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Movies You’ve Seen Recently |OT| October 2017

Victoria and Abdul is an interesting look at how a single actor can save a film from being an ill judged disaster. I can't imagine, if anyone but Judi Dench had played this role, this film being anything other than an antiquated, patronising look at our past, but with the right cast, right feel, it turns out to be a highly charming very enjoyable little film.

It's a bit absurd, not meant to be taken seriously at all, which is absolutely the right approach to take with subject matter like this, has some absolutely gorgeous shots of say, the palace, various royal residences, and India, the supporting cast are excellent to our main two players of Judi Dench and Ali Fazal, it actively avoids taking itself too seriously in fact with a line thats in the trailers where the prime minister attempts to talk some serious politics with the queen, and her response is to tell him how boring he is, and then to make a funny joke about the absurdity of extravagant jellies.

It's funnier than it has any right to be, heart warming, but takes the elephant in the room of imperial racism seriously when it needs to be taken seriously, and was a pleasant watch. Recommended.
 

kevin1025

Banned
I have a break between movies today, so...

American Made

Doug Liman goes for his Goodfellas, but it falls well short despite a fantastic Tom Cruise performance. I did like the hectic style of the film and its editing, and it is an interesting story. But outside of Cruise’s Barry character and some of the humor, the movie doesn’t reach as far as it potentially could have. But I still had a good time with it, and there are some great sequences in there.

Now, onto Kingsman: The Golden Circle! And possibly Lego Ninjago if my eyes aren’t dead by the end of that runtime.
 

shaneo632

Member
Polytechnique (2009) - 7.5/10. It's incredible how far Denis Villeneuve's come in less than a decade, not to put down this absolutely riveting dramatisation of an horrific tragedy.

Beautifully shot and terrifically acted, Villeneuve avoids melodrama or sensationalisation in favour of an artful, respectful and journalistic look at the focal massacre that wastes not a moment of its 70 minutes.

His treatment of violence is especially effective here, with blistering sound work and a delicate approach that's nauseatingly visceral but never exploitative.

My single issue with the film is the structure, which is effectively used to shoehorn a suspense twist into the third act
when it turns out the woman was alive all along, even though this was fairly expected it still felt needless to me
. It just felt unnecessary for a film based on real events, but it did little to hamper my appreciation for the overall product.
 

kevin1025

Banned
Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Not as fun as the first, but I'd say it's about on par for me. It's got some major issues with its runtime, though, which makes me laugh because of the four hour cut talk that was going around a few days back. It's also possibly the first movie where the amount of action in the third act wore me down and bored me. And the planting of the tracking device scene was bizarre. You'll know if you watched this. Just accidentally put a finger in her nose or something, not what --- I don't know, that was rough. But I did enjoy the movie's over-the-topness, its globe hopping and variety, even if it all ended up with a movie 30 minutes too long. And Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, and Mark Strong are a cool ass cast. Julianne Moore was wasted to mostly complaining about her isolation, and the random celebrity cameo was okay. Overall, good, leaning more to just fine.

Now back to spooky movies.
 

shaneo632

Member
Maelstrom (2000) - 6.4/10. Definitely my least favourite Denis Villeneuve film so far, Maelstrom is kept intriguing largely thanks to Marie-Josée Croze's strong performance, even if some of its artier pretences (particularly a framing device involving a talking fish) ring rather hollow.

Incredible that someone who made something this radical made such a successful leap to Hollywood.
 

old

Member
American Made
Really good. Cruise is his charismatic self.

Battle of the Sexes
Emma Stone is amazing. Steve Carrel does a great job as well.

Both good movies. Recommend them.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
The Fugitive (1993)
large_qbWQ2xhptMY7ZADom3Zz0mBjsec.jpg


Classic through and through. 7/10

Final Destination (2000)

Cheesy thriller flick that set the blueprint for the other Final Destination films. 6/10
 

Glass Rebel

Member
Didn't want to make a thread for this and I thought maybe some here would be interested.

The Zürich Film Festival has a yearly competition where you have to make a 72s short film in 72 hours. I took part in it with a group of friends and even though everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, we still managed to finish something:

Chapter One

Not asking for votes because we're not even really in the running anymore but I'd appreciate any feedback.
 

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
Don't Breathe: I loved the first half and I was pretty impressed by the direction and photography. That the blind man
had the girl in his basement felt enough revelation-wise, I checked out when the impregnating aspect came into play. The eh... 'taste of his own medicine' felt like it was catering to the teens watching.
There's a moment where the tension is jut completely evaporates because it got swapped out for the craziness.

Thought I hadn't seen Stepen Lang in anything, but he was the military guy in Avatar. Also, they should've cast him as Cable! Seemed like such a perfect fit.
 

shaneo632

Member
August 32nd on Earth (1998) - 7.1/10. A highly entertaining and thoroughly unique existential drama with great performances from Pascale Bussières and Alexis Martin, even if the pacing does verge on glacial on occasion.

An impressively ambitious theatrical debut with some intriguing editing choices and great visuals.
 

shaneo632

Member
Didn't want to make a thread for this and I thought maybe some here would be interested.

The Zürich Film Festival has a yearly competition where you have to make a 72s short film in 72 hours. I took part in it with a group of friends and even though everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, we still managed to finish something:

Chapter One

Not asking for votes because we're not even really in the running anymore but I'd appreciate any feedback.

I dug the editing and spelling out Chapter One in the spaghetti was a nice touch. What did you film it on out of curiosity?
 

UrbanRats

Member
Didn't want to make a thread for this and I thought maybe some here would be interested.

The Zürich Film Festival has a yearly competition where you have to make a 72s short film in 72 hours. I took part in it with a group of friends and even though everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, we still managed to finish something:

Chapter One

Not asking for votes because we're not even really in the running anymore but I'd appreciate any feedback.

The final shot made it seem a bit like an ad for Windsor & Newton.
(it's good ink, i've used it a lot).

It was cute though, and kind of relatable, since writing on paper feels more intimate, it's easier to open up and write on it, for me at least.
(i'm not a real writer, tbf)
 

smisk

Member
Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Agree about the length. The action sequences were fantastic but everything else dragged. In general I think most films should stay closer to 90 minutes. I'm fine with Blade Runner 2049 being 2.5 hours, but not Kingsman.
 

Sean C

Member
Southpaw (2015): Every boxing cliche you could think of (in some ways, the movie plays like a sequel to an earlier boxing movie, what with the way the opening act
kills off the lead's wife for extra drama and sees him lose all his money and status
), kept afloat by excellent acting. Oona Laurence is a really wonderful child actress, between this, Pete's Dragon and The Beguiled.
 

shaneo632

Member
Blade Runner (1982) - 8.4/10. Seeing 2049 in about 13 hours so decided to watch this for the first time in many years.

Obviously it's stylistically incredible and the performances and musical score are excellent. I forgot how goofy the film is at times
Sebastian's toys, most of Daryl Hannah's scenes, especially near the end
, and the pacing does sag a bit when Deckard's off following breadcrumbs to track down the replicants, BUT it has an intoxicating quality in even its more sluggish scenes and the final 10 minutes are absolutely incredible.

I don't hold up BR as an infallible 10/10 masterpiece so I'm quite open to the idea that 2049 could improve upon it. We'll see.
 
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels - I won't front and act like I watched this in one continuous go. I frequently paused to collect my bearings and recharge. This movie is goddamn exhausting, just so hypnotic it lulls you into a sort of trance. The use of silence is INCREDIBLE. You're left wondering what the hell is this woman thinking, not because her logic is faulty, but because she barely says a word. So much of this movie is internal, and left unsaid, and I fucking love that. If scenes outside the home weren't shown, I'd almost believe this was some sort of purgatory, with this weird light pulsing through the blinds the entire time. The ending is crazy as well, so abrupt and unexpected in the moment, yet inevitable in reflection. Also this surely features the apex of meatloaf related artistry, there's not a soul in history who could wring more out of the dish.
 
Finally saw Possession

Y'all weren't kidding

It was amazing. Even without the horror elements, it's an utterly devastating domestic drama of a collapsed relationship shattering into unhinged madness. The drama, the emotional devastation and hair-tearing agony of a broken marriage is as brutal and raw as any horror movie, and Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani fearlessly pour everything into their performances. It's absolutely captivating and absolutely painful to watch.

And then everything goes insane, and much like mother!, the credits roll and you're left staring at the credits trying to figure out how the film got there from where it started.

In short, it was wonderful

Try to watch this as blind as possible if you can
 

Glass Rebel

Member
I dug the editing and spelling out Chapter One in the spaghetti was a nice touch. What did you film it on out of curiosity?

We shot everything on a Canon 5D Mark IV. And yeah, we really saved the thing in editing.

The final shot made it seem a bit like an ad for Windsor & Newton.
(it's good ink, i've used it a lot).

It was cute though, and kind of relatable, since writing on paper feels more intimate, it's easier to open up and write on it, for me at least.
(i'm not a real writer, tbf)

Thank you, we were going for a more whimsical, Wes Anderson-y style. If I could go back, I‘d do fixed angle with a tripod but we kinda paid for a steadicam setup that didn‘t work and messed up a lot of the shots. Terrible planning on our side.
 

shaneo632

Member
Just finished my Denis Villeneuve filmography watchthrough. Well, technically I'll be finishing it with Blade Runner 2049 in the morning.

Incendies (2010) - 7.2/10. Thanks to terrific performances, sharp cinematography and Denis Villeneuve's typically strong direction Incendies mostly manages to overcome its narrative flaws...even if it's undeniably compromised by two ludicrously contrived reveals that clash with a story that otherwise wants to feel rooted in some semblance of reality.
It's just too ridiculous that her son would also be her rapist...and that she'd meet him at the swimming pool where she is. I just can't buy into it. It's like if Oldboy took itself dead seriously and Dae Oh-su just banged his daughter by pure coincidence. Nope.

An enjoyable film, but I'm surprised it scored such strong reviews and awards buzz given how off-the-rails it goes in the final stretch.
 

Rhoc

Member
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Not as good as the first one in my opinion but still really entertaining and fun. Visuals were also on point.

8/10

Split
Solid movie. Great acting from McAvoy. Loved the ending

6.5/10
 

Sean C

Member
Just finished my Denis Villeneuve filmography watchthrough. Well, technically I'll be finishing it with Blade Runner 2049 in the morning.

Incendies (2010) - 7.2/10. Thanks to terrific performances, sharp cinematography and Denis Villeneuve's typically strong direction Incendies mostly manages to overcome its narrative flaws...even if it's undeniably compromised by two ludicrously contrived reveals that clash with a story that otherwise wants to feel rooted in some semblance of reality.
It's just too ridiculous that her son would also be her rapist...and that she'd meet him at the swimming pool where she is. I just can't buy into it. It's like if Oldboy took itself dead seriously and Dae Oh-su just banged his daughter by pure coincidence. Nope.

An enjoyable film, but I'm surprised it scored such strong reviews and awards buzz given how off-the-rails it goes in the final stretch.
It's deliberately in the pattern of the tragedy of Oedipus. I agree that this sort of mythic approach isn't going to be for everybody, but I thought it worked; it's a heightened take on the tragedy of civil war.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935): I have to admire the chutzpah of the filmmakers in opening with a flashback to the Romantics, wherein not only does Lord Byron recap the first film as if it is an accurate depiction of the events of Mary Shelley's novel, but Shelley then goes on to narrate the sequel as her own brainchild. Thereby do the filmmakers cheekily dress up their cash grab sequel as the product of the original author ("suggest by the original novel", as the credits more modestly put it).

After the opening minutes undo the tragedy of the previous film with alacrity, we then set about revisiting many of the same basic concepts of the first novel/film, but bigger and/or sillier (the
miniature people in jars
are astoundingly weird as a narrative aside). Victor Frankenstein gets blackmailed into helping create the titular Bride of Frankenstein, who has taken on great pop cultural prominence for someone who
has perhaps 2 minutes of screentime total
. It's a mostly pleasant ride, but nowhere near as effective as the first in terms of characterization, and the ending is jarringly abrupt.
 
London Film Festival this month, so here's my list of films I'm going to see:

Good Time
Blade of the Immortal
A Fantastic Woman
Beauty and the Dogs
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The Shape Of Water
Foxtrot
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer
Happy End
The Meyerowitz Stories
Pop Aye
The Florida Project
The White Girl
Lu Over The Wall
You Were Never Really Here

Beauty and the Dogs is today in the afternoon.
 
Hey everyone I've never seen Blade Runner which version should I see?

Final cut or one of the older director's cuts are fine.

Finally saw Possession

Y'all weren't kidding

It was amazing. Even without the horror elements, it's an utterly devastating domestic drama of a collapsed relationship shattering into unhinged madness. The drama, the emotional devastation and hair-tearing agony of a broken marriage is as brutal and raw as any horror movie, and Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani fearlessly pour everything into their performances. It's absolutely captivating and absolutely painful to watch.

And then everything goes insane, and much like mother!, the credits roll and you're left staring at the credits trying to figure out how the film got there from where it started.

In short, it was wonderful

Try to watch this as blind as possible if you can

Cool. I meant to watch this a while back but didn't get around to it then. Will make sure I do now.
 

shaneo632

Member
Blade Runner 2049 - 8.9/10. This delivered basically everything I wanted out of a Blade Runner sequel. It's INSANE that a studio gave Denis Villeneuve $150+ million to make something so insane and at times anti-Hollywood.

I can't imagine a world where Deakins doesn't win the Oscar. Goddamn. Villeneuve's direction is also excellent.

Performances were all great, the plot kept me guessing and I was really pleased how little the trailers spoiled; some scenes were even intentionally misrepresented which was cool.

When the end credits rolled I just sat there fucking flabbergasted for a few minutes. I'm gonna see it again soon, it'll be interesting to see how it plays the next time. Definitely one of the year's best, though. I expect it to be divisive in some areas but man, this just pressed the buttons I wanted pressed.

My only real gripe is that it's a LITTLE too long. Like the middle could've had 10-15 mins trimmed off.
 

Icolin

Banned
Blade Runner 2049 - 8.9/10. This delivered basically everything I wanted out of a Blade Runner sequel. It's INSANE that a studio gave Denis Villeneuve $150+ million to make something so insane and at times anti-Hollywood.

I can't imagine a world where Deakins doesn't win the Oscar. Goddamn. Villeneuve's direction is also excellent.

Performances were all great, the plot kept me guessing and I was really pleased how little the trailers spoiled; some scenes were even intentionally misrepresented which was cool.

When the end credits rolled I just sat there fucking flabbergasted for a few minutes. I'm gonna see it again soon, it'll be interesting to see how it plays the next time. Definitely one of the year's best, though. I expect it to be divisive in some areas but man, this just pressed the buttons I wanted pressed.

My only real gripe is that it's a LITTLE too long. Like the middle could've had 10-15 mins trimmed off.

Daaaaaaamn. I'm so excited to see this on Sunday in IMAX.
 

Divius

Member
Back from my trip, jumping back into the movie game tonight big time. Got some catching-up to do on the horror marathon!

Thanks messofanego for doing the thread. Could not have done it better myself. 💓
 
Blade Runner 2049 - 8.9/10. This delivered basically everything I wanted out of a Blade Runner sequel. It's INSANE that a studio gave Denis Villeneuve $150+ million to make something so insane and at times anti-Hollywood.

I can't imagine a world where Deakins doesn't win the Oscar. Goddamn. Villeneuve's direction is also excellent.

Performances were all great, the plot kept me guessing and I was really pleased how little the trailers spoiled; some scenes were even intentionally misrepresented which was cool.

When the end credits rolled I just sat there fucking flabbergasted for a few minutes. I'm gonna see it again soon, it'll be interesting to see how it plays the next time. Definitely one of the year's best, though. I expect it to be divisive in some areas but man, this just pressed the buttons I wanted pressed.

My only real gripe is that it's a LITTLE too long. Like the middle could've had 10-15 mins trimmed off.
Seeing it tomorrow on IMAX, can’t wait
 

robotrock

Banned
How much of the film was actually shot in IMAX?

It's specifically formatted for the screen, weirdly enough. Not the full IMAX aspect ratio but it's taller than the standard cinema version. I hear the cinematographer says he prefers the standard cinema version than the IMAX one.
 

omgkitty

Member
It's specifically formatted for the screen, weirdly enough. Not the full IMAX aspect ratio but it's taller than the standard cinema version. I hear the cinematographer says he prefers the standard cinema version than the IMAX one.

Because of your post, I have now discovered that Roger Deakins has his own website where he answers forum posts. WHAAAATTTTTT

I think I said previously that I oversaw the timing of all the versions of 'BR2049' including the HDR version.

My preferred version is the standard 2D widescreen version. A problem I have with some viewing systems is their use of silvered screens. The image projected on a silvered screen lacks saturation as well as density as it falls off from a hot spot in the center of vision. This may not be so apparent for someone sitting in the optimum viewing seat but it is a compromise in terms of image quality wherever you are seated, though it maybe a compromise worth accepting if you are a fan of 3D.
 

smisk

Member
It's specifically formatted for the screen, weirdly enough. Not the full IMAX aspect ratio but it's taller than the standard cinema version. I hear the cinematographer says he prefers the standard cinema version than the IMAX one.

Hmm, seeing Dunkirk in IMAX was great, but I'm not all that convinced for movies like this that use it sparingly or not at all. Seems more like a marketing gimmick than anything.
 

kevin1025

Banned
Back from my trip, jumping back into the movie game tonight big time. Got some catching-up to do on the horror marathon!

Thanks messofanego for doing the thread. Could not have done it better myself. 💓

Welcome back! What are some of the movies you'll be diving into tonight?
 

Divius

Member
Watched 24 movies in September

TOP 5 NEW VIEWINGS OF SEPTEMBER
HM: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
5. Baby Driver
4. Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey
3. Lady MacBeth
2. A Ghost Story
1. The Big Sick

MOST VALUABLE REWATCHES
Saving Private Ryan
Conan the Barbarian

WORST NEW VIEWINGS OF SEPTEMBER
The Layover
Little Evil
 

smisk

Member
Never watched many 80s/90s horror movies and I feel like I should do some catching up this month. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St., or Halloween?
 

Divius

Member
Never watched many 80s/90s horror movies and I feel like I should do some catching up this month. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St., or Halloween?

Personal ranking that I'm sure lots of people will agree with:
1. Halloween
2. Nightmare on Elm St
3. Friday the 13th
 
Personal ranking that I'm sure lots of people will agree with:
1. Halloween
2. Nightmare on Elm St
3. Friday the 13th

I can’t speak to the majority of the sequels, but that’s how I’d rank the originals. There’s a fairly sizable quality gap between each one, too imo.
 

SeanC

Member
Personal ranking that I'm sure lots of people will agree with:
1. Halloween
2. Nightmare on Elm St
3. Friday the 13th


Yep, that's about how it goes.

The first Friday the 13th is one of the weaker entries in that series, honestly. But originals, those are fine.
 
The Big Gundown - Sergio Sollima

He might not have been Leone but Sollima was a very interesting director who had some terrific incursions in the italian western genre in which Big Gundown is probably his most revered work (and best). Lee Van Cleef leads this sort of cat and mouse kind of story, where a bounty hunter is chasing a mexican criminal who keeps getting away. When Morricone starts playing the film gets bigger, the vistas look more gorgeous, the grandeur becomes palpable. One of his most iconic works, which Tarantino sadly aped in Basterds.

Never watched many 80s/90s horror movies and I feel like I should do some catching up this month. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St., or Halloween?

Carpenter's Halloween is one of the best american film of the 70's. As a series they all become a bit dull being Friday the dullest since it's inception while Nightmare is the more creative. Watch all 3, they are mostly fun even some of its schlocky sequels.
 

Blader

Member
Never watched many 80s/90s horror movies and I feel like I should do some catching up this month. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St., or Halloween?

I've enjoyed the Nightmare series the most, though I really can only recommend the original, 3, and New Nightmare. They form a weird but satisfying trilogy (and incidentally are the only ones with Wes Craven's involvement).
 

lordxar

Member
I was never a big Freddy fan. The concept is cool but he's too...comical I guess. Not like funny but not to be taken seriously maybe. That and I remember the tv show ads that we're neon colored. Corny might be a good description. There is a charm there though.

Halloween is cool. It starts really strong under Carpenter then sways a bit as it goes. I love H3 too. As a series it's my second favorite of the big ones from the 80's. The entry which is reality tv based was pretty cool, the concept anyway.

Now Friday the 13th is my favorite though. I love how uneven it is and even how campy it gets. From a pure entertainment perspective Jason X is the best entry. The sci-fi fuck it all motif was great. This whole series for me was fun.

Bonus, I love Hellraiser 1 thru 4. There is a seriousness here that isn't quite in any of the above franchises. Here your just fucked, there's no happy ending. I think this is a more acquired taste though.

Damn...I'm really wanting to go through all these again...
 

thenexus6

Member
Blade Runner 2049

A sequel to my favourite film of all time. I watched the first trailer or two then went completely dark so I really didn't know anything about the story of this film. I had no idea it was 2 hours 40 minutes either. I was in the cinema feeling like wow this is long!

I really enjoyed it. Awesome visuals, interesting story and ideas.

I thought the soundtrack was good but it felt safe numerous times. I really wonder what Jóhannsson's version would've been. He does fantastic work when paired with Villeneuve. Probably my biggest disappointment. It's already available to stream so I am going to relisten.

Villeneuve and Deakins are my favourite power couple in films right now. They are so good together. The film looked stunning.

So a great sequel, I still favour the original over 2049 though.
 

KayMote

Member
Saw 'Call me by your name' at a film festival and this has potential to be the male version of 'Carol'. Watching this film is like spending holidays in an oasis of honesty and sensuality. It's very intimate, very funny and although due to its somewhat lighthearted nature it may not have as much of inherent drama as films like 'Carol' and 'Moonlight' had, it still regards the emotional world of its characters with a sheer courageous ammount of respect.
 

SeanC

Member
Lights Out

Oh yeah, I remember this one now. Showed up on HBO and never caught it.

I'm glad I did see it because if you take the individual scenes of scares and spooks, I utterly love it. It's smart, a clever premise and it has a good balance of jump scares and tense, scary moments that play with expectations.

But then you have the story. Good Lord, it's pretty much scare > exposition dump > scare > exposition dump and so on. They had to write a story around the concept of a ghost that doesn't appear in light and it shows that they probably overthought it when you could easily just have "family moves into a haunted house" and be done. Maybe you can have the plot and backstory, lots of great horror movies use it and a mystery that needs to be solved (The Changeling a perfect example), but it's so weird and tries to over-explain it all when we really just want spooky scares and the explaining not really needed. Just set it up, say a little, then have a resolution that fixes it.

From that, the movie just gradually gets worse as it goes on. It's too invested in trying to explain things over just streamlining it and keeping it simple. I feel a lot of cooks were in the kitchen on this one...which is exactly the case seeing as how there are 15 producers on a thing that's pretty basic. Do you know how up his ass with notes the writer had to be from 15 people giving opinions? Good god, it shows - going from desk to desk in a desperate attempt to get everything to "work."

It's just upsetting because at its core, there's something here, but it kept pushing and pushing and trying to be more clever than clever and it ended a mess.

2/5
 
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