Vandelay
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Post by Vandelay on Jul 12, 2024 23:11:12 GMT
Also saw Maxxxine today. Surprised by some of the negativity I've seen towards it, including the above. I don't think it is as good as the Pearl, which I thought was excellent, but definitely fits in well with the other two films. Most of the complaints seem to be towards the ending, but personally thought that is thematically very, very consistent with what has gone before as quite an overt undercurrent, right from the opening scene of X. I wasn't sure about the epilogue initially, but after more consideration think the ambiguity works well. I would say though that the initial imaginary sequence wasn't necessary and distracts from the actual epilogue The rest of the film has plenty to like, with strong influences from 80s horror/noir cinema, mostly Argento (I did wonder if West was the man in the gloves for some sequences). Less 80s, but also has strong vibes of Lynch's LA trilogy, mostly thematically and its depiction of seedy Tinseltown (although the direction and music of the Show World sequence feels like it is right out of a Lynch film). Mia Goth is great, as always, as is Kevin Bacon. Giancarlo Esposito is also really good, getting to play a character that isn't Gus Fring for once. Really enjoyed all of the X trilogy and thought it ended well. Do hope that Ti West goes on to do something new though.
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Jul 13, 2024 10:29:14 GMT
VandelayI do think the negativity has been amplified by how good the first two were. Expectation for MaXXXine was high and I don't think it has met that. It is worth watching though. That said, some more spoilery issues I had with it: - I really hated how the two detectives were basically killed off camera. Very weird when Michelle Monaghan's character emerged from the bushes with a knife in her eye and then ran off again and presumably died. Very odd. Similar for the other cop with the gunshot wound. - The shootout with the cultists was very underwhelming and weirdly edited. The cultists had worse aims than Stormtroopers and just stood still and got shot. Maxine and the cops seemed to escape remarkably easy by jumping behind a brick wall. It was all just meh. - I found the reveal of the Night Stalker somewhat predictable, but more just underwhelming. Kevin Bacon was a much better villain and he was just a henchman, bitter after getting his face smashed in by Maxine. In fact, in their first meeting in the hotel he said he didn't care about what happened to Maxine. He was just there for the paycheck. And then he ended up chasing her across filmsets and through nightclubs and all sorts. Found it a bit odd. - Related to this, I don't think the Night Stalker ever felt like a real threat to Maxine. Why didn't the Night Stalker just kidnap Maxine? Although I guess he needed Maxine to trigger the protesters. I think the film would've just generally benefited from the Night Stalker actually stalking Maxine more. As good as Kevin Bacon was, his entire character could've easily been jettisoned for more Night Stalker tbh. - I liked Elizabeth Debicki's character, but given how much screentime she actually had, her plotline really fizzled out. I was expecting some showdown on the movieset which would've been really cool, but instead we got the underwhelming chase sequence up to the Bates Hotel set. I could go on, but tbh I'm boring myself now with picking holes
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Vandelay
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Post by Vandelay on Jul 13, 2024 12:55:29 GMT
VandelayI do think the negativity has been amplified by how good the first two were. Expectation for MaXXXine was high and I don't think it has met that. It is worth watching though. That said, some more spoilery issues I had with it: - I really hated how the two detectives were basically killed off camera. Very weird when Michelle Monaghan's character emerged from the bushes with a knife in her eye and then ran off again and presumably died. Very odd. Similar for the other cop with the gunshot wound. - The shootout with the cultists was very underwhelming and weirdly edited. The cultists had worse aims than Stormtroopers and just stood still and got shot. Maxine and the cops seemed to escape remarkably easy by jumping behind a brick wall. It was all just meh. - I found the reveal of the Night Stalker somewhat predictable, but more just underwhelming. Kevin Bacon was a much better villain and he was just a henchman, bitter after getting his face smashed in by Maxine. In fact, in their first meeting in the hotel he said he didn't care about what happened to Maxine. He was just there for the paycheck. And then he ended up chasing her across filmsets and through nightclubs and all sorts. Found it a bit odd. - Related to this, I don't think the Night Stalker ever felt like a real threat to Maxine. Why didn't the Night Stalker just kidnap Maxine? Although I guess he needed Maxine to trigger the protesters. I think the film would've just generally benefited from the Night Stalker actually stalking Maxine more. As good as Kevin Bacon was, his entire character could've easily been jettisoned for more Night Stalker tbh. - I liked Elizabeth Debicki's character, but given how much screentime she actually had, her plotline really fizzled out. I was expecting some showdown on the movieset which would've been really cool, but instead we got the underwhelming chase sequence up to the Bates Hotel set. I could go on, but tbh I'm boring myself now with picking holes I get some of the complaints, although would also agree many of them are nitpicky . One point I would agree with though is the shootout being underwhelming. When the first shot was fired I was actually confused, as the direction made me thinking one of the cultists shot another one. It made me think Ti West should stay away from directing action films
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Binky
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Post by Binky on Jul 14, 2024 8:12:26 GMT
Furiosa
An epic tale of revenge that doesn't quite live up to the hype. Perhaps it worked better on a really big screen as opposed to my big screen in the living room but we were both left a little disappointed with this one. All of the practical effects are wonderful, and Miller knows how to frame some great looking shots but overall I don't think we're going to be remembering this one as fondly as Fury Road.
I saw mention in here of some dodgy looking effects, and I have to agree. An early motorbike chase through a gap in a mountain had some terrible green screen work. It was almost akin to the purposefully dodgy looking green screen work with The Bride in the car in Kill Bill, but I don't think that's what they were going for. There was that bit and a shot with a woman walking down some stairs which looked like really ropey CGI and was very distracting - but perhaps she just had a weird gait (?)
Despite a lot of reviews saying that unlike Fury Road, this was not a chase movie the best scenes were the action packed chase scenes. When these were happening it's fantastic. When Hemsworth was on screen it was great. He looked like he was having a wonderful time and I'd love to see him in more rolls like this. (As an aside: Was the prosthetic nose really shit, or are we so used to seeing his pretty face that my brain just couldn't help but see it as fake?)
Taylor-Joy and Burke were both decent, but with so little dialogue to work with I'm not sure how much of a difference it would have made with anyone else in those roles.
So yeah, a fun ride but not quite as tight as Fury Road.
7/10
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hicksy
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Post by hicksy on Jul 15, 2024 5:23:05 GMT
The Bikeriders
If leather, the rumble of engines and badass attitudes are your thing there’s a lot to like here. More of a docudrama than a fantasy drama. Great acting if a bit cliched at times (imo).
6.5/10
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Post by clemfandango on Jul 15, 2024 7:40:49 GMT
Gladiator - 10/10
Not watched it in years, so prepped myself for the new one. It’s a stone cold classic, and I forgot how good phoenix was in this. What a cast too
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Post by britesparc on Jul 15, 2024 9:03:55 GMT
Two films from the last week, including the penultimate film in my "watch every single Fox Marvel movie" experiment.
The New Mutants (2020) ****
This one’s reputation, I felt, was that of a stinker; I was somewhat surprised to find I really enjoyed it. The psychological horror of superpowers works much better as a concept here than the body horror stuff did in 2015’s FF; and the central cast are terrific. Yes, the whole thing trades heavily on cliches, you can sniff the plot out from the opening scenes, and it’s full of logic holes; it probably skirts the “high three/low four” region. But what can I say? I really, really dug it.
(Disney+)
Sausage Party (2016) ** Well. I have a feeling 14-year-old me would have adored this. The dick/fart/sex jokes are actually fine; I mean, I didn't find them hilarious for the most part, but they're okay. The weird racial stuff, though, is - well - weird. And I think it ties into the film's biggest problem: it's really ugly. Like, the designs are unpleasant to look at. Is that the point? Is it a joke? But seriously, this trades very, very heavily on the most first-base uninspired cliches and stereotypes. I wasn't offended at all, but it just wasn't funny. Having said all that - ending on a positive! - it does have some really inspired scenes and ideas, and the ending is just utterly batshit. (Prime Video)
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zisssou
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Post by zisssou on Jul 15, 2024 9:34:09 GMT
Double bill for me today. Longlegs - 7/10 Serial killer thriller starring Maika Monroe and a ludicrous supporting turn from Nic Cage. It has all the classic hallmarks: coded letters, flashlight cones illuminating dusty buildings, basements, maggots, etc. It reminded me of Se7en initially but gradually drifted into its own thing. The cinematography is great and it oozes atmosphere. But the third act is quite a tonal shift and it unravelled a bit for me. Bit of shame as I thought I was watching an insta-classic to begin with, but it's merely a good watch in the end. I agree completely on the cinematography as I think it elevated what was a pretty average horror film. I think Cage absolutely ruined the tone of the film towards the end. What started out as somewhat sinister and creepy, turned into a very camp caricature. What do you expect from Cage though.. he's so hit and miss. Sometimes I think why can't he just look back to Adaptation and go that's how you tone it down.
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Post by rawshark on Jul 15, 2024 9:41:41 GMT
I thought there was potential with New Mutants but it feels like something went south during production.
I’m just trying to work out in my head which film is yet to be covered… Logan?
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Post by britesparc on Jul 15, 2024 9:48:06 GMT
I thought there was potential with New Mutants but it feels like something went south during production. I’m just trying to work out in my head which film is yet to be covered… Logan? Yeah, I didn't watch them in release order, I sort of started watching them in "batches" that made sense initially (eg the first three X-Men films in a row, then Daredevil & Elektra, etc) but it just got increasingly tenuous. I wanted to end with Logan because I thought it would be nice to finish it all on a high note after what I assumed would be two crap films in a row: 2015's Fantastic Four, and New Mutants. As it was, I actually liked both of those a bit more than I expected, although FF has tons of problems and falls apar at the end. I do agree that there's a messiness to NM that feels a bit like problems in production. It was buggered by the Disney takeover, IIRC, so they wouldn't fund the completion of the film until the sale finalised, or something like that.
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Post by barchetta on Jul 15, 2024 10:54:53 GMT
Gladiator - 10/10 Not watched it in years, so prepped myself for the new one. It’s a stone cold classic, and I forgot how good phoenix was in this. What a cast too Watched this over the weekend too. Certainly a cracking film though, as expected, some of the CGI is showing its age. Not sure another film was warranted and I'm not exactly sold on it from the trailer, but could be an Imax visit is called for.
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Post by barchetta on Jul 15, 2024 11:03:09 GMT
Chinatown - 8/10
Had not seen this since the late 80s and thought it would make a good 70s companion piece to The Conversation which I introduced my 17/20 yr olds to a few weeks back. Now that is a brilliant film.
I enjoyed the plotting and have always liked the period. Nicholson had that star quality and I was pleased that the lads enjoyed it. Acting overall was a bit patchy and perhaps my alternative suggestion, LA Confidential, would have gripped them more. That can wait for another weekend.
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Post by Jambowayoh on Jul 15, 2024 11:17:25 GMT
I thought there was potential with New Mutants but it feels like something went south during production. I’m just trying to work out in my head which film is yet to be covered… Logan? Yeah, I didn't watch them in release order, I sort of started watching them in "batches" that made sense initially (eg the first three X-Men films in a row, then Daredevil & Elektra, etc) but it just got increasingly tenuous. I wanted to end with Logan because I thought it would be nice to finish it all on a high note after what I assumed would be two crap films in a row: 2015's Fantastic Four, and New Mutants. As it was, I actually liked both of those a bit more than I expected, although FF has tons of problems and falls apar at the end. I do agree that there's a messiness to NM that feels a bit like problems in production. It was buggered by the Disney takeover, IIRC, so they wouldn't fund the completion of the film until the sale finalised, or something like that. Fair play, I honestly think the FF reboot and New Mutants are two of the worst comic book movies out there because It's evident the filmmakers and everyone involved are taking this seriously as opposed to something like Morbius where it's legitimately terrible but it feels everyone involved is aware of the fact. New Mutants I'm aware had a lot of behind the scenes problems especially with the Disney buyout but something like FF is pure hubris and I guess shone a very unflattering light on Josh Trank especially his on set behaviour.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Jul 15, 2024 12:57:04 GMT
Chinatown - 8/10 Had not seen this since the late 80s and thought it would make a good 70s companion piece to The Conversation which I introduced my 17/20 yr olds to a few weeks back. Now that is a brilliant film. I enjoyed the plotting and have always liked the period. Nicholson had that star quality and I was pleased that the lads enjoyed it. Acting overall was a bit patchy and perhaps my alternative suggestion, LA Confidential, would have gripped them more. That can wait for another weekend. Have you watched the sequel?
It's not that well regarded, and it's not as good as Chinatown, naturally, but I actually rather liked it.
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Post by Bill in the rain on Jul 15, 2024 13:03:56 GMT
Jurassic Park 3
Watched this with the kids and it's a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the action scenes are excellent, and there are stretches where it's just non stop perilous situation into perilous situation into...
But the writing is pretty bad, and it suffers a lot from most of the main characters being annoying or doing dumb things or both. The opening having really bad green-screen didn't help, and the mother & father were mainly annoying. Even Dr Grant wasn't as good as he was in the first one.
It gets better as it goes along, and the parents become less annoying and it becomes more pure action.
I can't decide if it is better or worse than #2. I think they're probably about the same. They have a very different tone, but end up having a similar mix of excellent action set pieces and nonsensical plot.
The original is still by far the best... although the youngest has thought each one was the best as we watched them, so currently #3 is the best because it has a Spinosaurus. I suspect he'll rate Jurassic World the best because it has a Mosasaurus, if I can bear to watch it again.
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Post by Mr Wonderstuff on Jul 15, 2024 15:28:57 GMT
Gladiator - 10/10 Not watched it in years, so prepped myself for the new one. It’s a stone cold classic, and I forgot how good phoenix was in this. What a cast too "Am I not merciful!!?" - great delivery from Phoenix.
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Post by dfunked on Jul 15, 2024 16:19:34 GMT
The busy little bee scene is fantastic too. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!
Not a wasted moment in that film.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Jul 15, 2024 20:57:08 GMT
Around the world in 80 days (2004)
One of the most pointless movies I've ever watched. Apparently someone decided that a martial arts comedy adaptation of Jules Verne's famous novel was a good idea. Guess what? The Jackie Chan subplot is the most pointless. It's not alone though, as most every other addition is pointless too.
There's at least one or two decent jokes, but not nearly enough to make up for 2 hours of... well, pointlessness. I may have already said that. Most of the humor is cringeworthy anyway.
3/10
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Post by retro74 on Jul 15, 2024 21:12:18 GMT
At the weekend I watched,
A Quiet Place - Day One (cinema)
Edge of Tomorrow (SKY)
The Wrong Missy (Netflix)
One was slightly disappointing but decent, one was as good as I remember it and one was was very funny and I enjoyed it the most despite seeing it three times before already
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Post by brokenkey on Jul 16, 2024 7:51:00 GMT
Last Stop in Yuma County. 8/10
Nice, tense thriller that seems to reach a crescendo half way through, and then another, and then pretty much nails the ending. Quite Tarantino in feel, but at only 90 minutes is like a bargain version of one.
Maxxxine 7/10
Not as good as the other two, but better than watching England lose (I saw it in an empty cinema on Sunday evening).
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Post by harrypalmer on Jul 16, 2024 11:27:24 GMT
The Social Network (Blu-ray) - 4.5/5
A real treasure of a film, the direction, the script, the music, the performances are all pretty much perfect. The only downside is that it's a tough hang, these guys (with the exception of Garfield's character) are grade A ass-holes! I think I prefer Steve Jobs as a rewatchable because at least he is surrounded by decent people, and Fassbender works as a charming/vulnerable (whilst also kinda satanic) version of Jobs, while Eisenberg is note perfect as Zuch before he became sentient and merged with bro-sphere.
Married to the Mob (Blu-ray) - 4/5
I really like these chaotic 80s romantic screwball things, especially when they're directed by Jonathan Demme. Michelle Pfeiffer is a pristine radiant goddess. Matthew Modine is lovely as a goofy FBI agent with a contraption for sliding out of bed and into his trousers. Alec Baldwin is a mobster called Frank The Cucumber because of his big dick.
Q - The Winged Serpent (DVD) - 3.5
Early 80s Larry Cohen film. Grimy New York. A loser bank robber helps catch a dragon deity that has been summoned by cultists performing human sacrifices. Stars Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine and Richard Roundtree, it has big 70s anti-hero energy and yet works really well as an action horror film. I don't know if it's cited as an influence but it has something of Ghostbusters about it.
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Post by britesparc on Jul 18, 2024 12:58:44 GMT
Logan (2017) *****
This is a masterpiece; it’s so much better than all the other Fox Marvel movies it’s unreal. It might actually be the best mainstream comic book adaptation of all time. Beautifully shot with a tremendous score and fantastic performances, what really strikes upon this re-watch is just how sad it is. It’s a sombre, downbeat movie about failure and redemption, and the perfect swansong for one of the most iconic superhero performances ever.
(Disney+)
...and that concludes my re/watch of all the Fox Marvel movies (there were about four or five I'd never seen). Phew! The quality is very variable; but what's most interesting is just how messy most of these movies are, even the good ones like First Class. I don't know if it's studio interference or what, but so many either fall short of greatness or have a halfway-decent idea drummed down just because they end up with too many mutants, big set-piece battles, rejecting subtlety, etc.
Fuck it, have a full ranking while we're at it:
Logan
X2
Deadpool 2
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Deadpool
The New Mutants
The Wolverine
X-Men
X-Men: First Class
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Fantastic Four (2005)
Fantastic Four (2015)
Elektra
Daredevil
X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: Apocalypse
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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Post by Bill in the rain on Jul 18, 2024 13:29:43 GMT
Seems a bit harsh on Daredevil.
It wasn't great, but I'm not sure it deserves to be below some of those other ones.
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Post by clemfandango on Jul 18, 2024 13:35:30 GMT
Seems a bit harsh on Daredevil. It wasn't great, but I'm not sure it deserves to be below some of those other ones. Agreed Daredevil (especially the directors cut) should be much higher up
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Blue_Mike
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Post by Blue_Mike on Jul 18, 2024 13:37:24 GMT
britesparcNow when you watched Days Of Future Past, was it The Rogue Cut?
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Post by britesparc on Jul 18, 2024 13:37:55 GMT
To be fair, I've never seen the director's cut. It's just the normal version on Disney+.
I used to rate it a lot higher too but on this rewatch I decided it was shit.
For the record, none of them are special versions, just whatever Disney+ have on offer.
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Vandelay
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Post by Vandelay on Jul 18, 2024 13:46:17 GMT
Been watching some of these myself, ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine. Was surprised that the first X-Men was a bit rubbish. I remembered it being quite good, but it was fairly dull. In some ways, I actually enjoyed watching Last Stand a bit more. Clearly a rubbish film and probably objectively worse than the first in many ways, but at least it had a bit more going on and the action was a step up. The second is unquestionably the best of the original trilogy though.
Also watched Origins, which was terrible and mostly pointless. Do wonder if Wade being in it will figure into D&W, although Wolverine likely doesn't remember anything about that so could be easily ignored.
Watched Deadpool 1 a couple of nights ago and that was still pretty good. The jokes are a bit one note and not much really made me laugh out loud, but it kept me smiling most of the way through.
Definitely want to watch The Wolverine (not seen it), DP2 and Logan before D&W. May not bother with the other X-Men films. Have seen Days of Futures Past before, but not any of the others.
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Post by clemfandango on Jul 18, 2024 13:49:13 GMT
Scream (1996) - 10/10
I'm pretty sure I've not seen this since it came out. My eldest daughter is really into YA horror now, and we have just finished the Final Destination movies, so its the Scream franchise next....
This was brilliant, it's an absolute classic. I didn't appreciate how clever it was at the time, it's a Wes Craven love letter to horror for the new (at the time) generation. My daughter thought it was great too. So many great deaths and every actor completely bought into it and give it their all.
Looking forward to Scream 2 and I presume the more Meta stuff I remember comes in this one. Scream 2 has a stacked cast too... I think I've only ever seen the first 3, so I have 3 extra movies coming up I've not seen :-)
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Jul 18, 2024 13:55:45 GMT
I love Logan, but there's something about Jean Luc being nursed by Stephen Merchant which breaks the 4th wall for me.
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Post by dfunked on Jul 18, 2024 13:59:14 GMT
britesparcNow when you watched Days Of Future Past, was it The Rogue Cut? Annoyingly it doesn't seem to exist anywhere in 4K and isn't an option on D+, so I'll have to watch my old Blu-ray rip whenever I get around to it (The Last Stand kind of put a stop to my planned rewatch of the series)
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