Films Recently Watched

[usagi]

I thought that was going to be a lot more understated given Villeneuve. but it is a trailer after all (it's not short btw, it's 2 mins plus which is way too long for a trailer imo). looks good, I'm keen.

[Squee]

 

 

 

 

The Arrival looks really interesting... or maybe I'm just interested in whatever Denis Villeneuve makes

 

Looks so great!! I had no idea he was going SCI-FI next

 

 

Does look interesting. The shortness of the trailer is a benefit in not showing you the whole movie.

 

edit: This is a much longer trailer than the one I saw. The short one was more mysterious. But I enjoy Villenueve, loved Prisoners.

 

 

Prisoners was super solid right until

the old lady turned out to be the one behind it all... THAT weak old lady? Punch her in the face and get it over with. Also, I thought it was going to be a bit more cryptic.

 

 

 

 

I went with it, would have loved if she got her ass whooped up though.

 

Not sure what you mean by cryptic, but I thought the ending was just right.

 

 

Cryptic was probably the wrong word to use...

 

...I was just hoping that there was more to it than just an old lady murdering people

 

[olo]

 

 

Cryptic was probably the wrong word to use...

 

...I was just hoping that there was more to it than just an old lady murdering people

 

 

 

 

Well, wasn't she picking up where her husband left off? The last of the "torture kids with shit maze games" crowd. She was continuing his work. I didn't need it to be much more than that I guess.

 

but it is a trailer after all (it's not short btw, it's 2 mins plus which is way too long for a trailer imo). looks good, I'm keen.

 

Yea, I thought it was another trailer which I saw, much shorter one. Didn't realize it until I clicked play.

This new one shows too much per Hollywood mandate.

[Echolalia]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_Certain_Regard seems to be a good list of modern film.

 

Have you seen Bernard Rose's Frankenstein? Reminded me of Antiviral in it's depiction of blood.  

Edited August 17, 2016 by Echolalia

[Nebraska]

i'm a big fan of the 1959 version of ben-hur so i decided to catch the 2016 remake at the premiere. 
 
welp- this version is poop.
 

first of all, they glance over too much. judah ben-hur's relationship with messala is literally confined to about two scenes: one where he's beaten in a chariot race and some inner domestic issues betwix mass and the hur family over his position in the family.

the whole jesus substory is just slightly glossed over but comes across as clumsily inserted. in the 59 version, judah doesn't really care much about jesus (even more skeptical) despite being slightly curious coupled with the fact that his sister and mother (i think) become devout followers. in this version he's a fisherman who just blurbs about forgiveness and gives *hint* forewarnings about things that will happen. 

the scene in the ship when judah is a prisoner is actually done pretty well (though the relationship with his captures is ignored (knowing how people relate to one another in this version is unimportant- everyone wants to see the chariot race in realD right?)

the chariot race is actually made more safe? how the fuck is that possible? they have judah do nothing until the end. yes you heard me. morgan freeman actually tells him "don't do anything until the end. let them knock one another off" oh cool. you just ruined the chariot race for anyone that never saw it (except in the 59 version is was a straight up gang fight roman gladiator style)

the end: oh dear god the end was so cheesy. i mean really? what were they thinking?

oh and the best part is that when his sister and mom are getting healed from leprosy- rather than just getting healed and us seeing the miracle, they tell us "oh, looks like we're getting healed. this is a miracle"

 
four out of ten former princes turned slaves competing in a chariot race

Edited August 17, 2016 by Nebraska

[Squee]

i'm a big fan of the 1959 version of ben-hur so i decided to catch the 2016 remake at the premiere. 

 

welp- this version is poop.

 

 

 

first of all, they glance over too much. judah ben-hur's relationship with messala is literally confined to about two scenes: one where he's beaten in a chariot race and some inner domestic issues betwix mass and the hur family over his position in the family.

 

the whole jesus substory is just slightly glossed over but comes across as clumsily inserted. in the 59 version, judah doesn't really care much about jesus (even more skeptical) despite being slightly curious coupled with the fact that his sister and mother (i think) become devout followers. in this version he's a fisherman who just blurbs about forgiveness and gives *hint* forewarnings about things that will happen. 

the scene in the ship when judah is a prisoner is actually done pretty well (though the relationship with his captures is ignored (knowing how people relate to one another in this version is unimportant- everyone wants to see the chariot race in realD right?)

 

the chariot race is actually made more safe? how the fuck is that possible? they have judah do nothing until the end. yes you heard me. morgan freeman actually tells him "don't do anything until the end. let them knock one another off" oh cool. you just ruined the chariot race for anyone that never saw it (except in the 59 version is was a straight up gang fight roman gladiator style)

 

the end: oh dear god the end was so cheesy. i mean really? what were they thinking?

 

oh and the best part is that when his sister and mom are getting healed from leprosy- rather than just getting healed and us seeing the miracle, they tell us "oh, looks like we're getting healed. this is a miracle"

 

 

 

four out of ten former princes turned slaves competing in a chariot race

 

http://www.thewrap.com/ben-hur-biggest-box-office-bomb-summer-paramount-2016/

You did your part ;D

[Nebraska]

http://www.thewrap.com/ben-hur-biggest-box-office-bomb-summer-paramount-2016/

You did your part ;D

 

not really. this was a free screening. 

 

the after party tickets for 2 cost $2500. i decided NOT to attend that 

[Squee]

 

http://www.thewrap.com/ben-hur-biggest-box-office-bomb-summer-paramount-2016/

You did your part ;D

 

not really. this was a free screening. 

 

the after party tickets for 2 cost $2500. i decided NOT to attend that 

 

 

o_O

[tec]

The Eternal - It's on netflix and sounded intriguing so thought I'd give it a whirl, stars Christopher Walken doing a bad Irish impression, then one of the characters takes the piss and does an impression but of Chistopher Walken in his standard voice. 10/10.

[doublename]

The Abyss - That's no way to treat a rat.

 

Crank 2 -   Flawless victory.

Edited August 17, 2016 by doublename

[auxien]

The Abyss is so good, if a bit overlong and drawn out.

[dr lopez]

casting another vote for crank 2 kicking ass

[Silent Member]

I'm all in

[AJW]

I remember enjoying the hell out of the Crank, it's everything an action film should be and then some. Statham is perfect in it

[Rubin Farr]

Crank 1 is probly his best and funniest movie

[eugene]

literally lolled when i saw this, it's from a new ben hur:

[Rubin Farr]

John Turturro filming Big Lebowski spinoff in NYC:

http://movieweb.com/big-lebowski-jesus-spin-off-shooting-new-york/

[Echolalia]

It's Ben Hur from a car park in Hollywood mofo!

[melancholera]

John Turturro filming Big Lebowski spinoff in NYC:

 

http://movieweb.com/big-lebowski-jesus-spin-off-shooting-new-york/

 

Doesn't look like the Coens are involved, so...

 

But then again, Fargo (TV show) pulled it off so you never know.

[Rubin Farr]

The article says John created de Jesus character years before for a stage play, that's why the ownership of the character is a little murky legally, but if the Coens are on board, I'm looking forward to it.

[Schlitze]

Suicide Squad was a mess. No idea what the hell was going on. Team of psycho's assembled to combat an event which hasn't even happened yet involving a witch and one of the gods of eqypt building some kind of machine to take over the world. And then it gets messier with the gang including a crocodile man who serves no purpose and has very naff one-liners and a convicted felon who ''can climb anything'' who gets shot after 10 seconds by one of his own gang after trying to escape up a block of flats. Stupid filler characters in this squad of wafer thin caricatures, hand selected by bad bitch Viola Davis who herself should have been shot in the in first third so the audience could get some form of satisfaction. By the finale the squad are given a little clue as to what they have spent the duration of the film fighting against, but are really still are as confused as the audience when they see this witch standing in the town hall with black vapours coming from her shoulders and a mish mash of CGI behind her, meanwhile her vague looking war machine is taking shape above some alleyway outside. And from there it goes downhill. Also, the soundtrack is the most contrived collection of pop hits spanning the last 30 years. Very uninspiring all round. This film has had the shit hyped out of it for over a year which makes it all the more unpalatable. Unless you're very familiar with the comics it'll be hard to take much from this. One good thing was the end credits which whilst bringing a sense of relief, look awesome in 3D. But even that is brought to a halt by a very very shit post credit sequence. Fuck you, film.

[Echolalia]

Anyone seen S.O.B?

 

[YEK]

 

star trek beyond

 

so three movies in we get a real star trek movie out of this reboot and it feels like too little too late. for once the cast actually gel and pine feels like kirk, captain of the enterprise, and not some hotheaded fratboy caricature. there are little nods to the original series all over the place in this, but it all ends up feeling like a pilot for a tv show that is somehow mid season yet also premiering. it's a course correction from abrams trash but it's also a big mess. you can blame wrath of khan for making all star trek movies action films with big villains. half of these movies are revenge plots against kirk/picard/the federation and beyond is no exception. basically feels like nemesis/insurrection with a budget and a better cast. if this is the end for this era of trek on film, i won't be sad to see it go, but there's potential here if they can get a script and a director who can actually keep a camera steady and communicate the geography of an action sequence (or god forbid dialogue) in a way that is comprehensible and doesn't give me a migraine. on some level trek is meant for the small screen and can never work as an episodic film series, but that won't stop them from trying.

 

7/10

I also recently watched this film, thought it was a big pile of crap. i wish i could rewind my life and watch The Secret Life of Pets in it's place.

 

What did I hate about it?

 

 

 

Well I'm torn between the bit I hated most between 1. that bit where they try and leave the vital component of a ghostly techno anthrax machine with some lizard dog people by way of explaining what it is without exposition and 2. the bit where they destroy the swarm of space bees with the 90s. Please end this debacle.

 

 

 

spoiler summed it up nicely. i feel the same way

[keanu reeves]

.

Edited August 21, 2016 by keanu reeves

[Rubin Farr]

Neighbors 2 - sparse lols

 

Sundown - groan inducing ridiculousness; white boy accidentally becomes big time DJ/spring break/foreign girl romance/swarthy pimp/steals dad's Porsche/loses Dad's Rolex.  A cavalcade of shithead DJs.