Donatella Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) I took myself on a weekday date yesterday and caught The Revenant. I don't usually enjoy these types of films at all, but I'm convinced Alejandro Iñárritu (dir) is some sort of movie-making wizard. I adored Birdman because of its small scope- how it appeared to be one long take, in one location. Revenant couldn't be more different and yet both films are just... spectacular. Revenant felt really immersive. Probably helped that the theater was FREEZING so I really felt like I was alongside Leo as he crawled through the snow. I read an article before going that called this movie "pain porn" and went as far as to compare it to videos released by Isis. Yes, it's pretty violent from the start, often startlingly so, but I didn't think it was gratuitous for the subject matter. That bear scene was something else, but probably not even the most violent thing in the film, surprisingly. Leo's performance is pretty amazing, but I felt Tom Hardy blew him out of the water. Thankfully they're nominated in different categories for the Oscar or I'd be on Team Hardy all the way. Also, I MUST have an Iñárritufest soon where I watch Babel and Biutiful. I loved Amores Perros and feel like he's quickly becoming one of my favorite directors! Edited January 28, 2016 by Donatella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da Cap'n 2099 Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Yeah, The Revenant was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da Cap'n 2099 Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 The Martian. Great, entertaining film. Comedic elements. Not a comedy, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donatella Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Great, entertaining film. Comedic elements. Not a comedy, though. Loved The Martian but agree completely. I was bummed that it was nominated for the Globe in that category. Comedies that never have a shot at a big award get gypped when lesser dramas are nominated as comedies...In this case, Trainwreck should've taken it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Trainwreck should've taken it! Out of those films nominated, yup. I love the irony of how the GG created the comedy category because they're always ignored at the Oscars, then proceed to almost never give the award to an actual comedy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Kung Fu Panda 3, which I enjoyed quite a bit. But I think they really dropped the ball on the story and could have made it a lot deeper and gone into some interesting territory. Had a discussion with Katherine about how I would have liked to see Po turn one of the villains from evil. In the first movie I think it was fine that he didn't. Tai Lung was a cool ass character, but it would have been intereting to see more character development regarding his insecurities about not being the dragon warrior. Still I think there was enough there for the first movie and that's acceptable. In the second movie, Lord Shen was probably the strongest villain. He was perfect as this guy obsessed with changing fate and kind of going insane over it, making him irredeemable when he decides to commit genocide. That was a darker turn for the franchise that I really liked. Not quite the badass the snow leopard was, but unexpected in that way. Now in this 3rd movie the whole theme of "being yourself" and "being true to who you are" doesn't change at all, and that would be fine if they had the balls to expand on it. We get a little bit on the main villain, a Yak named Kai. He fought alongside Uguay and saved his life by taking him to a village full of pandas that magically saved his life. Kai decides that out of the blue he wants the magic for himself and turns on Uguay. There isn't any real motivation behind this which is a shame, and it didn't really seem like he was super villainous in the way the last two baddies were. The door was open for a great redemption story and even some good commentary on bullying. It seems like the writers decided to take the easiest route though and keep it pretty tame. It made me reflect on the Lion King and how when I was a kid I loved it for the comedy and music. As I got older though I was able to pick up on the dark tones and deeper story. It let me appreciate more as an adult. Or maybe I'm overthinking it. Either way it was still fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donatella Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I took my mom to see Hail, Caesar! on Friday and, being a big Coen brothers fan, I was really hyped for it. Alas, I found it pretty disappointing... I felt like there was about 30 minutes worth of story, and a handful of really hilarious scenes. But it was strung together with superfluous story lines and far too many jokes that fell flat. Entire characters could've (and probably should've) been eliminated. Channing Tatum needs to stick to comedies like this. He's really got the chops for it (and his dance skills felt very old Hollywood). He was, by far, the best thing about the movie (and in a film that also stars George Clooney, Josh Brolin and Tilda Swinton, that's somewhat disturbing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 BRB, going to join the navy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nemo McFly Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 I wanted to see this, I love old Hollywood stuff. Trailer looked great, I liked it's style and premise. Wasn't planning on going to the theater n' seeing it - but, I'll still Redbox it n' see what's what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 ...I took my mom to see Hail, Caesar! on Friday and, being a big Coen brothers fan, I was really hyped for it. Alas, I found it pretty disappointing... I felt like there was about 30 minutes worth of story, and a handful of really hilarious scenes. But it was strung together with superfluous story lines and far too many jokes that fell flat.. I had high hopes for this film based on the cast and trailer, but I too found it to be lacking in story. It's got that classic Coen Bros. mix of slapstick/over the top comedy with such dry, deadpan moments--I legit LOL'd easily a half dozen times. It was basically a love letter to 1950s Hollywood and an excuse for the Coen's to shoot scenes from all their favorite genres of the time. I think if the Brolin/Mannix storyline had been a bit stronger then the film would've gelled better as a whole. It's definitely worth seeing at home, and a few of their scenes were really great on the big screen so I don't feel like I got cheated out of my money by seeing it in the theater. Bottom line, I found Hail, Caesar, a good Coen comedy but not their best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Saw Trumbo last. It was truly exceptional, telling a story I knew little about. Cranston played a blinder as is to be expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donatella Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 It was basically a love letter to 1950s Hollywood and an excuse for the Coen's to shoot scenes from all their favorite genres of the time. The Coen brothers have had the most amazing career! It seems like all their films are love letters to different genres. They've gotten to experiment and have fun and it works more often than not. This movie isn't a standout for them but it's also not terrible. I wanted to see this, I love old Hollywood stuff. Trailer looked great, I liked it's style and premise. Wasn't planning on going to the theater n' seeing it - but, I'll still Redbox it n' see what's what. It could definitely be a fun rental! I might even watch it again just for the handful of scenes that had me dying of laughter. But it'll be nice to fast forward through some of the other bits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donatella Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 (edited) In an effort to watch as many Best Pic nominees as I can before the Oscars (they're my Super Bowl!), I finally caught Room yesterday. The movie is nominated, as is Brie Larson for her role as a mom who had a child while being held captive in a shed for seven years. This is one of those movies that is really, really good but just brutal to watch. I haven't cried that much (or that hard!) at the movies in a long time! Brie was phenomenal, and I'll be disappointed if she doesn't get the win here, but even more impressive was the kid, Jacob Tremblay. I'm actually surprised he didn't receive a nomination for this role! It's some of the best child acting I've ever seen. Just absolutely heartbreaking. This kid had me bawling with just a subtle change in expression. Such a powerful performance! So, yeah...not a fun film by any means but very impressive and definitely worth a watch! Edited February 10, 2016 by Donatella 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I'd give that film all the oscars if I could. Its fucking unreal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nemo McFly Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 I Redboxed Fantastic Four last night. LOL - I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. It was interesting and engaging all the way through - then it got to the final act. Then the feeling of 'this has potential' was overwhelmed with 'huh?' Straight up, an hour in - I was like, 'So far, this is pretty good.' 'Look at me, Reed. I am not your friend.' If I had to pick a moment where it stopped being...interesting - it'd be when Doom ran back to Planet Zero and started turning Earth into a Black Hole. The whole thing just went full-on Cartoon Mode. It was confusing - I had to rewind to understand that after Doom was pushed into the portal, destroying the rock pillars made the destructive part(?) of the portal fall down - destroying Doom and closing the portal, which the FF escaped into at the last moment. Too many leaps in logic in such a short amount of time - how'd he know...well, how...?! Doom's design was alien and dorky (how'd he get a cloak?), no banter between Torch n' Ben and the ending felt rushed n' forced. Everything else felt fine. Cool, unique spin on their origin story - felt like it was setting something special up, then a forced ending happened. Huh? Overall - a'ight, dunno if I'd buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Interesting, that seems to be the exact opposite of what other people thought. That the end was actually the best part and the first two acts dragged on too much. I'll download it at some point and probably just skim through it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nemo McFly Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 I watched 'Crystal Lake Memories' last night. 6 hour documentary on the Friday the 13th franchise. Got it on blu for my Birfday - yeah-yuuuh! As good and all-encompassing as the massive Elm Street doc 'Never Sleep Again'. My only gripe was that it didn't touch the Evil Dead references in Jason Goes To Hell. It gets into the Ash vs Freddy vs Jason stuff in the F v J chapter, but I really wanted to hear about the cross-over in JGTH. Aside from that one nitpick, it really does cover everything (even the reboot) and feels definitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 (edited) It wasn't strictly a crossover. They used the necronomicon prop from Army of Darkness without Sam Raimi's blessing and he was kinda pissed about it. Edited February 21, 2016 by Iambaytor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nemo McFly Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Ah - that would explain the no-mention. I had no idea - that movie ended w/ Freddy's glove poppin' out...I remember back then, freakin' about the idea of a F v J v A crossover. I would've liked to have heard something about the Necro cameo: Was it a nod or just a gag? LOL - in all these years, can't believe I've never stumbled upon that bit of movie trivia...or even googled it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Just got back from The Witch. It's a slow burn, but man is it effective. Creepy and atmospheric as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 (edited) Just got back from Zootopia and it was really, really good. Very funny and feel good. Had a lot of great subtext to it. I was expecting something really generic, just another talking animal movie... but when you start watching it, you start to realize nobody has really done this before. Sure we've had a tone of talking animal movies, but nothing that does it this well. Has alot of great nods to older Disney movies and some good "adult" jokes. And it just made me happy. I feel like it was released at the right time, with so much bitterness going about, this movie needed to happen. P.S. admins, y'all should pin this and the New Trailers thread. Edited March 6, 2016 by Axels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Saw the new Jungle Book. I really enjoyed it. It was very pretty and had some great effects. A little stilted/disjointed in some places, but it had some great moments in the movie. It was a pretty damn good remake, and it made me want to see a Lion King movie done just like this. There's a cool easter egg just before introducing Walken as King Louie I got a kick out of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da Cap'n 2099 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 The Boy. Good stuff. Slow going until the end, but decent. Was happy with the twist. Usually, stories don't go that way, but it was well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Nice Guys I just saw this tonight and it was a little lighter on laughs than I'd hoped and it was not edited as tightly as it should've been, but overall I found it a very enjoyable film. There is a third lead in this film, Angourie Rice who plays Gosling's daughter, and she stole the show. I hate to compare her to Portman in Leon b/c these two films are not alike, but the characters share some minor similarities. The actress though plays a wide range of emotions and plays them well. Just got back from The Witch. It's a slow burn, but man is it effective. Creepy and atmospheric as hell. Saw this last night and I completely agree. Very, very good suspense film. That ending! Not sure who this writer/director is, but he did a damn fine job. Very minimalist approach yet all the characters felt well rounded and sympathetic. Well, not all of them were sympathetic. That baby mutilating witch and her coven just straight up got away with it all! I was hoping for the girl to have a "hero" moment at the end, but what happened was much more believable technically. I reallywanted to see that with burn. Maybe a sequel. It's inevitable with successful horror films, and even unsuccessful ones. That poor lil' boy though. Oh God that apple being coughed up! And those weird ass twins. Damn this was a good movie! Edited June 8, 2016 by Mr. Hakujin thpoilerth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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