Movies you've just watched

[GaijinPunch]

Thoughts on Alien (1979)

Spoiler

Just like William Friedkin and Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott is a man in love with architecture: all sets and special effects. And like those same directors, watching Scott's stuff makes me feel like the script and the acting are an afterthought. And that's where I find the movie struggles.

Aside from Ian Holm's performance as the suspicious Ash and his resurrected interrogation where he admits to his admiration of the alien creature (his words complimenting a face covered in white liquid), the movie's filled with pedestrian acting and dialogue. Nothing has been done in the writing to make me care about these people (they're just walking jobs), and they don't act with any serious urgency to everything they've seen in the alien ship which, if I was there, would've been enough to make me sh!t my pants and nope out. Not here. No, the show must go on. It's all MUH COMPANY REGULATIONS from there. The script is literally in service to the spectacle, and so when I saw they weren't scared until the writing required it, I wasn't scared at all. That's what makes something like The Blair Witch Project so effective for me: because the movie takes its time to let me get to know the characters--doesn't matter if I like them or not. (Hell, even Hostel took the time to do that, and I hated those characters!) So, when they start to fight and lose their minds--all cold, lost and scared--I care about them, and then the same effect happens to me. And I can't help them! Now, that's scary!

And since all that money and effort is spent on those sets and special effects, with Scott taking his sweet time lingering over every inch of it... I'm restless long after I've got the point already and start glancing over at the clock. (It starts feeling more like a museum piece at the halfway mark.) So, what I'm left with are false-alarm jump scares, music cues and a camera so in love with these creations, you can't help but notice in several shots that the alien is actually just a guy in a suit. (The way the alien went BOO! with his hands at Dallas in the air duct nearly made me laugh.)

Thankfully, the good news after was twofold: Carpenter came along in '82 and showed us how it's done... and we all know how Dan O'Bannon redeemed himself six years later with his smash cult hit.

If this movie had to happen in order to get those gems, then... thanks, I guess?

Harsh. I always felt it felt quite real - you do realize it was summed up as "truckers in space"? The fact that an Ian Holm is in there is kind of a bonus.

[RGC]

Thoughts on Alien (1979)

Spoiler

Just like William Friedkin and Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott is a man in love with architecture: all sets and special effects. And like those same directors, watching Scott's stuff makes me feel like the script and the acting are an afterthought. And that's where I find the movie struggles.

Aside from Ian Holm's performance as the suspicious Ash and his resurrected interrogation where he admits to his admiration of the alien creature (his words complimenting a face covered in white liquid), the movie's filled with pedestrian acting and dialogue. Nothing has been done in the writing to make me care about these people (they're just walking jobs), and they don't act with any serious urgency to everything they've seen in the alien ship which, if I was there, would've been enough to make me sh!t my pants and nope out. Not here. No, the show must go on. It's all MUH COMPANY REGULATIONS from there. The script is literally in service to the spectacle, and so when I saw they weren't scared until the writing required it, I wasn't scared at all. That's what makes something like The Blair Witch Project so effective for me: because the movie takes its time to let me get to know the characters--doesn't matter if I like them or not. (Hell, even Hostel took the time to do that, and I hated those characters!) So, when they start to fight and lose their minds--all cold, lost and scared--I care about them, and then the same effect happens to me. And I can't help them! Now, that's scary!

And since all that money and effort is spent on those sets and special effects, with Scott taking his sweet time lingering over every inch of it... I'm restless long after I've got the point already and start glancing over at the clock. (It starts feeling more like a museum piece at the halfway mark.) So, what I'm left with are false-alarm jump scares, music cues and a camera so in love with these creations, you can't help but notice in several shots that the alien is actually just a guy in a suit. (The way the alien went BOO! with his hands at Dallas in the air duct nearly made me laugh.)

Thankfully, the good news after was twofold: Carpenter came along in '82 and showed us how it's done... and we all know how Dan O'Bannon redeemed himself six years later with his smash cult hit.

If this movie had to happen in order to get those gems, then... thanks, I guess?

Harsh. I always felt it felt quite real - you do realize it was summed up as "truckers in space"? The fact that an Ian Holm is in there is kind of a bonus.

It's not a perfect film. I mean, it does have slightly dated FX in places (alien=clearly a dude in a suit, Ash dummy head awkward video splicing with Holm view, chest burster = penis on skateboard), but to me these are really minor concerns. 'Bored' is never a word I'd use in the same breath as Alien and I've never not found it totally engrossing. In terms of the fear the crew experiences, as I recall Lambert is pretty much a nervous wreck from the moment it all kicks off. I don't remember them seeming laid back between scary events, but maybe I'm misremembering. I do prefer The Thing as a standalone horror (it's the platinum standard as far as I'm concerned), but I also love the rich universe the original Alien creates.

Edit: point taken about films like The Blair Witch Project giving us more character insight and therefore greater opportunity for empathy. But in that example there are only three characters, and one of those is doing the filming. Taking into account the raw, up close and personal "home video" shooting style and the continuous commentary, we're bound to feel closer to them than we do the Nostromo crew. Always enjoyed TBWP though, almost as much as Alien.

[Sumez]

I've not watched this yet, but a friend of mine who works for an NPO is pretty tight with him as he is a philanthropist now... or at least a section of his business is focused on that. He's apparently a great guy - nice to know all the dough didn't make him an asshole like it could have.

This is probably the first time I've ever seen anyone try to claim that Henk Rogers isn't a massive asshole
I wouldn't hesitate to claim the guy has done nothing good for Tetris, and arguably made everything worse. I haven't watched the film, but I'm really not interested in seeing something trying to whitewash him as some kind of hero for weaseling his way into his own capitalist licensing empire that's allowed him to print money for free throughout decades at this point.

Eggers Nosferatu. Really bad.

Wow. That's a take.
Sure, it's not on the level of masterpieces like The Northman or The Lighthouse. But few things are.

[GaijinPunch]

This is probably the first time I've ever seen anyone try to claim that Henk Rogers isn't a massive asshole
I wouldn't hesitate to claim the guy has done nothing good for Tetris, and arguably made everything worse. I haven't watched the film, but I'm really not interested in seeing something trying to whitewash him as some kind of hero for weaseling his way into his own capitalist licensing empire that's allowed him to print money for free throughout decades at this point.

So Disclaimer: I've never met him. He also seems to have devoted a piece of his life to philanthropy. Note that my connection to him is someone that probably barely knows what fucking Super Mario is, so anything up until recent times they'd be quite oblivious, too. Take that as you will.

I also partied balls with Richard Garriet once, who is eccentric as most people probably know, but to be honest, quite hospitable - at least 30 years ago.

[sumdumgoy]

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[GaijinPunch]

Harsh. I always felt it felt quite real - you do realize it was summed up as "truckers in space"? The fact that an Ian Holm is in there is kind of a bonus.

Yaphet Kotto, Tom Skerritt and Henry Dean Stanton as truckers? Sure, I can see that.

But John Hurt as a trucker? That's a new one!

Was it at the time though? He also didn't last too long.

[sumdumgoy]

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[GaijinPunch]

Terrence Stamp in Priscilla -- weird things happen in this business of show.

[Lord British]

Terrence Stamp in Priscilla -- weird things happen in this business of show.

He's fucking awesome in that

[GaijinPunch]

Yup. I rarely buy the "X as Y?!" comment. It's acting - the whole point is to be something different.

[Lord British]

Yup. I rarely buy the "X as Y?!" comment. It's acting - the whole point is to be something different.

Those people need to get a life

[sumdumgoy]

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[Lord British]

Yup. I rarely buy the "X as Y?!" comment. It's acting - the whole point is to be something different.

Those people need to get a life

You're both reading me wrong. Just because I didn't picture Hurt playing a trucker doesn't mean I couldn't picture it. It was an entirely new idea to me.

Besides, he can't now, can he? And in Alien, he wasn't.

No I'm referring to General Zod as a trans-gender

[vol.2]

Terrence Stamp in Priscilla -- weird things happen in this business of show.

Which I haven't seen yet. One the local theaters is playing it for a revival on June 4th, and hopefully I can make that. The Senator has an enormous screen (40'); it's really a fantastic theater.

Spoiler

[sumdumgoy]

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[RGC]

The Exorcist III / Legion (1990) Dir. William Peter Blatty

Spoiler

Fifteen years after the death of Father Karras, his former close friend Lieutenant Kinderman (George C Scott), investigates a series of grisly murders around the city linked by both method and (anti-Catholic) motif. After another close associate of his gets killed, Kinderman's attention is drawn to a mysterious patient in the hospital, bound in a straight jacket, who claims to be the infamous “gemini killer” reborn.

For those unfamiliar with the source material (like me), to comprehend the story may take a couple of viewings. I'm still not sure I fully understand it. There's some symbolism at play, and a weird dreamlike aesthetic. I saw the theatrical release, which is said to have a forced tie-in with the original Exorcist, and then went on to watch the Director's Cut, where some of those contrived elements were removed. As a reworking, I gather the latter is more faithful to Blatty's novel, Legion. Sadly, the footage that was edited out for the theatrical release then subsequently restored for the extended version has not been cleaned up. So if you're watching the 2k restoration these dark grainy moments do break the immersion a little. There's some good stuff in there though.

Despite the film’s numerous murders, it feels somewhat slow and, until the third act, almost devoid of action. But I'd say the pace is necessarily measured. Any faster and it would be even harder to make sense of; it's a psychological slow burn, for sure. The brotherly kinship between cynic Kinderman and Father Dyer is full of warmth and great humour. George C Scott plays his part with a kind of honest depth of emotion rarely seen in fictional detectives. Not sure which cut I prefer over all. One has a more abrupt ending that feels rushed but is a more sensible conclusion; the other has the studio meddling that doesn't fit with the rest of the story, but we get to see more of Karras. Dourif shines in both versions.

[Randorama]

Priscilla also includes Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce as the other two drag queens. I believe that both were up and coming Oz actors that risked quite a bit by accepting those roles. At the time, Australia was a rabidly homophobic society in which ultra-toxic views of masculinity were praised ("wifebeater" was basically a compliment...). Things improved quite a bit over time, though.

Incidentally, Hugh Jackman played the role of an ultra-rugged Outback trucker who secretly developed a career as a writer of sweet and sensible rom-com books for women (!), in one of his early movie roles.

A general "Australian" complaint about this movie is that Jackman is a city boy from Manly, a rich suburb of Sydney, and therefore he looked and sounded out of place. Priscilla also attracted similar criticisms as it feels like it denigrates Oz suburbanites (“fibros”) and Outback people. I partially agree with these views, also because Jackman's Wolverine sounds like an Australian clumsily trying to sound Canadian, and some passages in Priscilla did not a certain contempt for anyone outside Sydney's CBD, where most of the LGBT people lived at the time.

You might need subtitles if you struggle with other dialects of English, by the way.

[sumdumgoy]

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[RGC]

The Exorcist III / Legion (1990) Dir. William Peter Blatty

Still, having said that, Blatty's writing is so strong that the movie rewards repeated visits, because there's so much to chew on. So much story possibility)

Great points! I can see myself returning to this to see what else is revealed. One thing I was left scratching my head over was the scene where...

Spoiler

Dr Temple rehearses line-by-line how he'll tell Kinderman about patient X. That was so bizzare that for a brief moment I considered the doctor might not be who he claims, or it was a deceptive cover story. In hindsight, I think he was just dealing with his own uncertain grip on reality, delivering the story in a way that allowed him to remain at a safe, rational distance from it. With everything else going on at the hospital, he was fast becoming a neurotic mess by that point.

I'm sure the book reveals exactly what's going on there, but yeah that scene was almost Lynchian.

Side note: There's a blink-and-you'll-miss-him appearance from Sam L Jackson in one sequence. He would have been almost unknown at that time, playing background characters in loads of successful films. Only four years later, he would explode into public consciousness.

I have other unanswered questions about the story, some of which may have no definitive explanations, I accept. I would add Legion to my reading backlog, but the shelf is already creaking. It still contains an unread copy of the original Exorcist!

[Sumez]

My take on Legion from a year or so ago when I watched it

Finally The Exorcist III. I wasn't too well informed about this and expected enjoyable shlock. Instead I got a grounded police procedural with a supernatural twist, a mature and patient pace, littered with brilliant bits of dialogue and captivating details. Not only written by the same guy who wrote the original Exorcist novel, but also directed by him. One of the best classic/classy horror movies I've seen, easily, carried all the way by George C. Scott as the grumpy, battle-hardened detective who just wants to see this whole thing dealt with.
Aside for a couple of returning characters, the connection to the first Exorcist movie feels a bit tacked on and unnecessary. And as a bit of research would reveal, it turns out it was something introduced via reshoots later in production, but everyone seems to agree that the original ending is boring, so ultimately it's probably for the better. I'm sure this is common knowledge to horror fans, but I'm not much of a buff, and to be honest the original Exorcist never really did much for me, even hough I respect it. This one is phenomenal however.

[RGC]

My take on Legion from a year or so ago when I watched it

Yeah I really loved the dialogue, especially between Kinderman and Dyer, and the way they gently mock each other. Also, the humour:

Spoiler

Dyer (to nurse): Go in peace my child. And may the Schwartz be with you.

And...

Over lunch, Dyer tells the university president he's seen his favourite film (It's a Wonderful Life), 37 times, and asks whether he has a favourite movie. The president answers dryly, "The Fly".

Not sure why, but I was quite tickled by this

[sumdumgoy]

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[NYN]

I am now informed that there will be a release of Spinal Tap 2 this very year and it is not a joke. And I don't know how to feel about it. After the 11 follows the 12, right? What are the hours?!

[BIL]

DIRTY BRIEFS DONE DIRT CHEAP

Oh Christ I've followed through <-- VINTAGE ROCK JOURNO HUMOUR

Hm. tbh my first reaction is not a grimace of disgusted resignation, but an oh well ok will prob suck lmao. Those are some talented dudes, and Michael McKean at least remains sharp, as of his formidable Better Call Saul turn.

And tbh, ~teh scene~ might be even riper now than it was in the early 80s. Muhfuckas be jurassic out here nowadays. Just coming in from a video on Pentagram's 71y/o singer going to jail for slapping his 87y/o mom. God gave rock n roll 2u!

IMAGINE ALL THE DEPENDS™ JOKES NYN-SAN (´ω｀)
HUMAN FRAILTY AND/OR VANITY LMAO (´・ω・)

They try the cucumber trick, but! The cucumber is obscured by his Depends™

Or maybe they will be TOUGH AND COOL like Paul Weller and Ray Davies, or best Rock Dad Knopfler-sama

STAY IN CONTROL (■｀W´■)
Girl, I want, you here with me (｀ω´メ)
But I'm really not as cool as I'd like to be (◎ω◎;)

Spoiler

So rad (*'ω' *)

I'm really just happy to learn Rob Reiner is still alive. Little things. (´・ω・`)

[Some guy]

I recently watched City Hunter: Angel Dust. It was... Ok. The tone was inconsistent the animation at times was a bit clunky, not off model but some of the action scenes were slightly incoherent because of the way they were cut or characters moved though they were well choreographed, so to speak. More of Ryo's backstory is also revealed. The ending implies there will be a sequel but who knows, I could just read the manga but there isn't an official English translation and my Japanese is nowhere near good enough to read the original.

[vol.2]

I recently watched City Hunter: Angel Dust. It was... Ok. The tone was inconsistent the animation at times was a bit clunky, not off model but some of the action scenes were slightly incoherent because of the way they were cut or characters moved though they were well choreographed, so to speak. More of Ryo's backstory is also revealed. The ending implies there will be a sequel but who knows, I could just read the manga but there isn't an official English translation and my Japanese is nowhere near good enough to read the original.

I absolutely love the original City Hunter, but that's a tall order to make a decent film out of it in 2023.

A lot of what makes City Hunter so good is the tone that it has, and that it completely tied to the 1980s and boom era Japan. As a story, it kind of lives in the 1980s and it can't leave without fundamentally changing the stuff it is made of (to me).

[RGC]

A Real Pain (2024) Dir. Jesse Eisenberg

Spoiler

Two cousins go on a “holocaust tour” through Poland in memory of their beloved grandmother, a survivor from one of the darkest periods in human history. Throughout the tour, the pair smoke weed, argue over their personality differences, make up, argue some more, and finally make up again. Much of this commotion is inflicted upon the tour group, who would rather quietly process their feelings, but who as a result become agitated, embarrassed and sympathetic, by turns. Ultimately, the party is relieved to see the pair disappear as they return to their separate lives. Of course, they feign a newfound bond with the young men, especially towards the mouthy one (Kieran Culkin), who is very up and down emotionally, to put it mildly, and needs placating the most. He has a knack for making everyone nervous with his outbursts, demanding that others experience life and express themselves the way he does. This stems from his own vulnerability (and general instability), as they seem to acknowledge when his back is turned. He's a real pain, and he's in real pain. Clever.

If you liked Culkin as Roman in the excellent show Succession, you'll probably like him here. His Benji Kaplan is a similar character; less of an overt prick, but underneath suffering similar levels of trauma and grief. He gives a really, really great performance, but sadly the overall spell of the movie didn't quite work for me and this was no fault of Culkin's. Everything felt too obviously set up by the writer and director (Eisenberg on both counts), to emotionally manipulate the audience. Of course I was moved by seeing the concentration camp - ffs, you'd have to be inhuman not to be. But I don't think you can just drop that into a film, play some piano, then claim credit for moving audiences. I didn't care enough about the characters or the lives they would return to after the tour was over. Personally, I could watch Culkin play this kind of character all day, but against a backdrop that feels a bit less clumsily crafted.

[GaijinPunch]

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Had a long haul flight and was just getting over the flu, so subtitles were out for me. I downloaded this off of Max. Didn't hear much about it, other than it was good but didn't do great at the box office. I don't think I've seen one movie with Chris Hemsworth but I'm obviously conscious of who he is... so didn't have high hopes. Anyway, this was about what you'd want from a Mad Max flick, which is entertainment. Pretty much on par w/ Fury Road in terms of stunt work and whatnot. Hemsworth's over-the-top villain was actually pretty funny and not too overpowering.. Did I need the back story? No, not really, but I guess I don't need most movies at the end of the day.

[Vexorg]

Moana 2: **1/2

Fairly average animated Disney fare for the princess crowd, but after the disasters that were Strange World and Wish (and the ongoing $270 million slow motion trainwreck that is the saga of the newly released Snow White remake) "Fairly Average" can be considered a win. This was reportedly intended to be a series for Disney+ that was later shifted to a theatrical release, and it's pretty easy to see why: The film rushes through a choppy and disjointed plot in a short 100 minutes of runtime, leaving the feeling that most of the intended story got left on the cutting room floor. That said, the animation in this film that puts it a level or two above other recent mediocre Disney animated films, and you can tell that the animators seemed to enjoy working on this. The end result should be OK for a "Watch it with the kids" movie but will probably end up lumped in with all the Michael Eisner-era "Cheapquel" dreck in the long run.

[sumdumgoy]

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