Tyrannosaur
everything in this movie is ugly. "tyrannosaur" is a pet name of grotesque affection. reminds me of that short story where a man finds a rotting horse in the middle of the road. he pours gasoline on it and sets it aflame before going to bed, so he can see what it looks like when he wakes up. i imagine both are commenting along the lines of the contrast ugly provides being a necessity for beauty to exist. the short story is better. in plot, this movie is like a failed paul thomas anderson character sketch. the main character is boring and there are movies much cooler at being ugly.
the bad guy is abhorrent. like, truly abhorrent. he's an extremely unenjoyable aspect of the film. i have a take on his role in things. there's the lady who remains capable of love after enduring so much abuse but with a face no one but an old, dried-up alcoholic would kiss kinda ugly. he's a different kind of ugly.
The Great Beauty
opening scene is top notch. love how it feels so surreal, and then slowly reveals. on many levels. good movie. pretentious. if paul thomas anderson had been raised italian and discovered lsd late in life. i've seen this guy's other film, This Must Be the Place, liked it and was surprised by my reaction, but apparently did not post about it on any message board and don't remember much more.
thank you paul for serving as the gold standard for this post.