Movies you've recently watched

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I was pleasantly surprised by Civil War, despite the good reviews I didn't have lofty expectations (I figured it would be disjointed no matter what), but I was impressed throughout. M pretty much covered the details but it has a simple, elegant plot keeping everything focused and driven despite so many balls in the air. This was The Avengers sequel everyone wanted and even the one Joss Whedon was trying to make (more internal/personal conflict). Don't even believe the token criticism that it's overstuffed because I feel like critics already wrote that in their review template before seeing the movie and then didn't bother to remove it (same with the arguments for more artificially inflated "stakes"). Spider-Man was basically the only major gratuitous element, but it was well done (they steered into it instead of away) and an actually worthy gratuity.

Tama said:
I think I'm in the minority on this but I never found the Marvel movies to be something I would run to see on opening week.

I'm pretty ambivalent myself except for the tentpoles like Avengers. I don't think I've seen half of them in theaters and some I still haven't seen at all.

Tama said:
I have watched a good amount of them, from Iron Man and Captain America, to the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, and always felt like most were just ads for the next big film. I never got the feeling that I was watching one that was made to be enjoyed by itself, and that they are always peppered with scenes that are building to the next, which I thought detracted from the central story that they were trying to convey in their own film.

You thought those movies you mentioned had little central focus or entertainment value besides advertising for the next one? I mean, I get that point about the MCU, some entries are really derivative or inconsequential, and it was really apparent in Age of Ultron, but I also think that's a bit overstated at this point. Iron Man, Avengers, GotG and Winter Soldier are all well done in their own right, whether they setup, tie into or payoff other installments or not. I think the consistency, for better or worse, of these movies almost has us spoiled, "Are these 'amazing' superhero movies all transcendently good, though? IDK, maybe not..." That's probably not a fair standard of assessment considering most movies aren't good at all, and yet they've somehow unlocked the formula to making consistently entertaining and credible superhero movies, even if they're not all great; which, as we can still see from the other studios in this business, is no simple feat. "Good" as a baseline isn't a bad thing.

Tama said:
I haven't seen Civil War yet but if it follows the same outline as the rest I will probably skip it. I can totally understand why others enjoy them so much, and it is great to see all of these amazing super heroes on the big screen with big budgets, but I guess it's not for me.

I wouldn't skip this one, it's effectively entertaining and that's what matters, right?
 
Batman vs Superman (Just the title, dude *facepalm* --now that I've actually seen it and all)

Jesus Christ, this was an even bigger mess than I ever feared. Seriously now, I did actually wait to watch this in preparation to make it as casual as possible, viewing it as something completely separate to the comics (and quite frankly as if I didnt even know about the comics at all. Yes, I really did try).

I guess I've repressed most of it at this point, its just too much, and not even worth reflecting on, so Im gonna try and make this as brief as possible, cant promise anything once I get started though.

What took the cake for me was the very fight scene implied in the title.
Feels like Bats are just beating up Superman for pure sadistic fun, yeah, of course he couldnt have just killed him directly, no, he had to beat him to a bloody pulp first, wouldnt have been a proper showdown otherwise, right? :carcus: ("Wow! Whats the next cool thing hes gonna do to him I wonder?)
And tbh I cant say Superman was much better, which we probably already knew, however it wasnt nearly as bad as the trailers made it out to be.

Did I just say that that took the cake? Sorry but I just remembered... Uh, am I the only one who thinks the whole
"Martha" thing/turning point
was some of the worst things ever? Like, in movie history-ever? Seriously?! I mean, I know this movie is bad but dear god!? Thats even beneath them... Or so I thought anyway.

Initially I thought I might be able to accept Eisenberg's Lex but man was he annoying!!
I mean his pretty much the Joker if you ask me, at the end he was practically psychotic.
And dont misunderstand here, its not like I hate him like most people seem to hate Griffith and not being able to separate fiction and reality, no, I simply hate him because his very existence is like extremely loud static white noise.

WW felt like some kinda female
James Bond.
Guess it could've amounted to something but of course never did, which I admit makes me think of how badass she actually is in the comics, cant help it, and can you really blame me? Might as well have been a completely different character for all I care.

I guess Alfred is more of a
physical Jarvis than a butler

I dunno if I wanna keep going with all this negativity. In short, the first half just felt like a series of disconnected scenes without any soul, atmosphere, or build-up factor whatsoever, which all felt like a walk in the park once you get to the second half. And I literally just remembered that weird
prophecy thing from Flash (I guess?),
which in itself was corny as fuck btw (I almost stared laughing here), but also only made the movie feel even more disconnected, confusing and just very random, even for the purpose of foreshadowing, it really wasnt worth it imo.
 
I checked out the movie Green Room recently. I had seen the directors previous film Blue Ruin and really enjoyed it, so I expected good things.

It totally blew me away. Very intense and realistic feeling. I was on the edge of my seat all the way through.

Anyone else watched this one yet? I definitely recommend checking it out.
 
SpaceyLauss said:
I checked out the movie Green Room recently. I had seen the directors previous film Blue Ruin and really enjoyed it, so I expected good things.

It totally blew me away. Very intense and realistic feeling. I was on the edge of my seat all the way through.

Anyone else watched this one yet? I definitely recommend checking it out.

It's been out for a while but I was waiting on friends and they finally set a date - we got tickets to watch it over the weekend. I loved Blue Ruin too, stoked to check this out. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Was it a better movie experience compared to Blue?
 
IncantatioN said:
It's been out for a while but I was waiting on friends and they finally set a date - we got tickets to watch it over the weekend. I loved Blue Ruin too, stoked to check this out. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Was it a better movie experience compared to Blue?
I definitely had more fun watching Green Room, however it's been a while since I watched Blue Ruin. I think I'll have to revisit it one of these days so I can better compare the two.
 
I finally got the chance to watch Creed and I really liked it. I think this movie is proof that sequels can be good. In my opinion Stallone was great in this movie.

I also saw The Nice Guys and I thought it was a really fun and funny movie. For some reason the Russell Crowe of this movie reminded me of John Goodman.

Griffith said:
I think the only one I didn't mention either in relation to the top 10 and honorable mentions as well the the Bond to Bond arc is License to Kill. Lots of people like that one and think it's the perfect vehicle for Dalton, but I just thought it was ok and though The Living Daylights is kind of mediocre, it still better represents Bond. Let me know what you think when you've watched them both.

So I finally watched all the movies up to and including GoldenEye. It took me this long to get to this point because I just couldn't muster the will to watch Never Say Never Again (it took me months to get it done). As far as Bond movies go I thought The Living Daylights is among the better ones (in the context of Bond movies I'd definitely recommend it), but I didn't really like License to Kill (it's such an eighties movie and not in a good way). I guess we're in agreement in that The Living Daylights is indeed a Bond movie while License to Kill isn't.

By the way, I read the articles that Film Crit Hulk wrote on James Bond (http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2014/07/14/hulk-vs.-james-bond-staring-into-the-id-of-a-boner-incarnate), on which he postulates that the best Bond movies are romances, and I find myself agreeing with him.
 

residentgrigo

Excitement and Enjoyment!
I am not surprised that even SK tore into BvS :ganishka:. I though consider the film to be the best US comic film after the related 2012 DKR toon film (Jay Oliva worked on both). I read at least 5000 issues of DC comics in the last 20 years and have a near encyclopedic knowledge of Post Crisis Batman. I promise that what you saw on screen is what the books have been about for 3 decade, plain and simple. DC Rebirth is amazing btw!
I waited since the mid 90s to see a proper shared universe (the amount of failed projects WB planned is staggering!), or even a comic accurate Batman who isn´t animated, and here he is. Late 80s to Knightfall Batman is the inspiration, besides Frank Miller, who liked the film. Dan Jurgens (Cavil´s take is based on his and John Byrne writing) is even a public defender of Zack Snyder and if this isn´t the highest praise Zack can get than, than i don´t know what is. 9,5/10 for the UC. My Imdb review http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/reviews-717 explains what i saw in it and manofsteelanswers.com offers great insight and analysis (by a lawyer!) into the DCEU, to all who care.
The film made money so i am getting my universe and Kubrik himself was often hated by the critics and the public alike during his career (Clockwork Orange or Lolita), so yeah. I can work with that.

Cap3 is surprisingly enough my least favorite US comic film of 2016 (i read a near equal amount of Marvel). I like the film "fine" overall. The acting, effects and 1st act are great but i despise what the film did to Tony, Crossbones and Zemo. The film is the definition of all style and no substance. A+ job on Daredevil S02 though and Fox also delivered with both X films. I last recommend The Lobster to all who want to see something truly unique.

Here are my top 5 directors with the best @ the start for future reference: Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Zack Snyder, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. (I saw all their films and all made duds.)
 
residentgrigo said:
I am not surprised that even SK tore into BvS :ganishka:. I though consider the film to be the best US comic film after the related 2012 DKR toon film (Jay Oliva worked on both).

From one comic fan to another that baffles and frightens me so much. :magni: Reading Marvel and DC for over 20 years, I found BvS stunningly awful and I walked out of Xmen Apocalypse.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
residentgrigo said:
Here are my top 5 directors with the best @ the start for future reference: Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Zack Snyder, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg.

If I didn't know better I'd think you were trolling by putting Snyder in there.
 

residentgrigo

Excitement and Enjoyment!
I truly think Zack is Kubrik´s true heir and not the also great Nolan. I was nearly in tears by the end of the flawed TC of BvS back in March. Only Return of the King, Forrest Gump and Schindler's List accomplished that so far. Excalibur (1981) is a great double bill with BvS btw. Fuck Suck Punch but i even like Guardians of Ga'Hoole (a highly informative film for my librarian profession) and i was already on the man´s side in 2004 when he remade Dawn of the Dead. There is NO cure for my disease but he has a lot of fans inside Hollywood, as James Cameron or Bret Easton Ellis, so i will get to share my padded cell with great company! Quentin Tarantino is the runner up btw. Edit: missing word fixed
 
residentgrigo said:
I truly that Zack is Kubrik´s true heir and not the also great Nolan.

Don't people usually say Jonathan Glazer is "the next Kubrick"? Whatever that's supposed to mean.


Some friends made me watch The Revenant even though I strongly dislike every other Iñarritu movie, and I found it really boring.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
residentgrigo said:
I truly think Zack is Kubrik´s true heir and not the also great Nolan. I was nearly in tears by the end of the flawed TC of BvS back in March. Only Return of the King, Forrest Gump and Schindler's List accomplished that so far.

You've GOT to be joking. :ganishka:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Oburi said:
You've GOT to be joking. :ganishka:

Looks like a...

104-Batman-quotes.gif


...siituation.
 
Went a little crazy during the Barnes and Noble 50% off Criterion sale.

Recently watched:

-Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (eh)
-Empire of Passion
-Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
-Carnival of Souls
-Fantastic Planet
-The Night of the Hunter
-Jellyfish Eyes (hated it)
-Dressed to Kill
-The Vanishing
-Mulholland Drive (reallllly late to the party on this one)
-Bicycle Thieves
-White Dog

Non-Criterion

-Jodorowsky's Dune
 
I recently saw Zootopia. It was actually pretty darn cute and I really like the main protagonist Judy Hopps bunny and Nick Wilde the fox. the premise is a bit cliche with the whole predator vs. prey mammal racism thing. But just the same it's approach to the whole thing did not annoy me. I enjoyed the way Nick and Judy played off each other. I just hope if they make a sequel that they keep Nick and Judy's relationship platonic. I think they work well together and have an interesting dynamic as best friends and professional partners without going to cliche romantic route. I think there should be more platonic opposite sex partnerships in these movies.
 

DasBouf

I'm Noah. I love my waifu and my friends
I watched my favorite movie of all time for the 100000000 time, Eraserhead. It's so damn good.

I also saw Green Room, I had high expectations and came out blown away. Fantastic film, looking forward to seeing Blue Ruin
I also watched Pacific Rim for the first time when it was in the theater. It was a really fun and colorful movie, and the best was def the sub plot with the scientists.
 
Proj2501 said:
-Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (eh)

Man, I loved this movie when I saw it years ago. I recently watched Neil Joradn's The Company of Wolves, which is indebted to Valerie in tone, and it's great too. I just really like movies where a pre-teen girl goes through crazy stuff, it's one of my favorite subgenres.

Proj2501 said:
-The Vanishing

I recently watched the remake. It's really inferior, even though it's directed by the same dude. It's pretty bad.
 
I plan to rewatch Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, this evening... I never get enough of Twin Peaks.
That series really marked me... the soundtracks as well (Angelo Badalamenti is a master). The third season is what I'm looking forward to in 2017.
 
residentgrigo said:
I truly think Zack is Kubrik´s true heir and not the also great Nolan.

residentgrigo said:
The film made money so i am getting my universe and Kubrik himself was often hated by the critics and the public alike during his career (Clockwork Orange or Lolita), so yeah. I can work with that.

Here are my top 5 directors with the best @ the start for future reference: Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Zack Snyder, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. (I saw all their films and all made duds.)

Your reasoning for Snyder being Kubrick's heir is problematic because you're basing it on the fact that because Snyder isn't loved for his work today, he's another Kubrick? That's it? I mean, there are a bunch of directors out there whose works people don't like (because it's crap), so what's special about Snyder vs the rest? Name one film Snyder directed that isn't all out action/ superhero related? That Dawn of The Dead remake was awful.
 

residentgrigo

Excitement and Enjoyment!
I like Snyder for his body of work (minus SP), not for his controversial nature IncantatioN (when did i say that?), and guess who name-dropped the Kubrick Stare himself in the UC BvS extras for Lex?
The biggest difference is that Kubrick never did sequels and went outside of genre-cinema. He also famously abused his staff (the features for the Shining are amazing), while Zack is universally praised by his cast and studio. To an uncanny degree even. Both certainly leave a sizable mark on Hollywood and DC Dawn of The Dead is nearly as good as the classic. I was this "on his side" since 2004 and 300 then made the man. Love or hate Snydra, but WB is never letting him go. They complete each other.

Suicide Squad was great fun, as expected, and my lengthy Imdb review can be found in the WWW box. It´s my favorite US team comics and i read every issue + spin-off since 1986. Fans of Deadpool and Ayder´s better films should like it. I will thus leave you with the review by the comic creator and industry legend John Ostrander instead, who "loved" the film. He shows valuable insight into the now downright broken film criticism scene due to his departed wife (she created Oracle), who was one, and the way he would treat a bad adaptation though eternal silence. Reminds me of present day Miura... Read it regardless of your opinion on the DCEU, he is one of the true greats, and is writing a new Squad special soon: http://www.comicmix.com/2016/08/07/john-ostrander-reviews-the-suicide-squad/

Deep breath: The movie summer finished strong. The Conjuring 2 was another solid modern horror movie with "classic" sensibilities, Finding Dory improved on the (slightly) overrated original, Star Trek Beyond "fixed" the franchise after the left-turn of Into Dumbness and Ghostbusters turned out reasonably well. GB has undeniable problems but the energy of the cast, especially McKinnon and Hemsworth, made the film. The last 2 could have made more money though, unlike a certain comic series that now crossed 2 bil. Well done WB, you now fully redeemed the Hobbit 33 1/3 series due to these (+ a lot of the shows) and Mad Max 4. Never Stop Never Stopping, oh yeah...
A shame that the hilarious Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping flopped and the fascinating mess called Warcraft sadly couldn´t "save" game movies. I´ll watch a sequel though, a good foundation is certainly there. I am now off to watch Sausage Party.

I lastly have no twitter but here are my #fav7films alphabetically. The Dark Knight "won" the race, quelle surprise. I chose mine with the help of my Imdb 10s:
A Clockwork Orange, Akira, Back to the Future, Blade Runner Final Cut (my favorite film), Oldboy, Schindler's List and The Dark Knight Returns. Honorable mention: The Thing
 
residentgrigo said:
Suicide Squad was great fun, as expected, and my lengthy Imdb review can be found in the WWW box.

Holy shit, you consume the most insane potpourri of media I've ever seen. The Mask television cartoon, Nintendogs+Cats, and some Tarkovsky classics all on the same page and rated roughly the same thing. :???:
 
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