Films Recently Watched

[Echolalia]

Climax was like a Nintendo Switch advert being filmed at a 1990s party in Liverpool in the Jump Ship Rat with Benetton as a corporate sponsor. Absolute merde.

[Nebraska]

https://youtu.be/foyufD52aog

 

has anyone watched any of these disney remakes?

[WeAreOceans]

I watched the Jungle Book one some Christmas a year or two ago. It was fine.

[spratters]

Agreed, fine.

[Lada Laika]

thought solo was better than the other new disney star wars movies. also felt the most contrived and most pointless. there’s something about it being a failed project, turned Ron Howard completely by the numbers and played safe disney star wars movie that actually made it feel comfortable in its own skin more do than any of the other new star wars films.

 

having said that, yes it was still trash and at this point i’m mostly entirely given up on the new films (given up but will prob still see ep9 once it’s convenient to do so at home)

I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that I’ll forever react to new Star Wars films with “well yeah that was fine but completely inessential.” And I say that as a fan of TLJ. RIP. Glad that young ladies have a role model in Rey akin to Luke or Han at least.

[cruising for burgers]

eugene's seal of approval ®

 

 

shit too late...

edit: regarding jungle book...

Edited March 12, 2019 by THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON

[marf]

 

have very conflicted thoughts on this as the last 30 or so minutes are really amazing, but a lot of characters were really annoying including the main character having a very unlikeable disposition. somehow, this is addressed when they do an MRI scan of his brain and find there is a certain lobe that most people have a lot of activity and he has almost nothing happening there. in other words, only a psycho would go climbing el captain with ropes and a crew, but to do it with no ropes or safety equipment is a little unbelievable

 

i think the next level will be the guy/girl who does it blindfolded while carrying 3 huge jugs of water and no shoes

 

 

I do a great impression of Alex, "for sure".. I think you mean the amygdala gland which controls fear. I wish I had less amygdala. Anyway, if he is inured to heights and knows what he's doing than he wouldn't have that fear. Disclaimer, I haven't watched the film, yet

[cruising for burgers]

superb monsieur dupieux (aka mr.oizo)!!! :claps:

this guy is a genius, nuff said...

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON

[cruising for burgers]

i must have some cosmic connection with this writer/director cause his films hit me really hard besides their really simple premises... gonna wait for someone who feels the same as me to write a review cause i really lack words to describe how effective this movie is...

 

 

 

it's from the same dude who directed/wrote this one, which from my experience with psychedelics is one of the movies who better portrays a psychedelic trip, cera really does a great job on this one...

 

Edited March 14, 2019 by THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON

[Limo]

superb monsieur dupieux (aka mr.oizo)!!! :claps:

this guy is a genius, nuff said...

 

 

superb monsieur dupieux (aka mr.oizo)!!! :claps:

this guy is a genius, nuff said...

Dupieux *and* Poelvoorde? I'm *so* in!

[eugene]

re: Sebastián Silva

yes, i like his films too. interesting director. he really knows to convey the feel of the situation from the pov of the lead characters, and in general, very well. i think that's his specialty basically, there are a lot of mumbly, loosely scripted indie films dealing with the same late 20's-30's people and their problems, but he knows how to gets into the real guts of the experiences, to pinpoint small cues and details (probably in the editing) that help make it feel very real.

Edited March 14, 2019 by eugene

[cruising for burgers]

re: Sebastián Silva

yes, i like his films too. interesting director. he really knows to convey the feel of the situation from the pov of the lead characters, and in general, very well. i think that's his specialty basically, there are a lot of mumbly, loosely scripted indie films dealing with the same late 20's-30's people and their problems, but he knows how to gets into the real guts of the experiences, to pinpoint small cues and details (probably in the editing) that help make it feel very real.

what u waiting for then to watch tyrel? :^)

Edited March 14, 2019 by THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON

[eugene]

i did, it was good.

[cruising for burgers]

i did, it was good.

u should also review what u like, seems like u only review what u don't like and therefore everyone thinks you're an hater... :^)

[cruising for burgers]

The MCUs typically oscillate between 5s & 7s.

is Deadpool from MCU? i quite dig them...

[eugene]

the guilty - this kind of thing is becoming a genre i guess, very similar to tom hardy's locke but with higher stakes. some of the tropey scandinavian gritty crime thriller stuff seeps in and its psychological moves seem a bit mechanical, but nevertheless it's very well acted, tight and engrossing.

[cruising for burgers]

Mandy - i mean i could fap to the photography and music/sound but damn that was boring and annoying as fuck...

 

Upgrade - i could go without the funny jokes and smugness of the lead character but apart from that it's a pretty cool movie...

[Roo]

Yeah Upgrade was awesome, cool to see something like that come out of Australia. I did a little review when I finally saw it:

 

The recent AACTAs clearly made a mistake in choosing Sweet Country for Best Picture. Far superior films like Breath and Upgrade were cheated of their rightful win.

 

The immediately striking thing for me about Upgrade is the handling of near-future. This is one of those films which seems to have taken influence from dozens of newspaper headlines, as well as keenly observed the technology hype cycle. Much of the technology we get a taste of in film is plausible, augmented, in-the-works, potentially here within several years. A mere upgrade away, a small step beyond today. Ear-to-ground, headline-hoarding cinema providing intriguing near-future terrain.

 

Leigh Whannell getting Upgrade made for a few million dollars is one of the most resourcefully laudable productions of recent years. I admire him for it, he surrounded himself with a really good team and made great use of Melbourne to pull off a film which proves a genre world-beater. This looks fantastic, very practical, the production design has a few nods but definitely feels its own beast, the editing is mostly excellent, the score powerful, the themes highly evocative of 80s genre cinema. Everyone on the production seems to have put in decent work, providing bang for buck, even Melanie Vallejo, whose acting abilities I have been suspect about in the past (smartly cast as the first-act sweetheart). Even the opening company titles are refreshingly done.

 

Logan Marshall-Green over the years has evolved into a cult favourite of mine. Whilst I have sometimes joked that he is the b-grade, more-giving-of-himself Tom Hardy, he just proves enormously effective in intense roles, makes things work. He made some of the later seasons of The O.C. watchable. He made Devil watchable. He made Quarry excellent. Quarry along with Upgrade should ensure he is never in danger of going hungry again, as surely this has provided him an ongoing lead niche to explore further. His comedic touch in his banter with Stem continues to add to this charismatic repertoire. Betty Gabriel and Benedict Hardie are also highly impressive in drawing the viewer's attention and sympathy, whilst I like the way Harrison Gilbertson approached his role of Eron. All three never overplay it, subtly impressive, meeting the audience halfway and giving them enough to go off from. All other parts in the film are superbly cast with a lot of local faces, but special mention must go to Simon Maiden as the voice of Stem.

 

I was expecting a little more body horror going in to Upgrade (the villain firearms is the closest we come to self-ick, although there are some sickly kills as well), but recognise that the concept of body horror has evolved in line with the march of AI to something more neat, invisible and existentially terrifying. The plot is warmly predictable for the most part, save the final twist which I didn't see coming (I immediately thought Eron was behind it all on sight, prior to the accident), despite earlier tells in the VR scene and dream (which after two decades sort of comes full-circle with another Australian-filmed sci-fi in The Matrix, but now terrifyingly possible). I loved the idea of an action set-piece which, after traipsing through a hall of glowsticks and being attended to by a gender-neutral hack-ghost, had VR 'dancers' providing motion in the background, providing wonderful anticipation and populating the chase. The use of lighting in the second half, the use of nature, the nods to lingering analog and tech-free (the lead conveniently knows how to break a lock), the superiority complexes and sociopathic exploitation, the detailed opening shot which tells much about character and little about the world outside, the grunged-up CGI, the little explored depth of the big-tech/policing/corporate/hacker/drone-paranoia make-up of the world, etc. Whannell and I are clearly on the same page, I dig a lot of the choices he makes within his story and filmmaking, and as someone who can ultimately tune out from a revenge flick, I like that this quickly puts that aside and becomes something much more. The disconnected, torn action gets in close and never bores, the dialogue is full of delicious quotes and much of the digital touch-up work does the job in enhancing the film's overall effect. Upgrade has keen roots in Australian and American genre cinema from decades past, but like Fury Road, it demonstrates that the local action film and practical effects are far from dead, they can still defeat anything else out there.

 

Leigh Whannell's audio commentary is also worth a listen, which is very Aussie, very film-brat, very review/preview self-conscious, very jokey and self-deprecating.

[dr lopez]

captain marvel

 

cheese larson's job in this one is to be snarky like tony stark and woke like black panther. unfortunately she can't even manage one of those. even more unfortunate is that all the humor rises from "weren't the 90s dumb as shit??" To its credit, the "villain" isn't a big dumb guy that wants to destroy the universe but rather her teacher who half way through the film she realizes is "on the wrong side of history." too bad the right side appears to be the US air force. her character arc has some interest built into the story but this brooklyn couple cum director team can't even begin to handle it correctly. everything is done in the wrong way, probably in an attempt to "subvert" the expectations of a marvel formula but... it's a formula for a reason. because it works and it's clear. final boss fight ends with cgi laser beams in a shot-for-shot remake of wonder woman. zzzzzz. I'd put this one above hulk and the first two thors but that's it.

[Nebraska]

is it just me or did brad pitt turn into robert redford a few years back?

 

[cruising for burgers]

i think these movies were quite ok... click on the covers...

 

piercing is a nu giallo from the director of the eyes of my mother which was really well received by most people although i didn't find it nothing special...

 

i quite liked the kind of horror in apostle... it's kind of a gory cultish period piece with some pretty cool thriller moments...

 

despite suspiria's bad critics i quite enjoyed it, well, at least until the totally absurd ridicule end sequence... maybe i'm not intelectual enough to get the symbolism or something like that...

 

Edited March 18, 2019 by THIS IS MICHAEL JACKSON

[cruising for burgers]

rotten tomatoes tricked me into watching bumblebee because of its such good reviews and high rating in comparison with the rest of the franchise but damn, that was ridiculously bad, the nostalgia was cringeworthy to the point where i almost felt like barfing... and honestly i cannot set my suspension of disbelief so high to the point where i can ignore the fact that the premise is in fact alien robots that transform themselves into human planes and cars, i mean, when we were kids it was the best mix cause u know, cars right? planes? pretty cool! robots? shit! cars plus robots plus planes, wow jizz....

[Taupe Beats]

Criterion finally announced they're putting out Bruno Dumont's first 2 films (La Vie de Jesus, L'Humanite). Been waiting years for this. 

 

*keeps fingers crossed for an eventual release of Hors Satan on Blu-Ray with English subs*

[Enthusiast]

I found Lords of Chaos to be pretty compelling.

[ambermonk]