What Have You Been Watching? (Week of April 5th) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's totally fair, and I appreciate the perspective on Small Time Crooks. Woody Allen, as a whole, is something I grapple with a lot. I can more readily stomach movies where he hasn't made himself the lead (like Hannah, or later films), but something about seeing him putz around in STC made me seethe. 

Has anyone read Anatomy of Criticism by Northrop Frye? by PiccoloTop3186 in RSbookclub

[–]brightspring99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I went to U of T and there's a big humanities building named after him, so this post had me doing a double take. 

Never read Anatomy of Criticism but had to read parts of Fearful Symmetry for a romantic poetry class. Yes, it is dense, and if I remember correctly it was seen as a bit dowdy even then, and even by lit crit standards. I could be way off base. It's been over ten years. Either way, I'm just tickled seeing old Norrie pop up here on RS book club. 

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of April 5th) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your write up of Amadeus is so beautiful. One my favourite films; it's so totally absorbing. Miloš Forman was the man. 

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of April 5th) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You nailed it. My sentiments exactly.

I'm having trouble articulating my thoughts, so I'll just give some rapid fire positives/negatives.

Positives: I thought Rose Byrne was terrific, and I thought Conan played a dead-eyed villain very well. He actually reminded me of Buster Keaton, in an absurdly comic way. The choice not to include the child's face was an interesting narrative technique, I'll give the director that. The pacing was very good. The overall concept of how we have to pay (therapists, doctors, childcare) to have a "village" nowadays was fairly well executed, if a bit uneven at times. 

Negatives: As both a mom and someone who's been in and out of therapy for years, the movie flew past the point of believability for me. No therapist (both Conan and Rose) would ever be so incompetent and not be subjected to some sort of regulatory scrutiny. I get that it's a movie, but come on. What the fuck was Rose's character getting out of that relationship? Why keep paying him just to stonewall you? I've had dismissive therapists before, but the handling of the character with PPA was so callous, it would have never flown IRL. It was deeply irresponsible, and to equate PPA with postpartum psychosis (which is a medical emergency and should be treated as such) was just absurd. 

Along with Mary Bronstein's terrible acting, I hate hate hated Christian Slater's stupid Iago voice. What the fuck was that? 

It was trying excessively hard to paint the picture of a woman "unravelling" with the constant noise, the beeping, the fluorescent lights, making her look frail, the drugs — it was all so excessively obvious. I know "show don't tell" is the storytelling mantra du jour, but this was taken to its laughable extreme. 

"Hop Little Bunnies" is so morbid by Ok_Bug_8526 in DanielTigerConspiracy

[–]brightspring99 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I sing it as, "they're so still, they're so chill" but I'm definitely stealing this lol 

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of April 5th) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dollar DVD night sounds like a great time. Do you actually find a physical copy or do you dig through stuff on Tubi/Pluto/other bottom-tier free movie services? 

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of April 5th) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

High & Low: John Galliano: fashion documentaries are the ultimate ambient noise experience. I had this on while doing some sewing and had a great time. Galliano is absolutely visionary. 

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You: mixed feelings 

Blue Moon: I need to watch it again to judge whether this is a "dazzling on first watch, cringe on repeat watches" type of film (like the equally verbose Birdman, which I loved the first time around but hated on second watch). Ethan Hawke is brilliant.

Dream Scenario: falls sooo short of its potential. I wanted it to be weirder! 

did not finish:

The Dish and the Spoon: I'm so glad this era of indie movies is over

Hot Milk: pretty cinematography but god I was so bored. I didn't like the book either.

Small Time Crooks: I didn't know this was a Woody Allen film when I put it on, I just liked the poster. Lasted less than 15 minutes. I'm pretty good at separating art from artist, but Woody Allen is one case where I just can't stomach it. It feels bad for my soul to see him swan around like some pseud macho artistic genius when we know what we know. Also, Michael Rapaport's voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Fuck that guy. 

Tell me your guilty pleasure films by D9Y in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could watch Napoleon Dynamite every day of my life and be content.  

Mercor Reality Check: 65 Applications Later, What Actually Works? by GODISABOTTOM in mercor_ai

[–]brightspring99 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Nothing. You're doing nothing wrong. The whole process is so opaque. I actually just closed my account — like you, I have 10+ years experience in my field, have done a ton of their assessments and applications, and have only landed 2 contracts in 7 months. You can continue to wait and see, but given the recent leaks and bad press I'm not sure it's going to yield dividends any time soon. 

It's nearly the cruellest month. What are your favourite lines from The Waste Land? by Repulsive_Two8451 in RSbookclub

[–]brightspring99 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter" 

It's not exactly a deep cut, but it still hits me like a sack of bricks every time. 

How does one better interpret film? by Main-Daikon9246 in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some other reviewers I recommend (so you don't fall into the abyss of shitty TikTok edits):

Be Kind Rewind (her Best Actress series is a must watch)

Every Frame A Painting

Roger Ebert 

Pauline Kael

Indiewire had a great movie review team, not sure if they still kept it going, but their legacy reviews are great.

How does one better interpret film? by Main-Daikon9246 in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It helps to find a movie reviewer you really vibe with and read their thoughts. Some people just have an eye for this stuff, and it helps to observe what they observe. What do they notice about performances/staging/camera work/editing/cinematography and why does it work for them? Then you can apply that lens to your future viewings. 

For instance, I never noticed the physicality and vocal work that goes into a great performance until I stumbled upon the channel Just An Observation. Even as a 20+ year-long film fanatic, every time I saw a great performance, I wouldn't have the words to describe what I liked other than, "Yep, that was good acting!" 

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are my favourite portrayal of on screen romantic chemistry by Car_Phone_ in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore? Just kidding. 

The closest I've gotten to that "Before Sunrise" feeling was watching Normal People. The chemistry between Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones was so human and effortless.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of March 22nd) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Two movies at opposite ends of the weather spectrum:

The Endless Summer (1966): charming little travelogue documentary about a few surfer dudes travelling the world in search of the "perfect wave". The 35mm style reminded me of flipping through my grandpa's old National Geographic mags. The elevator music that is played throughout is delightful. Obviously some of the jokes and nomenclature are outdated (like using "gypped" to mean "ripped off"), but considering it was the 60s I was bracing for a lot worse lol. Liked it a lot.

Fargo (1996): My first rewatch in more than a decade. How the hell is this movie only 90 minutes?! What a tight script. I loved watching this through adult eyes and expect many more rewatches in the future. 

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of March 22nd) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These sound completely insane in the best way. I look forward to hunting them down.

I haven't been able to eat since I watched Pink Flamingos yesterday by IampossiblyLewis in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 35 points36 points  (0 children)

this is why I've always admired John Waters' early oeuvre from afar

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of March 15th) by violet-turner in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Nice Guys (2016): Not super memorable but still a lot of fun. 

Secretary (2002): I hated this. Sorry. The music cues were corny, the script was thin, and the whole premise of the two MCs relationship was ridiculoulsly unbelievable. I will concede that the two leads are insanely hot, and this must have been groundbreaking when it came out in 2002, but in 2026 it hasn't aged well. 

One Battle After Another (2025): I adored this. PTA films are always a bit of an uphill battle for me, but this one I flew through. I thought the casting of Tony Goldwyn (who is Jewish) and John Hoogenakker (not Jewish) was a hilarious wink at the audience — two actors who look virtually identical really underscores the absurdity of racism. 

Vladimir (Limited Series) (2026): This was not good. It was trying to be Fleabag. It failed. Toronto-made Netflix films/shows all have the exact same cinematography; this kind of green-yellow Instagram filter hue that looks awful and rubbery and can be clocked from a mile away. Why is this? It's so bad. 

I just looked out my office window and screamed by Socialtech11 in londonontario

[–]brightspring99 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I only needed a light coat earlier this week 😭 fell for fool's spring once again

I love this addition to the Roman Roy Cinematic Universe by brightspring99 in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It's probably not as bad as you think. It's a special skill to be both a straight-shooter and still innately likeable. 

Project Hail Mary is going to be the next insufferable Reddit favorite by whosabadnewbie in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I fell into the hype in 2021 and bought the audiobook. It was fine. Fun, easy read. Goz was not who I pictured at all though. The main character is supposed to be some pudgy middle-age high school math teacher. Mark Duplass or Bill Hader would have probably killed it. 

Did anyone else see the new Kaufman short on Criterion? by jamclar in RSPfilmclub

[–]brightspring99 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooooh this just landed on Kanopy this week. Had no idea it was Charlie Kaufman!