You are not logged in. Please register or login.
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Eiger Sanction....
My main issue with the end isn't just the lack of action...it's how they didn't properly convey the fact Clint has assassinated all the dead climbers.
I also don't like how the viewer finds out this whole climb is essentially a set up...yet nothing substantial is really done with this information. Why even mention it?
Speaking of choreographed fights...this might be the best/worst example....
I love the Mission Impossible series....but holy shit.
That's more like a dance than a fight. Nobody is getting hurt....and nobody would be walking straight or looking pretty after enduring that much pain.
Most realistic scene in that sequence is Ilsa shooting him in the face when she walks down...which is something someone in that dicey situation would do.
I know it's also not realistic to have Cruise and Co. walking around with black eyes, busted lips, and limping throughout the movie....but there has to be a middle ground.
These types of scenes make movies feel more like video games.
Fall - This could have been so much better. I like the premise....but it goes downhill from there.
Two women climb a massive radio tower and wind up getting stuck.
A few issues....
-Once again...an unlikeable cast. If you can't relate or root for main characters, you've got issues. Her friend is so annoying that I almost turned it off. She's a wannabe influencer trying to sound like a self help guru.
- The personal drama between the two over her dead boyfriend (the other loved him and fucked him too) is beyond ridiculous. They are already up shit creek without a paddle....so isn't that enough to sustain the story? Unfortunately.... no.
- Were the daddy issues really necessary?!? All it tells me as the viewer is who will wind up saving them. I'm sick of this shit.
- The twist....if you can really call it that....is absurd, completely unnecessary, and just took me out of the story.
This film is a great example of one of the many things I hate about modern films...how the audience has to be spoonfed everything and the filmmaker has to hold our hand from point A to point Z. It's insulting to my intelligence.
I also loathe the use of smart phones/social media in films... especially in the horror/suspense genre. They always have to lose their connection at the perfect moment. I always roll my eyes when it happens.
In a perfect world...most films would be set in a pre-smartphone era.
Brothers - Natalie Portman film....her husband is assumed killed in action in Afghanistan and she starts getting close to his loser ex convict brother.
It's pretty good....but I can't stand Tobey Maguire...in anything.
Portman was on fire in the mid-late 2000s....so it's unfortunate that she didn't pick better films at the time. She needed more Black Swans and V for Vendettas and less No Strings Attached.....
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Speaking of choreographed fights...this might be the best/worst example....
I love the Mission Impossible series....but holy shit.
That's more like a dance than a fight. Nobody is getting hurt....and nobody would be walking straight or looking pretty after enduring that much pain.
Most realistic scene in that sequence is Ilsa shooting him in the face when she walks down...which is something someone in that dicey situation would do.
I know it's also not realistic to have Cruise and Co. walking around with black eyes, busted lips, and limping throughout the movie....but there has to be a middle ground.
These types of scenes make movies feel more like video games.
They are not really realistic fight scenes at all. Those aren't the worst ones though. The 1 vs 10 people with only one weapon or two are the damned worst ones (they aped that from that one scene from Oldboy w/ the hammer). Most of those modern action movies are glorified video games. John Wick mows down 30-40 bad guys. Great. Too bad it gets boring after a while. Or the other type of movie is the shitty CGI fest, replete with crappy jokes.
Brothers - Natalie Portman film....her husband is assumed killed in action in Afghanistan and she starts getting close to his loser ex convict brother.
It's pretty good....but I can't stand Tobey Maguire...in anything.
Portman was on fire in the mid-late 2000s....so it's unfortunate that she didn't pick better films at the time. She needed more Black Swans and V for Vendettas and less No Strings Attached.....
I think I may have seen this I'm not sure. Portman's problem was that the Star Wars stuff basically set her up for life and she could whatever she wanted to do. Looking up her imdb stuff, that appears to be the case. She just was in a lot of different stuff, some of it mainstream, a lot of it not.
I kind of respect her more in that case. She really could have been in more mainstream films if she wanted to.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
I still haven't watched one of those Wick movies. It does look ridiculous. I should at least try the first film...they are constantly pushing them on Tubi/Amazon.
I think I may have seen this I'm not sure. Portman's problem was that the Star Wars stuff basically set her up for life and she could whatever she wanted to do. Looking up her imdb stuff, that appears to be the case. She just was in a lot of different stuff, some of it mainstream, a lot of it not.
I kind of respect her more in that case. She really could have been in more mainstream films if she wanted to.
She's amazing.
Could've been even more amazing....
She came out of the gates swinging with Leon/The Professional. One of the best child actor performances ever. Then comes Beautiful Girls and the wacky Mars Attacks, Anne Frank on Broadway, a Woody Allen movie, etc.....Unlike many child/teen actors, she was taking her craft seriously. At only 16-17 she was already building an impressive resume
And here comes Star Wars. It definitely altered her career....for better or worse....and the double whammy of going to Harvard. It's impressive obviously....but the trajectory was changed.
Even so...an amazing career. A lot of her films I haven't watched....just not interested... especially any romantic comedies.
There's flashes of brilliance throughout....off the top of my head.....
Leon
Beautiful Girls
V for Vendetta
Black Swan
Jackie
Annihilation
I need to go through her filmography and rewatch some of her old stuff.
I remember when Chloe Moretz hit the scene, I had her pegged as the next Natalie Portman. She kinda was...at least when it comes to hype and attention....but talent wise she didn't come close.
Edit
I forgot Heat! She's pretty good in that but it's a really small role.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
I don't see how she could have had a better career than she's already had. Child actress, household name, Oscar win. She's a good actress but come on. She's not Elizabeth Taylor.
Season 5 Sopranos.
I'm trying to analyze why this feels like a half assed season and the beginning of the end for the show. They've stuck to some of the same style as season 4. Lots of close ups, but fewer long shots and artistic choices. Color wise it is more saturated. Season 4 had a lot of characters dressed in black and red surrounded by cold colors. This season is darker with even the scenery taking on lots of black. But where season 4 added a lot of existential themes to go with the new look and feel of the show, they are going back to the more directly mob related in this season. But it lacks the fun of season 1-3. Many staging shots appear to be lazy with Tony talking to people behind the Bing desk all the time. Stylistically it feels very sameish.
The storylines are starting to jump the shark a little bit. The typical fatigue of an old show. Having Tony and Carm separate is a mistake. So much of the show is centered around activities in the house. It's a bit like screwing up the Bar setting in Cheers, you don't do that. Having an entire episode deal with Carmela's relationship with a teacher is straight up boring. The New York thing too, I like the characters and the introduction of that world, but why do you kill off a great character like Carmine Lupertazzi just so you can have Johnny Sack replace him for a handful of episodes before going to jail. And then the whole war thing with New York that culminates in season 6. It feels like a desperate need for drama.
Getting rid of Robert Loggia after 4 episodes is a massive waste. Every scene with his character is a joy. Also killing Tony B doesn't achieve anything other than set up the pieces for the Leotardo war later. They should have kept Buscemi on for the full duration. He was a great addition to the show.
The bear storyline is nonsense. Just to set up the return of the bear in the last episode and all this other pretentious symbolism.
That being said there are some absolute killer scenes in this season. Some of the best in the whole show. Tony fighting with Janice is pure gold. Some of the therapy sessions and flash backs are great. If I give the first four seasons all 6 stars out of 6, this season only gets 5.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
I still haven't watched one of those Wick movies. It does look ridiculous. I should at least try the first film...they are constantly pushing them on Tubi/Amazon.
Go with the first Wick film. It's storyline based and less ridiculous than the ones that follow. It's basically a dark neo-noir with a moderate amount of fight scenes. It's not basically just a setup for a bunch of kills.
I forgot Heat! She's pretty good in that but it's a really small role.
That's actually my favorite side story in Heat. And she makes it work. Her storyline hits the apex at the end /last 20 mins. And it works beautifully for me. It wouldn't work if she didn't make you feel that there was some connection with her character and Vincent Hanna. He probably has a closer relationship with her than he does his wife.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
The Wolf Hour - Naomi Watts movie set in 1970s NY during the "Summer of Sam".
She puts in a great performance..love the claustrophobic atmosphere....but nothing really happens. I found the brief mentions about her past relationship with her family more interesting than what's happening.
One reviewer nailed it....it's a good film in search of a story.
When it ended, my immediate thought was....what's the point?!?
The Magnificent Seven - Was supposed to watch this last year when I was going through Denzel's filmography. It was better than I expected.... although modern day westerns feel more like action movies disguised as westerns.
Vincent Donofrio puts in a great performance. It took me awhile to realize that was him.
Dennis the Menace - Amazon has the series and I decided to watch some of it and see if it holds up...hadn't watched it since the 80s.
It doesn't hold up....too cheesy and innocent although most shows from that timeframe are probably like this. The plots are too basic and it becomes too repetitive/monotonous.
We get it....Mr. Wilson can't stand Dennis but he usually does something cute and everyone loves him....repeat for years.
This is now on my "never watch again" list.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
Check this out....
Someone showed the list of the top 10 movies of 1973 and 2023.
The contrast is insane. Scorsese is right...the industry has been ruined.
1973
1 The Exorcist
2 The Sting
3 American Graffiti
4 Papillon
5 The Way We Were
6 Magnum Force
7 Live and Let Die
8 Robin Hood
9 Paper Moon
10 Serpico
2023 (so far)
1 The Super Mario Bros. Movie
2 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
3 Avatar: The Way of Water
4 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quant…
5 John Wick: Chapter 4
6 Creed III
7 The Little Mermaid
8 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
9 Fast X
10 Scream VI
No wonder I haven't been to the movies in years...and rarely watch anything new.
- FlashFlood
- Rep: 55
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
9 of the 2023 top 10 are sequels or a remake (Little Mermaid). And I’m not necessarily sure you’d call Mario Bros original. So basically, none are an original thought or concept.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
9 of the 2023 top 10 are sequels or a remake (Little Mermaid). And I’m not necessarily sure you’d call Mario Bros original. So basically, none are an original thought or concept.
Yep...no originality.
What really sticks out on the 1973 list is the variety of films. From horror movies to spy movies to cop movies.
Everything in 2023 is different but the same soulless CGI crap fests.
Another big difference is nothing in 1973 is catered to China with the American market as an afterthought.
Re: Most Recent Movie You've Seen
The problem also is that some of those directors from the 70s-90s are getting old and may die off or just stop making movies. Scorscese is 80. And after they are gone, who the hell is going to be taking up that baton? Aside from Christopher Nolan (who I don't like that much). I can't think of many directors, ones with US affiliations anyway. I guess Spike Lee is another one but he is 66.
Basically if you want to find interesting stuff released in 2023, you gotta actually dig. I'm sure there are interesting movies released (talking "mid-budget" ones at least and not totally indie). They are just probably not going to be playing at your local cinema or be well known. And that's a shame because even as late as the 2000s, there was an actually variety of films that weren't basic CGI sequels and or deriative remakes and were pretty creative.
