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Re: Last movie you watched

Some friends were discussing this at a birthday party a few weeks ago and I jotted it down. I don't know nearly enough about WWI as opposed to WWII and they had a lot of great things to say about it, so I'm definitely down to check it out.

Boter, formerly of TF.N as Boter and DarthArjuna. I like making movies and playing games, in one order or another.

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Re: Last movie you watched

Beyond the Aquila Rift

Part of Netflix's "Love Death + Robots" anthology.

I haven't watched the rest of the anthology, but I recognized this title from a short story I read years ago, which indeed this is adapted from.

In short: I enjoyed it, though would have preferred something more faithful (which is doable) but also see how they were going for a different goal, difference pace, slightly different angle to the same story, so I can see why they changed what they did.

In long: I did a way-too-involved deep dive to come out with basically the same conclusions. Click the pic below for a link.

https://whatchareading.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Boter_Aquila_Cover-Image.jpg

Watch the episode (NSFW), read the short story if you can, they complement each other really well.

Boter, formerly of TF.N as Boter and DarthArjuna. I like making movies and playing games, in one order or another.

1,903

Re: Last movie you watched

https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/u-g-F7SH250.jpg?w=550&h=550&p=0

Rewatch with my dad in anticipation of Chapter 3 hitting next month.

Third act is still a bit of a whiff—the choice to cold-open with most of the emotional catharsis rather than, y'know, leaving it as the emotional catharsis, is crippling. And while the visuals carry hints of the neon-drenched ballet of carnage that would fully bloom in Chapter 2, for the most part they're a drab, mundane affair. Still, can't argue with those action sequences, and if you can't be a masterpiece then being a prelude to one is a good consolation prize.

Funnily enough, the friend who introduced me to JW in the first place hates Chapter 2. Probably because this first movie is still pretty enamored with how badass its protagonist is while the sequel fully embraces how much it would absolutely suck to be him. Not to say this first movie doesn't recognize that John is a tragic figure—it's full of portentous statements about this life reaching out and grabbing him—but

SPOILER Show
it wants to have it both ways with that ending, letting him stagger off into the sunset with all foes vanquished.

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Re: Last movie you watched

https://img.moviepostershop.com/john-wick-chapter-2-movie-poster-2017-1020776819.jpg

Rewatch round two.

Buster Keaton had a threesome with Orson Welles and Michael Mann and birthed this absolute masterpiece. Mythic, operatic, chilling, gorgeous. We are not worthy.

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(Somehow underrated the Reflections of the Soul setpiece my first two watches? The catacombs shootout is probz still my favorite sequence here—the shotgun action is porn—but everything that goes on in that hall of mirrors is a triumph of filmmaking.)

(Heart was pounding in the leadup to that final gunshot, never mind that I'd seen it before. STAKES, everyone.)

Last edited by Abbie (2019-04-06 05:00:57)

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1,905

Re: Last movie you watched

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/60/Shazam%21_theatrical_poster.jpg

The DC live-action film universe has finally taken a clue from its animated counterparts (Lego Batman and Teen Titans) and delivered an unpretentious movie that's simply fun to watch. Gone is all the self-importance and gloom of previous installments; even the costume is taken straight out of Orgazmo. Shazam! is no masterpiece and holds no candle to Lord & Miller works, but it manages to deliver some good entertainment. It may be the long-awaited turning point for DC.

So honor the valiant who die 'neath your sword
But pity the warrior who slays all his foes...

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1,906

Re: Last movie you watched

Spent last week in the UK for a wedding, and watched movies on the plane:

The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Ralph Breaks the Internet
VICE (Ever time I try to remember the title of this I think it's called DICK)
Cloud Atlas

I read the House with a Clock in its Walls when I was 11 or 12 or something.  Film version wasn't bad? Wasn't great.  Ralph Movie was pretty meh.  VICE was pretty good.  Nice meta thing in the edit.  Cloud Atlas was Good. I'm glad I was on the plane, cause I prolly couldn't have sat still for it any other way.

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Re: Last movie you watched

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d1/RaidersAdaptionPoster.jpg/220px-RaidersAdaptionPoster.jpg

Eight years after DiF made me aware of its existence, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation screened at Trylon in the Twin Cities. No way in hell I was gonna miss this.

The crowd fucking LOST IT during the truck chase. R.I.P. Snickers.

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1,908

Re: Last movie you watched

smile

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: Last movie you watched

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61ci0l2MaKL.jpg

That this isn't frequently mentioned in the same breath as Vertigo stuns me, and to be honest I think it's the better film. Hitchcock and Connery's involvement almost makes it feel like a self-lacerating confession--Connery's Mark is a monster, a gaslighting, paternal rapist whose role as the movie's "hero" plays as a cruel joke (and is eerily reminiscent of Hitchcock's behind-the-scenes treatment of Tippi Hedren, whose career he ruined when she refused his advances). Hedren herself gives the best lead performance of any of the Hitchcock movies I've seen--she's a proto-Laura Palmer, a raw nerve of trauma barely covered by the criminal habits she's taken up in order to survive. Marnie succeeds where Vertigo fails--that movie's greatest weakness is its relative lack of attention to Madeline/Judy outside the lens of Scotty's obsession, while this one puts us through Marnie's torment through her own eyes, to a degree that would be histrionic in lesser hands but instead is harrowing.

Rear Window is still my favorite Hitchcock, and that's not likely to change--besides being a masterclass in tension, it's incredibly fun to watch. This movie is decidedly not, but it takes the runner-up spot. Due for a critical reevaluation, to say the least.

Last edited by Abbie (2019-04-24 05:36:15)

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Re: Last movie you watched

https://moviebabblereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Arctic.png

Saw Arctic with the very watchable Mads Mikkelsen. Same genre as Cast Away (but without the schmaltz) but more like All is Lost in that there's virtually no dialogue or narration.

Not as prettily shot as The Revenant (no Lubezki as DP) but nevertheless real locations.

Plot distilled to utter simplicity. And don't we love watching someone else struggle to achieve a simple goal and shit gets in their way. Sisyphus with a First Aid Certificate.

Recommended.

not long to go now...

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Re: Last movie you watched

Also... fun fact: The first feature directorial outing for old-school-Youtube's own MysteryGuitarMan.

(I haven't seen it yet, but you follow enough youtubers and eventually someone retweets something from a youtuber you haven't seen in more than 6 years.)

ZangrethorDigital.ca

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Re: Last movie you watched

Enjoyed Arctic quite a bit--Mikkelsen is perfect for the role, he's a master at acting with nothing but the microexpressions on his face. Also

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I had no idea polar bears were trainable but I can only assume that's what they did for THAT scene. Good god.

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Re: Last movie you watched

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTY0NzQ4MDU0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzA2NzQ2MQ@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

I Netflixed 2008's Get Smart last night between bouts of my eldest's Algebra homework (zeros of higher order 2-dimensional polynomials, as one does).
I've never cared for Steve Carell as an "actor" performing "characters." I couldn't stand The Office (U.S.), and Mel Brooks is overrated.
...and Dwayne "The Rock" supports

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as a double-agent/villain who get his just deserts.
If you harbor anything like the same awful jealousy as I do for this man (Johnson is just a little too effing good at being famous and charismatic, am I right?) it's fun to see him
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taking his lumps.

BUT, I love me some Anne Hathaway, and this movie features her gloriously.

Ms. Hathaway brings the objectification to be sure, but her real job is to grow agent 99's relationship with 86 from contempt to "it's complicated," and she nails that more convincingly than Barbara Feldon ever did on the original TV series.
An example of the writing that I liked:
Carell's Maxwell Smart has recently lost a huge amount of body weight that had restricted him to being an office-bound "analyst," while he dreamed of becoming a field agent for the american CONTROL spy outfit in the battle against KAOS. Finally fit, and subsequently passing his agent's exam, he's finds himself on a mission partnered with the femme fatale agent 99. In a bid to make her jealous during a formal dance party in the home of their russian adversary, Smart selects the adorable plus-sized Lindsay Hollister as his dance partner and proceeds to earn everyone's respect, and thus pays off the wieght-loss plotline.


6.5 IMDB stars is about right overall.

Last edited by drewjmore (2019-04-24 16:11:23)

(UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

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Re: Last movie you watched

"We're in the endgame now."
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0d/Avengers_Endgame_poster.jpg
The movie to end all movies. Remember DiF's "dancing bear" analogy? The MCU, and the Infinity War / Endgame two-parter in particular, is like that dancing bear. This bear can dance well.

Go see it on opening night. You won't regret it.

So honor the valiant who die 'neath your sword
But pity the warrior who slays all his foes...

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1,915

Re: Last movie you watched

To nobody's surprise more than my own, I'm actually seeing this tomorrow night.

To nobody's surprise whatsoever, I haven't seen trailers. (...or the previousquel.)

I'll report back, natch.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: Last movie you watched

Teague wrote:

I haven't seen the previousquel.

Oh... That may turn Endgame into a weird experience wink

So honor the valiant who die 'neath your sword
But pity the warrior who slays all his foes...

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1,917

Re: Last movie you watched

Oh yes.

Confusion is predicted.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: Last movie you watched

Anti-confusion recap:

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In the last movie Purple Shrek collected all the merch from the previous movies and did a magic thing that shortened the call sheet by half.   There's probably some magic anti-thing that will bring everybody back, I assume the handsome punchy people will try to do that thing.

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Re: Last movie you watched

I love you so much, Trey.

Sébastien Fraud
Instagram |Facebook

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Re: Last movie you watched

http://www.pinkfive.com/images/post/stefon.gif

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Re: Last movie you watched

Honestly, it was better than I was expecting. I think they did a hard job about as well as it could have been done.

(This also cuts against my predictions from years ago about non-Joss-Whedons making 'good' Avengers movies.)

I have plenty of critiques in the mix, too, of course — some are so massive as to destabilize my ability to enjoy the movie in the first place, so I'm just deciding not to focus on them — but, I think it'd be ideologically dishonest for me to hammer on my complaints as if the larger context of this movie was "failure" rather than "success." Good movies, even within genres that I don't particularly care for myself, are impossibly difficult to make, and this was a good movie. That's the context.

Big spoiler. Show

Fine:

Unless I'm forgetting something which mitigates this, Superman showing up at the last minute and destroying Thanos' ship is the most blatant deus ex machina I recall seeing in a superhero movie, off the top of my head.

For what it's worth, this was just a DIF-level nitpick chosen at random; my 'big' issues aren't characteristics of plot points, but characteristics of the whole plot style of the MCU — and like I said, they're totally-destabilizing issues. It's like a 'magic bean' thing, where I'm inclined to just reject the magic bean. My actual opinion is...

this magic bean is unspeakably stupid and the world is an obvious cheap invention with almost no bearing on the actual lives of the actual audience in the actual world, so how much farther do you want movies to drift into pure thematic contrast, and how much more extreme do you think the stakes-polarization can go, because just this week we killed and unkilled our entire planet, just for funsies — all without really challenging the audience in any way, because this isn't meant to be serious — but, thankfully, the combined cinematic efforts of the entire universe [of virtually-immortal characters] was able to win by the skin of their virtually-immortal teeth, which simultaneously makes this random latest movie literally the most and literally the least most-imporant story about life ever... so, tune in next week, to learn what else can just happen!

...but, of course, the point of a magic bean — and, to be clear, I'm saying it's like I'm rejecting a magic bean, not exactly that I'm doing that — is to just accept the damn thing where it's at; not quibble with its validity. It's not meaningful for me to engage in this movie by saying "first, the very idea of it is vaguely abhorrent to me," so... obviously, I have to set that stuff aside; to do otherwise is what would be ideologically dishonest.

(there are roughly two million fascinating stories about what life would be like if any of this actually happened)

But, yeah: accepting the movie on its own terms — and, first, stipulating that the movie has bizarrely-good plotting (and theming) riddled throughout — it still walks face-first into a wall of ass-ness sometimes; possibly because, at the end of the day, their chosen universe is actually just unmanagable if they like their leads to be non-gods and their supporting characters to be otherwise. The fact of the matter is, they've been chasing the dragon of 'stakes' for so long that at this point they're now dragging the stakes of their movies out of the realm of their characters' efficacy — even when they 'team up'! — which requires 'side' characters [with god-powers — with actual god-powers; sorry Thor] to show up and resolve problems for the rest of the characters.

It was clunky.

(But she did say they wouldn't see her again until the end of the movie, so, nevermind. Screenwriting is easy.)

This was impressive, and — as little affection as I have for the MCU, at this point in my life — in terms of cultural history, I'm glad I randomly ended up watching this one. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but this one turns out to have been a cultural moment, and if nothing else, I value new notches on my cultural timeline.

In any case, yeah:

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That is America's ass.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: Last movie you watched

Saw it. I don't get critical of these things, I just loved basically every minute of it.

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I was the first to let out a whoop of joy when Cap called the hammer to him - something they primed us for four years ago in Age of Ultron - and the rest of the theater took it as permission to also give yells of excitement.

Boter, formerly of TF.N as Boter and DarthArjuna. I like making movies and playing games, in one order or another.

Re: Last movie you watched

"Ralph Breaks the Internet"

Watched this with my daughters in my ongoing series of "fireproof is constantly behind on pop culture."

Absolute blast, and a lot of fun, plus tears. Was really impressed by the handling of the villain in this one, as well as the incredible visualization for the Internet and how it all works, as well as insight in to users reactions. It won't beat out the first one but I still did a good job with tugging the heart strings and I highly recommend it.

God loves you!

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http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/john-wick-chapter-3-poster-new-405x600.jpg

Isn't the stone-cold masterpiece that Chapter 2 is, but MY GOD the action sequences. They should've sent a poet. Stahelski is on par with George Miller for the best director of violence working today. Keanu is an icon. SO MANY knives.

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Tolkien: Interesting style for this biopic on the famed author. One, the actors are pretty well done, and the style is surprisingly underplayed through much of the cinematography, but it saves the very large sweeping shots for the moments that are clearly sticking on Tolkien's mind and are later realized in his writings.

If you are a fan of Tolkien's work and want a little bit of a visual representation of his life this this film is for you. Also, be prepared to cry.

God loves you!

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