Last movie you watched

  • Just saw Captain Marvel. That was a pretty solid and familiar-feeling MCU movie, I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't place it among the best Marvel films. Easily the best thing in the film is Captain Marvel herself and how Brie Larson brings her to life, I really liked how Carol acted and felt through all this. A nice mix of attitude and flashiness but also being lost still (in this one). Young Fury made me smile a lot, too, and the way the two interacted with each others was peculiarly enjoyable, what a weird pair. :)

    I also liked how the film handled Carol's origins, that was an imaginative way. And fit the context as well. The plot was fine with a cool connection or two to MCU. The execution of things, however, felt kind of too safe and familiar, not a lot of whoa moments per se.

    But I like I said, I'm really stoked about Carol and the fact that she's now in. But also, damn she's OP! How will Feige & co. treat this character in the future?

  • Finally got to see Roma on the big screen and my opinion hasn't changed. Its a pretty good movie.

  • @sentinel-beach said in Last movie you watched:


    I also just saw Captain Marvel and I'm actually going to disagree with this slightly. Brie Larson is fine. She makes a good Captain Marvel. But Ben Mendelsohn, and Lashana Lynch kind of steal this movie for me. The acting Mendelsohn does under a pretty obtrusive prosthetic and makeup... he's a master craftsman at the top of his game.

    The movie is pretty "Marvel". If you like the other MCU films, this one is better than about half of those. The only thing I worry about is how her power level fits in with everyone. (like, she's ridiculously powerful) And how her power is affected by

    the infinity stones.

    3.5/5 stars

  • You're all wrong, the best part of Captain Marvel is Goose. That cat (played by several) showed its acting chops perfectly!

    I think the first half hour bored me to tears but the movie certainly picked up around the middle. Not my favorite Marvel movie and not my least favorite, worth a watch.

  • Captain Marvel was... pretty bad. Action was poorly directed and cut to high hell, the script was clunky at best, and the performances were fairly wooden throughout. Ben Mendelsohn was a standout, despite the prosthetics making the job objectively harder for him. It felt remarkably prequel-y, with more callbacks than it really needed. I also have concerns with how it treats the continuity of the MCU - wasn't Nick Fury super freaked out about the existence of aliens in Phase 1? Shouldn't he already have known about them from his time in the 90s?

  • Saw 'Us' last night and while I didn't think it's as good as Get Out, it's still a pretty solid horror flick sullied a bit by a telegraphed/cliche ending.

    Like, the last five minutes was something I was thinking about during the first five minutes. In some ways, that's pretty impressively circular - and in some ways I think it's 100% unnecessary. The rest of the movie is great, and Lupita Nyong'o is great and Winston Duke is also delightful. But I really think the "twist" shouldn't have been telegraphed so hard the whole movie. 3/5 stars

  • @tokyoslim said in Last movie you watched:


    100% agree with you, and I also think it was completely unnecessary and weakens the movie as a whole. Without giving too much away, it calls into question character motivations for the entire movie, and weakens entire the story.

    In general, I thought the movie was well-directed and well-acted, but ultimately too ambitious for its own good. It felt like it wanted to be a home invasion thriller with supernatural elements, while at the same time being a satire/"metaphor" movie with comedic elements strewn in with the horror. I think each element ultimately weakened the other ones, and it would've greatly benefited from a stronger editor in the scripting phase. I think the movie would've been much stronger if they cut out the "explanation" sequence, since that would've allowed the horror to remain much more existential without calling the logic and consistency of the world into question. I left the theater picking apart all the holes in the story that were created as a result of the "explanation" instead of debating the meaning of the movie's symbolism. I think it's either a B- or a C+ for me, though from a technical standpoint it's pretty damn incredible. Also, Michael Abels's score is sublime.

  • I thought I was crazy for not loving 'Us' like the rest of the world, but I see other people here are in agreement with me. Solid 7 but I've already talked to people who have called it "the greatest horror movie ever made" and I don't understand that viewpoint at all.

  • It is objectively not better than either Alien or The Thing, so it cannot be the greatest horror movie ever made.

  • Watched the 20th anniversary screening of Cruel Intentions tonight. Movie has aged a little poorly in regards to casual use of slurs as insults, but in a way it still works because these are amoral privileged people. The SMG and Selma Blair kiss is still hot. There's some scenes that still made me and the one other lady watching laugh.

  • Dumbo: pretty good Tim Burton movie. Ok Dumbo movie. I like the direction they went when making tasteful modern adjustments to the story. Keaton specifically and in general the "bad guys" seem kind of one note and hammy, cg elephant is uncanny valley in scenes. Kids will like it. 2.5/5

  • Saw my first "festival" film of the year this morning. Transit, a 2018 German film based on the 1942 novel by Anna Seghers.
    They made the interesting decision to not make it a period piece. I say interesting because the film opens and without any backstory - you find out that Jews, and foreigners are fleeing Southwards through France to port cities in order to escape being put into camps by the occupying Nazi invasion forces marching through the country. In 2018 France. And it just kind of works. The protagonist finds himself in possession of a recently deceased man's travel papers, and assumes his identity.
    Prettty good film. Rather jarring choice of end-credits music though to be honest. 3.5/5

    Youtube Video

  • Apollo 11

    This is documentary film distilled down to a pure essence. Aside from some simple graphics to explain what is happening, there is pretty much no modern-day content - even the soundtrack is made with period synthesizers.

    While there is some lower-quality footage shot by NASA personnel and the astronauts, much of the movie is 65mm footage originally shot for the 1971 documentary Moonwalk One. But while that was shown cropped, this time we get to see it full frame, including unused shots.

    And that footage is truly like stepping back in time. Crystal clear, with great colour, we get to see the Saturn V being transported to the launch site, the astronauts dressing and travelling to the launch pad, the huge crowds gathering for the launch, the inside of Launch Control, and finally the launch, which is especially spectacular. Then later on, recovery and quarantine.

    All of the dialogue is either the actual mission audio (much of it synchronized to footage from Mission Control or from the spacecraft) or from the TV broadcasts. The highlights are the landing shown in real-time complete with fuel gauge and error display, a panorama shot of the moon's surface, and the first steps shown from an alternate, clearer angle than the famous TV broadcast.

    The closest thing I can compare it to is Koyaanisqatsi, though not as abstract. It's a completely new perspective on the mission. Unlike the grain and fuzz that's always made the mission seem like a vague ancient artifact, the clarity of this footage, the way it's edited with the mission audio, and the walkthrough-style continuity makes it something you can almost smell and touch.

    The only drawback is that it feels sped along at times - it could've used another half hour (the running time is 93 minutes).

    The upcoming large-format IMAX version (in contrast to the full-length "Liemax" version which is reviewed below) is only 45 minutes, and I shudder to think what THAT will be like...

    Do NOT wait for home video, this is a movie that should ONLY be seen on the big screen.

    4 1/2 out of 5.

    Youtube Video

  • Dragged Across Concrete (dir. S. Craig Zahler)

    After getting suspended from their police department for using excessive force, two police officers decide to rip off a couple of criminals to get some extra cash. Their plan does not go accordingly and they are thrown into a situation bigger than they expected.

    Starring Vince Vaughn, Mel Gibson, Tory Kittles, and Michael Jai White

    My favorite film of the year so far, this one is going to be difficult to top. It's a very slow-burn thriller that winds up in a very intense finale. To compare it to something, it's like a Jean-Pierre Melville film but far less suave and far more rough and gritty; it contains a similar quality of technicality in regards to being a crime drama/thriller. Pacing, although slow, is largely what gives the film its unique flavor and makes the adventure feel more immediate. It's as if we as the audience are sitting alongside these characters, waiting, until things begin to heat up and get crazy. Also featuring a great soundtrack by the O'Jays and very effectively menacing villains.

    Little Sister (dir. Zach Clark)

    In the process of becoming a nun, a girl returns home for a few days after her war veteran brother, who has become disfigured following an explosion in the war, is released from the hospital. During her visit, she attempts to bring her brother out of his depression, as he has isolated himself from his family.

    Starring Addison Timlin, Ally Sheedy, and Keith Poulson

    This was a very effective dramedy. Most of the comedic moments are fueled by the nun character being part of the goth subculture in her past. Although it does have some funny moments, the drama is the primary focus and the lead actress does an amazing job. This is an easy recommendation if you appreciate other dramedy movies like "Little Miss Sunshine" or films by the Duplass brothers.

  • I watched Bumblebee. Heard it was a better Transformers Movie than previous ones but it was just a different kind of stupid. I hate it, not just disinterest but actual frustration on how terrible it is.

  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 4K, one of my childhood favorites, but now only good, like the original. At least it's not Jurassic World or JP3. The surround sound and 4K HDR picture were pretty nice. I didn't get Jurassic Park in 4K because the reception to that remaster is much less positive. I want a Dino Crisis remake. I also kind of wish they adapted the original JP book again, but followed it more closely and made it less a family movie this time. Make Hammond actually evil.

  • @tokyoslim my kids loved Dumbo. We happened to see a preview for Dora at the same time and Kelly and I were looking at each other going which teenager is going to want to watch this? then we glanced at my 6 year old and she was so into it... those marketing people know what they're doing

  • @mango yeah, I often see movies and am like, who is this targeted to? And then I remember that there are children. I think the new Dora movie actually looks like a fun Goonies-esque adventure movie though. So I'm down to see it. :)

    When I was a kid I really wanted to see Predator, but mostly because I knew I wasn't allowed to see Predator.

    Predator holds up.

  • Shazam: if they would have just gone ahead and made this a stand-alone DC hero movie I'd have given it a 3.5/ but I'm docking it a half point for constantly coyly referencing that it's in the same universe as Batman v Superman, but not having the budget to show the other heroes or wanting to write around the actual canon you've already established. Pick one or the other. Either drop the DCEU, or don't - but this half in and half out makes it feel like a TV series. (No offense to Agents of Shield, but this whole movie dances around the existence of other heroes with name drops just like S1 of Shield)

    3/5 , was fun. Still a little annoying.