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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| June 2017

kevin1025

Banned
Don't forget Okja is on Netflix on Friday as well. With that, Baby Driver tomorrow, and hopefully The Beguiled on Friday, it's going to be a good movie week.

Oh man, Okja too! It's actually coming on Wednesday, according to Netflix on PS4! So double goodness on Wednesday. Crazy times we live in!
 
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - I agree with a previous poster that at some point, JW flipping someone on his back, shooting two guys who for some reason feel they need to run to within five feet of our anti-hero before shooting the guns they have in their hands, before then shooting the guy he flipped on his back... gets a little old. However, there are enough amazing gun-fu moments interlaced within the same-y moves to make the overall action frenetic and exciting. And every five minutes or so you get a shout-out-loud "holy shit!" move.

The story beats follow along with the first one. Dumb ass sniveling fuck-twat makes major mistake in underestimating the only man on the planet who could replace Death. Said man then makes him and about a thousand others pay the price for such hubris. Including a deaf chick who thinks she's hot shit. No professional courtesy there.

Overall it's fun af and ridiculous to boot and over the top and the lines are corny. But I thought it was pretty good.

4 / 5

P.S. - hoping Charlize can give us something with a little more story beneath all the gun-fu action in Atomic Blonde. Too bad that's a period piece. Would love an Atomic Blonde/John Wick team up crossover.
 

Toothless

Member
Memento is a twisty and fun noir with an excellent performance by Guy Pearce at the center. Nolan's writing has some of its usual flaws, but overall, the screenplay is tight and takes full advantage of its gimmick. His direction is on point, and the editing is unique and yet always engaging. Pantoliano delivers a supporting performance worth remembering, and the cinematography is often gorgeous. However, the real best aspect of Memento is the ending, which puts into the frame just what Nolan is trying to say about the noir genre while giving a complete answer to who Leonard is in the most fascinating way imaginable. Memento is a stunning sophomore effort from director Christopher Nolan, who makes an ironically memorable film thanks to his playing with noir tropes that makes a truly original movie. 9/10
 

Icolin

Banned
John Wick: Chapter 2


So much better than the first one (which was good, to be fair). That action sequence with the glass and stuff in particular was jaw-droppingly awesome, as is the case with the majority of the film.

There were also some surprisingly affecting moments throughout as well, which I liked. All in all, I really enjoyed it, and it's definitely going to be a top 10 movie of 2017 at the end of the year.
 

ActWan

Member
It Follows - 8.5/10

Great concept, fantastic directing and cinematography. Love the dreamlike setting...
I feel it had some more layers underneath, something with
Jay's parents,
specifically her father. And something with Yara, and the fact she had this high tech makeup e-book device but everyone still watched old TVs
...I still need to think about it.
There were some little stupid things (
like the entire pool scene
) and the ending was really expected (although executed brilliantly)
 

Sean C

Member
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958): Another late-50s Tennessee Williams adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor, this time alongside Paul Newman and Burl Ives (who won Best Supporting Actor that same year for playing another bellicose patriarch in William Wyler's The Big Country; I imagine this role helped his campaign). Their acting goes a long way toward compensating for how neutered the play was by the demands of the Hays Code. This is a rare case where I actually saw something on stage before seeing the film version (I saw the Broadway revival with Scarlett Johansson a few years ago).
 

JTripper

Member
The Big Sick is my favorite movie of 2017 so far. Such a genuinely hilarious and emotional rom-com. I've never seen a movie like this that simultaneously made me want to cry and laugh. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter steal every scene they're in, but big credit due to Kumail Nanjiani for being the constant comedic and emotional anchor throughout especially considering how personal the story is to him. Can't wait to watch it again.
 

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
Very sorry to say as a massive fan that Okja is by far Bong's weakest film to date. The caricature that to my mind worked in Snowpiercer here completely falls flat. Gyllenhaal has already seen a lot of hate but Tilda's nearly as bad. All the corporate scenes have horrible fucking dialogue (emphasis on the 'fucking') by Jon Ronson that makes potentially interesting political satire feel incredibly juvenile. For the first time in his career Bong can't balance all the clashing tones.

The opening act is lovely, the ending has some very pointed imagery and emotional weight, and there's a couple of really good action scenes in the middle, but it's a very slack film overall.
 
Aw man, that's not what I wanted to hear :/ still looking forward to checking out tho, and Baby Driver will surely erase any foul taste it might leave
 

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
Aw man, that's not what I wanted to hear :/ still looking forward to checking out tho, and Baby Driver will surely erase any foul taste it might leave
Definitely still watch it, it's a good film. I just had high expectations, and the ways it fails to live up to its potential are frustrating.
 
It's love it or hate it. Haven't seen it, but it sounds kinda batshit.

The Bad Batch: Christ man, you weren't kidding. Probably the most divisive film I've seen in years. Reviews, from both critics and users are split right down the middle. Just watched it, and I kind of both loved and hated it? Absolutely despised the beginning. Can't say much because of spoilers, but it was just too sad and brutal. Then my opinion changed, because it has these atmospheric, sweeping soundscapes with an awesome soundtrack that's really immersive, and I did enjoy most of it because of this.

However, it's a two hour film, with at most twenty to thirty minutes of story. It's meandering, ambient, zero dialogue or story sequence after another, and whilst I thought it was a well-made film with great production values, some tense moments and clearly love and passion behind it, I finished it feeling a little disappointed. It's good, overall, I'll give it that, but I agree with one particular review I read that you spend the running time waiting for it to kick in to high gear and it just never does.

So I'd recommend it, but only just. 3/5
 

Icolin

Banned
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2


Fantastic film all around, and builds on the first film very well. Pretty much the ideal sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy.
 

Apt101

Member
I finally caught Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The movie was really entertaining with a lot of heart. I was surprised how engaging they managed to keep the very long end action sequence. It never ran out of steam.

Some of the running gags should have been one offs as they weren't terribly funny - maybe a single callback much later. And despite everything he went through, I didn't get any sense of actual character growth in
Quill/Starlord
. The rest of the characters certainly grew and thrived, though.
 
It's a fun movie no doubt. But man Chris Pratt sure doesn't have a future in dramatic roles. Breh was struggling heavy in that third act. It didn't help that he was opposite somebody as good as Kurt Russell
 

Icolin

Banned
It's a fun movie no doubt. But man Chris Pratt sure doesn't have a future in dramatic roles. Breh was struggling heavy in that third act. It didn't help that he was opposite somebody as good as Kurt Russell

Nah, I think he could kill a creepy role. Like a seemingly nice guy that does fucked up shit. Something like Robin Williams in One Hour Photo.

He can't act for shit when it comes to emotional sensitivity though, as displayed in the third act of GOTG2.
 
Oh right. Yeah I think I said somewhere (maybe in this thread) but he could play a rapist character. Like Ted Bundy esque haha, a creep underneath his veneer of approachability

But yeah I was talking about the emotional scenes, dude was kind of terrible in those moments
 
Power Rangers (2017)

Well that was...ok. Rita was kinda awful, and I swear I was hearing that goofy ass Goldar voice, but without words. I don't like the design of the Megazord either. Something like this would've been much better.

power_rangers_megazord_by_emersontung-d8l92b4.jpg

But I guess they wanted a really alien look.

5/10
 
Oh right. Yeah I think I said somewhere (maybe in this thread) but he could play a rapist character. Like Ted Bundy esque haha, a creep underneath his veneer of approachability

But yeah I was talking about the emotional scenes, dude was kind of terrible in those moments

Wasn't that pretty much what he played in that sci-fi flick with JLaw?
 

vio

Member
It Follows - 8.5/10

Great concept, fantastic directing and cinematography. Love the dreamlike setting...
I feel it had some more layers underneath, something with
Jay's parents,
specifically her father. And something with Yara, and the fact she had this high tech makeup e-book device but everyone still watched old TVs
...I still need to think about it.
There were some little stupid things (
like the entire pool scene
) and the ending was really expected (although executed brilliantly)

I really think it is overrated. Great idea but the movie just drops own rules towards ending. Just... no. What I really liked about is some of the cinematography.
 

Pachimari

Member
This is mostly a rewatch. I couldn't remember if I had seen it before, but I have, but that is very okay. Because this turns out to be one hell of a movie. I have heard about Planet of the Apes but by no means did I expect a masterpiece out of this reboot. It is well constructed, and the plot is cut out in paper making it very easy to digest. It's basically about this man wanting to help out his sick father who suffers from alzheimer, so it rang close to home in my case, and so he tries to come up with a cure at his workplace, first testing it out on apes, and after positive results injects it into his father. The main arc being how these apes, and especially the titular Caesar reacts to the medicine making wiser than any ape we've seen before. We see him grow up and form a very close bond to Will Rodman, we see him imprisoned and hurt, and how he ultimately grows into his own and revolts against this unfair treatment by the humans. There a grey areas, and you can definitely follow and understand the perspective from both the humans and the apes, which is a compliment to how well the plot works. Add to that the amazing work by Andy Serkis and his team making the apes come to life through motion capture and CGI like you've never seen it before. What a solid start to a new trilogy.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) - ★★★★☆ [edit] Just found out I've made a review of this before lol.

I watched Fury and it started out really slow, actually it was really boring and I didn't care much for it, but I'm glad I stuck to it and continued my watch. Because this movie certainly developed into a dramatic and personal battle against the Nazis. It's by large thanks to Brad Pitt that this movie works, and that you get invested into this group of characters. The rest of the crew supplements him well, and they are distinct to each other, and serves the journey with each their own personality. This is a movie about an American tank, and how it sticks up to German vehicular power, something that comes into play by the third act. And what a third act it brings to the table, so much that you sit at the edge of your seat, folding your hands hoping the best for these men, and especially the rookie son, cause slowly you are transferred into his head wondering how you yourself would feel pressured in a situation surrounded by the enemy.

Well done David Ayer, well done.

Fury (2014) - ★★★★☆

Right after the aforementioned movie, I felt like watching a shorter movie, so why not Free Fall which I had heard some thing about. And Brie Larson is featured, and I was impressed with her performance in Room. Unfortunately she don't get to work with much here, and she's ultimately wasted by being this stereotypical object playing off the men and their alpha han personalities. In fact all the characters here are cliche although distinct, but the whole situation they find themselves in is a mess and a very thin thing to explore which comes across in the playtime of the movie. It's basically about this deal going south, with the one part wanting M16's and the other receiving their money, but they are off to a bad start, as one has no self control, and they try to cheat them by selling guns they didn't ask for, and when a boy from either side who has some bad history with each other finds out that they're both in the same place, it all escalates and then you're here in this warehouse for the next hour. It's an interesting premise to play up and base your movie on for sure, and it kind of works in parts, but ultimately it just isn't that interesting and it's confined how much you will find yourself invested in their mess.

Free Fire (2016) - ★★☆☆☆
 

UrbanRats

Member
Very sorry to say as a massive fan that Okja is by far Bong's weakest film to date. The caricature that to my mind worked in Snowpiercer here completely falls flat. Gyllenhaal has already seen a lot of hate but Tilda's nearly as bad. All the corporate scenes have horrible fucking dialogue (emphasis on the 'fucking') by Jon Ronson that makes potentially interesting political satire feel incredibly juvenile. For the first time in his career Bong can't balance all the clashing tones.

The opening act is lovely, the ending has some very pointed imagery and emotional weight, and there's a couple of really good action scenes in the middle, but it's a very slack film overall.
I haven't seen this yet but, and i don't know how controversial an opinion this is, i can't stand Tilda Swinton's cartoon characters, i don't know why she keeps doing that shit.
I like her in films like I am Love and such though.
 

Pachimari

Member
Checking around, it looks like it made a festival circuit, and then stopped in March. It looks like it released in South Korea and Slovenia randomly. It's possible that distribution hasn't been figured out yet, but since it's been over a year, I'm not quite sure what the hold-up may be.

This is very interesting. It would be very unfortunate if The World of Us doesn't come out internationally. I have really high hopes for this one, and the performances in it. Really strange.

Seems like it won a "Grand Prize" prize back on April 12 at the Wildflower Film Awards.
 

ActWan

Member
I really think it is overrated. Great idea but the movie just drops own rules towards ending. Just... no. What I really liked about is some of the cinematography.

I actually thought about it a bit today and the amount of stupid little things that don't make sense is pretty big. I think the reason it was received so well is because it's actually made very well in contrast to most mainstream horror films today...
But the mood is truly great, and that rates highly in my book.
 
Wasn't that pretty much what he played in that sci-fi flick with JLaw?

Well, the movie *could* have gone in that direction, but it stayed pretty Hollywood romance instead.

I really think the basis of that movie will show up in a different movie in the future, with different angles taken from the moral dilemma.
 

Blader

Member
Rebel Without a Cause
I've never seen any of James Dean's movies before. In fact, I didn't even know what he sounded like until this started. Turns out he was actually a good actor, though perhaps leaned a bit too far in the whiny/mumbling direction of The Method troupe of acting. Maybe I only think that because his voice sounded like a higher-pitched Brando. I do think he looks much told to get away with playing a high schooler. Anyway, I surprisingly liked the movie. It's pretty old-fashioned in, like, a lot of ways (e.g. one of the key aspects of Jim Stark's existential crisis being that his father dare to make dinner and wear an apron, rather than forcing his wife to clean up his own mess. Like, what?). Natalie Wood's character is really shallow, to say the least, and the very very end is just bad.

But there are sequences throughout the movie that are totally riveting: the knife fight outside Griffith Observatory, the race with Buzz, the finale. And despite issues with this and that, the movie feels greater than the sum of its parts to me. I'm curious of what mental hoops 50s audiences had to jump through to ignore the blatantly obvious gay undertones ("undertone" being something of a brick to the face) between Jim and Plato.
7/10

Hollywood Boulevard
Joe Dante and Allan Arkush's directorial debut. I watched another movie they directed together, Rock 'n' Roll High School, last year and liked it. Choosing this -- a send-up of Roger Corman and 70s b-movies by constructing virtually a whole new movie out of Corman/New World Pictures stock footage -- seemed like a fun way to close out my Corman marathon. And for the first 20 minutes it was: the meta references are cute, the stock footage is edited into the movie pretty well, the script is genuinely funny and clever, and Dick Miller in particular gives one of his most entertaining performances. But because so much of the movie is lifted from other movies' action scenes -- car chases and shootouts and explosions -- it gives this movie the feeling of cramming a lot of noise into every scene. That pace gets pretty tiring quickly. And once the gimmick wears thin, the meta-tribute to shitty 70s exploitation movies just becomes another shitty 70s exploitation movie itself, replete with T&A that just feels slimy and two terribly ill-conceived rape scenes (any time rape is being positioned as a joke or as something to make kids horny, I have to wonder about the directors' own mindset). It is fun at times, and I have to give Dante and Arkush credit for pulling off such this idea as well as it did. But even with an 80-minute runtime, it doesn't take long for the movie to start coming apart.
5/10
 

Pachimari

Member
Came out the cinema an hour ago, and is trying to collect my thoughts. First and foremost, I was disappointed by the music syncing. It felt very low key and not as integral as what I had hoped for, and I don't think the casual viewers will pick up on it. I wasn't big on the third act, and where Edgar Wright took the characters, and it had a slow so much that I got worried I wouldn't like it, but luckily it picked up as soon as the characters were introduced to each other and they got going with their thing. So I liked the first act and loved the second act. The movie had good music for sure, and I'll probably listen to it on my phone, and Baby himself was very likable until he goes off limits. It had a few funny moments but this is surely an action movie unlike his previous work. So yeah, a very fine movie, but not anything special.

Baby Driver (2017) - ★★★☆☆
 
Memories of Murder blew my mind yesterday. Fantastic film. I am on the Bong Joon-ho train now, full steam ahead.

Yes.

Now watch The Host if you haven't seen that, brilliant monster movie.

I'm resisting the urge to watch Okja right now because I might be able to catch it in theatres this weekend. But I could also watch it right now...
 

Peco

Member
I want to get into the podcast game but I don't really care for recent releases discussion. Looking for something about older/overlooked/cult movies. What do you recommend?
 

Pachimari

Member
Just finished The Lost City of Z. It felt rather flat to be honest. The jumps throughout the movie felt disconnected and took me out of what I had assumed would have been a rousing adventure. But it was nothing more than a telling of this adventure. Tom Hardy did act well and there was some nice scenery which could have been presented better with better cinematography.

The Lost City of Z (2017) - ★★☆☆☆
 

Blader

Member
I want to get into the podcast game but I don't really care for recent releases discussion. Looking for something about older/overlooked/cult movies. What do you recommend?
You might like You Must Remember This, though it's more about the people of classic Hollywood (and show business in general) than movies.
 

kevin1025

Banned
I want to get into the podcast game but I don't really care for recent releases discussion. Looking for something about older/overlooked/cult movies. What do you recommend?

There's always FilmJunk, from the Toronto area. They have hundreds of episodes, and although they do have a weekly review near the start of their podcast, the bulk of the podcasts are random movies they've seen over the week, new and old, and then the mailbag section is movie stuff or completely random nonsense, haha.
 

Icolin

Banned
These Spider-Man: Homecoming reviews/impressions are getting me hyped as hell. The trailers have been pretty shitty, but the movie's supposedly really good.

This summer looks to be a memorable one for film, blockbusters and small releases alike. Definitely couldn't say that about last summer.
 

Boogs31

Member
Movies I saw this month.

Wonder Woman (7.75/10) - Really enjoyed this. Thought it took a while to find it's groove. The fish out of water bits were really funny. There were some truly fantastic scenes (Especially the "No Man's Land" action sequence).

Megan Leavey (7.5/10) - Despite some pacing issues this was really solid. One of the better Human/Dog relationships that I've seen on film. Even though the true story itself is a bit on the emotionally manipulative side, the director seemed to handle the story and characters with genuine affection.

It Comes at Night (6/10) - While on a technical level this movie is great, it doesn't provide anything in terms of entertainment. Nothing happens plot wise and it's not a character study either. The atmosphere was occasionally creepy but not enough to keep me interested. This reminded me of The Witch in that I get why it got solid reviews. The acting is great, the director certainly has skills and the script is believable. But if nothing I'm experiencing is entertaining, what's the point?

I, Daniel Blake (9.5/10) - This was fantastic on numerous levels. It had a great central character that was fleshed out, it provided an intriguing look at generational issues, and it showed the many problems with our unemployment system. Definitely recommend.

I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore (8.5/10) - Pretty enjoyable Netflix film that had some fun twists and turns. It did a really good job of blending genres as well as showing the good and the bad of the human race.

Money Monster (3/10) - Couldn't get into this movie at all. It starts with George Clooney dancing around like an idiot hosting this dumb stock market tv show. A guy who lost money on a stock that was recommended on the program takes the host hostage on live tv. Pretty dumb premise to begin with and you add in the fact that Julia Roberts character (the producer), is less concerned about working with the police as she is with helping the hijacker. This was real bad.

Baby Driver (9.5/10) - Came into it thinking I would love it (seeing as I am a big fan of Edgar Wright) and I was not disappointed. Terrific soundtrack, great action sequences and some good humor thrown in as well. It was a blast! My only complaint was I wanted more Jon Bernthal.
 

sgjackson

Member
Very sorry to say as a massive fan that Okja is by far Bong's weakest film to date. The caricature that to my mind worked in Snowpiercer here completely falls flat. Gyllenhaal has already seen a lot of hate but Tilda's nearly as bad. All the corporate scenes have horrible fucking dialogue (emphasis on the 'fucking') by Jon Ronson that makes potentially interesting political satire feel incredibly juvenile. For the first time in his career Bong can't balance all the clashing tones.

The opening act is lovely, the ending has some very pointed imagery and emotional weight, and there's a couple of really good action scenes in the middle, but it's a very slack film overall.

this is an entirely accurate assessment of okja. tonally it's a haphazard mix of e.t. and upton sinclair's the jungle, and the mix never really comes together. gyllenhaal plays fake steve irwin like a jim carrey character and tilda swinton plays fake monsanto ceo like the antagonist in a kid's movie.

i think if he'd gone in harder on the weird 80s kids movie angle or the social commentary angle it ends up working, but as is the performances feel like they're lifted from multiple movies haphazardly and it's incredibly jarring.
 
Run All Night

Jaume-Collet Sera goes overboard with his shitty stylistic decisions in here with some of the slow mo and city shots but otherwise this is a decent crime action movie starring Liam Neeson. What really makes this a cut above many of the other Neeson (or old man) action flicks is the bad guys though. Boyd Holbrook (bruv is doing great work as a bad guy as of late) plays a convincing weasel, and Ed Harris...nuff said about him. Dude just has such a mean presence about him, the scenes between him and Liam Neeson are great.

Between this and Non-Stop this director has the best Liam Neeson action collabs easy. His last 3 movies are all destined for a reliable late-night TNT rerun watch for sure.

True Grit (remake)
This is a rewatch so I'm not gonna say too much about it but man Hailee Steinfeld is really talented, this being her film debut and she holds her own nicely opposite the likes of Damon, Brolin and Jeff Bridges. Coens were smart with the casting of the lead on this, and Jeff Bridges' Cogburn is enthralling to watch as he mumbles his drunk almost incoherent speech throughout the film. Roger Deakins, 104th time Oscar Nominee/Loser does great work on the cinematography as per usual too. Solid Western

Baby Driver

WHEEEEEEWWWWWWWW
giphy.gif


I highly doubt I have a more fun time in theaters this year, if I do though that would be sweet. This is for my Mann bros, and all the fans of 90s Tarantino, or The Driver. The skill on display here will surprise nobody who has watched his prior movies. The editing is impeccable, the action scenes are frenetic and so fun to watch. The two shootouts timed to the music in particular, and the on foot chase was shot really well. Just a real sense of urgency in these scenes. The criminal characters all kill it. Particularly Jamie Foxx (who's a real unhinged dude in this), Jon Hamm and Spacey. Soundtrack selection is nice and eclectic, gonna make for a great summer mix.

Watching these actors all play off each other with such a sharp and funny script was dope. I wish there were more scenes in the hideout, could have watched like another half hour of that but I suppose it would be a detriment to its tight pace. Man the jokes were hilarious. And I appreciated how unexpected some moments in the third act were, including character behaviors, and this got surprisingly violent too with one moment reminding me of a previous film of his (think Hot Fuzz with that church death).

The waitress has a bit of a Shelly from Twin Peaks vibe about her which I fucked with. the
romanticized 50s black and white dream sequences especially reminded me of Lynch
. Oh and I gotta mention the editing again, they pull of some killer shit with the gun noises and the music instrumentation in here. I didn't care much for Elgort before this but the kid is cool, and plays a really likable protagonist.
 

Sean C

Member
Baby Driver (2017): I confess to having had minimal expectations in regard to this film, much of which was probably based on a very superficial reaction to the rather dumb-sounding title. At least until the great reviews, at which point I became more concerned about whether the silly title would prove a commercial impediment. Regardless, the film already exists, and it's an excellent crime film -- and Edgar Wright's first effort that, while undoubtedly infused with his sense of humour, is basically a serious thriller.

Every so often we get a successful action film that inspires considerable dialogue around the continued use of practical effects as much as possible. Baby Driver seems certain to inspire that with its numerous car stunts, particularly in comparison to the increasingly weightless (if still enjoyable) The Fast and the Furious film series. Wright films each sequence masterfully, each scored to a different song that protagonist Baby (Ansel Elgort) is listening to. That part sounded like a gimmick, but it ends up being well-integrated into the story.

The last is littered with quality talent. Elgort is solid as the protagonist, who is a bit bland by design, even with a bunch of character quirks. Lily James brings a ton of charm to Debora, Baby's love interest, a character who is pretty generic on the page (and, even by movie love interest standards, exceptionally tailored to the needs of the protagonist). The real flash comes with the supporting characters, particularly Jon Hamm, who gets his best film role to date.
 
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