Pretty much the case with every above average movie these days.
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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| June 2017
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
Pretty much the case with every above average movie these days.
Thats not the movie's problem tho.
Fatal Attraction (1987): I knew quite a bit about this film before actually watching it, including things like the reshot ending -- and when you go into the film knowing that, it's easy to identify various bits of foreshadowing for the original ending that, as a result of the change, go nowhere. Even if the ending is reshot, though, it's masterfully filmed, one must say (in comparison, the iconic scene of
is overplayed). Michael Douglas' character is kind of interesting in that he's neither a compulsive womanizer nor somebody who really requires a lot of selling to have an affair.
the pet rabbit's demise
Vic_Viper
Member
No I just watched it last night and it wasn't it. That's actually what made me think of it and now I can't figure out which movie it is.
Edit: oh huh, I watched the extended version and that scene wasn't in it. My bad. Thanks btw!
mariachi507
Member
Frankenstein (Rewatch) - While Dracula was Universal's first monster entry and Lugosi's portrayal is iconic, James Whale's Frankenstein took Universal to a better place of horrors. There is a constant eerie-ness throughout along with the lack of sound that adds to the creep factor. Many aspects are dated nowadays, which is expected, but it's still effective despite its issues.
When I was a child I loved horror movies. They didn't scare me, and I would frequently watch anything I could in the genre without any negative effects (disputed). I knew of Frankenstein from my constant viewings of The Monster Squad and believed him to always be the fun loving misunderstood monster that movie depicts. Universal reissued their classic monster titles on VHS around the time I was 6 years old, and I remember begging my mother to buy Frankenstein and Dracula. I looked at the cover and saw Karloff's image with two other men hiding in the background. I didn't expect anything other than the lighthearted fare promised from Monster Squad. I went home, popped in the VHS, and from the moment the monster was revealed I knew something was up. It was within minutes that I had to turn the movie off and couldn't sleep for the night. It took me about 6 years before I could watch horror movies again.
Verdict: 8/10
The Bride of Frankenstein (Rewatch) - James Whale could have took the easy way out and do what many sequels do in copying the film that preceded them and still make money. That was actually the plan Universal had for their Frankenstein sequel, but somehow Whale returned, was basically given carte blanche, and it was decided that the monster demanded a mate. Building off of his work with The Old Dark House and The Invisible Man, Whale introduced comedic elements to the series but do not consider The Bride of Frankenstein to be some joke. It is an improvement in every capacity over the original, and I mean every. It's so bonkers and I absolutely love it.
Verdict: 10/10 "Masterpiece"
Wall-E (Rewatch) - This is probably Pixar's best and features one of my favorite on-screen romances. There are a few aspects of the second half which hold it back slightly, but everything else is magic. If you don't like Wall-E then fuck you.
Verdict: 9.5/10
Wonder Woman - Yay! DC finally got one!
Wonder Woman still falls into the usual comic book movie tropes that hold those types of films back. However, Gadot and Pine are wonderful (like Icecream) and have good chemisty. I felt that there was a sense of weight here that's missing in the previous DCU entries, hopefully they can keep the momentum going for Justice League.
Verdict: 7.5/10
When I was a child I loved horror movies. They didn't scare me, and I would frequently watch anything I could in the genre without any negative effects (disputed). I knew of Frankenstein from my constant viewings of The Monster Squad and believed him to always be the fun loving misunderstood monster that movie depicts. Universal reissued their classic monster titles on VHS around the time I was 6 years old, and I remember begging my mother to buy Frankenstein and Dracula. I looked at the cover and saw Karloff's image with two other men hiding in the background. I didn't expect anything other than the lighthearted fare promised from Monster Squad. I went home, popped in the VHS, and from the moment the monster was revealed I knew something was up. It was within minutes that I had to turn the movie off and couldn't sleep for the night. It took me about 6 years before I could watch horror movies again.
Verdict: 8/10
The Bride of Frankenstein (Rewatch) - James Whale could have took the easy way out and do what many sequels do in copying the film that preceded them and still make money. That was actually the plan Universal had for their Frankenstein sequel, but somehow Whale returned, was basically given carte blanche, and it was decided that the monster demanded a mate. Building off of his work with The Old Dark House and The Invisible Man, Whale introduced comedic elements to the series but do not consider The Bride of Frankenstein to be some joke. It is an improvement in every capacity over the original, and I mean every. It's so bonkers and I absolutely love it.
Verdict: 10/10 "Masterpiece"
Wall-E (Rewatch) - This is probably Pixar's best and features one of my favorite on-screen romances. There are a few aspects of the second half which hold it back slightly, but everything else is magic. If you don't like Wall-E then fuck you.
Verdict: 9.5/10
Wonder Woman - Yay! DC finally got one!
Wonder Woman still falls into the usual comic book movie tropes that hold those types of films back. However, Gadot and Pine are wonderful (like Icecream) and have good chemisty. I felt that there was a sense of weight here that's missing in the previous DCU entries, hopefully they can keep the momentum going for Justice League.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I'd go with Shadows, but that's just me. I've only seen like four of his films. Some of his stuff isn't as easy to get into IMO.
I saw The Death of Mr. Lazarescu like 7 years ago. As someone who likes dark comedy, I just kind of fell asleep.
What is this opinion lmfao.
RE: Enjoyed It Follows quite a bit. The Babadook? Not so much, but it was okay I guess.
Saw It Comes at Night today with about 5 or so other people in the theater. Not too sure how they felt about it. However, I liked it a lot. It probably doesn't top Get Out as my favorite movie of 2017 so far, but it comes close. Really well shot with an incredible sense of tension and dread throughout.
Saw It Comes at Night today with about 5 or so other people in the theater. Not too sure how they felt about it. However, I liked it a lot. It probably doesn't top Get Out as my favorite movie of 2017 so far, but it comes close. Really well shot with an incredible sense of tension and dread throughout.
This seems like a strange observation to make in the face of a genre that's been experiencing a rather nice renaissance since the turn of the decade.
Top 5 of May:
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Aliens
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
4. The Virgin Suicides
5. 20th Century Women
Now let's catch up a bit.
Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King is extremely good. Minhaj consistently showcases the classic axiom of tragedy plus time equaling comedy through an escalating hilarity directly correlated to his experiences growing up as an immigrant and dealing with racism. Its surprisingly heartfelt while also highly funny. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King is a breakout for its star, and makes me really want to start checking out more comedy specials, because this one was spectacular; I cant imagine how many more gems await me in this realm.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is a disgusting fetishization of the American road trip that glorifies animal abuse and anti-intellectualism. More importantly though, it feels like a TV show in a sense the other films in this franchise never had. The D-list cast combined with really cheap cinematography and forced emotional cores makes this a total failure. The third act is over-stuffed and every single pop culture reference is horribly forced. There's really nothing positive to talk about with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. It's truly the wrong haul. 2/10
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Aliens
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
4. The Virgin Suicides
5. 20th Century Women
Now let's catch up a bit.
Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King is extremely good. Minhaj consistently showcases the classic axiom of tragedy plus time equaling comedy through an escalating hilarity directly correlated to his experiences growing up as an immigrant and dealing with racism. Its surprisingly heartfelt while also highly funny. Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King is a breakout for its star, and makes me really want to start checking out more comedy specials, because this one was spectacular; I cant imagine how many more gems await me in this realm.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is a disgusting fetishization of the American road trip that glorifies animal abuse and anti-intellectualism. More importantly though, it feels like a TV show in a sense the other films in this franchise never had. The D-list cast combined with really cheap cinematography and forced emotional cores makes this a total failure. The third act is over-stuffed and every single pop culture reference is horribly forced. There's really nothing positive to talk about with Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. It's truly the wrong haul. 2/10
cromofo
Member
The Man From Earth:
Filmed at one location, interesting premise and very enjoyable. One of the best low-budget movies ever. 8/10
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead:
Cool zombie flick, underrated. 7/10
The Devil's Pass:
Based on the true Dyatlov Pass Incident, it's an interesting take on it. Iffy CGI but it's only a small portion of the movie. Very good found-footage movie. 6.5/10
Filmed at one location, interesting premise and very enjoyable. One of the best low-budget movies ever. 8/10
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead:
Cool zombie flick, underrated. 7/10
The Devil's Pass:
Based on the true Dyatlov Pass Incident, it's an interesting take on it. Iffy CGI but it's only a small portion of the movie. Very good found-footage movie. 6.5/10
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is unwatchable. Lacking even basic comprehension to allow for an amusing hate-watch viewing, the film is completely indecipherable thanks to an over-complicated script, an inconsistent world, and dull acting. However, all these flaws pale in comparison to Guy Ritchie's absolutely horrendous directing. All of his quirks are on full display here, but whenever they pop up, they're dreadful. You'll want them to be over with as soon as possible. An ugly color pallet and dull score don't add much, and the entire film is edited like a trailer, which begins amusing but grows dull by probably the eighth minute of the film. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is an irredeemable mess, and is by far, one of the worst films I have ever seen at the cinema. Absolutely horrendous. 1/10
Hounds of Love: 8/10. G/A/F? Seriously fucked up, truly terrifying. I couldn't find anything that stated the connection but I'm pretty sure this is based on a real story. It was on one of those trashy Discovery true crime shows or something, and I remember they had this couple and they said that the guy liked to hurt women. But his wife wanted a child, so they made a bargain that she would help him kidnap women to abuse (like not even sexually abuse, he just liked hurting them) in exchange for giving her a baby. And I never forgot that because it's the most fucked up thing I've ever heard in my life. And now they MADE A WHOLE MOVIE ABOUT IT. Highly recommended. Not without flaws but a great debut.
AngmarsKing701
Member
I love the Arthur legend. All these reviews of this trainwreck make me sad. And mad.
MidnightCowboy
Member
Yeah swoon has done me solid with recommendations over the years, but come on, there is a plethora of good modern stuff.
Messofanego
Banned
Did this movie break your usual snark? OMG
Can't wait to see it here in UK. 28th July, it says.
Warm Machine
Member
Just saw Passengers, Morgan, Ghostbusters, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, The Revenant, and Insidious 2.
What was the fucked up hate of Passengers when it came out again? That a lonely man woke up a woman and lied to her about it? Sorry but the movie tackles that question head on. That is what the movie is about and I haven't seen such misguided hate since 50 Shades came out. Passengers was legitimately a good movie, made with style and understanding of character and drama.
What was the fucked up hate of Passengers when it came out again? That a lonely man woke up a woman and lied to her about it? Sorry but the movie tackles that question head on. That is what the movie is about and I haven't seen such misguided hate since 50 Shades came out. Passengers was legitimately a good movie, made with style and understanding of character and drama.
htttpwwwyahoocom
Member
Just watched Magnolia for the first time.
Thought it was really great! The characters felt a tad over-dramatic, but the movie was so well done. PT Anderson is a really great director (it was the first movie of his that I've watched). The long takes were really impressive.
Thought it was really great! The characters felt a tad over-dramatic, but the movie was so well done. PT Anderson is a really great director (it was the first movie of his that I've watched). The long takes were really impressive.
My favorite PTA movie. Just love how he sustains the energy and drama for three hours.
Go watch Boogie Nights now.
Cripplegate
Member
May 12th for USA but I don't remember seeing anything about this (maybe it didn't even release in Canada?).
Sounds interesting. Aussies busting out with true crime serial killer films. How does it compare to Snowtown?
I'm assuming the title is a reference to the Kate Bush song/album?
It Comes at Night 2017
★★★★
It comes at night has one hell of an opening scene. The movie doesn't hold the audience hands. It lets you put the pieces together, and come to your conclusions all the way to the end. Best thing about this movie is the atmosphere. It is lonely, bleak, and outright depressing. You could tell when the scary stuff was about to happen, but overall a solid thriller.
★★★★
It comes at night has one hell of an opening scene. The movie doesn't hold the audience hands. It lets you put the pieces together, and come to your conclusions all the way to the end. Best thing about this movie is the atmosphere. It is lonely, bleak, and outright depressing. You could tell when the scary stuff was about to happen, but overall a solid thriller.
Baron von Loathsome
Member
I wasn't that into Shadows, though I appreciate what it represents.
True Savior
Member
Twilight Zone the Movie - John Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller
I had never seen this altough I remember reading about the horrific accident on set. Landis initial bit is probably the best thing. The mix of realism, the meta-jokes and the absurdity of the pay off. His own episode is too on the nose. I don't mind the lack of subtlety, but the episode is nothing but "to put a racist fuck in a racist context" while he just runs around the situation. Spielberg one is pure schmaltzy. Dante's is also very characteristic of is own style, the eerie context of what seems to be a very bizarre situation. The Miller one is the most well directed, lots of crazy zooms, playing with distorted lens, fantastic space awareness in such a tight environment.
Shame we didn't got more movies with more directors doing their own thing.
I had never seen this altough I remember reading about the horrific accident on set. Landis initial bit is probably the best thing. The mix of realism, the meta-jokes and the absurdity of the pay off. His own episode is too on the nose. I don't mind the lack of subtlety, but the episode is nothing but "to put a racist fuck in a racist context" while he just runs around the situation. Spielberg one is pure schmaltzy. Dante's is also very characteristic of is own style, the eerie context of what seems to be a very bizarre situation. The Miller one is the most well directed, lots of crazy zooms, playing with distorted lens, fantastic space awareness in such a tight environment.
Shame we didn't got more movies with more directors doing their own thing.
Net_Wrecker
Member
Shadows and/or Faces are the only Cassavetes that feel like sort of natural starting points, really. Love Streams is very late, but if that's all you got, I'm not going to tell you not to watch Cassavetes
Just, whatever you do, make your way to The Killing of A Chinese Bookie eventually. Both versions.
La Cage aux folles: A fun story no matter the language, though at the risk of sounding crazy, the son in this one is kind of a major dick. Like, damn, I really had a hard time believing that he ever enjoyed the company of his father's partner from even before this fiasco unfolds. That does take some of the fun out of this for me, though it definitely needs to be said that the performances from both Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault are always delightful and they make it really easy to believe that they've been a couple for years.
Ace in the Hole (rewatch)
Hadn't seen this in years. I'd for rgotten how searing it is, how angry and how amazing Kirk Douglas's performance is
A simple scenario, a man seemingly benefit of any ethics or morals who'll let nothing get in his way to claw his way to the top, a literal, actual media circus and that ending.
Raw, real and as relevant as ever.
Hadn't seen this in years. I'd for rgotten how searing it is, how angry and how amazing Kirk Douglas's performance is
A simple scenario, a man seemingly benefit of any ethics or morals who'll let nothing get in his way to claw his way to the top, a literal, actual media circus and that ending.
Raw, real and as relevant as ever.
You Wont Miss Me - ***1/2 one of the better mumblecore movies, as experimental as any Bujalski and deliciously off-putting as Alex Ross Perry. Wrote a bunch here: https://letterboxd.com/ander/film/you-wont-miss-me-2009/
Stoker [rewatch] - ****1/2 easily Park's best. One of the most potent psychological thrillers ever, because it's so in tune with India's head. Every shot is a reflection of her interior stateand the movie is all about her learning to shape her environment by understanding space and perspective (the scene where charlie and her basically talk about blocking on the stairs).
Alien: Covenant - **1/2 Scott finally steers thefranchise away from the fascinating misfires of Cubed/Resurrection/Prometheus into rote professionalism. Hooray? Waterston isn't given enough to live up to Rapace, let alone Weaver. Danny McBride is excellent. The utter nihilism almost makes it interesting, and is necessary to complete the thesis left unfinished in Prometheus that trying to create something perfect only amplifies the imperfections of its creator, but it also makes this disposable. Inconsequential stage-setting for Alien. The movie had its own prologue on youtube and feels like one big inessential prologue itself. Resurrection is the third best Alien movie don't at me
Get Out [rewatch] - ***1/2 Better the second time, when you're not trying to put the puzzle pieces together and can focus on the deft blend of thrills and comedy and Peele's direction. The man has an eye.
Stoker [rewatch] - ****1/2 easily Park's best. One of the most potent psychological thrillers ever, because it's so in tune with India's head. Every shot is a reflection of her interior stateand the movie is all about her learning to shape her environment by understanding space and perspective (the scene where charlie and her basically talk about blocking on the stairs).
Alien: Covenant - **1/2 Scott finally steers thefranchise away from the fascinating misfires of Cubed/Resurrection/Prometheus into rote professionalism. Hooray? Waterston isn't given enough to live up to Rapace, let alone Weaver. Danny McBride is excellent. The utter nihilism almost makes it interesting, and is necessary to complete the thesis left unfinished in Prometheus that trying to create something perfect only amplifies the imperfections of its creator, but it also makes this disposable. Inconsequential stage-setting for Alien. The movie had its own prologue on youtube and feels like one big inessential prologue itself. Resurrection is the third best Alien movie don't at me
Get Out [rewatch] - ***1/2 Better the second time, when you're not trying to put the puzzle pieces together and can focus on the deft blend of thrills and comedy and Peele's direction. The man has an eye.
"I want your eyes, man..."
It's absolutely terrible. Don't bother with it, it's unrecognizable as an Arthur story
Fancy Clown
Member
Maybe I need to rewatch Stoker. I was pretty disappointed with it when I saw it in theaters. It looked really nice, but as a thriller it felt pretty ludicrous with its twists and flashbacks and not particularly thrilling in any regard.
Fancy Clown
Member
In that same post he also said Resurrection was the third best Alien movie, sooooo
Messofanego
Banned
Top 5 Park Chan-wook
1. Sympathy For Mr Vengeance
2. The Handmaiden
3. Oldboy
4. Thirst
5. Lady Vengeance
1. Sympathy For Mr Vengeance
2. The Handmaiden
3. Oldboy
4. Thirst
5. Lady Vengeance
That's true though.
Didn't watch Covenant but i don't think anything in it can beat the baby Alien getting sucked into space.
I think you swapped Lady Vengeance and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.
brianjones
Member
if nothing else stoker is probably one of the few of his movies I'd want to rewatch
I dug that movie tho cool take on shadow of a doubt
I dug that movie tho cool take on shadow of a doubt
Messofanego
Banned
Nope, you did
Fancy Clown
Member
That's true though.
Didn't watch Covenant but i don't think anything in it can beat the baby Alien getting sucked into space.
Fassbender hamming it up with himself is better than that nasty ass puppet they came up with for that Joss Whedon induced mess. Alien 3 and AVP are also better than Resurrection tho.
Discotheque
Banned
I think it's the best English language movie of these big Korean directors tbh, though we'll see how Okja ends up.
I would put it high up on his filmography with just Handmaiden and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance above it. The cast is pretty solid, Matthew Goode plays a good creep and I like Mia Wasikowska quite a bit.
also fuuuuck Alien Resurrection
AngmarsKing701
Member
I'm in the "I liked Passengers" group. But I only liked it, didn't love it. I don't think they tackled the morality of his decision head on. I think they painted over it with a romantic brush, and his decision gets tossed in the waste bin once the shit hits the fan and she's all like "oh I forgive you I love you smoochie smoochie please be careful!"
Or at least it felt that way. As I said when I watched it on Christmas, I felt the movie could have swerved into a very deep perspective on morality, but that would have been with a different director and different actors. There's also all sorts of tangents one could take on that storyline. What if he wakes up the first girl and she just doesn't do it for him. So he spaces her out the airlock and tries again. And again. And again. Until he finally finds the one woman who feels for him what he feels for her and they live happil--until she finds all the empty tubes, all of missing women. That would be fun.
But I digress. If you went in thinking "this will be a romantic drama set in space with some action tossed in" then yep, you got what you expected. And it did a good job with that. But really, the people who don't like it are the ones who focused on his moral decision and expected a different movie because of the depth of that dilemma.
Stoker's twists are way more palatable than say Oldboy's. Mainly cause they aren't really twists, where your understanding is completely turned on its headthe entire point is that India was right to be suspicious and feel conflicted over Charlie's creepiness combined with his attractiveness (unlike her mother who becomes a swooning jealous schoolgirl), all the movie does is withhold backstory.
And the flashbacks are structured elegantly, always coming at a time when India herself would be thinking back to a moment or imagining the past, part of how the film is so in her head.
What other Park movies are better? My only real competitors would be JSA and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. (Haven't seen Thirst, or his 90s movies that are difficult to track down.)
I think every alien after aliens is middling, all varying levels of adequateso calling it the best of those is not exactly praise. Resurrection is at least silly and short, Weaver playing an insane xerox of herself is funny (has some similarities with Cooper in the new Twin Peaks now that I think about it) until it gets trying, and it strikes and interesting balance between cartoonishness and horror a few times.
And the flashbacks are structured elegantly, always coming at a time when India herself would be thinking back to a moment or imagining the past, part of how the film is so in her head.
What other Park movies are better? My only real competitors would be JSA and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. (Haven't seen Thirst, or his 90s movies that are difficult to track down.)
What's better, alien 3? Because I've read so much writing from Fincher fans about it's underappreciated and the movie all those words describe does not match the mundane reality.
I think every alien after aliens is middling, all varying levels of adequateso calling it the best of those is not exactly praise. Resurrection is at least silly and short, Weaver playing an insane xerox of herself is funny (has some similarities with Cooper in the new Twin Peaks now that I think about it) until it gets trying, and it strikes and interesting balance between cartoonishness and horror a few times.
Fancy Clown
Member
I've liked every other Park movie I've seen better than Stoker. The Handmaiden, Oldboy, Thirst, and Mr. Vengence. Although outside of The Handmaiden and Oldboy I haven't seen any of those any more recently than Stoker. I really liked Thirst, but The Handmaiden remains my favorite of his work by a good margin.
I just seem to recall thinking there wasn't any suspense to Stoker because it was so obvious that he was a creep, and then the backstory reveal just took it too far with cartoonish levels of maliciousness, like the Spike Lee Oldboy's handling of the twist reveals.
I'm no Fincher fanboy but Alien 3 has great atmosphere and a generally coherent handling of its theme and Ripley's character. A lot of the things people really hate about the movie I think serve the theme of Ripley coming o terms with death really well. Tonally it worked, it's got some good side characters and bit performances, it just really falls apart towards the end when the editing shits the bed and it relies more heavily on the terrible alien chase sequences. Resurrection just thoroughly irritated me and made me mildly nauseous. It's full of grotesque stuff that tries to be funny but mostly baffles me, like when Jeunet sweeps the camera across for some random dutch angled shot of that dude fondling some chicks ass. I just have no idea what anyone involved was going for.
Cripplegate
Member
That's pretty much it. The third act is a hot mess.
There's an incredible disconnect between the moral ramifications of the situation as introduced and the Hollywood gloves they use to handle it afterwards. I called it the single most irresponsible-slash-wrongheaded piece of studio filmmaking in 2016 and I'll stand by that.
Infernostew
Member
It Comes At Night - I love slow burn films but there needs to be a great payoff and when that doesn't happen a film just tends to be hollow and (I hate to say it) boring. It Comes At Night has it's moments where there are some real interesting things going on but it doesn't really build on the tension it creates. It stops and resets. I found myself having a hard time caring for the characters and their world and this film will just go down as another 2000-something psuedo-horror disappointment with a decent premise and poor execution. 5/10
I agree with the resets killing the build up each time. but that last 20 mins or so <3.