Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched  (Read 683977 times)

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3580 on: June 11, 2019, 09:54:57 PM »
Vox Lux

This is kind of an embarrassing film. A tonal and narrative mess that ends with a solid 20-30 minute concert by the worst pop star you've ever seen. Celeste (Natalie Portman) exploited being the victim of a tragedy to catapult a pop career. Cut to Celeste deep in her career where any decent part has completely vanished. We've gotten a lot of these takes on the manufactured pop star so much, including the Miley Cyrus centered Black Mirror episode. Portman may be a far superior actress, but Cyrus is substantially more convincing playing the role. Part of that is owing to whomever was responsible for the music. Cyrus' songs felt like something I'd hear on the radio, Portman's feel like what someone with utter contempt for mainstream tastes would make pop music out to be. Also relevant to this comparison is A Star Is Born (which I passed up rewatching on HBO to watch Vox Lux). Celeste has the manufactured aspect of "Ally," but with Jackson's substance abuse issues. I don't know, it's all just bad and I should have just rewatched A Star Is Born.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3581 on: June 11, 2019, 10:22:14 PM »
Vox Lux

Part of that is owing to whomever was responsible for the music. Cyrus' songs felt like something I'd hear on the radio, Portman's feel like what someone with utter contempt for mainstream tastes would make pop music out to be.

I thought the songs were by Sia.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3582 on: June 12, 2019, 06:04:45 AM »
They are, and obviously she is a certified hit maker. But I’m not sure if she just failed here or if this was the intention...like, am I supposed to think the music is bad. Narratively I don’t know but practically it makes it a worse experience.

smirnoff

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3583 on: June 12, 2019, 03:26:28 PM »
Super Troopers 2 - 2/10

A terrible disappointment. As much as I enjoyed the original, and as much as I enjoy the podcast hosted by Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan (Mac and Farva respectively), this is just a dud of a comedy. I think some of the actors forgot how to play their characters. I found many of them unrecognizable.

The original film found comedy depicting the mundane nature of being highway patrol in Wisconsin. A bunch of joe schmoes, finding ways to keep themselves entertained, abusing their position in harmless ways, and mild shenanigans. All while trying to maintain the facade of dignity and competence befitting an officer of the law. It was a nice balance, and not too far from the truth to hear them tell it on the podcast. Evidently a lot of cops could relate and are some of their biggest fans. They tapped into that dynamic again in 2009's Slammin Salmon, which depicted a group of restaurant workers in much the same way. Serious in the front, shenanigans in the back. A silly movie, but relatable to anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant.

In this sequel however that dynamic has been abandoned. The small part of these characters that once cared about presenting themselves as serious police officers has gone. It is now just a clown show.


Andre The Giant - 6/10

A mixed bag. At times it feels stretched, though it's only 80 mintues long. However some of the stories are truly great, and very moving. Most especially anything between Andre and Hulk Hogan.


1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3584 on: June 15, 2019, 12:17:29 AM »
Stake Land (2010)
★ ★ ★ - Very Good
Confirming that my original review still holds up and this post-apocalyptic vampire film has enough substance that my 2nd watch found new things to focus on. This time it was the level of detail that makes the world more believable than more films even attempt. The tone is brooding and moody, but not navel-gazing atmospheric shots. It's as if the camera couldn't help catching the bodies along the way. We see two vampires strung up at night and minutes later, when it's morning, we see this was done for sport as their sun-charred remains now decorate the building like a warning to the rest of the breed. There's one sizable misstep involving a villain, but the rest of the film is unlike any other in the vampire sub-genre. Satisfying as a character drama and a horror film.


I planned to open with some plea about this being the buried gem horror film of the decade, but then I starting looking at what else I've seen. Nearly 200 films this decade and there are a number of treasures.
Absentia
Afflicted
Cam
Coherence
Demon
The Girl With All the Gifts
The Guest
Happy Death Day
Honeymoon
Kill List
The Last Circus
Nina Forever
Over Your Dead Body
Sleep Tight
Terrified
Under the Shadow
Witching and Bitching

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3585 on: June 15, 2019, 11:00:31 AM »
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

I thought Terry Gilliam was going to tell me the story of Don Quixote. Instead, we get a meta-film about filming Don Quixote that I think maybe demands I already know the story? Also not only do the real and film worlds blend but there seems to be two different films, an earlier student film and a later big production. The point is I had very little idea what was going on. On the plus side, between this and The Wife I’m remembering how good Jonathan Pryce is.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3586 on: June 15, 2019, 08:23:16 PM »
It's a Disaster (2013)
★ ★ ★ - Good
I'm not saying the movie doesn't hold up from my first viewing. (Those comments still express my pros and cons.) It's far above average for a comedy from this decade and a well-balanced ensemble piece that puts characters over situations. It's just that this time, with raised expectations I was left thinking, "it's nice." Certainly deserving of more attention than it has, but this wasn't a Stake Land situation.

1SO

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3587 on: June 19, 2019, 01:31:09 AM »
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
★ ★ ½

I've seen worse. The human story is as bland as its gets, and the monster action is crashy/bashy while rarely being better than I hoped for.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3588 on: June 19, 2019, 05:01:39 AM »
A Silent Voice

This anime is widely acclaimed and I just don't get it. High metacritic/RT score, winner of best anime film for its year in Japan, glowing talk about its raw look at bullying. I've no doubt that a deaf student might experience bullying as a result, but the way the students react to the news that the new student is deaf is like it is some concept they've never even conceived of. They respond with a sheer cruelty that seemed unreal, even for teenage boys.

I also didn't have much tolerance for the romantic drama of it, with fthe target of torment alling for her tormentor because she feels guilty that he then becomes a target of others' torment. It just didn't work for me on any level.

oldkid

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #3589 on: June 19, 2019, 02:49:08 PM »
I am one of those who loved A Silent Voice.  And I agree that the love/torment aspect was problematic.  But I thought it was all handled well, and the growth of relatiionshiip and the time involved for both characters changing was appropriate.  It all made sense to me, although I did have some icky feelings in the middle.  But I realized that we were supposed to, and it progressed in a understandable, and kind of touching, way.  It is a non-Christian movie about repentance, guilt and forgiveness.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky