I haven't been posting here for the longest time, because I barely manage the time to watch movies any more. Thanks to my sticking to a 9.30PM bedtime, I was getting just about an hour free in the evenings. And I hate watching movies piecemeal, so as hard as it was for me, I just stopped watching movies. I've started taking a half-day break once a week, on a random weekday, so I managed to catch up a bit with my lists.
Here are the Movies I enjoyed very much over the last month:
State and Main (2000)
I didn't know this movie even existed until I saw it mentioned by someone I knew, on the Internet. This is among my favorite movies now. Very good cast (and production team), and a heartwarming story wrapped in very nice humor and movie-making in-jokes. And a special (Audiophool) mention that it stars Rebecca Pidgeon (I think she features in all of David Mamet's movies, being his wife). [Side note: This movie would do really well in the current Malayalam Indie Movie style: Predatory movie crew descends on a sleepy backroads village filled with very colorful village characters. The possibilities of what they could really do with this idea!]
Upgrade (2018)
This is not a very unique story. We've seen it play out many times, and in many ways, including part of the movie's concept in a superhero movie featuring Logan-Marshall Greene's virtual twin. But the execution is very, very enjoyable.
Black Rain (1989)
Slick Cop Thriller by Ridley Scott, with cinematography that calls back to Blade Runner.
The Outfit (2022)
Excellent Crime Drama that plays out in a room/building. Very Hitchcock-esque.
One False Move (1992)
Another crime drama, with very well written characters. The hillbilly Sheriff played by Bill Paxton and the uh, intellectually lacking villain played by Billy Bob Thornton (he also co-wrote the screenplay), and the rest of the main cast are quite memorable. A lot of the dialogue in this movie would trigger the politically correct crowd (but without it, the characters would be empty shells).
Clean (2021)
This might be a controversial pick. This movie may not be quite to everyone's taste, but I quite liked it. It takes a while to get to its point, but that time is spent with Adrien Brody slowly showing us what his character is. Again, the story is nothing new. It's the way it plays out, and the way in which Adrien Brody plays the main character that makes the movie what it is (at least for me).
Lamb (2021)
This had been waiting for the longest time in my to-watch list, and when it randomly showed up in my Mubi, I decided to watch it right then, without just adding it to the Mubi watchlist. This is one of those movies that can't quite be described, but need to be experienced. And that experience will likely stay with you for a while. It is also best watched without knowing anything about it.
Darkland (aka Underverden, 2017)
I was very impressed with what Dar Salim did in The Covenant (2023). I looked him up, and found this movie. This is a revenge thriller that follows the typical beats of the genre, but Dar Salim makes it his own with this character. I like dark movies very much and this ticks that box in spades.
Other movies that I watched and liked:
The Covenant (2023) [Dar Salim and Jake Gyllenhall shine in a very un-Guy-Ritchie-like Guy Ritchie Movie].
Sisu (2023) [The action was a bit too over the top for my taste after the first half, but the movie was very enjoyable nonetheless]
Air (2023) [Matt Damon does a Caroll Shelby again, but in a sports movie. Excellent movie.]
AKA (2023) [Surprisingly good for what I thought would be a generic Netflix movie].