Post by: TamerVirus on May 30, 2014, 09:37:09 am
Just saw a great film?
Were you bored out of your mind at the theater?
Stumbled upon something that you just needed to rant or rave about on Netflix?
Then this is the thread to do it!
From big box office blockbusters to B grade schlock to obscure independent releases; discuss them here
Remember to remain civil
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 30, 2014, 09:54:45 am
Post by: Comrade P. on May 30, 2014, 03:28:12 pm
Post by: WillowLuman on May 30, 2014, 03:31:05 pm
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 30, 2014, 03:46:43 pm
Post by: Remalle on May 30, 2014, 03:55:23 pm
Another great film is Scott Pilgrim Vs the WorldSecond'd. On a completely different track, Grave of the Fireflies and Requiem for a Dream.
Post by: Levi on May 30, 2014, 03:55:55 pm
The Cabin in the Woods
The Cabin in the Woods :P
Avoid looking at the synopsis though, it might have spoilers.
Post by: IronyOwl on May 30, 2014, 03:57:50 pm
One amazing film is Children of men, which I think anyone and everyone should watch.I hate you. I hate you so much.
I loved Equilibrium. Hilarious silly Matrix action thing that flows really well, I thought.
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 30, 2014, 04:00:23 pm
Post by: IronyOwl on May 30, 2014, 04:08:09 pm
Ok what about Schindler's list?Haven't seen it, but you lose points for being cliche. :P
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 30, 2014, 04:12:02 pm
Post by: WillowLuman on May 30, 2014, 04:14:35 pm
Speaking of Grave of the Fireflies, and a little off topic, I'm doing a research paper on pacifism in Studio Ghibli films. I haven't seen all of them, but any recommendations for focus?
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 30, 2014, 04:19:37 pm
Why didn't I think of grave of the fireflies? really touching.
A similar film would be 'where the wind blows' for something of a similar vein.
Post by: Comrade P. on May 30, 2014, 04:31:02 pm
Speaking of Grave of the Fireflies, and a little off topic, I'm doing a research paper on pacifism in Studio Ghibli films. I haven't seen all of them, but any recommendations for focus?
Nausicaa of the Walley of Wind.
Post by: Gatleos on May 30, 2014, 04:58:00 pm
Black Dynamite - In my opinion, one of the most unique and well-executed comedies of the last decade. Not recognized nearly as much as it should be. It's a very particular type of comedy though.
I need to watch more good dramas tho. Lemme see if I can find some to suggest.
Post by: WillowLuman on May 30, 2014, 05:08:43 pm
Kung Fu Hustle - Hilarious comedy AND damn good martial arts movie. Watch it now.I actually spit my drink out from laughing while watching this. Watch the (intentionally) bad English dub for maximum effect.
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 30, 2014, 06:14:29 pm
Post by: Gatleos on May 30, 2014, 06:27:56 pm
Another guilty pleasure movie is white chicks, you should watch it to laugh at how bad it is.ಠ_ಠ
Did you just compare Kung Fu Hustle to White Chicks? I still have PTSD from that shit, put up a trigger warning next time.
...Alright, some of my groans might have transitioned into schadenfreude chuckles.
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 30, 2014, 06:37:34 pm
never seen kung fu hustle mind you, may watch it in the weekend.
Post by: anailater on May 30, 2014, 07:32:36 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Kastrol Aslaasri on May 30, 2014, 07:56:13 pm
Japanese horror found footage. Good night =)
Post by: Gatleos on May 30, 2014, 07:58:48 pm
It is definitely bad, but you have just got to laugh at the movie as a whole once in a while.Yeah I know. :P Just joking around.
never seen kung fu hustle mind you, may watch it in the weekend.
The humor in Kung Fu Hustle, despite it being a good movie, is a pretty close match to the kind of meta-humor of a so-bad-it's-good one. You would probably like it.
All right everybody, I'm about to blow all of your minds, you guys ready, I've got to spoiler this shit just in case, you ready here it is.Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
As for a good movie I've seen recently that wasn't an outright comedy... I'd suggest Adaptation. Very well-written, even the parts that were written badly on purpose. Also Nicolas Cage. This is a rare movie that I would actually suggest reading up on (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Adaptation) a bit before watching, though obviously you should still avoid plot spoilers beyond the premise.
Post by: TamerVirus on May 30, 2014, 08:46:30 pm
Post by: Drakale on May 30, 2014, 08:58:38 pm
Post by: Vattic on May 30, 2014, 08:59:10 pm
Post by: WealthyRadish on May 30, 2014, 10:22:11 pm
One of my recent favorites was Pontypool. The way it generates suspense is quite unique, both in the central mechanic and how it makes you use your imagination.
Cabin in the Woods is good, but the first Evil Dead is mandatory viewing. Otherwise you won't realize it's half comedy.
The Coen brothers have made a load of good movies, I'd recommend most of them. Fargo's a great dark comedy, Big Lebowski's a goddamn classic, No Country for Old Men's a good action film.
Unfortunately Netflix doesn't allow access to watch history after cancelling a subscription, but I could recommend dozens of terrible B movies that are great for laughs. If you're using Netflix, I'd also recommend the foreign section (hurr der hipster, yeah I think Hollywood's making garbage), as I remember some quality stuff coming out of places such as Korea and Eastern Europe.
Post by: TamerVirus on May 30, 2014, 10:24:14 pm
-The Room
-Starcrash
-Legend of Riki-Oh
Post by: Gatleos on May 30, 2014, 10:25:45 pm
-Legend of Riki-OhManliest movie ever made.
Post by: TamerVirus on May 30, 2014, 10:26:48 pm
Post by: WealthyRadish on May 30, 2014, 10:30:32 pm
I'd say my favorite genres of shit are '40-60s sci-fi and propaganda, '70s exploitation, '80-90s horror, and of course classics like The Room. If I'm stuck just watching cable in a hotel or something, then that one sci-fi channel churns out loads of garbage like the Megashark movies that are usually pretty entertaining, but it kind of lost its charm once they turned self-aware and made Sharknado.
Post by: IronyOwl on May 31, 2014, 03:51:11 am
You want to watch some shitty movies that are so bad that they are good?Eh, could be promising, and oooh. I'll have to check those latter two out.
-The Room
-Starcrash
-Legend of Riki-Oh
Post by: Gatleos on May 31, 2014, 03:53:29 am
Post by: Digital Hellhound on May 31, 2014, 03:55:58 am
Post by: Yoink on May 31, 2014, 03:59:07 am
My recommendation: Sasquatch Dumpling Gang.
Haven't seen it recently, though. In fact I haven't seen any films recently. :-\
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 31, 2014, 06:39:01 am
Also, the mist, carrie, and Alien are good films too off the top of my head
Post by: Zrk2 on May 31, 2014, 06:43:28 am
Post by: gigaraptor487 on May 31, 2014, 07:43:02 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on May 31, 2014, 08:31:08 am
Of all their films these, in the addition to the aforementioned, fit the description in one way or another:Speaking of Grave of the Fireflies, and a little off topic, I'm doing a research paper on pacifism in Studio Ghibli films. I haven't seen all of them, but any recommendations for focus?
Nausicaa of the Walley of Wind.
Castle in the sky
Porco Rosso
Princess Mononoke
Howl's moving castle
The wind rises
The wind rises could perhaps be best paired with Grave of the fireflies, both being set in a non-fantasy world.
Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke have the clearest anti-war message. The rest depict war and conflict as disruptive, destructive and beyond one's control, but always as a backdrop to some other character drama.
I'll recommend Danny the Dog (or 'Unleashed', in the US). If the amazing fight choreography and the Massive Attack soundtrack don't sell it, watch it anyway, because the dog obeys.I'd only recommend it if you don't mind spending its running time ogling visual artism, while listening to good music with your cognitive functions switched off. There's nothing else to do, as the story is so cliche and poorly executed it hurts my brain even now just thinking about it.
Fans of Massive Attack may be better off just getting the OST.
One of the best films I've seen semi-recently was Ink. Its a true poster child for creativity responding to limitations. Very low budget, with more imagination and heart that you could dredge from the typical yearly output of the whole Hollywood combined. The monetary limitations lent it a very Gilliam'esque look and feel, but unfortunatelly also show in questionable acting skills of some of the cast.
I admit to having a soft spot for the film, as it sneaked upon me completely unawares and stole my heart, as well as probably the part of my brain responsible for unbiased criticism.
I cry me manly tears everytime I watch it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C5I1SavGyA
The main contender for last year's The Only Hollywood Movie That Not Only Doesn't Suck But Is Actually Great award will certainly be Her. It's heartfelt, genre-savvy, multifaceted and artsy. The sci-fi elements are subdued and non-intrusive, yet integral to the plot. Very much like Gattaca in this respect.
It's really great to see a reasonably big-budgeted film that doesn't hit you on the head with its drag-queen flashiness or paper-mache grand ideas.
Post by: WillowLuman on May 31, 2014, 09:47:31 am
In that vein, I'd recommend Easy A. The trailer makes it look like something of the same ilk as White Girls, but it's actually a very thoughtful comedy that examines social expectations, assumptions, and double standards.
Post by: Tawa on May 31, 2014, 10:49:54 am
The trailer for Her made it look kind of creepy to me, but then again, trailers seem to always misrepresent their films. For instance, every animated movie being advertized as a comedy.Don't forget Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and its purportedly better than the film itself trailer.
Post by: Gatleos on May 31, 2014, 04:10:44 pm
No this isn't a fake trailer it exists and I watched it and :'(
Post by: Delta Foxtrot on May 31, 2014, 05:14:02 pm
You want to watch some shitty movies that are so bad that they are good?Eh, could be promising, and oooh. I'll have to check those latter two out.
-The Room
-Starcrash
-Legend of Riki-Oh
Starcrash is definitely one of the better examples of Italian boobie/sci-if cinema.
Post by: Tawa on May 31, 2014, 06:52:25 pm
Post by: IronyOwl on May 31, 2014, 08:07:31 pm
I've heard good things for bad movie enthusiasts about the 5-starturkey movies on this page (http://rinkworks.com/badmovie/).
Quote
Deathstalker: 5 TurkeysWell he's got some taste at least.
Quote
Battlefield Earth: 4 1/2
Quote
In the year 2000, an alien race known as the PsychlosSold.
Quote
Sinbad of the Seven SeasMy list keeps growing!
Wizards of the Demon Sword
Post by: TamerVirus on May 31, 2014, 08:53:55 pm
Hey. Hey you guys. Guys. You should watch. The Amazing Bulk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zLvIHvJ4hw).
No this isn't a fake trailer it exists and I watched it and :'(
That looks like on par with birdemic
Thats not a good thing
Post by: NobodyPro on May 31, 2014, 11:10:16 pm
Relevant Best of the Worst episode. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4HOlhADlZo)Hey. Hey you guys. Guys. You should watch. The Amazing Bulk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zLvIHvJ4hw).
No this isn't a fake trailer it exists and I watched it and :'(
That looks like on par with birdemic
Thats not a good thing
Post by: WealthyRadish on June 01, 2014, 12:09:44 am
Relevant Best of the Worst episode. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4HOlhADlZo)Hey. Hey you guys. Guys. You should watch. The Amazing Bulk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zLvIHvJ4hw).
No this isn't a fake trailer it exists and I watched it and :'(
That looks like on par with birdemic
Thats not a good thing
Oh man, Gymkata looks great. Definitely want to see if I can find it somewhere.
Post by: Kadzar on June 01, 2014, 02:40:53 am
Anyway, I could probably pretty easily list some good/enjoyable movies (as far as I've seen you can't go wrong with a Quentin Tarantino movie), but if you want a good bad movie, I just have one word for you: Futuresport. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158409/)
Post by: WillowLuman on June 01, 2014, 10:57:22 am
Post by: TamerVirus on June 01, 2014, 12:43:39 pm
Horror?
Action?
Nudies?
Post by: Kadzar on June 01, 2014, 01:52:12 pm
The film originally received poor ratings from a British public who for the most part didn't bother to actually see it, but were simply incensed by the idea that someone would make a comedy about suicide by train, even though the film for the most part treated the subject matter rather sensitively. I mean, I wouldn't call it a masterpiece or anything like that, but it certainly isn't crap either.
And I suppose it might help if you gave some sort of criteria for what sort of movies you're interested in. Just going by movies I can think of off the top of my head and that haven't been mentioned already, I'd recommend Little Big Soldier (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319718/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_15), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0901487/), Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120735/), and Fearless (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446059/).
Post by: gigaraptor487 on June 04, 2014, 11:24:57 am
Post by: Orange Wizard on June 05, 2014, 04:31:29 am
The Holy Mountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_k8oaeHsnc) is so very, very weird. The trailer is a compilation, oddly, of the least weird parts of the movie.
Iron Sky (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py_IndUbcxc), if you like steampunk Nazis on the moon. Or possibly UN representatives laughing at North Korea - when they're not throwing shoes at each other.
Nazis at the Centre of the Earth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwQk7Sn_cwk) is better for laughing at how bad it is. There are Nazi zombie robots, too.
Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LRIypcaIX4). I can't really add anything to this.
The Fountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2IpUTZkls) is about something. I don't know what. It's a legitimately good movie, however, one that I'd recommend for something other than hilarity's sake.
fakeedit: Almost half of my recommendations involve hot Nazi chicks who end up topless at some point in the movie.
Post by: Redzephyr01 on June 05, 2014, 04:11:56 pm
Nazis at the Centre of the Earth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwQk7Sn_cwk) is better for laughing at how bad it is. There are Nazi zombie robots, too.I started watching the trailer, and then I noticed that the movie was made by the Asylum. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asylum) They would make something like that. All of their movies are laughably bad.
Post by: Gatleos on June 05, 2014, 05:41:50 pm
Has this thread accidentally become Bad Movies General?
Post by: WillowLuman on June 05, 2014, 05:55:44 pm
Post by: Graknorke on June 05, 2014, 06:33:44 pm
Hey. Hey you guys. Guys. You should watch. The Amazing Bulk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zLvIHvJ4hw).aaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha my face actually hurts from grinning so hard
No this isn't a fake trailer it exists and I watched it and :'(
They didn't even bother to film it anywhere, it's all just greenscreened and the lighting is STILL bad.
Post by: Parsely on June 05, 2014, 06:57:57 pm
Hush that movie is great. :cOk what about Schindler's list?Haven't seen it, but you lose points for being cliche. :P
Post by: TD1 on June 05, 2014, 07:06:06 pm
Slightly-on-topic, are there any good fantasy-based series (Other than Game of Thrones) that I could watch?
Post by: Parsely on June 05, 2014, 07:10:20 pm
Post by: Gatleos on June 05, 2014, 07:35:42 pm
Post by: Remalle on June 05, 2014, 07:39:11 pm
Post by: Parsely on June 05, 2014, 08:23:04 pm
The last movie I saw at the theater was the new Godzilla remake. It was in severe need of more Bryan Cranston and more Godzilla, but alright overall.I thought the film was whitewashed to a disappointing degree, and that there was not enough giant monster action and that most of the focus was on the MOTAs and not Godzilla himself. Not boring, but it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. And Ken Watanabe hardly said a word the whole time, which was weird considering he was the lead scientist in charge of the entire giant monster project. >.>
Post by: Gatleos on June 05, 2014, 10:10:02 pm
Yeah, there's no way the cast was going to be anything but all white. They even start the film off in Japan, only to focus on the one all-white family in a 100 mile radius. Par for the course for Hollywood at this point, but still disappointing. I already forgot the name of the non-godzilla monster, which goes to show how memorable it was for me. And every character other than Cranston's was stock and dull. Just meh in general.The last movie I saw at the theater was the new Godzilla remake. It was in severe need of more Bryan Cranston and more Godzilla, but alright overall.I thought the film was whitewashed to a disappointing degree, and that there was not enough giant monster action and that most of the focus was on the MOTAs and not Godzilla himself. Not boring, but it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. And Ken Watanabe hardly said a word the whole time, which was weird considering he was the lead scientist in charge of the entire giant monster project. >.>
To get back on topic... lessee. Probably my favorite movie of all time, and one I'd recommend to anyone, is Army of Darkness. It's a movie that sounds fucking awful on paper, but it's one of the best action-adventure-comedies ever made. About as many memorable one-liners packed into this movie as in Schwarzenegger's entire career.
Post by: Darvi on June 05, 2014, 10:13:12 pm
Post by: Criptfeind on June 05, 2014, 10:18:25 pm
Edit: Also, if you like westerns I will plus one to the guy who suggested 'the good the bad and the ugly.'
Also on the subject of westerns 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' is a really good movie. Actually, a lot of old Westerns from that time are quite good. Rooster Cogburn is a good film. True Grit might be good but I can't separate the 1969 one from the 2010 one in my head so I can't remember enough to recommend it, probably worth picking up if you are going to watch Rooster Cogburn though. There are a lot more I would recommend, but it's been a long time since I watched all these so I can't remember the names.
Post by: Darvi on June 05, 2014, 10:22:56 pm
Post by: Yoink on June 05, 2014, 10:26:48 pm
The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance is one of my favourite old westerns.
A great movie I recommend to everyone: Safety Not Guaranteed.
Post by: Criptfeind on June 05, 2014, 10:29:22 pm
Post by: Parsely on June 05, 2014, 10:32:17 pm
Post by: Yoink on June 05, 2014, 10:35:12 pm
Maybe that's just from oversaturation- I've watched so many westerns with him playing similar roles that it gets samey after a while...
Ooh, another recommendation: Leon: The Professional. That's probably a must-see.
Fakeedit @ Gunin: Not sure if I've seen that before or not. Sounds very familiar.
Anyway, I'll probably think of more when I'm awake.
Post by: Darvi on June 05, 2014, 10:37:20 pm
I saw that because me mom insisted on watching it while I was trying to sleep in the same fucking room.
Ooh, another recommendation: Leon: The Professional. That's probably a must-see.
Post by: Parsely on June 05, 2014, 11:53:37 pm
Ooh, another recommendation: Leon: The Professional. That's probably a must-see.Seconded! Great movie, and I love that actor that plays Leon.
Fakeedit @ Gunin: Not sure if I've seen that before or not. Sounds very familiar.
Anyway, I'll probably think of more when I'm awake.
It's got Charles Bronson in it, the magnificent bastard.
Wild Geese is a fantastic movie about mercenaries. Rediscovered it just today while watching some 007 flicks. God those older ones are so cheesy.
Post by: IronyOwl on June 06, 2014, 12:10:54 am
Ooh, another recommendation: Leon: The Professional. That's probably a must-see.Mmm. I liked this one a lot, and I've heard other people liked this one a lot, but I'm not really sure what genre or pitch to explain it as.
Wild Geese is a fantastic movie about mercenaries. Rediscovered it just today while watching some 007 flicks. God those older ones are so cheesy.This one's pretty great. Suffers from standard mook syndrome, but definitely good overall.
That reminds me. Forbidden Planet is an excellent ancient movie. Supposedly it helped inspire Star Trek, which isn't hard to believe. If you like original Star Trek, you'll probably like Forbidden Planet.
Speaking of ancient space films, Galaxy of Terror gets my vote as well. If you couldn't tell from the name, it's a bit, erm... well, it's a horror movie, among other things, but one that I'd say is pretty well-written and interesting.
Post by: Darvi on June 06, 2014, 12:17:47 am
Some weird subgenre of Romance?Ooh, another recommendation: Leon: The Professional. That's probably a must-see.Mmm. I liked this one a lot, and I've heard other people liked this one a lot, but I'm not really sure what genre or pitch to explain it as.
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 12:55:26 am
I have to disagree.Wild Geese is a fantastic movie about mercenaries. Rediscovered it just today while watching some 007 flicks. God those older ones are so cheesy.This one's pretty great. Suffers from standard mook syndrome, but definitely good overall.
That reminds me. Forbidden Planet is an excellent ancient movie. Supposedly it helped inspire Star Trek, which isn't hard to believe. If you like original Star Trek, you'll probably like Forbidden Planet.
Speaking of ancient space films, Galaxy of Terror gets my vote as well. If you couldn't tell from the name, it's a bit, erm... well, it's a horror movie, among other things, but one that I'd say is pretty well-written and interesting.
Spoiler: ACTUAL SPOILERS for Wild Geese (click to show/hide)
*writes down name*
I am watching that as we speak. Will return with verdict. *runs away*
---
Watch The Raid. Best new action movie, with pants-shittingly awesome action. Gunfighting and knifefighting and people getting smashed on things and punched. It's begin to end nonstop fighting. No gore which makes me happy, but there is still killing, which I'm fine with. There's a second one which I've heard is just as good, but I haven't seen it and I don't vouch for it.
Speaking of horror, everyone ought to watch The Thing, with Kurt Russel. Watch the older one first if at all possible though it isn't necessary, as there was a prologue-sequel of the same name made a couple years back which is also very good. They're not connected narratively, I just think they're better viewed in that order.
I recommend War of the Arrows and Little Big Soldier for some traditional fighting action and a good story.
On to kung-fu: Ip-Man is the fantastic true story (with wire fighting, but deal with it the whole thing looks great) of Bruce Lee's master back when the Japanese occupied China. Very good movie. There is also a sequel, Ip-Man 2, which you should read nor hear nothing about until you've seen the first one. The lead, who plays the titular character, Donnie Yen, is also in some other fantastic movies and he's worth checking out. There is also a third film, which I think is a prequel, and does not star Donnie Yen. I do not vouch for that one.
Anything with Jackie Chan barring his American movies (though the fighting is very good in Rush Hour 1/2 and Shangai Noon 1, I don't much like the story in any of them at all) is amazing: Operation Condor 1/2, Project A/A2, Shinjuku Incident, Gorgeous, DRUNKEN MASTER, Legend of the Drunken Master, First Strike, and Who am I? which also has one of my favorite fight scenes of all time. God damn does Jackie Chan put on some kick ass performances in all of these.
ALL of the Ong-Bak movies are fucking epic, though it's been a long time since I've seen them. Watch them all.
All the above barring The Thing are foreign movies so unless you're watching a Jackie Chan flick (which he's dubbed all of them himself) you're stuck with subs my friends. But if you're watching these you're here for the action.
Post by: IronyOwl on June 06, 2014, 01:59:28 am
I have to disagree.Spoiler: ACTUAL SPOILERS for Wild Geese (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: FURTHER SPOILERS for Wild Geese (click to show/hide)
Ip-Man and Ong-Bak I recognize but don't believe I've seen. May have to correct that. Can second the original The Thing for being a very good horror movie.
Spoiler: The Thing Spoiler-Treat; Open After Watching! (click to show/hide)
Post by: Gatleos on June 06, 2014, 02:21:07 am
Speaking of horror, everyone ought to watch The Thing, with Kurt Russel.This. One of the best horror movies I've ever seen.
Anything with Jackie ChanJackie Chan is criminally underrated in the US, probably because nowadays people know him best for Rush Hour and nothing else. He's like the Charlie Chaplain or Buster Keaton of kung-fu movies. I would strongly suggest checking out his whole filmography; guy's an amazing athlete and comedian.
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 02:24:51 am
Quote
Jackie Chan is criminally underrated in the US, probably because nowadays people know him best for Rush Hour and nothing else.
It is because ALL his recent movies stink... and badly.
Heck they had a movie sold on the basis of "Jet Li versus Jackie Chan" and the movie still sucked... and it also cast badly.
Don't get me wrong, people know how great Jackie Chan can be... Even in his bad movies he often had such an energy that you can love the fights even if the movie itself is dull... but not recently... Recently even his fighting has taken a toll.
The last good thing to come from Jackie Chan if I remember correctly is Jackie Chan Adventures.
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 02:30:04 am
He also fractured his skull during the Armour of God, and you can actually see him being taken away on a stretcher during the credits where they usually play the bloopers, a tradition in most of his films. I really respect him.
@Neonivek Only his American stuff.
Yeah, and it was awesome (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgM2LTqfByc).
Spoiler: FURTHER SPOILERS for Wild Geese (click to show/hide)Spoiler: The Thing Spoiler-Treat; Open After Watching! (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: ACTUAL SPOILERS for Wild Geese (click to show/hide)
Wow you could spoil the entire movie with one three minute video, hah! :-D That's pretty impressive they actually wrote and sang that though. Very nice.
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 02:32:57 am
Quote
Only his American stuff.
He did stuff after the Tuxedo that was good... outside America? (ignoring that I honestly consider the Tuxedo to be the definitive line of suckage where everything coming from Jackie Chan sucks)
Post by: Gatleos on June 06, 2014, 02:35:05 am
Oh yeah, he hasn't made a good movie in quite a long while. I guess I should have specified his older filmography. It's unfortunate, but the guy's just getting old. And his career was built on physical comedy.QuoteJackie Chan is criminally underrated in the US, probably because nowadays people know him best for Rush Hour and nothing else.
It is because ALL his recent movies stink... and badly.
Heck they had a movie sold on the basis of "Jet Li versus Jackie Chan" and the movie still sucked... and it also cast badly.
Don't get me wrong, people know how great Jackie Chan can be... Even in his bad movies he often had such an energy that you can love the fights even if the movie itself is dull... but not recently... Recently even his fighting has taken a toll.
The last good thing to come from Jackie Chan if I remember correctly is Jackie Chan Adventures.
@Gatleos The more he gets hurt in his movies, the better they are. In one, I think one of the Project A movies, he actually fractures his neck or something during a stunt where he falls from a couple stories up. Then finished the movie. o_oYeah, he does his own stunts in a lot of places where lesser men would use a double or special effects. He's probably broken every bone in his body at some point.
He also fractured his skull during the Armour of God, and you can actually see him being taken away on a stretcher during the credits where they usually play the bloopers, a tradition in most of his films. I really respect him.
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 02:45:55 am
The Myth, Shinjuku Incident, and New Police Story are all great. CZ12 is only worth it for the action (Jackie also won two guinness world records with that film: most credits in one movie, and most stunts by a living actor). Compared to all his Chinese films, no he hasn't done much at all in America. Some of his worst films were in Hollywood, but his achievements far outweigh them.QuoteOnly his American stuff.
He did stuff after the Tuxedo that was good... outside America? (ignoring that I honestly consider the Tuxedo to be the definitive line of suckage where everything coming from Jackie Chan sucks)
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 02:56:34 am
Quote
Yeah, and it was awesome
Welcome to the only good fight in what was otherwise a bad movie (as well IMO it is subpar for Jackie Chan). Though I cannot really identify the one reason why the movie was so bad... It wasn't painfully bad, it felt more like... it just couldn't be good.
But if I had to guess... Little Savior kid + Rushed plot + Not enough great fights + Neither Jackie nor Jet Li's signature style come out strong in this movie.
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 03:03:10 am
Welcome to the only good fight in what was otherwise a bad movie (as well IMO it is subpar for Jackie Chan). Though I cannot really identify the one reason why the movie was so bad... It wasn't painfully bad, it felt more like... it just couldn't be good.No you're right, movie was bad, but was it worth it as an excuse to have Jet Li and Jackie Chan fight?
But if I had to guess... Little Savior kid + Rushed plot + Not enough great fights + Neither Jackie nor Jet Li's signature style come out strong in this movie.
Spoiler: Answer (click to show/hide)
That's spot on.
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 03:10:49 am
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 03:15:12 am
I will say Jackie Chan has had good American movies... quite a few of them.Yep. I've seen all the Rush Hour and both Shanghai movies. They're all pretty good. Rush Hour 1 is my favorite, and Shanghai Noon has some memorable scenes.
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 03:27:46 am
but I STILL think the Tuxedo was a decent movie. Sure it was dumb, but I think it was entertainingly dumb.
Much more fun to watch then that Jackie Chan Versus Jet Li movie.
Post by: Sappho on June 06, 2014, 03:43:07 am
Barfi! - Bollywood film, no big dance sequences, funny, good story, interesting characters
Coraline - "family" type film based on Neil Gaiman's novel, cool animation, good dark/funny combo, excellent cat character
Himmel Uber Berlin (Wings of Desire is the English title) - German surreal film, starts out slow but give it time, you'll get into it
Kuky se Vraci (Kooky is the English title) - Czech stop-motion film about a teddy bear trying to get home, my favorite Czech film
Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes in English) - another surreal film, quite dark
Otesanek - another Czech film, this one is considered a dark comedy by Czech people but I consider it closer to horror
The Secret of Kells - Irish film, really beautiful animation
Indie Game the Movie - documentary about indie game developers and the insanity that is their lives
The Man Who Planted Trees - short film, amazing watercolor animation
Paprika - anime film that Inception's concept was stolen from
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 03:48:52 am
I am tired of always ragging on Romantic Comedies just because they are predominantly garbage and the few ones that manage to crawl from that pile of garbage are usually mediocre or basically an exploitation film. I need to pad out my exposure to this genre so I have some good ones to think of whenever people mention this genre.
I mean... Horror is in just as much of a trash heap as romantic comedies are AND I am a horror wimp... but I still could probably mention 10 good ones.
Does anyone know any GOOD, legitimately good, romantic comedies that aren't: The Wedding Singer OR When Harry Met Sally OR The Vacation (My favorite is "The Vacation", one of the few movies with Jack Black where I LIKE Jack Black)
Preferably where both characters are legitimate characters (As in, one isn't a wish fulfillment character or a blank slate)
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 03:49:38 am
EDIT: Well, I did like Mamma Mia, but only because it was entertaining seeing Pierce Brosnan in a such a tame role after watching him slaughter bad guys in all of his 007 films.
Barfi! - Bollywood film, no big dance sequences, funny, good story, interesting charactersI have seen none of those, and only heard of Coraline.
Coraline - "family" type film based on Neil Gaiman's novel, cool animation, good dark/funny combo, excellent cat character
Himmel Uber Berlin (Wings of Desire is the English title) - German surreal film, starts out slow but give it time, you'll get into it
Kuky se Vraci (Kooky is the English title) - Czech stop-motion film about a teddy bear trying to get home, my favorite Czech film
Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes in English) - another surreal film, quite dark
Otesanek - another Czech film, this one is considered a dark comedy by Czech people but I consider it closer to horror
The Secret of Kells - Irish film, really beautiful animation
Indie Game the Movie - documentary about indie game developers and the insanity that is their lives
The Man Who Planted Trees - short film, amazing watercolor animation
Paprika - anime film that Inception's concept was stolen from
Post by: Sappho on June 06, 2014, 03:56:45 am
I have seen none of those, and only heard of Coraline.
Sounds like you have some films to watch, then. ; )
I can't say I know of any good romantic comedies. I've seen quite a few, but they're just too formulaic to hold my interest. I prefer less predictable plots.
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 03:57:46 am
But I need more then 3 good Romantic Comedies... of which I don't even like all three of them.
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 06, 2014, 04:52:19 am
Himmel Uber Berlin (Wings of Desire is the English title) - German surreal film, starts out slow but give it time, you'll get into itIt's worth noting that the second one has been remade by the soulless Hollywood industry into Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise as the lead. With a predictably milquetoast result. Not a terrible film, certainly not a good one. It still has got Ms Cruz playing the love interest, so that's a plus.
Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes in English) - another surreal film, quite dark
The first one got remade into City of Angels, with Nick Cage and Meg Ryan. The remake is veeeeeeeery looooooose though. Basically, they took the surreal, introspectivelly poetic original and tried to go the "Romantic comedy with Meg Ryan"[TM] way, ending up in some odd no-man's land in between.
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 04:55:40 am
Aw, I like Vanilla Sky! D: I didn't know it was a remake though. Open Your Eyes is the original?Himmel Uber Berlin (Wings of Desire is the English title) - German surreal film, starts out slow but give it time, you'll get into itIt's worth noting that the second one has been remade by the soulless Hollywood industry into Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise as the lead. With a predictably milquetoast result. Not a terrible film, certainly not a good one. It still has got Ms Cruz playing the love interest, so that's a plus.
Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes in English) - another surreal film, quite dark
The first one got remade into City of Angels, with Nick Cage and Meg Ryan. The remake is veeeeeeeery looooooose though. Basically, they took the surreal, introspectivelly poetic original and tried to go the "Romantic comedy with Meg Ryan"[TM] way, ending up in some odd no-man's land in between.
I despise Nick Cage.
Post by: Gatleos on June 06, 2014, 05:05:03 am
I despise Nick Cage.You take that back, he is the greatest actor of our generation. :P
But seriously, I can't bring myself to dislike Nic Cage. The thing about Nicolas Cage is, he's actually 2 different actors. There's serious Nic Cage, his bleh, mediocre side. But then there's... this Nic Cage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOCF0BLf-BM). The man is a misunderstood comedic genius.
But you said you hate camp, so eh. It's an acquired taste.
Post by: Tawa on June 06, 2014, 07:46:02 am
Also
Quote
CoralineThat movie freaked the shit out of everybody but me, as it would seem.
Post by: TD1 on June 06, 2014, 08:32:49 am
Also, no to romantic comedies. I prefer Last of the Summer Wine stuff. That's very witty and funny at times.
Post by: Evil Knievel on June 06, 2014, 02:13:49 pm
Danish movie. First time I literally laughed myself to tears via a movie.
Post by: Yoink on June 06, 2014, 04:01:08 pm
If it's a comedy based solely around boring-ass romance, sure it's going to be boring- but what about comedies which happen to have romance in them, amongst other things? Safety Not Guaranteed (which I recommended earlier and you totally need to watch) is a good example.
Re: Coraline, pretty sure that movie gave most of
Post by: Sappho on June 06, 2014, 04:12:22 pm
EDIT: Yup, just finished the film, and I can easily see how that would terrify the shit out of some little kids. I maintain that the cat is excellent, though. Gaiman really knows how to write a cat.
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 06, 2014, 05:11:07 pm
Yeah, I don't really know how 'romantic comedy' is defined, either.Alright, I can work with that definition.
If it's a comedy based solely around boring-ass romance, sure it's going to be boring- but what about comedies which happen to have romance in them, amongst other things? Safety Not Guaranteed (which I recommended earlier and you totally need to watch) is a good example.
Let's see:
Chungking Express - One of the more cheerful(the most cheerful?) of Wong Kar-Wai's movies. There's actually two practically separate stories in there, about some random people's romantic affairs in one of Hong-Kong's huge apartment blocks. It's very kinetic, doesn't whitewash over the cramped, often dreary setting, nor over human foibles and quirks. It's somehow super cute without being even a tiny bit saccharine. It'll leave you feeling good.
Girl on the Bridge - About a suicidal nymphomaniac and a down-on-the-luck knifethrower. It's French, it's black and white, it's both artsy and shallow, probably intentionally. It doesn't take itself seriously, and it makes you empathise with the fucked up characters. It's not great, but it's different enough to make you feel like it's more than the sum of its parts(one of which is Vanessa Paradis' arse, if you're into that).
In July - A guy chases a woman to another country, with the help of another woman, for which he inevitably falls in the process. Predictable plot? Yes. What's fun about it is the execution, which - this being a road trip movie - takes the characters from Germany through some dodgy Balkan countryside and nightlife to Turkey. Often feels like one of Kusturica's films, if you've ever seen one.
Huh, it's surprisingly hard to remember any great ones. Even of those three, only the first one is really great, the other two being just good.
You know what's fun? Weird films. Like "A Field in England". It's about an alchemist, his master, a bunch of 17-century soldiers, magic, magic mushrooms, and the power of friendship. It all happens on a field. In England.
It's sooo weird.
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 05:34:45 pm
Post by: Sappho on June 06, 2014, 05:43:25 pm
Actually, I thought of a romantic comedy that I really liked. It's a Bollywood one: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. One of the highest-grossing Bollywood films ever, apparently. Very funny, lots of singing and dancing, good acting. "Feel-good" type of film, really. Always gives me energy to watch that one.
Post by: Jopax on June 06, 2014, 05:58:28 pm
Also, as far as rom-coms go, I'm not a big fan myself, but you've gotta see some of the classics atleast, well, not sure if they're really classics but they're kinda oddballs in the genre, which I guess makes them so good.
Anyways, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (one of Carrey's best roles imho), Amelie, 500 Days of Summer I guess, and yeah, I think that's mostly it.
Also to any horror fan (or fan of a good movie really), Cabin in the woods. Just watch it, don't read up on it, don't research it, don't ask people about it, just watch it, a fresh watching is mindblowingly fun and awesome, trust me on this one.
Post by: Levi on June 06, 2014, 06:02:58 pm
Also to any horror fan (or fan of a good movie really), Cabin in the woods. Just watch it, don't read up on it, don't research it, don't ask people about it, just watch it, a fresh watching is mindblowingly fun and awesome, trust me on this one.
YES YES YES.
Post by: Parsely on June 06, 2014, 06:03:26 pm
Anyways, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (one of Carrey's best roles imho)Seconded.
Also to any horror fan (or fan of a good movie really), Cabin in the woods. Just watch it, don't read up on it, don't research it, don't ask people about it, just watch it, a fresh watching is mindblowingly fun and awesome, trust me on this one.
Seconded.
Post by: Yoink on June 06, 2014, 06:04:31 pm
Post by: Delta Foxtrot on June 06, 2014, 06:23:50 pm
I do like this one Korean film that got made in the early 2000's. It got an american remake called My Sassy Girl a few years back. I thought it was quite good -the original I mean-, but it's a teen romance so it's definitely not for all tastes. It was one of those plots where you have a shutin boy and a wild girl and then they get together and plotplotplot. Doesn't sound like much when described but I really liked it.
And in the vein of "not great" romantic/comedic films that Il Palazzo mentioned, there's I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok. It's a romcom set in a cheery mental asylum. Pretty fun/cute/wierd little film if you're into that sort of stuff. Another which is pretty entertaining is Citizen Dog. I'd describe CD in particular as Amelie that's not quite as conventional.
And veering towards the funny/bad film territory, there's Tears of the Black Tiger. It's a western with a neat... I guess 50's aesthetic? It has some good action and hammy acting. Very entertaining if you're into its particular style of execution.
Post by: Neonivek on June 06, 2014, 07:27:41 pm
Imagine a Situational Comedy where the Situation involved was a Romance.
When Harry Met Sally for example is a Romantic Comedy, The Wedding Singer is a Romantic Comedy, and The Holiday is a romantic comedy (sort of...), 50 first dates is a romantic comedy, Good Luck Chuck is a romantic comedy (a TERRIBLE ONE!)
Post by: Kadzar on June 06, 2014, 08:12:18 pm
Post by: WealthyRadish on June 06, 2014, 09:42:54 pm
Also to any horror fan (or fan of a good movie really), Cabin in the woods. Just watch it, don't read up on it, don't research it, don't ask people about it, just watch it, a fresh watching is mindblowingly fun and awesome, trust me on this one.
Have to disagree on just the point of no preparation being required. The first two acts will seem quite generic and unfunny if you haven't seen the first Evil Dead (both are on Netflix), so while you may still get a good payoff by the third act, most of it probably won't seem very good. Still a good/great movie, and aside from that, yeah, avoid all spoilers.
Post by: WillowLuman on June 07, 2014, 12:36:16 am
I liked it, but man that was a weird movie.
Post by: Parsely on June 07, 2014, 12:40:23 am
So based on a previous recommendation, I watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.It's pretty great. Apparently the manga is even better.
I liked it, but man that was a weird movie.
Post by: WillowLuman on June 07, 2014, 01:04:52 am
Not much of a manga person but...So based on a previous recommendation, I watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.It's pretty great. Apparently the manga is even better.
I liked it, but man that was a weird movie.
Damnit, Dark Souls has a strangely infectious quality upon the mind. I am reminded of it everywhere I look. After seeing Nausicaa, I think I know where the inspiration for Ash Lake comes from.
Also, cool airships are cool. Par for the course for Miyazaki, but I love them every time. Cool giant psychic pillbugs are cool too, if trippy.
Post by: Sappho on June 07, 2014, 02:48:09 am
Also to any horror fan (or fan of a good movie really), Cabin in the woods. Just watch it, don't read up on it, don't research it, don't ask people about it, just watch it, a fresh watching is mindblowingly fun and awesome, trust me on this one.
Have to disagree on just the point of no preparation being required. The first two acts will seem quite generic and unfunny if you haven't seen the first Evil Dead (both are on Netflix), so while you may still get a good payoff by the third act, most of it probably won't seem very good. Still a good/great movie, and aside from that, yeah, avoid all spoilers.
I've got one question before I decide to watch any "horror" movie. Is it actually a horror movie, or is it a gore-fest? I don't mind movies which are scary (The Others is a good one) but I have a serious problem with gore unless it's intentionally so cartoonish as to be funny (like Evil Dead). If it looks at all realistic, I'm out.
Post by: Parsely on June 07, 2014, 02:51:01 am
Post by: Vector on June 07, 2014, 03:03:09 am
Post by: Vector on June 07, 2014, 03:05:44 am
Post by: Parsely on June 07, 2014, 03:12:58 am
Grand Budapest Hotel - humorSecond all of these.
Gladiator - drama/high tragedy
Shawshank Redemption - friendship, close as I'm getting to a rom-com
Recent Les Mis movie
25-year-anniversary ver. of Phantom of the Opera
Sleepless in Seattle
Princess Bride
Post by: Scelly9 on June 07, 2014, 03:21:29 am
Post by: scrdest on June 07, 2014, 03:29:01 am
I'm gonna recommend Chicago, for it's absolutely wonderful 20's vibe, and amazing musical numbers. Also, Joss Whedon's Much Ado. It's a great, great adaptation of the play.
Oh, Chicago, I need to rewatch it. Good movie.
Post by: miauw62 on June 07, 2014, 03:58:40 am
Jokes aside, Les Intouchables (or Untouchables because America and French don't mix) is a really good movie. Touching and funny at the same time. A black man from the ghettos of Paris gets offered a job as caretaker for a paralyzed rich white man after a rather unorthodox solicitation, and they become good friends.
And Pulp Fiction, but that's a given. I didn't actually like it that much when I first saw it, but the genius of the movie slowly seeped into my mind afterwards. It's a bit like abstract art, I guess. Once you "get" it...
As far as that's concerned, anything Tarantino, but that's a given too :P
Inglorious Bastards is one of my other favorites.
Hans Landa is one of the scariest movie characters ever. And I could listen to an entire film worth of Tom Cruise trying to speak Italian.
Oh, and Limitless. Probably one of the best action movies of recent times. A failed writer gets offered pills that increase his mental capacities a hundredfold, but they are addictive and he doesn't know where to get more.
Nobody has mentioned Moon yet, which is my WTF of the day. Moon is literally the best sci-fi movie of the past few years and you should watch it. Don't look up anything about it. It's about a man who's alone (except for a somewhat adorable robot companion) on the moon to keep an eye on Helium 3 harvesters for fusion reactors back home. His three year contract is almost over, after which he can go back home to his wife and baby daughter.
Naturally, not everything goes to plan.
Post by: Parsely on June 07, 2014, 04:33:57 am
Post by: miauw62 on June 07, 2014, 04:57:19 am
Post by: Parsely on June 07, 2014, 05:02:10 am
I ment Brad Pitt, my bad.My nitpick aside, yeah that part near the ending is pretty hilarious. c: I was disappointed at first because I was expecting more gratuitous Nazi killin', but the scenes are all very compelling.
Post by: Dutchling on June 07, 2014, 11:11:07 am
Post by: SalmonGod on June 07, 2014, 11:54:09 am
I'm also a fan of creepy asian horror. I cannot stand western horror that's all based on jump scares and special effects. #1 on my list there is Ju-On. Also Audition.
Not going to bother cluttering the thread with stuff that's well-known.
50 First Dates (YES, even though it has Adam Sandler of all charisma-sucking black holes in it)
But I will second this one. It surprised me.
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 07, 2014, 12:20:09 pm
#1 on my list always as a movie recommendation is Mind Game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98vqy_REW2k). It's one of my favorite movies. Very unique in style and the most life-affirming/motivational film I've ever seen. An incredible emotional journey. But I don't know anyone else who has ever seen it. Received much critical acclaim (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mind-game/), but almost zero exposure outside of Japan. You're not going to find it for rent or sale, so I wouldn't feel bad about resorting to other means.Yeah, I've seen it alright. I'm pretty sure there was some talk about it in the anime thread back when.
Anyway, how emotional an emotion-evoking film feels is more often than not a function of what is going on in one's life when he sees it. So while I appreciated it on many levels, it certainly didn't leave me speechless.
And come on, four reviews on RT is hardly "much critical acclaim". :P
Post by: SalmonGod on June 07, 2014, 12:38:50 pm
#1 on my list always as a movie recommendation is Mind Game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98vqy_REW2k). It's one of my favorite movies. Very unique in style and the most life-affirming/motivational film I've ever seen. An incredible emotional journey. But I don't know anyone else who has ever seen it. Received much critical acclaim (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mind-game/), but almost zero exposure outside of Japan. You're not going to find it for rent or sale, so I wouldn't feel bad about resorting to other means.Yeah, I've seen it alright. I'm pretty sure there was some talk about it in the anime thread back when.
Anyway, how emotional an emotion-evoking film feels is more often than not a function of what is going on in one's life when he sees it. So while I appreciated it on many levels, it certainly didn't leave me speechless.
And come on, four reviews on RT is hardly "much critical acclaim". :P
Well... I didn't want to link the Wiki page due to spoilers. And I didn't see that there were so few reviews on RT... just that it had a really high rating.
Spoiler: So I'll just quote the "Reception" section of the page. (click to show/hide)
Note: It beat Miyazaki in the animation category at the Japan Media Arts Festival. That seems pretty impressive to me, considering how much weight reputation can have at events like that, and Miyazaki is very highly respected in Japan.
Post by: Dutchling on June 07, 2014, 12:40:50 pm
Post by: SalmonGod on June 07, 2014, 12:44:44 pm
I'd watch it, but I feel like me not doing drugs would hamper my ability to properly experience the movie.
The collage of animation styles makes it quite bizarre, but the trailer seems to focus on the most psychedelic bits. There are only 3 scenes in the film that are really acid trippy, but those scenes seem to make up 80% of the trailer.
Post by: Sappho on June 07, 2014, 05:16:16 pm
Post by: WealthyRadish on June 07, 2014, 10:48:48 pm
Also to any horror fan (or fan of a good movie really), Cabin in the woods. Just watch it, don't read up on it, don't research it, don't ask people about it, just watch it, a fresh watching is mindblowingly fun and awesome, trust me on this one.
Have to disagree on just the point of no preparation being required. The first two acts will seem quite generic and unfunny if you haven't seen the first Evil Dead (both are on Netflix), so while you may still get a good payoff by the third act, most of it probably won't seem very good. Still a good/great movie, and aside from that, yeah, avoid all spoilers.
I've got one question before I decide to watch any "horror" movie. Is it actually a horror movie, or is it a gore-fest? I don't mind movies which are scary (The Others is a good one) but I have a serious problem with gore unless it's intentionally so cartoonish as to be funny (like Evil Dead). If it looks at all realistic, I'm out.
Yeah, I agree. Fear is a cool mechanic that can be used well in a movie, but movies that just abuse gore, jump scares, and abrupt sound cues feel like a waste of time to me if there isn't some other substance. For this reason most horror films I like are more like suspense movies than straight horror, which is how I'd describe something like Pontypool, which uses some gore and horror but largely relies on suspense. Evil Dead I think was trying to be a straight horror film more or less (though they definitely went crazy into humor with the sequels), but I found it pretty enjoyable as such.
Maybe Evil Dead specifically isn't needed to enjoy Cabin in the Woods, it's just the most directly related and gets some specific references. You could probably get the same effect even from something like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (since they share the same origin in Evil Dead), or just a wide base of the somewhat formulaic teenage horror movies that get churned out every year.
Post by: Gatleos on June 07, 2014, 11:19:21 pm
movies that just abuse gore, jump scares, and abrupt sound cuesUnfortunately, this is at least 90% of "horror" movies out there. Zombie films that are more like action movies, slasher films that actually turn out to be dark comedies... I've just gotten tired of the whole genre, because it's so difficult to find a movie that actually inspires horror. Laughing at the creative ways some psychopath finds to murder some dumb teenagers is not horror. Instinctively flinching when a loud noise plays is not horror.
Post by: Vector on June 07, 2014, 11:20:27 pm
Post by: Gatleos on June 07, 2014, 11:36:34 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Edit: hopefully that link works now
Post by: WillowLuman on June 08, 2014, 12:02:32 am
Going on the recommended Ghibli list from earlier I must thank Il Palazzo for recommending Princess Mononoke. The characters were so deep and complex, the plot just so perfectly constructed and tragic with 100% grey morality. Quite a great take on the environmental message, too. Definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen.
Man, this puts me in the mood for some really good historical fantasy. Got any recommendations?
Post by: Vector on June 08, 2014, 12:14:17 am
Post by: WillowLuman on June 08, 2014, 12:19:41 am
Post by: Gatleos on June 08, 2014, 12:43:40 am
Man, this puts me in the mood for some really good historical fantasy. Got any recommendations?Hero (the Jet Li one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_(2002_film)) because goddamn there's a lot of films with that name (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_%28disambiguation%29)) is a good wuxia film set in ancient China.
Also seconding Pan's Labyrinth.
Post by: Jopax on June 08, 2014, 02:48:50 am
Also to any horror fan (or fan of a good movie really), Cabin in the woods. Just watch it, don't read up on it, don't research it, don't ask people about it, just watch it, a fresh watching is mindblowingly fun and awesome, trust me on this one.
Have to disagree on just the point of no preparation being required. The first two acts will seem quite generic and unfunny if you haven't seen the first Evil Dead (both are on Netflix), so while you may still get a good payoff by the third act, most of it probably won't seem very good. Still a good/great movie, and aside from that, yeah, avoid all spoilers.
I've got one question before I decide to watch any "horror" movie. Is it actually a horror movie, or is it a gore-fest? I don't mind movies which are scary (The Others is a good one) but I have a serious problem with gore unless it's intentionally so cartoonish as to be funny (like Evil Dead). If it looks at all realistic, I'm out.
Yeah, I agree. Fear is a cool mechanic that can be used well in a movie, but movies that just abuse gore, jump scares, and abrupt sound cues feel like a waste of time to me if there isn't some other substance. For this reason most horror films I like are more like suspense movies than straight horror, which is how I'd describe something like Pontypool, which uses some gore and horror but largely relies on suspense. Evil Dead I think was trying to be a straight horror film more or less (though they definitely went crazy into humor with the sequels), but I found it pretty enjoyable as such.
Maybe Evil Dead specifically isn't needed to enjoy Cabin in the Woods, it's just the most directly related and gets some specific references. You could probably get the same effect even from something like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (since they share the same origin in Evil Dead), or just a wide base of the somewhat formulaic teenage horror movies that get churned out every year.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
^ kind of spoilerish for Cabin in the woods.
Also unrelated, Sky Captain and the world of tommorow is awesome, go watch it now guys :D
Post by: IronyOwl on June 08, 2014, 04:09:11 am
Ong-BakOh my god this was amazing. I can't claim to be a martial arts connoisseur of any description, but this had hands-down the absolute best "realistic" fight choreography of anything I have ever seen. The detail and flow some scenes had was absolutely riveting in a way you really wouldn't expect from two people punching each other.
It makes me legitimately sad that I have no way to hand these people money.
Post by: Parsely on June 08, 2014, 04:46:24 am
Have you seen them before? They're all utterly fantastic.Ong-BakOh my god this was amazing. I can't claim to be a martial arts connoisseur of any description, but this had hands-down the absolute best "realistic" fight choreography of anything I have ever seen. The detail and flow some scenes had was absolutely riveting in a way you really wouldn't expect from two people punching each other.
Post by: Evil Knievel on June 08, 2014, 06:37:42 am
I also have trouble finding comedy that is funny and at the same time NOT stupid/shallow...
An example would be "The Dinner Game" ("Le dîner de cons")
Post by: Neonivek on June 08, 2014, 10:08:43 am
But Horror is in the same situation as Romantic Comedies in that the vast majority of them are just such garbage that it is hard to find any good ones... to the extent that many people believe good ones just don't exist.
Also you are missing the larger issue with horror movies... and it isn't their gore fascination. It is that most horror movies try to outright make you hate the characters in the movie so you can revel in their destruction.
The vast majority of horror movies are extremely formulaic.
Post by: WillowLuman on June 08, 2014, 11:39:42 am
I also have trouble finding comedy that is funny and at the same time NOT stupid/shallow...
An example would be "The Dinner Game" ("Le dîner de cons")
I love that movie. The ending is amazing
Post by: TamerVirus on June 08, 2014, 12:23:35 pm
Post by: Pranz on June 08, 2014, 12:39:42 pm
Ong-BakOh my god this was amazing. I can't claim to be a martial arts connoisseur of any description, but this had hands-down the absolute best "realistic" fight choreography of anything I have ever seen. The detail and flow some scenes had was absolutely riveting in a way you really wouldn't expect from two people punching each other.
This reminded me of Oldboy, so I will go ahead and recommend it. For someone who doesn't like fight scenes all that much this movie has one of the best ones in my opinion, but not because of the skills displayed but the directing of the scene.
Post by: Parsely on June 08, 2014, 04:18:43 pm
Yeah Oldboy did have that one great fight scene.Ong-BakOh my god this was amazing. I can't claim to be a martial arts connoisseur of any description, but this had hands-down the absolute best "realistic" fight choreography of anything I have ever seen. The detail and flow some scenes had was absolutely riveting in a way you really wouldn't expect from two people punching each other.
This reminded me of Oldboy, so I will go ahead and recommend it. For someone who doesn't like fight scenes all that much this movie has one of the best ones in my opinion, but not because of the skills displayed but the directing of the scene.
Post by: WillowLuman on June 08, 2014, 06:20:45 pm
Post by: KingofstarrySkies on June 08, 2014, 11:50:46 pm
Was good, reccomended.
Post by: Kadzar on June 08, 2014, 11:52:23 pm
Post by: Parsely on June 08, 2014, 11:58:16 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on June 09, 2014, 12:10:05 am
Don't watch any 007 film with Roger Moore in it. DO watch Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights", because that movie rocks.
Hey Hey! Moonraker was bad-good! I mean, space Bond! Also The Spy Who Loved Me was pretty decent
Post by: Parsely on June 09, 2014, 12:20:18 am
Oh no those are the exception because they have huge gunfights at the end and I love them. And the underwater battle at the end of Thunderball was pretty cool.Don't watch any 007 film with Roger Moore in it. DO watch Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights", because that movie rocks.
Hey Hey! Moonraker was bad-good! I mean, space Bond! Also The Spy Who Loved Me was pretty decent
Post by: Sappho on June 09, 2014, 01:27:23 am
I just finished watching The City of Lost Children (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112682/). The story is a bit confusing at times, but it has a great retro sci-fi aesthetic (some may call it steampunk, though I think it might actually be more dieselpunk; regardless, it probably deserves the -punk suffix more than most works known as such).
If you liked that one, try Delicatessen.
Post by: Jopax on June 09, 2014, 03:25:05 am
I watched The Good The Bad and The Ugly.
Was good, reccomended.
Now watch The Good The Bad and The Wierd, it's korean, it's awesome and I can't reccomend it to enough people :D
Post by: Mindmaker on June 09, 2014, 06:33:43 pm
A Beautiful Mind
Road to Perdition
The Green Mile
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Parsely on June 09, 2014, 06:40:59 pm
The Green MileGreat flick. Too bad the big guy's dead now.. :c
Now watch The Good The Bad and The Wierd, it's korean, it's awesome and I can't reccomend it to enough people :DYES. This, and Let the Bullets Fly. They're both hilarious and the action's pretty great.
Post by: SalmonGod on June 09, 2014, 09:32:43 pm
Post by: Urist McManiac on June 10, 2014, 11:55:48 am
The Wrestler:
Watched this movie kind of by accident, but I'm definitly happy that I watched it. The storyline itself is rather short, but the way it is represented is just marvelous. The movie really excels at providing the right atmosphere with non-verbal methods. Sadly, I personally found the end scene to be lacking a bit.
We Are the Night: (original title: "Wir sind die Nacht")
I can't really describe why I like this movie. Basically, it is a vampire movie set in modern times, but it's not one of those horrible twilight copies. It really manages to capture the vibes of hedonism, eternal youth and the inevitable feeling of getting bored by your everlasting life. The cast is all female (and the movie basically depicts a female-only society) so it may be more appealing to women.
Let the right one in: (orinigal title: "Låt den Rätte Komma In")
Talking about vampire movies, you absolutely have to watch this film (the swedish original, not the Hollywood remake). I can't really say anything about the movie without spoiling to much, but it is a very emotional, dark movie, combining elements of a horror movie with a tragic romance. It's just a prime example of the goodness that swedish independant movies are.
I can also second the recommandations of "Book of Kells" and "Abre los ojos". If you like the latter (or surrealist movies in general) you should definitly check out "Lost Highway" and especially "Mulholland Drive".
Post by: Sappho on June 10, 2014, 12:52:40 pm
The cast is all female (and the movie basically depicts a female-only society) so it may be more appealing to women.
This sort of thinking always makes me scratch my head. There are loads of films featuring all-male or mostly-male characters (the majority of films, actually), but no one ever assumes such films are only of interest to men. I generally find that both men and women are interested in stories about people, not only their own gender. Why would men not like something just because it doesn't feature men? Women obviously don't have a problem watching films that don't feature any women.
In any case, speaking of good German films, here are some older ones I can heartily recommend:
Erbsen auf Halb 6 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366416/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) - actually a very good romantic comedy/drama about a blind woman and a man who becomes blind (very funny)
Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408777/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) ("The Edukators") - drama about young activists trying to reconcile their values with the world, political vandalism goes wrong...
Was Nuetzt die Liebe in Gedanken (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325733/?ref_=nv_sr_1) ("Love In Thoughts") - drama based on the true story of a young poet (Paul Krantz) and a crazy party with a lot of unstable young people in 1927.
Post by: Helgoland on June 10, 2014, 12:56:35 pm
Post by: Urist McManiac on June 10, 2014, 01:29:52 pm
The cast is all female (and the movie basically depicts a female-only society) so it may be more appealing to women.
This sort of thinking always makes me scratch my head. There are loads of films featuring all-male or mostly-male characters (the majority of films, actually), but no one ever assumes such films are only of interest to men. I generally find that both men and women are interested in stories about people, not only their own gender. Why would men not like something just because it doesn't feature men? Women obviously don't have a problem watching films that don't feature any women.
You did get me wrong. As a male, I definitly enjoyed the movie. However, the film reminds me a bit of "Sex and the City" in some scenes, with some "girl talk" going on etc. I just though that that could appeal to a certain audience. My bad for wording it a bit too general.
Post by: Jopax on June 10, 2014, 06:23:00 pm
It does not hold its punches let me tell you. But it's an awesome movie, you just gotta go in knowing it was made by a Korean bastard (even though it is originally french) so there's gonna be so rather hard to digest stuff.
Spoiler: Only if you've seen it (click to show/hide)
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 10, 2014, 08:19:51 pm
The Wrestler:If you've seen this vessel to thespian revival of Mickey Rourke, and you thought it was worthwile, especially in the meta-aspect, go and watch JCVD (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jcvd/). It's a film where Van Damme acts!!! It's absolutely astounding, if you're aware of his, uh, acting career. Most of it's appeal might be lost on those unfamiliar with what Van Damme stands for, but then again, how many of those are there anyway?
Post by: IronyOwl on June 10, 2014, 10:24:13 pm
Have you seen them before? They're all utterly fantastic.I had not, and still haven't seen the other two. Definitely on the list, though!
Perfect BlueMan, this one... it made more sense than it could have, but I still think the thriller aspects kind of got lost under the "wait, how did...?" parts. I thought specific concepts in it were good, but I didn't like it as a whole.
Post by: Eagleon on June 11, 2014, 01:08:29 am
For my 'everyone has probably already seen this... right?', American Beauty. Requiem for a Dream. Big Fish. All three make me cry every time. Also Master and Commander, something I never expected to like - the 1800s nautical theme is usually just not for me, but it's one of the few movies I've willingly watched more than once.
Europa Report, for an unexpected diamond-in-rough of sci-fi, though the arc felt sort of predictable. The Man from Earth, for something much more inventive, though some people might be put off by the fact that it's pure dialog.
For a solid dose of WTF, Foodfight! (emphasis not my own) With Charley Sheen, Hilary Duff, and Wayne Brady as an obnoxious squirrel seemingly afflicted with Parkinson's. I still can't believe it was ever made, let alone released.
Take every food mascot you can think of and shove them roughly into a poorly (really, terribly, badly) 3d-animated Pixar knock-off clusterfuck. That is how Foodfight! do. Nothing in it makes sense, some of it will actually make you angry that 45 million money was spent on it. It was scheduled for release in 2003, looked worse than video-game graphics of the period, and was then delayed until 2012 when someone actually decided to push it out there - presumably for laughs. It's so bad it's surreal, and I was deeply uncomfortable with every moment it took out of my life. Enjoy!
Post by: penguinofhonor on June 11, 2014, 01:48:20 am
Also if you haven't seen The Big Lebowski then see it. Now.
Post by: Sappho on June 11, 2014, 02:22:47 am
Stripes
History of the World Part I
Dark Crystal
Akira
Brazil
Little Shop of Horrors
Willow
The Gods Must Be Crazy
More good films you might not have seen:
Waking Life
The Brothers Grimm (warning: half funny, half dark, half super cheesy)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Mr. Nobody
Krabat (German, fantasy quite dark)
Idiocracy
Where the Wild Things Are (have a box of tissues ready)
Metropolis (silent)
Dark City
Also, this site is useful for finding new films to watch: http://movielens.org
Post by: Remalle on June 11, 2014, 04:24:04 am
Post by: Orange Wizard on June 11, 2014, 04:32:50 am
The Big LebowskiIt wasn't that good.
Post by: Helgoland on June 11, 2014, 04:44:55 am
Yes it was! Also, other classics: Twelve angry men and Dr. Strangelove. These movies mark the line between man and beast.The Big LebowskiIt wasn't that good.
Post by: Parsely on June 11, 2014, 04:49:03 am
Also if you haven't seen The Big Lebowski then see it. Now.I remember that being pretty good. I've only watched it once.
Das Boot. I accidentally picked up the full cut which is around five hours long. Watched the whole thing. Gripping (though for your own sake pick up a shorter cut).I prefer the director's cut! I really love that movie, it's right there next to U-571 and K-19 The Widowmaker (<-- that movie rules).
Quote
StripesThese are all really good, but very different from one another. :p I thought Stripes was hilarious at the start and got less funny as it went on. I haven't seen the Gods Must Be Crazy in a really long time and I should watch it again.
Akira
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Quote
Little Shop of HorrorsI'm not really into the campy horror thing but I can enjoy it sometimes, and I love a good musical, however, the whole thing together was just too weird for me, just like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not by any means a bad flick, just not for me.
Quote
The Brothers GrimmI thought it was pretty disturbing in a fascinating way. I love the movie, but I can't stand watching it because some of the shit in there makes my skin crawl.
Quote
Where the Wild Things AreI really, really don't like this movie. Knowing the story, since I've read the children's book, it makes the film kind of deflated. I watched it, and it seemed like they were trying to do something different with it, but in the end it's pretty much the same story except the entire thing is super depressing and tense. The live-action filming is rather impressive.
Quote
Doctor StrangeloveNo fighting in the war room!
That movie was great.
Post by: SalmonGod on June 11, 2014, 06:48:06 am
Perfect BlueMan, this one... it made more sense than it could have, but I still think the thriller aspects kind of got lost under the "wait, how did...?" parts. I thought specific concepts in it were good, but I didn't like it as a whole.
Really? The whole thing made sense to me.
QuoteWhere the Wild Things AreI really, really don't like this movie. Knowing the story, since I've read the children's book, it makes the film kind of deflated. I watched it, and it seemed like they were trying to do something different with it, but in the end it's pretty much the same story except the entire thing is super depressing and tense. The live-action filming is rather impressive.
Now here's one that I think the majority of viewers are doomed to not understand. The whole point of it, I think, is to show how an INFP child experiences the world in their own unique growing up process. As half INFP myself and having talked with a few full-on INFPs about how they experience things, I could get it. Most people are not anything like that or have developed any awareness of those who are, so it goes way over their heads.
And yeah... I was really impressed with the balance they managed in the story between innocent and terrifying. There were a couple very, very suspenseful scenes.
Post by: TD1 on June 11, 2014, 07:13:04 am
-snip-
I've only seen four of them. And a bit of the Dark Crystal, which I gave up on after a few minutes.
Post by: Sappho on June 11, 2014, 10:11:21 am
QuoteWhere the Wild Things AreI really, really don't like this movie. Knowing the story, since I've read the children's book, it makes the film kind of deflated. I watched it, and it seemed like they were trying to do something different with it, but in the end it's pretty much the same story except the entire thing is super depressing and tense. The live-action filming is rather impressive.
Now here's one that I think the majority of viewers are doomed to not understand. The whole point of it, I think, is to show how an INFP child experiences the world in their own unique growing up process. As half INFP myself and having talked with a few full-on INFPs about how they experience things, I could get it. Most people are not anything like that or have developed any awareness of those who are, so it goes way over their heads.
I disagree. I don't think it's as specific as that. And although I love the book, I don't consider the film to be in any way a retelling of that story. It's an original work which was inspired by the book.
The book was about feeling angry, something other children's books never did at the time. The film goes beyond that, exploring anger, fear, loneliness, hopelessness, etc. To me, this film taps into raw feelings that are usually difficult to get at. It's about many different things, but while it may have different specific meanings for different people, I think if you go into it with an open mind and no expectations or preconceptions, it's really an astounding film with something to offer to everyone. I'm actually surprised to discover that not everyone likes it or thinks it's good.
Unless you like to keep your feelings hidden carefully away, I guess, or consider showing emotion to be weak or wrong, even when you're alone. I watch that film whenever I feel the need to cry.
Post by: SalmonGod on June 11, 2014, 12:06:00 pm
QuoteWhere the Wild Things AreI really, really don't like this movie. Knowing the story, since I've read the children's book, it makes the film kind of deflated. I watched it, and it seemed like they were trying to do something different with it, but in the end it's pretty much the same story except the entire thing is super depressing and tense. The live-action filming is rather impressive.
Now here's one that I think the majority of viewers are doomed to not understand. The whole point of it, I think, is to show how an INFP child experiences the world in their own unique growing up process. As half INFP myself and having talked with a few full-on INFPs about how they experience things, I could get it. Most people are not anything like that or have developed any awareness of those who are, so it goes way over their heads.
I disagree. I don't think it's as specific as that. And although I love the book, I don't consider the film to be in any way a retelling of that story. It's an original work which was inspired by the book.
The book was about feeling angry, something other children's books never did at the time. The film goes beyond that, exploring anger, fear, loneliness, hopelessness, etc. To me, this film taps into raw feelings that are usually difficult to get at. It's about many different things, but while it may have different specific meanings for different people, I think if you go into it with an open mind and no expectations or preconceptions, it's really an astounding film with something to offer to everyone. I'm actually surprised to discover that not everyone likes it or thinks it's good.
Unless you like to keep your feelings hidden carefully away, I guess, or consider showing emotion to be weak or wrong, even when you're alone. I watch that film whenever I feel the need to cry.
It's not that I think the purpose of the film is supposed to be that specific.
I just think it explains the presentation. I was really curious about the film when it first came out, and went looking around to see what people's reactions were. The vast majority didn't have a clue what to think of it. They thought it was a bunch of pointless nonsense. Playful imagery cashing in on the book without any substance. Whereas I could easily recognize what it was doing, and that it was intended to be very much its own story, loosely inspired by the book. The only other people I found who got it were INFPs or people who were close to that.
I realized it's because other types don't use fantasy to learn about the world, at least not on the same level. I'm INXP (very strongly INP and right on the line between T/F), and much of my personal development has come from absorbing fantasy. I read something like Tolkien and find revelations that cause pieces of my perspective on the real world to fall into place and make sense. I've talked with some people who were all the way INFP, who described sort of the same thing, except they spent large parts of their childhood completely absorbed in their own personal fantasies (imaginary friends and the like) with the same end result. Most other people just don't experience or process information this way.
The kid in the movie learns deep lessons about his own emotions and how he socializes them, and he does it through becoming completely immersed in his own epic imaginary fantasy. Most people just don't relate to that.
And yeah... I think I teared up too.
Post by: NobodyPro on June 11, 2014, 12:11:33 pm
Post by: Harry Baldman on June 11, 2014, 01:06:33 pm
- Perfect Sense - kind of a romantic movie, but the underlying concept was cool enough for me to greatly appreciate it.
- Matchstick Men - Nic Cage is a neurotic, phobic conman! Definitely on the good side of Cage movies.
- Bringing Out The Dead - Nic Cage is a paramedic! I liked the soundtrack, and it had a slightly dreamlike quality to it.
- Vampire's Kiss - Nic Cage may or may not be turning into a vampire! Definitely a good bad movie.
- Dark Star - sort of comedy sci-fi? Some questionable special effects, but I loved it completely.
- Jodorowsky's Dune - a documentary about the most amazing sci-fi movie project I've heard of. Very good, and Jodorowsky has a fun accent to listen to.
Post by: Sappho on June 11, 2014, 01:22:01 pm
Post by: Vector on June 11, 2014, 01:52:24 pm
Post by: Delta Foxtrot on June 11, 2014, 01:53:43 pm
Nic Cage. He makes horrible films. Absolutely dreadful. On the upside he's a great actor. Interesting thing, that. I also second Dark Star recommendation. An interesting little sci-fi-com. And I can always appreciate a Kubric homage. At least I'm pretty sure it was a Kubric homage. It has a philosophical little chat with a bomb among other amusing bits, unless I'm mistaken on the film.
I don't remember seeing any Herzog films mentioned here (but then it's been 200 +/- posts since the OP), so how about Aguirre. Wrath of God is the English subtitle. It's a tale about a group of Spanish conquistadors in search of an Indian treasure city deep in the jungles of South America, somewhere along the Amazon river. There is much madness, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's seen Herzog's direction or Klaus Kinski's acting in action before. Comparisons to Apocalypse Now would not be totally unfounded.
Post by: Harry Baldman on June 11, 2014, 02:41:11 pm
Are we talking about the Mexican(?) surrealist film maker Jodorowsky? I've seen a few of his films and they're... I don't even know. I guess that's surrealism for you. And I'm assuming Dune would have been based on the famous book? Sounds like something I'd have to hunt down, thanks.
He's apparently Chilean, but he worked in Mexico, and his version of Dune is one worth learning of (and the documentary of the parts of its making that happened plays out much more interestingly than most documentaries do).
Nic Cage. He makes horrible films. Absolutely dreadful. On the upside he's a great actor. Interesting thing, that. I also second Dark Star recommendation. An interesting little sci-fi-com. And I can always appreciate a Kubric homage. At least I'm pretty sure it was a Kubric homage. It has a philosophical little chat with a bomb among other amusing bits, unless I'm mistaken on the film.
I can't really say the same, but that's presumably due to different standards on what a dreadful film is. There are a few films of his that are definitely on the lower end of the quality scale (Ghost Rider or Deadfall are ones that immediately come to mind that I've seen, genuinely sub-par films, those), but some of his work, like Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, Leaving Las Vegas, Matchstick Men, even the sillier ones like Vampire's Kiss I think of as superior-quality movies.
I don't remember seeing any Herzog films mentioned here (but then it's been 200 +/- posts since the OP), so how about Aguirre. Wrath of God is the English subtitle. It's a tale about a group of Spanish conquistadors in search of an Indian treasure city deep in the jungles of South America, somewhere along the Amazon river. There is much madness, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's seen Herzog's direction or Klaus Kinski's acting in action before. Comparisons to Apocalypse Now would not be totally unfounded.
Wasn't that one filmed with a great deal of insanity involved as well? I should probably watch that, actually. I've only seen Bad Lieutenant 2 of his movies, and I sure loved that.
Post by: penguinofhonor on June 11, 2014, 02:55:49 pm
Also if you haven't seen The Big Lebowski then see it. Now.
I remember that being pretty good. I've only watched it once.
I've seen it at least five or six times. I'd recommend watching it again. It's written very well and there's a lot of subtle stuff that's harder to catch until you get more familiar with the movie.
Post by: Kadzar on June 11, 2014, 04:21:47 pm
Dark CrystalAnd that reminds me that you need to add Labyrinth (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/) to that list.
Post by: Helgoland on June 11, 2014, 04:28:15 pm
Post by: Jopax on June 11, 2014, 04:36:21 pm
Because seriously, Iron fucking Sky.
Post by: Biowraith on June 11, 2014, 04:53:35 pm
It's about a gifted but troubled (possibly schizophrenic) teen growing up in 80s suburban America.
Also time travel, parallel universes, the end of the world, and a creepy soft-spoken rabbit called Frank.
I'm not sure the time travel aspect holds up to close scrutiny, and it's possibly not quite as clever as it (or some fans) thinks it is, but it's still a good film and worth a watch or two.
Post by: SalmonGod on June 11, 2014, 05:14:38 pm
Most other people just don't experience or process information this way.
Wait... really? I'm INTP to the point where I'm currently working on being able to feel anything, and I mostly process the world/plan/learn etc. through fantasizing/reading fiction... and I was a serious daydreamer/player of imaginary games as a kid.
I could be wrong, and I know my analyses doesn't apply universally. Maybe it has more to do with being introverted or NP. But INFP is the one type that's very strongly associated with this kind of thing (go to the INFP section on personalitycafe (http://personalitycafe.com/infp-forum-idealists/17861-you-know-youre-infp-when.html) and most of the talk is about being off in wonderland). And I've known a couple INFPs who said they would not just daydream, but would wander the woods actively engaging in fantasy to the point of losing touch with reality until someone else would come along and bring them back... much like the kid in that film.
Regardless, it's pretty safe to say that it's a movie very few ESTJs will relate to.
Post by: Orange Wizard on June 12, 2014, 02:19:16 am
Iron SkyI mentioned that one earlier. It's pretty awesome, I must say.
Post by: Parsely on June 12, 2014, 02:45:38 am
I've seen it on Netflix. I once watched about five minutes in before getting distracted and doing something else. That was a while ago.Iron SkyI mentioned that one earlier. It's pretty awesome, I must say.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on June 12, 2014, 10:45:00 am
Post by: Kadzar on June 12, 2014, 05:45:27 pm
Post by: Parsely on June 12, 2014, 06:01:44 pm
I just watched The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096764/) today. Do recommend.Would recommend as well. It's Monty Python, but don't expect as much humor as in their other performances.
Post by: Kadzar on June 12, 2014, 06:46:53 pm
Which reminds me: Erik the Viking (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097289/).
Post by: Parsely on June 12, 2014, 06:51:54 pm
It's not really Monty Python; it's just directed by a Python and has some Python cast members.Which is exactly what I said. It is Monty Python, it's done by their troupe, it's just not funny. :p It reminds me a lot of Time Bandits, really.
Post by: Kadzar on June 12, 2014, 07:26:53 pm
And I should probably watch Time Bandits some time. I once started watching it late at night and fell asleep because I was so tired, and therefore only saw the very beginning of it.
Post by: Orange Wizard on June 12, 2014, 10:38:59 pm
And I should probably watch Time Bandits some time. I once started watching it late at night and fell asleep because I was so tired, and therefore only saw the very beginning of it.It's like me and James Bond films. I always fall asleep in those and I don't know why.
Post by: Harry Baldman on June 13, 2014, 07:00:01 am
Also, seconding The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. And Time Bandits. And recommending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Post by: TD1 on June 13, 2014, 10:44:43 am
And I should probably watch Time Bandits some time. I once started watching it late at night and fell asleep because I was so tired, and therefore only saw the very beginning of it.It's like me and James Bond films. I always fall asleep in those and I don't know why.
My brother achieved the level of heretic in my eyes by falling asleep in the cinema.
During the first-day release of the first hobbit movie!
Still plotting his death.
Post by: WillowLuman on June 13, 2014, 11:12:41 am
Post by: Jopax on June 13, 2014, 03:59:22 pm
It's a great movie, a good SF movie with an interesting idea and it greatly uses how hateable Tom Cruise can be to its advantage.
Post by: Tawa on June 13, 2014, 06:34:47 pm
In his defence, I'd probably have fallen asleep if I wasn't so confused about the alterations and embellishments.The real problem is the second movie.
Dwarves and elves breeding? That's just dirty teachings right there.
Post by: Orange Wizard on June 14, 2014, 03:34:55 am
Dwarves and elves breedingEwww.
What is halfway between a dwarf and an elf? A human?
Post by: miauw62 on June 14, 2014, 03:40:03 am
Post by: Orange Wizard on June 14, 2014, 03:53:54 am
Post by: SalmonGod on June 14, 2014, 01:13:51 pm
(http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120719210321/fantendo/images/6/62/ALF.jpg)
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 16, 2014, 03:42:16 am
There's never any exposition as to why or how the world ends, you're just dropped in the midst of the last hours before the event(which is public knowledge). Ther's no heroes trying to avert fate, just regular people coming to terms with the futility of existence. It's very, very uplifting for a film infused with an aura of inescapable doom.
Post by: Evil Knievel on June 16, 2014, 03:23:20 pm
Somebody mentioned The Man from Earth a while back. I remembered another "talky" film, with a similar vibe of quiet poignancy. It's called Last Night(http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1094041-last_night/), and it's about people dealing with the imminent end of the world.
There's never any exposition as to why or how the world ends, you're just dropped in the midst of the last hours before the event(which is public knowledge). Ther's no heroes trying to avert fate, just regular people coming to terms with the futility of existence. It's very, very uplifting for a film infused with an aura of inescapable doom.
Like Melancholia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186/)?
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 16, 2014, 05:10:23 pm
For one, I'd question whether there was anything uplifting in having Lars von Trier repeatedly hit you on the head with a big blue metaphor for life-destroying depression, while whispering in your ear to abandon all hope and just give up already.
Post by: Delta Foxtrot on June 16, 2014, 05:40:38 pm
RottenTomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mindwalk/)
Nothing quite as dramatic as Man From Earth or Last Night.
Post by: Vector on June 16, 2014, 07:32:36 pm
Post by: Kishmond on June 17, 2014, 12:35:16 am
Love that movie. Still don't get it entirely though.
Unfortunately, it was recently taken off of Netflix. Not sure where you can (legally) get it now.
Post by: WealthyRadish on June 17, 2014, 01:36:43 am
Edit:
Derpgoogled, I was thinking of another time travel movie, but I do remember Primer.
Editedit:
Timecrimes! That's the one I was thinking of.
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 17, 2014, 02:00:18 am
Primer. Watch Primer.Have you seen Upstream Colour? I.e., the other Shane Carruth film.
Love that movie. Still don't get it entirely though.
Primer was at least understandable in principle. It was an engineer's film. You had a feeling that there was a logical plot behind all that discombabulating time travel shenanigans and its laudable refusal to give any exposition at all, and if you only spend some time working it out you'll figure it out.
Upstream Colour seems to be a completely different kettle of fish. It's a pretty damn crazy maybe mystical, maybe allegory, maybe impressionistic head-scratcher. I'm not convinced if what's happening on screen is even supposed to be disentangled, if it means anything.
Post by: Dutchling on June 17, 2014, 02:01:31 am
Is part 2 any good?
Post by: Sappho on June 17, 2014, 02:19:54 am
I just watched the Godfather. So now officially everyone ever has seen that movie.
I haven't. And I have no interest in ever watching it. Excuse me while I duck and cover.
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 17, 2014, 02:22:30 am
It's because you've read the book, isn't it? Don't fret, there's no corrective vaginal surgeries in the film. They had the sense to cut that part out.I just watched the Godfather. So now officially everyone ever has seen that movie.
I haven't. And I have no interest in ever watching it. Excuse me while I duck and cover.
Post by: Eagleon on June 17, 2014, 02:37:39 am
I'm with Sappho here. It's weird, I can listen to a bunch of teachers talking to each other about one thing for over an hour in a single setpiece cabin, but you throw in family drama, even family drama with machine guns, and I pass out from boredom.It's because you've read the book, isn't it? Don't fret, there's no corrective vaginal surgeries in the film. They had the sense to cut that part out.I just watched the Godfather. So now officially everyone ever has seen that movie.
I haven't. And I have no interest in ever watching it. Excuse me while I duck and cover.
Post by: miauw62 on June 17, 2014, 04:46:12 am
Dead Man is a really good movie. It's a psychedelic western about an accountant who travels by train to a frontier village in the middle of nowhere to become an accountant there. When he arrives, he finds that his position has already been filled. After this some stuff happens and he finds himself being tracked by three infamous cowboys, while he meets an Indian called Nobody that thinks he is the reincarnation of a poet.
It's a really weird movie, but I really like it. It's one of my favorite movies, alongside Moon.
Post by: Orange Wizard on June 17, 2014, 07:20:54 pm
Wait, what? The hell kind of film is this? ???It's because you've read the book, isn't it? Don't fret, there's no corrective vaginal surgeries in the film. They had the sense to cut that part out.I just watched the Godfather. So now officially everyone ever has seen that movie.I haven't. And I have no interest in ever watching it. Excuse me while I duck and cover.
Post by: Parsely on June 18, 2014, 12:33:22 am
Wait, what? The hell kind of film is this? ???He just said that part wasn't in the film. :p And it's about pre-40s gangsters.
Post by: Sappho on June 18, 2014, 01:10:02 am
It may also have something to do with the fact that I can't relate to "family" being in any way significant in life. My family is something I simply don't think about anymore after a horrible abusive childhood, and as soon as I was old enough, I just got up and left, moved halfway across the world. I can never understand in these gangster films why the "family" feels obligated to stay together when they could just get on a plane and leave the country. Or why you would choose to protect a family member who treats you badly rather than help someone unrelated who's good to you. It's all just nonsense to me.
And anyway, the story and images and themes of the Godfather are so ubiquitous in media nowadays that I already pretty much know the story and all the most famous lines even without watching the film.
On the other hand, I second Dead Man. Surreal, psychedelic stuff, extremely well done. Funny, emotional, mind-blowing at times. There are so many moments in that film where I just feel like YES! Why don't more films do THIS? And the characters are just amazing. Plus, the music is awesome.
Post by: Parsely on June 18, 2014, 01:13:53 am
Post by: Mech#4 on June 18, 2014, 01:20:13 am
It was a long series though, and the second one I really can't remember much. I think it's mostly a flashback.
Post by: Parsely on June 18, 2014, 01:24:45 am
It was a long series though, and the second one I really can't remember much. I think it's mostly a flashback.Yeah, same here. Can't really remember all the details, but I have vague impressions.
Post by: Mech#4 on June 18, 2014, 04:24:59 am
It was a long series though, and the second one I really can't remember much. I think it's mostly a flashback.Yeah, same here. Can't really remember all the details, but I have vague impressions.
Only part I remember is them stealing a carpet. I think it's mostly origins and their justifications for why the family was formed.
Post by: Comrade P. on June 18, 2014, 03:15:48 pm
Post by: Harry Baldman on June 26, 2014, 05:51:41 pm
- El Topo, wherein crazy things and symbolism happen in the desert. Pretty interesting imagery and concepts, and it was also really fun to watch.
- Apocalypse Now, which I had heard was boring (and Heart of Darkness, which is what it's based on, really was kind of a boring book, though I suspect I'd like it better on the second read), but turned out to be one of the better road trip movies I have seen. Pretty atmospheric, and it's got the Vietnam War in it.
Post by: Fniff on June 26, 2014, 05:55:56 pm
Post by: Parsely on June 26, 2014, 06:05:54 pm
Post by: Harry Baldman on June 26, 2014, 06:12:39 pm
I can't recommend Ravenous enough. That one's on Netflix. It's terribly intriguing and it had me guessing the whole way through.
Was that the one with cannibals during the Civil War?
Post by: Parsely on June 26, 2014, 06:28:16 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on July 02, 2014, 11:06:49 am
Post by: Levi on July 02, 2014, 11:09:02 am
I can't recommend Ravenous enough. That one's on Netflix. It's terribly intriguing and it had me guessing the whole way through.
Seconded. Loved that movie.
Post by: Gulddom on July 02, 2014, 03:43:12 pm
Post by: WillowLuman on July 02, 2014, 03:53:51 pm
If you're into action movies I would suggest Troll Hunter. It's a movie set in Norway about some university students who end up finding a government agent who hunts trolls for a living. It's available on Netflix last I checked. Although if you can't stand subtitles I wouldn't botherI would recommend this one as well. Isn't nearly as B-movie as it sounds.
Post by: TD1 on July 02, 2014, 03:54:41 pm
Post by: Parsely on July 02, 2014, 03:55:21 pm
Not the best movie IMO.If you're into action movies I would suggest Troll Hunter. It's a movie set in Norway about some university students who end up finding a government agent who hunts trolls for a living. It's available on Netflix last I checked. Although if you can't stand subtitles I wouldn't botherI would recommend this one as well. Isn't nearly as B-movie as it sounds.
Post by: WillowLuman on July 02, 2014, 03:56:18 pm
Post by: Parsely on July 02, 2014, 04:32:25 pm
Not saying it's the best, but it's much better than it sounds. Worth a view if you're bored.What I mean is: "I did not like it. I think it is a bad movie." I've friends who enjoyed it, so it's prolly just not my cup of tea.
Post by: Jopax on July 03, 2014, 10:41:29 am
Anyways, just finished watching The Raid 2. Pretty damn good, they basically took the first one and upped it to 11. It's even got a plot to speak of now! Also some rather iconic scenes.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: WillowLuman on August 06, 2014, 05:23:47 pm
Post by: Yoink on August 06, 2014, 05:55:05 pm
Man, there have been some interesting suggestions in this thread over the past couple of pages. I definitely need to check some of these out. Oh, and, Apocalypse Now has to be one of my favourite films. It was amazing to watch.
I couldn't get through the book, though. I think I got over halfway and gave up, it was just... too obtuse in its wording.
I think I already suggested my favourite films that haven't been suggested already.
Post by: smirk on August 06, 2014, 11:50:46 pm
On a lighter note: Turtles Forever (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1543920/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). Animated TMNT movie with multiple teams of turtles from different incarnations of the series (mostly the modern 'cool' turtles and the goofy 80s guys). It... it kicks so much ass. I probably won't even go to see the new one this weekend; I'll just re-watch this instead =D
Post by: Baffler on August 07, 2014, 01:02:35 am
Post by: Neonivek on August 07, 2014, 01:04:20 am
Huh; I might be the only person I know who actually prefers the extended edition of Apocalypse Now. Thought the additions and slower pacing added to it very well. It is a war movie, but much more of an Odyssey than an action flick.
On a lighter note: Turtles Forever (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1543920/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). Animated TMNT movie with multiple teams of turtles from different incarnations of the series (mostly the modern 'cool' turtles and the goofy 80s guys). It... it kicks so much ass. I probably won't even go to see the new one this weekend; I'll just re-watch this instead =D
I do warn you... if you remember the 1987 Ninja Turtles very well and LIKED the 1987 Ninja Turtles... It will disappoint you in their depiction.
Lets just say, I have a suspicion that the people who made the movie actually hate the 1987 Ninja Turtles... but had to do a tribute anyway.
Post by: Yoink on August 07, 2014, 02:20:51 am
Huh; I might be the only person I know who actually prefers the extended edition of Apocalypse Now. Thought the additions and slower pacing added to it very well. It is a war movie, but much more of an Odyssey than an action flick.Well, I've only seen the extended edition, myself.
The scene in question certainly didn't detract from the film in my opinion, though; I thought it was great.
Post by: TamerVirus on August 24, 2014, 03:46:58 pm
Snowpiercer- it's as if a side scrolling beat-em-up game from the 90s was made into a movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy- surprisingly good, given the less mainstream property used. Lots of explosions
Post by: Cthulufaic on August 24, 2014, 04:52:36 pm
It's a Bollywood movie about a badass cop in an Indian village fighting against corruption and injustice. One of the most memorable movies I've ever seen.
I hear the sequel is pretty meh though :/
Post by: MetalSlimeHunt on August 24, 2014, 05:00:10 pm
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on September 12, 2014, 11:53:45 pm
Post by: WillowLuman on September 12, 2014, 11:56:02 pm
Blade runner was pretty goodWhat a coincidence, watching it right now.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on September 12, 2014, 11:58:56 pm
Perfect timing
Post by: TamerVirus on September 18, 2014, 08:33:23 am
Post by: NobodyPro on September 18, 2014, 08:47:14 am
Snowpiercer- it's as if a side scrolling beat-em-up game from the 90s was made into a movie.Seconding this.
Some more movies:
Black Dynamite (followed by the animated series)
Martyrs
Post by: TamerVirus on September 18, 2014, 10:02:52 am
Post by: Parsely on September 18, 2014, 10:07:27 am
Post by: Kadzar on September 18, 2014, 06:06:56 pm
Post by: Parsely on September 18, 2014, 07:44:34 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on November 13, 2014, 10:26:57 am
Who saw Interstellar, and what did you think of it?
Post by: Helgoland on November 13, 2014, 10:56:01 am
So I saw a great movie yesterday, one I should recommend. You know, there comes a time in every man's life when he asks himself: How can I demonstrate my sophistication, intellectuality, and general superiority to my friends? And how can I still keep enjoying myself?
The answer to the first question obviously is watching European-made movies. In the original, preferrably. The answer to the second question is making it In Order Of Disappearance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1-Fm3xx6gw).
A Swedish plowdriver going on a rampage to avenge his son, setting off a gang war in the process - and all this set in the frozen mountains of Norway. It's a goddamn inside tip - this movie won't be hyped, of that I'm sure.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on November 13, 2014, 12:23:52 pm
I went to see Big Hero 6 recently
the commercials make it look like it would be silly, nope, it was pretty serious.
It had a couple of good life lessons in it
all around good movie
Post by: WillowLuman on November 13, 2014, 01:15:10 pm
Bringing this back.
Who saw Interstellar, and what did you think of it?
It was pretty good, though there were some parts (especially in the middle) that air groanworthy. Saw it in IMAX, the sound at some points is loud enough to actually feel like wind. Which was awesome.
Still want to see Book of Life and Big Hero 6, since I'm a sucker for animation.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on November 13, 2014, 03:25:41 pm
Bringing this back.
Who saw Interstellar, and what did you think of it?
It was pretty good, though there were some parts (especially in the middle) that air groanworthy. Saw it in IMAX, the sound at some points is loud enough to actually feel like wind. Which was awesome.
Still want to see Book of Life and Big Hero 6, since I'm a sucker for animation.
Big Hero 6 was great
Post by: Parsely on November 13, 2014, 03:41:44 pm
Post by: Vector on November 14, 2014, 02:35:59 am
Post by: smirk on November 14, 2014, 08:15:40 pm
Post by: i2amroy on November 14, 2014, 09:40:00 pm
After strenuous and slightly alcoholic fact-checking, I have confirmed that The Blues Brothers is indeed still a classic.Plus it's been declared a "Catholic Classic" by the Vatican! That's got to be worth something!
Post by: TamerVirus on November 16, 2014, 12:39:37 am
While the plot was relatively predictable, it's still pretty funny and has gorgeous production values.
Apparently Disney had to set up a supercluster of computers just to render the lighting in the damn thing
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on November 16, 2014, 12:57:52 am
Oh my god! That movie was so freaking amazing and well written
Was on the edge of my seat the whole movie (ok the latter 2/3 of it but still)
I will be seeing this movie again many times
Post by: Bohandas on November 16, 2014, 01:18:22 am
Post by: Parsely on November 16, 2014, 01:21:32 am
Big Trouble in Little China is a perennial favorite of mine (not to be confused with Big Trouble, also a favorite)Seconded. I love Kurt and I love Carpenter even more.
Post by: WealthyRadish on November 16, 2014, 02:03:35 am
Not sure what I was expecting, but I thought it was great. If the title's enough to make me laugh, I'll usually watch it, and this was worth it.
Post by: Vector on November 16, 2014, 02:04:26 am
Post by: Askot Bokbondeler on November 18, 2014, 07:27:40 pm
all in all i'd rather watch scott manley playing ksp, depite the inferior graphics
Post by: Yoink on November 18, 2014, 11:45:51 pm
So I saw a great movie yesterday, one I should recommend. You know, there comes a time in every man's life when he asks himself: How can I demonstrate my sophistication, intellectuality, and general superiority to my friends? And how can I still keep enjoying myself?This looks frigging awesome, definitely adding it to my to-watch list. Thanks!
The answer to the first question obviously is watching European-made movies. In the original, preferrably. The answer to the second question is making it In Order Of Disappearance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1-Fm3xx6gw).
A Swedish plowdriver going on a rampage to avenge his son, setting off a gang war in the process - and all this set in the frozen mountains of Norway. It's a goddamn inside tip - this movie won't be hyped, of that I'm sure.
Anyway, I've been really getting into B-Grade horror/action/comedy/whatever lately. All because of a cool looking box set I happened to stumble across in a shop specialising in obscure DVDs. The movie that box set was for? The Class of Nuke 'Em High. Hilarious stuff, go watch it.
I'm (hopefully) going to a couple of nights at a horror film festival over the next week or so, too. Looking forward to seeing Wolf Cop, Dead Snow 2, Throwback and Fury (not the shitty Brad Pitt film which I had the misfortune of seeing recently) especially. :D Going to see Nuke 'Em High and The Toxic Avenger (which I haven't seen yet) back-to-back as well, which promises to be a good time!
Post by: Yoink on December 03, 2014, 07:00:34 pm
So I saw a great movie yesterday, one I should recommend. You know, there comes a time in every man's life when he asks himself: How can I demonstrate my sophistication, intellectuality, and general superiority to my friends? And how can I still keep enjoying myself?Gonna watch it with a friend later. :D I am excited.
The answer to the first question obviously is watching European-made movies. In the original, preferrably. The answer to the second question is making it In Order Of Disappearance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1-Fm3xx6gw).
A Swedish plowdriver going on a rampage to avenge his son, setting off a gang war in the process - and all this set in the frozen mountains of Norway. It's a goddamn inside tip - this movie won't be hyped, of that I'm sure.
Post by: Helgoland on December 03, 2014, 07:22:05 pm
Post by: KingofstarrySkies on December 03, 2014, 07:34:41 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on December 03, 2014, 11:08:11 pm
The basic gist is that a woman's husband dies driving her to the hospital to deliver her son. Her son is obsessed with monsters and she pulls him out of school after he brings a homemade crossbow to school. A book called "Mister Babadook" appears in his book shelf and she reads it to him and as he grows obsessed with the Babadook her life starts to fall apart.
Spoiler: If anyone's seen it (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on December 04, 2014, 03:31:17 am
Post by: Helgoland on December 04, 2014, 05:36:41 am
Post by: Yoink on December 04, 2014, 06:09:33 am
Also I just realised I accidentally double-posted earlier. Eek.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on December 04, 2014, 09:00:16 pm
I heartily recommend V for Vendetta and Fanboys. Both are mindbogglingly awesome.V for vendetta was great until I watched five times in a row then it just got bland between the explosions .-.
Post by: WillowLuman on December 04, 2014, 09:06:43 pm
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on December 05, 2014, 09:23:34 am
Post by: WillowLuman on December 05, 2014, 12:50:56 pm
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on December 05, 2014, 05:48:03 pm
Also I'm a teenager in at the will of whatever my parents get
Post by: WillowLuman on December 05, 2014, 05:59:10 pm
Movie recommendation: Hogfather. Probably the best adaptation of a Discworld book. I'd recommend reading the book first, but you don't have to in order to understand what's going on.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on December 05, 2014, 06:01:26 pm
Mostly tv shows
Wait dose a direct tv thing count? We can watch recorded stuff but don't have the movie Chanels
Post by: WillowLuman on December 05, 2014, 06:12:48 pm
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on December 06, 2014, 12:13:41 am
No wireless internet out here in the middle of freaking nowhere
Post by: WealthyRadish on December 21, 2014, 07:31:18 am
Post by: Flying Dice on December 21, 2014, 12:42:15 pm
Post by: Urist McManiac on January 12, 2015, 10:45:48 am
I'm looking for movies which evoke the same or a similar atmosphere as movies like Underworld (first three, especially the first) or "Let the right one in" (original).
It doesn't have to be something about vampires (actually, after watching those two movies I'd prefer something else for a change), but it shoud have a dark and mysterious atmosphere. It's hard to describe what I'm looking for, although the label "gothic atmosphere" could probably fit.
Genre doesn't matter that much, but I guess thrillers/horror movies are probably the best fit for my request.
Post by: WillowLuman on January 12, 2015, 11:53:15 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on January 21, 2015, 06:43:57 pm
What can I say, it was fantastic. Dark as hell. Does the 'show not tell' shtick masterfully, almost to a fault.
A treat for those who like their films brainy, cryptic, evocative and disquieting. Needs to be watched at night, with no distractions, to help with immersion. I don't think they're playing it in cinemas anymore.
Post by: Bohandas on February 14, 2015, 01:49:21 am
Post by: miauw62 on February 14, 2015, 04:02:53 am
It's a pretty strange movie, mind you, but still very engaging.
Post by: Helgoland on February 14, 2015, 04:39:19 pm
Also, In Order of Disappearance is still great.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on February 16, 2015, 09:32:44 am
Fluffy movie: this is a movie for comedian Gabriel (Iglesias?) who is larger comedian, movie title comes from one of his jokes 'I'm not fat I'm fluffy'. Was a pretty good kinda funny movie but wasn't as good as most of his standup acts, it was a lot more of life story stuff and less of the hilarious comedy he normally does but still a good movie. 7.5/10 would watch again
The Giver: Based on a book by the same name, enter a 'utopian' society where the world has no problems, people are the same, there is no discrimination, and there is no emotion. Except for the one elder who keeps all the communities memories in case of dire situations where someone who knows about last events could become useful. Jonas has been chosen as the receiver of memories to fill in the aging man who currently holds them. But will the emotions become too much for him to handle? 9/10 biased because it did the book justice.
Paddington Bear: This is a very cute movie, a bit sad at points and heartwarming in others. There are a few scenes that make absolutly no sense at all but then you have to remind yourself that it's a movie about a young talking bear in London. 7.8/10 would watch again
Fury: This is a gore fest of World War Two, a new recruit is sent in to replace the recently killed assistant driver of the tank nicknamed 'FURY'. This tank's crew has been together since the start of the war and now the new guy is not welcomed at all as they fight to end the war in the heart of Germany. This movie reveals some very scary and possibly true scenes of what soilders were like during this war, one scene the new guy is forced to murder a surrendering German soilder. Watch as they fight through thick and thin of the final days of the war. 8/10 warning very graphic violence
Post by: Il Palazzo on February 16, 2015, 09:55:27 am
FuryThis film is dumb, and the dumbness gets only accentuated by its pretentiousness. Steer away from it.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on February 16, 2015, 10:05:57 am
The only problem I have is that it's inaccurate, but so is a lot of stuff about WW2
Post by: Il Palazzo on February 16, 2015, 11:12:41 am
It's internally inconsistent, tonally-challenged, ham-fisted and arrogant.
It wants to be two things at once: an anti-war film, and an army recruitment advert.
But having the redshirts and attractive civilians die just to drive the first one home feels less like the cruel randomness of war, and more like the sergeant from FMJ shouting at you: 'did you get it yet?' With the same level of subtlety.
Who gets to die and who lives is all telegraphed miles ahead and is as surprising to see as the credits roll when the film finally ends.
Half way through, the film remembers its other raison d'etre, and what you get, essentially, is a 300 movie, with mooks properly demonised and made easy to dispose of. There is no tension whatsoever, as the tank is equipped with a special forcefield making the enemies stupid.
Now maybe some people find the chiselled face of an American Hero telling them that 'war is hell' while wading through heaps of corpses of undeniably evil enemies and perhaps even heroically dying at the end a step up from other comic-book fare out there, but I found it insulting, ham-fisted and dumb.
God, I hate this film.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on February 16, 2015, 11:33:31 am
Haven't you played any WW2 call of duty game? Or seen other movies about it?
There are few movies that don't depict it like that, especially with all of Germany being mindless retarded mooks.
Post by: Il Palazzo on February 16, 2015, 11:36:39 am
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on February 16, 2015, 11:41:30 am
No stupidity doesn't justify itself but widespread stupidy does make what's going to happen predictable and expected.
Post by: Parsely on February 16, 2015, 03:07:58 pm
Post by: SalmonGod on February 26, 2015, 04:11:52 pm
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on February 26, 2015, 04:38:37 pm
Just saw The Kingsmen. It was a super fun movie!+1
Great movie
Post by: SalmonGod on February 27, 2015, 07:59:27 pm
Just saw The Kingsmen. It was a super fun movie!+1
Great movie
I want to own it, just so I can watch the church scene over and over again. I've had the Freebird guitar solo stuck in my head ever since I saw it.
Post by: Bohandas on March 10, 2015, 01:37:34 am
Post by: Parsely on March 10, 2015, 01:39:12 am
I reccommend all of Leslie Nielson's comedies, including the obscure ones like Space Travesty, and the Bad Golf TrilogySeconded.
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 10, 2015, 07:10:51 am
I reccommend all of Leslie Nielson's comedies, including the obscure ones like Space Travesty, and the Bad Golf TrilogyI recommend some of his earlier films:
(http://wallpapershdpicture.com/wallpaper/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/08/25432/Forbidden-Planet-Wallpaper-Poster-Wallpaper-2-300x168.jpg)
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on March 10, 2015, 07:17:30 am
It wasn't nearly as bad as the reviews said it would be. There were a few physically impossible things that happened in movie such as scanning a robot head with a neural helmet designed for humans but the movie was pretty nice in the sci to sense. Parts of it reminded me of blade runner with there being a sentient computer/robot out and about but in this movie Chappie, the sentient computer, acted like a super smart human where he had to learn everything when he was switched on. The movie touched on mortality and how morals can be stretched and bent when someone is being manipulated, especialy since that someone doesn't know better. The movie got pretty depressing at one point but all in all was a good movie.
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 15, 2015, 07:00:58 pm
It's a bit like 'Stay' (a terribly underrated film itself, imo) in atmosphere and (kinda-sorta) conceit, and a bit like 'Last Night' (an awesome film) in themes.
Recommended for those who like brooding low-burners. Don't go in expecting alien invasions, though.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beyond_2014/
http://www.beyondfilm2014.com/
Post by: Vector on March 15, 2015, 07:02:25 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 15, 2015, 07:18:09 pm
Only Lovers Left Alive.Yes! That one's good too. Albeit it's pretty much standard Jarmush - fans should gobble it up, but if you've seen any other of his films and didn't like it then you might want to give it a pass.
Spot-on casting in this one.
Speaking of recent vampire films, anyone seen 'What we do in the shadows'? An aussie pseudo-documentary about flat-sharing vampires (with a bit of a werewolf here and there).
Post by: Bohandas on March 15, 2015, 10:35:11 pm
Post by: Zrk2 on March 15, 2015, 10:42:36 pm
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on March 15, 2015, 11:31:08 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 16, 2015, 05:04:15 am
The Inigma code was goodSounds like something those zany Girmans would come up with.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on March 16, 2015, 07:04:20 am
LolThe Inigma code was goodSounds like something those zany Girmans would come up with.
I'm not sure if that was sarcasm or serious
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 16, 2015, 07:19:07 am
How about now?The Inigma code was goodSounds like something those zany Girmans would come up with.
Post by: anzki4 on March 16, 2015, 04:51:00 pm
Post by: Fniff on March 16, 2015, 05:02:44 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 25, 2015, 04:00:29 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 26, 2015, 09:33:31 am
It's called 'Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead'. I don't think I will venture to describe the plot, but I will say that the title is very fitting (there's some alien infestation thing as well, I recall).
Anyway, it's not really a recommendation for a cinephile, unless you suffer from an unhealthy attraction to the singular brand of crazy made in Japan.
I would recommend it to watch with a bunch of friends inundated with significant amounts of alcohol and/or stoned.
It's to be found on youtube.
Post by: Ghills on March 26, 2015, 01:54:30 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 29, 2015, 09:14:12 am
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spring_2015/?search=spring
It's teh shit. Not perfect shit, mind you. Sometimes a bit too heavy on exposition, sometimes a bit corny, but beautifully shot, unusual, and with great atmosphere. You should watch it.
Post by: HeroPizza42 on March 29, 2015, 12:27:55 pm
Post by: Helgoland on March 29, 2015, 02:56:17 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 29, 2015, 03:02:19 pm
BaymaxIs that what they call Big Hero 6 in your neck of the woods, Helgo?
Post by: Helgoland on March 29, 2015, 03:25:38 pm
Post by: Vector on April 13, 2015, 06:11:46 pm
Post by: Helgoland on April 13, 2015, 07:03:00 pm
Post by: Baffler on April 13, 2015, 07:36:58 pm
Post by: Parsely on April 13, 2015, 08:55:10 pm
At the urging of a friend, I watched an older animated movie called Grave of the Fireflies (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/) last night. I don't usually enjoy sad movies (or japanimation for that matter), but this one was quite good. It takes place in WWII era Japan and follows a couple of kids, a little boy and his younger sister, as they try to get by. Despite a few disturbingly graphic scenes (mostly related to American bombers), I'd recommend it to someone looking for something tragic.Did you or did you not cry.
Post by: Baffler on April 13, 2015, 10:56:41 pm
At the urging of a friend, I watched an older animated movie called Grave of the Fireflies (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/) last night. I don't usually enjoy sad movies (or japanimation for that matter), but this one was quite good. It takes place in WWII era Japan and follows a couple of kids, a little boy and his younger sister, as they try to get by. Despite a few disturbingly graphic scenes (mostly related to American bombers), I'd recommend it to someone looking for something tragic.Did you or did you not cry.
I freely admit that I was crying copiously by the end. I don't see how anyone could do any different.
Post by: Parsely on April 13, 2015, 11:18:53 pm
Post by: Yoink on April 13, 2015, 11:27:29 pm
Speaking of recent vampire films, anyone seen 'What we do in the shadows'? An aussie pseudo-documentary about flat-sharing vampires (with a bit of a werewolf here and there).I love this movie! I just talked a friend into watching it (and re-watched myself, of course) the other day.
I have to point out, though, that it's actually a New Zealand film. Even despite that it's still good, though! :P
(Also I agree entirely with your comments on Fury. Man, that movie made me angry. What a waste of a cinema ticket- although I don't think I paid for it myself, or else I'd remember being far angrier about it, surely.)
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 14, 2015, 05:16:12 am
So I saw Ex Machina (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470752/) today. Great movie, would recommend to anyone - but it really gets under your skin. It's science fiction exploring the border between man and machine in a new and in a sense rather subtle way, but it's best to go into it knowing as little as possible.Agreed. To me, this together with Her and Under the Skin are the trifecta of recent SF cinema.
I have to point out, though, that it's actually a New Zealand film. Even despite that it's still good, though! :PHuh. I though NZ was a town in
Post by: BFEL on April 14, 2015, 09:14:44 am
Post by: SalmonGod on April 14, 2015, 09:59:01 pm
At the urging of a friend, I watched an older animated movie called Grave of the Fireflies (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/) last night. I don't usually enjoy sad movies (or japanimation for that matter), but this one was quite good. It takes place in WWII era Japan and follows a couple of kids, a little boy and his younger sister, as they try to get by. Despite a few disturbingly graphic scenes (mostly related to American bombers), I'd recommend it to someone looking for something tragic.Did you or did you not cry.
I freely admit that I was crying copiously by the end. I don't see how anyone could do any different.
Going to make you cry again.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The thing I love about Grave of the Fireflies is it's the only film I know that tells a war story from that point of view. War films always either play up the tragic lives of soldiers, or they portray intentional, systemic victimization, like Jews in WW2.
But the majority of death and suffering from warfare comes from the de-stabilization that results. Destruction of infrastructure and tearing apart of families. Grave of the Fireflies is the only film I've ever seen that is completely about this, and I give it massive respect for this alone.
Post by: Yoink on April 26, 2015, 08:39:28 am
Also, In Order of Disappearance is still great.I finally got around to watching this! :D
And yes, it was a great film. I very much enjoyed its strange brand of dark humour, and The Count was one of the best characters from any movie I've watched for quite some time. I saw people hating on his 'do on IMDB, but I think they're silly. Thanks for recommending it.
I had to buy a DVD copy on eBay, but it was well worth it.
Post by: Helgoland on April 27, 2015, 02:48:50 pm
Did you do the drinking game? I'd love to try that out sometime :D
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on April 27, 2015, 10:58:36 pm
The trailer looked awesome
Post by: penguinofhonor on May 14, 2015, 04:17:10 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Jopax on May 14, 2015, 04:20:41 pm
The weirdness is so thick you can roll it into a joint and smoke it, and even then you wouldn't be as out of your mind as whoever came up with this thing.
This isn't a bad thing mind you, I just love when a movie is so wonderfully into being weird that it gives zero shits about everything else, while still being capable of making sense.
Post by: Helgoland on May 14, 2015, 05:20:12 pm
Post by: Jopax on May 14, 2015, 05:31:22 pm
Post by: Helgoland on May 14, 2015, 05:34:23 pm
Post by: RedKing on May 14, 2015, 10:01:31 pm
The storyline is a fairly fresh mashup ("two best friends in love with the same girl"-meets-"Orpheus descending into Hades" tropes, but from a Mexican mythology standpoint, mixing Dia de los Muertos iconography with Mayan figures), the dialogue is snappy and the voice acting is very solid. For one, they used a ton of actual Hispanic actors, so the accents aren't fake. And the few non-Hispanic actors (Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate and Ice Cube....yes, Ice Cube) don't try to fake an accent.
But the real jewel is the art direction....dear God, the art.
It's like Grim Fandango and the Black Velvetopia level from Psychonauts had a baby.
Spoiler: Examples. (click to show/hide)
Post by: Jopax on May 17, 2015, 04:44:43 pm
Great music too, definitely reccomended for anyone who enjoys Guy Ritchie style films, except this one is a bit darker and more serious.
Post by: SalmonGod on May 23, 2015, 12:46:04 am
Just watched it. One of the best horror movies I've seen. Tension, mystery, and paranoia 100% from beginning to end. Doesn't treat the audience like they're stupid. Tells significant parts of the story by offering glimpses and letting you fill in the blanks, and I don't mean parts where horrible things happen to people. Plot doesn't do anything obvious, and keeps you guessing the entire way through. Strange retro, but unique style (I truly wondered when the movie was made and looked it up first thing afterwards). Supernatural horror, but doesn't try to sell you a creature on special effects, not a single jump scare, low body count, only a single gory shot that's actually shown for legitimate story purpose, and doesn't sell itself on some psychological backstory about people creating a monster by doing something terrible. It's very Slenderman in nature, but lower key. Highly recommended for anyone who likes that rare kind of horror.
Post by: SalmonGod on May 23, 2015, 02:53:36 am
LIES. That basketball towards the beginning scared the crap out of me.
Ok, you got me there. I forgot about that moment.
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on August 11, 2015, 01:01:16 am
Imitation game
It's about code breakers during World War Two and the main character who has to deal with his quirks and his trouble interacting with other people to help crack the Nazi secret codes
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on August 11, 2015, 01:18:14 am
Post by: Mech#4 on August 20, 2015, 10:58:49 am
It was really enjoyable. The acting was good, the costumes, sets and areas were really well done. I shall have to put the book series down to read at a future date, along with the other two movies "Potop" ("The Deluge") and "Pan Wołodyjowski" (English Title "Fire in the Steppe" though the polish title translates as "Colonel Wolodyjowski"). I can recommend it to anyone who likes the period, battles or just Winged Hussars.
Thinking on the topic, does anyone else know of similar movies made in other countries? Ones set in or before 1800s, historical drama type movies? I know I've seen parts of a Chinese movie that might've been based on "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". It had two large armies of soldiers clashing in the grounds of a palace, purple and yellow they might've been coloured.
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 20, 2015, 11:18:42 am
Thinking on the topic, does anyone else know of similar movies made in other countries? Ones set in or before 1800s, historical drama type movies?Can you be more specific? The indicated time period spans some 17 centuries. The sword-and-sandals genre falls into that scope, and it alone has probably hundreds of titles.
Post by: Mech#4 on August 20, 2015, 12:10:07 pm
I guess I would like to see movies made by countries that focuses on their own history or well known novels based on said history. I do not mind watching movies with subtitles.
I suppose the only caveat I would have would be not movies that are heavily skewed in their perspective. Rather unavoidable sometimes I know when dealing with war but "Ogniem i Mieczem" was quite balanced in it's portrayal of both sides. At least not so far that one side is being depicted as literal evil demons who enjoy torture, killing and all that stuff.
Post by: Helgoland on August 20, 2015, 03:14:55 pm
Post by: Mech#4 on August 20, 2015, 11:57:46 pm
Post by: Helgoland on August 21, 2015, 04:42:17 am
Post by: Comrade P. on August 21, 2015, 04:55:38 pm
Not at all, I will have to look into those ones. I have heard of "Battleship Potemkin" but have never watched it. Movies with large casts for re-enacting battles are quite spectacular. I enjoy seeing all the effort that went into the sets and costumes, gives it a sense of "realness", if that makes sense.
Speaking of old Soviet cinema with massive battle scenes, there is this 1966-67 War and Peace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_and_Peace_(film_series)) movie (in four parts) that has battle scenes so massive they formed an IRL cavalry regiment of Red Army for sole purpose of filming it, because it was easier to maintain a couple of thousands of soldiers rather than a couple of thousands of random extras.
He also did some stuff set in the middle ages, I believe. Something about a big battle of German knights versus Slavic defenders of the city... Made during WWII, unsurprisingly.
Alexander Nevsky. Fought against Livonian Order knights, which were Teutonic in Eisenstein film. Sunk 'em in a frozen lake, apparently.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 03, 2015, 05:24:02 pm
It's like if The Man from Earth had a baby with Triangle.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 17, 2015, 01:29:55 pm
Post by: Levi on September 17, 2015, 01:38:16 pm
Its a alternate reality version of the DC universe where Superman's father was Zod, Batman is actually Kirk Langstrom(Man-bat) and Wonderwoman is one of the "New Gods". The three of them have no qualms against killing, but aren't really evil either.
I thought it was a lot of fun to watch, and kind of want more from the same alternate universe.
Post by: Jopax on October 03, 2015, 07:23:56 pm
It's excellent, go see it!
Post by: Tawa on October 03, 2015, 08:11:48 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Mech#4 on October 03, 2015, 11:57:15 pm
I've watched through a few episodes of MST3K. The ones I remember was one with a giant preying mantis attacking a city, "The Melting Man" or similar and "Attack of the the Eye Monsters" for how little the producers cared about that movie.
Post by: Yoink on October 04, 2015, 09:34:42 am
It has no set release date for Australia and I want to support the film, not steal it. :-\
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 05, 2015, 11:30:28 am
If you are still wondering what was the whole media craze from a few years back about, check it out.
Post by: RedKing on October 05, 2015, 11:48:38 am
I've been on an MST3K binge lately and feel that I should share some of my favorites.What, no Time of the Apes?? Or Catalina Caper, featuring a bizarre cameo by what appears to be Little Richard on horse tranquilizers?Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Yoink on October 12, 2015, 11:45:52 am
I finally persuaded my friends to watch Turbo Kid (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3672742/) with me!I recommend Turbo Kid to everyone.
What a great movie... it was actually much, much better than I was expecting. I knew New Zealand makes good films, but apparently Canada does too- and this was a joint effort between studios from both countries, apparently.
Now I'm in that strange, bittersweet post-movie mood I enter into after watching a film I really enjoy... I'll probably be acting weird for at least a day. Possibly more, given that part of the soundtrack is available online to prolong the feeling. It's like that perfect moment where you're watching the credits feeling kinda sad, but stretched out to last longer. Excuse me, I'm gonna go hit play on the soundtrack again...
Watched it earlier and it was amazing... way better than I was expecting. I'm not even sure what I was expecting, but the reality was much, much better.
Post by: Tawa on October 12, 2015, 11:51:07 am
Oh, I saw Catalina Caper too. That one was hilarious.I've been on an MST3K binge lately and feel that I should share some of my favorites.What, no Time of the Apes?? Or Catalina Caper, featuring a bizarre cameo by what appears to be Little Richard on horse tranquilizers?Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 12, 2015, 05:15:44 pm
My only gripe with it was how the character of the female counterpart to the lead felt shoehorned-in. They couldn't quite find anything sensible for her to do.
Anyway, would be fun to watch it back-to-back with 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. Same basic idea - a spy movie - and some of the same actors. Completely different vibe, though.
Post by: AlleeCat on October 14, 2015, 12:37:36 pm
Space Mutiny (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096149/) is hilarious, and involves, among other things, zamboni chases and an escape sequence that veers into "why don't you just shoot him" territory for about five straight minutes.You forgot that it stars the impeccable Reb Brown as
Post by: Comrade P. on November 10, 2015, 10:00:12 am
If you find yourself with three hours of free time in front of a device capable of playing video files, do watch this movie.
Post by: StupidElves on November 10, 2015, 11:48:31 am
No, I'm not joking. It's really good. I like it a lot. Also, watch Scooby Doo: Camp Scare. The monsters there are literally trying to kill the Scooby Gang. That's awesome.
Seriously, go watch those two movies. They're good.
Post by: Helgoland on November 10, 2015, 12:14:05 pm
Post by: Yoink on November 29, 2015, 05:38:22 am
Just watched Seven Samurai (1954, Akira Kurosawa).Hey, I watched that not long ago! It is indeed really, really great.
If you find yourself with three hours of free time in front of a device capable of playing video files, do watch this movie.
Funnily enough I watched it during my binge of terribly cruddy, ultra-cheesy 70s kung fu movies and then all of a sudden along comes a great film, truly worthy of its classic status.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Only watch it with the appropriate mindset, though.I watched that a while ago and the special effects seemed kinda silly.
I re-watched a certain scene more recently and was amazed by how realistic they were. :P
...Anyway, I'm about to sit down and watch Deathgasm. This should be awesome.
Post by: Yoink on November 29, 2015, 07:39:49 am
...Anyway, I'm about to sit down and watch Deathgasm. This should be awesome.Yeah, that was fun. Definitely recommend it, even with the painful Kiwi accents! :P
Post by: Orange Wizard on November 29, 2015, 07:41:43 pm
niw zilland eccent esnt thit bed es et?
Post by: TD1 on February 02, 2016, 06:24:11 pm
Post by: Helgoland on February 02, 2016, 06:39:55 pm
Also it's interesting race-dynamics-wise. America, your school system really does suck.
Post by: Yoink on February 02, 2016, 11:46:04 pm
I'd like to recommend 'Dope'. It avoids sooo many clichés, but touches on them in delightful ways!Is that the 2015 film?
Also it's interesting race-dynamics-wise. America, your school system really does suck.
Might check it out sometime.
If anyone hasn't seen The Street Fighter (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073756/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1), they really should watch it.
Sadly I can't find any decent-quality uploads of the sequels to watch (and they probably aren't as good anyway), but the original is brilliant.
Post by: Helgoland on February 03, 2016, 04:21:32 am
Post by: StupidElves on February 03, 2016, 06:14:22 pm
You don't really need to see the first one to understand this movie. It's also not very good. It's just really funny in how bad it is. It's that kind of movie.
Post by: Yoink on February 03, 2016, 09:56:59 pm
I would like to recommend Warriors of Virtue: Return to Tao.Dude! I've never seen the sequel, but I saw the first one on TV once as a kid and loved it.
You don't really need to see the first one to understand this movie. It's also not very good. It's just really funny in how bad it is. It's that kind of movie.
Took me years to find out what it was as an adult. Sadly I've never been able to track down a copy to re-watch it. :-\
If the sequel's anything like the original, I should probably watch that too.
Post by: Bohandas on February 03, 2016, 11:00:50 pm
Oh, I saw Catalina Caper too. That one was hilarious.I've been on an MST3K binge lately and feel that I should share some of my favorites.What, no Time of the Apes?? Or Catalina Caper, featuring a bizarre cameo by what appears to be Little Richard on horse tranquilizers?Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Don't forget Codename: Diamond Head
Post by: Parsely on March 11, 2016, 07:19:31 am
Edit: This thought enters my mind as I watch "Them!" (1954), which while otherwise is a remarkably believable sci-fi film, spares three children in the course of the story in situations where adults were horribly murdered (nothing shown but there are surprisingly graphic (for the time) descriptions of the victims hidden beneath white sheets) without even offering any kind of excuse. In fact there are only two on-screen casualties and one of them, embarrassingly, is due to a wooden beam hitting the man in question in the face with such force as to wound him.
Post by: Parsely on March 19, 2016, 05:28:28 am
Inception has amazing characters but its plot is really not as complex as people say it is. It's also full of holes. If the characters didn't speak in such certain terms about how the rules for how dreaming worked then it would've been fine. Then you could just let people guess and think about things. Instead they leave try to explain as much as possible.
Cube is another movie that kind of screws up trying to explain things, but unlike Inception I think the explanations work for the film. If only the math actually made sense. Cube was fun for me because the explanations were unique, and the way I interpreted it, it was like the film was subtly lampooning those ridiculous excuses other horror films offer for why their characters are trapped in an elaborate death trap. Kind of like Cabin in the Woods I guess. It got panned by some critics for bad acting and I have to ask what they think "bad acting" is.
Also Hedgehog in the Fog (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW0jvJC2rvM) is a good, short, animated film that you can watch on YouTube.
Being John Malkovich.It didn't go far enough IMO. There wasn't enough Malkovich silliness. Mostly it was just about the woes of this puppeteer and his relationship problems and I just didn't like that character enough to care.
The weirdness is so thick you can roll it into a joint and smoke it, and even then you wouldn't be as out of your mind as whoever came up with this thing.
This isn't a bad thing mind you, I just love when a movie is so wonderfully into being weird that it gives zero shits about everything else, while still being capable of making sense.
It was really enjoyable. The acting was good, the costumes, sets and areas were really well done. I shall have to put the book series down to read at a future date, along with the other two movies "Potop" ("The Deluge") and "Pan Wołodyjowski" (English Title "Fire in the Steppe" though the polish title translates as "Colonel Wolodyjowski"). I can recommend it to anyone who likes the period, battles or just Winged Hussars.I'm familiar with The Deluge because of the dueling scene. Really great fight.
Post by: Vector on March 19, 2016, 03:22:10 pm
Post by: Comrade P. on March 19, 2016, 05:44:03 pm
Also Hedgehog in the Fog (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW0jvJC2rvM) is a good, short, animated film that you can watch on YouTube.Seconded!
When I was a younger lad, I found that art style plenty creepy. I still do, frankly. I mean, if you look at some stills from that piece, they look like something from an arthouse horror movie.
I also can't stop getting Morrowind vibes from some music moments in there.
Post by: Vector on March 19, 2016, 05:48:16 pm
Post by: Comrade P. on March 19, 2016, 05:54:51 pm
What can I say, Cheburashka 3D scares me a lot more .______.
I have never heard of that, but that sounds like an abomination before the face of Soviet animation.
Have some good Soviet animation from Kiyvnauchfilm studio. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZRO_2KPCkQ) It's got no spoken lines, and the few lines that appear on screen you can easily guess anyway.
It is essentially about a bunch of Ukrainian cossacks going on goofy cartoony adventures in different time periods and places. I love it.
Post by: Vector on March 19, 2016, 06:09:40 pm
Post by: Yoink on March 24, 2016, 12:22:54 am
The fact that I missed the beginning may have added some extra mystery to it, but I'm pretty sure I didn't miss much.
Also in need of recommending is Paint Your Wagon, which I watched for the first time on TV the other day. I can't believe I hadn't watched it before... there are so many classics I still need to see. :-[
Post by: Flying Dice on March 24, 2016, 12:38:58 pm
Come to think of it, that's a rather sharp contrast.
Post by: Fniff on March 24, 2016, 03:32:12 pm
...
What possible intersection is there between fans of Team America and fans of Stalker?
Post by: Tawa on March 24, 2016, 11:28:10 pm
Post by: Parsely on March 24, 2016, 11:47:45 pm
So I've come here to be recommended a film rather than recommend one myself; I've heard a lot of good stuff about Studio Ghibli, so I've been considering watching one of their films. Which one would you guys recommend I start with?Princess Mononoke if you want something very serious and exciting. Howl's Moving Castle if you want a fantastic (as in fantasy but also as in amazing) steampunk. Spirited Away if you want something confusing, spiritual, weird, and a little terrifying. Castle In the Sky if you want adventure and sky piracy. Lupin III if you want a classic story about a thief and a princess. Nausicaa if you want a moving drama mixed with some sci-fi action. Kiki's Delivery Service is there for you if you want an adorable coming of age story with an unsatisfying ending (because you just want to watch MORE of the characters doing stuff). Do not watch Grave of the Fireflies seriously you will cry just don't.
If you don't like choices, then take your hands off the wheel and just watch my personal favorite: Porco Rosso. I will not describe it. That is your mystery choice.
Post by: Vector on March 25, 2016, 01:37:43 am
Post by: Comrade P. on March 25, 2016, 03:54:35 am
...Goddamit, I forgot why I liked it, now I gotta go watch it again.
There is also that "Tales from the Earthsea" piece - it's a western sort of fantasy adventure animated by Ghibli, it's nice, but very different from the other things listed.
EDIT: Also, hear me out here, there is an anime film called Metropolis (2001) - it bears uncanny resemblance to Ghibli in terms of detailed background designs and smooth animation. That shouldn't be your first pick, but consider watching that sometime if you will get into that Ghibli stuff.
Post by: Tiruin on March 25, 2016, 05:40:31 am
Also do note that Nausicaa is set in a futuristic setting compared to everything else there (as far as I've watched). Grave of the Fireflies deals with realistic and deep-thinking stuff, and really touches emotion and empathy. I'd disagree that Spirited away is confusing or weird because it deals with the folklore of Japan (ie Spirit > Object), and along with analogies and metaphors in the guise of characters.So I've come here to be recommended a film rather than recommend one myself; I've heard a lot of good stuff about Studio Ghibli, so I've been considering watching one of their films. Which one would you guys recommend I start with?Princess Mononoke if you want something very serious and exciting. Howl's Moving Castle if you want a fantastic (as in fantasy but also as in amazing) steampunk. Spirited Away if you want something confusing, spiritual, weird, and a little terrifying. Castle In the Sky if you want adventure and sky piracy. Lupin III if you want a classic story about a thief and a princess. Nausicaa if you want a moving drama mixed with some sci-fi action. Kiki's Delivery Service is there for you if you want an adorable coming of age story with an unsatisfying ending (because you just want to watch MORE of the characters doing stuff). Do not watch Grave of the Fireflies seriously you will cry just don't.
If you don't like choices, then take your hands off the wheel and just watch my personal favorite: Porco Rosso. I will not describe it. That is your mystery choice.
But ♥ Princess Mononoke!
This is My Neighbour Totoro, right?. Featuring a big furry goofball with unclear motivation and a catbus.=
to, to, roI think it is. :3
That's something I put on my goals-to-watch-someday list.
...Whenever I get a quicker and more stable innernets connection :v
But yeah. My Neighbor Totoro~ ♥ Pretty nice and amazing.
Reminds me of that one stuffed or plastic toy of Totoro sitting in my psychologist's office whenever I recall the name. xD
Missed half of my life missing the Ghibli movies.
Post by: Parsely on April 08, 2016, 01:57:20 am
There were a few really stupid mistakes though (only totaling about 5 minutes of shit so it's fine since you've still got 135 minutes of quality movie), like Russian tanks exploding after having petrol bombs thrown at the front or the side of the tank. There's also a part where a guy is meant to appear as if he was blown in half, but it was clear that he was buried up to his waist in the ground. It looked ridiculous. Like something out of a cartoon. The effects were quite good before that so I'm not sure what the heck happened. I guess they couldn't find a guy who had no legs to play the part.
The main reason why I would recommend it is that it is a war movie, that is: not a MANLY AMERICAN ACTION MOVIE. There is violence but it's always very emotional, and it fairly depicts the men on both sides without going too far by inserting a modern bias.
Post by: Sinistar on April 08, 2016, 04:18:45 pm
Stalingrad (1993)Never heard of that one, sounds really interesting, thanks. I've wanted something better than now-old Enemy at the gates and this sounds it just might be it.
Also, speaking of Ghibli, wasn't Pompoco pretty interesting too? And Ponyo? Never saw them myself. One day, when I do Ghibli marathon. I've only saw, what, 4 of their stuff? Mononoke, Spirited away, Totoro, Nausicaa... yeah, I think that's about it. Strange enough, Mononoke ranks last on that list. Far from bad, but dunno why I've always felt like there just a little bit something missing to complete the experience. t was the first Ghibli work saw, and English dub even (it wasn't a bad dub, no, but after I saw original Japanese version it just felt like it fits more).
Spirited away is absolutely amazing. Audio-visual tour de force. Interesting characters to boot and story is actually pretty deep too, but at the same time has the benefit of being deep just as much as the viewer wants. Simple story about girl breaking a magical curse? Or something more? You decide.
Totoro is fun for whole family. Seriously. If you have little kids, your own, your neighbors or you will have them in the future or whatever, and you have to show them ONE anime - Totoro. There just something so... pure and innocent about it.
Post by: Tiruin on April 08, 2016, 11:24:50 pm
Hoho! I've a tab open that leads to things like that. xD I think it's appropriate, maybe? (http://imgur.com/gallery/zB89V)Stalingrad (1993)Never heard of that one, sounds really interesting, thanks. I've wanted something better than now-old Enemy at the gates and this sounds it just might be it.
Also, speaking of Ghibli, wasn't Pompoco pretty interesting too? And Ponyo? Never saw them myself. One day, when I do Ghibli marathon. I've only saw, what, 4 of their stuff? Mononoke, Spirited away, Totoro, Nausicaa... yeah, I think that's about it. Strange enough, Mononoke ranks last on that list. Far from bad, but dunno why I've always felt like there just a little bit something missing to complete the experience. t was the first Ghibli work saw, and English dub even (it wasn't a bad dub, no, but after I saw original Japanese version it just felt like it fits more).I would slap ♥ on all of this, but have a list of all the Ghibli movies here (http://theboilerman.tumblr.com/ghiblimovies) (thanks a ton for telling me bout that link, Reverie \o/)
Spirited away is absolutely amazing. Audio-visual tour de force. Interesting characters to boot and story is actually pretty deep too, but at the same time has the benefit of being deep just as much as the viewer wants. Simple story about girl breaking a magical curse? Or something more? You decide.
Totoro is fun for whole family. Seriously. If you have little kids, your own, your neighbors or you will have them in the future or whatever, and you have to show them ONE anime - Totoro. There just something so... pure and innocent about it.
Totoro is next on my list to complete after I finish Arrietty. c:
It's a silly time in childhood wherein you're only able to hop halfway or segmented into the movie and then miss the fun stuff. Thank you internets!
Post by: Sinistar on April 09, 2016, 01:53:29 am
For some reason I never took you for a war movies fan. Not that I don't approve or anything. You go girl. And thanks for the list.
Also, if you are interested about less known WWII movies, I heard The Battle of Neretva (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064091/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) is supposed to be pretty well liked, at least in the Balkans? Or so Wikipedia tells me, never saw it myself though. It has Orson Welles in it, interesting enough.
Also kinda on topic, a while ago I found out that apart from so called "spaghetti western" (Italian westerns) you also have... Macaroni combat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_War).
I have to get some of those. As an interesting side note, wiki says movies were shot in Europe but later in Philippines.
Post by: Tiruin on April 09, 2016, 02:05:00 am
Tiruin... Tiruin is into war movies? o.oI'm into historical movies. *ahem* :P (which is why I really enjoyed Heneral Luna [story about our own Philippine general] even if some parts were played for humor and may be different from what actually happened)
For some reason I never took you for a war movies fan. Not that I don't approve or anything. You go girl. And thanks for the list.
I have to get some of those. As an interesting side note, wiki says they were shot in Europe but later in Philippines.Out of context, given that we're talking about war-themed movies, this sounds more like people getting shot instead of the film getting shot in a particular area. :v
I'm being silly ._.
Post by: Sinistar on April 09, 2016, 02:29:54 am
Fixing.
Post by: Yoink on April 11, 2016, 12:39:36 pm
Post by: StupidElves on April 11, 2016, 12:55:55 pm
.
Such a wonderful film, I recommend it entirely.
Post by: TD1 on April 11, 2016, 06:45:25 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 11, 2016, 09:44:22 pm
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tale_of_tales/
watch it!
Salma Hayek gnawing on a heart of a sea monster is the least of its gloriously messy inventions.
It's like one of those old fables, from before Disney's monopoly took root, that tried to teach kids some vaguely-valuable life lessons by scaring the shit out of them and possibly scarring them for life.
Post by: Yoink on April 11, 2016, 10:43:22 pm
Yes, the untitled film I was totally referring to is excellent indeed. I was trying to post in the Food thread whilst high as fuck..
Such a wonderful film, I recommend it entirely.
If you can get your hands on this one:That looks pretty awesome!
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tale_of_tales/
watch it!
Salma Hayek gnawing on a heart of a sea monster is the least of its gloriously messy inventions.
It's like one of those old fables, from before Disney's monopoly took root, that tried to teach kids some vaguely-valuable life lessons by scaring the shit out of them and possibly scarring them for life.
The other night I and a few others watched The Holy Mountain.
Not sure if I'd recommend it, but I was sober at the time which probably wasn't the right way to watch it at all.
Post by: Parsely on April 25, 2016, 02:56:45 am
Post by: Yoink on May 20, 2016, 12:23:46 pm
Or perhaps I just forgot more of it than I realised? Either way, it's an excellent film, watch it. Watch it.
Post by: Yoink on May 30, 2016, 07:40:21 am
Spoiler: Not really a spoiler at all, just a vague comment on the tone of the film (click to show/hide)
Post by: Helgoland on May 30, 2016, 06:01:22 pm
Post by: Atian the Elephantman God on May 30, 2016, 07:02:16 pm
Post by: TD1 on June 01, 2016, 04:02:03 pm
Of course we've seen it.
Post by: Yoink on June 01, 2016, 04:20:29 pm
I'd like to recommend Rubber to everyone who liked Men Who Stare At Goats. Slow pacing, excellent movie.I didn't really like MWSAG, as much as I tried to. But I loved Rubber.
Everyone needs to watch that film, it is amazing! Pretty sure I've praised it in this thread before.
Post by: Comrade P. on June 01, 2016, 04:38:08 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 01, 2016, 05:17:24 pm
Nothing extraordinary about itApart from it oozing retro 80s style like it's the old Miami Vice on steroids.
Post by: TD1 on August 06, 2016, 06:27:33 pm
You may now commence with the shouted challenges to my masculinity :P
Post by: Comrade P. on August 11, 2016, 04:19:27 pm
You may now commence with the shouted challenges to my masculinity :P
I enjoy Steven Universe. You're not getting that from here.
On an unrelated note, The Killing Joke (DC animated movie) is pretty good, with Kevin Conroy as Bats and Hamill as Mista J. First 30 or so minutes of the movie were sort of out of place, IMO. But that one joke spoken out in these voices makes it, really.
Post by: Yoink on September 20, 2016, 01:28:25 am
I just did, after spotting in on a Netflix trawl and having only the vaguest idea what it was about, and it was actually really good. Not going to say anything about it lest I spoil the surprise, but it's good. Go watch it. :)
Post by: Yoink on October 19, 2016, 07:08:21 am
But last night I watched Small Apartments, which I'd seen floating around on Netflix for a long time but had never gotten around to watching. I dunno, I guess Switzerland and alphorns just aren't really my thing. But it turned out to be a rather charming, compelling, very strange and occasionally hilarious independent film. I recommend it, for sure.
I also re-watched Napoleon Dynamite, which was a good thing since I didn't get much out of it when I watched it years ago.
Glad I did, it's actually a pretty great film. Not sure why I didn't like it last time, it was so long ago I can't remember. :)
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 11, 2016, 08:06:42 pm
Post by: TD1 on May 16, 2017, 06:10:16 pm
If you have not watched it, do so now. It is now my official favourite Marvel movie. I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a cinema before, and yet still been capable of feeling sadness when the plot called for it.
Post by: Yoink on May 25, 2017, 06:06:22 am
Not games, but for those of you in Australia (no idea if they ship overseas or how expensive that would be) JB Hi-fi is having a 40% off sale on Monster Pictures releases (https://www.jbhifi.com.au/movies-tv-shows/movies-tv-shows-on-sale/40offmonster/?p=1&s=releaseDate&sd=2) until Sunday, on DVD and blu-ray. There are some excellent titles in there, so if you're interested in owning copies of these and supporting the creators without breaking your wallet, especially with shipping costs, now's your chance.Perhaps not exactly a "recommendation" per se, as I haven't yet seen any of these films myself (apart from ABCs of Death 2, which was amazing), but I certainly recommend that those of you in the applicable part(s) of the world check out the titles on offer and see if there are any you want!
Heck, I didn't even realise JB sold Monster Studios stuff, I probably would have been buying these long ago.
Even full-price this seems to be far cheaper than tracking them down in other stores, and obviously easier than ordering them online.
I'm probably going to pick up The Greasy Strangler, Cat Sick Blues, Antibirth and the ABCs of Death Omnibus at the very least, possibly more (such as Landmine Goes Click, Charlie's Farm, Bullets For the Dead, Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla, Summer of Blood and I Am Not a Serial Killer) once I've had more of a look and perhaps watched a few trailers. Mostly I'm just excited to realise that these films are so readily available in physical form, let alone this cheap!
'Tis a shame Observance doesn't appear to be included, though. I thought that was a Monster Pictures film, but perhaps not.
So, um, Drive (2011). It's nice, noir-ish flick. Nothing extraordinary about it, it's just all-around good, that's what I make of this movie.Never replied to this, but I actually watched that quite a long time after this post. Possibly even after than my most-recent replies in here.
I wouldn't say there was "nothing extraordinary about it", it was freakin' excellent! Gosling is a great actor in my opinion, and the... well, I don't want to spoil too much, but the sheer suddenness of certain things in the film really shocked me, in a most enjoyable way. Perhaps the later parts of the film were a little disappointing given how high it had built my expectations, but eh, on the whole I definitely enjoyed it a lot.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on May 25, 2017, 10:02:45 am
Post by: Parsely on May 25, 2017, 11:24:43 am
The Duellists (1977) Ridley Scott's first film as Director.Seconded. Very realistic sword fights, though my favorite sword fight is in Deluge. I wish I had saved that informal translation that Haspen provided.
Post by: Il Palazzo on May 25, 2017, 12:21:57 pm
The Duellists (1977) Ridley Scott's first film as Director.The Duellists is great. The novel is probably better - what it lacks in visual extravaganza (such as fights), it gains in better understanding of the characters. Conrad's flowery language is a treat in itself.
my favorite sword fight is in Deluge. I wish I had saved that informal translation that Haspen provided.here's a very good translation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljExTEPNFnM
Post by: Parsely on May 25, 2017, 12:57:11 pm
Post by: Yoink on June 08, 2017, 05:13:40 am
Excellent, excellent film about a pair of Turkish poets in the time of the second World War.
It's well-shot with wonderful costumes and what-have-you, and it make me shed tears on at least two separate occasions. And I haven't been feeling overly emotional lately, so for once that wasn't merely a reflection of my mental state. Also as an added bonus it is in Turkish with subtitles, so I need not worry about my poor hearing ruining the film for me.
And of course, it was also filled with beautiful poetry, so if you like that sort of thing you'll probably love this film.
It may be somewhat boring to someone with no such interests, though, I suppose.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on June 08, 2017, 10:03:56 am
Also, @Il Palazzo, the saber duel in The Deluge is lit! Sadly, I have only seen that part of the film :C
Post by: RoseHeart on November 06, 2017, 05:24:44 pm
- -currently on Netflix...
Post by: Tawa on November 28, 2017, 12:18:30 am
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on November 28, 2017, 12:23:20 am
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on January 18, 2018, 03:32:08 am
Post by: Jopax on January 18, 2018, 03:38:49 am
Tho a movie that was a very pleasant suprise was Jumanji 2. It's not oscar material or anything, but it's a fun action romp with suprisingly good casting/acting and chemistry between the main characters. Fun pretty much from beginning to the end, kinda suprising to see it come out this late in the year as this felt more like a summer movie or something.
Post by: TD1 on January 18, 2018, 06:05:05 am
So, this is a bit unorthodox for the thread, but I want to ask for a recommendation. I've seen most people agree that Kingdom of Heaven is a mediocre or bad movie. But I've heard nothing but good things about the director's cut of the movie--have any of you seen it? Would you recommend the director's cut?I liked it.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on January 22, 2018, 09:14:54 pm
Post by: Parsely on January 25, 2018, 02:48:49 pm
Just rewatched L.A. Confidential. Another awesome movie, if you are a fan of film noir or neo-noir and haven't seen it, treat yo self.Just watched a clip and I'm hooked. Definitely watching this. You should watch Miller's Crossing.
Post by: MetalSlimeHunt on February 17, 2018, 04:35:29 pm
And judging by all the mid-movie cheering that went on, I'm pretty sure most of the people seeing this film personally voted against Nixon and still hate him now.
Post by: MetalSlimeHunt on March 11, 2018, 04:12:39 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 11, 2018, 04:17:35 pm
It is movie time once again, this time Annihilation. It was awesome sci-fi horror and got screwed over by the studio, so I highly recommend you see it before it leaves theaters.And if you're anywhere (?) that is not USA, wait until tomorrow and watch it on Netflix.
Post by: MetalSlimeHunt on March 11, 2018, 04:25:41 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 12, 2018, 05:54:18 pm
It is movie time once again, this time Annihilation. It was awesome sci-fi horror and got screwed over by the studio, so I highly recommend you see it before it leaves theaters.Having just watched it, I also recommend it. It throws around some interesting ideas and is at times gorgeous to look at. One doesn't get to see these kind of movies very often as of late, outside of maybe Black Mirror episodes.
It does, however, suffer from a mild case of 'Prometheus scientists'.
Post by: deathpunch578 on March 21, 2018, 12:32:12 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on April 06, 2018, 11:54:58 pm
The ideas behind Alien meets the Americana of Signs with a little twinge of the western genre thrown in for good measure. While not ALL of Mr. Krasinski's decisions work out, his penchant to experiment and combine his favorite elements makes for a solid 8.5-9.0 film. It's just darn good. Not too scary, more... suspenseful. Ironic, at times. Great pacing for a 90 minute affair. Stellar performances from Krasinski himself, the wonderful Emily Blount, and the kids.
See it!!!
Post by: Yoink on April 08, 2018, 01:34:47 am
Very strange, but very good. I recommend it.
@Urist: that first, basic description you gave sounds rather interesting. I shall check for it on Netflix presently!
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 14, 2018, 05:05:25 pm
An emotional drama about dealing with the aftermath of WWI. The subject matter is similar to e.g. 'Testament of Youth', i.e. lives and loves of young beautiful people shattered by the senseless war. But the execution is much more... continental (in a good way).
A Field In England.I don't do mushrooms, but I keep thinking it would have blown my mind a few more times if I had been high on psilocybin while watching.
Post by: Yoink on November 17, 2018, 10:46:33 pm
It's currently on Netflix, so you should really do yourself a favour and watch (or re-watch) it ASAP!
Post by: TD1 on November 18, 2018, 07:26:52 am
I just saw Bohemian Rhapsody. It is also good.
Post by: Jopax on December 29, 2018, 10:02:04 pm
Hoo boy is it a piece of work alright, two and a half hours of slow burning wierdness and creepiness. I struggle to call it a horror since it's not your run of the mill hollywood wank but it isn't really all that scary, just, as said before, creepy and unsettling a lot of the time. Still, if you've got spare time to kill, this is a good way to do so.
Post by: Kagus on December 31, 2018, 07:31:08 pm
Anyways, if you feel like getting cockslapped by the human condition while it tells you a funny anecdote, watch The Barbarian Invasions (https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0338135/?ref=m_nv_sr_1). It's French-Canadian, so enjoy seeing wannabe film snobs experience deeply mixed feelings.
Post by: SalmonGod on December 31, 2018, 09:33:31 pm
Post by: Kagus on January 01, 2019, 06:28:44 am
There's also Take Shelter (https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1675192/?ref=m_nv_sr_1), which I have seen and that I did like. Because Michael Shannon says and does some things, and that's usually a positive.
Post by: Il Palazzo on January 01, 2019, 07:21:57 am
Post by: Kagus on January 27, 2019, 06:00:47 pm
+1 for Take Shelter. I wouldn't classify it as a horror, though. More unsettling than scary.Oh definitely, but it's certainly creepy and a bit of a slow burn, so I felt it was worth mentioning... Also just generally worth watching.
I suppose one could also watch Nosferatu (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079641/?ref_=tt_rec_tt) if you want some more juice in the creep-o-meter. I haven't seen the one from 1922, but I feel that Herr Kinski does a pretty good job of being unsettling and repugnant anyways.
In other news, just got finished watching Pop Culture: The Movie (better known as Ready Player One). I... Dunno. I was a little disappointed that they went through a "let's show off heavy weapons" scene without referencing the BFG, and then there was that issue with the rest of the movie existing.
I can also understand why they did it, but I kinda felt like the representation of Samantha's birthmark was kind of a cop-out... Like, that's probably the most attractive and least obvious defect they could've put on someone. I'm reminded of the first Deadpool movie with everyone going on about how sickeningly horrible he looked, when... It really wasn't that bad, all things considered.
And this is probably more a gripe with the source material (which I must admit to not having read), but I kinda wanted to see more of I-Rok... I feel like his character arc was left hanging a bit, and now I'll just have to imagine him being some tween snooping around the Pay-To-Win store with his mother's credit card.
Post by: Jopax on January 29, 2019, 11:19:18 am
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on January 29, 2019, 11:45:32 am
Post by: Loud Whispers on January 29, 2019, 11:48:51 am
By the way, if there are any Nick Cage fans here Mandy is awesome. VERY slow burn though, just be warned.Definitely recommend. It's too good
Along with the Gods: The last 49 days, is also absolutely spectacular. Korean film about a team of grim reapers acting as the defence lawyer for a virtuous soul undergoing the trials of hell, but there are never-ending twists which blow you the fuck out
Post by: Yoink on January 29, 2019, 06:03:56 pm
Along with the Gods: The last 49 days, is also absolutely spectacular. Korean film about a team of grim reapers acting as the defence lawyer for a virtuous soul undergoing the trials of hell, but there are never-ending twists which blow you the fuck outSounds interesting, but it appears to be quite commercially successful? Is it still reasonably horrifying? I've come to expect at least a certain level of shock and horror from Korean films.
Post by: Il Palazzo on January 29, 2019, 07:23:23 pm
It is fantastic. It's from the same animation studio that made Secret of Kells and was about as effective at making my manly tears flow like rivers.
Post by: Loud Whispers on January 29, 2019, 09:23:47 pm
Sounds interesting, but it appears to be quite commercially successful? Is it still reasonably horrifying? I've come to expect at least a certain level of shock and horror from Korean films.For more context, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days is the sequel to Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. The plot is a direct continuation of the first one, but functions on its own as its own self-contained story which is imo the absolute perfect state of a sequel. If you're going to watch just one of the two, watch the Last 49 Days.
The Two Worlds is a competent execution of a great concept, The Last 49 Days however is a flawless execution of a great concept with a fantastic plot & character development. Both are definitely more in line with Korean drama than a Korean horror, though I'd say they're both in the epic genre more than anything - bit like a Korean version of Dante's divine comedy.
Without spoiling everything which makes The Last 49 Days so good (I highly recommend not reading the plot synopsis if you intend to watch it):
-The setting is just wonderful. It jumps between rundown Korean council apartments about to be demolitioned into the various zones of hell, which look appropriately like hell.
-Thematically it is all about betrayal, penitence, forgiveness, murder and injustice - yet the tone is a surprising mix of serious moments and bloody dark, bloody good comedy which I did not at all expect.
-Rather than a horror film, I would compare the franchise to any film about extraordinary legal battles. If you ignored the gnarly visuals of burning souls trying to climb atop a pillar to escape the flames or a gigantic soul devouring carp covered in screaming faces it'd be really easy to see this as an Ace Attorney series.
-The plot and character development is tremendously well-structured, easily the strongest thing about the Last 49 Days. The film runs three narratives together; one is in the present day living world, one is in the present day afterlife, and one is in the past. All three of them fit together like a puzzle.
I wouldn't disregard it because of its commercial success, Korean films with harrowing filial piety redemption stories occasionally break the box office there (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(2006_film)). And they do it so well!
Post by: Yoink on February 10, 2019, 10:02:51 am
Just... watch it.
Post by: heatwave on February 14, 2019, 01:41:30 am
The anime and manga were before my time (I'm a late 90s anime starter), so I had no point of reference, but I really enjoyed this.
Fight scene choreography was also incredibly well done
Post by: SalmonGod on February 15, 2019, 11:38:28 am
Alita: Battle Angel
The anime and manga were before my time (I'm a late 90s anime starter), so I had no point of reference, but I really enjoyed this.
Fight scene choreography was also incredibly well done
I read the first run of the manga. My memory of it is a little fuzzy. But I think they tried to cram a lot of later character development into the first story arc, and much of that felt really clumsy. Even stuff that I don't think was in the issues that I read (the full original series, but it was followed up by more and still going).
But I still enjoyed the heck out of it, regardless.
Post by: Cthulhu on March 02, 2019, 07:22:02 pm
I wonder how true it is to the manga. The first big action scene comes around 30 minutes into the movie and it's a whiplash-inducing shift in tone, felt like I was watching a different movie. It starts out as an interesting little thing about Alita learning about the world, great world-building and some fun scenes, then the action scene hits and it dives headfirst into over the top anime weapons and weird, stilted dialog. It's still fun, but there's a distinct manga feel to it that's jarring in a western-style movie.
CGI is good, Alita looks natural even with the big eyes, and while there's a couple instances of Floating Head Composite CGI Syndrome (the spoiler cyborg at the end is the worst, looks like something out of shark boy and lava girl). Action's smooth and framed well, even in the big rollerball battle you always know who's who and what's happening. I liked it, and I wasn't expecting to.
Post by: Kagus on March 07, 2019, 07:05:09 pm
I just got back from watching Captain Marvel in theaters (2D version, as is my general preference), after hearing very little about it other than that some people were apparently getting up in arms about it because "stupid SJWs" or something. The movie wasn't even playing yet at that time, and it's fairly par for the course anyways for a superheroine movie anyways, so I didn't think much about it.
And then I watched it, and it was honestly a bit terrible. Brie Larson exercised her acting chops by maintaining "mild frustration" for her entire time on-screen, and getting as dirty and disheveled a person can get without in any way compromising her perfect eye makeup or cheek highlights. Her hair was allowed an entire scene of frizziness in order to hammer home the point that her character was disoriented (and mildly frustrated about being disoriented).
I honestly have to give the film bonus points for making a hilariously literal interpretation of "deus ex machina".
Young Nick Fury was kinda charming in ways; and it's nice to see SLJ play a character motivation other than "angry" for a change, even if it was only for a couple scenes. He does, however, make it painfully obvious that he is not a cat person... This is fairly understandable though, as the cat spends most of the movie as embarrassingly awful CGI (to the point of being nearly painful to look at) and is also responsible for giving his character a joke backstory which is now officially canon for all the other movies.
Marvel's own backstory has now also been retconned and she exhibits no powers beyond "shoot lasers" and "fly" for the entire movie. Thanos better watch his booty, because these boots were made for walking and other female-empowering songs without context.
The plot is a long series of holes, but the holes are at least aligned so that you can fall through all of them in sequence without touching enough of the actual plot to care.
Overall, IGN 9/10: Marvelous.
Post by: TD1 on March 07, 2019, 08:42:06 pm
Like, did you not get the memo? Everyone else got the memo.
Post by: MCreeper on March 12, 2019, 06:27:43 pm
On the more pressing question, while searching for this proper one with english subtitles, i stumbled on the pictures of another one, which seemingly goes beyound Onikakushi-hen, with canon outfits and Ooshi that is UristMcUglyface, but no real mention of it anywhere except the occasional comment telling about that "they are doing Kai now", but no links or names. Question is, how do i google for it properly? It's not like i want to watch it thaat much, but... :P
Post by: Jopax on April 04, 2019, 05:33:22 pm
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on April 05, 2019, 09:45:45 am
Post by: Levi on April 05, 2019, 10:27:39 am
Post by: Yoink on April 11, 2019, 08:14:42 am
Apparently it was based on a comic but I wouldn't know anything about that, I can tell you the film was quite entertaining, though.
Post by: Jopax on April 11, 2019, 09:33:21 am
Post by: Cthulhu on April 11, 2019, 02:15:09 pm
Post by: Iduno on April 11, 2019, 03:48:01 pm
So... Do we talk about non-recommendations here?
I just got back from watching Captain Marvel in theaters (2D version, as is my general preference), after hearing very little about it other than that some people were apparently getting up in arms about it because "stupid SJWs" or something. The movie wasn't even playing yet at that time, and it's fairly par for the course anyways for a superheroine movie anyways, so I didn't think much about it.
And then I watched it, and it was honestly a bit terrible. Brie Larson exercised her acting chops by maintaining "mild frustration" for her entire time on-screen, and getting as dirty and disheveled a person can get without in any way compromising her perfect eye makeup or cheek highlights. Her hair was allowed an entire scene of frizziness in order to hammer home the point that her character was disoriented (and mildly frustrated about being disoriented).
Overall, IGN 9/10: Marvelous.
It's a Marvel film. They're never great. I assume most of the buzz is related to Disney buying out news outlets for good PR on everything they do.
I've been watching older movies lately. Matchstick Men was a pretty good movie about conmen and redemption or something, but not surprising. According to Sturgeon's Law Nicolas Cage should be putting out 2-3 good movies a year.
Post by: Cthulhu on April 11, 2019, 04:21:18 pm
Nic Cage is my favorite actor, unironically. I thought 8mm was really good despite the general distaste for it.
Post by: TamerVirus on April 12, 2019, 09:01:09 am
So... Do we talk about non-recommendations here?
Perhaps I should change this into a general movie discussion thread?
Post by: Kagus on April 12, 2019, 09:29:58 am
I watched Crank. It's a masterpiece of cinema.Fucking fuck yes it is. Make sure to catch the sequel as well.
Nic Cage is my favorite actor, unironically. I thought 8mm was really good despite the general distaste for it.It's been years since I watched it, so maybe my opinion on it would be different were I to see it again, but I remember thinking how refreshing it was to watch a movie that was actually really disturbing and unsettling. Not because of freaky beasties (which I do adore, don't get me wrong) or "Surprise! Spookums!" jump-scares, but because of a subject matter that hit a little too close to reality.
Perhaps I should change this into a general movie discussion thread?It'll get a lot more activity, certainly. It'll also definitely absolutely maybe go horribly wrong in short order.
Post by: Cthulhu on April 13, 2019, 08:37:11 am
Characters are really thin and the writing feels rote. They're hitting all the stock story beats for a movie like this but they feel suspended in the ether, a lot of the character "arc" moments aren't earned and don't feel grounded in the events of the story. It's distracting, but considering the concept it gives the movie an almost pleasant throwback feel, very cheesy and old-fashioned in the characters and the writing. Hence the asylum comparison. It almost feels like a B-movie with a big budget. That being said, I liked it a lot. It's earnest. You can tell everybody had their heart in the movie, even if it's cheesy it's earnestly cheesy.
Post by: itisnotlogical on April 20, 2019, 10:34:50 pm
Post by: Jopax on April 26, 2019, 03:34:20 am
Spoiler: Mild spoilers (click to show/hide)
Post by: itisnotlogical on April 27, 2019, 10:33:23 pm
Spoiler: Continued Endgame spoilers (click to show/hide)
Post by: RoseHeart on April 28, 2019, 06:20:33 pm
Post by: Kagus on April 28, 2019, 06:20:42 pm
Spoiler: Endgame Spoilers Etc. (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Not actually a spoiler, just a dumb image (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Spoilers again (click to show/hide)
Post by: Jopax on April 29, 2019, 01:25:17 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: itisnotlogical on April 29, 2019, 02:30:47 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Jopax on April 29, 2019, 02:33:59 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: scriver on April 29, 2019, 03:22:11 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Kagus on April 29, 2019, 03:56:44 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: More spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Yoink on April 29, 2019, 06:57:32 am
I've been watching a variety of movies lately. I re-watched Snatch, which is always fun. A while back I watched a film called Dead In Ten Days Or Your Money Back, that turned out to be rather good too.
I've watched a bunch of others, I'll have to give some thought as to which were most noteworthy. Right now I'm watching some weirdness called Never Let Me Go.
Not entirely sure where it's heading yet, but I reckon it'll be dark. Some creeping vibes of dystopian wrongness going on.
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 29, 2019, 07:03:13 am
Right now I'm watching some weirdness called Never Let Me Go.British dystopias are the best dystopias. I mean the worst. The dystopiastest.
Not entirely sure where it's heading yet, but I reckon it'll be dark. Some creeping vibes of dystopian wrongness going on.
Post by: Yoink on April 29, 2019, 07:49:26 am
Post by: TamerVirus on April 29, 2019, 10:47:40 am
Anybody thinks it'll reach/beat Avatar lifetime levels of money?
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 29, 2019, 12:28:29 pm
Yeah, I was just thinking that. Something about the way they sugarcoat things, or politely avoid mentioning them wherever possible. Coupled with British formality in general, it makes the realities all the more horrifying.'Oh, the soulless bureaucratic system has arbitrarily robbed me of a few essential parts of my humanity (and it might be harvesting my organs), but the important thing is that we have managed to preserve our queueing culture. And besides, I wouldn't want to make a fuss.'
Post by: itisnotlogical on April 29, 2019, 07:42:08 pm
Also, a movie set in the future war of the Terminator series is a film I've always wanted to see since I was a little one watching T2 on VHS. Now that I've seen Terminator: Salvation, I am very unhappy.
Post by: TamerVirus on April 30, 2019, 11:01:26 am
On one hand its Detective Pikachu, which actually stays faithful to the designs
Then we have Sonic the Hedgehog, who's trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvZaBf9QQI&feature=youtu.be) just came out and its full of ehhhhhhhhh
Post by: MorleyDev on April 30, 2019, 11:21:53 am
v=FvvZaBf9QQI&feature=youtu.be]trailer[/url] just came out and its full of ehhhhhhhhh
What did I just watch, and how do I unwatch it?
Post by: Teneb on April 30, 2019, 11:32:28 am
It was inevitable.v=FvvZaBf9QQI&feature=youtu.be]trailer[/url] just came out and its full of ehhhhhhhhhWhat did I just watch, and how do I unwatch it?
Also holy shit, that is one disturbing design.
Post by: itisnotlogical on April 30, 2019, 12:41:35 pm
Post by: Iduno on April 30, 2019, 01:03:03 pm
It was inevitable.v=FvvZaBf9QQI&feature=youtu.be]trailer[/url] just came out and its full of ehhhhhhhhhWhat did I just watch, and how do I unwatch it?
Also holy shit, that is one disturbing design.
So when you refer to disturbing Sonic the Hedgehog videos, you need to be more specific, because it's a very high bar to clear. We talking mpreg, vore, guro?
Post by: itisnotlogical on May 02, 2019, 12:38:10 pm
Sonic has never had a consistent setting, design or characterization, I'm not sure why people are taking yet another complete reboot as some shock or betrayal.
Post by: Loud Whispers on May 02, 2019, 10:53:05 pm
Professionalism in lieu of obvious despair makes for a funny Summer's day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP-rkzJ6yZw)Yeah, I was just thinking that. Something about the way they sugarcoat things, or politely avoid mentioning them wherever possible. Coupled with British formality in general, it makes the realities all the more horrifying.'Oh, the soulless bureaucratic system has arbitrarily robbed me of a few essential parts of my humanity (and it might be harvesting my organs), but the important thing is that we have managed to preserve our queueing culture. And besides, I wouldn't want to make a fuss.'
Post by: Enemy post on May 02, 2019, 10:59:25 pm
So far the only criticism I'm hearing of the Sonic movie (besides Sonic is ugly, which okay fair) is "it's not like the games." To me this raises a question: which game do people want it to be like? The Genesis games where everybody's mute and lives in a psychadelic checkerboard land? Chaotix's semi-cyberpunk world? Shadow "Sonic with guns" the Hedgehog? The Adventure series where Sonic lives in a city with humans and goes to space, Eggman blows up the moon and butt rock is always playing? Sonic 06's ancient kingdoms, time travel and sun gods? The one where he's a kindergarten teacher? Sonic Boom? That's not including the comics and cartoons, which can include Sonic as a rebel a la Star Wars, a goofy episodic hero versus Eggman's two incompetent robot henchmen, or fronting a rock band in Sonic Underground.
Sonic has never had a consistent setting, design or characterization, I'm not sure why people are taking yet another complete reboot as some shock or betrayal.
Personally, I was hoping for a faithful adaptation of the "Coldsteel the hedgeheg" canon.
Post by: Il Palazzo on May 02, 2019, 11:14:07 pm
Professionalism in lieu of obvious despair makes for a funny Summer's day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP-rkzJ6yZw)Please, don't mention the Event. Remain indoors.
Post by: Kagus on May 03, 2019, 03:14:30 am
Director of the Sonic movie has released a statement saying that they're going to redesign the character because the internet made so much of a fuss.
I'm a bit hurt, honestly... I was looking forward to a feature-length film with something that horrendously bad the whole way through. Also this is either going to be absolute hell on everyone involved in making the movie, or it's all a big conspiracy to exploit viral marketing and they had a "better" model all along.
Post by: scriver on May 03, 2019, 05:30:44 am
Post by: nenjin on May 03, 2019, 09:24:19 am
What gets me though is the Nike shoes. Other than his quills and eyes, I think his shoes are the most iconic part of his look. So that bit of product placement really, really stuck out to me.
Post by: itisnotlogical on May 03, 2019, 04:50:12 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on May 03, 2019, 06:36:56 pm
There's this recent release called High Life. It's like Silent Running by the way of Tarkovsky's Solaris. Level of recommendation depends on how much one liked the latter.
Post by: SalmonGod on May 03, 2019, 10:45:06 pm
Spoiler: Endgame SPOILERS (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on May 06, 2019, 06:57:40 pm
Venom: Like watching Schumacher's Batman & Robin. Dumb schlock that manages to be both amusing and awful at the same time. The most I remember is Tom Hardy jumping into a lobster tank because he's hungry. PG-13's a waste on this one. A passable way to spend some hours in a plane
Into The Spiderverse: Knocked it out of the park with the look and aesthetic. Really nice to see a different take on Spider-man in feature length. Lots of fun. It referenced the Spider-mobile so its gets a pile of bonus points. An even better way to spend some hours in a plane
Free Solo: Rock climbing is scary
Bronson: A stylized retelling of the life of UK's most violent prisoner. A tad bit edgy and more Tom Hardy than I bargained for.
The Lobster: Darkly comedic commentary on modern day relationships. Very weird, but also deeply prophetic. I, too, am destined to be a loner masturbating alone in the woods or transmogrified into dog against my will
Post by: Castlecliff on May 06, 2019, 09:19:47 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on May 06, 2019, 11:44:10 pm
my biggest complaint is they should've just taken the second movie (endgame is three one hour movies) and made it a two hour feature, it's the best and most compelling
As for sonic, we should encourage studios to sink millions into huge last minute changes on movies that nobody with a fucking brain could ever imagine would succeed even at their original budget. The movie industry must be destroyed. Every movie exec working in a toll booth by Christmas
Post by: TD1 on May 07, 2019, 04:44:33 am
Post by: Kagus on May 07, 2019, 04:52:39 am
On the other hand, people might go just to see if they could turn Sonic's look around.Well, I wanted to go because I wanted to see a feature-length film with that level of assery going on in the CGI department... Now they're probably going to come out with a version that's less offensive to the eyes, and therefore less entertaining.
Also, presumably we're going to get another trailer later on advertising the new look that they've worked so hard on. If the internet balks again (which I'm sure it will), I'd like to see them try to squeeze the poor fuckers for yet another cram model and end up having them just use a static low-res placeholder instead because time's up.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on May 10, 2019, 04:37:14 pm
Unpopular opinion here, after seeing the memes first and trailer second, I must say that the Sonic movie actually doesn't look that bad (maybe even kinda okayish good). As someone who has played Sonic games but is pretty neutral, I'm really really really not up in arms over this look of Sonic. And I have to admit even though it was dumb funny, I did chuckle at the uh, m e o w? part. Color me excited for Fast Blue Rat: The Movie
Post by: TamerVirus on May 18, 2019, 02:14:36 pm
I mean, the final boss was the chairman of Iron Chef America[/url, so that's a mega A+ in my book (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ-Ukh_Eaa8)
Post by: Il Palazzo on May 18, 2019, 02:56:20 pm
- Have you seen the Martian?
- Is that the one about corn?
- No, that's Interstellar. The Martian is about potatoes.
Post by: brewer bob on May 18, 2019, 04:31:30 pm
Interstellar.
Every time this movie is mentioned, I remember Matt Damon waking up from the fridge. Such a hilarious scene.
Post by: scriver on May 18, 2019, 06:22:15 pm
Just came back from John Wick 3. Great for folks who like watching Keanu kill goons in increasingly outlandish circumstances. Kung Fu fight in Chinatown! Shooting gallery in Morocco! Matrix throwback level! Its like a video game but I'm perfectly fine with that.
I mean, the final boss was the chairman of Iron Chef America[/url, so that's a mega A+ in my book
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ-Ukh_Eaa8)
Why doesn't people just set Wick on fire? It just strains my imagination that his enemies doesn't take advantage of such an obvious weakness.
Post by: Telgin on May 19, 2019, 11:09:24 pm
Well, saw Detective Pikachu.
Good, with greatness visible but just out of reach. Visuals are actually more impressive in the movie than in the trailers, and by virtue of desensitization (they put out quite a few trailers now), it didn't even look particularly strange or off.
...
All in all, an easy movie to claim the throne of "best video game movie ever made" (live-action). Not to say that that bar was particularly high. I probably liked it more than the average viewer, so keep that in mind.
This pretty much sums up how I felt. I liked the movie and had a few laughs, so I'd say it's a good movie on those grounds. I also found it a little touching at times, surprisingly. The plot also feels like it had a few holes in it, but I feel kind of dumb for not seeing a few of the plot twists coming.
Spoiler: Plot Hole? (click to show/hide)
Post by: scriver on May 20, 2019, 06:39:50 am
Spoiler: Harry spoilers (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on July 31, 2019, 11:21:44 am
Post by: Kagus on July 31, 2019, 11:46:09 am
...and then there are the others, those being the cheesy/terrible horror flicks that I was so desperately starved for because I wasn't allowed to watch them when I was together with my ex. Those are also nice.
Post by: mangointango on August 12, 2019, 12:21:49 pm
Another great film is Scott Pilgrim Vs the WorldYEEEES!!!!!
Post by: catacombs on August 12, 2019, 01:06:42 pm
Post by: mangointango on August 14, 2019, 08:41:33 am
Rewatched The Wolf of Wall Street.
Spoiler alert: It's still good. Leo is a revelation in that movie.
I guess I'm the only person in the world that doesn't like this movie. Leo is outstanding and performs as always ON TOP.
But the character itself is so disgusting to me. And I really hate the scene where Leo and Matthew are dining.
Post by: Cthulhu on August 14, 2019, 09:37:13 am
Saw Midsommar. Thought it was great, not as good as Hereditary but possibly more interesting? Its eminently discussable, lots going on
Post by: scriver on August 14, 2019, 10:41:48 am
Post by: nenjin on August 14, 2019, 11:53:50 am
Why is the name in Swedish?
Because it's set in Sweden.
Post by: Kagus on August 14, 2019, 11:58:58 am
Why is the name in Swedish?
Because it's set in Sweden.
Not to be confused with the 2003 drama/horror film set in Sweden, Midsommer
Post by: Yoink on August 15, 2019, 09:39:57 am
I havent seen it but it sounds good. Personally I think Leo is bad in almost everything he's in. He was the worst part of The Departed and could barely hold his accent.The worst part of The Departed? You mean, other than the entire movie being a reeking heap of utter trash?!
Edit: oh, I guess I should probably say something constructive in here rather than just rubbishing one of the worst movies ever made, huh? Well, most of my screen-time lately has been taken up with Arrested Development, but I did watch Train To Busan the other day, which was surprisingly good.
Also I re-watched The Chumscrubber, which is a pretty weird movie and probably also rather angsty (I did first watch it as a teen, so probably didn't notice), but I have a soft spot for it.
In other re-watch news, 12 Monkeys. Damn, it's just as great as I remembered.
Oh and I've been doing a social media thing that involves posting a picture from a favourite movie each day. Shit's fun.
Post by: Kagus on August 15, 2019, 10:40:05 am
rubbishing one of the worst movies ever made, huh?You have some, uh... Curious notions if you think that The Departed is one of the worst movies ever made.
Like, there's the entire Uwe Boll catalog to go through before we reach that point. Are you sure it's one of the worst movies ever made?
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 15, 2019, 11:02:43 am
Nicholson was either so bored he didn't care, or so high he couldn't focus, or maybe it was the moment in his life when he decided to embrace the old age senility. Whenever he was on screen the editor seemed to have gone into hyper mode, cutting every three to five seconds, as if that's the most the actor could manage to remember of his lines before drifting off into drooling and mumbling. It was jarring and horrible, and I felt sorry for whomever had to deal with this shit on set.
In any case, the film is better than the Korean one it's based off.
Post by: TamerVirus on August 15, 2019, 11:20:53 am
Post by: nenjin on August 15, 2019, 11:22:11 am
Excuse me, but I’m pretty sure the movie’s actually called The Depahted
^
I will always love The Departed if, for nothing else, than the absolutely filthy BAHSTON accents. The shit talking characters to do with each other in that movie is great.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"I'm the guy who does his job. YOU must be the other guy."
Post by: Yoink on August 16, 2019, 06:07:35 am
Anyhow, I just watched Dazed and Confused for the first time. Kinda fun. Also tripped me out seeing the source of a fair few classic reaction gifs - not to mention incredibly young, barely-recognisable versions of certain renowned actors!
Post by: catacombs on August 16, 2019, 08:07:51 am
Post by: Cthulhu on August 16, 2019, 07:34:13 pm
I'm really surprised there's this many people who don't like it.
Post by: scriver on August 17, 2019, 09:04:22 am
I have no idea why you dislike LeonardioCaprio in it. I can't remember anything being bad about his performance.
Post by: catacombs on August 17, 2019, 11:14:00 am
Post by: Iduno on August 17, 2019, 08:53:05 pm
In other re-watch news, 12 Monkeys. Damn, it's just as great as I remembered.\
Bruce Willis is always in the best dumb action comedies and also the Expendables (which is dumb action, but is not the best anything). Death Becomes Her? RED? The Fifth Element? Lucky Number Slevin? Diehard?
He was also involved with Fifth Element, but Unbreakable was watchable by the same director.
one of the worst movies ever made
I doubt it was that bad. Adam Sandler wasn't even in it.
Post by: Eschar on August 17, 2019, 10:19:09 pm
Post by: Kagus on August 19, 2019, 12:37:09 am
It was definitely a movie, and contained performances from multiple actors and actresses. CGI was also used in parts.
Post by: TamerVirus on August 19, 2019, 08:28:05 am
Post by: catacombs on August 19, 2019, 08:52:08 am
Post by: Kagus on August 19, 2019, 09:44:51 am
Was there a climax in the plot and, ultimately, a resolution?Yes:
the scene where Tom Hardy is making a mess out of a fancy restaurant eating lobster
Post by: IWishIWereSarah on August 24, 2019, 01:13:00 am
I am looking for the name of a movie I forgot. It's a comedy in the same genre as Galaxy Quest, but with a medieval setting.
A group of people find themselves in a medieval world/setting, where many things are stupid in a comedic fashion (it's normal to send messages to other people by putting a letter on an arrow and firing at them, hitting the recipient with the arrow). the heroes do not come from this world, but from the future of this world, or a different world, I do not remember. I think they try to establish the peace between the two medieval factions present in the movie, but I am not sure.
Basically, I'm looking for medieval "galaxy quest", but did not find it with google :/
Anybody knows the title of this movie ?
Post by: Folly on August 24, 2019, 02:57:16 am
Mine is that there has been a time-skip, humans have repopulated the Earth, but hatred for the robots never really went away and as soon as the humans thought they were strong enough they started up the old war all over again. Now a peace-loving coalition of humans and robots have worked together to clone Neo, so that he can once again find a way to end the fighting.
Post by: Yoink on August 25, 2019, 02:42:57 am
That was fantastic, I had no idea.
I never realised how much of an extra dimension Shakespeare's work takes on when it is actually being performed on a stage, even if said performance is already taking place within a film.
The movie's other aspects were all wonderful as well (especially all the little historical tidbits), but wrapped up in the real Mister Shakespeare's poetry and melodrama it certainly made for a potent viewing experience indeed.
Post by: Kagus on August 25, 2019, 04:27:46 am
Basically, I'm looking for medieval "galaxy quest", but did not find it with google :/
I'm not finding a dang thing for this... TVtropes page for arrowgrams has nothing to say on the matter, which I would have expected if it's a running theme.
Also tried looking for series rather than films, but again... Not much. The Wizards of Aus (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5260254/) was the first thing that popped to mind, but I couldn't find any mentions of arrow gags.
Just to make sure... You're not thinking of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/) are you? I'd assume it'd be obvious if that's the one you were thinking of, but I really never know with people these days.
Post by: IWishIWereSarah on August 25, 2019, 11:52:47 am
[EDIT] Oh, there are only 5 mentions, and it's none of these :/
It's not The Wizards of Aus (it's a movie, not a series), and it's more recent than a Monty Python movie.
I'd say it's between 1995 and 2015, although more probably in the 2000s.
Post by: Yoink on August 29, 2019, 05:59:28 am
Anyone have an idea what that might have been? Feel free to spoiler your replies, lest we upset someone who hasn't seen it. Or maybe you don't need to, what would I know?
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Actually, even if you have no idea what that movie might have been, feel free to tell me about your favourite fight scenes and/or what movies they were from!
I'm mainly thinking about gritty, desperate and believable kinda ones, but of course I appreciate a good over-the-top kung fu showdown as well.
Or just any fight scene that ended up being so bad it's good, heh.
Post by: scriver on August 29, 2019, 06:30:29 am
Post by: Ulfarr on August 29, 2019, 08:03:15 am
Actually, even if you have no idea what that movie might have been, feel free to tell me about your favourite fight scenes and/or what movies they were from!
I'm mainly thinking about gritty, desperate and believable kinda ones, but of course I appreciate a good over-the-top kung fu showdown as well.
Or just any fight scene that ended up being so bad it's good, heh.
The hand to hand/gun fights in Atomic Blonde are very well made. Without going into spoilers, I believe they did a very good job portraying how a fist fight could go between a woman and a man, showcasing the weight disadvantage with the woman having noticeably weaker strikes and being more easily moved/thrown than her opponents and thus having to fight more skillfully to compensate without falling in the pit of making the goons too stupid to breathe. Moreover it also showcases how both parties become increasingly exhausted from the fight/wounds with their moves becoming sloppier/weaker over time and having to rely on whatever object they can find around them to use as bludgeons (lamps, empty pistols etc).
Post by: Jopax on August 29, 2019, 08:32:13 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 29, 2019, 09:17:20 am
I was just pondering movie fight scenes and I have a vague memory of an example of a very good one, in which the main character and his opponent brutally have at one another in a small room, seemingly evenly-matched until the protagonist manages to reach down and turn on a stove burner whilst his assailant is pinned against it, before subsequently snapping his neck or something.Goddamnit, now I convinced myself that I saw that movie too. And of course I can't remember which it was either.
The first thought was, as above, the Bourne series. But I watched a compilation of its fight scenes, and there wasn't one with a stove top.
Quote
I'm mainly thinking about gritty, desperate and believable kinda onesThe one from Eastern Promises, in the bathhouse. The same team earlier made A History of Violence, which is also peppered with believable fights - but they're so to-the-point that they rarely last for more than a few seconds.
Post by: Iduno on August 30, 2019, 08:11:56 am
I was just pondering movie fight scenes and I have a vague memory of an example of a very good one, in which the main character and his opponent brutally have at one another in a small room, seemingly evenly-matched until the protagonist manages to reach down and turn on a stove burner whilst his assailant is pinned against it, before subsequently snapping his neck or something.
Anyone have an idea what that might have been? Feel free to spoiler your replies, lest we upset someone who hasn't seen it. Or maybe you don't need to, what would I know?Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Actually, even if you have no idea what that movie might have been, feel free to tell me about your favourite fight scenes and/or what movies they were from!
I'm mainly thinking about gritty, desperate and believable kinda ones, but of course I appreciate a good over-the-top kung fu showdown as well.
Or just any fight scene that ended up being so bad it's good, heh.
Was Jason Statham in it? Or one of the Punisher movies? Man, I haven't seen a good fight scene in a while.
Post by: Jopax on August 30, 2019, 09:52:06 am
Post by: TamerVirus on August 30, 2019, 11:03:18 am
I mean, it's got some of the same actors from The Raid
Post by: Parsely on August 30, 2019, 04:41:53 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on September 07, 2019, 07:32:51 pm
I was just pondering movie fight scenes and I have a vague memory of an example of a very good one, in which the main character and his opponent brutally have at one another in a small room, seemingly evenly-matched until the protagonist manages to reach down and turn on a stove burner whilst his assailant is pinned against it, before subsequently snapping his neck or something.
It's not quite that, but the 2012 punisher fight with the Russian is pretty close to that, where he throws hot oil in his face and breaks his neck throwing him down the stairs.
I just saw It 2. I thought there were some good moments, the way they beat Pennywise is probably the best way they could've done it, close enough to the book thematically while still being comprehensible for a movie.
But there's lots of stupid quips and jokes, and it's fucking loud and obnoxious, which kills any kind of tension the movie might set up. There's a really obvious and out of place reference to The Thing, and thankfully the movie's not scary cause if it was that would've killed it.
It was okay, but it wasn't scary, and that's the entire point of a horror movie so unfortunately it gets an F by default.
Post by: TamerVirus on September 10, 2019, 11:03:52 am
the 2012 punisher fight with the Russian is pretty close to that, where he throws hot oil in his face and breaks his neck throwing him down the stairs.That came out in 2004 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9izyQ7zdE2Y) and is made better when you know that the actor who plays the Russian is actually WWE/WCW pro wrestler Kevin Nash.
Post by: Cthulhu on September 10, 2019, 06:36:57 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on September 11, 2019, 08:58:20 am
Why did I think it was 2012? My brain wasn't working I guess.Probably because Thomas Jane reprised his role as the Punisher in this short film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWpK0wsnitc) in 2012
Post by: Cthulhu on September 28, 2019, 11:06:44 am
It may have worked better as a book.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 28, 2019, 12:12:48 pm
I finally got around to watching Prometheus after hearing it was really bad. I don't get the hate (well, I kind of do). I haven't seen Covenant yet to see if it ruins everything, but the lack of answers I think is kind of the point. I can see how that'd be disappointing but at its core the promethean (really more babelian almost) search for god is better for not having any of the answers you want.It's fine where it doesn't give answers. It falls flat where it does, even in the most basic sense of giving motivation to the characters for doing what they're doing.
It may have worked better as a book.
However, having listened to some interviews with and around Ridley Scott over the years, I came around to appreciating Prometheus for what it is - i.e. Pretty Pictures Strung On A Plot-like Scaffolding. From what I gathered, he doesn't care much about coherent plotlines or believable characters. He makes a film because he wants to show you some cool images that popped up his head, and the rest is subservient and an afterthought.
So, yeah. There's plenty of frankly amazing scenes in Prometheus, that I enjoy revisiting in isolation. But a good story it ain't.
Post by: Kagus on September 28, 2019, 02:58:37 pm
Post by: Jopax on September 29, 2019, 02:46:19 am
Post by: jocan2003 on September 29, 2019, 07:36:54 am
Anyone saw it and remember the name? It less than 10yr old for sure.
Post by: Kagus on September 29, 2019, 07:43:05 am
On my side its more of a what was the name of. It was a modern day new york where a student studying tesla generator in a cave like place had to train to become a mage. Magic is being taught like science as in if atoms move fadt enough and rub enough it catches fire.
Anyone saw it and remember the name? It less than 10yr old for sure.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice? (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963966/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1) First thing that comes to mind.
Post by: jocan2003 on September 29, 2019, 08:39:12 am
Post by: Kagus on September 29, 2019, 02:11:26 pm
YEEAHSSS!!! Thank yaI can't for the life of me recall the circumstances of watching that movie (I believe I even saw it in a theater, of all things!), but I do remember lvl5 Lightning Bolt vs Faraday cage.
Post by: Yoink on September 29, 2019, 09:13:10 pm
;DNever seen any Punisher films (I feel like I should count myself lucky, but I guess some folks like them?) but Jason Statham did seem like it rang a bell... I generally avoid most of his by-the-numbers action shenanigans but I do remember seeing Safe years back.
Was Jason Statham in it? Or one of the Punisher movies? Man, I haven't seen a good fight scene in a while.
Unfortunately, I skimmed a comp of its fight scenes to no avail. Dang. I may have
@Il Palazzo: ooh, I gotta watch Eastern Promises! My brother had a poster of it years ago and said it was good (as dumb as he is in almost every other respect we do tend to have similar taste in films), and even I came across it much later the premise sounded like it would be right up my alley.
Now, I still have to find that bloody fight scene... and that other movie with the orthodox Jewish brothers doggedly pursuing the same McGuffin as the protagonist, for that matter.
I'm gonna laugh if they turn out to be the same film. Then again, no I won't 'cause I'll probably never find it.
Post by: scriver on September 30, 2019, 12:48:29 am
Post by: Cthulhu on September 30, 2019, 05:55:56 am
Post by: TamerVirus on September 30, 2019, 10:38:39 am
Post by: scriver on September 30, 2019, 10:39:57 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 30, 2019, 10:49:45 am
Post by: scriver on September 30, 2019, 12:45:06 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on September 30, 2019, 10:48:24 pm
Question. Are people overreacting to the Joker film or are people really overreacting to the Joker film?
It says a lot about society.
Post by: scriver on October 01, 2019, 07:12:19 am
Post by: TamerVirus on October 01, 2019, 10:05:55 am
Question. Are people overreacting to the Joker film or are people really overreacting to the Joker film?
It says a lot about society.
That we live in one
Post by: ggamer on October 01, 2019, 11:01:17 am
there was an article about how the premiere went off completely safely and the tone makes it sound like the writer was sad, cause now they're not vindicated in their fucking batshit hatred of this movie
Post by: TamerVirus on October 02, 2019, 09:21:10 am
Post by: Yoink on October 02, 2019, 09:01:10 pm
(Seriously though that does sound hilarious... might be a good candidate for a cooked movie night.)
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 03, 2019, 05:36:35 am
(Seriously though that does sound hilarious... might be a good candidate for a cooked movie night.)Why not the whole 'has fallen' trilogy (or however many there was)?
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 03, 2019, 11:27:59 am
Post by: TamerVirus on October 03, 2019, 11:33:13 am
So was Joker good or not? It looks good.Too busy dodging gunfire from the incels rising up to tell
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 03, 2019, 01:51:45 pm
Lovely techporn and very good acting. The themes and twists are not particularly earth-shattering. A seasoned SF veteran should be able to identify them in advance - but it does not insult your intelligence and is a generally satisfying experience that stays with you after the credits roll.
Post by: Jopax on October 03, 2019, 03:50:15 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 03, 2019, 03:55:38 pm
Post by: Ulfarr on October 03, 2019, 04:45:25 pm
With that being said, it’s more like a chronicle of a man’s descent to madness and definitely not a superhero movie so don’t go in expecting crazy action scenes and a “save/destroy the world” plot.
Since I am not a comic book fan I can’t comment on how closely it follows Joker’s lore. I could argue though that even in a different setting ( “real” world for example) the movie would work. It would work really well.
Post by: Yoink on October 03, 2019, 06:33:17 pm
Unless you're Robert Kirkman, I guess.
Post by: itisnotlogical on October 05, 2019, 02:41:48 am
But there's Birds of Prey still to come, which I suspect will continue the Diet Avengers style of movies.
Post by: Yoink on October 05, 2019, 03:13:24 am
The comic book felt like a goddamn movie already, I am interested to see if they manage to translate that to the screen. Oh, and the setting should be almost as much of a feast for the eyes as it was in Tocchini's art, too. :)
Post by: itisnotlogical on October 05, 2019, 03:28:00 am
Post by: TamerVirus on October 05, 2019, 03:36:42 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on October 05, 2019, 05:28:15 pm
I might watch it, do it at the local theater at like 3 in the afternoon to minimize the odds of getting jokered. Superhero movies are trash. Entertaining trash, I haven't hated any of the marvel movies, at their worst they're fine but I'm fucking sick of them at this point, and I'm praying this is the start of the fabled Superhero Fatigue. I can't see how you can go from Endgame one year to a Lady Thor Origin Story the very next year, that's what we call "slamming on the brakes."
Like I said, I generally thought all the ones I saw were fine, but I don't like what they've done to cinema in general. IT 2 is a good example. Every big movie has to be a three hour long epic CGI clusterfuck, it's no longer acceptable for a blockbuster to be 90-120 minutes long and ride on a simple, effective premise. I can't lay it all on marvel, Transformers did its damage too, but I crave simplicity right now.
The moves I'm most excited for right now are Color Out of Space (Suppose this one falls into CGI Clusterfuck territory but it's not 3 hours long and being a kaleidoscopic visual nightmare is the entire point) and Uncut Gems, purely to see Adam Sandler actually giving a shit. Oh, and Gretel and Hansel. There's still good movies out there, and I'm sure they make money, but the big "popcorn" movies are all fucking nightmares.
Post by: Jopax on October 06, 2019, 10:32:23 am
As TV said, a very opressive movie (the score is a big part of that imo), the atmosphere is thick and suffocating which I think is kind of the point and it really works well in putting you in the headspace (to the extent that it's possible) of Arthur as he's pretty much on the edge for most of the movie.
That said, the whole story surrounding the movie in social media and some of the reactions really reminds me of Fight Club with certain people taking the completely wrong message out of it and using the movie as some sort of rallying piece when it really isn't. It's a fairly simple story of a man with mental issues living on the edge and finally being pushed over it, of course we're going to have total fuckwits using that certain quote in the completely wrong way.
Also expect every other asshole to be Joker this Halloween.
Post by: Cthulhu on October 13, 2019, 10:18:08 pm
The treatment of him kind of reminds me of Native Son, not the subject matter but the way Joker is basically unsympathetic (his big speech at the end, rather than being some revolutionary rallying cry, it's a cringe-inducing rant) but you understand how he's been brought to this place by circumstances completely out of his control.
Post by: TamerVirus on October 14, 2019, 02:40:57 pm
The depiction of Gotham is nightmarish, even the clean rich areas have a starkness to them that I like.My dad said it was pretty much a pastiche of New York from the late 60s-80s.
Gotham is covered in trash = the sanitation strike of 1968
Joker shooting the dudes in the subway and becoming an icon = The Bernie Goetz 1984 subway shooting
Murr-ray on the TV = Johnny Carson
Post by: Ulfarr on October 17, 2019, 09:57:54 am
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.
Watch as a bunch of reindeer herders try to make ends meet while getting chased around by an evil santa that wants to eat them and their children. Fun for the whole family!!(not)
Post by: Jopax on October 20, 2019, 03:12:11 pm
The first one was a dumb idea played kinda straight and that's where most of the hilarity came from, having a space nazi come into the modern world and have his propaganda fed world clash with what's real, and of course then came the meteorblitzkrieg which was just freaking cool. This one is just a mashup of different popular movies and internet memes and most of the times the jokes kinda fall flat or grow old because they're so damn obvious (oh no, he put on a red shirt there's no way he's gonna live trough this, oh look he keeps almost dying for the entire movie, what a twist on your expectations).
The communist marsbase was a cool touch tho.
Post by: Kagus on October 21, 2019, 05:28:51 am
Y'know I would've made a great gay guy.
Post by: Iduno on October 21, 2019, 09:52:32 am
Watch as a bunch of reindeer herders try to make ends meet while getting chased around by an evil santa that wants to eat them and their children. Fun for the whole family!!(not)
So, like a bad Krampus?
Post by: Ulfarr on October 21, 2019, 11:18:26 am
Post by: Jopax on October 21, 2019, 05:44:46 pm
Post by: Kagus on November 02, 2019, 03:45:09 am
Y'know, people generally like to rave about Raul Julia and Angelica Huston, or Christina Ricci (and they're all wonderful, don't get me wrong!)... But god damn, Christopher Lloyd absolutely smashes his role as Fester. That man is a precious flower, and I'll hear no accounts to the contrary!
Post by: Cthulhu on November 02, 2019, 10:46:34 am
Post by: Iduno on November 02, 2019, 05:10:09 pm
I expected to have to stop watching because of a creepy leering look at the main character, but anything that happened was for her to control the situation. So not only good, but actually good despite the expectation being low.
Post by: wierd on November 05, 2019, 07:51:37 am
the only source available (even commercially) is a low fidelity, poorly color calibrated technicolor job with lots of interlacing artifacts. SO-- I have been running it through Waifu2x-Caffe (after turning it into an epic buttload of stills with ffmpeg), and then through virtual dub (with lots and lots of filters to try and correct all the bad color and poor contrast.)
The movie itself is a comedy, and shamelessly so. Very silly. Fun to pull on people that expect John Wayne style westerns. lol.
Post by: McTraveller on November 05, 2019, 07:57:30 am
Iron Sky 2.I did not know that was a thing!
Post by: Yoink on November 07, 2019, 09:07:39 pm
I thought it was Shanghai Noon or the sequel, but a flurry of Google searches on the topic came up empty. Also, later on towards the end of the film,
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Can anyone help me out here? I haven't seen the Shanghai movies in years, maybe it was one of them. Otherwise, searching for "Western ricochet scene" just turns up some movie called ricochet which I don't believe I've seen.
Thanks, Google. ::)
Post by: Iduno on November 08, 2019, 10:20:10 am
Speaking of westerns, I'm trying to remember a film where one of the main characters was shit-talking about the time he took out a whole bunch of guys with one shot, by making his bullet somehow ricochet. An absurdly far-fetched tall story.
I thought it was Shanghai Noon or the sequel, but a flurry of Google searches on the topic came up empty. Also, later on towards the end of the film,Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Can anyone help me out here? I haven't seen the Shanghai movies in years, maybe it was one of them. Otherwise, searching for "Western ricochet scene" just turns up some movie called ricochet which I don't believe I've seen.
Thanks, Google. ::)
I think I've seen that in multiple movies, so it's hard to find just one.
Post by: Reelya on November 11, 2019, 07:55:06 am
Effectively it's the same plot again, except more contrived. A new completely unrelated AI just happens to end up like Skynet and make almost identical terminators, and send one back in time to do the whole "kill resistance leader" thing, while humans from this future also send back in time an agent to stop the other one. None of the entities are even aware of the aborted Skynet timeline. I mean, what are the actual odds of this?
It's also cashing in on the big "girl power remake" vibe that's been going on these days, and passed off as feminism, when it's really just a flimsy excuse to squeeze a little more blood out of dead franchises. I mean, this is just a gimmick at this point. At least have some new plot where any of those differences even matter: if you can just gender-flip everyone back to male without changing any of the plot-points then it's not really a female-centric story, it's just a standard Dude Action Movie but with girls cast in it.
It's is bombing out at the box office btw. i think the thinking is that putting female characters as the lead characters in high-budget action / effects movies (ones where traditionally, the audience is about 90% male) will double the potential audience. But this is flawed thinking. Most women I've heard talking about such things tend to talk about the cute male stars of such movies. It's pretty much the only draw for a lot of them to even bother. Are they going to see a Mark Wahlberg movie, or the same movie with Angelina Jolie or Scarlett Johanssen in it instead? Most women will see the Mark Wahlberg version.
Battle Angel Alita was cheaper to make and did better at the box office, despite the relative lack of brand-recognition. So it's more likely to see another Alita movie than another Terminator movie in the near to medium future. Which is honestly a relief. Terminator really isn't that suited to being a long-running series of movies, due to the entire premise of the movies.
Post by: IronyOwl on November 11, 2019, 08:23:00 pm
As for movies I have seen recently: They're all D-tier absolute trash so nothing to really talk about there.
Post by: Yoink on November 11, 2019, 08:56:01 pm
Natural Born Killers seems like a good movie, but it's just thoroughly unpleasant to watch.Dude... what?! I loved that movie! And I was entirely sober!
Maybe in some of the early parts I can see what you mean, especially that flashback scene, but I think that was mainly because I was watching it at my family's house with the risk of people looking over my shoulder at the disturbing scenes I was viewing, haha. Did you watch it all the way through, or give up on it?
I think it's definitely worth another shot.
Also, crap, just remembered, I'm supposed to be going over to watch the Breaking Bad movie with friends tonight.
I'm just hoping a certain character I loathed in the show finally gets the demise they deserve... or at least some kind of demise. Fingers crossed.
Edit:
As for movies I have seen recently: They're all D-tier absolute trash so nothing to really talk about there.What kind of "D-tier absolute trash"? Is that like, B-movies but a bit further down the alphabet?
Post by: IronyOwl on November 11, 2019, 09:16:20 pm
Edit:Yeah. B-movies are low budget but potentially enjoyable and sometimes well known. I've been watching absolute garbage you've never heard of like Winterskin (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7715192/) (terrible-in-unenjoyable-way horror movie) and Jungle Master (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2871776/) (stiff Chinese-made CGI children's film).As for movies I have seen recently: They're all D-tier absolute trash so nothing to really talk about there.What kind of "D-tier absolute trash"? Is that like, B-movies but a bit further down the alphabet?
Post by: Yoink on November 11, 2019, 10:20:24 pm
Have you seen The Law of Violence, Killer Nerd and Hansel and Gretel Get Baked? Some of the most irredeemable bad films I've seen.
Actually I should add a disclaimer, The Law of Violence is only for the truly masochistic. Watch at thy own peril.
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 11, 2019, 10:55:40 pm
Yeah. B-movies are low budget but potentially enjoyable and sometimes well known. I've been watching absolute garbage you've never heard of like Winterskin (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7715192/) (terrible-in-unenjoyable-way horror movie) and Jungle Master (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2871776/) (stiff Chinese-made CGI children's film).These look almost half-competently made. What letter is a Neil Breen movie then?
Post by: nenjin on November 11, 2019, 11:05:02 pm
Yeah. B-movies are low budget but potentially enjoyable and sometimes well known. I've been watching absolute garbage you've never heard of like Winterskin (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7715192/) (terrible-in-unenjoyable-way horror movie) and Jungle Master (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2871776/) (stiff Chinese-made CGI children's film).These look almost half-competently made. What letter is a Neil Breen movie then?
A letter which encompasses all human knowledge and experience. A letter too perfect for this awful human world. A letter which will save all of humanity. That. Is a Neil Breen letter.
NBK is like my roommates favorite movie of all time. I mean it's about serial killers, it's not going to be a pleasant movie in the final analysis. Just like Blue Velvet isn't a pleasant movie to sit through.
I've never had any real desire to rewatch NBK, and I've deliberately rewatched American History X. So it's not like being shocked and/or depressed is something I can't appreciate. I think what gets me about NBK is the way their relationship is portrayed, how loopy and obsessed they are. It gives this sort of sad, almost idiot quality to everything that happens. NBK really feels like a product of its time.
Post by: Yoink on November 11, 2019, 11:21:22 pm
Post by: IronyOwl on November 11, 2019, 11:26:51 pm
Sounds sick. I'll have to watch those sometime.I have not, though Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is actually pretty good all things considered. I should clarify that I don't seek out completely bad movies on purpose, my tastes just tend towards bottom feeding.
Have you seen The Law of Violence, Killer Nerd and Hansel and Gretel Get Baked? Some of the most irredeemable bad films I've seen.
Actually I should add a disclaimer, The Law of Violence is only for the truly masochistic. Watch at thy own peril.
Speaking of which, if you like bad movies consider Independence Day: Resurgence. I probably don't need to tell you that a twenty year later sequel to a cheesy movie is bad, but I found it both impressively terrible and, unlike most awful movies I'm familiar with, absolutely made of money for the privilege.
Not familiar with him, but I suspect at the depths you're talking about the laws of man fail and entirely new scales of measurement are required.Yeah. B-movies are low budget but potentially enjoyable and sometimes well known. I've been watching absolute garbage you've never heard of like Winterskin (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7715192/) (terrible-in-unenjoyable-way horror movie) and Jungle Master (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2871776/) (stiff Chinese-made CGI children's film).These look almost half-competently made. What letter is a Neil Breen movie then?
A letter which encompasses all human knowledge and experience. A letter too perfect for this awful human world. A letter which will save all of humanity. That. Is a Neil Breen letter.Or this, yeah. A transcendent letter, never before seen by this sinful world, which only coincidentally looks like somebody tried to write an N over a B and screwed it up somehow.
Post by: Ulfarr on November 12, 2019, 02:44:53 am
Post by: Reelya on November 12, 2019, 05:29:40 am
Edit:Yeah. B-movies are low budget but potentially enjoyable and sometimes well known. I've been watching absolute garbage you've never heard of like Winterskin (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7715192/) (terrible-in-unenjoyable-way horror movie) and Jungle Master (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2871776/) (stiff Chinese-made CGI children's film).As for movies I have seen recently: They're all D-tier absolute trash so nothing to really talk about there.What kind of "D-tier absolute trash"? Is that like, B-movies but a bit further down the alphabet?
I found out about R.O.T.O.R recently. The z-grade Terminator/Robocop knock-off. Worth seeing. Also: Hobgoblins for the worst-made Gremlins / Critters type knock off ever.
R.O.T.OR (1987) trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZgDQKkHbtY
Hobgoblins (1988) trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0fhewrzBRM
Post by: da_nang on November 12, 2019, 08:25:16 am
Huh.
Post by: scriver on November 12, 2019, 08:32:57 am
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on November 12, 2019, 09:31:13 am
Post by: Yoink on November 12, 2019, 09:44:22 am
It... didn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but I was pretty stoked to see some more of my favourite character. Won't say any more than that, since I can't be bothered carefully sorting any spoilers into a spoiler compartment right now.
Post by: TamerVirus on November 12, 2019, 10:18:28 am
...It's almost like it was planned...It the "New Coke" conspiracy all over again!
Post by: Ulfarr on November 12, 2019, 10:38:29 am
So, I watched El Camino.
It... didn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but I was pretty stoked to see some more of my favourite character. Won't say any more than that, since I can't be bothered carefully sorting any spoilers into a spoiler compartment right now.
As much as I liked Breaking Bad, I just couldn't bring myself to watch El camino past the first 20-30 minutes.... Maybe I quitted it too soon and it got better as the story progressed but up to that point it was just so damn boring.
Post by: Cthulhu on November 12, 2019, 10:42:15 am
I finally watched goodfellas. It was good, fellas.
I havent seen natural born killers, but a while back i watched the sadist on a cheap horror DVD pack I got at the flea market, based on the same crime spree. Was expecting hilarious schlock, starring arch hall junior of Eegah! fame, and was disappointed to find it was really good. Felt very prototypical of the hostage thriller genre, emphasis on how the protagonists fail to seize on opportunities, the classic 'cops show up' stakes-raising fakeout, and arch hall jr is really good as a demented creep
El Camino is also good
Post by: Yoink on November 13, 2019, 01:13:38 am
Not sure if I'd say it got much better, honestly.So, I watched El Camino.
It... didn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but I was pretty stoked to see some more of my favourite character. Won't say any more than that, since I can't be bothered carefully sorting any spoilers into a spoiler compartment right now.
As much as I liked Breaking Bad, I just couldn't bring myself to watch El camino past the first 20-30 minutes.... Maybe I quitted it too soon and it got better as the story progressed but up to that point it was just so damn boring.
There are a couple of moments that are reasonably tense, and you get to see more of certain characters from the show (mostly through flashbacks), but for the most part it's just the Jesse Pinkman Power Hour.
Certainly not up to the standard of the show itself - or even BCS, which was kind of an exaggerated cash-in but at least it didn't take itself very seriously.
@Cthulhu: oooh, that sounds interesting. Will add to my to-watch list!
I think my favourite depiction of those crimes was probably in The Frighteners of all things, assuming you're referring to the Starkweather murders.
I adore NBK but it was by no means trying to be an accurate account, haha.
Post by: Ulfarr on November 13, 2019, 03:17:36 am
Not sure if I'd say it got much better, honestly.
There are a couple of moments that are reasonably tense, and you get to see more of certain characters from the show (mostly through flashbacks), but for the most part it's just the Jesse Pinkman Power Hour.
Certainly not up to the standard of the show itself - or even BCS, which was kind of an exaggerated cash-in but at least it didn't take itself very seriously.
I guess I'll just pass on it then. Thanks :)
Post by: Reelya on November 15, 2019, 07:17:00 am
Post by: Iduno on November 15, 2019, 08:50:27 am
Well I just watched Bubba Ho-Tep tonight, and have to say it was an awesome little movie. Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead) stars it in, and his lead role performance is definitely one of the best he's done. You wouldn't think, with the cheesy premise that the acting would be the stand-out feature.
Not Briscoe County, Jr.?
Post by: TamerVirus on November 15, 2019, 09:23:37 am
Saw Godzilla:King of the Monsters which is too bogged down with dumb soldier shit. I couldn’t give two shits about GI Bro and his ex-wife with the magic monster boom box. They were all pretty unlikable (except Ken Watanabe as the scientist guy). The big dumb kaiju fights do deliver though.
Verdict: Hey! There’s a
Post by: IronyOwl on November 15, 2019, 07:23:22 pm
Speaking of good bad movies, Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (https://youtu.be/4LRIypcaIX4)! The full movie is also uploaded on youtube.
I found out about R.O.T.O.R recently. The z-grade Terminator/Robocop knock-off. Worth seeing. Also: Hobgoblins for the worst-made Gremlins / Critters type knock off ever.Haven't gotten around to these yet, but I will. Oh, I will.
R.O.T.OR (1987) trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZgDQKkHbtY
Hobgoblins (1988) trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0fhewrzBRM
Well I just watched Bubba Ho-Tep tonight, and have to say it was an awesome little movie. Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead) stars it in, and his lead role performance is definitely one of the best he's done. You wouldn't think, with the cheesy premise that the acting would be the stand-out feature.Really? I found it pretty disappointing. It had some great parts, but the movie as a whole just felt very slow and lackluster. Like they had an awesome (read: stupid) idea but couldn't flesh it out enough.
I do feel like Bruce Campbell playing Elvis was a cosmic inevitability, though.
Post by: Reelya on November 15, 2019, 10:38:55 pm
Post by: Yoink on November 16, 2019, 02:26:58 am
Also, that R.O.T.O.R. trailer is amazing. I can't decide which part I love more, the ridiculous VO reading out the acronym of the title, or the part where the main character walks into a bunch of chairs.
I'm championing the movie as an option for a movie night some friends are apparently having on Sunday - mainly because I doubt they'd go for Samurai Cop 2 considering the still-fresh psychological scars left by the first one, hahahahaha.
Post by: wierd on November 16, 2019, 02:36:31 am
Zorro breaks his leg while escaping from a spanish style manor house's second story window, and asks his identical twin brother Ramone (no shitting) to stand in for him. Hilarity ensues.
Post by: IronyOwl on November 16, 2019, 02:37:23 am
I think the slow pacing was deliberate, it gave time to do the character exploration. That was really what the movie was about. They could have crammed way more slasher/monster/action scenes in, but they didn't. The movie really is about Bruce Campbell's character study and not the monster.Yeah, but that also dragged. It's not like he had a bunch of revelations or doubts to overcome or anything. He was miserable and slowly dying, then he got a better idea. It just took forever getting there and didn't do much with it at the end either.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Conversely, I've now watched ROTOR and it is an absolute masterpiece. The technobabble is beyond shameless, every single character is a quirky moron, and much like the cast I had no idea why anything was supposed to be happening half the time. They really don't make em like that anymore, probably because everyone involved was thrown in jail.
Post by: Reelya on November 16, 2019, 07:47:12 am
Nah, pretty sure thatSpoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Iduno on November 18, 2019, 08:59:06 am
Conversely, I've now watched ROTOR and it is an absolute masterpiece. The technobabble is beyond shameless, every single character is a quirky moron, and much like the cast I had no idea why anything was supposed to be happening half the time. They really don't make em like that anymore, probably because everyone involved was thrown in jail.
How does it compare to Robot Jox? I think that one was too high-quality for MST3K, but too low-quality for anything else (other than shitty drunk movie night, for which it's good). Convoluted but mostly logical (in-world) plot, with characters that are doing...something because...giant robot fights have replaced wars?
Post by: Cthulhu on November 18, 2019, 01:44:24 pm
Rotor is just complete nonsense, funny and occasionally bizarre, like the little cop robot or the ending where
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Also the main characters name is barrett coldiron, which is basically a space mutiny name
Post by: TamerVirus on November 18, 2019, 05:48:57 pm
Featuring!
-Christmas lights
-David Hasslehoff
-a lava lamp monster
-amazons on horseback
And my favorite
-breaking open windows in space!
Post by: Reelya on November 18, 2019, 06:33:55 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 19, 2019, 10:45:36 am
Picture this: a naked 40-ish year old guy sits in the bushes and talks to an 8-year old girl who's been playing alone. He tells her not to call her mum, but come closer. He knows shit about her (stalker!), says she'll grow up to be so very pretty, and he'll be coming back many times.
Post by: Iduno on November 19, 2019, 12:07:07 pm
So I rewatched a scene from The Time Traveller's Wife - the sort of high-concept romance film I loved as a young adult, despite (or maybe because) its maudlin saccharine look and feel - where the two characters first meet. Back then I thought the scene was cute and romantic, now I get red lights flashing everywhere, and an alarm siren booming 'stranger danger'.
Picture this: a naked 40-ish year old guy sits in the bushes and talks to an 8-year old girl who's been playing alone. He tells her not to call her mum, but come closer. He knows shit about her (stalker!), says she'll grow up to be so very pretty, and he'll be coming back many times.
Also, he offered her candy, and "time-travels" in a windowless van?
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 25, 2019, 07:14:54 pm
It's a very cleverly made film that'll leave you with a feel-good glow. Best not to read anything about it, apart from the basic premise: a film crew is making a zombie flick when real zombies attack.
Also, it's very Japanese.
Post by: Reelya on November 26, 2019, 04:59:21 am
It's ironically clear you're using "Very Japanese" in this case to mean "nothing like a typical Japanese horror movie". It's probably got legs overseas because it's actually much more western in approach, and then foreign people are noticing the "Japanese-ness" compared to other zombie movies, rather than realizing how western it is compared to normal Japanese horror. Zombies and splatter films are just about the least Japanese form of horror that exists.
Post by: Yoink on November 26, 2019, 05:29:59 am
Post by: scriver on November 26, 2019, 05:31:45 am
It's like just how you can tell that something is british instead of american based solely on the atmosphere of the show.
Post by: Iduno on November 26, 2019, 08:42:10 am
Very japanese to me means a lot of japanese media tropes and that general feeling of japaneseness.
It's like just how you can tell that something is british instead of american based solely on the atmosphere of the show.
And the extra 'u'.
Post by: scriver on November 26, 2019, 10:17:30 am
Post by: Kagus on November 26, 2019, 10:32:13 am
Post by: Reelya on November 26, 2019, 06:43:50 pm
"Very Japanese" means, to me, a lot of sexual humour, body horror, and bizarreness.
A lot of that is because it's what the west *chooses* to import. I used to do a thing in the anime thread comparing the Japanese manga sales charts to the New York Times manga sales charts, both of which they used to publish weekly. The top 10 of nytimes was all boobs and magic battles, the top 50 of Japan was > 50% mostly real-life drama, sports, romance, and the "popular" "big boobs" mangas that get to literally #1 in sales in the USA almost weekly don't even make it into the top 50 weekly sales charts in Japan.
Highschool DxD and Daily life with Monster Girls are actually extremely obscure Japanese comics, yet both regularly hit the #1 weekly sales spot for manga in the USA. I knew a guy back in college who had a big stack of American porn comics (ones like "Horny Biker Slut"). Those were the only comics he collected. Should I assume that's what American comics are all about?
This is where complaining about weebs is justified btw. It's the weebs who are only into shonen battles and pervy stuff, they've lead to a situation where only obscure borderline porn series and action series for little kids get any traction in the US market. The West's attitude to Japanese stuff is largely like if a foreigner only watches American porn and Marvel movies then complains that all live-action films from America are nothing but smut or mindless action.
Post by: Yoink on November 27, 2019, 12:31:18 am
The Street Fighter and Karate-Robo Zaborgar are both fantastic.
Post by: Reelya on November 27, 2019, 06:05:40 am
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2019W37/?area=JP
Three anime movies got into the top 10 this week, but all of them are slice of life, drama or romantic comedy ones, not action ones. Similarly there are a bunch of Japanese live action movies in the top 10, all equally non-actiony, chick flicks or biographies about authors. One of the top grossing anime movies at the moment really sums up typical Japanese entertainment: "Violet Evergarden: a former soldier returned from war, comes to teach at a women's academy and changes a young girl's life." OK, so it's alt-history sci-fi and there was a big war. So, naturally, we're going to skip ahead to when the war is totally over and the main character is just doing daily-life stuff.
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 27, 2019, 06:17:39 am
The point being that One Cut of the Dead is good and you should watch it now, instead of conjuring armchair insights into the average Japanese person's movie going experience.
Post by: Cthulhu on November 27, 2019, 12:13:27 pm
Another good "don't read anything in advance" movie is Pontypool. It's low budget, very noticeably in some parts (there's a stock sound effect in one scene that's extremely jarring and I'm 90% sure is from Warcraft 3), but starts off weird and quickly becomes absolutely bizarre with a horror premise unlike anything else. It's based on a novella, Pontypool Changes Everything, and does a good job of taking the very postmodern, abstract concepts there and condensing them into something you can make a movie of.
Post by: Ulfarr on November 27, 2019, 01:37:37 pm
I need to see that. I also want to see Tarkovsky's Stalker but by all accounts I need to set aside an entire day for it and I don't have one yet.
More like a free week, just to be sure. As much as I love the stalker universe, if you can call it that with how different each medium (games, book, film) is to one another, the film is just so damn slow. Twice I've tried to watch it and twice I fell asleep.
In the film's defence I was quite tired both times but...
Post by: Cthulhu on November 27, 2019, 02:08:13 pm
Post by: Ulfarr on November 27, 2019, 02:24:42 pm
On the other hand there are films like "The man from Earth" where the whole film is set in a single room, the action is just a bunch of people discussing and it still manages to be both engaging and entertaining.
Post by: Kagus on November 27, 2019, 02:51:49 pm
On the other hand there are films like "The man from Earth" where the whole film is set in a single room, the action is just a bunch of people discussing and it still manages to be both engaging and entertaining.Oh hey, I remember that one... Funny you should call it "engaging and entertaining"; seeing as when someone put it on at school, I ended up being one of the five (of an original 12 or so) people to sit and watch the whole thing through.
I thought it was quite interesting, actually! Maybe not the cinema masterpiece of the century, but it's a great brain-tickler!
Post by: Iduno on November 27, 2019, 03:08:36 pm
The Street Fighter
For you, the day Japan graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me...it was Tuesday.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Ulfarr on November 27, 2019, 03:27:58 pm
On the other hand there are films like "The man from Earth" where the whole film is set in a single room, the action is just a bunch of people discussing and it still manages to be both engaging and entertaining.Oh hey, I remember that one... Funny you should call it "engaging and entertaining"; seeing as when someone put it on at school, I ended up being one of the five (of an original 12 or so) people to sit and watch the whole thing through.
I thought it was quite interesting, actually! Maybe not the cinema masterpiece of the century, but it's a great brain-tickler!
Exactly! It might not be a masterpiece but I think it did great for what it tried to accomplish. I wouldn't expect it many schoolkids to sit through it though, not while at school where they are semi-forced to watch it at least.
Post by: Jopax on November 27, 2019, 05:31:43 pm
Also, speaking of quirky japanese wholesomeness, go for Tampopo, that shit is both odd and heartwarming all the way trough.
Post by: itisnotlogical on December 04, 2019, 06:47:10 am
Post by: Reelya on December 04, 2019, 07:02:45 am
Although if you want the real story of how Serge Leone came up with "A fistful of dollars" watch Akira Kurosawa's film Yojimbo then watch Dollars right after. Serge Leone basically came up with the "new western" format by just rebranding an existing Samurai film with guns. Take a movie about a wandering Ronin (masterless samurai), full of japanese nihilism and bleakness, and re-set it in the West and you've got the 1960s Western Anti-Hero movies. It's sort of like what George Lucas did with infusing fantasy into the sci-fi genre except much more blatant. Imagine if George Lucas ripped off Lord of the Rings exactly scene for scene, to make Star Wars, and that's what Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars is like.
Post by: Yoink on December 04, 2019, 09:19:58 am
Oh, and there's really obvious stuff like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and all that. I actually haven't watched nearly enough westerns to be overly knowledgeable about the genre, though. But there are a lot of good 'uns. There's also more comedic stuff like Rio Bravo that's still really good.
Post by: Reelya on December 04, 2019, 09:26:18 am
Post by: Yoink on December 04, 2019, 09:30:22 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 04, 2019, 09:43:07 am
Post by: wierd on December 04, 2019, 09:48:28 am
I need to see that. I also want to see Tarkovsky's Stalker but by all accounts I need to set aside an entire day for it and I don't have one yet.
More like a free week, just to be sure. As much as I love the stalker universe, if you can call it that with how different each medium (games, book, film) is to one another, the film is just so damn slow. Twice I've tried to watch it and twice I fell asleep.
In the film's defence I was quite tired both times but...
The pace was quite dragging, I agree.
However, my criticism of the movie is that there are no anomalies in the movie; EVERYTHING can be adequately attributed to Stalker inducing group hysteria in Writer and Professor. (the scene where the power is still on in the abandoned laboratory, and the phone works there too, can likewise be attributed to simple and banal explanations-- the service was never disconnected, and since the service provider was likely located in the same gulag as the first scenes, nobody gave a flying fuck about disconnecting it anyway.)
The only genuine anomaly shown is Monkey moving the jars at the very end.
Also, professor is an asshole, who throws dangerous fissile nuclear material into open ground water. Because he's an asshole.
Post by: TamerVirus on December 09, 2019, 06:34:26 pm
You Were Never Really Here which, oddly enough, is pretty much in the same mold as Joker; a Taxi Driver-esque film in which Joaquin Phoenix plays a mentally affected man living with his mother who dives into the seedy heart of New York. I expected something like Taken, but this film is way more art house in execution with a minimalistic style of exposition. People who revel in violence and action should stay away because this films more about the build up and the aftermath, rather than the act itself
Verdict: 4 pedo guys killed by hammer/ 5 pedo guys killed by hammer
Also saw Brad Pitt Space Movie or Ad Astra which was basically Apocalypse Now in Space
Brad Pitt gets into a Mad Max style dumb car fight with moon pirates before fighting Space Monkeys and that’s pretty much what I’ll remember about this film years into the future. Those two set pieces were just so incongruous with what the rest of the film seemed to be working towards. The semi-plausible depiction of near future space travel was pretty cool
Verdict: Seriously. Brad Pitt fights a Space Monkey
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 10, 2019, 12:49:04 am
I used to be prejudiced against JP as an actor, after seeing him in Signs and Gladiator. But ever since then he's been constantly in great (even if often small) films putting out stellar work.
Post by: Yoink on December 11, 2019, 08:50:42 am
I just watched The Gamers: Dorkness Rising for the first time.
That was wonderful. I'm not sure I know anyone in meatspace who would appreciate it, so I'm just gonna gush about it here. :))
The full movie is on YT by the way, if anyone else hasn't seen it or is keen for a re-watch.
Post by: itisnotlogical on December 11, 2019, 10:17:38 pm
Man, Tim Burton sure did make one good movie several times in a row.
Post by: Yoink on December 12, 2019, 01:30:22 am
I just watched The Gamers: Dorkness Rising for the first time.
That was wonderful. I'm not sure I know anyone in meatspace who would appreciate it, so I'm just gonna gush about it here. :))
The full movie is on YT by the way, if anyone else hasn't seen it or is keen for a re-watch.
The movie after that is unfortunately more based on cringetacular TCG nonsense than real gaming, but I went back and watched the first one.
It's... very clunky, very low budget (even moreso than Dorkness!) and some of the acting was rather wooden, but they did a good job with what they had.
Some of the spoofing of RPG logic is even better than the other film, haha.
Now I'm not sure what I'm supposed to watch next, chronologically. Probably one of the related TV shows, like Households and Humans. *shrug*
Post by: scriver on December 12, 2019, 03:54:23 am
Oh boy, I wonder if Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride" will feature a spooky yet whimsical setting, forbidden love between two little goth claymation people, and an adorable undead dog.
Man, Tim Burton sure did make one good movie several times in a row.
*produced
Post by: Iduno on December 12, 2019, 09:00:23 am
Oh boy, I wonder if Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride" will feature a spooky yet whimsical setting, forbidden love between two little goth claymation people, and an adorable undead dog.
Will it star Helena Bonham Carter?
Man, Tim Burton sure did make onegoodmovie several times in a row.
Post by: Kagus on December 12, 2019, 09:41:19 am
Post by: Yoink on December 12, 2019, 09:42:43 am
Post by: McTraveller on December 15, 2019, 09:28:42 pm
Post by: Kagus on December 16, 2019, 04:59:19 am
Hrm. Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer is interesting, although it seems way too serious compared to the original subject matter.Yeah, I was a bit... I dunno, maybe the trailer was kind of a spoof in its own right? That they specifically clipped together something extra-serious for the sake of contrasting the actual content?
And not a single doot from the ghostbusters theme either. Makes a man wonder.
Post by: Iduno on December 16, 2019, 08:57:13 am
And not a single doot from the ghostbusters theme either. Makes a man wonder.
This one? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6uEMOeDZsA)
Also, I think the Lady Ghostbusters got cancelled because it was too good. They want Ghostbusters to be brainless schlock.
Post by: Kagus on December 16, 2019, 09:01:32 am
No, this one. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdyU_gW6WE)And not a single doot from the ghostbusters theme either. Makes a man wonder.
This one? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6uEMOeDZsA)
Post by: TamerVirus on December 16, 2019, 09:33:48 am
You like Huey Lewis and the News?And not a single doot from the ghostbusters theme either. Makes a man wonder.This one? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6uEMOeDZsA)
Their early work was a little too new wave for my taste. But when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically...
Post by: Reelya on December 16, 2019, 09:38:22 am
And not a single doot from the ghostbusters theme either. Makes a man wonder.
This one? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6uEMOeDZsA)
Also, I think the Lady Ghostbusters got cancelled because it was too good. They want Ghostbusters to be brainless schlock.
Nah, it got canned for a very basic reason: lack of any sort of conceivable mass audience.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
To the point: I'll bet bottom-dollar that even with everything else going on, more than half of the viewers for Lady Ghostbusters were men. They were basically betting the studio's future on the say-so of a crowd who were pretty much never going to actually show up for a movie like that. The studio made a loss of $125 million dollars on the movie. It's as simple as that. Cancelled because it's a money-black-hole.
As for the new ones, they're probably going to be cleverer with the demographics. To be clever and not dumb, they look at the profile of people who actually go to see movies like that and they build the main cast around that. A couple of geeky young guys and girls is a better plan than whatever it was they were going for in GB 2016.
Post by: Kagus on December 16, 2019, 10:03:43 am
Post by: Iduno on December 16, 2019, 10:34:18 am
Nah, it got canned for a very basic reason: lack of any sort of conceivable mass audience.
The original is the story of a few dudes who got kicked out of their professorship for experimenting on students, get arrested by the EPA, then fight a ghost in a painting and a lady who lives in a refrigerator to save New York. The audience (also certainly not mass) is people who watch MST3K or are heavily intoxicated/children. That's not a series you do clever things with, or try to make a point with. It's the Expendables but dumber, and with ghosts instead of explosions.
Post by: Reelya on December 16, 2019, 11:10:42 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 16, 2019, 11:39:09 am
Post by: Iduno on December 16, 2019, 11:45:01 am
All I want to know is what kind of film heavily intoxicated children who watch MST3K would want to watch.
Jack Frost.
Post by: Reelya on December 16, 2019, 11:56:32 am
Post by: Yoink on December 16, 2019, 02:14:06 pm
I'm not sure what I'm more shocked by: someone daring to disrespect the mighty Ghostbusters, or someone describing the new Bladrunner as "why bother". I mean, I haven't actually seen it yet, but I assume it's at least decent, considering it has both the original lead (and presumably continues the story) as well as Ryan freakin' Gosling.
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 16, 2019, 02:20:21 pm
or someone describing the new Bladrunner as "why bother". I mean, I haven't actually seen it yet, but I assume it's at least decent, considering it has both the original lead (and presumably continues the story) as well as Ryan freakin' Gosling.It's more than decent. But I don't see anyone describing it in those terms here.
Post by: McTraveller on December 16, 2019, 09:02:36 pm
Post by: wierd on December 17, 2019, 01:00:31 am
slave labor never has been and never will be fiscally responsible, even with beings designed to be obsequiously compliant and disposable.
especially for the purposes cited by the franchise; space colonization. The resources to send a human to a colony site, and to send a replicant to a colony site, are identical. The replicant needs food, air, water, et... and also needs humans to administer their mental health checks.
It IS however, the kind of "solution" I could see happening with large numbers of real humans leaving the planet, and with powerful corporations looking for the next evolution of "human resources" in the resulting labor and consumer shortages. [not enough labor or customers? well, make more! this option produces both, AND you dont have to treat them like people!] It would go a long way towards explaining the situation with the dying environment, the "fuck no, we wont fix it." mentality of the world powers, and why dystopian lifestyles dominate. It also explains the systemic racisim against replicants {humans LOVE having their innate sense of superiority stroked, even when it's a damned lie. Especially when psycopathic corporate types dominate the human popultion because everyone else left.}
Maybe I just get something different from that series of movies than other people... I dunno. Just to me, you have to explain why there are no replicant rights movements, et al. "everyone with a conscience left the dying planet" works, but seems too convenient to me. especially with environments like that scrapyard-orphanage. The dominance and "control" are paper thin, given the systemic resource shortages apparent. The regime is poised to collapse spectacularly from systemic mismanagement.
I want to see a "post humanity" bladerunner, where only replicants remain. To me, that's the final stage of the decay humans caused, and replicants making more replicants for the purposes of fixing a dead planet sounds hopeful in comparison. It allows the replicants to explore their repressed humanity without human oppression as well. sadly, such a plot would lack mass market appeal I think.
Post by: TamerVirus on December 17, 2019, 07:25:08 pm
Maybe I just get something different from that series of movies than other people... I dunno. Just to me, you have to explain why there are no replicant rights movements, et al.Wasn't the entire point of having blade runners run around 'retiring' replicants so that any replicant who got too much self awareness to even conceptualize the need for rights will all be whacked? Or are you asking why other humans didn't advocate for replicant rights, because 2049 explicitly shows that there's an underground replicant freedom movement going on.
Post by: TamerVirus on December 18, 2019, 08:02:29 am
Grab the popcorn, because that means INTERNET DRAMA!
Post by: Telgin on December 18, 2019, 09:40:37 am
Post by: Iduno on December 18, 2019, 04:52:30 pm
It seems like a good movie, but the CGI and some of the acting just isn't there. The CGI isn't good enough quality to enter the uncanny valley (they tried to make everyone from Casino look to be in their 30's). I actually started laughing at Deniro kicking 3" away from the guy at the market. Like Middle School drama club level shit there.
Other than that, it's a good movie so far. I'm liking this Hoffa character, and hope things work out for him.
Post by: Yoink on December 19, 2019, 08:52:34 am
That's admittedly a very, very broad category, but I've probably re-watched it more times than anything else I've seen as an adult. At least... six or so times, I'd say? And that number continues to increase, with me coercing more folks into watching it with me.
So far I haven't struck anyone who hasn't appreciated it.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go try and get The Feels under control so that I can form thoughts other than... well, until I can form coherent thoughts again. Hell, I can't even form this post coherently right now. :P
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 19, 2019, 08:57:57 am
Post by: Yoink on December 19, 2019, 09:10:44 am
Edit: also, I loved the ending. I'm kinda curious as to what you disliked about it.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Iduno on December 19, 2019, 10:20:20 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
They didn't even do that in Ronin, where the movie ended with
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on December 19, 2019, 10:41:45 am
Safety Not GuaranteedI've always seen this around the internet before
(https://static.digg.com/images/c5efcb3ca5c34d68905d27a8a187935c_ad048ddc77a94cd381b524a3b1914a06_1_post.png)
They built a movie around this?!?
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 19, 2019, 11:52:44 am
Edit: also, I loved the ending. I'm kinda curious as to what you disliked about it.Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on December 19, 2019, 12:07:36 pm
Post by: Wolzly on December 19, 2019, 12:35:07 pm
Post by: Iduno on December 19, 2019, 12:36:46 pm
The CGI abomination that is Cats has been unleashed on the world and its pretty much 1/10 material, so all the reviews are hilarious
I think I saw one that called it "Too horny and too bizarre."
Post by: Yoink on December 19, 2019, 08:34:44 pm
Edit: also, I loved the ending. I'm kinda curious as to what you disliked about it.Spoiler (click to show/hide)Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I haven't seen Swiss Army Man, so I didn't read (much of) your comparisons to it.
Post by: Cthulhu on December 19, 2019, 10:11:42 pm
Can't say I'm super surprised, but I'll withhold judgment until I actually watch the movie. Supposedly they had to reshoot one of the scenes near the end of the movie because the prescreen audience started laughing at the fight with Palpatine or something. That's not a good indicator.
I won't be able to see the movie till this weekend, but I did see a bit of the final fight. It's bad.
I'm thinking about spending my saturday doing a Movie Speedball, watching Cats and Star Wars back to back.
Post by: scriver on December 20, 2019, 04:52:26 am
You don't have to but it would be nice
Post by: Iduno on December 20, 2019, 11:08:30 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Kagus on December 20, 2019, 02:21:38 pm
Thank you for this experience.
Post by: Iduno on December 21, 2019, 06:06:04 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on December 21, 2019, 06:51:08 pm
-updated localization files
Post by: Iduno on December 23, 2019, 12:37:51 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 23, 2019, 04:28:11 pm
Post by: IronyOwl on December 24, 2019, 01:43:43 am
Alien Domicile is bad and mostly boring. By the title font I assume they're attempting to insinuate being part of the Aliens franchise, but otherwise I have no idea why it's called that. I have no idea why anything in that movie happened. It's mostly about morons running from and/or towards aliens with no particular plan. I knew I'd made a mistake when I realized it was tagged Scifi but not Action.
Humanity's End is terrible but in a hilarious way. The setup: Humans are a dying breed, although... we don't have a lot of makeup money, so when I say humans I mean everyone looks human but they're not trust me on this. Anyway the last human male in the galaxy has to escort (and breed) a "Class A Breeder" to Mars because some other huma- I mean, aliens murdered all the- well technically they're humans genetically modified with alien DNA and also they're Nazis plus the aliens evolved on Earth but humans exterminated them with nuclear fire. ANYWAY the point is they murdered all the human-humans and allied with all the various genetically modified not-quite-humans.
Anyway the movie is an absolute train wreck of CGI explosions poorly overlaid on the foes of a guy from the trashier parts of Vegas and his harem. No really, early in the movie he mentions wanting to put leopard print on his spaceship. By the end of the movie you realize just how apt that would be.
Oh and the movie starts with several minutes of "I'm not saying it was aliens, but..." tier exposition regarding the timeline of events leading up to the movie, so you know pretty quick what you're getting yourself into. Definitely has my recommendation!
Shakma is a much more modest affair about nerds getting wrecked by a rabid baboon in their own research facility at night. None of them deserve to live. This movie's human performance peaks at rudimentary tool use. Not mastery, by the way. Thinking to pick up an object of some sort to utilize in some manner to their benefit. I am also thoroughly disappointed by the door-opening capabilities of every primate involved. The movie's only real claim to fame- other than featuring a live baboon, near as I can tell- is how utterly fucking nerdy the premise is: The nerds get caught off guard playing some kind of adventure game IRL, wandering through the facility collecting clues and radioing in to tell the Dungeon Master when they're spending their keys and so on. That aspect is pretty giggle-worthy, and it might have been a good movie if they'd used that kind of shameless creativity on the actual goings-on of the film.
In non-Cats news: I'm going home to watch my favorite movie about a family sitting down together for dinner while a visitor is in their ventilation to see the good girls and boys (later there will be a virgin birth). Alien.
I much prefer the sequel - a film about black mother being a victim of racist violence.Let's not talk about the third one, a sobering look at prison violence and lax safety procedures.
Post by: Iduno on December 26, 2019, 08:43:24 am
In non-Cats news: I'm going home to watch my favorite movie about a family sitting down together for dinner while a visitor is in their ventilation to see the good girls and boys (later there will be a virgin birth). Alien.I much prefer the sequel - a film about black mother being a victim of racist violence.Let's not talk about the third one, a sobering look at prison violence and lax safety procedures.
I assume that's why they quit making them then, and never considered making more.
Post by: Kagus on December 26, 2019, 09:30:27 am
I just... What?
Post by: Reelya on December 26, 2019, 11:34:33 pm
I return with more awful!
Alien Domicile
The director seems like a deliberate hack. There are a few of them around, such as Asylum Films, who deliberately take big franchise releases then make what appear superficially to be low budget rip-offs but are actually completely different movies. (example: the "Transmorphers" series).
The Alien Domicile director also has a sci-fi movie called "Territory 8", so a rip-off of "District 9" concept I guess.
Next year, he has a movie coming out called "Abigail haunting". I'm guessing the name is a rip-off of that "The Taking of Deborah Logan" thing.
Post by: King Zultan on December 27, 2019, 09:39:53 am
Post by: Iduno on December 27, 2019, 04:02:22 pm
Post by: Reelya on December 27, 2019, 09:35:58 pm
Transmorphers is one of the worse Asylum Films I've seen, with every robot looking the same, and everybody acting like its been the apocalypse for a long time even thought the robots just started to invade, it was so bad that we never watched the second one even though my family likes crap movies, but its like next level crap.
The first actual Transmorphers movie is set 300 years after the robot invasion, so in that one it has been the apocalypse for a pretty long time. Is that the one you saw or did you see the prequel that came out a few years later?
Post by: King Zultan on December 28, 2019, 04:54:02 am
I'm not sure which one I watched we got it from a video rental place and I didn't pay attention to its name, I'm thinking it might be the prequel one because there weren't any robots when it started.Transmorphers is one of the worse Asylum Films I've seen, with every robot looking the same, and everybody acting like its been the apocalypse for a long time even thought the robots just started to invade, it was so bad that we never watched the second one even though my family likes crap movies, but its like next level crap.
The first actual Transmorphers movie is set 300 years after the robot invasion, so in that one it has been the apocalypse for a pretty long time. Is that the one you saw or did you see the prequel that came out a few years later?
Post by: IronyOwl on December 28, 2019, 10:51:02 pm
Weird movie based on a very weird musical not popular, Hollywood surprised. (https://twitter.com/Collider/status/1210605974823821312)It's really impressive how far they got without realizing they'd made a mistake. AFAIK the backlash was instant and tidal upon release to any sort of general public, which speaks to the sorts of vaulted echo chambers this thing must have passed through during the entirety of its creation.
Speaking of mainstream media, Rambo: Last Blood felt petty and unpleasant. It follows the modern action movie trend towards really petty modern day villains being tortured to death with excessively detailed special effects, none of which I'm fond of. It also features a weird monologue at the end about fighting to protect the only home he's ever known, which is kind of a weird thing to say after butchering a Mexican sex cartel.
I dunno man.
Seedpeople was more my speed. It's terrible but features hideously absurd pod-monsters that like to turn into coconuts to roll after their prey. As required by law and custom, everyone is a moron who makes things way harder than they need to be. Good for a laugh.
Post by: Eschar on December 28, 2019, 10:59:00 pm
Ha.
Ha.
Ha.
Truly, those who made this movie have forgotten the faces of their fathers.
Post by: Cthulhu on December 29, 2019, 01:08:00 am
Post by: itisnotlogical on December 29, 2019, 01:22:06 am
Edit: Just kidding, it's still playing so I want to see it tomorrow. I hope my theater still has the unfinished cut.
Post by: Cthulhu on December 29, 2019, 02:18:59 am
Post by: Qassius on December 29, 2019, 10:08:56 pm
Bad Black is an endearing movie that has less Kung-Fu moves than their first popular movie, Who Killed Captain Alex. Definitely interesting to see more of Wakaliwood's films that are pushed out to Western Audiences, but sensible given the fact they get a bunch of money from their Patreon.
That being said, I did enjoy it. Even if its not the best movie per se. It has a lot of characters and the plot development is pretty off-balance, and it's not exactly the best writing. But hey, it's free and from Uganda, what can you expect?
Post by: Iduno on December 30, 2019, 03:21:24 pm
Collosal entertainment failures really have an "it's the journey, not the destination" thing about them. I don't care enough about Cats to ever watch it unless somebody else is paying, but man am I gladdened for what a funny story it's made.
Edit: Just kidding, it's still playing so I want to see it tomorrow. I hope my theater still has the unfinished cut.
I mean, Star War and Cats both sound terrible in their own ways, but Cats is the one that's meant to be too weird, and it's the one losing money. At least you could get absinthe drunk and enjoy Cats.
Post by: IronyOwl on December 31, 2019, 11:04:22 pm
The Day Time Ended is about as bad as you'd expect from the title, but for different reasons. I thought it'd be a knockoff The Day the World Stood Still, but it's really just a showcase of pre-80s UFO lights and sound effects plus something something time travel. Weirdly enough there's several different alien and spaceship models involved, but absolutely no plot to speak of and very little of anything occurs. Nothing whatsoever is ever explained, either. Bonus points for a child cultist, at least.
Special mention must also be made of the fact that nobody in this film knows what legs are for. This is some of the most casual strolling away from vaguely menacing suitcase-sized alien spaceships I have ever seen.
Post by: TamerVirus on January 01, 2020, 03:57:45 pm
The movie’s got enough balls to give a central role to Kevin Garnett, surprisingly enough, and he’s able to keep up!
Great movie
Post by: Kagus on January 01, 2020, 04:11:32 pm
Mmm, Jeunet+Caro... That's some lip-smacking good cinema right thar. The Octopus cooking scene is just fantastically brilliant, and Dominique Pinon is as amazing as ever (I had no idea Ron Perlman spoke French either). I'm a big fan of Delicatessen and Micmacs, and Amélie of course, so I needed to fill in this blank spot in my viewing history.
Post by: IronyOwl on January 02, 2020, 12:58:38 am
It’s not an Adam Sandler film, but a film with Adam Sandler in it. Sandler’s got this reputation of lousy acting in lousy films but this really shows off his dramatic acting chops. He fits and disappears into the role to the point where you kinda forget your watching Adam Sandler.This is how I felt about Jack Black in Kong. "He wasn't anything like Jack Black" is probably the highest praise you can give Jack Black, and the equivalent is probably at least as true for Sandler.
(I had no idea Ron Perlman spoke French either)For some reason this interests me more than the actual movie. Perlman is just fun to watch I guess.
Post by: Reelya on January 02, 2020, 01:14:18 am
Just came back from watching Uncut Gems and what a stressful stressful film. Anxiety inducing, edge of the seat, two hours of “how can it get any worse.” It’s not an Adam Sandler film, but a film with Adam Sandler in it. Sandler’s got this reputation of lousy acting in lousy films but this really shows off his dramatic acting chops. He fits and disappears into the role to the point where you kinda forget your watching Adam Sandler.
There are very few good Adam Sandler movies. The one he did called "Click" was the best one I've seen him in, because of the same thing basically - it had a dramatic build up and payoff rather than just being cringy humor all the way through. Not really a good movie, but a gooder one as far as Mr Sandler is concerned.
Post by: Kagus on January 02, 2020, 03:31:30 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on January 02, 2020, 05:56:52 am
He also speaks passable Neanderthal.(I had no idea Ron Perlman spoke French either)For some reason this interests me more than the actual movie. Perlman is just fun to watch I guess.
Post by: Iduno on January 02, 2020, 08:59:22 am
Just came back from watching Uncut Gems and what a stressful stressful film. Anxiety inducing, edge of the seat, two hours of “how can it get any worse.” It’s not an Adam Sandler film, but a film with Adam Sandler in it. Sandler’s got this reputation of lousy acting in lousy films but this really shows off his dramatic acting chops. He fits and disappears into the role to the point where you kinda forget your watching Adam Sandler. Had to convince my father to check this out and he was pretty much rendered speechless by the end.
The movie’s got enough balls to give a central role to Kevin Garnett, surprisingly enough, and he’s able to keep up!
Great movie
I'm not falling for that again.
Edit: This might be why I don't like Abrams' movies. (https://qntm.org/mystery)
Post by: wierd on January 02, 2020, 09:03:02 am
Just came back from watching Uncut Gems and what a stressful stressful film. Anxiety inducing, edge of the seat, two hours of “how can it get any worse.” It’s not an Adam Sandler film, but a film with Adam Sandler in it. Sandler’s got this reputation of lousy acting in lousy films but this really shows off his dramatic acting chops. He fits and disappears into the role to the point where you kinda forget your watching Adam Sandler. Had to convince my father to check this out and he was pretty much rendered speechless by the end.
The movie’s got enough balls to give a central role to Kevin Garnett, surprisingly enough, and he’s able to keep up!
Great movie
I'm not falling for that again.
For some reason this came to mind.. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dlvi8BStuY)
Post by: itisnotlogical on January 02, 2020, 01:45:01 pm
Funny how made-up words like "jellicle" lose their whimsical charm real goddamn quick when they're said dozens of times over an almost-two-hour movie about gross cat people, as opposed to a live musical or short poem.
Also it has several shakycam shots despite it being a goddamn musical for children. Shakycam is so popular and so misused in cinema that I'm surprised the camera tripod industry hasn't gone bankrupt.
I could have sworn that one of the main male cats was played by Orlando Bloom; he had a strong resemblance to Legolas, but Bloom was nowhere in the cast. I never caught this character's name, but I don't really care anyway.
I have to say that, in spite of the film they appeared in and in spite of a few numbers that sounded like they came out of a dying SoundBlaster 16, I really liked the music. The song about the Siamese twins was really catchy, and Taylor Swift's song was a lot of fun too. It's just a shame that by the time those came around, I had checked out of the film and was looking up trivia on my phone. (Everybody else was there to roast the movie too, it was all gravy.)
Post by: TamerVirus on January 02, 2020, 02:59:06 pm
Post by: itisnotlogical on January 02, 2020, 03:51:47 pm
Post by: Eschar on January 04, 2020, 02:38:42 am
Spoiler: Large image (click to show/hide)
Post by: Reelya on January 07, 2020, 04:52:30 am
There's a movie out called "Lucy in the Sky". Off a $27 million dollar budget it grossed $320,000. That's like they made less than 1% of their budget back. It takes special skill to flop so hard. The studio is going to be looking at the director and saying thanks for losing all the monies.
The best bit was looking up what this movie is about. It turns out it's a semi-fictionalized version of that real-life news story from a few years back where a female NASA astronaut (real life name Lisa, but Lucy in this movie) drove 950 miles cross-country wearing adult diapers as used in space missions so she didn't have to stop to poop so that she could attempt to assault and/or abduct a female Air Force captain who was dating a male astronaut she'd been dating before. Turns out nobody gives enough of a shit to watch a movie about this.
Post by: scriver on January 07, 2020, 05:30:11 am
Post by: IronyOwl on January 07, 2020, 05:37:35 am
Post by: scriver on January 07, 2020, 09:17:40 am
Execution is everything. A suitably loopy movie on that premise could be gold. This was apparently trying to be a drama.
Oh... Oh no...
Post by: TamerVirus on January 07, 2020, 10:08:21 am
There's a movie out called "Lucy in the Sky".As it turns out, the character doesn't wear diapers at any point at all in the movie, you know, probably what people remember most regarding the 'true events'
...drove 950 miles cross-country wearing adult diapers...
A wholly pointless exercise
Post by: Iduno on January 08, 2020, 11:45:25 am
...Marketing fail, obviously. Because had I known of it, I'd totally have seen that
Execution is everything. A suitably loopy movie on that premise could be gold. This was apparently trying to be a drama.
Executions for Marketing. Got it.
Edit: I'm currently hate-watching Ready Player One, and taking notes to see if it's as bad as I expect. I'll have to post my notes when I'm done so you don't need to watch it.
Post by: Iduno on January 17, 2020, 01:29:16 pm
Here are my notes as I watched, so you don't have to. I don't know anyone's name, and the movie doesn't seem to say anyone's name more than once, so they all ended up with nicknames. Also, most of the movie is in VR, so you also have to learn gamer tags if you care enough to know who they are.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Reelya on January 18, 2020, 12:24:14 am
The specific 80s trivia that the actual author is into turns out to be the secret sauce that makes you Bill Gates in that universe.
Basically it's pure Mary Sue / self-insert stuff where knowing about the precise 80s stuff that the author is into (and only that stuff - the character and everyone in the story is apparently entirely unfamiliar with any 80s British TV or cult stuff, for instance) makes you some sort of globe-ruling Uberlord.
It's not as clear because many of the fans of the book are immersed in that sort of 80s American pop-culture stuff, but if you changed the theme slightly it would be apparent what a nerd power fantasy wankfest it is. For example, I like some animes, but there are a tons I've never seen. Imaging if I wrote a book about how the richest man in the world was a huge anime fan, and he left clues related to all sorts of animes, and whoever got the clues right inherits the wealth and his company. ... Except, they were only clues about animes that I've seen. So readers would be left wondering why nobody in this world remembers Dragonball, Pokemon, Naruto or Bleach.
A story written by a trivia nerd, about how a trivia nerd becomes the ruler of the world because his specific trivia knowledge somehow becomes world-shatteringly important can't help but devolve to self-insert fanfic level.
Post by: IronyOwl on January 18, 2020, 05:00:37 am
Laserblast is a 1970s movie about a man who doesn't know what shirts are for finding an alien ray gun after some turtles hunt down and murder its last owner. The turtle boss then contacts them to ask why the fuck they let some jackass ape run around blowing things up, so they turn around and head aaaaaaaaaaall the way back to Earth. Meanwhile the guy turns into a zombie at night and blows up people and places that have crossed him. He's a layabout in a nameless desert town so these are all incredibly petty, and nobody accomplishes anything throughout the entirety of the movie.
The movie is most notable for having claymation turtle-aliens, the sheriff from Murder She Wrote, and Octavian from Cleopatra.
Post by: Kagus on January 18, 2020, 05:23:03 am
I watched the first ~41 minutes of the movie, which I recommend nobody else ever do.But dude, you missed out on
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Also the 3edgy5me 12-year-old hitman was pretty funny.
Post by: Cthulhu on January 18, 2020, 05:42:43 am
As I recall, I shied away from it because it was obvious time period/culture wank and I didn't see how any good could come from that. Being author wank on top of that just means the nails in that coffin were a lot longer than I realized.
Laserblast is a 1970s movie about a man who doesn't know what shirts are for finding an alien ray gun after some turtles hunt down and murder its last owner. The turtle boss then contacts them to ask why the fuck they let some jackass ape run around blowing things up, so they turn around and head aaaaaaaaaaall the way back to Earth. Meanwhile the guy turns into a zombie at night and blows up people and places that have crossed him. He's a layabout in a nameless desert town so these are all incredibly petty, and nobody accomplishes anything throughout the entirety of the movie.
The movie is most notable for having claymation turtle-aliens, the sheriff from Murder She Wrote, and Octavian from Cleopatra.
I've seen laserblast like three times, and holy shit it was made in 1978. When I saw it I was sure it was 60s.
Post by: Reelya on January 18, 2020, 09:53:09 am
Post by: itisnotlogical on January 18, 2020, 07:17:56 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on January 18, 2020, 11:57:10 pm
Execution is everything. A suitably loopy movie on that premise could be gold. This was apparently trying to be a drama.
This was a good out of context quote. A groundhog day movie about an execution would be fun. There was a good twilight zone episode like that, where the character keeps dreaming of his own execution on death row, while trying to convince the people around him that it's a dream and they'll die if he wakes up.
Post by: Iduno on January 20, 2020, 01:57:39 pm
I watched the first ~41 minutes of the movie, which I recommend nobody else ever do.But dude, you missed out onSpoiler (click to show/hide)
Also the 3edgy5me 12-year-old hitman was pretty funny.
I'll get there. Unless luck intervenes and I get a better option, like being run over by a bus.
Edit: Sadly, there was no bus, so I watched more of the movie. As always, if there are typos, it's because I'm writing this up in notepad while watching a bad movie, and it rips any motivation right out of me.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I'm going to take another short break to see if there's a gas leak in an oven around here.
A tale as old as time. Movie industry sees one film bomb, they blacklist that entire genre instead of looking at what went wrong. They see one film succeed, they cobble together a bunch of random shit instead of learning from what went right.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult)
As I recall, I shied away from it because it was obvious time period/culture wank and I didn't see how any good could come from that. Being author wank on top of that just means the nails in that coffin were a lot longer than I realized.
Same here. And now I am watching it as a joke, for reasons I can't explain. It's nowhere near as good as you expect. I'm not sure it's possible to have low enough expectations and a semi-functional brain.
Edit2: I can't help but think of Creator in Ready Player One as a shit RPG writer/GM who has a few "clever" puzzles/riddles that make sense to them, but everyone else misunderstands. Especially telling when badguy corp solves 2 of them through brute forcing by having large numbers of people trying every possible combination to find them out, which is probably the best solution in a TTRPG. Just hire a bunch of people to try every possible combination instead of interfacing with the puzzle at all.
Edit3: I finished the bad movie! I'm free!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on February 09, 2020, 11:42:43 pm
Also Parasite deserved everything it won
Also Joaquin Phoenix talked about milk?
Post by: IronyOwl on February 10, 2020, 12:55:14 am
Teenage Caveman is about a bunch of religious zealot cavemen who are actually living in a nuclear wasteland because history keeps going through cycles of development and oops, complete with english text and pictures of the pentagon. Very little happens, though it gets points for the obvious dick jealous bad guy goading the main character on by talking about how somebody's gotta break the rules and he understands that it's okay to be afraid. Rare gem in an otherwise bland piece.
Dead Space (1991, no relation to the game series) is either an homage to 70s scifi or bizarrely out of date. A lab experiment escapes, some chicks get naked, the sassy robot companion to the mercenary they call in dies heroically, the usual stuff. Notable for featuring Doctor Cransten and really just terrible decision making, even by ancient horrors movie/scifi standards. They keep shooting the thing with guns and it doesn't seem to be doing very much but they're also not dying a whole lot so maybe it's keeping it off balance or something? And then they run after it and can't do anything with that, and the critter itself is bursting through walls like nothing but can't make up its mind about whether it wants to feast or just run away. At least the final boss model is pretty cool.
Unknown World (advertised as "THE ORIGINAL SCHLOCK CLASSIC," just in case you were curious about my standards in movies) is also a 50s thing obsessed with nuclear annihilation. A bunch of scientists and a wealthy playboy ride an incredibly shit drill-tank into the bowels of the Earth looking for a paradise humanity can escape to if/when the surface is bathed in atomic fire. Tragically, they all die to geologic causes rather than hideous molemen or subterranean dinosaurs. 0/10 would not watch again. As a bright spot, they eventually come to the conclusion that burying themselves alive is not a viable longterm solution to their problems, which is both amusingly dark and contrasts nicely with the leader's ravings about the unavoidable end of the world. This is also the guy who, after talking about saving humanity, wanted their crew of six people to just kind of camp out along an underground lake forever, by the way. I'm still not sure what was up with that.
Post by: Yoink on February 10, 2020, 06:06:52 am
Post by: King Zultan on February 10, 2020, 08:21:41 am
Post by: IronyOwl on February 10, 2020, 01:32:39 pm
The two 50s ones really were boring though. I dunno how you make a Journey to the Center of the Earth type deal without monsters, but apparently they found a way.
Post by: TamerVirus on February 10, 2020, 01:46:49 pm
Post by: Reelya on February 10, 2020, 02:01:08 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on February 10, 2020, 10:00:17 pm
1917(2019)- Two world war 1 soldiers are tasked with walking a couple of miles. Saw this at the largest IMAX screen in North America. Size of the screen was absolutely massive (roughly 80ft tall by 100ft wide). But honestly, I thought the movie was a bit overhyped. The whole ‘single continuous shot’ thing is actually a lie. At one point the main character gets knocked out and there’s a time skip jump cut. Come on! I preferred Dunkirk, which I saw at the same venue a couple years earlier. Perfectly serviceable but not a mind blowing movie
The Lighthouse(2019)- Shot in black and white and in an aspect ratio used in the 30s. The Green Goblin and Edward Cullen lose their minds while tending a lighthouse as they try to survive on copious alcohol. Willem Defoe is absolutely great in this as a captain Ahab type salty old nautical type. Contains way more farting and masturbation than expected.
Parasite(2019)- Whacky class warfare movie. Yeah it also won Best Picture. Winding story with many different twists and turns. Better experienced if you know nothing about it.
I was ‘inspired’ by IronyOwl’s posts so I finally sat down and watched the dubious 50s B-movie classic...
Robot Monster(1953)- Where do I begin with this? The titular ‘Robot Monster’ Ro-Man from the planet...Ro-Man is actually a sexually frustrated man in a fat gorilla costume wearing a diving helmet with TV antenna glued to the top. He’s suffering from a terminal case of ‘no costume budget’ His ‘high tech’ (we know it’s high-tech because it constantly emits soap bubbles) communication device blasts this incredibly annoying mosquito tone whenever it’s on. Ro-Man’s managed to kill all of humanity with his calcification death beams except for 8 people who were immune to the death ways because of super science antibiotics. Ro-Man’s supposed to kill them but instead he spends most of the movie paced back and forth in a cave or doing a power walk in the canyon this ‘movie’ is filmed in. You better get used to the repetitive ‘menacing’ theme that’s played whenever he shows up. There’s also a poorly developed romance subplot and scenes with dinosaurs or something. Absolutely terrible film that pivots to hilarity because of how bad it is.
Post by: Il Palazzo on February 11, 2020, 01:55:10 am
Contains way more farting and masturbation than expected.I need help gauging the metric here - how much farting and masturbation did you expect?
Post by: TamerVirus on February 11, 2020, 07:15:38 am
0 masturbation and maybe 1 fartContains way more farting and masturbation than expected.I need help gauging the metric here - how much farting and masturbation did you expect?
Post by: Reelya on February 11, 2020, 01:56:02 pm
Post by: scriver on February 11, 2020, 02:15:57 pm
Post by: Iduno on February 11, 2020, 02:50:50 pm
Post by: scriver on February 11, 2020, 03:23:29 pm
Post by: Iduno on February 11, 2020, 03:26:33 pm
The darker question: Why did Wilson choose to drown rather than return to society with Hanksman?
"Wait, so I stuck with your increasingly-insane rambling the entire time you're on this island, and you're just going to go back to your family (who has probably given up on you by now) just when we've got this island thing mostly figured out? That's it, I'm done."
Post by: TamerVirus on February 11, 2020, 10:31:49 pm
Master of the Flying Guillotine(1976) - An old blind assassin who wields the Flying Guillotine (really a razor bladed hat attached to a chain that easily decapitates) seeks revenge after his two disciples are killed. Who killed his disciples? The One Armed Boxer, of course! Thus the evil blind master (we know he’s
Post by: Iduno on February 12, 2020, 02:33:38 pm
Post by: Jopax on February 12, 2020, 02:38:43 pm
Post by: Iduno on February 12, 2020, 04:50:47 pm
IIRC the original serum was destroyed with the death of its creator, what they had was a shoddy copy or something. Like, it worked, kinda, but nowhere near as good as the original.
I thought it was that they had a stock, but no recipe. Maybe they thought that part of the mixture was blasting people right in the face with gamma rays, using bleeding edge modern technology that they definitely had in the 1940's?
Post by: Reelya on February 12, 2020, 07:21:35 pm
Aside from being very dumb, MCU is also not great at internal consistency. ...
I was having a discussion about the MCU actually with a guy at work, about how many of the viewers actually read the comics, he thought it must be 50:50, i.e half of the movie-goers read the comics. I'm pretty sure it's a lot less than that. For example, in January 2019 (https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2019/2019-01.html) the top-selling Marvel comic was Captain Marvel, due to the movie, and that sold 119000 copies. The movie made over $1 billion dollars worldwide. Assuming a generous cost of $20 a ticket, then that's 50 million people who went to see it, or about 500 tickets sold per comic sold.
The guy just didn't get how the MCU has been so successful precisely by not targeting the comic book fans. Actually, those "why don't they just stick to what's in the comics?!?" people don't get it either. They're raking in $1 billion per dumb movie, and most of y'all aren't buying the comics. They have a formula, and it's working. Why would they mess that up?
Post by: TamerVirus on February 12, 2020, 07:32:53 pm
"why don't they just stick to what's in the comics?!?"Still waiting for the spider-man movie where Peter Parker has to cope with how he killed Mary Jane with his radioactive spunk
Or a movie where he has six arms
Or one where he gives birth to himself
Or one where he fights Big Wheel
Post by: Iduno on February 12, 2020, 10:34:26 pm
Aside from being very dumb, MCU is also not great at internal consistency. ...The guy just didn't get how the MCU has been so successful precisely by not targeting the comic book fans. Actually, those "why don't they just stick to what's in the comics?!?" people don't get it either. They're raking in $1 billion per dumb movie, and most of y'all aren't buying the comics. They have a formula, and it's working. Why would they mess that up?
Yeah, that's why instead of saying they were going with established canon, I said they were trying to establish a new canon.
Ignoring the comics if fine, but if you can't make up your mind about what you want while claiming it's all one story, you're doing a bad job of storytelling.
"why don't they just stick to what's in the comics?!?"Still waiting for the spider-man movie where Peter Parker has to cope with how he killed Mary Jane with his radioactive spunk
Or a movie where he has six arms
Or one where he gives birth to himself
Or one where he fights Big Wheel
Agreed.
Post by: Kagus on February 13, 2020, 04:43:56 am
It certainly did the "battle of the sexes" thing a lot better than Captain Marvel. It occasionally seemed like it laid it on a little thick, but I think that likely has a lot to do with how sensitive we all are to the topic these days.
Post by: Iduno on February 13, 2020, 08:02:59 am
Speaking of which, I just watched Birds of Prey. Was fun enough, entertaining... Definitely not the dramatic masterpiece of the year, but it was good dumb fun. I'm kinda sad about how they did my man Zsasz, but I guess that's just showbiz.
It certainly did the "battle of the sexes" thing a lot better than Captain Marvel. It occasionally seemed like it laid it on a little thick, but I think that likely has a lot to do with how sensitive we all are to the topic these days.
But it is a terrible movie, as it reminds us of Suicide Squad.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on February 13, 2020, 11:11:06 am
Or one where he fights Big Wheel
Literally the greatest villain ever written. /s
Post by: IronyOwl on February 13, 2020, 01:20:36 pm
Literally the greatest villain ever written. /sI see you're unfamiliar with THE WALL! (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix2/wallspideysuperstories.htm)
Post by: scriver on February 13, 2020, 01:34:51 pm
Post by: Iduno on February 14, 2020, 01:09:41 pm
Also, that it will probably not retain the only acceptable part of the first movie?
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Edit: Worse news, Mario will not be played by Captain Lou (https://youtu.be/65uNCLBTje0).
Post by: TamerVirus on February 14, 2020, 01:15:41 pm
Post by: Iduno on February 14, 2020, 01:50:31 pm
I know its being made by Illumination, the Despicable Me animation studio so it's gonna end up as kinda meh 6/10 fare with massive profit margin because its made on the cheap
Then they should at least aim for "actors need to be constantly drunk to deal with the shame of being in this movie" quality instead. If they want good, they're going to have to put in a lot of effort to make the story of some dude jumping on turtles to kidnap a princess interesting. They'd have to do a lot better than the cliché noir take on the idea of Mario getting addicted to power-ups and destroying his life so bad in pursuit of the Princess that she can't stand to be near him.
Post by: TamerVirus on February 14, 2020, 01:57:24 pm
Post by: Telgin on February 14, 2020, 02:15:59 pm
Speaking of which, have any reviews for the Sonic movie started trickling out yet? They made him less terrifying to look at but the movie still can't be good.
Post by: Kagus on February 14, 2020, 04:46:31 pm
For however bad it might look from the cover/synopsis... It is infinitely worse in its full glory. Oh my god(s).
Post by: IronyOwl on February 14, 2020, 05:34:46 pm
Tonight I was given the opportunity to experience the wondrous "Gods of Egypt", with Gerard Butler, Geoffrey Rush, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Rufus Sewell (among others).Hey, I liked that movie.
For however bad it might look from the cover/synopsis... It is infinitely worse in its full glory. Oh my god(s).
I'm not sure if that tells you more about me or the movie.
Post by: itisnotlogical on February 14, 2020, 06:43:44 pm
Instead Mario is gonna floss and do other Fortnite dances because that's what the fellow kids are into these days
A movie made for children includes things that children like? Tres surprise
Post by: IronyOwl on February 15, 2020, 12:15:56 am
I'm at least confident that it won't be Richard-Simmons-CG-Sonic levels of bad.Apparently it's at 94% user approval on Rotten Tomatoes, which... has to be some kind of hardcore filter effect or trolling attempt, right?
Speaking of which, have any reviews for the Sonic movie started trickling out yet? They made him less terrifying to look at but the movie still can't be good.
Still, Jim Carrey as Robotnik is intriguing enough that I might go see it at some point. If so I'll report back on its full majesty.
The Alchemist (1981, there's gotta be more than one movie with that title) was thoroughly disappointing. From the title, poster, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_(film)) and time period I was expecting sword and sorcery. Instead it was a werewolf movie without any budget for a werewolf. They did have a budget for some demons though. Did you know that if you're being chased by demons, it's really not that big a deal? True story.
Mutant Hunt is a gloriously bad film about the worst mercenaries you have ever seen hunting the gooiest crackhead robots you have ever seen. Nobody knows what weapons are, but at least the villains are aware of the proper villain dress code. If nothing else, I guarantee the first proper fight scene is a fairly unique experience as action movies go.
Post by: TamerVirus on February 15, 2020, 10:58:01 am
The Alchemist
Quote from: Wikipedia
Time Out called it a "spectacularly low-energy multi-pastiche"SAD!
Post by: Reelya on February 15, 2020, 12:28:55 pm
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGQzY2NiMjctNzAwYS00MjdhLWI2M2EtNWYwZGNmZDQzYWUxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTYxNjkxOQ@@._V1_.jpg)
Post by: Superdorf on February 15, 2020, 01:12:13 pm
Yes. :))
Post by: IronyOwl on February 15, 2020, 03:08:45 pm
...have I seen that already?
I have! From the thumbnail of the guy lifting the white sheet I have successfully remembered that yes, this is that movie about hopping vampires and cocaine. I'm not sure I can add anything about it that you wouldn't have guessed from it being called Robo Vampire. Other than that it was not filmed in English, if that makes the blatant ripoff any more reasonable and the bunnypires any more normal.
Post by: Eschar on February 15, 2020, 05:47:22 pm
Post by: scriver on February 16, 2020, 05:49:45 pm
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on February 16, 2020, 06:36:53 pm
Apparently the Sonic movie is doing ludicrously good
I loved it. I think it is a fantastic movie--however, it's humor isn't for everyone, and anyone who considers themselves "a very serious and critical moviegoer" might be offended by some of its more formulaic writing, but TBH it's an absolute treat and a much refreshing change from the historically drab (and downright awful) videogame-movie adaptations.
Post by: NullForceOmega on February 16, 2020, 08:31:29 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on February 16, 2020, 08:43:12 pm
Post by: Yoink on February 16, 2020, 08:49:47 pm
Sonic watchers, would your opinion be any different if they used old abomination sonic instead of the redesign?I haven't seen that, but I would have actually bothered going to see it if they'd used the OG look.
Post by: NullForceOmega on February 17, 2020, 04:28:55 am
Because I'd have watched with any of the "True to Sega designs" but there is no circumstance under which that hideous goddamned model they first advertised would have gotten my money.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on February 17, 2020, 12:25:17 pm
Sonic watchers, would your opinion be any different if they used old abomination sonic instead of the redesign?
The CGI is disturbing now. I can only imagine the sweet sweet nightmare-fuel that might have been.
Post by: Kagus on February 17, 2020, 01:14:50 pm
It's... I mean, it's a good film. It's quite pretty (despite also giving a much grimier, grittier look at the state of WW1 than most media likes to portray, something I was also very appreciative of), and the cinematography of being mock-single shot is very exciting from a conceptual point of view (although this did make a few of the clip breaks fairly obvious when they happened, despite being disguised)... But good heavens, there were a lot of stupid decisions being made by the main character(s), and survival was basically only granted by virtue of the fact that the entire German army had apparently trained at the Imperial Stormtrooper Academy of Sharpshooting, whereas our main man could snapshot an enemy sniper behind a window at 100 paces with an unscoped Lee-Enfield.
The single-shot aspect was also... Well... While very interesting and also quite engrossing, it kinda gave the movie the odd quality of seeming like the film equivalent of a walking simulator.
All in all, a very lovely experiment in camerawork and scene composition/transition! Also a far more brutal and ghastly depiction of The War to End All Wars, despite still toning it down a bit for the silver screen. Beyond that, it's just a bit... Odd.
Post by: Iduno on February 18, 2020, 08:41:44 am
Sonic watchers, would your opinion be any different if they used old abomination sonic instead of the redesign?
Do you think there would be any if they hadn't created controversy by forcing the artists to make a bad movie and then redo it with unpaid overtime?
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on February 18, 2020, 11:11:49 am
it does feel a bit off doesnt? Despite all its achievements (and I also LOVED the film). To me, it seems a bit like The Odyssey with no return to Ithaca. That's probably kind of the point, but the story felt like its missing something.
Post by: Iduno on February 18, 2020, 11:19:09 am
@Kagus,
it does feel a bit off doesnt? Despite all its achievements (and I also LOVED the film). To me, it seems a bit like The Odyssey with no return to Ithaca. That's probably kind of the point, but the story felt like its missing something.
The Illiad?
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on February 18, 2020, 11:52:26 am
Post by: scriver on February 18, 2020, 11:56:30 am
Post by: Iduno on February 18, 2020, 12:46:50 pm
The Illiad covers the (last bit of the) Trojan War, The Odyssey is Odysseus' long-foiled attempt to return to Ithaca (the island he is King of).
I'd offer an explanation, defense, or apology if I could remember what the joke I was going for was. I've slept since then, and ?
Post by: TD1 on February 25, 2020, 09:17:24 pm
Post by: Kagus on February 26, 2020, 11:42:39 am
Post by: Iduno on February 26, 2020, 01:31:36 pm
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE POOP TRAIN! CHOO CHOO! (https://nerdist.com/article/eli-roth-borderlands-movie/)
I hope that when the author of that article wrote that a video game was massively popular, they immediately got a wedgie.
Something doesn't need to be popular.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on February 26, 2020, 01:39:03 pm
Post by: Iduno on February 26, 2020, 01:42:40 pm
Considering that even Borderlands' original game story was awful, my hopes for an adaptation are p low--I imagine just a big, flashy action gore-fest with LOTS of guns.
I hope that 75% of the movie is the characters repeatedly shooting the same people, looking bored, going through the loot, looking disappointed, then doing a loop again.
Edit: like most/all of the MCU movies, Iron Man 3 was disappointing. At least it would have been better if Disney wasn't too sexist to allow for a female villain in an Iron Man movie. They thought "Tony Stark said he'd meet me then didn't" was a better backstory for a villain.
Post by: Kagus on February 26, 2020, 01:56:29 pm
Considering that even Borderlands' original game story was awful, my hopes for an adaptation are p low--I imagine just a big, flashy action gore-fest with LOTS of guns.
That's what we're hoping for here, really.
Post by: scriver on February 26, 2020, 02:12:47 pm
Post by: Iduno on February 26, 2020, 02:25:10 pm
Ya'll seen that Smokin Aces movie? The redneck brothers? I imagine a Borderlands movie to be basically that. For two hours.
Ok, I'm back in.
Post by: Cthulhu on February 27, 2020, 10:54:50 pm
It also has a lot of CGI in places it probably didn't need it, some of the effects would've been better practical. All that being said it's pretty good. Not scary, but some sequences are pretty fucking disturbing.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Tommy Chong's monologue is also really good. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdHbOmDuQI8)
Post by: Yoink on February 28, 2020, 05:47:45 am
Ya'll seen that Smokin Aces movie? The redneck brothers? I imagine a Borderlands movie to be basically that. For two hours.This movie is dumb as shit, wtf am I even watching?
The highlight so far was definitely Jason Bateman's (presumably) bit-part, since funnily enough I had planned on watching S3 of Ozark only to learn it isn't out yet.
That's right, my first pick for something to watch now that I have Netflix access went from Ozark to Smokin' friggin' Aces. ::)
It mostly just makes me wanna watch Goodfellas. Or re-watch Seven Psychopaths.
Post by: scriver on February 28, 2020, 07:46:14 am
Ya'll seen that Smokin Aces movie? The redneck brothers? I imagine a Borderlands movie to be basically that. For two hours.This movie is dumb as shit, wtf am I even watching?
After my comparison to Borderlands, what did you expect? :P
Quote
The highlight so far was definitely Jason Bateman's (presumably) bit-part, since funnily enough I had planned on watching S3 of Ozark only to learn it isn't out yet.
That's right, my first pick for something to watch now that I have Netflix access went from Ozark to Smokin' friggin' Aces. ::)
It mostly just makes me wanna watch Goodfellas. Or re-watch Seven Psychopaths.
You should watch Smokin' Aces 2. It abandoned the whole "let's just come up with a flimsy reason to have a bunch of badasses do badass things and spout bad one-liners for two hours while things explode" premise of the first one for a more high brow, layered kind of action and excellent characters and dialogue.
Post by: Iduno on February 28, 2020, 08:42:16 am
Ya'll seen that Smokin Aces movie? The redneck brothers? I imagine a Borderlands movie to be basically that. For two hours.This movie is dumb as shit, wtf am I even watching?
The highlight so far was definitely Jason Bateman's (presumably) bit-part, since funnily enough I had planned on watching S3 of Ozark only to learn it isn't out yet.
That's right, my first pick for something to watch now that I have Netflix access went from Ozark to Smokin' friggin' Aces. ::)
It mostly just makes me wanna watch Goodfellas. Or re-watch Seven Psychopaths.
The premise of Smokin Aces (a bunch of different types of teams going after the same target) is pretty good, everything else seems designed to make you say "Yeah, I could do better than this."
Post by: Max™ on February 28, 2020, 05:12:27 pm
Post by: Yoink on February 28, 2020, 06:25:40 pm
The premise of Smokin Aces (a bunch of different types of teams going after the same target) is pretty good, everything else seems designed to make you say "Yeah, I could do better than this."Yeah, it's kind of like The Expendables: a great premise that it should be easy to have a heap of ridiculous fun with, but they've gone and ruined it somehow.
Though I think Smokin' Aces might have been even worse - at least The Expendables was kind of earnest in how it took itself too seriously despite its silliness. This was just trying way too hard to be edgy at times.
Also a fair few plot points received no resolution whatsoever, but I suppose it's for the best that this dumpster fire didn't go on any longer than it did.
It's a good thing Guy Ritchie isn't dead, because I'm pretty sure if he were he would have spun in his grave with such force upon the release of this movie as to send the whole Earth careening off-course into the sun or something.
...I'm kinda getting deja vu, have I complained about TE in here before? At least I have something similar but worse to compare it to, now.
Post by: MrRoboto75 on February 28, 2020, 10:06:58 pm
Ya'll seen that Smokin Aces movie? The redneck brothers? I imagine a Borderlands movie to be basically that. For two hours.This movie is dumb as shit, wtf am I even watching?
After my comparison to Borderlands, what did you expect? :P
To be shot in the face, not in the arms, legs, or torso. In the face.
Flash forward to Kong vs Godzilla, they're battling, Kong is choking Godzilla, Godzilla sighs "...sorry... moth... ra" and Kong jumps off of him, freaking out, "OOK OOK, WHY SAY THAT NAME" best idea ever, or best idea ever?
Thanks, I hate it.
Post by: Reelya on February 28, 2020, 10:50:30 pm
Or how about a Goddfrey Ho / Tingler: Ninja Pounded in the Butt by my own Butt Ninja.
Post by: scriver on February 29, 2020, 06:17:03 am
The premise of Smokin Aces (a bunch of different types of teams going after the same target) is pretty good, everything else seems designed to make you say "Yeah, I could do better than this."Yeah, it's kind of like The Expendables: a great premise that it should be easy to have a heap of ridiculous fun with, but they've gone and ruined it somehow.
Though I think Smokin' Aces might have been even worse - at least The Expendables was kind of earnest in how it took itself too seriously despite its silliness. This was just trying way too hard to be edgy at times.
Also a fair few plot points received no resolution whatsoever, but I suppose it's for the best that this dumpster fire didn't go on any longer than it did.
It's a good thing Guy Ritchie isn't dead, because I'm pretty sure if he were he would have spun in his grave with such force upon the release of this movie as to send the whole Earth careening off-course into the sun or something.
...I'm kinda getting deja vu, have I complained about TE in here before? At least I have something similar but worse to compare it to, now.
Did you watch Smoking Aces 2 yet though? I promise, it's not horrible at all and I'm definitely not trying to get you to watch an awful movie
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 01, 2020, 05:06:04 am
To that end go and watch The Portrait of a Lady on Fire. If I weren't this crusty jaded geezer that I'm increasingly seeing in the mirror, it would have completely floored me, emotionally. The way things are I'm merely stunned.
Post by: scriver on March 01, 2020, 09:25:55 am
Post by: IronyOwl on March 04, 2020, 05:35:07 pm
The movie itself is dumb and cringe. They made Sonic a lonely teenager, almost like this was a kid's movie or something. I also have very specific opinions on Sonic flossing as his dance of choice. Not energetic enough for a hedgehog on crack, 0/10 absolutely shameless reference.
Bad as that was, to literally no one's surprise the humans were asinine and beyond worthless. We've known since at least Transformers that including humans in a movie about not-humans is dumb and does nothing good, but they keep doing it so apparently it's serving some kind of critical purpose in this foul ritual. I shudder to think what kind of demographic has their viewing experience improved by having some guy be useless next to a blue mascot going nothin personnel kid, so I can only assume there are darker implications here. I'm being a little unfair here, they got a few good lines in, but on the whole making this a live action movie with real people couldn't possibly have been a wise decision.
The obvious exception is Dr. Robotnik, who is exquisite in everything he touches. Absolutely nailed being a fun, silly villain, to the point where I'd consider watching the movie to consist of viewing a truly delightful mad scientist padded with assorted sewage and waste meats. Slight clarification: The robots are also pretty good, which is Robotnik related but not directly dependent on Carrey's infinite charisma. Likewise, his interactions with other people tend to be adequate to fantastic, which is why I said everything he touches turns to gold.
Overall I value the joy of seeing Robotnik well above the annoyance of dealing with everyone else in the movie, so it gets a longsuffering thumbs up from me. No idea why anybody would call the movie "good" on any other grounds, though.
Post by: King Zultan on March 05, 2020, 03:33:14 am
Post by: Kagus on March 05, 2020, 03:38:51 am
But how would you have felt about the movie if they kept the original version of Sonic?
FÄST (https://youtu.be/8dpV7KwDWCM)
Post by: IronyOwl on March 05, 2020, 03:43:11 pm
Honestly I'm not sure I would have noticed. Hopefully it would have added a gnawing horror to the whole thing, but maybe it would have just looked hideous to go with the bad writing and whatnot.But how would you have felt about the movie if they kept the original version of Sonic?
FÄST (https://youtu.be/8dpV7KwDWCM)
I suspect they'd have to go harder to make it horrifying enough to count as art, though. Not even Cats did that well enough to get any lasting appeal from it.
Post by: scriver on March 05, 2020, 03:47:18 pm
But how would you have felt about the movie if they kept the original version of Sonic?
FÄST (https://youtu.be/8dpV7KwDWCM)
fäst means attached
like the original sonic appärence is attached to my brain forever
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 05, 2020, 04:03:59 pm
Post by: Jopax on March 06, 2020, 02:08:59 pm
"Inspired by actual events"
As one comment put it: "Yes a WW2 happened and it involved submarines and boats"
I don't think I've cringed more at a movie trailer since the goddamn Sonic one dropped. And it's all due to that one goddamn line at the start. It's like they want the cake of being a legitimately realistic war movie and the batshit insane horror movie act of eating it at the same time.
Like if fucking Overlord (which is a great movie) slapped the same quote on the trailer and was completely straight faced about doing it.
Post by: Yoink on March 06, 2020, 02:13:20 pm
...Actually, wait - what the fuck am I saying? Don't watch it, in fact you should go to any lengths necessary to avoid doing so. Just take my word for how bad it is. Not even in a funny way.
Post by: Jopax on March 06, 2020, 02:23:38 pm
Post by: Iduno on March 06, 2020, 02:24:33 pm
You ever see Fury? Don't talk to me 'bout shitty war movies' til you've seen that absolute dumpster fire.
...Actually, wait - what the fuck am I saying? Don't watch it, in fact you should go to any lengths necessary to avoid doing so. Just take my word for how bad it is. Not even in a funny way.
Yeah, at least Star Wars Holiday Special was funny.
Post by: Kagus on March 07, 2020, 02:50:27 am
Post by: Ulfarr on March 07, 2020, 06:55:14 am
Post by: TamerVirus on March 07, 2020, 08:36:13 am
I liked Jarhead.But what about Jarhead 2 and Jarhead 3?
Post by: Eschar on March 07, 2020, 06:52:48 pm
Doctor Sleep, which appeared to be trying to be two movies at once
Ad Astra, which was unexpectedly introspective, which I liked a lot at first but was boring near the end
Jumanji 2, which was fun and that's about all I have to say about it
Today I watched 12 Angry Men. I liked it.
Post by: Iduno on March 09, 2020, 01:42:50 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 09, 2020, 07:30:51 pm
Today I watched 12 Angry Men. I liked it.It's great. Possibly important. Everybody should watch it - if they're into talky black and white films and/or like Henry Fonda.
Speaking of talky black and white films with Henry Fonda, I heartily recommend Fail Safe. It's a more sombre twin brother to Dr Strangelove (with which there was some unsavoury competition on release, too). The 2000-ish remake with Clooney and a bunch of other fine actors is good too, but makes a few unnecessary changes that render it inferior (imo).
Post by: delphonso on March 09, 2020, 08:45:20 pm
"People like you have been trying to destory America for hundreds of years. But guess what, in a thousand years, we'll still fucking be here."
And something about "the United Nations has made enough enemies to make it easy for this terrorist to find supporters" but in the same breath say that the US blew up that terrorists' family but it was an accident so its okay.
Post by: Telgin on March 09, 2020, 10:44:33 pm
Bad as that was, to literally no one's surprise the humans were asinine and beyond worthless. We've known since at least Transformers that including humans in a movie about not-humans is dumb and does nothing good, but they keep doing it so apparently it's serving some kind of critical purpose in this foul ritual.
I've been questioning this ever since Sonic Adventure when they suddenly effectively dumped Sonic into an otherwise normal Earth. Very strange and confusing, and I never liked it. That came to a head when he had a human girlfriend in Sonic 2006...
Quote
The obvious exception is Dr. Robotnik, who is exquisite in everything he touches. Absolutely nailed being a fun, silly villain, to the point where I'd consider watching the movie to consist of viewing a truly delightful mad scientist padded with assorted sewage and waste meats. Slight clarification: The robots are also pretty good, which is Robotnik related but not directly dependent on Carrey's infinite charisma. Likewise, his interactions with other people tend to be adequate to fantastic, which is why I said everything he touches turns to gold.
Overall I value the joy of seeing Robotnik well above the annoyance of dealing with everyone else in the movie, so it gets a longsuffering thumbs up from me. No idea why anybody would call the movie "good" on any other grounds, though.
And this is the exception. Robotnik should probably have remained the only "human" in the setting, and I use the term human loosely considering he's a ball with arms and legs.
A few things surprise me about the movie though, having not seen it, and that is that first, they used the name Robotnik instead of Eggman, and that Jim Carrey actually works for Robotnik. He's a good actor and... well, now that I think about it his personality does match well enough, but I think it would bother me that he doesn't look remotely like Robotnik. Then again, no real human could...
Post by: MrRoboto75 on March 10, 2020, 12:25:21 am
I've been questioning this ever since Sonic Adventure when they suddenly effectively dumped Sonic into an otherwise normal Earth. Very strange and confusing, and I never liked it. That came to a head when he had a human girlfriend in Sonic 2006...
Has it ever been consistent? Like for a while I thought mobius was an island, that happened to be populated with anthropomorphic critters like sonic. And the knuckles lived on that floating island, failing horribly to protect the master emerald that made it float. Now its a separate planet or something. Maybe.
A few things surprise me about the movie though, having not seen it, and that is that first, they used the name Robotnik instead of Eggman, and that Jim Carrey actually works for Robotnik. He's a good actor and... well, now that I think about it his personality does match well enough, but I think it would bother me that he doesn't look remotely like Robotnik. Then again, no real human could...
Robotnik works (vaguely) for the government in the movie, if I'm remembering. Sonic also gives him the eggman nickname like halfway through, because his drones happened to be egg-shaped (I guess...).
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on March 10, 2020, 08:08:03 am
Plot lines that are undeniably more interesting than what the Sonic movie ended up being, which was a solid Meh
Post by: Telgin on March 10, 2020, 08:26:39 am
Has it ever been consistent? Like for a while I thought mobius was an island, that happened to be populated with anthropomorphic critters like sonic. And the knuckles lived on that floating island, failing horribly to protect the master emerald that made it float. Now its a separate planet or something. Maybe.
A lot of confusion comes from the American continuities, which introduced the idea of Mobius being a different planet from Earth with just anthro critters and the one Robotnik. This was never the case in Japan, where I'm pretty sure it was always supposed to be Earth and Eggman.
Sega probably didn't really plan to mix more humans into the world at first, but it wasn't a big contradiction when they did it in Sonic Adventure compared to if you tried to reconcile it with the American continuity. I've heard that Sonic Adventure marked a point where Sega was explicitly trying to remove references to the American continuity, hence why they introduced the Eggman nickname in it, and started using it exclusively afterward.
Post by: MrRoboto75 on March 10, 2020, 11:10:48 am
Plot lines that are undeniably more interesting than what the Sonic movie ended up being, which was a solid Meh
50 bucks for olive garden tho
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on March 10, 2020, 12:09:43 pm
EDIT: Also, the whole movie is unironically one long advertisement for Olive Garden... while that idea is funny, I'm not joking.
Post by: TamerVirus on March 10, 2020, 12:17:13 pm
How else were they gonna cover the cost of the redesign?
Post by: nenjin on March 10, 2020, 12:19:29 pm
One Cut of the Dead was delightful. Rare that I have gone from "What is this shit, I'm not enjoying this" to "this is fucking brilliant." If you ever have any intention of seeing it, do yourself a favor and learn nothing about it before hand. It was just a really genuine movie.
The Warriors....I know the memes but I'd never seen it. After seeing it......I'll probably never watch it again. It's not bad. It's stylish and has an interesting premise. But goddamn. The acting is flat as fuck by almost everyone in the movie. It has an incredibly trashy and cringely written female character who just seems like some writer's ideal of promiscuous woman who is there just to be abused. But the most damning thing.....nothing happens after the first 20 minutes. It's an hour of people walking places, running places, saying stupid hood shit, and a couple awkward fight scenes. I get why the movie is a cult classic, but its popularity seems to based on those vests they wear, the fact they're all lean guys, and three memorable lines.
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 10, 2020, 12:22:18 pm
Post by: Iduno on March 10, 2020, 01:00:39 pm
The Warriors....I know the memes but I'd never seen it. After seeing it......I'll probably never watch it again. It's not bad. It's stylish and has an interesting premise. But goddamn. The acting is flat as fuck by almost everyone in the movie. It has an incredibly trashy and cringely written female character who just seems like some writer's ideal of promiscuous woman who is there just to be abused. But the most damning thing.....nothing happens after the first 20 minutes. It's an hour of people walking places, running places, saying stupid hood shit, and a couple awkward fight scenes. I get why the movie is a cult classic, but its popularity seems to based on those vests they wear, the fact they're all lean guys, and three memorable lines.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Also, Il Palazzo can come up with 1 more line from that movie than anyone else I know, so I agree there aren't 3 memorable lines.
Post by: scriver on March 10, 2020, 01:07:21 pm
"The Best"
Here's to all you boppers out there
Oh yeaah the Oprhans yeah I heard about you my social worker talks about you all the time
The Warriors....I know the memes but I'd never seen it. After seeing it......I'll probably never watch it again. It's not bad. It's stylish and has an interesting premise. But goddamn. The acting is flat as fuck by almost everyone in the movie. It has an incredibly trashy and cringely written female character who just seems like some writer's ideal of promiscuous woman who is there just to be abused. But the most damning thing.....nothing happens after the first 20 minutes. It's an hour of people walking places, running places, saying stupid hood shit, and a couple awkward fight scenes. I get why the movie is a cult classic, but its popularity seems to based on those vests they wear, the fact they're all lean guys, and three memorable lines.
It's allright. Some people just don't have any taste for classic Greek literature reimagined as funky 70's near-fut dystopia punk
Post by: nenjin on March 10, 2020, 02:10:34 pm
Also yeah, I guess it's really just two lines.
Post by: TamerVirus on March 10, 2020, 02:29:13 pm
Post by: scriver on March 10, 2020, 03:04:03 pm
I dunno. I feel like the Greek inspiration was fairly thin at the end of the day. Much like every dude in the movie!
That's why I like it after all ;)
But there was a dude called Cleon! and Ajax!
The one that's more relevant is the guy named Cyrus, you know, the guy who dies and sets off the entire plot, much like how the guy named Cyrus died in real life so Xenemorphios had to fight his way back to Coney Island
Post by: nenjin on March 10, 2020, 03:07:38 pm
Post by: TamerVirus on March 10, 2020, 03:30:03 pm
XenemorphiosWe talking about Alien now?
Post by: scriver on March 10, 2020, 04:49:40 pm
XenemorphiosWe talking about Alien now?
Yes, Alien was actually also inspired by Xenemorphios' Anabaptism, but it's seen from the other side. In Alien, the humans are the Persians, and the alien is Xenemorphios
Post by: Iduno on March 12, 2020, 02:50:44 pm
I haven't been paying close attention. How close are we to being able to edit together an entire war movie using only footage of Tom Hanks?
Ugh, fine. I've heard Tom Hanks is sick, so I
Post by: Cthulhu on March 12, 2020, 03:26:27 pm
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on March 12, 2020, 03:55:07 pm
Actors aren't real.(https://media1.tenor.com/images/e4101e28b458d2a40f584e2e24e9ba53/tenor.gif?itemid=4628553.gif)
Post by: Iduno on March 13, 2020, 10:52:12 am
Post by: Kagus on March 13, 2020, 11:34:17 am
Post by: Iduno on March 13, 2020, 12:35:34 pm
I'm going to end up seeing it sooner or later, for the sake of my friend's cat.
https://youtu.be/sJ0s0KUUpxo (https://youtu.be/sJ0s0KUUpxo)?
Post by: IronyOwl on March 13, 2020, 01:41:25 pm
Has anyone seen the new Vin Diesel superhero movie? Because I'm interested in Vin Diesel superhero movie. It's called Bloodshot.Was not aware this existed. Probably not interesting enough for me to see it in theaters, but it has my vague attention.
Post by: Kagus on March 14, 2020, 07:34:22 am
I'm going to end up seeing it sooner or later, for the sake of my friend's cat.
https://youtu.be/sJ0s0KUUpxo (https://youtu.be/sJ0s0KUUpxo)?
Her cat loves Vin Diesel. Put on a film starring him, and the kitty will quickly make her way over to sit on your lap and enjoy it with you.
Post by: Iduno on March 18, 2020, 07:49:24 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Yoink on March 18, 2020, 07:51:08 am
Guess it's an appropriate time to re-watch it, pretty sure it's only been a few months since my last viewing, though.
Post by: Yoink on March 20, 2020, 03:18:17 am
A modern-day war movie that neither preached nor pulled punches, at least from my perspective. Also the end credits were so crazily relaxing you could probably bottle that shit and market it to meditation retreats.
Beautiful goddamn day.
Edit: a word.
Post by: Iduno on March 20, 2020, 10:19:55 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I think we can agree that Adam Sandler is the absolute worst. But also, if you had the option to do your job well once every decade or two, show up ~once a year, and never worry about money again, wouldn't you?
Post by: Kagus on March 20, 2020, 10:33:26 am
...oh god, I now understand why Disney has been just rehashing old IPs instead of trying to write anything original. Holy cow, that was weapons-grade stupid.
EDIT: I have since been able to borrow my friend's Netflix account, and have used it to check a few items off the list of "Things I haven't seen yet but probably should for the sake of completion".
I have made terrible, terrible choices from the start.
Getting a running start with Spider-Man 3 (the only one of the original trilogy I hadn't seen), I then maneuvered myself towards Pacific Rim. Much internal yelling at the screen was had, and shaking of fists at Guillermo del Toro's otherwise upstanding reputation as a filmmaker.
Transformers, Godzilla (2014), and Pacific Rim 2 later, I decided to try out something new with Netflix original Spectral, which I'd seen wandering around the list a few times before. It was bad, but sadly also just good and smart enough at times to not be so bad as to be funny or outstanding. I'd also like to see a ranking of films based on how many times the term "Bose-Einstein condensate" is used over the course of a movie.
Now I'm suffering through Transformers 2, which sadly does not appear to have suffered enough sequelitis to replace the atrociously irritating male lead (who is, at this moment, currently being moderately unfaithful to Megan Fucking Fox).
This is apparently the kind of man for whom the "Do not eat" warning label on socks is necessary.
Post by: Iduno on March 23, 2020, 02:20:54 pm
Post by: scriver on March 25, 2020, 01:43:55 am
Post by: Kagus on March 25, 2020, 12:04:50 pm
But Idris Elba is cancelling the apocalypseLook, I love Tackle-Me Elba as much as the next guy, but his mildly invigorating impromptu speech in that very concerning accent does not excuse the sins of "Solid iron core, no alloy" somehow being a good thing, and a nuclear-powered mech somehow venting/leaking flammable liquid fuel. And also being analog, somehow, so it's not affected by the EMP burst. Unlike the... diesel-powered mechs.
And I'm not even going to get into why bipedal punchbots maybe weren't the best choice for fighting primarily melee armor-plated monsters in aquatic or amphibian environments.
Or the point that irritates my friend the most: y no sord?
Post by: Jopax on March 25, 2020, 12:27:26 pm
Same for Spectral, it's dumb and earnest in its dumbness but that's what makes it fun. You're watching a dumb movie about an army fighting ghosts, it doesn't have to make any sense, only be entertaining.
Post by: Iduno on March 25, 2020, 01:40:10 pm
But Idris Elba is cancelling the apocalypse
I think they just airbrushed it out, to annoy the fans and make the censors happy.
Post by: IronyOwl on March 25, 2020, 02:19:37 pm
Or the point that irritates my friend the most: y no sord?I can tolerate/embrace a lot of the movie's dumb, but this one's hard to get around even for me. I don't know that it made the movie worse, but it clearly made it 'weaker' in terms of the world making less (internal) sense.
Spoiler: Actual Spoiler (click to show/hide)
it doesn't have to make any sense, only be entertaining.I mean, it has to make some sense or it severely compromises its ability to be entertaining. I think you could argue quite convincingly that dumb techno-babble can do the opposite, however, and make the movie better by making so little sense you get to laugh at it.
Post by: scriver on March 25, 2020, 03:57:48 pm
Also what's this about a sword? I don't remember anything about a sword.
Post by: Iduno on March 25, 2020, 04:16:09 pm
I don't remember anything about a sword.
Yes, but they're saying there should have been one.
Post by: Reelya on March 25, 2020, 04:27:40 pm
Kagus it's called a bloody B movie :V
Same for Spectral, it's dumb and earnest in its dumbness but that's what makes it fun. You're watching a dumb movie about an army fighting ghosts, it doesn't have to make any sense, only be entertaining.
That's not what a b-movie means. What you're describing there is what's called a "Summer blockbuster": huge budget, dumb, easy-to-follow plot. EDIT: the giveaway here is that Pacific Rim was released in early July, which is prime summer blockbuster time.
B movie either means the original meaning of a movie made as the supporting feature of a double-bill or a low-budget commercial movie. Calling Pacific Rim a b-movie would broaden the term way too much to include things like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Wild Wild West, Men in Black, Tron, Transformers etc etc etc. All the Marvel movies would have to count as B Movies if we're going there.
Post by: IronyOwl on March 25, 2020, 07:00:46 pm
Arm-sword at the very end. It's super effective! Maybe you should have been using that instead of punching things repeatedly. Or hitting them with a ship-bat.I don't remember anything about a sword.
Yes, but they're saying there should have been one.
Post by: Cthulhu on March 26, 2020, 08:13:01 am
Post by: Yoink on March 28, 2020, 04:41:48 am
From what I remember I stopped watching it as a kid (in my teens sometime, presumably) because the whole concept of having memories erased freaked me out too much, this time 'round it distressed me almost as much but for mostly very different reasons, haha.
Can't believe it only came out in 2004. For some reason I figured it was a '90s film. It looks like a '90s film, somehow. I dunno.
I just know it feels like it's been considered a classic for as long as I can remember.
Post by: scriver on March 28, 2020, 06:14:38 am
Post by: Kagus on March 31, 2020, 11:22:00 am
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
This is a $20 budget crashing-this-cliche-with-no-survivors train wreck that keeps desperately trying to turn into gay porn. I'm barely 15 minutes in. It is physically painful to watch this film.
I can't wait to see what happens next!
EDIT: Also I'm pretty sure the main character's facial hair is made out of cardboard.
Post by: Reelya on March 31, 2020, 11:31:42 am
Post by: Iduno on March 31, 2020, 12:05:34 pm
Just started watching "Alien Warfare" (2019) on Netflix.
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
This is a $20 budget crashing-this-cliche-with-no-survivors train wreck that keeps desperately trying to turn into gay porn. I'm barely 15 minutes in. It is physically painful to watch this film.
I can't wait to see what happens next!
EDIT: Also I'm pretty sure the main character's facial hair is made out of cardboard.
You keep describing this movie like it's great, and saying it's bad. I'm confuse.
Post by: Kagus on March 31, 2020, 12:09:37 pm
*Bird chirps in background
Homoerotic Manbaby 2: *Holds wirecutters seductively "...no? I don't hear anything."
*Bird chirps in background
HMB1: "Exactly. There's nothing. That's what got me spooked earlier."
*Bird chirps in background
HMB1: "No animals, no birds, no insects- nothing."
*Bird chirps in background
EDIT:
HMB3: "It makes sense! Extraterrestrials would engage in countermeasures!"
EDIT2:
HMB1 looks like some sort of Value brand fusion of Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck. There is something extremely unsettling about how little his facial features want to be near each other.
HMB2, AKA Cardbeard the SEALpirate, continues making statements that would get Freud's nipples to harden within milliseconds.
HMB3 seems perpetually terrified of everything, except how poorly he's rolled his sleeves up (which if he were a real soldier, he would be scared of)
HMB4 is token black man and I would bet multiple articles of clothing in strip-filmcritique on him being the first to die... If we were playing strip-filmcritique. He's also doing a terrible job of being the token black person who is black, as he made it painfully clear that he can't even follow the beat of some simple elevator music.
First important non-HMB character has just been introduced as token attractive woman. Like any scientist working full-time in an underground lab, she has fantastic hair.
EDIT3: Everyone has really really loud feet.
EDIT4: ...no. No. NO. NO NO NO. NO.
NO.
EDIT5:
Token Attractive Woman (who is a scientist): "Evolution is linear, it moves in a straight line"
HMB3: "Yeah, she's right! It's not surprising that they're bipedal!"
Post by: McTraveller on March 31, 2020, 02:42:06 pm
"What happened to you!?"
"In-laws."
Post by: delphonso on March 31, 2020, 07:50:46 pm
Token Attractive Woman (who is a scientist): "Evolution is linear, it moves in a straight line"
HMB3: "Yeah, she's right! It's not surprising that they're bipedal!"
Well I'm sold.
Post by: King Zultan on April 01, 2020, 03:21:11 am
Just started watching "Alien Warfare" (2019) on Netflix.The more I hear about this movie the more I need to see if its as bad as you say it is.
Post by: Yoink on April 01, 2020, 04:32:10 am
Same goes for Restrepo, a war documentary I watched the start of once and never got around to finishing. Darn.
Post by: Kagus on April 01, 2020, 05:27:55 am
"Alien Warfare" (2019)
Every time I thought I'd seen all that this beautiful disaster had to offer, it turned around and caught me off-guard once again.
The occasional interjections of "comic relief" that were shoved in on top of something already so absurd that these moments catapulted themselves into the realm of self-satire.
The "Faraday suit" (which is actually a thing {just not that thing})
Quote
HMB1: "Dammit I'm a Navy SEAL, not a janitor!
HMB1: "..."
HMB1: "Wait, I'm a Navy SEAL!"
The fact that HMB3 apparently never came down from that obviously bad trip he was experiencing throughout all the scenes where he was supposed to show any kind of urgency.
Quote
TAW: [excitedly] "Fibonacci sequence!"
HMB3: [excitedly] "Fibonacci sequence!!"
The fact that nobody in this movie understands doors.
The super high-tech helmets that were made out of windscreen sealant and mosquito netting, with the visors in the wrong place.
The Matrix homage where someone lifts their hand up and stops a bunch of bullets in mid-air, except the effect is slightly ruined by him wearing a cozy snowsuit mitten.
Also the hand gesture was entirely unnecessary, because the bullet shield is just permanently active anyways.
Quote
HMB1: [watching security cam footage of hostiles leisurely walking around in some grass and twirling a couple sticks]
HMB1: [nodding] "Tactical. Definitely military."
The way HMB1 sensually rubs his nipple to communicate with the rest of the team while wearing the Faraday suitTM.
The way three highly-trained SEALs effortlessly handled every side of breaching an unknown double-door with a window in the middle: Left side, right side, and inside.
The brothers who unironically constantly refer to each other as "bro".
Post by: Yoink on April 01, 2020, 06:20:21 pm
Post by: Iduno on April 01, 2020, 08:01:13 pm
"Alien Warfare" (2019)
Ok, at this point, you've got enough quotes to just do the toss all of your thoughts in a spoiler (a live play?) like I did with Ready Player One, except it sounds like a better movie.
Edit: And have I mentioned There is No Authority But Yourself (https://archive.org/details/CrassThereIsNoAuthorityButYourself) here? It's a Dutch documentary about a British band, so you might want subtitles even if you nominally speak the same language, but it was intentionally released for free.
Edit2: It's a 2009 documentary, and I can't find a link to any English subtitled versions or subtitle files (VLC player can add subtitle files to the video easily)? Let us know if someone can find one.
Post by: Kagus on April 03, 2020, 02:16:30 pm
"Alien Warfare" (2019)
Ok, at this point, you've got enough quotes to just do the toss all of your thoughts in a spoiler (a live play?) like I did with Ready Player One, except it sounds like a better movie.
Oh no. That's not all of it. There's so much more, things that I don't even have the words to describe. I can't.
I also watched Hungerford, which is also on Netflix. But that's just your bog-standard bad. The kind of bad that's so bad it's bad, not the kind that's so bad it becomes magnificent.
I'm convinced Hungerford only exists so that the Director/Writer/Producer/Star could have not one, but two(!) girls say that they loved him. ...and, honestly, the fact that one of them managed to actually sound convincing when she said it just goes to prove that she's far too good of an actor to have any business being stuck in a movie like Hungerford.
Post by: Yoink on April 12, 2020, 07:58:21 am
Definitely a great film, but good gods that ending was depressing.
Post by: Reelya on April 12, 2020, 08:41:46 am
Same thing goes for serial killers. Just about every movie/doco going into the "mind of a serial killer" does in fact suffer from selection bias: it's only looking into common traits of serial killers who got caught. Most serial killers who leave an obvious trail of bloody destruction behind them end up getting caught, but there are a lot more missing people every year than that.
Post by: Yoink on April 12, 2020, 09:17:20 am
His father would have been spinning in his grave*.
...Wait, should this stuff be in a spoiler? Or am I the last person on Earth to see this movie?
* though apparently their relationship was pretty much entirely fictionalised anyway.
Post by: Iduno on April 12, 2020, 09:37:27 am
That wasn't the depressing part, we knew he was gonna get caught from the start, considering it was told in flash-back. Him going to work with the FBI to ruin the lives of others was the depressing part.
His father would have been spinning in his grave*.
...Wait, should this stuff be in a spoiler? Or am I the last person on Earth to see this movie?
* though apparently their relationship was pretty much entirely fictionalised anyway.
Yeah, I agree with that. Good movie otherwise.
Post by: Eschar on April 12, 2020, 12:57:23 pm
"In other words, being vegan just makes you better than most people."
Post by: Iduno on April 12, 2020, 05:32:49 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on April 13, 2020, 03:51:23 pm
That wasn't the depressing part, we knew he was gonna get caught from the start, considering it was told in flash-back. Him going to work with the FBI to ruin the lives of others was the depressing part.
His father would have been spinning in his grave*.
...Wait, should this stuff be in a spoiler? Or am I the last person on Earth to see this movie?
* though apparently their relationship was pretty much entirely fictionalised anyway.
lol, it's supposed to be a happy ending where he get's off fairly easy and makes a long career out of helping the FBI and American Banks revamp their fraud protection systems.
Post by: Yoink on April 14, 2020, 10:12:05 am
Um, w-wow, I think I can safely say this movie is rather underrated considering I had never even heard of it before. Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt is a potent combo to begin with, but this was really something else. Lots of other actors I'm less familiar with putting in fantastic performances of their own, too.
Actually started watching that last night, with family, before finishing it tonight, and earlier today in the interim I re-watched Blood Diamond on my own.
A very, very different film, but I suppose it hits a few similar notes here and there. One thing they have in common, though, is that they'd both likely have a place on any hypothetical list of 'favourite films' if I ever had the time and inclination to compile such a thing.
@Urist: selling his soul and going on to destroy the lives of a great many people just like himself doesn't seem like anything remotely approaching a happy ending to me...
Post by: scriver on April 14, 2020, 10:19:34 am
Post by: TD1 on April 14, 2020, 10:26:32 am
Post by: Reelya on April 14, 2020, 10:40:10 am
@Urist: selling his soul and going on to destroy the lives of a great many people just like himself doesn't seem like anything remotely approaching a happy ending to me...
Conmen generally leave a string of destroyed people behind them. It only comes off as him being sympathetic because it's based on the book he wrote about himself. Naturally, he cast himself as a lovable scamp who didn't hurt anyone, instead of a selfish life-wrecking asshole. It's a good thing they weaponized him. Conmen generally only destroy, they don't create.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Abagnale
Quote
First con
His first victim was his father, who gave Abagnale a gasoline credit card and a truck to assist him in commuting to his part-time job. To get date money, Abagnale devised a scheme in which he used the gasoline card to "buy" tires, batteries, and other car-related items at gas stations and then asked the attendants to give him cash in return for the products. Ultimately, his father was liable for a bill amounting to $3,400, equivalent to $28,394 in 2019. Abagnale was only 15 at the time.
Quote
Another trick he used was to magnetically print his account number on blank deposit slips and add them to the stack of real blank slips in the bank. This resulted in the deposits written on those slips by bank customers entering his account rather than the accounts of the legitimate customers
Yeah, so he was a total piece of shit basically, and managed to get away with it, then became successful, and wrote that autobiography painting himself as a lovable rogue. The sad part is that he didn't get longer in jail.
Quote
For eleven months, Abagnale impersonated a chief resident pediatrician in a Georgia hospital under the alias Frank Williams. He chose this course after he was nearly arrested disembarking from a flight in New Orleans.So in other words he pretended to be a children's doctor until he almost killed a kid, then decided it was time to vamoose. It's his words that he was "concerned" that he could put lives in jeopardy rather than the fact that if someone died, he'd get caught.
...
However, he was nearly exposed when an infant became critically unwell from oxygen deprivation and he didn't initially understand the meaning or gravity of the situation when a nurse informed him of a "blue baby". He left the hospital only after he realized he could put lives at risk by his inability to respond to life-and-death situations.
EDIT: Also, it's a stretch to say that the FBI railroaded him into grassing up other con artists. He decided to do that himself, after working out that an honest living wasn't profitable. He made out that his arm was twisted in his book, probably, but he decided on that himself:
Quote
In 1974, after he had served less than five years of his 12-year sentence at Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, Virginia, the United States federal government released him on the condition that he help the federal authorities, without pay, to investigate crimes committed by fraud and scam artists, and sign in once a week. Unwilling to return to his family in New York, he left the choice of parole location up to the court, which decided that he would be paroled in Houston, Texas.
After his release, Abagnale tried numerous jobs, including cook, grocer, and movie projectionist, but he was fired from most of these after it was discovered he had been hired without revealing his criminal past. Finding those jobs he was able to land unsatisfying, he approached a bank with an offer. He explained to the bank what he had done and offered to speak to the bank's staff and show them various tricks that "paperhangers" use to defraud banks. His offer included the condition that if they did not find his speech helpful, they would owe him nothing; otherwise, they would owe him only $50, with an agreement that they would provide his name to other banks. With that, he began a legitimate life as a security consultant.
So, the deal was that he was an FBI advisor, if any only if needed, and without pay. However, he decided he could make money by grassing up other bank defrauders on the side. He spent a life fucking everyone else over for money and/or sex, why wouldn't he fuck over other people like himself if he could turn a buck doing that? It's not a happy or sad ending, it's just him moving on to exploiting a different class of people once his old scams weren't going to work anymore.
Post by: Yoink on April 14, 2020, 12:01:31 pm
I must emphasise that I'm not on Jr's side, here, either. His scams were somewhat admirable but his later actions force one to re-classify him as an utter POS.
Edit: also, I feel like we're getting off the main point here: Meet Joe Black is a great film. Is this actually a hidden gem or was everyone aware of it but me?
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 14, 2020, 12:35:49 pm
Why, yes. I loved it as a young impressionable lad.
Post by: Iduno on April 14, 2020, 12:38:06 pm
I just watched Meet Joe Black.
Um, w-wow, I think I can safely say this movie is rather underrated considering I had never even heard of it before. Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt is a potent combo to begin with, but this was really something else. Lots of other actors I'm less familiar with putting in fantastic performances of their own, too.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: scriver on April 14, 2020, 12:43:08 pm
Post by: Iduno on April 14, 2020, 01:13:20 pm
That doesn't link
I think I fixed it while you were typing. I copied the link location instead of the image location, because I'm a moron.
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 14, 2020, 09:31:33 pm
Post by: Yoink on April 15, 2020, 12:37:01 am
Do you mean Meet Joe Black, the manipulative sugary crap that feels like it was lifted from Romance TV or Harlequin novels and whose only saving grace is the good cast?I don't know what Romance TV or Harlequin novels are, and I will admit that it perhaps had too many dialogue scenes drawn out by long pauses and gratuitous close-ups, but said good cast and the neat premise were more than enough to salvage it.
Why, yes. I loved it as a young impressionable lad.
Well, mostly Brad Pitt, considering the rather unique role he plays. I'm sticking to my guns, it was jolly good.
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 15, 2020, 02:18:21 am
Post by: scriver on April 15, 2020, 02:48:47 am
Post by: Kagus on April 15, 2020, 06:20:28 am
I've recently had the delight of getting some company to help me watch horrible movies. Today we attacked Anaconda. Yes, the J-Lo and Ice Cube Anaconda. Wew.
...Roots?
Ah yes, the common Australian slang term for having sex with something... Maybe shouldn't be giving Yoink too many ideas about fucking for teens.
Post by: Yoink on April 15, 2020, 06:57:08 am
No thank you, I'm not finna root any teens. Especially not ones being pursued by murderers in the forest.
"Duncan Idaho"There is a character named "Juliet Idaho" in my favourite fantasy series. Previously I thought it was just the author being a lovable weirdo as is his wont, but perhaps it was a nod to Dune.
Post by: Kagus on April 15, 2020, 10:41:17 am
[Girl2 is being assisted through a dark forest path while limping on an injured leg. The director has clearly instructed her to vocalize appropriately]
Quote from: the whole time for that entire scene
Girl2: *Sex noises*
The part where Girl1 and Boy need to hide Girl2 while they go to look for help, so they place Girl2 in the middle of the floor in a dark room and give her a light source that can't be conveniently covered or turned off.
The part where Girl1 and Boy sneakily sneak downstairs past all the candles that their captors apparently took the time to light while shuffling the hostages through the abandoned house.
How Girl1 seems to interpret "We need to find medical and law enforcement assistance quickly" as "I am going to fondle this grandfather clock"
Whatever the fuck these CGI effects are.
The IMDb stats:
Quote
Country: USA (...no, no it's not)
Budget: $2,000,000 (Estimated)
USA opening weekend: $108
USA gross: $147
EDIT:
The fact that the shotgun sounds like a BB gun and -judging from the impacts- fires singular small-caliber handgun rounds.
Quote
Bank robbers: *Casually walk down populated street with weapons in full view and no face covering*
Bank robbers: *Don halfhearted masks immediately outside glass bank doors before heading inside*
Bank robbers: *Shoot ceiling*
Bank robbers: *Remove masks again after approximately 8 seconds of usage*
Post by: Reelya on April 15, 2020, 11:41:44 am
For a low-budget movie (defined: under $2.5 million), the agreement between the USA's SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) and the studios states that they can pay the actors less money if the movie has a box-office release. This is because movies that go to the cinema theoretically raise the profile of the actors, so the agreement reflects that. To exploit that, a studio can privately hire out the absolute bare minimum of screens for the minimum amount of time, and you don't spend any money on signs or marketing. The minimum turns out to be renting 1 screen for 7 days, which can be pretty much anywhere. Nobody is intended to see it, the people who wandered in were incidental to the scheme. Then, it goes direct-to-DVD (or selling the TV rights, etc), but you've saved money on paying your cast.
Here's an explanation with another example, which made even less money:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YUYnYJ4N6U
Post by: Iduno on April 15, 2020, 12:26:15 pm
For that super-low box-office take, there's actually an explanation for that.
For a low-budget movie (defined: under $2.5 million), the agreement between the USA's SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) and the studios states that they can pay the actors less money if the movie has a box-office release. This is because movies that go to the cinema theoretically raise the profile of the actors, so the agreement reflects that. To exploit that, a studio can privately hire out the absolute bare minimum of screens for the minimum amount of time, and you don't spend any money on signs or marketing. The minimum turns out to be renting 1 screen for 7 days, which can be pretty much anywhere. Nobody is intended to see it, the people who wandered in were incidental to the scheme. Then, it goes direct-to-DVD (or selling the TV rights, etc), but you've saved money on paying your cast.
Here's an explanation with another example, which made even less money:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YUYnYJ4N6U
It's also possible for them to spend the budget from this movie on another movie that they wanted to do well. I'm surprised the budget listed wasn't closer to the cap, so they could make more expensive movies look better.
Post by: Reelya on April 15, 2020, 12:58:53 pm
In this kind of example, they've signed up some actors for a new movie and they tell them it's a low-budget in-theaters release. Then, on the contact they can specify that they can pat the actors less as a result. It's not a catch-all for hiding budget expenses of any type.
As for "more expensive" movies, they'd only benefit from scamming production costs if those movies also ended up coming in under $2.5 million. For example, if you made a $1 million dollar movie and a $4 million dollar movie, you could do what you suggested and use creative accounting to say they're both < $2.5 million dollar movies, and therefore the actors on both movies can be paid the lower rates, however this doesn't scale up further than that, since for any production to benefit, you'd need to somehow jiggle things so its total production, wages and marketing costs were sub-$2.5 million.
Post by: Iduno on April 15, 2020, 02:01:23 pm
I don't think the logic works like that.
In this kind of example, they've signed up some actors for a new movie and they tell them it's a low-budget in-theaters release. Then, on the contact they can specify that they can pat the actors less as a result. It's not a catch-all for hiding budget expenses of any type.
As for "more expensive" movies, they'd only benefit from scamming production costs if those movies also ended up coming in under $2.5 million. For example, if you made a $1 million dollar movie and a $4 million dollar movie, you could do what you suggested and use creative accounting to say they're both < $2.5 million dollar movies, and therefore the actors on both movies can be paid the lower rates, however this doesn't scale up further than that, since for any production to benefit, you'd need to somehow jiggle things so its total production, wages and marketing costs were sub-$2.5 million.
Yeah, you'd have to mess with a lot of budgets for that to work with this particular scam. It does, however, allow them to make a movie look like a bigger success or a bigger loss (business losses gets them a tax break, even if they then go on to make their money back).
Post by: Iduno on April 19, 2020, 03:09:50 pm
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on April 20, 2020, 12:46:16 am
Troy (some of it, it's kind of stinky overall)
Gladiator
all the Lord of the Rings movies
Kingdom of Heaven
300
Braveheart
I've even seen a lot of the early-modern, Napoleonic, and Civil War movies that offer the same things:
Glory
Gettysburg
Master & Commander
The Duelists
The Patriot
etc. etc. etc.
TBH, for filmmakers lengthy battles and/or slow-paced or more... "Detailed" combat, for lack of a better descriptor (because there's ALWAYS the problem of realistic portrayal) is kind of a cardinal sin, which is a shame, because it's one of my fav parts of action/war movies--ESPECIALLY in pre-firearm periods. SO yea, please let me know if y'all have any hidden combat nuggets?
EDIT: TV shows also welcome, though I don't want to derail a movie thread lol.
Post by: Reelya on April 20, 2020, 01:34:06 am
Oba: The Last Samurai was ok too, and maybe Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima. I note you don't have any WWII movies listed in there, they too modern?
Edit: I think the best bet is to just pick some random wars and google movies about them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oO6pCRe3pM
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 20, 2020, 01:42:34 am
Kinda similar story with Joan of Arc (aka the Messenger, with Jovovich), although it's much less concerned with any sort of accuracy, and at some point it kinda looks like they ran out of money for battles (the siege of whatever is literally just a couple guys in armour knocking on some gate in the background).
And for another of the Napoleonic era ones - War and Peace (1966) reportedly had some few hundred thousand actual soviet army soldiers used as extras in battles, so they look properly crowded in a way that currently only CGI can approach in scope.
Post by: Yoink on April 20, 2020, 01:45:45 am
It's been years since I've seen it (I might have even been a *shudder* teenager at the time) so heck knows if it's actually much good, but I remember enjoying it. Definitely had at least its fair share of battles.
In a somewhat more recent setting, didn't (apparently any version of) The Four Feathers have at least one decent, historical battle scene?
The one I saw as a lad was the one starring Heath Ledger and I remember it being pretty gripping stuff. Also one dude was blinded when his rifle (or musket, I can't remember) misfired, which was a pretty hardcore little touch.
I'm sure there are other good movies I should be remembering, I do love me some medieval/historical battles, after all.
Post by: Reelya on April 20, 2020, 02:09:55 am
The battles in Alexander (2004) were one of the few saving graces of that mess.
That must have been a trend spurred by the success of Lord of the Rings in 2001.
Troy (2004) and Spartacus (2004) both at the same time. (EDIT: there was also an Alamo film that year).
Also, just remembered this one:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_(film) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_(film))
Quote
Centurion is a 2010 British historical action-war film directed by Neil Marshall, loosely based on the disappearance of the Roman Empire's Ninth Legion in Caledonia in the early second century AD.
^ This one is my actual recommendation. Plenty of grisly action in this one.
Post by: Jopax on April 20, 2020, 03:01:11 am
Post by: Iduno on April 20, 2020, 10:22:55 am
DeNiro and Jean-Reno look like they belong in crime movies, plus DeNiro hurt someone's feelings once. This movie does a great job showing you who each of the characters are, with DeNiro's constantly being on, Jean-Reno's "if I was management, I wouldn't have given you a cigarette" and acting as the tour guide, the guy who asks too many questions, the non-DeNiro actor who showed up in a suit and tie with luggage, and Dierdre's quiet awareness of DeNiro's professionalism. Plus, there was another guy, who was maybe a bit creepy, but it's tough to tell.
Edit: Creepy guy was the driver. Makes sense that he'd be a bit off socially; he probably prefers machines to people. Also, just got to the fight scene near the middle of the movie. Jean-Reno calmly walking by the fruit stand shooting, while in the back everyone around him is dying. Great detail.
Edit2: Movie's still a good one. Makes me miss Shadowrun, though.
Post by: Yoink on April 21, 2020, 12:18:39 am
I've started watching First They Killed My Father, but I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it. They haven't even got to the first part yet, but it's terrible to watch. Not terrible quality-wise, of course, but... you know what I mean.
Edit: I blame the hippies.
Post by: Iduno on April 21, 2020, 10:35:47 am
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on April 21, 2020, 10:58:34 am
Post by: Reelya on April 21, 2020, 11:26:56 am
Post by: Yoink on April 23, 2020, 10:42:07 pm
Always nice to dive into a well-made film (or book!) about a fascinating historical figure you've never read about before. Although, of course, this also means that I've no idea what kind of artistic liberties they've taken with the subject matter, but the end result certainly makes for good viewing for the uninitiated.
Thrilling stuff!
Soundtrack's pretty bangin', too.
Edit: yeah, that was a bloody good film. Honestly had some real pulse-pounding moments, too - though it presumably wouldn't have been the same if I knew how the story went beforehand.
Post by: Eschar on April 23, 2020, 11:19:23 pm
Post by: scriver on April 24, 2020, 04:57:09 am
Post by: Kagus on April 24, 2020, 05:09:51 am
Post by: scriver on April 24, 2020, 05:18:45 am
Post by: TD1 on April 24, 2020, 06:13:45 am
Post by: Yoink on April 25, 2020, 04:44:19 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 26, 2020, 01:28:13 pm
Post by: Kagus on April 26, 2020, 03:17:05 pm
Post by: Iduno on April 26, 2020, 03:42:38 pm
Got to watch the delightfully cheesy classic Fright Night today, a lovely romp!
It's Sunday.
Post by: Kagus on April 26, 2020, 05:16:34 pm
Netflix don't care.Got to watch the delightfully cheesy classic Fright Night today, a lovely romp!
It's Sunday.
Post by: nenjin on April 27, 2020, 01:01:22 am
I watched Jurassic Park with my mom over dinner tonight. And after the big finale of the two velociraptors and the T-Rex, fighting over the bones of the big dinosaurs, the cast drives away and gets in a helicopter and fly away.
And I couldn't help thinking "Wait, that was it? Isn't there a bigger finale?" Like my brain actually expected, I dunno, Dr. Grant to dive on the back of a T-Rex with a knife and stab it and hold on for dear life while it thrashes around, and velociraptors with firing lasers from their heads are doing back flips through the frame. Or pterodactyls attacking the helicopter while it's flying through the gorge.
But no, that's the all the sequels and threequels where all that happens.
Looking back, despite all the ghee-whiz CGI that made that movie (which still honestly holds up), I think it was like one of the last, honest blockbusters before CGI and sheer bombastic action completely took over. Watching the action in JP and how it's choreographed and stuff, it seems so...plain and kinda quaint by today's standards. Like actual actors doing realistic and practical stunts, believable tension. (Although I couldn't help but kinda laugh as I realize the height of the movie's action is basically the cast awkwardly hanging from bones suspended from the ceiling.)
Post by: Reelya on April 27, 2020, 02:16:46 am
And I couldn't help thinking "Wait, that was it? Isn't there a bigger finale?" Like my brain actually expected, I dunno, Dr. Grant to dive on the back of a T-Rex
Because you'd just mentioned them driving away, I read that as drive on the back of a T-Rex. The print is pretty small on my screen. So I pictured him driving a jeep up the back of a large T-Rex like a ramp then leaning out to stab the T-Rex to sort of pivot the car around to where they need to go. Maybe uses it to get up a cliff face. Now that would be something.
Post by: scriver on April 27, 2020, 06:09:10 am
Post by: Iduno on April 27, 2020, 09:23:24 am
Netflix don't care.Got to watch the delightfully cheesy classic Fright Night today, a lovely romp!
It's Sunday.
So I'd finally be able to watch Next Friday?
And I couldn't help thinking "Wait, that was it? Isn't there a bigger finale?" Like my brain actually expected, I dunno, Dr. Grant to dive on the back of a T-Rex with a knife and stab it and hold on for dear life while it thrashes around, and velociraptors with firing lasers from their heads are doing back flips through the frame. Or pterodactyls attacking the helicopter while it's flying through the gorge.
That sounds like something out of the newest one. A little girl did a flip and kicked a raptor out a window.
Post by: Reelya on April 27, 2020, 09:57:02 am
Post by: Iduno on April 28, 2020, 01:11:16 pm
He posts a description of one minute of the film Heat every day. He's been doing it for a month, so he should be done by October or so.
Post by: Kagus on April 28, 2020, 03:16:14 pm
Netflix don't care.Got to watch the delightfully cheesy classic Fright Night today, a lovely romp!
It's Sunday.
So I'd finally be able to watch Next Friday?
...wat?
Post by: Iduno on April 28, 2020, 05:01:08 pm
Netflix don't care.Got to watch the delightfully cheesy classic Fright Night today, a lovely romp!
It's Sunday.
So I'd finally be able to watch Next Friday?
...wat?
I'm not sure which part of the joke you're not understanding. That I think I can only watch a movie on the day it's named after, or that it will never be Next Friday, it will always be This Friday.
Post by: Kagus on April 29, 2020, 01:02:46 am
Netflix don't care.Got to watch the delightfully cheesy classic Fright Night today, a lovely romp!
It's Sunday.
So I'd finally be able to watch Next Friday?
...wat?
I'm not sure which part of the joke you're not understanding. That I think I can only watch a movie on the day it's named after, or that it will never be Next Friday, it will always be This Friday.
Ah right, sorry... Covid has been messing with my head a bit and I've been having difficulty remembering the days of the week.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Fright. Then the weekend, which consists only of Saturday and Samuel.
Post by: Reelya on April 29, 2020, 10:20:11 am
Post by: scriver on April 29, 2020, 11:04:29 am
Sadday Bloody Sadday
Post by: Eschar on May 10, 2020, 01:32:49 pm
Netflix don't care.Got to watch the delightfully cheesy classic Fright Night today, a lovely romp!
It's Sunday.
So I'd finally be able to watch Next Friday?
...wat?
I'm not sure which part of the joke you're not understanding. That I think I can only watch a movie on the day it's named after, or that it will never be Next Friday, it will always be This Friday.
Ah right, sorry... Covid has been messing with my head a bit and I've been having difficulty remembering the days of the week.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Fright. Then the weekend, which consists only of Saturday and Samuel.
Look at the mouseover text (https://xkcd.com/1417/)
Post by: Yoink on May 12, 2020, 05:10:01 am
Pretty damn depressing movie that left a bad taste in my mouth, but I guess if it had such a potent effect it must have at least some merit...? I guess? Hmmm, I dunno. Probably not. At least the soundtrack was good for the most part!
Post by: Il Palazzo on May 14, 2020, 03:54:33 pm
Post by: Yoink on May 27, 2020, 06:30:23 am
It was pretty good, plenty of action and it's nice to see a decent Aussie crime film for the first time in a while (not that I'm an expert on such things), but... well...
Also, on a less spoiler-y note, a lot of the soundtrack friggin' sucked.
It's alright when it's someone listening to shithouse music in the story, that's just realistic (the bogan arms dealer blasting an EDM remix of Forever Young in his trailer was probably a highlight of the film), but a fair few important scenes were drowned in horrible, piano-laden caterwauling that was probably supposed to pass for sentimental. Blech.
Post by: NRDL on May 27, 2020, 07:08:45 am
Holy shit, this was easily The Cage's best performance, that I've seen. I doubt he's had any other roles where he's been able to simultaneously go full ham, as well as show genuine human pain and grief, to this degree.
The action was great in the latter half of the movie. Short, brutal, and bloody. Very cathartic in some bits. Absolutely fantastic soundtrack. If you're any fan of occult trappings, Lovecraftian literature, and metal music, you may end up liking this movie.
I will say the beginning was pretty slow. I had already spoiled myself on a lot of the movie, so I was invested enough to have faith, sit still and be patient. By around 15-20 minutes in, the movie really starts.
Best recommendation for the beginning is to either try and appreciate the artistic quality and effort going into each shot, or watch the beginning with a friend and just go full peanut gallery: crack jokes every few seconds about everything onscreen.
Post by: scriver on May 27, 2020, 09:31:45 am
Holy shit, this was easily The Cage's best performance, that I've seen. I doubt he's had any other roles where he's been able to simultaneously go full ham, as well as show genuine human pain and grief, to this degree.
You need to see the vampire movie
Post by: Reelya on May 30, 2020, 12:12:54 pm
Post by: Yoink on June 05, 2020, 07:12:04 pm
I'm definitely gonna give it a shot, but... the trailer makes it look like hot garbage. Well, what I saw of it, anyway.
Admittedly I gave up on said trailer pretty quick after it opened with generic, raspy voice-over dude going "The world is in chaos" like something you'd expect from, I don't know, the shitty bootleg action movie my friends made in high school as a parody of shitty action movies. That sort of thing is such a meme these days, I can't even name any movies that actually play it straight off the top of my head, hahaha.
But anyway, of course it's a tall order trying to do such a snazzy book justice in movie form, especially considering the artwork. It did feel a lot like I was reading a movie the first time I read it, though, so I figured it wouldn't be too far-fetched to bring it to life on the screen. I'll withhold judgement until I've seen it.
Fakeedit: wow, just popping through Google to grab a Goodreads url for the book, and it seems like the movie's getting thoroughly panned, haha.
Good thing I don't take that sort of thing to heart, but... in this case it sounds like it unfortunately echoes my first impressions. :-\
Post by: Uthimienure on June 05, 2020, 07:19:47 pm
It is something I will never forget.
It is Russian with subtitles.
(edit: A woman I know, who is a native of the film's setting, agreed that this was one of the most intense, unforgettable films ever.)
(edit: Please see the warning 2 posts down.)
Post by: Yoink on June 05, 2020, 09:27:31 pm
I've been wanting to watch more war movies of all sorts, lately. I started watching an Australian series, Gallipoli, recently, but the free streaming service it was on turned out to be riddled with obnoxious ads.
Post by: Uthimienure on June 05, 2020, 11:37:49 pm
Not sure if it'd be my thing, but on your recommendation I've added it to my watch list.
I've been wanting to watch more war movies of all sorts, lately. I started watching an Australian series, Gallipoli, recently, but the free streaming service it was on turned out to be riddled with obnoxious ads.
Be warned. I was about 35 and had 2 kids when I first watched Come and See, and the movie left me shaken for a couple of days and changed something in me forever. It is not to be watched lightly, there is much horror, pain, and evil. The worst part of it all is that probably thousands of times real people went through similar horrors during the war in the east. Yes, I had already studied WWII much in my life since school age as a hobby, but knowing what I knew of the facts about the war between Germany and Russia could not prepare me for this movie.
(edit: BTW, I finished The Legend of Billy the Kid the other day. It turned out to be well worth reading.)
Post by: Kagus on June 07, 2020, 03:37:34 pm
Synopsis: What
Post by: IronyOwl on June 11, 2020, 09:41:09 pm
My only warning (other than the brutality and such) is that it's a low character count film, so if you're hoping to see forty desperate miners butchered with stone axes this isn't quite that. I might go so far as to say that it's a legitimately good film focused on normally B-fare topics, rather than your typical fun meat grinder.
On a lighter note: League of Gods (2016), starring Jet Li.Oh this is definitely going on the list. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km0ecUW-mpE)
Synopsis: What
That baby is going to be annoying as hell, though.
Post by: Yoink on June 12, 2020, 01:32:01 am
In other news, I started watching the film adaptation of The Last Days of American Crime the other day and oh gods it is a fucking mess. Like, the book was already ridiculously cinematic, right? All they had to do to make a bitchin' movie was just translate it scene-for-scene into live action.
Should have been simple, but for whatever reason the creators (I'm assuming the creators of the book had nothing to do with this trainwreck) felt the need to alter pretty much everything in at least some way. They even fucked up the badass "interrogating some dude hogtied in a bathtub doused with gasoline before leaving him with a lit cigarette in his mouth" scene, which should have been a quick-and-easy source of cinema gold.
I turned it off as a narrator was launching into a barrage of exposition, going on about some edgy, nonsensical backstory that had nothing to do with the story whatsoever.
Obviously I am biased, being a fan of the graphic novel it's (very fucking loosely) based on, but I'm fairly certain I would have hated it almost as much if I'd gone into it blind. Hell, I hate movies that are far less terrible than this garbage.
On a more positive note, this (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136242/) is a bloody brilliant movie in the ridiculous kung-fu vein.
Watch 'til the end for one of the most gloriously stupid scenes I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. I'm definitely due for a re-watch.
Post by: Kagus on June 12, 2020, 03:40:33 am
That baby is going to be annoying as hell, though.Yes, yes it is. So's the plant.
Netflix apparently only has the English dub, the quality of which just enhances the utter cacophony of batshittery that is this movie.
Other notable mentions include:
- Baby farts a crab in half
- Everybody get in the vulva boat!
- Why the fuck are its eyes like that
- Magic gay white child choir
- Gandalf: "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing"
Just be aware that the ending resolves absolutely fucking nothing and there's a post-credits scene that helps the matter not at all.
Post by: delphonso on June 12, 2020, 05:25:11 am
Post by: TamerVirus on June 12, 2020, 07:13:40 am
In other news, I started watching the film adaptation of The Last Days of American Crime the other day and oh gods it is a fucking mess.Oh man it’s got big fat 0 on rotten tomatoes.
It probably blows right past the “so bad it’s good” into the “so bad it’s terrible” zone.
Post by: TamerVirus on June 13, 2020, 04:35:44 pm
Post by: Yoink on June 13, 2020, 08:02:36 pm
Normally I'm the kinda person to be like, "oh the online reviews are bad? Interesting... those people don't know what they're talking about, anyway, it's probably a gem," but in this case, yeah I reckon so. We might have found a film that is objectively bad, even to those who get off on derpy bad movies like me. :PIn other news, I started watching the film adaptation of The Last Days of American Crime the other day and oh gods it is a fucking mess.Oh man it’s got big fat 0 on rotten tomatoes.
It probably blows right past the “so bad it’s good” into the “so bad it’s terrible” zone.
Post by: Iduno on June 16, 2020, 10:26:05 am
New Jurassic Park.
Post by: Eschar on June 16, 2020, 10:40:09 am
There isn't really anybody to root for in that movie, is there... so it makes sense nobody won.
Post by: Vector on June 17, 2020, 01:11:44 am
Can also recommend Queen and Slim.
Post by: TamerVirus on June 22, 2020, 03:09:05 pm
I shall watch the wacky 90s Batman movies in your honor.
Post by: Cthulhu on June 24, 2020, 12:49:14 pm
Post by: Kagus on June 24, 2020, 12:52:04 pm
Watch 8mm, it got a bad rap but it's great.
I remember quite liking this for being actually scary back when I first watched it, but that was a great many years ago. Not sure how much the moments of ham ruin the overall commentary now.
Post by: Cthulhu on June 24, 2020, 09:45:51 pm
It sucked. There's some cliche, unearned character stuff but aside from that the movie just kind of sprints along through horror movie setpieces without any kind of backbone to really support it. It's already slipping from my memory aside from the biggest moments.
Also Cthulhu shows up at the end and they blow him up.
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 24, 2020, 09:48:43 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on June 24, 2020, 09:54:52 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 28, 2020, 07:11:42 pm
I thought it would be a mostly conventional revenge slasher, inflected with moody weirdness.
But it's pretty much start to finish a constant drug-infused hallucination going from good trip, to bad trip, to descent into madness.
Post by: Yoink on June 28, 2020, 09:30:12 pm
Despite having basically zero interest in Eurovision or the trashy music that it tends to feature, I actually really enjoyed it.
Another surprise was that Jumanji reboot, which I watched last night and always expected to be pretty bad, being a remake (sequel?) of a classic and all (even if I barely remember said classic). In actual fact, it was pretty sweet. Like, bookended with fairly standard feel-good, coming-of-age nonsense, but what's in between is great. Especially Jack Black's role, but no spoilers.
Aaaaand finally, just now I watched Bottom of the World, a psychological thriller that's been floating around on my Netflix watch list for years now.
At first it seemed really low-budget and lame, but stay with it. The movie comes into its own later on, das all I'm saying. Probably not like, an all-time-favourite, life-changing film or anything, but it had style and kept me guessing.
Post by: Kagus on June 29, 2020, 05:38:54 am
Ok, that Mandy film. Not what I was expecting.
I thought it would be a mostly conventional revenge slasher, inflected with moody weirdness.
But it's pretty much start to finish a constant drug-infused hallucination going from good trip, to bad trip, to descent into madness.
Ain't it just swell? : D
Another surprise was that Jumanji reboot, which I watched last night and always expected to be pretty bad, being a remake (sequel?) of a classic and all (even if I barely remember said classic). In actual fact, it was pretty sweet. Like, bookended with fairly standard feel-good, coming-of-age nonsense, but what's in between is great. Especially Jack Black's role, but no spoilers.Now watch the reboot sequel and enjoy Danny DeVito: The cute Asian catburglar chick!
As for Eurovision movie, the trashy music and absurdly cheesy accoutrements are exactly why I would be interested in seeing a movie about it! ...however, Will Ferrell tends to make me somewhat nauseous whenever he's on-screen, so I'm conflicted.
Always had a bit of a crush on Rachel McAdams though...
Post by: Yoink on June 29, 2020, 07:23:58 am
Ahahaha, jesus.Another surprise was that Jumanji reboot, which I watched last night and always expected to be pretty bad, being a remake (sequel?) of a classic and all (even if I barely remember said classic). In actual fact, it was pretty sweet. Like, bookended with fairly standard feel-good, coming-of-age nonsense, but what's in between is great. Especially Jack Black's role, but no spoilers.Now watch the reboot sequel and enjoy Danny DeVito: The cute Asian catburglar chick!
Though I don't think anyone could pull off that sort of thing as well as Jack Black did.
As for Eurovision, well, it's a Will Ferrell movie where he isn't just being Will Ferrell, ya know? I definitely reckon you could fight down your nausea well enough to enjoy the film. Also I'm not sure what I've thought of Rachel McAdams in the past but I really liked her in this.
Post by: McTraveller on June 29, 2020, 11:22:12 am
Recently watched The Last Emperor. Much better than expected.The one from the ... 80s? I remember watching that quite often as a kid. Even though I did't really understand the politics of it.
Post by: IronyOwl on June 29, 2020, 02:00:11 pm
It's not a good movie, but it's definitely a funny movie.
Post by: Kagus on June 30, 2020, 03:43:41 am
It's not a good movie, but it's definitely a funny movie.My favorite kind! Oooh, a solid 2.9 on IMDb... Going to have to check that out.
Ahahaha, jesus.Yep, that's what my friends said too!
Though I don't think anyone could pull off that sort of thing as well as Jack Black did.
...then we went to the theater with some travel mugs of wine, and saw the sequel.
Post by: IronyOwl on July 15, 2020, 02:28:01 pm
One point (mostly) in its favor is that the soldier mooks all respond fairly appropriately to the obviously bad shit going down. There's a scene in Event Horizon where the crew listens to the "distress message" that is very clearly twenty seconds of screaming space eels, and their response is HUH WEIRD WONDER WHAT WE'LL FIND OUT THERE. There's a similar scene in this movie where everyone's expressions gradually turn to "What the fuck?" followed by somebody actually demanding out loud "What the fuck?!" It still doesn't manage to give most of them much personality, but it's a valiant effort for both that and making them behave somewhat plausibly. Slight counterpoint: They do NOT pick up on rather ominous social cues nearly as readily.
Overall a solid movie about people dying in space. 3.6 on IMDb, 15% user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Probably had it in them to make an actually good movie out of it, but oh well.
Mongolian Death Worm (2010 or 2011) has no such delusions of grandeur. It's about Mongolian Death Worms, but since those don't actually exist it's about chubby giant maggots waddling around eating people. As is law and custom, they are stealthy instagib predators immune to bullet fire or waddling target practice as the plot and target demands. Movie mainly gets points for the main character being consistently well-rounded scum (though his forced romance/tension with main chick is annoying) and watching one of the main antagonist's "plans" unravel over and over again. The ending is impressively pointless and unconvincing even by the local checkbox standards.
3.3 IMDb, 9% Rotten Tomatoes. Critics on RT didn't even bother.
Eye of the Beast (2006 or 2007) is a movie. I think. It's supposed to involve a giant squid eating people but it's mostly fish-hicks being bad at things. Also scientists being bad at things. And I guess law enforcement being bad at things, or at least late at things.
I'm trying to remember what happens that isn't a spoiler and I got nothing. Technically a spoiler but also really predictable: They eventually decide to go after THE BEAST, which is incredibly stupid and most of them die. Also they seem to have pretty good luck just going after the fucking thing with machetes or literal knives, so their big plan was probably always dumber than "we get drunk and go out and, like uh, shoot it or something" like the drunk fishermen wanted.
4.2 IMDb, 10% Rotten Tomatoes. Lying swine the both of them, there's no way that was even marginally better than DEATH WORM, let alone OOPS A ZOMBIE.
Pay the Ghost (2015) features The Cage hyperventilating in a cowboy outfit. It's otherwise a pretty bad movie. I think they were trying to go for a low-key supernatural horror thing like The Omen, but the movie just doesn't have enough stuff going on to do anything with it. Instead it just shows Cage having a breakdown and murders minor characters now and then. Also some outright supernatural stuff, but nobody (including the movie) takes it seriously enough to really matter.
Sort of feels like they couldn't decide whether to make the movie and its payoffs supernatural or mundane, so neither aspect is done well enough to carry it.
5.2 IMDb, so they must really like Cage. RT is less forgiving: 10% Critics, 25% Audience. Audiences still really like The Cage, it seems, but not enough to save him from this.
Post by: TamerVirus on July 15, 2020, 02:32:06 pm
Doom: Annihilation (2019)It doesn't have The Rock in it, so it's automatically inferior to Doom (2005)
Post by: King Zultan on July 16, 2020, 06:25:58 am
Mongolian Death Worm (2010 or 2011)I remember watching that thing on TV a while back and it seemed about the standard thing I'd expect from a SYFY original movie.
Post by: Kagus on July 16, 2020, 06:36:14 am
"we get drunk and go out and, like uh, shoot it or something" like the drunk fishermen wanted.
Have you seen Grabbers (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1525366/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)? It stars Jeff from Coupling.
That's legitimately the plan they go with in that movie. It's lovely.
I remember watching that thing on TV a while back and it seemed about the standard thing I'd expect from a SYFY original movie.
Mmmmm, SciFi channel originals... [Gargling noises of enjoyment]
Post by: Il Palazzo on July 17, 2020, 02:22:54 pm
These are fables of the kind one imagines existed in medieval folklore before they were sanitised for modern sensibilities. Sensual and violent, but not in the hollywood-esque pornographic-yet-bloodless manner. More like a deeply disturbing, matter-of-factly OHS manual made for children from back when one had many and was expecting a few not to survive to adulthood.
Which is to say, probably not to be watched with kids, unless one is prepared to explain what rape of flaying is.
Post by: Reelya on July 18, 2020, 04:38:14 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on July 18, 2020, 06:27:24 pm
Post by: scriver on July 26, 2020, 04:58:06 pm
I like it. Very surprised they were allowed to make it so calmly paced. That was nice.
Post by: delphonso on July 26, 2020, 06:52:17 pm
My *cough* downloaded version copied and pasted the first and another scene randomly (to avoid content matching software, I guess). This gave the movie a Lynchian air that took me way too long to realize was an artifact of the uploader, not a direction choice.
Post by: TamerVirus on July 27, 2020, 12:14:26 pm
Kinda fun, dumb and mindless
Post by: gamerboy3456 on July 28, 2020, 08:40:29 am
Just watching Blade Runner 20year.
I like it. Very surprised they were allowed to make it so calmly paced. That was nice.
I saw that the other day. I couldn't agree with you more. :D
Post by: scriver on July 28, 2020, 11:17:22 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 23, 2020, 06:50:43 pm
Post by: Kagus on August 25, 2020, 05:09:21 pm
For those of you who have seen Take Shelter - in your opinion, would the film be better without the ending or worse? Does it cheapen the rest of the movie, or elevate it?
It's been a while since I've seen it, but... I dunno. In a way I liked it, because, y'know... "Happy" ending. I'm personally a sucker for final vindication, because I really relate to that feeling (or rather, wanting to feel it :P). But it does mess a bit with the overall conflict of the movie, I'll agree.
As for right now... I'd say keep it. I think the ending being decisively on one side of the conflict may have been necessary here, as otherwise it's not *really* a muddled enough issue throughout the rest of the film for it to be compellingly difficult to make up our minds as to what "really" happened. The ending being as far into the one side as it was, specifically onto the side that leaves us asking "Wait, what? Can that be right?", might just have been the little kick it needed to keep things from just sort of trailing off at the end.
For whatever else it may or may not be though, it's definitely a film that convinced me to watch whatever Michael Shannon does.
Post by: delphonso on August 26, 2020, 08:46:38 am
For those of you who have seen Take Shelter - in your opinion, would the film be better without the ending or worse? Does it cheapen the rest of the movie, or elevate it?
Along the same lines as Kagus - and I just watched it.
I'm a big fan of Michael Shannon and this movie hit me pretty hard (family members have schizophrenia and I had delusions in my early 20's which put me in a very terrified funk of whether I was just about to dive into the deep end or not.) I'd recommend it for anyone who's into psychological thrillers.
Now, as for the ending:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Iduno on August 30, 2020, 08:06:55 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 01, 2020, 05:27:06 pm
I don't know. Any thoughts?
I'm glad it ended where it did - as we get a bit of both, and the satisfaction of his vindication.Yeah, same here. I think I'd admire it a bit more if it were just about the mental illness. But I'm pretty sure I'd then never want to rewatch it again. Something for the mind, something for the heart - seems like a good recipe.
Post by: delphonso on September 01, 2020, 06:42:28 pm
Bridesmaids holds up, if you haven't watched it since then.
50/50 I think didn't get enough attention - it's a good balance between light-heartedness and emotional drama.
Post by: Reelya on September 01, 2020, 07:36:58 pm
Post by: delphonso on September 01, 2020, 09:22:07 pm
Post by: scriver on September 02, 2020, 02:17:44 am
Post by: George_Chickens on September 02, 2020, 03:18:02 am
Post by: King Zultan on September 02, 2020, 03:22:23 am
Post by: Yoink on September 02, 2020, 06:45:01 am
Post by: Yoink on September 05, 2020, 01:07:43 pm
It got added to Netflix lately and for some reason my brain pinged it as controversial. I'm sure I've heard some rather strong opinions of it, probably negative ones, but I can only find like one actual instance of that (in this very thread, actually). Obviously it seems pretty ridiculous from the standpoint of a modern nerd, but from what little I've watched so far it seems entertaining enough.
Just ride the wave of rule-of-cool and pretend it all makes sense.
The architecture is maybe a bit of a stretch, but y'know, it's only there as a backdrop to remind you how much the future sucks.
The guy
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Reelya on September 05, 2020, 01:59:19 pm
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one
Quote
I should preface the rest of this review by stating that I am, and have always been, a geek at heart. I am as much a byproduct of the 1980s as anyone. I've been a lifelong gamer, a pop culture obsessive, and I once thought I'd married, for real, Princess Peach.
Ready Player One has been hailed by its author, Ernest Cline, as a love letter to anyone who "grew up geek," a sentiment that has been confirmed by every review, in every publication, all over the world. And yet, the Ready Player One that I read was less a love letter to geeks than it was a pat on the back to an 18-year-old Cline, a Stephanie-Meyer-eclipsing Mary Sue that attempts to justify the behavior of an overweight, socially awkward, virginal nerd.
I'm not being mean. It's literally what it is.
One term has appeared more than once in different reviews of the book I've read, and that's "name dropping". It's not so much references he just literally spends page after page listing shit and you're meant to go "omg i've heard of that shit".
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/14863741-ready-player-one?page=9
Quote
“I watched every episode of The Greatest American Hero, Airwolf, The A-Team, Knight Rider, Misfits of Science, and The Muppet Show.”Is literally a quote from this piece of shit book, and it's apparently embedded in an author's voice monologue that goes on for like 6 pages just listing shit he knows about. Mentioning the name of things isn't really a "reference". He just spends page after page listing titles of things to show he knows more about them than you do; that's not paying respect to any of those individual series.
I have no time for this series, couldn't be bothered with it.
Quote
“The collected knowledge, art, and amusements of all human civilization were there, waiting for me. But gaining access to all of that information turned out to be something of a mixed blessing. Because that was when I found out the truth.”
Oh right, but he spends all his time watching The A Team, and the engineer of modern society was also somehow obsessed with shit like The A Team too.
Post by: George_Chickens on September 05, 2020, 03:02:02 pm
Post by: scriver on September 05, 2020, 06:58:03 pm
Post by: delphonso on September 05, 2020, 07:51:00 pm
Other than that, the basic premise is dumb. He gets the first key by driving backwards on a race track - something no one has done is seemingly years? Come on. Play any racing game and you'll do that out of boredom soon enough.
Visually, if you like CGI, it's an adventure, and that shouldn't be ignored. This movie made bank in China for that reason alone. I didn't see it in cinemas but I can understand being impressed, and why tweens seemed to like it.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on September 05, 2020, 08:34:24 pm
Post by: MrRoboto75 on September 05, 2020, 08:54:08 pm
So, what's the general consensus on Ready Player One, here?
Its basically that gif of captain america going "I understood that reference!"
Post by: Reelya on September 05, 2020, 08:58:42 pm
I have a suspicion that the references are less "show X from the 80s was really cool" and more "i know all the production details from show X from the 80s, and thus I am cool for knowing it".
I mean, he's big-noting himself because he saw every last episode of specific shows which are, objectively, complete shit. He's not claiming the show is good, he's claiming kudos for having sat through a boxed set of the load of crap.
I'd be more impressed if someone managed to sit through every episode of Murder She Wrote, rather than The A Team, to be honest. That would be more of a marathon at the very least. But that show's not on the list for Ready Player One, because it's specifically a list of what 12 year boys olds liked circa 1983. It's specifically just shows that he liked, and many critiques have pointed out the vast amount of less well known 80s series that never warrant mention in Ready Player One basically because they didn't air on TV when and where Ernest Cline grew up. So any geeky British series that aired in the 80s basically aren't on the big list of 80s trivia that's popular in the year 2044 or whenever this thing is set, basically because Cline never saw them. So you're not going to get cool 2000AD references or anything in Ready Player One, because British underground sci-fi comics just aren't/weren't on his radar: everyone in the future is obsessed with low budget prime time American network TV from the mid 1980s that were aimed at 12 year old boys.
Post by: Yoink on September 05, 2020, 09:24:14 pm
I wouldn't say it was that boring. It's dumbish, but I think I enjoyed it alright while I saw it. It's just not a memorable movie in any way.Yeah, exactly. Of course, I haven't watched the whole thing yet and it could absolutely stretch my suspension of disbelief (or my patience) too far by the end, but like I said before it's entertaining enough if you just switch off your mind as you watch.
Obviously quite a lot of it is goofy as all hell if you think about it even for a second and some of the characters are absolute twerps, but come on, the basic premise is kind of exciting. Who wouldn't get hyped for an improbable, all-consuming, ultra-immersive, permadeath MMO with seemingly endless customisation and the world's entire populace wired in even as the world around them gives its last gasp? Obviously you don't want to dwell on the particulars, but as an idle daydream fit for the "games you wish existed" thread it is quite entertaining.
That book does sound absolutely undoubtedly freakin' terrible, though. Reminds me of when I watched and enjoyed the first Hunger Games movie, then went and read the piss-poor novel it was based on. I mean, it's probably not nearly on the same level as Ready Player One, but I kinda hated it.
I feel like I had a further point to try and make here, but I seem to have forgotten it. I'm pretty sleep-deprived right now, gimme a break.
Perhaps that same sleep-deprivation has made me more susceptible to enjoying dumb movies? Possibly. I'd still gouge my eyes out rather than watch that Extraction thing that came out recently, so my value judgements are still at least somewhat intact.
Besides, there is a much better, similar, book written in 2007 called Epic which is RP1 but much better (though you could argue its more similar to SA:O)I don't know what either of those acronyms mean. I suppose I could look for books titled Epic from 2007 and hope there's only one, but what is RP1 anyway? And SA:O? I'm assuming you don't mean the sacred Biscuit of Sao. ...Sword Art Online? That's literally the only title that springs to mind with those initials. Not sure how relevant it is, though.
Post by: Reelya on September 05, 2020, 09:29:47 pm
SAO is Sword Art Online, a japanese novel series about being stuck in an MMO. To give an idea of the type of series Sword Art Online is, on the largest anime tracker site, the cartoon adaptation is rated #3 for the most watched series but only #2283 in terms of actual user ratings: so almost everyone has watched it but people who have watched it agree that 2000+ other anime series are better: you could call it Pleb Art Online and people would know what you're talking about. (in the top 20 most-watched anime series (https://myanimelist.net/topanime.php?type=bypopularity) it's clearly the lowest rated show, until you get to #20, which has worse ratings still. Except that just happens to be Sword Art Online 2).
Luckily, an American lot bought the rights and plans to make a live action TV series: they don't care that it's complete drivel as long as people tune in to see what they do with the trainwreck.
Post by: Yoink on September 05, 2020, 09:39:39 pm
By "japanese novel series", is it inspired by stuff like Phantasy Star Online and packed with manga/anime storytelling sensibilities, or is it more like the surreal, indefinable goodness written by badasses like Haruki Murakami whom I generally associate with Japanese fiction?
I feel like I've never paid attention to Sword Art Online because I saw (not watched, saw, on Netflix or whatever) the anime long before I'd heard of the novels.
Post by: Reelya on September 05, 2020, 09:52:49 pm
Really, this stuff is exactly the Japanese equivalent of Ready Player One type material. These isekai ones are usually about some nerd otaku guy who gets transported to a fantasy world which usually works similar to MMO logic, or is an actually VR MMO, and their nerd knowledge makes them overpowered heroes with women flocking to them.
Post by: IronyOwl on September 05, 2020, 11:13:02 pm
so almost everyone has watched it but people who have watched it agree that 2000+ other anime series are better: you could call it Pleb Art Online and people would know what you're talking about.This phrasing makes me giggle.
Really, this stuff is exactly the Japanese equivalent of Ready Player One type material. These isekai ones are usually about some nerd otaku guy who gets transported to a fantasy world which usually works similar to MMO logic, or is an actually VR MMO, and their nerd knowledge makes them overpowered heroes with women flocking to them.In my very limited experience, isekai protagonists are usually overpowered because they have some kind of magical superpower rather than unique knowledge. Even in SAO (the anime) the dude is overpowered because he's good at MMOs in general rather than possessing super specific nerd knowledge, and his superpower is a combination of weird fiat and reaction time.
Post by: Reelya on September 06, 2020, 12:31:15 am
Whether or not they get a magical always-win button at the start is rather incidental, and is in fact just a shortcut because then you don't have to come up with any actual ideas.
Post by: Egan_BW on September 06, 2020, 12:45:11 am
Post by: IronyOwl on September 06, 2020, 01:31:51 pm
(Hold on, why have I not PTW this thread already)You hate hearing me talk about terrible movies.
SPEAKING OF
The Stuff (1985) is one of those vaunted horror movies listed as comedy (on the site I watched it, at least) probably against the intentions of its creators. It's one of those low power pod people type deals, where mostly normal people run around doing mostly normal things trying to uncover a world-threatening conspiracy powered by mostly normal alien puppets. Only this time the puppeteers are ice cream, and the hero is a sleazebag corporate saboteur hired by rival candy companies to uncover the secrets of their competitor's amazing ice cream product. Pretty genre standard otherwise.
Post by: Egan_BW on September 06, 2020, 01:35:24 pm
Post by: Jopax on September 06, 2020, 06:52:45 pm
Definite recommendation if you like quality schlock.
Post by: Iduno on September 09, 2020, 11:09:52 am
Post by: Yoink on September 09, 2020, 07:38:23 pm
I really, really like this movie. I think the first time I saw it I got kinda hung up on a couple of the later action scenes, plus I read a whole heap of negativity about it online which I think may have got to me, and on top of that my mother was of the opinion that it wasn't very believable as being set in the '70s (though it's more likely she just didn't notice how weird it was that everyone was wearing flares and using pay phones, haha), but me, myself, I love this damn movie.
The earlier fight scenes are fantastic, the interplay between the three main characters is brilliant, and it kinda feels to me like some tabletop RPG turned into a movie, with the disparate bunch of characters thrown reluctantly together for different reasons and gradually finding a common cause and friendship amongst all the violence and hijinks. Also, one of them in particular tends to roll a lot of crit fails, hahaha...
Pretty sure one of the goofy action scenes is still to come, but I watched one of them last night and found it a lot more tolerable than I did the first time. Entertaining, even! Of course, the earlier ones were still great and I think I realised that more than I did the first time around. Possibly because just the other night we were watching something with the kind of cringily over-the-top fight scenes that they try so hard to make exciting but it just makes me groan and roll my eyes.
This has some truly great ones, understated but brutal. Almost as good (without being quite so horrific) as that one movie I remember seeing but have never managed to find again where the guy turns on a stove burner underneath his oversized opponent to give himself an edge.
This one, the fight scenes are pretty gnarly but not quite so likely to give you nightmares, haha.
I think I love this movie. ^-^
Post by: delphonso on September 09, 2020, 10:25:02 pm
I found the trailer! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwPTIEWTYEI)
Very hyped for this.
Post by: Reelya on September 10, 2020, 01:37:51 am
Anybody have recommendations on comedies adjacent to Baby Mama? It's not my normal cup of tea and is a bit low brow for Tina Fey's usual stuff, but my wife loved it.
IDK that genre too well. Maybe Juno, or Little Miss Sunshine or something.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 10, 2020, 07:11:11 pm
Post by: delphonso on September 13, 2020, 03:30:02 am
Post by: IronyOwl on September 13, 2020, 03:19:11 pm
Beat him with a newspaper.
Heatstroke (2008) (and boy are there a lot of movies named that) is a SyFy Original. Everything about it is dumb, monsters eat people on an island, and the CGI is a lesson in comedy. The actual textures and such are alright, but their placement over the live action parts is a little... off. There's one scene where they literally just bounce it up and down like an action figure, it's amazing.
Post by: King Zultan on September 14, 2020, 06:49:17 am
Also I think I've watched most of them and they are just all over the place in terms of quality some are decent and others are just crap.
Post by: Cthulhu on September 14, 2020, 08:07:27 am
A friend pointed out that as the Dune book series progresses, it makes the point that having a singular leader in power is always a bad decision, even if the ruler is good. I only read the first one, which seemed pretty pro-Atreides - but he pointed out that it might be a topical point to drive home in the films, as the US and other countries suffer from having a very powerful fool in charge.
I know that movies are a disposable medium these days but putting le drumpf commentary in your movie is giving it a milk tier shelf life.
Also it's not as if trump appeared one day and we decided to elect him, this disaster has been a long time coming and represents all kinds of slow-burn failures coalescing. We're not suffering from having a very powerful fool as much as a very powerful fool is the most visible symptom of systemic rot in pretty much every part of the whole. That's why Biden's winning even though almost nobody wanted him at the outset. He represents a return to "normal" i.e. back when the rot hadn't burst through the surface and we could all pretend it wasn't there.
I haven't even seen the dune trailer, I only watch bad movies.
Post by: delphonso on September 14, 2020, 10:26:45 am
Post by: Reelya on September 14, 2020, 01:09:52 pm
A friend pointed out that as the Dune book series progresses, it makes the point that having a singular leader in power is always a bad decision, even if the ruler is good. I only read the first one, which seemed pretty pro-Atreides - but he pointed out that it might be a topical point to drive home in the films, as the US and other countries suffer from having a very powerful fool in charge.
I know that movies are a disposable medium these days but putting le drumpf commentary in your movie is giving it a milk tier shelf life.
That's why you should always code issues in the most abstract way possible. That way people years later will go "omg so relevant".
Consider that conservatives interpret the rebels in Star Wars as being right wing while liberals interpret the rebels in Star Wars as being left-wing. "power is bad" is general enough that people will interpret that loosely enough to be "topical" without any obvious references.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/06/06/star-wars-is-the-ultimate-conservative-morality-tale/
Post by: Yoink on September 28, 2020, 01:15:41 am
Still a great crime film on its own merit, still a fascinating look at bogandom a couple of decades ago - as well as some timeless aspects of Australian culture that persist to some degree to this day. Or Sydney, at least. I'm hardly an expert, though. When this movie was made I would have been just a few years old, and I'm pretty sure even then I knew Sydney as a place best avoided. :P
Great performances from Bryan Brown and Heath Ledger, too, as well as that other guy. And the other other guy who played that one guy, great character that one. And what's-her-name, Rose Byrne or some such? Actually you know what, in my opinion it was just well-acted in general.
Yes, even the really annoying characters. Maybe especially them.
Post by: NRDL on October 05, 2020, 05:15:05 am
Every single actor brought their A-game. The violence and death was genuinely uncomfortable.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: delphonso on October 05, 2020, 06:52:50 am
I rather enjoyed it, especially as a fan of mystery novels. It was well written and well directed even if I'm not a huge fan of Rian Johnson
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 05, 2020, 07:04:46 am
Just watched The Devil All The Time. Holy shit.I've had it on my radar for a while now. But I worry it might be an unapologetic downer. One that can be admired for its craftsmanship, but with little satisfaction to give, while requiring major intestinal fortitude to sit through and digest.
Every single actor brought their A-game. The violence and death was genuinely uncomfortable.
So, is it like that? Or does it throw you a bone here and there?
Post by: NRDL on October 05, 2020, 05:15:31 pm
Post by: Yoink on October 05, 2020, 07:40:59 pm
Just watched The Devil All The Time. Holy shit.Yeah, I liked it too. Not sure if it was all that memorable, though - I feel like as a book adaptation they may have been sort-of rushing from one plot point to another. With most of the characters it really felt like we were just scratching the surface and there was far more depth to them that we didn't get to see - which I guess isn't such a bad thing, sometimes.
Every single actor brought their A-game. The violence and death was genuinely uncomfortable.
My thought as I watched it was, "forget murder ballads, if this film was a piece of music it'd be a whole dang murder symphony".
Also I kinda had to laugh at the whole
Spoiler: ACTUAL SPOILERS DO NOT READ (click to show/hide)
Post by: delphonso on October 10, 2020, 07:23:06 am
Anyway, anyone got some good horror movies that are oft-missed? I'm in a real spooky mood lately.
Post by: IronyOwl on October 10, 2020, 03:22:34 pm
Anyway, anyone got some good horror movies that are oft-missed? I'm in a real spooky mood lately.Frankenstein's Army (2013) is weirdly good. It's found footage, so you'd be forgiven for having low expectations, but it's a great film about Soviet operatives infiltrating wartime Germany and encountering TERRIBLE THINGS.
The Last Days on Mars (2013) is about people dying on Mars. I was worried it was just going to be about a virus or something and feature no monsters, but these fears were in vain. It also has a fantastic ending, which is rare for pretty much anything, let alone a horror movie.
Apollo 18 (2011) is about astronauts dying on the Moon. It's got a nice creepy style, with the American astronauts finding evidence of a horribly failed Soviet attempt, and the danger is well done.
Post by: Jopax on October 10, 2020, 04:01:47 pm
Post by: nenjin on October 11, 2020, 12:15:11 am
Had THE MOST annoying, overly loud, badly recorded, out of place soundtrack I've ever heard. The movie is psychedelic, non-sensical, silly, and over the top. The special effects are.....migraine inducing. If you've got a group who likes to watch shitty schlock horror movies and the like, House definitely does not disappoint. Man the 70s produced some weird, off putting stuff.
Post by: delphonso on October 11, 2020, 01:02:53 am
Apollo 18 (2011) is about astronauts dying on the Moon. It's got a nice creepy style, with the American astronauts finding evidence of a horribly failed Soviet attempt, and the danger is well done.
Just watched this one, I'll work through the rest and Jopax's recommendations. This one was great - very creepy and I appreciated the found-footage thing of like high-lighted circles which you see in conspiracy/UFO videos sometimes.
Post by: Yellow Pixel on October 11, 2020, 09:05:50 am
Anyway, anyone got some good horror movies that are oft-missed? I'm in a real spooky mood lately.
I don't know many good horror movies, but Mandy (2018) is one of my favorite, even if it's not a classic horror movie, as there is a lot of action and it's also a thriller. The horror scenes are great, sometimes truly gruesome, but very well made anyway. The acting is excellent also, regarding for instance that of Nicolas Cage who plays one of the first characters. And the ambience is impressive, psychedelic and very disturbing. In addition, there are some fantasy and sci-fi elements that give an otherwordly feeling.
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 11, 2020, 09:15:05 am
The Witch is great. It's got the devil in it.
Starry Eyes is great. It's got the devil in it.
Post by: Reelya on October 11, 2020, 09:27:17 am
Post by: scriver on October 11, 2020, 09:33:32 am
The Blackcoat's Daughter is great. It's got the devil in it.
The Witch is great. It's got the devil in it.
Starry Eyes is great. It's got the devil in it.
The Elevator is great. It's got the devil in it.
Post by: Urist McSpike on October 11, 2020, 05:10:29 pm
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_0BaneyJh8)
Post by: Kagus on October 12, 2020, 07:45:45 am
I'll just leave this here... :o
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_0BaneyJh8)
I absolutely adore this movie, can highly recommend!
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 14, 2020, 01:44:25 pm
Dennis was an unironically fantastic villain.
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 15, 2020, 09:48:57 am
Like so many other local productions it's naturalistic, dour, grimy, and hard-hitting. Stays with you.
Post by: Yoink on October 16, 2020, 07:19:37 pm
I watched The Way Back for the first time last night. Pretty great drama, maybe they glossed over some stuff but I definitely appreciated the slow, very slow piece-by-piece revealing of things, even if I saw some of it coming. Also, this is maybe tangential, but what a beautifully shot movie! Phwoar.
A night or two before that I re-watched Office Space. Maybe not quite as brilliant as I remembered it being, but oh well it's still pretty great.
Post by: Uthimienure on October 16, 2020, 08:44:31 pm
And God Created Woman - the beginning of the sex kitten's fame
La Verite (The Truth) - a serious drama that I think she acted well
Viva Maria (Maria & Maria) - a fun, funny, silly comedy about revolutionaries
I apologize for leaving off the accents, can't find my ASCII codes.
OMG she was so beautiful, and what a semi-tragic life she's lived, she's still kickin'.
Post by: Urist McSpike on October 17, 2020, 04:33:12 pm
It Came From the Desert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG-Ir5KTmbY)
Post by: Cthulhu on October 18, 2020, 12:15:54 am
The franchise is increasingly about this ever-expanding continental assassin universe which becomes more ridiculous and unwieldy every installment. It was fun in the first movie, but now it's like every single person on Earth is a member of some secret society or another that serves the High Table. There are four or five scenes where John Wick is walking somewhere and it cuts away to shady dudes watching him pass. There are three separate scenes where John Wick comes up to some underworld figure and hands them some kind of token and persuades them to honor it and help him out in some way. Four or five maybe, depending on how you count it. There are three scenes where the adjudicator meets and punishes said helpers for helping him.
The rest of the movie is just ridiculous over the top action scenes. With each movie the action feels less personal and intense, more indulgent. The final bad guy of this one is just some guy. There's a scene in the continental (where he can't kill John Wick cause assassin's creed laws) and he sits uncomfortably close to John and starts gushing about how excited he is and how John is his personal hero and shit, which is kind of funny but also the only characterization the guy gets, and he's the final boss of the movie.
In the penultimate fight scene the Continental is deconsecrated and a High Table kill team comes in with magic body armor and the continental loyalists, who all know that they have magic body armor, run out with regular pistols anyway so they can die and establish the threat. John himself uses a 9mm carbine, again just to establish that these guys are really tough and to make it more exciting when he runs back and gets an armor-piercing gun, even though he already knew they had armor before he picked the carbine. He just did it for movie reasons.
It kind of sucks, but the action is still good, and the increasing insanity of the series is still funny. I don't think that'll hold up for another movie though.
Post by: Yoink on October 29, 2020, 11:37:35 pm
...one of my closest and oldest (oldest as in length of time being friends, not age - I have at least one comparatively ancient friend whom I love dearly) friends purchased a lifetime, premium Plex membership recently, which allows others to remotely stream things once he creates a user for them. He also set up a dedicated server to host his whopping great media collection from. Many a good time has been had, hanging out down there with the gang and watching weird and wonderful shit from said collection (when we couldn't get it on VHS, anyway).
Yesterday he offered me an account for a small fee, which is fair enough considering the expenses involved in setting all this up.
On the fence, I asked if he had Apocalypse Now. Sure enough, he does. Sold. Now I feel so high-tech and "with it". Although so far my enjoyment of this setup has been limited to going through looking things up to see if they're on there, feeling smug if they aren't or excited if they are. I'm easily amused, sometimes. Also neat were at least a couple of titles that I strongly recommended to my friend and wasn't sure if he'd listened to me about.
Funnily enough, most of the things I thought off off the top of my head were on there, but as soon as I cracked open my IMDb watchlist, barely any were. There is some mighty obscure stuff that has accumulated on said watchlist over the years, most of which I don't remember adding. And of course, said list swelled considerably during the course of all this searching.
Maybe today I'll actually fire it up and watch something. Eeeeee.
Oh yeah, and Come and See is on there, too. I didn't even look for it since I would have figured it was way too obscure, but there it was, the cover art staring at me with haunted eyes. Maybe I'll watch it and my eyes will look that way as well!
Post by: WealthyRadish on October 30, 2020, 08:22:55 pm
Post by: Starver on October 31, 2020, 10:12:41 am
RIP Sean Connery
- the best Egyptian/Lithuanian/Irish-American/Postapocalyptic-Brutal ever to have a Scottish accent.
Post by: Uthimienure on October 31, 2020, 10:34:03 am
I watched Come and See after seeing it mentioned here recently, and it messed me up. I don't want to color your expectations if you haven't seen it, though, you should probably go in as blind as possible.
Shit, I'm sorry for mentioning it, WealthyRadish. Hopefully you won't have long-term scars from it like I do.
Post by: scriver on October 31, 2020, 10:42:50 am
Post by: WealthyRadish on October 31, 2020, 11:14:38 am
I watched Come and See after seeing it mentioned here recently, and it messed me up. I don't want to color your expectations if you haven't seen it, though, you should probably go in as blind as possible.
Shit, I'm sorry for mentioning it, WealthyRadish. Hopefully you won't have long-term scars from it like I do.
Oh, no, I meant it as a good thing.
Post by: IronyOwl on November 04, 2020, 11:26:50 pm
Spoiler: Spoilers but really there's nothing to lose don't watch it (click to show/hide)
Post by: Egan_BW on November 05, 2020, 07:37:51 am
Post by: King Zultan on November 05, 2020, 08:19:54 am
Post by: scriver on April 13, 2021, 05:36:34 pm
Jösse Krist
Post by: RoseHeart on April 26, 2021, 05:45:44 am
Spoiler: Spoiler Review: Netflix's Stowaway (click to show/hide)
Post by: Vector on April 26, 2021, 11:18:02 am
Post by: nenjin on April 26, 2021, 11:26:30 am
Warlock 1 is still great. I'm kinda amazed how well it holds up. Great villain, who gets to be a real villain while being both powerful and vulnerable. Interesting story, cool magic, a real witchey Satanic vibe to the whole movie, fun characters and real heart in the writing.
Warlock 2 kinda blows. The villain goes from a villain to a Terminator-esqe monster minion despite being the same character. His personality becomes completely placid. His big line when he kills people is "Thank you very much." The movie is dragged down by shitty leads and a dumb story about druid powers. It plods and plods and plods along with too much exposition and a twist that isn't interesting other than it means the hero and heroine are actually committing incest?
Warlock 3 is just a stupid haunted house movie featuring a pack of unlikeable college kids, a Warlock whose ultimate aim is to summon a demonic girlfriend for themselves and painfully awkward T&A scenes. His magic is stupid, almost everything is about manipulating stupid college students in the lamest ways psychologically and emotionally, and honestly....the worst part is THE ONLY PERSON THAT ACTUALLY DIES BY THE END IS THE WARLOCK.
edit
After confirming with my colleagues, the druids in Warlock 2 are not brother and sister, and while you only see one of the college kids die in Warlock 3, she does leave the house alone which implies they all actually died.
Post by: RoseHeart on April 26, 2021, 03:05:24 pm
Spoiler: Follow up, had some time to think about it... (click to show/hide)
Post by: IronyOwl on April 27, 2021, 02:20:57 am
Post by: McGee on April 28, 2021, 07:05:13 am
Meanwhlie we watched all the Warlock movies this weekend.
Warlock 1 is still great. I'm kinda amazed how well it holds up. Great villain, who gets to be a real villain while being both powerful and vulnerable. Interesting story, cool magic, a real witchey Satanic vibe to the whole movie, fun characters and real heart in the writing.
Warlock 2 kinda blows. The villain goes from a villain to a Terminator-esqe monster minion despite being the same character. His personality becomes completely placid. His big line when he kills people is "Thank you very much." The movie is dragged down by shitty leads and a dumb story about druid powers. It plods and plods and plods along with too much exposition and a twist that isn't interesting other than it means the hero and heroine are actually committing incest?
Warlock 3 is just a stupid haunted house movie featuring a pack of unlikeable college kids, a Warlock whose ultimate aim is to summon a demonic girlfriend for themselves and painfully awkward T&A scenes. His magic is stupid, almost everything is about manipulating stupid college students in the lamest ways psychologically and emotionally, and honestly....the worst part is THE ONLY PERSON THAT ACTUALLY DIES BY THE END IS THE WARLOCK.
edit
After confirming with my colleagues, the druids in Warlock 2 are not brother and sister, and while you only see one of the college kids die in Warlock 3, she does leave the house alone which implies they all actually died.
I remember this series of films. He's gorgeous in his own way. But, like any sequel, it is worse than the original. Seeing such a trend, sometimes the question arises - what would happen next. How much worse could it be
Post by: Kagus on April 28, 2021, 05:52:07 pm
How much worse could it be
This seems to be the driving force behind the Scorpion King. A series so great, so honorable, so high-profile, that over the course of 5 movies the protagonist inexplicably changes into a completely different person 3 times because they couldn't find anyone willing to stick around for another film.
Post by: NRDL on April 29, 2021, 11:41:21 pm
Post by: Kagus on April 30, 2021, 05:55:41 am
WTH, there are FIVE Scorpion King movies?
I'm so sorry you had to find out like this.
The latest one came out in 2018.
There's also a video game.
Post by: scriver on April 30, 2021, 06:44:24 am
Post by: TamerVirus on April 30, 2021, 10:00:27 am
Post by: King Zultan on May 01, 2021, 12:56:22 am
Post by: scriver on May 01, 2021, 05:01:49 am
Post by: Bobbop on June 22, 2021, 06:09:33 am
Post by: TD1 on June 22, 2021, 06:31:39 am
Post by: Loud Whispers on June 22, 2021, 06:40:21 am
Jeepers Creepers is all I can recall watching, 'cause that thing scared the living lights out of me as a kid.Haha yeah that was a fun one to watch as a kid, that bit with skin flappy wing terrified me to no end
Post by: Yoink on June 22, 2021, 08:24:54 am
Recommend some horror movie??Braindead, directed by Peter Jackson.
Or, I recently watched Blue Sunshine which was pretty sweet. Very unusual, to me at least.
Post by: Starver on June 22, 2021, 10:44:28 am
Braindead, directed by Peter Jackson.For a moment I read that as Bad Taste, which of course is not (or certainly less of) a Horror genre. Just realised my mental mix-up.
I'm almost certain I've got Braindead on Betamax tape, stashed away gathering dust. I took a Betamax recorder and assorted tapes (prerecorded, posdibly some pirated, some may have been (ex?)rental copies) off the hands of a friend who was moving in with a girlfriend, to complete the classic trifecta of formats. (I had inherited a VHS machine already, having started off with the much superior Video2000 one.) It certainly hasn't been watched since the late '90s. I don't supposed Peter Jackson did anything bigger since then, right? ;D
(Horror's not really my bag, without doing double-duty with comedy, sci-fi or something else that grabs me as a genre. I think the last thing I saw just on the promise of being Horror was Wishmaster, which - ironically - I remember quite distinctly as being laughable. Not my recomendation, but other than that it's got to be the usual '80s era 'classics' or the earlier Scary Movies set if you don't mind the parody part.)
Post by: IronyOwl on June 22, 2021, 11:01:12 pm
Recommend some horror movie??What are you into?
Last Days on Mars (people die on Mars) and Dog Soldiers (squad movie about werewolves) spring to mind as high-quality options, but Horror is a vast and silly genre.
Post by: Kagus on June 27, 2021, 05:18:14 pm
HMB1 looks like some sort of Value brand fusion of Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck. There is something extremely unsettling about how little his facial features want to be near each other.
Oh my god.
I was talking about this golden butt-nugget of cinema earlier today, and had to show off a picture of this specimen, when something jangled some bells in the back of my head and I had to do a little digging. Didn't take very long before I confirmed my suspicions; the bells were right.
I have met this person.
I don't mean "Ha ha, yeah, relatable!", I mean I fucking went to Disneyland with the actor when we were kids.
This will irrevocably change my appreciation of this film from here on out. I feel a teensy bit bad about saying those things now.
But I wasn't wrong.
Post by: George_Chickens on June 29, 2021, 02:42:04 am
I thought the scorpion king was a spinoff of the mummy, and why make five scorpion king moves the first one wasn't that good.♩BUT IT WASN'T A ROCK
IT WAS A ROCK LOBSTER♩
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/345/203/236.gif)
Post by: Urist McSpike on July 07, 2021, 07:41:49 pm
Overall, a decent enough action movie. Guess I'd give it a 7/10 or so. It had some questionable plot issues, but I don't want to toss out a lot of spoilers. Nice change that the scientists were more of the hero focus though.
And another one, 4 or so years old, but a pretty fantastic one - Spectral (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmC3ZhIHHi4) (Netflix). Highly recommend it, if you haven't watched it already.
Post by: Starver on July 08, 2021, 02:12:31 am
Ultimately, I'd hope to sate myself sufficiently with other things prior to Bond's autumn release to not have make any hard timing decisions by then, but I'm not sure if the pipeline of new stuff will have been sufficiently unstuck by then to then feed me, and maybe I'll slip back into my splurge-then-fallow watching habits, where I inevitably don't realise I've missed a personal intersting film because it came on and went off either when I was still catching other thibgs or when I thought there was nothing at all to my taste...
[1] I still don't have any of the Netprimey+ type subscriptions, and no obvious reason to start now.
[2] Unless.. and I'll have to check, I'm one MI film behind in my series watching, which I want to rectify before I continue. Also, I always prefered the Batman Gambit focus of the original TV series, and it's added just too much Determinator to the mix in its movie form, in an attempt to out-Bond Bond...
[3] Several of the series behind, I think.
Post by: Kagus on July 08, 2021, 03:03:44 am
Spectral (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmC3ZhIHHi4)
Fun drinking game: Take a shot every time the term "Bose-Einstein Condensate" is mentioned.
Post by: NRDL on July 08, 2021, 11:21:28 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 07, 2021, 08:35:24 pm
Post by: Jopax on September 07, 2021, 10:01:15 pm
Some great setpieces and action scenes.
Also way way better than the shitshow that was Black Widow.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 07, 2021, 10:35:08 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on September 15, 2021, 10:35:37 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
It starts off slow and slowly builds up with weird shit, then the third act transition hits and the movie goes completely off the rails and turns into some of the most absurd schlock I've ever seen. It's unbelievable that a major studio released a movie like this and put it in theaters. I don't want to spoil it if you haven't been spoiled yet, but seriously. It's genuinely hilarious, and I think intentionally hilarious. It feels like James Wan did it as a prank.
Spoiler: In case you're never gonna watch it (click to show/hide)
Post by: TamerVirus on September 19, 2021, 05:46:51 pm
Malignant is the best movie ever made.I was kinda eh on it until the big ridiculous jail house fight which ended up being worth it alone.
Malignant: ET' IS NAWT A TOOMAH. (its worse)
WTF did I just watch/10
Post by: delphonso on October 04, 2021, 08:55:05 am
Gonna watch 2 and...3 next.
Post by: nenjin on October 04, 2021, 09:34:55 am
Exorcist 2: God this movie is so cringy to me. It feels like "Hey, Linda Blair is legal now. Let's make a whole movie where she and none of the other female leads wear a bra." The whole movie feels like a showcase for the fact Linda Blair is an adult now. The content of the movie, which deals heavily in psychic communication and visions, is of the late 70s spirituality variety, so NOTHING is well justified. Some new magic psychotherapy device makes it so people can watch each other's thoughts and memories under hypnosis, which then as they look into Regan's past, the demon manages to low key re-possess Regan, attempts to give the psychiatrist a heart attack, the priest character gets in on the act to see a vision of the priest from the first movie who is his reason for being involved, via the demon, through Regan, as the original priest travels to countries around the world doing exorcisms.......? And the visions are filled with late 70s performative art wailing that grinds on you in just under 10 seconds. It's just like "Hey, we got this movie idea and we need reasons for the characters to know the things they know. How should be we do that?" The director: "PsYcHiC vIsIoNs!!11111" The phrase "Maximum spiritual power" is used unironically in the film.
Then the priest goes on a quest to Africa to find a guy who can fight off demons because he saw it in that vision. The guy can fight demons because he's a healer. Oh and Regan can heal autistic children just by talking to them, that's why the demon came after her too, cause she's a super special healer too. The movie rehashes the climatic scene from the first movie all over again, only this time Regan has split into two people: regular Regan and demonic sexy-time Regan, both present in the same room at the same time. Which kind of throws the entire concept of possession out the window but here we are. Demonic sexy Regan is trying to seduce the main priest character, and it's no where near as tense or as interesting as the first movie. Just kinda overblown Hollywood garbage where the entire fucking house explodes in the middle of downtown Washington.
For how much the Exorcist scared me as a kid and teen, and how good it is, Exorcist 2 feels like an attempt by Hollywood to capitalize on the success of the first movie by pouring fuck tons of money into it, but they swing and miss so hard with pretty much everything. The only cool part of the movie is where he goes to Africa because it's mystic and surreal, but it's undercut by the god awful soundtrack they stuck with it.
Exorcist 3 is great by comparison. A hard-boiled detective story involving the occult. Some casting necessities make some of the story flow confusing and I'm not going to say it's the tightest story. And the ending is kinda meh. But the performances are great all around and the atmosphere is top notch.
Demon Knight is just fun, a good ol Tales From The Crypt feature length movie. Setting aside 90s HBO's juvenile obsession with sex and treating the film's resident sex object like shit, it's got some fun action, a fun bad guy, some gore and an interesting story. Not winning any Oscars but a great fun film for teh spooky month.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 22, 2021, 02:00:15 pm
IDK I dont want to spoil anything, it was a religious experience (for me anyways)
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 22, 2021, 02:09:32 pm
Post by: martinuzz on October 22, 2021, 02:16:40 pm
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 22, 2021, 02:18:42 pm
Have you read the book(s) before you saw the movie?
Yea, I've read 3 or 4 of them. I enjoyed all of them. The movie is just the first half of the first book. I mean it's certainly the best adaptation since done, and very skillfully so--maybe one or two nitpicks, but I thought it was very fulfilling and faithful to the Frank Herbert's writing.
EDIT: Also Hans Zimmer kills it with the score.
Do tell us. Did you admire space Jesus' giant worm?
that's right, I did! lol
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 22, 2021, 02:28:26 pm
Don't be a tease, spill your heart. Spoilerize it if you must.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 22, 2021, 02:37:22 pm
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 23, 2021, 11:39:55 am
So first of all. Dune was just a great experience, I saw it in IMAX with only a few other people there. It was a fun time. I ALSO stand by what I said in my last post. Dune is definitely Villeneuve's best movie, both in terms of enjoyability of story and experience of the art. The most important thing here is that, specifically, it's a really really good adaptation. It leaves plenty of bits and pieces out that are in the book, and as a result the story that is presented to us flows way better than any of the other movies or shows. Spoilers begin here:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
So yea. 9/10 for me. Lots of nitpicks. But they feel necessary to make it work. Would it work BETTER as mini-series? I don't know, I am not sure it would. I can't wait for the inevitable sequel though... and I am dying inside knowing it'll be several years at least.
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 23, 2021, 12:16:21 pm
the inevitable sequelWell, you say that...
Thanks for your thoughts. I'll probably see it in the next few days myself. Hopefully help contribute to it making enough money to justify the second part being made.
Post by: Starver on October 23, 2021, 12:30:16 pm
The exact cut-off for the "first half of the first book" I can probably guess. Though some past multiparters have obviously shuffled some things both ways across such divides, for better slice-and-stitch purposes, that tends to be wider-scope epics with far more disparate strands[3] that can stand such resplicing. The initial Dune setup is generally far more sane. (The Red/Green/Blue Mars Trilogy would be interesting to map out.)
[1] And then (first-time-)listened to the unexpurgated audiobook, because it was made available to me.
[2] Still not seen anything on the big-screen, for the best part of two years now. My wishlist keeps getting added to (and removed from, I don't think I'll now see things like Black Widow anytime soon unless someone with a Disney+ subscription invites me to their house for a viewing...) but I've just not put in the time to go to a cinema yet... even with a Pot-Luck mentality over what I might end up seeing.
[3] Possible illustrations here (https://xkcd.com/657/) - with clear spoilers for most of the targetted fictions if you open the full-res image version... ;)
Post by: McTraveller on October 23, 2021, 12:36:48 pm
Post by: nenjin on October 23, 2021, 02:29:11 pm
The Dune books are....good? The first one is undeniably good to me. The series get more esoteric, acid-trippy and less cohesive as the story goes on, and I think the later books are entirely supported by call backs to the original.
NGL, I feel trepidation towards the new movie. There's a lot of things I liked in the trailers, and many things I didn't like. Seems like there's political overtones all over the movie. The Lynch Dune was less about the politics and more about the revelation. New Dune seems way more about oppression than revelation from the trailers. Entirely possible that's just my read but what the trailers choose to emphasize is what I notice.
I'll see it at some point.
Post by: TheSteppeWolf on October 24, 2021, 07:22:05 am
Also I totally forgot about this forum.
Post by: delphonso on October 24, 2021, 09:09:08 am
Post by: Starver on October 24, 2021, 10:21:13 am
(No, I don't have a table with three short legs. ;) )
Don't get me wrong, I have longer tomes, but it's no slouch on the pagecount front. And without particularly large font to cut into the equivalent wordcount, IIRC.
[1] Very little extra thickness, by proportion, by the end-boards.
Post by: delphonso on October 24, 2021, 04:37:24 pm
Two friends have seen it and both made plans to see it again (one of these friends is a bigger Dune fan than me) so...maybe I'm wrong.
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 24, 2021, 05:04:33 pm
Post by: 1freeman on October 25, 2021, 06:47:17 am
For context, I have read all of the Frank Herbert Dune books, and watched both the David Lynch movie and the Mini-series.
Visually it was beautiful, I loved the costumes and the ship designs. All of the actors performed well.
Spoiler: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Mapes (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Lasguns (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Duncan Idaho (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Paul's (lack of) agency (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Liet Kynes (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Little things I liked (click to show/hide)
I get the feeling that I would have enjoyed this movie a great deal more if I knew nothing about the books or previous adaptations.
Post by: nenjin on October 25, 2021, 11:01:10 am
Quote
Duncan Idaho
Seeing Jason Mamoa run around and kick ass in the trailers was both not what I was looking for and confirmation of the "dumb action" stuff that was all over the trailer.
Quote
Liet Kynes
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Others are kinda disputing this take but having not seen it yet, I can't really have an informed opinion.
Desire to see the movie is tanking though.
Post by: Starver on October 25, 2021, 11:37:47 am
Spoiler: (minor) (click to show/hide)
The gender thing... It's an androcentric plot, as written. Much of its time.. The mother's sisterhood is respected/feared, but individuals at her level are at the whim of their consorts' opinions (within the scope their trained influences upon them allows, but she herself seems to have been content to use the lightest of light touches upon someone who is conveyed as a decent man, probably even without such possible feminine wiles). The most galactically recognised public female figure of importance (Lady Not-Appearing-Until-The-Next-Film?) is to be cruelly sidelined by the hero!. The Reverend Mother, the Shadout, the future heroine-consort and the Child(-Also-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film...) are all special authorities or (come to be) respected within the narrow scopes of their own communes/communities (with or without misogynistic overtones, which special-status balances).
Actually, it's not far from the current standards, except where specially countered (I can't quite work out how they'd do Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy, in film, without spoiling the beautifully preserved ambiguity of that work's characterisations). A single gender-flip from the source material is trivial, on occasions it is attempted.
(c.f. The Watch mini-series, which gender-/age-/race-/profession-/ability-/attitude-flipped a number of 'named characters' in pointed ways that annoyed even progressively-minded Pratchett fans - because it made for a complety different far-end-of-the-probability-curve universe from the books and established mythos... Even if it's a Multiverse (and Trousers Of Time) thing, as implied, this is a sub-multiverse different from the book-type sub-multiverse (mostly shared with the prior TV animations/mini-serieses) suggesting that there's a meta-multiverse level one further level out if you wish to creat a Grand Unified Theory of the whole discverse..)
...I'm typing too much. So, Lasguns to finish (for now). A shortened point I was going to make was that I took the book-reason for their uselessness (or, rather, they became a MAD-solution) was of a Rock/Paper/Scissors nature, coming up with a reason why they should not be as useful as they should be in any other similarly-teched creation. Similarly, artilliary is supposed to he useless, but because (spoiler) it's actually useful... After a fashion. Writer's choice to have done it that way. The faithfulness of it being re-written in this movie I accept the views of those who have seen it, for now. (But there are other ways to RPS lasers out of primacy, with personal shields if necessary, that might have been used.)
End post. Maybe more later...
Post by: 1freeman on October 25, 2021, 02:07:24 pm
Spoiler: Further points about the Shadout Mapes (click to show/hide)
Post by: nenjin on October 25, 2021, 02:17:18 pm
Post by: Starver on October 25, 2021, 02:58:50 pm
[unspoilered]the things I described are indeed in the book[/unspoilered]Give me four hours, and skim-reading time. I just cannot remember bits of what you said.
Meant to say in that other post that I remember very little about the older Dune film (visuals only, not plot, and how it differs) and I haven't seen the Miniseries at all. But the reread was two months ago. Maybe I did a bad job at the reading.
Quote
Hmmm... that's a departure. Because it has a knock-on-effect for bits of the potential second film (for second-half-of-book).Spoiler: Fragment kept spoilered (click to show/hide)
That said, it depends a lot on how the film portrays things from the insides of people's heads. There's a lot of written description of the worry <spoiler> has about a change of attitude by <differentspoiler> (knowing something is 'wrong'). While <otherspoiler> might still make a drunken accusation that is plain, and <differentspoiler> makes sure that <spoiler> will be told should <differentspoiler> end up unable to, there's already been a lot of work to do with the internal dialogues and impressions. In some ways Dune is an imagery-based book, hence its adaptations, but boy is there an awful lot that isn't!
Post by: Starver on October 25, 2021, 10:51:24 pm
Spoiler: Book quote (click to show/hide)
I suppose it depends how you read that, i.e. how you fill in the gaps. I didn't think it meant a planned action had come to nothing (one never mentioned before, and the prior reference to the speaker is 37 pages beforehand as an off-screen character who had recommended an employment, at a time totally different in character, with a big intervening episode between that it seems wasn't filmed) but that such an action should now be initiated occur. And more generally to vacate the vicinity. The only definite arrangements were the ones made by the hiding of supplies and a note (seen later, with slight time-jumped revelations) by the one person who properly could anticipate events...
I could see how it could be understood otherwise, if that's the bit. I'll beg to differ, but it's a tricky one to argue either way. The only one to hear it is at least as confused. And almost immediately afterwards it doesn't matter.
(I'd also forgotten the element of unknowingly going through a door into danger, early on, forcing the actions by the one supposed to be the target. Though, again, it was mostly to reinforce the prophecy than anything else.)
Right, now for some sleep. But nice to revisit the text again.
Post by: delphonso on October 26, 2021, 01:11:03 am
The departures seem...interesting. Somewhat robbing the future films of context, but we'll see, I guess.
Post by: 1freeman on October 26, 2021, 07:50:02 am
... Is it age-appropriate for a 1 year old?...
Probably not, there are multiple people who are decapitated (offscreen), lots of people dying in explosions/fireballs (onscreen), lots of people getting stabbed/sliced up (nothing too gory), and people getting eaten alive by a sandworm. It's probably a bit much for a 1 year old.
...I could be completly wrong about this, but here is how I interpret why Mapes and Tuek are dead in the house on the night of the Harkonnen attack.
I could see how it could be understood otherwise, if that's the bit. I'll beg to differ, but it's a tricky one to argue either way. The only one to hear it is at least as confused. And almost immediately afterwards it doesn't matter.
...
Again, I could be completely wrong, but that is my own interpretation of the sequence of events in the book (no Tuek in the 2021 movie).
Post by: Cthulhu on October 29, 2021, 06:25:16 pm
And yeah, the sandworms are cool and the sand liquefaction around them, when the one goes by close and the sand breaks on the rocks like it's water looks neat. I was disappointed they didn't have the scene with Feyd-Rautha fighting in the arena, or Feyd-Rautha at all, but the movie's 2.5 hours and feels like it's only got its teeth into the story, so I guess they can't afford that. The look of everything was good, the costumes and architecture and technology and stuff was all very nice to look at and gave a proper future-archaic space feudal vibe. Ending is very abrupt and leaves a lot of things unanswered. Kind of feels like an extra-long, extra-expensive TV series pilot more than a movie, like I should be able to see where things go next week (or right now in the age of netflix) instead of two years from now or maybe never.
Post by: Superdorf on October 30, 2021, 12:08:37 am
Post by: Urist McScoopbeard on October 31, 2021, 03:30:50 pm
Reading the book again, they left out like... all of the politics and a good amount of the espionage, which... I mean I'll stand by it had to be trimmed for a film adaptation, but... it misses a lot of the worldbuilding. A lot of the FEEL of the book. So much so that I kinda wish I could see the movie through the eyes of someone who doesn't know all the lore to see how it plays.
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 01, 2021, 08:44:04 pm
I did not mind any of the changes, thought they were generally good calls (e.g. laser-shield reaction apparently doesn't exist, which is fine, since establishing that would require clunky exposition; instead we get a sense that lasers are a thing, but are big and unwieldy. And that's enough to justify their rarity on the battlefield, without a word of dialogue).
The only issue I had with Kynes was that her acting wasn't terribly good. But then again, it's not like she had much to work with. As an imperial official gone native she did look the part, though.
I actually liked the attack sequence the most - apparently I'm an outlier here. It was haunting and meaty and industrial a depiction of warfare.
If something bothered me, it was the few lines of exposition that were there. I kinda wish it would go full-on immersion only. Just drop us into this world and let the audience piece together however much they can. Fans of the book would know the background anyway, others would just enjoy the sensory experience. Alas.
On the other hand, it has ornithopters on the mode of the old Cryo's Dune game, which in my book makes it the only film adaptation that got it right.
Post by: Cthulhu on November 02, 2021, 08:09:43 am
Spoiler: The Voice (click to show/hide)
Laser/shield not being a thing is sort of okay, but also it was kind of important justification for the prominence of swordfighting. I guess movie audiences are more willing to just take conceits like that for granted though, which is fine too.
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 02, 2021, 08:43:32 am
Laser/shield not being a thing is sort of okay, but also it was kind of important justification for the prominence of swordfighting. I guess movie audiences are more willing to just take conceits like that for granted though, which is fine too.In this role, having shields simply stop lasers works too. I believe the explosive risk was specifically to allow for the plausibility of low-tech fremen having a fighting chance.
Post by: Starver on November 02, 2021, 11:19:20 am
The fact they are aware in-universe (by voiced speculation) that it would be trivially possible to set up 'a laser' on a timer to hit this Dune-type area-shield and produce an effect nominally indistinguishable from the use of 'atomics' shows that there's already a hole in that argument, that needs to be further plugged by the apparent situation of everyone (every House, at least, probably Guilds too, etc) readily having actual Atomics at hand anyway but being held under the geas of convention(/weight of empirical authority and backlash) to never use them in the otherwise allowed/encouraged inter-House conflicts. Or even be suspected of using them.
In many ways, this is where plasma-bolts are more logical, in fiction. They are a substance, not just electromagnetic; they have a charge which can sustain but also deplete (Space Is Big™ and eventually any missed shots are unlikely to strike an unrelated moon half the galaxy away to great local consternation) and feasiably be countered by electric/magnetic shielding; they can be seen on-screen, as they emit the energy they eventually must lose entirely, even/especially as they traverse the vacuum of space at a velocity substantially slower than the near-instantaneous one of light itself; and they might even (though not as clearly as the foley artist would have us believe) make sounds, even in 'vacuum', as they shed some of their highly-excited perimiter mass along with their not-quite-self-sustaining energy-packet.
(Star Wars 'lasers' are effectively firing light-sabre 'blades' - or LSs are maintaining a fixed 'laser'-blast at their projective aperture without releasing it, a cavitating energic-pulse then filling the gap between a rear and forward reflector-field (and held in by the lateral bounds of a tube between) that can less quickly move forward[4] (or in a sabre, swung sideways), all of which is not solid[1] nor totally radiation so does what it does in the solid and electromagnetic domains. But does also explain why a 'lightsword' can bounce a 'laserbolt'[2] off it, because it's confining and deflecting both ways across its perimiter. Of course, some of this does not agree with other fancanon, but it works for me. ;) As does the 'fact' that Stormtrooper armour is reactive-armour but constructed inside-out[3].)
- I'm trying to remember if Asimov used them, in his Robots/Empire/Foundation meta-arc spanning many millenia of human expansion and conflict (but scientific stagnation, much of the time, usefully helping to tie in such a long period of 'history' by invoking in-universe zee-rust when tying in far-far-future novels written in the sixties (sixties-style visions of Things To Cone) with 'prequel' links to the established merely-far-future or barely-future ones that were now written in the '80s or thereabouts). Apart from mining lasers, ISTR most true weaponry threats were physical (ship-to-ship missiles, or interstellar 'bullets' containing pathogens) and the dominant personal sidearm across most of the long future was the 'neuronic whip' which caused great pain or could kill, but was therefore probably an electric weapon that never really was bettered for what use it was originally intended for. - Now you've got me straining to dig out some of those novels, though.
[1] Though, in lore, the Jedi at least can 'tune' the blade to be solid-and-not-dangerous for use as a walking aid or prop. This might be Force Use akin to Granny Weatherwax/Tiffany Akin channelling actual fire safely around their hands, though. I'm not as knowledgable about EU explanations as I'm sure even a quick Wookiepedia visit might help with.
[2] Admitedly, anything that could bounce (most of - except the bits that escape so we can see them) a fully-light laser around inside a blade can surely bounce a fully-light laserbolt off the outside, too. But doesn't explain (beyond The Force?) how one could even see an approaching laser ahead of its arrival, with time enough to physically move to parry it.
[3] Which is why when a 'blaster' shot hits a regular person in a non-critical extremity/shoulder (as it does with heroes, almost without fail) it is debilitating but not really that fatal. The same shot on a Stormtrooper is effectively a killing shot, thanks to the 'armour' blowing up into the wearer, as well :P
[4] Or even be temporarily held to a stop by a son of Solo...
Post by: scriver on November 02, 2021, 12:03:38 pm
Do they say "the spice must flow"
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 02, 2021, 12:22:40 pm
Post by: Cthulhu on November 02, 2021, 12:30:29 pm
Spoiler: Meme lines they do say (click to show/hide)
Post by: scriver on November 02, 2021, 12:45:57 pm
I will never forget this betrayal against the Dune franchise!
;)
Post by: Jopax on November 02, 2021, 01:14:29 pm
It felt all over the place, mood was nice, but a lot of the time I was put off by the music, either it's not there, or it's so fucking loud and overbearing that you can't pay attention to what's happening in the scene itself. As said before, fight scenes were rather shit, they do a nice setup with the training at the start, but afterwards it just looked like regular swordfighting/brawling. Also the whole talking up of Gurney as a tough bastard didn't really mean anything in the end? Dude just charges in and dies without doing sweet fuck all. At least Idaho had his big fight with the Sardaukar to show that he's a genuine threat.
Overall, the whole thing felt like an overly long chore than an adaptation of a book that was fairly enjoyable to read. There's being purposefully slow to build mood and atmosphere and then there's stretching shit and throwing in stuff that isn't important to balloon the movie to a stupid length while not being able to tell the full story.
So a fairly big pass from me, don't see myself looking forward to the sequel, much better to go back and read the books again imo
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 02, 2021, 02:01:14 pm
I am going to take a friend seeing it and dunce she's an old spice girls fan I have been stacking up on a bunch of dune/spice world/spice girls memes for her but I am sad to say some of my favourite ones won't be gettable now :(Somebody make a meme with Dune Spice Girs. Let's see. Scary Spice - Gaius Helen Mohiam; Baby Spice - Alya; Sporty Spice - Chani; Posh Spice - Lady Jessica; Ginger Spice... uh, Thufir Hawat?
I will never forget this betrayal against the Dune franchise!
;)
Post by: Starver on November 02, 2021, 02:50:16 pm
[rejigged for more precise (book?) spoiler/non-spoiler reasons]You catch me away from the paper, again[1], but I think that is in the book.
I think my favorite line, which I don't think was in the book isFor some reason that one hit good.Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
) tutor for making himself so vulnerable, even in his own ducal home.[1] It's too large to keep slipped in a pocket like some slim volume of classic poseur French poetry... ;)
Post by: Cthulhu on November 02, 2021, 03:08:52 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: scriver on November 06, 2021, 05:26:49 am
Post by: NullForceOmega on November 22, 2021, 06:24:35 am
I don't know how well it's going to be received, but I really felt like it held up pretty well, both as its own movie and as a sequel. I liked the new characters, the visual, sound, and prop design was really damn good, some things (like Ecto-1) felt like they had been ripped directly from the old toy lines and seamlessly added to the world.
If you liked Ghostbusters (1984) then I really think you'll like this film. But even if you didn't I think it's good enough to go see anyway.
Post by: Uthimienure on December 02, 2021, 08:01:19 pm
https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/comments/8mpt2a/can_someone_explain_me_the_whole_cells/
Post by: Yoink on December 09, 2021, 10:09:33 pm
I don't think it was an old black and white film, and I kinda doubt it was 13 Going On 30 - though who knows, maybe I should force myself to watch that just to make sure. I remember this movie seeming at least kinda cool.
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 13, 2021, 05:42:31 pm
I wonder how many other films are like that.
Post by: Starver on December 13, 2021, 05:50:35 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 13, 2021, 05:52:54 pm
On an unrelated note:
Spoiler: lolwhat (click to show/hide)
Post by: Yoink on December 13, 2021, 10:23:35 pm
Post by: scriver on December 16, 2021, 07:28:16 am
I've pretty much given up on superhero movies. I started lagging behind before Endgame, only seeing stuff because free, and then only making an effort to watch the Endgame movies because they were the culmination of the whole thing so far. I saw the first new Spiderman movie in that there "because free" period and then didn't bother to see the second one (despite featuring an old favourite villain of my youth). So I pretty much come to the conclusion that I'm probably not going to see another superhero movie.
But yeah. Then this new Spiderman one happens and suddenly my superhero flame is renewed for no goddamn good reason.
They can play me like a fiddle, guys. I am a fool's fool
Post by: Starver on December 16, 2021, 08:10:10 am
Since Endgame and Far From Home (plus Multiverse, but not sure where in the sequence that was released) not seen any MCUs (there's at least two, before current Spiderman, by vague recollection). I haven't seen the DCU sequel-Wonderwoman and (without looking it up) I've a feeling there's at least one other from that camp, possibly a couple more. Despite full intentions I never did see the latest BCU. And then there's countless other films with (maybe) less hype, not tied to such big franchises, and possibly far better (perhaps even without improbable/impossible physical or mystical feats of overcoming similarly unlikely odds).
I'm not exactly indicative of the health of the movie-production industry. Not a penny has gone from me towards its continuation for almost two whole years. Not via the cinemas (which I'd like to continue) nor via the streaming services (which don't need my help, and I'm still inclined to avoid being sucked into).
Post by: anewaname on December 21, 2021, 10:42:28 pm
Post by: Jopax on December 26, 2021, 08:58:14 pm
It's a black comedy disaster movie? The black comedy part? It's made in a world where covid and the reactions to it have happened. As funny as it is to go "haha this is more realistic than any other disaster movie" that feeling wears out rather quickly. And you're left feeling so incredibly depressed that yeah, this is what we have now, and there's pretty much fuck all to do about it I guess :I
Still, pretty good movie all in all. Just maybe don't watch it if you don't want to have any holiday cheer sucked out of you.
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 27, 2021, 02:51:10 am
It's made in a world where covid and the reactions to it have happened.I think it's mainly satirising the response to global warming. But covid certainly helped magnify the message.
Post by: Vector on January 01, 2022, 01:54:22 am
Post by: RoseHeart on February 16, 2022, 06:51:11 pm
Post by: scriver on February 17, 2022, 06:55:48 am
Let Me In stuck the landing as far as well made ending that I can recall in recent memory.
The vampire one, or is there a fresher one by thst name?
Post by: RoseHeart on February 17, 2022, 11:20:35 am
Spoiler: very vague spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Il Palazzo on February 17, 2022, 01:10:04 pm
Post by: IronyOwl on February 17, 2022, 03:18:58 pm
In particular, their handling of the aliens was kinda shit for the most part. The main threat has some really cool moments, but the horror aspects require jank and weirdness in others.
Spoiler: Minor Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Predictable Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Major (Albeit Still Predictable) Spoilers (click to show/hide)
Post by: Starver on February 17, 2022, 04:17:34 pm
But I was confused, for the moment, that you meant Outland (1981) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outland_(film)) that is instead High Noon IN SPAAAAAACE! ;)
(I think I'd like to see the latter again, some time. It's got Sean Connery in it, which is more than enough reason for most of his films.)
Post by: Il Palazzo on February 17, 2022, 04:27:33 pm
And I think I've seen Outlander. I also think I forgot all about it in a week.
Post by: IronyOwl on February 17, 2022, 05:47:14 pm
And I think I've seen Outlander. I also think I forgot all about it in a week.Even the foxfire reveal scene? That's a shame, that was a really cool two seconds.
But I was confused, for the moment, that you meant Outland (1981) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outland_(film)) that is instead High Noon IN SPAAAAAACE! ;)
(I think I'd like to see the latter again, some time. It's got Sean Connery in it, which is more than enough reason for most of his films.)
Outland was great. Though the memories are coloured by nostalgia. Felt like a proper sci-fi. The decompression scene, however silly in hindsight, had etched itself in my teenage brain for a long time.Ooh, interesting.
Post by: RoseHeart on February 17, 2022, 10:26:07 pm
Bad roseheart! No watching English language remakes! Even when they're alright. It only encourages Hollywood to make more.
Well, I loved the original Suicide Squad with Will Smith, so I eat up corporate shill products with abandon.
Post by: RoseHeart on February 23, 2022, 01:00:59 am
Couldn't get past the first question. And it had nothing to do with paying attention. Just bizarre trivia like the name of an Australian candy. What a disappointment.
Animation was solid, just dumb questions. Make the question about the cartoon!
Why the F was JJ put in-charge of Star Trek/Wars?
His filmography is basically empty. He like made Mission Impossible III (71% rotten tomatoes), then crawled into a hole and came out to make his spin the biggest nerd scifi icons. They both feel like I am watching a commercial for those franchises.
Post by: Starver on April 01, 2022, 02:29:06 pm
(I mean, some may say that his medical condition would be potentially 'performance enhancing', in this category. It could virtually guarantee him a win, right?)
Post by: scriver on April 02, 2022, 05:11:50 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 02, 2022, 07:14:14 am
Post by: scriver on April 02, 2022, 07:35:34 am
All hail chad Zhukov. Just don't take the film as an accurate representation of history.
lol of course not it's not like I've already called three friends and explained how much I learned about history from it...
Post by: Starver on April 03, 2022, 01:32:47 pm
All hail chad Zhukov. Just don't take the film as an accurate representation of history.BTW, while we're here
[1] The rest is something to do with the dolls, probably.
Post by: hector13 on April 05, 2022, 01:44:47 am
I saw the Death of Stalin the other day. I couldn't recommend it more, it was very fun.
Jason Isaacs is very funny.
Post by: Jopax on April 29, 2022, 06:28:35 pm
Post by: hector13 on April 29, 2022, 07:38:47 pm
Post by: Rolan7 on April 29, 2022, 09:28:07 pm
Yeah me too. I guess it wasn't up to the Marvel Universe, but the MCU had some flops. I thought the originalBad roseheart! No watching English language remakes! Even when they're alright. It only encourages Hollywood to make more.
Well, I loved the original Suicide Squad with Will Smith, so I eat up corporate shill products with abandon.
There are *good* movies still being made. I'm struggling to remember which, though.
Probably because I see most of them on my mom's Hulu account rather than my Netflix.
Jokes aside, I need to find someone and take them to the cinema. Maybe it's bad, and we find our own fun. Or it's good, and we enjoy that!
Post by: Il Palazzo on April 30, 2022, 02:48:19 am
Post by: Loud Whispers on May 18, 2022, 04:12:58 am
Nicolas Cage is a good actor in whatever he does. He might do weird shit, but he does weird shit good.Lord of War is damn good serious cage. Mandy is damn good cage cage. Willy's Wonderland is just Nicholas Cage in Five Nights at Freddys and is what you would expect, in all the best ways.
Anyone seen The Green Knight? A treat for all you Arthurian nerds and generally a wonderful film. In an unsettling, fable-like, ethereal way.I am so gutted I missed the movie screening for Gawain. The first Arthurian movie that is just Arthurian, no; "What if King Arthur was a samurai"
"What if King Arthur was antifa"
"What if King Arthur was afghan war"
"What if King Arthur was time travel"
"What if King Arthur was furry"
Just; what if King Arthur?
And I missed it. Got to stream it with my friends one of these days. Gawain is my favourite boy too
Post by: Il Palazzo on May 18, 2022, 06:03:22 am
What is Nick Cage in Pig? Anti-cage cage?Nicolas Cage is a good actor in whatever he does. He might do weird shit, but he does weird shit good.Lord of War is damn good serious cage. Mandy is damn good cage cage. Willy's Wonderland is just Nicholas Cage in Five Nights at Freddys and is what you would expect, in all the best ways.
Post by: Loud Whispers on May 18, 2022, 06:27:40 am
What is Nick Cage in Pig? Anti-cage cage?Cage Pig in the Big City
Post by: nenjin on May 18, 2022, 09:29:22 am
I...had a time with it. I like the concept and some of the execution but it's an art house film for 85% of the movie.....
Then it hard brakes left into reality, and has an ending that made me laugh my ass off.
Post by: hector13 on May 18, 2022, 01:28:46 pm
What is Nick Cage in Pig? Anti-cage cage?Cage Pig in the Big City
That’ll do Nick, that’ll do.
Post by: Il Palazzo on June 08, 2022, 07:35:38 pm
It'd be great to watch with a bunch of friends, some drinking game, and lots of cheering. Or, indeed, in a crowded cinema with lots of popcorn.
Post by: scriver on June 09, 2022, 03:57:23 am
What is Nick Cage in Pig? Anti-cage cage?Cage Pig in the Big City
That’ll do Nick, that’ll do.
Don't worry, LW
I remember
Post by: nenjin on June 11, 2022, 11:46:23 pm
But I have to give props to the new Dune movie for the visuals, and the edgier, cleaner, darker take on Dune. The sense of scale really lent it self to this oppressive, dangerous dark future vibe. I particularly liked how the Voice was utilized in the ornithopter scene. In Lynch's Dune, it's this slow, resonating, melodic voice wielded pretty delicately. In the new Dune, the commands are quick, savage, snapped like a whip. Scarier for a completely different reason. I don't know if "Weirding Modules" will be in Part 2, but the way they've handled the Voice makes you believe it could be weaponized. I enjoyed Paul actually getting mad at his mom and her witch friends for playing god with him, that was kind of a real human reaction one probably would have, which wasn't something you often got in Lynch's starchy Dune. I also felt like "Spice" being a literal powdered substance sprinkled into the sand was an homage to the classic Dune RTS, which is my first recollection of it being depicted that way. I dunno why but when I saw that in the new Dune I got a genuine nostalgia hit of dopamine. I hope it was a nod.
I'm not so wild about how they communicate the plot of the books in some places however. Having Paul essentially just shout about the future conflict and see literal visions he interprets accurately in one scene rushes through it IMO, and misses the exploration and experience of it as it occurs over the books. Pauls journey in the first book is a mystic, spiritual and metaphysical one but I feel like they're plowing into and through those things. Paul talks about being Emperor in the new movie before he even talks about how they'll take revenge on the Harkenens or bring the galaxy to a halt by holding the spice hostage. They're rushing at some pivotal themes from the books, and between that and the prophetic/revelatory elements, I honestly feel like the Lynch movie, acid-trippy as it is, handled this more subtly, even if it did rush the ending and prematurely turn Paul into a god. In the new movie they tell Paul he's "the One" before they've even left Calaban, so we as the audience have no doubt that he's "the One." Doesn't matter that we might not know what that actually means, as long as we know it. Everyone's got a strategy to deal with the weight of Dune Lore hanging over the movie I suppose, but for what this movie spent its time on I felt like they could have done the prophecy elements with a little more subtlety, been more abstract and mysterious and taken a little more time with it.
That does a lot to set the tone and themes of the movie, and makes it very much feel like a modern movie in that regard, where "the Chosen one" trope is so entrenched people move past it and on to the rest of the movie too often. The books are about "the One", and both movies too, so I'm not complaining about the trope itself. It's just in the books the knowledge of it unfolds over the course of the story, blending into the political story of the first book and serving as a transition into the themes of the next books. In Lynch's Dune you get a sense of the unfolding plot around Paul hanging over the immediate plot of what's happening on Arakkis. (And then Act 3 covers like 5 years in montages *ahem*.) The new Dune is kind of jumping the shark IMO by taking him straight to the direct knowledge of what Paul Muadib becomes. If your character screams about armies of fanatics murdering in their name in one scene, and then in the next asserts that they should be the new Emperor...hrmmmmmmm....If Paul from Book 1 knew what Paul from Book 2 knew, they'd have just made a quiet life for themselves in the desert instead. New Dune's Paul apparently already knows where all this is headed already.
Not exactly sure I enjoyed newer Lady Jessica looking like she's about to have a breakdown at any moment either. Hard to compare her to Lynch's Lady Jessica, who just had so much poise all the time. The new Dune's Lady Jessica felt me feeling like I'm watching someone try to play nobility, whereas the other actress embodied it. The new actress definitely pulls off "Witchy" better than the other one though.
A couple more gripes I suppose. I did feel the tempo of the movie slow way down for the additional scenes with Duncan and Keyes. Some other scenes felt a bit drawn out too, like the Spice Harvester rescue. It was a visual feast but then all the action stops dead so Paul can have another literal vision and create a pretext for that "See how big the Worms are?" scene. I remember always feeling the tension of the scene in Lynch's Dune, and the pride of the moment when they sell the Duke caring more about people than Spice. It's a real ra ra ra moment with a nice Worm payoff. They were half way there in the new Dune, doing that ra ra ra moment, when they had to insert some more because drama and spectacle required it. Suddenly made the rush to get the guys off the harvester less urgent when the main character is now a football field away and needs to be rescued from a worm the size of 4 city square blocks. I also kinda laughed when Paul has a vision in the middle of a continent-spanning sand storm to just let go of the steering controls of his ornithopter and take a nap until it beeps at him. I dunno if that was an attempt at a quasi Star Wars "Use The Force Luke" moment, but it was weird and stretched the bounds of credulity.
All in all though I did enjoy it as a fan of Dune. Some stuff was hit and miss but I generally liked the characters and the way they were handled, and the visuals did a lot to carry the movie for me, even if the story adaptation didn't always. I will look forward to part 2 some day.
Post by: Cthulhu on June 12, 2022, 12:31:44 am
I don't actually remember duncan's role much in the book, a lot of stuff I've forgotten over the years, read it like ten years ago. I did think it gave him a little too much, the knife-fighting was a little too twirly for my taste, lacked some grit and ugliness but the visual image of the sardaukar silently floating down into the fight is great. Also the scene with duncan flying around in the ornithopter, again a little too much big hero jason momoa stuff and also they forgot the laser-on-shield thing.
Post by: nenjin on June 12, 2022, 02:38:51 am
Anyways, minor complaint. Unlike Blade Runner 2049 I wasn't exhausted by the story or the relentless visual spectacle by the end. Which is good! But I feel about this movie much the way I did about BR2049 when I got around to it. Interesting world, great visuals, decent acting....but how the story was done didn't necessarily grab me.
Post by: Travis Bickle on July 24, 2022, 04:02:09 am
Might try to watch the sequel at some point. I don't imagine I'll enjoy it as much as the original, as is the case with most sequels. I don't believe that Willem Dafoe, who was a highlight of the original film, is even really in the sequel.
Post by: Vector on July 24, 2022, 02:05:43 pm
I'm watching something called 'RRR' on Netflix. It's a bit too much to take in in one sitting, but lord is it the silliest fun ever. An overmuscled heroic bromance made in India. It's all kinds of ridiculous. The sheer stoic, hairy, bulging hyper masculinity on display beats what Arnie and his gym friends did in Predator. The villainous British are beyond dastardly. The pathos is laid thick. The action scenes are both absurd and well-crafted. It's just so much fun I can't even.
It'd be great to watch with a bunch of friends, some drinking game, and lots of cheering. Or, indeed, in a crowded cinema with lots of popcorn.
I'm planning to see this too, soon. I've heard amazing things!
Post by: Starver on August 10, 2022, 05:43:47 pm
Several thoughts, and one or two comments passed on.
Not sure how well it'll work outside the (nostalgic) UK audience. Makes several big digs at the 'Merkins and their various peculiarities, and I'd be interested to know if it has been seen and understood over in Leftpondia. If you don't know the original Railway Children, to which this is an incidental sequel (it establishes its continuity), that's one thing, but the "trousers/pants" lines may be the least awkward parts of that, given it (rightfully) points out both their tardiness and institutional racism . Much appreciated in my particular set of fellow audience-members, of course. ;)
No big surprises in the plot. Most plot-driving-points were fully telegraphed (one off-screen situation, excepting), details alone were a minor mystery. Did not spoil things too much, though as it is at times a tear-jerker, I actually found myself welling up in advance of the various emotional reveals, in some form of antipation. By the time the 'realisation' hit, I had peaked already, though I noticed that my (trope-naive?) accompanying guest was reaching for the tissues more at those later times. Having said that, I don't know how I'd do it better, especially as it's not my usual Big Screen fare.
Era-depiction (1944, late-war on the Home Front) seemed very good! Having an eyewitness to the era at hand, they seemed to do a good job with most things. One character's choice of clothing was queried ("girls didn't wear that kind of thing"), but it was a central character-trait for her and maybe just no girl known to this person did. Or it was a modernist nod (but no so lazy as to fold it into the other girl who dressed more normally but had learnt to behave unladylike... no complaints about that, and logical enough given the last year or three of her life).
Spoiler: Side comment on the visuals (click to show/hide)
Apart from the general plot-arc (reminiscent of the Children's Film Foundation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Film_Foundation) œuvre, by the end, but I won't say why), it seemed to employ its fair share of idiot-balls along with its not infrequent canny character-insights. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded about that sort of thing. It did surprise me, though, when a couple of highly obvious Chekhov's Guns were left hanging on the wall (metaphorically), making me wonder if there were bits of the screenplay orphaned from the original need to have them. Not detracting. Perhaps made it better for my expectations to be played with.
I liked the actors (young and old). Courtney was a bit more doddery than I'd have liked (clearly a practiced intelligence within his character, but do people he liaises with (in-universe) appreciate that, or does he culture the misapprehension for killer diplomatic blows later? ...another possible Chekhovian weapon, perhaps), if it's not perhaps the veteran actor himself, though it works either way. Agutter is very much the lynchpin (on the adult side of the equation). Smith does it well enough (having first knowingly experienced her in Doctor Who audio episodes, I always expect her to talk to one or other of the Doctors (McGann, I think) when I hear her speak in any part...), though her character clearly cannot run a school, not knowing where her (literal, guest and/or scholarly) children are at various times. The youngsters are, IMO, flawless and a credit to whatever stage-school or local auditions (crowd-scene members) put them into their roles (CFF comment, aside). The military gentlemen are mostly anonymously blending in (with one notable exception, plus of course the other) in the manner of mooks and/or plot-fodder that you generally have no reason to care individually about (though I'm sure at least one White-Helmet must have been a notable character, in theory, I didn't catch or recognise any name involved).
The (real) scenery was a good find by the Location peeps. I don't know if all the green-covered stuff was all within shouting distance of the Keighley & Worth Valley corridor or not, but they certainly found enough bits of bygone landscape to steam through, trundle around or run across, and I certainly didn't notice any satellite dishes or contrails... ;)
Not really my thing, as I said, and I'm in no rush to see it again. But (despite what I might say, above) I would not discourage you from seeing it, if the opportunity arises (between Super Pets and whatever else you might want to see, or wait for it to be on the (comparatively) small screen in some form or another). I still wonder if it'll work in general for US audiences (some will hate it, others may overly appreciate its moralising commentary and not worry too much about the rest) and not all parts of The Rest Of The World will get it, probably, being just so much quitessentially British in many ways... It might take an anglophile to appreciate anything like I saw it being appreciated, but I can't speak for its curiosity value by those who may not even know the original[3].
(PS. "Bobbie"'s entire family's current surname is identical in both films, I'm fairly sure. That seems like two generations of daughters who passed on their maiden-names entirely intact to their offspring... Somehow/for some reason.)
[1] The nearest I seem to get are the small vignettes advertising a particular anti-zombie management/resource game, as ads viewed on my tablet, which seem to farm a central-casting of thousands to depict everything from parking disputes to slapping contests to love and/or marriage disputes in the light of how much easier it is to play the game having obtained a certain bonus character or three and inputting a promocode or two...
[2] Not an exageration. We went to see a new film together before, probably the last time she went there, and I checked its release date. 2002!
[3] No actual knowledge necessary, the connection between the two films is dealt with in a handful of lines, and is non-essential backstory. Though the strong but emotionally-reversed echo of the emotional end of the original in the emotional flashback/weird-dream-bit of this new one is clearly very much intended.
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 24, 2022, 03:39:13 pm
What a weird film, though. Excellent, but dreary and odd.
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 08, 2022, 05:35:13 pm
Also
Spoiler: spoilers (click to show/hide)
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 08, 2022, 05:36:29 pm
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 08, 2022, 05:38:45 pm
Is it streaming yet? Or did you watch it in a cinema?Saw it on a streaming service at a friend's house
Not sure which one they used
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 08, 2022, 05:39:20 pm
ed: Looks like Amazon Prime.
ed2: which I can't use because it's region restricted :/
Post by: Vector on September 25, 2022, 03:43:21 pm
Post by: RoseHeart on October 06, 2022, 04:57:52 pm
Post by: Vector on January 13, 2023, 10:45:51 pm
Post by: NRDL on January 13, 2023, 11:46:46 pm
Of all the movies I watched that were released last year, Everything Everywhere All At Once and RRR are tied for my absolute favorite. Gonna be shilling them for the next few months to pretty much everyone I know.
Post by: scriver on January 14, 2023, 10:02:23 am
Post by: hector13 on January 14, 2023, 11:40:21 am
Post by: King Zultan on January 15, 2023, 04:04:48 am
Post by: Vector on January 16, 2023, 01:15:26 am
Post by: King Zultan on January 16, 2023, 04:53:58 am
Post by: Superdorf on January 26, 2023, 09:44:04 pm
It's the best thing Dreamworks has ever done, and it's not even close.* Nothing I say is going to do it justice - y'all just need to watch it ASAP :D
*except mayybe for Prince of Egypt
Post by: Cthulhu on February 05, 2023, 01:44:32 pm
Anyway the story is that two kids wake up in the middle of the night and their parents have disappeared along with all the windows and doors. Nothing ensues.
I like boring feel-bad movies. I like slow, quiet horror movies with experimental visuals. This is the trappings of that with nothing behind it.
I also watched Threads and rewatched Sicario. Both are great.
Threads is a 1985 British TV movie that mixes documentary style narration and drama, where a US-backed coup in Iran escalates to a nuclear war. It's pretty frightening, especially the buildup really nails the dread of seeing shit on the news slowly getting worse, and then of course the actual nuke. It's a very rude awakening type movie, very upfront about what the experts of the time anticipated a nuclear war would be like, with a naturalistic portrayal of the human drama element. No big heroes or plot armor, the guy set up as the protagonist is outside when the nuke hits and he's just gone from the movie. Sheffield's chief executive is going over a map of the town and subtly points out where he sent his wife and kids like "how are things over there you think?" and the nuke expert in the emergency powers HQ is just matter-of-factly "no way, if anyone's still alive there they'll be dead tomorrow."
Dismal, frightening, unapologetic, very "people imagine surviving this because they have no idea what it'd really be like."
Sicario's an action/drama movie where a by-the-books FBI agent who still believes in the cause gets seconded to a joint task force on a mission to take down a cartel jefe, and it soon becomes apparent that they're not what they claim to be and illegal spook shit is going down. Great all around, fun operator style action is tempered by a social commentary element about how the war on drugs is self-perpetuating. Everything bad the protagonists are trying to stop is a direct consequence of their attempts to stop it, and under the surface that's the point. If nobody got sick the doctor would be out of a job.
Post by: Il Palazzo on February 05, 2023, 02:05:33 pm
Post by: Travis Bickle on February 07, 2023, 06:53:51 am
Oh well. The search for a good war film about Spain continues.
Post by: King Zultan on February 08, 2023, 02:33:42 am
I watched part of Skinamarink and kind of hated it.I gotta agree with what you said about this one, I only watched a bit of it and it was boring as hell, just darkness, crap effects, and cameras the spend more time pointing at the ceiling and floors than what's happening.
Also I quite liked Threads because it's one of the few movies of it's kind that doesn't down play any of the threats of a nuclear war and the after math.
Post by: Starver on February 08, 2023, 10:30:36 am
That said, since seeing that I (partly for reasons of nuked cities, partly for when the zombie apocalypse arrived) have identified a nice spot up in the hills where - assuming I can even get through the initial events and then deal with the lingering dangers unleashed - I might possibly be able to hole up a little easier[2] than down here where much of the remaining human chaos might do in the face of smashed infrastructure and roving bands of desperate looters. And I know some of the landscape in which the finale was set (it can be that bleak, or worse, on a regular day, and had the advantage of being able to point the camera away from any sign of still continuing civilisation that didn't fit the scenario being filmed at the time) plus very similar areas that are even more isolated with handy hidey-holes in them.
[1] Where the few surviving (often 'accidental') heroes jet off to the eden-like planet, or get to ride the 'ark' to escape the worldwide megaquake tsunami, or find the 'shangri-la' valley where they can rebuild and defend against the zombie hordes/alien slime/whatever. At least until someone decides that they need a sequel and thus the tenuous protections they gained are put under stress that forces the new plot to accept its own wave of jeopardy.
[2] I never really imagined it'd ever work, unlike with The Survivalist series of books (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Survivalist_(novel_series)) which was basically 'gun porn' post-apocalyptic fantasy/sci-fi writ large where of course one man (and his family, friends and mish-mash of various odd-ball alliances) can survive, thrive and make a difference for hundreds of years into the future... Yeah, read that link (though that wikipage very badly needs editing for grammar and style!) to get the basic runthrough. Though I don't think I got beyond the twentieth-or-so book, myself, looking at the dates of publication and when I remember borrowing them from the library.
Post by: McTraveller on February 24, 2023, 09:42:15 am
I wouldn't say it was bad, but it wasn't good - like I could see the interesting bits hiding beneath what seemed like a rough draft or something? It felt very rushed, unpolished.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Starver on February 24, 2023, 10:20:23 am
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 01, 2023, 01:53:12 pm
As I left the theater an old gentleman with a long gray beard, bell bottom jeans, and a tie-dye shirt asked me what I thought of the film. I didn't have the heart to tell the old man that I didn't think particularly high of it, though it truth I didn't hate it. I'm sure in the old man's case watching the movie brought back plenty of fond memories. Maybe you just had to be there to get it.
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 07, 2023, 02:14:13 am
That the film's shock value may have slightly lessened over the course of almost fifty years does not, however, make it a painless or pleasurable watch. Frankly I found it to be a chore to get through. If I have to say something good about the movie I'd say that the actresses did a convincing job acting as if whatever they were actually eating in place of feces (probably chocolate pudding) was actually quite disgusting.
Maybe I'll watch Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew next to cleanse my palette. I have a copy of the film lying around (albeit dubbed in English) and I think it'll be more up my alley.
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 11, 2023, 05:45:32 am
Also found out that Mosfilm has many of their classics on Youtube for free in good quality here (https://www.youtube.com/@Mosfilm_eng/videos). Watch some Tarkovsky films if you have the chance.
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 11, 2023, 05:55:02 am
I see they have Ivan the Terrible - I recommend that one. Some crazy-ass expressionist cinematography there. Think Nosferatu, but as a stuffy historical drama.
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 11, 2023, 02:30:30 pm
I see they have Ivan the Terrible - I recommend that one. Some crazy-ass expressionist cinematography there. Think Nosferatu, but as a stuffy historical drama.I haven't seen that one, but I'll have to check it out since that sounds right up my alley.
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 11, 2023, 03:41:07 pm
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 12, 2023, 12:06:14 am
That War and Peace miniseries they have there is, I think, the one where they hired(?) something like 10k soviet army troops to dress up in Napoleonic-era uniforms and reenact the battles. Impressive aerial footage as those masses of people form squares or advance. I don't think it was ever matched in scale until the advent of CGI.Nice to see that it's a widescreen cut of the film since it seems like a few decades back they were saying all they had was a 1.33:1 crop in good condition. You may be thinking of Waterloo from the same director as far as dressing up the Soviet Army in Napoleonic uniforms and training them to load and fire muskets. A very satisfying watch if you're willing to sit through a good chunk of the film being a build-up to one big battle. I imagine War and Peace has a slightly more balanced story across four films.
Post by: Il Palazzo on March 12, 2023, 12:47:30 am
BTW, if we're talking War and Peace, the recent-ish BBC-made miniseries with Paul Dano and Lily James was excellent.
Post by: NRDL on March 12, 2023, 03:52:16 pm
As a boxing movie, it was a bit more muddled.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: delphonso on March 12, 2023, 10:34:05 pm
Post by: Lord Shonus on March 13, 2023, 01:32:11 pm
Half of it was exactly what you expect from a movie called Cocaine Bear. The other half was deeply stupid in the wrong ways. Hard to describe what I mean, but it was like they took a bunch of other Standard Movie Plots, cut them to the bare minimum, and threw them in. Also got a lot more meta than I would have liked.
Post by: hector13 on March 13, 2023, 02:16:28 pm
Go to school or you’ll be sold into slavery/kidnapped by a crazy Italian side-show owner.
Don’t misbehave or you’ll turn into a donkey and be sold into slavery. As an aside, the scene in which Lampwick turns into a donkey is quite terrifying for a kids movie.
Your behaviour caused your dad to get eaten by a whale. Rescue him and become a real boy.
Post by: scriver on March 13, 2023, 02:39:18 pm
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 13, 2023, 03:44:04 pm
Post by: IronyOwl on March 13, 2023, 07:51:00 pm
Also got a lot more meta than I would have liked.Blegh. That's probably the final nail in the coffin for me.
The trailer looked... pretty weird. Half ditzy adventure with a zonked out bear, half ridiculous horror movie. Wasn't sure what they were going for, not hard to believe they didn't either.
Post by: Lord Shonus on March 13, 2023, 09:21:24 pm
Also got a lot more meta than I would have liked.Blegh. That's probably the final nail in the coffin for me.
My big annoyance was that the movie kept doing silly nonsense, only to have a character in the scene mention how bizarre it was. The easiest example to describe:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
For the rest of my criticism, they had a perfectly good A/B plot going with the crazed bear running around killing people (usually anybody that happened to be near her precious cocaine) as the A plot, and a group of drug dealers furious that their coke was missing (and afraid that their Columbian contacts where going to go berserk over the lost shipment). Then they added a bunch more unneeded and largely indepenent elements that don't really mesh
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
None of this is fully integrated into either the A or B plot. It is just some random stuff that's happening.
Post by: NRDL on March 15, 2023, 05:16:56 am
Hajime no Ippo, for all its goofiness, really builds up the opponent boxers as sympathetic characters (a few excluded), which shows the bittersweetness of victory better than the Rocky franchise managed. I've felt that too, because you often end up fighting people you train with, if you're in a small boxing circle.
True enough, and I've always felt that the Rocky franchise as a whole is more about overcoming great odds than it ever was about boxing.
Each successive movie was one more impossible mountain to climb, that gets climbed by the skin of one's teeth and with triumphant music blaring. Rocky 5 chose not do this formula which made it a mess, and Rocky 6 made it about Rocky overcoming his own demons, not just the exhibition fight against Antonio Tarver.
Creed 1 and 2 are very good, well executed, Rocky movies with a genuinely good legacy character. Creed 3, for all of its re-skinning of
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I'd love a live action boxing tv show, really capture the Ippo spirit but with a more gritty, modern take on pro boxing. With all the sympathetic opponent backstories of course.
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 25, 2023, 03:50:06 am
Post by: NRDL on March 25, 2023, 09:33:18 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Overall, a solid 9/10
Post by: TamerVirus on March 27, 2023, 10:37:41 am
Overall, a solid 9/10....YEAH
Post by: Jopax on April 05, 2023, 06:21:50 pm
Surprisingly good bit of entertainment. After the mainstream superhero movie turned to sludge for the most part and there's so much baggage to every movie that it sucks the fun right out here's a fun little fantasy romp that doesn't overreach nor overstay its welcome but instead offers you a simple promise of a fun time and delivers on it for the most part.
It's not a perfect movie and not a terribly deep one, but it doesn't need to be, it's got decent characters with clear motivations, some twists and turns and pretty well directed action, maybe a bit heavy on the D&D references at times but hey, it's set in the D&D universe so it's kinda bound to happen.
Someone somewhere online likened it to an adaptation of a pretty fun campaign and it really does feel like that, some of the stuff is brushed off and there's a bit of teleportation going on with the amount of different locations making an appearance but overall it's a damn fun movie that keeps you smiling for most of it. It kinda helps that the cast is pretty good and works well together.
Overall a thumbs up from me, wonder if they'll do more stuff like this, and how long before it gets old.
Post by: nenjin on April 05, 2023, 07:04:16 pm
Post by: Telgin on April 11, 2023, 11:15:16 pm
You almost can't spoil the movie, so there isn't much to say about the plot. I'll just comment by saying that I feel like it suffers from the same thing the last dozen movies I've seen did, where it felt rushed and like the writers were tripping over themselves to get to the next scene constantly. Go, go, go. It probably could have used 5-10 more minutes, with the characters taking an extra few seconds to talk at certain points instead of just jumping into things.
To my surprise, Chris Pratt's voice didn't bother me much. After the first few minutes, I didn't even notice it. He sounded better in the movie than the trailers, so maybe they rerecorded some lines, or maybe I just grew numb to it. Or maybe I just hated DK and Cranky's voices more and they distracted me.
Still, really enjoyed it. Had a few genuine laughs watching it too, which surprised me.
Post by: scriver on April 12, 2023, 08:05:03 am
Post by: Telgin on April 12, 2023, 09:38:57 am
Charles Martinet voices a few characters in the movie though, including one who wahoos and everything like the original Mario.
Post by: Travis Bickle on April 12, 2023, 04:30:49 pm
Post by: nenjin on April 12, 2023, 09:55:40 pm
Legitimately enjoyed pretty much all of it. I won't rave and say I loved it, but it's the best representation and execution of D&D I think I've seen. Really managed to keep the tone in the right place, at the right time. Serious, action-y, funny, spooky, heartfelt....the timing on the tone was well done. Most of the humor landed. It did a few Marvel-style quips and those mostly were dead on impact, but the actual comedic elements were good and got some legit chuckles from everyone.
My favorite part was:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Pacing in the early part felt pretty rushed. They go a lot of places and do a lot of things in a "short" amount of time and I feel like the sold the Underdark short. But I get it. This didn't want to be a 4 hour movie. At $150million budget, it's not cheap but it's far from a luxurious amount of money to shoot tons of stuff too. As a D&D movie you can tell someone cared more than their predecessors about how to portray it. A lot of D&D references are done with subtlety. I wasn't much of a Forgotten Realms fan so while I know the names and the setting, I don't know much else. But it worked for me. I enjoyed seeing
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Overall I think it's worth a rent. You won't feel insulted or embarrassed as a roleplayer watching this. A lot of the plot movements and solutions felt like the kind of thing you'd cook up at table with your friends. So I'd say....8/10? Which for a D&D movie, is great!
Post by: Lord Shonus on April 13, 2023, 02:08:22 pm
Post by: McTraveller on July 31, 2023, 07:05:11 am
Took the kids to see Barbie this weekend. It was actually pretty decent! Fun, well done, perhaps a bit too heavy on the jokes for the parents. Great representation for the females. Strong, awareness of strengths and realities of the world.
Some interesting discussion points:
* It still perpetuates this idea of women versus men or women equals men. My worldview is the sexes are to be complements, not rivals. I don't know why modern thought is so bent on making them the same (when they aren't). Now, note that I don't mean members of each sex can't have the same jobs, the same respect in society, etc. I just mean that women aren't men, and men aren't women, and that's to be celebrated. I was sad that the ending wasn't women and men coming together to solve a problem, but was more one group merely giving concessions to the other.
* 90% of the "things women have to deal with" speech are... things every human has to deal with? The only things men don't deal with are having to be a mother. The rest of it - I wish more people - men especially - was aware of the maddening realities of humanity.
* There were zero good male role models in the movie. Every male was a lecher and/or moron. There wasn't enough development of Ken to make me feel like he wasn't still viewed as an accessory.
Post by: Starver on July 31, 2023, 10:23:13 am
How is this thread so old?...if you mean "so long without an update", I think there's a bit of a trough in film production (not the current strike, which may yet hit releases otherwise yet to come, but the Covid/post-Covid throttle-back leading into other things). My impression only, no hard stats at hand.
I've also not seen a film at the cinema, now, for... ages. Saw No Time To Die on TV (legitimate, free-to-air, broadcast TV), which must have been >12 months after its eventual (delayed) cinema release, and there's definitely some MCU/DC things I may have seen normally that are probably in 5he DVE shelves of the supermarket that just never coincided with the last time I was passing a multiplex with idle time in hand and intent, nor mask-related caution. And I really should support some 'monoplex"/(two-ish screen) independent outlets within relatively easy reach of me. I'm comparatively unconcerned about my lack of subscription to anything in the "streaming" domain, though. But that's just me, apparently missing the brief releases of anything 'interesting'. Not sure if that scales up to myself (and any large cohort of similarly apathetic non-patrons). But I was also hardly single-handedly supporting the respective sub-sectors of the entertainment industry beforehand, either.
So, anyway, there's been a lot about how the combined 'Barbieheimer' was the latest re-emergence of Event Cinema (just 8n time for the Actor's Strike to not entirely foil their Big Star Premier launch events). Which means that serious journalistic people who keep an eye on these things probably also think there's been a bit of a dearthbover the last few months/year.
I've got to say that, while not at all allergic to pink, I don't think I was ever going to make the effort to catch Barbie. I don't have kids(/grandkids/(grand-)niblings) with a need to be accompanied by (Grand-)Poppa/Unkie Starver. And I have as little personal interest in the product-line as I did in Playmobile[1]. I may catch it on TV, if I notice it at some convenient juncture. But something tells me it's no Monstrous Regiment, and the above review doesn't really help dissuade me of that idea.
Oppenheimer... tempting. Not necessarily for "boys toys" reasons. More interesting to see how Nolan has done mostly 'in camera' (and analogue film, apparently very little digital pre-/post-production in any form, saving the final transferal to digital projection systems for various screens it will be shown on. Also for curiosity about "Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds. By Oider of the Poiky Bloinders!"[2]. Though I am perhaps also quite drawn by the physics aspect (but also a little scared of the possible treatment, like with The Imitation Game vis-a-vis actual computing elements).
Oh dear, a long message, most of which isn't film review (or particularly useful speculative antici... ...pation). But perhaps reveals how I've been mulling over various subjects recently (like whether I'll be flashing the cash, any time soon, at a cinema box office near me). Out in the open, I suppose. Do laugh/cry/despair at all of this at your own leisure.
[1] I tell a lie... I did at one point have Playmobile figures, but they were far inferior (even to the middle-type in the third image down in this article (https://thebrickblogger.com/2018/09/the-story-of-the-lego-minifigure-part-1/), but especially to the 'buildable' non-mini figure to the left) to all things Lego™©®, IMO...
[2] Ok, cut me some slack. Someone with my accent trying to re-render in 'internationally understood English orthography' my internally hallucinated voice of the supposedly early 20thC edge-of-Black Country/Brummie/roots-in-Ireland accent. Without trying to invoke a very lazy 'Cockney' (or pure Belfast, or even Noo Joisey!), but on reading it back it could be interpretted that way... Yeah... No. It's not clearly working how I want. Don't even have any good '-ng's to try to emphasise, in that quote, and it'd be wrong to go all Yam-Yam or "Do Bist Death?" in self-response.
Post by: scriver on August 01, 2023, 08:33:48 am
Post by: dragdeler on August 02, 2023, 07:21:24 pm
Folks say that Highlander 2 retcons Highlander 1, but I disagree, it's not 2 that is problematic but 3. (I have yet to watch the last one)
-Macleod gets exiled into the future (2)
-Macleod is incarnated in scottland in the middle ages. (1)
-Macleod entraps some immortals in a frozen cave. (3)
-Macleod adopts an orphan in WW2 (1)
-Macleod defeats the Ramirez murderer, in New York in the 80's (1)
-Macleod wins the prize, becomes kinda omniscient but also mortal. (1)
-Macleod adopted an arabian kid, they're close in the 90's at that point the kid is like 10. (3)
-Some immortal get unfrozen and manage to escape a magic cave. Guess Macleod is currently not omniscient. (3)
-Macleod still fails to bear a son, guess the ozone hole got bad really quick. (me)
-After defeating the cavedwellers, Macleod drives of into the sunset with the arabian kid and his new flame, to live in scottland, in the 90's. (3)
-Macleod looses his wive from the second movie, the one he supposedly aged with, to the ozone hole. (2)
-Macleod helps build the shield. (2)
-Macleod regains immortality by killing another immortal in 2024.(2)
-Supposedly they do something against the shield after learning that the ozone hole healed. (me)
So the thing with the cavedwellers... Hm magic ok whatever, technically Macleod was the only one at that time... But now I'm supposed to believe Macleod secretly had two families in the 90's and up to the 00's? One with the lady from new york who died to the sun, and one with the lady who worked in japan and the arabian kid? I mean at both the end of 1 and 3 we see him retiring in scottland so at least he wouldn't have to allways travel by plane but still...
Post by: zhijinghaofromchina on August 04, 2023, 04:33:14 am
Firstly not to mention the errors in the historical events ，it is perfectly a wonderful film which focuses on the story of Li Bai and Gao Shi and reflects the meanings of the relationship between personal choices and the time.
It is somewhat similar to the Gone with the Wind which I watched recently .
Post by: Loud Whispers on August 04, 2023, 05:53:02 am
How about the longest day in Chang’an , it may not fit the people in the western but it is surely fit for everyone who is interested in the Chinese culture and especially classical poems .I'll give it a look next week, this one remains one of my all time favourite TV shows (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms_(TV_series)) so I'm a real fan of Chinese historical dramas (even if they are very historically inaccurate)!
Firstly not to mention the errors in the historical events ，it is perfectly a wonderful film which focuses on the story of Li Bai and Gao Shi and reflects the meanings of the relationship between personal choices and the time.
It is somewhat similar to the Gone with the Wind which I watched recently .
Post by: zhijinghaofromchina on August 04, 2023, 10:53:32 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 04, 2023, 11:26:47 am
He's talking about the Three Kingdoms tv series, from 2010.
Nevermind. I see somebody already asked you this.
Post by: Gatleos on August 04, 2023, 09:11:49 pm
Ed Wood (1994) - Ensemble mock-rags-to-riches misfit biopic about a truly awful filmmaker and his friendship with Dracula himself. Watch this if you liked The Disaster Artist, and also if you didn't like The Disaster Artist. It's an all-time great of its genre.
Redline (2009) - A speedball-induced heart attack in animated film form by studio Madhouse (Perfect Blue, Paprika), and the closest thing to a proper F-Zero movie. Feels like an animated punk album cover kicking you in the nuts repeatedly.
The Apartment (1960) - A blackly humorous dramedy about a guy who's getting screwed over by the nepotistic corporate machine he works for. Shockingly funny, endlessly charming, and on the shortlist of "movies to show someone who doesn't like old movies".
Post by: zhijinghaofromchina on August 06, 2023, 08:19:21 am
DEAR MODERATORS :Maybe this post is offending the rule of the forums, if offending, I'd love to get any punishments.
PLEASE REMEMBER , IN THIS MOVIE THE ONLINE CASINOS ARE ILLEGAL, if any gentlemen wants to kill some time , I recommended you to go to somewhere that is legal.
Hey! My dear bay watchers , I've just seen a movie called 'No more bets' that has the Chinese name "孤注一掷"，which is a classical Chinese idiom which means throwing out yourself to try to achieve your own goals when meeting critical conditions, this idiom also means desperate attempt.
Vividly depicting the desperate mentality of the gamblers who are caught in a scam , this movie exchanges grandiose anti-spoofing advertising into some tearful and lachrymatory small stories, which will definitely shock you. Considering that in many countries such as the USA and the Netherlands gambling is legal , it may be very hard for friends from their to get to understand this movie,but when you finished this movie you will get to understand the devil side of what is going on behind the scenes.This
movie also reveals some links between the sexual crimes and the illegal gambling , which is truly educative.
By the way I watched this film with a friend who is going to be a policeman, he was totally amazed by how the Chinese police devoting themselves in fighting aganist the evil.
In the movie , the 'wise' student who caught in the scam suicide himself. I am afraid that I might caught a nightmare.
Post by: Starver on August 06, 2023, 01:06:13 pm
And just because there's legal gambling, anywhere, doesn't mean that there isn't also illegal gambling, at or beyond the edges, it could easily be seen as a warning against the kinds of problematic gambling that the usual access to it (legal or illegal) can always lead to in extreme cases.
Perhaps you could have used a spoiler on the end of the review, but had a quick look at what information there was about the film in the usual places and it is at least known about. Not sure if it'll become a big release, outside China/the West generally, it might if it's a reasonable film deemed worthwhile for a general release by those who know about these thngs. Even if it's strongly footed in (state-sanctined?) Chinese culture, there'll probably be an audience. Maybe or maybe not in the manner intended in its home market, but only time will tell.
This thread is an ecclectic mix of movie discussion (the last thing I posted talked about how I hadn't been to the cinema recently, and that isn't even as off-topic as I'm sure I have been. It would be interesting to learn more about what constitutes movie entertainment for you, probably. Not everything is Hollywood! There's Bollywood, for a start, and then Nollywood and the rest. ;)
(ZhiJingHao won't be able to read it, it seems, but food for thought (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hollywood-inspired_nicknames) on that front, for the rest of us... 8) )
Post by: Loud Whispers on August 08, 2023, 06:33:13 am
What is your all time favourite TV show, Dear loud whispers , I could not open the links.If not offend, please tell me2010 TV adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, sorry didn't know wikipedia was blocked in China
Also your anti-gambling post is fine! Some of my friends working in pubs and betting houses have seen some serious cases of gambling addiction, particularly old aged pensioners who just spend their entire day sitting in front of a gambling machine, who wait outside the shop even before the opening time so they can get inside straight away... Real sad. They know they are wasting away their money but can't stop!
Post by: Robsoie on August 09, 2023, 07:18:52 am
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8307814/
A free Witcher fan movie of good quality that can be watched there :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GLtk2cLRu4
(fortunately for non-polish speaker like me, plenty of subtitles are available)
Really impressed me, can only dream of what could have been if those guys had the budget of the netflix shit show.
In case you wish to download the movie at a better quality than youtube compression, they give a link to it there :
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrPwcDdBNGscYuzTcPFZ2zw/community?lb=UgwL8UcqfxgiEsMPiAF4AaABCQ
Note : you can download SRT subtitles files from youtube using websites like this :
https://downsub.com/
Just make sure to have the SRT file having the same name as the movie file.
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 15, 2023, 08:31:32 am
Post by: McTraveller on August 15, 2023, 12:39:15 pm
EDIT: also... PG-13 lets you use F-bombs now?
Post by: Jopax on August 15, 2023, 02:44:30 pm
I found it to be the most enjoyable Marvel movie in the past several years. It's still late stage Marvel with all the baggage that entails, but there's enough Gunn in there to make it enjoyable. It has issues, sure, but for the most part it's a pretty damn good summer flick.
Post by: zhijinghaofromchina on August 24, 2023, 05:07:41 am
Post by: King Zultan on August 24, 2023, 05:26:25 am
I quite like what I've watched of Charlie Chaplin's movies. If it's any other Chaplin I have no idea if he's good or not.
Post by: Lord Shonus on August 24, 2023, 05:33:12 am
The closest modern equivalent in the West is Mel Brooks, I think.
Post by: Starver on August 24, 2023, 07:01:55 am
Unlike some other silent movie stars, he also perhaps made a decent foray into the time of talkies. His main problem, I suspect, were his politics, falling foul of the right-wing juggernaut that swept the US (McCarthyism, etc) which he attacked in film just as he had (before it was fashionable!) railed against Naziism itself.
Effectively banished from the US (being an immigrant, which didn't help), he effectively was barred from the major locus of the film industry for the English-speaking world, and the non-English world now had available the whole talking-movie technology so that 'local Hollywoods' would now move on and develop their own character (and characters, i.e. major new and fresh stars and starlets) leaving nowhere much to go except for 'retiremement'. He didn't get as lucky as Disney, say, bumbling along just well enough to create a legacy and then a vast coorporation to sustain and develop it well beyond his era.
(Also he had some questionable choices of personal relationships, which was just grist to the mill for those already politically misaligned to his 'messages'. Not that he was the only one, or the worst, but it didn't combine well.)
I don't know if I'd say that without Chaplin we wouldn't have had the same development of the industry... If not him, then any one of a number of others could have been the equivalent (Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd were potentials, and who knows how many others could have taken his place; even fellow immigrant Stan 'Laurel' Jefferson, give or take a few years to get settled). But his transcience was probably inevitable anyway, as time wore on, film stock wore out and fancy new movie-making techniques (sound, colour, 3D, CGI, motion-capture, etc) created and fed different tastes that were far away from his slapstick comedy speciality (and weaving in and out of his 'social conscience' auxilliary theme).
Still, the "against overwhelming authority" theme aside, I'm surprised that they aren't somewhat more well-known in China than our friend thinks. And they could be spun (by creatively 'translated' cue-cards/editing) to support even an authoritarian viewpoint. c.f. Norman Wisdom (who Chaplin himself called his "favourite clown") who was explicitly permitted/encouraged to be shown in Albania, Iran and other countries around the world, where most most 'western' output was outright banned.
But, of course, cross-cultural blockbusting is a fairly new thing. Inbetween the time when previous few feet of celluloid were shown, so of course you'd have to be entertained by whatever films were made available, and the current time of just about every film with giant sentient robots having to shoe-horn at least a CGI-enhanced visit to one or other east-Asian location (to try to get it to sell in the appropriate market), there was little room for what remained of The Little Tramp, and his variations.
Mel Brooks is indeed a good example of who might have earned the clown-crown, in the interim (I'd suggest Leslie Nielsen as another example, though he started as a serious actor), having been both front-of-screen and behind-the-scenes creator of many classic (more-)modern era pieces that aren't yet necesarily as irrelevent or anachronistic to modern eyes.
I regret to say that I've probably not seen any Chaplin for many a year, though probably more because nobody has been showing it than because I've been only seeking out other things. Availability and (perceived?) popularity, vs. any given network already having access to most of the James Bond, Harry Potter and/or Marvel franchises ready to show, if they want to fill a particular scheduling slot with film (and, if they can't do that, some cheapo online-marketting slot pandering to the graveyard-slot viewers). And I'm not enough of an afficionado to already have every last remastered Blu-Ray compilation they've ever released of his films (or of anything).
Notwithstanding that his output is notably dated and diluted by the sheer mass of the greater part of a century of other possible things to see, though, I think that I would view something of his, in a heartbeat, if the option to do so came up at the right moment. Modern Times/Great Dictator 'full fat' or any number of shorts. Who doesn't like an overly officious policeman being kicked in the fundement after a 'slight misunderstanding' arising from an issue of vagrancy and an unpaid bill in a frankly unhygenic pot-shop? (But also when you know that The Kid was once him, and what the real-world analogues of Hynkel would inflict upon the real-world likes of the Barber, there's still social mileage in the tales as well.) I only regret that I'm not going to right away poke around to seek something out. By the time there's opportunity, I'm probably going to be distracted by the latest (or earliest that I still need to see) Jason Reacher/Jack Wick/John Bond/James Bourne/whatever.
[1] Not needing dubbing/subtitles. Any actual dialogue-'cards' replacable by whatever suited the locals. And for those not (correctly-)literate, the visual acting did most of the heavy lifting anyway.
Post by: Lord Shonus on August 24, 2023, 07:17:58 am
Post by: King Zultan on August 25, 2023, 04:54:42 am
Post by: Lord Shonus on August 25, 2023, 07:07:04 am
The old Vaudeville and slapstick stuff is the kind of comedy I prefer, also I've always liked Monty Python and have never figured out why other people hate it, guess it's one of those love it or hate it things.
Do you like Monty Python, or do you like the small handful of very popular bits that got distilled out of their general morass and passed around? They were a very prolific group for decades, and yet it seems like 90 percent of what people who "like Monty Python" reference is Holy Grail, some bits from Life Of Brian, and the Cheese Shop sketch.
Post by: Il Palazzo on August 25, 2023, 09:12:51 am
Post by: Robsoie on August 25, 2023, 09:16:05 am
All i know for sure is that when i was young the regularly aired Monty Python's Flying Circus was absolutely hilarious.
Hard to believe there are people that disliked that type of humour.
Post by: MrRoboto75 on August 25, 2023, 10:59:34 am
hello, I'd like to have an argument.The old Vaudeville and slapstick stuff is the kind of comedy I prefer, also I've always liked Monty Python and have never figured out why other people hate it, guess it's one of those love it or hate it things.
Do you like Monty Python, or do you like the small handful of very popular bits that got distilled out of their general morass and passed around? They were a very prolific group for decades, and yet it seems like 90 percent of what people who "like Monty Python" reference is Holy Grail, some bits from Life Of Brian, and the Cheese Shop sketch.
Post by: Starver on August 25, 2023, 11:43:02 am
hello, I'd like to have an argument.No you wouldn't.
Post by: MrRoboto75 on August 25, 2023, 11:50:45 am
Post by: King Zultan on August 27, 2023, 09:26:22 am
I like all of the stuff the guys from Monty Python did, The Flying Circus, the movies, the shows they did before they joined together and became Monty Python, and the stuff they did after.The old Vaudeville and slapstick stuff is the kind of comedy I prefer, also I've always liked Monty Python and have never figured out why other people hate it, guess it's one of those love it or hate it things.
Do you like Monty Python, or do you like the small handful of very popular bits that got distilled out of their general morass and passed around? They were a very prolific group for decades, and yet it seems like 90 percent of what people who "like Monty Python" reference is Holy Grail, some bits from Life Of Brian, and the Cheese Shop sketch.
Post by: hector13 on September 09, 2023, 03:55:18 pm
So the 1982 version is one of my favourite films so it was unlikely to ever live up to that standard, but it felt like it and added its own little bits to it that were sufficiently entertaining that it was enjoyable.
I did find myself for some reason really getting into the “test” scene, and it remained consistent to that throughout, and there was a very subtle scene toward the end related to it that I really liked too, just to remain spoiler-free and super vague.
CGI was generally awful, but it got a little better as the movie went on, plus they remembered to lead it into the 1982 version, and there were a handful of hints as to that opening scene made throughout too, which I appreciated.
All in all, not a hearty recommendation, but if you liked the 1982 version, or horror in general, you should give it a watch.
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 09, 2023, 04:33:57 pm
One of the best moments in all my teaching career was when I was teaching an English writing lesson in Beijing. One of my students, lovely business lady in her 30s asks me what was the difference between horror and terror. I said terror was walking through the woods and meeting a wolf. Horror was knowing your child was in the woods, and you hear a wolf howl. I got the best reaction with my students all getting goosebumps and feeling that visceral emotion - and they ended up producing some horrifying short stories. My favourite one that I still remember to this day was all about some parents who send their kids to a daycare centre. Their kids all come back talking about how their best friend is Zhang Gu. The parents all talk to one another, trying to find out whose kid Zhang Gu is, as they must be proud of having such a popular kid. No one knows whose kid Zhang Gu is. The next day they drop off their kids and ask the daycare centre whose kid this is. The daycare centre says there is no such kid as Zhang Gu.
Post by: Starver on September 10, 2023, 08:14:31 pm
Reminded immediately of one of the biggest plot-holes (or strangenesses) that it has. For the audience, clearly the 'stripper' (Miss July 1980-whatever?) was a Ms. Fanservice, like the inexplicable bit with 'Cueball' shaping-some-moves[1] is avjarring bit of Down-Wid-Da-Kids-service. But for the mercenaries..?
I mean, her presence was likely additional inducement for more than just gourmet-pizza-lovers to attend the mock celebration. If you're bringing over a small army disguised as waiters and band-members, it would only be a more modern (or forward-looking) film that might have a suitable femme-fetale-for-hire who doesn't mind playing her party-part up until the point it turns out that she does like guns and will kill people (on a more enlightened modern navy ship, she may well even be eventually bitch-stomped by the mousey female crewmember who becomes part of the rag-tag team of heroic fight-backers). But here they decide that their faux-party needs an actual genuine pin-up-girl as part of their cover, and one that they don't take into their concidence (it is implied that the Colm Meaney character is pay-master/recruiter with deep pockets who could surely find someone who will fulfill the purpose of tits-for-hire but willingly fit in with the rest of the plan, or at least enough of it how they might explain it).
They don't even need her to do her actual cake-thing (Birthday Boy is to be killed in his cabin), which then makes her superfluous to the take-over. And, it appears, they completely forget about her!. Not even told "sorry, gal, we're going to lock you in the fo'c'sle, too" (with a lot of frustrated sailors, of course, which sounds worse than the film would probably run with that idea). The (nearly) meticulous plan just goes ahead with every one of the mercs (all of whom came aboard on the very same rather cramped helicopter flight), and even the brains of the outfit (Jones, if not the technical subordinate who might well be too tech-focused) and on-site man Busey (who has already embraced the idea of everyone knowing that she's there, by doing his drag-bait-switch performance prior to going to the cabin) seem to have no care about whether there's any further need for her, never mind notice that she's not yet even moved.
They do discover her (temporarily, though she is rescued almost immediately) and one of the two people who might even have approached her agent and signed her contract (I get the impression that CM's character would have arranged all that, or at least be there as TLJ's fake persona sealed the deal) ends up forgetting about her right up to the moment he gets severe (and definitely ironic) lead-poisoning.
Now, I'm not saying this is a "good job fixing it, villain" situation. Without her brought along, I'm not sure how it would have gone for the hero... He wouldn't have to drag her around (as she carries his spare equipment) once she refuses to pie low in the locker, so maybe he would have just picked off more of the mooks that little bit quicker (not needing to double-back after getting the satellite phone set up, either), and he would still have had the opportunity to accumulate the rest of his siege-breaking assistants (though she was instrumental, by that point, of shaming the most reluctant member into actually doing something). Obviously, after attacking the sub she was extremely important, but that was a plot-point that many prior divergences (for want of her presence) could have so easily avoided. He could have managed to take out Colm, along the way, or the one lookout who had even seen him in the water in order to prompt Colm to be genre-savvy enough to anticipate his likely next point of appearance. If he hadn't had just ground his way through to the Big Bad encounter well before the sub sub-plot/plan ever became realised.
But, for a very thorough (and well prepared with contingencies) mission profile by the besiegers seems to have just totally failed to factor her in, beyond the period of subterfuge. They may not have been totally prepared to handle a cook with "additional skills" running loose (or even not, as I'm sure he'd have somehow slipped away before being fo'c'sled, had the grievances exhibited by the XO not arranged his unique opportunities to remain uncaught by the main trap), but they definitely did know/could predict that the woman they brought to the party was there. Somewhere. Even if overly drowsy (which wouldn't help her chances of being somehow the fly in their ointment, anyway).
Can you tell that I've thought this, once or twice before? A reasonable film (of its time), and one of the S.S. films that I'm not reluctant to rewatch, but this character is shoehorned in without much logic (even movie-logic) for a significant part of her place in the story...
[1] And book-ending the film by giving Casey a contribed dialogue reason to suddenly kiss Jordan as quickly as if she'd been a Spanish footballer!
Post by: hector13 on September 10, 2023, 08:36:36 pm
Post by: Laterigrade on September 10, 2023, 10:31:16 pm
One of the best moments in all my teaching career was when I was teaching an English writing lesson in Beijing. One of my students, lovely business lady in her 30s asks me what was the difference between horror and terror. I said terror was walking through the woods and meeting a wolf. Horror was knowing your child was in the woods, and you hear a wolf howl. I got the best reaction with my students all getting goosebumps and feeling that visceral emotion - and they ended up producing some horrifying short stories. My favourite one that I still remember to this day was all about some parents who send their kids to a daycare centre. Their kids all come back talking about how their best friend is Zhang Gu. The parents all talk to one another, trying to find out whose kid Zhang Gu is, as they must be proud of having such a popular kid. No one knows whose kid Zhang Gu is. The next day they drop off their kids and ask the daycare centre whose kid this is. The daycare centre says there is no such kid as Zhang Gu.Ooh, that’s good.
Post by: Frumple on September 10, 2023, 10:40:21 pm
I think that’s the most analysis that a Segal film will ever receive.Nah, there's multi-page academic analysis on those things faffing about somewhere, iirc. Less than a dozen paragraphs don't even enter into the running.
Most that one will ever receive on B12, though, maybe :P
Post by: Laterigrade on September 10, 2023, 11:21:32 pm
"why don't they just stick to what's in the comics?!?"Still waiting for the spider-man movie where Peter Parker has to cope with how he killed Mary Jane with his radioactive spunk
Or a movie where he has six arms
Or one where he gives birth to himself
Or one where he fights Big Wheel
God, I wish.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 11, 2023, 05:43:27 am
femme-fetale-for-hire(slow jazz music playing in the background)
"There she was. The most beautiful fetus that has ever graced this sorry excuse for a bar. I could spend hours staring into her underdeveloped eyes. But she didn't come here for leisure - she meant business, and I was soon to find out I was part of the deal."
(title screen rolls in)
THE FETAL BLOW
Post by: Starver on September 11, 2023, 09:46:35 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 11, 2023, 10:22:48 am
Post by: scriver on September 11, 2023, 01:08:15 pm
Post by: hector13 on September 11, 2023, 01:09:14 pm
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 12, 2023, 03:56:49 pm
Post by: nenjin on September 12, 2023, 04:03:55 pm
I started replaying Dragonball Z Xenoverse 2 with a friend for a couple weeks. Did a few Google searches for Xenoverse 2 stuff.
Then all of the sudden I start getting Dragonball Z meme and art pages recommended to me on FB.
Couple years ago someone's Hey Google was turned on while their phone was in their pocket. We were standing around talking about teeth I think, when their phone started making noises and Google had pulled up a bunch of relevant searches.
C O N S U M E.
Post by: hector13 on September 12, 2023, 04:42:20 pm
The video was certainly an interesting look at things, thanks for linking to it.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 12, 2023, 05:19:16 pm
Youtube just recommended me this pretty good comparison of the Thing 1982 vs the Thing 2011 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8KZZW6yNZU). It's thoroughly spooky however how yt knew to recommend me this a mere day after talking about the thingThe analysis is alright. Some well made observations.
What's even better, though, is the short story that was recommended in one of the comments - retelling the movie from the point of view of the Thing. By Peter Watts. Won some awards, apparently. Never heard of it before. But then again, I don't read much these days.
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/watts_01_10/
About an hour's worth of commitment, I'd say. Although I did lose the sense of time a bit there. Excellent SF, IMO.
I like how it (cough) incorporates some of the flimsier plot points from the film - like the 'amazing' computer simulation scene.
FWIW, that video was also being recommended to me for a last few weeks, so it's probably just trending rather the Googlesaurus being telepathically cheeky-peeky.
Post by: scriver on September 13, 2023, 05:23:33 am
Youtube just recommended me this pretty good comparison of the Thing 1982 vs the Thing 2011 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8KZZW6yNZU). It's thoroughly spooky however how yt knew to recommend me this a mere day after talking about the thing
I'll do you one better.
I started replaying Dragonball Z Xenoverse 2 with a friend for a couple weeks. Did a few Google searches for Xenoverse 2 stuff.
Then all of the sudden I start getting Dragonball Z meme and art pages recommended to me on FB.
Couple years ago someone's Hey Google was turned on while their phone was in their pocket. We were standing around talking about teeth I think, when their phone started making noises and Google had pulled up a bunch of relevant searches.
C O N S U M E.
A couple of years ago I befriended somebody on a course a took, like on a "course buddy" level where we didn't exchange any information or add each other to any accounts or anything. And yet some weeks in they say to me "hey is this your mum" because Facebook (which I have an account on but stopped using a decade ago) had out of nowhere recommended as a friend a person with my last name, and yes, it was my mother.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 22, 2023, 11:26:08 am
Post by: scriver on September 22, 2023, 01:41:56 pm
Post by: Frumple on September 22, 2023, 01:56:41 pm
Fun note, though, that IP was probably talking about: The director of the movie had actually been kidnapped and forced to make movies for NK. That one was his last before he and his wife managed to escape the country.
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 22, 2023, 03:24:21 pm
Btw, they apparently first kidnapped the ex-wife to lure the ex-husband. Which is hilarious in itself, insofar as kidnappings can be - it's like the Great Leader did not approve of them splitting up therefore he decided to make them be together in a gilded cage where they can forever
*looks pretty good, actually
Post by: scriver on September 22, 2023, 03:24:38 pm
Close! The more direct translation is apparently Bulgasari, so it's like one letter off and that one letter is basically just an upside down b.
Holy crab make the sounds p and b and feel how you make them and and look at the letter b and p and I just realised that how you make the sounds is just moving the sound up and down in the mouth just like the curve on the b and p just moves up and down on the l to match it
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 22, 2023, 03:27:38 pm
Post by: scriver on September 22, 2023, 03:59:40 pm
Post by: Il Palazzo on September 22, 2023, 04:08:05 pm
Post by: King Zultan on September 23, 2023, 03:28:24 am
Post by: delphonso on September 25, 2023, 01:21:51 am
Oh, man. I've just learned of the existence and the story behind the creation of North Korean Godzilla. Like, the background deserves an action thriller of its own. But anyway, NK Godzilla! It's on youtube ('Pulgasari', 1985). Gonna watch me some this weekend.
It's actually great, if you love B-horror/monster movies. (B might be generous...)
Post by: brewer bob on September 25, 2023, 02:29:39 am
Post by: King Zultan on September 25, 2023, 02:44:27 am
B movies are the only ones worthy of watching.This man speaks the truth!
Post by: NRDL on September 25, 2023, 09:07:17 am
It's gloriously cheesy fun. Great music, hilariously over the top fight scenes, LOTS of running, and godawful dialogue and line delivery. I love it.
Post by: Starver on September 25, 2023, 09:45:47 am
B movies are the only ones worthy of watching.B-movies with C-monsters? (Or, in the case of those like Mothra, Œ-monsters!)
Post by: Robsoie on September 25, 2023, 10:02:40 am
Currently watchin the 1979 movie The Warriors, piecemeal, on Youtube via a playlist that I won't link.
It's gloriously cheesy fun. Great music, hilariously over the top fight scenes, LOTS of running, and godawful dialogue and line delivery. I love it.
Been thinking of rewatching this one, still i'm a bit worried in case it aged badly, i have fond memory of the last time i watched it, i think it was near +35 years ago.
I remember how it launched a trend in coin op games during the eighties with so many street focused beat-em up games , double dragon, renegade, vigilante, final fight...
Post by: nenjin on September 25, 2023, 11:03:18 am
Although the gender relations bits in the movie haven't aged as well......
Post by: King Zultan on September 27, 2023, 03:08:23 am
Post by: hector13 on September 27, 2023, 11:04:03 am
Post by: King Zultan on September 28, 2023, 04:14:42 am
Post by: scriver on September 28, 2023, 04:25:53 am
Play gaem
Sell used PS4
Maybe
Post by: zhijinghaofromchina on September 29, 2023, 07:48:42 am
But may I ask a question , is there some movies in the USA about the Northern Korea War , I want to know a little more , just from the perspective of another country.
Post by: Lord Shonus on September 29, 2023, 08:10:51 am
For the most part the Korean conflict is completely absent from Western media. Partly because Vietnam was a far longer fight that completely overshadowed it (the list I'm looking at shows precisely four movies made after Vietnam ended, and only a handful more after it started), partly because the geopolitical situation that lead to it was so extremely complex. It isn't a conflict that we think about except in the context of M*A*S*H reruns (something which I've been told annoys the hell out of South Koreans who dislike the fact that every "Korean" on the show is played by a Japanese actor, and that it means that most Americans still think of South Korea as a backwards war-torn hellhole).
If you just want the perspective of pretty much every country that is not China, North Korea, or (possibly) Russia, that is far more simple. That perspective (among people who think about it at all, which isn't that big a group relatively speaking) is "there is no such thing as a North Korean hero, the fact that the country still exists is a crime against humanity". Opinions on the Chinese Intervention (among the even smaller proportion that study it to sufficient detail to have an opinion) are more nuanced. It is generally accepted that MacArthur really wasn't planning to invade China and his nuclear threats (foiled by President Truman's absolute refusal to authorize the strikes) were intended merely to force passivity. However, his bellicose posturing and refusal to stop pursuit well short of the border were very much the actions of somebody planning an invasion, particularly when he was in regular communication with Chiang Kai-Shek (蒋介石), who was aggressively offering military aid to UN forces while insisting that he was going to return and reconquer the mainland. This, obviously, looked very much like MacArthur and Chiang were conspiring to reopen the Chinese Civil War at the Korean border. So there's a lot more sympathy toward Beijing's decision to intervene than there is for North Korea's decision to start the war in the first place.
Post by: Starver on September 29, 2023, 09:12:31 am
I'm fairly sure that most films about the Korean War, from the US perspective, won't be useful suggestions at all. For various reasons.
Though the very first that comes to mind is M*A*S*H (yes, written like that). I won't link the Wikipedia page that you're not going to see, but I shall quote (parts of) its introductory section:
Quote
M*A*S*H (stylized on-screen as MASH) is a 1970 American black comedy war film [...] based on Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The picture [...] became one of the biggest films of the early 1970s for 20th Century Fox.
[sidebar:: Running time: 116 minutes; Country: United States; Language: English; Budget: $3 million; Box office: $81.6 million]
The film depicts a unit of medical personnel stationed at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) during the Korean War. [...] Although the Korean War is the film's storyline setting, the subtext is the Vietnam War – a current event at the time the film was made. Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau, who saw the film in college, said M*A*S*H was "perfect for the times, the cacophony of American culture was brilliantly reproduced onscreen".
The film won the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, later named the Palme d'Or, at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. The film went on to receive five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 1996, M*A*S*H was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation. The Academy Film Archive preserved M*A*S*H in 2000.
The film inspired the television series M*A*S*H, which ran from 1972 to 1983. [...] Altman despised the TV series, calling it "the antithesis of what we were trying to do" with the movie.
The film (and the TV adaptation, which most people remember) very much acted as satire on the Vietnam War, as mentioned (the Vietnam conflict ended not long after, the Korean one is still technically active!) and isn't really about the battles, etc, unlike (I presume) your film. ((Skipping back from having reviewing all noted films about the war, for a bit I write later, I'm guessing it's likely to be The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021), The Battle at Lake Changjin II (2022) or Sniper (2022)?)). I actually have no idea whether M*A*S*H (film or TV) is likely to be available to you. Or to be the kind of thing you'd want to watch anyway.
I had a quick look at what other films might interest/be available to you:
Quote from: More wikipedia
Many films, books, and other media have depicted the 1950—53 Korean War. The TV series M*A*S*H is one well known example. The 1959 novel The Manchurian Candidate has twice been made into films. The 1982 film Inchon about the historic battle that occurred there in September 1950 was a financial and critical failure. By 2000 Hollywood alone had produced 91 feature films on the Korean War. Many films have also been produced in South Korea and other countries as well...but:
Quote
Compared to World War II, there are relatively few Western feature films depicting the Korean War.
Of those listed, from the US, only The Manchrian Candidate[1] stands out in my mind as something I'm familiar with, which is not really "a war film". And then there's the sole mentioned British film[2], which I've either seen or seen bits of or I'm totally confusing with something else. (Though not of course "The Hill", for which I'll provide a link for everyone else (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hill_(1965_film)) who is wondering, nor Hamburger Hill/etc.)
Really, there's not much love for the original conflict (from 'our' perspective of preventing the post-Japanese Soviet-controlled North from rolling over the post-Japanese American-controlled South, after neither local side could agree on reunification terms, but doubtless described very differently in your circles), which just reinforced a form of the original post-WW2 division in a still tense stalemate that was one of the few obvious remnants left of the Cold War.
In the likes of British Culture, being a Korean War veteran indicates a very narrow band of largely 'forgotten' soldiers, probably missed WW2 (by being too young), but still were part of the original wartime call-up and then had the (mis)fortune to be sent half a world away to achieve... a pause in hostilities. I know someone (a somewhat older male relative) who didn't go, but possibly only because he wasn't rated fully fit at the time - others from his particular induction did, but I never learnt if he even knew how 'their war' went, just how his own time in uniform did. But it was a cultural tag, of sorts. (I just (re)discovered that the character Basil Fawlty was a Korean War veteran. "Killed four men". He was in the Catering Corps...)
[1] "The Manchurian Candidate (1962), adapted from a thriller novel The Manchurian Candidate (1959), directed by John Frankenheimer, and featuring Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury. It is about brainwashed POWs of the US Army and an officer's investigation to learn what happened to him and his platoon in the war. The 2004 remake starred Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep."
[2] "A Hill in Korea (1956) is a British war film. The original name was Hell in Korea, but was changed for distribution reasons, except in the U.S. It was directed by Julian Amyes[8] and the producer was Anthony Squire."
Post by: Laterigrade on October 04, 2023, 08:47:46 pm
Very very two and a half stars — absolutely brilliant acting, but the plot was predictable and the worldbuilding was thoroughly uninspired. Terrible marvel humour — though I did laugh at one joke — reasonable spectacle, two Radiohead songs(!) as the only real highlights, chock full of minor-to-medium plotholes.
I do really hope to see the actors elsewhere, though, because they did a great job, especially the child actor.
Possibly the worst thing in hindsight was that they never addressed the question of whether
Spoiler: spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Schmaven on October 13, 2023, 08:02:42 pm
Post by: McTraveller on October 14, 2023, 07:35:02 pm
Yay for good cinema!
(Although I did catch myself constantly comparing it in my brain to the 1984 one.)
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 14, 2023, 08:21:04 pm
(Although I did catch myself constantly comparing it in my brain to the 1984 one.)So, like 90% good experience? :P
Post by: Starver on October 18, 2023, 12:14:37 pm
(Although the writer doesn't understand the scenario, it seems. e.g. "Some things from the film haven't aged so well - like the use of payphones to jump between realities". The en-Matrixed characters did use mobile handsets, as more or less suited to the frozen-in-time instant era that was being simulated for them, despite actual developments being any number of generations beyond that time, given that the Machines took over (in the 'outer[1]' reality, a world in which there is zee-rust of technology far beyond the capabilities of the world the plugged-in inhabit). What it seems to be is that the hovercraft-bound need to have a suitable hard-link to the communications system that coordinates the simulation[2], and in the sumulation, they hadn't discovered the cheat-code to do with portable telecommunications devices what the "Save slot"-ready 'payphone' gamesprite/voxel virtual-object is somehow coded to allow.)
[1]I still don't believe it. There's clearly another level of reality out there you need to reach before true reality. Zion is just the trap for those that think they've taken the right pill of the right colour (or their ancestors did), and now all their many problems are at lest 'real'.
[2] It might even be that Zion-reality cannot use mobile signals/wifi to the extent the Matrix-reality simulates it. It's a gameplay feature, only, like "instant 100% healing" drops on FPS levels. I mean, they do have some remote connectivity, but it's either not physically possible to do more than simple comms, it's impossible due to the underground nature (all lined with signal-suppressing rock), it somehow 'leaks' too much location information (you can physically tap a comms node right and the Machines can be fooled, for a while; you start broadcasting and the nearest Squids are on you before you can say "Log me in, Dozer") or just the 11G bandwidth isn't there to emulate the Terabit/Petabit full-experience neural-VR connection.
Post by: nenjin on October 18, 2023, 06:37:45 pm
So I watched “The Ice Storm.” An “adult” relationship drama.
These movies are ALL the fucking same.
They’re all about broken relationships, and sex. Even the “teens” in the movie, their arcs are about sex.
In this movie, Kevin Klein is sleeping with someone other than his wife and that’s like…half the movie. It culminates in a key party, where all the adults are basically going to a swinger party. Kevin Klein, Sigorney Weaver, and Kevin Klein’a wife all attend, and all this relationship drama plays out.
It also takes place during the eponymous ice storm. And right near the end, my movie watcher brain goes “You know what this depressing shit show needs to cap it all off? A needless tragedy.”
And lo, a minute later, Elijah Wood (Signorney Weavers son) gets himself electrocuted playing around during the ice storm when a downed power line makes contact with the metal guard rail he’s leaning against. It’s improbable, it’s telegraphed and it’s entirely pointless as a plot point in the last 10 minutes of the movie. The character isn’t even likeable! He’s a weirdo out doing his own thing and they kill him off because otherwise the plot as nothing to close it up.
Who the fuck greenlights these scripts, seriously? Why do we fill modern media with depressing shit shows of human drama, as though real life isn’t shitty enough. And then you add a perverted director who wants to “explore” teens having sexual experiences on top of it, as some sort of lame duck “children repeating sins of their parents” allegory. When it’s really just an excuse to have Christina Ricci prey on a 14 year old boy.
The stories suck, story beats suck and the only thing of real interest is the sex. Which just gets progressively cringier and grosser as it crosses over from “hot” to “sad and awkward.”
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 18, 2023, 08:46:19 pm
Post by: Maximum™ on October 18, 2023, 09:23:27 pm
Love the artstyle of the first one, love the artstyles of the second one, especially love Pavitr (CHAI MEANS TEA BRO), and the way they turned a villain who literally beat Spidey in the comics the first time by causing him to laugh himself silly when he heard his name into a credible foe is cool shit.
Post by: Frumple on October 18, 2023, 09:24:56 pm
Why do we fill modern media with depressing shit shows of human drama, as though real life isn’t shitty enough. And then you add a perverted director who wants to “explore” teens having sexual experiences on top of it, as some sort of lame duck “children repeating sins of their parents” allegory. When it’s really just an excuse to have Christina Ricci prey on a 14 year old boy.For what it's worth... if you look at classical literature, or old plays, or just. All of human creative works throughout history. It's not a modern media phenomena, heh.
For whatever reason, stuff about shitty relationships, bad sex, and death, has been consistently drawing production (and worse, praise) in creative efforts for basically all of known human history. We're remarkably persistent about it, and give that sort of mess some of the highest accolades in writing and performance we can. Regularly.
Post by: nenjin on October 18, 2023, 09:44:40 pm
Post by: Schmaven on October 18, 2023, 09:59:31 pm
TBH, I was expecting it to be a lame old Arnold movie full of cheesey 1 liners, but it managed to be significantly better than many modern movies once I got used to the old school special effects. It followed a classic hero's journey arc, but a few times looked like they were emulating the story of Jesus. Almost like if Jesus was a savage barbarian.
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 19, 2023, 07:37:49 am
The sequel - and the barbarian-themed spinoffs, like Red Sonia - lacked most of the charm. They were just generic fantasy romps with little to no soul.
How was the remake, though? Never seen it, but the trailer made it look boring as fuck.
Post by: dragdeler on October 19, 2023, 08:24:26 am
Post by: IronyOwl on October 22, 2023, 08:15:35 pm
With that in mind, I couldn't get all the way through the Conan remake. They hit the balance wrong and ended up with a frat boy serial killer instead of a boisterous mercenary, so I ended up liking the incestuous sorcerer villains trying to murder plot girl to resurrect a third evil sorceress more than the main cast. It had some cool parts, but... egh.
For further calibration, did you know they made a Conan TV show? No? There's a reason for that! It also had some really cool parts (and a likeable cast!) but was so bad I had to force myself to watch it in small pieces. Damn shame.
Post by: McTraveller on October 22, 2023, 08:40:38 pm
Post by: Robsoie on October 22, 2023, 08:52:18 pm
Still have fonds memories of the 1st Conan movie, was just fantastic at the time with such a great soundtrack.
I didn't liked the 2nd one much, it didn't lived to my expectations after having been a fan of the 1st unfortunately.
Post by: MrRoboto75 on October 23, 2023, 12:31:07 am
There's still nothing in cinema quite like Conan punching a camel in the face.
The powerful sorcerer turning a snake into a straight shaft, so he can shoot it at someone with a bow.
Post by: Starver on October 23, 2023, 08:07:06 am
Post by: King Zultan on October 24, 2023, 05:00:28 am
No no I watched it not long ago and it's kind of great... I mean 80-90 action will allways be somewhat cheesy but I think that time aged very well, whereas most of the stuff from 60-70, except for some rare exceptions, is just diificult to watch.What's wrong with 60s and 70s stuff, there was a lot of good stuff made in that period.
Post by: dragdeler on October 24, 2023, 10:58:56 am
Post by: Robsoie on October 24, 2023, 11:58:58 am
As a kid those were the best things ever.
Post by: King Zultan on October 25, 2023, 04:11:08 am
As for movies there's The Birds, Psycho, Night of The Living Dead, and 2001: A Space odyssey, to name a few of the good ones.
Post by: nenjin on October 25, 2023, 10:54:44 am
Post by: scriver on October 25, 2023, 03:13:54 pm
Post by: nenjin on October 25, 2023, 03:46:48 pm
Post by: McTraveller on October 27, 2023, 08:25:09 pm
what was that?
Post by: nenjin on October 27, 2023, 11:53:52 pm
*googles*
Yep. Wes Anderson. As soon as I saw the color palette I was sure. I simply don't like most of his movies. What he gets out of people when he directs them....it's hard to put just one term to it. It's like a combination of overacting and caricature acting. Like Fargo but somehow...self indulgent?
I've watched like three of his movies at length and they all feel the same way and have that same look. And while I appreciate it on some artistic levels, my main reaction is that Wes Anderson is so far up their own creative bum you almost can't relate to them. Like Tim Burton.
Anyways, Google calls it a drama/romance, which you can pretty much say the same thing about the last 5 movies he's made.
Post by: Starver on October 28, 2023, 04:21:33 am
When it comes to all-star-ensemble, it certainly looks filled (anyone who wouldn't go into an Expendables film, and maybe some who would). Maybe, then, it's another Casino Royal (the original film). Though without the (to me, charming, to most other people confusing) multiple personalities behind the directors' megaphones... ;)
(Anyway, the concept looked interesting. MC was one of those films I might have seen if I had passed a place showing it whilst it was doing so.)
Post by: scriver on October 28, 2023, 05:35:27 am
Post by: McTraveller on October 28, 2023, 09:34:20 am
I find his movies very enjoyable, but they're like the comedy dialogue/ talky drama equivalent of explosion action. Very popcorn friendly and pretty shallow. They achieve an air of sophistication because they're just talk and emotions but in the end nothing is actually being said. But I like watching them.This is a fair assessment of Asteroid City. It was enjoyable, well put together, "high art", yet in the end I'd say it was unsatisfying.
Spoiler: also (true spoiler) (click to show/hide)
Post by: King Zultan on October 29, 2023, 03:29:09 am
Like Tim Burton.I've watched several of his movies and have enjoyed them.
Post by: Il Palazzo on October 29, 2023, 11:03:30 am
In contrast, Wes Anderson's cookie-cutter films are always a pleasure to lose a couple hours to.
Post by: Starver on November 10, 2023, 07:22:17 am
I have my doubts (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Carbon_dioxide_pressure-temperature_phase_diagram.svg) about whether those who wrote/chose that quote even know what they were saying.
("Nitrogen" is far more tripping on the tongue and six less characters to type, to boot! Or go for some short-chained hydrocarbon, for its flammability, or even oxygen, for practically everything else's flammability. Although, helium would be a little excessive, and at only four stars I don't even think the writer wanted to speak that highly...)
((edit for nested tag error!))
Post by: nenjin on November 10, 2023, 11:12:17 am
Like Tim Burton.I've watched several of his movies and have enjoyed them.
I agree with Il Palazzo. I feel like after Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton started to value visuals way more than story or dialog. His movies get harder and harder to sit through. They're the goth-y equivalent of a Michael Bay Transformers movie in terms of CGI these days. Where there used to be these practical sets and effects to add to the value of the story, now he's replaced it with over the top CGI. Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Post by: Il Palazzo on November 10, 2023, 09:26:21 pm
Post by: King Zultan on November 11, 2023, 02:27:42 am
Also I just realize I've only watched two movies he's made since Mars Attacks and a lot of them don't look like anything I'd be interested in.
Post by: nenjin on November 11, 2023, 03:32:49 pm
That tracks though, it's a couple years after NBC. MA is a really good example of what started to bug me about his movies. What I remember most about it was the alien gibberish. A movie full of the kind of noises a hyperactive kid on too much sugar makes. That's what latter Tim Burton movies started to seem like to me: movies made by a kid on too much sugar with a multi-million dollar CGI budget.
Don't get me wrong, Tim Burton's a great filmmaker and has made some movies I really love (Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Edwards Scissorhands, Ed Wood, NBC.) And as I glanced over his filmography, there's some other things out there he's done I haven't seen that aren't what you typically think of when you think of a Tim Burton movie. He's done plenty of stuff that is soulful, well executed, quirky and visually distinct. It's just in the latter half of his career when he really became famous and worked with big IPs like Batman or Charlie & The Chocolate factory, only the last two really attributes really showed to me.
Post by: Maximum™ on November 13, 2023, 08:06:11 pm
Batman? (third movie)
Batman Returns? (fifth movie)
All three are actually fantastic movies (and all made before Nightmare Before Christmas which was his sixth), and I never appreciated how great Pfeiffer was for Catwoman until recently.
She was actually doing the whip stuff! That bird that flew out of her mouth was a real bird, she went a little bonkers during shooting!
Oh, huh, Burton+Keaton seems to be a thread there, they're also in the early "before he realized he was Tim Fucking Burton" era.
Huh, Burton didn't even direct NBC, he wrote and produced it, and both of us here reflexively thought Coraline was him, but the only overlap is Gaiman+the guy who directed NBC made Coraline.
________________________________________________________
COMBO BREAKER: WHAT THE FUCKITY FUCKBATS DID I JUST DISCOVER?
So I'm looking to see who exactly this Selick guy who did NBC/Coraline is right?
I notice besides James and the Giant Peach there was a movie I didn't recognize: Monkeybone?
The hell is that? *click*
...is that... Brendan Fraser on the poster? Why does it say Bridget Fonda, Rose McGowan, John Turturro, and Whoopi Goldberg in the top blurb? 2001? What the fuck is going on am I having a stroke?
WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH SOUTH PARK WHAT IS HAPPENING
EDGAR ALLEN POE IV? LIKE ACTUALLY HIS DESCENDANT?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeybone
Oh god, how do you have that much clay to work with and sculpt a turd?
The synopsis does not do any justice to how awkward and weirdly bad it is in clips.
Post by: nenjin on November 13, 2023, 10:13:51 pm
The other Batmans? Mmmmmmm not so much. Returns was decent but it's all kinda downhill from there.
His were better than Joel Schumacher's, I'll give Burton that.
And yes, Monkeybone is not good and borderline unhinged in its aims. I think I watched that one on a work trip as well. There is....a lot of shouting in that movie, particularly Brendon Fraser just yelling "Monkeybone!" in response to things happening.
Post by: Laterigrade on November 14, 2023, 12:55:50 am
It was fantastic — holds up very well, technically, other than arguably the last scene. Its use of soundscape to evoke horror and fear and anxiety was fantastic, and it was excellently acted — the father, I think, was a subtle standout; that grin, while the goo spurted out of the chicken and the mother seized up, was chilling.
And I loved how characters’ reactions to the horrible things we would see was used to characterise the world — the nasty things were treated as nasty, with characters reacting as such, but not as abnormal, giving the implication that none of this is one-off, none of these are hallucinations of Henry’s (unless of course all of it is), making the horror of the film even more pronounced; everyone lives like this, now. The evil and despair in Henry’s life is now the evil and despair in the world, supported by the beginning and final shots zooming in on and out from the grey, corrupted Earth.
Anyway, brilliant film. Brilliant showcase of human despair and suffering, terrifying both psychologically and immediately. I would wish the watching of it on my best friend and my worst enemy.
Post by: King Zultan on November 14, 2023, 02:23:09 am
Post by: Maximum™ on November 14, 2023, 04:36:29 am
Post by: hector13 on November 14, 2023, 04:43:41 am
Speaking of Stanley Tucci, watch The Impostors, brilliant film.
Post by: nenjin on November 14, 2023, 11:46:04 am
I think my biggest thing with that movie is, like, I dig Fraser, seeing a movie he was in that just appeared and vanished instantly is weird enough, but going through the list of names is like... howwwwww did they fuck this up so bad?
It's an adaptation of a novel that sounds like a take on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." I get the impression the original story is more adult so they probably reimagined it as a more kid friendly film. Doing that though you end up with a really obnoxious animated side kick, a lot of slapstick and Fraser hamming it up. It makes for a really frenetic movie with lots and lots of shouting.
Post by: Maximum™ on November 15, 2023, 03:22:08 am
Post by: Travis Bickle on December 01, 2023, 04:56:43 am
The problems of the film are well-known enough, the most egregious of which are that it ends on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved. What movie is there, however, I enjoyed. I think it's the sort of movie you'll like at least a little bit as long as you don't watch it with the idea in you're head that it's going to be a bad movie, as I think many people do.
Post by: Starver on December 01, 2023, 08:47:25 am
The cuts (one of which is the perrenial "Tom Bombadil problem"; or "...solution", depending upon the reader's attitude!) are notable but the retention of dialogue characterisation is perhaps superior to Jackson's treatment.
But ask any three Tolkein fans and might end up with four opinions on it!.
Visually, as a pure rotascope project, I think it's probably stylistically superior to CGI-enhanced modern movies (I saw a large swathe of a Transformers movie again, the other day, definitely a case of"just because you can, doesn't mean you should"...), but a different time and doubtless they'd use "artification" algorithms these days, when any fool can redraw themselves as a cartoon dog in realtime.
My opinion, I don't think it spoils the books (or, because it is only partial, spoilering them). Maybe a niche 'historic' treatment for post-Jackson audiences (and non-readers, in particular), but for me (probaby didn't see it in the late '70s, but would have by the mid '80s, at a similar time to Tron from '82) it works well.
Yes, the Jackson trilogies are a visual tour-de-force (plot-rewriting aspects aside, and the resulting "green tide of ghosts" that... well, I admit I enjoyed the friendy rivalry of "that only counts as one!", at least, as I did the shield-surfing and barrel-hopping elsewhere, even if off-canon). But if you're determined to read (or reaquaint yourself with) the novels then Bakshi's work will definitely interfere less with that process. IMO, naturally.
(Caveat: I haven't seen the Bakshi for maybe 20 years. I think I last substantially read either Hobbit or LOTR perhaps around ten years ago. I've seen the Jackson sets (idly, in passing) at various times more recent than that, as well as upon release. So I may be differently rose-tinted, or otherwise. Not yet seen the Netflix/whoever ME-based mini-series at all.)
Post by: scriver on December 01, 2023, 09:42:17 am
Post by: nenjin on December 01, 2023, 01:01:42 pm
Ironically Rankin & Bass did the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_the_King_(1980_film) animated film. It's super jarring going from Ralph Bakshi's more adult looking hybrid animated film back to the Hobbit's art style. Doubly so because the treatment and subject matter of RoT is dealing with bigger and headier moments than the Hobbit. But at least you can watch all of the Lord of the Rings animated films as a trilogy.
The animated films are what I'd always recommend someone start the series with. And it makes me a little sad knowing there's whole generations of people now that only know the two later trilogies. Liking them isn't a problem for me, there's plenty of things to like. I just think you're missing out if you haven't seen the way it was done in the 80s. Unlike say.....deciding to skip the Simarillion.
Post by: Starver on December 01, 2023, 02:17:16 pm
If anything, it ruins The Voyage Home's ending far more than LOTR's...
Post by: anewaname on December 01, 2023, 10:02:53 pm
Post by: King Zultan on December 02, 2023, 02:18:13 am
Post by: Starver on December 03, 2023, 03:36:47 am
(I remember seeing that, and was impressed. Clearly my patronage didn't quite scrape its income high enough to keep it out of the red, though. Haven't ever seen it on TV, or had any more recent opportunity to reappraise by more modern standards, so maybe it's... scratchy? Uncanny-valley? Something. And different from Monsters, Inc., with the perhaps more reliably forgiving "cartoon computer imagery", yet still famously having all that CGI fur! And Shrek. Which is... Well... Shrek. The original. ...and these three all date to 2001, hence referencing them all against each other.)
Things do have their time, but pure-CGI tends to be use for a certain style of fictional worlds: The Incredibles. Cars. Bugs Life/Antz/Bee-Movie. Beowulf. Big Hero Six. Polar Express. Wall-E. Finding Nemo(/etc). The whole Toy Story thang, just to add to that list the lineage that probably inspired many of the rest of them... All 'photo unrealistic' (compared with even Luxo Jr., the two-minute short that made Pixar's name). And then there was that Tintin movie (deserved a sequel/series, IMO).
And then further played about with by increased and averted realism in the Spderman/Multiverse type of thing. Clearly far more accurate 3D modelling, but rendered/post-textured with 'cartoon/comic skin', dithered-halftoning effects and snap-cut exchange of filters as a 'practical effect' rather than a careless mouse-click on a toolbar. (I bet it's an expensive and time-consuming business to create a "does not look at all real" film like that, compared to something... 'softer' on the eye. Maybe even trying to go hyper-realistic isn't these days as complicated as aiming for this kind of 'hypo-realistic', it just depends upon the libraries of procedures you've inherited from the last big project, and whether Andy Serkis has some time free in his calendar.)
Post by: Folly on December 15, 2023, 07:38:10 pm
First part was certainly one of the more novel SpiderMan reboots, of which there have been many. Miles gets bitten by his radioactive spider just in time to replace the deceased Peter Parker, and a colorful array of Spiders Man arrive from across the multiverse to initiate him. Each of the different Spiders have their own unique and colorful aesthetic style, which clash and blend in some fun ways.
The second part turns the unique aesthetic styles up to 11, making the entire movie an absolutely stunning work of art. Beyond the aesthetics, the general composition of this movie is very well balanced, with exciting action scenes and intriguing story woven together fluidly so that nothing is ever too much or too little.
I had high expectations going in, but the second movie exceeded all of them. Really just a very enjoyable watch. Very much looking forward to the next part.
Post by: Laterigrade on December 17, 2023, 07:25:56 am
they’re supposed to be a tragic downfall brought on by extraordinary circumstances but they just kinda fade into irrelevance after they’re done happening, and then never really matter to anything again
only worth watching for Nic Cage acting something out of his usual sort of role pretty well and maybe a little decent horror, or if you delight in dollops of absolutely painful awkwardness
Post by: Starver on December 20, 2023, 08:48:22 pm
But, anyway, WB and Paramount look to be planning to merge-and-consolidate... Which could fold in a number of interesting properties into the same shop.
Post by: Loud Whispers on December 21, 2023, 04:37:32 pm
Spoiler: more themes thought that basically spoil the movie (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: mega spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: King Zultan on December 22, 2023, 03:23:50 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 23, 2023, 07:29:13 am
Are the actors any good? I'm reminded of Shin Godzilla, with its most excellent monster design and interesting concept (sort of Kaiju vs bureaucracy), made nearly unwatchable by the wooden, affected acting.
Post by: Loud Whispers on December 24, 2023, 06:31:23 am
Post by: Uthimienure on December 24, 2023, 11:38:02 am
Post by: King Zultan on December 27, 2023, 05:32:54 am
Kermode was raving about this one, and that's usually a good sign. But he does have some blind spots too, imo.Were you watching a dub because wooden acting is the plague of all dubs.
Are the actors any good? I'm reminded of Shin Godzilla, with its most excellent monster design and interesting concept (sort of Kaiju vs bureaucracy), made nearly unwatchable by the wooden, affected acting.
Post by: Uthimienure on December 27, 2023, 09:02:48 am
I'm going to the theatre Tuesday for the first time in years to see Godzilla Minus One thanks to you guys!The movie was pretty good, although the human story was actually the highlight of it for me. The monster was a bit over-done with CGI with the tail & back spikes popping out unrealistically before his heat breath, and his insta-healing from large naval gunfire was silly. The characters were well developed and their stories were better than I expected.
I continue to be disappointed in moviegoers, as expected, with their self-absorbed lack of consideration for anyone else.
Post by: Il Palazzo on December 27, 2023, 10:27:23 am
Were you watching a dub because wooden acting is the plague of all dubs.Nah, subtitled. There's actually a few tiers of terribad performances in there, as at times the Japanese speak English, and there's a few scenes with American actors (or at least white, hard to tell their provenance through layers of badly written and clunkily delivered dialogue).
Still, the monster is absolutely fantastic. Weird and alien and disturbing. I'd recommend to anyone checking the monster scenes on YouTube. Just ignore the actual film.
I continue to be disappointed in moviegoers, as expected, with their self-absorbed lack of consideration for anyone else.Ah, the quintessential moviegoing experience.
Post by: Loud Whispers on December 27, 2023, 07:30:14 pm
The movie was pretty good, although the human story was actually the highlight of it for me. The monster was a bit over-done with CGI with the tail & back spikes popping out unrealistically before his heat breath, and his insta-healing from large naval gunfire was silly. The characters were well developed and their stories were better than I expected.Lol one of my friends said you shouldn't look too hard at godzilla because once you notice them reusing the walk animation it becomes impossible to ignore. But yeah I was pleasantly surprised by how attached I was to the human characters and I still loved the godzilla nonetheless, especially with the original OST
I continue to be disappointed in moviegoers, as expected, with their self-absorbed lack of consideration for anyone else.I have witnessed
People using the toilets
To film tiktoks
Why
Post by: King Zultan on December 28, 2023, 03:41:06 am
I've never really thought that the acting was that bad, but then again the acting has to be really shit for me to even notice.Were you watching a dub because wooden acting is the plague of all dubs.Nah, subtitled. There's actually a few tiers of terribad performances in there, as at times the Japanese speak English, and there's a few scenes with American actors (or at least white, hard to tell their provenance through layers of badly written and clunkily delivered dialogue).
Still, the monster is absolutely fantastic. Weird and alien and disturbing. I'd recommend to anyone checking the monster scenes on YouTube. Just ignore the actual film.
Also I do agree that the monster is fantastic and so are all the sets in those portions of the movies, the practical affects and miniature sets they use in the older movies will always look better than the CGI they use these days.
Post by: Il Palazzo on January 05, 2024, 05:39:54 pm
It's like some studio exec saw Rollerball and said: 'Let's make a porn parody of this, only with more carnage and violence. But cut all the sex and gore so that it's pg-13.'
Post by: nenjin on January 06, 2024, 04:06:48 am
The Running Man. I've just rewatched it, having seen it as a kid previously. I did remember it as shallow entertainment, but not this much. The plot is the barest of bones, there's maybe two actors that don't butcher their lines, the one-liners are cringe and overabundant, and half the screen time is taken up by the camera lusting after every piece of flesh it can glue itself to.
It's like some studio exec saw Rollerball and said: 'Let's make a porn parody of this, only with more carnage and violence. But cut all the sex and gore so that it's pg-13.'
Sounds like the 80s alright.
I was subjected to "Empire of the Dark" as part of a three movie Exorcism theme. It's an early 90s vanity project (so writer, directory, lead all one person) about trying to stop the rebirth of Satan more or less. Pretty comically bad, more robed cultists in rubber masks than you can shake a stick at, and some really chuckle worthy acting from the star. I can't say it was good but it had a visual style and some of it actually looks pretty good.
As an addendum, I've seen the Pope's Exorcist twice now and I honestly have to recommend. It's half adventure, half constantly escalating stakes, all vaguely cheesy. The 3rd act just goes up like a rocket ship, it's kind of incredible what someone was thinking with this. Strikingly high budget visuals for what ends up feeling like a SyFy movie. And Russel Crowe playing a fluffy Italian priest is just....pretty magical. Whatever else was going on in the movie, he was having fun with it.
Post by: McTraveller on January 06, 2024, 06:22:05 pm
How on earth did that movie get made with that cast?
EDIT since I made the last post:
Hahaha watching Elysium for the first time... I love that that they are using Intel x86 assembly language in the hacking scene... hahahaha... because that will be what we're using in 2154... hahahaha (PS this comment may be slightly ethanol-infused).
Post by: Lord Shonus on January 14, 2024, 11:48:53 am
Post by: Il Palazzo on January 14, 2024, 03:03:49 pm
I can't really tell what it's all about other than it looks like some ungodly steampunk/frankensteinian/feminist fever dream.
Anyone gets to see it before I get the chance, do leave a review.
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 13, 2024, 08:42:59 pm
Post by: Starver on March 27, 2024, 06:55:55 am
(And, it not being an actual door doesn't help, as it's even more unsuitable for the same purpose.)
Post by: nenjin on March 27, 2024, 10:03:46 am
I went to see Dune: Part Two and it completely redeemed the David Lynch film in my eyes. Hopefully Lynch himself will get over himself and return to the project to give us a proper director's cut at some point before he dies.
He won't. To him, Dune is a time when he sacrificed his principles as a film maker to try and "make it big." He feels Dino DeLaurentis not exactly manipulated him, but kind of cornered him into finishing this huge movie where Lynch only got to do about 60% of what he wanted to do. Lynch wanted to walk multiple times but DeLaurentis convinced him to finish the movie, but Lynch felt so bad about it afterward he swore he'd never agree to put himself in that position again.
So I think Dune is tainted to him. Even with complete directorial control to make the movie he wants to make, I think the very idea of Dune is repulsive to him now.
When you tell a famous director that a movie of their's they hate is beloved by millions, and their reaction is "yeah, great but I don't really care", that pretty clearly telegraphs what's important to them.
Post by: scriver on March 28, 2024, 02:40:40 pm
I liked it
Post by: McTraveller on March 28, 2024, 02:49:36 pm
I do want me one of those ornithopters though.
Post by: scriver on March 28, 2024, 04:21:47 pm
Post by: Travis Bickle on March 28, 2024, 07:53:03 pm
You're probably correct; even in his relatively recent comments where he floats the idea of looking over the project again he seems very uncommitted to it. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter that much even if he doesn't, as the theatrical cut of the movie is still the best Dune to be released in theaters and will probably remain so unless someone invents a time machine and goes back to finance Jodorowsky's vision (I have heard decent things about fan-made edits of the Lynch film and the TV mini-series, but I have yet to see them).I went to see Dune: Part Two and it completely redeemed the David Lynch film in my eyes. Hopefully Lynch himself will get over himself and return to the project to give us a proper director's cut at some point before he dies.
He won't. To him, Dune is a time when he sacrificed his principles as a film maker to try and "make it big." He feels Dino DeLaurentis not exactly manipulated him, but kind of cornered him into finishing this huge movie where Lynch only got to do about 60% of what he wanted to do. Lynch wanted to walk multiple times but DeLaurentis convinced him to finish the movie, but Lynch felt so bad about it afterward he swore he'd never agree to put himself in that position again.
So I think Dune is tainted to him. Even with complete directorial control to make the movie he wants to make, I think the very idea of Dune is repulsive to him now.
When you tell a famous director that a movie of their's they hate is beloved by millions, and their reaction is "yeah, great but I don't really care", that pretty clearly telegraphs what's important to them.
Post by: StrawBarrel on March 29, 2024, 07:06:07 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjIiApN6cfg
This is a war film I enjoyed. I thought the surrealism the film incorporate was interesting. I think the film did well in showing how tragic and horrible war is (like any good war film should). WW2 partisans were very brave for fighting against the Nazis. Screenwriter Ales Adamovich fought in WW2 as a child, which is similar to the film's protagonist Flor.
Edit march 29
Is it no longer a spoiler to say that I always doubted that the 'door' could have saved even one person (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68672177)?
(And, it not being an actual door doesn't help, as it's even more unsuitable for the same purpose.)
Quote from: By Andre Rhoden-Paul,
The auction, which ended on Sunday evening, raised $15.68m, making it the one of the most successful sales of a prop and costume collection, Heritage Auctions said.I did not know that know there was an auction of movie props. It does seem like the Titanic 'door' did well.
Post by: Jopax on April 15, 2024, 04:27:41 pm
It's essentially John Wick, except Indian. Simple, straightforward, well shot and directed (there's this really cool vibe of sensory overload at times that conveys the chaos of the situation perfectly imo) and incredibly violent at times.
Overall a pretty good time.
Post by: McTraveller on April 17, 2024, 12:39:48 pm
That said, it has some poignant commentary on the power of propaganda.
Post by: McTraveller on April 22, 2024, 12:37:48 pm
Damsel is a way better "princess" movie than anything the House of Mouse has put out in many years. Finally writers that trust the audience a bit, very little narrative spoon-feeding. And, I daresay, a good way of how to do a strong heroine. A little trope-heavy, but not cliche; overall I think it is a very good dragon flick. Some seriously fine dragonfire effects too!
It does have a really strange visual tone to it though. The color palette and filmography style is "high Disney" but the content is darker. Such an interesting juxtaposition.
Part of what I mean about filmography is the imaging is "too crisp" (basically, too digital & too high a frame rate) - I want me some film grain or something, at least. And make it real, not digitally simulated!
There were a few janky green-screen cuts... and an odd dichotomy in CG quality from cut to cut...but not terrible given what looks like a made-for-TV budget. There is some surprising intelligent detail, too - like a sword that got hit by dragonfire has annealing discoloration on it.