General Movie Discussion Thread
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Thread: General Movie Discussion Thread
Toubabo Koomi
On a Nightrain!
Sausage Party is completely awesome. If you want an animated film like Beavis and Butthead etc with a slightly deeper meaning I highly recommend it.
Watched The Simpsons movie again and it is completely dreadful. Not funny at all and had a crap idea for a plot.
Gonna Watch the first couple of series of the X files. I already know I love the first season but not sure on the rest. The movie was good as well but I've seen that a few times.
"There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die."
I enjoyed the Simpsons more than I thought I would. Worth admitting that my expectations going in were through the floor, mind.
Saw Stan and Ollie today. Most people stayed until the clips of the 'originals' over the credits had finished. And I've been on the trainline that they were on for the historical shots. But yeah, enjoyed it. Reilly's Oliver Hardy was actually uncanny at times.
John Reilly is either absolutely hilarious (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, etc...) or absolutely awful (Dewey Cox). Seems when he pairs up with Will Farrel, he's comedic gold. Probably gonna catch this when it hits Amazon Prime for rent.
ETA... I confused the movie PT was talking about with Holmes and Watson. That's the one I'm looking forward to watching because I do love Farrel's interaction with Reilly.
Oh yeah, nearly went to see that but the trailer put me right off.
Feeling Minnesota
In the States, Holmes and Watson was one of the worst movies ever. People walked out of the theaters in droves. The news was reporting it bc of how bad the movie was.
Last edited by Powder; 01-20-2019 at 10:32 PM.
Went to see that Mary Queen of Scots movie. It looks good on the screen, it's well acted, and there are some bits you can find to like about it. But generally speaking the writing is just a bit off. You can definitely see what they are going for but it kind of clubs you in the face with its central idea and it would have been better for a bit more restraint.
Author of 101 WWE Matches To See Before You Die
That's disappointing to hear. I'm yet to see it. Still will, of course, but I guess I'll be a little warier now.
I'm appalled that it's the end of January and I've been to the cinema so far this year a grand total of once. I have a week off work next week so intending to spend a day there, try and get three in, maybe four if I can manage it! Vice I really want to see, Mary Queen of Scots and otherwise I'll slot in what I can. Still haven't seen The Favourite yet either actually.
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I've been pretty lucky and have got to a few now. I think it's about 6 for the month, though there's a chance I'm remembering one or two from December. But I've definitely been to Mary QoS and Stan and Ollie in the last week or so, and then I reckon I've been to Colette, Into the Spiderverse, The Front Runner, and The Favourite. So yeah, have done OK.
Plan is to see Vice tomorrow. Might see Green Book as it got all those nominations too at some point. Alita Battle Angel is out soon and the trailer makes it look impressive, even if you end up walking out because a Cameron movie is roughly as long as puberty. Then the trailers for that new Branagh movie about Shakespeare look great. So plenty to see soon, too.
EDIT: You've now got me scanning how much I've seen since my card renewed last year...
Went and saw Green Book today. Thought it was terrific. Of the movies up for the category it has become my favourite of the bunch. But in saying that, I can see why some may not enjoy it. Would be very surprised if Ali doesn't get the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
So I decided to have a serious go at Cineworld's 100 Films in 2019 challenge at the beginning of this last week, which meant I had some catching up to do as I went in to last Monday having only seen one: Stan & Ollie.
Happy to report that I squeezed in 7 movies this week, and already have my eye on Burning (a Korean film that's been getting some major buzz from critics) and maybe this Battle Angel movie that looks awful in the coming week!
My running order of what I enjoyed the most so far this year would look like:
1. Green Book - tremendous film, I can understand why some have criticised it but I thought the two central performances and that relationship between their characters was really delightful and made it so infinitely watchable. I also thought it was confident in challenging the themes it deals with.
2. Beautiful Boy - a lot of people have been condemning this, especially because of its use of music, but honestly I thought it was fantastic. The story is performed in a deeply affecting way and I'm a huge fan of Timotheé Chalamet, who puts in a central performance almost on par with his effort in Call Me By Your Name. Deeply moving.
3. Destroyer - not quite the powerhouse I was anticipating, but Nicole Kidman is unrecognisable and pretty damn excellent. It's also got a really cool twist in it that totally took me by surprise, to the point of having me leaning forwards in my seat!
4. Stan & Ollie - quietly charming, is how I would describe it. It felt a little straight-forward with no real peak in the drama to push it to that next level for me, but the the way they weaved in comic routines as if they'd come straight out of one of the classic Laurel and Hardy films was ingenious. More sterling performances too.
5. Vice - a little disappointed with it, as I didn't realise it was Adam McKay, so finding it executed in a manner very similar of The Big Short took me by surprise. Was compelling for certain, but everything felt like it was trying a little too hard to really drive its nihilistic viewpoint home.
6. Can You Ever Forgive Me? - like Stan & Ollie, it's a pretty straight-forward film really, but it lacks the same great performances that gave Stan & Ollie its charm. I know it's gotten some awards buzz and I'm honestly unsure why. I found it to be little more than solid.
7. Glass - a fun new take on the comic book movie, but nowhere near the league of its Unbreakable originator. A couple of twists - one better than the other - aren't able to get it past that same issue every Shyamalan film has (perhaps except Unbreakable): he's just not a very good writer.
8. Mary, Queen of Scots - had high hopes and they were dashed in pretty almighty fashion. Drier than stale bread, I thought the entire thing just fell flat. Characterisation was handled poorly in the script I felt, and it built to a big scene that then just...sort of...happened. "Eh," was how I felt coming out, having been acutely aware of its two hour run-time.
comfortablynumb
I hated the story told in Glass. Not saying I wanted a cliche good-stops-bad superhero movie but it sucked. I loved Unbreakable way back when I saw it and I think this tarnishes it a bit.
I've seen Glass and Green Book in the past week. Can't say I share your enthusiasm for Green Book really but it's certainly not a bad movie - it's a competent production, whatever its problems.
I kinda agree with you on Glass being poorly written and not as good as Unbreakable, but there were still some bits in it I liked. I felt it was doing some interesting things even if it never really came together to something coherent.
Dry isn't a word I'd use for MQOS, I don't think that applies to either the history it's doing or it's take on that history. But that said, you know from a previous post that I didn't rate it especially, so I'm not going to dwell too much on an argument about distinguishing why it is not so great.
So I've just seen Vice, which I think puts me at about 9 films for the year so far. To do that 100 you were talking about, I think I'd need to be at 11-12.
That's not so far away. And though I've no chance of getting to 100, the chance of spectacular failure is no reason not to do something.....
Do it! I've caught up to now being on 11 after last night. Trying to make Two-Film Friday night a thing if it's possible. First try last night and it worked out quite well. Saw All is True (which I rather quite enjoyed actually, mainly because Branagh and McKellen are incredible in it) and Alita: Battle Angel (which was just AWFUL).
Alita Battle Angel, well what can be said? The movie looked great visually, and the action sequences were amazing, but the movie was way too long, and drawn out. They could have cut out about 20-25 minutes and made the movie more compact and better. There was a completely unnecessary love story. I know it was based on a Manga, but way too much. The way that the movie ended made you leave the theater basically saying, that this was just an excuse to make a sequel. Wait until cable.
Originally Posted by Prime Time
OK, so haven't really checked in again since I've posted this have I? Been plenty on, what with them trying to give a few screenings to everything that is up for an award, so a bit more choice than usual. Time to take a look back and see what I've seen since then.
All is True
If I'm right, that brings me up to around 14 movies for the year - which is exactly where I need to be to do the 100 in a year. Still unlikely, because I need to see 2 a week for the rest of the year without losing one, and there are going to be periods where there's just horror films on and I don't want to watch anything if last year is anything to go by - but I'm on course!
The other way to look at it is that having seen 14 by the end of February, when you only have to see 19-20 to make the annual ticket 'worth it', shows the value of having the card. Could even reach the point where I'm thinking of it as paid off for the rest of the year by the end of March, and every film after that point will be pure profit!
Just saw Fighting With My Family. I wanted to like it but it was a terrible movie. I think being familiar with her story and the performance center/NXT was a bad thing because I was expecting more of it all. The movie makes it seem like she went through a brief wrestling boot camp before walking into RAW and winning the belt. Needed way less focus on her brother. Big disappointment.
That does not shock me at all. I want to watch it, but it just looked terrible.
I saw Free Solo last night. Regardless of knowing the outcome, I echo what others seem to be saying after watching it, I was a complete and utter nervous wreck.
Been to see a bunch since I was last posting and am gonna go update my running top ten shortly, but I wanted to say, on Fighting with my Family, that I found it a strange case of art imitating life in a way. I was sat there trying to shake off what I think I know as a wrestling fan so as to keep in mind this is a film deliberately taking liberties so non-wrestling fans can understand Paige's story on a fundamental emotional level - it was never going to be what hardcore wrestling nerds would want it to be. Did it miss a trick because of that? I think there's a debate to be had there, but I left thinking that two things were important for a wrestling fan to be able to enjoy it: to remember it's aimed to capture audiences unfamiliar with wrestling and for audiences familiar with wrestling to try to know what they don't know.
I enjoyed it for what it was. It made me chuckle a bunch of times and I actually thought Zack's story, if anything, was more interesting than Paige's.
What we all really want to know is are you still on for 100 films in the year?
I most certainly am not.
Yeah, probably not. Lol. My plan didn't last long until life got unavoidably in the way. I haven't done a count recently. I wouldn't be far off two a week still, but that's only if you count seeing second screenings of a single movie. It's difficult, in my defence, when something like Avengers comes along because it basically snatches up every single screening for at least a couple of weeks, which severely limits the times available to see other stuff - and reduces my inclination to trawl around a packed car park looking for a space! There's literally 40 screenings a day (I counted them!) of Avengers at my preferred cinema right now.
I might make time to go check out Red Joan if I can, and I can see that Eighth Grade has been getting good reviews too.
In the past week I caught up on some movies...
I watched Blackkklansman, and while I liked it, I did not understand all the hype around it. To me, I liked it because it was based on actual events. I know there were some liberties taken, but for the most part (the general ideas and themes), mostly what we saw in the movie happened, which is what made it better. But the movie was a lot of meh to me.
Then I watched White Boy Rick. Another movie based on real events. Again this movie was mostly factually correct, with some dramatic license, but this movie was boring and not worth the time.
I would watch Blackkklansman, ans skip White Boy Rick.
Finally got back out to the cinema yesterday. Saw Tolkien. My one-word review - 'meh'. Unless you're really into LOTR, biopics, or WWI movies, I wouldn't bother, to be frank.
Yesterday I bought my tickets to see Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I cannot begin to express how long I have waited for this movie to come out. Probably close to 40 years.
I have been a Godzilla fan since the early 80s, and when Jurassic Park came out, I thought this movie would be made then because of all the special effects that made JP so great. Then the 1998 piece of crap and all was forgotten.
Then later around 2012 when rumors started rumbling about a reboot of Godzilla by an American company Legendary, and I saw that it was happening, I could not have been more excited. When the movie came out, it was hit with mixed reviews, mostly because of the "lack of Godzilla" in the movie itself, but the movie generated such a buzz that a pseudo-sequel-prequel Kong: Skull Island was made. KSI was everything that Godzilla was not. It had Kong and other monsters all over it and was big and fun. The post credits scene led us to now.
GKOTM is now almost here, and it looks absolutely amazing. It looks like it should. A huge clash between Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and Ghidorah (and some other lesser known monsters).
This is my dream. Seriously. A huge Godzilla mark finally getting the movie he always wanted.
But then there is more, the sequel to this movie is coming in 2020. Godzilla vs Kong. A remake of the best B-movie ever made; the 1962 classic King Kong vs Godzilla.
Not everyone is as excited as me, but I do not care. I am taking my daughters June 2nd, and I will be more of the kid in a candy store than them.
Hell, if any of you remember, my avatar used to be Godzilla, and the tagline below it was "I beat up Kong!"
Transgender Terror
I haven't been to the theater since 2015, and probably won't go again until next year.
Just worked out how not on track I am. Seen about 20 for the year now, but would need to be in the High thirties to be on track - can't see me making up that kind of distance unless there's a lot I want to see this summer.
Took the day off from work today to tend to some errands. Think I've decided to go see John Wick 3 in a couple of hours instead, though.
Went to see Aladdin last night.
I'm not a huge fan of the animation - it's not that I dislike it, but I've never loved it like I have The Lion King or Hunchback of Notre Dame, Treasure Planet or Moana. Obviously I have a love for Robin Williams's Genie as much as the next guy, but otherwise I've always been somewhat lukewarm towards it. I'd seen the trailers for the live action adaptation and had felt less than impressed. They all seemed to have a bit of a televisual quality to them. Then I learned Guy Ritchie was directing it and my expectations were set lower still.
Maybe it's the low expectations I had going in that resulted in me loving it as much as I did, or maybe it was just because it felt like a film where almost every single creative decision had been made with love for the material, attentiveness and a desire to just create a really fun movie.
The elephant in the room going in was obviously Will Smith as the Genie - how do you follow Williams's iconic performance in the animation, that's one of those outings that has a life of its own almost beyond cinema? He did the sensible thing, and never tried to. Smith's Genie is similar, but far from a retread, finding its roots more in Smith's own background in hip-hop. He's already said that his experimentation with the music was his in, what convinced him to take on the character in spite of the shadow looming over him, and while it can't ever come to match the crazy bravura of Williams's improviser, it's a damn fine effort and, certainly after Smith's rousing take on "Friend Like Me" I totally accepted him as Genie in the confines of this version of the story. His "Prince Ali" is damn fun too, and he wears his musical influences on his sleeve in both - though never to such a degree the songs become unrecognisable.
In fact, if you love the animation original then there's more than enough to service you as a fan in the live action remake provided you approach it in good faith, with a willingness to think on it as a separate animal with only one foot planted in its self-conscious nostalgia.
It's not all great. There are scenes that do, indeed, watch a little like something out of a TV movie rather than a big Hollywood blockbuster. Marwan Kenzari's Jafar feels a little underwhelming and a lost opportunity, considering how iconic a role it could have been, while Iago was denied any opportunity at wit and reduced largely to a convenient plot device. There's no denying, either, that the film didn't need to be quite so padded out, eventually clocking in a wink over two hours when the original animation was a lean 90 minutes.
Prime asked me about the original's orientalism on Twitter. I have to say I had no real issues in the way the movie approached representing the Arabic roots of Agrabah's culture, but I obviously can't speak for everyone. The music is culturally appropriate and the costumes are quite gorgeous (though in at least two passing examples could be considered to be played uncomfortably for a laugh), but the real coup is the representative but, more importantly, precisely judged casting.
As mentioned, Smith does a bang-up job with his own take on Genie, but the two leads are where the magic truly lands. Mena Massoud is absolutely perfect as Aladdin. It's with effortless charisma that he swaggers his way through "One Jump Ahead" - a number that repeatedly recreates actual shots from the animated original. As the so-called "one man rise in crime" he's both mesmerising and sympathetic, and when disguised as Prince Ali he is, in turns, haplessly laugh out loud (jams become something of a smile-inducing refrain, in part combining with the new character of Jasmine's handmaiden Dalia to easily take the movie past the six laugh test) and increasingly egocentric. Between Massoud's vocals - frighteningly similar to the animated original it has to be said - and crushing good looks, it's a performance that really does anchor the film and allow it to excel.
If anything, Naomi Scott's Jasmine is even better, potentially stealing the show from everyone else. She now gets her own song - the rousing "Speechless" - and her motivation has shifted to something more suitable for today's world. This Jasmine is no damsel in distress in need of rescuing, but head-strong, wily, smart and as fierce as her pet tiger Rajah - if not more so. Her chemistry with Massoud's Aladdin feels genuine and authentic, and the climax of the film is really more hers now than it is Aladdin's. I'm sure that'll upset some, but honestly, it's to the benefit of the movie and the story, and is more than earned by Scott's excellent performance.
So sure, Jafar is a little underwhelming, Smith has to go his own route with Genie and sometimes it all threatens to look, oddly, a little cheap, but none of its problems are enough to prove to be hurdles for the film's best elements. The numbers are all brilliantly sung and executed on screen, the leads are superlative as both a couple and as individuals and I imagine it'd be hard for anyone engaging with the movie in good faith to not have a hell of a good time. I certainly did, which is why I chose to write a full on review rather than just a simple post, and whether it's because it's a great movie or because my expectations were so low going in, the endgame is the same: Aladdin has quickly become one of my favourite films, if not my favourite film of the year so far!
Hell, I haven't been able to stop humming "Prince Ali" since I got home...
Last edited by Samuel 'Plan; 05-25-2019 at 03:19 PM.
Did they make the magic carpet a character like he cartoon or does it not really do much?
Jafar should have been a veteran actor like a Ben Kingsley. In the previews he looks like a kid playing dress up.
Carpet is pretty much the same as in the original, so yeah, a fully anthropomorphic character with a personality.
Thanks for the review 'Plan. Haven't seen that one yet, but did catch the trailer for the new Lion King which looks staggering.
Haven't seen much lately but did catch Rocket Man. Probably the best I've ever seen from Egerton in a major role.
Just saw Aladdin. I have to pretty much echo Plan's review. Except I adore the animated original.
Three new films this week! Two in the cinema, one on TV.
Godzilla: King of Monsters was a bit of a disappointment. I ignored the catastrophic reviews going in and was excited all the same, if just to see some epic monster mashes. I enjoyed 2014's reboot quite a bit so was looking forward to it. I was disappointed. Only two really good monster action sequences meant it felt horribly long, the human characters were either uninteresting, unlikable or just a walking plot device and the story was bizarrely convoluted. A big shame.
Booksmart was better. There was only two of us in the entire screening, which is a shame. It's a comedy about two girls graduating high school, who have spent their entire time studying and not partying under the belief it was the only way to get into good colleges, as they're called in the States. On the last day they discover the hardcore party crew have also gotten into good colleges, and so one of the two best friends says they have to have one epic night of partying to basically make up for what they've missed. Many laughs ensue. It's not really anything original really, especially structurally, but it still had me laughing several times over.
Finally - I wasn't sure if this belonged here or in TV, but it is a film technically so fuck it - Deadwood: The Movie. Absolutely remarkable. More than stands up to the series it concludes, and the only real shame is that they didn't use its story to pad out an entire full final season of the show. It totally could have done. The familiar factors were all there: the phenomenal acting, the brutal violence, the unexpectedly warm human moments, the emotional beats, the humour and the Shakespearean-like dialogue, in all its foul mouthed glory. The story was simple, but resolved the series really well. There were small inflections to the most defining moments in the show's history, a pervasive sense of memory and it was just a really touching, really loving farewell to what is now, in my mind beyond doubt, the greatest TV show ever made. Deadwood: The Movie is available to stream on NOW TV here in the UK, and if you were a fan of the show I couldn't recommend it more.
Originally Posted by Samuel 'Plan
Godzilla: King of Monsters was a bit of a disappointment. I ignored the catastrophic reviews going in and was excited all the same, if just to see some epic monster mashes. I enjoyed 2014's reboot quite a bit so was looking forward to it. I was disappointed. Only two really good monster action sequences meant it felt horribly long, the human characters were either uninteresting, unlikable or just a walking plot device and the story was bizarrely convoluted. A big shame..
I wonder if we watched the same movie. I literally just got home from the theater and I have to say that this movie felt big and much more than the 2014 movie. There were major monster battles and much more screen time for the Titans, but I agree that there should have/could have been even more screen time. They took what was introduced in 2014 and expanded on in the prequel Skull Island and offered more explanations of how and why these creatures are here. Furthermore, they did not insult the audience (like the Toho Godzilla movies do...gasp...I just insulted brilliance) with the fact that the cities that were destroyed in 2014, and the amount of people killed were referenced and honored and told to an extent what happened to them as a result. My only criticism is that in the slightly longer than 2 hour movie, they should have had more battles with the Titans on screen and less of the human story, but it was still awesome. There were a lot of references and Easter Eggs that most people did not get, but I am a Godzilla dork.....
I almost went to go see Booksmart yesterday. Would you recommend the trip, Plan-o?
I would - I really enjoyed it! Got a good few laughs out of me, even if the structure is of a story you've seen a hundred times before.
On Godzilla, I agree with Powder in that we should have seen less of the human story - because the human story was barely a story anyways! Hey-ooooo!
I got back from Dark Phoenix this afternoon. The X-Men franchise has really been consistently my favourite from day one, since I saw the first one in 2000. There isn't an entry in the main series I haven't loved or grown to love - I include the maligned Last Stand and Apocalypse in that too, both of which I think have really strong emotional cores if nothing else, as well as tremendous scores and a clutch of brilliant individual performances. So Dark Phoenix had a lot to live up to for me, especially as the last one of its kind before the inevitable MCU reboot. Have to say I loved this one too! The same emotional core, the same great performances, the same awesome score as always, but a really refreshingly intimate film. In an age where the stakes in these films are often world, if not universe ending it was awesome to see such stakes only hinted at in DP, the focus instead being on the emotional stakes of the X-Men being at odds with one another and with their own selves. It was paced brilliantly, it had a melancholic sense of finality without it being self-conscious about the fact it was an ending and its action sequences were probably the best the franchise has ever seen.
Yep, totally loved it! Might try and sneak in a second showing alongside a second showing of Aladdin sometime soon.
Really hope this is an example of fans loving a movie even when initial reviews aren't being so kind. Although a small sample size, I don't think I've read one positive review so far. Several neutral reviews and a few bad ones, though. Like I said previously, I'll end up seeing it eventually because I always do, but I'm not holding my breath. (I am, however, always willing to be pleasantly surprised, and hopefully this falls into that category.)
Saw a few movies today.
I thought Dark Phoenix was horrible. Magneto deserves so much better and Sansa is just a poor actress. A wet sock has more charisma.
The Dead Don't Die was OK but there's so much talent in it that the end product should have been better. I'd still recommend it for a rental.
Aladdin was a very pleasant surprise. Jafar was the only real weakness.
Last edited by comfortablynumb; 06-09-2019 at 01:17 PM.
Haven't checked in here for a while but here's what I've seen since my last Post.
Enjoyed them all for what they are, to be honest. Tolkien was the last time I was a bit disappointed.
Reckon I'm around 23-24 for the year now.
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