan of Hertzfeldt's so I was expecting to really enjoy this. And I did, although I'm not quite sure if it lived up to the hype of brilliant-sci-fi-concept-unlike-any-that-has-ever-been-conceived-of-before. But this is probably because of how difficult it is to come up with a truly novel sci-fi concept, and World of Tomorrow is still pretty fucking great. As always, Hertzfeldt's manages to come up with quirky odd ideas that are frequently both hilarious and deeply sad. And the artwork is, as always, more incredible than one would believe possible coming from an artist who draws mostly stick figures. Ultimately, I think the "live life in the now and to the fullest" message was a bit more trite and a touch less profound than said message in It's Such a Beautiful Day, but I really enjoyed this A-
The Master (2012) - According to people on this forum, Philip Seymour Hoffman is a person with whose work I should probably be familiar to a greater extent than ("oh yeah, he was what'shisname guy with the watch in Catching Fire!"), and I also liked Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line, and I like There Will Be Blood, the one Paul Thomas Anderson film I'd seen, and this was on Netflix, so I decided to watch it. I liked it quite a bit. The film felt a bit aimless at times, but Phoenix's and Hoffman's performances elevated the film into a great one. Phoenix played the manipulated, alcoholic sex-addict Quell with chilling believability, and Hoffman was brilliant as Metaphor For L. Ron Hubbard Man. I liked the scene where that one guy confronts Hoffman's character with sane, reasoned skepticism, and Hoffman just rambles nigh incoherently about his methods having the ability to cure cancer and it perfectly captures that blend of horrifying/hilarious and complete-bullshit/just-reasonable-enough-that-one-could-see-how-someone-could-fall-for-it that's inherent to all of the most pervasive forms of pseudoscientific nonsense. A-
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