Support NeoGAF

[ViewtifulJC]

Am I crazy or does anyone else believe that Southland Tales will be hailed as an underrated masterpiece in the next 10 years?

Its the kind of interesting failure that you finish it thinking, "well...that was a fuckin' mess" but it sticks around in your head longer than a lot of other, "better" movies.

Somebody might have reclaimed its narrative impenetrability and undercooked philosophic-scientific bullshit if Kelly didn't go on to make The Box and put that dude on the "FUCK OUTTA HERE" list for good

 

[World SkiFree]

Just bumped the Birdman OT. I liked the movie and the OT had an interpretation of the ending which helped my enjoyment. But seeing this thread, I do agree with many posters that say the script had some condescending and preachy scenes. Almost jarringly so, might as well presented then as soliloquies. Having said that, still grades well with me. I've always loved Keaton, I hope he this produces more gigs for him.

 

[Ridley327]

Its the kind of interesting failure that you finish it thinking, "well...that was a fuckin' mess" but it sticks around in your head longer than a lot of other, "better" movies.

Somebody might have reclaimed its narrative impenetrability and undercooked philosophic-scientific bullshit if Kelly didn't go on to make The Box and put that dude on the "FUCK OUTTA HERE" list for good

Southland Tales is the only movie I know of where there's a scene of a pair of SUVs fucking, Kevin Smith cosplaying as the bastard child of The Architect and Santa Claus, and an impromptu music video for a Killers song starring a hammered-out-his-skull Justin Timberlake. And that's not even the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Cormano]

The Raid, looking forward to the second one.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

I saw Mad Max (1979). I was only going to see Road Warrior, but decided to check it out. Coming from someone previously unaware of this series' existence, the contrast between this one and Fury Road is pretty stricking. Like I wouldn't have guessed they're from the same series. I liked it, but it does get a bit slow at times. 6/10

 

[Infernostew]

Somebody might have reclaimed its narrative impenetrability and undercooked philosophic-scientific bullshit if Kelly didn't go on to make The Box and put that dude on the "FUCK OUTTA HERE" list for good

The Box is up there as one of the biggest turds I've seen. Such wasted potential as the story itself could be pretty interesting.

 

[Toothless]

Tomorrowland is bad, bad, bad. There's some cool directing in it, but the themes might be the legitimate worst I've seen in a blockbuster. I actively beg all of you to not give it your money.

 

[Femmeworth]

Vudu's subtitles are garbage. Ugh.

 

[lordxar]

The Box is up there as one of the biggest turds I've seen. Such wasted potential as the story itself could be pretty interesting.

I would agree to a point, the story was interesting...I'm just not sure how they could have pulled it off successfully. Personally I loved the movie, probably not so much because of the movie itself as it was the idea behind it and what it could have been so to speak. I think all the trailers hyped opinions one way and the movie delivered another. I still liked it, just the mystery made it worthwhile. Might need to find this again and rewatch it.

 

[SpaceHorror]

Chimes at Midnight 4/5 - Orson Welles' mishmash of several Shakespeare plays is actually anything but, telling a highly amusing and ultimately tragic story of the Bard's famous Falstaff and his relationship with Prince Hal, who would become Henry V. I've often lamented that Welles' genius seems to end with Citizen Kane or The Magnificent Ambersons for some people (though many also include Touch of Evil). Yes, he was mostly shunned by Hollywood before he could finish The Magnificent Ambersons, but he continued to make brilliant films throughout the 50's and 60's. This is one of them. The shots and camera movement are as good as they are in Touch of Evil, with Welles' talent for brilliant composition and staging making the film's small budget insignificant. Welles as Falstaff is now among my favorite of his performances, he conveys both the buffoonery and tragedy of the character perfectly. One of my favorite scenes is during an epic battle between Henry IV and those rebelling against his rule; while all of the other knights battle brutally, Falstaff is running around in his armor falling down and hiding in bushes.

 

[Nuke Soda]

Tomorrowland is bad, bad, bad. There's some cool directing in it, but the themes might be the legitimate worst I've seen in a blockbuster. I actively beg all of you to not give it your money.

The biggest compliment I can give it is that it isn't The Last Airbender bad, but the movie still sucks.

 

[Blader]

Gone with the Wind
With an opening text that equates a society of "Master and Slave" with beauty, gallantry, and "no more than a dream remembered" I was bracing myself to hate it. And the first half didn't veer too far out of those expectations -- the romanticism of Old South culture and slavery is gross, and Scarlett is frankly annoying as shit. But the second half was surprisingly interesting. I'd always thought this movie was supposed to be some grand, epic melodramatic romance between Gable and Leigh, but it ended up being way darker and unromantic than I was expecting. I still didn't love it and it probably doesn't need to be 4 hours long, but I surprisingly thought it was alright.

It's also a hell of a thing to see -- enormous sets, armies of extras, all topped with some very lovely technicolor. There's a handful of forced painterly shots, but damned if they don't look nice all the same.

 

[Toothless]

The biggest compliment I can give it is that it isn't The Last Airbender bad, but the movie still sucks.

It managed to make Nolan look like the king of subtlety along with making Jupiter Ascending an enjoyable film. So I guess I agree with you.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Gone with the Wind
With an opening text that equates a society of "Master and Slave" with beauty, gallantry, and "no more than a dream remembered" I was bracing myself to hate it. And the first half didn't veer too far out of those expectations -- the romanticism of Old South culture and slavery is gross, and Scarlett is frankly annoying as shit. But the second half was surprisingly interesting. I'd always thought this movie was supposed to be some grand, epic melodramatic romance between Gable and Leigh, but it ended up being way darker and unromantic than I was expecting. I still didn't love it and it probably doesn't need to be 4 hours long, but I surprisingly thought it was alright.

It's also a hell of a thing to see -- enormous sets, armies of extras, all topped with some very lovely technicolor. There's a handful of forced painterly shots, but damned if they don't look nice all the same.

For all the bad things in it, it holds up surprisingly well. Some shots are great, as is the ending. I love that shot of Scarlett running down the stairs.

 

[Choomp]

Tomorrowland is bad, bad, bad. There's some cool directing in it, but the themes might be the legitimate worst I've seen in a blockbuster. I actively beg all of you to not give it your money.

This is all I've heard about the movie and I'll probably still see it in the theater. Something about it still appeals to me, I don't really know.

Saw Ex Machina. Very smart, interesting movie. Wonderfully shot as well, the house that takes place in is really beautiful, I fell in love with some of the rooms and nature surrounding it.

 

[Messofanego]

Tomorrowland

It's not absolute garbage as I expected! Actually, was a pleasant surprise. Definitely a Brad Bird film, more in line with Iron Giant (it has a cameo). IMAX is a must if you're at all interested (fills up whole screen throughout), absolutely stunning imagery and some great focus on wonder of flight. The world-building is great with some unique ideas in there like a suspended-in-motion multi-level swimming pool. I love that the first astronaut they show is of an indian girl where her family are worried about saying goodbye. It's blunt optimistic sci fi like Interstellar where it's more about ideas and imaginations with the flaws of too much exposition and less "show don't tell" storytelling. The themes and message are clearly laid out in dialogue. It's almost the opposite of Mad Max Fury Road in the type of sci fi, although that one also lays out the hope and redemption themes pretty bluntly in dialogue too. If plot holes or character motivations bother you less than ideas and refreshing imagery, check it out. Interstellar fares better at explanations, emotions, and character work than here, especially Hugh Laurie's antagonist who seems like a forced conflict for a pointlessly destructing climax.

However, the trailers completely mismarketed the film. It's a really funny film that's reliant on visual humour. It's not as simple as like alice in tomorrowland, it's more about going back and forth between two worlds, in interesting ways. There are two protagonists and Britt Robertson is really the main one, not George Clooney's optimist-turned-pessimist. It's not just about pining for a utopia, it's about this struggle between that and dystopic sci-fi. Britt Robertson's Casey Newton as the excitable rebel cipher for the audience is an absolute joy, being a badass along with Athena, another female badass (Raffey Cassidy who reminded me of a younger Isabella Adjani) are really the main driving force and worth the price of admission. I really wish they put these both girls front and centre, as they bring about the best in the movie.

I was waiting for it to get bad like other reviews have called it absolutely terrible, and while I'm totally up for understanding its flaws as mentioned at the start, it's worth watching for sure.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I can see the Blu-Ray cover quotes right now.

"It's not absolute garbage as I expected!" - that guy with all the gifs of obscure/indie entertainment products, The Internet

 

[Nuke Soda]

Tomorrowland

It's not absolute garbage as I expected! Actually, was a pleasant surprise. Definitely a Brad Bird film, more in line with Iron Giant (it has a cameo). IMAX is a must if you're at all interested (fills up whole screen throughout), absolutely stunning imagery and some great focus on wonder of flight. The world-building is great with some unique ideas in there like a suspended-in-motion multi-level swimming pool. I love that the first astronaut they show is of an indian girl where her family are worried about saying goodbye. It's blunt optimistic sci fi like Interstellar where it's more about ideas and imaginations with the flaws of too much exposition and less "show don't tell" storytelling. The themes and message are clearly laid out in dialogue. It's almost the opposite of Mad Max Fury Road in the type of sci fi, although that one also lays out the hope and redemption themes pretty bluntly in dialogue too. If plot holes or character motivations bother you less than ideas and refreshing imagery, check it out. Interstellar fares better at explanations, emotions, and character work than here, especially Hugh Laurie's antagonist who seems like a forced conflict for a pointlessly destructing climax.

However, the trailers completely mismarketed the film. It's a really funny film that's reliant on visual humour. It's not as simple as like alice in tomorrowland, it's more about going back and forth between two worlds, in interesting ways. There are two protagonists and Britt Robertson is really the main one, not George Clooney's optimist-turned-pessimist. It's not just about pining for a utopia, it's about this struggle between that and dystopic sci-fi. Britt Robertson's Casey Newton as the excitable rebel cipher for the audience is an absolute joy, being a badass along with Athena, another female badass (Raffey Cassidy who reminded me of a younger Isabella Adjani) are really the main driving force and worth the price of admission. I really wish they put these both girls front and centre, as they bring about the best in the movie.

I was waiting for it to get bad like other reviews have called it absolutely terrible, and while I'm totally up for understanding its flaws as mentioned at the start, it's worth watching for sure.

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[User 479360]

I started watching As Above, So Below, but turned it off after just a bit.

PVRing the following, which I've yet to watch:

Lone Survivor (Not sure if it'll be good or for me)
Fury
A Simple Plan
Cape Fear
Dr. Cabbie

Also, Stay, which I think I saw years ago. I don't remember it very well, though, and since it deals with themes of depression and suicide, it intrigues me.

 

[Insane Metal]

Yesterday I watched Ex Machina and It Follows.

Ex Machina is pretty good, but It Follows... are you fucking kidding me? That ending... what? Also the movie's pace is like a fucking turtle. So sloooooooooooooooooooooooooow. Boring.

 

[Nuke Soda]

Yesterday I watched Ex Machina and It Follows.

Ex Machina is pretty good, but It Follows... are you fucking kidding me? That ending... what? Also the movie's pace is like a fucking turtle. So sloooooooooooooooooooooooooow. Boring.

To each their own, I liked the slow burn pace of It Follows.

 

[Infernostew]

Some stuff I saw recently...

Thank You For Smoking - Wasn't this a family guy episode? A lobbyist for big tobacco struggles with being good at his job and being a role model for his son.. or maybe he just doesn't care. This film was quite hyped up to me by a few people and while I thought it was good, I was expecting a bit more out of it. Really like the mod squad scenes and the stuff with Rob Lowe but ultimately, I felt it could have been funnier. 6/10

Cannibal The Musical - Another overhyped comedy film, this time from the south park guys. There's come pretty funny stuff going on here, especially with the music. Trey Parker's always been a great comedy music writer and this is not exception. Much like south park, it seems like these guys took some time to hone their craft and I've enjoyed their latter films more than this. Still a good first effort. 6/10

Cube - Before saw, there was cube. A group of people wake up in a cube structure full of taps and must find their way out. This is such a fun little film. It seems like they were able to do a lot with a low budget and although the acting isn't the best, it kind of suits the film pretty well. I loved the ambiguity of the film and while there are twists that are obvious, others aren't so much. Pretty great gore effects too. 7/10

Warrior - Oh man, as a fan of MMA I really wanted to like this film. I've had a few friends rave about this one too so I was pretty excited to finally see it. Besides the acting and cinematography, I didn't like anything else about this film. The story was extremely predictable and the lack of any attempt of realism was completely abandoned in favor of a boring underdog story. The film felt like a big sponsors ad as there are products and brands plastered across every frame. bleh... 4/10

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I wanted to like Warrior too, and I really liked the lead performances, but the movie tho...

 

[Currygan]

The Long Goodbye is of course a great, great movie. It very cleverly updates Marlowe's personality to the morally wretched seventies; there's no suspense, instead there's a ever-growing feeling of ambiguity that turns into solid tension in the final minutes, when Marlowe's choice hits with the sudden impact of a lightning bolt, and is also coherent with the times; Elliott Gould's portrayal of a laid back, passive, ironic detective is masterful, pacing doesn't skip a beat, great cinematography, great ST, great movie 9.7/10

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Better than the first one. It flows more naturally and it is more interesting. The action is pretty good too. 7/10

 

[Toa TAK]

Finally got to watch Dawn OF THE Planet OF THE Apes, after seeing the first one on demand years ago and being pleasantly surprised by it. Enjoyed this one just as much. Good focus and perspective on these characters, and especially the Apes themselves. Koba was a bad dude, but you see why. It's a great sequel with heartfelt callbacks to the first film.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

somehow tricked one of my friends into selling me his Chungking Express CC blu-ray for $10 bucks

saw dem prices on Amazon

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

Damn. Does he not like the movie or something?

 

[Infernostew]

somehow tricked one of my friends into selling me his Chungking Express CC blu-ray for $10 bucks

saw dem prices on Amazon

I've had that one for a long time and still haven't watched it.

 

[Femmeworth]

Mad Max

Some of the details are lost on me in what it seems like a really simple story. I think that's largely because I couldn't decipher a significant amount of the dialogue, which isn't the film's fault. I rented it through Vudu and the subtitles are fucking awful. Would not recommend watching it through there if you have trouble with different English dialects/accents.

 

[harSon]

somehow tricked one of my friends into selling me his Chungking Express CC blu-ray for $10 bucks

saw dem prices on Amazon

you truly ain't shit

 

[MikeMyers]

Saw the new Mad Max and found it decent. The world was well-realized and I like the action, but didn't find the characters developed enough for me to care about them.

 

[neogaffer1]

Just finished watching Focus. It was fun at times, but it really fell apart about halfway through after a completely random timeskip. TBH, only reason I watched it was to see Will Smith and Margot Robbie together to see if they work well together (Suicide Squad HYPE). Their banter, outside of the drawn out "date" scenes in the second half of the movie, was pretty good.

 

[Raitosaito]

Tomorrowland is bad, bad, bad. There's some cool directing in it, but the themes might be the legitimate worst I've seen in a blockbuster. I actively beg all of you to not give it your money.

Brad Bird.....
what happen?

 

[burnfout]

I feel a bit out of touch with critical opinion lately, I went to see Mad Max yesterday and thought it was just ok. I listened to the Slash filmcast friday and one of them reviewed it as the best action film of the last 10 years, and probably of years to come. I just don't see it.

But considering I really disliked Mad Max 1 en Road Warrior I guess Fury Road being ok is actually a compliment.

 

[BaronLundi]

So a little off-topic but I finally finished The Sopranos. God what a surprise. I expected it to go downhill as the first season was really excellent. And it did for a while. But then I kept getting hooked and suprised by the story (or more accurately by how the narration was conducted), the pacing, the humour and the incredible cast.

I somehow also managed not getting the ending spoiled. Only knew how controversial it was. Oh boy. I can see why people were a bit confused and even angry but man, it was an absolutely perfect finale to a fantastic journey, however tragic and depressing.

The Wire still reigns supreme as far as I'm concerned (sorry Sculli) but it was amazing. Can't shake off the feelings of these last scenes.

Also Predestination.

Spoiler

However talented your make-up artist is, this just doesn't work.

Please stop with this bullshit, you had one job learning something from Looper. And something's not right when a movie relies on twists you can see coming half an hour before they happen. Especially when overall the story doesn't make any goddamn sense at all, even if you suspend your disbelief to Cirque du soleil levels.

 

[burnfout]

So a little off-topic but I finally finished The Sopranos. God what a surprise. I expected it to go downhill as the first season is really excellent and it did for a while. But then I kept getting hooked and suprised by the story (or more accurately by how the narration was conducted), the pacing, the humour and the incredible cast.

I somehow also managed not getting the ending spoiled. Only knew how controversial it was. Oh boy. I can see why people were a bit confused and even angry but man, it was an absolutely perfect finale to a fantastic journey, however tragic and depressing.

The Wire still reigns supreme as far as I'm concerned (sorry Sculli) but it was amazing. Can't shake off the feelings of these last scenes.

Also Predestination.

Spoiler

However talented your make-up artist is, this just doesn't work.

Please stop with this bullshit, you had one job learning something from Looper. And something's not right when a movie relies on twists you can see coming half an hour before they happen. Especially when overall the story doesn't make any goddamn sense at all, even if you suspend your disbelief to Cirque du soleil levels.

Agree with The Wire > The Sopranos. So excited for the Bluray boxset coming june 1st. They will stand together as brothers on my shelf.

Now I just need The X-Files and The West Wing bluray box sets and my life will be complete.

 

[minx]

Mad Max - 8/10 great action movie. Not enough back story or character development. Didn't leave the theater thinking "wow" like I thought I would. Even saw it on an "ultrascreen"

Whiplash - 9.5/10 loved this movie. Rewatched this movie the day after first viewing. Something I have never done before. Tempted to give it 10/10. Watch this movie!

Project Almanac - 2.5/10 Utter crap like I expected. Don't bother. Luckily I got paid to watch this.

Pitch Perfect 2 - 7.5 very enjoyable. If you liked the first you will like this one.

Ex Machinima - 7/10 was a predictable movie. Still had some interesting concepts and ideas. Not enough twists in my opinion for a movie like this.

The Loft - 5/10 well I didn't guess how it would end so I always like that but the movie had pass poor acting and wasn't out together well.

Hunger Games: Mockingjay 5.5/10 a completely forgettable blockbuster that struggled without the "games". Jennifer Lawrence really isn't much to look at in the movie with the minimal makeup she wears.

 

[SpaceHorror]

Shadows 3.5/5 - It's really rough around the edges, but as it was made with a skeleton crew with a $40,000 budget, along with being John Cassavetes' first film, that's understandable. Scenes cut off abruptly and poorly transition to the next, the dialog is sometimes off, and the acting can be a little underwhelming. That said, it all works in the end, creating a Beat era drama that tackles racism and other very human issues like love, sex, dealing with failure, and the isolationism that can come from feeling like you don't fit in. The acting also gets better in the intense scenes that explode throughout the film as the problems between the characters reach various boiling points. It was a brave film for its time, not shying away from interracial relationships and showing two unmarried characters in bed after having sex, both of which I'm sure were pretty controversial. Regardless of how people felt back then, Cassavetes was right, as it holds up pretty damn well today. It was also a landmark moment in American independent cinema and it's worth seeing just for that. Seeing New York in the late 1950's in such a raw way is also really cool.

 

[Discotheque]

nah, gonna have to stick with the sopranos > wire opinion. both are great though, and only mad men has managed to come close since imo.

 

[Secret Fawful]

The Sopranos just horrifies me on an existential level, but it's so incredible. The finale is some Kubrick-esque shit, even if the director didn't intend for it to be. I like the cut that goes from Tony looking at his diner table to sitting in it. Felt like some of the editing cuts at the end of 2001. The way the song plays into the scene is interesting too.

As far as the Tomorrowland review above, if there are three movies I'm not looking forward to watching this year that I'll end up having to see anyway due to family, it's that, Inside Out, and Ant-Man. Siiiiiiggggghhhhh.

 

[HiResDes]

Watch Ex Machina the other night:

I went into the movie thinking it'd have more in common with blockbusters like Minority Report or I,Robot, and came away relieved to find that it's more of a meticulously paced cerebral suspense film. The low saturated closed corridor shots of the maze like interior in which most of the film takes place add to its somewhat claustrophobic. The acting is quite stellar with each of the three main stars contributing believable evocative performances in which each of their motives and thought processes and fully fleshed throughout the well nuanced dialogue. The real depth of the film is contained within the long build, rather than denouement, which is a testament to the subtle complexities of the successfully intrepid triangular relationship that unfolds between the players. The brevity of the plot and dialogue is also worthy of note. Ex Machina isn't a film focused on expensive action-packed effects or highly convoluted plot devices, but rather on questioning our notion of self and how we might relate to an artificial life-form with the same sort of self awareness. The characters of Ex Machina are at the forefront rather than being mere vehicles for climatic action, which is quite refreshing. 8/10

 

[Messofanego]

As far as the Tomorrowland review above, if there are three movies I'm not looking forward to watching this year that I'll end up having to see anyway due to family, it's that, Inside Out, and Ant-Man. Siiiiiiggggghhhhh.

Ant Man trailer showed before Tomorrowland, and man the absence of Edgar Wright was palpable. I heard some of the script is still there, but the only hint of that is the Thomas the Tank Engine crash XD

It'll be interesting where I lie on the opinion spectrum for Inside Out, as someone who's not liked Pixar films since Ratatouille. The trailer definitely doesn't do it favours with the boring mom/dad stereotypes.

Finally got to watch Dawn OF THE Planet OF THE Apes, after seeing the first one on demand years ago and being pleasantly surprised by it. Enjoyed this one just as much. Good focus and perspective on these characters, and especially the Apes themselves. Koba was a bad dude, but you see why. It's a great sequel with heartfelt callbacks to the first film.

I really liked the main actor too (Jason Clarke), sad to see the waste of such a good performance slumming it in this new Terminator film which looks like a mess.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

i'm always getting the Dawn and Rise of Planet of the Apes titles confused. Good movies, but I think they got the titles mixed up?

 

[UrbanRats]

nah, gonna have to stick with the sopranos > wire opinion. both are great though, and only mad men has managed to come close since imo.

Where's Deadwood in your equation?

 

[User 479360]

Dr. Cabbie - It was entertaining, but not as good as I was hoping it'd be. Still decent, though.

And you guys all need to watch Six Feet Under. It's better than The Sopranos.

 

[Spinluck]

Dr. Cabbie - It was entertaining, but not as good as I was hoping it'd be. Still decent, though.

And you guys all need to watch Six Feet Under. It's better than The Sopranos.

No.

 

[Toothless]

As far as the Tomorrowland review above, if there are three movies I'm not looking forward to watching this year that I'll end up having to see anyway due to family, it's that, Inside Out, and Ant-Man. Siiiiiiggggghhhhh.

What's so bad about Inside Out? Looks like the best Pixar movie in a very very long time to me

 

[Secret Fawful]

It'll be interesting where I lie on the opinion spectrum for Inside Out, as someone who's not liked Pixar films since Ratatouille. The trailer definitely doesn't do it favours with the boring mom/dad stereotypes.

To the below quote- THIS^ THIIIISSSS. Also, I don't like much Pixar at all. This is exaggerated further by my opinion that they've trampled over better films in terms of awards and recognition time and time again. I'm almost irrationally anti-Pixar at this point. The only two movies of theirs I really liked are Finding Nemo for its weirdness and Ratatouille because of its intelligence. I'm even kinda iffy on the Incredibles, though less so than most of their movies.

What's so bad about Inside Out? Looks like the best Pixar movie in a very very long time to me

 

[MidnightCowboy]

The Long Goodbye is of course a great, great movie. It very cleverly updates Marlowe's personality to the morally wretched seventies; there's no suspense, instead there's a ever-growing feeling of ambiguity that turns into solid tension in the final minutes, when Marlowe's choice hits with the sudden impact of a lightning bolt, and is also coherent with the times; Elliott Gould's portrayal of a laid back, passive, ironic detective is masterful, pacing doesn't skip a beat, great cinematography, great ST, great movie 9.7/10

You underrated it.