Movies you've recently watched
- Thread starter IncantatioN
- Start date
Johnstantine
Skibbidy Boo Bop
I thought it was generally accepted that people just don't talk about Prometheus anymore?
Kompozinaut
Sylph Sword
NightCrawler said:
Ah, a man after my own heart. I knew if I waited long enough we'd agree on something NightCrawler.
Walter said:
Walter said:
I just checked and they are actually the same C major chord. It isn't exactly a complex or obscure chord so it's entirely possible Zimmer used it without intentionally trying to copy Strauss, but I agree, he probably did it deliberately. It would be nice if he tried to be more original instead of resting on the laurels of established classics though (which is why a lot of people probably enjoy the music so much).
NightCrawler
Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Jaze1618 said:
Think about every Nolan's films and you see a clear pattern.
Aazealh said:
It was. But it won't ever get 1/3 of the praise of Interstellar. Interstellar still plays like a blockbuster, sure it has better acting, better casting, but i think Prometheus takes more risks (and fails more as well).
I'm not saying that Prometheus is a better film, it isn't, but Interstellar suffers from the some of the same flaws that Prometheus did, and still everyone just pats it in back for trying. When it didn't went that far. Had Interstellar not manage to connect emotionally with the audience (huge improvement on Nolan's part) and it would be another Inception.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
NightCrawler said:
I still can't speak on Interstellar, but it sounds like you should hate Prometheus most of all; it's still haunting you! Everybody wanted to love that movie, it just didn't give us a reason to, quite the contrary in fact (even Fassbender can't move the universe by himself, and his effort only makes me more sour that it was wasted in an otherwise disappointing movie).
NightCrawler said:
I agree with most of this, but I don't think anyone's really making Interstellar out to be the 2001: A Space Odyssey of the 21st century.
Anyway, in other news that I'm sure will raise your spirits, Fassbender is now the number one choice to play Steve Jobs in the Aaron Sorkin movie. Oh and Matthew McConaughey is the top choice to play Randall Flagg in The Stand.
Johnstantine
Skibbidy Boo Bop
Just got back from seeing Interstellar in IMAX. Had it not been so late, I would have caught the next showing immediately afterwards.
Johnstantine said:
You're getting old *nod nod*
I quoted your post and fell asleep on the couch with my laptop next to me, just woke up and finished posting this. I guess we're both getting old
Watched Housebound, wasn't expecting anything and turned out to be a good funny Horror movie. It's a bit goofy like the opening scene has the
female protagonist try and rob an ATM and when she escapes her car hits a speed-breaker and gets stuck, which allows her to get caught by the cops.
I expected more from the movie, it disappointed (wasn't blown away) maybe because the plot was too predictable? Two Faces Of January looks stylish with good cinematography and is great on paper with Viggo and Kristen as a couple and an impressive performance from Oscar Isaac who's a tour guide. Oscar's grown so much from the first time I saw him in Agora.
http://www.erikwernquist.com/wanderers/
Gorgeous sci-fi short voiced by Carl Sagan.
I didn't know where to post this, apologies if it's in the wrong topic.
Gorgeous sci-fi short voiced by Carl Sagan.
I didn't know where to post this, apologies if it's in the wrong topic.
NightCrawler
Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
I've been meaning to write something about this movie since i saw it a couple of weeks by accident, so here goes.
Did you guys like Drive but thought it was too stylized and self-serving? Did you thought The Raid (and its sequel) were good examples of modern action movies but were too reliant on stunt action?
If so, then the answer is John Wick. What a surprise this movie was. The plot is thin but well crafted, has almost no exposition and quickly sucks you in that quirky hitman world like it's from some graphic novel everyone read before coming to the cinema. It's a bit too long (could do without most of the last 15min), but damn if it isn't fun as hell and superbly shot - seriously, the action is top notch, and the cinematography excellent. No shaky cam nonsense, this is the real deal. Sometimes it kinda reminded me of Equilibrium with some sort of barebones gun-fun action. The constant headshots will keep you grinning the whole time. Keanu was pretty amazing as well, as the role played to his strengths.
Highly recommended. I won't say underrated as it has high scores on imdb and rottentomates, but definitely underwatched, kinda like Dredd (which was surprisingly good, even if not as well crafted).
Did you guys like Drive but thought it was too stylized and self-serving? Did you thought The Raid (and its sequel) were good examples of modern action movies but were too reliant on stunt action?
If so, then the answer is John Wick. What a surprise this movie was. The plot is thin but well crafted, has almost no exposition and quickly sucks you in that quirky hitman world like it's from some graphic novel everyone read before coming to the cinema. It's a bit too long (could do without most of the last 15min), but damn if it isn't fun as hell and superbly shot - seriously, the action is top notch, and the cinematography excellent. No shaky cam nonsense, this is the real deal. Sometimes it kinda reminded me of Equilibrium with some sort of barebones gun-fun action. The constant headshots will keep you grinning the whole time. Keanu was pretty amazing as well, as the role played to his strengths.
Highly recommended. I won't say underrated as it has high scores on imdb and rottentomates, but definitely underwatched, kinda like Dredd (which was surprisingly good, even if not as well crafted).
NightCrawler
Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Whiplash is the best movie of the year. I'll watch Birdman this thursday so maybe i'll change my mind.
... Just finished watching Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snooks Predestination adapted from a short story by Robert A. Heinlein called "All You Zombies" now on VOD. As a fan of scifi films more specifically paradoxical scifi tales I was very impressed by the film. Rather than spoil anything for you who've yet to see it I only ask that you see it if time permits. With that having been said I must inform you that its available until 1.22.2015.
Finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy. Was fun, laughed a bunch.
But I couldn't help thinking it was a movie that worked in spite of itself. It had a heart that was bigger than what the movie was truly trying to accomplish, in the framework of a Marvel superhero movie.
As a result, you could almost see through the seams of the script. They had a few Marvel Movie checkboxes to fill as part of, you know, the gig. But along the way to filling those, they had some fun with it. More Marvel movies should have fun like that. Comedy in all their other recent movies feels stilted and forced by comparison.
But I couldn't help thinking it was a movie that worked in spite of itself. It had a heart that was bigger than what the movie was truly trying to accomplish, in the framework of a Marvel superhero movie.
As a result, you could almost see through the seams of the script. They had a few Marvel Movie checkboxes to fill as part of, you know, the gig. But along the way to filling those, they had some fun with it. More Marvel movies should have fun like that. Comedy in all their other recent movies feels stilted and forced by comparison.
Lithrael
Remember, always hold your apple tight
Watched Dracula Untold a few months ago. It was pretty fun and very nicely made, but mostly waffle, added nothing and had nothing to say. The postscript, though, was so stupid I can't understand why they wanted to do it.
Just rented Lucy. It was terrible. It felt like someone just wanted to make a movie of someone violently tripping for a couple hours. A lot of the effects are neat. The plot is so nonexistent it seemed like it was meant to be read as metaphor. The sciencey twaddle was PAINFUL OUCH. Worse than the worst Star Trek spinoff sciencey twaddle. I don't know why they even pretended. It would have worked better with the same premise as 2012's Chronicle, as far as the sciencey twaddle part.
Saw the last Hobbit movie a little while back. It was too goofy. Had some fun moments, though, and I can't help but approve of any scene with Thranduil in it. (Unfortunately for all the Hobbit movies, Martin Freeman bugs the ever livin' heck out of me, so I can't enjoy it when he's playing characters you aren't supposed to hate. All his screen time as Bilbo was just like UGH IT'S MARTIN FREEMAN PLAYING BILBO AS A LITTLE FUSSY PRICK. Now I understand Bilbo *is* a little bit of a fussy prick at times, but not THAT fucken' much.)
Also went to see Jupiter Ascending, and it was a lot of fun and a visual treat. Probably too silly for people who do not like silly things to happen in epic looking movies. The villains were pretty weak, though. They did pack a lot of style into them but they didn't grab me. Considering how epically evil they were - well, I know half the point was that it was casual epic evil, but still. They didn't sell it much.
Just got back from Kingsman: The Secret Service, which was also very fun. I couldn't really get all the way on board with Sam Jackson's character but it looked like he (and everyone) was having fun making the movie anyways and I like that kind of thing. There's a berserk massacre in a church that really just straight up amazed me. I'm not gonna say they walked a fine line, exactly, with the tone, but IMO they found a great mood for the whole movie, self-aware without losing all the suspense. I noticed Dave Gibbons' name in the credits, and it turns out it's loosely based on a comic book by him and Mark Millar.
I really liked Mark Strong in it, who I'd just seen in The Imitation Game, which was also pretty solid, though I have a feeling if I was British I'd be.... Oh my god, Keira Knightley is ACTUALLY ENGLISH? I... This whole time I thought she was American faking an accent. Nevermind. Anyway, Imitation Game is good enough that even though Cumberbatch bugs me, I managed to forget to be annoyed by his presence.
Just rented Lucy. It was terrible. It felt like someone just wanted to make a movie of someone violently tripping for a couple hours. A lot of the effects are neat. The plot is so nonexistent it seemed like it was meant to be read as metaphor. The sciencey twaddle was PAINFUL OUCH. Worse than the worst Star Trek spinoff sciencey twaddle. I don't know why they even pretended. It would have worked better with the same premise as 2012's Chronicle, as far as the sciencey twaddle part.
Saw the last Hobbit movie a little while back. It was too goofy. Had some fun moments, though, and I can't help but approve of any scene with Thranduil in it. (Unfortunately for all the Hobbit movies, Martin Freeman bugs the ever livin' heck out of me, so I can't enjoy it when he's playing characters you aren't supposed to hate. All his screen time as Bilbo was just like UGH IT'S MARTIN FREEMAN PLAYING BILBO AS A LITTLE FUSSY PRICK. Now I understand Bilbo *is* a little bit of a fussy prick at times, but not THAT fucken' much.)
Also went to see Jupiter Ascending, and it was a lot of fun and a visual treat. Probably too silly for people who do not like silly things to happen in epic looking movies. The villains were pretty weak, though. They did pack a lot of style into them but they didn't grab me. Considering how epically evil they were - well, I know half the point was that it was casual epic evil, but still. They didn't sell it much.
Just got back from Kingsman: The Secret Service, which was also very fun. I couldn't really get all the way on board with Sam Jackson's character but it looked like he (and everyone) was having fun making the movie anyways and I like that kind of thing. There's a berserk massacre in a church that really just straight up amazed me. I'm not gonna say they walked a fine line, exactly, with the tone, but IMO they found a great mood for the whole movie, self-aware without losing all the suspense. I noticed Dave Gibbons' name in the credits, and it turns out it's loosely based on a comic book by him and Mark Millar.
I really liked Mark Strong in it, who I'd just seen in The Imitation Game, which was also pretty solid, though I have a feeling if I was British I'd be.... Oh my god, Keira Knightley is ACTUALLY ENGLISH? I... This whole time I thought she was American faking an accent. Nevermind. Anyway, Imitation Game is good enough that even though Cumberbatch bugs me, I managed to forget to be annoyed by his presence.
Dracula Untold ended that way so it could maybe link up with Monster Universe (Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf man, Invisible man, Bride of Frankenstein, Mummy). It's still a dumb sequence.
Been wanting to check out Jupiter Ascending just not had the time but your review makes me want to check it out even more. No friend in the vicinity wants to watch it : /
I caught Kingsmen last week, decent and I couldn't watch it again because of the 3rd act. I didn't like how
Been wanting to check out Jupiter Ascending just not had the time but your review makes me want to check it out even more. No friend in the vicinity wants to watch it : /
I caught Kingsmen last week, decent and I couldn't watch it again because of the 3rd act. I didn't like how
Eggsy didn't appear to get shot even once when running through those corridors - granted he had the suit on but come on! Plus the story dipped or I guess the movie's charm was lost with Harry's death
. Mark Strong's a cool chap to see onscreen in general.
Ireland in the 70's was dangerous and this film captures that sort of harsh reality beautifully. 71's about a soldier who gets separated from his patrolling unit in the midst of a riot.
The Drop - Tom and James run a bar that's used as a drop for cash for the mob. They're robbed one night and they have to figure out who or why. Tensions rise when the mob suspects them in the involvement of the robbery for their individual gain and gives them a deadline to get the money back. Tom's brilliant in the skin of his character. Sad we won't see more of James.
Redirected is goofy and so much fun, I mean look at that poster! A bunch of guys have the worst luck and they dig themselves into a bigger hole each time. The end was a bit weak but still worth a watch.
Glad I got to finally check out I, Origins cos I'm a fan of Brit Marling. Interesting concept - a molecular biologist is studying the evolution of the eye and he's out to prove/ disapprove there's a spiritual connection to it. He bumps into a masked girl at a party, remembers her eyes and searches for her. The end was a let down but overall, something different than the usual Hollywood stuff. Some of the dialog felt reaching.
Die Wand or The Wall is definitely slow burn but atmospheric, so check it out if that's your thing. A woman is driven up to a cabin by an old couple, they leave her to grab some things from a town near or market but they don't come back. The woman walks up the path of the road and discovers an invincible wall. She's left to fend for herself alone (with a few animals in the area). The cool part is the cinematography, makes you want to be there breathing that fresh air and you to see her deal with being alone, surviving, asking trivial existential questions in her narration.
Two Days, One Night - I was in the middle of it wondering why I wasn't sold by it yet but it never got to that eventually because I expected a lot (Best Actress nod). Part of the problem was that I'd seen Marion in a tougher more depressing role and I was comparing Rust & Bone to this, which was wrong. The movie's good, just not great. Marion's character is battling depression and when she returns from a medical leave of absence, she's told she no longer had a job. Her hitting rock bottom or dealing with failure, giving up in dire situations are very grounded, you feel for her.
Fair Play is not just any sports movie, it has a heavy political backdrop that plays a big role in the outcome and it's good. Based in Czech in the 80's, Anna is a sprinter who gets picked for the nationals and is taken into the confidence of her medical doctor who enforces that she administer anabolic steroids as part of her new training program. It wasn't just about her anymore but the pride of the country at stake.
No complaints, this was movie genius from the opening shot till the end. I'm going to watch it again soon. A Most Violent Year is about choices and the path you take, there are many but which's the right way to handle something? Oscar closes in on a deal to expand his oil business. He's given a month to come up with the remaining money to sign the lease. The movie opens with one of his oil trucks being stolen. Chastain plays his wife and is a mob boss's daughter, she's rough on the edges with a lot of mob-pride, sort of with the hit before you think sort of nature. Oscar's the opposite and he's going to have one of the toughest month's leading up to the closing of the new lease. AWESOME soundtrack.
By the way, Sunshine is now available on Blu Ray!
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Life of Pi and The Labyrinth of the Faun (Pan's Labyrinth, but I'm being a literally translated dick like that =). Two brilliantly directed movies that have far more in common than that or they have any business having, like to their fucking cores.
It follows. This movie was fantastic. Atari meets 80s horror soundtrack. Take a look into what it may be like to live as guts for a day. You know, if the brand was by banging someone. (really reaching there 
) Phew, intense! This movie will make YOU question sleeping with anyone. Great abstinence brainwashing tool, but really, I loved this movie. If you enjoy horror, check this out.
) Phew, intense! This movie will make YOU question sleeping with anyone. Great abstinence brainwashing tool, but really, I loved this movie. If you enjoy horror, check this out.So, berserk the egg of the king is on netflix now. I think that's kind of a big deal, but good luck getting the advent on there.
Salem said:It follows. This movie was fantastic. Atari meets 80s horror soundtrack. Take a look into what it may be like to live as guts for a day. You know, if the brand was by banging someone. (really reaching there
I've heard mixed reviews from a few friends, so I'm curious to check it out. I heard the soundtrack, pretty neat.
My month of hell at work came to an end yesterday and I managed to leave work at a regular hour. So I ended up checking out Furious 7. It's like every other movie in the franchise - stunts are ridiculous to the point it's hilarious, acting and serious moments are laugh-worthy, dialog cringe worthy but hey, this was the last movie so how couldn't I check it out? Or is it? With the kind of opening it's had, I'm sure we'll see more in the future. I was disappointed cos I saw those big juicy ratings and expected more out of it. The end didn't make me cry, so minus points on those grounds. Screen time was long. Furious 7 : 0. Cool leather reclining seats that sometimes vibrate at specific moments : 1.
Oburi
All praise Grail
IncantatioN said:
I thought I just read an article saying they were already trying to cast people for the next movie??
Anyway, I saw the "documentary" What We Do In The Shadows, from the minds behind Flight Of The Conchords. It was really hilarious. Kind of like Spinal Tap for vampires in New Zealand. The whole thing is laugh out loud funny start to finish.
Salem said:It follows. This movie was fantastic. Atari meets 80s horror soundtrack. Take a look into what it may be like to live as guts for a day. You know, if the brand was by banging someone. (really reaching there
I also just saw It follows and I agree with everything Salem says. I went with a friend and we weren't really expecting much and when we walked out we both didn't know what to think of it at first. However, on the car ride back from the theater we couldn't stop talking about it and discussing all the finer points of it. Overall a really fun movie to watch and talk about. Not sure if it will go down as a modern-day horror classic but it is definitely worth checking out at the very least.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Avengers - Age of Adaline... wait, no...
Objectively better than the first one in many ways; better villain, better plot, better pace, much tighter and more cohesive without losing the strengths of the original... except impact and grandeur and the event factor of actually getting all these characters on screen and pulling it off. This almost makes it look too easy, like mundane. One issue for me is that it's so stuffed tight with shit that the stuff I like doesn't get enough run for my appetite. Namely Ultron, who I really enjoyed and found immensely intriguing but never felt like they got to the bottom of (it came close in the end, but again, the movie had other places to go). Though, while it's the same length as the last one, it's not nearly as long or clunky, though I'd have liked more focus on the stuff I found interesting (would actually be interested in a director's cut). So, I liked it, especially Ultron's comically genocidal nonchalance and his neat final plan (he approaches killing the entire human race with the seriousness of a Seth MacFarlane character). Overall, it felt more like a straight Avengers story without all the setting-up-of-the-team-for-a-movie required, but that kind of helped make the first go around such big, self-aware fun, and for all the refinements of this outing it's still flawed and I can't say it's better (better movie, yes, but not a better Avengers movie). Anyway, sad to see Whedon go, but it's probably time (judging by that mid-credits scene as compared to the last). I don't know how they'll maintain this without him, or even if they could with him. Plenty of talented creative filmmakers out there, some already in the Marvel stable, but the needs of the Marvel machine is always going to grind them up in the end.
Also, on one level the movie is basically a total rebuke of Man of Steel's Superman and approach to superheroism, or lack thereof, which I quite enjoyed. =)
Objectively better than the first one in many ways; better villain, better plot, better pace, much tighter and more cohesive without losing the strengths of the original... except impact and grandeur and the event factor of actually getting all these characters on screen and pulling it off. This almost makes it look too easy, like mundane. One issue for me is that it's so stuffed tight with shit that the stuff I like doesn't get enough run for my appetite. Namely Ultron, who I really enjoyed and found immensely intriguing but never felt like they got to the bottom of (it came close in the end, but again, the movie had other places to go). Though, while it's the same length as the last one, it's not nearly as long or clunky, though I'd have liked more focus on the stuff I found interesting (would actually be interested in a director's cut). So, I liked it, especially Ultron's comically genocidal nonchalance and his neat final plan (he approaches killing the entire human race with the seriousness of a Seth MacFarlane character). Overall, it felt more like a straight Avengers story without all the setting-up-of-the-team-for-a-movie required, but that kind of helped make the first go around such big, self-aware fun, and for all the refinements of this outing it's still flawed and I can't say it's better (better movie, yes, but not a better Avengers movie). Anyway, sad to see Whedon go, but it's probably time (judging by that mid-credits scene as compared to the last). I don't know how they'll maintain this without him, or even if they could with him. Plenty of talented creative filmmakers out there, some already in the Marvel stable, but the needs of the Marvel machine is always going to grind them up in the end.
Also, on one level the movie is basically a total rebuke of Man of Steel's Superman and approach to superheroism, or lack thereof, which I quite enjoyed. =)