Ha... this made me laugh pretty hard
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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| May 2017
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
Ha... this made me laugh pretty hard
One of Clint's best movies and a seriously underrated one.
Fancy Clown
Member
b&jy77VjiKn$#F
Member
Guys, which version of Superman 2 do you prefer?
I watched Knock Knock last night.
Through the first third of the movie I was genuinely enjoying it. My wife had never heard of it before and kept saying she was unsure as to where it was going, or even what kind of movie it was. I think the beginning was pretty fun, just trying to guess how and where things would turn.
Then the "horror" elements kicked in and the movie became garbage. I don't feel like I need to waste a lot of words describing this so I'll just say that it was bad. Especially the acting. Keanu Reeves was terrible. Like, laugh out loud bad. It was especially strange to watch after seeing John Wick yesterday, as he did a great job in that.
Anyways, bad movie, don't recommend.
Through the first third of the movie I was genuinely enjoying it. My wife had never heard of it before and kept saying she was unsure as to where it was going, or even what kind of movie it was. I think the beginning was pretty fun, just trying to guess how and where things would turn.
Then the "horror" elements kicked in and the movie became garbage. I don't feel like I need to waste a lot of words describing this so I'll just say that it was bad. Especially the acting. Keanu Reeves was terrible. Like, laugh out loud bad. It was especially strange to watch after seeing John Wick yesterday, as he did a great job in that.
Anyways, bad movie, don't recommend.
Some points I felt this way, for sure. The ending with his
body buried underground or when he's tied to a chair
Insane Metal
Member
I'm not even a fan of the Manga (or any Manga, actually) and I thought it was pretty terrible.
There were some incredibly dull or iffy parts, but I found myself engaged and entertained by the whole thing. I liked it quite a bit, and didn't expect to at all. I still need to watch the '95 version, maybe that will completely change my view on it.
Rhomega Beta
Member
Chicago: Based on a Broadway musical, and I like the way they bring this to the big screen: by keeping the musical acts on stage, but all in Roxie's head. Best songs are Cellblock Tango, We Both Reached For The Gun, and Razzle Dazzle. There's a lot of songs too. Seems the movie can't go 5 minutes without one. Good movie overall.
Top 5 New Viewings Last Month and some quick reviews:
1) Get Out - forgot to do a write up here but goddamn what a well done, intense and clever film. It's no reinventing the wheel but that shows that great storytelling will make that not matter int he slightest. Amazing performances.
2) Only Angels Have Wings - I love Howard Hawks and trying to fill in some holes on his filmography that I've took my sweet time getting to (spoiler - dude made a ton of movies). Cary Grant is as Cary Grant as we've seen but he's got a bit more of an edge to him on top of the charm. The film also looks amazing and holds up incredibly well with some fantastic and memorable characters. Though it's not my favorite Hawks film it's up there with Thing From Another World or Red River at the very least. Certainly in contention though it's hard to beat a His Girl Friday or The Big Sleep for me.
3) Anchors Aweigh/On the Town - Kind of throwing these together because they're both Gene Kelly/Sinatra sailor musicals, though I think I like On the Town more because it has a better story and songs (I think both have equally great dance choreography - the solo Kelly stuff in Anchors Aweigh is better while On the Town's group dancing is better). I don't think you get to On the Town without Anchors Aweigh first, though On the Town lacks an animated mouse to do a routine with. Loved both even if neither are near the level of Singin' in the Rain or An American in Paris.
4) The Fate of the Furious - Shit, I just had fun and so happy there's a lot of Dwayne Johnson in this thing. They also gave Statham so much to do which is great a the non-car stuff (chases/fighting) is some of the better I've seen in the series and when you have a guy like that who knows how to do choreography and a director that understands how to shoot it kind of handles itself. The plot is, as expected, all over the map but it's enjoyable. Now if only they'd get rid of Vin...he's the weak link by this point as those around him have surpassed that character in every way.
5) Blood Father - Ya know, it's none too bad for what it is. I think the action could have used a little more finese but Gibson so on point with his performance that I can overlook a little bit of sloppy scene handling and a clunky finale.
1) Get Out - forgot to do a write up here but goddamn what a well done, intense and clever film. It's no reinventing the wheel but that shows that great storytelling will make that not matter int he slightest. Amazing performances.
2) Only Angels Have Wings - I love Howard Hawks and trying to fill in some holes on his filmography that I've took my sweet time getting to (spoiler - dude made a ton of movies). Cary Grant is as Cary Grant as we've seen but he's got a bit more of an edge to him on top of the charm. The film also looks amazing and holds up incredibly well with some fantastic and memorable characters. Though it's not my favorite Hawks film it's up there with Thing From Another World or Red River at the very least. Certainly in contention though it's hard to beat a His Girl Friday or The Big Sleep for me.
3) Anchors Aweigh/On the Town - Kind of throwing these together because they're both Gene Kelly/Sinatra sailor musicals, though I think I like On the Town more because it has a better story and songs (I think both have equally great dance choreography - the solo Kelly stuff in Anchors Aweigh is better while On the Town's group dancing is better). I don't think you get to On the Town without Anchors Aweigh first, though On the Town lacks an animated mouse to do a routine with. Loved both even if neither are near the level of Singin' in the Rain or An American in Paris.
4) The Fate of the Furious - Shit, I just had fun and so happy there's a lot of Dwayne Johnson in this thing. They also gave Statham so much to do which is great a the non-car stuff (chases/fighting) is some of the better I've seen in the series and when you have a guy like that who knows how to do choreography and a director that understands how to shoot it kind of handles itself. The plot is, as expected, all over the map but it's enjoyable. Now if only they'd get rid of Vin...he's the weak link by this point as those around him have surpassed that character in every way.
5) Blood Father - Ya know, it's none too bad for what it is. I think the action could have used a little more finese but Gibson so on point with his performance that I can overlook a little bit of sloppy scene handling and a clunky finale.
TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared
Member
Lady Macbeth is a stunning unconventional period piece set in Victorian England thats set around our main character Katherine, who's been sold to her husband's family along with "along with a piece of land not fit for a cow to graze upon. Florence Pugh does a spell binding job from start to finish of portrating our protagonist who at the beginning of the film, seems likely to suffocate or explode under the weight of the unsanitised view of a ladies existence in the time period the narrative presents us with.
But when the narrative starts to move along, Katherine is brought wonderfully (and I use that term with a certain degree of trepidation) to life and begins to force her way out of the box society has created for her, with consequences that may end up leaving the viewer confused, and Katherine with an arguably pyrrhic victory.
Anyway, compelling, gripping narrative, expertly shot and acted by the entire cast, although it has the interesting dimension of having the rest of the cast sort of revolve around Katherine. I might not ordinarily consider this a positive aspect, but Pugh does such an amazing job with her portrayal of the character, it frankly elevates the film.
Whilst a musical score doesn't play a large part it is the contrasting sounds effects and sound design that is so outstanding. The film juxtaposes the very physical, almost synthetic sounds and echoes of the prison esque, almost mausoleum house with the more natural, sensual sounds of the beautiful, desolate moors Katherine uses to escape from the musty house. The sublime use of silence and the minimum amount of movement, especially in the films first parts still stuff starts happening, encapsulates the absolute mind breaking banality that Katherine suffers after being to all intents and purposes, enslaved into a loveless marriage and imprisoned in a home she clearly despises.
Lady Macbeth, magnifcent from start to finish, and a good example of why I love the cinema so much.
But when the narrative starts to move along, Katherine is brought wonderfully (and I use that term with a certain degree of trepidation) to life and begins to force her way out of the box society has created for her, with consequences that may end up leaving the viewer confused, and Katherine with an arguably pyrrhic victory.
Anyway, compelling, gripping narrative, expertly shot and acted by the entire cast, although it has the interesting dimension of having the rest of the cast sort of revolve around Katherine. I might not ordinarily consider this a positive aspect, but Pugh does such an amazing job with her portrayal of the character, it frankly elevates the film.
Whilst a musical score doesn't play a large part it is the contrasting sounds effects and sound design that is so outstanding. The film juxtaposes the very physical, almost synthetic sounds and echoes of the prison esque, almost mausoleum house with the more natural, sensual sounds of the beautiful, desolate moors Katherine uses to escape from the musty house. The sublime use of silence and the minimum amount of movement, especially in the films first parts still stuff starts happening, encapsulates the absolute mind breaking banality that Katherine suffers after being to all intents and purposes, enslaved into a loveless marriage and imprisoned in a home she clearly despises.
Lady Macbeth, magnifcent from start to finish, and a good example of why I love the cinema so much.
Puck Beaverton
Banned
The mini Do The Right Thing reunion was so good.
Rhomega Beta
Member
Coraline: Excellent movie. Love the stop-motion, art style, the whole theme about family,
. Go see it if you haven't.
the world dissolving, Other Mother's true form, and the button making an eclipse on the moon.
Rome, Open City (1945): As someone who has taken multiple stabs at Italian neorealist cinema, and in particular found Vittoria de Sica's work more dull than anything else, Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (which is often thought of as the starting point of the movement) was a pleasant surprise. The first half is meandering in places, but the second is almost unrelenting, and quite affecting. It's an early attempt by Italians to grapple with the legacy of fascism and the subsequent occupation, touching on the various political divides amongst the resistance and the hope for a better future for the country. And it's remarkably grisly for a film from the time period.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
The idea of finding The Bicycle Thief dull when it's so rich in characterization, realism, and cogent political commentary is unthinkable to me.
Messofanego
Banned
Aren't you terribly bored?
Lady Macbeth (dir. William Oldroyd) was bloody brilliant. All you need to know is a woman is bought as a wife, and then retaliates. It's like Jane Austen went really dark. Tremendous cinematography, with period films there's so much detail to soak in with each shot like Barry Lyndon. With a runtime of 89 minutes, it's actually quite slow-paced but methodical in an arthouse way with the long shots or slow zooms channelling Haneke. Florence Pugh is mesmerising. Keep your moral compass at the door. Liking this wave of sinister period films along with The Childhood of A Leader.
Lady Macbeth (dir. William Oldroyd) was bloody brilliant. All you need to know is a woman is bought as a wife, and then retaliates. It's like Jane Austen went really dark. Tremendous cinematography, with period films there's so much detail to soak in with each shot like Barry Lyndon. With a runtime of 89 minutes, it's actually quite slow-paced but methodical in an arthouse way with the long shots or slow zooms channelling Haneke. Florence Pugh is mesmerising. Keep your moral compass at the door. Liking this wave of sinister period films along with The Childhood of A Leader.
mariachi507
Member
It's going to be hard to top, that's for sure. Luckily, I've still got plenty of Criterion's I bought during the last sale that I haven't even opened yet.
TissueBox
Member
"Ramona, you are extraordinary."
Sit on a chair, take a cup of coco, find a blanket or over-sized tee or something, enter a sunlit street with the Quimby's who aren't just stepford idiots but a portrait of something akin to warmed cockles in the heart, and there's nothing like warmed cockles and a family movie that suggests the lessons we teach each other can be both meaningful and happy and very, very, terrifical. Family-friendly directed as right as can be, and genuinely sweet; something movies can use more of these days.
Ramona and Beezus
Sit on a chair, take a cup of coco, find a blanket or over-sized tee or something, enter a sunlit street with the Quimby's who aren't just stepford idiots but a portrait of something akin to warmed cockles in the heart, and there's nothing like warmed cockles and a family movie that suggests the lessons we teach each other can be both meaningful and happy and very, very, terrifical. Family-friendly directed as right as can be, and genuinely sweet; something movies can use more of these days.
Ramona and Beezus
Baron von Loathsome
Member
I'm kinda the opposite. I love Bicycle Thieves, and Umberto D. is excellent as well, but I wasn't really into Rome Open City either time I watched it.
The Age of Shadows: Ah, nothing quite as satisfying as a damn good period spy thriller! Kim Jee-woon returns to his home country in a big way with this, acting as both a departure from his previous films (this being more straightforward and not mixing anywhere near the same amount of genres as his previous films) and a reaffirmation of his excellent qualities as a filmmaker. Kim's bag tricks are employed to great effect here, with the kind of exciting camerawork, razor-sharp framing and pleasing lighting choices that he's known for, but combined with the film's strong production design, they're rendered even more effectively than ever before, and though I can't imagine that this had anywhere near the budget of a Hollywood equivalent, one doesn't get the sense that the film has to fake it in order to look as good as it does. Being a visually striking film is one thing, but it also tells a fine story that is complex without being too difficult to understand, packing it with just the right amount of intrigue, suspense and action to make its near 2.5 hour run time feel impressively zippy. Every Damn Korean Actor Out There is in this, and despite the large cast, everyone involved turns in good performances. The focus of the story does make this much more of a showcase for the always dependable Song Kang-ho and Train to Busan star Yoo Gong, as their relationship drives the film. They do a great job of selling their uneasy relationship, playing around with how genuine their feelings are towards one another as the spy game intensifies. Having such good performances helps to drive the suspense, with Kim mining this for maximum effect as exchanges often feel pregnant with menace as there's always a danger that someone isn't as forthcoming as they should be, coming to a head in an extended train sequence that makes up a big chunk of a film where the tension is off the charts with each near-miss and triggered trap that ensues. I don't doubt that this film will be compared to the recent Assassination, which is hard not to considering that both deal with largely the same subject matter and roughly the same time period (and, as a bonus, feature the other half of Every Damn Korean Actor Out There), but for as much as I liked that film, I think that this one's handling of its grayer morality and more understated drama gives it a power that enhances the stronger genre elements it has to offer over its predecessor. It's an exciting and thoroughly engaging film, and I think that even without the context of this being Kim Jee-woon's grand homecoming after his unfortunate detour in Hollywood, it stands up as one of his best films yet and easily one of the best films of its kind in years.
The Bicycle Thief has a great ending, but everything leading up to it just bored me (beyond the locations they were shooting in, which is interesting on a documentary level).
Fancy Clown
Member
Man from Reno: While perhaps a bit too languidly paced for the level of intrigue and tension here, it ultimately won me over with its combination of moody isolation and chilly existential terror in this tale of mistaken identity. It ends up being quite a bit more unsettling than I had initially expected, and its conclusion certainly makes up for some of the more humdrum investigative aspects that lead up to it.
Messofanego
Banned
Way to make me feel like a piece of shit missing out on this in the cinema.
I'm still salty that Disco saw it at as festival. It's such a good-looking film that I can imagine liking it even more on the big screen.
Honestly, I'm just glad that Kim didn't let the miserable experience he had making The Last Stand get him down at all. Too often have Asian directors gotten chewed up and spat out by the Hollywood machine and never come out the same again, so it was so rewarding to see him brush his shoulders off and do a film like this where you wouldn't even know something like that happened in the first place
Infernostew
Member
Really looking forward to seeing this on Friday
I liked this one a lot when a saw it a few years back (even got a decent spot in my end of the year list). It's certainly a hidden neo-noir gem. I really dig the story and the cast as it's quite unconventional to see that represented in the setting it was. I've actually recommended this film to numerous people but I don't think anyone has taken my advice yet.
Fancy Clown
Member
Yeah I really liked the cast, and the cultural mix it presented. I wish Kazuki Kitamoro's character had gotten more screentime though.
xrnzaaas
Member
Saw it two weeks ago. Malick's best since Tree of Life, easily.
MidnightCowboy
Member
There are moments of supreme beauty, and moments of wtfisthisshit. It's alright.
Baron von Loathsome
Member
The Fly (1986):
And I found it at Barnes and Noble for $5, too.
And I found it at Barnes and Noble for $5, too.
Expendable.
Member
I saw it again and loved it even more, if that counts.
MidnightCowboy
Member
How can you excuse the trash heap that is Natalie Portman's character/arc.
Expendable.
Member
She's definitely not as strong as the other female characters, but I was actually quite affected by
how she tried to refute the life Fassbender's character tempted her with (how often do you see a scene of someone actually going to a modern-day, non-Catholic church and it's played for sincerity?), then the way Malick films and structures her abrupt death. There's something powerful in the way that easily could've been Mara's character had she continued down that path. Also, not entirely related to Portman, but I loved the way Malick films supporting characters in her arc, as if they are as important as any lead actor.
Glass Rebel
Member
Glad more people are seeing Lady Macbeth. One of my fave movies of last year but it took me a while to arrive to my current opinion on it.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Queen of Katwe. Pretty good, but Lupita doesn't look old enough to have children that old. The oldest daughter looks like she's only a few years younger than her.
dickroach
Member
got to see First Blood last night at the theater followed up by a Q&A with the director. it was really cool to hear him talk about the nam vets that made him want to do the movie, the original ending, Stallone doing one of the stunts in the movie himself and having to shoot the rest of the movie with three cracked ribs, throwing rats on Stallone, trying for a few weeks to work out a script where Rambo does not say a single word the whole movie....
oh, also, that movie's still so fucking cool.
oh, also, that movie's still so fucking cool.
Like Apocalypse Now, I feel the story of First Blood about how the movie got made is equal to if not better than the final movie itself. It's really fascinating and especially made me have a better appreciation for Stallone's dedication to a role even if Rambo himself became a bit of a cartoon character in later films (kind of like Rocky really). His commentary on one of the DVDs/Blu Rays was amazing. It's that gritty 70s filmmaking mentality, I suppose.
Well the trailer for it, is pretty damn solid.
Rhomega Beta
Member
Starting a Shirley Temple marathon thanks to a DVD boxset.
Stand Up And Cheer!: For a movie marketed as a Shirley Temple movie, she's barely in it, only a couple of scenes and a musical number. The rest of the movie features various other musical numbers and random scenes that aren't really connected with the story. The story itself isn't that good to begin with. Lawrence Cromwell is made Secretary of Amusement by The President, with a department with the vague goal of bringing up moral...because apparently Hollywood isn't doing their jobs. There's a senator who wants the Depression to continue because banks are profiting off people's misery or something.
I will give one thing: the musical numbers are nice, but that's all the movie really has going for it.
Stand Up And Cheer!: For a movie marketed as a Shirley Temple movie, she's barely in it, only a couple of scenes and a musical number. The rest of the movie features various other musical numbers and random scenes that aren't really connected with the story. The story itself isn't that good to begin with. Lawrence Cromwell is made Secretary of Amusement by The President, with a department with the vague goal of bringing up moral...because apparently Hollywood isn't doing their jobs. There's a senator who wants the Depression to continue because banks are profiting off people's misery or something.
And then the Depression just ends like someone just turned off a switch (in 1934).
I will give one thing: the musical numbers are nice, but that's all the movie really has going for it.
KraftyKrankins
Member
I did. Still cringe when I remember it. It's everything To The Wonder and Knight of Cups were, amplified by 5.
Time for us REAL Malick fans to stand up and be counted, i'm ready!
I actually didn't like To the wonder much, but i did enjoy Knight of Cups.
