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[TheFlow]

Top 5 Watches of April

1.High and Low
2.Sanjuro
3.Ghost in the shell
4.The Fate of the Furious
5.Yojimbo


May is always a great month for movies, and signals the beginning of Summer block busters.

Kettle welcomes you back, Pot.

cry some more




Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016
★★★★ Watched 02 May, 2017
Now this is how you do a prequel/spinoff. Stunning visuals, action pieces, and interesting characters. Weakest point of this movie was Whitaker.


Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2016
★★½ Watched 01 May, 2017
Eh it was alright for a spinoff, but did quite deliver. It was awesome seeing some of the creatures in motion, but that was the best part.


To that guy who said Fantastic Beast was no bueno you are right :/. I was let down so much.

 

[Messofanego]

The greatest mystery of Rogue One is Forest Whitaker's voice. What was he going for? I get he's got a respiratory condition but he's almost gruff to the point of unintelligible.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

The greatest mystery of Rogue One is Forest Whitaker's voice. What was he going for?

Some sort of mix between Danny Glover and his Idi Amin voice from Last King of Scotland sounds like.

 

[TheFlow]

The greatest mystery of Rogue One is Forest Whitaker's voice. What was he going for? I get he's got a respiratory condition but he's almost gruff to the point of unintelligible.

Right~ I wish he had subtitles. but I felt like his whole character was wasted in that movie. not because of the Actor, but because of the writing as well.

 

[Fancy Clown]

The greatest mystery of Rogue One is Forest Whitaker's voice. What was he going for? I get he's got a respiratory condition but he's almost gruff to the point of unintelligible.

What voice is Forest Whitaker ever going for? I feel like the last dozen movies I've seen him in he's just been trying out different silly voices to see if the director is paying attention.

 

[Ridley327]

What voice is Forest Whitaker ever going for? I feel like the last dozen movies I've seen him in he's just been trying out different silly voices to see if the director is paying attention.

I have to say I had no problems with him using his normal voice in Arrival. It is weird that he seems to be trying really hard otherwise on other films.

 

[smisk]

Only made time for one film this weekend but it was a good'un (almost saw GotG 2, but the theater closest to me was practically sold out this morning). I'd heard all the great things about The Handmaiden (2016) but I really didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. I expected a beautiful and well acted, but stuffy period drama. It ended up being extremely entertaining, and one of the most beautifully shot films I've seen in a good while.
Don't want to spoil anything, but the way Park structured the story was brilliant and went completely against my expectations. There were times when the lesbian sex scenes felt a little gratuitous (not that I'm complaining), but it ultimately worked with the film. The actors were fantastic as well, and really sold the relationships between the different characters. I almost want to watch it again so I can just focus on the visuals without having to worry as much about the subtitles
Really can't recommend this one enough, it's streaming on Amazon Prime right now, so check it out if you haven't already.
9/10

Edit: Oh and I also watched the Pod People episode of MST3K. *makes white power sign* It stinks!

 

[TheFlow]

Finally Hit 100 movies. Got a way to go before I catch up with Divius. I am still on track to finish 300 movies this year <3.


Weighing in on the Wright talk.

Hot fuzz is the best of the trilogy, but Scott pilgrim is his best movie.


Thanks to moviegaf I dvred Unbreakable, and found out that Krisha is free for all prime members. looking forward to reviewing them.

I got 3 movies before I finish my Akira marathon. I decided to just keep watching more and more Asian films.




Kagemusha 1980
&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Kurosawa's second epic delivers on both visual aspects and emotional depth. Kagemusha is the first movie I have seen use muskets in such a colorful way. The fact that this is based on historical events is amazing. The dream scene, final battle, and siege of the castle during night are some of my favorite scenes. Definitely on par with the great Seven Samurai.


Dersu Uzala 1975
&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;½
A biopic unlike any of Kurosawa's previous work, but who says that is a bad thing? Kurosawa stays true to the source material and makes great use of the land. Acting was okay and I feel the beginning of the movie does some harm to the narrative.


The Quiet Duel 1949
&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Amazing opening followed by pure heartbreak. I felt bad for his fiancée. Overall solid acting with a couple of brilliant shots combined. The ending is on par with opening.


Dodes'ka-den 1970
&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;
Kurosawa first film in color, and the film that drove him into depression due to backlash. I think this is the odd one amongst his films but still worth a watch. Unique characters, and gorgeous colors all come to together like a potluck dinner.

 

[Discotheque]

Interesting characters in rogue one?

Forest Whitaker as Darth struggle was pretty hilarious though. But man that movie is just a waste of a great cast. Bunch of nothing characters

 

[TheFlow]

Interesting characters in rogue one?

Forest Whitaker as Darth struggle was pretty hilarious though. But man that movie is just a waste of a great cast. Bunch of nothing characters

Donnie yen character along with his bro were interesting characters.

 

[Sanjuro]

Top 5 Watches of April

1.High and Low
2.Sanjuro
...

&#128525;

Watch Ikiru when you have the chance.

 

[Icolin]

Interesting characters in rogue one?

Forest Whitaker as Darth struggle was pretty hilarious though. But man that movie is just a waste of a great cast. Bunch of nothing characters

Well, it is a movie by the same director who managed to make a Godzilla movie dull as fuck.

 

[TheFlow]

&#128525;

Watch Ikiru when you have the chance.

already did. Watching them order. will be finished with them tomorrow.


I will post my rankings .

 

[Fancy Clown]

Well, it is a movie by the same director who managed to make a Godzilla movie dull as fuck.

I think more Godzilla movies than not manage to accomplish that tbh

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Without seeing them, I would assume that having fully emotive apes of the convincing variety is of the utmost importance in those films, as the story completely hinges on believing in them being tangible presences in those films. Similarly, the LOTR trilogy does not work at all if Gollum wasn't such a convincing wretch of a being.

Great point. There's depth there, whereas other media use the CGI more like window dressing.

 

[Icolin]

I think more Godzilla movies than not manage to accomplish that tbh

Nah, even the bad ones are entertaining. Godzilla 2014 is long, plodding rubbish that wasted so much potential.

 

[TheFlow]

Nah, even the bad ones are entertaining. Godzilla 2014 is long, plodding rubbish that wasted so much potential.

We agree on this.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

The Love Witch is another one of those delightful unexpected surprises that remind me for all the rubbish that makes it onto cinema screens, cinema is still an incredible artistic medium, and is just great to watch.

The film combines outstanding sets and incredible cinematography with fantastic costumes and makeup, a mind bending set up of steaming eroticism and a weirdly pleasurable violent female gaze on the matter of lust and love.

Taking a certain amount of homage from pulpy books and horror films of a bygone era, yet it doesn't owe a debt to anyone or anything, this film really is just incredible. The gender commentary won't be everyones cup of tea but I really dug it.

Fabulous performances from the whole cast but specially Elaine played by Samantha Robinson as our 'Witch', a fabulous script, fabulous ending, spectacular from start to finish in almost every aspect, highly reccomended.

 

[Ridley327]

Nah, even the bad ones are entertaining. Godzilla 2014 is long, plodding rubbish that wasted so much potential.

I don't think there's any reasonable argument to be made of the 2014 film being worse than, say, All Monsters Attack, which has to balance lazy clip show footage with one of the most inane child endangerment angles that I can think of..

As much as a I love Godzilla on the whole, there's some really bad movies from the Showa era that I would have a lot of problems recommending to someone getting started.

 

[Messofanego]

Anyone else seen Heal The Living or Harmonium? They're both on Curzon VOD (UK), Harmonium looks more appealing.

 

[Icolin]

We agree on this.

I still have faith in Godzilla: King of Monsters though, if Krampus is anything to go by. Loved that movie.

 

[TheFlow]

I still have faith in Godzilla: King of Monsters though, if Krampus is anything to go by. Loved that movie.

Same. I am ready for it more than some marvel movies

 

[Blader]

I don't think there's any reasonable argument to be made of the 2014 film being worse than, say, All Monsters Attack, which has to balance lazy clip show footage with one of the most inane child endangerment angles that I can think of..

As much as a I love Godzilla on the whole, there's some really bad movies from the Showa era that I would have a lot of problems recommending to someone getting started.

heh, I was about to say, there's no entertainment value to Godzilla's Revenge. Or any other value, for that matter, other than maybe as a cautionary tale to not make movies like that.

 

[Ridley327]

heh, I was about to say, there's no entertainment value to Godzilla's Revenge. Or any other value, for that matter, other than maybe as a cautionary tale to not make movies like that.

I'm still amazed that we got the Hesei Gamera Trilogy, given that the source material is more than half clip shows that they couldn't even bother to colorize the footage from the first film.

 

[smisk]

The Love Witch is another one of those delightful unexpected surprises that remind me for all the rubbish that makes it onto cinema screens, cinema is still an incredible artistic medium, and is just great to watch.

Oh yeah, I remember hearing about this awhile back, sounds pretty cool.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Hating on Godzilla's Revenge, a movie that does a GREAT job of capturing a childlike perception of the world, will get ya a fucking beating when my revolution comes.

 

[Infernostew]

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016
&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733; Watched 02 May, 2017
Now this is how you do a prequel/spinoff. Stunning visuals, action pieces, and interesting characters. Weakest point of this movie was Whitaker.

Bro....

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2016
&#9733;&#9733;½ Watched 01 May, 2017
Eh it was alright for a spinoff, but did quite deliver. It was awesome seeing some of the creatures in motion, but that was the best part.

Bro....

You got the spinoffs mixed up.

 

[lordxar]

Passengers I'm a fan! Sure the love story is cheesy and simply resolved in a Hollywood ending but that's not what makes this good. Parts like where Aurora is swimming and gravity fails are what made this for me. Beyond that I love being immersed in something like this because my absolute favorite film experiences are when I'm transported to a place or time I'll never see and I think this did a great job of just that.

 

[TheFlow]

Bro....


Bro....

You got the spinoffs mixed up.

I am a huge Harry Potter fan, just got back from universal/island of adventures late march but this movie didn't excite me like I wanted. I remember reading the fantastic beast growing up and thinking the movie would deliver. Farrell was solid and Newt was cool but the rest were meh. Rogue one was lacking as well but the characters were cool. Blind guy who believes in the force. Other guy with a big gun who guns ham. Coolest droid so far in the Star Wars cinematic universe. Darth Vader alone should be enough. I am more critical of Harry Potter stuff than I am Star Wars due to attachment I guess. Don't judge me.

I will agree though that rogue one was a bigger waste of star power than fantastic beast. Still crazy how these stars decided to latch on to spinoffs.

 

[Discotheque]

Oh yeah, I remember hearing about this awhile back, sounds pretty cool.

It is. Very cheesy since it's a big homage to Italian horror movies but there's a cool feminist angle to it all as well

 

[TheFlow]

Oh yeah, I remember hearing about this awhile back, sounds pretty cool.

I felt this movie didn't deserve the hype.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

I dug Biller's first film Viva. Completely bonkers.

 

[Timeaisis]

Bro....


Bro....

You got the spinoffs mixed up.

Whitaker was best thing about Rogue One.

 

[Fancyarcher]

A Bridge Too Far - solid classic war film with a strong cast. 7.5 / 10

I don't think there's any reasonable argument to be made of the 2014 film being worse than, say, All Monsters Attack, which has to balance lazy clip show footage with one of the most inane child endangerment angles that I can think of..

As much as a I love Godzilla on the whole, there's some really bad movies from the Showa era that I would have a lot of problems recommending to someone getting started.

Or Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster, although that ones a classic for all the wrong reasons.

 

[Icolin]

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

So now I know why I ranked this as my 3rd favourite movie of 2014.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is fantastic, but this is on another level of spectacular. The bonds between the characters felt way more impactful, the visuals are more stylized (and all the better for it), and the action is easy to follow and entertaining as fuck, particularly the fight between Caesar and Koba. I'm struggling to find any flaws with this movie.

It's safe to say that I'm really hyped for War for the Planet of the Apes (and Matt Reeves' Batman) after rewatching Rise and this film. These movies, Fury Road, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and Logan are blockbuster, big franchise movies that don't sacrifice substance in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator, per se. Hopefully that continues with War for the Planet of the Apes.

 

[Cripplegate]

Distance (9/10) - Hirokazu Koreeda's follow-up to After Life (my personal favorite of his) bears many of the same aesthetic qualities, combining documentary sensibilities with a high concept narrative (here, interviews with dead people about their memories are replaced with interviews with people haunted by memories of their dead loved ones). The film follows a group of people who meet every year on the anniversary of the ritual suicide of a cult responsible for poisoning Tokyo's water supply (the film is loosely inspired by the Aum Shinrikyo cult responsible for the famous Tokyo subway attack). After their van is stolen, they find themselves camping out in the abandoned cabin of the old cult, along with the cult's lone surviving member (a young Tadanobu Asano).

I will say no more. I worry I may have already said too much. Watch this knowing as little as possible and get ready for an emotionally harrowing journey. As the film progresses, the movie shifts around in time and perspective, slowly revealing more and more about the members of the cult (who were they, why did they join a cult, why did they choose death over life) and their surviving family members (who are they, how do they cope with the death of a loved one and the knowledge of the horrible actions they committed). The acting is incredible across the board (how much was scripted vs. improvised? I'd love to know, as I suspect there might have been a lot of the latter, and yet the whole thing builds with such an assured hand, it's remarkable). There are some astounding surprises along the way. Needless to say, I was floored by this movie.

I do have some ambivalence re: the ending, however. I'm not entirely sure Koreeda made the best artistic choices in conveying some of the information at the end, and seems to have created some unnecessary ambiguity. Perhaps a second viewing will reconcile some of these feelings, but I'm not entirely sure how to feel about the ending. So, basically, it's not as good as Maborosi or After Life. But it's easily top three, and just reiterates my feeling that Koreeda doesn't make 'em like he used to.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Still Walking is by far the best Koreeda movie that I've seen. It's basically the perfect contemporary take on an Ozu-type narrative.

 

[UrbanRats]

I will agree though that rogue one was a bigger waste of star power than fantastic beast. Still crazy how these stars decided to latch on to spinoffs.

Does Rogue One really have that big of a Star Power?

 

[TheFlow]

Does Rogue One really have that big of a Star Power?

Donnie yen plays a side character. If that is not a waste of star power I don't know what is.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

So now I know why I ranked this as my 3rd favourite movie of 2014.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is fantastic, but this is on another level of spectacular. The bonds between the characters felt way more impactful, the visuals are more stylized (and all the better for it), and the action is easy to follow and entertaining as fuck, particularly the fight between Caesar and Koba. I'm struggling to find any flaws with this movie.

It's safe to say that I'm really hyped for War for the Planet of the Apes (and Matt Reeves' Batman) after rewatching Rise and this film. These movies, Fury Road, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and Logan are blockbuster, big franchise movies that don't sacrifice substance in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator, per se. Hopefully that continues with War for the Planet of the Apes.

Maybe I need to rewatch War. I remember not being impressed with it but I can't remember why. I can remember scenes from Rise but I'm struggling to remember much of War.

 

[Glass Rebel]

while we still in may this dude already in july

 

[Blader]

Maybe I need to rewatch War. I remember not being impressed with it but I can't remember why. I can remember scenes from Rise but I'm struggling to remember much of War.

Probably because War hasn't come out yet!

 

[UrbanRats]

Donnie yen plays a side character. If that is not a waste of star power I don't know what is.

I guess im confusing star power with actor abilities.

That said, and as a huge Donnie fan, he has no place being the lead in an American movie this big.
He doesnt seem that comfortable speaking English, and he's no DDL, despite being a great physical performer with a lot of screen presence.

I think his role was fair, they actually gave him more space than i was expecting, considering the bloated number of people in that movie.

 

[TheFlow]

I guess im confusing star power with actor abilities.

That said, and as a huge Donnie fan, he has no place being the lead in an American movie this big.
He doesnt seem that comfortable speaking English, and he's no DDL, despite being a great physical performer with a lot of screen presence.

I think his role was fair, they actually gave him more space than i was expecting, considering the bloated number of people in that movie.

I was about to go back and edit my post. I got star power confused with good actors.


so yeah your right.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Probably because War hasn't come out yet!

:jnc

Eek I meant Dawn.

 

[kevin1025]

Bad Moms

The genre of comedy appears to have become "let's go as outrageous as possible because that's funny, I guess." I want a movie to be funny, and outrageous comedy has its place, but this felt like it was trying wayyy too hard. File it under me downward spiraling away from modern comedy once again. It has a good line or two, but it gets real bogged down on trying too hard.

The Founder

Ray Kroc isn't a very nice man. He likes to steal things that aren't his. He lays claim to what he feels he can make better, both in his professional and personal life. For that, the movie is effective, as this movie is like watching a wolf go loose in a chicken coop, except the wolf is the lead. But it's also a little cold, as Keaton feels a little distant in the way he plays it. I couldn't connect outside of thinking, "haven't you done enough to these people?" I did enjoy the origin story of the three-pronged ketchup gun, though.

Guardians of the Galaxy

A rewatch, to get ready for tomorrow! Still very, very good, had a great time with it. I hadn't watched it since the theatre, so it was a real good time going back. What a bunch of a-holes.

The Peanuts Movie

Holy hell, I should have watched this sooner. Fantastic! It's a ton of fun, incredibly lighthearted and sweet, and has a bucket of heart. This is how you do a children's film. The highlight is definitely Snoopy/Red Baron, but I was really invested in Charlie Brown and the little red-haired girl.

Lights Out

A horror movie with so much family drama that I was close to begging for horror to happen. For an 80-minute horror movie, it felt like two and a half hours. The premise is neat, but it is completely undone by an ending that has a meaning that is really, really messed up for a movie a lot of teens might be seeing:

Spoiler

killing yourself is the answer

.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

I was lukewarm on It Follows the first time, so I gave it another shot this weekend. I still wasn't feeling it. You'd think the premise would lead to some kind of excitement, but it does not. The curse ghost is completely non-threatening. A disheveled person walking is not interesting or scary in the least. Even if that wasn't the case, the characters are dull. And the climax is bafflingly stupid. Apparently they decided off-screen that electrocuting the ghost would kill it for some reason.

 

[TheFlow]

Bad Moms

The genre of comedy appears to have become "let's go as outrageous as possible because that's funny, I guess." I want a movie to be funny, and outrageous comedy has its place, but this felt like it was trying wayyy too hard. File it under me downward spiraling away from modern comedy once again. It has a good line or two, but it gets real bogged down on trying too hard.

The Founder

Ray Kroc isn't a very nice man. He likes to steal things that aren't his. He lays claim to what he feels he can make better, both in his professional and personal life. For that, the movie is effective, as this movie is like watching a wolf go loose in a chicken coop, except the wolf is the lead. But it's also a little cold, as Keaton feels a little distant in the way he plays it. I couldn't connect outside of thinking, "haven't you done enough to these people?" I did enjoy the origin story of the three-pronged ketchup gun, though.

Guardians of the Galaxy

A rewatch, to get ready for tomorrow! Still very, very good, had a great time with it. I hadn't watched it since the theatre, so it was a real good time going back. What a bunch of a-holes.

The Peanuts Movie

Holy hell, I should have watched this sooner. Fantastic! It's a ton of fun, incredibly lighthearted and sweet, and has a bucket of heart. This is how you do a children's film. The highlight is definitely Snoopy/Red Baron, but I was really invested in Charlie Brown and the little red-haired girl.

Lights Out

A horror movie with so much family drama that I was close to begging for horror to happen. For an 80-minute horror movie, it felt like two and a half hours. The premise is neat, but it is completely undone by an ending that has a meaning that is really, really messed up for a movie a lot of teens might be seeing:

Spoiler

killing yourself is the answer

.

Peanuts was such a charming movie. I want another one.

 

[smisk]

snip

I never thought it was particularly scary, but it does create a sense of tension when you know there's something constantly stalking you. I found the characters endearing, they're teenagers so I think they're supposed to be stupid. I really liked the film when I watched it a couple months ago, but I don't watch a ton of horror stuff so maybe I had different expectations.

 

[Cripplegate]

Well you could still say Rogue One is a waste of another country's star power (it's just as true for Wen Jiang as Yen), but that's par for the course.

Still Walking is by far the best Koreeda movie that I've seen. It's basically the perfect contemporary take on an Ozu-type narrative.

That reminds me, I saw Still Walking during its Toronto premiere and Koreeda was in attendance, and during the Q&A afterwards the very first audience question was about the influences of Ozu on the film. Koreeda rejected the idea, and said a lot of the reviews for his film have been saying the same thing, but that he feels it's because Ozu is simply such a legendary figure both home and abroad, and a touchstone for Japanese cinema. Koreeda said he sees his film more in the vein of Naruse, and began recommending Naruse films for us to watch.

I've only seen a handful of Ozu films and maybe one or two Naruse films myself, so there really isn't much I can do with that answer (at the time, I had probably only seen one or two Ozu films and no Naruse). Superficially, I suppose I can see it both ways, but I'd have to explore that more and revisit Still Walking. I dunno if that's useful (or if anybody even cares what an author has to say about their own work), but figured I'd throw that out there in case anybody found it interesting.