Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| October 2016

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Shit, new page.

Haven't seen many movies recently although I discovered Christopher Guests mockumentaries and really liked the two I saw (Waiting for Guffman and A mighty wind). Saved Best in Show for last.

Currently watching Hannibal (1 episode left in the first season) and I'm still undecided on whether it's good or just pretty.

Anyone that has seen all three of the following movies and can say which was the best?

I Saw The Devil
Memories of Murder
Confession of Murder

Thanks.

Memories of Murder is a masterpiece. The other two are not even good.
 
Memories of Murder is a masterpiece.

I Saw the Devil is a crazy, over-the-top violent, borderline vile action movie made by a top shelf production team.

Confession of Murder is a stupid pulp blockbuster, but it's kinda fun if you keep your expectations low.
 
Confessions is such a schlocky entertaining movie though and a nice example that movies can be fun while not aiming very high. It's a style of filmmaking that US were really really good but it seems to have fizzled completley.
 
I found the movie weak and it rubbed me the wrong way. I think vile is indeed an apt description.

Then again I din't like A bittersweet life either. I much prefer Hong-jin Na's attempts (The Chaser and Yellow Sea) when it comes to 'this' kind of movies.

In my opinion Joon Ho Bong is on a whole different league as a filmmaker.
 
Bittersweet Life is still way better than Man from Nowhere and A Company Man tho.

Speaking of Asian thrillers with, ehm... confession in their titles, the Japanese one, "Confessions" was pretty fun.
-

Yesterday i rewatched Il Nascondiglio (Pupi Avati) for the second time.
The first time i saw it in a rural house in the countryside, in the middle of nowhere, so it definitely scared me more, rewatching it again, i still liked the style, but but there are definitely many choices that are puzzling, the biggest one being the abrupt, uneventful finale.
Still worth a watch though, if you can manage to get it.

Then i watched Halloween (the original one) for the first time.
I love Carpenter, so i don't know why it took me this long to get around to it, but it was fun, not really revelatory or anything, i can see why it became a classic, but the goofyness in this definitely felt more unintentional than in other Carpenter movies.
I'm not sure it holds up as strongly as something like The Thing, but it may be just because i watched The Thing much sooner.
 
Speaking of:

A Tale of Two Sisters. I loved how this started out. The lush colors and interesting camera work was awesome. The girls dangling their legs in the pond and getting these weird camera angles like Jaws or something is coming. Of course nothing does which is fine because those shots really set this whole film up tremendously. I couldn't sleep so at 4 am I started this thing and some of the scenes where the girls are lying in bed was a little unnerving. I mean the film work in this was great. Somewhere towards the end things kind of fell off though. Like it didn't end nearly as strong as it started. I do want to watch this again though because I noticed some red and blue use that I'd like to pay more attention to and see how it was fit in. Probably some other things I'd catch on a separate one viewing.

tale2sisters.png
 
Wow, just completely blown away by a movie i just suddenly discovered.


Captain Fantastic



It was made by this guy,

v1.cjs0NTE4NTtqOzE3MTA1OzIwNDg7MjIwOzE5Ng


who i recognize and am actually surprised made something this good

Anyway, Viggo is the star in this, he is amazing, and somehow they managed to get 6 child-teen actors that are all fantastic in this. Casting dude gets bonus points.

It is really amazing though, top 5 for me this year. Very emotional and original, i honestly am so positive on this, you guys need to see it when you get a chance. Short premise is its about a very smart family living as survivalists and need to come to terms with society. Once again, Viggo is amazing, fucking Aragorn still exists and demands recognition as an actual evolving actor.

oh yeah and bonus points for the Sigur Ros-Jonsi esque soundtrack. 3 minutes into the movie i paused and searched and found that in fact they are all involved in this I felt good nailing it so instantly.

Gavin Belson? Colour me surprised
 
Watched Star Trek Beyond on an airplane recently and loved it. I can see why a lot of people didn't like the movie, and it certainly wasn't perfect, but all the characters were on point, lots of funny one-liners and a cheesy plot and villain (as Star Trek does). Thoroughly enjoyed it and glad that, more or less, Scotty
was the one to get the alien babe instead of Kirk
.

But man, the "For Anton" at the end of the credits hit me harder than I would have thought. Poor dude.

Yeah, it has that double hit of having both a memorial to Nimoy in the movie and having another in memoriam at the end of it.

I Saw the Devil is a crazy, over-the-top violent, borderline vile action movie made by a top shelf production team.

It has good reason for it though.
 
Morning Glory (1933): The film that made Katharine Hepburn a star and won her the first of her four Oscars (though the other three would be a long time coming after this). Clocking in at only 70 minutes, it's far below what we'd now consider theatrical length, and definitely feels too short. The pacing is off for much of the story, which is a somewhat oddball theatrical melodrama that seems like it should continue past the point where it ends (the ending is like the midpoint in a "rise and fall of a star" narrative). The role also asks Hepburn to play an ingenue, which is an odd fit for her screen personality.
 
So I decided to go through the work of Hong-jin Na, as I was surprised by how well-crafted The Wailing was...and my initial thoughts are: This is one of the best working directors today, and I'll be keeping an eye out for what he does next. All three of Hong-jin's films have a different setting and atmosphere and all are beautiful looking.

The Yellow Sea (2010)
This one's a bit long, a bit complex, beautifully shot (except some hand-held shots that felt kinda weird in some action scenes) and overall very good despite the flaws. And just like The Wailing, it warrants a second viewing. 9/10

The Chaser
(2008)
To me this is his masterpiece, and would recommend it to those new to the Korean cinema. It's surprising how underrated this is. It's about a former police detective who works as a pimp and decide to investigate the cases of his missing prostitutes. Not as complex as the other two films, but it never turns into a cheap action flick. It has great action, funny moments, sad moments and horrific moments. 10/10

I would say though that both movies suffer from an "invincible character" problem, but it's less "problematic" in the latter.
 
Gravity (2013): Gravity remains perhaps the greatest theatrical viewing experience in my cinema-going history -- well, two such experiences, as I saw it twice -- and one of a handful of live action films where I found 3D greatly added to the viewing experience (alongside Avatar, Hugo and Life of Pi). Indeed, for three years after seeing it in theatres I avoided watching it again, since I wasn't sure how it would compare. Having finally done so, while it is not the same experience on Blu-ray, it is still well worth watching, and reflects Alfonso Cuaron's mastery of the camera (aided, of course, by Emmanuel Lubezki).

It's not a complicated story, nor does it feature complicated characters -- rather, this is a white-knuckle thriller that few films can rival, let alone exceed. The special effects are peerless, and while, as mentioned, the characters are straightforward, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney both deliver beautifully in their roles (Clooney's performance initially came across a little weird to me, but on further viewing I better understand what he was going for).
 
Rewatched REC - It goes by fast and it's fun and well paced.. but that goddamn shaky cam really turns my stomach upside down.
It's smart in that it moves so fast, and it's so loud all the time, that you don't really have time to question some of the dumbest choices the characters make, but that stays less true in a second viewing, especially in the final act/sequence, them being
instantly interested in all the reaserch
, while outside zombies are infesting the building, is a bit too much a of a stretch, to force in some exposition, in a clumsy way.
 
The Chaser (2008)
To me this is his masterpiece, and would recommend it to those new to the Korean cinema. It's surprising how underrated this is. It's about a former police detective who works as a pimp and decide to investigate the cases of his missing prostitutes. Not as complex as the other two films, but it never turns into a cheap action flick. It has great action, funny moments, sad moments and horrific moments. 10/10

Watched this the other night. Such a simple yet incredibly powerful movie, I loved it.
 
Oh man the beginning of Castaway is so terrible between the product placement (mostly FedEx but Snickers too) and the stereotypical Russian music.

Edit: But the plane crash remains as panic inducing as ever.
 
Scorpio Rising: 8/10. Guys, I really liked this. Does this make me... you know...
a nazi?
. Seriously though, absolutely thrilling.
Highlander: 6/10. Why do they keep putting French people in movies? Just stop please. I think I'm being pretty generous with the score since this is a lot of cheese and terrible swordfights. But I don't know I thought the mythology of the thing was kind of neat, even though it's just Star Wars, but you know, with trenchcoats.
The Outsiders: 5/10. I watched the re-release which I think was a mistake. This is too long, and the music, while fanatstic, sounded really out of place. Way too clean and hip. It's Coppola so it's looks great but most of the time it's cheeseier than Highlander. 18 year old Diane Lane.
Scream: 7/10. No I've never seen Scream. It was pretty good. A nice deconstruction of the genre but all that's been said already 20 years ago I'm sure.
 
Scream: 7/10. No I've never seen Scream. It was pretty good. A nice deconstruction of the genre but all that's been said already 20 years ago I'm sure.
Great film. Scream 2 is actually a pretty good sequel but 3 & 4 really go off the rails and are both pretty awful.
 
Highlander: 6/10. Why do they keep putting French people in movies? Just stop please. I think I'm being pretty generous with the score since this is a lot of cheese and terrible swordfights. But I don't know I thought the mythology of the thing was kind of neat, even though it's just Star Wars, but you know, with trenchcoats.

uh... so you want a drastic cut in the amount of nudity found in your movies?

Christophe Lambert is an enigma though. I mean he was banging Sophie Marceau so there must be something to him.

Please please watch this and tell us your feelings. I hear it's great.
 
Shit, new page.

Haven't seen many movies recently although I discovered Christopher Guests mockumentaries and really liked the two I saw (Waiting for Guffman and A mighty wind). Saved Best in Show for last.

Currently watching Hannibal (1 episode left in the first season) and I'm still undecided on whether it's good or just pretty.



Memories of Murder is a masterpiece. The other two are not even good.

I've heard The Wailing is a similar sort of movie and pretty great as well.
 
Shit, new page.

Haven't seen many movies recently although I discovered Christopher Guests mockumentaries and really liked the two I saw (Waiting for Guffman and A mighty wind). Saved Best in Show for last.

Currently watching Hannibal (1 episode left in the first season) and I'm still undecided on whether it's good or just pretty.



Memories of Murder is a masterpiece. The other two are not even good.

Netflix just released (in the US at least) a new Guest movie, Mascots. Good mix of his regulars and some newer improvisors (Zach Woods). Wish I could revisit Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman on IW as well but since netflix doesn't own those they don't care about anybody seeing them
 
Broadcast News is pretty solid, if oddly focused. It's a film that's hard to really figure out why it's enjoyable, because it honestly is rather generic and not really in an interesting way. Perhaps the clever dialogue is what makes it work, or the trio of great performances at the center of the film. Hunter is particularly incredible, and Albert Brooks is a very likable presence. The prologue and epilogue are probably the best parts of the film, as they have a certain poignancy mixed with outrageous humor that the rest of the film lacks. Broadcast News is a film that at its heart is just a typical dramedy, but somehow is better than the sum of its parts.

The most interesting aspect of Friday the 13th is the cinematography. Looking very cheap, at points it resembles the visceral style of modern found-footage films. The first-person kills are by far the best part of the film, which is why the first act is miles better than the other two. The biggest problem is that every character is forgettable. The audience has no reason to care if the counselors live or die, so there's absolutely no tension in the entire film. It's only in the third act when we actually get motivation from the killer does the film become at least exciting. Friday the 13th is considered an iconic horror film, but yet, it completely lacks in the terror the genre requires.

The Birth of a Nation is shrouded in controversy. It feels near impossible to discuss it without getting into the case involving writer/director/star Nate Parker, but yet, this reviewer will attempt to, barring the following sentence. At points the case’s shadows fall over the film, and it just adds an air of unintentional unpleasantness that completely distracts from the otherwise strong work. Yes, The Birth of a Nation is a strong film. The acting is powerful, and the direction, for the most part, is intriguing despite moments of, for lack of a better word, immaturity. Heavy-handed imagery and a very poor cinematographic style are Parker’s biggest technical mistake, but not the film’s biggest issue.

This work has a critical mistake in act structure. The third act, the rebellion, should be the best part of the film, the pay-off to what we’ve all been waiting for. Yet, Parker chooses instead to spend most of his time showing Turner’s slow epiphany that drives him to rebel. All the material in the first and second act is good; it’s just disappointing that what it’s building to ends far too soon. This might be a problem with the editing as well as the script, the former of which is plagued with misguided inserts and montages along with a few unnecessary sequences. Regardless, a better Nat Turner film would’ve dwelled just as much on the rebellion as the build-up, if not more. As it is, the film lets know who Nat Turner before his biggest moment of triumph, but once that begins, he becomes nondescript. A two-act structure might’ve done the story better justice, or even just a few more rewrites.

There’s a lot to love in The Birth of a Nation. It’s a fascinating exploration of slavery and how inhumanity can bring forth inhumane justice but justice nonetheless. If one chooses to skip The Birth of a Nation due to the controversy, such a choice would be absolutely understandable and would be an admirable choice. If one does see it though, they’ll find an intriguing, if flawed, drama that kicks off fall 2016 in a quality fashion, even if the controversy does overshadow it at points.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life was middling. Not much to talk about there.
 
Hellraiser
Hellraiser II: Hellbound
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Hellraiser: Bloodline
Hellraiser Inferno


So I watched a Hellraiser film every night this week. I have only seen maybe two minutes of the original film (the start) when I was very young. Apart from that I knew nothing about the films.

Where to begin? Okay so the first film is great. From the offset you'd think its about Pinhead and his mates terrorising and killing people but it isn't. The plot is very simple and well told. The make up and special effects are awesome! Great gore and acting too. Pinhead and co aren't really in the film much which I liked.

Then it all goes downhill.. the second film has its moments (I loved the matte painting stuff) but overall not that great. Third was terrible, what did I even watch?? Four and five are just as bad. I am not bothering with any of the rest.

Its so weird how franchises like this just tank after the original.. the make up is terrible throughout the movies, especially on Pinhead, he looks completely off. The effects get worse (but are okay when they are still practical), the stories are nonsense. It's a real shame.

It's also dumb that they keep having to make direct to DVD films to obtain the rights. Ah whatever. The first was awesome and the rest were shit.

Deepwater Horizon

Watched this today and I really enjoyed it. I didn't know nothing about it or the disaster itself. Totally recommend it.
 
Captain America: Civil War

That was gotdamn amazing! T'challa is a beast and Spiderman was awesome. And the very, very tiny glimpse of Wakanda was hype. I'm definitely gonna have to run this back soon.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 
The Skin I Live In - Believe it or not, i bought this when it came out 4(?) years ago or so, and never got around to watch it.
Fantastic movie through and through, though in my head i was expecting a mind blowing twist, by reading all the comments surrounding it, yet the movie eases into it pretty smoothly, and doesn't really uses it as a shocking reveal.
Fun examination of gender roles tho.
 
The Sea of Trees

I guess I watched a different film to all the critics because it was fine. A little knocking you over the head with obvious plot details, would've been better done subtly but I enjoyed it.
 
Hellraiser
Hellraiser II: Hellbound
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Hellraiser: Bloodline
Hellraiser Inferno


So I watched a Hellraiser film every night this week. I have only seen maybe two minutes of the original film (the start) when I was very young. Apart from that I knew nothing about the films.

Where to begin? Okay so the first film is great. From the offset you'd think its about Pinhead and his mates terrorising and killing people but it isn't. The plot is very simple and well told. The make up and special effects are awesome! Great gore and acting too. Pinhead and co aren't really in the film much which I liked.

Then it all goes downhill.. the second film has its moments (I loved the matte painting stuff) but overall not that great. Third was terrible, what did I even watch?? Four and five are just as bad. I am not bothering with any of the rest.

Its so weird how franchises like this just tank after the original.. the make up is terrible throughout the movies, especially on Pinhead, he looks completely off. The effects get worse (but are okay when they are still practical), the stories are nonsense. It's a real shame.

There's something about Inferno that I like.
 
A Foreign Affair (1948): Sandwiched in between The Lost Weekend, which won writer-director Billy Wilder his first two Oscars, and Sunset Boulevard, where he won his third (three more were still to follow), is the 1948 romantic comedy A Foreign Affair, a not wholly successful production that nevertheless makes for fascinating viewing on a number of levels. Wilder was active in the American film industry from the mid-1930s, but only made his directorial debut in the 1940s, and his most famous films are associated with a new wave of postwar film stars (many of whom he helped make). For this romantic comedy, he has recruited two of the most famous actresses of the prewar period -- Frank Capra favourite Jean Arthur, and German expatriate Marlene Dietrich, the former making her penultimate film appearance before retirement. The plot follows Arthur's uptight/upright Rep. Phoebe Frost (R-IA) to Berlin as part of an investigation into troop morale, where she is scandalized by the evident fraternization between occupying American soldiers and German women (and the distinctly mercantile character of many of these relationships). Frost hones in on Erika von Schlütow (Dietrich), a former mistress to a high profile Nazi now working as a nightclub singer, who is being protected from deNazification laws by a lover in the US military. Unfortunately, the one man that she chooses to trust to help with her investigation is actually the culprit, Captain John Pringle (John Lund).

Fans familiar with some of Wilder's other comedies, such as The Apartment, know that he's not averse to putting fairly heavy material in them, and there's perhaps no better example than here. Wilder immigrated to the United States from Germany prior to the war starting, and lost his entire family to the Holocaust, which makes for rather sobering background knowledge. And yet, the film he has made here is a remarkably even-handed look at postwar German society. Dietrich's Erika is a surprisingly complex character (the actress is giving a purely dramatic performance, which is almost jarring in the scenes she shares with Arthur, who is in full screwball comedy mode), and the film never really judges her for the choices she's made to get by over the years. Erika's musical performances, shown at multiple points, are very mournful about the way Germans (and women in particular) are effectively bartering their possessions (or themselves) in order to get by. You're also not likely to see many romantic comedies have a character reference (albeit veiledly, this being a Hays Code film) the mass rape committed by Russian soldiers when they retook Berlin in 1945. As well, while the film is not, per se, filmed on location in Berlin, unlike The Third Man's evocative use of Vienna one year later, Wilder made extensive use of location shots from the city, which definitely ups the realism factor.

If none of the above sounds much like comic material, well, it could be said the movie has tonal balance issues (particularly when contrasted with some minor comedy characters who are not funny, and frankly jar in contrast with their surroundings).

If there's another aspect of the film that is a little less than optimal, it would be the gender politics (a recurring problem in old screwball comedies, where the women are sharp and fast-talking, but often constrained by stories determined to humble them, something that particularly plagued Katharine Hepburn). Now, one must note to begin with that this is a romantic comedy starring two actresses in their late 40s, and with a male love interest a decade younger than either woman, which would be considered remarkably progressive even today (sadly), so credit where it's due. The film also lets them go beyond being romantic rivals, which too many films don't do. However, the handling of Arthur's Phoebe is at times a little questionable. She's introduced as an ice queen (her surname is Frost, for God's sake) with a very black-and-white worldview the movie clearly thinks is a bit in need of shading, but the second that Pringle attempts to woo her as a distraction, she seems to forget everything she had previously cared about in favour of falling head over heels. The character is not a lost cause, by any measure (a later confrontation with Pringle is superbly acted), but it's definitely more than a hiccup.

Finally, there's also the issue that John Lund is a very bland presence, and caught between Arthur and Dietrich he can feel inadequate to the task. It's a strain, at times, to see why they're so wild about him. If all these things keep the film short of greatness, it still has much to recommend (including some very good cinematography). As a product of a particular moment in time, it's worth seeing for fans of older film, and Wilder's directorial work.
 
The Sea of Trees

I guess I watched a different film to all the critics because it was fine. A little knocking you over the head with obvious plot details, would've been better done subtly but I enjoyed it.

heard some terrible things about this but how was McConaughey? I think he always turns in a charismatic performance.

anyways we just got a damn snowstorm around here. it's time to finally do that rewatch of the thing for October I guess.
 
Arrival (2016)

As someone who is a big fan of the original short story and who was pretty disappointed with the script, I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the final film. Nearly everything in the script that made me groan or roll my eyes was removed or majorly improved upon (or restored from the source material in some cases) leaving us with a really solid sci-fi thriller.

I still stand by my original statement in the trailer thread that Louise (Adams) comes across as a very different character in the film but that's to be expected given the elements of tension/drama that simply don't exist in the source material.

I'm not yet sure how I feel about the reason given for the aliens coming to Earth, though again, way better than what was in the original script.

I'm satisfied with how it turned out and look forward to Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049.
 
Arrival (2016)

As someone who is a big fan of the original short story and who was pretty disappointed with the script, I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the final film. Nearly everything in the script that made me groan or roll my eyes was removed or majorly improved upon (or restored from the source material in some cases) leaving us with a really solid sci-fi thriller.

I still stand by my original statement in the trailer thread that Louise (Adams) comes across as a very different character in the film but that's to be expected given the elements of tension/drama that simply don't exist in the source material.

I'm not yet sure how I feel about the reason given for the aliens coming to Earth, though again, way better than what was in the original script.

I'm satisfied with how it turned out and look forward to Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049.
what are the differences between the script and final movie? i really liked the movie too.
 
Arrival is one of the best and especially most optimistic sci fi film in the past decade. Was not expecting to cry, specifically at the Chinese ambassador
changing his mind and world peace being initiated
which I wish wouldn't stay as fiction. We as a world are so divided. Made a hippie out of me. Great antidote to Independence Day. More in line with The Day Earth Stood Still.

The designs of the ship, no gravity, language, and aliens were really inspired.

Also loved the reference to Enemy's iconic final shot.
 
Arrival (2016)

As someone who is a big fan of the original short story and who was pretty disappointed with the script, I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the final film. Nearly everything in the script that made me groan or roll my eyes was removed or majorly improved upon (or restored from the source material in some cases) leaving us with a really solid sci-fi thriller.

I still stand by my original statement in the trailer thread that Louise (Adams) comes across as a very different character in the film but that's to be expected given the elements of tension/drama that simply don't exist in the source material.

I'm not yet sure how I feel about the reason given for the aliens coming to Earth, though again, way better than what was in the original script.

I'm satisfied with how it turned out and look forward to Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049.

I thought it was a nice production but was bored by the end. It peaked at the hallway shot for me.
 
what are the differences between the script and final movie? i really liked the movie too.

I'll just post some snippets of dialogue to illustrate some differences as well as why I was so disappointed with the original script:
LOUISE
You son of a bitch.

IAN
This wasn’t my idea! They built a translator device from your work! I had to make sure they didn’t-- Hey!

-------------------------------------------------------

IAN
You don’t know, Louise. You don’t have the data to support that. Examine this logically--

LOUISE
I’m not some equation for you to solve, and neither are they!

--------------------------------------------------------

Louise’s attention drifts back to the glass drawing board, with the science team huddled at it.
From her POV, the timeline looks like this:
|—o———————————————————————————————|
And the logogram over the dot that means ‘humanity’ looks the same; it’s an AMBIGRAM.


LOUISE
Ian. Look. The word for ‘humanity’ is an ambigram in their language. It reads the same front or back.

IAN
That’s how the heptapods were seeing it, on their side! To them, we are at the beginning of our timeline.

LOUISE
From their perspective, humanity has a long future ahead. To us, we’re nearly done. Which is it?

IAN
It’s Schrodinger’s Cat! It all comes down to choice. Louise -- we’ve solved it!

--------------------------------------------------------

Other differences:
-Forrest Whitaker's character was straight up antagonistic in the script.
-The 12 ships each gave parts of a schematic for building a space ship capable of FTL.
-None of the stuff with the Chinese general including the banquet is in the script.
-The descriptions of the alien language was a big part of what made the source material so interesting. None of that was in the script though Ian's short narration in the final film helps restore some of it.

EXTRA SPOILER WARNING: Some aspects of the following spoiler text does remain in the final film so be warned.
MALE VOICE (V.O.)
The end for heptapods is coming. This is why we are here. To learn from you. And to help you.

LOUISE
Learn from us? Learn what?

MALE VOICE (V.O.)
Power to choose. Not to follow the path of our story. To break from what we know is to come, and choose the unknown instead. That is the only way for us to survive now.

LOUISE
Was Abbott supposed to die in the explosion? Was that his story?

MALE VOICE (V.O.)
...No. Abbott chose a different path. He broke his future. And by his death, he has shown that all heptapods are free.

MALE VOICE (V.O.)
You are the key. You choose life. Even knowing what the future holds. You light the way for us all.

:|
 
Watched several movies last night because I was bored.

The Trust with Nic Cage and Elijah Wood.


I'd heard some interesting things about this movie and after finishing it up I can see what people were talking about. It won't win any awards or change any lines but it was a just weird enough heist flick that the best way I can sum it up is a movie version of Breaking Bad about a cops. Not sure that makes sense but after finishing it that's the best thing that came to mind. I'd recommend it as its got Nic Cage being just unhinged enough that you can't tell if he's lost it or not but there are a good couple of freak outs,"OPEN IT!""

Also watched some movie about the coast guard with Chris Pine that takes place in the 1950's called the Finest Hours. Wasn't terrible, there are some well done shots of the coast guard boat breaking through the oncoming waves. Otherwise wasn't entirely impressed though its got Casey Affleck doing Casey Affleck
 
Captain Fantastic
Possibly my favorite movie of the year (so far). Have to look everything else over but yeah, really loved this. The kids are amazing actors and there's some beautiful emotion running through every scene of this thing. I also think we all take Viggo for granted as one of the best actors working today. Dude has some tough, tough scenes. 5/5

Swiss Army Man
Maybe my second favorite movie. I dunno. This or Hunt for the Wilderpeople are right there. Either way, great movie, hard to watch sometimes but very odd and strange but with intent and purpose to it making it funny and human in its process. Hard movie to simply describe, more of an experience and one I'd recommend to anyone even if they don't get the point of it all - they can at least enjoy the fart jokes. 4.5/5

Tarzan
Overally really awful. I think I might be able to forgive its story and character awfulness if it at least was an enjoyable action adventure movie, but it doesn't even manage that very well (notably thanks to some very spotty CG). I did enjoy Samuel L Jackson the most, surprisingly. I feel like he's the one having the most fun and that's kind of what the movie needed more of. 1.5/5

Hail, Caesar!
I'm kind of surprised I wasn't in to this one as much as I expected to be. I love old Hollywood. I love Coen Bros movies. You got a great cast with some faves. Deakins shooting the thing. Yet...nothing seemed to rightly click. It's a movie that works with a lot of ideas but never quite gets them all together and seems content in just be a bit celebratory masturbatory about the era. I still got some good laughs and loved the style, also Alden Ehrenreich easily steals the show, but it's a B-grade Coen effort for me (and a B-grade Coen flick is still better than most). 2.5/5

Frankenhooker
I need to post this over at the Horror thread still, but I'm watching two more horror movies this weekend so will put it here for now. But man...the hell was that? I say "the hell was that" in a good way, of course. Great cult movie that's so utterly weird I can't help but love it. It wasn't quite as funny as I assumed it was going to be, but it has a lot of charm to it as the absurdity gets dialed to 11. It's an irreverent movie about a dead-hooker-zombie, what's not to like?. 3/5
 
Reviews to Ang Lee's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk have not been good, but I wonder how much of that is because of the 120fps format or the movie itself.
 
Sounds like a little of Point A, little of Point B. Like the movie is just ok, and there's a super distracting framerate that makes everything seem artificial and phony.

Nothing can stop the La La Land/Chazelle Oscar train now

unless the Academy suddenly goes for a 2 and a half hour epic about Jesuits in 17th century Japan
 
Isn't Moonlight up there also? If anything beats La La Land, I wouldn't be surprised, or upset if Moonlight wins.

Ended up watching Nocturnal Animals the other day. A lot of people are gonna hate this film for the paper thin characters and lack of any plot depth.. but there's no denying the film is incredibly stylish and well acted. Definite Hitchcock vibes from it.
 
Isn't Moonlight up there also? If anything beats La La Land, I wouldn't be surprised, or upset if Moonlight wins.

Yeah. Especially with last year's controversy and it being such a good movie it can't be overlooked

I think Manchester by the Sea should have best actor locked tho. I really have a hard time seeing anybody getting on that level this year.
 
Isn't Moonlight up there also? If anything beats La La Land, I wouldn't be surprised, or upset if Moonlight wins.
Remains to be seen whether it's too arty for the Academy.

Fences is another question mark. If it's really good, I can see them going for that in a big way, beyond just acting nominations.
 
Moonlight will probably sweep the critics award, and probably be #1 on the most Critic Top Tens
, but I suspect it'll be too small, too black, and too gay for the Academy tbh...maybe a supporting actor win or Best Screenplay(although I'd be surprised if Lonergan doesn't win that)

The #1 thing you want for a BP winner is consensus. Near universal appeal. Something that crosses demographics. A movie that even if its not a #1 on your preferential ballot, its certainly in your top 2 or 3 somewhere.

I think out of all the potential movies this year, La La Land seems like the biggest consensus grabber. Its played at all three big festivals, and all the press and audiences love it. It's got good-looking stars singing and dancing, with beautiful visuals and camerawork. It's a love letter to Hollywood, but refreshingly modern and intelligent. It has a stunning ending that sends people out on a cloud. It's seemingly irresistible, undeniable. Free from any controversy, or overlong runtimes, or 3D 120 fps technology. Damian Chazelle is already a formidable name that gets people who arent normally interested in musicals to buy tickets, and the word of mouth gon be lit. And I think the Academy loves to promote movies they think they should make more often, which is why the big technological blockbusters like Avatar, Gravity, or Life of Pi would never win cuz it reminds them too much of modern Hollywood. They wanna promote films like Spotlight and Argo and the Artist, done in a vein of studio moviemaking that was popular long ago, in the hope they can come back in fashion. They would love nothing more than the name a great screen musical like this Best Picture, to send a message.

Saying this all sight unseen, but it pretty much has all the tangibles and intangibles of a BP winner. And in a year covered with so much toxicity due to this WOAT political election, it'd be nice to award BP to something colorful and romantic, free from cool irony or trend cynicism.
 
Captain Fantastic
Possibly my favorite movie of the year (so far). Have to look everything else over but yeah, really loved this. The kids are amazing actors and there's some beautiful emotion running through every scene of this thing. I also think we all take Viggo for granted as one of the best actors working today. Dude has some tough, tough scenes. 5/5

My man, Captain Fantastic really was incredible. I was very surprised tbh. I mean Matt Ross is not someone i ever imagined writing something like this. I only know him from Silicon Valley as the asshole CEO.
 
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