Rate the last movie you've seen

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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Post by G-Man »

My wife and I watched La La Land recently. I can see why Hollywood and certain demographics gushed over it but I only gave it a 3.25 out of 5. I’m not anti-follow-your-dreams but the wannabe actress and all-but-bohemian jazz bum pairing was never going to grip me.

I appreciate the ending though. At least they had the guts to go the realistic route.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#202

Post by LoRab »

lapluie wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 3:15 pm "The open house" netflix original movie 1/10
Pretty lame, the storyline was v mediocre, typial horror movie where killer breaks in house & attempts murder.
Do not recommend to watch, the ending was a failure to all horror movies, there was no answer to why the killer was in the house. Didn't show his face. Acting was bad. & so was the jumpscares. Meh
I feel like the netflix original series are by and large really good--but the movies no so much. Maybe they should stick to series...
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#203

Post by insertnamehere »

Okja and Mudbound were both pretty fantastic, and I’m hesitantly hyped for Duncan Jones’ Mute.

But there’s certainly a whooole lotta meh in there.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Okja was absolute cringe and Mudbound was wasted by banal, sprawling epic narrative flavor.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Movies I watched this month:

La Collectionneuse (Rohmer, '67) - Brilliant. Fun to watch with the uber-sexy Haydee, but more enjoyable to listen to as the narrator is so clueless about his own motivations that listening/watching him disintegrate becomes a total joy. Only flaw is that the male friend character was inferior to the other two.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Nichols, '66) - I almost turned this off after 15 minutes because Elizabeth Taylor was JUST ACTING SO MUCH, but man, once the film settles in it's fucking devastating. Too few films deal with and humanize the unhappy, the damaged, and the fucked up among us, or if they do, it's to get those characters to a point where they change, become "better". This film simply lets its characters be who they are and leaves the judging to us, if we so choose. And by film's end, Taylor was incredible, in fact all four actors inhabited their roles perfectly.

Journey to the West (Tsai, '14) - I can't honestly put into words why I loved this. but it could have gone on another hour and I'd have happily watched it. I love films that just let you absorb life.

A Quiet Passion (Davies, '16) - A bit stiff at times, but Cynthia Nixon is incredible as the poet who simply does not want what she does not want, society and convention be damned.

the Gleaners & I (Varda, '00) - Agnes Varda is love.

Cluny Brown (Lubitsch, '46) - A nice late-career effort by Lubitsch where no one really tries too hard and the vibe is actually pretty chill. I like that Charles Boyer's character seemed unsure of himself and like he was following instinct without knowing where it would go, a welcome reprieve from the Maurice Chevalier years where his character was so damn smarmy (and rape-y).

The Viking (Neill, '28) - a silent film in glorious Technicolor? Yup. They had color tech figured out before sound, but never bothered to use it for decades. Wut.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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I should resume watching Rohmers. Started them in chronological order years ago, but only kept the pace with the first ten or so.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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I've transitioned to Letterboxd for the past month and a half to rate and write diary entries, notes, ramblings, mini-reviews, but I suppose I could keep posting some roundups in here as well, even though it's a thread used by only one other member (and occasionally timmer). The star and half-star rating on Letterboxd match a 1 to 10 scale (for instance, ⋆⋆1/2 being 5 and ⋆⋆⋆ being 6).

mother! (Darren Aronofsky) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2
To watch this and then just put it away would be the best action I could think of, because otherwise I, for one, don't get why Aronofsky's works should keep getting validation, when they're not even the right kind of edgy and twisted. Certainly not here, where his ain't-them-clever allegories couldn't be lazier and about as cheeky as me having put this on during Christmas Eve. I mean, is this less daft than Noah? Sure. Is it a better dark fantasy than his last I truly bothered with, Black Swan? I'd say it isn't. I found both Bardem's and Lawrence's performances pretty subdued, intentionally or not - definitely no giant arthouse leap for Lawrence, compared to all the diva acting in O'Russell's movies; meanwhile, Harris and Pfeiffer score looser, more middling, menacing performances, but of course they're in no way relatable, since they're purely designed as agents of chaos. Is there virtuosity in this big unfold of madness? Sure - its big babel-esque act feeling, in fact, just short in ambition of having been accomplished all in one-shot - yet, for all its praised dementedness, I felt more quease out of two short shots of a toilet and a bloodied hole in a floor than during the whole pandemoniacal culmination. Madman filmmaking aside, this movie simply can't register when so hamfisted and banal in its intended higher purport.

Mamma Roma (Pier Paolo Pasolini) (1962) ⋆⋆⋆1/2
Complete Pasolini neophyte without any notion of how this stacks up compared to his others, still at first viewing there were a handful of enthralling scenes, most if not all due to Anna Magnani's puissant performance, interpreting her struggles with a mix of emotion and chilling hysteria. Also at first reaction, an opening scene for the books. Story also evolves into a tale of motherhood, as Magnani's character tries to (re)connect with her son and ward him off the dangers of gang life or the temptations of facile affairs of the heart. Only drawback for the time being I could note would be that I felt the mother's story to be more compelling than the son's own coming-of-age-like side.

Mudbound (Dee Rees) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2
Hardly a bad drama to watch, but its overstretched narrative and spelled-out, mirror-holding thematic delivery make it more difficult to boost it with praise. By the half point, it's made clear who you're supposed to be rooting for (i.e. every underpriviledged character not qualifying as "white male"), yet that's preceded by a novellistic desire to create an overarching convergence of multiple backstories, dramas and fates. Harshly historical and realistic as it may be - plus with intent to signal racial realities of the present - sitting through the movie becomes - due to a rather uninspired intro sequence triggering a flashback device for the rest of the movie - a mere exercise of embracing the tragedy to unfold and even at that taking quite some time. Overall, it's quite telling when the heavy use of multiple voiceovers (feeding off a mix of faulknerian stream-of-consciousness and morrisonian knifelike frankness) counts as the least of this movie's problems.

Les deux amis (Two Friends) (Louis Garrell) (2015) ⋆⋆⋆
A tale of crazed, infelicitous, toxic romance and even friendship, despite what the title may allude to, its progression into a messy love triangle being likely the most commonplace aspect of the story. Interestingly we are drive right into the agitation, with little amount of backstory, certainly not for how Farahani's and Macaigne's characters ever got so entangled in the first place (a few quick scenes between them early on make it unclear whether they're flashbacks or current - though in the end I'd think it's the former case). Rather liked what the two of them attempted in terms of unhinged performing (standout weird, loose dance scene in her case, incessant display of miserable lovesickness in his); less to note about Garrel's presence, who, even as a director and writer, seems to constantly push himself into a corner of rigid portrayal of a mumbling, somber, mopey and (in this case; or is it always the case?) arrogantly promiscuous as well lover. Pretty flat moviemaking in addition, but overall I'll give it an extra half star for its inexplicable "folie".

Battle of the Sexes (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2
Light, conventional, timely done and marketed (in light of the new wave of struggles against male chauvinism and abuse, a certain presidential stand-off, plus I can assure you internet troll talks about why female tennis players should get the same prize money as male ones are still going strong, especially when Grand Slam matches end with a whitewash on the ladies' side, while the men carry five-hour classic battles). You can sense that it's a 2-hour stretch of its subject, every bit of it an orderly yet (again) conventional build up to a main event, while other plots are crammed in but ultimately half-assed (King's affair and its impact, the King-Court feud extending beyond on-court rivalry or any other female athletes not-named-King ever fitting into the picture). Certain token characters tie up with Mudbound's Pappy for chewing discriminatory, written-so-hard-the-pencil-snapped lines, just to get the message across. This movie is political and feminist first, sporting third, to which end I was mixed on its match scenes, sort of capturing the sense of a real broadcast, still filmed from such distance and little focus, that it never felt immersive, nor did I believe much Stone and Carell to have filmed anything besides reaction shots in between points. Don't sense either of them put too much method into their portrayals, but mostly enjoyed Stone's performance nevertheless.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh) (2017) ⋆⋆⋆1/2
An overall welcomed return to form (and to his strengths) for McDonagh (not necessarily a given for me, considering his purposelessly slapstick previous Seven Psychopaths). Stark drama, gushing violence, crude cussing and neurotic comedy were never too strong of a cup (In Bruges), but as the scale tips towards moral over drollery this time, the humor here might prove too uncomfortable at times, just like certain scenes made me question, mid-watch, whether it wasn't all becoming increasingly sadistical. Otherwise, what looks on paper (and at least during the first act) to be a movie about revenge, police inefficiency or social rancor with a certain zeitgeist vibe to it might not prove so straightforward in terms of situation, characters and our perceiving of them (particularly challenging a narrative and empathetic flip-flop on a certain character's own turnaround - which fwiw I think it kiiiiinda works, given certain factors). Make no mistake, the lecturing tone is present, but isn't quite the movie's forte (take for instance the heavy brushstrokes on racism backfiring due to directorial deafness). That rather leaves us with a more universal kind of message on hatred begetting hatred, delivered in sheer ignitable cinematic form.

I, Tonya (Craig Gillespie) (2017) ⋆⋆⋆
As far as Oscarbait goes, wouldn't deny it had a pretty solid first half for its sharp exercise in watching human awfulness, plus with a not-too-unfamiliar manic paced, zippy, metanarrative, mockdrama style in case you've seen stuff previous years like American Hustle, The Big Short or this moviemaker called Scorsese. Sadly the second hour slogs once becoming absorbed in its assiduous recreation of "the incident". Other turnoffs included the overdose jukebox score or Bobby Cannavale's entire plot unimportance. Peculiar but honest approach on a life story in which turmoil and controversy trumped every other detail, at the same time orbiting around the source interviews and leaving you to decide what to believe or emphatize with (if, at times, anything at all), while still carving a portrait out of Harding herself and her trials. If controversies and hard life stories sell, this movie is no less gainful from it. With so much style, montage gloss and brash, sensationalist tone put into it, the movie's heavier topics might end up skated over (pun intended), such as trauma, the issue of beating talent into top-class performance or the sports industry itself (as someone mixed on judge-ruled sports in general, one parking lot scene almost made me think the movie would tackle the biased, image-oriented side of figure skating competitions, but then nope). As mentioned early on, the least you could get out of this movie is two hours' worth of watching (mostly) truly shitty people, the great level of performances (mostly) across the board certainly of help in that regard.

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig) (2017) ⋆⋆⋆1/2
Wondrously enough, I thought this movie matured alongside its protagonist's coming-of-(or rather snapping-out-of)-age, past a first 15-minute or so stretch that risked being frown-inducing and an all too familiar Juno-like brand of mumblesmug. Probably the best, most grounded, relatable and endearing mother character in Metcalf since Boyhood's Arquette and best, most grounded, relatable mother-daughter rocky relationship since I don't even know; would have rather liked Tracy Letts' character to be less one note as Mr. Fatherly Fathersome Father, but enjoyed him a bit all the same. Some plotlines are pushed to no real surprise, but such is life, one could say, and "such was my life", the author wants to say, and "such could be / have been yours", the movie could say. Really the surprise is how little overdone and pretentious the drama pans out. Some rightful recognition for Gerwig for the retro vibe of the visuals and just helming something out of experience and turning it into an endearing project. Does this comprehensively need to be pitched as the most lauded, awardable and perfect movie of 2017? Likely not, but such types of movies won't ever not beguile this industry.

The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro) (2017) ⋆⋆
Inclined, oddly enough, to draw connection between Aronofsky and del Toro, both of whom desired this year to prove they can still come up with a great one (and both, at least critically, seem to have mostly pulled it off). Yet if a new egomaniacal trip from the former was not something I had ever set my hopes up for, I did still long, deep down, for another dark fantasy epic to come del Toro's way. It's beginning to look past any hope, though, since this was absolute corn and the most I've squirmed at a movie from the 2017 season (thus far). Monsters and effects were never going to be lacking, but by God was I stunned by this banal alembication of retrofitted period piece, old cinema nostalgia and poorly inserted themes of Cold War drama, transcending romance and whatnot. Sally Hawkins can't elevate it that much (and even one particular scene with her did throw me into despair), when every other character is more of a cartoon than fish lad. One of the most cheesily and thinly written and envisioned movies of the year, of those taking themselves artistically serious. I'm even more hateful at it having made the "at least Crimson Peak's goth schlock was passable" thought ever come to my mind, during this watch.

The Disaster Artist (James Franco) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2
Truly the most benign movie from this year's (American, at the very least) awards rosters - nothing to get up in arms about (particularly if aware of Franco's modest, unnoteworthy directorial skills), but neither an experience you couldn't get some hearty chuckles out of. Franco's performance, evocation and engrossment is, for what it's worth, a bit impressive (the "ha ha ha"s especially catching me off guard each time and proving frolicsome), but sure, there is also narcissism and a sense of pet project in (t)his approach, with faux pas when giving weight to mere reenactments or a groundless window dressing of its final act. I just don't see the worth of exploring it critically, once I've had my fun watching it. It has already and will eventually fade away past this movie season as something Franco, perhaps of all people, couldn't have passed up the chance on making. It could have been improved, but I do not feel invested in the discussion on how exactly.

Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino) (2017) ⋆⋆⋆ / ⋆⋆⋆1/2
Constantly improving since 2009's Io sono l'amore, which I still dread recalling in its pretentious and overblown dramatics (2015's A Bigger Splash having been a boisterous bourgeois spectacle - with ripples of that perhaps only in Armie Hammer's two dance scenes and assured vitality - though still short on relatable hollow characters), Call Me by Your Name would easily stand as Guadagnino's most pleasant movie I've seen thus far (if ever so slightly taxing in its two-hour-plus pace), plus more than likely ranking among (or as) the most pristinely styled, well-sculpted, well-acted out of all the main lauded, awarded movies this season. No real change of habit in Guadagnino shaping up well-off, sans souci characters, brimming of shapeliness and wisdom (the line "Is there anything you don't know" might count not only as banter, but as a tongue-in-cheek nod to potential viewer frustrations, having to digest casually flown parlances on architecture, history, philosophy, etymons and Busoni-on-Liszt-on-Bach improvisations), but even that might prove marginally persuasive, given the paradisiacal Italian settings. Of course, though, one might argue that within this gorgeous, polished sculpture may lie its inherent hollowness. I would by no means demand mundane tropes of romantic, sexual or familiar conflicts, as opposed to the elegant, natural and emotional presentation Guadagnino seems to be going for, yet, if the young protagonist's only worries lie in making sense of his desire or the inevitable dissipation of an idyll, in an otherwise fully sheltered, adonisian, benevolent environment, you might just sense a bit of vacuity. I intentionally postponed the writing for a few weeks to ponder whether the movie would stick with me and, apart from making me practice my Ravel once more, it has not.

All These Sleepless Nights (Michal Marczak) (2015) ⋆⋆1/2
Rather more impressionistic in its execution than meant to mirror the troubles, inertia and loss of bearing of the (Polish) youth, this provides scenes of music and dance that made me reminisce about Mia Hansen-Løve's Eden and stuff taken almost out of the Terence Malick style glossary of daze, aimlessness and spleen, yet I must confess having drifted out of this movie way more often than in sync with it.

Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman) (2017) ⋆⋆⋆
I realize Call Me by Your Name is supposed to be our benchmark this year in terms of gay romance (well, certainly not much of romance here) and sexual discovery, yet I honestly found more conflict, anxiety, maroon and real life issues on display than in whatever bohemian, desirous depiction the former set out for. May not strive for big drama (have a hard time, in fact, recalling in great detail how it concluded, apart from the fact that it simply did at a certain point) and everything and everyone apart from a mum, but understated main performance tends to fade out in memorability, nevertheless I enjoyed some of its set pieces and small urban scope.

The Darkest Hour (Joe Wright) (2017) ⋆⋆
Part of a neverending yearly cycle of works intent to cash in, with a serious historical or biographical topic, both as significant masterworks and having transformative, "Oscarworthy" major performances, Darkest Hour is the type of movie I've long grown tired of and disinclined to appreciate in the slightest. Not much against Oldman's well done, effortful evocation, though even here I'm feeling less animated than I would have liked him to win six years ago for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The rest, however, is so crass and unremarkable, not in the least skidding off into fantasy for cheap emotional punches. It might just attempt to nuance Churchill's portrayal so that it's not just sheer flattery, but also shows his many flaws, while his adamancy in the war paid off, still the tone varies so wildly between comedic, buffoonish and line-chewingly oratorical, the visuals looked odd and mucky (even considering that the quality of my ahem "screener" might have something to do with it) and the whole thing felt like a(nother) checkmark of a biopic, wasted in tedious fashion.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

I’m not surprised by your reception of The Shape of Water. While I didn’t outright dislike it, I didn’t find it particularly interesting either. When my friends eagerly sought my perspective after we all saw it, the most I could appease them with was, “well it was certainly something different”. The cheese was laid on thick, and it was hard to take it as seriously as it appears the writer(s) took it.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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The Cloverfield Paradox - 3/5... B+ Good solid stuff.

Difficult to talk about it without spoilers, so I will say this: Lovely cast, solid tension throughout, neat twists. Fairly easy to follow while also managing to try something ambitious. Its an enjoyable film that isn't perfect. Some of its punchier moments whiff, but when it hits, it hits big.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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The Shape of Water - 8(?)/10

A beautiful movie with a touching, heartfelt message. Maybe not my usual speed but a fun watch and certainly deserving of the praise it's been getting.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Also I come to this thread almost exclusively to count how many times Rico uses the word banal in his reviews.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#212

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DharmaHelper wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:57 am Also I come to this thread almost exclusively to count how many times Rico uses the word banal in his reviews.
Search found 5 matches (including yours): banal
Searched query: banal

One time too many in my last post, I'll grant you that.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Ricochet wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 10:35 am
DharmaHelper wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:57 am Also I come to this thread almost exclusively to count how many times Rico uses the word banal in his reviews.
Search found 5 matches (including yours): banal
Searched query: banal

One time too many in my last post, I'll grant you that.
It's a rare, fun treat. Not a critique :P

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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#214

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My wife and I watched Dunkirk last weekend. I liked it for the science of filmmaking- the disjointed timelines and their eventual convergence, slick editing, sharp cinematography, and the marriage of music and film. As far as the story goes, I felt it was lean. It was a splicing of three short stories, only one of which (the civilians on the boat) had much of anything in the way of an emotional hook. Caring about the pilot and the soldier are presumed in the film simply because they are fighting for the Allied Forces. You can get away with that in most war movies and perhaps the British are more inclined to do so than Americans because it's a very British thing to do.

Anyway, it was a solid film, technically speaking, but part of me felt that Nolan realized he didn't have to try so hard to blow the audience's minds this time, so he didn't try to. I kind of missed that wow factor inherent to his other films though. I think it merits a 3.75 out of 5 based on my scale but it's also the kind of well-made film that I don't know that I'll ever find myself craving to watch again.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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The Post (Steven Spielberg) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2

Save for Phantom Thread, this one was the last award-nominated movie that I picked during my December-January binge and it found me in an exhausted and somewhat fed up mood. Even weeks later, I only feel inclined to resort to simple remarks: It's competent (the set and costume designs, the script salad of delivering the right speeches or fighting for the just causes), yet equally routine and unexciting; it's relevant, timely and moralizing, yet no more compelling in its actual delivery; Hanks does a stronger role than one might perhaps expect; less sure about Streep's overall performance, regardless how much significance her character's arc has, and the rest of the ensemble cast is incredibly amorphous, save maybe for a bit of Odenkirk; it does not waste its historical subject, but it sure isn't a memorable presentment of it, either.

A Quiet Passion (Terrence Davies) (2016) ⋆⋆⋆1/2

The previous two movies by Davies found me in an unenlightenedly dissenting mood for reasons I wish they wouldn't have - aesthetically finespun works that nevertheless struck as too sumptuous or sugary. While not entirely converting me, I suppose I do prefer A Quiet Passion to those prior samples of dolorous romanticism or cinematic prose (also enhanced by it having ended up for many reputable critics as an alternate favorite to the dull recurrent list of top-worthy or awards-worthy picks, something I can root for myself, in light of hardly anything from said batch having enraptured me). Its pacing and tact are still not elements I could call arresting, however past a certain point of biographical sketchings, period design and fancy, quick-witted parlances, it delves into such intimacy, withdrawal and anguish that it becomes quietly discomforting to keep watching. Voiceovers blend in so poignantly and murk the lines between pensiveness and lyrical quotation. Nixon's performance and character intentness is pretty wondrous.

Blade of the Immortal (Takashi Miike) (2017) ⋆⋆⋆

Seems fitting that, for his 100th directorial work, Miike would adapt a material with a central quirk that allows for endless amount of blood spurting, bodily lacerations and crazed butchering, and with a protagonist able to withstand all of those (whilst taking a brutal beat himself more often than not), recharge and carry on through one fodder or boss level fight after another. Fortunately, such convenience doesn't translate into just senseless lunacy, as the movie does end up entertaining and also has a veritable manga/anime vibe in its dialogue and set pieces that's nicely replicated and that, as a half nerdy combat shonen reader (think Bleach), I really enjoyed. Sure, the main characters' either heroic, antagonistic or vengeful convictions all seem to get fuzzy midway through, which creates a bit of a mess out of the third act, a few side characters simply vanish from the movie and a side villain is crammed into the second half of the story to lesser effect, still not much of this detracted from the fleeting enjoyment of the movie.

Borg vs McEnroe (Janus Metz) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2

A modest and hardly necessary relating of a match that can be riveting just by watching it, commentary free even, with a typical, flat drama woven around it that's more Borg than it is McEnroe or "vs. McEnroe", for indeed this could have been (and truthfully is, for two thirds of the movie) just a Borg biopic, conventionally trailing a character arc from volatile kid talent mentored into a self-possessed if win-hungry perfectionist, while the McEnroe counterpoint is logical yet all too brief and run on a singular idea ("he who is the other's polar opposite"), his own backstory easy to substitute with just about any supercut video of outbursts from the real man himself. The flashback format is slackly conventional, too, as if to fill up the movie and leave the match as the decisive act. I would award extra points for both Gudnason's and LaBeouf's good performances and evocations, as well as the match reenactment being done more upclose and in detail than, say, how I felt it during Battle of the Sexes - alas the melodrama is churned way too thick out of a dual character study based on two-three ideas at best.

Brawl In Cell Block 99 (S. Craig Zahler) (2017) ⋆⋆

Fuel Vaughn's serious drama aspirations any further following that True Detective S2 utter headscratcher and this is what'll happen - a movie in which all that's missing from his TD cues would perhaps be the philosophical palaver. Otherwise this is Vince Vaughn - blankly collected expert thug; Vince Vaughn - master of everything; and Vince Vaughn, transcending into brawl invincibility during his chucknorrisian descent to hell during the final act. The pacing, scenery and talking are so torpid, minimalist and crudely edited that, had this movie been made a year later, I would have suspected the moviemaking of some Twin Peaks: The Return adoration. Given all this, its final burst of ultra-violent, limb-splintering, face-stomping ridiculousness may actually be its slightly redeeming part. Grindhouse particularities may well elude me, but this still felt like blah fantasy.

Roman J. Esquire, Jr. (Dan Gilroy) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2
I wrote this originally as a meme review on Letterboxd, because otherwise I was in no serious mood to touch upon this solely reliant on Denzel's performance, undercooked and shooting in all directions drama.

denzel he the man denzel he can act man denzel he's got them quirks denzel he fights the good fight denzel he an old timer having to keep up with the times denzel he is a true man of his profession denzel he excels at his job although idk he's shown just twice at it and blunders it bigly both times denzel he is a man of morals at least until he says fuck it I guess and gets in even bigger doodoo but hey its DENZEL man denzel he can handle it denzel has the tact and quirk and panache denzel can handle a story going in four different directions on a whim cuz denzel he man denzel he is ACTING when you think of someone like that it is denzel we need to nominate a denzel so let's get denzel denzel he knows his classic jazz i was gonna tear up if his ipod was gonna get stolen but then omfg how is this from the same guy as Nightcrawler

Molly's Game (Aaron Sorkin) (2017) ⋆⋆1/2

No real surprise that Sorkin sticks to his writing patterns and mannerisms (yet also with a sensible air of incorrigibility, especially after the very mixed and preachy quality of his show The Newsroom), proficient in adapting a theme, topic or bio and churn it into silver-tongued, sharp, moralizing, conversant trivia, patois, drama, talkfest and whatnot - if squeezing a bit the life out of it in the process. No real surprise, either, that his directorial debut doesn't have any other distinguished virtues. The leads entertain a solid rapport, though even here one might sense more lines being delivered or chewed than acting. As for much of what else Sorkin pens, there's just no suppleness or fun to it. If you can get past the first five minutes, with the protagonist recollecting in whirlwind, overflowing, technical detail a life-changing sports injury, then you'll probably deem the rest watchable. I actually grew disconnected the more the story shifted into high gear - probably around when it was decided there's guidance required, graphics and all, on how hands rank in poker. The brief inserts of jokes or highbrow banter had a bit of cringe in them, as per usual when Sorkin is straining to write them in. The characters, at one point, explain to each other a long foreshadowed intellectual pun (the Salem bit). Psychological closure is written into an on-screen dialogue, heavens forbid it be left for the viewer to discern or hypothesize. The courtroom resolution to the whole judicial part of the movie made me want to reach for the memoir, just to check if the judge's speech is annotated in there or was righteously concocted by Sorkin. Far be it from me to wish to devalue a comprehensive story of grand successes and failures of a strong (and strongly performed) woman, but this was a nothingburger of a movie, really.

P.S.: You might actually enjoy Michael Cera in this. In case you usually don't, I mean. (No, Twin Peaks doesn't count, shush.)

Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson) (2017) ⋆⋆⋆1/2 bordering on ⋆⋆⋆⋆, but probably not quite

If there was ever one growing concern as I tripped along with each of PTA's movies, it was that his very peculiar, profound and currently near unequalled style and mannerisms would skid off into sheer eccentricity and an untranslatable, unrelatable kind of auteur-ishness - something that felt averted, if nearly so, with his arguably most demanding and complex The Master, only to then finally collapse, soufflé style, with his pynchonian off-the-wall caprice Inherent Vice.

There is relief, then, in Phantom Thread being a toned down, poised return, while its elegance, polish and shipshape subject approach are all still in spades. Similarly, regardless whether it will prove his final role or not, DDL's (not our) performance is less the resounding, clangorous type that one might expect - sometimes getting overshadowed by Vicki Kripes (just as strong-minded) and Leslie Manville (near unreadable in her true thoughts and considerations) - yet still minute and transposed into this difficult, stilted, inflexible character, influencing the others even when seemingly less present. With this being set to evoke the fashion artistry of London's 50s, you can expect PTA to summon all the powdered, refined designs and visuals he can think of - Greenwood's score being also very fine and adequate, if not quite of the highest order (though it did made me go dust off my Schubert and Brahms) - still, it all boils down to an artist-muse relationship turned somehow on its head and a wicked tale of love that goes to such lengths, that others would surely abandon it halfway through or file it under corny, overwrought conflict. The character development and performances are ultimately central and supreme, with ripples of The Master's similar display of power dynamics (some even bring up the oddball, atypical romance from Punch Drunk Love, though I honestly found less of that). There were at least a handful of scenes that mesmerized the eye beyond any rationale (a sort of balletic prologue during the first five minutes, a ghostly parley towards the middle and a finale that took a sec, but actually bloody works). Perhaps not the most relevant topic to make a movie about or indulge in, in what might surely count as PTA's least fanciful and ambitious movie in a while, but with so many things impressively done.
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DH reaction when he'll notice 0 new uses of banal
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Ricochet wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:48 pm The pacing, scenery and talking are so torpid, minimalist and crudely edited that, had this movie been made a year later, I would have suspected the moviemaking of some Twin Peaks: The Return adoration.
first of all, how dare you
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Ricochet wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:56 pm DH reaction when he'll notice 0 new uses of banal
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insertnamehere wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 8:31 pm
Ricochet wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:48 pm The pacing, scenery and talking are so torpid, minimalist and crudely edited that, had this movie been made a year later, I would have suspected the moviemaking of some Twin Peaks: The Return adoration.
first of all, how dare you
Wasn't meant as a jab at TPTR - though it had its episodes that stretched it thin. Lynch can and does obviously film his scenes at whatever pace he pleases. Couldn't say the same about this ... *looks it up*... Craig Zahler fella. But yeah, couldn't think of a better example during some snail-paced prison scenes in which I felt I was better off watching Bad Coop during his time in lockup.
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Planning to get back in my usual movie watching groove after March has been overall marred by too many late evening rehearsals, after-work fatigue or focusing heavily on helping a friend of mine launch a game presentation. Nonetheless, I did manage to watch a few new ones:

Comment ca va? (How Is It Going?) (Jean-Luc Godard) (1976) ⋆⋆

Another (rather random, now that I try to recall how I got to this) pick in my very slow process to go through Godard's movies (same as with every other big auteur), although I couldn't exactly say how well it went and it's certainly not one of his that I'd find recommendable to anyone who hasn't developed at least some adherence to his filmmaking. Still, this is in his typical fashion of making an essay - deconstructing the process, aesthetic and language of moviemaking in the midst of making the movie itself - and fleshing out some particular topics rather than a basic story, as most of it focuses on two (sometimes more) newspaper editors trying to prepare a video presentation or essay of their own - something covering political riots, which was also right up Godard's interests. Godard's partner and co-director Anne-Marie Miéville steps in as, well, herself, if not possibly as Godard himself or an embodiment of godardian critique, going at it with radical and experimental ideas about every detail of the presentation, every frame or line of text, what it means or how's it meant to be placed in context and so on. I've already read some articles (one of them here) that offer more satisfying ideas on what this video-essay or documentary-within-a-documentary is meant to signify, however I cannot say the viewing itself was satisfying. By the time Miéville started nitpicking and asking every critical question possible, to which her on-screen colleague reacted every time with a "what are you on about" face, it was clear to me that it'll mostly go over my head, tuned out and started playing some Zynga.

Columbus (Kogonada) ⋆⋆⋆

Story of a conjectural bond between a man coming to see his moribund architect father and a young student passionate about architecture, but struggling between pursuing her dreams and fostering her addict mother. With a fine mix of exploring the architectural delights of Columbus via the meaningful connections the characters have with them, as well as parental discord or the connection between people longing to share things with someone else and self-discover themselves a bit more along the way, this might be the right kind of intimate and mild drama to enjoy. Gave me a bit of lost-in-translation-y vibes in regards to its talk-heavy, wondering-around rapport between the two main characters, connecting with each other while feeling otherwise alienated. Both performance are very fine - certainly the best I've seen thus far from Haley Lu Richardson - who has been considerably pushed forward as a newcoming talent (side role in Split, lead role in The Edge of Seventeen, which I recall not having liked much) - even if still not entirely wowing me. One may well appreciate the balanced tone - such as the relationship not going in as many directions as it potentially could, and, apart from a few moments that could be considered more melodramatic, the range of emotions and feelings remaining reserved and soft-spoken. Widely acclaimed alternative/indie feature overall - despite not having remained in awards' contention past Sundance last year - though I couldn't quite find superlatives in any part of it.

Dawson City: Frozen Time (Bill Morrison) ⋆⋆⋆1/2

Now this was quite something, in terms of both its story and its presentation. It's based on the discovery back in the 70s of more than 500 reels of silent (1900s to late 1920s) films buried in the permafrost. With the exception of a brief intro and epilogue, the rest of the documentary is basically dialogue free, built with archival footage and salvaged material from the reels, in such way that it winds back the pendulum to provide a bit about the town's history, including its settling during the Klondike Gold Rush, its evolution afterwards and, of course, how so many silent films got to be screened there and then lost (as they were never returned). I think it's definitely something that can be watched and enjoyed not just out of cinephilic fascination and it's crafted so well and to the point. I ain't even that much of a silent movie buff in order to marvel at the quality of such footage and yet I found it intriguing to catch a glimpse of such restored art and how topical most of the films were to their given period in time.

Homo Sapiens (Nikolaus Geyrhalter) ⋆⋆⋆

This documentary is way more outré by comparison, as it inflexibly subjects you during the entirety of an hour and a half to watch a collage of long shots of derelict, deserted, abandoned places and buildings. Dialogue-free, human-free, nada. Not context-free, of course, though even here its intent might be for the viewer to fill in the blanks, get philosophical about it and such. Is it, for instance, a vision of a post-apocalyptic, post-human setting or is it more present-day than one could imagine? Totally engrossing for its entire duration? Not quite, but dazzling in its montage, sound and visual design and finesse of its abstracted idea? For sure.

Houston, We Have a Problem! (Ziga Virc) ⋆⋆⋆1/2

And yet another documentary, toying with myth and reality around the Space Race and the extent of involvement in it from the former Yugoslav Republic, U.S. loans during the 60s to Soviet countries such as Yugoslavia or relationships between several US presidents and Tito. First off, I must say I watched this with the total amount of gullibility I can sometimes prove myself capable of - so much so, that I could have written an entirely different comment here, had I not surfed the internet for more info afterwards. Otherwise, I feel it'd rather be a shame to spoil too much in a review about the extent of this docufiction. One point that has been raised, and which my own viewing might be proof of, is that most viewers might not simply "get" this movie and read it in a completely different way than intended. But once such things would get cleared up, there should be no denying that this is a well stitched piece, part bubbly Cold War soap opera, part meta commentary on its historical topics, as well as things that may reach well outside the scope of the movie. It's ingenious even if it doesn't hit you, let alone if or when it does.

Detroit (Kathryn Bigelow) ⋆⋆⋆

Bigelow's recount of the '67 Detroit riots starts out quite broadly for the first half an hour, in a way that might have hinted at a Wire-esque sense of multiperspectivity, before it becomes clear that every plot line is designed to converge at the Algiers Motel and she locks it into a chamber piece of the incident for another intense hour and a half or so. Can't say I felt her reenactment methods to be as manipulative as the worst reviews on the movie have called it out to be, but can't say I felt it to be above average in its depiction, either. I would somehow place this alongside Mudbound as movies that wanted to spell out racist issues and mirror the past with the present in that regard, yet without managing to elevate the message above a level of distressing rendering.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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M:I Fallout might be my favorite in the series
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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I just finally saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri - wow dark. Wasn't expecting it to be that dark.
JaggedJimmyJay wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 3:24 pm Always good to remember that there is no such thing as a Mafia circumstance that is worth real human emotion. Sometimes it will naturally come out, but it can be contained if we just remember that this is a game on a message board forum that 99.99% of the population of the Earth has never heard of before. No matter how successful anyone is, it means just about nothing.

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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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I saw Eighth Grade. It’s great but should be marketed as a horror movie because WOW was I tense reliving middle school. 4/5
juliets wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:59 am I just finally saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri - wow dark. Wasn't expecting it to be that dark.
I really love all of McDonagh’s movies. This one got some flak but I think there are a lot of misreadings of it and I enjoyed it a lot.
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ColinIsCool wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:40 am I saw Eighth Grade. It’s great but should be marketed as a horror movie because WOW was I tense reliving middle school. 4/5
juliets wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:59 am I just finally saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri - wow dark. Wasn't expecting it to be that dark.
I really love all of McDonagh’s movies. This one got some flak but I think there are a lot of misreadings of it and I enjoyed it a lot.
LOL on reliving middle school - definitely not something I'd want to do!

Yes I read about the flak and I agree there are some misreadings. McDonagh is very good and I love Frances McDormand. Loved her in every movie I've seen her in.
JaggedJimmyJay wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 3:24 pm Always good to remember that there is no such thing as a Mafia circumstance that is worth real human emotion. Sometimes it will naturally come out, but it can be contained if we just remember that this is a game on a message board forum that 99.99% of the population of the Earth has never heard of before. No matter how successful anyone is, it means just about nothing.

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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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the purple rose of cairo. 3.8/5 :p
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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juliets wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 1:20 pm
ColinIsCool wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:40 am I saw Eighth Grade. It’s great but should be marketed as a horror movie because WOW was I tense reliving middle school. 4/5
juliets wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:59 am I just finally saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri - wow dark. Wasn't expecting it to be that dark.
I really love all of McDonagh’s movies. This one got some flak but I think there are a lot of misreadings of it and I enjoyed it a lot.
LOL on reliving middle school - definitely not something I'd want to do!

Yes I read about the flak and I agree there are some misreadings. McDonagh is very good and I love Frances McDormand. Loved her in every movie I've seen her in.
haven't seen Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri yet but it's on Google Play now so I'll set it up next movie night I have with peeps. I actually heard a lot of amazing things about it in Sweden...I just never got around to watching it when it was in cinemas. I definitely will though.
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At my daughter’s request, we just watched The Emoji Movie.

:disappoint:
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Hoo boy.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. 1/10. Devastatingly boring, pointless, and dumb.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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We rented Soul from Redbox last night. Very good movie. The first half is pretty deep and mature, which was cool to see in a Disney movie. The second half lightened the mood a bit, and it all worked well. Excellent music too, though it’s not always smack-you-in-the-face Disney music. It was more subtle, but lovely.

This is one that I may have to watch again sometime, because it might deserve a slightly higher rating. For now, 3.5 out of 5.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Soul was so fantastic my granddaughter could not tear her eyes or ears away and she is only 4 months old, we LOVED it.

I just watched Godzilla vs Kong and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of great actors and action. If B movies are your thing than this movie is for you.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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The Big Lebowski

I finally got around to watching this thanks to streaming libraries. In my opinion, it does not live up to the 20+ years of hype. It’s pretty funny in an absurd sense, but I felt the ending was a bit of a shoulder shrug and fell flat. Perhaps that is perfectly in line with the character of The Dude, but it let the air out of the rest of the build-up for me.

3.5 out of 5

Then again, well, you know, that’s just like- uh- my opinion, man.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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G-Man wrote: Sat Feb 05, 2022 9:18 am The Big Lebowski

I finally got around to watching this thanks to streaming libraries. In my opinion, it does not live up to the 20+ years of hype. It’s pretty funny in an absurd sense, but I felt the ending was a bit of a shoulder shrug and fell flat. Perhaps that is perfectly in line with the character of The Dude, but it let the air out of the rest of the build-up for me.

3.5 out of 5

Then again, well, you know, that’s just like- uh- my opinion, man.
When I finally got around to seeing this film for the first time maybe six or seven years ago, I felt exactly the same way as you. I wanted to like it, but meh.

I do not know if you have seen it, but in my opinion, the best Coen Brothers movie is their 2004 remake of The Ladykillers starring Tom Hanks and Irma P. Hall. I saw it in theaters, and the first time it only amused me- nothing more- except that it begged to be rewatched. I got it one evening from the video store (ah, fun times) because they were always running insane deals (rent 3, get 2 free, that sort of thing) and I couldn't find a fifth film I wanted. So I saw The Ladykillers and decided to have another go.

I know it got panned, but I snobbishly believe it's because so much went over people's heads after only one viewing. That film is one you might be able to watch twenty times and still not catch all of the hysterical details.

I even bought the soundtrack. Hip hop + Old Gospel quartets + hip hop versions of old Gospel quartets.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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My wife is isolating from the rest of us right now, so I'm making the most of the opportunity and watching terrible slasher films she would never agree to watching with me...

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
This whole movie wouldn't even exist if the main protagonist would have just chilled the heck out for a minute and trusted in the fact that Jason is dead for good. But no- you had to go and impale him with a metal post in the middle of a lightning storm, didn't you? Now Jason is the walking dead and superhuman. Good job; gold star. At least this film showed an ounce of wit with some of its meta-awareness. The fact that it didn't take itself completely seriously like the last few sequels did helps it be only as bad as the first Friday the 13th movie.

1.25 out of 5




Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
Mixing Jason with a storyline about a psychokinetic young woman sounds like an interesting idea. Too bad there's a stereotypical house full of horny teenagers making poor decisions involved as well. This might be the most sadistic Jason movie yet, with Jason going to some outlandish extremes to do some inventive killing. It all begs the question why anyone is even allowed to have property around Crystal Lake anymore at this point. With a ratio of 10% intriguing to 90% stupid, it's a losing battle from the start.

0.75 out of 5
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

How does Crystal Lake connect to the ocean? Why is there a high-voltage underwater cable running through Crystal Lake? Is it false advertising if Jason only reaches Manhattan an hour into the film? Will there ever be a coherent story again in this film series? These questions and more plague the brain after another stinker. It kills off likeable characters in the coldest of ways, but lets annoying characters linger for far too long. There's also a lot of backstory saved for the weirdest of times. It's like they made most of the slasher stuff, realized they didn't have a story that made sense, and added crap just to tie it all together somehow. I've actually seen this one before (it may have been the first Jason movie I ever saw). Thank God I only have Jason Goes to Hell yet to see (I'll probably just pass on the remake/reboot from a few years ago).

0.5 out of 5
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#236

Post by G-Man »

From Here to Eternity

This won the 1953 Oscar for Best Picture, and I have seen it before. I thought it was more romantic, as it is widely remembered for its scene of two people kissing on the beach as waves roll up around them. It also won Frank Sinatra an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Despite all the accolades for this sanitized adaptation of a scandalous zeitgeist novel, my wife and I both felt that it hasn’t aged well. There are some cringey moments where men all but force themselves on women without hesitation, and the suggestion that the military tolerates some pretty sadistic stuff in their own ranks flies against the typical nostalgia of the day. The Pearl Harbor scenes come far too late to add pep if you find yourself indifferent to the overacting and slow pace of the first 3/4 of the film.

I’m inclined to keep my original rating for this one:
2.75 out of 5
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#237

Post by fingersplints »

Encanto 5 out of 5 absolutely love it. We’ve watched it about a million times now haha
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#238

Post by juliets »

fingersplints wrote: Sun Mar 13, 2022 7:58 am Encanto 5 out of 5 absolutely love it. We’ve watched it about a million times now haha
Ohhhhh I heard from another friend that this movie is totally, absolutely EXCELLENT! I wish I could see it but we don't get Disney+ dang it!
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#239

Post by juliets »

Several weeks ago we watched The Power of the Dog which is streaming on Netflix. This movie is not for everybody. It is a slow burn, it immerses you and seeps into your brain and lingers in your mind. Some people say it's boring, others like my husband and I say "wow". Also, it's a western. I hate westerns, but I promise you, if you hate this film it won't be because it's a western. When it was over, I said to my husband I need to look up who played "x", they were very, very good. Ha ha for me - it was someone I have seen numerous times and liked but I didn't even recognize them in this movie.

The movie is written and directed by Jane Campion who also wrote and directed The Piano back in the early 90's, another great film if you like her kind of thing.

One last note. If you decide to watch it do so blind. Don't google it or read about it. Even just googling it you will see spoilers that will ruin your experience of it. Our knowledge was "hey, this is supposed to be a good movie let's watch it" and I'm oh so glad that's all we knew going in.
JaggedJimmyJay wrote: Sat Aug 21, 2021 3:24 pm Always good to remember that there is no such thing as a Mafia circumstance that is worth real human emotion. Sometimes it will naturally come out, but it can be contained if we just remember that this is a game on a message board forum that 99.99% of the population of the Earth has never heard of before. No matter how successful anyone is, it means just about nothing.

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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#240

Post by Epignosis »

The Adam Project

It's a dumb time travel movie.

It's a fun dumb time travel movie.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#241

Post by dunya »

Epignosis wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 8:19 pm The Adam Project

It's a dumb time travel movie.

It's a fun dumb time travel movie.
did you watch don't look up?
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Post by nutella »

I recently watched Jupiter Ascending for the first time (with housemates who had seen it before). While I largely appreciate how extra/campy the Wachowski sisters' projects can be (the Speed Racer movie was an absolute fucking trip lol), I found this one mostly to the point of cringe tbh. Amusing and entertaining but I wouldn't say it's high art.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#243

Post by Syn »

I rewatched Fellowship of the Ring. It was good.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#244

Post by Epignosis »

dunya wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 8:28 am
Epignosis wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 8:19 pm The Adam Project

It's a dumb time travel movie.

It's a fun dumb time travel movie.
did you watch don't look up?
We did. Enjoyed that one too.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#245

Post by G-Man »

The last two weekends, Family Movie Night included...

Turning Red
This was funny, though way over my 6-year-old's head. It was fine for my 10-year-old, as she'll get to go through all the fun puberty and teen angst stuff here soon enough. It was humorous and creative.

3.5 out of 5



The Jungle Book (2016 version)
This was very good, despite some obvious overuse of CGI in places. The jungle seems more dangerous in this film. I liked that, even though I love the original animated version.

3.75 out of 5
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#246

Post by Syn »

Syn wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 2:32 pm I rewatched Fellowship of the Ring. It was good.
I rewatched The Two Towers. It was good.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

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Post by Syn »

I watched The Adam Project. It was okay.
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#248

Post by dunya »

i watched otherhood with my mom yesterday, it was pretty light and some seriously funny moments.

i would recommend it as a "chick flick" to anyone who doesn't want a super deep movie, but a touching one still! all about human growth.

4/5
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#249

Post by Scotty »

Syn wrote: Mon Mar 21, 2022 1:40 am I watch The Adam Project. It was okay.
I was interested at first and then it turned into a background movie about halfway through and I don’t even think I finished it. Ryan Reynolds is always fun to watch tho.

I did finally get around to watching Train to Busan by my self because my wife doesn’t like subtitle movies, and it was really good! Holds up among some of the best modern zombie movies imo.
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather;
not screaming like the people in his car
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Re: Rate the last movie you've seen

#250

Post by dunya »

rewatched the blind side for the second time with my mom (mom's first) and we absolutely loved it. what an emotional rollercoaster. i love, love this movie.

if you like family dramas with a touching plot, go for it.

5/5
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