Movies you've just watched

[Skykid]

Fallen Angels (Won Kar Wai)

Probably should have watched this ages ago, but not as sad I didn't as with Chung King Express. Features a very quirky character in this "lots of things going on in HK" film. Despite being at least somewhat familiar with Asian culture (even though no Hong Kong or Chinese really) I felt I should be able to relate a bit more to the weird nature of the Kaneshiro Takeshi's character. It was still quite enjoyable, and of course, the filming/direction is beautiful.

Will probably go for 2046 next.

2046 is also great. You'll dig it.

Skykid, would you recommend watching In The Mood For Love?

If you're into arthouse cinema, yes. It's a beautifully composed film. But it's slower burning than 2046 with less general content. 2046 has multiple interwoven stories.

But if you like Wong Kar Wai I'd recommend almost everything he's done.

[phase3]

But if you like Wong Kar Wai I'd recommend almost everything he's done.

Seconded. Chungking Express is one of my favorite films of all time.

[iconoclast]

Top 5 first views of September:

Diary (2006) - I wasn't expecting this to be one of the best horror movies of the last 10 years, but it is. Reminds me of Kotoko.
Gaea Girls - Great documentary about the very demanding training that Japanese women wrestlers used to go through.
Turn (2001)
The Eel
Love & Peace
HM: Memento Mori (1999), The Devil's Ballad (I liked this more than The Inugami Family)

Saw somebody doing this on twitter earlier. I thought I'd go along with it since I watched a bunch of movies this month.

[Ixmucane2]

War Dogs

Two friends cross the line between USA defense contracts and illegal weapon trafficking. FBI ensues. Adapted from a true story.

A commonplace and predictable story, but realism makes it creepy, style finds a good balance between atmosphere, irony and dramatic scenes, and actors are excellent, from Miles Teller and Jonah Hill to relatively minor characters: the angry pacifist wife, the nice Albanian business partners, the dangerous professional weapon dealer (Bradley Cooper), and many others.

[Ixmucane2]

Spira Mirabilis

Straight from the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.

A documentary, so to speak, about time and immortality, particularly about cycles of death, rebirth and improvement.
Although proudly and brutally non-narrative, after figuring out what the various segments are about it becomes easy to follow and understand.
Excellent sound, including music, and photography, but a little sparse on the conceptual side.

It's an excellent opportunity for "amusingly bad reviews", like the one from Variety (contains spoilers) by someone who has no clue about most of the subjects and no habit of thinking in front of a screen.

[soprano1]

Thanks for the reply, Skykid. I'll be sure to check 2046 out. Meanwhile...

Capote (2005)
RIP, Philip Seymour Hoffman, loved his performance. Truman Capote seemed liked a bit of an asshole.

[lilmanjs]

I'd go with the Team Negative1 release

25 GB tho

There's a huge difference between streaming HD quality and disc-based HD quality, which you can tell they are going for. Its better at this point in time because they used reels from copies of the original version. But the one thing the Despecialized version has over it. The amount of audio tracks. Dubs and such and commentaries.

[Xyga]

Yes, who would keep a 25GB file on a hard drive anyway.
I have seen only a compressed version but comparatively in size Despecialized is definitely more enjoyable.
The only thing that digitalized 'Siver Screen ed' has over it is that it definitely feels more consitent and natural, I wish Despecialized was entirely based on it, all three movies.

[GaijinPunch]

2046 - My 3rd Won Kar Wai film. Not what I expected exactly, but perhaps was even better. A nice look at a Hong Kong of the past, and weird glimpse into the future. Not sure what he was going for casting Takuya Kimura (or who was more feminine, him or his on-screen love interest Faye Wong) but he had little screen time, so fair game. A food coma and jet lag took over about 45 minutes into it so I had to stop and come back, but I thought this one was really well done. Irked by the fact that the subtitle file was a bit ass, missing many lines (some important) but I figured it out. Filming and costumes are amazing. And let's face it, any self respecting man would eat Zhang Ziyi's ass like a pizza, so having her in there was a nice addition.

Omoide Poro Poro [Only Yesterday]
One of the lesser known Ghibli films, mainly due to all of the Japanese pop culture references, which I was assured of existed way back in the early 90's when this film came out. I never bothered with it, for a few reasons, but mainly b/c there was other stuff. Gave this a whirl, and found it quite enjoyable. As a Tokyoite for many years, I now enjoy the odd anime that can capture the essence of the city (a la 5cm per second). This was quite the opposite, featuring a 27 year old woman lamenting her childhood spent in Tokyo, without any family in the countryside to visit in the summer. As such, she spends her summer holidays working in the fields of Yamagata with an adopted family of sorts. After 15 years of residence, there was tons that even I missed, but it was still enjoyable, and would be for anyone that has some type of inkling of the different lifestyles of Tokyo and the countryside. Not much of a re-watcher, but charming nonetheless.

[soprano1]

Hail Caesar! (2016)
Wasn't expecting much since i read people saying it was a weak Cohen brothers flick, but i liked it. The comedy parts were very well done, and the commie writers bit was great.

[GaijinPunch]

Hail Caesar! (2016)
Wasn't expecting much since i read people saying it was a weak Cohen brothers flick, but i liked it. The comedy parts were very well done, and the commie writers bit was great.

I remember the crux of it being "it's not their best, but still enjoyable". I'm a fan of Burn After Reading though, which a lot of people are on the fence over.

[NTSC-J]

Holy smokes, a new Plinkett review: Star Wars The Force Awakens.

[Volteccer_Jack]

The Coen brothers generally bore and/or annoy me to death but I absolutely adored Hail, Caesar!, for whatever that's worth.

[Durandal]

Holy smokes, a new Plinkett review: Star Wars The Force Awakens.

One hour is spent talking about the evils of Disney and useless bullshit which barely ties into TFA itself, and the other spent mostly explaining how TFA is overly similar to ANH because suits wanted to play it safe, other than really talking about what made TFA work or not work. Honestly, this semi-review and most of the skits seemed rather weaksauce to me. As if they wanted to fill up time not talking about TFA and have a balanced opinion to not piss off any Patrons.

[GaijinPunch]

^^ Agreed. I didn't even get that far in. I love jabs at Lucas as much as the next guy, but I don't think using the same template used for the prequels is gonna work for Episode VII. Might give it more time later, but the "set up" just took way too long.

[Mischief Maker]

I think it's interesting how they highlighted a good line from Lucas about the studio system "taking a chance" on a young visionary director, then attempting to focus group any chance out of the resulting product.

It makes me think of something Patrice O'Neal said about good jokes and bad jokes coming from the same birth.

I don't think there's any question which is the worse movie, but what was the more memorable movie? Creativity-gone-horribly-wrong Highlander 2 or play-it-safe-and-hit-the-familiar-beats Highlander 3?

[Stevens]

Took a chance with Kingsman.

It was enjoyable, even if it was completely predictable.

Samuel L. was a decent villain, his sidekick was Shiva lite, the action sequences were solid but missing the type of choreography that could have put them on the next level. The Eggsy/Shiva fight was good, but it could have been spectacular.

Plusses - Hey a kind of original movie in 2015.

Small minus - Villains plan is a spin on Rainbow Six.

Worth a watch.

[xxx1993]

I kinda liked the Goosebumps movie.

[Durandal]

I think it's interesting how they highlighted a good line from Lucas about the studio system "taking a chance" on a young visionary director, then attempting to focus group any chance out of the resulting product.

It makes me think of something Patrice O'Neal said about good jokes and bad jokes coming from the same birth.

I don't think there's any question which is the worse movie, but what was the more memorable movie? Creativity-gone-horribly-wrong Highlander 2 or play-it-safe-and-hit-the-familiar-beats Highlander 3?

While failures tend to be usually more memorable because of the many amazing ways they can fail, 'more of the same shit' tends to usually go forgotten because there's simply not much to talk about a soft remake. However, one should consider that TFA will probably always be remembered as the movie which jumpstarted the Star Wars franchise again (only to be thrown into the corporate abyss) by not being complete shit even if it's just a soft remake of ANH. TFA is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, so it's not going to be forgotten for like another hundred years. But the original trilogy will always be remembered (and possibly the prequel trilogy for being the perfect example of everything that can go wrong in a movie).
Honestly, the sheer popularity of Star Wars makes it rather impossible for any kind of Star Wars movie to be forgotten, although that remains to be seen with this new Star Wars Cinematic Universe. Those bi-yearly spin-off movies are bound to be forgotten if they don't step up their A game, that's for sure.

[Skykid]

Took a chance with Kingsman.

It was enjoyable, even if it was completely predictable.

Samuel L. was a decent villain, his sidekick was Shiva lite, the action sequences were solid but missing the type of choreography that could have put them on the next level. The Eggsy/Shiva fight was good, but it could have been spectacular.

Plusses - Hey a kind of original movie in 2015.

Small minus - Villains plan is a spin on Rainbow Six.

Worth a watch.

I think you've massively underrated it without even being that disparaging. Kingsman is one of the only original commercial movies of the last ten years I actually rate for having a very sharp script, eyebrow-raising violence, spot-on direction and superb action choreography (I'm not even sure what you're talking about here. Room for improvement? Sure. A lot of room? No way.)

It's a movie I find very rewatchable and improves on repeat. oh, and it's superbly scored too.

Sadly I feel the very interesting study of the British class system that makes up its subtext will be lost on US viewers.

[WelshMegalodon]

Honestly, the sheer popularity of Star Wars makes it rather impossible for any kind of Star Wars movie to be forgotten, although that remains to be seen with this new Star Wars Cinematic Universe.

Caravan of Courage

Many people also seem to love the mediocre Clone Wars television series from 2008 while conveniently forgetting the awful pilot movie that launched it. That thing made the Droids cartoon look like a masterpiece.

You're the first person I've seen to call it a Star Wars Cinematic Universe.

[Durandal]

Honestly, the sheer popularity of Star Wars makes it rather impossible for any kind of Star Wars movie to be forgotten, although that remains to be seen with this new Star Wars Cinematic Universe.

Caravan of Courage

Many people also seem to love the mediocre Clone Wars television series from 2008 while conveniently forgetting the awful pilot movie that launched it. That thing made the Droids cartoon look like a masterpiece.

Ironically, I forgot about the Clone Wars hubba-dub. Though I was rather referring to the mainline entries, of course nobody is going to remember the Ewok Christmas Special.

You're the first person I've seen to call it a Star Wars Cinematic Universe.

*bagpipe rendition of the main Star Wars theme starts playing*

[Mischief Maker]

Avengers, Snyderverse, and Star Warz.

I only wanted to watch three movies over and over again for the next 50 years anyway.

[EmperorIng]

Avengers, Snyderverse, and Star Warz.

I only wanted to watch three movies over and over again for the next 50 years anyway.

If Criterion, Kino, and Twilight Time* don't go out of business, I think I can at least use them to weather a generation's worth of shitty cookie-cutter comic-book movies.

Actually, I need to make a bit more money before I can start affording Criterion releases again.


*when you want the Criterion treatment for low-budget schlock. Zardoz blu-ray? Yes please!!! Uh, BD for Shakma? .......Ok, why not!

[BryanM]

Mmmm every time SW comes up, I'm obligated to remind everyone the originals were not good movies.

The objective proof:

Take a New Hope. Replace all the special effects with crap, like cardboard cutouts and sock puppets instead of muppets. Is it still watchable?

Now take ghost busters. Replace the special effects with crap. Ghost effects done by waving around a flashlight. Matte paintings replaced with scribbles made by a second grader in crayon. They leave in the place holder "scene missing" when the refrigerator is opened. Is that still watchable?

The prequels are masterpieces because they've reminded us that Star Wars isn't very good.

TFA is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, so it's not going to be forgotten for like another hundred years.

Ehhh I've already forgotten it. RLM guys seem to, to. I have no urge to ever talk about this special effects kid's movie. What's there to say? "They're going to make lots of money on this culturally accepted nerd thing"?

Anakin's suave pillow talk? His irrational hatred of sand? (Come on now, sand's the best!) Jah-jah's zany racist slapstick? The utter joy one receives when they say the word "gungan" out loud?

I can't stop talking about those. Never. They're a treasure.

Jah-jahs

The cultural artifacts are priceless.

Like.... Brikwars. (the gungans are located at the right edge of this image.)

"They're going to make lots of money on this culturally accepted nerd thing"

There's a good discussion somewhere, where you can ponder what makes one nerd thing embraced by society and another nerd thing ignored or despised. (How many people know what a "hit point" is, really?) But that's a totally different horseshoe far removed from a specific movie.

[BIL]

Take a New Hope. Replace all the special effects with crap, like cardboard cutouts and sock puppets instead of muppets. Is it still watchable?

Honestly, that sounds great. Then again...

Now take ghost busters. Replace the special effects with crap. Ghost effects done by waving around a flashlight. Matte paintings replaced with scribbles made by a second grader in crayon. They leave in the place holder "scene missing" when the refrigerator is opened. Is that still watchable?

This sounds fucking amazing. I'm smiling just imagining Sigourney Weaver's scream of terror following the SCENE MISSING card (a random intern could do the fridge pokemon's voice, obviously).

[Mischief Maker]

Mmmm every time SW comes up, I'm obligated to remind everyone the originals were not good movies.

The objective proof:

Take a New Hope. Replace all the special effects with crap, like cardboard cutouts and sock puppets instead of muppets. Is it still watchable?

Of course! It's called The Hidden Fortress.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

I was going to say the old Flash Gordon serials.

[BryanM]

This sounds fucking amazing. I'm smiling just imagining Sigourney Weaver's scream of terror following the SCENE MISSING card (a random intern could do the fridge pokemon's voice, obviously).

In the commentary, the director says the test screening just EXPLODED when they saw that. He kind of wishes they had kept it instead of the special fx they used.

He's not a fan of much of the fx they used.

Of course! It's called The Hidden Fortress.

I was going to say the old Flash Gordon serials.

Those are both way better than Star Wars ever was or could hope to be.

Let the Mace Windu Adventures of 2026 prove me wrong.

[Mischief Maker]

Those are both way better than Star Wars ever was or could hope to be.

Let the Mace Windu Adventures of 2026 prove me wrong.

Flash Gordon CERTAINLY wasn't better than Empire Strikes Back.

You're letting the awfulness of the prequels and the anticipatory exhaustion with the disneyverse pollute your memories of the real star wars movies.