Movies you've just watched

[xxx1993]

I just got back from watching Deadpool 2. It's much, MUCH funnier than the first one.

[BryanM]

I think I might watch the 2011 version of The Thing per this thread's recommendation.

Never saw the first one, but I watched this youtube video and think I've got the gist of it.

[BIL]

Ah yes, The Thing: The Musical! I've long maintained it rules for not only being catchy AF, but also neatly outlining why 82 is the ultimate in alien terror, and why 11 is candy wrapper junk that nobody will give the time of day anymore (excepting the most soft-hearted liberal cucks ofc). And yes, it does give quite the flying visit of 82's practical FX & bushy beards winter wonderland - even Satori-kun was afraid!

1 thing I like about 11, though, is Thing dispenses with his dumb & gay tactical subterfuge/mind games to just RAWR chase bitches down hallways n just TOTALLY FUCK BITCHES UP FOUR @ A TIME WITH HIS TENTACLE WHIP \m/ >_< \m/ Also, I like it when he corner unsuspecting victim w/they back turned, and instead of silently taking them (boring), he does BADASS MONSTER TRANSFORMATION causing them 2 turn around and SCREAM 4 HELP so he can scare em AND fuck up their friends 2 (EPIC \m/ >_<)

Also, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is cute as Neo Macready (HOWEVER just watch Fargo s3 for same, plus HAWT view of her NAKED SWANGO ) And as a proud black man I did not like SIMON ADEBISI being reduced to GENERIC BLACK BUDDY (sheeeit!) - I suggest watching Oz: The Musical instead!

[EmperorIng]

If you don't have time to watch The Thing, a Carpenter-approved substitute is also The Thingu. Noot noot.

[GaijinPunch]

Been looking for some good J-movies. Will check these out. Last one I tried was recommended by a Japanese friend. It was quirky, but the cliche's (and star whom I'm not a fan of) quickly put me to sleep.

I like all of those movies, but if there's any genre in particular you're looking for I could probably recommend some better stuff (besides romance, I don't watch much of that).

I enjoy subtlety in drama... Japanese anything is not always known for it's subtlety (except for sweets that go with green tea). I think the last two movies I watched were both by koreeda (Nobody Knows, and After the Storm). Both great.

[iconoclast]

I enjoy subtlety in drama... Japanese anything is not always known for it's subtlety (except for sweets that go with green tea). I think the last two movies I watched were both by koreeda (Nobody Knows, and After the Storm). Both great.

I'm not sure I'd describe any of my favorites as subtle tbh. I've seen people say that about Spirited Away and Kikujiro, for example - I loved both, but that's not a word that would come to my mind about either of them. So maybe look in to Haru's Journey, Sweet Bean, I Just Didn't Do It, The Great Passage, Departures? Everything I've seen from Koreeda is pretty great too (After Life is my favorite, but it's a bit different; Our Little Sister and Like Father, Like Son are more normal dramas that I enjoyed). If you want older movies, it's probably worth looking in to Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse if you haven't yet.

[emphatic]

I just got back from watching Deadpool 2. It's much, MUCH funnier than the first one.

No it isn't.

Deadpool 2. 4/5

To mimic the language of Wade Wilson, this was half-cocked. The timing wasn't as sharp as in the first, most noticeable in the action scenes. But in the end, it's heart was in the right place, so I will still re-watch this with a smile on my face, just not as often and as wide as in the first.

[Steamflogger Boss]

I enjoy subtlety in drama... Japanese anything is not always known for it's subtlety (except for sweets that go with green tea). I think the last two movies I watched were both by koreeda (Nobody Knows, and After the Storm). Both great.

I'm not sure I'd describe any of my favorites as subtle tbh. I've seen people say that about Spirited Away and Kikujiro, for example - I loved both, but that's not a word that would come to my mind about either of them. So maybe look in to Haru's Journey, Sweet Bean, I Just Didn't Do It, The Great Passage, Departures? Everything I've seen from Koreeda is pretty great too (After Life is my favorite, but it's a bit different; Our Little Sister and Like Father, Like Son are more normal dramas that I enjoyed). If you want older movies, it's probably worth looking in to Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse if you haven't yet.

Kikujiro! That movie was just perfectly quirky. Had an odd very watchable quality to it.

[iconoclast]

Yeah, I usually like Kitano but I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed Kikujiro. It convinced me that he's perfect for comedic yakuza roles.

[GaijinPunch]

I'm not sure I'd describe any of my favorites as subtle tbh. I've seen people say that about Spirited Away and Kikujiro, for example - I loved both, but that's not a word that would come to my mind about either of them. So maybe look in to Haru's Journey, Sweet Bean, I Just Didn't Do It, The Great Passage, Departures? Everything I've seen from Koreeda is pretty great too (After Life is my favorite, but it's a bit different; Our Little Sister and Like Father, Like Son are more normal dramas that I enjoyed). If you want older movies, it's probably worth looking in to Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse if you haven't yet.

Cheers -- will check on these. Shamefully, I know little of Japanese cinema when one considers how long I lived there. So much shit to wade through. During those years, caught up in career and games and shit, I just didn't have the time.

[Zen]

I enjoy subtlety in drama

Have you seen Phantom Thread yet, GP? I'd love to know what you thought of it.
A run of the mill review of it, seems to be beyond me

[GaijinPunch]

I enjoy subtlety in drama

Have you seen Phantom Thread yet, GP? I'd love to know what you thought of it.
A run of the mill review of it, seems to be beyond me

I have not. I did want to get check it out in 70mm but life just saw differently. I will watch but only when I have the time to give it it deserves - which is probably when I don't have the GF around me. Not sure if you know this, but one of my other hobbies is making threads, so this is kind of up my alley. (Not sure if you read my thoughts on Inherent Vice, but I finally got around to it. Quite a delight).

2001 will be played in 70mm here at The Music Box, so me and the gal are going to see that next week I believe... even though her pregnant friend is staying with us. Might have to take her and give these youngins some culture.

[GaijinPunch]

Titanic (1997)

As my son gets into certain things, he has somehow been scouring the internet for information on Titanic. So, I figured this would be a pretty entertaining watch for him, even if he had to fight some of the boring parts. 3 hours is by far his longest film by a huge margin. He doesn't even make it through some 90 minutes films w/ o moaning. He was ready to leave Rogue One about the time the final assault started.

I won't be posting spoiler tags as the movie is 21 years old. Just assume I'll give something away.

So, where to begin. 20 years later, some things have aged amazingly well, which should be a testament to practical effects over green screen. I recall at the time people being surprised at the set, when Cameron had famously brought CGI into the public conscious with T2. Watching now, it may not look as good as the latest big budget Hollywood movie, but there's little suspension of belief that one would get from watching anything from that era or before.

Now being an older man, and I'll argue one that can appreciate things better, I can say that both leads were pretty shit: their dialogue was beyond saving, but I doubt they could have if it was. They should have hired the writers that would later write Deadwood to come up with the dialogue. Those details are what kill a period piece like this. All that being said, a lot of the smaller roles were memorable, with Billy Zane leading them. Obviously they had to spend dough on everything else, but I would have expected more. I don't think any of Cameron's other stuff is as schmaltzy.

Anywho, it's still quite a somber watch, and the fact that it will probably be the defacto method of bringing a historic tragedy to the masses, I applaud it. (As well as for not cutting the running time for the average Joe). I recall from the day, it made people want to get off of their asses and go to the theater, which is what films should do.

[lilmanjs]

Hana-Bi
Say what you want that there are scenes in other movies done better, but overall, this is his best. Score and images are in perfect fit.

[GaijinPunch]

Worth noting, Koreeda's latest, Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku) just got the Palm D'or at Cannes.

[Zen]

I have not. I did want to get check it out in 70mm but life just saw differently. I will watch but only when I have the time to give it it deserves - which is probably when I don't have the GF around me. Not sure if you know this, but one of my other hobbies is making threads, so this is kind of up my alley.

The films aesthetic merit, is without question.
Indeed, one could view it sans audio and still be moved.
My own lack of certainty with regards the story, has much to do with the suspicion that there is more subtle Meta aspects going on within it, than even the more astute reviewers have considered.

(Not sure if you read my thoughts on Inherent Vice, but I finally got around to it. Quite a delight).

Yes, I read them. Glad you enjoyed it. I shall be revisiting it myself soon enough. Every availible Rosen bridge back to the 70's, must be traversed to maintain sanity.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Re-watched Little Miss Sunshine and it:

a) took such a prompt re-watching jolly well, also

b) struck me as reminiscent of Wim Wenders works this time (couldn't put my hands on it before).

The latest absolutely commendable watching of mine - Hit & Run (2012) - was like a compact, live-action Eureka seveN (original TV show to make sure). So a chivalric romance like that is possible to tell now and then!

[Steamflogger Boss]

Arsenic and Old Lace

7.5/10

Hilarious!

The latest absolutely commendable watching of mine - Hit & Run (2012) - was like a compact, live-action Eureka seveN (original TV show to make sure). So a chivalric romance like that is possible to tell now and then!

Putting this on hold from the local library. Looks interesting.

[GaijinPunch]

(Not sure if you read my thoughts on Inherent Vice, but I finally got around to it. Quite a delight).

Yes, I read them. Glad you enjoyed it. I shall be revisiting it myself soon enough. Every availible Rosen bridge back to the 70's, must be traversed to maintain sanity.

Oh, for sure. If only I wasn't so young back then.

[Skykid]

Titanic (1997)

As my son gets into certain things, he has somehow been scouring the internet for information on Titanic. So, I figured this would be a pretty entertaining watch for him, even if he had to fight some of the boring parts. 3 hours is by far his longest film by a huge margin. He doesn't even make it through some 90 minutes films w/ o moaning. He was ready to leave Rogue One about the time the final assault started.

I won't be posting spoiler tags as the movie is 21 years old. Just assume I'll give something away.

So, where to begin. 20 years later, some things have aged amazingly well, which should be a testament to practical effects over green screen. I recall at the time people being surprised at the set, when Cameron had famously brought CGI into the public conscious with T2. Watching now, it may not look as good as the latest big budget Hollywood movie, but there's little suspension of belief that one would get from watching anything from that era or before.

Now being an older man, and I'll argue one that can appreciate things better, I can say that both leads were pretty shit: their dialogue was beyond saving, but I doubt they could have if it was. They should have hired the writers that would later write Deadwood to come up with the dialogue. Those details are what kill a period piece like this. All that being said, a lot of the smaller roles were memorable, with Billy Zane leading them. Obviously they had to spend dough on everything else, but I would have expected more. I don't think any of Cameron's other stuff is as schmaltzy.

Anywho, it's still quite a somber watch, and the fact that it will probably be the defacto method of bringing a historic tragedy to the masses, I applaud it. (As well as for not cutting the running time for the average Joe). I recall from the day, it made people want to get off of their asses and go to the theater, which is what films should do.

The movie gets ragged on far more than necessary. Generally speaking, it's a basic lesson in how to do big-budget popcorn adventure movies with no ideas above its station. I think I agree with your general assessment, but I'm not sure why you think both leads were shit - they weren't. I see piss poor actors in the Hollywood sphere every other day, and neither of Titanic's leads were miscast or poorly performed. Clunky, cliche dialogue? Yes, they have to struggle with that from time to time, definitely - although I don't consider the script to be an outright failure. There are a lot of really crappy lines in there for all the characters, but at the same time there are a lot of decent lines in there too. I'd say it lands about 50/50, but what's average certainly isn't intolerable considering the tone and market audience the film is aiming at.

I also think in this day and age where everything I see is CGI fuelled, green screened, hacked together soulless garbage, that it's aged considerably better than anyone could have imagined. There is an obvious and considerable level of craft exhibited in Titanic, and it's more a product of its director - for better or worse - than any producer system tripe.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Sunrise

My first silent movie watched, though Angel's Egg was rather close and if you consider the text bits here as dialogue, Angel's Egg actually has less. But anyway, it was quite good. Great visual work for the time, tells a basic story but with great acting and artistry

[Zen]

A Quiet Place (2018) - John Krasinski

IMDb - 8.0
Metacsore - Critic Reviews -82
Rotten Tomatoes - Critic Scores - 95%

This is a post apocalyptic horror, in the vein of the vastly superior It Comes at Night (2017) - Trey Edward Shults.
I leave this "review" here, as a "warning". The reviews above are are a scam. The film, an infuriating trope-fest.

The major insult to any sane viewer, male or female, must be the unfolding fate of the only adult male in the story.
Savvy, compassionate and enterprising, this noble fool is committed to the protection of the brood. Within minutes, female "feels" gets one of his sons eviscerated.
Believe me, when I say that this is only the beginning of his suffering.

The ending . . . having destroyed their only means of survival, the "fierce females", give a (literal) pump-shotgun reload, final frame moment, that will leave you in despair.

Leading man - John Krasinski, does a remarkable Shia LaBeouf impersonation but nonetheless, is quite effective here.
Emily Blunt - is competent.

From the above, one should be easily able to decipher the critic scores.
This shit is getting ridiculous.

[GaijinPunch]

I think I agree with your general assessment, but I'm not sure why you think both leads were shit - they weren't. I see piss poor actors in the Hollywood sphere every other day, and neither of Titanic's leads were miscast or poorly performed.

I will say at best, poorly directed. Leo had done better before, (even though I saw little), and most definitely has after. I'm sure he improved a lot over the years, but watching this, there was little if any subtlety. Again, dialogue was hokey so that doesn't help. I guess I'm being overly harsh on Kate Winslet... there were just parts where it all just felt out of place, and that I shouldn't care b/c they were on a set the actual size of the titanic.

There are a lot of really crappy lines in there for all the characters, but at the same time there are a lot of decent lines in there too. I'd say it lands about 50/50, but what's average certainly isn't intolerable considering the tone and market audience the film is aiming at.

Yeah, it wasn't total garbage, but the places that suck... Sheeesh... like when he interrupted her from freeing him from hand cuffs in freezing water as the ship sinks to ask when she realized he didn't steal the largest diamond in the world.

I also think in this day and age where everything I see is CGI fuelled, green screened, hacked together soulless garbage, that it's aged considerably better than anyone could have imagined. There is an obvious and considerable level of craft exhibited in Titanic, and it's more a product of its director - for better or worse - than any producer system tripe.

I think at the time it was an even ballsier move than now. It's now on record that film aficionados are sick of green screen. Back then it was all the latest rage.

[GaijinPunch]

Leading man - John Krasinski, does a remarkable Shia LaBeouf impersonation but nonetheless, is quite effective here.
Emily Blunt - is competent.

From the above, one should be easily able to decipher the critic scores.
This shit is getting ridiculous.

So you'll argue the performances weren't that bad, but the idea/execution in general just sucks balls? My gf wanted to go see this... at least looked better than all the other shit that blends together.

Worth noting: Kransinski is playing Jack Ryan in the upcoming Amazon TV show.

[Zen]

So you'll argue the performances weren't that bad, but the idea/execution in general just sucks balls? My gf wanted to go see this... at least looked better than all the other shit that blends together.

Performances were fine. Overall production is high.
(Millicent Simmonds - the deaf girl, who plays "a deaf girl", is battling Sally Hawkins for an annoyance award, though)
The writing? Well, if your a mellow dude, you might just laugh it off. If not, there is a probability of going full Hulk.


Re. John Krasinski. This is my first time seeing him.
Was distracted by the following;
Face is a 50/50 composite of Shia LaBeouf and Steve Carell



In this film; "the full LaBeouf"

[Mortificator]

I watched the original and remade Night of the Living Dead on consecutive nights. I've seen both before, and the 1990 version was my first zombie movie, but I don't like it as much as the original now. Performances are too gonzo.

It's a little strange seeing the dead be afraid of fire and pick up rocks to smash an unoccupied car, aspects not carried over to most subsequent zombie fiction.

[GaijinPunch]

Re. John Krasinski. This is my first time seeing him.
Was distracted by the following;
Face is a 50/50 composite of Shia LaBeouf and Steve Carell

Ironic, since he made his career on The Office, opposite Steve Carell. Guess he rubbed off on him!

[GaijinPunch]

Our Little Sister / Umimachi Diary (Koreeda)

Couldn't get into this. Runs a bit over 2 hours... and the main characters seem to have little challenges throughout the film. Performances came off as somewhat cliche... felt like I was watching a made for TV movie at times, even. Both of the other two films of his I've seen (Nobody Knows / After the Storm) are leaps and bounds better.

[Zen]

The Night of the Iguana (1964) - John Huston

Oh, man, that was great!
I don't seem to remember seeing it before. On a bit of a John Huston binge at the moment, so this was on the list.

Burton - The sheer presence of this magnificent bastard!
Kerr - Sublime.
Grayson Hall - despite her crazy character, shows quality talent.
(many of the incidental players, were excellent)

Then there is Ava Gardner. Absolutely fucking dreadful!
Thing about Ava, she photographs magnificently. Incredible looking woman (in her youth) but none of it ever translates on screen. All her sex, disappears.
In action, she is about as feminine as a pair of balls. Her "acting" here, is worthy of a part in an Ed Wood film.

To end on a positive note, though; BURTON.

[emphatic]

Game Night. 3/5

Suffers slightly from "element of surprise-itis", so probably won't entertain as much on repeat viewings, but it was darkly funny and the cast was good. Nice Cliff Martinez soundtrack too.