The MOVIE Thread

[youdiedtooeasily]

Yeah, you're right about 40k now that I thought about it a little more in depth. I was just in a state of disbelief after Jedi, I couldn't think straight. I have no idea what Episode IX could possibly be about or what's left to care about? We already saw another Death Star, we know Rey can beat Kylo in a duel already, all the OT characters are gone basically, we know nothing about Snoke or his relationship with the Sith. I bet they'll end up on an "Endor" planet filled with porgs, calling it. I'm just done with Star Wars, it's dead.

Well, the year is almost over so here’s my summary of all the 2017 film releases I saw and thought I’d share my stance of what I’d recommend for you to watch (Kino/Great tiers notably). I’m sure I’ll piss off some people but that’s to be expected, these are my own personal opinions and I’m willing to discuss my position on specific films for the sake of constructive debate. Looking forward to checking out what 2018 has to offer!

Tier Breakdowns:

Kino = I absolutely loved it, I don’t hand this one out very often.
Great = Really liked it, just has some minor issues.
Good = Watchable but easily forgotten.
Meh = Not my cup of tea.
Garbage = Waste of time, skip it.

Kino Tier:
Blade Runner 2049
Lady Bird
The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Great Tier:
mother!
Good Time
Baby Driver
A Ghost Story
Wind River
Thelma

Good Tier:
Thor: Ragnarok
Gerald’s Game
IT
Okja
It Comes at Night
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Logan
Get Out
Ingrid Goes West
A Cure for Wellness
Split
Raw

Meh Tier:
Justice League
Dunkirk
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Life
Colossal
The Bad Batch
The Void

Garbage Tier:
Death Note
Wish Upon
The Mummy
Wonder Woman
Baywatch
Alien: Covenant
Phoenix Forgotten
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Still on my Watchlist:
The Disaster Artist
The Florida Project
Phantom Thread
The Salesman

side note:
I watched 115 films this year, new high score!

[Mr. Smith]

Watch them bring Luke back in the next film because of the void left by Fisher. Would cheapen a cheap death, lol

[kob]

haven't really seen a whole lot of movies this year. not sure if i'm just not in the mood for movies as of late or i'm just super picky nowadays. Dunkirk and Get Out are probably my favorites and IT was a fun watch. i'll get around to Blade Runner once it's out of cinemas. Wind River has also been on my list for a while. always thought Star Wars was really lame so the fact they managed to make another bad movie doesn't surprise me. now that i'm done with finals and have some free time for a few weeks i'll catch up on some films i missed this year (and even last year).

this was a pretty good year for television though. Narcos was excellent, Mr. Robot continues to be the most underrated show on TV and Fargo was great as per usual. Ozark was also enjoyable, but heavily flawed. i think it has potential to be really good though. Jason Bateman is bae and the cinematography is beautiful. GoT was the only show to disappoint me this year. it's still solid and after 7 seasons i'm committed to seeing the ending no matter how shit it becomes, but damn it's a bummer to see the show decline in quality so rapidly.

[Jon0101]

All movies suck.





*Drops Mic*

[Mr. Smith]

Apparently they had the Porgs there because it was easier to digitally alter the Puffins on the island then digitally remove them.

[youdiedtooeasily]

'Downsizing' sucked. Slanderous political agenda bullshit.

'Call Me by Your Name' is 'Moonlight' all over again, Oscar bait queer pride eye rolling hit piece.

'The Disaster Artist' was alright, huge missed opportunity to be a classic though.

'I, Tonya' was surprisingly pretty good.

[youdiedtooeasily]

‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ was a pleasant surprise, pure brutally violent grindhouse. You’ve never seen Vince Vaughn like this before as we watch his character descend into the depths of Hell itself. What surprised me the most is how visually the story is being told to us rather than bogging down in exposition. Each act is perfectly set up as the pacing here is phenomenal with never a dull moment. I hope Vaughn gets offered more roles like this since it was a treat to watch him absolutely destroy other human beings. A fun and engaging gem from 2017 that I’m glad I watched.

It’s hard to recommend to everyone but if you like 60’s grindhouse stylized films you’ll definitely enjoy this one. If you can’t stomach brutal violence I would steer clear. This film grabs you by the throat and throws you around like a ragdoll but that’s what makes the experience so damn fun. It's out on Amazon for free if you have it.

[Saladin]

Savage. All you need is prime or something else too?

I'm excited for the new Black Mirror season. Although I've only seen the first one so far.

[kob]

the new season is pretty solid so far. a lot of people really liked the first episode (USS Callister), but i didn't think it was all that great. i guess not being into Star Trek might have something to do with it. Arkangel and Crocodile were solid and Hang the DJ was really good. still have 2 more to go.

definitely watch s2 and s3 ASAP it has some of the best episodes in the series (Shut Up and Dance, Playtest, White Christmas). i think now that you own a VR headset you might really like the Playtest episode haha.

[youdiedtooeasily]

One of these days I'll get back on the 'Black Mirror' wagon. I finished the first season and it was very hit or miss for me but I do appreciate the originality. After the sour taste of GoT I just gave up on miniseries honestly, it's hard to fully explain. I haven't watched a tv show since. I'll try my best to get around to it for discussion at least, that's always fun.

As for Amazon, yeah if you have Prime you can watch anything Prime for free. After watching the prison kino ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’, I immediately had to check out what else writer/director S. Craig Zahler brought to the table.

This is how you tell an original Western tale, ‘Bone Tomahawk’ is a true delight by mixing horror/western into a suspenseful ride with very welcoming results. It follows the typical Western dynamic with character development, but takes some bold risks by crossing genres in the best way possible. The script Is very well handled, and each character has their equal shining moment and failure for us to get behind. It’s more or less a build instead of an edge of your seat kind of thrill ride, but it works so well here.

This is probably my new favorite modern Western film simply because how the story is handled. Nothing is forced, all the actors nail their roles, the tone and consistency never lets up. As I have preached in the past, silence is used to a golden degree here in the scenes that truly count. I love this film and highly encourage any slight fan of the Western genre to give it a chance. You’ll be surprised.

[youdiedtooeasily]

‘The Florida Project’ has been on my watch list for a while now and today I’m finally glad to say that I got to experience this film. ‘The Florida Project’ truly immerses you into this rough setting in the most colorful and beautiful viewpoint from a child. This film explores the often-forgotten part of lower-class society in a very realistic humanist perspective and this is what hits you so close to home as a viewer. The film is an examination of the purity and innocence of childhood done remarkably and I consider it to be the 2017 equivalent of ‘American Honey’ in many regards.

We view the film, mainly the angled camera, from the eyes of Moonee, a 6-year old that causes mayhem in her motel complex resting right outside the Florida Disney World theme park. The story centers around her and her completely unfit single mother Halley as they struggle daily to pay rent just to get by. The general thesis of the film is analyzing the societal burden of accepting a shitty situation for what it is. The main leads and supporting cast are all taken with a brutally honest approach as demonstrated through Willem Dafoe’s astonishing performance to trying to handle the conflict.

The film captures the course of a summer in the ‘Magical Kingdom’ motel suite, we watch these kids make the best of the grimy living conditions that they are dealt with by pretending it all as a fantasy world. As impoverished as these kids are, they understand the willingness to do whatever they can to survive, and that’s what sticks with you if you’ve ever been in that situation. It really hits close to home on the freedom and purity of childhood, to blissfully ignore all the adulthood problems that coexist within the confines of their reality. Caution though for some, if you can’t handle child actors screaming loudly and acting, well, like kids, this will annoy you. If you can look past that, there are some powerful child actors performing exceptionally well in this gem. It all felt so real and natural.

Moonee and her mother Halley really steal the spotlight here, considering the role for Halley was a random woman found on Instagram by Sean Baker. This is what makes it feel so real though, the emotional connection isn’t forced or overacted, it felt like we were witnessing a real single mother and her daughter struggle in the downward spiral life can take us on sometimes. That’s also one of the best points of the film, even in this shitty situation that is real and exists for a lot of people out there, it shows that there is no good or bad guy here, just unjustifiable moral decisions and consequences in an extreme circumstance. The structure of the film is simple through the eyes of Moonee yet extremely complex through the actions Halley takes throughout. The parallel from childhood to adulthood is ever prevalent and makes you really think deep down.

I loved the low angle camerawork Baker decided to use here to reflect the kids’ perspective of the world they are living in. Everything is so gushing to life with color and every frame seems so massive and important just like a kid would see the world outside of their cheap motel. The way the tragic adult scenes were handled was very tough to watch but also very well handled from a filmmaking point of view. The core of the film is how easily you can attain in life or easily throw it all away and that was the hardest part during the resolution.

I definitely recommend checking out this film and hold it up there with ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ as my 2017 necessary viewing trilogy. This is a pure authentic look deep into the human condition and a true gem in the works of modern cinema.

[youdiedtooeasily]

A list of my personal top 20 films from 2010 – present that I still keep updated as often as I can. I included links to the trailers for each entry and highly encourage you to check these out. There is a large variety of filmmakers from all over the world that I thought were important contemporary voices in the art form that need to be heard. Hope you enjoy this list and I’m always looking for some recommendations!

Lowlife Love (Uchida, 2015)
“Based on many of Uchida's own experiences, the scenes expose some of the realities that those wanting a career in film need to go through, comparing filmmaking to 'falling for a no good slut.'”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSHd9mB1C48

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Ceylan, 2011)
“The body means different things for each of them, and Ceylan's mesmerizing existential drama takes its time establishing the players and bringing their inner lives into focus. It's cinema as autopsy.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jKgHqU1jrs

Mommy (Dolan, 2014)
“There are tons of ups and downs and soapish highs and lows, but what stops this from ever becoming a telenovela is the riveting wonder of the performances and the sheer brio of the filmmaking.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LVLCYvqSI

Frances Ha (Baumbach, 2012)
“The director mixes moods with a playfulness that is both brazen and carefree and yet precisely modulated, yielding results that amplify the specific content of the screenplay. This makes for a film that, however cheap it was to make, incredibly rich to watch.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9YKHRQkf7k

Whiplash (Chazelle, 2014)
“Although a couple of narrative twists late on threaten to drum us into melodrama, Chazelle never misses a beat and the film builds to a cathartic crescendo.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_jQycdQGo

Only God Forgives (Refn, 2013)
“Only God Forgives will, understandably, have people running for the exits, and running for the hills. It is very violent, but Winding Refn's bizarre infernal creation, an entire created world of fear, really is gripping. Every scene, every frame, is executed with pure formal brilliance."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqAeVosG4zI

Spring Breakers (Korine, 2012)
"Spring Breakers seems to be holding a funhouse mirror up to the face of youth-driven pop culture, leaving us uncertain whether to laugh, recoil in horror, or marvel at its strange beauty. All I knew is I couldn't wait to see it a second time."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmjzSLp_m-A

Shame (McQueen, 2011)
“Driven by a brilliant, ferocious performance by Michael Fassbender, Shame is a real walk on the wild side, a scorching look at a case of sexual addiction that's as all-encompassing as a craving for drugs."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=24cjqfVv1fs

Hard to Be a God (German, 2013)
“A fantastical examination of man’s inhumanity to man, and as replete as it is with persistent visceral disgust, it also pulses with intelligence, a mordant compassion, and yes, incredible wit.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zMPyWa2kVs

Black Swan (Aronofsky, 2010)
“A full-bore melodrama, told with passionate intensity, gloriously and darkly absurd. It centers on a performance by Natalie Portman that is nothing short of heroic.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs

Upstream Color (Carruth, 2013)
"You may not be able to figure it out, but that's part of the point of this sensually-directed, sensory-laden experiential (and experimental) piece of art that washes over you like a sonorous bath of beguiling visuals, ambient sounds and corporeal textures."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SilYsr_3vrA

A Separation (Farhadi, 2011)
"The drama it might remind you most of, oddly enough, is "Six Degrees of Separation," also about the snowballing connections between unlikely people. And as in that urban clash, the bedrock of it all is social responsibility, ever crumbling and rebuilding. A total triumph."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlMaGZuSlDY

Young & Beautiful (Ozon, 2013)
"Young & Beautiful is mysterious and erotic, though the ending may leave some as cold as Isabelle."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CTm06H2Vvo

The Florida Project (Baker, 2017)
"The Florida Project won’t let us look away. Nor, given its brilliance, would we want to. Instead, we laugh, we watch silently, and we’re challenged to stop simplifying people's lives so we can offer easy theoretical answers."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwQ-NH1rRT4

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Lanthimos, 2017)
"The rich vein of unsettling darkness and psychological unease that ripples like a treacherous underground stream beneath the absurdist humor of Yorgos Lanthimos' work becomes a brooding requiem of domestic horror in his masterfully realized fifth feature."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQFdGfwChtw

Enemy (Villeneuve, 2013)
"Enemy is a transfixing grand slam that certifies Villeneuve as the real deal and one of the most exciting new voices in cinema today."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuaAWrgoUY

American Honey (Arnold, 2016)
"Part dreamy millennial picaresque, part distorted tapestry of Americana and part exquisitely illustrated iTunes musical, “Honey” daringly commits only to the loosest of narratives across its luxurious 162-minute running time. Yet it’s constantly, engrossingly active, spinning and sparking and exploding in cycles like a Fourth of July Catherine wheel."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1SpWZm1PLc

Blue Is the Warmest Color (Kechiche, 2013)
"Less concerned with classic storytelling than with creating virtual performance pieces on screen, the film features dozens of extended sequences of Adele and Emma both in and out of bed—scenes that are virtuously acted and directed, even if they run on for longer than most filmmakers would allow."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2OLRrocn3s

Incendies (Villeneuve, 2010)
"A staggering political drama that could put you in mind of the intimate sweep of Bernardo Bertolucci, Incendies feels like a mighty movie in our midst."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nycksytL1A&t=4s

The Neon Demon (Refn, 2016)
"When the film reaches its logical end point, Refn just keeps pushing, and eventually lands on a sequence so jaw-dropping...that all you can do is howl or cheer."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cipOTUO0CmU

[youdiedtooeasily]

Finally got around to 'Annihilation', I think you might enjoy it Salad.

A system of cells interlinked within cells interlinked within cells interlinked within one stem. And dreadfully distinct against the dark, a tall bright shimmer refracts - oh wait. ‘Annihilation’ was a much anticipated Sci-fi/horror/thriller/drama for me and I’m going to claim it’s the first decent 2018 release we’ve had so far. The film will have some issues for most people since certain elements are left open-ended. I just see it as using your imagination to fill in the gaps but apparently that’s asking too much. I was never really a huge Sci-fi fan growing up but as I’ve gotten older I’ve really come around to it, pure Sci-fi offers some of my favorite premises since it deals with the hypothetically impossible to humankind. ‘Annihilation’ goes right up that alley.

I really enjoyed Alex Garland’s ‘Ex Machina’ so I was curious to see how he would adapt Jeff VanderMeer’s novel also titled ‘Annihilation’. Garland chose a looser approach to the material, almost like a retelling, but I think the main concept and atmosphere is still prevalent enough. The film is beautifully brought to life, full of rich color and small important visual cues throughout. The last act mirrors ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ in terms of visual storytelling that will provoke deep thought and was easily my favorite part of the experience. There are plenty of setups and revelations that get under your skin and I found that aspect of the film to be quite effective. We are being told the events of what occurred through Lena’s perspective, but how reliable of a narrator is she really?

I’ve read a lot of interpretations of what the underlying theme of the film is really about, and I have a few observations worth mentioning. *MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD* The parallels from the shimmer by combining nature, humans and animals into each other was fascinating. The shimmer interlinks everything inside of it into the same DNA, which is why I think the characters who venture inside experience memory loss and confusion. There is a prevalent theme among the scientists (and paramedic) with an inner desire to change their pasts. Lena suffers from guilt, Sheppard holds onto loss, Thorensen is a recovering addict, etc. The shimmer causes the women to mentally reopen old wounds, significantly Radek’s reason for cutting herself, there is this consistent dwelling on the past that cannot be changed.

I think the most important theme was a conversation between Lena and Dr. Ventress, the illusion of choice. Ventress states that there’s something inside our cells that causes us to die, because our cells aren’t perfect. This is the root of biology, an inner functionality as humans to run towards death and ruin with open arms even if one’s life is “perfect”. A distinctive programming of self-destruction, another common motif brought up in the film and mentioned in several cast interviews.

The shimmer is similar to cancer you could argue, even if it goes away, it still permanently changes its host. There a lot of small visual details Garland captures as a form of revelation throughout the journey inside the shimmer, most notably a tattoo of the paradoxical symbol the Ouroboros, a direct mimicking caused by mutation itself. Each scientist is seemingly a representation on different outlooks of a cancer diagnosis. Lena wants to fight back, Ventress wants to understand it, Radek embraces her fate, Sheppard realizes how quickly it can come and Throrensen refuses to accept it.

I think in the lighthouse, Lena is discovering an image of herself, an illusion of what she thinks of herself but not who she really is deep down as a human being. It seems as if those who enter the shimmer are immediately attached to the unreliable, constant change and impermanence of nature. Lena and Kane both make the choice to journey into the shimmer only to end up in a dark cavern, a dreading yet inevitable sense of great change which is another highlight I think the film is trying to point out. Inside the shimmer there is constant molecular changing happening whether it be through relationships to the horrific creatures inhabiting it, inner demons that can devour you if you’re not careful. The phosphorus grenade may have killed the cancer but spared something else. *END MINOR SPOILERS*

The film does have its flaws which I’ll touch on here, most criticisms I’ve read from negative reviews can be argued rather easily but some really did bother me. The acting was kind of questionable, it seemed a lot of it was people reading lines for the first time and they ran with it. The supporting cast was rather thin, Thorensen was downright insufferable at times. I wish we got to know these ladies a little better before going in, definitely could have used more screen time in Area X. I think this is due to ‘Ex Machina’ having so few characters, Garland was able to flesh them out very well as we got to know them.

I was also annoyed by the lack of logic in certain moments, whether it being a reaction or just field work in general. It’s odd to see a group of scientists not like document or record anything during the week-long journey they were expecting to take. Gathering data is equally as important as evidence wouldn’t you say? There’s also a night vision slip up as Lena’s using it right next to a glowing bright lamp. Not gonna get much vision there. In the end, this didn’t ruin the experience for me but just small noticeable details that could have been avoided is all. The bear scene and the ending makes up for it.

Overall, ‘Annihilation’ is a mystifying and creepy experience that I enjoyed. I can sort of understand why people would hate it, but it really comes down to how you react to the final sequence. I would recommend it to any Sci-fi or even horror fans as it really offers much to be discussed after it ends.

[Saladin]

Damn, now I really want to see it. HitB had me sold already, had to stop the review for fear of spoilers. I'll check it out.

[youdiedtooeasily]

Got dragged into 'Tomb Raider' by old coworkers. It was kind of nice to get out of the house I guess.

A tomb gets raided, there, saved you $14. Another reboot! How exciting…. I have to say, going in I was rather curious – so far this flick has been heavily divisive as reviews go and that’s what intrigues me these days since most of my favorites tend to be split down the middle critically and commercially. I have never really been a huge fan of the games growing up, but I really did appreciate the new direction in which the property was being handled, notably Tomb Raider (2013) which the film is heavily inspired from. This flick felt like a generic and highly predictable action/adventure plot that just used the name “Lara Croft” for marketing purposes without any of the mythos or personality from the game series. It’s not a good sign when people are laughing at multiple scenes that are supposed to be dramatic, but here, it felt very phony, among other aspects.

Alicia Vikander was great as the updated Lara Croft, I admire the fact she did her own stunts, her character felt grounded and vulnerable, and most importantly, interesting. Unfortunately, can’t say the same for the supporting cast as they are about as one-dimensional as you can get. There isn’t really any room for depth or character development, so I can’t really blame the actors on this, mainly a writing issue. I appreciate Walton Goggins as an actor, but he really didn’t have much to work with here which was a major letdown for me, lackluster antagonists are painful to sit through. I could go on a rant about the lack of character logic and plot conveniences throughout the final act but that’s to be expected in these big budget adventure flicks to anyone that’s seen a movie ever.

The flick does start off promising but ultimately results in a dull assembly line of CG set pieces, one after the other. This works well in a level structure, you know, like in a videogame, not a feature length film. It all felt like going on a cheap theme park attraction like Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean. You go along the linear path and enter a room, oh hey look at that. Next room, oh did you see that? Next room. Rinse, repeat. Fin. None of these sequences felt immersive in the slightest, no emotion, nothing to get invested into. Just another origin story expecting to cash in on a sequel. The CGI in general was only passable due to night time or darker environment scenes since it’s cheap to do. In retrospect, the daylight scenes really stuck out like a sore thumb in some instances.

So, overall, ‘Tomb Raider’ wasn’t a disaster like most videogame film adaptations (as awfully low of a bar that is to begin with), but it wasn’t exactly thrilling or audacious either. It felt reminiscent of a discount Indiana Jones to put it bluntly. Alicia Vikander was great; the first act was handled quite well and the rest eh not so much. I liked how Lara Croft was established here as a character, but I just wish she was in a different film. You’re much better off watching a compilation of the two-hour cutscene “movie” from the Tomb Raider (2013) game instead.