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[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

I was really excited to watch Iona for some reason, probably because I liked the premise and Ruth Negga is great, but in the end it was really slow, obtuse, with some super mediocre acting dragging it down.

Great scenery though.

 

[Pachimari]

On a rewatch I still feel Filipino au pairs have been horribly misrepresented in Rosita. And the acting is stiff and wooden, especially from the woman playing the au pair girl. But that's probably the thing, she's an au pair girl and no actress which comes across clearly. I can watch it again and again but it is no good movie.

 

[mariachi507]

Alright movie-gaf, I need some movie advice. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen a Miyazaki or a Studio Ghibli film in general. I'm about to take a journey through their works but need some advice on how to watch them. Normally in a foreign film it's a no-brainer for me to watch it in its original language. However, many of these Ghibli flicks have had dubs made by Disney and I really don't know which way to go here. So basically, dub vs sub?

 

[Icolin]

Alright movie-gaf, I need some movie advice. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen a Miyazaki or a Studio Ghibli film in general. I'm about to take a journey through their works but need some advice on how to watch them. Normally in a foreign film it's a no-brainer for me to watch it in its original language. However, many of these Ghibli flicks have had dubs made by Disney and I really don't know which way to go here. So basically, dub vs sub?

Sub, all day every day. Only anime I like the dub for is Cowboy Bebop.

I'm sure the dubs for the Ghibli films are all right though. Just don't see the point unless the dub is just vastly superior, which it rarely is.

 

[Krev]

Alright movie-gaf, I need some movie advice. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen a Miyazaki or a Studio Ghibli film in general. I'm about to take a journey through their works but need some advice on how to watch them. Normally in a foreign film it's a no-brainer for me to watch it in its original language. However, many of these Ghibli flicks have had dubs made by Disney and I really don't know which way to go here. So basically, dub vs sub?

Sub obviously, it's a less altered version of the director's original vision than a recast version.

 

[mariachi507]

Sub, all day every day. Only anime I like the dub for is Cowboy Bebop.

I'm sure the dubs for the Ghibli films are all right though. Just don't see the point unless the dub is just vastly superior, which it rarely is.

Sub obviously, it's a less altered version of the director's original vision than a recast version.

Good deal. Thanks for the input people.

 

[frontovik]

Just finished Europa, Europa!, a very interesting look at the life of Solomon Perel, a German Jew who masqueraded his identity to stay alive after he and his family were forced out of Nazi Germany. He had to keep a low profile among the Soviets, a German army battalion, and the Hitler Youth.

 

[Blader]

Out of the Past
I don't have a good brain for old-school film noir; more often than not the plot just washes over me, and not in a "I'm so immersed in this world" kind of way, but more of a "I'm not really following everything that's happening right now, and stop talking so fast!" kind of way. That said, Robert Mitchum nails his usual mix of suave and vulnerable (this is the youngest I've seen him in a movie, so there's some extra suave here), Kirk Douglas' oddly high-pitched performance has got some bite, the dialogue is sharp and witty (though, as per usual, sometimes a little too sharp and witty), and the ending is surprisingly dark. I think people who have a better predisposition for 40s/50s noir would love this (and apparently they do). My preferences lean more in the neo-noir direction though, so this film is overall solid but just ok to me.
6/10

 

[Rhomega Beta]

Spider-Man: Homecoming: I think this is the best Spider-Man movie yet. It's more fun, and while it does have drama, there isn't too much of it. Strikes a good balance between having Spider-Man be in the spotlight, but keeping him connected to Tony Stark. Vulture is a good villain, but he really gets interesting about 2/3 of the way through. The wingsuit is awesome.

Also, I think this has the best post-credits scene, but you really have to sit through the end credits to get the full effect.

Laura: This one just wasn't grabbing me that much. It's a nice mystery, but not one I feel the need to rewatch.

 

[KraftyKrankins]

Just rewatched Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in preparation for the third one tomorrow. Surprisingly Rise held up very well, and I might like it more than the first time and Dawn, while still a masterpiece to me seems a bit more... mundane now. I'd still give them a 7.5 and 8.5/10 respectively though.

 

[kevin1025]

War For the Planet of the Apes

I'm not going to say too much, because going into this one with only trailers and the like leaves a good deal to be found.

But it is easily my favorite film of the year so far (surpassing Baby Driver, which had been my previous number one). It feels like a sweeping epic, more an exploration of the soul than a grand war film. The fantastic vistas, the gorgeous visuals, the fantastic action, and a character that was the best comic relief in ages, this film had everything I wanted. It also has some social commentary deep in there, which came as a surprise. Its drama is massive, and Andy Serkis definitely gives a run for that potential Best Actor possibility, as uphill as that battle could be with the older generational voters.

I think Dawn is still the better film, but this one was more emotional and powerful for me, so I gave this one a half star more (5/5).

 

[Icolin]

War For the Planet of the Apes

I'm not going to say too much, because going into this one with only trailers and the like leaves a good deal to be found.

But it is easily my favorite film of the year so far (surpassing Baby Driver, which had been my previous number one). It feels like a sweeping epic, more an exploration of the soul than a grand war film. The fantastic vistas, the gorgeous visuals, the fantastic action, and a character that was the best comic relief in ages, this film had everything I wanted. It also has some social commentary deep in there, which came as a surprise. Its drama is massive, and Andy Serkis definitely gives a run for that potential Best Actor possibility, as uphill as that battle could be with the older generational voters.

I think Dawn is still the better film, but this one was more emotional and powerful for me, so I gave this one a half star more (5/5).

As if I wasn't hyped enough. Woah.

 

[KraftyKrankins]

Yeah, all of that sounds amazing.

 

[kevin1025]

As if I wasn't hyped enough. Woah.

Yeah, all of that sounds amazing.

I hope I don't overhype it and ruin it for you guys! It can certainly drag for some audiences and viewers since there's more drama than action this go-around, but I was super invested in every single minute of it.

 

[Sean C]

Toy Story (1995): As Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote, the world would never be the same. It's been a good few years since I last watched this (I, of course, first saw it in theatres in 1995, then aged 8). The story holds up. The CGI animation is actually a bit rough in places, but y'know, nobody had ever done this before on this scale, and there's some really great character animation here. I had forgotten that Randy Newman wrote other songs for this movie beyond "You've Got A Friend in Me", and...they're pretty forgettable, and call to mind that parody of Newman's songs just being him rambling about whatever he sees. The song over Buzz's failed attempt to fly in the third act, especially; I think that moment would have been more powerful without the music, which is probably how Pixar would do it today. Nits aside, an all-time classic.

Toy Story 2 (1999): This was made only four years after the first film, but the difference in animation quality is genuinely astounding. Compare Buster, the family dog in this film, to Sid's dog in the first one, for instance. The story builds on the previous film pretty much perfectly, and, unlike the Buzz sequence I described above, this film's Newman song setpiece never fails to make me cry. Rewatching is a great opportunity to reacquaint myself with all the visual gags that Pixar packs into the film (favourites include Buzz running through the conveyor belt with a "Butte" destination sticker attacked to his, well, butt; and the temporal fade showing Andy's neighbours baffled by the airport luggage carrier that the toys presumably hijacked to get home and then left in front of their house).

Moonrise Kingdom (2012): I rewatched this because a friend was visiting and we had a lengthy discussion about Wes Anderson's oeuvre and decided to watch this again. This is a perfect movie, a distinction I rarely award. I would change nothing about it.

 

[MidnightCowboy]

Moonrise is probably my least favorite Wes Anderson movie :/

 

[ActWan]

Baby Driver - 6/10

Acting was mostly good, the OST is amazing and the directing was borderline genius at times (combining visuals and audio with the music wonderfully).
But this movie had some really stupid shit.

Spoiler

After they found out all his tapes and tell him he's not driving, he's just saying he is driving and everybody are like "okay"?
The entire character of Deborah was stupid. She only met him 2 times and then he comes to her bar and shoots someone after he ditched her the night before and she fucking runs away with him, and waits for him five fucking years while he was in prison too. Also the part in the parkinglot where she screamed "NOW!" and he couldn't possibly hear/see her doing it was stupid as fuck.

And there were more stupid things.
Overall it was a fun experience.

 

[Messofanego]

Moonrise is probably my least favorite Wes Anderson movie :/

It's one of the cutest adolescent romcoms I've seen. My least favourite is The Darjeeling Limited, but that's the one most people don't like either. It just seemed with the least drive.

 

[Sean C]

Least favourite Wes Anderson would be The Life Aquatic for me.

 

[KraftyKrankins]

I hope I don't overhype it and ruin it for you guys! It can certainly drag for some audiences and viewers since there's more drama than action this go-around, but I was super invested in every single minute of it.

That's even better for me.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Least favourite Wes Anderson would be The Life Aquatic for me.

Bruh. That's the best one.

 

[lordxar]

I should watch Moonrise this weekend and take a break from space trucking. So far I'd put Grand Budapest over Life Aquatic but they were both excellent.

 

[Ridley327]

Dial M for Murder: Superb stage thriller adaptation from a guy who knew a thing or two about single location settings. While the trappings here are a bit more modest than the usual worlds that Hitchcock likes to play with, he nevertheless zeroes in on how important it is to be mindful of every little detail in the apartment, as they can and will become important throughout the course of the story. Helping to highlight that sense of awareness is a thoroughly great performance from Ray Milland as our villain, who manages to find just the right levels of smugness and intelligence to make his character oddly endearing in the face of how thoroughly evil he turns out to be. The plotting here is really fun, too, making great use of what could have been an overly talky bit of exposition as a tool for setting the stage for how the plan goes all wrong, and the big shift the story makes once it does will keep you in your seat, wondering in equal measures just how poor Grace Kelly can get out of her predicament and if Milland can really get away with such a seemingly airtight course correction. This is greatly entertaining from beginning to end, and shows that even without the relative ambition of some of his other films of that period, Hitchcock will always have you right where he wants you to be. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

The Man Who Knew Too Much: A little uneven from a production standpoint, but still a rather cracking thriller with a blistering pace and a rather strong pair of climatic set pieces. Can't go wrong with a younger Peter Lorre as the heavy either, especially with the more understated menace he brings to his role than what he'd become known for in a few short years. It's hard not to have a soft spot for a film that actually gets better and better as it barrels along, especially with how great a finale Hitchcock is able to pull off that also offers up a delicious slice of irony to help make everything go down real smooth.

Among the Living: What if an Amblin-style coming-of-age story wound up smack dab in the middle of a slasher film? Early on, things look pretty promising, as the film follows a trio of teenage ne'er-do-wells as they skip class and decide to get into some mischief that has them winding up in the wrong place at the wrong time. With a killer setting of an abandoned movie studio to help keep things suitably creepy and plenty of setups to keep the action intriguing, the film is practically bursting with potential to do right with its idea and perhaps inject a little bit of heroic innocence into the genre for a change. And then the movie just gives up and decides to go for something more conventional and boring, punctuated mainly by its willingness to get really stupid with its plot holes (getting one address for one of the kids means you get all of them?) and thoroughly unpleasant as it literally kills off its good ideas one by one. Sure, it's got the shock factor in its favor, but what good does it really do the film other than being provocative for the sake of being provocative? The film leaves a bad taste in one's mouth with how much it miscalculates those moments, and they distract away from the high level of craft that is otherwise on display throughout. Why the move away from a good core idea, I can't say, but this one does everything it can to squander its potential and make you wonder if the filmmakers may be a tad misanthropic, and not in the amusing way.

 

[Rei_Toei]

Watched Kraftidioten (In Order of Disappearance) which was quite enjoyable, though I expected a bit more. Don't know, overhyped myself a bit maybe. Also a bit darker then I thought it would be. A lot was working in this movie, but the antagonist (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) wasn't really fleshed out as a character and the ending left me a bit dissatisfied. Not really loose ends, but a bit of a 'what now?' lingering feeling. Liked the random last casualty in the form of the

Spoiler

Serbian gangster that went hanggliding ending up - for no reason whatsoever - in Dickmans snow blower, splurting out green from the hangglider - little Bond hommage, perhaps with the Serbian boss giving zero fucks

And of course, there's a remake planned and lo and behold, Liam Neeson is in the lead. Bunch of cynical tossers, those remake-fuelled studios these days.

 

[Messofanego]

Least favourite Wes Anderson would be The Life Aquatic for me.

One of the best.

 

[Ridley327]

Watched Kraftidioten (In Order of Disappearance) which was quite enjoyable, though I expected a bit more. Don't know, overhyped myself a bit maybe. Also a bit darker then I thought it would be. A lot was working in this movie, but the antagonist (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) wasn't really fleshed out as a character and the ending left me a bit dissatisfied. Not really loose ends, but a bit of a 'what now?' lingering feeling. Liked the random last casualty in the form of the

Spoiler

Serbian gangster that went hanggliding ending up - for no reason whatsoever - in Dickmans snow blower, splurting out green from the hangglider - little Bond hommage, perhaps with the Serbian boss giving zero fucks

And of course, there's a remake planned and lo and behold, Liam Neeson is in the lead. Bunch of cynical tossers, those remake-fuelled studios these days.

As soon as I saw that film, I knew someone would try to make it into a Liam Neeson vehicle. Stellan Skarsgard is operating in that mode, though I think the humor really does help set him apart from coming off like a Neeson me-too. That being said, I can see them dropping the dark humor in a remake to make it more in line with the usual Neeson output these days, even though I feel Neeson could absolutely nail the tricky humor if he gets the cast to go along with it.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

Moonrise is probably my least favorite Wes Anderson movie :/

I am appalled.

 

[KraftyKrankins]

Umm I'm sitting in the theater waiting for War for the Planet to start and the trailer for Del.Toros new movie was shown. I don't see it anywhere on youtube. It looked amazing.

 

[Infernostew]

Least favourite Wes Anderson would be The Life Aquatic for me.

I got your back. It's my least favorite as well.

 

[kevin1025]

Umm I'm sitting in the theater waiting for War for the Planet to start and the trailer for Del.Toros new movie was shown. I don't see it anywhere on youtube. It looked amazing.

The Shape of Water, right? I think the trailer premieres with The Strain in two days, I guess your theatre didn't wait, haha.

 

[Ridley327]

I'll be the real weirdo and say that Rushmore is my least favorite of Wes Anderson's films. Max comes off as way too dangerous a sociopath to make the humor land for me.

 

[Krev]

The Shape of Water, right? I think the trailer premieres with The Strain in two days, I guess your theatre didn't wait, haha.

It's attached to Apes and theatre exclusive until it airs on TV with The Strain.

 

[Blader]

I'll be the real weirdo and say that Rushmore is my least favorite of Wes Anderson's films. Max comes off as way too dangerous a sociopath to make the humor land for me.

It's not my least favorite, but it's more on that end of the spectrum for me. Also, I think Bottle Rocket is underrated.

 

[phoenixyz]

Watch Revanche, for some of that, if you haven't.

I shamelessly stole this recommendation and really enjoyed it. Thank you very much. I wonder how I didn't know about this movie.
Also, seems I am not only really bad with dialects in english but also in my native german. To understand all of the mumbled Austrian I had to turn on subtitles...

 

[KraftyKrankins]

The Shape of Water, right? I think the trailer premieres with The Strain in two days, I guess your theatre didn't wait, haha.

Yeah, I felt like I was a part of something exclusive until the other poster mentioned it's attached to War hahaha. Felt like a more sterile Pan's Labyrinth and the creature looked very similar to the aquatic guy from Hellboy(don't remember his name) but more green and blue. Looks to be solely focused on the relationship between it and Sally Hawkins' character.

 

[kevin1025]

It's attached to Apes and theatre exclusive until it airs on TV with The Strain.

Ah cool, my theatre last night just showed an absurd amount of known trailers, didn't end up that one.

Yeah, I felt like I was a part of something exclusive until the other poster mentioned it's attached to War hahaha. Felt like a more sterile Pan's Labyrinth and the creature looked very similar to the aquatic guy from Hellboy(don't remember his name) but more green and blue. Looks to be solely focused on the relationship between it and Sally Hawkins' character.

This definitely intrigues me, I'm looking forward to seeing the trailer in a few days, then!

 

[Sean C]

Bruh. That's the best one.

Total dullsville, in my opinion.

My ranking:

1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Rushmore
5. The Darjeeling Limited
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. Bottle Rocket
8. The Life Aquatic

 

[MidnightCowboy]

This 10 second clip from Life Aquatic is better than anything in Moonrise

 

[Ridley327]

The Big Sick: Oh gee, they can make romantic comedies in 2017 that don't rely on every member of the cast being shouting idiots and situations and setups that come right out of a cartoon! Who could have possibly known that making endearing characters that are flawed yet willing to improve themselves and having them deal with realistic and timely personal matters that cover a wide spectrum including cultural norms would have made for such a witty and engaging film? Oh, that's right, EVERYONE.

 

[Hexxen-Panda]

The Hateful Eight
I really liked it, but the gruesomeness was too intimate and prolonged that it made me sick and tired before the last chapter. It really did not help that you were confined for 3 hours in the same location with the same characters with little breathing room between the bursts of violence in the latter half.

Great cast, great cinematography, and very engaging dialogue made me enjoy this film a lot. I don't mind that the film is mean-spirited, but I got worn out by the end of it. At least in other QT films, the orgy of violence often came with banging soundtrack choices.

8/10

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Watching Love & Friendship on Prime when the internet went down. About 2/3 through and it's occasionally amusing in a Downton Abbey wannabe way. Not sure I'll finish it though.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

OK so Baby Driver is great, and probably the best thing I've seen this year (which isn't saying much because I've been slacking on small/mid budget movies), but it didn't blow me all the way away. The rhythmic editing is razor sharp, it's very well shot, the tone is more stylized and unhinged than I thought it would be, the action scenes are great, Jamie Foxx is great, John Hamm is great, and Kevin Spacey is great. BUT, I don't think the script is up to typical Edgar Wright standards which left me cold on Baby and Debora, and I'm honestly not sure if the pacing works all the way through.

On the writing side, Baby and Debora's scenes are cute and plucky in sort of winking "cinema magic" noir sort of way, but they don't elicit much actual emotion from me, which is a problem considering how much that dynamic is supposed to support everything else that happens in the movie. The reason I've been one of those people saying that The World's End is Wright's best before Baby Driver came out is because despite the fact that the genre homage/subversion might've been tighter and/or more clever in Shaun and Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg's performance and character in The World's End is some of Wright's best work as a writer-director so far. Now with Baby Driver, I don't feel like that dramatic weight was carried over. So when the movie turns towards its most un-Edgar Wright moments, those straight noir/crime thriller moments, the scenes are a little flat.

Beyond the writing, I don't think the stylistic choices and pacing allow the movie to get where it needs to be in those moments. The editing gimmick is SO tight and SO playful that it almost undermines the romance and danger when it comes back around. Somehow it's Jamie Foxx's sociopathic turn as "Bats" who manages to steal nearly all of the weightier scenes for himself, and it's in his scenes that I feel the other side of Baby Driver, the "shit just got real" side, is strongest. Unfortunately, this ain't called "Bats Driver", and this ain't Jamie Foxx's movie.

Basically... I need to see this one again. Now that I understand what it is and what it's doing, I'm thinking a rewatch will smooth this out for me, and I'll be able to appreciate it more for what it does well. And make no mistake, it does a lot well. Very, very fun movie, but I think it left some room for War For The Planet of The Apes to muscle its way into that "Best Summer Movie" slot.

 

[Sean C]

Watching Love & Friendship on Prime when the internet went down. About 2/3 through and it's occasionally amusing in a Downton Abbey wannabe way. Not sure I'll finish it though.

Whit Stillman films always feel to me like eating a dessert made entirely of whipped cream. It's pleasant, but there's no weight at all.

 

[overcast]

Baby Driver might have my favorite scene of the year:

Spoiler

Baby suddenly brutally killing Bats is shocking and immediately made me go in a shit just got real type of thinking. Chaos ensues and Hocus Pocus (song) kicks in perfectly with a brilliant chase sequence. Seen it twice, that scene had me on the edge both times.

 

[Discotheque]

Baby Driver might have my favorite scene of the year:

Spoiler

Baby suddenly brutally killing Bats is shocking and immediately made me go in a shit just got real type of thinking. Chaos ensues and Hocus Pocus (song) kicks in perfectly with a brilliant chase sequence. Seen it twice, that scene had me on the edge both times.

That whole action sequence is money. From that unexpected murder all the way to the end. The on foot sequence reminded me of Point Break

Seen it twice now and I think it might be my second favorite of the director after worlds end. I found the drama and characters in that one the most engaging. Whereas in this I was more into all the crazy antagonists than the main two (who were not bad....but Foxx, Spacey and Hamm were freaking titans)

 

[MidnightCowboy]

I think it left some room for War For The Planet of The Apes to muscle its way into that "Best Summer Movie" slot.

Let da gawd Nolan into your heart

 

[Fancy Clown]

Baby Driver might have my favorite scene of the year:

Spoiler

Baby suddenly brutally killing Bats is shocking and immediately made me go in a shit just got real type of thinking. Chaos ensues and Hocus Pocus (song) kicks in perfectly with a brilliant chase sequence. Seen it twice, that scene had me on the edge both times.

Yeah that was the best sequence for me as well. Although

Spoiler

the final showdown where John Hamm is in a fuckin police. cruiser bathed in red light hunting Baby down while blasting his killer track

was such a hype conclusion. Over the top in just the right way for me.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Let da gawd Nolan into your heart

I've been eeeehhhhhhh on Nolan's last 3 movies, so Dunkirk would have to be a Fury Road level experience, on top of War For The Planet of The Apes disappointing, for Nolan to claim that spot.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Whit Stillman films always feel to me like eating a dessert made entirely of whipped cream. It's pleasant, but there's no weight at all.

Love & Friendship (2016) - Went back and finished it when the internet finally (100 minutes w/o internet omg we almost had to claw each other's flesh off our bones to survive) came back up. It's amusing, in a low key kind of way. Kate Beckinsale is one of my all-time crushes, and she just looks so impeccably beautiful so the movie gets an extra half star from me.

That and Tom Bennett's performance as James Martin, a man described as a "Rattle," was so over the top funny to have me laughing out loud a few times.

2.5 / 5

Baby Driver might have my favorite scene of the year:

Spoiler

Baby suddenly brutally killing Bats is shocking and immediately made me go in a shit just got real type of thinking. Chaos ensues and Hocus Pocus (song) kicks in perfectly with a brilliant chase sequence. Seen it twice, that scene had me on the edge both times.

That whole action sequence is money. From that unexpected murder all the way to the end. The on foot sequence reminded me of Point Break

Seen it twice now and I think it might be my second favorite of the director after worlds end. I found the drama and characters in that one the most engaging. Whereas in this I was more into all the crazy antagonists than the main two (who were not bad....but Foxx, Spacey and Hamm were freaking titans)

Yeah that was the best sequence for me as well. Although

Spoiler

the final showdown where John Hamm is in a fuckin police. cruiser bathed in red light hunting Baby down while blasting his killer track

was such a hype conclusion. Over the top in just the right way for me.

When he was looking at those rods sticking out the back of that truck, I was like "yeah, shit's going down any minute here."

 

[Sean C]

I saw Baby Driver again tonight, this time with a friend who hadn't seen it yet. A second viewing mostly smoothed over nits I was feeling about the film. While I still think the movie would be even better if Lily James' character was more than an idealized love interest, James brings so much charm and sincerity to the character that I think she works overall.