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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| April 2016

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Of the complaints you could levy at TFA, a lack of energy and passion is definitely not one of them.

Eye in the Sky
Well this was a surprise. Only went to see this because Midnight Special was sold out. I hadn't seen any trailers so I was expecting a Hollywood-style series of drone strikes with some very surface-level ethical pondering applied. What it ended up being was a surprisingly interesting, thoughtful debate over a single drone strike, and the ethics, politics and bureaucracy of it, layered over a genuinely tense thriller. It may be a contrived situation and simpler than a real drone strike scenario, but as a film I thought it was impressively and unexpectedly smart, compelling and even-handed(ish). Really strong cast dynamic, with great performances by Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, and Aaron Paul. Also nice to see my man Iain Glenn here for a few scenes. He needs to be in more movies.
4/5
 
Hail Caesar!
My favourite film of the year so far. Loved every minute.

+ loved all the nostalgic parody tropes of Hollywood golden age films

+ Josh Brolin and Alden Ehreinreich give fantastic performances. In fact all the cast do with superb cameos.

+ Dance sequence with Channing Tatum and sailors

+ pronounciation scene with Ralph Finnes. I burst out laughing.

+ Dem Josh Brolin bitch slaps

+ Socio-economic historian communists!


- now I actually want to see a full movie parody film of Hail Caesar starring Clooney :( and all the other parody films

- some scenes felt a bit too short and cut out. Would love to see a longer directors cut.
 
Just rewatched Rope for the fifth time. Still amazing.

ol9XSTm.gif
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The Gift was a good, solid thriller with a really convoluted second half that stumbled a a bunch. The fact that it went back and forth between
who the real villain was
was I guess interesting, but it never had a payoff and it never really felt connected
as they both were revealed to be pretty bad people in the end
.
 
Arnie7 said:
Hail Caesar!
My favourite film of the year so far. Loved every minute.

+ loved all the nostalgic parody tropes of Hollywood golden age films

+ Josh Brolin and Alden Ehreinreich give fantastic performances. In fact all the cast do with superb cameos.

+ Dance sequence with Channing Tatum and sailors

+ pronounciation scene with Ralph Finnes. I burst out laughing.

+ Dem Josh Brolin bitch slaps

+ Socio-economic historian communists!


- now I actually want to see a full movie parody film of Hail Caesar starring Clooney :( and all the other parody films

- some scenes felt a bit too short and cut out. Would love to see a longer directors cut.
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agreed. Hail Caesar has been such a pleasant surprise, especially after the lukewarm reception it got around here


Timeaisis said:
The Gift was a good, solid thriller with a really convoluted second half that stumbled a a bunch. The fact that it went back and forth between
who the real villain was
was I guess interesting, but it never had a payoff and it never really felt connected
as they both were revealed to be pretty bad people in the end
.
Click to expand...

this been on my radar for quite some time, looked really good from the trailers
 
Yeah I still have yet to see midnight special (smh at this. Especially since I fanboy over early Spielberg and Jeff Nichols) and everybody wants some

But of the stuff I have seen hail caesar is absolutely my favorite this year. Wish it was longer but either way it was quite hilarious and a great love letter and lambasting of old hollywood system
 
Entourage - Was basically like watching a couple episodes of the show, it even felt like it had little cliffhangers that it would have ended on if it was a mini series or another season. a decent swan song for a show that didn't end on the highest of notes.

Trainwreck - decent comedy, Lebron and John Cena were the best parts by far.
 
Jarnet87 said:
Entourage - Was basically like watching a couple episodes of the show, it even felt like it had little cliffhangers that it would have ended on if it was a mini series or another season. a decent swan song for a show that didn't end on the highest of notes.

Trainwreck - decent comedy, Lebron and John Cena were the best parts by far.
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check out Cena in Sisters. comedy cameos are his calling in life
 
TheFlow said:
Cringe_597602_5513536.gif

you can't enjoy well made blockbusters and then call TFA boring, heartless, and poorly edited.
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I liked TFA quite a bit but Abrams is like the definition of a B player. His movies are never bad. They're never great. He puts out something you will enjoy while you sit in theaters but they don't last even a week for me.

Star Wars is the exception and that's only because of the IP tbh. I found moments in there kind of lame as well.
 
Discotheque said:
I liked TFA quite a bit but Abrams is like the definition of a B player. His movies are never bad. They're never great. He puts out something you will enjoy while you sit in theaters but they don't last even a week for me.

Star Wars is the exception and that's only because of the IP tbh. I found moments in there kind of lame as well.
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Abrams trilogy might just top the original. TFA was like a better version of New hope but with a lil more fan service.

VII is where we will see if Abrams has the chops


On Abrams himself the only thing that was meh to me was his second star trek movie and looks like the third is going to be meh too.
 
Nothing Abrams has made has stuck with me. Still haven't seen TFA but I'm sure I'll feel the same way there, especially with near 0 attachment to the Star Wars brand. Tempted to call him the perfect junk food director in this climate of junk food blockbusters. And junk food's great sometimes but you always feel bloated, and guilty, and forget you ate it a few hours later before searching for some real food.


Hmmm, this didn't sound as elitisthipster in my head as it does when reading it.... I enjoy (good) blockbusters I swear.
 
TFA is the best Abrams movie IMO and it's like a 7. It's solid, has plenty of flaws, and he's certainly not top of his class, but he does have some legit chops with some technique as well and TFA makes good use of that. There was some good camera work and performances that I think elevate over most other blockbusters.
 
Was on vacation all week so I didn't watch anything for a week. Tons of on flight movies but only had a 2 hour flight so I rewatched Whiplash for the ~5th time. So damn good.
 
Maggie. This was actually a really good movie. Pretty slow moving though. Ahhnuld was a surprisingly good fit for this role. He looked old and haggard which fit the part and his drama fu wasn't too shabby either.
 
TheFlow said:
Abrams trilogy might just top the original. TFA was like a better version of New hope but with a lil more fan service.

VII is where we will see if Abrams has the chops


On Abrams himself the only thing that was meh to me was his second star trek movie and looks like the third is going to be meh too.
Click to expand...

Come again?
 
While the Whiplash love never exactly eluded me, I do wonder from time to time why it resonated so much with so many people. Saw it once in theaters, enjoyed it, solid 7 I guess, but never had any inclination to watch it again.
 
omgkitty said:
I watched Sullivan's Travels and The Palm Beach Story last night. Watching old classics is always weird because you hear this huge acclaim for certain things that were very much made in a different way and have a different feel than what modern films offer. For me personally, things like this are always hit and miss. I watched It Happened One Night on Thursday and enjoyed it, but then wasn't really feeling the Sturges' films.
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Noooooo.

Always hurts to see someone watch the "wrong" movies from one of your favorite directors. Preston Sturges is my favorite thing I discovered in the last year.

The Lady Eve is probably going to break into my top 10 of all time. Miracle of Morgan's Creek and Unfaithfully Yours will be top 100. Everything else is at least one tier down from those.


omgkitty said:
I'm going to check out To Be or Not to Be later tonight, so hopefully Lubitsch will be more up my alley.
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If you like musicals check out The Merry Widow. It's actually my favorite Lubitsch.


-----


I've been watching Twin Peaks for the first time. Indeed, season 1 is one of the very few television shows I'd call a masterpiece. Season 2 hasn't been as tight. I'm through episode 17 now and thinking about stopping, unless anyone here is a strong proponent of the rest?
 
sorcerer was fucking great

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DONT KNOW

not psycho said:
I've been watching Twin Peaks for the first time. Indeed, season 1 is one of the very few television shows I'd call a masterpiece. Season 2 hasn't been as tight. I'm through episode 17 now and thinking about stopping, unless anyone here is a strong proponent of the rest?
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the final like 2-3 episodes (?) when lynch returns are top tier
 
TheFlow said:
Did you read the whole page? Smh
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I did, but i found it odd to call the new star wars movies "Abrams' trilogy", unless you refer to some other trilogy.
Didn't mean to be pedantic, anyway.

Anyway, i'm not that fond of the old trilogy, i think the only really great one is V, IV is pretty boring, and VI has some great moments, but overall, is all sorts of fucked.
In that sense, VII isn't that bad, but it's still a pretty mediocre movie, aside from the massive budget they had to play with, and the legacy to support it.
I think it had a good energy, that however gets thwarted constantly, by some weird pacing.
 
All good urban! I was just very misinformed about the directors and such working on Star Wars.

v is my favorite Star Wars movie though next to revenge of the sith. Everything else I like about the series honestly comes from the sword fights and animated series
 
TheFlow said:
Cringe_597602_5513536.gif

you can't enjoy well made blockbusters and then call TFA boring, heartless, and poorly edited.
Click to expand...

couldn't shake the feeling it was a by the numbers, cobbled together movie made with the least amount of raw energy required for the task. Like, ST 2009 had way more enthusiasm going for it, to me, unlike this one, as if Abrams was afraid of going all in with the action in order to preserve those sacred characters from doing or saying something controversial. Felt like he was being handed a two feet long checklist and had to go through every single voice like a robot, measuring the ingredients with maniacal precision. I'd admit it was one of the hardest tasks, but a bit more courage would've been appreciated IMHO
 
So far in April.

17 Man Up
16 An Honest Liar
10 The Peanuts Movie
10 Kung Fu Panda 3
10 The Invitation
9 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
9 Snowtown
7 Galaxy Quest
6 Ferris Bueller's Day Off
4 World of Tomorrow


Hunger Games was such a huge waste of my time. What an awful series.
The Invitation was so good, like outstanding. I fucking loved it.
 
MidnightCowboy said:
While the Whiplash love never exactly eluded me, I do wonder from time to time why it resonated so much with so many people. Saw it once in theaters, enjoyed it, solid 7 I guess, but never had any inclination to watch it again.
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I feel like it builds up to one of the best pay offs I've seen in a long ass time. Also, J.K. Simmons' performance never seems to get old with me and I really enjoy the music and how it's shot. It's a film that I can't see ever getting old with me.

brianjones said:
the final like 2-3 episodes (?) when lynch returns are top tier
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For all the faults season 2 has (there are quite a bunch), the last couple episodes are fantastic.
 
Currygan said:
couldn't shake the feeling it was a by the numbers, cobbled together movie made with the least amount of raw energy required for the task. Like, ST 2009 had way more enthusiasm going for it, to me, unlike this one, as if Abrams was afraid of going all in with the action in order to preserve those sacred characters from doing or saying something controversial. Felt like he was being handed a two feet long checklist and had to go through every single voice like a robot, measuring the ingredients with maniacal precision. I'd admit it was one of the hardest tasks, but a bit more courage would've been appreciated IMHO
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I don't know where you're really seeing this "least amount of energy"... JJ and co. were clearly over the moon to do this movie, even if some beats felt overly familiar. The cast -- the new people and Ford -- are full of energy. I mean, Ford! Really acting again! With charisma and everything.

Don't know what you mean by doing something controversial, and when I think of controversial movies, Star Trek '09 certainly doesn't come to mind :lol unless you mean breaking canon in some way, in which case I feel like
killing Han Solo is a fairly big deal on that point, even if it was a predictable one
 
Discotheque said:
to think he's directing like 18 of these episodes now for the new season. i was waiting for more david lynch stuff and they're gonna drop 18 hours of it for us now. glorious.
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18?! damn.. last i heard it was like 8

man i sure hope its good but I'm always a little wary of these "band getting back together" projects
 
Blader said:
I think you're projecting something onto the movie that isn't really there... JJ and co. were clearly over the moon to do this movie, even if some beats felt overly familiar. The cast -- the new people and Ford -- are full of energy. I don't really know what you mean doing something controversial, and when I think of controversial movies, Star Trek '09 certainly doesn't come to mind :lol unless you mean breaking canon in some way, in which case I feel like
killing Han Solo is a fairly big deal on that point, even if it was a predictable one
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controversial as doing something unexpected, which never happens in this movie, unless you think Han Solo's fate was such a big moment when Ford himself practically said it would happen like twenty years ago. But it would've been fine anyway if that scene wasn't such horribly conceived (seriously, I found the mise en scene there amateurish to the max) and thrown away like it's fucking nothing. I felt the same as I watched the new X-Files, which means....zero emotions. It just didn't work

ST09, while made by the same principle (a train running on two different rails in order to please two different audiences, new and old), pulled WAY more emotional weight to me, had much more enthralling action, plot tried to be smart and for the most part, it worked as a successful sequel/prequel/reboot. I don't know man, perhaps I like the ST universe more than the SW one
 
Maggie was alright. It flirts with greatness the entire movie but never really gets there. The premise was great, some of the scenes were really tense and intriguing but... The pacing. Was so. Slow. I liked the subject matter a lot, I just wish it was a little better put together.

Arnold does surprisingly well, too.
 
The Revenant - Iñárritu

I sadly missed this on theaters and regretted that decision 5 minutes in. It's a spectacular film, with a naturalistic approach as the camera is always next to our point of action. The tension , the harshness of the environment and the imposing force of nature is effectively captured. It's interesting to compare it with The Assassin (which I still think is the most visually impressive film of last year), as they both seem enamored by naturalism and achieve it in opposing ways. One is extremely dynamic, looser on framing, almost monochrome, the other is rigid, very strict in the image composition and with beautiful natural contrasts.

Leo is good in it, Hardy is a beast, his Fitzgerald is a strong but scared man. That contrast is very interesting, as we know this is a very capable man but it's palpable he knows he's worthless in the grand scheme of things.
 
Vampirolol said:
Just rewatched Rope for the fifth time. Still amazing.
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So good

I'm a huge Hitchcock fan, and Rope was a great achievement. Also a very good movie.

There was a 'remake', or spiritual successor of sorts, starring Jason Mewes. It was pretty good too.

Timeaisis said:
The Gift was a good, solid thriller with a really convoluted second half that stumbled a a bunch. The fact that it went back and forth between
who the real villain was
was I guess interesting, but it never had a payoff and it never really felt connected
as they both were revealed to be pretty bad people in the end
.
Click to expand...

Surprisingly good. I would like to watch this again.

Smart movie.
 
Green Room

I went in with some high expectations and for the most part I was pretty satisfied. Just felt that Stewart wasn't as terrifying/chilling as some people made him out to be. Glad that the glimpses of gore were relatively brief as I don't really like it. Beyond that, the plot was servicible enough and the actors played their roles decently well.
 
Heads for Sale. This was a really cool Shaw movie. I didn't expect much but was definitely surprised. Given the title I expected some chick to lop heads off in every battle. Which really only turned out to be a couple heads in one fight but what she did with them was actually pretty awesome. The combat was fairly staged, not as bad as Web of Death but not top tier. Actually the story part really made up for the combat. Of course it ends in an all out brawl.
 
Charley Varrick. What the fuck, this movie is a gem. Went in blind after hearing about it like, decades ago, it's the ultimate brain beats brawn movie. It's a Siegel, so expect some stone cold violence (by Matthau of all actors, very convincing), good critique on American society, breakneck pace and basically zero idle times. Fantastic!
 
Currygan said:
Charley Varrick. What the fuck, this movie is a gem. Went in blind after hearing about it like, decades ago, it's the ultimate brain beats brawn movie. It's a Siegel, so expect some stone cold violence (by Matthau of all actors, very convincing), good critique on American society, breakneck pace and basically zero idle times. Fantastic!
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I can confirm this. Joe Baker is great in it.
 
Batman V Superman
Big disappointment to me. I'm one of the people who actually really like Man of Steel but I had hoped Snyder had learned his lesson and wanted to go truer to the comics. He didn't, and we got a 2 and a half hour bore with a brooding Superman/Batman, some horrible editing, a Mentally derranged Lex luthor. Wonder Woman trying to steal a digital photo off a database, plot holes, batman killing more goons than I'm truly comfortable with and a lot more. There are people who like the film and I dont hold anything against them, but I'm quite disappointed because I took my little sister to see it to show her how cool the DC heroes can be all in one film. Unfortunately I had to wake her back up when the fight started.
Not to mention explaining to her that Superman isn't really dead and the only reason it's in the film is because Zack Snyder thought it'd be cool to evoke.

Captain America: The Winter Solider
I'm waiting patiently for Civil War, but I got a bit hesitant when I saw this clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMdfj62iC_g&app=desktop
(slight fight scene spoilers if you're sensitive to that)
It's not all that well edited and almost had me doubting the Russos. So I took the time to rewatch Winter Solider. It's still damn good, action sequences too. I'm still suprised that the film managed to make me like Cap as a character when I always found him paper thin (he still kind of is) and boring. I dont know about the clip above but I'm sure the majority of the fight scenes in Civil War are going to be well shot and impressive just like Winter Solider.

Scenic Route
A friend recommended it. Very interesting film, with two very good down to earth performances. I feel the less I say about it the better. It's a pretty thought provoking and just overall interesting film. Checking it's imdb and RT scores it's pretty underrated in my eyes.
 
Virunga - Made me angry and sad.

"It's just business, not personal" = "I can exploit, kill, destroy whoever and whatever I want coz I hav ah right 2 grow my cumpnee."
 
The Invitation
A pleasant mumblegore flick which tends to be a bit predictable.
I called
"cult members trying to kill the others" about 5 minutes into it, but then I changed my mind to vampires and stuck to that all the way through to the ending.
:'( :( :/ :| :) :D
 
was happy to see these on the big screen today

Ossessione: Visconti's debut suffers from narrative shortcomings - the pacing gets increasingly off kilter and there's a fair share of aggravating sentimentality which depreciates the subtle, demure intensity of the work - but the film still emerges upright, bolstered by potent mise-en-scène and a novella-like symbolic structure. Far from being consummately successful, 'Ossessione' remains worth studying as an early display of indeniable talent for the craft.

El ángel exterminador: 'El ángel exterminador' is part biting satire and part absurd chamber play. As the former, it is venomous and (mostly) uncompromising, exposing the empty rituals and routines, shallow phrases of the bourgeoisie and the church as self-entrapment. As the latter, it is hysterically funny. Figueroa is a magician with the camera, capturing the ballet of horror, the shuffle of desperation beautifully. Due to reasons outside of Buñuel's power, he was not able to get the most out of his scenario, to push things to the extreme. It is a blatantly apparent inadequacy (as it is entirely uncharacteristic) and a regrettable one, even though the film manages to find a clever and ultimately very relevant work-around.

A classic example of spatial cinema.
 
Everybody Wants Some - Loved every second of it, but I'm a Linklater stan so I'm biased. The hangout vibe is real, just friends having a good time. I honestly liked every single character, everyone got their time to shine even if it was just a small moment. Like Dazed, the soundtrack is killer. And like Dazed, mostly lighthearted but with an underlying seriousness. It's just plain old fun.
 
Pollyanna (1960): A charming film set in the early 1900s about an incredibly optimistic girl who turns a town full of jerks into a happy community. It reminds me of It's A Wonderful Life in that all Pollyanna's deeds over time come back to reward her all at once. It has all the saccharine goodness you'd expect from this kind of story.
 
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