Movies you've just watched

[vol.2]

I went and saw the new Ghostbusters movie before it left the theater and I forgot to post a review here.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 4/10

It wasn't just bad, it was disappointing. I actually liked Afterlife. I thought the introduction of new characters and a new plotline in a different setting was fun and I had hope that new installments would continue the Hardy Boys meets Nancy Drew meets Cthulhu vibe of Afterlife.

But no, they couldn't let it roll from there and have it turn into something fun, they had to create a trite and regressive star power callback to the first movie without any substance. It felt like all the different parts of FE where just forced together with a crowbar. They pooched the script and the dialog, most notably McKenna Grace's character, who they turned into a absolute moron.

The move back to NYC is probably the worst decision they possible could have made; the first Ghostbusters movie was lightning in a bottle, expecting it to suddenly happen again was just plain stupid. The lore is there, you have plenty of younger, talented actors to choose from, there's no reason you can't spin the franchise into a TV show with occasional guest spots from the old guard and inject stories with cryptic details that call back to the first two movies.

But I understand the old guys wanted their last hurrah and that it wasn't meant to be. Though I wish they could just take a cue from Biden and go away.

[Arino]

Herr Herzog's classic doc

Cool I'm goanna watch this.

Hated it. Glad he was killed.

[BIL]

Yeah that tends to happen. I find the sheer god-complexing folly of the guy impossible to look away from... he accomplished utter fuck-all, and at such ruinous cost to not just himself but ofc his bird. And very arguably the wildlife he made his surrogate Eden. Two starvin bears got PWNed because of you Tim! What the fuck!

I wonder what I'd do if I had to deal with a family member or friend like that. Brrr.

Herzog is such a likeable presence too, especially opposite Timmy's dipshit hippy friends. I dunno, maybe he is the German version of a hippy? Endearing fellow, at any rate.

"You must neva listen to dis!"
"LOL I KNOW VERNER, I KNOWWW"
"Ja! You must destroy it!!"
"AND THATS EGGZACKLY WHAT I'M GOING TO DOOO~"

A timeless quote from him, on Treadwell's knack for capturing "the strange magic of cinema, gifts from the universe." I reference it often when observing fucknuts online getting hit by cars, or falling off high platforms, shitting their pants, etc etc.

>Strange Gifts From Universe STR8 To Ur Living Room

Also holy fuck this thread asplode w/ quality the last year or so I've been away cramming all my free time into various ~SOFTCORE GAMING 90120~ timesinks I owe you a reply or two Lander! Will have to return over the weekend.

[Arino]

Yeah that tends to happen. I find the sheer god-complexing folly of the guy impossible to look away from... he accomplished utter fuck-all, and at such ruinous cost to not just himself but ofc his bird. And very arguably the wildlife he made his surrogate Eden. Two starvin bears got PWNed because of you Tim! What the fuck!

I wonder what I'd do if I had to deal with a family member or friend like that. Brrr.

Herzog is such a likeable presence too, especially opposite Timmy's dipshit hippy friends. I dunno, maybe he is the German version of a hippy? Endearing fellow, at any rate.

"You must neva listen to dis!"
"LOL I KNOW VERNER, I KNOWWW"
"Ja! You must destroy it!!"
"AND THATS EGGZACKLY WHAT I'M GOING TO DOOO~"

A timeless quote from him, on Treadwell's knack for capturing "the strange magic of cinema, gifts from the universe." I reference it often when observing fucknuts online getting hit by cars, or falling off high platforms, shitting their pants, etc etc.

>Strange Gifts From Universe STR8 To Ur Living Room

Also holy fuck this thread asplode w/ quality the last year or so I've been away cramming all my free time into various ~SOFTCORE GAMING 90120~ timesinks I owe you a reply or two Lander! Will have to return over the weekend.

Tim's attitude towards the bears was as helpful as playing SHMUPS with the very same mindset: "As long as I don't show any fear, they can't kill me!"

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Just learned about the exclusive Alien Romulus popcorn buckets being sold by Regal Cinema with two different ones: the Alien Xenomorph Head and the Face Hugger Stasis Containment Container with Weyland-Yutani fonts/logo -- they're both $35.00 usd each. The official Alien Romulus souvenir drink cups also available in both Alien Xenomorph Head & FaceHugger variants as well. Grab 'em all before they're gone/sell out!

FYI: These above listed Alien Romulus movie theater promotional items are exclusive to the USA cinema market indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[GaijinPunch]

Just learned about the exclusive Alien Romulus popcorn buckets being sold by Regal Cinema with two different ones: the Alien Xenomorph Head and the Face Hugger Stasis Containment Container with Weyland-Yutani fonts/logo -

How fuckable are they?

[Some-Mist]

GP asking the important questions

watched used cars (1980) for the first time, and my expectations weren't too high but it was still pretty terrible. there were a handful of laugh out loud moments, but they were so sparse and so much additional cringe that it really put a damper the experience. probably the first 2.5/5 or 2/5 film I've watched in a long time, and I really enjoy kurt russell, jack warden, and joe flaherty in their other work.

seeing "between the temples" this weekend. I just watched the carol kane criterion closet episode and had no idea she was in an upcoming film with jason schwarzman

[Arino]

This is a different topic but how do you feel about the "new" movies? I always loved watching movies but by now I just hate it because they all suck so hard it's unreal. When I ask myself when it got worse, I think I would say late 2000s. In the early and mid 2000s there was still a lot of stuff where I thought wow, never seen this before. A lot of good ideas and also well executed. But then it just went down hill. This is only my personal point of view obviously. The last 5+ years were the worst. It has become so incredibly rare that I find a new movie at least ok. Mostly I think they are extremely disappointing and a complete waste of time. They are supposed to be action movies for instance, but there is no action and just dumb talking. The only reason why I keep giving all those new movies a shot is because my gf always wants us to watch something. But when I'm by myself I'd rather play games or watch anime.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Just learned about the exclusive Alien Romulus popcorn buckets being sold by Regal Cinema with two different ones: the Alien Xenomorph Head and the Face Hugger Stasis Containment Container with Weyland-Yutani fonts/logo -

How fuckable are they?

Went down to my local Regal Cinema joint today to see if they had anymore of the Alien Romulus popcorn buckets -- they were sold out of both variants. But they did have the face hugger drink topper that comes with the Alien Romulus movie souvenir cup for $15.00 usd each -- bought two of them. Saw that they also had an Alien Romulus T-Shirt in one size, an XL sized one for $24.00 usd (comes with a free "large" sized bucket of popcorn included) -- it has a silk-screened face hugger with the caption "I'm A Hugger" placed in front of it -- is an official AR movie promotional T-Shirt. Bought the Face Hugger T-Shirt as well (the large bucket of popcorn was "free").

Since I wasn't able get either AR official popcorn bucket, can't say as to if they are worth doing it into them -- the accompanying little card recommends "washing by hand" rather than washing in the dishwasher.

On the secondary market, a typical brand new & sealed Regal Cinema AR Face Hugger Stasis Containment Container popcorn bucket with built-in green colored led lights + a set of included "AA" batteries to light 'em up fetches easily north of $110.00+ usd on eBay right now. Oh well, at least I tried. I asked the movie concession gal if they were going get anymore of the AR popcorn buckets in and she said they aren't able get them anymore.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Some-Mist]

This is a different topic but how do you feel about the "new" movies?

love new movies and it's been quite good in the indie realm for a bit. a few off the top of my head:

I saw robot dreams at an international film festival last year and was blown away. so much raw emotion portrayed through animation without the need for dialogue. a great adaptation of the children's graphic novel which I had to scoop up after

alexander payne's "the holdovers" was quite warm-feeling and fulfilling, being timed right around the holidays making it feel more special and I was lucky enough to see a 35mm run

guillermo del toro's pinocchio was outstanding especially on a technical level and it's not surprising it was so quickly introduced to the criterion collection. one of the best stop motion animation films since charlie kaufman's anomalisa... unless mad god counts?

funny pages as owen cline's debut was one of my favorites in the last 5 years and hearkened back to a similar vibe that american splendor gave me

jacques audiard's foray into english film making with the sisters brothers was brilliant, with equally fantastic performances from john c reilly, joaquin phoenix, jack gyllenhaal, and riz ahmed. since it seems you want action, this might be the one that might line up best for you

and the mark duplass written paddleton hits so hard and good, touching on platonic male relationships in a way that isn't very common (that I've seen) in film

highly anticipating terry gilliam's magnum opus "the carnival at the end of days" (w/ depp, adam driver, jeff bridges, and momoa), chris columbus's the thursday murder club, and michel gondry's atlantis... and I still have to watch his last film le livre des solutions

[Sima Tuna]

This is a different topic but how do you feel about the "new" movies? I always loved watching movies but by now I just hate it because they all suck so hard it's unreal. When I ask myself when it got worse, I think I would say late 2000s. In the early and mid 2000s there was still a lot of stuff where I thought wow, never seen this before. A lot of good ideas and also well executed. But then it just went down hill. This is only my personal point of view obviously. The last 5+ years were the worst. It has become so incredibly rare that I find a new movie at least ok. Mostly I think they are extremely disappointing and a complete waste of time. They are supposed to be action movies for instance, but there is no action and just dumb talking. The only reason why I keep giving all those new movies a shot is because my gf always wants us to watch something. But when I'm by myself I'd rather play games or watch anime.

I agree.

I love action movies, but the problem with action movies now is how they're shot and how the action is put together. There's too much CGI and too many quick cuts. The point of assembling fantastic action in your film is to frame it properly with the camera so that the audience can SEE and appreciate how great it is! When you watch an older movie with action, that's exactly what they do. I saw Ben-Hur recently and the chariot race is framed expertly. I watch '60s-90s kung fu movies all the time and they do the same. You frame the action with the camera, rather than cutting quickly or using close-ups to create the illusion of fast action!

Bad movies have always existed, but I find it increasingly hard nowadays to locate any movies to my tastes that are new and not horrible. I haven't been able to enjoy a superhero movie since 2008's Iron Man. I tried watching many others and they're awful (in my opinion.) Or maybe the last good one was Dark Knight Rises? At least we got some memes out of it.

I think there are some culprits for why movies suck now:

-Fewer classically-trained actors in the movies, hence worse performances
-too much CGI
-obnoxious camera work
-annoying color schemes that dominate the "look" of the picture (sepia, blue tint, green tint etc)
-competition from other media has pushed film companies to employ the same few big-name actors ad nauseum
-the same competition encourages these media conglomerates to make the same movie over and over, rather than experimenting artistically
-movies cost more to make nowadays, hence some genres like the historical epic are nigh impossible without excessive CGI
-the sheer amount of media overload in every aspect of modern life has taken its toll on artistic quality
-megacorps like Disney and Marvel have taken an assembly-line approach to film

The last good new film I remember seeing at all was Hateful Eight. Quentin at least makes/made interesting movies and he rarely commits any of the sins mentioned above. He does favor actors with big names, but usually gets a good performance out of them, so that they aren't just drawing a paycheck and taking up a poster slot. Inglorious Bastards was a bloody masterpiece and I rewatch it frequently. Probably one of his best films ever, if not his actual best. Quentin is a clever bloke, and his movies are clever, but he frequently diverges into edgy memelord territory and ends up putting out a film of little moral merit. Inglorious Bastards, by contrast, has quite a bit to say and does so in a subtle way. I love the use of languages in Inglorious, particularly.

My favorite film genres are action, adventure, historical epic and martial arts. Well, action movies nowadays are all CGI fests with shakeycam. So cross those out. Adventure movies? Lot of CGI there too, and a lot of old men green screened in shakey-cam framing for the sake of maintaining long-running franchises (hello Indy.) Cross them out. Historical epics? Difficult to get right at any period in history, but especially in the CGI era. Question mark there. Martial arts? Last good martial arts picture was Ip Man (the very first and no other) or The Raid. Martial arts cinema has become a casualty of mainland Chinese film/tv methodology. Their obsession now is pretty plastic people wearing loud clothes against a stark white background. Cross that one out too.

[Some-Mist]

I mean the sisters brothers came out in the same genre 3 years after the hateful 8 and is a significantly better film imo
a prophet is what he's probably best known for, but even dheepan was grounded and brilliantly filmed

even taking my love for jacques audiard aside, you had "everything everywhere all at once" just a couple years ago

[Arino]

This is a different topic but how do you feel about the "new" movies? I always loved watching movies but by now I just hate it because they all suck so hard it's unreal. When I ask myself when it got worse, I think I would say late 2000s. In the early and mid 2000s there was still a lot of stuff where I thought wow, never seen this before. A lot of good ideas and also well executed. But then it just went down hill. This is only my personal point of view obviously. The last 5+ years were the worst. It has become so incredibly rare that I find a new movie at least ok. Mostly I think they are extremely disappointing and a complete waste of time. They are supposed to be action movies for instance, but there is no action and just dumb talking. The only reason why I keep giving all those new movies a shot is because my gf always wants us to watch something. But when I'm by myself I'd rather play games or watch anime.

I watch '60s-90s kung fu movies all the time and they do the same.

Haha, I love those too but funnily I can't watch them with my gf either, or only rarely, because her parents are from Hong Kong and her dad loved these movies too. So when growing up, she was exposed to all these HK movies all the time. Once I put on Bio-Zombie and she was like "NO!! Not this one! I've seen these movie at least 100 times as a child!"

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Considering that the events that transpire in Alien in 2122, what unfolds in the interquel of Alien Romulus occurs in 2142 whereas in Aliens, it takes place in 2179.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Air Master Burst]

Finally got around to Furiosa, and I've come to the conclusion that giving George Miller a budget was the worst thing that ever could've happened. His emphasis on style over everything else was great when it was still constrained by the limits of stunt performers, practical effects, and having to actually build everything from junkyard scraps. The CGI is jarring and terrible because George has absolutely no fucks to be spared for things like logic or physics.

There are a few good scenes and stunts, and any vehicle used extensively for actual driving looks cool. The NPC with the gas mask codpiece was fun. That's about all the good.

It's at least an hour too long. There's no shred of levity or humor. Frequent gratuitous use of goofy binocular-shaped cutouts to indicate a character looking through binoculars. Head starts mean even less than any of the previous installments. Tom Burke's Great Value Sad Max is the lamest stand-in since Dash Rendar. The less said about Hemsworth's acting the better.

Someone should've forced him to shoot this in like a month on 15 million tops. I bet that movie would've ruled.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Here's that exclusive Regal Cinemas' Alien Romulus Facehugger Containment popcorn bucket listed up for sale again (as part of the second pre-order batch): https://store.regmovies.com/products/al ... cRb.XnV88i I went ahead and ordered one at that more affordable & attractive price-point without "breaking the bank" either.

No need to pay inflated prices of upwards of $190.00+ usd for one brand new & sealed on eBay (unless you want one right now).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[XoPachi]

Just watched Treasure Planet. Never saw this movie. Aside from B.E.N. and thinking it was a little odd that Silver gets off totally free of charge, that was excellent. I really needed that.

[To Far Away Times]

Evil Dead Rise. Meh. Doesn't really go for any laughs, and it's not terribly scary either. Not really all that fun like an Evil Dead movie should be. It just kinda exists to kill an hour and a half and you forget it five minutes after you watch it.

I want chainsaw arms and witty one liners to go along with all the gore.

Finally got around to Furiosa, and I've come to the conclusion that giving George Miller a budget was the worst thing that ever could've happened. His emphasis on style over everything else was great when it was still constrained by the limits of stunt performers, practical effects, and having to actually build everything from junkyard scraps. The CGI is jarring and terrible because George has absolutely no fucks to be spared for things like logic or physics.

There are a few good scenes and stunts, and any vehicle used extensively for actual driving looks cool. The NPC with the gas mask codpiece was fun. That's about all the good.

It's at least an hour too long. There's no shred of levity or humor. Frequent gratuitous use of goofy binocular-shaped cutouts to indicate a character looking through binoculars. Head starts mean even less than any of the previous installments. Tom Burke's Great Value Sad Max is the lamest stand-in since Dash Rendar. The less said about Hemsworth's acting the better.

Someone should've forced him to shoot this in like a month on 15 million tops. I bet that movie would've ruled.

I loved Fury Road and I didn't care for Furiosa. Sometimes you can't replicate the magic even when you try to use the same ingredients. The script expands on things that don't really need it, it's needlessly bloated, and the whole thing is very "been there, done that" reheated leftovers from Fury Road. It's very much The Hobbit to Fury Road's Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

[Air Master Burst]

loved Fury Road and I didn't care for Furiosa. Sometimes you can't replicate the magic even when you try to use the same ingredients. The script expands on things that don't really need it, it's needlessly bloated, and the whole thing is very "been there, done that" reheated leftovers from Fury Road. It's very much The Hobbit to Fury Road's Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Honestly I had most of the same complaints about Fury Road but at least the CGI wasn't as bad. George Miller should've retired after Babe, which was clearly his magnum opus.

Just watched Treasure Planet. Never saw this movie. Aside from B.E.N. and thinking it was a little odd that Silver gets off totally free of charge, that was excellent. I really needed that.

You should definitely check out Titan A.E. next. I don't know if the plot is quite as good as Treasure Planet, but it's drop-dead gorgeous, and it clicked a bit more with me at the time.

[Obiwanshinobi]

So I hardly watch movies, or expose myself to fiction other than sitcom on TV these days, but recently I was very pleased to re-watch two films I had pretty fond memories of:

28 Days (2000) starring Sandra Bullock and other good-to-exellent actors; its just about EVERYTHING had pleased me again, and NOT in a comfort food kind of way. I don't get how it's supposed to be a "comedy-drama", but whatever. Reminds me of Little Miss Sunshine in this regard. I don't get lukewarm, condescending reaction it typically evokes. I've a question - is 28 days a typical time quota for rehab in the US? That's pretty short.

Port of Shadows (Le Quai des brumes, 1938) directed by Marcel Carné. Sure enough, some of its filmmaking may seem antiquated nowadays, but considering how unwieldy gear they handled there, it's no small feat what it achieves. Pretty great Gabin and just very good film acting all around. I'm afraid if you don't speak French (I don't), you are at mercy of whatever translation you get to watch it with.
I'm pretty sure it's most culturally seminal by the virtue of influence it must have had on generations of filmmakers.
Oh yes - excellent, EXCELLENT sound in digitally restored version I watched. Especially pieces of music from the radio. I wonder if recording used there is preserved in some other way than on film stock.

I actually had a pleasing experience of watching yet another feature film on TV lately. So obscure, however, that I don't feel like elaborating right now. Maybe tomorrow, in the cold light of the day?

[Lander]

I watched Donnie Darko (Director's Cut) the other week.

Thoroughly enjoyable; enough internal consistency in its weird ideas and uncanny happenstance to keep you querying and wondering as it goes, with a likeable cast to drive the drama forward.
This marks the second time I've watched, and the old "something new every time" adage holds soundly now I'm older, wiser, and no less inebriated than last view
Not too familiar with Jake Gyllenhaal's body of work (I assume plenty of soppy romance, since he's the Handsome Young Lad type) but I'm newly interested to see what other stuff he's been in.

Probably need another viewing or two to be truly confident in my assessment of its more out-there themes and ideas; as it stands, I like the fringe science read more than "he's just a crazy lad".

Notable performance: Drew Barrymore, for radiating undiluted Hot For Teacher energy any time sharp-but-beleaguered English prof. Karen Pommeroy is on screen! Cripes

[NYN]

Ah-hey, cool.
I re-watch and enjoy the Darko a lot, as you say: always something new. Bizarre and tender. Surreal and some sort of realism. I prefer the D.C., can't imagine going back to theatrical cut.

Not too familiar with Jake Gyllenhaal's body of work (I assume plenty of soppy romance, since he's the Handsome Young Lad type) but I'm newly interested to see what other stuff he's been in.

After Darko (har-har), some suitable suggestions: Prisoners and Enemy, both directed by Denis Villeneuve. Nightcrawler, no, not a comic movie. Nocturnal Animals, by Tom Ford. Zodiac, by David Fincher. Maaaybe even Prince of Persia, in regards how un-Disney Disney it is as a movie.

I want chainsaw arms and witty one liners to go along with all the gore.

And you got that for at least 2 of 3 movies (EDII is a balance between gore and humour and The Army is just clown school), AND all 3(!) seasons of the AvsED. So. It's never enough, isn't it?



We Need To Talk About Kevin

First. Wanted to see a Swinton movie. Fully got it, while remembering the Gaijin Punch, giving the impression how brutal and perhaps unbearable it is. At least that's what stood out in my memory. I found it bearable, yet just...bearable, due to subject matter. Overall I feel that the film is brilliant, leaving out all the traps that could and would have sprung up if in other hands. It's not easy for consummation, yet fluid and relentless in psychology. Other movies about bad seeds offer an easy out, say The 0men or The Exorcist in the supernatural, that this one can't allow. It is most beneficial, for a brave audience and, you know, cinema.

[XoPachi]

You should definitely check out Titan A.E. next. I don't know if the plot is quite as good as Treasure Planet, but it's drop-dead gorgeous, and it clicked a bit more with me at the time.

This is almost verbatim what a friend told me yesterday. Definitely going to watch it now.

[vol.2]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 5/10

I was supremely disappointed, though in retrospect I realize I was wrong to be. Burton hasn't made a decent film for almost 30 years now, so why the fuck should this one be any different?

The first film was one of my favorites as a kid, and I was the perfect age to watch the animated series and fall in love with Lydia. I suppose that attachment led me to have unrealistic expectations for the sequel. In fact though, the chemistry between Ryder and Keaton is still there, and that was the most satisfying element of the story. Keaton was also just excellent every time he was on the screen, and I got a lot of enjoyment out of that. Ryder is great too, but she didn't get the script to work with.

Major complaints include bad and stilted dialog, bad acting from supporting roles, bad music and cheesy obtuse callbacks to the first film.

[GaijinPunch]

Ya'll wanna here something weird? I've never seen Beetlejuice.

[NYN]

A sequel after a 36 years lap indicates only nostalgia-motivated greed. Top Gun. Ghostbusters. 'Nuff said. The original Beetlemeyer holds a soft spot for me, still. I will not watch the sequel sequel.

bad music

Is Elfman not up to form? Or is it a clash to more modern scoring?

and cheesy obtuse callbacks to the first film.

That's a given now. The music of Henry Belafonte perhaps? For that magical sting.

Ya'll wanna here something weird? I've never seen Beetlejuice.

I've never seen Jerry Maquire. Am I the bigger freak?

Speaking of lapses:

Vanilla Sky

A first. Yeah, I am not a Cruiser. Only now interested in it, which serves me, for that 20s back I wouldn't have known what to do with it. During the watch I felt that it's overlong with the set-up and messy with the amalgamation of those loose pastiches of very trite genre: two-guys-want-the-same-girl, this-is-your-life, murder-mystery, delusions, philosophical-waxing, paranoia, what-is-reality, freak-show. music-as-muse, etc. And at the end an conveniently slick explanation is served up, that could tie it all together. I took it! Traces of PKD, in the Dick-ishness of our current tides. Some other form of living the dream-life, besides showing the money. Special mention of the highlights through all: Cammy Diaz is a full-on creep, though sooo hot. The mask. The use of the mask in the nightclub scene, to evoke the Janus deity is near brilliant. Kurt Russel as a shrink! After, I can say that I enjoyed this! How about that?

[vol.2]

A sequel after a 36 years lap indicates only nostalgia-motivated greed. Top Gun. Ghostbusters. 'Nuff said. The original Beetlemeyer holds a soft spot for me, still. I will not watch the sequel sequel.

bad music

Is Elfman not up to form? Or is it a clash to more modern scoring?

and cheesy obtuse callbacks to the first film.

That's a given now. The music of Henry Belafonte perhaps? For that magical sting.

Well it's a mix of the two things really. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but the movie has to dance around the fact that the original character played by the father was convicted in real life of child pornography stuff, and they couldn't have him attached to the movie as such.

Yes too much Belafonte; it was done in a way that you can tell they thought it would be tucked into the background, but instead ends up taking up too much space with no payoff. It would have been better if they just did another song and dance routine with it.

Elfman is fine. Nothing going to blow your sox off. The main issue is the pace of the movie and the music with it. Everything happens at such breakneck speed that doesn't behoove a supernatural adventure. Things have no room to breath, and all chances of room are dashed by the callbacks.

I can understand not wanting to see it, but strangely I would actually recommend watching it on TV after it's done in the theaters. I think Keaton and Ryder are really sweet together and it's worth seeing them together after all this time.

[Lander]

That reminds me, must watch the original Evil Dead for posterity, and AvED too. Seeing The Chin show up briefly in Darko reminded me that my life has been empty of ol' Bruce for too long, and what little I've seen of the series looks like it leans into the bit really well.

Ah-hey, cool.
I re-watch and enjoy the Darko a lot, as you say: always something new. Bizarre and tender. Surreal and some sort of realism. I prefer the D.C., can't imagine going back to theatrical cut.

Yeah, the new bits are strictly additive to the whole. Fantastic choice of soundtrack too; I wasn't there for 80s suburbia, but melancholy greats like Love Will Tear Us Apart made enough rounds in BITD Big Bro playlists for the comfy-made-strange vibe to land wonderfully.

Funny, I remember giving it "but that's a horror movie!" when my older sister put it on during my early teens, having seen the creepy Frank poster. Anything but, young Lander! Anything but.

Had a curious read of its wiki page too, and it sounds like a halloween miracle that it made it to release - blood, sweat, tooth and nail on the part of Kelly and others. Well fought.

After Darko (har-har), some suitable suggestions: Prisoners and Enemy, both directed by Denis Villeneuve. Nightcrawler, no, not a comic movie. Nocturnal Animals, by Tom Ford. Zodiac, by David Fincher. Maaaybe even Prince of Persia, in regards how un-Disney Disney it is as a movie.

Wait, shit, that was Gyllenhaal as the Prince! Crikey been a while - stirs up some poignant uni memories of hotboxed bedroom movie nights, dick housemates spiking my wimpy alcopop with hard vodka for laughs, and one of them getting tricked into wiping his gentleman's sausage on a freshly-cut watermelon owned by other less-liked housefellows.
Enjoyable popcorn flick that took less liberties than expected with the SoT source material, if I recall.

And ta for the recs - those should be welcome salve to my recent lack of movie watching

[NYN]

Funny, I remember giving it "but that's a horror movie!" when my older sister put it on during my early teens, having seen the creepy Frank poster. Anything but, young Lander! Anything but.

You weren't too much off by way of the original marketing for the theatrical run. The trailer show Donnie in the mirror scene with the steak knife, calling Frank. It gets the tag line Dark. Darker. Darko!

Clearly making this out as some psycho-kid drama becomes bloody tragedy. I mean one's gotta laugh about it, at how they didn't know what they had there. Sure you can find it on tubes.

And ta for the recs - those should be welcome salve to my recent lack of movie watching

You're very welcome. Let us know how they rubbed you.

I wasn't there for 80s suburbia, but melancholy greats like Love Will Tear Us Apart made enough rounds in BITD Big Bro playlists for the comfy-made-strange vibe to land wonderfully.

Funny, it's Never Tear Us Apart from the D.C. opening for me, though dang if by only mentioning it will be hard to NOT let it play in the mind...

[Lander]

ENEMY

A distinctly dadly Jake Gyllenhaal stars opposite an equally-bearded Jake Gyllenhaal, as two physically-identical men with drastically different personalities chance to meet. Chaos ensues, painted in hues of yellow, and accompanied by the flick-flack of an industrial-grade light switch.

I always say the best watches are those that end with 20 minutes of rumination, then eject you off the couch to go write a lengthy screed on shmups farm

Dialogue-light with lots of moody, meaningful shots, and a clinically calculated dissemination of information to the viewer. Light-medium psychosexual overtones - vibe adjacent to a discomforting Easton Ellis study in twisted behaviour, but nowhere near so up in your face about it; took me back to this page and its surroundings from the Doll's House arc of Gaiman's peerless Sandman, which is high praise indeed.

Ending and such and such

It had me grinning as soon as the smash cut to credits. The sheer go on, figure it out then boldness of the thing! I intentionally avoided reading anything or even looking at the runtime counter, after seeing surreal psychological thriller in the description, and rightly so!

Nonetheless, I had a feeling it was going to pull something "where's the sting?", after Actor Jake strikes out hard and Teacher Jake awkwardly comes out on top. Seemed a little too 'just desserts', and surprise, madness lurks just around the corner!

That's my first-blush read on the spider imagery and yellow, at least; nightmares and madness. A fevered glimpse into those abstract senses and feelings less oft explored. Not meant to be conventionally understood or explained so much as vicariously experienced.

And executed with a fine enough suite of acting and directing as to have the viewer well and truly tied up in its web by the time the rug-pull occurs, which I think is one of the film's great strengths: Unlike the more intense Lynch nighmares, the scaffold of believable psychological thriller is robust and present enough to fool the viewer into expecting a tangible conclusion. The revelation that it is in fact some inexpressible SCP shit, or spiraling mental breakdown, is kept close to the chest until the very end, to great effect.

And yet, there's meat left on the bones. I had the secret club and such bulleted as simple nightmare imagery, but the tie-back changes that entirely. Bit reminiscent of the VHS tapes from Paratopic - paranormal phenomena that people indulge in as vice, a blissful (and horrifyingly dangerous, in the latter case) salve to the drudgery of concensus reality.

And then there's the lectures, lightly analogous as a cinematic tool to The Philosophy of Time Travel - all dictatorships seek to control the populace and all great historic events happen twice, thematic training wheels to guide the audience through some parallels, and the noted cessation of further tutelage as the film progresses into its latter half.

Fascinating bones, they are, though I'm not sure they're meant to be fully enumerated

Fine stuff, a worthy watch if you like yourself some weird.

You weren't too much off by way of the original marketing for the theatrical run. The trailer show Donnie in the mirror scene with the steak knife, calling Frank. It gets the tag line Dark. Darker. Darko!

Clearly making this out as some psycho-kid drama becomes bloody tragedy. I mean one's gotta laugh about it, at how they didn't know what they had there. Sure you can find it on tubes.

Not quite as bad as the full-bore Don LaFontaine treatment I was expecting, but definitely still in that alternate-reality trailer ballpark

Though in fairness it's probably a trailer-cutter's nightmare to have that kind of movie land on their desk. How to summarize that which defies even lengthy elaboration?

Funny, it's Never Tear Us Apart from the D.C. opening for me, though dang if by only mentioning it will be hard to NOT let it play in the mind...

Ha, the Echo and the Bunnymen track it replaced was actually my first pick