Post by: Gerrick on December 18, 2016, 09:35:06 PM
Just got back from the movie theatre and watching Rogue One.
Damn good movie. Story was great and leads up to the beginning of A New Hope. Several scenes make you actually worry about the characters' lives, despite having only known them for one movie, rather than three. The battle scenes are intense, and that final scene was top. There are several little references to the other movies, which is kinda cool if you notice them. The actually funny comic relief comes in the form of both K2, a sarcastic reprogrammed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk, as well as the duo of a blind warrior-monk and his gruff mercenary partner.
My only critique of the movie is
Spoiler
the CG faces of Grand Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia. I don't know how else they could've included these characters in the movie as the former's actor died and the latter's looks much older, but the CG is noticeable and looks out of place. Don't get me wrong, it's very good for a CG face, but it still takes you out of it a little.
Overall, a very successful Star Wars movie, especially since we've come used to epic trilogies. Really hope we get more non-main story, standalone movies like this.
I rate Rogue One: Excellent, 9/10, and I highly recommend it.
Post by: taulover on December 18, 2016, 10:38:22 PM
R1 spoilers I read in Gerrick's review
I didn't know that Leia or Tarkin would be in the movie. (Especially Leia.)
Post by: Gerrick on December 19, 2016, 12:04:16 AM
Is that a spoiler?
The movie leads up to A New Hope, so obviously they'd be in the movie. I mean, Leia is just a cameo at the very end as she's in the very first scene of A New Hope, and Tarkin is like one of the main protagonists.
Post by: taulover on December 19, 2016, 12:36:41 AM
Yes it is.
The given synopsis is that the movie is about stealing the Death Star plans. Until I read your review, I was unaware how close it would connect to ANH. (I have read speculation of Tarkin's appearance in the film, and someone claimed to see the Tantive IV [Leia's corvette] in a recent TV spot, but that's about it.)
Post by: Gerrick on December 19, 2016, 12:46:25 AM
Post by: taulover on December 19, 2016, 04:17:54 AM
Hmm, fair enough. Suppose I took that info for granted as I didn't really pay attention to anything like that going into it. Ironic that I said no spoilers in the OP then went right into accidentally posting spoilers. :P'Tis a fine line between synopsis and spoilers... and I suppose different people will also draw the line differently. :)
Post by: BraveSirRobin on December 19, 2016, 05:27:06 AM
Post by: Mathyland on December 19, 2016, 01:47:41 PM
I generally enjoy movies with time travel or space. Some of my favorites are: Interstellar, the Martian, and Gravity.
Post by: BraveSirRobin on December 19, 2016, 02:47:41 PM
I haven't seen all that much star wars, but I might watch it eventually.Not seeing Star Wars is not having lived, Mathy!! 10/10 series. Especially Episode 5. BEST. MOVIE. EVER.
I generally enjoy movies with time travel or space. Some of my favorites are: Interstellar, the Martian, and Gravity.
Post by: Weissreich on December 19, 2016, 03:56:21 PM
Post by: taulover on December 19, 2016, 06:30:04 PM
If you're watching the Original Trilogy, be sure to watch the Despecialized Editions! What George Lucas did with the Special Editions (the only officially available high-quality versions) is a travesty.I haven't seen all that much star wars, but I might watch it eventually.Not seeing Star Wars is not having lived, Mathy!! 10/10 series. Especially Episode 5. BEST. MOVIE. EVER.
I generally enjoy movies with time travel or space. Some of my favorites are: Interstellar, the Martian, and Gravity.
Post by: Mathyland on December 19, 2016, 09:22:10 PM
Post by: taulover on December 19, 2016, 10:04:39 PM
I've watched episodes 1-4 with a friend, and we haven't continued yet. He had me watch episodes 1-3 first, so episode 4 seemed to look bad in comparison.Oh, dear.
Who in the right mind introduces people to Star Wars with the prequels?
Post by: Mathyland on December 19, 2016, 10:13:33 PM
My friend, appearantly.I've watched episodes 1-4 with a friend, and we haven't continued yet. He had me watch episodes 1-3 first, so episode 4 seemed to look bad in comparison.Oh, dear.
Who in the right mind introduces people to Star Wars with the prequels?
Post by: taulover on December 19, 2016, 10:53:24 PM
I assume you already knew the Big Episode Five Spoiler, going into the series? Can make sense to start with the Prequels, if that's the case.
Post by: Mathyland on December 19, 2016, 11:37:44 PM
Post by: Gerrick on December 20, 2016, 12:46:52 AM
And don't kill me, but when I rewatched the original trilogy a few years ago, I thought the Empire Strikes Back was the least good of the three. Nothing really that huge happens. I mean of course the Vader reveal and the battle of Hoth, but the rest wasn't the best movie ever. Also, doesn't really match up to the destruction of the Death Star or the beginning of the fall of the empire. Feel free to correct me, though. I want to see the light!
Gonna watch the new-ish Jason Bourne movie, if anyone's seen it? I'm a massive fan of the franchise and have read all of the books in the series. Cannae wait.I really wanted to see the new one, too, but my wife thinks they're boring. :( I think I'll get around to watching it by myself or bargain by watching something she wants to watch. Just can't match Matt Damon beating someone to death with a goddamn book.
Post by: taulover on December 20, 2016, 02:21:12 AM
And don't kill me, but when I rewatched the original trilogy a few years ago, I thought the Empire Strikes Back was the least good of the three. Nothing really that huge happens. I mean of course the Vader reveal and the battle of Hoth, but the rest wasn't the best movie ever. Also, doesn't really match up to the destruction of the Death Star or the beginning of the fall of the empire. Feel free to correct me, though. I want to see the light!I've often heard people say that Empire Strikes Back is the best film in Star Wars, but that Star Wars (1977) is the best Star Wars movie.
Turn away Mathy, there's ESB spoilers in here (I don't care Gerrick I'm still spoiler-tagging this anyway :P)
In Episode IV, we have an awesome victory by the forces of Good over Evil. Everyone is happy, Luke is accepted into a new home, etc.
Empire changes that completely. We see that the Empire really is powerful and the Rebellion is only a fledgling resistance fighting in the face of an unbeatable power. We learn about the nature of the Force (which, before ESB, we've only known in very abstract terms) through Yoda, and are confronted with a more nuanced version of good and evil. Through Obi-Wan's lies to Luke, we're also left with quite a bit of moral ambiguity. Vader is no longer a generic bad guy, but fleshed out as a truly evil monster, yet he is also closer to our heroes than ever before.
If you've read ASOIAF, it's like A Feast For Crows: Not the most action-y, but perhaps the most thematically powerful.
Also, here's a pretty good analysis of the "I am your father" line and context/effects of it (if you're reading this anyway Mathy, there's spoilers from all seven main films in this one):
Empire changes that completely. We see that the Empire really is powerful and the Rebellion is only a fledgling resistance fighting in the face of an unbeatable power. We learn about the nature of the Force (which, before ESB, we've only known in very abstract terms) through Yoda, and are confronted with a more nuanced version of good and evil. Through Obi-Wan's lies to Luke, we're also left with quite a bit of moral ambiguity. Vader is no longer a generic bad guy, but fleshed out as a truly evil monster, yet he is also closer to our heroes than ever before.
If you've read ASOIAF, it's like A Feast For Crows: Not the most action-y, but perhaps the most thematically powerful.
Also, here's a pretty good analysis of the "I am your father" line and context/effects of it (if you're reading this anyway Mathy, there's spoilers from all seven main films in this one):
Post by: Gerrick on December 20, 2016, 02:59:21 AM
Post by: taulover on December 20, 2016, 04:50:56 AM
Alright, so the writing is better than in A New Hope and thematically it's integral to the story even if "grand scale" scenes don't occur, but is ESP better than Return of the Jedi (my personal favorite)?I mean, they're all great films, and it's all subjective, but out of the three, ROTJ is generally perceived as the weakest. It's still awesome, but people think it's just not as good, and here's why I think they think that.
In terms of writing and direction, Lucas had the least to do with ESB, and it shows. He has brilliant creative genius, but he really needs to be reigned in. (Surrounding himself with yes-men is, after all, what led to the experimental yet rather disappointing prequels.) With ANH, the major factor was the newness of the film and budget limitations. And despite Star Wars' success, Lucas did not write Empire's screenplay or direct it. Kershner's direction of ESB is in particular heavily lauded, especially his ability to set scenes.
On the other hand, ROTJ was co-written by Lucas, and he helped Marquand with the directing. Don't get me wrong, the screenplay is still wonderful, and does a fantastic job of tying everything together, but some scenes seem just awkward, and almost seem like a precursor to what we'd see in the prequels. As the Plinkett reviews note, it juggles way more plotlines than ANH or ESB, particularly toward its end, and there's way more filler. And of course, there's the Ewoks, which people either seem to love or hate.
As for why people like ESB over ROTJ, I think it's because the story is much more perilous at that point. As a second act of a three-part play, we're at an emotional high point. And there's also the opinion that Jedi feels a bit more derivative, while Empire seems to achieve a lot more, especially in terms of worldbuilding.
And I don't really think the "fewer grand scale scenes" thing is really accurate. They're just different, and overall show the Empire succeeding a lot more. But yeah, the more nuanced parts are definitely more integral to the story than, say, ANH.
Post by: Gerrick on December 20, 2016, 08:50:39 PM
Post by: taulover on December 20, 2016, 11:53:02 PM
Well put. The video was quite interesting as well. I just might have to go back and rewatch the whole series with that in mind, especially after seeing Rogue 1. Darn. :PThe history of Star Wars is very interesting, IMO. The video does have one error, though: the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye wasn't meant to expand beyond technical limitations, but rather provide the basis for a cheaper sequel had Star Wars been less successful. He is semi-accurate about that goal for the EU as a whole though.
Post by: taulover on December 25, 2016, 12:07:44 AM
Rogue One spoilers
Vader fucking badass, man. And his double-pun dad joke while choking Krennic...
Minor "Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel" spoilers
Now that I've watched the film, I recommend Catalyst even more. It really expands on the Tarkin-Krennic power dynamic, and helps explain Krennic's ideas and motivations. If you're looking for more Jyn, though, you're out of luck; she's only a baby in the book.
Oh, and I almost forgot: If you're interested in Star Wars history, I suggest watching the 2004 documentary Empire of Dreams (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Dreams). (Streaming sources should be really easy to find.)Well put. The video was quite interesting as well. I just might have to go back and rewatch the whole series with that in mind, especially after seeing Rogue 1. Darn. :PThe history of Star Wars is very interesting, IMO. The video does have one error, though: the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye wasn't meant to expand beyond technical limitations, but rather provide the basis for a cheaper sequel had Star Wars been less successful. He is semi-accurate about that goal for the EU as a whole though.
Post by: Michi on December 30, 2016, 03:02:07 AM
Overall, I'm glad I watched it. I feel like it was completely overshadowed and undermarketed.
Post by: Michi on December 30, 2016, 05:42:13 AM
That's not to say I don't enjoy his most recent works, as I did enjoy Sweeney Todd, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Alice in Wonderland (haven't seen the sequel), but there's just a certain...feel to those films where you know right away who the director is. Whether it's the opening sequence (Sweeney Todd, CatCF), the unusual take on source material (Alice in Wonderland, CatCF, ), the appearance of Danny Elfman as the composer (technically he's been in far more...but you always know right away that it's him in a TB film), as well as the familiar gothic vibe (pretty much most of TB's work)...you tend to know within seconds that it's a Tim Burton directed film.
This one was different. It was actually quite refreshing to see something different from him for once. I admit that when I first saw his name attached, I was a little terrified that it was going to follow his same styles that he always go for, so I was actually pleasantly surprised with the result.
Post by: Gerrick on January 01, 2017, 06:18:38 AM
Some movies I've watched in the past couple weeks:
Nocturnal Animals (2016): Excellent, 9/10
Very emotionally packed drama/thriller about a story within a story. Amy Adams plays Susan, an art gallery owner who ended up being more like her mother than she wanted and who reads a book manuscript titled Nocturnal Animals, which was written and sent from her ex-husband, Edward. Jake Gyllenhaal plays both Edward and Tony, the protagonist of the book. The book is a classic revenge story, where a vacation with Tony and his wife and daughter goes incredibly wrong. The two stories are supposed to mirror each other and show Edward's feelings on their divorce. Can't really say much else without spoiling it, but it's very raw, dark, and just plain good. Highly recommend it.
The Lobster (2015): Excellent, 9/10
If you're into deadpan humor, you'll love this. Part dystopian fiction, part serious/dark comedy, part social commentary on marriage/relationships, the Lobster is set in a future where everyone must be married, otherwise they're forced to stay at a hotel where they have 45 days to find a new mate or else be transformed into an animal of their choice. A group of "Loners" live as outcasts in the woods, however, where they reject forced relationships but must have no intimate contact and live in constant alarm as they are hunted by the residents of the aforementioned hotel. Colin Farrell expertly plays David, an awkward divorcee who tries to find love (or settle for less) given the bizarre circumstance. The impressive supporting cast includes Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, Lea Seydoux, and Ben Whishaw. Would highly recommend this movie.
Trainspotting (1996): Very Good, 8/10
This one's supposed to be an iconic 90s movie, and I feel like if I'd watched it sooner, then I'd have liked it more for that reason. As a film, though, it still held its own very well - very dark in one moment, yet light the next, and thrilling after that. Full of drama, comedy, and action, Trainspotting covered all of its bases -- and great acting to boot. I'd recommend this movie. Hear there's supposed to be a sequel soon. Hopefully it holds up to the critically acclaimed original.
Bad Santa 2 (2016): Good, 7/10
As a big fan of the original Bad Santa, this was about as good as expected. Billy Bob Thornton was great again as the selfish, potty-mouthed, alcoholic Willie. Feels like he just picked right back up from the last movie, even though it's been over 10 years. Everyone else was just alright, though. The mom (Kathy Bates) and the security guard lady tried too hard; the kid, Thurman Merman, was somehow portrayed as being even stupider and less self-aware than as a child; and you could kinda tell that Tony Cox (Marcus) wasn't into it as much as he was in the original. Christina Hendricks was great, though. :P Overall, if you loved the original, you'll like this one -- otherwise, just skip it.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005): OK, 6/10
I thought the book was pretty good, but the movie was just OK. It had a lot of good actors and I chuckled at a couple parts, but it was a little over the top, which you'd figure is hard to do given the book. Also, the plot didn't really exactly follow the book (I think it borrowed some from the sequels, but I wouldn't know) and the characters were a little different, which is strange considering how easily they could've just directly translated it. Either way, it was alright.
Post by: Mathyland on January 04, 2017, 05:00:11 PM
Post by: Mathyland on January 06, 2017, 09:29:43 PM
Post by: PB on January 27, 2017, 12:20:54 AM
I've now watched Princess Mononoke, and I would recommend it highly. I'm not good at reviewing movies and what's good about them, but it's really good. It's a Japanese animation movie made 20 years ago. If you didn't know how old it is, you would think it's a new release. I watched it with subtitles, but I've heard the dub is great. Reading subtitles and watching is a little annoying.
Quite possibly one of the best cultural tokens to come out of Japan EVER.
Post by: Gerrick on March 29, 2017, 02:38:42 PM
Excellent, 9/10, Highly Recommended
Life (2017)
Logan (2017)
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
A Knight's Tale (2001)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Very Good, 8/10, Recommended
Get Out (2017)
Arrival (2016)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Hell or High Water (2016)
La La Land (2016)
Live by Night (2016)
Passengers (2016)
Silence (2016)
Split (2016)
The Girl on the Train (2016)
The Nice Guys (2016)
War Dogs (2016)
Nightcrawler (2014)
Enemy (2013)
Joe (2013)
Eastern Promises (2007)
Idiocracy (2006)
Blade Runner (1982)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Good, 7/10
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
A Cure for Wellness (2016)
Fences (2016)
Jason Bourne (2016)
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Moonlight (2016)
The Founder (2016)
We Are Your Friends (2015)
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
OK, 6/10
Don't Think Twice (2016)
Moana (2016)
Why Him? (2016)
The Spectacular Now (2013)
Unbreakable (2000)
Mediocre, 5/10
Collateral Beauty (2016)
Nerve (2016)
Not So Good, 4/10
Fifty Shades Darker (2017)
Post by: Elbbsas on March 29, 2017, 06:12:48 PM
Post by: Gerrick on March 29, 2017, 06:37:12 PM
How in god's name have you only heard of one of the 40+ movies I listed, though? That's actually kinda remarkable in itself.
Post by: taulover on March 29, 2017, 07:24:19 PM
Watched 3 movies recently:
SuperCop: Considered among Jackie Chan's best films, and that's about right. Excellent action comedy, and the fight scenes are amazing.
Shaolin Soccer: Another wonderful Hong Kong martial arts comedy. Hilarious and stupid but somehow manages to be uplifting and motivational. Rather absurdist until you realize that the special effects and art style are anime-inspired. It was made and released after the handover from Hong Kong from the UK to China, so the contrast between it and SuperCop (which is from right before the handover) is interesting.
Team America: World Police: hilarious satire of both action film tropes and the role of America in the world. Mercilessly mocks basically everyone and everything. Soundtrack is also stellar. Ultimate message would've probably be considered right-wing at the time, but now is refreshingly moderate.
Post by: Elbbsas on March 29, 2017, 08:33:20 PM
For me, I'm biased as heck in favour of Moana (even though we didn't get it over here until Christmas, because that makes sense, grumble grumble etc). It was fun, it had good songs, it was cultural as all heck, and it was incredibly amusing to see a completely non-PG mythological figure being a supporting character.
Wait, they re-made Beauty and the Beast? That... ok, I have mixed feelings about that.
Post by: taulover on March 29, 2017, 09:03:02 PM
Wait, they re-made Beauty and the Beast? That... ok, I have mixed feelings about that.An entire generation will now know Emma Watson as Belle instead of Hermione. :(
Post by: Elbbsas on March 29, 2017, 10:10:50 PM
...Well. I guess she avoided being typecasted for the rest of her life.Wait, they re-made Beauty and the Beast? That... ok, I have mixed feelings about that.An entire generation will now know Emma Watson as Belle instead of Hermione. :(
Post by: Gerrick on March 29, 2017, 10:26:57 PM
And, yeah, the Beauty and the Beast remake was a live-action version, though the Beast and his furniture servants were CGI. It was a musical (I'm not a big musical guy, either), so it more closely followed the original story than, say, the live-action Cinderella or Maleficent remakes. There were a few funny parts in the movie -- Josh Gad (as Gaston's sidekick LeFou) was great as usual. It had a solid cast as well -- Luke Evans (as Gaston), Kevin Kline (Belle's father), Ewan McGregor (Lumiere), Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), Stanley Tucci (the piano). It was easy to tell that they had an agenda (like female empowerment, diversity, and interracial relationships), which would be inaccurate for the time period, but I think it's good for a Disney movie -- helps normalize these types of topics for kids.
Post by: Mathyland on April 02, 2017, 09:29:36 PM
trailer
Post by: Gerrick on April 02, 2017, 10:05:59 PM
I recently watched Snowden (about Edward Snowden), and I enjoyed it a lot.Now you should watch Citizenfour (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4044364/), a documentary made by Laura Poitras, the female reporter in the film. It's interesting to see the differences in how the whole situation is portrayed in Snowden versus how it really happened. I think I gave both an 8 -- they were both good, but it's also just an important subject in my opinion.trailer
Post by: taulover on April 03, 2017, 04:30:21 AM
Recently (as in maybe half a year ago) watched Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992). It centers on Chomsky's propaganda model (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_model) (postulated in the 1988 book of the same name), which argues that corporate media essentially acts as propaganda due to various causes (advertising, concentration of media ownership, government sourcing, anticommunism/anti-terror, etc.). While I don't necessarily agree with Chomsky's views, it is most certainly thought-provoking and helps promote some measure of healthy skepticism when analyzing media sources. The creators have made it free-to-watch on archive.org (https://archive.org/details/dom-25409-manufacturingconsentnoamchomsk).
I've also recently watched the Michael Moore documentary Where to Invade Next (2015), in which Moore goes to Europe to look at some good things he can "steal" for America. As usual, Moore inflates/sensationalizes/exaggerates things, but it's still an interesting look at how the social democratic welfare model (among other things) is working in Europe.
Post by: Arenado on April 05, 2017, 10:12:06 PM
Alright, movies that are 35 years old don't require spolier tags. :P
And don't kill me, but when I rewatched the original trilogy a few years ago, I thought the Empire Strikes Back was the least good of the three. Nothing really that huge happens. I mean of course the Vader reveal and the battle of Hoth, but the rest wasn't the best movie ever. Also, doesn't really match up to the destruction of the Death Star or the beginning of the fall of the empire. Feel free to correct me, though. I want to see the light!Gonna watch the new-ish Jason Bourne movie, if anyone's seen it? I'm a massive fan of the franchise and have read all of the books in the series. Cannae wait.I really wanted to see the new one, too, but my wife thinks they're boring. :( I think I'll get around to watching it by myself or bargain by watching something she wants to watch. Just can't match Matt Damon beating someone to death with a goddamn book.
Blasphemy! The Inquisition is on their way to your home as we speak!
Post by: Red Mones on April 05, 2017, 11:39:40 PM
Post by: Gerrick on April 06, 2017, 03:12:01 AM
I watched Black Hawk Down awhile ago, thought it was excellent. 9/10Definitely. Such a classic.
The scene where they try to stop the guy from bleeding out of his leg gets me tense every time I watch it.
Post by: taulover on March 01, 2018, 05:02:17 PM
After reading/watching explanations and timelines, and going back to rewatch key scenes, I think I have a fairly good handle on the plot, though naturally I still haven't figured it out completely.
(The movie is about the accidental invention of time travel, and the shenanigans that ensue.)
Very interesting film, makes you think. Would definitely recommend.
Post by: Imaginative Kane on March 01, 2018, 06:30:25 PM
I would recommend it, its not too boring compared to other history movies that are similar to documentaries. I personally thought it was better than Dunkirk. They both overlap a bit in a way that makes Darkest Hour better.
Post by: Red Mones on March 23, 2018, 06:06:11 PM
Post by: Gerrick on March 24, 2018, 03:00:52 PM
I watched the Netflix original What Happened To Monday a few days back. It's a damn good movie in my opinion. Probably one of my all-time favorites.Wow, really? I gave it a 7/10.
It seemed like they tried too hard in trying to make all the siblings unique and match the days of the week they're named after. And having them all CGI'd in the same room talking to each other felt a little off at times. Plus the "bad guys" of the film had next to no redeeming qualities.
But Noomi Rapace and Willem Dafoe were really good, and all the twists and turns of the plot were interesting, though predictable at times. Pretty good for an action/thriller but not that good.
Post by: Imaginative Kane on June 29, 2018, 11:26:40 PM
Post by: Gerrick on January 27, 2019, 05:19:57 AM
Post by: taulover on January 27, 2019, 06:40:40 AM
I've heard other people say that they feel Infinity War is the most comic book-y of the Marvel films so far (I think it has to do with the aesthetic, the plot style, and the fact that they actually went through with the ending) and I think that contributes to people liking it too.
Post by: Laurentus on January 27, 2019, 08:55:51 AM
Post by: Gerrick on January 27, 2019, 08:57:29 PM
And yeah, I heard that part, but that was like the extent of their interaction. Think Peter Dinklage talked to Thor more than Rocket did.
Spoiler
Also, since there were so many characters, they felt disposable, so their deaths didn't seem as impactful. Besides, there's been speculation that everyone who died in the snap is just gonna come back somehow in a later movie, so it all felt pretty insignificant to me. And of the ones who died, none of them were even the main Avengers anyway, so there wasn't as much attachment to them. Plus, I'm not really a cliffhanger guy, so the ending felt very abrupt to me.
Post by: Laurentus on January 27, 2019, 09:03:29 PM
That said, watching at least all the latest movies (especially Ragnarok and Homecoming) would have been essential.
Post by: Gerrick on January 27, 2019, 09:32:42 PM
And the 2.5 hours went by really fast, so I agree that 3 or more hours would've been beneficial.
Post by: taulover on January 28, 2019, 12:00:17 AM
Spoiler
Because everyone is getting to come back, and none of the main Avengers were snapped, it's actually those that we need to fear for dying.
This also makes the permadeaths (Loki, Heimdall, Gamora, Vision, etc.) more significant imo.
And though none of the main film Avengers were snapped, many of the non-Avengers were protagonists of their own stories:
T'Challa, Dr. Strange
Rocket being the only Guardian left feels rather tragic.
This also makes the permadeaths (Loki, Heimdall, Gamora, Vision, etc.) more significant imo.
And though none of the main film Avengers were snapped, many of the non-Avengers were protagonists of their own stories:
T'Challa, Dr. Strange
Rocket being the only Guardian left feels rather tragic.
The main Avengers movies have always been the less strong in terms of story, I think the hype for those movies tends to be more for the spectacle of the crossover and action and stuff.
Post by: taulover on April 27, 2019, 01:50:21 AM
Holy fucking shit man.
That is all.
Post by: Ponderosa on April 27, 2019, 10:04:19 PM
Just watched Endgame.
Holy fucking shit man.
That is all.
I honestly thought that whole Ant Man saving the day thing was just a joke.
Post by: Gerrick on May 04, 2019, 09:31:06 PM
Spoiler
What the hell was with the Darth Maul/Emilia Clarke ending, though? Is there going to be a Darth Maul movie sequel? And I wouldn't've even known he was still alive had I not binged Clone Wars just before it was removed from Netflix a month ago, so I'm sure there were plenty of people more confused than I was about his appearance.
Post by: taulover on May 04, 2019, 10:44:05 PM
Just watched Solo for the first time on Netflix in honor of May 4th. I thought it was alright -- not nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. Didn't think Alden Ehrenreich did a great Han (he looks more like Mark Hamill than Harrison Ford), but Donald Glover was on point as Lando. I was also surprised (and kinda jarred) by the number of well-known actors playing minor roles in it.Yep, a fair review imo.
Despite being critically poorly reviewed it was actually surprisingly quite well-received with fans for the most part. I think a lot of the poor box office performance can be attributed to lack of adequate marketing on Disney's part, lack of fan interest in a Solo movie, and timing (why the hell did they release it at the same time as Infinity War?...); the decision to kill off all spinoff movies because of the poor performance didn't make very much sense to me.
SpoilerWhat the hell was with the Darth Maul/Emilia Clarke ending, though? Is there going to be a Darth Maul movie sequel? And I wouldn't've even known he was still alive had I not binged Clone Wars just before it was removed from Netflix a month ago, so I'm sure there were plenty of people more confused than I was about his appearance.
Spoiler
I tend to be happy when movie universes include things from other media such as TV shows, so I found it a nice touch.
It's nice fanservice for people who've watched the show or are more familiar with the universe, makes the TV shows more important/on a similar level as the movies, and you can't really please anyone (the more casual fans will be confused by some things in the movie either way after all). I can definitely see how it can be jarring for people unaware of TCW/Rebels stuff though.
There may have been plans in the works for Qi'ra/Maul stuff in the past but it's certainly killed off now that the spinoffs are all cancelled.
Endgame spoilers
SHIELD and Agent Carter stuff in Endgame for instance
It's nice fanservice for people who've watched the show or are more familiar with the universe, makes the TV shows more important/on a similar level as the movies, and you can't really please anyone (the more casual fans will be confused by some things in the movie either way after all). I can definitely see how it can be jarring for people unaware of TCW/Rebels stuff though.
There may have been plans in the works for Qi'ra/Maul stuff in the past but it's certainly killed off now that the spinoffs are all cancelled.
Post by: Laurentus on May 05, 2019, 04:11:16 AM
Spoiler
Now, typically, I absolutely fucking hate time travel stories, but surprisingly didn't with this one, because 1) I don't bring my brain to these movies and the movie had such a lighthearted approach to it anyway, and 2) it actually made sense. Or at least it did, until they broke it with Cap going off and living an entire life with Carter, and still ending up in the present. Argh!
By far my favourite part was Cap being found worthy of Mjolnir and delivering a massive beat down to Thanos.
"On your left" and "Avengers Assemble" pleased me in some sort of primal way.
I didn't particularly like that the Thanos we ended up with as a villain was a different one from Infinity War, because 2014 Thanos was much more two dimensional. I get that OG Thanos was too weak to fight, but honestly, I would have preferred they handwaved this by simply not having the Avengers find him for 5 years.
All in all, I very much enjoyed it, and would place it in my top 5 Marvel movies, but Infinity War was much more consistent for me.
Closing thoughts: they actually do Star Wars better than most Star Wars movies.
By far my favourite part was Cap being found worthy of Mjolnir and delivering a massive beat down to Thanos.
"On your left" and "Avengers Assemble" pleased me in some sort of primal way.
I didn't particularly like that the Thanos we ended up with as a villain was a different one from Infinity War, because 2014 Thanos was much more two dimensional. I get that OG Thanos was too weak to fight, but honestly, I would have preferred they handwaved this by simply not having the Avengers find him for 5 years.
All in all, I very much enjoyed it, and would place it in my top 5 Marvel movies, but Infinity War was much more consistent for me.
Closing thoughts: they actually do Star Wars better than most Star Wars movies.
Post by: taulover on May 05, 2019, 05:15:15 PM
SpoilerOr at least it did, until they broke it with Cap going off and living an entire life with Carter, and still ending up in the present. Argh!
Spoiler
Yeah that's the part that annoyed me also. It can be rationalized as Cap time-traveling back once he gets old/Peggy dies (since it's established that you can time travel to any location, so he could've done that to surprise them), but it's not very good when you need rationalizations like that to make things make sense.
Definitely a touching and thematically powerful ending, and I highly enjoyed it for that, but you need to bend the plot in the background for it to be consistent with the established time travel rules, which annoys me.
Definitely a touching and thematically powerful ending, and I highly enjoyed it for that, but you need to bend the plot in the background for it to be consistent with the established time travel rules, which annoys me.
Post by: taulover on May 09, 2019, 06:55:06 AM
Spoiler
@Laurentus FYI the Russos seem to have confirmed that Steve got together with Peggy in a branched timeline:
Quote
So, has Cap been living in the past this whole time — or did he go and live in another dimension?source (https://ew.com/movies/2019/04/30/avengers-endgame-russo-brothers-captain-america/)
The directors say it’s the latter.
“If Cap were to go back into the past and live there, he would create a branched reality,” Joe explained. “The question then becomes, how is he back in this reality to give the shield away?”
The brothers smile.
“Interesting question, right?” Joe said. “Maybe there’s a story there. There’s a lot of layers built into this movie and we spent three years thinking through it, so it’s fun to talk about it and hopefully fill in holes for people so they understand what we’re thinking.”
Post by: Laurentus on October 05, 2019, 06:29:16 AM
It's also spectacular, though, and I would encourage everyone here to give it a try, too. There is a 2018 Netflix remake of the original 1978 movie, but I have not heard anything good about it.
It also has perhaps my favourite quote from the last year:
"All the world will be your enemy
Prince with a Thousand Enemies
And if they catch you, they will kill you
But first, they must catch you!"
Post by: Charax on March 19, 2020, 12:58:40 AM
Just got done watching The Killing of a Sacred Deer by Yorgos Lanthimos (who also made The Lobster and The Favourite) and it was the most affecting movie I've seen in a long time. I wouldn't call it a horror film exactly but it was deeply disturbing and as soon as I finished I wanted to scrub myself clean of it.
9/10 would recommend
Trailer here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SzWAfsdZXY)
Post by: ☆ Princess Abigail ☆ on March 19, 2020, 03:51:30 AM
Just watched Tangled again. Older movie but one of my favorites.
Post by: Imaginative Kane on March 19, 2020, 10:35:12 PM
Bombshell was an interesting story and also had a surprising amount of black comedy. Overall I would call it a 8/10.
This Jumanji movie started off worse than the remake that preceded it but it ended up being alright later on. I would give it a 5.5/10.
spoiler for something set up in Jumanji
It also sets up a sequel based off the original Jumanji movie. That could be interesting but I would say it is unnecessary.
Post by: Charax on April 08, 2020, 03:31:08 PM
- The Platform is a Netflix-distributed Spanish sci-fi thriller with an interesting concept and some cool visuals paired up with a really clunky script. I won't say too much about the plot but it's all a remarkably on-the-nose anti-consumerist allegory, although I watched an English dub so maybe the writing is better in the original Spanish. 5/10
- It Chapters 1 & 2 were surprisingly fun, I don't really like horror movies and although there are weak moments in Chapter 2 especially it's overall a really good time with some interesting direction and mostly good performances. 6/10
- I've seen The Big Short a few times already and revisiting it was rewarding. An exceptionally comfy movie, despite the grim subject matter. If you've not seen this fun recession comedy I'd recommend it to everyone. 8/10
- Dumbo 1941 rules. I have nothing further to add. 9/10
- The Remembered Film is a 17-minute short where several teenage boys, dressed in military uniforms from various nations and periods in history, recount war stories to the camera and wander through a peaceful forest. I like the premise and it is quite affecting, but the director keeps adding elements which distract from the initial starkness which was what I found attractive in the first place. 6/10
Post by: Charax on May 11, 2020, 02:15:12 AM
I just watched The Fall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWg04bDqJRI), a 7-minute short by Jonathan Glazer who directed Under The Skin and the music video for Radiohead's Karma Police. It's beautifully shot, with a nail-biting soundtrack and an overall terrifying vibe. Despite that, it did feel a bit light and I was a bit disappointed when it ended without a huge amount having happened. There are far worse ways to spend seven minutes though, so I recommend watching it if you can find it (it's on MUBI UK for the next month). 3/5
I also watched Thoroughbreds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPcV_3D3V2A) which, despite what the baffling trailer might suggest, is not a laugh riot dark comedy but a glacially slow, occasionally smile-inducing character drama. Even though this movie isn't "fun" I still loved it, it reminded me quite a bit of Yorgos Lanthimos' films (The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). 4/5
Having seen and loved the above Lanthimos films I decided to watch the only English language feature of his that I hadn't yet seen. The Favourite (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYb-wkehT1g) is a period drama set in Queen Anne's court in the late 1600s, but it's a characteristically strange take on a usually mannered genre. We have fisheye cinematography, preposterously exaggerated wigs and revisionist costume design aplenty, as well as amazing performances from Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman (who deservedly won the Best Actress Oscar for this film). 4.5/5
With that down I had seen all three of the director's films in English and loved them all, so I went back to check out Dogtooth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuyFxZ5OHIM), his Greek-language debut and was surprised to find that it didn't do much for me. Dogtooth is widely held up as the most important Greek film of the 21st Century, but so much of the director's distinctive style and tone are yet to fully take form in this early effort. Don't take my word for it though — I'm in the minority on this one. 2.5/5
The Hedgehog (embedded at the bottom of the post as this site doesn't like Vimeo links) is that thing you've seen around the internet being used as a punchline for the last few years. It's a six-and-a-half minute short about mortality, the transience of youth and a kid in a Sonic the Hedgehog costume. It's well-shot, engaging enough and generally fine, if a little light on substance. 2.5/5
As a means of overcoming the Francophobia that dwells within all good Englishmen, I checked out the universally-beloved French period romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-fQPTwma9o). Did it live up to the hype? Not exactly, but I'm not sure any film could live up to the hype this one gets. Was it great? Oh yeah. Visually stunning (they recorded this in 7k to capture as much colour as possible and you can really tell) and carried by two engrossing lead actresses whose romance is one of the most compelling I've seen. And it ends very, very strong. The best last scene that I can remember of any film I've seen. 4/5
https://vimeo.com/117371025
Post by: taulover on May 29, 2020, 04:40:54 AM
Well, maybe a little: on the surface level, it is a tale of three triplets, who were separated at birth, finding each other again. The story goes deeper than that though.
Highly recommend, the documentary film is very well done.
Post by: taulover on June 01, 2020, 05:31:59 AM
Post by: Charax on June 04, 2020, 10:59:30 PM
I also saw The Seventh Seal, the legendary Swedish classic from Ingmar Bergman. The central conflict of the film, returning crusader Antonius Block's game of chess against Death, is probably the most enduring image in film history and even if you've never heard the name Bergman you've seen his work parodied dozens of times, perhaps without even realising it. Surprisingly accessible and even funny at times, there's a reason this is widely regarded as one of the best films ever made. 10/10
Next up is Accident, directed by Joseph Losey and written by Harold Pinter in 1967. A grim psychodrama with erotic overtones and a scathingly cynical view of the British middle class and the frailty of the male ego. I don't want to say too much about the plot, which unfurls through a series of non-linear flashbacks, like a half-remembered dream, but it is at once dark yet extremely pathetic and pedestrian. I enjoyed this quite a bit but those 1960s filmmakers really seemed to struggle with pace, and this is another one where the runtime should have been cut right down. 7/10
Mid90s is the first film directed by one Jonah Hill, of 21 Jump Street and Superbad fame. I was excited for this as I've long been a massive Jonah Hill fan and a huge advocate for his work — 21 and 22 Jump Street are all-time comedy classics, but he's also turned in excellent dramatic performances in Moneyball and the Wolf of Wall Street, as well as giving the performance in his career as co-lead of the Netflix miniseries Maniac alongside Emma Stone (which I could gush about for hours, it rules). So my expectations were high, and they were met. Mid90s is a beautifully-shot, sensitive character study of a young boy ageing into adolescence, finding a sense of community with a group of local skateboarders. Not a whole lot happens, it's just a slice of life, but I really enjoyed it. 8/10
The last feature film I've watched in the last month is Marriage Story, which you might have heard of as it racked up a lot of Oscar nominations in 2020 so I'll just say that it's too long by at least half an hour, but the performances are flawless, the writing is absolutely exquisite and it's emotionally devastating. Adam Driver is the standout but Scarlett Johansson gives a wonderful performance as his foil. 8/10
Oh yeah, and I watched Hustle. Directed by Chris Addison, who you my know as Ollie from The Thick of It. It's fucking bilge. I hated every minute of it. I can't believe Dean Norris and Anne Hathaway appeared in this. Can't we find those actors better work? God I can't stand Rebel Wilson. Hate hate hate. 1/10
Oh and some shorts:
- Nimic, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, is something I'd been looking forward to for a while. It's very weird and I think Yorgos might need to talk to a mental healthcare professional. AKA, it's exactly what I was hoping for. 8/10
- Bottle Rocket is the first thing Wes Anderson ever directed, a short film starring his friends which would eventually be adapted into his first feature. It's clearly something someone made with no money and no crew, but the writing is sharp and the enthusiasm of the cast bleeds into the thing itself and is really infectious. 4/10 (by student film standards that's a 9 or a 10)
- Hotel Chevalier is Anderson's only other short to my knowledge, and is almost the inverse of Bottle Rocket. BR was made with no money and had none of Wes' signature visual style, but huge amounts of heart and great writing. The writing in this is less impressive, and while the beautiful Wes Anderson aesthetic has finally arrived it feels clinical and cold. 4/10
Post by: Imaginative Kane on June 14, 2020, 01:29:30 AM
Post by: Charax on July 02, 2020, 01:21:23 AM
I've had a lot of RL stuff going on this month, not least being on the hunt for a new place to live, so that's kept me away from NS as well as (even more sadly) the movies. I don't know if anybody bothers to read these but I enjoy writing them, and I've seen a few bits, so here we go:
- The first feature I watched this month was John Wick. I'd heard about these movies for a long time but never watched them until now, but this was a really good time and I'm kicking myself for not watching it sooner. Great action, Keanu Reeves gives a great performance and the supporting cast are all a lot of fun too. 8/10
- Then I watched Election, the 1999 high school comedy with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. I liked it, but the strongest element of the movie was the tense relationship between Witherspoon and Broderick and the writers seemed more interested in getting into the details of the latter's personal life which is far less interesting. Some good moments though, and the supporting cast are also great in this one. 6/10
- I then returned to familiar territory with John Wick 2 which was a step up in almost every department, particularly the visuals. This one features a shootout in a hall of mirrors which is incredibly surreal and extremely stylish. There are also larger roles for the supporting cast, particularly Ian McShane and Lance Reddick. But the pacing is all off, and I actually started to get a bit bored in the mid point. It ends incredibly strongly though, so overall I'd give this one another 8/10
- After the cliffhanger end of that I of course hopped on Netflix for John Wick 3. Not a whole lot to say here - more inventive kills, more gorgeous cinematography, more Ian McShane, more Lance Reddick, more Laurence Fishburne, there's teleporting ninjas, John kills several people using horses as weapons. It rocks. 9/10
- The last feature I saw this month was a F.W. Murnau's 1927 classic Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. This is the first silent film I've ever watched in full and it was surprisingly accessible, even coming off the John Wick trilogy. Murnau's eye for visuals is genuinely incredible, and this film is full of instantly memorable imagery. The central conflict of the film (which I won't describe here) is resolved halfway through the film which leaves the back end feeling a little longer than it needed to be and I lost a bit of interest after a while, but it comes back to end extremely strongly. You can watch it for free on YouTube here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NayFytQeBE), and I highly recommend it as a first silent for anyone who's interested. 7/10
Spoiler
- You thought I would go an entire month without at least one Yorgos Lanthimos project? Hah. Necktie is a 90-second piece commissioned by the Venice Film Festival, which I recommend everybody check out for free here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL-kc3DhLOA). The theme was "the future of cinema", and I'm not really sure how that applies here but I hope that this is indeed the future of cinema. 7/10
- Olla is a half-hour piece directed by Ariane Labed, an actress who frequently collaborates (and is the wife of) Yorgos Lanthimos. This is her first project as a director and you can feel elements of the work she and Yorgos have done together, particularly in the affectless unnatural dialogue and matter-of-fact, unerotic sex scenes. Olla is a Ukrainian woman who moves to France after she is chosen from a mail order bride website, and the film follows her attempt to integrate into her new home while retaining her autonomy and sense of womanhood. It's a quite funny but also very dark (Lanthimosian?) in its tone, and is a really strong first project. I hope Ariane directs a feature length film in the future. 7/10
- I saw Thunder Road, directed by and starring Jim Cummings. This short was later turned into a full-length film of the same name, also directed by and starring Cummings, and it's not hard to see why. Here, a police officer gives a rambling and emotional eulogy and his mother's funeral, which culminates in a singalong dance to the Springsteen song Thunder Road, which his mother loved. That's all that happens, the entire 13 minutes takes place only in this one room, but Cummings is an absolutely incredible actor and I almost cried by the end. Check it out on Vimeo at the bottom of the spoiler tag (because this site won't let me hyperlink to vimeo). 8/10
- I watched Rejected, a compilation short by the animator Don Hertzfeldt comprising of pieces he created for corporations who commissioned him for ad work. The joke is that he doesn't want to make advertisements, so they're all obscene and nonsensical. If I were 12 years old and still thought asdfmovie was the tightest shit on the internet I would absolutely love this. But I'm not, and I don't. 2/10
- By far the biggest disappointment of the month for me was Anima, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, Phantom Thread, Punch Drunk Love, etc) and starring Thom Yorke of Radiohead who also provides the soundtrack. This was more of an experimental dance piece, and it just didn't click for me. Not my thing I guess, but it's on Netflix and I know it's been widely lauded by most other people who've seen it so check it out if you think that sounds interesting. But it didn't do anything for me. 3/10