What was the last movie you watched?

Serenity (2019). Ugh. Saw it with the wife. Trailer made it seem interesting, but, well just a lame twist. Wasn't really too into the characters, didn't care a whole lot until the bitter end, when a tiny part of it makes me think of me and my sons. Other than that I wouldn't watch it again.

Wife and son saw Kid who would be King. My son loved it. Was in the aisles or his seat, or both how he tells it acting out the fight sequences. Movie brought a huge smile to his face, so that's one I'll probably buy in a few months.

All this makes me wonder, don't people who are involved in movies know when it's going to be good and when it's going to suck? I mean sure you get lots of scripts thrown at you, but isn't there a way to tell if it's going to be awesome or suck? Serenity had big names, but wasn't that good, Kid who would be King had nobody that I know of (as I didn't watch it) and it was way better. You see big budget movies that can divide critics and audience (Last Jedi) and other movies that could be smaller that everyone universally loves. But how does an actor/director know when it's going to be awesome or suck? I mean you can see Steven Spielberg attached and think ok cool, but it could wind up being BFG (not good) or Ready Player One (awesome). You can have a major cast say like Ocean's 11 that's good, but then another major cast and it just suck. I wonder when these people know in a movie that it's not going to be good, or if they just assume that it'll be good until the end product is released. Is it script? Editing? Directing? Acting? I know sometimes it's all of it, but I just wonder when it goes sideways.
 
thehustler said:
Serenity (2019). Ugh. Saw it with the wife. Trailer made it seem interesting, but, well just a lame twist. Wasn't really too into the characters, didn't care a whole lot until the bitter end, when a tiny part of it makes me think of me and my sons. Other than that I wouldn't watch it again.

Wife and son saw Kid who would be King. My son loved it. Was in the aisles or his seat, or both how he tells it acting out the fight sequences. Movie brought a huge smile to his face, so that's one I'll probably buy in a few months.

All this makes me wonder, don't people who are involved in movies know when it's going to be good and when it's going to suck? I mean sure you get lots of scripts thrown at you, but isn't there a way to tell if it's going to be awesome or suck? Serenity had big names, but wasn't that good, Kid who would be King had nobody that I know of (as I didn't watch it) and it was way better. You see big budget movies that can divide critics and audience (Last Jedi) and other movies that could be smaller that everyone universally loves. But how does an actor/director know when it's going to be awesome or suck? I mean you can see Steven Spielberg attached and think ok cool, but it could wind up being BFG (not good) or Ready Player One (awesome). You can have a major cast say like Ocean's 11 that's good, but then another major cast and it just suck. I wonder when these people know in a movie that it's not going to be good, or if they just assume that it'll be good until the end product is released. Is it script? Editing? Directing? Acting? I know sometimes it's all of it, but I just wonder when it goes sideways.
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It's hard to tell. The script may sound very interesting initially and you sign for it but the execution can be rather bad or unoriginal but now it's too late to back off. I'd say a lot of the times actors know and other times they are surprised when some of their movies get better reception than they had expected. You could have a nice original idea but if it's not executed well then a flush in the toilet. I've read many reviews where reviewers insisted how the movies could have been so much better or had the potential, so directing is really key along with a nice plot. Great names doesn't always warrant a great movie. I always tend to avoid big budget movies unless I am forced to watch.

So I'd say a great direction together with an intriguing plot can overcome some bad acting but just great acting wouldn't hold much water.
 
NonP said:
Just saw Le Semeur/The Sower (not to be confused with the 2013 documentary of the same name) tonight, part of the French Cinémathèque series at the Avalon Theatre and an early contender for my top 10 of 2019 (it might have opened in your hood last year or earlier, as it's a 2017 release). It's clear Marine Francen wanted no shot to be wasted for her feature debut, for it looks and feels like a sumptuous Millet painting throughout. That's not always to its advantage when the travails of the long-suffering townswomen and especially the inner turmoil of its heroine Violette (Pauline Burlet in a pluperfect performance) call for a more brutalist aesthetic, but what Francen achieves is so lovely to look at she's allowed to indulge herself a little.

Neil Young of The Hollywood Reporter smartly called this film "The Beguiled meets Black Narcissus" and there's much to the analogy, but the one thing that separates The Sower from the two female-libertine classics is class: these countrywomen are forced to fend for themselves not only because their men are no longer around or obtainable due to politics or dogma, but because their peasant livelihood depends on it. Suffice it to say Francen isn't blind to this harsh reality and no woman in the film comes off as irredeemable even when we disapprove of her behavior. And whoever did the casting deserves her own kudos, not only for her eye for women but also for her wisdom to have settled on Alban Lenoir as the unsuspecting and unconventionally handsome lothario Jean (whose age of 39 is almost the same as his real-life counterpart's of 38, interestingly enough).

It's a shame this resplendent gem was passed over for distribution by the likes of The Square and Loveless (to name just two 2017 co-French productions) whose slick misanthropy proved an easier sell to the prestige (read: awards) studios. It doesn't seem to be playing or streaming anywhere yet, but here's hoping this and future screenings will provide enough word of mouth to remedy this state of affairs.


Now onto housekeeping:



Trust me, the movie doesn't begin to approach the Boccaccio book it's based on in raunchy wit and punchy humor. If you're interested in the original Decameron I can recommend the Rebhorn translation which has served me well, but pretty much any edition from the major publishers should be fine as I couldn't find anything damning about them last time I checked.



This has been one of the sleeper documentary hits of the year (along with Won't You Be My Neighbor, RBG and Three Identical Strangers), but I just didn't see the appeal. Granted I'm really not the best one to judge as I have next to zilch interest in climbing or mountaineering, but as a profile of true heroism and an illustration of nature's majesty 2016's The Eagle Huntress was several degrees better:


This is the kind of movie you wanna see on the big screen. Its extreme long shots of the Mongolian steppe are truly breathtaking.



It is. I really was pleasantly surprised 'cause I'd yet to see a single Schrader film that I liked without much reservation (that includes the arty Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters which he'd considered his best work as directer, and of course Taxi Driver, which he did not direct but one could argue he was one of its three auteurs along with Scorsese and composer Bernard Herrmann), but he really outdid himself in this one. And he knows it.

Now I do find parts of it too buzzy (I suspect its environmentalist angle won't age too well) to declare it a masterpiece, but then no 2018 film I've seen thus far belongs to that rarefied field. Would like to see it again and perhaps write an actual review, because it deserves a more thorough appraisal than this.



How did you watch it already? I actually checked if there were any streaming options before posting that review but couldn't find any. Torrent? (NM, don't tell me. :whistle:)

Glad you liked it. As for that "mistake" you speak of I think that was just Stuber's way of showing us how deeply Christian and Marion were beginning to connect. I wouldn't read too much into it. :cool:

And as someone who doesn't care much for Anderson's patented twee I loved Moonrise Kingdom myself. Probably his best, though Rushmore has a lot going for it. (Here I should add the caveat that I've yet to see The Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox.)

Since you seem to like oft-kilter stuff I think you'll dig this:


I didn't have high expectations going into it myself because Abel and Gordon (who are a real-life couple, FYI) from what I'd read were passable Wes Anderson imitators at best, and its opening shot did feel awfully like an Anderson rip-off, but it turned out to be the best comedy I saw in 2017, with by far the most hysterical scene of the year (short version: the male counterpart Dom gets mistaken for a family friend at a funeral and proceeds to give an increasingly demented speech where he denounces the deceased as a closet racist who hated the homeless and fashion-challenged like him). The whole movie's worth seeing just for that scene alone (the last time another movie had made me roll with laughter in such sheer discomfort was when Tom Bennett in Stillman's Love & Friendship makes a complete fool out of his Sir James character in one of his utterly tone-deaf conversations), but it's got plenty to offer on top of easy laughs.
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torrent. btw i watched Lost in Paris too and I really like the goofy approach. Thankssssssssssssss a lot! which movie will you recommend me next?:)
 
thehustler said:
Serenity (2019). Ugh. Saw it with the wife. Trailer made it seem interesting, but, well just a lame twist. Wasn't really too into the characters, didn't care a whole lot until the bitter end, when a tiny part of it makes me think of me and my sons. Other than that I wouldn't watch it again.

Wife and son saw Kid who would be King. My son loved it. Was in the aisles or his seat, or both how he tells it acting out the fight sequences. Movie brought a huge smile to his face, so that's one I'll probably buy in a few months.

All this makes me wonder, don't people who are involved in movies know when it's going to be good and when it's going to suck? I mean sure you get lots of scripts thrown at you, but isn't there a way to tell if it's going to be awesome or suck? Serenity had big names, but wasn't that good, Kid who would be King had nobody that I know of (as I didn't watch it) and it was way better. You see big budget movies that can divide critics and audience (Last Jedi) and other movies that could be smaller that everyone universally loves. But how does an actor/director know when it's going to be awesome or suck? I mean you can see Steven Spielberg attached and think ok cool, but it could wind up being BFG (not good) or Ready Player One (awesome). You can have a major cast say like Ocean's 11 that's good, but then another major cast and it just suck. I wonder when these people know in a movie that it's not going to be good, or if they just assume that it'll be good until the end product is released. Is it script? Editing? Directing? Acting? I know sometimes it's all of it, but I just wonder when it goes sideways.
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Guess that's a universal question, it really does seem to be a bit of a crapshoot. But it goes both ways, on many great films(like say Jaws and Star Wars) most of the cast and crew have thought while filming that they were working on disasters. I think a lot of credit should go to the editors(there's a great youtube clip called 'star wars was saved in the editing' which goes into great detail on all the changes made from the first cut to the final cut)
I've read Natalie Portman say she was pretty shocked(not in a bad way) when she saw Black Swan, said it was completely different from the film she thought she was making. Clearly a script doesn't always equal what's on the screen.

And I've also heard actors admit when they've worked on movies that had poor scripts they thought that maybe their great acting could help mask the problems and that the film may evolve in the editing room. Acting is a job, and it's not always possible for an actor to just work on great scripts, they also have bills to pay:)

Going back to your example Serenity looks like a throwback to thrillers like body heat(coincidentally mentioned above) so I can see the appeal for some actors. Also having a great meeting where a director pitches his vision to an actor can cause them to sign up for a stinker and not realize it's a stinker until much later.

But the situation with your examples ultimately has the same result - both films are bombs(kid who would be king is gonna lose $50 mill for the studio per article in Variety)

So another good question is why do good reviewed movies bomb? Esp sonething like Kid, a commercial children's film, that's a genre that does well. You could blame it on marketing(though there seemed to be plenty) or just blame it on the public. When that happens(and it happens a lot) maybe we kinda deserve all these bad movies.
 
Finished watching Genius. Was really taken by it. Highly recommended. I didn't use to think much of Jude Law but his performance in this movie changed my opinion drastically about his acting capabilities.

A bunch of English and Australian men pulling as Americans with southern account and nailing it is what I call acting.
 
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The Way We Were (1973) - Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford.

Started The Wild Pear Tree (interesting Turkish movie)
Currently watching The Favourite (2018).
 
The Favourite (2018) - emma_stone, rachel_weisz.

Mostly about Queen Anne and her affairs with Lady Marlborough and Abigail.
 
Free: Long Range WWII Bomber picture that is actually true!
Stars Christopher George(Rat Patrol) and many other famous TV actors including Lorraine Stephens . Made in 1969!
Actually shown in movie theaters. In color!
 
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Sentinel said:
The Favourite (2018) - emma_stone, rachel_weisz.

Mostly about Queen Anne and her affairs with Lady Marlborough and Abigail.
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Did you not like it? I am waiting for it to come to Netflix. The cinematography looks stunning. And Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz make it more worth it - two of my favourite actresses.
 
last I watched was the documentary Jane (2017), about the famous primatologist Jane Goodall and her life and work. Had long intended to watch it, and @stringertom's mentioning of her in another thread prompted me to finally catch it. It's a moving and engrossing story about an impressive lady, and obviously a lot of the footage is remarkable. Evocative score by Philip Glass as well.

 
Sysyphus said:
last I watched was the documentary Jane (2017), about the famous primatologist Jane Goodall and her life and work. Had long intended to watch it, and @stringertom's mentioning of her in another thread prompted me to finally catch it. It's a moving and engrossing story about an impressive lady, and obviously a lot of the footage is remarkable. Evocative score by Philip Glass as well.

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Glad to hear I have some positive impact around here.
 
A Star Is Born (2018)

Liked the songs. Interesting movie about an alcoholic guitarist/singer who mentors a young girl.


MV5BNmE5ZmE3OGItNTdlNC00YmMxLWEzNjctYzAwOGQ5ODg0OTI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL__QL50.jpg

Director: Bradley_Cooper.

Starring:. Lady_Gaga, Bradley_Cooper, Sam_Elliott, Andrew_Dice_Clay.


https://imdb.com/title/tt1517451/
 
Rafaisdabest said:
Cool, I watched Part 1 and Part 2 one after the other first night Part 2 was in cinemas and they started at Midnight lol it feels weird coming out of the movies at about 4 something in the morning lol
Glad you loved it, that scene with Snape is one of my favourites too, it explains soo much..
I'm currently reading all the books for the first time I'm up to the 5th, Chapter 17 so far! :)

Have you seen Spider-man 3?! If not you should watch it, I liked that one the most..
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Yes, few years ago. 3 is a good one but I prefer over 1st and 2nd movie over 3rd one.

Rafaisdabest said:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald - was very confused the whole way through, didn't get a lot of what was going on so when I came home I read the plot on wiki now it makes more sense, would like to watch it again when it comes out on dvd! I enjoyed the parts I got but now that I read the plot I get the whole movie now and overall it was pretty good!

There's a 3rd movie!
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I feel that they wasted the potential of Leta by killing her too soon. Johnny Depp was performed well as Grindelwald.
He was intimidating and the movie was great towards the end.
 
I have watched several movies for the first time during the last two months.

Nolan's Batman trilogy.

I have only watched Interstellar from Nolan before. But it looks like he has the knack of making you emotional. I loved the character development of Batman especially how it start in batman begins, the plot of the trilogy, villains and all the practical/visual effects. Loved the Alfred-Bruce relationship. My favorite line is when Alfred says somewhere along the lines "when I first heard your voice echo this house".

1, Batman Begins: 8/10
2, The Dark Knight: 9/10
3, the Dark Knight Rises. - 8.5/10

Justice League - Can't believe they spent so much money to create such a terrible CGI villain. Only good thing about the movie is Gal Gadot.
Batman vs Superman - Better than Justice League but okay flick.
Aquaman - Too lengthy. Watching the ocean for that long made me to wanted to pee. Benefited big time with lack of competition and became highest grossing dC MOVIE EVER. Probably better than rest of the movies in the franchise. But I still THINK Wonder Woman is #1.

Marley & Me - I could only watch half the movie. Mama stepped in when they were shaking the bed so had to switch the channel. Liked it for the most part. Will complete next time.

Fast & furious 1, 5, 6 and 8 - I will write review sometime later.
 
5908546.jpg

It is about a rogue criminal CIA group capturing elements of regular CIA and German spies and imprison them in a U.S. submarine for interrogation. The submarine Captain try to take control but is shot dead as well as all of his officers.
Stars. Jean Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Al Sapiennza, Courtney B. Turk, Jasmine Walz.

I am a big “fan” of Jasmine Walz, so this was a must see for me! Does not disappoint - Jasmine that is!

 
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The bridge at Remagen!

“The Bridge at Remagen (1969) The Bridge at Remagen is a 1969 WWII film that focuses on a unit in the U.S. Army's exhausted 27th Armored Infantry that is ordered to seize the bridge near the city of Remagen, on the Rhine River, in order to prevent the retreat of 75,000 German troops.”

Stars: George Segal, Ben Gazzara, and Robert Vaughn along with E.G. Marshall, Bradford Dillman, Bo Hopkins.
 
Requiem for the American Dream (2015).

Documentary interview with Noam Chomsky, spliced with archival footage and illustrative graphics. Informative for those with an interest in the underpinnings of our societal infrastructure. Manufacturing Consent (1992) was much more probing, thorough, and eye-opening. But Chomsky was a more influential figure at that time. I'm glad to have gotten around to watching this one, and would recommend it to individuals seeking sage perspective from a positively groundbreaking and iconic thinker.
 
Hunger 2008 Steve McQueens directorial debut and the movie that propelled Michael Fassbender to superstar status.

It's a great movie but lacking in the real depth it would need to be a classic, includes a famous 17 minute continuous take.
 
I watched Nocturnal Animals (2016) last night. It's very dark and grim from the get go and very stylish. It's from the same Director - A Single Man - Tom Ford.

There's something unsettling about the movie as it engages you right away. It feels a bit philosophical at times because of the circumstances you are presented with during the movie. It has an open ending and I feel it deserves that.

It's not everyone's cup of tea but it's thought-provoking. I recommend it highly.

Oh and it's a thriller.
 
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Source Code. It's a sci-fi/action thriller in which the main character unwittingly participates in a government program designed to stop a terrorist attack. I stumbled across it at the library and took it home mainly because I had never heard of it and knew nothing about it. Turns out to be quite watchable and I liked it a lot.
 
Saw two movies over the weekend. Alita: Battle Angel and Happy Death Day 2U.

Alita. Sigh. I wanted it to be so good. Special effects are cool, but other than that it was so uneven of a movie. Just didn't have a real good pace to it, story was all over the place, didn't really develop characters that well. Ending annoyed me as well. Not good enough for a sequel or to really go watch again.

Happy Death Day 2U. I enjoyed this one. Also enjoyed the first one. Same cast, good way of trying to explain why the characters live the same day over and over. Hopefully no more sequels after this one. Just end it there otherwise it's just a cash grab. Felt it had a good flow, kept me and the wife entertained the entire time, got her a little scared at times which is always fun. I enjoyed each of the characters and their quirks, makes it enjoyable. Would definitely go watch again.
 
thehustler said:
Saw two movies over the weekend. Alita: Battle Angel and Happy Death Day 2U.

Alita. Sigh. I wanted it to be so good. Special effects are cool, but other than that it was so uneven of a movie. Just didn't have a real good pace to it, story was all over the place, didn't really develop characters that well. Ending annoyed me as well. Not good enough for a sequel or to really go watch again.
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Really? That's too bad. I still plan on watching it. Jim Cameron developed this on and off for over 10 yrs.
 
Watched Bullitt (1968, Steve McQueen) on a flight last week. Had never watched it before. Not a bad movie. The car chase is of course iconic. Too bad Steve McQueen died at age 50. His acting was excellent in this movie.
 
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