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Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched (2013-2016)  (Read 973511 times)

goodguy

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9820 on: December 12, 2016, 03:37:29 PM »
Now take your chosen name a bit more seriously and watch that Polish mermaid movie:P

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9821 on: December 13, 2016, 12:36:50 AM »
It turned into a slow second half of my shift at work tonight so I got to try out the new offine viewing mode from Netflix with a rewatch of Sing Street. Other than the fact that I was watching on my phone (need to get my tablet back up and running to at least slightly improve the viewing situation) it was pretty straightforward. The fact that it doesn't just let you see what on your My List is available for download seems an obvious oversight, but otherwise it is easy to get it downloading. Based on notifications, it seems that the files automatically remove themselves after about 5 days, which is I guess its way of guaranteeing you can't keep something past when it disappears from the Netflix library. I imagine you can redownload if it is still available. Not overly bothered by this, except if I were planning a long trip without sure access to Wi-Fi, or perhaps foreign Wi-Fi doesn't give me the access necessary to download, I might not be able to plan for the return flights. Anyway, this is a pretty big boost in value (something Mubi was doing already of course).

As to Sing Street, it remains my favorite film of the year. In contrast to my recent rewatch of The Lobster where I recollected the weaknesses I had noticed the first time, while still liking the film, Sing Street reminded me of all the joy. It is very much a film about a community (of sorts) coming together to support each other that is very much in my wheelhouse, combined with a few good songs and some toying with gender norms checks the boxes. I do think it stands clear of Once for me and is likely to remain Carney's representation in my top-100 for a while.

jdc

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9822 on: December 13, 2016, 12:51:33 AM »
Netflix is available in almost all countries around the world though the catalog differs depending on the rights they have secured.  But I am unsure if every country allows you to download a local copy.  But you certainly should be able to stream what ever is available in that country
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saltine

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9823 on: December 13, 2016, 01:32:56 AM »
I can dl from the Aussie Netflix catalog.  That was available here same day as available in the US.
Texan Down Under

chardy999

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9824 on: December 13, 2016, 02:02:23 AM »
I, Daniel Blake – Ken Loach (2016)



From the trailers I felt like I knew what I was in for with I, Daniel Blake. And I was right.

This film could not have been any better or any worse. It has something to say about politics but absolutely nothing to say as a film. How this won the Palme d’Or I have no idea. I’m starting a war on mediocrity and it begins with giving this digestible dreck 0/10, zero stars, however you want to rate it. Then I am going to add some points for the food bank scene because that was awesome.

3/10.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2016, 02:30:18 AM by chardy999 »
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DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9825 on: December 13, 2016, 05:00:52 AM »
I, Daniel Blake – Ken Loach (2016)

3/10.

You can now join me in my befuddlement.
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Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9826 on: December 13, 2016, 05:23:01 AM »
No, Transformers is a fan movie, the kind of thing that grabs a certain segment of the population and gets them out to the theatre, The Mermaid feels much more like a "something for everyone" type movie, with some comedy, some romance, some action, some famous people and a meaningful if oversimplified socially relevant message. I think there's even a musical number in there somewhere. I think Sam's a little harsh on each of his criticisms, but they're pretty accurate on the whole. I enjoyed it well enough, I think because I did find it mostly funny even if it's never hilarious.
I mean, I'm also not Chinese, so maybe they have different tastes than I do.

*shrugs*

As I suspected.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9827 on: December 13, 2016, 07:03:06 AM »
Predestination
The Spierig Brothers (2014)

There is a jewel at the heart of Predestination, like a gem sewed onto the breast of a dress. Except you cannot see it at first and have to work your way through it, through time and wile. So maybe it is not so much a jewel as a lingerie. Not cheap lingerie though, like Target or something. Nice lingerie. Victoria's Secret, but less cliché then that. Hipster Victoria's Secret I guess.

Its lace is sewn out of two threads. It takes a while before you can guess at their existence and when they start revealing themselves it is trough subtle hints and hidden winks. One of those threads has to do with a life story that takes much of the movie's time. It is a collection of relentless tragedies where every glimmer of hope is at once squashed. In it there are two stories of love that end up becoming the emotional heart of the movie. The second thread is woven out of the time travelling nature of the main character's activities. If you have watched enough movies, and the right movies, you start suspecting early on what the rules of time travel are in Predestination and what kind of reveals to expect. Even though, the loop at the film's conclusion was more delicate, more exquisite than I had imagined. Witnessing the plot unmercifully advance towards that reveal is a treat.

Unfortunately there is little more to commend Predestination. Were there more movies of its kind that achieved what it does so well I would like it far less. There is no sharp writing or thrilling action that make it great. However fine the lingerie more care could have been given the dress.

7/10
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pixote

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9828 on: December 13, 2016, 06:07:53 PM »
Filmspot 2016 catchup:

Hacksaw Ridge  (Mel Gibson, 2016)
This year's American Sniper, with Gibson mirroring Eastwood's willingness to completely demonize The Other. The results are about the same: an adequately entertaining yet occasionaly awkward film based on real events, pendulating between the glories and the horrors of war.
Grade: B-

Eye in the Sky  (Gavin Hood, 2015)
As modern and academic as Hacksaw Ridge is old-fashioned and sentimental — to similar benefit. The script is just okay, and the presentation feels very small screen.
Grade: B-

Embrace of the Serpent  (Ciro Guerra, 2015)
A visually striking and intriguing film that's ultimately a bit undone by a herky-jerky narrative and thematic mumbo-jumbo. Still pretty good, though.
Grade: B

The Invitation  (Karyn Kusama, 2015)
There's a certain style of low-budget film in which I can almost see the screenplay superimposed on the screen. The Invitation is one of those films, at least early on. It's partly the quality of the performances and partly the 'written' quality of the dialogue, but also the deliberateness of every shot and how effortful it all feels. I did eventually warm to the film and came close to liking it, but in the end it felt just a little too rote, or something. (I honestly don't remember the exact reason for my eventual disappointment.)
Grade: C+

Doctor Strange  (Scott Derrickson, 2016)
The modern day equivalent of an old Republic Serial. Perfectly disposable and largely silly. I don't understand the rules of the game.
Grade: C

X-Men: Apocalypse  (Bryan Singer, 2016)
I'm really surprised to have liked this — and I probably said the same thing about First Class. There's a ton of silliness and even stupidity here — e.g., the Four Horseman serve zero purpose for 99% of the movie — and the thoughtless murder of government soldiers is unsettling, but it's still a nice ride. The writing and editing do a really impressive job of juggling dozens of characters and storylines — it's like a 13-episode season compressed to two hours — and I've never been more impressed with Fassbender than here. The gravitas he brings to this bit of popcorn fun is downright staggering.
Grade: B-

Arrival  (Denis Villeneuve, 2016)
A very sensitively directed and aethetically pleasing rendering of a very mediocre script. Villeneuve does well to disguide the story's weaknesses with a truthiness approach to narrative — with the film discouraging us from thinking about story logic, instead encouraging us to feel that it all makes sense. Well, it doesn't. This is a world of cartoonish international relations; a world where cell phones don't exist so you have to steal a satellite phone from the one person you really shouldn't be stealing from; a world where all stakes are imaginary, so Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, in the most thankless role ever, serves only to tell Amy Adams, "DEADLINE!"; a world where Dumbledore has all the answers but wants Potter to figure things out himself because reasons. And yet it's all a bit too precise, with every moment carrying such on-point import. It's a shame the script never breathes the way that Villeneuve's direction does, but it still works alright because inkblots are cool.
Grade: B-



I also reviewed (in more depth) a handful of Flimspot-eligible documentaries in the DOCember thread, handing out an A-grade to the one inelgible entry.

pixote
« Last Edit: December 13, 2016, 06:59:58 PM by pixote »
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karlwinslow

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #9829 on: December 13, 2016, 09:26:57 PM »
Manchester by the Sea - just came back from this, so no fully fleshed out thoughts...but. Casey Affleck is incredible, so is Michelle Williams (duh). It didn't have me at first. In fact I was kind of hating this movie for the first 25 minutes or so, but as it unpacks it's really quite beautiful. There are 2 or 3 scenes that are a straight up emotional gut-punch that seemingly come out of nowhere. Havent seen anything by Lonergan before this, and wasn't wowed by his filmmaking capabilites. Some scenes don't work at all. Some are masterpieces.