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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| July 2017
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
Jeff Nichols calls Midnight Special his "least well-executed film" Sorry Net_Wrecker.
Also, Dunkirk impressions.
Dunkirk
In regular 70mm. Impressive piece of filmmaking craft by Nolan, and in many ways a huge -- and welcome -- departure from his recent, more messier films. The minimal character work to heighten the effect of the film as a pure survival experience a la Gravity or All is Lost worked for me. Although I didn't find it *that* tense. There was tension, sure, but I don't really get these reviews where people were practically shitting themselves from stress.
The three timelines was a neat editing trick to mix up an otherwise conventional story. Another excellent Zimmer score, who now seems to reserve all his best work for Nolan these days. And Tom Hardy proves again he's the best eyes + mask actor working today. I don't know why some are going on about how loud this is, I thought the volume was totally normal but I also saw it just in regular 70mm, so maybe it's the IMAX crowd who had their ears blown out.
Not sure where this sits in the Nolan canon for me, but I thought it was a great piece of work.
8/10
Also, Dunkirk impressions.
Dunkirk
In regular 70mm. Impressive piece of filmmaking craft by Nolan, and in many ways a huge -- and welcome -- departure from his recent, more messier films. The minimal character work to heighten the effect of the film as a pure survival experience a la Gravity or All is Lost worked for me. Although I didn't find it *that* tense. There was tension, sure, but I don't really get these reviews where people were practically shitting themselves from stress.
The three timelines was a neat editing trick to mix up an otherwise conventional story. Another excellent Zimmer score, who now seems to reserve all his best work for Nolan these days. And Tom Hardy proves again he's the best eyes + mask actor working today. I don't know why some are going on about how loud this is, I thought the volume was totally normal but I also saw it just in regular 70mm, so maybe it's the IMAX crowd who had their ears blown out.
Not sure where this sits in the Nolan canon for me, but I thought it was a great piece of work.
8/10
Net_Wrecker
Member
He's wrong. Directors have been wrong about thier own stuff before. Hell I think Tarantino secretly resents Jackie Brown tbh. All Nichols can see is the baggage that comes along with a big studio release, and the middling response from some critics who are also wrong.
Great movie.
I am right.
Blader y u do dis (; _
Fancy Clown
Member
Midnight Special is half a great movie.
He should have left out the "Special" part and just made one called Midnight where it's just Joel Edgerton and Michael Shannon on the run from the creepy cult fellers and left out the dopey kid and Spielberg wanking nonsense.
He should have left out the "Special" part and just made one called Midnight where it's just Joel Edgerton and Michael Shannon on the run from the creepy cult fellers and left out the dopey kid and Spielberg wanking nonsense.
As much as I really, really liked Midnight Special, it was definitely Joel Edgerton and Michael Shannon on the run with the kid and the cult chasing them that was the strongest parts for me.
But it's still a real good movie.
Net_Wrecker
Member
How is it Spielberg wanking? Half the criticism I read for the movie is that it's not sentimental or flashy enough.
This is how I know you're all wrong. Can't even hate in the same direction.
Fancy Clown
Member
Hey hey hey don't play dumb, you know exactly how it's Spielberg wanking! It's the bad half with all the goggles, glowing blue lights, cushy parallel worlds, goofy sci-fi structures, and Adam Driver's character. The good half is the not-sentimental, not-flashy stuff aka everything else.
The hate can go in two directions because Midnight Special is basically two different movies jammed together.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Puck Beaverton
Banned
Fun fact: Kirsten Dunst is in Midnight Special
That Woodshock, though.
Fancy Clown
Member
The gritty delivery and presentation of Michael Shannon playing off a bunch of goofy lite sci-fi hopefulness didn't work for me at all. And Adam Driver's character felt like he walked in from a completely different movie.
Discotheque
Banned
I really liked midnight special. I don't think it captured the awe of the sci fi element as well as close encounters did but I did appreciate how it took that Spielberg element and injected some realism into it with them having to face the consequence of what they did.
I also liked how restrained the Shannon performance was.
Cast and music was good too. But take shelter is still GOAT Nichols so far
I also liked how restrained the Shannon performance was.
Cast and music was good too. But take shelter is still GOAT Nichols so far
That the movie gives dunst nothing to do is its greatest sin. I mean who tf hires dunst to be Stock Estranged Wife. Nichols I guess, but despite the male focus of his films he usually serves his female characters pretty well (cf. Chastain in Take Shelter) (not cf. Mud which we should all block from memory).
I don't think it's goofy and light though. It's...I don't like always coming back to Close Encounters and Starman and Interstellar when talking about Midnight Special but it's unavoidable, because it's a related commingling of hippy-dippy spirituality and hardboiled PKD-esque b-scifi. That's my sweet spot. Driver isn't pure comic relief, either. He does heavy lifting in a couple scenes like the interrogation.
Fancy Clown
Member
It felt goofy to me not entirely because of the handling of the Spielberg-esque sci-fi elements on their own, but because they stuck out against the no-nonsense, spare, thriller vibe that dominates like 70% of the movie. It's like I was trying to watch No Country for Old Men but ET kept stumbling out from the back of the frame and crashing the party.
And yeah, I def forgot Dunst was even in the movie lol
And yeah, I def forgot Dunst was even in the movie lol
Hold on, what's wrong with Mud?
Net_Wrecker
Member
I don't get that from the movie at all. The same lean, "under the surface" tone of the thriller half is built into the sci-fi half as well. I like the movie BECAUSE it takes an Amblin style story abd makes it distinctly non-Spielbergian in the way it handles both the human connections and the science fiction. Very little schmaltz.
Honestly I should rewatch it because I liked it plenty in theaters but it's soured in my head a LOT since then. Specifically wrt the female roles, Witherspoon's character is awful and I don't think the excuse that she's merely a symbol and that it's filtered through the perspective of Sheridan's character is sufficient.
MidnightCowboy
Member
The best moment of Midnight Special hinges on the sci fi elements. That movie was dope as fuck.
Fancy Clown
Member
Net_Wrecker
Member
THAT WAS WELL EARNED
SHUT UP FANCY CLOWN
SHUT UP FANCY CLOWN
Superbia: An animated short in which a man ejaculating pint-sized humans into existence has competition for being the weirdest thing that happens in it. Yes, this one veers much closer to the X-rated side of the spectrum than most, though with the presence of prehensile breasts adorned to female bodies armed with vestigial arms, one gets the sense that it would be fairly challenging to be aroused by this film. There's a bit of a role reversal at play here in this rather unique battle of the sexes, loaded with imagery that won't be soon forgotten by anyone that sees it, and thanks to its playful tone, the utter strangeness goes down easier than you might expect. The weirdness is definitely overwhelming at times, but it is about the right length for it to work at all, and there is a surprisingly tender heart to it by the end that does bring things down just enough to give a solid impact. Just don't expect anything even remotely normal, and go into it with the expectation that this is what happened if you tried to watch Yellow Submarine and a National Geographic special on top of one another while dropping acid.
Messofanego
Banned
A lot of directors hate their films but sometimes it can be because the process was exhausting. I would agree with Nicolas Winding Refn on Only God Forgives being a mess not being sure what to do in Bangkok but disagree with Lars Von Trier on Melancholia being too pretty and neat.
Open the valve...let the salt flow.
Take Shelter Finally watched this the other day and I have to say...meh. It was decent enough but I think I'm tired of the is this person really nuts movies because this really did nothing for me. Kept waiting for a big payoff and it really just whimpered out an ending.
Take Shelter Finally watched this the other day and I have to say...meh. It was decent enough but I think I'm tired of the is this person really nuts movies because this really did nothing for me. Kept waiting for a big payoff and it really just whimpered out an ending.
mariachi507
Member
I've been having keyboard dock issues on my laptop and haven't really been able to type on it for a couple of months now. However, I found that if I tilt my laptop in a certain position I can sometimes make it through a paragraph before the keyboard disconnects. Basically, typing movie reviews sucks right now, but I've seen some good stuff lately and wanted to share it.
Baby Driver - Addictively stylish featuring a talented director at the height of his powers. I have to tip my hat to the narrative for being able to surprise me when it came to the fate of certain characters. I'm also glad the Wright chose songs that are, for the most part, not expected in a type of movie like this or at least not the usual collection of tunes. The ending holds the film back a bit, and while I liked the characters of Baby and Deborah, I didn't quite believe their romance enough to be as invested as I would have liked. This is going to require a rewatch to be able to accurately critique it, because there is a whole lot going on here to catch on a first viewing.
8/10
Memories of Murder - I dare you to find a movie this good that features as many dropkicks. I have to wonder if Fincher had seen this prior to making Zodiac because the similarities are to great to overlook. Memories of Murder covers one of the first cases of a serial killer in South Korea history. Like the before mentioned Zodiac though, this film is less about the actual murders and more about how they affect the individuals investigating them. You wouldn't expect a film about such a dark subject matter to be this funny though, as I never expected to laugh as hard or much as I did. While Memories of Murder can send you into hysterics, thanks to the tight direction of Bong Joon-ho you'll be squirming in your seat due to the suspense of the next scene. Zodiac is known for its moments of sheer terror but I do believe that they are matched here. However, it's the journey of the investigators that drive the film, and I'm fairly sure it's a journey I'll be taking over and over as I watch it again. Now, where's the blu-ray?
9/10
War of the Planet of the Apes - I have to commend Matt Reeves for not taking the easy way out with this sequel. I expected this film to be a copy of the last one and I was wrong. Dawn was more of a spectacle whereas War gives us a more intimate look at Caesar and Co. This not only occurs from a story standpoint, but even the framing is Jonathan Demme like with extreme close-ups where character moments are told by facial expressions instead of exposition. There are a few narrative stumbles along the way and the villain was a tad undercooked, but this is about the journey of Caesar which is the perspective we are shown throughout the majority of the picture and as it stands it's a successful one.
8.5/10
Baby Driver - Addictively stylish featuring a talented director at the height of his powers. I have to tip my hat to the narrative for being able to surprise me when it came to the fate of certain characters. I'm also glad the Wright chose songs that are, for the most part, not expected in a type of movie like this or at least not the usual collection of tunes. The ending holds the film back a bit, and while I liked the characters of Baby and Deborah, I didn't quite believe their romance enough to be as invested as I would have liked. This is going to require a rewatch to be able to accurately critique it, because there is a whole lot going on here to catch on a first viewing.
8/10
Memories of Murder - I dare you to find a movie this good that features as many dropkicks. I have to wonder if Fincher had seen this prior to making Zodiac because the similarities are to great to overlook. Memories of Murder covers one of the first cases of a serial killer in South Korea history. Like the before mentioned Zodiac though, this film is less about the actual murders and more about how they affect the individuals investigating them. You wouldn't expect a film about such a dark subject matter to be this funny though, as I never expected to laugh as hard or much as I did. While Memories of Murder can send you into hysterics, thanks to the tight direction of Bong Joon-ho you'll be squirming in your seat due to the suspense of the next scene. Zodiac is known for its moments of sheer terror but I do believe that they are matched here. However, it's the journey of the investigators that drive the film, and I'm fairly sure it's a journey I'll be taking over and over as I watch it again. Now, where's the blu-ray?
9/10
War of the Planet of the Apes - I have to commend Matt Reeves for not taking the easy way out with this sequel. I expected this film to be a copy of the last one and I was wrong. Dawn was more of a spectacle whereas War gives us a more intimate look at Caesar and Co. This not only occurs from a story standpoint, but even the framing is Jonathan Demme like with extreme close-ups where character moments are told by facial expressions instead of exposition. There are a few narrative stumbles along the way and the villain was a tad undercooked, but this is about the journey of Caesar which is the perspective we are shown throughout the majority of the picture and as it stands it's a successful one.
8.5/10
I waltz into this thread for one day
And I see the desecration of Jeff Nichols' best film.
TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared
Member
You're right. But they're bad.
A film with minions in it is better than Cars 3, a Pixar film? That's weird, that shouldn't be a thing, but it is.
Despicable Me 3 is just good enough. Not unlike Cars 3 it's clearly intended to be viewed by people much younger than myself, but it's watchable enough and has more enough gags for the slightly older crowd to make it 'funny'
The actual storyline is complete nonsense mind, and Steve Carrell doesn't seem to care that much about these films or the characters of Gru/Dru (is it Dru or Drew?), but he's certainly game for all the dumb stuff and dumb accent. And minions are funny, and you'll never tell me they're not, and it passes the six laugh test easily.
Why do people keep thinking this is ambiguous? Yes, yes he is really mentally ill.
The final shot is just him being able to face the metaphorical storm, with the full support and understanding of his family.
True Savior
Member
You can't just come to this thread and badmouth Take Shelter.
mariachi507
Member
Persona - I have so many questions. I don't really feel like I can give a rating to a film that I don't completely understand, but my ratings don't really matter anyway. I can tell you that Persona deserves to be seen by anyone that labels themselves a true film buff. Visually, I don't believe I own a better looking film in my collection. I feel pity for people who say they can't watch black and white movies as if the medium was somehow limited by the use of two colors. At this point, most films had already moved to color but Bergman resisted and after having seen Persona you'll know why. This film wouldn't have been as effective if it was shot differently. His use of framing alone with Bibi Andersson's face juxtaposed with Liv Ullmann's is breathtaking and that's not even getting into the implications of what these shots mean. Aside from the imagery, both actresses carry the film with Anderson being a stand out. The only other Bergman film I've seen up to this point is the Seventh Seal. I'm unsure if he's topped himself or even matched his work in that film, but Persona is going to stay in my mind for awhile.
Days of Heaven - Of course, as soon as I say that Persona is probably the best looking film in my collection I decide the pop this one in next. I don't know what I can say about the visuals that hasn't been said before, but it is an amazing achievement in cinematography and definitely the greatest strength driving the picture. That's not to say that the story is bad, it's not, it's just not a typical narrative driven movie. Instead the visuals drive the narrative. I would go as far as to say that the movie would be just as effective without dialogue completely. It really unveils itself as if it's moving painting. I was even close to writing off the voiceover as just a tool to keep mainstream audiences engaged, but I realized that the voiceover (character giving the VO) serves as the perspective that the story is being told. We're seeing the world of Days of Heaven exactly the same way our narrator does, which includes her view of it and the way people interact including those close to her. Wonderful stuff.
That's my second Terrance Malick flick and I'm going through his filmography slowly so I can really take it all in. With just his first two films he had already left his mark on the cinescape. I'm looking forward to what lays ahead.
9/10
Edit: speech to text doesn't care about my typos.
I made it about fifteen minutes before I shut it off. I hated everything about the visual design of it with the constant shakiness of the camera being the cherry on top. Maybe I wasn't in the mood.
Days of Heaven - Of course, as soon as I say that Persona is probably the best looking film in my collection I decide the pop this one in next. I don't know what I can say about the visuals that hasn't been said before, but it is an amazing achievement in cinematography and definitely the greatest strength driving the picture. That's not to say that the story is bad, it's not, it's just not a typical narrative driven movie. Instead the visuals drive the narrative. I would go as far as to say that the movie would be just as effective without dialogue completely. It really unveils itself as if it's moving painting. I was even close to writing off the voiceover as just a tool to keep mainstream audiences engaged, but I realized that the voiceover (character giving the VO) serves as the perspective that the story is being told. We're seeing the world of Days of Heaven exactly the same way our narrator does, which includes her view of it and the way people interact including those close to her. Wonderful stuff.
That's my second Terrance Malick flick and I'm going through his filmography slowly so I can really take it all in. With just his first two films he had already left his mark on the cinescape. I'm looking forward to what lays ahead.
9/10
Edit: speech to text doesn't care about my typos.
Power Rangers (2017)
I made it about fifteen minutes before I shut it off. I hated everything about the visual design of it with the constant shakiness of the camera being the cherry on top. Maybe I wasn't in the mood.
mariachi507
Member
Double Post
Messofanego
Banned
Take Shelter is one of the best films about schizophrenia. Along with a previous Shannon movie, Bug. They hold a special place with me.
Fancy Clown
Member
The tone for Zatoichi and the Fugitives (not to be confused with 1963's Zatoichi and the Fugitive) is immediately set by a downpour of rain that leads to the death of two men. This is a dark and stormy Zatoichi film, bringing back the severed limbs and arterial spray of Zatoichi the Outlaw and forgoing much of the lighthearted gambling and goofy gags that are staples of the long running series. The mood is balanced by the weather, and lightening storms are a recurring motif in this film, each time setting the mood for an impending slaughter. One slaughter in particular is a notably horrifying display for the series thus far, and helps bring an air of menace to the more individually distinguishable villains this time around. Not only are the band of titular fugitives characterized better, but for the first time in quite a while they feel like a legitimate threat to Ichi who ends up bloodied, battered, and on his last legs by the third act.
The sense of heightened drama, danger, and stripping down of some of the well-worn comedic elements help elevate this as a fairly strong entry in the series, further aided by the stalwart Takashi Shimura in a sympathetic supporting role, and a newly minted Zatoichi theme song.
The sense of heightened drama, danger, and stripping down of some of the well-worn comedic elements help elevate this as a fairly strong entry in the series, further aided by the stalwart Takashi Shimura in a sympathetic supporting role, and a newly minted Zatoichi theme song.
I did not quite catch on to the family thing at the end but either way it was a miss for me. I got that he was mental but I kept pulling for a big storm to really come along...
Watched Wild Tales with my girlfriend after reading some recommendations in the "best foreign movies" topic. She really wanted a light movie after binging "The Sopranos" with me, and I hoped the humor in the film would help. Lo and behold, we both found this movie quite dark in most of the short-stories, but thankfully some of them ended better than others. Good movie overall, generally extremely absurd but well-made and with some great acting. We both found the last short-story the best one by far, and after that the one about the DMV.
Moana/Vaiana
Really glad I waited to get it on Blu-ray. It really shone during the coconut pirate scene, all that detail! Also funny they made you look at that hair a lot because it looked amazing which also caused me to see a lot of inconsistencies, in a lot of scenes her her went from soaking wet to dry curly from one shot to the next.
Really glad I waited to get it on Blu-ray. It really shone during the coconut pirate scene, all that detail! Also funny they made you look at that hair a lot because it looked amazing which also caused me to see a lot of inconsistencies, in a lot of scenes her her went from soaking wet to dry curly from one shot to the next.
Oh, I'm glad I stopped in for the Jeff Nichols talk. My favorite director today after Villeneuve, probably.
Take Shelter is top 10 films of all time for me. Subject matter is intense, dramatic, and interesting. Shannon kills it, as usual. And I absolutely adore the ending.
Mud is probably his weakest, but still a really well made film. It's tight and fast-paced. It reminded me of watching a Cormac McCarthy version of a Mark Twain. The kids are the highlight of it, for me. But I always felt like there could have been more to it. The last 20 minutes or so are intense, but the middle kind of drags where you don't know if it's going anyway (i.e. am I watching a thriller, a drama, a coming of age movie, a crime film? -- but the surprise is good).
Shotgun Stories is great. That's really all I can say about it.
I loved Midnight Special, regardless of everyone else's feelings on it. It walked a tight line between copping Spielberg and honoring him, but I think it worked due to the more modern approach that it took to characterization (and themes, really). I thought Edgerton and Shannon were great, as usual. Shannon especially as the "silent, stoic father" character really hit me because that was my childhood. Kind of a coming of age story in with the roles swapped.
I'm kind of biased to Nichols work because it's very downhom southern kind of stuff, with a veneer of weird mystery and/or science fiction, and that's right in my wheelhouse. I love the endings to his films because they are almost always unexpected, but not in a stupid twist ending kind of way.
I haven't seen Loving yet, but I've heard good things.
Take Shelter is top 10 films of all time for me. Subject matter is intense, dramatic, and interesting. Shannon kills it, as usual. And I absolutely adore the ending.
Mud is probably his weakest, but still a really well made film. It's tight and fast-paced. It reminded me of watching a Cormac McCarthy version of a Mark Twain. The kids are the highlight of it, for me. But I always felt like there could have been more to it. The last 20 minutes or so are intense, but the middle kind of drags where you don't know if it's going anyway (i.e. am I watching a thriller, a drama, a coming of age movie, a crime film? -- but the surprise is good).
Shotgun Stories is great. That's really all I can say about it.
I loved Midnight Special, regardless of everyone else's feelings on it. It walked a tight line between copping Spielberg and honoring him, but I think it worked due to the more modern approach that it took to characterization (and themes, really). I thought Edgerton and Shannon were great, as usual. Shannon especially as the "silent, stoic father" character really hit me because that was my childhood. Kind of a coming of age story in with the roles swapped.
I'm kind of biased to Nichols work because it's very downhom southern kind of stuff, with a veneer of weird mystery and/or science fiction, and that's right in my wheelhouse. I love the endings to his films because they are almost always unexpected, but not in a stupid twist ending kind of way.
I haven't seen Loving yet, but I've heard good things.
Messofanego
Banned
You might have missed the entire point of the movie if you were expecting an actual big storm to come along...
Puck Beaverton
Banned
Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter are so good. I hope he works with Chastain again.
Wafflecakes
Member
Just say Spider-Man. It was pretty good, probably my favorite movie of all the movies about the character.
Good, but not quite fantastic.
Good, but not quite fantastic.
No I got it but I was pulling otherwise. He was too good a person to have to go through all that which is probably the point of it all but some vindication would have been nice.
AngmarsKing701
Member
:jnc
Messofanego
Banned
It was still a positive ending where instead of fighting this battle alone, he has his family on as well to face it.
MidnightCowboy
Member
It only goes down from here. Not just Malick's movies, but for movies as a whole.
Thin Red Line, The New World, and The Tree of Life are three movies that I'd feel comfortable with considering them some of the best movies of all time (The Tree of Life is the best move of all time for me personally). Malick is a visionary. Enjoy.
I don't think it goes down from Days of Heaven; The Tree of Life is my favourite Malick film and favourite film of all time, and I'd take The Thin Red Line and The New World over Days of Heaven, but Days of Heaven is really, really great.
Fancy Clown
Member
Thin Red Line is his best tho
It's close between Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life, but I'd have to go with the latter, although my opinion's probably in the minority.
Everything up until Tree of Life is incredible though; masterpiece after masterpiece, and so distinctive. I'm beginning to warm up to To The Wonder and Knight of Cups (although I don't think I'll ever put them on the same level as his prior work), and Song to Song is actually one of my favourite movies this year, despite many others, reviewers and people ITT, dismissing it as pure garbage. I can understand why to an extent, but I guess it just clicked with me.