I think Okja has some really good moments, but Jake Gyllenhaal's performance and some weird choices hinder it from being great. The third act has some wild and interesting things in it!
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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| September 2017
- Thread starter Divius
- Start date
I think Okja has some really good moments, but Jake Gyllenhaal's performance and some weird choices hinder it from being great. The third act has some wild and interesting things in it!
Watched Logan and came away pretty impressed. Biggest reason for that was Dafne Keen as X-23, what a great performance. What a stellar sendoff to Jackman as Wolverine and also Xavier, it would be hard to top this. Because of that R rating we also finally got some gory and brutal Wolverine action. I guess my only nitpicks are the smartphone exposition and Laura
Am I also correct in assuming that Xavier
Logan also stresses that so many comic book movies follow the same mold. This was the first one in a while that felt unique and come off as a character/action piece that happens to feature comic book characters.
repeating the western dialogue near the end. That was predictable and on the nose. Just silence and her turning the cross at the end would've been better.
Am I also correct in assuming that Xavier
is the cause of the X-Men's death? There's reference to something big happening east, and Xavier says he's done terrible things. Probably one of his seizures taking out X-Men?
Logan also stresses that so many comic book movies follow the same mold. This was the first one in a while that felt unique and come off as a character/action piece that happens to feature comic book characters.
Just finished it, can confirm. There's not even gratuitous nudity from some random supporting player. The most anyone gets is a guy's butt.
It's a horrible film. Scrapes a 3/10 for me. Badger from Breaking Bad made me laugh a few times, but William H. Macy really scraped the bottom of the barrel with this one.
Little Evil up later I think.
Right,
the first seizure he ever has is at the mansion and kills the X-Men, though he doesn't remember this until later in the movie.
TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared
Member
The Hitman's Bodyguard is a mildly entertaining diversion getting by mostly on the star power and chemistry of Jackson and Reynolds despite the boring action and lack of diversity in the action scenes despite having it set in places like Coventry and Amsterdam and thus having plenty of chances to do something a little different. Selma Hayek is also wasted and doesn't get nearly enough screen time.
AngmarsKing701
Member
The couple I've watched have been pretty safe, standard fare. Shimmer Lake and What Happened to Monday are both solid for a couple hours of entertainment but you can do other stuff while they're on and they're not gonna win any awards.
Looking back at my post, I was maybe a tad too harsh. I guess I wish they would do better, but outside of their film festival pickups I find they're way too safe. With their recent movie announcements maybe it will get better. Shimmer Lake had some good stuff in it, but hinged on its structure a little too much. Canada didn't get What Happened to Monday, I need to find a way to see that one! But you're right, they're solid for entertainment, in the end.
HollowCentral
Member
Jake Gyllenhaal's performance didn't really bother me that much, though I can see people being turned off from him being really fucking weird just for the sake of being really fucking weird. Fantastic movie otherwise though. Highly recommend.
As for the films I saw yesterday...
Watched The Lion King for the second time in a month (I guess). What a perfect movie to watch on a sick day. Still a fantastic film. Not much to say. 9/10.
12 Angry Men hits all the story marks and acting marks it needed to for me to like it. I really like the concept of people just hanging out in one place and most of the film taking place in that one area (still need to see It Comes at Night, which seems to do a similar thing). And here it's pulled off beautifully, with a fascinating story exploring the ethical questions surrounding a death sentence. All the actors are great, and overall it's just pretty damn great. The pacing is a little slow at times, but at only about an hour and a half, it doesn't overstay it's welcome. 8/10.
The only other M. Night Shyamalan film I had seen before yesterday was The Last Airbender, which isn't exactly a great film to start with. But then I saw Unbreakable, and now I'm almost willing to forgive him for Airbender, because I really liked Unbreakable. The slow pace at which information is revealed kept me engaged throughout, and the incredible cinematography and shot composition gave it a real sense of style.
I purposely watched this before I saw Split, but after seeing this I'm really interested in seeing how they tie into each other, and I'm also incredibly excited for the sequel.
Little Evil (2017) - 5.4/10 - This is a bit underwhelming coming from a filmmaker clearly capable of better.
Pastiches of classic horror films are simplistic and lazy, allegory with travails of parenthood lack any nuance...but I still had some fun with it, largely thanks to the cast more than Craig's fairly workmanlike direction.
Bridget Everett totally ran away with the movie and Tyler Labine's cameo was amusing. Didn't outstay its welcome overall and amused me enough, but the lack of gore was REALLY disappointing.
A watchable Netflix film but it feels like a first draft that could've done with more wit, sharper visuals and more gore. The
was dope though.
Pastiches of classic horror films are simplistic and lazy, allegory with travails of parenthood lack any nuance...but I still had some fun with it, largely thanks to the cast more than Craig's fairly workmanlike direction.
Bridget Everett totally ran away with the movie and Tyler Labine's cameo was amusing. Didn't outstay its welcome overall and amused me enough, but the lack of gore was REALLY disappointing.
A watchable Netflix film but it feels like a first draft that could've done with more wit, sharper visuals and more gore. The
Sally Field cameo
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me: Lynch absolutely captures the sadness, fear and devastation of Laura Palmer's life and Sheryl Lee knocks it out of the park. Unfortunately all the other characters' presence feels tangential to that and the film also suffers from perhaps the worst instances of Lynch's 'literal symbolisms'. I could not give less of a fuck about the specifics of the lodge, the ring, Bob, electricity etc. but I suppose the show devolved into that later on as well. Finally, onto season 3!
Make sure to watch Missing Pieces too.
TissueBox
Member
One of the most compelling tragic heroines of postmodernism. Crushing, every time.
Death Note
It's like the movie was stuck on hyperspeed and could not slow down for even a moment. Because of that, bizarre character decisions happen, characters deduce things that are so sudden just to move the plot, and a few interesting moments end up buried deep. It does have some good visuals, and Willem Dafoe is real good, as is Margaret Qualley. But the rest, and the speed of the whole thing, really dampened it, otherwise.
It's like the movie was stuck on hyperspeed and could not slow down for even a moment. Because of that, bizarre character decisions happen, characters deduce things that are so sudden just to move the plot, and a few interesting moments end up buried deep. It does have some good visuals, and Willem Dafoe is real good, as is Margaret Qualley. But the rest, and the speed of the whole thing, really dampened it, otherwise.
HollowCentral
Member
Mean Girls doesn't hold up as well as I remember. To be fair, most comedy movies aren't as funny the second time around. But there were a lot of little things in this one that kept me from enjoying it as much as I did the first time. The constant narration being the worst offender, which I always find annoying. And it just doesn't have that laughing-so-hard-you-cry moment that every good comedy should. But the great cast keeps it from being another generic teen movie, so it's still a fun watch. Would recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. Just don't expect much from a second viewing. 6.5/10
Thanks. I loved how they didn't even make a big beal of that, it's just some detail you figure out or not.
Messofanego
Banned
Little Evil was just alright, it could have done a lot more than just reference antichrist and horror movie classic images. The jokes and visual comedy isn't as sharp as Tucker and Dale vs Evil. I was just more noticing the aping of Edgar Wright's extreme zoom fast cuts of mundane things.
Bridget Everett is the best part of the whole movie having the best lines, and I hope she gets more work. She's in Patti Cake$, which I haven't seen yet.
I hope Eli Craig doesn't become a case of indie directors striking hot on debut and then fizzling out like Richard Bates Jr (Excision -> Suburban Gothic -> Trash Fire) and Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko-> Southland Tales -> The Box).
Bridget Everett is the best part of the whole movie having the best lines, and I hope she gets more work. She's in Patti Cake$, which I haven't seen yet.
I hope Eli Craig doesn't become a case of indie directors striking hot on debut and then fizzling out like Richard Bates Jr (Excision -> Suburban Gothic -> Trash Fire) and Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko-> Southland Tales -> The Box).
Almost October's 31 Days of Horror time!
Just finished seeing The Longest Day (1962). Technically watched a total of an hour in the past 2 days, but whatever. Amazing film, really a masterpiece. TBH, I actually didn't know a lot of that stuff presented in the film, especially the parachuting and the mishap specifically for that one group.
While obviously having limitations with effects and you very rarely see any conclusions to the characters (and boy, there are so many I only recognized about 5 main characters) due to this being only 1 step further to end the war, it still holds up both as a classic and a film that should be shown to kids for them to understand what it was like.
5 out of 5 stars. Recommend this to everyone of all ages (it is rated G for a reason!). See this film now.
September List:
1. The Longest Day (1962)-Old film: 5/5
2. Logan Lucky: 4/5
3. Hotel Transylvania 2-Old film: 3/5
While obviously having limitations with effects and you very rarely see any conclusions to the characters (and boy, there are so many I only recognized about 5 main characters) due to this being only 1 step further to end the war, it still holds up both as a classic and a film that should be shown to kids for them to understand what it was like.
5 out of 5 stars. Recommend this to everyone of all ages (it is rated G for a reason!). See this film now.
September List:
1. The Longest Day (1962)-Old film: 5/5
2. Logan Lucky: 4/5
3. Hotel Transylvania 2-Old film: 3/5
HollowCentral
Member
9/10
I was planning on watching Ingrid Goes West tonight, but I wasn't up for leaving the house. Instead, I decided to finally watch City of God, hearing that it was amazing.
City of God
Wow. That is all I can say right now (at least out loud). It actually beat out Godfather, Goodfellas, and even Gone with the Wind for me. Maybe after I calm down I'll be more critical of it (I'm always hyped from a movie I enjoyed, let alone a masterpiece).
But all I can say watch this. This had some of the most interesting characters in quite a while with amazing cinematography. This felt like Goodfellas/Godfather except way grittier due to being placed in a more dangerous area than wherever those films were set in.
You want to know something funny? Not only was this not nominated for Best Picture, it wasn't even nominated for Best Foreign Language Film............
This movie is a classic, 5 out 5 freaking stars, the Academy Awards sucks at everything.
City of God
Wow. That is all I can say right now (at least out loud). It actually beat out Godfather, Goodfellas, and even Gone with the Wind for me. Maybe after I calm down I'll be more critical of it (I'm always hyped from a movie I enjoyed, let alone a masterpiece).
But all I can say watch this. This had some of the most interesting characters in quite a while with amazing cinematography. This felt like Goodfellas/Godfather except way grittier due to being placed in a more dangerous area than wherever those films were set in.
You want to know something funny? Not only was this not nominated for Best Picture, it wasn't even nominated for Best Foreign Language Film............
This movie is a classic, 5 out 5 freaking stars, the Academy Awards sucks at everything.
HollowCentral
Member
It took you this long to figure that out? I learned that when they didn't even nominate The LEGO Movie for Best Animated Feature.
Infernostew
Member
One of my favorite things of every year!
I'll be honest I wasn't the biggest fan of City of God. It's analysis on the spiral of poverty, institutional corruption and violence seemed ancillary to the thrills of crime. While that's a criticism which can also be leveled against Goodfellas, I don't think that film pretends to explore the societal contributions towards the makings of a gangster. It's nostalgia tinged narration makes clear the allure of the gangster life while leaving it up the audience to decide on its glamour without any moralizing. Fun movie though!
Net_Wrecker
Member
All of Fire Walk With Me is hugely important for Season 3 though, and S3 in turn ends up making FWWM better.
Edgy Murphy
Member
The Big Sick - 8/10
I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but maybe that's because I also come from a a background similar to Kumail. I enjoyed the way that they portrayed the relationship between the two leads, it was pretty realistic compared to most romcoms tend to be. I mean,
when you boil it down, there are tropes n' whatnot, but on the level, it felt real. Props to Kumail and Zoe on-screen, but I have to give a hand to Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as Emily's parents. They were fantastic to watch.
Logan Lucky - 9/10
Out of the three, probably the one I enjoyed the most. Just an overall fun film with a great cast. The one thing I liked was that it was very direct and straight to the point a lot of the time. There was no buildup to some of the smaller points, they just went to it and it paid off. Extremely well made and really fun. If you haven't seen this film, I'd recommend it.
The Hitman's Bodyguard - 5/10
It reminds me a lot of when I play video games with my friends - we have no real goals nor are we actively trying to do a lot when you put the tools in front of me, but we do have dumb fun. I don't think anyone going in to this expected a great story, but the action set pieces and the chemistry between the leads were a plus. Also saw this film again in a Dbox and yeah, it was better with the dumb motion.
I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but maybe that's because I also come from a a background similar to Kumail. I enjoyed the way that they portrayed the relationship between the two leads, it was pretty realistic compared to most romcoms tend to be. I mean,
when you boil it down, there are tropes n' whatnot, but on the level, it felt real. Props to Kumail and Zoe on-screen, but I have to give a hand to Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as Emily's parents. They were fantastic to watch.
That 9/11 joke had me in stitches in the theater.
Logan Lucky - 9/10
Out of the three, probably the one I enjoyed the most. Just an overall fun film with a great cast. The one thing I liked was that it was very direct and straight to the point a lot of the time. There was no buildup to some of the smaller points, they just went to it and it paid off. Extremely well made and really fun. If you haven't seen this film, I'd recommend it.
The Hitman's Bodyguard - 5/10
It reminds me a lot of when I play video games with my friends - we have no real goals nor are we actively trying to do a lot when you put the tools in front of me, but we do have dumb fun. I don't think anyone going in to this expected a great story, but the action set pieces and the chemistry between the leads were a plus. Also saw this film again in a Dbox and yeah, it was better with the dumb motion.
Just wanted to point out that Excision is significantly better than Donnie Darko and Tucker & Dale.
Messofanego
Banned
That's why it stings 😭
There's still Eggers to ruin!
Doctor Strange **
David Lynch the Art Life **
Mifune the Last Samurai **
Sunshine **
The Host
I am a Hero **
Shin Godzilla **
Seoul Station **
The Good The Bad The Weird
Railroad Tigers **
A Bittersweet Life
The Man From Nowhere
Thirst
Trainspotting 2 **
Tombstone
Death Note **
Kikujiro
The Wailing **
Stephen King's Thinner **
Office Space **
Fences **
My August. ** means first time watch.
Best rewatch is hard.. Kikujiro probably takes that though, next to A Bittersweet Life.
Best first time watch is hard.. I enjoyed T2, Office Space, David Lynch and Mifune the most.
David Lynch the Art Life **
Mifune the Last Samurai **
Sunshine **
The Host
I am a Hero **
Shin Godzilla **
Seoul Station **
The Good The Bad The Weird
Railroad Tigers **
A Bittersweet Life
The Man From Nowhere
Thirst
Trainspotting 2 **
Tombstone
Death Note **
Kikujiro
The Wailing **
Stephen King's Thinner **
Office Space **
Fences **
My August. ** means first time watch.
Best rewatch is hard.. Kikujiro probably takes that though, next to A Bittersweet Life.
Best first time watch is hard.. I enjoyed T2, Office Space, David Lynch and Mifune the most.
Would you put it above Snowpiercer? That was a movie also by Bong Joon-ho that, sure, had corny moments but was thoroughly entertaining to me, so if Okja is that (and hopefully better), then I'm definitely going to try and watch sooner than later.
I will forgive this terrible opinion because you have a Canucks avatar.
There was barely any horror, and no answers as to what the fuck was going on with the outside world. Secondly, it was very predictable and didn't even have a twist at the end, which could have somewhat saved it.
Discotheque
Banned
I didn't like Snowpiercer that much but its best moments for me were during the very Gilliam-esque portions like that classroom part.
Okja was much more fun tbh. I think Gylenhaal was a big misfire, but everyone else was great. especially Paul Dano and his gang of eco terrorists. fun movie, a lot of good humor in it too. reminded me of 12 Monkeys whenever the gang was on screen.
That's good to hear that you liked it. Such a moving experience. I didn't like the Sean Penn portions but the majority of the movie is focused more on the family and the boy's upbringing though where Malick knocked it out of the park. I strongly suggest you check out Malick's movies prior to this since you came away impressed with ToL. Thin Red Line, New World and Days of Heaven (all 3 in particular, Badlands is also good but these were just...whew) all share a similar languid direction to them with a lot of voice overs, and its all so beautiful.
Thin Red Line is my favorite Malick but you can't go wrong with any of those.
Thanks for the Okja impressions. Will have to check it out soon.
Also bless up with the Tree of Life love. One of the GOAT movies for sure. (Probably my favourite film ever actually)
Malick has one of the best filmographies of anyone ever. Stoked for Radegund when that comes out.
Either change that 10 to a 9 or that 9 to a 10, and then I'll be able to rest at peace. Glad you enjoyed it though; definitely check out Malick's other films. His movies are truly one of a kind experiences. I even like his post Tree of Life films, but they're definitely more alienating and bizarre than grandiose.
Daffy Duck
Member
It comes at night 0/10
What an awful film, advertised as one thing and it's completely something else, it's not even entertaining.
Nothing of note happens and the ending just falls flat.
What an awful film, advertised as one thing and it's completely something else, it's not even entertaining.
Nothing of note happens and the ending just falls flat.
Fancy Clown
Member
I liked Snowpierecer quite a bit but I thought Okja was mostly a miss. It had charming moments and some fun setpieces but it was just so clumsy with its message and some of the creative choices were just bad (Gyllenhaal's entire character).
I'm disappointed, i thought you had just become the most brutal reviewer.
lol I thought the same thing.
I think my memory is starting to go, haha. I remember watching Snowpiercer when it hit North America, but I only remember very specific spots of it and not the movie as a whole. It's on Netflix, I will need to give it a rewatch!
Been at Dragoncon, so I haven't had much time to watch movies. But here's a roundup of last month anyway!
Top 5 for August, no particular order:
-The Seahorse
-An Eastern Westerner
-Bonnie and Clyde
-Good Time
-Castle in the Sky
Most valuable rewatch: Vertigo
The "Fuck This Thing in Particular" Award: Burial Ground
Got a pretty heavy classic film schedule ahead of me for September, including heading out at some time this weekend to catch the 4K restoration of Suspiria, but perhaps the most important thing happening this month is the finalization of my list for the horror marathon next month. I've been rather pleased with how well it's been coming together. More Japanese heavy than I had originally anticipated, but hey, the J-horror boom started at the end of the decade, so that felt appropriate.
Top 5 for August, no particular order:
-The Seahorse
-An Eastern Westerner
-Bonnie and Clyde
-Good Time
-Castle in the Sky
Most valuable rewatch: Vertigo
The "Fuck This Thing in Particular" Award: Burial Ground
Got a pretty heavy classic film schedule ahead of me for September, including heading out at some time this weekend to catch the 4K restoration of Suspiria, but perhaps the most important thing happening this month is the finalization of my list for the horror marathon next month. I've been rather pleased with how well it's been coming together. More Japanese heavy than I had originally anticipated, but hey, the J-horror boom started at the end of the decade, so that felt appropriate.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Whew! Saw the bolded after thinking "that's a lot of two star movies and hate watching stuff you wouldn't even give 1 star!"
Wind River (2017): This isn't technically Taylor Sheridan's directorial debut (he made an earlier film in 2011), but it's effectively being treated as that, coming off a couple of well-received films that he scripted but did not direct (Sicario, Hell or High Water). Continuing with the neo-Western theme, this digs into the very relevant social issue of murdered and missing indigenous women. There are some very powerful scenes here, with Sheridan really nailing the key emotional beats, particularly pertaining to grief. However, the actual plot of this movie is by times very dumb, and a key moment of the climax feels to me like it could have been achieved without nearly as much business (
).
Also, while I don't blame Sheridan for this since studio funding mechanisms are what they are, but Jeremy Renner's character really should have been a Native American man.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002): Continuing my Paul Thomas Anderson rewatch, this is the only Anderson film I didn't much care for on my initial viewing. The second time around I like it more, but it's probably still second-last amongst film filmography for me (ahead of Hard Eight). The editing/scoring style is definitely memorable, though.
after a shootout, one of the perpetrators flees, and Renner then pursues him, only to just take him somewhere else and demand that he run, even though had Renner done nothing he'd almost certainly have died in exactly the same manner that he does
Also, while I don't blame Sheridan for this since studio funding mechanisms are what they are, but Jeremy Renner's character really should have been a Native American man.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002): Continuing my Paul Thomas Anderson rewatch, this is the only Anderson film I didn't much care for on my initial viewing. The second time around I like it more, but it's probably still second-last amongst film filmography for me (ahead of Hard Eight). The editing/scoring style is definitely memorable, though.
UberTag
Member
Secured my tickets for The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Death of Stalin at TIFF two weeks from now.
Normally I book time off and go nuts during the festival (caught like 30 movies in 10 days last year) but I'm only doing the single day this go around.
Normally I book time off and go nuts during the festival (caught like 30 movies in 10 days last year) but I'm only doing the single day this go around.
HollowCentral
Member
I find it interesting that a lot of people here hated It Comes At Night, but I it's one of the higher rated horror movies of the year so far (according to Rotten Tomatoes).
Probably gonna check out when it hits physical.