Movies You've Seen Recently | May 2018

Divius · May 1, 2018

Source: The Master

Welcome
Hello and welcome to the monthly Movies You've Seen Recently thread. The place to hang out and talk movies with fellow movie lovers!

Pick 3, get 3
W're going to give this another try! Signups are open through May 9th! Sign up and get randomly matched with another poster and pick 3 films that person has never watched, and someone picks 3 films for you. Good opportunity to discover films you otherwise might not have. Just respond in the thread and tag Flow you want to join in.

ps We need a better name for this concept, don't be shy if you have an idea.

15 films to see in May
Wondering what new movies are worth seeing this month? kevin1025 has got you covered in his 15 Films to See in May thread.

Thread rules
1. Be nice, be civil, use common sense
2. Respect the opinions of other members, no matter how wrong they are
3. Use spoiler tags accordingly
4. Have fun, we're all here because we love movies

DO NOT just post the title of the movie you watched. It isn't conducive to the kind of discussion & communication we want to engender here, because it tells us nothing of you, the movie, the impact of the latter on the former. Post scores, descriptions, essays, poems, gifs, hashtags, whatever provides you the best outlet for personal expression, you unique little digital snowflake. - icarus-daedelus

Want to introduce yourself?
New to the Movie's you've seen recently community? Let us know a bit about yourself:

1. What's your favorite Movie?
2. Who's your favorite director?
3. Who are your favorite actors/actresses?
4. Favorite Genre(s)?
5. What's your favorite performance in film?

- Post your top 5 new viewings from the previous month!

Useful external links:

Letterboxd
ICheckMovies
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic

List of Movies you've seen recently members on letterboxd said:
Flow
BaronOfBarons
Ampersands
daydreamDE
omgkitty
kevin1025
Ridley327
JOKERACN7
Lordxar
ViewtifulJC
Halo 2
Fancyclown
Icolin
Hoju
Carl
Sterling
Mariachi507
Infernostew
Divius
Messofanego
jett
Borgnine
Angmars
Atraveller
Minishdriveby
PuckBeaverton
NoMoreTrolls
Ventilaator
Steamlord
Nexus
KraftyKrankins
S.T.A.R.S Beret
Spectromixer
Rhomega
Catsel
Foolia
Peco
Window
Overcast
ItRhymesWithDoom
ThatWasAJoke
Boogs31
Pachimari
shane632
VileZero
Slader166
More_Badass
MidnightCowboy
demosthenes
Roberto Duran
ASleepingMonkey
ZombAid
Disco
Double
andrew
Cloudwolf
okayfrog
Mi goreng
Rembrandt

If you want to be added to the list above, shoot me a PM and you'll be added.

Unsure of what to watch? Just ask for recommendations in here. We don't bite!

April thread

Divius · May 1, 2018

I logged 29 entries for films during April 2018.

TOP 5 NEW VIEWINGS OF APRIL
5. Perfect Sense
4. Cries and Whispers
3. The Last Laugh
2. Tokyo Story
1. Werckmeister harmóniák

MOST (AND ONLY) VALUABLE REWATCH OF APRIL
Dog Day Afternoon

WORST NEW VIEWINGS OF APRIL
The Crow
While You Were Sleeping

Flow · May 1, 2018

Favorite watch: Infinity War

Least favorite: woody the wood pecker(2017) -_-

Looking forward to being more active around here and posting my thoughts on recent films.

Ready for the Hardboiled group watch this Sunday and Pick 3 sign ups are back.

Signup deadlines 5/9

Let's give it another try. Fresh start

Roberto Duran · May 1, 2018

Flow I'm in for Pick 3. Hopefully this goes well this month, I can't do it in June, July or August.

I watched the fewest amount of movies in April, but that was because I watched the whole Twin Peaks saga. Firewalk with Me was 5/5 though.

Top 5 new viewings of April:
1. Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me 5/5
2. The Birds 4/5
3. The Fury 3.5/5
4. One False Move 3.5/5
5. Gemini 3.5/5

Best Rewatch
Psycho 5/5

Worst Movie
See No Evil and Truth or Dare (both 1/5)

Blader · May 1, 2018

If the CinemaCon reactions are anything to go by, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria sounds super fucked up.

kevin1025 · May 1, 2018

Blader said:
If the CinemaCon reactions are anything to go by, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria sounds super fucked up.

That graphic photo from the movie certainly makes it look crazy. I love the first movie, I'm hoping this one is real good!

The Grizz · May 1, 2018

I'm currently working my way through every Marvel movie. I'm not sure how I slept on well over a dozen Marvel movies since 2008. I'm currently working chronologically through them. I'm on The Incredible Hulk now (2008). So far it's ok, kinda boring compared to Cpt. America and Iron Man.

Mi goreng · May 1, 2018

Samsara Cool Doco, probably the best i've seen of this type. Apart from everyone looking sad and a few juxtapositions it felt like it was told in a pretty neutral manner, without an agenda and up to the viewer to interpret how they wish. Also looks incredible. 9/10

Wake In Fright This was pretty intense, yowza. Like an Aussie Gummo. A vegan's worst nightmare. 10/10

More_Badass · May 1, 2018

Best New Watches of April

1) Avengers: Infinity War
2) Titanic
3) A Quiet Place
4) Birdshot
5) The Iron Giant

Best Rewatches

1) Snowpiercer
2) Pan's Labyrinth
3) Jurassic Park
4) Predator
5) Attack The Block

Most Disappointing

Predator 2 - It's like someone watched the first movie and decided to make a sequel that was the antithesis to everything that made Predator so great

Where the first movie used the early enemy faction to show us how efficient our heroes were (and make the Predator that much more threatening by contrast), Predator 2 is a tough-guy detective/gang warfare flick with some Predator action happening throughout. Where the first movie gave memorable characters in Arnold and the rest of the squad, Glover's Detective Harrigan and the rest are so forgettably cliched and boilerplate as the protagonists and villains going up against the Predator. Where the first movie had its one-liners and quips but shifted to more tension and survival once the Predator began its slaughter, the sequel never ceases being weird and cheesy and over-the-top. Where the first movie subverts expectations with a finale of cat-and-mouse and clever traps, Predator 2 is so bloated with explosions and shootouts and ridiculous fights between individuals and the titular alien, and yet never feels tense or thrilling.

Predator 2's only saving grace is its namesake. The Predator is as awesome and exciting to watch in the sequel as it was in the original, showing off even more cool tech and looking really imposing in a number of shots and scenes.

Mi goreng · May 1, 2018

I'd like to sign up for pick 3, i'll definitely do it this time as I only got around to 1 during the last round due to being busy. Sorry Divius, i'm searching for subtitles for Angel's Egg right now!

kevin1025 · May 1, 2018

23 movies in April!

Top 5 New Watches

1) Persona
2) You Were Never Really Here
3) In the Mood for Love
4) A Quiet Place
5) Ratcatcher

No Depth · May 1, 2018

Planning to see Infinity War this weekend, so I have been dabbling into a bunch of MCU films here and there as a refresher...

1) Cap 1: The First Avenger. Holds up damn well. Awkward body swapping in the first act with Evans head aside, it was a fun origin story. Interesting to revisit after so much new knowledge is gained about the Marvel Universe since my blind and naive viewing at release. Hell, when seeing Winter Soldier the first time I didn't even recall who the hell Bucky was! Such a different take on this film now... Oh and Dum Dum was in it! He was awesome in Secret Warriors, which I read long after seeing the movie in theaters. My eyes are open to so much more than before!

2) Thor 2: Era's favorite Dark World. My first time watching. I expected boredom and awfulness...it was only sorta boring but not terrible. Just a tired revenge plot with some nonsense jokes. I did enjoy the action though. Well framed, much of it on Asgard or distant planes beyond the usual Earth cities. The dialogue and plot were meh and it certainly deserves to sit on the bottom tier, but mostly because its just forgettable, not really awful.

3) Thor 3: Ragnarok. My first time watching. Loved it. Thor unshackled from Jane was great. The humor landed for me(mostly). The action was fun. The visuals great. Another dumb revenge plot, but I loved Hela. I get the criticism, but I dug her. Sue me. I wasn't big on Goldblum though. Love the guy, but he didn't really deliver here I felt. Also, Hulk looked...off. The banter was nice, but his CG just felt off to me.

4) GotG2. Meh. Lindsay Ellis' recent video essay got me hyped to watch this as I missed it in theaters. I get the Yondu/Ego distinction was a strong part of the narrative crux, but everything else was a miss for me. The infighting felt forced and unnatural from all parties. Pratt came off as a total doofus while Rocket was purely unlikable even when I was meant to feel remorse. The sisters...yea whatever, their conflict felt overshadowed by the inanity of the other stuff happening. Oh and even the soundtrack felt forced this time around in an obvious marketing push. I did enjoy the Mantis/Drax scenes though, mean-spirited as they could be taken, it was cute. Oh and Yondu had all the best scenes.

Plan to rewatch Cap 2 and 3 this week. I'd love to see Black Panther finally(missed in theaters), but its not out for rent in time. Avengers 1 and 2 maybe if I have time to see how those hold up.
Curious about GotG1 to see if my opinion changed after GotG2(I liked the first film a lot). Maybe Thor 1 as well after watching its sequels.

andrew · May 1, 2018

slow month for me quantity-wise, real busy atm. wish I could do pick 3 but May's going to be just as busy. plus I still have one more from March to finish lol (don't judge me it's Seven Samurai gotta carve out some time)
At least one of my new watches was stupendous, though. and I got some valuable rewatches in.

Best New Watches

Paris, Texas
The Commuter
Isle of Dogs
The Foot Fist Way
The Fisher King

Rewatches

The Silence of the Lambs - got to see a matinee of this on 35mm, was excellent. hadn't seen it since I was much younger and it hadn't really stuck with me, in my head it was a pretty basic work. thought it might've lost it's luster. but I appreciated it even more than I must've then. Demme and Fujimoto are on point with all the direct address, and the ideas of transformation and gaze are more robust than I recalled. Also started a discussion on thriller vs horror--my gf didn't want to go because she thought it was a horror movie and she thinks she hates those, I assured her it wasn't and that turned out to be a good rec because she loved it, but I failed to outline what defines the boundary, even loosely. the closest I could get was to say that horror is out to make you jump by systematically lulling you into a sense of security and then jolting you, while thrillers are more sustained suspense. and I also thought that horror generally includes some reality-breaking elements, supernatural or not. some element of the incomprehensible. while thrillers are simply a heightened version of the real world. obviously there are exceptions to each of those, it's really muddled.
The Thin Man - better on a rewatch. even more fun. Should watch more of the series.
Decasia - straight-up 10/10. this movie is a miracle

Deleted member 3542 · May 1, 2018

TOP 5 NEW VIEWINGS OF APRIL
5. Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle
4. Avengers Infinity War
3. Tully
2. Disobedience
1. You Were Never Really Here

TOP REWATCHES OF APRIL
Spiderman Homecoming
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Being There

WORST NEW VIEWINGS OF APRIL
Girls Trip (oof...)

KraftyKrankins · May 1, 2018

Worst month in years for me. Only 4 movies in April. Avengers, The Notebook, Bright and The Villainess. Only really enjoyed the first 2. Planning to finally watch a few Ozu films this month though.

shaneo632 · May 1, 2018

24 films in April. Not bad considering I was out of the country for a week.

TOP 5:
1. Avengers: Infinity War
2. A Quiet Place
3. Love, Simon
4. Come Sunday
5. Mercury 13

BOTTOM 5:
1. Deep Blue Sea 2
2. The Week Of
3. Truth or Dare
4. Death Wish
5. The Strangers: Prey at Night

First film of May is the new Margot Robbie flick Terminal. Embargoed until May 7th but I'm really interested to see the critical response to this one.

Solaris · May 1, 2018

Watched 47 films in April, had quite a bit of time on my hands after work and at the weekends.

Best Rewatches (and only rewatches):

Once Upon A Time in the West
Blade Runner 2049

Watching Blade Runner 2049 again in UHD was truly glorious, and I consider it to be better than the original. I'll still always prefer the original though.

Top 5:
1. Leaving Las Vegas
2. The Philadelphia Story
3. For a Few Dollars More
4. There's Always Tomorrow
5. Columbus

I would put You Were Never Really Here on this list, but I was super tired when I watched it and I need to watch it again.

Bottom 5:
1. The Hurricane Heist
2. Justice League
3. Rampage
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. The Belko Experiment

I really do try to like Superhero Movies. I really do.

Recent watches:

Sully - Oh Clint, this could have been a winner but then you had to make the NTSB look like incompetent, illogical buffoons just to have an antagonistic force to the film. Took me right out of it, what a shame. Hanks is still great as always though.

There's Always Tomorrow - Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck are dynamite together on screen. Double Indemnity is my favourite movie and when this popped up on MUBI I had to see it immediately. A short, dramatic but ultimately heartwarming family drama. I really need to watch Remember the Night now.

Mariachi507 · May 1, 2018

I actually watched some movies last month, pretty good ones at that.

Top Five New Watches:
1. Straw Dogs
2. Le Samourai
3. Avengers: Infinity War
4. The Long Goodbye
5. Repo Man

Best Rewatches
1. McCabe and Mrs. Miller
2. Full Metal Jacket
3. Guardians of the Galaxy

shaneo632 · May 1, 2018

The 15:17 to Paris (2018) - 3.8/10. Really, Clint? Fucking hell.

Only in the final 15 minutes does this deliver anything approaching worthwhile filmmaking. The preceding 75 are filled with toe-curlingly awful dialogue, flat direction, inert "character development", and a literal 20 minute travelogue sequence just to pad it out to feature length.

There's no denying the heroism of the central act - and to be fair, the three subjects give surprisingly solid performances here - but not every medal-worthy feat needs its own movie, especially not one that lasted mere minutes.

Fancy Clown · May 1, 2018

Also a super slow month for me due to business, God of War, and finally deciding to start watching The Sopranos. Only watched 9 movies.

Top 4 new watches:
1. The Thin Blue alone
2. Bonnie and Clyde
3. You Were Never Really Here
4. Raising Cain

Best rewatch:
Tie between Goodfellas and For a Few Dollars More

lazybones18 · May 1, 2018

Got the summer movie preview issue of Entertainment Weekly on Sunday. Time to see what tickles my fancy these next few months

Deleted member 3542 · May 1, 2018

Batman Ninja

Please help I don't understand.

5/10

Mariachi507 · May 1, 2018

Blader said:
If the CinemaCon reactions are anything to go by, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria sounds super fucked up.

Oooh, I didn't know it made an appearance. It sounds promising.

Rhomega · May 1, 2018

Saw 10 new movies last month compared to the 4 in March.

1. Avengers: Infinity War
2. The Ten Commandments
3. Kiki's Delivery Service
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
5. My Neighbor Totoro

lordxar · May 1, 2018

Ben-Hur
This was my first time watching this masterpiece and I'm glad I finally took the opportunity. I really like that Filmstruck offers the intermission and I'd love to see more long films like this have some kind of point like this in them. I know its really part of the actual film but it really helped get through the whole run time. That long musical piece at the beginning seems a bit much though. Part of the experience...but still. Minor complaint really.

I kind of knew this tied somewhat into the story of Jesus but I wasn't exactly sure how. The biggest thing I liked about this was that you don't see Jesus' face. His back or maybe from a distance, but never the actual face. You definitely know who the character is but I loved how the story was of Judah Ben-Hur and he is always the focal point. Would be cool if other films took advantage of that tactic. Seeing Ben-Hur meet Jesus from time to time was very cool and very well done.

Then we have the enormous sets and massive cast with all the really fine costumes. I know this was big budget, but its really just amazingly ridiculous how over the top this production was. Very much earned all the praise it ever got. There are not many movies that rival the scope that this thing has.

While the chariot race was the big spectacle its made out to be, I'd say the naval battle was nearly as much of a spectacle in its own right. The effects for the whole thing were definitely well done and I love the turns the story takes Judah.

So what about the big chariot race? That is something you just have to see. I've heard for years about how amazing that scene is, but you really have to see it. There's like nine horse teams with four horses on each team plus a few singles for pace..cars? horses?

All I can really do is praise this film. I wouldn't call it perfect by any means, but it definitely deserves a very high score. It's long, but I wouldn't cut any of it down. The whole thing feels very appropriate to tell the tale it does.

There was a bit much bromance and spear crossing early on...

But holy fuck....this whole film was just solid from top to bottom.

Surprisingly, I watched 20 films in April. Lately I've been having a hard time trying to find something to watch so I didn't think I'd watched that much. Nothing has really grabbed my attention and quite a few of the things I did watch revolved around my girlfriend wanting to see them or that Netflix disc shipped them so I felt obligated. Not a whole lot of these I watched with any excitement. That said, I had some really heavy hitters last month which makes up my top five. The Marvel movies I watched didn't really move me and neither did the horror films which there were quite a few. I know that winter dragging on didn't help matters. Overall, these five more than make up for the other fifteen that went from ok to meh.

Top five

Chinatown
Singin' in the Rain
Ben-Hur
Independence Day - most valuable rewatch
Misery - rewatch

Sean C. · May 1, 2018

Dude (2018): Netflix has become the great repository of the sorts of films that would previously have been DTV or otherwise gotten limited theatrical runs in prior eras of the global film distribution system. This is marketed as a high school stoner comedy about four female friends (all played by actresses in their mid-to-late 20s, as is typical of the genre), but that's pretty misleading, as it's actually a rather tepid mixture of dramatic elements (a few of which are actually pretty good as standalone scenes) and stabs at comedy mostly devoid of jokes. The cast is quite good, and was the main reason I decided to watch it, between enjoying Alexandra Shipp in a few recent roles (including the much better teen movie Love, Simon) and being interested to see what soon-to-be Ocean's 8 castmember Awkwafina is like as a screen presence. Neither is given much to do, as it turns out; the film is more or less entirely about Lucy Hale's character (Hale is topless at one point, undoubtedly to the delight of some corners of the internet).

Mi goreng · May 2, 2018

Divius Pick 3 (belated) - #2 - Angel's Egg Well this is the first Anime i've watched completely, and a pretty interesting place to start. The story is a little obtuse but I think it shines with showing something only animation can do, for now anyway, which is creating a really imaginative time and place that can be boundless. Something I probably wouldn't have watched without the push but i'm glad I did, an interesting experience. 7.7/10

Divius · May 2, 2018

Mi goreng Good to hear you mostly enjoyed it, quite the movie for your first anime, it's rather ... unconventional.

Flow sign me up for this months pick 3 again!

Shan · May 2, 2018

I just got done watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 in preparation for Infinity War sometimes next week. I only need to watch Thor 2 and Thor 3 to be caught up. Although 2 is unecessary (and probably bad) i wanna see it just because.

Anyway i loved Vol 2, perhaps more than Vol 1 but only by a tiny bit. Some good action scenes and interesting characters. Not much else to say, i ain't that good at giving movie criticism/opinions.

More_Badass · May 2, 2018

Slow thread this month

Avengers: Infinity War
★★★★★

Avengers: Infinity War isn't my favorite MCU movie; that honor still goes to the lean heavy-hitting action and spy thriller trappings of Winter Soldier

But no MCU movie, no other superhero movie, is as epic and enjoyable and emotionally-draining an experience as Infinity War. The cracks are there - some jokes that don't land, some emotional beats with Thanos come across as unearned and not developed enough to work, some plot points and plot threads don't feel as necessary or powerful as the movie presents them - but Infinity War is a sum of all its parts and it feels like a grand tapestry being fully unfurled after a decade of build-up. Some threads may be out of place in some spots, but they don't take away from the power of the whole.

In many ways, it feels more like a cinematic season finale. No time is wasted to establish characters, we know who these people are because we've been following their adventures for years. Thanos is the one who links everything together, and he feels like the most intimidating and memorable villain to ever grace an MCU movie.

It's cliched to say, but Infinity War really does feel like the Empire Strikes Back moment for a new generation.

Predators (rewatch)
★★★★

What an improvement over Predator 2 (and all the AvP movies). It lacks the charisma and memorable characters, pacing, and tension of the original, but as a Predator movie, it's the best thing since the first one. Not only does the movie build upon the interesting elements of the titular character, with more tribal aspects and different mask/armor designs, the back-to-basics premise succeeds where all the Predator films after the first failed.

Soldiers and other characters surviving in a hostile environment, playing cat-and-house against a fearsome technologically-advanced foe. Just lean violent action and survival, with cool and interesting Predator moments, battle-hardened protagonists. No extraneous subplots like 2, no weird dissonance of this ruthless alien hunter fighting on city rooftops and suburban homes and healing in apartment bathrooms, no cheesy humor

Flow · May 2, 2018

More_Badass said:
Slow thread this month

Avengers: Infinity War
★★★★★

Avengers: Infinity War isn't my favorite MCU movie; that honor still goes to the lean heavy-hitting action and spy thriller trappings of Winter Soldier

But no MCU movie, no other superhero movie, is as epic and enjoyable and emotionally-draining an experience as Infinity War. The cracks are there - some jokes that don't land, some emotional beats with Thanos come across as unearned and not developed enough to work, some plot points and plot threads don't feel as necessary or powerful as the movie presents them - but Infinity War is a sum of all its parts and it feels like a grand tapestry being fully unfurled after a decade of build-up. Some threads may be out of place in some spots, but they don't take away from the power of the whole.

In many ways, it feels more like a cinematic season finale. No time is wasted to establish characters, we know who these people are because we've been following their adventures for years. Thanos is the one who links everything together, and he feels like the most intimidating and memorable villain to ever grace an MCU movie.

It's cliched to say, but Infinity War really does feel like the Empire Strikes Back moment for a new generation.

Predators (rewatch)
★★★★

What an improvement over Predator 2 (and all the AvP movies). It lacks the charisma and memorable characters, pacing, and tension of the original, but as a Predator movie, it's the best thing since the first one. Not only does the movie build upon the interesting elements of the titular character, with more tribal aspects and different mask/armor designs, the back-to-basics premise succeeds where all the Predator films after the first failed.

Soldiers and other characters surviving in a hostile environment, playing cat-and-house against a fearsome technologically-advanced foe. Just lean violent action and survival, with cool and interesting Predator moments, battle-hardened protagonists. No extraneous subplots like 2, no weird dissonance of this ruthless alien hunter fighting on city rooftops and suburban homes and healing in apartment bathrooms, no cheesy humor

been slow since March.

Net_Wrecker · May 3, 2018

It's always slow as hell for me around this time of the year. I've been setting up a Ken Russell binge for weeks that I just haven't had time to get to. The only movie I've been able to squeeze in between Netflix trash and blockbusters recently is Den of Thieves which is just as derivative and dumb as you'd think it would be, spiraling in 5 different directions only to land as a completely different movie than it was setting itself up to be. At least the guns sound good, I guess.

swoon · May 3, 2018

MidnightCowboy 's pick three. really glad that they picked the varda doc, have been putting her less-known docs off forever.

1. mur murs **** , wonderful doc about the stories of the city, told through its people and art. i
2. florida project ***, wastes whatever good about it by being far too long
3. certified copy **** , one of the greats, says so much about film without the heaviness of godard

Atraveller · May 3, 2018

Solaris said:
Columbus

It's always nice to see that there are people out there who appreciates this film.

Solaris · May 3, 2018

Atraveller said:
It's always nice to see that there are people out there who appreciates this film.

It's really fantastic and I adore the way it was shot and the soundtrack, which I still listen to frequently.

Divius · May 3, 2018

I have Columbus at the #4 spot on my favorite movies from 2017, really enjoyed it. Might revisit it soon to see if it holds up.

Blader · May 3, 2018

On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Rewatch. Always get stuck on this one. I know it's a fan favorite, and do I think it has a strong first act and mostly strong third (that final bobsled sequence is just too silly). But everything about this movie comes to a total stop during its middle section, when Bond pretends to be a gay heraldist while romancing a literal harem up in the Alps. The premise of the second act doesn't even make sense. Blofeld knows what Bond looks like, so how exactly is Bond undercover at all when he's made no attempt to disguise his face and actually meets with Blofeld in-person?

The worst thing about this section is that because the pacing stops dead, it really harms what is the biggest and unique part of the movie: his relationship with Tracy. Because the second act goes off on a different, Tracy-free tangent, it hits the brakes on the growth of their relationship and, when she re-enters the picture, undermines the idea that she is the woman that can get Bond to settle down. Which is too bad, because Lazenby and Diana Rigg are good together. Lazenby actually acquits himself quite well taking over for Connery, capturing Bond's charm and occasionally brutal physicality, and it's a shame he didn't give himself more time to grow further into the role. I also like Telly Savalas WAY more as Blofeld than Donald Pleasance.

I liked a lot of stuff in this movie, and think it had potential to be one of the franchise's better outings (and in the grand scheme of Bond films, it probably still is), but that middle section knocks it down a notch for me.
7/10

Fancy Clown · May 3, 2018

Blader said:
Blofeld knows what Bond looks like, so how exactly is Bond undercover at all when he's made no attempt to disguise his face and actually meets with Blofeld in-person?

This is likely because in the OHMSS book it's the first time Blofeld and Bond meet (and I believe this movie is the closest to its book counterpart?). Eon probably didn't give too much of a fuck about continuity considering the new actor, although that makes the explicit callbacks to the earlier films that much weirder. It's best not to think about it too much.

I agree the undercover section is the weakest part, but I love the sets and overall vibe so much that I can look past how dopey a lot of that section is. And the rest of the movie is so so good that it keeps it firmly in second place after Casino Royale for me.

Window · May 3, 2018

The fact that Blofeld doesn't recognize Bond proves that Connery was the "other fellow" and Bond is a codename which Lazenby takes over.

I don't actually believe this

OHMSS has great music though. Between doing this and You Only Live Twice back to back, John Barry was on fire.

luca · May 3, 2018

April was almost all about anticipating that culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having waited years for this film to come out, and what a delight it was as a fan of all things Marvel. I've already went to watch it three times at the cinema. April was also about checking out Phantom Thread which quickly became my most anticipated movie of 2017, and I was glad that I could finally check that one out. What a magnificent achievement that was. April was also a month of very few new watches, as I've had a hard month and wasn't able to get around to either movies or tv shows.

Best New Watches of April
01. Phantom Thread
02. Avengers: Infinity War

Best Rewatches of April
01. Thor: Ragnarok
02. Captain America: The First Avenger
03. Power Rangers

In May I'm counting on hitting the cinema only once for Deadpool 2, as the trailers have really sold me on it. I wasn't too big on the original, but like the character and concept in itself. May is also a month that brings my long-anticipated Tully starring Charlize Therone in a funny mother role but I may wait for it to hit digital and blu-ray Another movie I'll be checking out is Cargo when it hits Netflix in the middle of the month.

andrew · May 3, 2018

Atraveller said:
It's always nice to see that there are people out there who appreciates this film.

I think you'll find this thread is full of fans, I also had it in my top 5 last year.

Swoon said:
MidnightCowboy 's pick three. really glad that they picked the varda doc, have been putting her less-known docs off forever.

1. mur murs **** , wonderful doc about the stories of the city, told through its people and art. i
2. florida project ***, wastes whatever good about it by being far too long
3. certified copy **** , one of the greats, says so much about film without the heaviness of godard

I somehow always forget before watching a new-to-me kiarostami that his movies are fun. 24 Frames even smacks of an art installation but it undercuts that with joyfulness.

Ithil · May 3, 2018

Pompeii (2014) - Paul WS Anderson

I had some time to kill in the afternoon. The time was thoroughly killed.
It's Gladiator and Titanic's scripts mashed together and put on fast forward, to be done in 100 minutes, and with the good acting and subtlety removed. You might notice Titanic and Gladiator are not particularly subtle films, so you can figure that one out. Every single character is 100% stock, particularly Kiefer Sutherland's mustache twirling villain, and all their character development takes place off-screen (for instance, Jon Snow has the Conan the Barbarian backstory, but it cuts right from him being a kid survivor of his village to being a seasoned fighting gladiator). The production values are only alright, too. They are fine but not really that far above the later seasons of Spartacus, featuring lots of dodgy CG set extensions and crowds The exception is the Vesuvius eruption which is impressive and all that, but goes right to disaster movie clichés to replace the clichés of the previous genres they were mashing up. They also added dramatically convenient fireballs from the eruption, which is weird as they actually depicted the eruption accurately otherwise.

And yes, they do that thing where it all ends with sword fights with the villains despite the notable ongoing occurrence of a fuckin volcanic eruption around them. Lastly, Jon Snow's horse that was spooked half to death and running around mad just from the distant rumbling of the volcano early in the film is remarkably calm and obedient during the eruption where it's carrying him around the exploding and collapsing streets.

Of the two films I saw this last week featuring a lot of ashes, I recommend Infinity War.

BigJeffery · May 3, 2018

Saw and loved Isle of Dogs. Does anyone know how it has been received in Japan?

Blader · May 3, 2018

Fancy Clown said:
This is likely because in the OHMSS book it's the first time Blofeld and Bond meet (and I believe this movie is the closest to its book counterpart?). Eon probably didn't give too much of a fuck about continuity considering the new actor, although that makes the explicit callbacks to the earlier films that much weirder. It's best not to think about it too much.

I agree the undercover section is the weakest part, but I love the sets and overall vibe so much that I can look past how dopey a lot of that section is. And the rest of the movie is so so good that it keeps it firmly in second place after Casino Royale for me.

I liked the mountain base set too, thought felt it was missing that Ken Adam touch. Bond's escape was a good setpiece though. Also makes Blofeld seem very much a team player with his henchmen too -- guy went out there on skis with everyone else!

andrew · May 3, 2018

BigJeffery said:
Saw and loved Isle of Dogs. Does anyone know how it has been received in Japan?

I don't know anything concrete (raises a good question: how to even search for Japanese film criticism, with the written characters being of a completely different style?) but this article, "What It's Like to Watch Isle of Dogs as a Japanese Speaker," touches on it:

Still, as someone with a foot in both cultures, he's been tracking the film's reception on both sides of the Pacific, particularly the hype on Japanese Twitter. Much of the anticipation revolves around the appearance of Yojiro Noda, lead singer of the rock band RADWIMPS, as the voice of a news anchor in the film. But there's also a general eagerness to see it. "People are like, 'I know he's going to respect Japanese culture," Anthony says. "Japanese people love Wes Anderson."

The whole article is good reading. I think the way the film uses Japan is certainly something to be talked about. I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish it hadn't dominated the conversation, however.

swoon · May 3, 2018

andrew said:
I think you'll find this thread is full of fans, I also had it in my top 5 last year.

I somehow always forget before watching a new-to-me kiarostami that his movies are fun. 24 Frames even smacks of an art installation but it undercuts that with joyfulness.

yea, tbh that's why i haven't seen much of his work, it feels like homework, it was a great reminder how deep his mastery of the medium is, esp in comparison to fla project and other "serious" contemporary fictional film.

BigJeffery · May 3, 2018

andrew said:
I don't know anything concrete (raises a good question: how to even search for Japanese film criticism, with the written characters being of a completely different style?) but this article, "What It's Like to Watch Isle of Dogs as a Japanese Speaker," touches on it:

The whole article is good reading. I think the way the film uses Japan is certainly something to be talked about. I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish it hadn't dominated the conversation, however.

Neat, thanks for sharing.

TheBeardedOne · May 3, 2018

I watched Insidious: The Last Key this morning, after borrowing the DVD from the library. I had considered going to see it when it was first out, because I liked the first three, but reviews and not feeling like going out or spending money kept me from doing so. I'm happy for that, too, because this is by FAR the worst one of the four. It's not very good at all, nor is it really even scary. There aren't many scary scenes, and most are telegraphed so much that you know they're coming and can prepare for it.

I felt like ass when I watched it, because I was starting to get sick and couldn't get warm. The movie was hardly a distraction and was really forgettable. The name is also misleading, and keys don't play enough of a role, nor does the demon have any depth.

3/10

Borgnine · May 3, 2018

Swoon said:
florida project ***

Is this what it feels like when I shit on Die Hard? :(

Also can't tell if that Mur Murs review got cut off or if it's art. i

andrew · May 3, 2018

Swoon said:
yea, tbh that's why i haven't seen much of his work, it feels like homework, it was a great reminder how deep his mastery of the medium is, esp in comparison to fla project and other "serious" contemporary fictional film.

I agree with this when it comes to current fiction/drama film overall. On the specific case of Florida Project I disagree, I thought that perfectly avoided any didacticism or shallow miserablism by mostly just being a blast as the kids ran around and played. The social commentary stems organically from the hangout vibe

Movies You've Seen Recently | May 2018

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