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Post by Eva Yojimbo on Mar 2, 2018 2:55:48 GMT
Hateful 8 - I hated everyone except for a few that were murdered before I got to know them. I could not get past how despicable every single one of them was. I loved Hateful 8 and generally I like films like this. Bad guys are usually far more interesting than good guys. A whole film of bad guys? Even better. Tarantino basically finally made a film imitating Sergio Leone. He's always worshiped the guy, but never went full Leone until Hateful 8. |
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Mar 2, 2018 3:32:13 GMT
Hateful 8 - I hated everyone except for a few that were murdered before I got to know them. I could not get past how despicable every single one of them was. I loved Hateful 8 and generally I like films like this. Bad guys are usually far more interesting than good guys. A whole film of bad guys? Even better. Tarantino basically finally made a film imitating Sergio Leone. He's always worshiped the guy, but never went full Leone until Hateful 8. I love a good bad guy film, but I don't think they are particularly interesting unless they either have an enemy or the movie makes us forget they are the bad guy. |
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Mar 2, 2018 3:43:37 GMT
This is one QT film that has grown on me more with each rewatch. I’ve seen it about 3 times and the first time I was mildly disappointed but with each rewatch I like it more and more. I still think the film would’ve been far better off being told start to finish rather than this weird mystery angle with a flashback sequence. The revelation on who the ‘bad guys’ were was pretty flat and even the motivation for the Hangman to think there was someone from her gang among the people there had to weight to it until the poisoning. There was no trigger scene to set off the notion than anybody was lying to him, he just assumed it based on nothing and that always bugs me about it. But I liked Samuel L Jackson’s character...and Walton goggins. Yeah, I actually don't think any scene that took us from the present was necessary. The scene where Millie and company are killed wasn;t necessary. The chair was sufficient. They would have to explain the old man, but that would add to the mystery and explainable by the already extensive dialogue. I also didn't care for the scene of the old man's son. I would have preferred him simmering as Jackson told the story. That way the audience could decide whether the story was ludicrous or true. I would have preferred it to be a straight story where those scenes are explained but it wouldn't have been bloody or shocking enough so I get why they are there. |
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Post by Marv on Mar 2, 2018 3:52:03 GMT
This is one QT film that has grown on me more with each rewatch. I’ve seen it about 3 times and the first time I was mildly disappointed but with each rewatch I like it more and more. I still think the film would’ve been far better off being told start to finish rather than this weird mystery angle with a flashback sequence. The revelation on who the ‘bad guys’ were was pretty flat and even the motivation for the Hangman to think there was someone from her gang among the people there had to weight to it until the poisoning. There was no trigger scene to set off the notion than anybody was lying to him, he just assumed it based on nothing and that always bugs me about it. But I liked Samuel L Jackson’s character...and Walton goggins. Yeah, I actually don't think any scene that took us from the present was necessary. The scene where Millie and company are killed wasn;t necessary. The chair was sufficient. They would have to explain the old man, but that would add to the mystery and explainable by the already extensive dialogue. I also didn't care for the scene of the old man's son. I would have preferred him simmering as Jackson told the story. That way the audience could decide whether the story was ludicrous or true. I would have preferred it to be a straight story where those scenes are explained but it wouldn't have been bloody or shocking enough so I get why they are there. I can agree with that. Sometimes it’s more effective not to show something than it is to show it. I still think it’s a toss up whether the events of Samuels story we’re all true, I do think he killed the Generals son but whether or not the ‘sucked his dingus’ stuff was true or thrown in to get the General riled up more was a toss up imo. Still tho...didn’t need the visual to make it effective. I just never thought the mystery aspect of the film was all that great and it’s kind of distracting in the first half. So if the film was shown in order starting with the massacre at Minnie’s, then we’d all be waiting for the Hangman or Major to figure it all out. I think that’d be more enjoyable the first time through. Like I said The movie grew on me with every rewatch and I think the half assed mystery is the reason why I didn’t like it initially as much. Once I know the secrets I can appreciate a lot of the nuance the characters go through. Like Joe Gage sitting at the table with the gun under it once he disarmed by Hangman. You don’t think anything of that, until you know there’s a gun there. |
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Mar 2, 2018 3:57:03 GMT
Yeah, I actually don't think any scene that took us from the present was necessary. The scene where Millie and company are killed wasn;t necessary. The chair was sufficient. They would have to explain the old man, but that would add to the mystery and explainable by the already extensive dialogue. I also didn't care for the scene of the old man's son. I would have preferred him simmering as Jackson told the story. That way the audience could decide whether the story was ludicrous or true. I would have preferred it to be a straight story where those scenes are explained but it wouldn't have been bloody or shocking enough so I get why they are there. I can agree with that. Sometimes it’s more effective not to show something than it is to show it. I still think it’s a toss up whether the events of Samuels story we’re all true, I do think he killed the Generals son but whether or not the ‘sucked his dingus’ stuff was true or thrown in to get the General riled up more was a toss up imo. Still tho...didn’t need the visual to make it effective. I just never thought the mystery aspect of the film was all that great and it’s kind of distracting in the first half. So if the film was shown in order starting with the massacre at Minnie’s, then we’d all be waiting for the Hangman or Major to figure it all out. I think that’d be more enjoyable the first time through. Like I said The movie grew on me with every rewatch and I think the half assed mystery is the reason why I didn’t like it initially as much. Once I know the secrets I can appreciate a lot of the nuance the characters go through. Like Joe Gage sitting at the table with the gun under it once he disarmed by Hangman. You don’t think anything of that, until you know there’s a gun there. Actually, having Minnie in the front would work pretty good. |
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Mar 3, 2018 13:54:29 GMT
Mozart in the Jungle - I wish people knew about this show.
I love it. It's probably one of my favorite dramadies of all time. Everything from the opening to the dialogue to the music selection at closing is great.
The music is fantastic and while a lot of the story is something akin to workplace comedy, it is made interesting specifically for the dyunamic of it happening an an orchestra. The show, while technically an ensemble, is really all about the conductor and Hailey the oboe player.
So yes there are shows involving whether the orchestra can survive and love tensions between Rodrigo & hailey, and the normal stuff, but then they wrap the music around these things and make Rodrigo borderline insane.
& Rodrigo is truly an orginal character part-genius, part-guru, part crazy person and I have no idea who wroites his dialogue or if Gael is making it up as he goes along. He is so completely different in dialogue from the other characters that I don;t believe the same writer for them is writing his stuff.
Each season is basically it's own story and I just finished the 4th season which may be it's final one - I couldn't tell.
Each season is marked by about 2 epoisodes of set up, a trip somewhere exotic or different, & some famous muscioans dropping in and playing some great music.
Last season was largely about an opera in Venice based on Joey Buttofuco and it's actually spectacular.
Anyway, Mozart is a must-watch that no one is watching. It deserves far more buzz than it gets.
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Post by Eva Yojimbo on Mar 4, 2018 2:04:14 GMT
^ I know about that show because every time I search "Mozart" on Amazon (for the composer's music) that show comes up. Never seen it though.
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Mar 18, 2018 12:28:41 GMT
The Crown - Just finished both seasons.
It's pretty awesome actually.
It is way more concerned about history and bureaucracy than I thought it would be which makes it far more interesting than I thought it would be.
It's budget looks on par with something like Game of Thrones, which is funny because a few of the actors on that show play roles here.
My only issue is the coyness they play with Phillip and how much of a jerk he truly is. He almost changes from Jekyll to Hyde in the same episodes and especially the season 2 finale.
I was happy to see it survived the passing of the king who was so great in the first 2 episodes.
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Mar 18, 2018 12:56:43 GMT
Jerrod Carmichael Show - This popped up as a recommendation on Hulu and since each episode is about 20 minutes, I gave it a shot.
How to explain this show...It's a pretty horrible sitcom that is also a near perfect vehicle to discuss current issues.
As a sitcom it is on par with 2 Broke Girls, but I get the impression that it knows it. It spends the bulk of its time discussing a topic and because the parents are evangelical and his girlfriend is atheist and his brother is stupid, it leads to the best conversations on polarizing topics since Good Wife.
It can get preachy and while everyone gets a fair amount of time to explain their view, the truth is we are supposed to eventually side with Jerrod and the girlfriends even though they will also have different views. They are basically moderate or liberal.
It's a good show to figure out things that matter to minorities which, funny enough, are surprisingly similar to most normal people.
It's cancelled now, but it's recent enough that the topics are still pertinent to the day.
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Moviefan
Sophomore
@allaby
Posts: 565
Likes: 284
 
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Post by Moviefan on Mar 19, 2018 2:52:12 GMT
I saw Love, Simon today. It was really enjoyable. I found it funny, well written, and full of heart. I would rate Love, Simon an 8/10 and recommend it. I also watched Call Me By Your Name on blu ray. Although it was beautifully filmed and had good performances, I found it really slow. I would rate Call Me By Your Name a 7/0,. but I don't think it deserved to be nominated for best picture.
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Post by Marv on Mar 19, 2018 2:56:52 GMT
Battle Royale...probably like my dozenth rewatch of the film. I love it. The version I watch had extended scenes that I hadn’t actually seen before, even tho I was aware of them.
I’m kind of mulling through Friends...but I’m partially through season 3 and I’m already kind of burnt out and not really interested in these peoples lives anymore. The jokes aren’t consistently good enough to keep me hooked. Turns out Rachel’s nipples were kind of a big thing.
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Post by FilmFlaneur on Mar 20, 2018 11:54:01 GMT
Mom and Dad
Manic fun with Nic Cage and Selma Blair, and quite educational, in that I learned stuff EG:
1. Parents do not really love their children
2. Power tools are not as good as keys in opening doors.
3. A man cave does not necessarily need a pool table.
4. If any one is likely to be mad, it is Nic Cage.
5. Bodies in bins inevitably attract flies.
6. A key makes for an effective stabbing weapon.
7. Hours of a gas build up will only blow a door out when ignited.
8. A small rubber hammer is the offensive tool of choice for a mother.
9. Never trust your grandparents to do the right thing.
10. It is hard to kill a newborn when there are others present, especially with a scalpel.
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Apr 8, 2018 14:04:14 GMT
Black Panther - I actually watched this a while ago but I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it.
The primary impact is a cultural one. I gotta admit that as a black dude, it is always impressive when a movie has the nerve to show a mostly black cast in mostly positive roles. I imagine it was the same feelings that were expressed regarding Wonder Woman.
White privilege or not, there's a lot of movies with a lot of white people in them and it's different to see something counter to that.
With that out of the way, I do not believe that Black Panther was a pretty typical Marvel movie
There's a lot of stuff I like T'Challa and his family are very good and they all work so well together I buy that they are a family as well as a crime fighting team.
Killmonger is amazing. Michael B Jordan knocks it out of the park and it's almost like he's from a different movie. He's not in it enough though.
I will also say that he is NOT sympathetic. He is definitely a bad guy and his plan is completely evil.
I loves the Korea scenes.
The rest of the story was pretty rote.
It had similar beats of any other Marvel movie and the ending, of course, had a big battle of nameless hordes.
It also felt like the lowest budget Marvel movie in a long time. The effects were nothing special and the switch from real to CGI was distractingly noticeable - Like the first Spiderman
As an aside, but seriously, how is it possible that Spiderman 2 does this better than movies that are out over a decade later with bigger budgets and improved tech?
The biggest problem I had with the movie was the ending. It wasn't just Marvel bad in that it was repetitive of a clear formula. I thought it was Man of Steel bad in its implausibility except it managed to add making black culture look bad too.
I think it destroyed all of the goodwill and world building of the movie. It showed a lack of loyalty between groups that cooperated and thrived for centuries on the basis of killing people who literally did nothing to them.
It was straight up bizarre and unnecessary.
It would have made more sense for Killmonger to pull a Scar and bring in an army of guys who thought like him and seize the tech. It would have been a better version of the Thor Ragnarok plot.
That said, it's hard not to be impressed by the social significance of the movie. Mu kids rank this as one of their favorite movies EVER and I assume it is largely because of the faces they saw on the screen doing things that their other favorite movies have done. However, they didn't like the ending as well.
So A+ for achievement, but it may have been asking too much for it to actually be a perfect movie too.
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Post by Marv on Apr 10, 2018 8:30:59 GMT
Thor Ragnarok...very enjoyable. It’s got holes and glosses over a lot but it’s a Marvel movie so I know what I’m getting.
Paradox...not good but figured I’d mention it anyway. Terrible acting, bad sfx...but it’s a time travel movie so those can be fun somtimes. It had Zoe Bell in it...she’s a common Quentin Tarantino gal. But not really much else.
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Post by FilmFlaneur on Apr 10, 2018 9:22:20 GMT
The Hurricane Heist Take one Federal Reserve facility, with millions of used notes at risk, two at-odds brothers, a feisty security agent, tidal waves and storm winds and you have a mash-up of the disaster and caper movies genre which works so well one wonders why it hasn't been thought of before. Even B-grade acting and dodgy CGI don't detract from the entertainment value in a film which would have served Bruce Willis better than some of the bigger-budgeted turkeys he has chosen of late. Preposterous and fun, this box office bomb is a guilty pleasure by the director of Fast and Furious
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Apr 10, 2018 13:18:49 GMT
Ready Player One - I gotta say, I love this movie.
It is flawed by virtue of the need to streamline the story, but I think it improves on the book overall.
It's probably the most fun at a movie I'll have this year as Infinity Wars seems like a downer. I'm glad it is having a measure of success but it is odd that they sandwiched this between a bunch of high buzz movies when it seems like a perfect summer movie and it would have had more time to develop buzz and marketing.
Anyway, the effects, which look muddled and washed out in the trailers, look truly phenomenal in the film.
I think Spielberg knows special effects better than anyone and his movies look beautiful. It's Avataresque or more correctly Tin Tin-esque which this movie is very similar to...including my disinterest in the main character. I think his clan is very interesting though and it would have been a little bit more interesting if Art3mis was the lead altogether.
I think there are too many coincidences bordering on deus ex machina to be believed such as all the best players in the world apparently live in Columbus among others.
One final gripe is the real world aspects are rushed. The film is long but it doesn't feel that way so it would have been worthwhile to add maybe just 5-10 minutes to flesh out the real world a bit more. Just a few small touches would have made a world of difference.
Anyway, this makes me tired of Spielberg doing dramas and i hope he gets back to work on a bunch of adventure in his old age.
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Moviefan
Sophomore
@allaby
Posts: 565
Likes: 284
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Post by Moviefan on Apr 11, 2018 1:02:32 GMT
Movies I've seen recently:
Ready Player One- I thought it was a well crafted, ambitious multi layered film with a lot to admire. It felt retro but also futuristic and timely too. I liked that it celebrated imagination and pop culture, but also encouraged human connections and not neglecting the real world. It was a fun movie with something worthwhile to say. I do think it was a little overlong though and not all sequences worked as well as they could have. 8/10
Blockers- It was outrageously hilarious and wildly entertaining. The film is the directorial debut of Kay Cannon, who wrote the Pitch Perfect movies and was a producer on 30 Rock. Blockers is about three parents (Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz) who are determined to stop their teenaged daughters (Kathryn Newton, Gideon Aldon, Geraldine Viswanathan) from having sex for the first time on prom night. It is consistently funny and the screenplay is well written. The entire cast is great and everyone seems to be having fun with the material. 8/10
A Quiet Place- The film is directed by John Krasinski and he stars in it, along with his real life wife, Emily Blunt. The film is about a family who have to try to remain silent in order to survive the dangerous creatures that lurk nearby. A Quit Place is an intense, suspenseful film, highlighted by beautiful cinematography and believable, effective performances. One of the better horror films of the past few years, I rate A Quiet Place 9/10.
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Post by Marv on Apr 11, 2018 2:23:13 GMT
I’m very curious about A Quiet Place. I may try to go see it this weekend.
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Post by Morgana on Apr 11, 2018 18:09:41 GMT
Edge of Tomorrow - TNT is doing some kind of marathon and I love this film. I just watch it over and over again. Better than Groundhog Day. Tom Cruise has been in some of my favorite sci-fi films. Kindred - Just finished this book on my flight to Denver. It's technically a sci-fi book from Octavia Butler but it's really a story about slavery. I generally dislike slave stories. They tend to be too clean cut regarding who the bad guys are and who the good guys are and there's little ambiguity. This book is rilling in ambiguity and not in the way that people are conflicted with what slavery is. The slave masters are just doing their job and the slaves, while still clearly hating, don;t know a way out of it. They arenlt in search of freedom since the punishment is so severe if they try to escape. Anyway, it's very good and is not a particularly deep read. No one will feel white guilt or black anger reading it. The story is told matter of factly although the main characters, Dana and her white husband Kevin, go through the ringer. Highly recommend it to all. I loved Edge of Tomorrow, and I'm glad they are making a sequel to it. Hope it comes along soon. Wasn't there some question as to whether Emily Blunt would be in the sequel though? I hope she is. |
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Post by Morgana on Apr 11, 2018 18:10:55 GMT
Agree about the surprise factor of GotG2. Where the first film caught us off guard with the characters this one did not...and it suffered slightly because of it. Still very enjoyable tho. I agree completely. It kind of felt like something was missing - and that was it - the surprise. |
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