I Just Watched (Films)

Small Screen. Bigger Screen.
User avatar
Sly Boots
Bar Staff
Posts: 6289
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 8:34 am
Location: Hampshire
Contact:

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Sly Boots » Sun Jun 11, 2023 5:01 pm

Well, I've not seen Avatar 2 so I can't commiserate, however while we're on the subject of over-rated auteurs, last night my wife made me watch M Night Shyamalan's Old, which just landed on Netflix.

Now the wife, bless her, loves Mr S's oeuvre, while for me it's much more hit and miss - enjoyed Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Split, tolerated Signs, The Village and Glass and everything else in unmitigated trash.

No prizes for guessing which category Old falls squarely into :lol:

I had to turn it off after 30 minutes, I literally couldn't take any more (she finished it on her own later on and professed to like it lol). Despite having some good actors (eg Rufus Sewell), nobody, literally nobody talks or acts like an actual human being.

One example is less than 60 seconds from the start, the family are travelling by car, and the daughter's singing is interrupted by the mother. The son in the back immediately comments: "You spoiled her sponteneity." The son is 6 :lol:

The same character ten or so minutes later comments to a fellow 6-year-old that they can be friends even after the holiday, concluding with: "And we can go to the same college and end up as neighbours talking about our mortgages."

Again, this kid is 6 years old :lol:

In case you think this is limited to this one character, other gems include:

A doctor, witnessing the death on the beach of the family pet: "The dog has died! He was only just alive!"

A mother, trying to persuade another supposedly human being: "You don't know me. I work in a museum setting up exhibits. I'm telling you this because I want you to trust me."

It's absolute garbage, its one redeeming feature is that if you can stand it the unintentional hilarity is high. Afterwards I found out the Guardian's chief film critic gave it 5/5, which is preposterous as the film itself :lol:

User avatar
Wrathbone
Local
Posts: 3653
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:08 am

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Wrathbone » Sun Jun 11, 2023 5:26 pm

Sold. :lol:

User avatar
Sly Boots
Bar Staff
Posts: 6289
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 8:34 am
Location: Hampshire
Contact:

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Sly Boots » Sun Jun 11, 2023 6:11 pm

Wrathbone wrote:
Sun Jun 11, 2023 5:26 pm
Sold. :lol:
:lol:

At least you're forewarned!

User avatar
Solitaire
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:28 pm
Contact:

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Solitaire » Tue Jun 13, 2023 6:08 pm

Re: the new Avatar movie, Raid, your review sounds exactly like what my impressions would be. I enjoyed the first one simply because of the visuals - stunningly done, so many art assets that it boggles the mind. The first story was a mishmash of sci-fi tropes and storylines from books I'd read as a kid in the 80s. One of my absolutely favorite books is "Midworld" by Allen Dean Foster, and I'd bet my right arm that Cameron read it at some point, because Pandora is almost entirely copied and inspired by the planet in that book - derivatively so. The writing in the first was junior high stuff, I'm not at all surprised that the script for the second is similarly juvenile.
If Edwin's being an Edwin does he call himself an Edwin?

User avatar
Pew-Pew
Posts: 346
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 11:04 am

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Pew-Pew » Thu Jun 15, 2023 8:36 am

Watched the new Spider-verse film the other day. Beautiful animation, lots of cool/silly concepts, characters are very compelling. However, it went on for about 15 mins too long, and also didn't actually end. It's not really a spoiler as apparently it was announced before it came out, but I had no idea that this is the first of two parts. You could hear the exasperation of the entire cinema when it suddenly ended, so I'm not sure many other people knew either.

User avatar
Drarok
Posts: 946
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:12 pm

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Drarok » Thu Jun 15, 2023 10:52 am

Shit, thanks for the heads-up, I had no idea! Would have been a good idea to put "part 1" in the title, not sure where it was announced but I've not seen that anywhere.
Raid wrote:
Thu Jan 28, 2021 2:24 pm
And that's the story of why I'm not allowed near pregnant women for the next few weeks.

User avatar
Alan
Posts: 2249
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 2:35 pm
Location: Through that hairy wormhole.

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Alan » Thu Jun 15, 2023 11:24 am

Infinity Pool
Brandon Cronenberg has took some pages from his dad. Ive not seen his other two films but I thought this was pretty great! The premise is ridiculous but its an interesting hook to swing the rest of the ridiculousness from that it works. I didnt know anything about it going in which is probably the best way but for a general premise;
Spoiler
When a foreign tourist commits a serious crime, to save there being an international incident instead of putting them to death they clone them and execute the clone.
Mia Goth is just hilariously over the top scene chewing and is fast becoming a fantastic screen presence in everything Ive seen her in.


Then a couple of throwback cinema showings...

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Glasgow's Grosvenor has couches in a raised back section so we hired one of them. Its not ideal since its not a massive screen to begin with but its not exactly a film we dont know well so its a nice we private nook and much more comfortable than the main seats they have. Man, hes not in many movies but every time George Winslow shows up in a movie he absolutely slays me. The dialogue he has with Marilyn about her animal magnetism gets me every time!

Rocky Horror
Then we went to the Everyman cinema which has two seater couches, seat service (vegan hotdogs and cheeseburgers!) and our seat at the front was bang smack in front of the air conditioner! It was bliss I tells you! Its 32 quid for two tickets but you get a free drink (beer, wine or soft drinks) and large popcorn so you cant really complain much! For the film, what's to say about Rocky Horror? Its a bloody awful film that is a fantastic film 100% because of Tim Curry. If anyone else played Frank I dont think anyone would be still talking about Rocky Horror. What a guy, what a legacy and what a fucking damn shame what the stroke took from him.
A man who could tell more truth and eat fewer pies.

User avatar
Rusty
Posts: 825
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 3:21 pm
Location: Plymouth, Devon

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Rusty » Thu Jun 15, 2023 3:25 pm

What? Tim Curry had a stroke? Oh noes.
-- To be completed at some point --

User avatar
Animalmother
Local
Posts: 2946
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Animalmother » Thu Jun 15, 2023 3:49 pm

Rusty wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2023 3:25 pm
What? Tim Curry had a stroke? Oh noes.
Yeah he's in a pretty bad way for a few years now.

Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor is nuts, especially the uncut version which is fucking gruesome in places. Well worth a watch though.

User avatar
Pew-Pew
Posts: 346
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 11:04 am

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Pew-Pew » Fri Jun 16, 2023 8:19 am

Drarok wrote:
Thu Jun 15, 2023 10:52 am
Shit, thanks for the heads-up, I had no idea! Would have been a good idea to put "part 1" in the title, not sure where it was announced but I've not seen that anywhere.
Yeah, I left the cinema with very mixed feelings. Hopefully being prepared for that will make the film leave a less bitter taste in the mouth!

But seriously, usually the audiences here in Asia are not very vocal, but the sighs/people saying "What?!" when it ended were very loud. :lol:

User avatar
Animalmother
Local
Posts: 2946
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 3:44 pm

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Animalmother » Sun Jun 18, 2023 11:32 am

Extraction 2
Was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first film which is a solid action flick with great gun fights. The follow up is pretty much the same thing but stands out for an utterly fucking insane 20 minute continuous action sequence that has to be seen to be believed. It's basically a Call of Duty MW mission done in live action, I don't want to spoil it as it just has to be experienced. The rest of the film just can't compete with that sequence and feels a bit lacking for it. Worth a watch.

User avatar
Alan
Posts: 2249
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 2:35 pm
Location: Through that hairy wormhole.

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Alan » Sun Jun 18, 2023 11:46 am

The Lighthouse
That was fantastic! The acting is just top tier, especially Dafoe. Scene chewing in all the best ways. I love movies like this where so much is left to the viewers imagination that it dosent actually matter what the original meaning of the writer/director was. Its one of the reasons Lost Highway has been my favourite movie for about 25 years.

Three Thousand Years of Longing
Its kind of crap but its imaginative enough to bring it back round to being pretty decent. Its an more adult take on the magic lamp. Woman finds djinn who offers her 3 wishes and tells her the tales of his previous clients. Theres good visuals and inventive vignettes but it just doesn't work for me on the whole.

Once Upon A Time 1944
Cary Grant tries to save his failing theatre company with the help of a dancing caterpillar. Its quite adorable though we sadly never see the dancing caterpillar.

Soli mentioned a few pages back about Cary Grants charisma and theres a screen grab from this movie that captures that perfectly;
Spoiler
Image
A man who could tell more truth and eat fewer pies.

User avatar
Lenny Solidus
Posts: 852
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2021 10:31 am
Location: RTB

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Lenny Solidus » Sun Jun 18, 2023 10:57 pm

Animalmother wrote:
Sun Jun 18, 2023 11:32 am
Extraction 2
Was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first film which is a solid action flick with great gun fights. The follow up is pretty much the same thing but stands out for an utterly fucking insane 20 minute continuous action sequence that has to be seen to be believed. It's basically a Call of Duty MW mission done in live action, I don't want to spoil it as it just has to be experienced. The rest of the film just can't compete with that sequence and feels a bit lacking for it. Worth a watch.
I'm currently part way through Extraction II myself and had to pause it just to quickly let out the following concerning one certain sequence whilst it remained fresh...NO SPOILERS

If you think the intricate camera technicalities and action of any John Wick movie allowed a new level of immersion - you have not seen anything yet. I know it's of course all very clearly edited cuts but the actual execution *pun intended* of what they manage to pull off in this movie is really quite staggering. As Animal rightly said think CoD cut scene, think Just Cause on rails shooting think end-level Boss fight escape mission and then fuse all of that into one that just never lets up for a single moment. I even argued to immediately rewind it so we could watch the entire sequence again but was told no.

If you just wish to enjoy seeing Chris Hemsworth being an absolute beast once again and not whatever the hell that was in Thor 4, fire this up immediately.

- edit A little too much gushing in my original edit. Fun movie.
Building the future, and keeping the past alive - are one and the same thing.

User avatar
Achtung Englander
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:37 pm
Location: Wokingham

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Achtung Englander » Thu Jun 22, 2023 9:49 am

Blackberry (2023)

A film that charts the meteoric rise and sudden collapse of Blackberry. Utterly absorbing, superbly directed and acted. I loved it. It even has my man Arthur C Clarke as an intro.

8/10
Games playing : Bioshock (Remastered) / Total War Britannia / Dirt 4

User avatar
Lenny Solidus
Posts: 852
Joined: Sun Dec 26, 2021 10:31 am
Location: RTB

Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Lenny Solidus » Tue Jun 27, 2023 9:36 pm

The Ruins (2008)

So very grim yet I couldn't look away. Jonathan Tucker always makes a good watch.

7 out of 10

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Rebecca Ferguson. That's it, that's the review.

8 out of 10 Rebecca Ferguson's

Vesper (2022)

An oddly beautiful looking if somewhat flawed movie. Still pretty enjoyable.

6 out of 10

Girl House (2015)

A darker movie set in the the world of girly cams, bleak yet playful.

7.5 out of 10
Building the future, and keeping the past alive - are one and the same thing.

Post Reply