Let's All Go to the Movies
- Thread starter LurchingBeast
- Start date
Awesome if you see it in IMAX
Looking like a ton of positive reviews on Midsommar, gotta do my best to avoid seeing any trailers etc til the movie!
LurchingBeast
King of Tool Development
Watched a good spy movie. Tamarind seed. Free on YouTube and pretty good quality. Omar sharif and Julie Andrews.
For some reason, we can never take omar sharif 100% seriously. The story is very well done, but there is something about him that always makes me want to make jokes mst3k-style (obviously not as funny). Just thinking about how over the top in love with Peter otoole in Lawrence of Arabia cracks me up.
For some reason, we can never take omar sharif 100% seriously. The story is very well done, but there is something about him that always makes me want to make jokes mst3k-style (obviously not as funny). Just thinking about how over the top in love with Peter otoole in Lawrence of Arabia cracks me up.
LurchingBeast
King of Tool Development
The Mustang - 7.5/10
An impressive debut feature from French director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre about a violent inmate who finds himself confronting his troubled nature when he is exposed to an unusual prison program involving the training of wild horses. It's not your typical gritty prison drama, though there are enough harrowing moments to remind you this isn't Club Med, instead demonstrating the lines between redemption and atonement, freedom and peace. The movie doesn't concern itself with too many plot points so it doesn't get bogged down in exposition as a result. Matthias Schoenhaerts does a great job with the quiet rage that often bubbles to the surface without his control, but Bruce Dern is the surprise heart of it all, playing the man who runs the training program. The Mustang was a real surprise.
------------------------------
Captive State - 3/10
A soulless failure of a genre film. Director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) with his cinematographer drop the ball on adding any kind of distinct aesthetic to a sci-fi film; a cardinal sin in my opinion. Completely void of style. Even the aliens are unimaginative and goofy, totally CGI'd. Neill Blomkamp would have had a field day with this work if he wasn't seemingly so concerned with using source material. Unfortunate, as at the heart of Captive State is the potential for a fun little heist movie taking place in the dystopian future, during an alien colonization of Earth. I say potential because we are given no reasons to care about the characters or their motivations. Big name actors John Goodman and Vera Farmiga are listless in their supporting roles, merely going through the motions for a payday. Such a waste.
An impressive debut feature from French director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre about a violent inmate who finds himself confronting his troubled nature when he is exposed to an unusual prison program involving the training of wild horses. It's not your typical gritty prison drama, though there are enough harrowing moments to remind you this isn't Club Med, instead demonstrating the lines between redemption and atonement, freedom and peace. The movie doesn't concern itself with too many plot points so it doesn't get bogged down in exposition as a result. Matthias Schoenhaerts does a great job with the quiet rage that often bubbles to the surface without his control, but Bruce Dern is the surprise heart of it all, playing the man who runs the training program. The Mustang was a real surprise.
------------------------------
Captive State - 3/10
A soulless failure of a genre film. Director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) with his cinematographer drop the ball on adding any kind of distinct aesthetic to a sci-fi film; a cardinal sin in my opinion. Completely void of style. Even the aliens are unimaginative and goofy, totally CGI'd. Neill Blomkamp would have had a field day with this work if he wasn't seemingly so concerned with using source material. Unfortunate, as at the heart of Captive State is the potential for a fun little heist movie taking place in the dystopian future, during an alien colonization of Earth. I say potential because we are given no reasons to care about the characters or their motivations. Big name actors John Goodman and Vera Farmiga are listless in their supporting roles, merely going through the motions for a payday. Such a waste.
Lutter
strong butthole 💪
My buddy runs a beer blog and posts reviews in it about once a week.... I'm preeeeety sure just to get into beer festivals for free. (he claims it's to keep him sharp for BJCP competitions
)
LurchingBeast
King of Tool Development
Transit - 7.25/10
I missed this buzzy Euro piece's pretty extensive run at the Music Box and I could never find subtitles for the torrent so I jumped at the first chance to rent it on Prime streaming. I can see why it's on a lot of people's short lists this year as it is a fresh take on classic themes and ideas. Part Casablanca, part Shakespearean love triangle, as a man of unknown origin assumes a dead man's identity and has to toil around France with a cast of refugees desperately seeking passage to the west before the approaching oppressive forces close in.
The cool trick director Christian Petzold pulls off is how timeless he makes this story of identity and advancing fascism, which is also the movie's most chilling aspect. Transit is adapted from a WWII novel of the same name and while certain things have been updated, it's not enough to necessarily feel 'modern'; the tyrannical police force rounding people up aren't in brown shirts but riot gear, there are modern cars but we see no cell phones, etc. The unplaceable nature of the story makes the rapid totalitarian escalation seem not as far in the past as we commonly view the Nazi scourge. We tend to treat historical things almost like fiction these days. Presenting Transit not as a window into some long by-gone era but rather a journey through the vaguely present has far more impact. It is fairly brilliant.
I missed this buzzy Euro piece's pretty extensive run at the Music Box and I could never find subtitles for the torrent so I jumped at the first chance to rent it on Prime streaming. I can see why it's on a lot of people's short lists this year as it is a fresh take on classic themes and ideas. Part Casablanca, part Shakespearean love triangle, as a man of unknown origin assumes a dead man's identity and has to toil around France with a cast of refugees desperately seeking passage to the west before the approaching oppressive forces close in.
The cool trick director Christian Petzold pulls off is how timeless he makes this story of identity and advancing fascism, which is also the movie's most chilling aspect. Transit is adapted from a WWII novel of the same name and while certain things have been updated, it's not enough to necessarily feel 'modern'; the tyrannical police force rounding people up aren't in brown shirts but riot gear, there are modern cars but we see no cell phones, etc. The unplaceable nature of the story makes the rapid totalitarian escalation seem not as far in the past as we commonly view the Nazi scourge. We tend to treat historical things almost like fiction these days. Presenting Transit not as a window into some long by-gone era but rather a journey through the vaguely present has far more impact. It is fairly brilliant.
Tell me what I need to do to make this happen, and then bring me to film screenings.
LurchingBeast
King of Tool Development
Apollo 11 - 10/10
A breathtaking documentary chronicling the mission to the moon from launch day to splash down. Told entirely through NASA footage and communications, the lack of narration or interviews kept this rolling like the best feature films on the subject. Probably the best documentary on the space program I have ever seen. Hearing the Mission Control communications as the mission is happening keeps you on the edge of your seat for the most audacious moments, despite knowing what happens. The high-res digital scans of the launch and lunar touchdown in particular are gorgeous. I really regret not seeing this in IMAX. The perfect companion piece to First Man.
-----------------------
Greta - 3/10
Finally got around to watching this dull, by-the-numbers stalker/thriller, the premise of which relies solely on the gimmick of the distiguished Isabelle Huppert as an over the top, obsessive villain. Beyond that there was very little to hold my attention. There are a ton of idiotic character choices turned plot devices and it never approaches scary or even interesting for that matter. Chloe Grace Moretz is a poor lead and it showed whenever she had dialogue with Huppert or even Maika Monroe (It Follows). It pays to have a big time agency behind you.
A breathtaking documentary chronicling the mission to the moon from launch day to splash down. Told entirely through NASA footage and communications, the lack of narration or interviews kept this rolling like the best feature films on the subject. Probably the best documentary on the space program I have ever seen. Hearing the Mission Control communications as the mission is happening keeps you on the edge of your seat for the most audacious moments, despite knowing what happens. The high-res digital scans of the launch and lunar touchdown in particular are gorgeous. I really regret not seeing this in IMAX. The perfect companion piece to First Man.
-----------------------
Greta - 3/10
Finally got around to watching this dull, by-the-numbers stalker/thriller, the premise of which relies solely on the gimmick of the distiguished Isabelle Huppert as an over the top, obsessive villain. Beyond that there was very little to hold my attention. There are a ton of idiotic character choices turned plot devices and it never approaches scary or even interesting for that matter. Chloe Grace Moretz is a poor lead and it showed whenever she had dialogue with Huppert or even Maika Monroe (It Follows). It pays to have a big time agency behind you.
LurchingBeast
King of Tool Development
Yesterday - 3.5/10
Danny Boyle's decade long streak of total bullshit continues. 'What if the Beatles didn't exist, and then we didn't even try to explore the real ramifications of our premise?' The promise of a fun romp through the music industry the gimmick promises gives way to a half baked rom-com that doesn't even bother resolving the love story at its core. Ed Sheeran gets an inexplicable amount of screen time just pummeling the same joke into oblivion. Then, when you think this bland waste of your last hour and a half is coming to an end, they throw you a twist that feels exploitative and sick the more I think about it.
Points for good music and finding out (hot) Lily James and Keira Knightley aren't the same person.
----------------------
Fast Color - 7.5/10
Absolutely criminal that the studio couldn't find a way to sell this movie to audiences. I hadn't even heard of Fast Color until it appeared on several 'best of 2019 so far' lists. A woman with mysterious supernatural powers journeys home to her family through a dystopian landscape with a shadowy government entity hot on her trail. This is not a niche movie. In fact, it's the best superhero movie of the year thus far. Intimate and introspective; think Logan with less violence, director Julia Hart frames this supernatural family drama and the quest for hope in a dying world worthy of the best post-apocalyptic films. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Black Mirror: San Junipero) is a fine lead, handling the complicated emotions concerning her estranged family and balancing that with the abilities that threaten their lives. But the real standouts are the supporting performances from a phenomenal Lorraine Toussaint (OitNB, Selma) and legendary character actor David Strathairn.
There is enough world building and character writing to support a legit cinematic universe here; at the very least a sequel. Fast Color is an original take on the sci-fi/superhero genre that draws you in from the first scene. But the studio machine failed Fast Color so badly, the audience for it won't even know it exists. We'll get ten more Danny Boyle abortions before we see an original idea like this get any play.
Danny Boyle's decade long streak of total bullshit continues. 'What if the Beatles didn't exist, and then we didn't even try to explore the real ramifications of our premise?' The promise of a fun romp through the music industry the gimmick promises gives way to a half baked rom-com that doesn't even bother resolving the love story at its core. Ed Sheeran gets an inexplicable amount of screen time just pummeling the same joke into oblivion. Then, when you think this bland waste of your last hour and a half is coming to an end, they throw you a twist that feels exploitative and sick the more I think about it.
Points for good music and finding out (hot) Lily James and Keira Knightley aren't the same person.
----------------------
Fast Color - 7.5/10
Absolutely criminal that the studio couldn't find a way to sell this movie to audiences. I hadn't even heard of Fast Color until it appeared on several 'best of 2019 so far' lists. A woman with mysterious supernatural powers journeys home to her family through a dystopian landscape with a shadowy government entity hot on her trail. This is not a niche movie. In fact, it's the best superhero movie of the year thus far. Intimate and introspective; think Logan with less violence, director Julia Hart frames this supernatural family drama and the quest for hope in a dying world worthy of the best post-apocalyptic films. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Black Mirror: San Junipero) is a fine lead, handling the complicated emotions concerning her estranged family and balancing that with the abilities that threaten their lives. But the real standouts are the supporting performances from a phenomenal Lorraine Toussaint (OitNB, Selma) and legendary character actor David Strathairn.
There is enough world building and character writing to support a legit cinematic universe here; at the very least a sequel. Fast Color is an original take on the sci-fi/superhero genre that draws you in from the first scene. But the studio machine failed Fast Color so badly, the audience for it won't even know it exists. We'll get ten more Danny Boyle abortions before we see an original idea like this get any play.
LurchingBeast
King of Tool Development
Midsommar early tomorrow. That's the one I've been waiting for.
Midsommar:
I'm gonna do my best to talk about it without massive spoilers. There are some thematic similarities to Hereditary, but they are very different movies. Hereditary was scarier, while Midsommar was the more cohesive and overall, "better" movie from a technical standpoint: stellar cinematography with excellent color grading, sublime sound design, especially the overwhelming dread in the soundtrack and outstanding use of distance, which I initially perceived as bad ADR.
After sleeping on it: this is advertised as a psychedelic fueled breakup/grief movie, but my takeaway was it's actually gory folk horror about trauma and then going all in on revenge. Borderline self indulgent and pretentious arthouse vibes because of gratuitously violent body horror and conflicting emotional delivery on several particularly difficult scenes, which means it's gonna get a divisive response and most people are probably NOT going to like this movie. The viewer has a good idea of WHAT will happen, but not necessarily how it is done and I appreciate that the viewer is left to the imagination outside of a few key visuals.
I'm glad I made a point to avoid any knowledge going into the movie and walking out, I had no clue how I should've felt. Ari Aster has my attention now and Midsommar showed glimpses of his potential to direct a contemporary horror masterpiece. He nails a visceral on screen portrayal of characters working through grief and trauma, though like a good chunk of A24's catalog, there are some obvious thematic flaws that most people overlook (myself included).
Last note on thematic flaws:
I'm gonna do my best to talk about it without massive spoilers. There are some thematic similarities to Hereditary, but they are very different movies. Hereditary was scarier, while Midsommar was the more cohesive and overall, "better" movie from a technical standpoint: stellar cinematography with excellent color grading, sublime sound design, especially the overwhelming dread in the soundtrack and outstanding use of distance, which I initially perceived as bad ADR.
After sleeping on it: this is advertised as a psychedelic fueled breakup/grief movie, but my takeaway was it's actually gory folk horror about trauma and then going all in on revenge. Borderline self indulgent and pretentious arthouse vibes because of gratuitously violent body horror and conflicting emotional delivery on several particularly difficult scenes, which means it's gonna get a divisive response and most people are probably NOT going to like this movie. The viewer has a good idea of WHAT will happen, but not necessarily how it is done and I appreciate that the viewer is left to the imagination outside of a few key visuals.
I'm glad I made a point to avoid any knowledge going into the movie and walking out, I had no clue how I should've felt. Ari Aster has my attention now and Midsommar showed glimpses of his potential to direct a contemporary horror masterpiece. He nails a visceral on screen portrayal of characters working through grief and trauma, though like a good chunk of A24's catalog, there are some obvious thematic flaws that most people overlook (myself included).
Last note on thematic flaws:
The world built too many subplots and despite the length of the movie, few were resolved. And I feel I'm willing to forgive this because the whole story's payoff felt satisfying since I thought most of the characters were not only horrible/genuinely fucked up people, they were totally unhinged and uninhibited from spending most of the movie under the influence of drugs. The main character Dani is supposedly the most empathetic character, yet she has her boyfriend brutally murdered and that's was where I felt it crossed from processing grief to being flat out revenge.
Litheum94
Title Earner
Seeing it tonight. I am super excited. Avoiding reading anything about it.
saw Toy Story 4- 7.5/10= while it was enjoyable to watch, it seemed strange and weird for me. It felt outta place, and in the grand scheme of things slightly scary. Luckily my boys can give 2 shits about existentialism and wanna see buzz and woody run around so mission accomplished. I didn't like seeing buzz get dumbed down tho.
this movie didn't add or subtract anything to the original trilogy, and i look forward to seeing it 100 times again when it makes it to bluray
Lutter
strong butthole 💪
Such a neat idea and I normally am a fan of Richard Curtis penned films.
You're right about Boyle though. His career has been on a downhill trajectory since the last 1/3 of 'Sunshine' (whhhhhhy).
Another extra thought clicked on what made Midsommar and Hereditary stand out for me, even though I don't consider them in my top 10, but I think I have an idea...
The typical horror trope has death/violence from some creature, human nature from stupidity/ignorance/greed, paranormal/supernatural forces etc. The audience wants the source or whatever to be stopped, you want the killer to be caught, you blame the people for being too stupid.
But Hereditary and Midsommar do it differently: they treat death as an inevitable event and there's no escape.
The typical horror trope has death/violence from some creature, human nature from stupidity/ignorance/greed, paranormal/supernatural forces etc. The audience wants the source or whatever to be stopped, you want the killer to be caught, you blame the people for being too stupid.
But Hereditary and Midsommar do it differently: they treat death as an inevitable event and there's no escape.
He was on the Graham Norton Show (BBC's flagship chat show) with the two leads the other week. Me and the wife couldn't believe how hideous it looked.
Written by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually etc.) so it's not like between the two of them they shouldn't be able to come up with a half decent crowd pleaser.
I saw Spiderman: Far From Home last night and I really enjoyed it.
Yeah, everyone guessed the basics of the twist regarding Mysterio as soon as the first trailer was released. Because if you know anything about Mysterio you know he's a bullshit artist. But the execution was very cool, and Gyllenhal was entertaining. The mid-credits sequence revealing JK Simmons coming back as J. Jonah Jameson was great, and turning him into an Alex Jones style lunatic fringe dickhead was a good update.