Winter is not over yet here in Moscow, so here are some still wintering birds.
Some tits, in and around improvised feeders, from 5l water bottles.
Some ruddy shelducks hoping for a thaw soon
Saturday, March 25, 2023
Birds in Winter
Monday, March 13, 2023
My Recent Movies List (Starting Aug 2021), 72 To Date
Thanks to diminishing commitments, business, personal and otherwise, I now find myself going to the cinema a lot and am now seeing quite a lot of movies at local and not so local cinemas, usually instead of working and during the business hours... which makes sense for practical purposes as tickets are way cheaper for morning and midday aka matinee shows and often I have the cinema all to myself and at other times just a handful of people.
I usually have a cine lunch too with a drink or two, there are not too many people to complain at matinee show times.
Also helps that here in Moscow, a city owned chain of small cinemas decided some time ago to go into arts- , classics- and other great films and in the language of the originals just subtitled in Russian, and new releases are also shown that way and I like that as I know many languages.
So here goes, counting only those that I saw at cinemas starting from mid-August 2021, most recently seen on top.
Total count to date: 72
72. Memories of Murder (2003, Bong Joon-ho)
Seen May 14, 2023, watched with interest.
71. City of God ( Cidade de Deus, 2002)
Another one of those supposedly great films, of all times even, but didn't do much for me as I think it doesn't age well and the narrative devices it uses are trite and too gimmicky.
70. Funny Games (1997, Haneke)
Seen on April 13, 2023 - more or less what I expected, it was a matinee show, so succumbed to a nap in the first third unfortunately after a bad night previously, but don't think I missed anything, the film is rather pointless, but not a waste, setting up the audience and frustrating them, re: scene with the knife in the boat, but overall felt dated in 2023, and I must say actors seemed too unattractively German.
69. The House That Jack Built (2018, von Triers)
Didn't think much of this, to be honest, treading some familiar grounds in a new setting,digressions are weak, Triers' habitual mention of Hitler is there (for he is just a tiny white prick norseman nazi with artistic pretensions), but really nothing much in any department, also boring and tedious, also nothing much in filming techniques. For me, his Nymphomaniac remains his best and by a lot so, and the only one of his output that I think is multiple rewatch material.
68. The Boss of It All (2006, von Triers)
An actionless comedy but maybe something to it, with a twist at the end, pretty comical that. But liked Nymphomaniac much more. Also, was waiting to see some special camera work per Internet reviews but didn't see nothing much in that department. Some Triers idiosyncrasy: a mention of Hitler, check.
67. Moonrise Kingdom (2012, Wes Andersen)
March 2023 - Not much to say about. I don't know what the fuss is all about, just another American movie, non-Holliwood, but that isn't enough. In fact, I have yet to see a Wes Andersen movie that I'll find possible to like, though I didn't dislike this one.
66. Marlowe (2022)
As I am a huge fan of Raymond Chandler, so went to see this of course, even though I already new from the Internet that it was a poorly rated and reviewed movie but still was mildly disappointed on top of that. There is nothing of Raymond Chandler's Marlowe in it, even less than in the 1975 Long Goodbye movie but that film at least had other things going for it, this one has nothing. And Liam Neeson is naturally a poor actor who was maybe good once in the first Taken and that's all basically. Nor does he look or acts like someone who is suitable to play PI Marlowe.
February 2023, this is of course rubbish with a convoluted but easily forgettable plot, now a couple weeks later can't remember almost anything about it. Some claim you have to see it repeatedly to work out what's it all about, but I say, why even bother.
64. Wings of Desire (1987, Wenders)
Wanting to see it for a long time, finally saw it in February 2023, and it didn't seem like it was worth wanting to see it for so long: it was underwhelming, didn't think much of it to be honest, not Wenders' best lazy effort, I am afraid, American Friend, Alice in Cities, False Bewegung and even Paris, Texas are all much better and are rated higher by me.
63. Charlie Countryman (aka The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman aka Kill Charlie Countryman)
Saw it in late January 2023 on a Monday, and it is clearly a B-movie but one that was apparently shot on location in Bucharest and not in Budapest for once. Also, it was nice to see the Schweiger and Mad Mikkelson dudes thought not so much Shia LaBeouf. The female lead was also lacking but then the version I saw was missing a scene where apparently LaBeouf gave the lady oral pleasure, maybe that would have changed overall impression for the better.
62. La Vida Padre / Too Many Chefs (2022)
It was an early show in mid-January 2023, and as I was not fully awake that morning, I slept through most of it, and don't think will bother to see the whole movie.
61. Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Late December 2022 - as far as I gather from the film's wikipedia entry, it got a standing ovation at Cannes 22 and maybe even the Palm Door but, though watched it with some interest, I fail to understand how or why or wherefore.
I don't think there is anything special or that new in it: a bit of Lord of the Flies towards the latter third, the scene where the yacht sinks is reminiscent of the storm scene on a cruise liner in Polanski's Bitter Moon except in Polanski's more tasteful movie there is only one person vomiting his seasickness unlike nearly everybody in the film at hand, and as if that isn't enough, there are multiple exploding toilets with torrents of the Western world's most abundant, and near only remaining, resource.
In fairness, there maybe some other themes explored in the movie but nothing too subtle or artistic and other than that there is not that much to say for me which is not to say that the film should not be viewed at least once, and it has one thing going for it which is that it is not some "closed" Hollywood garbage but is an "open" film and thus allows for a variety of interpretations.
60. Remember (2022)
December 19, 2022 - an Alzheimer afflicted old man decides to kill a bunch of very bad people from his past, including eventually himself. I think it is a Korean remake of the 2015 Remember which I have not seen however.
Saw it in mid-December at my local cinema where it had a re-run - and I thought it was a good movie on balance. Every day deserves to be a Noam Chomsky day. Power to the people, stick it to the man. That's what it is about. Maybe.
Seen sometime in early December 2022 at my local cinema - A very good spy film basically, slow, careful and observant, a bit like a Le Carre thriller but more honest, and with more truth to it. Also an unusual setting in a top Cairo religious academy where a power struggle ensues involving various religious factions as well as the government's secret service. Lots of local color too, and well filmed and well acted in general, though not immune to some predictable spy thriller cliches.
November 29, 2022 - to be honest didn't think much of this one though there were moments and time was not wasted seeing it; but as such it is a painfully politically correct (PC) and rather hollow and predictable comedy slash drama, no major insights or revelations from this one or anything that useful really to take away.
November 18, 2022 - saw it today, interesting nontraditional dancing routines; there is not much of a plot, it is "psychological horror", but to be honest, didn't think much of the horror. It's hard to surprise me in the horror department, on the cinema screen and off it, also at times watching it felt a bit tedious but still an important movie, I think, and worth seeing at least once.
55. Nostalgia (2022)
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November 14, 2022, a strong Italian film maybe even a new entry (though a lesser one) in the great tradition of Italian film-making, something about coming to terms with the past and paying for it, beautifully shot and acted, and beautifully set in what looks like a real Napoli, though the idea that two teenage hoodlums would have strong feelings about their friendship, each other, what they did and didn't do, some 45 years later - after being out of contact for all of those - sounds far-fetched.
Certain scenes stay in the mind, and saw a Bialetti coffee cooker on several occasions and I have taken to use one a lot recently, so there you go, it kind of brought it closer to home.
Also, liked the tan sports coat the protagonist was wearing almost the entire movie, want.
54. Zero Fucks Given (2021)
Felt a low-budget movie about the life of a young female French flight attended with a small airline, worth checking out for a peak into the life of someone you will never be, but nothing too major or insightful.
53 Women on Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988, Almodovar)
Seen, November 3, 2022, at a small local cinema - it was fun, very intense Almodovar colors, no great laughs but still a funny little comedy; some takes, scenes and visuals caught attention, also montage sequences, short though they were
52. Dead for a Dollar (2022, Walter Hill)
It's nice to see a freshly-minted Western in this day and age and especially from Director Walter Hill, however it is a bit lame though watched with interest.
Also, not enough gun play or gun skills on display.
And too many nods to modern diversity culture or whatever it is, if you get my drift.
51. Decision To Leave (2022, Park Chan-wook)
A Korean neo-noir drama with elements of the police procedural, I think, it is beautifully shot, though pushing on three hours may be bit too much.
Practical Thing to learn from this movie?
Sun bathing can be done fully closed, in cold climates and increment
weathers, 30 min daily, for your daily dose of sun exposure, suppose to
help with all kinds of problems.
50. The Passengers of the Night (2022)
Seen in October 2022, a movie with Charlotte Gainsbourg, some French dysfunctional family movie in a nice middle-ish class way, nice, but I liked Charlotte better in Nymphoniac.
49. Crimes of the Future (2022, Cronenberg)
Enjoyed it for what it is, body horror but not too gross, though the message is pretty primitive, it's just another moralistic tale, but performances are not too bad, Viggo Mortensen acts ancient in this and maybe he actually is, the much-fapped-to-elsewhere Lea Seydoux is in it and does a bit of frontal nudity (or her body double does), nice visuals either way.
My in depth review of the movie I wrote elsewhere wherever that might be.
Lea Seydoux bares her body double and lies with a plastic eating Viggo Mortensen
Atmospherec, performances, all there in a Bladerunner kind of future but a moralistic tale with too much preaching in the end
Also a bit of surgery action for fans thereof. And some growths, including facial ones, benign or otherwise. Which is par for course since it is body horror, and
48. The Doors (1991, Oliver Stone)
September 5, 2022 - clearly a big director movie, other than that, nothing too impressive, nevertheless enjoyed for what it is, the sound could have been more powerful and there is a place for more Doors songs.
47. Nimphomaniac Part II (2013, Lars von Trier)
August 4, 2022 - enjoyed this one mainly for the visuals, and aside stories by the interviewer (whoever he is) who ends badly, denouement was predictable IMO.
46. Stealing Beauty (1996, Bertolucci)
July 13, 2022 - what I expected more or less, knowing it's a Bertolucci, though it's a quieter Bertolucci, still enjoyed it.
A Refn horror flick, well worth seeing, stylish looking but rather short on substance; also the main character changes her persona out of the blue, just like that - snaps fingers - and unconvincingly so. The three models look too much alike, so was at a loss who ate who or did what.
44. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997)
A well meaning German film, and even funny occasionally, also lots of cultural allusions I think, may well be worth a looksee. And it also qualifies as a road movie, and I do like road movies and sometimes even seek them out when at a loss what to watch.
43. Hiroshima mon amour (1959)
Said to be an important French film and a classic and it is but also felt more dated than, say, Breathless.
42. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Rubbish, somehow highly reviewed but still contrived rubbish and quite long too for as little sense as it makes, also unattractive leads, however Jamie Lee Curtis is in it, and that's a boon, even though failed to id during the movie.
41. Night on Earth (Jarmusch, 1991)
Nice portmanteau (?) movie but nothing much really, a typical art-house flic with no plot, no rhyme, no reason, but I like taxis so enjoyed this one, even though it's not about taxis per se
40. Drive My Car (2021)
March 31, 2022, a road film per description but not much of it was on the road, did get an eyeful of some rather ugly Saab model car in red, one that professors and directors were supposedly fond of driving.
However compared to modern car aesthetics, it almost looks beautiful.
It is a "life imitates art" kind of story of the life of a director producing Chekhov's Uncle Vanya in Japan with lots of Japanese characteristics, like perverse Japanese ladies fond of masturbating in strangers' houses, either for real or in fantasies. Maybe something to think about but not too subtle either. And felt a bit overdrawn.
39. Snowpiercer (2013)
I like train movies and it was a train movie. However it was also an apocalypse movie and I am not so much into apocalypse movies.
It was also a revolt movie where the less privileged passengers kept at the back of the train carrying the last of surviving humanity fight to to get to the front of the train to supplant the more privileged, and I am even less into revolt movies.
And the premise was not that original even if the combination of apocalypse movie tropes was different from what I had seen before.
But some performances were good and there were amusing incidents of action so not a waste of time.
38. C'mon C'mon (2021)
Feb 28, 2022. It's American but not Hollywood thus a different kind of cinema but didn't think much of it, to be honest, though actor performances are maybe good. Now about a week later, have difficulty writing anything about it at all.
37. Deception / Tromperie (2021, Arnaud Desplichin)
Feb 22, 2022 - Lea Seidoux is nice, the movie is not without its moments, it's an art house talking film mostly.
Yes, Léa Seydoux is there and gets to do a lot of what she had No Time to (Die) do opposite that other senior citizen in a recent release.
This time she has to fake an interest in an even older character but it's mainly a verbose thing even if you do get an eyeful of the female lead.
36. Detours / Обходные пути (2021)
Feb 14, 2022 -A slow walk through Moscow's outlying districts and a look at what may or may not be going on.
35. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992, Lynch)
Seen on Feb 8, 2022: watched with interest, but also a bit tedious towards the end. In the end was waiting for the end. But obviously a good film and clearly a David Lynch film.
34. Parallel Mothers (2021, Almodovar)
Feb 7 2022: A good Almodovar film - bold colors, beautiful women, a bit of LGTB action, and a message... conveying something. But not the strongest Almodovar movie even from amongst those 4 or 5 that I have seen but definitely worth seeing. There are not only two mothers who are parallel but also are two stories - a personal and a public one.
33. The King's Man (2021, somebody)
Jan 24, 2022, a rare garbage even by Hollywood's lowly standards, at times bordering on the despicable.
And completely fails as a comedy, of course.
32. Nightmare Alley (2021, Guillermo del Toro)
Jan 22, 2022, a proper noir film - actually a neo-noir as it is in color - complete with a femme fatale (often omitted in modern renditions of noir themes) with a proper film-noir ending but with an unusual setting in traveling carnival sideshows and "mentalism" numbers.
A bit tedious and uninspiring though, also visually dark and, I think, unattractive.
31. Licorice Pizza (2021, Anderson)
Not a typical Hollywood flick in a good way but still underwhelming, as far as I am concerned (Jan 13, 2022).
30. Black Box / Boîte noire (2021)
A French aviation thriller. Not too bad. A bit quiet and pedestrian, almost no physical action and you kind of anticipate the ending but can be watched at least once (seen: Jan 09, 2022).
29. In the Mood for Love, a 2000 Wong Kar-wai film.
Obviously, it's a great movie, especially in terms of cinematography and visuals in a claustrophobic interior setting and close-quarters filming as well as angles and door- and window framing etc., etc.; while the story is that of an unconsummated love which is a shame, really.
All they do together is eat.
28. Champion of the World, a 2021 Russian film about the 1978 World Championship Karpov-Korchnoi match
Not a very good movie, I am afraid and quite boring, and not much going for it in terms cinematography either.
Saw it on 16 December 2021 - very early, for some reason Russia was one of the two or three countries given an early release of the movie but didn't enjoy this one at all.
I don't even seem to recall a single attention catching episode, scene or even frame.
Lots of references to the original Matrix film and exposition once-overs but nothing in the way that made the original so great.
Cheap looking cgi, also almost exclusively dark in the real world to hide fake scenery, the story is pretty boring, fight choreography is lame or even non-existent, need I go on... oh yes there are no jaw-dropping chases either.
For completion's sake, one could still watch it probably but that's it.
26. A Glitch in the Matrix, a 2021 documentary
I watched it with some attention but it's not that good.
Ok, it gave a name to the theory that is the simulation theory but all it was is just a number of chopped up and re-combined interviews with some far-out science fiction writer (which was the most interesting), a suspect scientist and a number of youtubers or gamers or some such characters who were afraid to show their real selves, not to mention a psychopathic murderer who was also interviewed.
The guy who talked about synchronicity and coincidences maybe made the most sense.
As to the simulation theory I think we can discard it if only because that Elon Musk dude is in favor of it or pretends to be.
25. Vladivostok, a 2021 Russian Mosfilm film
On Dec 10, 2021: a noir story without much of noir style, full of missed opportunities, no decent soundtrack, watched with some interest but some onsets of boredom also, the protagonist's final action scene is a pastiche, a suicide by cop(s) ending apropos of nothing, totally unrealistic, could have been a much better movie but some nice views of Vladivostok nonetheless.
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Strawberry Margarita, Long Island, Snails, Coffee
Here is something from recent - a strawberry Margarita, a Long Island Ice Tea, coffee and some few snails, in dramatic lighting.
A meat is a meat no matter where it comes from, cow or cockroach
This, at Twin Pigs restaurant, Moscow.
Sunday, March 5, 2023
The Burglars (1971) Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif
Today's movie.
A 1970s euro caper movie with the late greats Belmondo and Omar Sharif, famous for its car chase and a Belmondo jump down some earthworks.
Set in Greece, with lots of sunshine, out of season, not that much action.
Saturday, March 4, 2023
Quick photography: Pigeon in Winter
Here is a winter pigeon.
Just a wink. Must not sleep, might freeze to death.
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