What are the best films you have seen this year? Why did you like them so much?

I just saw call me by your name and it is pretty beautiful

I saw Cuarón's Roma yesterday.
A mesmerizing, strong, beautiful film.

The picture depicts the life of a live-in maid in Mexico City's middle-class Roma neighborhood in the early 70s. And the life of the family she works for (it's Cuarón's personal memories; he is the small boy).

You smile, you cry (I did, twice) and you are left deeply touched by the film. A universal story about life's ups and downs.

I must add that it an almost perfect rendition of Mexico in the early 70s. It is like if Cuarón actually travelled in time. It depicts very well middle-class life at the time, and of the strange relationship that existed then between the families and the maids that became part of the family (and didn't).
It brought me personal memories. In the first scene, there is water pouring over some tiles. The film is on black & white, but I knew what the colors of the tiles were, for the garage floor was exactly like the one in my house... and my dad had the same trouble parking his big car in the narrow garage as Cuaron's father did. And the staircase, and even the chairs in the dining room were so similar!

The film also tells a lot about the political climate those years... and a protest march I discussed with my friend and decided not to go to when I was 17.

Roma will be on Netflix by 14-December, but if you can, I'd recommend to go to the theatre instead, because of the incredible dolby sound effects.

I saw the film in a small movie house about 3 short blocks away from where the film takes place. As my daughter and I left the cinema, the neighborhood struck us so much!

Thank you so much for the lovely description of Roma. I’m excited for Dec14!

Did anybody else like 'The Lobster"?

Very odd movie with a deeply buried message. I saw it again yesterday for the second time. This time I finally 'got it'. Or maybe I'm just dense. Or odd.

That’s so funny. I just watched The Lobster last night.

Actually I watched half one night, half the next. The magic of streaming.

Yes, I very much enjoyed it. I mused on the ending for quite some time.

I also enjoyed its quirkinesses, which was quite humorous.

During the movie, it made me consider what was really important in a relationship, and how we demand so much of them.

In today’s society, we seem to demand our partner to fulfill all things at all times.

I don’t think we know what we want, and thus act like spoiled children where no matter how much they are given it’s not enough, as we don’t know the relative value of anything.

Yeah, all that, you got it.

It really hit the attitudes we let ourselves fall into, the crazy psychological drive that we must never be without a partner, the idea that life ends if we are without one, that it is a must that we have something in common with those we are attracted to, even if it means we have to give up a part of ourselves in order to be like them.

You know, like real life.

Oh, the ending, you think he did or not?
I thought that leaving it like that was also much like life.

I want a sequel.

Not sure, but I think self preservation is apt to win out.

I don’t want a sequel. I think best left as is.

Real life doesn’t tie things up in a neat little package.

But, that’s what people (including me if it’s handed to me) want. All loose ends tucked away.....and they lived happily ever after.

Like in No Country For Old Men. Many people didn’t like the end because “so what happened then?” Or “what does that mean?”

I’m no expert, I just have my opinions. When the screen went blank on Tommie Lee Jones sitting there, it was like, yep that’s what time does, just moves on to the next increment. Increment in our human understanding that is.

Back to The Lobster, I really wonder what the Heartless Woman became.

Spoiler Alert. I was thinking even if she was turned into something as seemingly helpless as a silverfish. It could still crawl into your ear and give you a brain infection. She was Heartless after all.

anyone see "The Ballad of Buster SCruggs", its the latest from the Coens. It was a Netflix and theater release

Oh yeah!

Odd, humorous, poignant, some surprises....The one about the wagon train got me right here....

no doubting the arc of the stories. Except for that last one. Were they all already dead??

Yeah, probably would in that extreme. So how long do you think she sat at that table The heartless woman? Maybe a gnat.

Ddin't want a 'Hollywood' sequel, just one that went even further into the same aspects of society.

Speaking of Hollywood endings, I go years between seeing what I think are remarkable movies but just saw a second within a few days.

"Mr. Nobody" was surprisingly good, spoiled only slightly by a Hollywood ending scene. A little disturbing because the mentally ill woman was too much like my ex wife and I wasn't as strong as her husband.

@farmer
'Ballad of Buster Scruggs' was worth a watch too. The Coen bros. movies are reliable entertainment, with a bit of heart.

Yeah I think so.

Man that trapper could put a talkin’ on ya, couldn’t he?

yes indeed

I reccommend THE GREEN BOOK. Viggo gained a bit a weight

Heh, it says he gained the weight for the role. I just watched the trailer. Oh Aragorn, what happened?

Related note, Colin Farrell packed on 40 lbs for The Lobster.

While the extra weight makes Viggo look like a tough guy gone to seed, it made Colin look like a lumpy potato.

that was his role and he did it well.

Just saw a trailer for that. Looked interesting

The trailer for Green Book is pretty schlocky and far more Oscar baity (in a bad way). But the actual movie itself is really strong, nuanced, and worthy of watching.

There is a stink from the Dr. Don Shirley estate on some of the changes (regarding the two lead characters and what may or may not have happened and their respective motivations ... shorthand for Hollywood making the story streamlined for storytelling sake).

It ultimately has a lot of heart and is quite funny as well.

streamed alpha, mor like a docu,mentary . I actually enjoyed it. When cgi enhances the story of the movie (like Jungle Book), its a valuable tool. When its just done to parade out newest CGI tricks and what its capable of doing, Im leaving the theater. One of the reason I am not a SUperhero fan. Maybe the old Spiderman series, but most of them get really booring parading out the panels. I get a kick over the credits when the entire movie team would fill Beaver Stadium.

I went to see the movie 'Aquaman' on Christmas day. This was clearly the best movie I've seen in 2018. I can't speak for other theaters, but at the theater I was in, the viewing audience gave the movie of standing ovation at the end. That is something I've very rarely seen.