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Movies You've Seen Recently | February 2020

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Deleted member 31817

Nov 7, 2017
30,876
overcast said:
Knives Out was really fun with an audience and Little Women is wonderful overall. I'm sure those are the two best movies out of your four options and know for a fact they are much better than JoJo/Gentlemen.
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Well it's gonna be late and they're well after release so I'm not gonna have an audience hopefully lol

But obviously if I'm going to the theater generally I'll prefer to see movies that prioritize cinematography or action and it seems like none of the 3 do?
 
Peru

Peru

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Oct 26, 2017
6,123
Psychoward said:
Well it's gonna be late and they're well after release so I'm not gonna have an audience hopefully lol

But obviously if I'm going to the theater generally I'll prefer to see movies that prioritize cinematography or action and it seems like none of the 3 do?
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Little Women has amazing cinematography
 
ViewtifulJC

ViewtifulJC

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Welp! Sorry kazaam looks like I can't vote for the best film 2019 cuz neon had the bright idea of delaying the fuckin film into MARCH 2020
 
BasilZero

BasilZero

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Oct 25, 2017
36,326
Omni
I watched Lady and the Tramp last weekend on Disney+

The live action remake

I liked it - it wasn't great or bad , just in between.
 
Gigglepoo

Gigglepoo

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Oct 25, 2017
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After watching Kubrick's second movie (The Killing) and loving it, I went back even earlier to his first movie. Fear and Desire is on Amazon Prime now but, wow, would not recommend. It's kind of a war/jungle madness movie with the ruminative thoughts of Apocalypse Now, only the former is cartoonish and the latter is dull.

If you've ever created something bad on your first attempt, take heart: Kubrick made a terrible first movie and had a pretty good career after that.
 
overcast

overcast

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Oct 25, 2017
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ViewtifulJC said:


Welp! Sorry kazaam looks like I can't vote for the best film 2019 cuz neon had the bright idea of delaying the fuckin film into MARCH 2020
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For as masterfully as Neon handled Parasite, they completely fumbled everything regarding Portrait's rollout. I was lucky enough to be in Hollywood and caught it, but that was months ago literally.
 
Ridley327

Ridley327

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Georgia (the state, not the country)
Gigglepoo said:
After watching Kubrick's second movie (The Killing) and loving it, I went back even earlier to his first movie. Fear and Desire is on Amazon Prime now but, wow, would not recommend. It's kind of a war/jungle madness movie with the ruminative thoughts of Apocalypse Now, only the former is cartoonish and the latter is dull.

If you've ever created something bad on your first attempt, take heart: Kubrick made a terrible first movie and had a pretty good career after that.
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I don't think it and Killer's Kiss deserved to be destroyed, as were his intentions at one point (and to be frank, Killer's Kiss is really solid, if not nearly as polished as you would come to expect from him in short order), but yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Fear and Desire is very much someone's home movie that they shot in their own backyard.
 
Ridley327

Ridley327

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Psychoward said:
Still no blu-ray/digital release date either

Thank god for local artsy theaters or I'd have to wait too
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It's coming to the Criterion Collection, so I don't expect it to release until later this summer at the earliest. Digital shouldn't be much of an issue, since Neon has a streaming deal with Hulu, so there's a decent chance that the digital release beats the Criterion to the punch.
 
Blader

Blader

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Oct 27, 2017
26,595
I thought Fear and Desire was solid for what it was, though that isn't much

Also, I've got a local theater playing Portrait of a Lady on a Fire this weekend. In fact the director will be there for a Q&A. And to really twist the knife, I'm not even going to see it!
 
swoon

swoon

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Oct 25, 2017
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two theaters are getting portrait here, one for one showing on wed and the other for one showing on friday and for whatever reason we aren't on that image of their roll out dates. perfect.
 
lazybones18

lazybones18

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Oct 25, 2017
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The Gentlemen

Movie was whatever. Guy Ritchie, get to work on Sherlock Holmes 3 already. Also, nice shoutout to The Conversation being mentioned in the movie. One of the greats
 
andrew

andrew

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My local arthouse is playing Portrait tomorrow also with a Sciamma Q&A and I am going.
 
Gigglepoo

Gigglepoo

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Oct 25, 2017
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Blader said:
I thought Fear and Desire was solid for what it was, though that isn't much

Also, I've got a local theater playing Portrait of a Lady on a Fire this weekend. In fact the director will be there for a Q&A. And to really twist the knife, I'm not even going to see it!
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Do you live in the Bay Area per se? I'm seeing a screening with my wife and we're super excited. It was my third favorite movie from last year and she loved it to.

Don't miss it!

andrew said:
My local arthouse is playing Portrait tomorrow also with a Sciamma Q&A and I am going.
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Embarcadero? I'll be there too!
 
andrew

andrew

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2,906
Gigglepoo said:
Do you live in the Bay Area per se? I'm seeing a screening with my wife and we're super excited. It was my third favorite movie from last year and she loved it to.

Don't miss it!



Embarcadero? I'll be there too!
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Music Box in Chicago actually! I'm realizing Sciamma must be videoing in for the Q&A haha
 
Borgnine

Borgnine

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Oct 25, 2017
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Looks like the Angelika here is showing it tomorrow at 7 pm or I could go see Birds of Prey at 9:30, 9:55, 10:20, 11:15, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00. 1:25, 2:00, 2:45, 3:15, 3:45, 4:05, 4:45, 5:15, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00. 8:30, 9:05, 9:35, or 10:35.
 
djinn

djinn

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Nov 16, 2017
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Parasite. Pretty good. Lots of times I was looking at the runtime and thinking, "how is there more?!" but in a good way.
 
Sean C.

Sean C.

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Oct 27, 2017
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Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Clemency (2019): It's too bad that Neon basically dropped everything else in its stable while promoted Parasite (even if that gamble certainly paid off for the latter film), because this could easily have found a place in the awards conversation for its actors -- Alfre Woodard and Aldis Hodge are both exceptional. Maybe not quite a great film, but a very good one. I had some nitpicky thoughts, such as the fact that all of the TV/radio broadcasts we're shown in the movie feel very phony. It was nice to see a few West Wing actors (Richard Schiff, Michael O'Neill) in supporting parts.

Stagecoach (1939): John Ford invents John Wayne's career (though here he's playing an outlaw, which would be a relatively unusual character type for him in the years ahead) in this popular Western. Some very good cinematography, and as you'd expect, capable filmmaking all around. The portrayal of the Apache is not going to win any awards for cultural sensitivity.

Demon Seed (1977): My second underwhelming Julie Christie film of the month, in this case a Dean Koontz adaptation where she gets molested by a computer. This evidently inspired the "Treehouse of Horror" episode of The Simpsons that guest-starred Pierce Brosnan. Like a lot of the old 1970s sci-if available on the Criterion Channel at the moment this evidently thinks it's got more to say than it actually does. There are a few effectively creepy moments, but there's also long stretches of boredom.
 
Rhomega

Rhomega

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Oct 25, 2017
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Aladdin (2019): With the sequel announced, I thought I'd finally get around to watching this. I had a desire to watch this in particular because the original is my favorite movie in the Disney Animated Canon, and in my Top 10 overall. The result is...I like this movie. Yeah, it doesn't quite feel like the soulless cash grab people have been complaining about with these remakes. It follows the original's general plot threads while doing a lot new, changing dialogue and character motivations. Agrabah looks beautiful and is incredibly detailed, it reminds me of Assassin's Creed: Origins. The costumes look awesome and colorful. A Friend Like Me is a visually great number. I'm not even bitter that Robin Williams isn't the Genie. It feels likes its own movie. There's even a new song.

That isn't to say there aren't problems. There's the incredibly cringey "Jams" scene. Plot points in the beginning feel rushed. I don't buy Aladdin and Jasmine's romance. The musical numbers (aside from A Friend Like Me) pale in comparison to the originals, and where's the Prince Ali reprise? The Sultan and Jafar pale in comparison to their originals. There's this whole deal where Jafar wants to invade a neighboring kingdom we know nothing about and thus have little reason to care. The Cave of Wonders is a lot smaller and thus the escape isn't nearly as thrilling (also adding to the rushed plot). Jafar doesn't turn into a giant cobra. Ultimately, the biggest disadvantage is that it isn't animated. The palace isn't as magnificent. The Genie isn't as animated as he could be. It hurts the musical numbers.

I would call this a mixed bag overall, and I don't expect anyone to like it as much as I did.
 
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andrew

andrew

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Oct 25, 2017
2,906
I have to mull over Portrait of a Lady on Fire. I think I liked Water Lillies and especially Tomboy better. The actresses were wonderful and the film is deeply felt and uses Vivaldi and the myth of Orpheus and Euridice well. And yet I came away feeling like it was something I'd seen before. Heloise has that great line that's like "is this how all lovers feel? Like they're inventing something new?" I'm not sure Portrait felt like a new invention, though it's entirely possible another day to sit will reveal those details.
Gigglepoo said:
WHAT!? That's kinda lame...
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Well I don't know what you got but Sciamma definitely wasn't videoing in for my q&a, she was there in the flesh. Hilarious person, was interesting to hear how she started writing the film with the ending(s) in mind.
 
Gigglepoo

Gigglepoo

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Oct 25, 2017
8,313
andrew said:
Well I don't know what you got but Sciamma definitely wasn't videoing in for my q&a, she was there in the flesh. Hilarious person, was interesting to hear how she started writing the film with the ending(s) in mind.
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The tweet Neon initially sent out was that she was would be at my theater three nights. They have since deleted the tweet and she was just there Tuesday, so I missed her. Movie was still great, though. Wish we could have at least eavesdropped on your Q&A.
 
Blader

Blader

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Oct 27, 2017
26,595
Birds of Prey
The first act is a confused jumble, told through a completely unnecessary and counter-productive non-linear narration. But it comes together later on and in the end I had fun with it. This is mainly a Harley Quinn flick, and I generally enjoy Robbie's performance though there were moments here and there that felt like she was laying it on too thick. The other Birds are cool supporting players, but mainly underutilized, especially Mary Elizabeth Winstead whose Huntress could've been removed from the film without affecting anything. The real highlight imo is Ewan McGregor, whose Mugatu-inspired take on Black Mask is just a blast. This is a solid 6/10 movie elevated to a 7 purely because of his performance. His delivery of "EWWW!" cracks me up just thinking about it.
7/10

Skyfall
Rewatch. I don't understand this forum's hate obsession with this movie, it rocks. While I do wish there'd been at least one more film in between QoS and this one, before suddenly jumping into a movie about Bond's age and viability, I do think on its own it works really well as a story about Bond and M's relationship. It's also a much more personal and character-driven film than I'd remembered it. Not just the way in which Bond appears physically and mentally worn down and off his game, and how he bounces back from it, but little things like Bond playing dead for several months because basically his feelings were hurt by M, and at the same time not having any other way to spend time to himself other than drowning in booze. It's a neat progression of similarly minor but revealing character moments in QoS. And of course Roger Deakins' cinematography here is top notch. The last act is also a fantastic setpiece. The constant complaints about it being a retread of Home Alone are tellingly stupid. This isn't Home Alone, it's Straw Dogs, motherfuckers!
8/10

Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
Sort of a one step forward, two steps back improvement on the first film. On the one hand, there is a lot more action to this one, and while some of the fights finish anticlimactically (one happens entirely off screen!), the penultimate one between Mushashi and 80 other samurai is a cool one. On the other hand, the story is suddenly overloaded with new characters and I believe two separate love triangles, all of which not only makes the film convoluted but also takes time away from Musashi himself -- a problem that's further exacerbated by the fact that Musashi seems to have grown into a more fully formed, mature samurai basically off screen in between movies. The color cinematography remains as cool as ever, but so far I'm a getting "okay, but dull" vibe from this trilogy.
6/10

Gigglepoo said:
Do you live in the Bay Area per se? I'm seeing a screening with my wife and we're super excited. It was my third favorite movie from last year and she loved it to.

Don't miss it!
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No, Boston. I'll catch it at some point for sure.
 

Deleted member 31817

Nov 7, 2017
30,876
I didn't see portrait yesterday and now I can't see it until after the MOTY deadline, we should extend it into March for my personal convenience 😇
 
PassiveObserver

PassiveObserver

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Oct 27, 2017
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Caught Portrait of a Lady on Fire during a film festival last fall but itching to rewatch when it comes to my AMC on A-List. Favorite of last year.

An Elephant Standing Still
Watched over two nights due to its interminable length and dreary tone. Gray as far as the eye can see. I read it being described as Jia Zhangke meets Bela Tarr, which is very apt. 4/5
 
MidnightCowboy

MidnightCowboy

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Oct 27, 2017
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Teenage Fansub said:
Does the cult of A24 bother anyone else when they see threads like "The Green Knight" Teaser Trailer from A24 (Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton)", not "from David Lowery"
The production company isn't the important part there!

That movie looks dope, btw.
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Agreed, I hate the A24 cult. Neon is about to receive the same treatment too. Blame Kevin Feige for conditioning a generation of moviegoers to care about branding more than filmmakers.
 
Net_Wrecker

Net_Wrecker

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Oct 25, 2017
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It's way easier to grab the attention of people who might not follow directors and writers by yelling "A24!" from the rooftops after they've been releasing hot fire for a number of years now. It's not like they aren't actively trying to brand themselves as a mainstream boutique distributor.
 

Deleted member 31817

Nov 7, 2017
30,876
Also Lowery isn't a super well known director anyway
 
ViewtifulJC

ViewtifulJC

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A24 marketing is pretty great I think. They got $10m box office out of a black and white movie where two guys argue on a lighthouse for two hours. They're getting people in to see shit they might not have given a look at.

and let's be real "from the director of A Ghost Story, the one where Casey affleck wears a sheet and Rooney Mara eats a pie for five real time minutes" doesn't mean jack shit to anybody outside of this thread
 
Einchy

Einchy

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ViewtifulJC said:
A24 marketing is pretty great I think. They got $10m box office out of a black and white movie where two guys argue on a lighthouse for two hours. They're getting people in to see shit they might not have given a look at.

and let's be real "from the director of A Ghost Story, the one where Casey affleck wears a sheet and Rooney Mara eats a pie for five real time minutes" doesn't mean jack shit to anybody outside of this thread
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Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Ol' Geezer with a Banger needs more love.
 
BeeDog

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Oct 26, 2017
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Saw Honeyland yesterday, was mightily surprised to see it shown on Swedish TV at primetime. Excellent documentary about the little-explored areas of my home country, and it's quite a devastating story in its simplicity. Truly felt for Hatidže and loathed the family dad Hussein, despite sort of understanding him.
 
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