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The Movies Thread

Started by Sakura, May 19, 2014, 04:58:44 AM

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BojackHorsefella

That's a lot of questions! We'll save those for a PC response.

Meanwhile, I forgot one more movie:

Hard Candy (2005)

I never saw this, but I've heard all the great work of mouth since it's release, even back then. Just never got around to it before now. Anyways, Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson are the lone stars of this one, both in early roles in their career (this predates Juno for Page). A really tense film, in the torture porn category BUT without the gore (one sequence still made me pause the movie and collect myself. You'll know which one). Definitely worthy of all the praise it's received, a good watch.

Crewe

lol well hurry up.

I saw Hard Candy when it was released and man, it was a tough watch for sure .
Ive only seen it one though, I think thats enough lol
I agree in recommending this film

Crewe

Alright, so Dark Skies, I liked it. I didnt love it, but I liked it.
I didnt like Josh Hamilton in this role. It just didnt seem to suit him very well, and I really didnt care about him all that much. Maybe it's a combination of things, but he didnt do it for me.
Keri Russell on the other hand, she really poured herself in to this part it seems. I also think she is an underrated actress. Unlike Hamilton, I cared about her part in the family, struggling at work, her rapport with the fam, the kids.
I dont know wy I never saw this, I guess it slipped under the radar for some reason. So I looked it up to find out more as I tend to do and I was really kinda surprised to see that it is practically hated by most popular review sites.
Like I said, I didnt love it, but damn, 49% on RT? I wasnt expecting that at all. I mean, that's worse than Friday the 13th part 6 for crying out loud.

Turns out the articles I read say it's hated because it pulls directly from other films, like the ones the producers worked on, ala Insidious and Paranormal Activity. Signs was another film cited in which I was led to believe Dark Skies ripped off not only a theme but whole scenes shot for shot.
There's a tiny bit of sarcasm dripping there but still, you feel me.
Those points may be true, but it didnt affect me because I havent seen any of those pictures.
I really kinda feel outta place now, liking a movie that is rejected wholeheartedly by the general public.
Ah well....

So what to do to finish off Halloween? I was going to go with the above mentioned lighter Trick r Treat, but I passed because for a few nights now I've had the inkling to revisit The Thing. Which I did.
All in all, it was a pretty good October. I'm kinda sad it's over.


BojackHorsefella

I love the homages in Dark Skies, haha.  Yeah, there's a lot parallel to Poltergeist, but I enjoyed those nods myself.

We went out to a haunted house and corn maze last night, but still decided to watch a late night movie since we were getting an hour back anyways. Decided on

The Houses October Built (2014)

Much like Dark Skies, I had a lot of interest in this one until the reviews savaged it. Unlike Dark Skies, I agree with the reviews. Kinda fun for a while, but never really kicks into gear until a really abrupt ending. Mostly leaves you feeling disappointed. Still, was pretty fun to watch ON Halloween, definitely fit the mood and all.

Crewe

ehh, you never addressed my questions lol

BojackHorsefella

Ah, but I will, eventually. I probably can't answer any of them, but I'll address 'em!

BojackHorsefella

Quote from: Crewe on October 30, 2020, 11:20:16 PM
So the ritual it is, or was.
I really enjoyed it, but I have questions.

Spoiler

I figured early on that we were dealing with two stories regarding the main character.
Him coping with the death of his buddy at the liquor store and having flashbacks in the moment.
And the obvious, dealing with the main antagonist.

So, I found myself wondering, why isnt this thing just killing the last two guys?
The beast knows where they are, primarily because of the fucking flashlight.
I knew it was the beast or the condemned that created or led them to the path of the village to be sacrificed.
So is that the story, they had to be ritualized, or sacrificed? That's why the beast didnt kill them?
Or was he satiated by the groups other two friends in the interim?

The wounds in his chest; was that the beast marking him because it knew what emotional pain he was in about his friend? After his capture, the one girl remarked, you submit to him and no more pain.

And finally, at the end....was the beast giving him a last chance to worship? I assumed if he was reluctant he would be killed.
Was that the reason for pressing him to the ground?
I guess that's what our boy thought because he slashed the monster with a hatchet and ran out of the woods. Im not sure if he knew the creature could leave the woods or not, but I figured he couldn't.



So, having read the questions, I BELIEVE all the answers are, simply, "yes," haha. At least, that was my reading of it. I assume that
Spoiler
the group they encounter probably underwent similar circumstances (and it may be a "the strongest of the pained are chosen" thing, too, for all I know),
but yeah, what you've got there all sounds about right.

Crewe

lol you know, if everyone could just admit I'm right, things wold go a lot smoother  :D

Crewe

Old Man and the Gun
Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek

Ive had this one on the list for a while and for two reasons; One, I think Redford is a great actor and director and two, I have an affinity for true or based on true stories.

Forrest Tucker was an aging bank robber who used charisma and kindness in lieu of threats and violence to reach his goals.
He and two friends dubbed the Over the Hill gang operated primarily in areas around Oklahoma and Texas  in the early eighties.
His story appeared in the New Yorker in 2003 catching the attention of Redford who was intrigued not only of his skills as a criminal but his 17 escapes from prisons throughout hyis life, including some high profile institutions.

The films opening declares the movie to be mostly true.
Based on the reading I've done, that appears to be accurate, believe it or not.
the problem I have with the film is that it's too much like it's main character. While keeping to the truth on sscreen, the film, like Forrest, is just sorta bland. There's no real tension, no real emotion, no thrill, it is interesting and I liked it, but it just lacked any draw power for me.
But the thing is, it's the truth, so Redford couldn't really do much more without coloring way outside th lines and that would have been a huge disservice to the story. All he could do was translate what really was and what was was that Forrest Tucker was a charming, charismatic, unthreatening but not uninteresting story.
If you are a fan of Redford or a fan of true stories, certainly check this on out.

BojackHorsefella

Saw Old Man and the Gun when it released in theaters with kiddo, we both loved it, really good film.

Crewe

glad to hear that, I liked it too

Crewe

Retro watch this weekend.
I yanked War Games from the archives.
Still holds up for me. I remember reading about it years ago when on screen hacking was being discussed and War Games was mentioned as one that was actually pretty accurate.

Crewe

WW84
Gal Gadot

We catch up with Ms. Prince in 1984 where we see flashes, literally, of her, during a robbery gone wrong at a mall.
During the intro here, I canot decide how serious patty Jenkins is in her WW universe, because at ties so far, it seems to be pretty campy, which is not a good sign. Luckily, she tempers it well with Gadot, who I absolutely love as WW. Such a striking beauty and athletic enough to be believable on screen.
We know her current sitch as a museum curator or some such and it's here we are introduced to the mundane "ugly" pretty girl played by Kristen Wiig.
During her exposition, Jenkins creates a few moments or pure misogyny that are a reach for me, I mean, even in the 80's, but, it was a brief few moments to depict a character so we let that go too.
Pedro Pascual takes center sreen as our main villain, Max Lord.
You see, Max is in dire straits. He fancies himself Tony Robbins (before there would have been a Tony Robbins) but his finances are no bueno.
He seeks this ancient artifact that he apparently had been tracking which harks back to our opening scene, but now it's in the hands of our protagonists who don't yet know what this ancient charm actually is.
Staying spoiler free, it is the center piece of the film now.
I really liked the feel of the film, reverting to the 80's.
As Chris Pine is seeking outfits to wear (yes, he's back and it's explained in the movie, I cant spoil it) with Diana as the decider, jenkins takes this opportunity to give us a chuckle at that oh so neon fashionable decade. Other wise, the 80's references are quite muted which really could've been an easy oversell.
As noted prior, there are still instances where the camp rears it's ugly head and I honestly can't decide why the director elected such choices.
It's also reflected in some minor but important casting selections. My only conclusion is that maybe she's trying to keep an element of the old TV show alive? Either way, not really a fan, but nonetheless those decisions do not factor in during the third act in which the film begins to hammer home the theme of the movie.
At 2.5 hours, you might think, no way. I mean, Marvel, sure, but DC Comics? Nah
Might wanna give that a re think. I feel like the director has better control over the WW world and her character and Gadot only gets better if that's possible.
Also, being a Star Wars nerd, I was watching this movie to see if I can gain a glimpse of directorial decisions made by Jenkins that would give me hope for her being at the helm of the next Star Wars project.
She should be ok, as long as she grasps the SW universe when attempting her humor and doesn't let it turn in to cheese.
Give this one a peek

4/5



TheNorm

All I'm going to say about Wonder Woman 84 is that one day there should really be a look back at what the MCU gets right with their movies/franchises and what the DCU can learn from it.

Then maybe actually apply it their future films.

2.5/5
"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr

BojackHorsefella

I watched it Xmas Day, but we had her aunt, uncle and niece over (they moved here in April for his job, so they have no friends, like us! So we're the only people we hang out with), so between brunch and board games, the movie was more background noise than main attraction. It seemed a jumbled mess, and the Steve Trevor stuff brings up some questions, but I have to give it an actual watch to judge it properly.