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Netflix Movie Club |OT| Evil Dead 2

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FiggyCal

Banned
Why not at the end of every 2 month cycle or every month we do a non netflix movie, so we can get some obscure films?

If the movie can be found online for free legally, then we should be allowed to recommend it imo. But having all the movies be available on Netflix is extremely convenient for the majority of us here. And keeps us all on the same page.
 
If the movie can be found online for free legally, then we should be allowed to recommend it imo. But having all the movies be available on Netflix is extremely convenient for the majority of us here. And keeps us all on the same page.

Which is why we don't do it so often, just every couple of months.

Anyway just a thought.
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
It is Sunday, so let your spoilers roam free. The discussion can run through Monday. Since it will be nominations away.

I really, really have to agree that the movie has terrible pacing. The movie wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Somewhere in the middle. Jude Law was great in this. I enjoyed his performance. Rooney's as well. I was expecting more Tatum.

For some reason, I expected something completely different. The first half, while good, was really slow. Then movie then seems to have twists and plot turns for the sake of having them. Most of which come within the last 20-25 minutes of the film. It becomes confusing at times trying to follow what is happening. The movie feels disjointed. It was nice seeing Law get his Revenge, but I agree with the above poster that said everything fall too nicely for him.

I'm not sure why reviews made a big deal about spoiling or reading details. The plot/twists weren't exactly mind-blowing. Overall, I think I would give this a solid 3 stars.

Why not at the end of every 2 month cycle or every month we do a non netflix movie, so we can get some obscure films?

We can do that. Also open it up to the other regions at some point.
 

Asbel

Member
Side Effects is an entertaining mainstream thriller. Don't expect more than that. You get the convenient events that happen for the good guys to prevail and for the bad guys to fail so that people leave the movie in a good mood. It's pretty typical in movies.

Banks taking the law into his own hands is as if he was playing judge, jury and executioner with someone's life. But it was not Banks' decision alone to sentence Emily to the psych ward. It is reasonable to conclude that at least the DA, if not everyone outside Banks' office waiting to arrest Emily, had to be in on this plan to make Emily pay for her crimes. Afterall, Banks told the DA that Emily isn't crazy but the DA let her get sent back to the pysch ward anyway.

Btw, just don't selectively spoiler tag and spoiler tagging is easy to do. Selective spoiler tags are also annoying to read.
 
I watched this when it came out originally. Working for a wonderful movie theatre has it's benefits such as free movies. It's Steven Soderberg which can be hit or miss sometimes, but most of the time it is a hit and I thought so when I originally saw the movie and I still mostly fill that way after re watching it today.

First of all the colors and cinematography are well done. Watching it a second time the beginning shot and the last shot in the film are very similar. The reason for this is obviously to show that Emily's life has come full circle, she's wanting to escape the mundane day to day life of living in a tiny apartment only to end up cooped up in a mental hospital.

While the movie would have been lovely to delve deep into the fact that depression is a very serious and misunderstood issue as well as a lot of other psychiatric issues. The scenes where we are showna glimpse of how pharmaceutical companies test new products is great. A good reflection on how poorly our health system is ran. Free meds? Fuck yeah if I don't have to pay more money into my health insurance. It's a glimpse not only into how broken our healthcare is (due to all of the greediness and monetization of everything) but also just our economy in general. Disasters are now quantified and taken advantage of. I'm sure that's happened plenty of times in the past, plenty, plenty of times but now it's in the forefront... it's part of our daily lives. The bottom line is more important than our well being. Our cost of living is more important than our well being as a society.

We are shown this multiple times. While Jude Law is the protagonist in this he is also an antagonist. He agrees to these trials so he can squeak by getting his kid into private school and maintaining his living status. He is just as culpable in taking advantage of others. So while this movie could have been something about the deep problems of depression, it's something more. It's a reflection of the society in which we all take advantage of one another, ultimately leading to many psychiatric problems. It's a look into what is the root of a lot of our issues. These are the Side Effects of what our society has created.

Is there really nothing on an investigation into the rival drug company who set up this scheme? Were they trying for a sequel setup? That's way too huge a hole to leave unnoticed. If they were willing to orchestrate this stuff surely they'd be willing to do far worse to silence potential threats to this and other investments. At 1h45m I would guess a good portion of the script hit the cutting room floor to even get this condensed, though honestly I think there could have been a good deal better fat trimming in the beginning, less selling on her current depression and more setting up the loss of her "life" at her husband's arrest?

It wasn't. Just inside setup trading thing between Zeta and Rooney. The company they were investing in didn't have anything to do with it. They took advantage of the situation. No Sequel setup. That's not Soderbergs thing unless it's Oceans 11.
 
I had already seen the movie in the theater so I knew the plot twist. Watching the movie a second time it was hard to watch the beginning because of its slow pace. The movie really is not that long but I do wonder if the beginning was shorter would it be more watchable.

I only had one other problem with the movie and it might be a personal issue but it is never implied throughout the movie that Rooney and Channings characters were millionaires or very close to it before Channing went to jail. The first half of the movie implied Rooney motives to kill her husband were because when he went to jail the stress caused her to miscarriage. He also was talking to someone he meet in jail for job prospects which means in the future there is a chance he could go to jail again. The other motivation was Channing mentions they will have to move to Houston but in a scene before that Rooney mentions to Jude Laws character that she likes New York City and she move there to pursue her dream of becoming a graphic artist. The amount money she would have received from the stock market was never mentioned in the movie, so it seemed like a extra perk instead of the main motivating force behind killing her husband up until the flashback. I feel the flashback could have gone a different way it could have shown her meeting Channing in the bar and she thinks she has meet the perfect man, instead he goes to jail for insider trading the stress causes her to miscarriage, her life is in ruins so she makes a plan for revenge.

Some of the things I like about the movie were that the protagonist change from Rooneys character to Jude Laws character and the ending.
Also even though I mention the beginning being slow I didn't have a problem with the pacing the build up to the second half of the movie made it more intense and exciting. I enjoyed watching this movie in the theaters and after watching it a second time still enjoy it even though the beginning felt a little slow I would still give it a 4 out of 5.

edit: I am going to spoiler tag my post just in case will remove later.
 

CloudWolf

Member
My rewatch of Side Effects went pretty much the same as when I saw it in the cinema (aside from now knowing the twist beforehand of course). I really liked the first half of the movie, but after
Jenko's death
, it takes a dip in quality. I thought the twist was pretty weak all considered, since we only see Catherine Zeta Jones for like ten minutes before the ending. Maybe it would've been better if Rooney Mara had pulled it off by herself, instead of adding a lesbian subplot.

The cinematography is really nice though and Jude Law is great and Rooney Mara is quite beautiful.
 
Just finished watching it.

Overall I found it a decent film, but the pacing and the twist aren't really that well executed in my opinion.

The first act takes a bit long to really build anything up, and there's some stuff that could've easily been cut a bit shorter to tighten the cut a little bit, since the film often feels much longer than it actually does by spending too much time with some of the material, though this mainly applies to the first act. If the movie had worked up some better pacing from the beginning I think it would've been a bit easier to process as a whole.

I didn't really have a lot of problems with the second act. The pacing seemed to speed up a bit, and the sense of tension and dread was pretty well executed. Rooney Mara's performance in particular really helped film quite a bit, and the switch to Banks as the main protagonist was pretty interesting.

The twist however kind of brought the film down, especially since it kind of revealed too much prematurely in my opinion. There was something a little hollow about Catherine Zeta-Jones' character that seemed a bit transparent to me, and it was pretty easy to guess she was involved in some manner even before it was all revealed.

In the end I don't really think Zeta-Jones' character was really needed aside from her initial appearance concerning her past with Emily, and I think she could've pulled it off by herself, which would create for a much more compelling third act had they also made the buildup to the reveal a bit more tense.

I did like how Law's character provided both a protagonist and antagonist for the story, which really puts the ending in perspective because he took the law in his own hands. Emily definitely deserved to be punished, but it wasn't his call.

Overall I'd give it a 6.9 though. Some solid and great performances, but the pacing and such really brought the film down a notch. Not great, but definitely not bad either. Some great cinematography I might add.
 

Asbel

Member
Just finished watching it.

Overall I found it a decent film, but the pacing and the twist aren't really that well executed in my opinion.

The first act takes a bit long to really build anything up, and there's some stuff that could've easily been cut a bit shorter to tighten the cut a little bit, since the film often feels much longer than it actually does by spending too much time with some of the material, though this mainly applies to the first act. If the movie had worked up some better pacing from the beginning I think it would've been a bit easier to process as a whole.

I didn't really have a lot of problems with the second act. The pacing seemed to speed up a bit, and the sense of tension and dread was pretty well executed. Rooney Mara's performance in particular really helped film quite a bit, and the switch to Banks as the main protagonist was pretty interesting.

The twist however kind of brought the film down, especially since it kind of revealed too much prematurely in my opinion. There was something a little hollow about Catherine Zeta-Jones' character that seemed a bit transparent to me, and it was pretty easy to guess she was involved in some manner even before it was all revealed.

In the end I don't really think Zeta-Jones' character was really needed aside from her initial appearance concerning her past with Emily, and I think she could've pulled it off by herself, which would create for a much more compelling third act had they also made the buildup to the reveal a bit more tense.

I did like how Law's character provided both a protagonist and antagonist for the story, which really puts the ending in perspective because he took the law in his own hands. Emily definitely deserved to be punished, but it wasn't his call.

Overall I'd give it a 6.9 though. Some solid and great performances, but the pacing and such really brought the film down a notch. Not great, but definitely not bad either. Some great cinematography I might add.

I agree a lot with your post. I addressed Banks taking the law into his own hands in my post above. It's been mentioned a few times that Mara's character could have done it alone. How? The DA checked her money trail. It had to look like she had no motive. Not saying it had to be Zeta's character. The lack of foreshadowing at all to how the movie turns out was likely done so we couldn't guess the twist. But then it was revealed too eary that Mara was lying and that muffled the suspense.
 

lordxar

Member
Why is that.?

Many of the things already mentioned that were in the movie but not expanded on like making money peddling drug trials or using the system to get away with murder. It was more of a story rather than an exploration of ideas if that makes sense. So you just take the story as is and don't read much into it.
 

TheFunkyCactus

Neo Member
I enjoyed this movie. I basically agree with most that the pacing of the film seems a bit off. I found the first third of the movie to move along quite slow while the last third moved at a rapid pace. One had to really pay attention to make sure to follow along with the plot of the film.

I enjoyed the performances of Jude Law and Rooney Mara and overall the movie is well directed and acted. I did think that Channing Tatum was a weird casting choice as the husband. When I look at Channing Tatum I don't really see the intelligent business man type but maybe that's just me.

Overall a decent thriller with an ok twist. I would recommend a watch to someone as long as they didn't need to pay for the movie. I would give it a 7/10.
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Nominations for SciFi/Fantasy will take place next two days. I will link back the posts of the Side Effects discussion in the OP.
 

lordxar

Member
I nominate Big Ass Spider! Sounds like awesome b rated fun. Good selection of movies in there too. Should be a greatly entertaining movie week.
 

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
I nominate Troll Hunter (2010).
 

RevDM

Banned
Nomination Suggestions:


- Total Recall (Verhoeven)
- Running Man (Glaster)
- Fifth Element (Besson)
- RobertCop (Verhoeven)
- Mad Max (Miller)
- Cyborg (Pyun)
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
I would say Moon, as I consider it essential sci-fi viewing, but I guess the majority (or at least a rather large minority) here have seen it. (Also I don't actually know if it's on US Netflix.)
 
Little late to the party, but I watched Side Effects last night.

It was solid. Pacing was wonky, and I think it went a little too off the rails toward the end, but it was enjoyable enough. I like Jude Law, and shifting to him being the protagonist was a smart move. I really enjoy Soderbergh's naturalistic approach to filmmaking. Three stars from me. Good start for the movie club.

And to keep things current, here is my nomination for the week:

Stardust.
 

jts

...hate me...
I just finished watching it. The story was entertaining, and I know I should've seen something like the twist coming, but somehow I believed Jude Law's character would just lose his marbles over time or just something weirder would have happened. I mean, I saw Rooney Mara's sleepy eyes when she killed her husband. Also, after the fact she still acted in character when she went to bed. And there was really that friend in the boat party that recommended to her some pills.

Anyway, it has a sort of a happy ending, but a bit of a sadistic one as well. Bothered me a little bit.

It is a bit slow at times and I ended up watching it over like 2 or 3 chunks, but I'm glad I did though.

I don't really like giving a rating before digesting it a bit over a couple of days. As for next week's nomination, I don't have one.
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
^I thought the story was heading that way too (Law going crazy). I thought he would become obsessed and end up losing everything.
 

jts

...hate me...
^I thought the story was heading that way too (Law going crazy). I thought he would become obsessed and end up losing everything.
Yeah, the movie was definitely showing him taking that downward spiral. Ended up just setting him up for a triumphant return in the last act. The good ol' switcheroo.
Is it too late to watch Side Effects? I am watching it later tonight.

Also, I'd like to nominate Metropolis.
I don't think it's ever too late. One of the best reasons to participate in the club is to watch more movies, imo. And next movie is only due in a couple of days, so...
 
welp, revdm and greatgeek took my nominations already. I'd double nominate galaxy quest if i could though

^I thought the story was heading that way too (Law going crazy). I thought he would become obsessed and end up losing everything.

Taking it a step further, if you consider that convo he had with his wife before her big interview when he talked about his prescriptions allowing people not to change themselves but to be who they really were, I thought at one point that it might have turned out he was self-prescribing (perhaps even unknowingly) and was having some kind of psychotic break. It would fit too considering his desperation call to his former coworker for an adderall script later.
 
I nominate Grabbers because I've been meaning to watch it for awhile now. Also going to nominate Cool World because it was a really shitty SNES game I owned back in the day that I played for some reason. I'm interested in actually seeing the movie.
 

Ferrio

Banned
Finished watching Side Effects. Movie was slow, the unreliable narrator annoying, but at least the doctor didn't get fucked in the end so there's tat.
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
I'm going to nominate: Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.

I didn't even know they made a third film.
 
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