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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| September 2017
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
More_Badass
Member
Theeb
A compelling adventure through the desert, setting its story of the titular Bedouin boy in the middle of tense WW1 Jordan. Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat's performance as Theeb was the highlight, imbuing his character with both a child's curiosity and a steely determination beyond his years. He says as much with a look as he does with a terse cautious response in the face of danger.
The Eyes of my Mother
I wouldn't call it scary, but it was certainly disturbing and unsettling. An artful slice-of-life kind of horror movie, the protagonist is a creepy presence, but the sound effects are the real terror here. You never see the gore, only the aftermath, but the sound and the imagery...the rasps and gurgles...the smooth metal hiss of a knife being pulled from a drawer...
The black and white cinematography is really effective as well
Not a movie for everyone, but it's slow burn and uneasy
A compelling adventure through the desert, setting its story of the titular Bedouin boy in the middle of tense WW1 Jordan. Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat's performance as Theeb was the highlight, imbuing his character with both a child's curiosity and a steely determination beyond his years. He says as much with a look as he does with a terse cautious response in the face of danger.
The Eyes of my Mother
I wouldn't call it scary, but it was certainly disturbing and unsettling. An artful slice-of-life kind of horror movie, the protagonist is a creepy presence, but the sound effects are the real terror here. You never see the gore, only the aftermath, but the sound and the imagery...the rasps and gurgles...the smooth metal hiss of a knife being pulled from a drawer...
The black and white cinematography is really effective as well
Not a movie for everyone, but it's slow burn and uneasy
If kogonada's Columbus is playing near you go see it. wow was that good. Haley Lu Richardson is stupendous, one of my favorite performances of the year. (def have to watch Edge of Seventeen now; she didn't make an impression on me in Split but that might just be because that movie's bad.) I adore that this is a contemplative and very still film while still being thoroughly, distinctly Midwestern. even good movies about the Midwest (like Nebraska) present a sort of fetishized version of exurban or small city life. this acknowledges that, in states like Indiana, there is space for intellect and expression. but most important is the relationship between Richardson and John Cho's characters, Casey and Jin, which is simply perfect. one of the few (I think 2 total?) camera moves in the movie comes when Casey offers Jin a smoke through a wrought-iron fence, and they walk along the fence talking and the camera tracks backward. it's an affected even artificial blocking choice, and their movement marks a big shift in the film, their instantaneous connection. the film does a wonderful job questioning the power of art and architecture, whether all our knowledge means anything or if we're simply distracting ourselves. can't wait to see this again.
I'd recommend An Angel at My Table to everyone btw. if the 160m runtime seems daunting keep in mind it was originally broadcast as a TV series, so the "feature" is just the 3 50m episodes edited together. Kerry Fox is fantastic, tons of beautiful landscapes, avoids every biopic pitfall.
enjoying the updates. wanna hear what you think on the TrierI had no idea Thelma was even being made until it popped up in festival schedules, but I was looking forward to it. Louder than Bombs was very good but it was starting to feel like Trier was getting stale, little growth between Reprise, Oslo and Bombs.
Interesting. hearing how abnormal the season sounds actually makes me more excited for it though? Since Top of the Lake I've seen a few more Campion. Watched An Angel at my Table this week, have The Piano and I have China Girl recorded and ready for after that. And in retrospect (and on a rewatch) the first season of Top of the Lake was soooo muted and normal for Campion. Sweetie and Angel at My Table and her early shorts/features are extremely wacky and exaggerated. to me it sounds like the difference is that they aren't often on-the-nose about gender politicsit's a huge part of her films but in like Angel at My Table it's more observed than it is driven home.its an odd one to describe. the first season had a great performance from Peter Mullan as the antagonist, and David Wenham was in there to deal the majority of the misogyny towards the main character.
now in the second season almost every male character is dialed up to 11 as pieces of crap to show the gender politics. and also there's some goofy humor thrown in the mix whereas the last season was pretty grim throughout.
oh and don't get me started on the bad guy, breh...he's like Tommy Wiseau if he played a horrible sex trafficker. I'm not joking dude. if you manage to make it through the season you're gonna laugh so hard when you see his master plan (fwiw though he is really entertaining because of his absurdity)
I thought it was kinda fascinating though. Campion tried to tackle a lot, and made some questionable decisions too. But honestly I think she nailed some of the ideas at least, specifically the internet gen and how they treat women and also the bitter reality of the escort business. its short too, and as soon as i saw the first episode I knew it would get hella divisive. its such a wacky season in comparison to that more grounded detective drama we got with the first series. it entertained me but I can't help but think it would have been better off they didn't go so absurd and comical here. oh and also moving from a small town in New Zealand to Sydney made the show lose its beautiful landscapes too
I'd recommend An Angel at My Table to everyone btw. if the 160m runtime seems daunting keep in mind it was originally broadcast as a TV series, so the "feature" is just the 3 50m episodes edited together. Kerry Fox is fantastic, tons of beautiful landscapes, avoids every biopic pitfall.
HollowCentral
Member
xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017) is the most ridiculous thing I've seen all year. From the crazy action scenes where it's almost impossible to tell what's happening, to the poor acting all around, to the random
, this is easily the dumbest film I've seen so far. But it's not the worst, and in some ways I actually enjoyed it. The action scenes are well-done at times, and there are so many dumb-funny lines that it's much better if you don't take it too seriously, which I absolutely didn't. Still, it's not funny enough to warrant another watch, and not good enough to take seriously. 3/10.
Also, is
just gonna fake his own death in every franchise he's in from now on?
Ice Cube cameo
Also, is
Samuel L. Jackson
Zombieland (2009): This really wants to be an Edgar Wright film (more specifically, it wants to be Shaun of the Dead). It doesn't get there, either in terms of characterization or action, but it's amusing enough, for the most part. A post-Superbad, pre-everything else Emma Stone is a standout, and I like her dynamic with Abigail Breslin. The biggest drawback to the film is that the main arc is a fairly stock "character finds a surrogate family and learns to value them" concept, but Jesse Eisenberg's character never really feels like a loner, he's just a guy who happens to be alone when the story starts.
Shimmer Lake is definitely my last foray into Netflix original movies (Okja excluded).
It's a Fargo-ish comedy thriller, with an entirely unlikable and unredeemable cast, the protagonist being chief among them.
A cast of assholes is fine though, if the movie has deeper layers moving underneath it (man bites Dog or even Angst?) to keep you interested, but I've seen nothing more here, than the usual Netflix original sleek shallowness I've come to expect.
Was surprised to see the lead from Miss Bala though.
It's a Fargo-ish comedy thriller, with an entirely unlikable and unredeemable cast, the protagonist being chief among them.
A cast of assholes is fine though, if the movie has deeper layers moving underneath it (man bites Dog or even Angst?) to keep you interested, but I've seen nothing more here, than the usual Netflix original sleek shallowness I've come to expect.
Was surprised to see the lead from Miss Bala though.
It Comes At Night - a Great experiment in atmosphere and mood that is just the right length, but I felt it never quite came together and, instead, went for a far direction in the last 20 minutes than what it seemed to build up to. I'm cool with ambiguity and love the human element of the movie, but it was missing something that I can't quite put my finger on. Loose ends, maybe?
I loved the use of light and shadow, the sense of claustrophobia, the acting is top-notch. Overall a good movie that might have been great if it kind of put all its eggs in one basket. I felt it reeled back on a certain type of genre film and instead took a safer (
) route to wrap it up.
I loved the use of light and shadow, the sense of claustrophobia, the acting is top-notch. Overall a good movie that might have been great if it kind of put all its eggs in one basket. I felt it reeled back on a certain type of genre film and instead took a safer (
"safer"
AngmarsKing701
Member
Two more movies on the plane ride back from LA.
The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) - this was a ton of fun. From the ass-kicking start to the heart-warming end, this movie felt so infused with Bat-awesomeness that I just kicked back and enjoyed the hell out of it. "This song fills me with raaaaaage... let's use it." With enough depth in terms of having Batman face the fear of finding people to care for again, the movie avoids being super shallow. The fact that all this stuff is animated LEGO's is just mind-boggling.
4.5 / 5
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - billed as quirky. That should probably be a capital Q. Because this thing was Quirky af. And weird. And awkward. And charming as all get out at the same time. So much is actually said with so few words. The scene with Murray and McDormand lying in their beds, separated by a night stand. The dialog is crisp and clean and the sadness they feel just seeps out of that scene. Gotta admit though, when you're a little jet-lagged, the pacing of a movie like this did NOT help me stay awake. Pretty sure I didn't miss anything, because my head would snap back up, but this is not a movie to engage in if you're super tired. At least not for me.
4 / 5
The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) - this was a ton of fun. From the ass-kicking start to the heart-warming end, this movie felt so infused with Bat-awesomeness that I just kicked back and enjoyed the hell out of it. "This song fills me with raaaaaage... let's use it." With enough depth in terms of having Batman face the fear of finding people to care for again, the movie avoids being super shallow. The fact that all this stuff is animated LEGO's is just mind-boggling.
4.5 / 5
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - billed as quirky. That should probably be a capital Q. Because this thing was Quirky af. And weird. And awkward. And charming as all get out at the same time. So much is actually said with so few words. The scene with Murray and McDormand lying in their beds, separated by a night stand. The dialog is crisp and clean and the sadness they feel just seeps out of that scene. Gotta admit though, when you're a little jet-lagged, the pacing of a movie like this did NOT help me stay awake. Pretty sure I didn't miss anything, because my head would snap back up, but this is not a movie to engage in if you're super tired. At least not for me.
4 / 5
Wait for Mudbound, at least!
HollowCentral
Member
I similarly loved it the first time I saw it, but it doesn't hold up as well upon a couple viewings, especially when compared to The LEGO Movie.
Moonrise Kingdom is pretty great though.
It: A pleasant and energetic little horror romp with a great cast of kid actors and a convincingly eerie performance from Bill Skarsgard as, well, It, though it does wear the strains of adapting a massive tone on its sleeve. Early on, it's not a big problem as the film does a good job of establishing each of the kids in terms of their personality and the major fear in their lives, but as the plot advances, the film quickly adopts a kind of shorthand to get the pieces to where they need to be, often at the expense of a couple of the kids getting any more development. This also gets very pronounced during a particular plot development that initiates the finale, coming too quickly after a big dramatic moment and clumsily resolving that with no time to breathe otherwise. But as far as crowd-pleasing horror films come, this one certainly hits all the marks and comes up with some neat setups that center around the unique nature of the villain, combined with some rather funny dialogue and, in spite of the narrative issues that it does cause, the pacing being rather brisk. It may not move the needle much in terms of where the horror renaissance is at right now, but seeing a big mainstream hit that also doesn't suck is always heartening to see as a fan of the genre.
Rhomega Beta
Member
Train to Busan: Presented by Nintendo. I thought this was a good zombie movie, dealing with the claustrophobia of a train that might not have anywhere to go. Paranoia even plays a hand.
Only complaint I have is some bits that are clearly sped-up.
Some unexpected deaths too, I thought there were be more survivors.
It's pretty straightforward and engaging. Some nice moments of suspense too. I thought it was quite good. Led to me reading up about the actual event.
Discotheque
Banned
I haven't really delved into campions work before that show so finding out that her other work tended to blend some absurdity with gritty subject matter makes sense of that second season now. I think youll enjoy it if you go in expecting it to broaden that aspect compared to the first series which was entirely serious
Also I just saw kogonada's video essay on linklater on the before sunrise bluray. Shit was beautiful, pretty dope how he's successfully transitioned into a film director for his debut apparently. Looking forward to seeing Columbus
In regards to Haley Lu Richardson I've only seen her in Split and Edge of Seventeen (both of which I had a lot of fun with) but she makes no impression in either really. In fact she's basically the same character, teenage side role. Both films are more showcases for a few other people.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Bud, I assume? I hear this is 'Murica af.
Does it go off the rails in the third act (adding spoiler tags, but it was in the trailers)?:
what the heck's going on with the Navy getting wiped out by a wind/EMP weapon? I thought it was a spy movie!
ronaldthump
Member
BASKIN
turkish horror? I dont know what they were thinking about a few cuts of weird blood cloaked people and garish lighting doesn't make up for the fact that they completly ignored pacing and mood - it derails so quickly once they enter the RE-esque mansion
and ... yeah. Um, this is kinda hot garbage.
4/10
turkish horror? I dont know what they were thinking about a few cuts of weird blood cloaked people and garish lighting doesn't make up for the fact that they completly ignored pacing and mood - it derails so quickly once they enter the RE-esque mansion
with the team of 5 used to poor effect (and not given adequate screen time to really let the horror of the space sink in). And then they get captured and what's left are tortured in a this is so boring way - torture porn way- that even when the guy gets eye damaged, I'm like eh. whatever
4/10
mariachi507
Member
I've been rewatching some older and recent horror favorites as a precursor for next month's 31 days of horror. My opinions on most of them haven't changed which range from good (Ginger Snaps), to great (It Follows), to what I currently believe to be a modern masterpiece (The Witch). However, after revisiting this film last night I felt like writing a little bit about it.
The Innocents (1961)
I made a mistake last October on my initial viewing of this film. Due to the format of watching one horror flick per day I was forced to watch this when my brain wasn't really up to task. Especially coming off of a film like Possession which had simply taken up most of the space. In retrospect, I should have chosen a good cool down title like Demons. While I enjoyed The Innocents, I didn't read it as I should, and upon finishing my viewing jumped on the internet to find some explanation for what I just saw instead of mulling it over myself. Now, almost a year later, I've seen it with a different pair of eyes.
This go around I was really able to take in the cinematography and realized that the estate of Bly was its own character. Which reflects one of the main themes where there is more going on in this story that we are being told. While I picked up on pieces of that last year I noticed now that this is loaded in almost every frame. Bly stands as a heaven for children, but there is rot hidden within, a corruption if ya wheel. What is the source of this corruption? According to the perspective of whom the story is told through, that source may seem obvious. As I said though, there is more going on than what we are told. What does that mean for the viewer and our Ms. Giddens? We both have viewed these horrors with our own eyes haven't we? Then it has to be real, she only wants the safety of the children. Why would the sexually repressed daughter of a poor, small town, country parson want anything else? Now, let's talk like adults shall we?
Verdict: 9/10
Edit: I didn't really cover the other aspects such as the incredible sound design. You hear the eerieness and pair that with the incredible visuals.
The Innocents (1961)
I made a mistake last October on my initial viewing of this film. Due to the format of watching one horror flick per day I was forced to watch this when my brain wasn't really up to task. Especially coming off of a film like Possession which had simply taken up most of the space. In retrospect, I should have chosen a good cool down title like Demons. While I enjoyed The Innocents, I didn't read it as I should, and upon finishing my viewing jumped on the internet to find some explanation for what I just saw instead of mulling it over myself. Now, almost a year later, I've seen it with a different pair of eyes.
This go around I was really able to take in the cinematography and realized that the estate of Bly was its own character. Which reflects one of the main themes where there is more going on in this story that we are being told. While I picked up on pieces of that last year I noticed now that this is loaded in almost every frame. Bly stands as a heaven for children, but there is rot hidden within, a corruption if ya wheel. What is the source of this corruption? According to the perspective of whom the story is told through, that source may seem obvious. As I said though, there is more going on than what we are told. What does that mean for the viewer and our Ms. Giddens? We both have viewed these horrors with our own eyes haven't we? Then it has to be real, she only wants the safety of the children. Why would the sexually repressed daughter of a poor, small town, country parson want anything else? Now, let's talk like adults shall we?
Verdict: 9/10
Edit: I didn't really cover the other aspects such as the incredible sound design. You hear the eerieness and pair that with the incredible visuals.
Messofanego
Banned
What's up you movie loving fucks, I'm at TIFF. Get ready for some TIFF TAKES fresh out of the festival oven.
God gave all things a purpose. For a horse, it's to run across an open field. For a cowboy, it's to ride.
The Rider (dir. Chloé Zhao) - 8/10
This is a remarkable blend of documentary and narrative impulses, as Zhao takes people she knows, and the stories of their lives, and shapes them into a "fiction" that plays in a familiar genre, but still holds a mirror up directly to the reality of their surroundings (some scenes, particularly a subplot involving bull rider Lane Scott, might as well be a documentary, but even that gets folded into the "narrative" by the end in a really beautiful way).
It's a really beautiful film, which is all I can think to say. It's the word I keep coming back to over and over, and it fits. There is a vulnerability, a painful nakedness to the film, that is both challenging and uplifting. It hits upon a lot of themes (disability, masculinity, identity more generally, community, and in some of the most touching and memorable scenes, the relationship between people and animals) and explores them with great patience and insight. Also, horses. If you love horses, don't sleep on this. They basically deserve equal billing, for all the screen time they get (and are an important part of the story, obviously).
Now the hardest question to answer is going to be: Which movie had the best animal performances at TIFF 2017? The horses here set the bar pretty high, but there's a llama in Zama that might be the real MVP. More on that later.
The poet says to share.
mother! (dir. Darren Aronofsky) - 7.5/10
It's really fucking dumb, but that's inevitably going to be the case when you swing for the fences, and then keep swinging until your arms fall off, and then go and set fire to the fences (with your feet? because you have no arms?), and then somehow convince Paramount (while you are on fire, because why would you play with matches with your feet are you crazy) to launch this obscene madness onto 3000 SCREENS WHAT THE HELL LOL. This Friday is going to be a shit show, is what I'm saying.
It's the most audacious and earnest thing Aronofsky has made since The Fountain, which means it's the best thing Aronofsky has made since The Fountain, which doesn't mean it's a good movie... but I probably love it? It's so awesome and terrible I don't really know for sure! I really don't want to say anything until other people have seen it and we can get a conversation going (because there's a lot to unpack, or maybe there's nothing to unpack?), but wow, it's intense. I was in a perpetual state of anxiety and the third act is probably the fastest I've ever seen a movie ramp from any kind of sense of normalcy into pure fucking chaos. I'm torn on it, but proceeding cautiously with a positive rating, because I certainly admired its audacity, and I certainly FELT the damn thing. That was one hell of a visceral experience. And that's more than I can say for a lot of movies.
Currently on the schedule for the remainder of the fest (I hope to see at least a couple more than this though):
Zama (just saw it, going to sleep now tho so will be back later with thoughts)
Thelma (I have a feeling this won't be as good as Oslo, August 31st, but what is?)
Dark River (because The Selfish Giant was amazing)
Kings (because I loved Mustang, but... well, this sounds terrible on paper, but we'll see)
TIFF Report #2 feat. The Zama Llama
His loneliness is atrocious.
Zama (dir. Lucrecia Martel) - 6.5/10
Sprawling and fascinating, but also a little exhausting. It feels weird to complain about plot in a movie where plot doesn't really matter, but here I go: The movie eventually reaches the point of dull repetition (the investigation into a scribe's book adds yet another delay and did nothing for me, even if the payoff was a wickedly funny punchline) and then it does a hard left into a manhunt scenario that charts an obvious and tired course to a predictable conclusion (I started tuning out at this point). The final act is appropriately disorienting but I can't say I got a lot out of this adventure of colonial decay.
Which is a shame, because I found The Headless Woman to be so thrilling in its formal precision, and politically scathing in its conceptual rigor (it's the ultimate anti-mystery, in which a woman convinces herself that she killed someone and her bourgeois peers fall over themselves attempting to safeguard her status). But of course Zama is an entirely different beast, so it wouldn't be fair to make that comparison. Also, Martel's much lauded formal mastery is still evident, and lives up to the hype. I love the way Martel frames her subjects, and stages (in)action. There are countless striking and memorable images and scenes. Unfortunately, they didn't add up to as much this time. But, I am both willing and eager to revisit Zama after the fest, in a better environment, where I can focus on it more attentively, and don't have the cacophonous nightmare of mother! still rattling around in my brain (no movie, however good, could stand up to that).
As for the llama, A.A. Dowd says it best:
Maybe I was just losing my mind by this point (possible!), but this scene is seriously amazing. I couldn't stop laughing. The llama just wanders into the house in the middle of the scene, and in one single take, saunters down the hallway to the room with Zama, walks right up to him and stares at him, walks around him and stares at him again (he ignores it the whole time, deliberately?) and then wanders off. I was dying to ask Martel if this was something they managed to coax the llama into doing, or if the thing actually stumbled into the shot accidentally (it can be spotted in earlier shots in a pen outside of the house), but I didn't get a chance. Either way, perfection. Out of the five movies I have seen so far, this is the single moment I keep replaying in my mind. I'm still laughing as I type this. I've never seen an animal steal a scene like this before.
Up next, back to back disappointments from Trier and Barnard. Say it ain't so!
Thanks Cripplegate for the TIFF reviews. Gonna see mother! and The Villainess tomorrow. The Fountain is my favourite Arronofsky. Is it Zulawski levels of insanity? Glad I didn't buy LFF tickets for Thelma and Dark River.
Speaking of recent British farm dramas, have you seen The Levelling and God's Own Country? I thought they were fantastic. Very much of the Brexit era.
TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared
Member
I always look forward to an Irish home made film, mainly because the best ones are really fantastic, and even when they're not great they have a really unique, downbeat, grim energy to them. The Drummer and the Keeper has the unique depressing energy down, but not much else. I found it riddled with cliched, some poor acting, and a lazy predictable storyline. Not that a predictable storyline is a killer, since its the journey that counts, but The Drummer and the Keeper isn't a terribly compelling journey.
It tells the story of a bipolar drummer forced to become friends with a boy with Aspergers syndrome who is obsessed with goal keeping (the keeper, get it) The portrayal of Christopher as the autistic one is a wretched parody of someone with Aspergers syndrome, mean while Dermot Murphy as Gabriel the bipolar drummer is so weird and cool and overdone as what the film imagines bipolar to be, its bizarre, written with very little nuance. The connection between the two character feels forced and not well done, the supporting characters are either badly done or don't get enough screen time. And in keeping with the best traditions of Irish cinema, the whole thing has a energy sucking, downbeat energy and the whole thing had me leaving the cinema feeling incredibly down.
There's no big important metaphors to be told, the simple themes are badly told, the acting and story are poorly done, and frankly this film was tiring to watch.
It tells the story of a bipolar drummer forced to become friends with a boy with Aspergers syndrome who is obsessed with goal keeping (the keeper, get it) The portrayal of Christopher as the autistic one is a wretched parody of someone with Aspergers syndrome, mean while Dermot Murphy as Gabriel the bipolar drummer is so weird and cool and overdone as what the film imagines bipolar to be, its bizarre, written with very little nuance. The connection between the two character feels forced and not well done, the supporting characters are either badly done or don't get enough screen time. And in keeping with the best traditions of Irish cinema, the whole thing has a energy sucking, downbeat energy and the whole thing had me leaving the cinema feeling incredibly down.
There's no big important metaphors to be told, the simple themes are badly told, the acting and story are poorly done, and frankly this film was tiring to watch.
Puck Beaverton
Banned
My mom wants to go see mother! with me.
That should be fun.
That should be fun.
Transformers: The Last Knight
All right. I wanted to say a lot about this one, especially after the half-review I gave back on Tuesday night, but... it's not worth the effort, haha. The attempts at humor completely wreck any goodwill the visuals and some of the action have. There are pieces of story that are past nonsensical and bordering on worrying. The Bumblebee/Optimus fight (sorry, sorry, Nemesis fight) has a BvS fight ending (you know what I'm talking about) that ruins how stunningly beautiful that whole sequence was beforehand. There's ADR that riddles every scene that doesn't fit what's happening on screen. There's bad editing, especially when there's SIX editors. It's a real rotten movie.
And Anthony Hopkins may have gone insane during the filming of this movie, based on his performance. I'd say it's something to behold, but then you'd have to watch it, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
But the true crime is, Paramount could have funded 50-60 incredibly well made smaller movies for the price of this one. They never would have, of course, but just the thought of it is painful.
All right. I wanted to say a lot about this one, especially after the half-review I gave back on Tuesday night, but... it's not worth the effort, haha. The attempts at humor completely wreck any goodwill the visuals and some of the action have. There are pieces of story that are past nonsensical and bordering on worrying. The Bumblebee/Optimus fight (sorry, sorry, Nemesis fight) has a BvS fight ending (you know what I'm talking about) that ruins how stunningly beautiful that whole sequence was beforehand. There's ADR that riddles every scene that doesn't fit what's happening on screen. There's bad editing, especially when there's SIX editors. It's a real rotten movie.
And Anthony Hopkins may have gone insane during the filming of this movie, based on his performance. I'd say it's something to behold, but then you'd have to watch it, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
But the true crime is, Paramount could have funded 50-60 incredibly well made smaller movies for the price of this one. They never would have, of course, but just the thought of it is painful.
Yep, I thought the driver's performance was great, had some funny moments. Made me realize how little I know about South Korea's history, it was interesting to learn about that event.
I was one of about a dozen people in the theater, and the only non-Korean.
LOL, spoilers ahead -
Taylor Kitsch steals a nuke to get revenge against the CIA for abandoning him out in the field, and for some reason he wants to launch it in a speedboat against the Navy. It's fuckin nonsense man.
Oh man. I may need to see this thing.
Yeah I'm mostly saying "for now".
There have been some at least enjoyable Netflix movies after all.
HollowCentral
Member
It's the first Transformers movie I didn't have any fun watching. It wasn't even so-bad-it's-fun like the other ones, it's just depressingly bad.
But considering I saw it in theaters, I guess I'm part of the problem.
Sorry
It's the first Transformers movie I didn't have any fun watching. It wasn't even so-bad-it's-fun like the other ones, it's just depressingly bad.
But considering I saw it in theaters, I guess I'm part of the problem.
Sorry
I ended up giving them more money in the long run since I bought it with iTunes credit, haha, so I'm more of the problem than you are
HollowCentral
Member
It's ok, we can be part of the problem togetherI ended up giving them more money in the long run since I bought it with iTunes credit, haha, so I'm more of the problem than you are
It's ok, we can be part of the problem together
Sounds good! Movies are movies, after all.
I'm seeing mother! in an hour. I'm real nervous for this one.
AngmarsKing701
Member
It's the first Transformers movie I didn't have any fun watching. It wasn't even so-bad-it's-fun like the other ones, it's just depressingly bad.
But considering I saw it in theaters, I guess I'm part of the problem.
Sorry
I gave AoE 1/2 a star on letterboxd when I saw it a couple weeks ago. People told me TLK is worse, and since letterboxd doesn't allow 0 stars, I guess I'll avoid it forever.
1 through 4 are the only ones worth watching. The rest are...not good.
Expendable.
Member
I saw it a few days ago and still mixed on mother!. It's so ambitious, but the first half is incredibly ham-fisted and obvious, and the entire movie is fairly dumb. On the other hand, I can't stop thinking about it. It's one of the most abrasively unpleasant movie-going experiences I've had in awhile, and for that, I greatly admire it.
I absolutely can't wait to see general audience reactions.
I absolutely can't wait to see general audience reactions.
HollowCentral
Member
I'll take your word for it. Definitely seeing it this weekend. Love Aronofksy's prior work (especially Black Swan), and this movie has polarizing and batshit insane written all over it.
Glad to see you enjoyed it. The actor who played the driver is pretty great in general, and a lot of his movies are worth a watch. I'd recommend checking out Memories of Murder which is another one of his films. It's somewhat like Zodiac, and is also based on the first serial murders that occurred in South Korea.
I've generally enjoyed the Transformer series because I think they're a good example of what a great soundtrack can do for a blockbuster movie. (And also because they're my pseudo-replacement for the National Treasure series, which has disappeared.) The first four movies have some amazing tracks in them that help enhance them greatly, and I think the bloated nature and location swapping works in giving me the cartoonish adventure movies I want.
But The Last Knight is a step too far into crazy territory. I didn't dislike the movie, but it was just bland without the memorable music, and a distinct lack of any noteworthy action. More than that, there's too many characters who are superfluous, and the death toll really goes to a ridiculous degree in this movie.
In the previous movies, there are some thousands dead. In this movie, there likely tens, if not, hundreds of millions. That's just crazy even for a movie about caricatures and psycho robots that's basically a cartoon in live action form.
It's a shame really, as the fourth is probably my favorite right alongside the first. Whereas the fifth is the worst in my opinion.
The best way to describe it is, it's a film lover's type of movie. You're not guaranteed to like it solely because of that, but it's not for the general moviegoer. Paramount are nuts to release this so wide, and I love them for it.
Yeah, the movie's death toll had me wondering how a sixth movie could even exist. Wouldn't Earth be forever changed by the moon getting destroyed (or at least severely maimed), not to mention the catastrophic damage to the planet and the loss of life?
But it also has a British robot singing "Move, Bitch" by Ludacris while Anthony Hopkins laughs maniacally during a chase scene, so I don't know what's going on anymore, haha.
Infernostew
Member
This is usually the same response that happens when my local indie theater shows films. General audiences are so clueless.
HollowCentral
Member
I watched The Tree of Life with 2 other people, one fell asleep during the first hour, and the other watch the whole thing and absolutely hated it. I always feel weird when that happens, as if I have to defend liking something even though it's pretty clear they just don't grasp all of what's going on.
More_Badass
Member
A movie with unanimous high praise is usually worth watching, a movie with unanimous low reviews just might be so bad it's entertaining, but a divisive movie, that some hate and others love, is almost always interesting.
Pretty excited to see it tomorrow
Loving (2016): Jeff Nichols tries to do the opposite of a normal, over-dramatic film approach to history, but in the process I think he goes too far the other way, to the point where at times I wondered why he bothered making the film at all. There are some lovely moments, though, mostly involving Ruth Negga's wonderful performance.
She's Gotta Have It (1986): I was under the impression that this was a comedy, but
. Though it also seems like this is trying to be a proponent of sexual liberation from monogamy. So...Spike Lee's inconsistent attitude toward gender was there from the beginning, I guess.
She's Gotta Have It (1986): I was under the impression that this was a comedy, but
its denouement revolves around a rape scene that is kind of shrugged off afterward
Discotheque
Banned
Responses that divisive spell a more interesting movie to me tbh. My sister just saw it and messaged me that she loved it, few friends just saw it too and only one of them liked it. The others thought it was weird and stupid as shit haha
I'm really looking forward to it
Puck Beaverton
Banned
or batman
I really can't imagine Aronofsky directing a Superman movie. Tonally his style is all wrong for it.