Yeah, it's a super unique movie. It's like if David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock tried to make a giallo together.
...although even that doesn't really do the movie total justice.
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Movies You've Seen Recently | July 2018
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
Yeah, it's a super unique movie. It's like if David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock tried to make a giallo together.
...although even that doesn't really do the movie total justice.
Won't You Be My Neighbor?: One would think that a documentary about a subject that was a top-to-bottom good human being with no hidden agenda would not make for much of a compelling film, but it's not long into this before you realize how much we needed to be reminded of the fact that once upon a time, and not that long ago, this world produced something as wonderful as Fred Rogers. As a man who lived most of his life on TV, the documentary isn't necessarily going to be an eye-opener in a traditional sense, but it manages to avoid the pitfall of feeling too much like a greatest hits reel of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood because we get so much valuable context from the people closest to Rogers in life as well as the cast and crew he worked with as to why things were the way they were. And it's hard not to notice how relevant the methodology behind the show is today, making a lot of the episodes that get a larger focus in here all the more relevant and even radical, with both topical matters and constant life issues getting the kind of coverage that you would seldom see in more adult-oriented programming. This element also gets some help from some juxtapositions of how the world was butting its head up against Rogers' brand of entertainment, a couple of which count as genuinely provocative in the current political climate, given this an even more vital presence. Amazingly enough, this does all of the above while avoiding easy sensationalizing and also taking care to not come across as a hagiography of the man as he would have been the first to tell you that the work itself was far more important than he was. I think that's what impressed me the most, as the impulse to turn him into a living, breathing angel had to be overwhelming, and yet we wind up with a documentary that feels like the sort of project that if he were still around, Fred Rogers would have approved of. It's a gripping, emotional and heartfelt doc from beginning to end, one that serves a great primer for his life and career while also serving as its own kind of posthumous special that he would have been a part of, reminding you that simple doesn't have to mean stupid and that slow, quiet moments are just as meaningful as the fast, loud ones.
You can list 10 MCU movies?
Before Black Pentha?
:/
Show me this list
And for a drowning story it has a very flooded over feeling of the city. Every part has a great synchronicity with the couple's grief.
Venice is what happens when tourists take over a city. I don't even think there are actually still people living there. It's all tourists stuff.
Top 10 not in particular order:
Avengers: IW
Iron Man
Guardians of the Galaxy
Spider-Man homecoming
Winter Soldier
Captain America Civil War
Avengers
Thor 3
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Doctor Strange
Don't get me wrong, I still really liked Black Panther. The only MCU film I disliked was the Hulk movie.
Gerald's Game makes for one hell of a long line, but despite its excellent premise and some solid performances it takes a decidedly dull and unvisual approach to the thrills. It's an admittedly challenging concept to try to make interesting for 100 minutes using the visual language of thrillers to make things exciting rather than frequent expository dialogue scenes and horrid flashbacks, but I still think there's a better way (I'm sure this works a million times better on the page than the screen).
There are a few great moments where Flanagan presents things visually, and one of the most painful things I've ever seen on screen, that exploit the tension of the scenario, but even the movie's biggest scare get reduced to ludicrous over expectation in the film's absolutely dire narration heavy final 15 minutes. I guess it's pretty accurate King adaptation in that respect, since he often doesn't stick the landing either.
It's an alright watch, but it doesn't do justice to either its killer premise or its sensitive subject matter.
It was a remarkably canny choice because in the original short story the daughter dies from meningitis, not drowning.
There are a few great moments where Flanagan presents things visually, and one of the most painful things I've ever seen on screen, that exploit the tension of the scenario, but even the movie's biggest scare get reduced to ludicrous over expectation in the film's absolutely dire narration heavy final 15 minutes. I guess it's pretty accurate King adaptation in that respect, since he often doesn't stick the landing either.
It's an alright watch, but it doesn't do justice to either its killer premise or its sensitive subject matter.
It was a remarkably canny choice because in the original short story the daughter dies from meningitis, not drowning.
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I guess that's true. Never thought about it that way.
Still a great place to visit.
Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful and fascinating place that feels totally unique and is absolutely worth exploring, but it's also kind of a sad and haunted place as well and unfortunately there are very, very few sections of the city that are not geared towards tourism — and many of those places feel largely abandoned, because a way of life there that's not centered around tourism isn't really sustainable for the people there.
I visited there for the first time last year and it was very cool and lovely, but tbh I don't know why anyone would want to live there permanently anyway. It seems like a really stressful place to live even if there weren't any tourists.
Something very odd about a city with no grass.
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That's another issue. It's a cramped medieval city that floods constantly, so even without tourists it's a tricky place to live because it's expensive and has very little room and not a lot of options for schooling, so it's not a very attractive place for people to raise families.
To Be Or Not to Be (1983)
I absolutely adore the original Lubitsch film, To Be or Not To Be from 1942. It's a comedy that holds up, so much so that this Mel Brooks remake does a lot of shot-for-shot redoes of key scenes from the original, but it manages to put in enough new to be its own thing. A lot of what is new is the musical element, Brooks was such a fan of song and dance that it's only natural this movie would plug in those numbers because the stage is such a key component of the narrative. It allows the movie to be similar, because comedy tends to be timeless, but different to make it its own thing. While Brooks didn't direct the picture, I would have to assume because he is the lead actor and that's pulling major double duty, he did produce and long-time collaborator and legendary choreographer Alan Johnson directed so it's very much him even if it doesn't say "A Mel Brooks film" at the start.
Side note: Johnson passed away over the weekend, so do yourself a favor and watch any Brooks movie with a dance number and see his work.
It's hard not to compare a remake to an original, I'll just say I prefer the original and be done with it, so let's talk about where this movie works and fails. It works mostly because it's a great script. It's clever, funny, irreverent and totally subversive. It's not as bold as the original because that was being subversive towards Nazi Germany while the war was going on, but this movie really takes that and runs with it by making a larger focus on the plight of Polish Jews during the war. It plays a key role and in one key moment turns itself around to make it become an emotional core of the story that is interesting for a Brooks movie: it steps away from the comedy and quotes Shakespeare, but delivers it with such sincerity you have to take notice of it.
To Be Or Not To Be is a pretty overlooked Mel Brooks movie (probably because it's not one in name, but very much is in everything else). It's quite silly and fun as it mocks theatre, Nazis and bad marriages with incredibly memorable characters, notably Charles Durning who was nominated for an Academy Awards for his hilarious work. There's a scene where he repeatedly tries to be "cool" and sit on the edge of a desk but slides off then tries again. It's very subtle, but for some reason I remember that moment. That's the thing with the movie: it has a lot of things that are obvious, but so much you really need to pay attention to because you can miss it. Despite it feeling a little long, a different third act than the original is mostly why, it's never without absurdity and laughter.
4/5
I absolutely adore the original Lubitsch film, To Be or Not To Be from 1942. It's a comedy that holds up, so much so that this Mel Brooks remake does a lot of shot-for-shot redoes of key scenes from the original, but it manages to put in enough new to be its own thing. A lot of what is new is the musical element, Brooks was such a fan of song and dance that it's only natural this movie would plug in those numbers because the stage is such a key component of the narrative. It allows the movie to be similar, because comedy tends to be timeless, but different to make it its own thing. While Brooks didn't direct the picture, I would have to assume because he is the lead actor and that's pulling major double duty, he did produce and long-time collaborator and legendary choreographer Alan Johnson directed so it's very much him even if it doesn't say "A Mel Brooks film" at the start.
Side note: Johnson passed away over the weekend, so do yourself a favor and watch any Brooks movie with a dance number and see his work.
It's hard not to compare a remake to an original, I'll just say I prefer the original and be done with it, so let's talk about where this movie works and fails. It works mostly because it's a great script. It's clever, funny, irreverent and totally subversive. It's not as bold as the original because that was being subversive towards Nazi Germany while the war was going on, but this movie really takes that and runs with it by making a larger focus on the plight of Polish Jews during the war. It plays a key role and in one key moment turns itself around to make it become an emotional core of the story that is interesting for a Brooks movie: it steps away from the comedy and quotes Shakespeare, but delivers it with such sincerity you have to take notice of it.
To Be Or Not To Be is a pretty overlooked Mel Brooks movie (probably because it's not one in name, but very much is in everything else). It's quite silly and fun as it mocks theatre, Nazis and bad marriages with incredibly memorable characters, notably Charles Durning who was nominated for an Academy Awards for his hilarious work. There's a scene where he repeatedly tries to be "cool" and sit on the edge of a desk but slides off then tries again. It's very subtle, but for some reason I remember that moment. That's the thing with the movie: it has a lot of things that are obvious, but so much you really need to pay attention to because you can miss it. Despite it feeling a little long, a different third act than the original is mostly why, it's never without absurdity and laughter.
4/5
Colossal
Had a day off and got around to seeing this on my Netflix queue today. Typically I'm a fan of when big sci-fi/genre elements are narrowed down to more personal stories, and I did enjoy the times this movie explored its characters' and their emotional depth. This is especially thanks to some fine acting on Hathaway and Sudeikis' parts and the tough themes of abuse and addiction they had to tackle in relation to the story.
Yet, the entire concept just didn't click with me as well as I'd hoped. The movie felt like it was torn on what to do and in the end, the genre twist it utilizes remains nothing more than a device to forward the plot rather than something to be further explored itself within the context of the story. You feel for some of the characters' already established turmoil, but it never feels like the weight of their actions in regards to Seoul truly bears fruit. As a result, a good chunk of it either ends up being repetitive or starts to drag too long towards the end. And although its conclusion neatly wraps up the package, it doesn't feel nearly as satisfying as it could have been.
I don't think it helped either that the entire movie felt rather cheaply put together too. It really relied too much on its entire concept and it doesn't look like much thought was put into its cinematography and especially the visual style of its more fantastical elements. You'd think that as a smaller production, that'd be given a little more focus and time to bake in the oven.
Overall, it's a C for me.
Had a day off and got around to seeing this on my Netflix queue today. Typically I'm a fan of when big sci-fi/genre elements are narrowed down to more personal stories, and I did enjoy the times this movie explored its characters' and their emotional depth. This is especially thanks to some fine acting on Hathaway and Sudeikis' parts and the tough themes of abuse and addiction they had to tackle in relation to the story.
Yet, the entire concept just didn't click with me as well as I'd hoped. The movie felt like it was torn on what to do and in the end, the genre twist it utilizes remains nothing more than a device to forward the plot rather than something to be further explored itself within the context of the story. You feel for some of the characters' already established turmoil, but it never feels like the weight of their actions in regards to Seoul truly bears fruit. As a result, a good chunk of it either ends up being repetitive or starts to drag too long towards the end. And although its conclusion neatly wraps up the package, it doesn't feel nearly as satisfying as it could have been.
I don't think it helped either that the entire movie felt rather cheaply put together too. It really relied too much on its entire concept and it doesn't look like much thought was put into its cinematography and especially the visual style of its more fantastical elements. You'd think that as a smaller production, that'd be given a little more focus and time to bake in the oven.
Overall, it's a C for me.
David Bowie: The Last Five Years
The director behind this had done a Bowie doc before, which was fine but a mostly perfunctory, not-that-illuminating movie because it was focused on the most obvious and well-covered period of Bowie's career. This one is a lot more interesting just by virtue of focusing on probably the least-covered part of Bowie's career and life. There are some great anecdotes shared by Tony Visconti and Bowie's backing band on his last two albums, plus the directors of those albums' music videos, that provide new insights into the making of The Next Day, Blackstar, and Bowie's play Lazarus. There's no big revelation here -- other than maybe another affirmation that, no, Bowie was not planning Blackstar as his about-to-die album -- but it's an entertaining and interesting look at the last phase of David Bowie that has previously, by his design, not gotten a ton of attention.
7/10
Ready Player One
Despite having some heavy reservations about this, given how awful the book was, it ended up being just fine - prob in no small part because of cutting down on so much of Cline's dreadful writing. Even still, the dialogue is largely pretty bad and the characters are pretty thin; maybe I'm just not the target audience for this kind of thing anymore (though, given the time period it idolizes, shouldn't I be?), but I'm really well past the point where I can relate to a character whose biggest fear in life is kissing a girl. :lol I did think though that Mark Rylance did a great job with such a weird character, proving again he really must be one of Hollywood's best working actors today. And while I didn't think the chase sequence was all that (I thought a few others, like The Shining recreation, were more impressive) I did like the scale and spectacle of the whole movie and the Oasis itself. So overall, a solid dumb blockbuster.
6/10
The director behind this had done a Bowie doc before, which was fine but a mostly perfunctory, not-that-illuminating movie because it was focused on the most obvious and well-covered period of Bowie's career. This one is a lot more interesting just by virtue of focusing on probably the least-covered part of Bowie's career and life. There are some great anecdotes shared by Tony Visconti and Bowie's backing band on his last two albums, plus the directors of those albums' music videos, that provide new insights into the making of The Next Day, Blackstar, and Bowie's play Lazarus. There's no big revelation here -- other than maybe another affirmation that, no, Bowie was not planning Blackstar as his about-to-die album -- but it's an entertaining and interesting look at the last phase of David Bowie that has previously, by his design, not gotten a ton of attention.
7/10
Ready Player One
Despite having some heavy reservations about this, given how awful the book was, it ended up being just fine - prob in no small part because of cutting down on so much of Cline's dreadful writing. Even still, the dialogue is largely pretty bad and the characters are pretty thin; maybe I'm just not the target audience for this kind of thing anymore (though, given the time period it idolizes, shouldn't I be?), but I'm really well past the point where I can relate to a character whose biggest fear in life is kissing a girl. :lol I did think though that Mark Rylance did a great job with such a weird character, proving again he really must be one of Hollywood's best working actors today. And while I didn't think the chase sequence was all that (I thought a few others, like The Shining recreation, were more impressive) I did like the scale and spectacle of the whole movie and the Oasis itself. So overall, a solid dumb blockbuster.
6/10
I really want to see this. Lakeith Stanfield is on a roll.
I am seeing Sorry to Bother You because look at avy, but I watched a very disturbing video of Stanfield that makes him uninvited to the cookout. Dude needs a filter.
Anyway, I am on Indiwire Critic Survey again for those interested.
Anyway, I am on Indiwire Critic Survey again for those interested.
this and A ghost story were my biggest let downs last year :/Colossal
Had a day off and got around to seeing this on my Netflix queue today. Typically I'm a fan of when big sci-fi/genre elements are narrowed down to more personal stories, and I did enjoy the times this movie explored its characters' and their emotional depth. This is especially thanks to some fine acting on Hathaway and Sudeikis' parts and the tough themes of abuse and addiction they had to tackle in relation to the story.
Yet, the entire concept just didn't click with me as well as I'd hoped. The movie felt like it was torn on what to do and in the end, the genre twist it utilizes remains nothing more than a device to forward the plot rather than something to be further explored itself within the context of the story. You feel for some of the characters' already established turmoil, but it never feels like the weight of their actions in regards to Seoul truly bears fruit. As a result, a good chunk of it either ends up being repetitive or starts to drag too long towards the end. And although its conclusion neatly wraps up the package, it doesn't feel nearly as satisfying as it could have been.
I don't think it helped either that the entire movie felt rather cheaply put together too. It really relied too much on its entire concept and it doesn't look like much thought was put into its cinematography and especially the visual style of its more fantastical elements. You'd think that as a smaller production, that'd be given a little more focus and time to bake in the oven.
Overall, it's a C for me.
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Ant-Man and the Wasp (7.5/10) - Low-stakes Marvel is best Marvel. This is a fun, charming, breezy and overall very entertaining two hours at the movies. Lots of laughs, some neat action scenes, and a big heart. I found the emotional scenes surprisingly strong. This is basically a story about a girl who wants to see her mother again. And the antagonist is a girl who is sick, and dying, and is angry and confused because she doesn't understand why she has to be sick, or die. And she hurts people, even if she knows she shouldn't, but people try to help her because that's what heroes do. I didn't care about anything going on at the end of Infinity War, but I was genuinely moved by a small grace note at the end of this film. (And, yes, that mid-credit scene is a doozy.)
I'm in a weird place now where I'm actually enjoying comic book movies. The last couple years have been relatively strong.
I'm in a weird place now where I'm actually enjoying comic book movies. The last couple years have been relatively strong.
Whitney just felt bad. Like I'm fine with a movie makes me feel bad and I've been challenged. Not what I want from an entertainment doc.
It's the feel bad movie of the summer.
It's the feel bad movie of the summer.
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The Black Hole
I do believe this is one of if not my earliest movie memory. I'd have been five when this came out and I remember my uncle taking me to the local mall theater that had two screens for this one. This was pretty much the start of a number of science fiction films that really influenced me over the years. I remember having plastic models for the ships Cygnus and Palomino and at least the VINCENT robot. Not sure if I had a Maximilian robot model or not, been far too long ago now. I do still have the little storybook and 45 record from way back in the day.
So all this nostalgic rambling aside, this does remain one of my favorite movies. I had to track down a used DVD copy though. Apparently, Disney has something against releasing this on bluray. There are rumors of a remake coming so maybe they will do a big forty year anniversary edition next year or something. God I'm old...
Anyway, this movie is about the crew of the Palomino, a ship that is set out to explore for life in the galaxy. Along the way, they run into what looks like a derelict ship at the edge of a black hole. Turns out its the Cygnus that went missing years before. There are quite a few sequences early on when their flying around the dark ship which reminded me of scenes from Event Horizon when they first find that ship or even from the game Dead Space. Eventually, we find out what happened to the captain and crew and get a pretty decent story.
There are quite a few downsides. This was back when ESP was all the rage so the one crew member can ESP over to the robot. Some of the effects don't hold up as well as they could have. There were some other weird nuances I don't recall, but needless to say, this is far from perfect.
Best part of the movie for me is towards the end when the Cygnus is falling apart. If Disney ever does remake this, I really hope they do it justice and make this a spectacle.
The Cygnus is probably one of my favorite ship designs in all of scifi.
Moon
I finally got around to checking this out and with all the scifi I've been watching lately it seemed appropriate. I get why so many people praise this. The only problem for me was that the story was pretty easy to figure out where it was headed. That didn't take anything away, but I've read at least one novel with a similar idea so that kind of ruined this story for me. Overall though, I enjoyed this and we definitely don't get enough of these kinds of films. I'd love to see us back on the Moon or go to Mars and something like this brings that dream as close to life as I will probably ever see in my lifetime.
I do believe this is one of if not my earliest movie memory. I'd have been five when this came out and I remember my uncle taking me to the local mall theater that had two screens for this one. This was pretty much the start of a number of science fiction films that really influenced me over the years. I remember having plastic models for the ships Cygnus and Palomino and at least the VINCENT robot. Not sure if I had a Maximilian robot model or not, been far too long ago now. I do still have the little storybook and 45 record from way back in the day.
So all this nostalgic rambling aside, this does remain one of my favorite movies. I had to track down a used DVD copy though. Apparently, Disney has something against releasing this on bluray. There are rumors of a remake coming so maybe they will do a big forty year anniversary edition next year or something. God I'm old...
Anyway, this movie is about the crew of the Palomino, a ship that is set out to explore for life in the galaxy. Along the way, they run into what looks like a derelict ship at the edge of a black hole. Turns out its the Cygnus that went missing years before. There are quite a few sequences early on when their flying around the dark ship which reminded me of scenes from Event Horizon when they first find that ship or even from the game Dead Space. Eventually, we find out what happened to the captain and crew and get a pretty decent story.
There are quite a few downsides. This was back when ESP was all the rage so the one crew member can ESP over to the robot. Some of the effects don't hold up as well as they could have. There were some other weird nuances I don't recall, but needless to say, this is far from perfect.
Best part of the movie for me is towards the end when the Cygnus is falling apart. If Disney ever does remake this, I really hope they do it justice and make this a spectacle.
The Cygnus is probably one of my favorite ship designs in all of scifi.
Moon
I finally got around to checking this out and with all the scifi I've been watching lately it seemed appropriate. I get why so many people praise this. The only problem for me was that the story was pretty easy to figure out where it was headed. That didn't take anything away, but I've read at least one novel with a similar idea so that kind of ruined this story for me. Overall though, I enjoyed this and we definitely don't get enough of these kinds of films. I'd love to see us back on the Moon or go to Mars and something like this brings that dream as close to life as I will probably ever see in my lifetime.
I'm sorry but aren't you forgetting something about this movie?? Like a big part of the movie, maybe that also has a mustache????
Holy shit was that new Jurassic Park a stinker. Set-up could have lost 30 minutes. The leads are just as bland as before and their new support duo is grating. Jeff Goldblum is asleep. The film's inability to decide whether or not the dinos are monsters is insufferable. The Indoraptor on the roof is kinda neat until you remember Argento did it better in Tenebre.
With the inclusion of
I am further convinced that this is a franchise that should be given to Paul Anderson.
With the inclusion of
clones
Went to the movies 4 times this week because it was so damn hot outside and moviepass is dying.
Jurassic World - overall a pretty mediocre sequel that didn't add much character or depth to the previous film. Really missed opportunity.
Ant-man and the Wasp - fun film that was just enjoyable and pleasing. Don't know if it was super memorable, but it was consistent with the first.
Heart Beat Loud- a nice heartwarming movie with a great cast.
Oceans 8 - enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but it was still pretty average. Had some pretty big plot holes and overall the plot didn't have much stakes to it.
Jurassic World - overall a pretty mediocre sequel that didn't add much character or depth to the previous film. Really missed opportunity.
Ant-man and the Wasp - fun film that was just enjoyable and pleasing. Don't know if it was super memorable, but it was consistent with the first.
Heart Beat Loud- a nice heartwarming movie with a great cast.
Oceans 8 - enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but it was still pretty average. Had some pretty big plot holes and overall the plot didn't have much stakes to it.
I won't even bother until streaming after how much of a stinker Jurassic World was. but yeah if they went full on 'dinosaur soldiers with guns' like they were kind of mulling over then Paul Verhoeven making it would have been hilarious. more than likely would be a much smarter movie too.
I saw Uncle Drew last night, which for some reason was being screened in my incredibly white British city where nobody give a shit about basketball.
I enjoyed it. Dumb fun that knew what it was.
I enjoyed it. Dumb fun that knew what it was.
Prince of Broadway
★★★★
Like Baker's other films, Prince of Broadway both captures a sense of place and a harsh naturalistic realism in a way that few other films can through its on-the-streets verite style, and offers a gripping drama that feels real and raw, touching on themes of fatherhood, responsibility, and relationships.
Pacific Rim: Uprising
★★½
If you want to see mindless mech vs mech and mech vs monster spectacle, Pacific Rim: Uprising is your movie
At a glance, you could describe the first movie in the same way but while Pacific Rim was also over-the-top spectacle, it had an atmosphere and uniqueness that Uprising just doesn't. Every fight in Pacific Rim had a distinctness to it: each Kaiju having a unique characteristic that defined it and made them a specific challenge to defeat, each Jaeger having a unique design that made each one memorable even if it was onscreen for a bit. Pacific Rim had an unabashed love for its premise and world that give it personality, that imbued its straight-forward "giant robots fighting giant monsters" story. Pacific Rim had a unique vision, stylish atmosphere, memorable designs and fights, and a distinct weightiness to the action that made the monster and robots feel somewhat grounded despite the over-the-top style.
Uprising has none of those things. The world and story feels far less unique and interesting, the Jaegers and pilots blend together to the point that I couldn't temper who was piloting what in the finale. The monsters are nowhere as memorable or unique as those of the original, and the majority of action in Uprising is against a faceless enemy that lacks any personality. Actually, the action in Uprising was more reminiscent of the brawls in the Transformers movies rather than that of the first Pacific Rim. Even worse, Uprising tries to inject a larger human plot into the robots vs monsters action that falls completely flat and just felt completely inconsequential by the end.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
★★★½
I liked this more than the first Ant-Man: the villains were more interesting, more of the humor clicked with me, Hope as the Wasp was a lot of fun. None of the action scenes reached the inventiveness of first movie's briefcase and toy train fights but overall I felt Ant-Man & The Wasp was a solid improvement after its predecessor.
Lucy
★
I have never seen a movie that think it's so smart while being so aggressively stupid as much as Lucy. Like the opening and the ending just screams that this movie was trying to harken back to the mind-bending sci-fi imagery of "2001", a notion that is laughably deluded at best.
This is an 89-minute movie that takes 30 of those agonizing minutes to finally get to the whole "post-human evolution" hook of its premise.
This is a movie that spends at least twenty minutes having Morgan Freeman spout the most ridiculous fake philosophical and scientific nonsense in an attempt to make its premise seem weighty and thought-provoking.
This is a movie that constantly splices in scenes from nature documentaries in an artsy attempt to develop a theme of base humans being so primitive.
This is a movie that has Scarlett Johansson chomping away at a pile of drugs in her hands as she melts in a airplane bathroom and it's played completely serious.
★★★★
Like Baker's other films, Prince of Broadway both captures a sense of place and a harsh naturalistic realism in a way that few other films can through its on-the-streets verite style, and offers a gripping drama that feels real and raw, touching on themes of fatherhood, responsibility, and relationships.
Pacific Rim: Uprising
★★½
If you want to see mindless mech vs mech and mech vs monster spectacle, Pacific Rim: Uprising is your movie
At a glance, you could describe the first movie in the same way but while Pacific Rim was also over-the-top spectacle, it had an atmosphere and uniqueness that Uprising just doesn't. Every fight in Pacific Rim had a distinctness to it: each Kaiju having a unique characteristic that defined it and made them a specific challenge to defeat, each Jaeger having a unique design that made each one memorable even if it was onscreen for a bit. Pacific Rim had an unabashed love for its premise and world that give it personality, that imbued its straight-forward "giant robots fighting giant monsters" story. Pacific Rim had a unique vision, stylish atmosphere, memorable designs and fights, and a distinct weightiness to the action that made the monster and robots feel somewhat grounded despite the over-the-top style.
Uprising has none of those things. The world and story feels far less unique and interesting, the Jaegers and pilots blend together to the point that I couldn't temper who was piloting what in the finale. The monsters are nowhere as memorable or unique as those of the original, and the majority of action in Uprising is against a faceless enemy that lacks any personality. Actually, the action in Uprising was more reminiscent of the brawls in the Transformers movies rather than that of the first Pacific Rim. Even worse, Uprising tries to inject a larger human plot into the robots vs monsters action that falls completely flat and just felt completely inconsequential by the end.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
★★★½
I liked this more than the first Ant-Man: the villains were more interesting, more of the humor clicked with me, Hope as the Wasp was a lot of fun. None of the action scenes reached the inventiveness of first movie's briefcase and toy train fights but overall I felt Ant-Man & The Wasp was a solid improvement after its predecessor.
Lucy
★
I have never seen a movie that think it's so smart while being so aggressively stupid as much as Lucy. Like the opening and the ending just screams that this movie was trying to harken back to the mind-bending sci-fi imagery of "2001", a notion that is laughably deluded at best.
This is an 89-minute movie that takes 30 of those agonizing minutes to finally get to the whole "post-human evolution" hook of its premise.
This is a movie that spends at least twenty minutes having Morgan Freeman spout the most ridiculous fake philosophical and scientific nonsense in an attempt to make its premise seem weighty and thought-provoking.
This is a movie that constantly splices in scenes from nature documentaries in an artsy attempt to develop a theme of base humans being so primitive.
This is a movie that has Scarlett Johansson chomping away at a pile of drugs in her hands as she melts in a airplane bathroom and it's played completely serious.
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Alright, it's been over a dozen years now since I started developing interest in world cinema, and little over a decade since I started my Blu-ray collection. I've now finally decided to solve a long procrastinated problem, which should not be a problem in the first place (but please don't be too judgmental), that has kept piling and piling up over the past ten years -- go through the backlog of films in my collection that I have not actually watched for one reason or another (like not owning a TV for a while), or have not seen in this form (new restorations, different cuts, etc.), or have seen but don't have a good recollection of. I will do this in somewhat chronological order, and I started already a few weeks ago. I also have a side goal: for each decade of films (i.e. 1910s, 20s, etc.) I promise myself to put aside 100 euros for a purchase of a new TV. So when I'm finally done with it, I should have over a thousand euros for a nice 4K set.
Anyways, lets begin. Here's the progress so far:
Week 1 (18 June - 24 June 2018):
Charlie Chaplin: The Essanay Comedies (1915-1916);
Buster Keaton: The Complete Short Films (1917-1923);
Week 2 (25 June - 1 July 2018):
Madame DuBarry (1919) + Als ich tot war (1916);
Early Murnay: Five Films (1921-1925) including:
Schloß Vogelöd (1921),
Phantom (1922),
Die Finanzen des Großherzogs (1924),
Der letzte Mann (1924),
Tartuffe (1925);
Week 3 (2 July - 8 July 2018):
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922)
Safety Last! (1923) + three Harold Lloyd shorts:
Take a Chance (1918),
Young Mr. Jazz (1919),
His Royal Slyness (1920);
Hoping that making a list of my progress (and then bragging about it here) will keep me motivated. Also I should mention that I'm going through all the special features on discs (sans audio commentaries and other audio-only features) and that applies to films I've already seen.
Anyways, lets begin. Here's the progress so far:
Week 1 (18 June - 24 June 2018):
Charlie Chaplin: The Essanay Comedies (1915-1916);
Buster Keaton: The Complete Short Films (1917-1923);
Week 2 (25 June - 1 July 2018):
Madame DuBarry (1919) + Als ich tot war (1916);
Early Murnay: Five Films (1921-1925) including:
Schloß Vogelöd (1921),
Phantom (1922),
Die Finanzen des Großherzogs (1924),
Der letzte Mann (1924),
Tartuffe (1925);
Week 3 (2 July - 8 July 2018):
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922)
Safety Last! (1923) + three Harold Lloyd shorts:
Take a Chance (1918),
Young Mr. Jazz (1919),
His Royal Slyness (1920);
Hoping that making a list of my progress (and then bragging about it here) will keep me motivated. Also I should mention that I'm going through all the special features on discs (sans audio commentaries and other audio-only features) and that applies to films I've already seen.
The First Purge
★★★★
The First Purge surprised me. While Purge: Anarchy is probably still the series' best in how it evolved the franchise and captured that Carpenter-esque action-horror atmosphere, I think actually I liked The First Purge even more than the second one. The characters were more interesting and likable, and there was a better sense of place that worked in the movie's favor rather than just being a gallery of crazy Purge executions that characters drive past. The escalation into chaos gave the movie better pacing than the past films, and the violence felt more nasty and disturbing while the action had a Die Hard + Assault on Precinct 13 vibe by the end. Overall, the tone just felt more sinister, compared to the world and violence of the other films where the Purge is treated as normalized by the characters.
The only weak link was the hilariously over-the-top Skeletor; as a villain, his presence felt jarring, like one of the crazies of the other movies transplanted into this one
★★★★
The First Purge surprised me. While Purge: Anarchy is probably still the series' best in how it evolved the franchise and captured that Carpenter-esque action-horror atmosphere, I think actually I liked The First Purge even more than the second one. The characters were more interesting and likable, and there was a better sense of place that worked in the movie's favor rather than just being a gallery of crazy Purge executions that characters drive past. The escalation into chaos gave the movie better pacing than the past films, and the violence felt more nasty and disturbing while the action had a Die Hard + Assault on Precinct 13 vibe by the end. Overall, the tone just felt more sinister, compared to the world and violence of the other films where the Purge is treated as normalized by the characters.
The only weak link was the hilariously over-the-top Skeletor; as a villain, his presence felt jarring, like one of the crazies of the other movies transplanted into this one
Hmm...reviews seem bad for this and I was set to write it off, but maybe I will go see it. I've enjoyed the others and your review seems like something I'd like.
Personally I'd rate it 4 & 2 > 1 >>>> 3
2 probably works better as straight-forward action-horror, anchored by Grillio's character and the survive-the-streets structure. While I felt 4 had more interesting characters and a more relatable plot (protect our neighborhood vs just surviving the chaos), and while the notion of the government's real purpose and their use of black ops teams is already known from the past movies, it felt more insidious and brutal here compared to 2 and 3 where they were just another threat on the street to avoid. Plus while there were some crazies on the street, there was nothing as ridiculously over the top as patriotic guillotines in alleys or Purge murder churches
For a second I thought there was an original Sabrina the teenage witch movie that then became a tv show like Buffy but nope lol!
Won't You Be My Neighbor? is not so much a biography on Fred Rogers and is more focused on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It includes interviews with cast and crew members (and even old interviews with Mister Rogers himself). It's a sweet movie that shows how Mister Rogers helps children understand the world, with famous events like the Senate hearing, the time he invited Officer Clemmons into his little pool, and also goes into Mister Rogers head and the influences on his show. I cried a few times too.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is a breather from the larger scale of the MCU. People have talked about how The Wasp overshadows Ant-Man, and that's true, as she's really the plot focus, and Ant-Man's along for the ride because of quantum entanglements. The villain is one of the weaker ones, and her motivation here is...to not die. I love the mid-credits scene, but don't stick around for the end-credit scene, it's disappointing.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is a breather from the larger scale of the MCU. People have talked about how The Wasp overshadows Ant-Man, and that's true, as she's really the plot focus, and Ant-Man's along for the ride because of quantum entanglements. The villain is one of the weaker ones, and her motivation here is...to not die. I love the mid-credits scene, but don't stick around for the end-credit scene, it's disappointing.
I'm also disappointed that a lot of the trailer footage is from the climax
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Awesome. More people get to see one of the best films this year.
Quiz Show: Back in the 1950s, there were a number of game shows for the early days of television, including I've Got A Secret, Truth or Consequences, and even The Price is Right. However, it turned out some of them were rigged, and the subsequent hearings wound up killing game shows until their revival in the '70s. This concerns one of them, Twenty-One, but I'm disappointed that The $64,000 Question and Dotto were not mentioned. The story is great because it concerns 2 contestants who were involved in the rigging, and I thought the performances were great between the two of them. It also deals with fame, as Charles van Doren is swarmed by fans, and even gets on the cover of Time magazine (a cover they re-created instead of using the original). I wanted to see this one myself because I wanted to learn more about early television. This was a good movie, and it looked like a fun game show.
As a bonus, here is the original episode that kicks off the plot.
I now want to see Marty and On The Waterfront.
As a bonus, here is the original episode that kicks off the plot.
I now want to see Marty and On The Waterfront.
On the Waterfront is excellent man, the Brando performance in that is probably one of my favorites ever.
Isle of Dogs
about as charming a movie as one would expect from Wes Anderson. his trademark visual and comedic style fails to get lost in translation whether its a live action or animated movie. I didn't like it as much as Fantastic Mr. Fox (which felt like a more focused plot overall, as well has having better characters imo) but its as awesome on the eyes as that was. all the characters are adorable, and they share the same neuroses present in Anderson's filmography. regarding the 'cultural appropriation' issue, I didn't really see a problem with it. though if he wanted to use Greta Gerwig he could have had her voice a dog as well and saved the film from the controversial decision of having the only understandable (in English) human character being American in a movie so steeped in Japanese aesthetic and pop culture.
having the mayor look like Toshiro Mifune was dope, and there's some really nice heartwarming moments in here between the dogs and the little kid. liked it a lot, though Incredibles 2 is still the animated movie to beat this year for me. man I hope Wes Anderson continues to make these stop motion animated flicks sporadically in the future. his aesthetic choices fit these perfectly.
Isle of Dogs
about as charming a movie as one would expect from Wes Anderson. his trademark visual and comedic style fails to get lost in translation whether its a live action or animated movie. I didn't like it as much as Fantastic Mr. Fox (which felt like a more focused plot overall, as well has having better characters imo) but its as awesome on the eyes as that was. all the characters are adorable, and they share the same neuroses present in Anderson's filmography. regarding the 'cultural appropriation' issue, I didn't really see a problem with it. though if he wanted to use Greta Gerwig he could have had her voice a dog as well and saved the film from the controversial decision of having the only understandable (in English) human character being American in a movie so steeped in Japanese aesthetic and pop culture.
having the mayor look like Toshiro Mifune was dope, and there's some really nice heartwarming moments in here between the dogs and the little kid. liked it a lot, though Incredibles 2 is still the animated movie to beat this year for me. man I hope Wes Anderson continues to make these stop motion animated flicks sporadically in the future. his aesthetic choices fit these perfectly.
So I just watched this and it isn't one of the year's best, it's the best. Oh my god.
I liked A Quiet Place but the ending soured me quite a bit on it.
. It's disappointing because most of the time the movie executed its concept really well, some scenes were tense. The whiteboard and all the newspaper clippings were over the top though and a bit too in your face. It has the subtlety of what we see in some video games, like seeing 'Cut off their limbs' plastered on the wall in Dead Space.
Saw I, Tonya before and didn't get into that as much as others did. Movie did do a good job at showing what kind of disastrous whirlwind her life turned into. I also thought the 'bodyguard' was a character exaggerated for comic effect, but then they showed footage of the real deal on screen... Seems he was really like that, was quite a surprise that. Now I wonder about the real turn of events and how involved Harding was.
Her cocking the gun with a 'let's rock' face was such a tonal shift. It was like we saw the first seconds of the disappointing action-packed sequel where the monsters get destroyed.
Saw I, Tonya before and didn't get into that as much as others did. Movie did do a good job at showing what kind of disastrous whirlwind her life turned into. I also thought the 'bodyguard' was a character exaggerated for comic effect, but then they showed footage of the real deal on screen... Seems he was really like that, was quite a surprise that. Now I wonder about the real turn of events and how involved Harding was.
On The Waterfront: A pretty good movie about conscience in a place where people are afraid to stand up for themselves. Marlon Brando is great here as a man who's in a bad place and just wants to keep quiet. Also a good supporting cast from Edie and the priest.
Lean on Pete
What a punch in the gut this was (in all the right ways). Loved how it unfolded, dropping characters left and right, moving from scenario to scenario with ease. Even though it's one continuous narrative, it almost feels like its delivered in vignettes, which is extremely my shit. Of course its devastating in numerous ways––I was left stunned, mouth agape when a certain moment happened––but at the end of the day it's a movie. It's meant to be dramatic. Charley, as sympathetic a character as he is, is just that, a character. His struggles exist only within the framework that Andrew Haigh (god bless the man) has created. No, the truly heartbreaking thing about the film is all the people out there in the real world that Charley represents. People with rough domestic lives, who fall through the cracks of society because they don't have adequate support systems to help them. People who dine and dash out of necessity, not choice. People who sleep behind dumpsters. People who just want to cry, goddammit. That's what's so fucking sad about this movie. Like The Florida Project last year and the illustrious Jennifer Lopez, this shit is REAL.
P.S. Charlie Plummer is going to be a star, you can take that to the bank.
P.P.S. THANK GOD HE GOT TO CRY AT THE END. LET IT OUT CHARLEY, LET IT ALL OUT.
What a punch in the gut this was (in all the right ways). Loved how it unfolded, dropping characters left and right, moving from scenario to scenario with ease. Even though it's one continuous narrative, it almost feels like its delivered in vignettes, which is extremely my shit. Of course its devastating in numerous ways––I was left stunned, mouth agape when a certain moment happened––but at the end of the day it's a movie. It's meant to be dramatic. Charley, as sympathetic a character as he is, is just that, a character. His struggles exist only within the framework that Andrew Haigh (god bless the man) has created. No, the truly heartbreaking thing about the film is all the people out there in the real world that Charley represents. People with rough domestic lives, who fall through the cracks of society because they don't have adequate support systems to help them. People who dine and dash out of necessity, not choice. People who sleep behind dumpsters. People who just want to cry, goddammit. That's what's so fucking sad about this movie. Like The Florida Project last year and the illustrious Jennifer Lopez, this shit is REAL.
P.S. Charlie Plummer is going to be a star, you can take that to the bank.
P.P.S. THANK GOD HE GOT TO CRY AT THE END. LET IT OUT CHARLEY, LET IT ALL OUT.