I am not a film person really. Films rarely have deep worldbuilding and other things i seek from fiction, or at least they cannot show it, and they do not offer interactivity video games offer, and do not usually require as much thinking (and imagination) as reading. Watching films is kind of passive activity, too much so (also lack of lights in film theaters makes me sleepy).
Still, i've been watching more films than usual lately/this year, i've nearly stopped gaming and i've been reading a single book series, so i've wanted something to fill the time.
This list spans more than this month, on the account of never noticing this thread type before, and because i rarely watch films. Not in any particular order.
I made a thread about Dune a month ago or so. Thoughts there.
Sometime ago i watched the
Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy again. How i love it! No doubt some call it bloated, nonsensical mess with too much focus on romance. I cannot say for sure what it is in it that i love so much but all in all, it is such a crazy adventure i cannot help but like it. And i have to confess i like the kind of melodramatic romance PotC has, arguably a big reason why i like the series (minus the fourth film, which is terrible).
And the soundtrack is superb.
Stardust. I can't recall what prompted me to watch it but i liked it quite a bit. Romantic fairy-tale comedy... not a thing i expected i'd like. It is... i don't know, light-hearthed? Probably rather cliche but perhaps that is what makes it work.
Need the read the book, which i understand is a bit different.
My brother suggested we'd watch
Interstellar as neither of us had seen it. Despite being a fan of scifi, i hadn't watched it as something about its trailers irked me.
And so did the full film. It had some good stuff, i guess, visually it was pretty nice if not particularly special. But the plot and events... ugh. No thanks.
It felt like Nolan tried to make a 21st century 2001: A Space Odyssey but the end result sure isn't even close.
The Princess Bride. Some comparison between Stardust and The Princess Bride lead me to watch it next. I've been seeing references to the film for years, mostly via TV Tropes and Darths&Droids. It was good to finally watch it.
It was great fun. My brother seemed to like it as well. We noted that it seemed to have kind of low production values at times (like obviously fake rocks), seems this was an effect of the lowish budget but this didn't detract from the experience. Indeed, it may have even made it kind of better, "this thing isn't taking itself too seriously".
Very much recommended if you've never seen it.
Taking a break from fairy tales, me and my brother watched
The Hunt for Red October. My brother noted we've seen it before, if not from the beginning though i do not recall it at all.
Not bad i guess? But ultimately not a film i liked. Kind of non-visual... pretty much all scenes are within submarines, so everything is kind of limited visually. In a way, this reminds me off 2001: A Space Odyssey... Not sure this is a positive though.
Sean Connery looked very good as a captain but man, his accent didn't fit a Russian at all.
I remember i liked
Titan A.E. when i saw it... i don't know, a decade ago? Didn't withstand a re-watch. It isn't a bad film but... it feels dated and feels kind of mediocre ultimately. It lacks something that elevates it, something that somehow makes it special.
It does have certain tropes (like humankind being a remnant) i like in scifi in general, and it reminds me of some books and things.
I have a confession. I've never seen many Disney films, even things people see as classics like The Lion King, and those that i've seen, i've been young enough i do not remember them anymore.
I've figure i should watch them eventually, and i've kind of started. In January i watched
Frozen and i liked it quite a bit. Re-watched it yesterday, and it is one of those films that i can watch again without issues (unlike, say, The Dark Knight, which i liked the first time i saw it, but didn't like it the second time i saw it). Difficult to say why i like it, it just kind of works.
And Olaf's non-sequiturs and antics are fun.
Also watched
Tangled. Very nice. Don't like it as much as Frozen but it is the kind of light-hearted fun i do like. It did feel perhaps a bit too cliche, or stereotypical... That isn't always a strength. But that didn't hurt it so much it would bother me.
Probably should watch some older Disney film next, like The Lion King. Any particular ones that stand-out that people would recommend?
What else... Can't recall if there's something else i've watched recently.
I've still got some 20+ films in my "to watch" list, and it is likely to grow faster than i can watch them.
Just not sure what to watch next. Since i watched Frozen yesterday, it should be action or something else non-animation next.