Movies you've just watched

[neorichieb1971]

When Scott makes a sequel to an original idea (alien) he seems to go off in directions the audience is not interested in. In covenant there are minutes wasted on a artificial person learning to play the flute. Just like in Aliens vs Predator 2 I couldn't understand why they wrote in a script about a jealous boyfriend beating the crap out of the pizza delivery guy.

I've never seen a Cameron movie go completely off topic. Sometimes his ideas are "out there" or feel a bit cheesey, but you can argue that it keeps itself glued together.

I'm still looking for a romantic comedy where the pizza delivery guy gets beat up by a jealous boyfriend and then aliens and predators storm the town and rip people to shreds. Probably because romantic comedy writers don't go off topic.


My argument here is that directors and writers don't know what people want to see. Even fans of said original products write sequels that are pants.

[GaijinPunch]

to finally undo some of the damage done by Fincher

I guess you're not familiar w/ that story.

[JBC]

Alien was my favorite franchise & I'll still bite, but I have given up on it. 1986 was a long time ago. It was dead when they Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman'd it & the Scott prequels have only desecrated it's grave. It's too bad, I really wanted it to be great again but what's done is done.

Maybe Disney will turn things around but I won't hold on to hope anymore. Fool me seven times?

[Skykid]

to finally undo some of the damage done by Fincher

I guess you're not familiar w/ that story.

No way near as much wrong with Alien 3 as people like to think. The passage of time and every Alien movie that came after it have made it more and more favourable. Also, the unauthorised director's cut is really, really interesting.

[drauch]

Agreed. Alien 3 gets way too much flack when stuff like Resurrection exists. Not enough space penal colonies in movies, man.

[GaijinPunch]

Not only agree, but I loved Alien 3 when it came out. Then found out what Fincher had to work with and loved it even more.

While the Director's Cut is quite cool, I was aware of a lot of the changes that were made so watching it recently in the box set didn't do a hell of a lot for me. Before it was released on VHS/LD even, I got a really rough work print (VHS... about 10th generation or so, with no score) that had about half of those things in - the Gollick arc being the main one.

The real Alien 3 bonus is as an older man, after befriending many of you on that side of the pond, I learned that both Danny the drug dealer and I from Withnail and I were in it... of course I didn't realize until after I watched the latter a couple of times. Mind -> blown.

[Zen]

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - Denis Villeneuve (no spoilers)

In every conceivable way; pointless.
This in itself is unforgivable but incredibly, having started from this irredeemable point, it manages to get worse. Much worse.
It's most egregious aspect is its "artistic" one, which is in a word, necrophilic.

It had my interest up until Jared Leto's dopey dialogue and disgraceful performance. Moreover, whoever wrote his character, is a cretin.
The writing in general from there on in is quite simply, mediocre. Possibly due to the t.v. calibre writing of Michael Green?

At this stage (and particularly after his Arrival (2016) ) it is becoming clear to me, that Denis Villeneuve is no more than a stylish hack. He has nothing to say.

The motif of superior past talent (Elvis, Sinatra, Monroe) throughout the grave robbing that is Blade Runner 2049, has Villeneuve bafflingly hammering home the point again and again,
that his film is, artistically, a ghost-hunt.

The much lauded "music", depends on treating some Vangelis moods with hyper-compression and volume for it's impact
(a creatively embarrassing trick that Villeneuve uses throughout the film's soundscape, by the way).
The musically creative equivalent of "a bigger and better Death Star". Its soulless, hipster trash and its suits Villeneuve and his film very well.

The entire film gives the claustrophobic impression of having being filmed on a small set, with extensive green-screen. Horrible.
One scene, has a fight around a car. With water. And that's it. Everything else in the scene is pitch black. So fucking bad, it could have been shot by Nicolas Winding Refn.
And the reappearance of you know who . . . I found myself wondering once more, why CGI appears to be going backwards.
Also, is the entire Blade Runner 2049 world meant to look like an un-lived-in holo-deck sim? Or am I reading too much into lazy CGI.
Hey, Villeneuve, do you even "Blade Runner" bro?

The casting shows serious misjudgement.
For example; having Gosling or Sylvia Hoeks in the same frame as Robin Wright . . . really?
Both these actors miraculously disappear onscreen before your very eyes, at the meanest turn from Wright (and I am not even a fan of Robin Wright)
Though I must give credit to Villeneuve for his brave but tragic attempt at trying to make the legendary Edward James Olmos invisible.
I can just imagine Villeneuve;
"for God sake, Ed, do nothing! Don't fucking move! I have to make Gosling stand out." Villeneuve - turning to camera; "And for the love of God, NO close-ups, or Ford will be impossible!"
The cast in general (with the obvious exception of Dave Bautista), gave off that adolescent, hormonally neutered, mannequin vibe.
Nowhere near as fucked-up as Inception (2010) but tangible nonetheless.

What is Harrison Ford doing in these films anyway? (Blade Runner 2049, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Is it that these projects, aware of their own soulless redundancy, must overcompensate for it by forcing validation by featuring him?

There is more, an awful lot more, wrong here but I would be moving into spoiler territory.
In K's final scene, he has no fucking idea what to do with himself mentally, emotionally or physically so he just does . . . nothing. Literally. This actually summed up the film perfectly, I thought.

In the end, Blade Runner 2049 does not even manage to be an empty ghost of a film.
It is a sterile, plastic, cheap give-away, free toy ghost with your nutritionally void Hollywood happy-meal. Found under the "cannibal nostalgia" portion of the menu.
Scientifically designed to induce such diabetes of the soul that only more of the same may sate the viewers dulled appetite.

Man, I feel sorry for the current generation. The artistic soul of cinema and music is long dead.

[BryanM]

New idea for a sequel: The 11 Commandments. We'll call it "The Ten Commandments: Dialing it Up to Eleven".

We'll use his contract with the Disney Corporation to force Charlton Heston to be in it as a cameo. To "pass the baton" on to Moses 2.0. If he is unable to reprise his role in the flesh, we'll just use a CGI puppet in his likeness instead.

These are great ideas. I'm the best necromancer. Gonna get sick of making so much money.

[Zen]

Disney Corporation

This breaks my heart.
I am sure his great friend, Sir Christopher Lee, would have had a few choice words to say about this abomination had he lived to see it.
It is like one of their old Hammer House plots, become all too real.

[BryanM]

Wait, is that Lee or the animatronic? I can't tell the difference, srsly.

[Zen]

Peter Cushing.

I can't tell the difference, srsly.

Look at the eyes.

[BrianC]

W, wat. Do any of those have a live-action adaption written and directed by some foreigner that doesn't speak english?

That... actually sounds like a nice twist.

m_night.jpg

You just said "adaptions", so I assumed you meant in general, not just live action. Anyway, I agree most live action adaptions of cartoons suck, but some comic book adaptions are very good. The closest thing I can think of to a good cartoon to live action adaption is Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I liked Disney's Jungle Book, but the CG lacked the heart of the animated characters, even though Bill Murray did a good job as Baloo. King Louie was also very strange in that movie and the songs were much better in the Disney animated version.

[BryanM]

Roger Rabbit is a lot like the re-imagined The Fly remake. But, like, made by the people who brought you Back to the Future.

The Walt Disney Company conglomerate does not much care for Mr.Rabbit, these days. That's too bad. The world could really use him, about now.

[Zen]

The American Friend (1977) - Wim Wenders

This was only my second Wenders film (the other being Paris Texas) and I think I will stop right there in his catalogue, thank you very much.

Because he is so highly rated, I bypassed the fact that the bullshitters from U2 love him. Hell, I even gave him a pass on his "style";


That David lynch vibe should have been the final warning but I had to see for myself.

When Bruno Ganz (who was quite good) literally "framed" himself, in one of his half finished picture frames, in a frame of Wenders film frames . . . well, one was not amused
(although I can well imagine Bono being "blow away" . . . man)

Make no mistake, Wenders is an arch hipster.
If you are not familiar with his work and you find yourself about to watch one of his films, let me give you a bit of advice;
Make damn sure you are not sober.

[Mischief Maker]

That David lynch vibe should have been the final warning but I had to see for myself.

David Lynch is haram now?

[Zen]

David Lynch is haram now?

His 1980 - The Elephant Man, is a very fine film.
But then, he was graced with the most extraordinary cast, which is not to take anything away from him.
I would consider it his best work. I'll say no more.

Getting stick over at BryanM's place is one thing. Taking on the Lynch mob is quite another altogether

[GaijinPunch]

I would consider it his best work. I'll say no more.

...when that last shred of accountability vanishes in the ether.

Okay, obligatory question before you're marched off the plank: Did you watch Twin Peaks: The Return? I know the answer, and likely your commentary if you had, but I figure I should at least afford you that decency.

[dan76]

Wenders was great up until and including Wings of Desire. After that he went off the boil. U2 getting involved was the nail in the coffin. I remember American Friend being pretty good.

[Zen]

Did you watch Twin Peaks: The Return?

I did not.
I had seen a small number of episodes from the original series, complete with "cherry pie" mantra and ladies cradling logs.
I considered this "experience" of belaboured, forced metaphor and general "make it up as I go along-ness", to be "fair warning" and declined a return to same.

[GaijinPunch]

I considered this "experience" of belaboured, forced metaphor and general "make it up as I go along-ness", to be "fair warning" and declined a return to same.

Were they the Lynch episodes? (Serious question). To be fair, it wasn't a film, he was being somewhat experimental given it was prime time TV in the very early 90's, and to boot, he only directed I believe 8 of the original 30.

Needless to say, you missed out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ame5L8HJ6i0

[Zen]

I would not be able to remember with any certainty, which episodes I saw.

Lynch's subject matter of general dark, quirky, revelation and moreover the way he handles it, was never dark, quirky or much of a revelation to me.
I understand that is not everyone's experience of his work, so I tend not to "bash" him.

One area in which I certainly can appreciate Lynch's perspective, is his musical sensibility.
Specifically, his grasp of the true spirit of what I guess I am going to have to refer to as "classical" Rock and Roll.

Needless to say, you missed out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ame5L8HJ6i0

Had not seen that clip. Cheers.
Here's one of my favourites; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox0dO3rzE90

[GaijinPunch]

One area in which I certainly can appreciate Lynch's perspective, is his musical sensibility.
Specifically, his grasp of the true spirit of what I guess I am going to have to refer to as "classical" Rock and Roll.

You'd have either loved or hated The Return on that front. I personally thought the music selection (most episodes ended in the Road House w/ a band playing a number) was a cherry on top of an hour of TV that I couldn't have predicted with a mountain of magic eight balls. None of them were super famous (save NIN and Eddie Vedder) but I had records of a few of the acts, so of course, I'm quite bias. Others in the dedicated thread were not so happy. Hey, one more thing for us grown men to fight about on the internet!

Here's one of my favourites; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox0dO3rzE90

Very cool. Pretty sure Stanton played himself basically for the most part in TP (he made a comment about being 90 and smoking every day for the last 75 years) but he was still dope.

[wgogh]

The Return is more like a Lynch film, as it was said more than once in the dedicated thread. I believe my favorite Roadhouse was Sharon Van Etten. As for the rest of the soundtrack, I would choose Windswept (Dougie's theme).

But yeah, Elephant Man is usually my Lynch recomendation for someone who can't stand stuff like, say, Mulholland Drive

[GaijinPunch]

someone who can't stand stuff like, say, Mulholland Drive

lloyando

[Lord Satori]

Disney Corporation

[image]

This breaks my heart.
I am sure his great friend, Sir Christopher Lee, would have had a few choice words to say about this abomination had he lived to see it.
It is like one of their old Hammer House plots, become all too real.

Surely they must have gotten permission from his family, right?


FernGully. I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid when I owned it on VHS. It was a bit slow to start, but once it got going it was fantastic and over before I knew it.

[Zen]

Surely they must have gotten permission from his family, right?

Mr Cushing died without an heir, so left his estate to his secretary of 35 years, Joyce Broughton whos oversees it with her grandchildren.
It was these persons who gave permission for the desecration.

Said ms Broughton; “I can’t say any more because I get very upset about it. He was the most beautiful man. He had his own private way of living.”

Yes he was, ms Broughton and yes he had.
Peter Cushing was a gentleman and well known to be very private and retiring.

[xxx1993]

Just saw The Commuter. Pretty worthy successor to Non-Stop. Liam Neeson never ceases to amaze me.

Spoiler

Oh, on a side note, we actually get a proper fight scene between Liam Neeson and Patrick Wilson for once, unlike in The A-Team.

[soprano1]

Roman Holiday (1953)
A beautiful movie that would have been even more beautiful had it been in colour, especially in the final scene. (The Palazzo Colonna gallery is fucking impressive to see)
Nothing to say about the performances, it's Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, nuff said.

[Vexorg]

Despicable Me 3: ☆☆

I'm pretty sure this series has overstayed its welcome by now, but they will continue to milk the cash cow for as long as they can crank out excessive quantities of Minions merchandise and get people to buy it. Features a villain that is basically an even more annoying version of Vector from the first film (That takes some doing, Vector was easily the worst part of that movie) and a final battle that conveniently ignores the fact that it would have killed hundreds of thousands of people if this wasn't supposed to be a kids movie.

That said, it does gain some points for not running excessively long and for not going overboard with Minions. The sequel hook at the end also sounds like a much more interesting film than this one...

[Skykid]

The Witch

One of the most overrated films I've ever seen in my life.