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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| July 2016

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I watched "The Last Witch Hunter" a couple days ago, and I was totally taken by surprise. Honestly, I picked up the DVD because it looked like it would be a total disaster. Vin Diesel in a kids action movie about witches shouldn't have been anything but awful.

In fact, everything is wrong with this movie. The writers had more story and detail than they could fit into 100 minutes, so everything is kind of rushed, and things you'd like to know more about are just kind of mentioned and then moved past. The dialogue is fucking awful, and there are cliches galore. Somehow, none of this matters.

This movie was just a lot of fun to watch. I think that's due in great part to the movie having so many really good actors in it. Watching this it, I was taken back to those days as a kid when anything with bright colors and explosions was amazing to watch


The Last Witch Hunter is at least as good as The Crow.
 

UrbanRats

Member
I'm the same way now. I'm like "fuck yes 85 minutes, that's perfect lets do this".

And then I go buy a bunch of 3 hour movies in the criterion sale.

I feel you, i was getting Tie Xi Qu, 545 minutes of run time.
For whatever reason super long movies don't scare me as much, because mentally i'm already prepared, like i have to plan them ahead.
It's the 2 hours and 30 minutes sort of stuff, that gets me by surprise (or used to, because now i know that every other blockbuster goes with the more run time = more value, logic).
 

lordxar

Member
I feel you, i was getting Tie Xi Qu, 545 minutes of run time.
For whatever reason super long movies don't scare me as much, because mentally i'm already prepared, like i have to plan them ahead.
It's the 2 hours and 30 minutes sort of stuff, that gets me by surprise (or used to, because now i know that every other blockbuster goes with the more run time = more value, logic).

Eh...seems like everything I try to watch are two or two and a half hours. I got Her from Neflix. Two hours. Mulholland Drive as well and it's two and a half. Shit from the damn 1930's is two. I kind of thought 90 minutes was common but nope. Sure as hell isn't common for all the stuff I go to watch of an evening.
 

Blader

Member
Life, Animated
Pretty incredible story. Really slick looking animation sequences, some powerfully told anecdotes (no surprise that award-winning journalist Ron Suskind happens to be a greater storyteller :lol). It doesn't top Weiner as my favorite doc of the year so far, but I liked it quite a bit.
4/5
 
Need for Speed

I've been trying to finish this movie for the past few days and I just can't do it. I'm not sure I've ever had this happen before; where I just straight up wasn't feeling a movie. Something about it is just incredibly weird to me. I was expecting something like F&F, but it's not that at all. I think it takes itself too serious.

There are a few positives, though. Imogen Poots is insanely gorgeous. The characters are awful, especially Dominic Cooper's.

Maybe I just haven't been in the mood, but as of now, I don't think I'll ever finish this movie.

Edit:

Aaand finished it. Terrible ass movie.
 
Man, what a great movie Oh What A Lovely War was. I'm surprised it took me so long to watch this, given I like movies, I like British military history, specially of the 20th century, and I've been aware of this movie for many years, yet I only watched it this week.


After a pretty slow weird start, the movie gets going and never lets up, a brutal satire of Britain in The First World War and the myths surrounding it, with a musical background.

I mean sure it requires a certain knowledge of First World War knowledge and British myths around it, but assuming most people already have that, its a trip and its great. Like I say, brutal, much more violent than you'd think, the music is all from the songs of the time, and is.. well its not nice, in that sense, but it works so well.


So I loved it.
 

Toothless

Member
Star Trek Into Darkness is a step down from the original, but still a fairly entertaining blockbuster. The crew dynamic is still great, but there's a notable favoritism taking place. Bones, Chekov, and Sulu all feel ignored compared to everyone else, and Uhura takes up an obnoxious amount of time considering what her character has to do. Cumberbatch is alright as Khan, but the problematic issues with his casting overshadow the performance. The film also should've been focused on Spock more than Kirk, who feels like a real screenhog. The biggest issue is that this is Star Trek, not James T. Kirk. It's a testament to Abrams' direction that it still is compelling in spite of this and an over-complicated and derivative script. Star Trek Into Darkness isn't as bad as people claim, but it's still a disappointment after the stellar reboot.

The 50th anniversary celebration film, Star Trek Beyond takes a more subtle approach of honoring Star Trek's illustrious past. Namely, it avoids the traps of its predecessor and gives something new. New aliens, a new villain, and even a completely original heroic character in Sofia Boutella's Jayla. It also returns to the old style in ways the reboot universe never had before. Finally, Karl Urban's Bones is one of the main three characters, and it is absolutely delightful. He steals the movie from the rest of the cast.

Lin brings his ensemble-juggling skills from the Fast and Furious franchise and gives everyone a chance to shine. It's just slightly disappointing that a large chunk of the movie has the crew split up, and even though everyone has a good amount of screentime, the dynamics are obviously missing. Idris Elba is criminally wasted in his role of Krall, and the film often moves too fast to keep with the technobabble Scotty and Chekov throw at us. Lin also abandons a lot of the visual identity Abrams gave this reboot series and the film suffers from a bland look. It's at its best when it slows down and just allows us to partake in conversations between the iconic characters.

The film might start slow, but its bombastic finale is probably the best of this trilogy. Star Trek Beyond celebrates the franchise with something new and enthralling, while also not forgetting why Star Trek is so popular in the first place. Bring on Star Trek 4.

On a side note, Anton Yelchin's Chekov has always been a truly wonderful part of this series. He has imparted emotion and childlike emotion in subtle expressions, and the accent he took on has always got me to smile. Lin and Pegg, with their more team-focused approach, gave Chekov a much bigger role this go-around, allowing him to partake in an action scene and other big roles. The final scene of the movie works as a subtle good-bye to his portrayal that got this viewer a bit misty-eyed. Yelchin will be missed, not only in Star Trek, but in all of cinema. What a talent.

Also, rewatched The Good Dinosaur today. Definitely lesser than I remember but it has a really wonderful score.
 

Blader

Member
Hail, Caesar!
The Coens' comedies are usually more miss than hit for me, but this one had me genuinely laughing a bunch of times. Alden Ehrenreich was a standout and makes me much less wary about that Han Solo spin off; loved Brolin and Fiennes too, and Tatum had a good dance number. Not really sure what the point of any of it was, the plot never really amounted to anything, but it was a surprisingly fun movie for the most part and I really dug the 50s Hollywood setting.
3.5/5

Pierrot Le Fou
Striking color palette, probably the best looking Godard film I've seen. And Ana Karina is gorgeous. But otherwise this was pretty zzzz.
2.5/5
 

JTripper

Member
Alice in the Cities: Never seen a Wenders film before, but I'm starting with his Road Trilogy. Good character moments and great loose narrative that really only exists to bring the characters to new places and situations. I liked the use of music too, including the repeated acoustic guitar riff to signify a reflective moment in action.

Carnival of Souls: Completely blown away by this b-movie, cult classic horror film. Immediately a new favorite of mine. It's Lynchian before he even existed, reminded me of Psycho in some ways as well, yet it's more focused on creating a creepy atmosphere of curiosity and horror where everything seems just a little off-kilter. It never gets too carried away with itself and is always slowly, though never boringly, luring you into its world right through to the conclusion. It's got just the right amount of camp to be playful at times and still be creepy. Also, the organ-centric score was hypnotic.
 

lordxar

Member
Last Man on Earth. Meh. Boring version of I Am Legend. Worth a watch though.

Asparagus. Well, I have now watched a cartoon asparagus get jerked off and blown. My day is complete.
 

thenexus6

Member
Watched North by Northwest yesterday for the first time. One of the only "big" Hitchbock films i've never seen for some reason. The 50th anniversary blu looked good.

I can't really complain about much, fun story, great acting - especially Cary Grant who is funny and charming. I really love this shot too, I don't know the story behind it but its one that going to stick with me.

NorByNorthwest_115Pyxurz.jpg
 

Borgnine

MBA in pussy licensing and rights management
Miles Ahead: 8/10. Liked it a lot more than most people though I think it's entirely personal. I think it's a fine movie but the way it treats music is what helped me connect. Honestly it's just this thing that Cheadle does as Miles when he hears good music he's like a dog catching a glimpse of a squirrel. It's just like, yeah man, exactly. Also my friend and I used to play this game where you say "hey man have you heard about that jazz musician/lawyer?" "No I haven't," "His name is Trials Davis" or "Hey man have you heard about that jazz musician/subway engineer?" "Turnstyles Davis." Hours of entertainment.
Mississippi Grind: 6/10. A poor man's California Split, but decent enough. I love gambling movies but for some reason a lot of the time it's like they never research the games. Right at the beginning in a game of Hold'em a guy open folds after the flop, like wtf that's not even legal. They did ok later though. Love the moral of the story though: always play for more.
Bullitt: 7/10. Great procedural but you know what, I fucking hate car chases. So many movies assert their classic status based on legendary car chases but I could not care less, so boring. I kind of like racing movies though so who knows.
The Lusty Men: 5/10. Perfectly fine but I didn't know I was in for 100 minutes of Rodeoin'. I was surprised Arthur Kennedy wasn't playing a drunk but by the end he is lol.
Green Room: 7/10. Gross man.
 

lordxar

Member
Chappie. I really liked this. It's flawed as hell but charming. The effects are actually pretty decent too. Pretty much like District 9 did this hit all the right scifi spots. I also dug the Frankenstein vibe it has.

Edit: Bloodsucking Bastards. Office Space with vampires. I thought it was damn funny.

The Imitation Game. This was pretty damn good.

Apparently Hulu has a free Showtime weekend so I'm racking up.
 

Toothless

Member
The Bourne Identity misses the more nuanced direction of the Greengrass films, but Doug Liman still does a good job setting up this series. It's a compelling action film (the car chase scene in Paris is a highlight) led by an excellent Matt Damon, but it's hard to believe that this is what revolutionized the way PG-13 action was done in the United States. Still, The Bourne Identity is pretty good, thanks to its well-rounded cast and excellent action.
 

lordxar

Member
Nah. An interesting story morphed into Hollywood cringeworthy garbage.

I liked the different flashes through time and the combat scenes sprinkled here and there to push home the seriousness of their effort. Some of his struggles to get shit done resonated with me too. You get people that can't see beyond what their already doing but you've got a way to make things better.
 

Choomp

Banned
Juno's still gotta be one of my favorites. Dialogue is really cheesy and goofy but still makes everything feel somewhat relatable and surreal in the movie's world. Soundtrack is awesome, I really like Kimya Dawson. Ellen Page is absolutely adorable in this too, I love her
 

thenexus6

Member
Hana-Bi

Opened up my TWF blu ray last night, been about a year since I last saw it. It's so good, definitely in my top three Kitano.

I love the way he shoots his films, nice still shots and gives you time before cutting away. There is also comedy and tender moments in all his movies which I love.
 

ActWan

Member
Punch-Drunk Love

Good movie, enjoyed it. Adam Sendler is AMAZING here, took me by complete surprise. I can't even stress enough how good he is here, and how unexpected it is to see him give such a good preformance.
The movie is kinda weird tho, but charming.
 
The BFG is fantastic.

Like most British people who've ever been to school in their lives, I read a lot of Roald Dahl growing up. Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits, Matilda, Danny The Champion, etc. And the dark nature of his works often passed me by till relatively recently, I must admit, like how the story of the BFG basically involves giants abducting and eating children, the Trunchbull tortures Miss Honey and the kids, etc. But when you notice it, you can't not notice it.

This new interpretation definitely doesn't indulge any of the dark elements of the book, for better or worse. Its very much a Spielberg film, also for better or worse. It changes quite a few things from the book, emphasising some characters who were minor in the book, adding some stuff in, etc.

And its pretty great. There's somethings I'm not totally on board with, I must admit, in particular the mentioned story changes and toning down of the darkness. Its also very much sentimental in that way Spielberg often is, which probably wouldn't work with any other film maker except him.

Cos it does work, its awesome. I love the actor playing Sophie, I love the motion capture BFG, I like the queen, I like the added character given to the giants, I love the visual look of giant country, I like the humour, I like the buckingham palace bit, I just do. Loved it.
 
Hana-Bi

Opened up my TWF blu ray last night, been about a year since I last saw it. It's so good, definitely in my top three Kitano.

I love the way he shoots his films, nice still shots and gives you time before cutting away. There is also comedy and tender moments in all his movies which I love.

That soundtrack is sublime.
 
The Foreign Correspondent may lack some of the more thematic or structurally interesting aspects of Hitchcock's later work (and features a particularly dopey romance and slightly propagandistic tone towards the end), but as a piece of suspense filmmaking it is exceptional. The film is constantly punctuated by creative setpieces, my favorite being one in which a character sneaks around an old windmill, having to avoid people inside, making full use of the interesting architecture and vertivality for both suspense and interesting cinematography. I wouldn't say it's essential Hitchcock, but it's a damn fun one, and good stepping stone to see how a lot of his motifs developed, as there are already traces of Vertigo and partivularly of North by Northwest in here.
 

Window

Member
Carol: Is this what it's like to fall in love? The best romantic films can convey a sense of warmth of the human touch and this is no exception. The bit with the PI felt a bit out of place however.
 

dealer-

Member
MIller's Crossing

First time viewing even though it's 25 years old now. I don't know if it tops Goodfellas but it's certainly ageing better. Coen Brothers on point again with great editing, framing and some real standout scenes. 4/5.


High-Rise

Chaotic and full of interesting, obtuse imagery but the film never really coalesces into anything meaningful. Enjoyed Hiddleston's performance and he was backed up by a strong cast. Would probably get more out of this on repeat viewings. 3/5.
 

lordxar

Member
Her. Finally got around to this one. First off Scarjo has an insanely hot voice. Overall I loved this. For one it's got some amazing sci-fi ideas and isn't just a love story. The movie seemed very grounded in the near future. Meaning nothing you'd see from something like Minority Report or I Robot. So you don't have any distractions from the subject at hand. Well...the little holo guy was fucking cool. Basically dude falls in love with Siri or Cortana then runs into all the odd shit that brings. There's a lot said in this about overcoming vast differences. You could also relate a lot of this to gamer friends who are just a voice out there you hop on and play with but have never met. You get to know them over the years a lot like this except minus the phone sex part lol. I will say the surrogate thing was interesting and extremely awkward. Overall I enjoyed this a lot. It is a bit slower but I did not feel the two hour runtime at all.
 
Star Trek: Beyond. Early in the movie Kirk mentions in a 4th wall breaking joke that his life has begun feeling episodic, and that's exactly what this movie feels like. A monster of the week, filler TV episode. It's a moderate improvement on Into Darkness since it has a little more fun and moves around quicker, but there's absolutley no substance here. Any attempt to add to the theme in the movie is done through incredibly obvious and bad dialogue about Kirk finding himself. Everything about it just feels minor and redundent. Just another adventure for the crew only this time smaller in scale and not as important to any of the characters. There's some fun to be had I guess, but I almost fell asleep in the theater a couple times, and I won't remember this movie in a day or two, so take from that what you will.
 

Toothless

Member
Back to the Future is one of the most brilliant films ever made. Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale created a story with timeless characters and a love for the times of the 80s and 50s. Fox and Lloyd are one of cinema's greatest duos and Glover and Thompson both excel at their roles as well. The script is tight and funny, and the direction keeps everything thrilling and engaging. Zemeckis has always had an affinity for the cartoon-ish, and the relationship between Doc and Marty, along with the other character-based comedy is reminiscent of that in the best ways. It's a film that's hard to write about except to say it's one of the rare perfect films. There's nothing wrong with Back to the Future, and nothing could be done to improve it. That is the greatest compliment one can give a motion picture, and a compliment that Back to the Future wholly earns.
 

lordxar

Member
Ghostbusters. I had my doubts. A chick cast that I thought would be making broken nail and bad hair day jokes. Plus G2 was terrible. I have to say...I loved this! It just worked. The cameos were pretty cool. I thought the story was really cool. It did feel a bit like a copy of the original but in a good way. Like how the new Evil Dead felt familiar but still did it's own thing. Effects were decent and I saw this in 3D which was worth it. Recommended!
 

Violet_0

Banned
Finding Dory - another entertaining albeit not quite excellent Pixar movie that probably won't be remembered as fondly as Finding Nemo. Pretty funny, occasionally emotional and it definitely made it clear that Dory is a much more interesting character than Marlin or Nemo, because the latter two were a bore. The ending felt a bit rushed and somehow a little Dreamwork-esque in how it rounded out things with a mostly pointless action scene, but I enjoyed everything before that. Some of the new supporting characters, the octopus in particular, were really likable

10 Cloverfield Lane - aside from the ending
the protagonist fighting an alien spaceship, really?
this was a pretty interesting movie. John Goodman
Badman?
was the highlight for me, excellent performance, I never thought of him as being physically threatening before. I don't know if there's much else to say about it, it's a rather good flick that doesn't quite live up to it's full potential
 
Five Easy Pieces (Rewatch) - One of Jack Nicholson's iconic roles, and the movie is no slouch either. Very memorable scenes and you not only feel sympathy for Nicholson's character of Bobby, but you also feel for the people his actions directly affect. Karen Black did a standout job as well. 9/10

Paris, Texas (Rewatch) - Second viewing in less than three months. I noted afterwards that this film carries many of the same themes as Five Easy Pieces does. I guess I was in the mood that day for movies about character's that can't stand to face the messes they make and decide to run from them. I was able to pay attention more to the visuals and sound on this viewing since I already knew the plot. I noticed that color was used to convey mood and emotions, particularly the colors of red and green. This is an absolutely gorgeous film, and despite the slow pace it's very rewatchable. 10/10

Seven Samurai (Rewatch) - What can I say, it's Seven Samurai. I'm only now appreciating Kurosawa's skills as an editor, he somehow takes a near four hour picture and makes breeze right by without letting the viewer feel fatigued. To be honest, I wanted more. That feeling made me realize that I've only seen three Kurosawa's at this point, so during the next Criterion sale I believe I'm going to rack up. 10/10

Ghostbuster's (2016) - A decent, fun summer blockbuster. It's held back when the film struggles to find it's own identity and instead relies too much on the original two movies. The ghost themselves looked good, but outside of the concert demon they were forgettable. There is plenty of potential for interesting villains in future installments, so hopefully a potential sequel won't feel as familiar. 6.5/10

Gojira (Rewatch) - A monster movie that has something to say. The first half hour can be a bit dull at times, but the moments of destruction and pure terror more than make up for it. The effects can be a bit dated at times, but they are mostly held together by creative shots and cinematography. The aftermath scenes from Godzilla's destruction were particularly somber and heartbreaking. The films message is in your face throughout, but perhaps it needed to be. Even after the monster is destroyed we are not left with joy and happiness, instead we feel regret that this will probably happen again. 8.5/10
 

HoJu

Member
Bullitt: 7/10. Great procedural but you know what, I fucking hate car chases. So many movies assert their classic status based on legendary car chases but I could not care less, so boring. I kind of like racing movies though so who knows.
This opinion is true and good. The car chase in Ronin was also a snoozefest. Car chases always suck unless the people climb on top of the car for hand to hand combat.
The French Connection and We Own the Night don't count though
 
Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski)

Someone help, I need an adult.


What just happened?
Am I real?
Is anything real?
Was this the best?
The camerawork
Isabelle Adjani
Imagery burned into my brain
Isabelle Adjani
The performances...why are they?
Isabelle Adjani
The plot. The plot?
The ending
My head
someone pls
 

Bamboo

Member
Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski)

Someone help, I need an adult.


What just happened?
Am I real?
Is anything real?
Was this the best?
The camerawork
Isabelle Adjani
Imagery burned into my brain
Isabelle Adjani
The performances...why are they?
Isabelle Adjani
The plot. The plot?
The ending
My head
someone pls

There is no help.

It's a great film for sure. Adjani is out of this world in this. And the Berlin setting is just fantastic.

I rewatched Meek's Cutoff (yay for my Reichardt month!). Knowing the ending helped to enjoy it a whole lot more. Also knowing more of Reichard was fascinating, since it's very different from her prior films - costumes, being a film about the past - yet her careful approach to the topic is just the same. Very specific situation, less action and active decision making, focus on the characters and their interaction. No big questions or answers, but extremely detailed, precise and honest observation. It feels like stumbling upon answers instead of searching out for specific ones. I like that approach. Paul Dano became emblematic for that to me. It's been maybe two months since I've seen There Will Be Blood. And while it's admirable for it's direction, it was actively looking out for big questions and big answers. It was allegoric by default. Paul Dano playing a role instead of being a character. It might be less satisfying, but on the long run it's the better approach for me.
 
Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski)

Someone help, I need an adult.


What just happened?
Am I real?
Is anything real?
Was this the best?
The camerawork
Isabelle Adjani
Imagery burned into my brain
Isabelle Adjani
The performances...why are they?
Isabelle Adjani
The plot. The plot?
The ending
My head
someone pls

Yeah that was pretty much my reaction too
 
Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski)

Someone help, I need an adult.


What just happened?
Am I real?
Is anything real?
Was this the best?
The camerawork
Isabelle Adjani
Imagery burned into my brain
Isabelle Adjani
The performances...why are they?
Isabelle Adjani
The plot. The plot?
The ending
My head
someone pls

It's also important to keep in mind that director Zulawski made this film from the destruction of his own (then current) marriage.
 
Zootopia.

What a charming, endearing film with a hopeful message. It was a subtle film, with many great references to pop culture; very well animated; loved Nicholas in it.

Noticing a trend where Disney Animation films have better writing than the Pixar films that are released.
 

ActWan

Member
The Skin I Live In.

Dragged this one for a long time, and finally watched it. Good movie. The reveal was amazing and shocking. Great acting.
 

Toothless

Member
The Infiltrator is yet another generic biopic with a solid performance at the center. Cranston does a good job as Robert Mazur, but honestly, it's just good, not great. More of an issue is that I had to look up his character's name for this review; the entire movie I just kept thinking "Oh, look, it's Bryan Cranston doing something." This might not be a problem for an action movie or comedy, but for a drama, it is one of the biggest issues imaginable. Furman directs the movie in the most monotone way imaginable, putting fake grain on obviously digital shots with bland cinematography. The only other people in the cast that are memorable are John Leguizamo, Benjamin Bratt, and a guy that kinda looks like Scoot McNairy, and again, it's not because of their characters; it's their natural charisma. The Infiltrator is one forgettable film, and one that is an utter waste of time to watch.
 
Gotdamn, man. It starts at 10 and just keeps ramping up. Such an intense, absorbing, off kilter experience.

Just ordered the SE blu-ray before that thing goes out of print. I need to own this one for future wtf viewing.

I'm going to order it as well next month, it's going to be a blind buy. I'm looking forward to having my mind snapped in half.
 

Currygan

at last, for christ's sake
Zootopia; found nothing remarkable about it, felt strangely empty and unoriginal, just like Frozen. These recent Disney movies continue to be useless for me


Steve Jobs; typical Sorkin, meaning very very watchable and full of musical dialogue; Boyle's style sets the pacing aflame; will rewatch but not as much as Moneyball

Danish Girl; will someone please eliminate Tom Hooper, he can't always get away with it

Deep Space; this one I found on some remote channel on Sky a couple weeks ago; supertrash z-tier craptacular horro action movie with a guy in a rubber suit playing a terrifying alien and Charles Napier and Bo Svensson playing badass cops. Really really terrible

Spotlight; decent movie but please, All the Presiden't men is another galaxy
 
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