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[lordxar]

Gods of Egypt. I'm not finished with this but at the halfway point I doubt it will change much. Will finish it tonight but both an Overwatch and a Rainbow Six patch pulled me away last night.

Needless to say this film isn't very good. It started off with some beautiful scenery with massive golden pyramids and some other really cool imagery. Some shit happens then it kind of wanders around lost in the desert. Should have this finished tonight but I've seen enough to render an opinion.

What I like about this movie is the cgi. I mean the imagery can be incredible to look at. Now it does have faults. Like as the movie wears on I can see through the graphics more and more where at first I was digging it. Now that the cgi part is wearing thin, it's looking like a Pixar movie that renders humans incredibly well. This is the kind of b rated scifi shit that cgi is awesome for. Like Babylon 5 with modern computing power.

What I don't like about this movie is the total reliance on cgi. I saw a comment on Letterboxd about the green screen showing through and holy shit I think these actors just stood in front of one for weeks until done. Not much of this looks authentic. Not that the movie is good to begin with, but I doubt it holds up well graphically over time. Which reminds me, I should revisit 10,000 BC soon because I love shitty eye candy movies sometimes. Wonder if that one still holds up?

The story here is also just horrendous. I mean it looks like someone tried to use old school Egypt stuff but like the typical story you'd get from someone just copy/pasting whatever hero and villain story sounded like it was from old Egypt.

Meh, will finish this turd tonight but I doubt I will ever revisit this. I mean it looks cool but like that shallow chick with big fake tits and a rocking bod, you just can't commit to anything beyond a quicky if you can even tolerate her voice enough to get that far.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

So last night I decided to rewatch HP and The Prisoner of Azkaban & HP and The Goblet of Fire. Azkaban is my favorite in the entire series, but am I tripping for thinking Goblet of Fire is a close second? The movie is more entertaining than I remember despite being the second longest one. It manages to be colorful and dark at the same time, the characters are lovable and funny, with an actual cool new "professor".

The first two feel a bit flat and somewhat outdated, but their successors are the highlight of Harry Potter franchise...too bad they were followed by the boring forgettable Order of Pheonix.

Those two were my favorites as well. Order of the Phoenix was alright, too, but it was the last one I liked.

 

[User 479360]

World War Z sucked. It was dumb and boring. A shame, because it had potential and started off well.

 

[Norfair]

World War Z sucked. It was dumb and boring. A shame, because it had potential and started off well.

I still secretly wished they'd filmed the book version in full on Ken Burns mode. Lots of actors retelling their character's story with photos and videos of the zombie out break.

 

[Infernostew]

Since it was brought up a few days ago, I finally watched Embrace of the Serpent last night. It's great. If I saw this last year it definitely would've been in my top 5. The somber and blunt realities of early 19th century colonialism vs. an otherworldly journey through the Amazon. Gorgeous black and white cinematography. Top notch sound work that envelopes you in a dense jungle hiss, alongside a minimal score that fades in every so often lending more atmosphere to the already dreamlike spirituality of narrative. This is a great old school slow burn adventure, peppered with all the pit stop character interactions the genre's good for, with a kind of soulful elegance to the way it all plays out. Even throws in some Apocalypse Now / Aguirre / Fitzcarraldo vibes. Loved the ending as well.

A+, would journey again.

I'm putting it on my year end this year since it fits my personal criteria which is festival release doesn't count unless I saw it at a festival and limited or wide release in that year. Since it was released limited in the US in Feb, it's gonna sit pretty high on mine for 2016.

 

[User 479360]

I still secretly wished they'd filmed the book version in full on Ken Burns mode. Lots of actors retelling their character's story with photos and videos of the zombie out break.

It probably would have been better.

This version jumped around a lot, jumped from weird conclusion to conclusion and had characters I hardly cared about. I didn't feel much for it at all, outside of the beginning.

 

[lordxar]

I still secretly wished they'd filmed the book version in full on Ken Burns mode. Lots of actors retelling their character's story with photos and videos of the zombie out break.

It's not a secret that they should have lol

 

[Net_Wrecker]

I'm putting it on my year end this year since it fits my personal criteria which is festival release doesn't count unless I saw it at a festival and limited or wide release in that year. Since it was released limited in the US in Feb, it's gonna sit pretty high on mine for 2016.

Guess I'll do the same then. Whatever I can to get it on a list.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

 

[UberTag]

Paterson - I've always made excuses to bypass Jarmusch films in the past but I didn't pass on this one and I'm damn glad that I didn't.

This week-long chronology of a poem-writing bus driver, his dream-chasing, black-and-white obsessed wife, his precocious bulldog and the fanciful characters he encounters during his daily routine of bus driving, dog walking and beer drinking exudes charm. This is a film that excels because of how simple and intimate it is. It's an absolute delight. 8.5/10

Manchester by the Sea - This was probably my most anticipated film heading into the festival. Casey Affleck did not disappoint. Everything else about the film sadly did.

The flashback scenes never came together, Michelle Williams was under-used and I lost track of the number of incited fights and pull-apart brawls that were thrown in to illustrate how angry and disillusioned with life Casey's Lee was. The movie excels when Affleck and Lucas Hedges are interacting with one another and, thankfully, that comprises a significant chunk of this movie's run-time. 7.5/10

Deepwater Horizon - Your run-of-the-mill tragic accident movie where heroic people help others to survive. Better screenplay then you'll find in most of these films is countered by Peter Berg wanting to role-play as Michael Bay and blow shit up constantly. 6.5/10

Taking a break from the festival for a day to catch up on work. Will be back to a full-time sched on Friday.

 

[Woorloog]

Minority Report
This was interesting. Pretty good for sure.
Some of the worst cops ever for sure though.
The overexposure effect fits the film well.
Not sure what else to say about this.



Rewatched Mad Max: Fury Road.
One of the best films ever for certain... at least of those i've seen. Superb example of "show, don't tell" done right.
It is like a symphony that develops over time. Such a super combination of music and visuals. Excellent action, good stunts. And all those character moments! Not much is said but there don't need to be, everything needed is shown.



Drive
This is good. Interesting story and characters, good acting, and no unnecessary exposition. Good soundtrack and visuals, some really nice looking shots. Another good example of "show, don't tell" done well.

 

[omgkitty]

Nice to see Woody keeping up the habit in his old age.

 

[lordxar]

London Has Fallen. Another day, another Gerard Butler cgi fest but not as bad as Gods of Egypt. Pretty generic story that was actually kind of boring. The cgi city decimation was ok I guess. It was on Netflix and I'm uncorking the Letterboxd Hooptober horror marathon tomorrow so I needed something to watch. Meh on a ten scale.

 

[User 479360]

I wish I would've enjoyed Mad Max: Fury Road as much as everyone else did.

 

[TheFlow]

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping 2016
★★★½ Watched 14 Sep, 2016

Popstar is surprisingly a solid comedy, and a great attempt a movie by the lonely island boys. Songs are actually catchy, but some of the jokes fall flat.

 

[Androidsleeps]

I think Order of the phoenix is the best of the movies but that is probably because it is also my favorite of the harry potter books next to goblet of fire.

goblet of fire is definitely enjoyable but it is one of those things where if you read the book before the movie you won't enjoy it as much.

Those two were my favorites as well. Order of the Phoenix was alright, too, but it was the last one I liked.

Sadly, I never got into the books, but I remember watching OotP in the theater and leaving disappointed, so much so that it made me not care about the remaining Harry Potter movies. However, I just rewatched The Half-Blood Prince, I remember finding this one quite boring and uneventful, but now that I've revisited it, I have a more positive take on it. Mark Kermode said that this is his second favorite (behind Azkaban) and that with time more people will appreciate it. I don't quite agree, as the movie has some apparent flaws and the ending wasn't handled very well, but it is enjoyable enough with the acting getting better and the cinematography evolving as the tone becomes darker.

I guess now I'll have to rewatch Deathly Hallows p.1; I remember it dragging and feeling incomplete, but who knows..Kermode didn't mind this one so we'll see.


I gotta say though, revisiting the HP franchise made me aware of something that I might've missed before. And that is the chemistry between the three main characters and how they carry them selves in both comedic and emotional scenes is something that Twilight and those other YA novel adaptations never managed to achieve. Sure, the romantic stuff in the latter films weren't the best part, but at least they weren't cringe-worthy...or creepy. Also, Alan Rickman was fucking great as Snape

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

I love Woody, but I have no interest in watching that Amazon series. The man has spent 40 years crafting a particular filmic style, and he's not even particularly exceptional at THAT anymore. Suddenly switching to a miniseries seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

That picture is very funny, though.

 

[daydream]

Café Society: For his latest, Allen largely manages a return to form, albeit without any particular novelty. 'Café Society' is a film that paints in unbelievably broad strokes which should be more of a knock than it actually turns out being. The trademark snappiness and tempo of the script and character interaction are what this film is about, an era translated into rhythm and colours, underscored by inoffensive and redundant narration. The love story harbours more pay-off than expected and the Allenisms are kept to a tolerable minimum. That said, with his great comedies or more recent bright spots like 'Midnight in Paris' there is no relation in quality. For that, the examination of human entanglements is too direct, too light, too airy, too marital.

 

[omgkitty]

I wish I would've enjoyed Mad Max: Fury Road as much as everyone else did.

Yep. Fun, well made movie that most people lost their shit over. I also wasn't one of those people.

 

[Currygan]

Mad Max left me a bit cold as well. surely it's got breathtaking action and great lore but I just couldn't feel enthralled by the Australian setting, not even sure why

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Welp, this page seems about done.

New page, lezz go, move on, nothing to see here.

 

[Currygan]

I love Woody, but I have no interest in watching that Amazon series. The man has spent 40 years crafting a particular filmic style, and he's not even particularly exceptional at THAT anymore. Suddenly switching to a miniseries seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

That picture is very funny, though.

hopefully it's like Annie Hall, basically a long movie sliced into small vignettes with a coherent plot tying everything up

it won't be nearly as good, though

 

[MidnightCowboy]

Annie Hall is funnier, Manhattan is better.

 

[Rogan]

Just watched 25th hour

Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.

Its always good to see Philip Seymour Hoffman, so sad he is gone. Story was fun, but it did not click for me because there was one problem.

I felt there was no chemistry between Rosario Dawson and Edward Norton. Its his last night before going behind bars for seven years and she spent the night on the dancefloor. Not only that, but Norton doesnt seem to care at all.

Norton ranting in the middle was pretty amazing;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgL_5QcZCMo

 

[TheFlow]

Welp, this page seems about done.

New page, lezz go, move on, nothing to see here.

agreed. not reading this mad max bs.

 

[omgkitty]

Mad Max left me a bit cold as well. surely it's got breathtaking action and great lore but I just couldn't feel enthralled by the Australian setting, not even sure why

I had no issues with the setting. The film itself is gorgeous, but they could have cut 30 minutes off of it. Way too damn long and just keeps going. A taut 90 minutes would have been much better.

 

[Blader]

Just watched 25th hour



Its always good to see Philip Seymour Hoffman, so sad he is gone. Story was fun, but it did not click for me because there was one problem.

I felt there was no chemistry between Rosario Dawson and Edward Norton. Its his last night before going behind bars for seven years and she spent the night on the dancefloor. Not only that, but Norton doesnt seem to care at all.

Norton ranting in the middle was pretty amazing;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgL_5QcZCMo

Well he spends most of the movie thinking

Spoiler

she may have been the one who ratted on him.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Annie Hall is funnier, Manhattan is better.

Hannah > Manhattan > Annie Hall

 

[taybul]

Went into Conjuring 2 blind (didn't read any reviews) and I generally don't expect much from horror sequels, but I ended up really enjoying it, maybe even more than the first. The jump scares were pretty clever and the overall story was pretty great.

 

[Currygan]

Annie Hall is funnier, Manhattan is better.

same place for me. Still, Crimes and Misdemeanors is one hella underrated top shelf Allen

watching War Dogs tonight. I actually feel like it's gonna be a decent romp

 

[True Savior]

Manhattan lacks any kind of discipline to be considered better than Annie Hall. It's not just funnier. It's more focused. It plays with time with great nuance. It's mad creative. It's one of those popular movies that deserves every single accolade.

Then comes Zelig. And Interiors.

Woody has, at least, 10 very good movies. An output rarely matched by any director. And the top 3 shows his versatility.

 

[MidnightCowboy]

Hannah > Manhattan > Annie Hall

I've heard plenty of people say Hannah is his secret best movie. I think it's time I watched it.

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

Fury Road was good, but way to action oriented for me, made me feel exhausted.

 

[daydream]

from the ones i watched, hannah is best allen, for sure

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Stardust Memories and Another Woman are Woody's top 2 films, and almost nobody has seen either. Crimes and Misdemeanors, Hannah, and either Radio Days or Husbands and Wives would round out the top five.

 

[Window]

Stardust Memories and Another Woman are Woody's top 2 films, and almost nobody has seen either. Crimes and Misdemeanors, Hannah, and either Radio Days or Husbands and Wives would round out the top five.

Glad you mentioned it. One of my favourite Allen films. The ending and Allen's words there are so beautiful. I remember Ebert compared it to Amarcord so I really should get around to watching that as well.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I've heard plenty of people say Hannah is his secret best movie. I think it's time I watched it.

I think it has an aesthetic balance that Woody never achieved before or since. You have to go back to Renoir to find a drama that hits me so deeply but also makes me laugh so much. Every time I watch it I'm love its unhurried grace notes, the nuanced execution of it all. If my house was on fire, it would be one of the blu-rays I would grab before everything goes up in smoke.

 

[Window]

Caine's whiplash moment in Hannah's is so good. I really like Allen's warmer films, Radio Days, Hannah, Broadway Danny Rose.

 

[Blader]

I've seen Stardust Memories twice and it was dull both times.

What you're all really sleeping on is Play It Again, Sam

Spoiler

ok, he didn't direct it and there's a weird rape joke, but it's basically a Woody Allen movie and otherwise funny as hell

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Caine's whiplash moment in Hannah's is so good. I really like Allen's warmer films, Radio Days, Hannah, Broadway Danny Rose.

I do too, but I also have a sweet spot for Husbands and Wives, which one of the nastier/meaner movies he's ever done. Its a bold, nervy movie, all handheld camera movements and dark domestic squabbles. Some really fantastic performances here from a great cast that really bury into his material. Whatever the man's fault, he's got an undeniable affinity with actors!

 

[big ander]

Platform - *** Relatively charming with a few moments that bowled me over—e.g.Zhao Tao dancing to the radio alone in a yellow sweater—yet so rooted in the pop culture of '80s rural China that I found it difficult to understand beyond the broad strokes. I've since read that Jia's next couple films are more politically blatant and viewing Platform after those makes the thrust of this clearer, maybe I'll revisit.
Down By Law - **** could watch paint dry if Jarmusch had Robert Müller shooting it in black and white.
Green Room - ***1/2 I still don't understand this "adoring Imogen Poots" prank everybody is playing. Otherwise this is good and a big step up from Blue Ruin, jagged bursts of violence ripping punks to shreds for compromising their ideology.

Mad Max left me a bit cold as well. surely it's got breathtaking action and great lore but I just couldn't feel enthralled by the Australian setting, not even sure why

While I love Fury Road and all, I'm not an ardent enough fan to feel like it needs defending—but I'm actually baffled at the idea that its central problem could be that it's set in Australia. like, it'd be automatically be better if it took place in Greenland or Argentina or something? ...what?

 

[valkillmore]

Watched Anchorman 2 for the first time two weeks ago. I didn't expect much. DIdn't get much either.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

currygan's a racist, we all know that. He's old.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

I've seen Stardust Memories twice and it was dull both times.

What you're all really sleeping on is Play It Again, Sam

Spoiler

ok, he didn't direct it and there's a weird rape joke, but it's basically a Woody Allen movie and otherwise funny as hell

It's Allen's deepest and best comment on the nature of how art and creativity relate to the human condition and is probably his most formally accomplished and nonconventional movies. In terms of how much it gets across about its characters and situation in a relatively brief running time, it has few equals in the world cinematic canon. I like a few of his movies more, but Stardust Memories is a movie that impresses more with every viewing.

Edit: Play It Again, Sam is damned good, but not top-tier Allen. It sort of straddles the early comedies and the later work, and isn't quite up to par with either of them in either respect.

 

[Toothless]

The Blair Witch Project is a stunning horror movie that deserves all the praise it has gotten over the years. The invention of found footage film proves to be the best I've seen in the sub-genre, thanks to the focus on the paranoia that lives inside of us all. The interpersonal drama is what's truly terrifying, as we see just how easily one can lose hope and thus, their own humanity. The Blair Witch Project is a truly powerful work that still stands up today.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is an incredibly redundant film. It marks a major step-down in quality from the original film thanks to much broader jokes and very problematic segments that feel both xenophobic and homophobic without much humor to them. It's a testament to Zellweger and Firth's skills as performers that it's still wonderful to just watch the two of them together. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is perfectly enjoyable to watch, but lacks the pure joy of the original film.

I also rewatched Sausage Party and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington without any change of opinion.

 

[T Dollarz]

Wiener-Dog got worse and worse as the film went on. It's divided into four clear acts with different characters, and each one is more grating than the last. The ending infuriated me. This is streaming on Amazon Prime right now, and I would stay away.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

The Blair Witch Project did not invent the idea of the found footage horror movie. Also, it sucks.

 

[Androidsleeps]

The Blair Witch Project did not invent the idea of the found footage horror movie. Also, it sucks.

It invented viral marketing, though.

 

[UrbanRats]

Green Room - ***1/2 I still don't understand this "adoring Imogen Poots" prank everybody is playing. Otherwise this is good and a big step up from Blue Ruin, jagged bursts of violence ripping punks to shreds for compromising their ideology.

She's cute af, all there is to it.
But I agree with you on the movie, it plays more to this director's strengths to build good tension, something Blue Ruin also did pretty well, amidst all the revenge trivialities.

 

[lordxar]

The Blair Witch Project did not invent the idea of the found footage horror movie. Also, it sucks.

110% agree.