Movies you've recently watched

You're making blanket statements on opinions I have which are both false and distasteful. CNN and FOX. biased black hearted journalism in these networks was my "sniping target." Stating opinions doesn't need to always be met with such retort. Wasn't my intention. Back to the movie thread. I do not think you would be fun at a party, but who knows. :farnese:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Salem said:
You're making blanket statements on opinions I have which are both false and distasteful.

That's because your vague line of argument is aligned with everyone currently Trumpeting the arrival of our new president elect -- "Fuck the biased media! Fuck journalism!" How exactly was anyone supposed to respond to that kind of rhetoric?

CNN and FOX. biased black hearted journalism in these networks was my "sniping target."

Alright now we're getting somewhere -- 6 whole letters! But what exactly makes those networks "black hearted," in your opinion? And how has that translated into you mistrusting an entire industry? Because previously you were irresponsibly tossing every publication into the same trash pile. That's my problem.

Stating opinions doesn't need to always be met with such retort. Wasn't my intention. Back to the movie thread.

You weren't giving an opinion. You were saying that journalists are black hearted because they dared to link politics to Star Wars. And I think this exchange has perfectly exemplified why your assessment of movies being separate from politics is fundamentally misguided.

I do not think you would be fun at a party, but who knows. :farnese:

I promise I am fun at parties -- just don't bring up ignorant shit and expect me to laugh it off.
 
Didn't think anyone would respond to my vague outlook into Journalism today. Why would I assume that would be taken into arguement territory? Simple response meant to be taken how I assume Griffith did.

If you make a statement about the railroad. My source of major money and how you hate the emissions such things produce, I would never take it personally, nor feel the need to defend it like it's going to matter. Have your opinions, it doesn't make any difference at the end of the day.

I believe you could be fun at parties, but I fear my lack of consistent alcohol consumption might leave you embarrassed at my personality and not by my vagueness. :magni:

Anyhooooow, check out Rogue One. Its fun and though you may not enjoy it as much as I did, it's worth a watch.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Salem said:
Didn't think anyone would respond to my vague outlook into Journalism today. Why would I assume that would be taken into arguement territory? Simple response meant to be taken how I assume Griffith did.

If you make a statement about the railroad. My source of major money and how you hate the emissions such things produce, I would never take it personally, nor feel the need to defend it like it's going to matter. Have your opinions, it doesn't make any difference at the end of the day.

How do you feel when you hear people making racist statements, then? Why bother standing against someone's stupid, ignorant worldview? It doesn't make any difference at the end of the day -- that's just their opinion?

"...I would never take it personally, nor feel the need to defend it like it's going to matter."

This is genuinely making me sad. Do you have no convictions? Anything worth fighting for or arguing against? Are you content to simply glide through life unperturbed by the events that happen around you? (Conversely, content to let events happen to you instead of participate in them).

PS: Are coal-powered trains still a thing...? I thought railway emissions were generally clean.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Griffith said:
You think? The reason it got so long is I had to replace all the swearing with so many words. :mozgus: :ganishka:

Hey man, I'll take what I can get. I enjoy your opinions, especially since they do a good job of swaying mine=)

Saying one of the most significant and arguably best films ever made is second to its modern run-of-mill derivative, literally re-skinned in some cases/places, without explanation, perhaps because a viable one does not exist, is pretty inherently and inexplicably undermining was my point.

Like I said, I enjoyed it.

Alright, there's no point arguing taste, but don't you suspect you may only like it predicated on your enjoyment of the others, so it's a bit strange to be like, "Hey, this dour retread about kyber crystals is way better than that whole rousing mythology that made anybody care about this world in the first place." I get enjoying it based on what it does with the original material, but unless you think these characters and story are so wonderful on their own it's a bit strange to rate it better than the real thing it's constantly referencing. I guess I can take solace in that based on this you'll be quickly abandoning it for the next shiny, new "Star Wars" branded movie that comes out. Fickle Fanbase: A Star Wars Story; I'll be playing the part of the unhinged fanboy furiously typing this in his worn Star Wars shirt from middle school. =)

No, I don't think so. I went into this expecting to be disappointed. I wasn't in the slightest. I think I stepped in the wrong direction by comparing this anthology movie to the main episodes. Shortsighted of me for sure, but that's what I get for enjoying the expanded stuff so much!

Anyway, since I'm sure you're tired of me impotently ranting at you I'll try to put a bow on it; I think the main cause of our disagreement is you have a much more holistic view of the Star Wars saga and all its parts whereas I put a premium on the original trilogy, particularly the first two films. Though the first 40 minutes of Jedi alone are still ten times better than this movie... Sorry! Stopping, I swear!

Ah, see, there it is;) I'm much more interested in the expanded universe than I am the Skywalker saga (for now). I will say, though, the lightsaber flashback scene in TFA as well as seeing Luke at the end were some of my favorite parts in the entire series. Most others are in the Clone Wars show, as well as Dark Empire.

Honestly, at this point, the original trilogy is so deeply ingrained in my being that I can't even compare them to others. They're their own thing, much like Alien, Aliens, Road Warrior, etc--all being so good they don't really need to be brought up, let alone have things compared to them.

Finally, thanks for pointing out some obvious lapses in my explanation and comparisons.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Johnstantine said:
Hey man, I'll take what I can get. I enjoy your opinions, especially since they do a good job of swaying mine=)

Yeah, relatively speaking, we're like a buddy cop team around here.

Johnstantine said:
Like I said, I enjoyed it.

We'll see how I feel about it upon further review. -_-

Johnstantine said:
No, I don't think so. I went into this expecting to be disappointed. I wasn't in the slightest.

I made the mistake of listening to those good reviews, dropping my guard, and looking forward to it hopefully! *gasp* DANGER! DANGER!

Johnstantine said:
I think I stepped in the wrong direction by comparing this anthology movie to the main episodes. Shortsighted of me for sure, but that's what I get for enjoying the expanded stuff so much!

Ah, see, there it is;) I'm much more interested in the expanded universe than I am the Skywalker saga (for now). I will say, though, the lightsaber flashback scene in TFA as well as seeing Luke at the end were some of my favorite parts in the entire series. Most others are in the Clone Wars show, as well as Dark Empire.

Honestly, at this point, the original trilogy is so deeply ingrained in my being that I can't even compare them to others. They're their own thing, much like Alien, Aliens, Road Warrior, etc--all being so good they don't really need to be brought up, let alone have things compared to them.

That's right, you're one of them anti-Skywalker protestant crazies! I'm the complete opposite (c'mon, you'd think it'd be better if Rey wasn't a Skywalker? Naaaah), and speaking of unfair comparisons, I wish they weren't giving us SO MUCH to compare to the originals these days. For instance, I'd currently rank all the movies Empire, Hope, Jedi, Force, Rogue, Clones, Sith, and Menace. But it should really be 3 tiers because the trilogies are so distinctive I'll never see them on the same level as each other or these new anthology movies (and nostalgic casting aside, they're really all Disney anthology movies as far as I'm concerned). So, here's what those tiers look like:

Empire, Hope, Jedi
Force, Rogue
Clones, Sith, and Menace

But what about in five years when that becomes something like:

Empire, Hope, Jedi
Episode VIII, Force, Episode IX, Rogue, Boba Fett, Han Solo, Cyborb Ninja Jar Jar, etc etc.
Clones, Sith, and Menace

Soon there's going to be more "fake" Star Wars movies than real ones, and likely only two great ones still, which means the whole thing will be that much more watered down. It makes me wistful that Lucas didn't just do with the prequels what he did in the 80's and early 90's, and what Disney is doing now, which is farm them out to more capable hands.

NightCrawler said:
Rogue One is expensive fan fiction.

Definitely, but as I said that's the best thing Lucasfilm/Lucasarts did with Star Wars post-'83 until recently to be fair.
 
Fuck, Griffith. I was planning on writing a post ranking the movies, but you literally said what I was going to, right down to breaking the films down by a tier system. Great minds really do think alike. :ganishka:
 

Ruhe Strom

'Moon Pie... what a time to be alive."
Might as well throw in my two cents on Rogue One. Hopefully this might prompt some interesting discussion.

It's a serviceable action movie, with some great (some awkward) callbacks, and ties in some of the canon neatly. Ultimately though, I didn't like it. And that firstly stems from one major problem: the characters are weak.
If you're going to kill off your main cast in its entirety, at least make me feel something when it actually happens.
I felt nothing for any of these characters, except maybe K-2SO because he had a bit of wit to him. Anakin in AotC may have unintentionally come across as a creepy, immature hormonal teenager, but at least he prompted a response from me. At least he had character. Say what you will about Rey, but at least she had some charisma in comparison to Jyn (a fault of the actor, the editing, or the writing?).
Great actors like Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker were wasted on characters with huge developmental potential for both themselves and the people around them, who also could have added some real ethical meat to the story in terms of working for evil people or being an extremist for your beliefs. They get barely any screen time. Almost nobody was developed, nobody had a noticeable character arc. No crises of confidence, no realisation that doing the unspecified terrible things for this 'Cause' you hold so highly might make you just as bad as the fucking Space Nazis you're fighting.

Another problem I had was how it was paced. Much like TFA, it didn't stop, it didn't pause to reflect. It moved on to the next set piece so you can't hear the sound of the moviegoers stuffing popcorn into their fat gobs anticipating when they'll see some s-foils lock into attack position so they can stop eating for a moment only to point and clap like seals. There was nothing like Luke standing on a rocky outcrop looking out at Tatooine's twin suns as the music has a gentle but potent crescendo. It's something we know so well as fans of Berserk. A quiet, beautiful moment of reflection that has so much dramatic power amidst the brutal action and intense drama.

It really says something about the state of your movie when the standout moments have very little to do with any of the new stuff, and everything to do with seeing an AT-AT rearing above the foliage (great sense of scale as usual from Gareth Edwards) like you've taken all your old toys out of the box. Disney is running Star Wars purely on nostalgia at the moment, purely on brand recognition for the sake of cheap entertainment, and financially it is working and will continue to work. Creatively, it's a terrible pit to sink into, as you hold the originals on a huge pedestal as something to strive towards replicating rather than surpassing (this is my problem with having fans of a classic franchise direct additions to that franchise without having a distinct and unique vision for it beforehand).

When I saw early screenshots and material for this movie, I was hoping for one of two things: a heist movie along the lines of the Ocean's films, where they have to assemble a misfit group of charismatic people who all bring specific and vital talents to a tough job; a movie along the lines of some of the Gundam OVAs, where it is much darker than the mainline material, much smaller scale and really brings into question the ethics of war while unashamedly making the viewer face the unpleasant truths of conflict, both visually and ideologically. A focused theme or style, something to give the movie a unique prevalence in the wider canon other than being a set up for A New Hope. When I saw the film itself, I got tiny, tiny inklings of both those things as if it was supposed to be one or the other, but was utterly brutalised on the cutting room floor at some point. Apparently there were some quite extensive reshoots going on, which would go some way to explaining it. Disney probably wanted to give the impression that this was an ambitious project in the promotional material, but not take any creative risks with the actual product so as to maximise their profit.

One thing however made the price of the ticket worth it to me. This goes back to the 'bringing your old toys out' argument, but Darth Vader's scene at the end was utterly brilliant.
When that corridor went dark, I was expecting a bunch of stormtroopers to thunder in and fire, followed by the big man himself, but what I in fact got was the only true moment of quiet in the film for me, dragged out for just long enough and punctuated by an intense sense of fearful anticipation.
What follows is better than any scene with Darth Vader pre or post-transformation in the prequel films, because it paints a visceral picture of the raw threat and power he wields on his own, justifying the fearful respect he commands with not a word having been said.
Many of you probably expected the lightsaber to come on and permeate the darkness so suddenly and intensely, but I sure wasn't and it made the whole aspect of him standing there in the dark alone and then brutally decimating those soldiers Guts-style all the more impressive and frightening.

So those are my general thoughts, thank you if you read them all. I don't expect many people to agree, but I've put them here to provoke conversation, not create an echo chamber.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
:ubik:

Ruhe Strom said:
So those are my general thoughts, thank you if you read them all. I don't expect many people to agree, but I've put them here to provoke conversation, not create an echo chamber.

No, I pretty much agree with and felt everything you said, you just put your finger on it a lot more eloquently than I could. In addition to the lacking story elements (Empire was so effective because it fleshed out those iconic, archtypical characters and built/preyed on our affection for them; putting a bunch of stock guys out of Star Wars central casting or toy design through "the hell of war" is not comparable), I'm glad you brought up the rather uncreative remixing of iconic vehicles, like AT-AT's(ST's), with new, though familiar, locales. Even the advertising, particularly the Stormtroopers wading in tropical waters (lol), is literally like an ad for Star Wars on vacation or a theme park ride.

I would also add that Krennic was a rather underwhelming villain, especially standing among giants here, though he's ironically one of the more real characters. His basic driving desire for credit and validation and the bitterness of not getting it was sure a lot more relatable on an everyday level than the stock speeches about hope and rebellions that didn't really fly.
I understood why he died for his cause more than the good guys! And if he wasn't going to be convincingly evil, I think it would have been more interesting if he'd turned just enough to allow the plans to escape in the end (even if it's just out of spite). That would have at least showed how the seeds of meaningful rebellion take root in unexpected but necessary places and make the difference. A lot more than the lame, quitter version of the Rebel Alliance in the film, anyway. Either make it black and white or explore the grey area a bit (something they allude to in the promotions with Jyn but never touch on in the film).
I agree that there was likely a better version of this film pre-reshoots that did more than hint at some of these ideas but was subsequently made more palatable.
 
I saw Rogue One a couple of days ago. I really enjoyed it. I went in having zero expectations and having read no reviews at all. The passing bothered me a bit, i think they had to spend a bit more time between scenes to develop the characters, but other than that it was a fun time.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Took my son to see his first movie in theaters: Moana.

It was good. Quite a bit more action/adventure than the usual Disney flick.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Took my son to see his first movie in theaters: Moana.

It was good. Quite a bit more action/adventure than the usual Disney flick.

How'd the little guy handle it? I believe my first film in theaters was The Land Before Time, which I am not ashamed of (first ever at home was either Lady & the Tramp, or more recently my mother told me she was watching Roger Moore Bond movies while taking care of me after my birth :magni:).

Anyway, I was apparently fine in a theater for talking cartoon dinosaurs as a tot but later had something of a meltdown, literally requiring my removal from the theater, when watching My Girl (lol). It was the death and subsequent funeral for Macaulay Culkin's character that set off my freakout. In retrospect probably not a good idea to show a 7 year old coming off months of Home Alone mania Kevin Mccallister dying and being buried, mom! :schierke: :ganishka:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
How'd the little guy handle it? I believe my first film in theaters was The Land Before Time, which I am not ashamed of (first ever at home was either Lady & the Tramp, or more recently my mother told me she was watching Roger Moore Bond movies while taking care of me after my birth :magni:).

Like I told my wife before we even left the house: He's going to be done in 20 minutes. He was done in about 30. But he stuck it out after being convinced with popcorn and several seat changes. I just asked him what he thought of the movies: "Um, I think I didn't like it. "
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Like I told my wife before we even left the house: He's going to be done in 20 minutes. He was done in about 30. But he stuck it out after being convinced with popcorn and several seat changes. I just asked him what he thought of the movies: "Um, I think I didn't like it. "

I'm going to be a terrible father when I insist my kids pay attention, appreciate the story, and get frustrated when they don't "get it." They're going to hate everything I love and tried to push on them as a result, so I applaud your fatherly discipline.

https://youtu.be/irCpiVqtCP0

Johnstantine said:
Like father like son :ganishka:

I'd be proud of that response until I realized it wasn't since the story elements were so off the shelf but because the theater was cold, crowded, and smelled funny (though that's also a respectable opinion =).


Speaking of Disney animated features, my wife and I are catching up on Pixar movies one or both of us haven't seen. So far we've watched Finding Dory (good), Wall-E (very good), and The Incredibles (very good to great) with Brave and The Good Dinosaur to follow. It's kind of hard for me to rate them overall, except the superior Toy Story bookends, because they're all similarly sound entertainment (as Honest Trailers noted of Dory, even their B material pushes the right buttons). Do I really need to see the Cars though?
 
Griffith said:
Do I really need to see the Cars though?

I'd say sure, why not. It's of course my personal taste but I'd watch Cars (the first one) over The Good Dinosaur any day of the week, so make of that what you will. Also, Cars 2 is supposed to be a spy movie, just like some Bond movies. :iva: Is Cars 2 worse than Spectre? Watch it and find out!
 
My first film was some version of Tarzan but I was two years old at the time and obviously don't remember! My folks swore not to take us to the movies till we were older. I was eleven when they took me for Last Action Hero cos I loved Arnold.

So a bunch of movies in the last few months -

June

Finding Dory - charming and I'd recommend checking it out for the pair of whales who were awesome.

X-Men Apocalypse - I still remember that cheesy moment Metallica's music was on screen but overall, it was not very good at all. Appreciated Fassbender's emotion in that forest scene.

July

The Secret Life Of Pets - not too bad, this was a light date movie and I'd just watched Louie CK's standup the evening before.

Ghostbusters - hey I thought it was decent coming from a place with zero expectations and it didn't help I have a huge crush on Kate.

August

The new Bourne movie - eeehh, plot felt pretty weak, predictable and the movie was just loud.

September

Queen of Katwe - definitely recommend watching one, it's a story of a girl in the slums of Katwe (Uganda) who learns to play chess and tries to go competitive so she can afford a better living for herself and her family. Good performances overall.

October

Godzilla Resurgence or Shin Godzilla - this was a lotta fun but it depends on how you'd take the Evangelion influence because the music, camera angles, plot direction and a few ideas/ things are very reminiscent of the first Evangelion movie from the reboot series of films. So that could either be a good thing or a bad thing where it didn't feel like Godzilla ... buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut the destruction in the movie is just oooouufff, I loved it.

November

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them - I thought it was charming in places you saw Randy Daytona on screen but that's about it. I thought it was okay at best, one time watch.

Moonlight - now this was a movie I was so glad I watched. Highly recommend it to all. The less you know, the better. It didn't blow me away but it was satisfying.

Moana - I liked some of the music on here where it made me want to check out those 2 songs I liked a week later and the story was touching. Recommended for a casual watch.

Arrival - I had a lot of things to talk about fresh from watching it but I never got around posting about it. The soundtrack felt familiar and in the midst of the film I realized I'd heard it (!), LIVE, a month before at a cathedral where Johann Johannsson performed and I'd gone to watch it. It all came back to me in a good way. I didn't mind the movie or the plot (felt a little 'eehhh' in the end) but I enjoyed the ride. The brooding cinematography and camera zooming in or out at the beginning made me a little uneasy but it's part of the experience. I'd go back to this in a few months cos I liked it.

December

I took up MoviePass which's a subscription for theaters, you pay $49.99 and you can potentially watch 1 movie per day. The catch - you have to book it through the app and you have to wait 24 hours before the next movie you book. So that creates a bit of a hurdle if you book a show today at 8 PM and then want to catch another show tomorrow at 7 PM. But yeah, tickets are about $15 a pop, so after the 3rd movie, everything you watch is free.

Edge of Seventeen - didn't know anything about it going in and it was not bad, not bad at all. Woody's character was the most fun. I'd recommend checking it out.

La La Land - great soundtrack, great cinematography, Emma was really good, Ryan was Ryan (woody) but I appreciated his dance and piano skills. All in all, this was a fun ride. The first song threw me off. And I thought of the SK.Net~ers living in California being stuck in traffic as I watched it.

Manchester By The Sea - takes the cake, I loved every second and maybe I just love depressing movies.

Star Wars: Rogue One - I appreciate the direction the plot took in the end which wasn't a kosher ending but overall, did I have to have seen it knowing how it was going to end? Would I be missing out if I didn't watch it? I think I wouldn't. It's fine that it's there but it's a couple of decades too late. Like Force Awakens, I'll re-watch this a year from now.

Sing - Nick Kroll's character Gunter was the best, I thought the movie was just OK.

Nocturnal Animals - stylish but it tried to be a little too intelligent or reaching at times. The end was fine and you see it coming. Cool performances by Michael Shannon (woot woot) and Jake.

Loving - watched this the day after Nocturnal and chuckled inside when Michael Shannon popped up on screen. Marton Csokas as the sheriff was damn cool.

Jackie - not bad, not amazing.

Hidden Figures - the crowd loved it a lot more than I did. I thought it was OK.
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
Saw La La Land last weekend and really liked it. I've been listening to the soundtrack/score all week and the music has been stuck in my head, which is something that hasn't happened in a long time.
 

TheClangingSwordsman

Put your glasses on, kid. Nothing will be wrong.
Delta Phi said:
Saw La La Land last weekend and really liked it. I've been listening to the soundtrack/score all week and the music has been stuck in my head, which is something that hasn't happened in a long time.

planning on seeing La La Land next week with my GF. She loves musicals and got me roped in 2 years ago with Moulin Rouge. Since then we've gone to see Les Mis live in London which was amazing so I'm hoping La La Land impresses.

I went to see Split last week with a couple of friends. The movie was very good, the movie didn't rely on cheap gimmicks to scare you, but instead let the tension build naturally which was fantastic. I went in expecting some underwhelming horror movie, but instead enjoyed a very well done thriller and a surprising
Unbreakable universe tie in! Truly a surprise ending that I did not see coming
I was disappointed that I had seen the trailer first however, as it did give away much of the early story but really the whole movie surprised me in only good ways.

Split spoiler ahead

I loved the visuals used in the movie to cement the fact that the "Split" wasn't just in Kevin's personalities but also between the 3 girls held captive. The push for the scientific community to recognise people with multiple personalities as something potentially more than normal people seemed a bit odd without the context of Unbreakable but after the reveal of Dunne in the cafe it made the movie so much better. It changed from a good thriller with a goofy ending to a fantastic new entry into M. Nights superhero universe. Really excited for the third entry in the series. I'm curious if it'll be David Dunne to face off against the Horde or will it be Casey (I don't think so seeming as she didn't seem to have any superpowers, or any extraordinary abilities. Sure she could shoot a gun but it was her scars that saved her). I think Dunne is the obvious counter to the Horde. The Horde despises those who are unmarked and whole. Dunne physically cannot be scarred or injured. As Mr. Glass said "You always know who the villain is going to be. He's always the exact opposite of the hero". Mr. Glass was Dunne's opposite because he could break easily. He was very breakable. Dunne is The Horde's opposite because he symbolises those he hates. The unbroken, the unscarred, the innocent.
 
I just saw The Lego Batman Movie and I thought it was great, so much so that I give it five Jarritos out of five. I'm already looking forward to revisiting the movie when it comes out on blu-ray.
 
Just saw Get Out. I really liked it! It was disturbing and suspenseful and funny in parts. The acting was great.
I thought the way they handled the hypnotism, when Chris gets sent to "the sunken place", was particularly well done.
They kept an unsettling, creepy feeling going throughout the movie. Kept on the edge of my seat, the film went by very quickly for me!
 
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