Yeah I know. There's a few of the classic directors that have slipped by me. I tend to forget about them when I think of what to watch. Maybe 2024 can be my Kurosawa and Bergmann year.

Thanks. A revival cinema here did a Bergman season at the end of last year but work and other things got in the way of me seeing anything which was annoying. Would have been great on the big screen

ShabbyMcCrabby wrote:

Thanks. A revival cinema here did a Bergman season at the end of last year but work and other things got in the way of me seeing anything which was annoying. Would have been great on the big screen

Re Kurosawa - 

Seven Samuari - remade as the Magnificent Seven
Yojimbo - remade as A Fistful of Dollars
Hidden Fortress - influenced Star Wars.

I need to start compiling a "to watch" list.

davyK wrote:

I need to start compiling a "to watch" list.

I've got one for particular directors from Asian cinema.  Haven't really made much deadway into it!

6. I Think We’re Alone Now - wonderful little indie film about a man going about his business after the end of the world. Very grounded and great performances. Only let down by the third act that wasn’t needed [7]

I’m tempted to watch Morbius to see just how bad it is, but I know I’d only hate myself afterwards.

Morbius is the type of bad to avoid. There's nothing fun bad about it.

Carnage is more watchable

LivDiv wrote:

Carnage is more watchable

Damn. I haven't seen Morbius but Carnage is dreadful so that says a lot.

4. Sisu
A bit of an odd one, I knew in advance it would be an OTT effort and figured the film knows exactly what it is but even with that in mind I still found it to be just too daft overall. The gore is on the silly end of the scale whilst the film does seem to want to be more serious at times so it doesn't really work. There are some great set pieces and a good streak of dark humour throughout, bonus for sticking to 90 mins but the whole thing is just too thin and not quite clever or inventive enough to stand out. [4]

5. Happening
A young woman in 60s France hoping to get into university discovers she's pregnant at a time when abortions are illegal. This is such a tight, intimate film as we follow this journey - not ready to be a mother yet faced with a society that limits women's options, she desperately searches for options and considers extreme measures. It's brilliantly shot, the camera either sitting almost on her shoulder or in close up to maintain that intimacy. It also doesn't shy away from the nature situation, the difficulties faced and the impact on women's lives and bodies. A superb central performance is the key and does all the other elements justice and then some. A sometimes difficult but ultimately rewarding watch. [9]

No wooden Wahlbergs in 60s France thankfully.

3. Barbie
Not as good as I'd hoped, but not as bad as I feared. Both leads are superb and the film leans so enthusiastically into the weirdness of the whole concept that it's hard not to have fun watching if you just let it happen. It's a lot stranger than I expected and despite the obviously intentional mixture of clever jokes for the adults about the patriarchy and subtle as a bag of exploding hammers jokes for the tweens about the patriarchy, it mostly lands all of them through pure enthusiasm. 7

Dark Soldier wrote:

Saltburn

Koeghan is phenomenal, as expected, but so is the whole cast. Wonderfully dark comedic atmosphere until the last 20 minutes where it just rushes to a shitty conclusion. Exemplary up til that point.

It does feel a bit rushed at the end. But I loved the film.

Missing wasn't quite as good as Searching, but still pretty enjoyable. Odd there haven't been more films of that ilk given it obviously works, but I'm sure the novelty would wear off. Still, if you haven't watched then, watch them.