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Author Topic: Respond to the last movie you watched  (Read 684001 times)

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1460 on: October 27, 2017, 04:51:20 AM »
The Book of Life (2014)

What a great film. It captivate me and the kids (a 4 and 6 year old). Best animated film I have seen in a long while.

Rating: 86 / 100

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1461 on: October 27, 2017, 05:03:47 AM »
Yes! So few people have seen that movie, even though it's so great. I considered putting it in my Top 100 but my memory has faded too much. I remember having loved it though.

If you've seen some of the Coco advertising material: doesn't it so look like a rip off of TBOL?
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Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1462 on: October 27, 2017, 07:09:02 AM »
Agreed it is a top 100 contender. I have not seen the Coco ads.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1463 on: October 27, 2017, 07:20:01 PM »
I take back everything I ever said about Taika Waititi. The man is a genius and we should appreciate him more.

#Waititeam
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Pratters

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1464 on: October 28, 2017, 02:01:07 AM »
Going to watch The Book of Life soon, given the above comments.

Recents films:

Ludo : Gory and pulpy zombie film. I loved the debut film of 'Q' named 'Gandu' so much, I cannot miss his movies. There is some thing crazy about his movies which draws you in to watch them. I did not like this one much though. The pulp was a bit too pulpy for my taste. Would have preferred less adrenaline.

Snowpiercer : Was average story wise even though it was engaging as a film and underwhelming overall as a result.

Nazar : Glad I watched another Mani Kaul movie. My second. The film is dreamy, as memories can be.  A person recalls the moments how he met his wife and some moments spent with her, upon the death of the wife. I wish there was a bit more narrative. I liked the attempt but it was tedious.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1465 on: October 28, 2017, 12:35:29 PM »
I forgot to write a review, but The Meyerowitz Stories is my favorite movie so far this month.

Bushwick (2017)

Since 1SO would probably chide me for including this as a horror film, I guess I'll review it here. As it happens, at the same time I got this from the library, I got the book American War. In different respects, both contemplate a second American Civil War. This seems ominous in part because I look at the political situation, with our country bordering on constitutional crisis, and can see this as a possible future, not just some dystopia of fiction. When an institutional structure (and intentional efforts at disenfranchisement) means a minority has persistent control in a "democracy" and when that minority is increasingly disconnected from reality and ethics, the situation cannot hold.

One real conversation I have had concerned who would win in a new war, in general sense North vs. South, but also urban vs. rural and also to a reasonable extent white vs. non-white. Bushwick hits upon a certain argument in its cursory presentation of the political context for such a battle. But to be honest, to talk at too much length on the ideas would be to give the film credit for something it ultimately doesn't attempt. It cares about this only as much as it provides a semi-plausible context for this tense, urban battleground.

What makes Bushwick rise up for me is compelling long-take cinematography and choreography that makes the action compelling even if the characters aren't when they stop to rest. It is a fairly grueling experience but one that for all its rough scrappiness (especially noticed in some iffy CGI elements) pays off.

Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1466 on: October 28, 2017, 10:33:57 PM »
An Open Secret (2014)

This got a charitable release on vimeo to tie into the current conversation around Harvey Weinstein, and for good reason. If we pretend this is a story of individual monsters, nothing will change. An Open Secret is important because it takes more of a network approach to the problem. It is still a story of monsters, but it is broader, looking at how some work together, others ignore, and even some of the pressures or instincts on the victim and family side that might undercut their defenses (as an argument against those that might try to blame them for being too careless).

The main concern I have with the documentary is that it, which it acknowledges, focuses on the predation of boys by men. In reality this is a problem that affects male and female, child and adult. Even with the film's caveat, it does run the risk of feeding into the blood libel against homosexuals that somehow they are uniquely prone to predation of children. This risk may be justified by the ability to deep dive into a particular network of abuse where a broader view of abuse might then sacrifice this important element.

Passengers (2016)

I had been put off this film initially because the key ethical dilemma had been framed as deeply troublesome from a gender perspective. In actually watching the film, I think it does a good job being self-reflective on the issue. Further, in contemplating this central decision, that of Jim (Chris Pratt) opting to wake up Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) out of hopes for a romantic relationship, I actually think it is justifiable. I'm sure Kant would be stridently against waking someone up for any reason, because clearly that person would be used as a means to an end. But as someone more generally drawn to utilitarian ethics, I reckon the benefit to Jim in remedying his loneliness is greater than what Aurora stands to lose. Importantly, the film builds their relationship so that it stands on a real chemistry and not simply the coercion of no alternatives. So ultimately this interesting ethical posture, combined with some neat effects made it a fairly satisfying bit of sci-fi for me.

Two alternatives that might have made this more palatable: have a woman be the first one awake and deciding whether to wake a man so that the ethical question is distanced from the legacy of patriarchal control; or have her contemplate waking a different guy.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1467 on: October 29, 2017, 04:25:05 AM »
Wouldn't him contemplating waking a different guy have the same effect?

Utilitarians, tss, they're the reason everything is going to bullocks.

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Bondo

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1468 on: October 29, 2017, 08:19:12 AM »
I'd argue the utility of a romantic partner > the utility of a friend because ideally the former provides all of the utility of the latter, plus more.

And I firmly reject the notion that somehow the ills of the world right now would receive an okay from utilitarian ethics. I'd say Ayn Rand's objectivism is much more at play in a lot of that.

Teproc

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Re: Respond to the last movie you watched
« Reply #1469 on: October 29, 2017, 08:27:55 AM »
If Kant is the opposition, utilitarism wins every time. The categorical imperative is insane.
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