LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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Lethal Interjection
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

Post by Lethal Interjection »

Dark City Extended Edition - From what I understand, a far superior version to the regular cut. Which is what prompted my coworker's recommendation*. An interesting meld of The Matrix (thematically) and campy distopian 80s/early 90s films. I liked it. I should say that "campy 80s/90s films" isn't a put-down, but a (potentially) affirming category in and of itself. I mean, Gilliam has occasionally returned to that well, and he remains one of my favourite directors.

Ex Machina - Really interesting. A thriller that relies both on psychology and an understanding of artificial intelligence. I really enjoyed it. I was told that a second viewing is recommended for most people (because first time viewing prompts you to relate to Caleb, while the second tends to put you in the eyes of Nathan). Not entirely sure I need the second watch to understand Nathan's point of view, but I might give it a second viewing. It was an interesting twisting thriller, though.


*We were talking about extended/directors cuts that far surpassed the regular theatrical cuts. I suggested films like Daredevil and Almost Famous, but he stuck to Dark City. I've not seen the theatrical Dark City, but he says that it has a horrible plot-explaining narrator crutch which over-explains the film and essentially spoils the plot.

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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

Post by Kimra »

My biggest problem with Dark City was always the stupid fight scene at the end where they stare at each other and a giant bubble forms between them. It was.. weak at best.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

Post by Liriodendron_fagotti »

The Martian was real good. I read the book a couple weeks ago. It was quite faithful to it. I was a little bummed that a lot of the technical stuff got short-changed but I get why. The ending got a little Hollywood-ed, but not too much. I decided to see it in 3D since I hadn't seen one in a while. It wasn't jarring, but it was hard to get a sense of scale during some landscape shots. The novel is so dense with things Mark does to keep himself alive, all the while explaining it in explicit detail, that the movie ended up feeling really rushed even though it was over 2 hours long. Still totally recommended though.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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Liriodendron_fagotti wrote:The Martian was real good. I read the book a couple weeks ago. It was quite faithful to it. I was a little bummed that a lot of the technical stuff got short-changed but I get why. The ending got a little Hollywood-ed, but not too much. I decided to see it in 3D since I hadn't seen one in a while. It wasn't jarring, but it was hard to get a sense of scale during some landscape shots. The novel is so dense with things Mark does to keep himself alive, all the while explaining it in explicit detail, that the movie ended up feeling really rushed even though it was over 2 hours long. Still totally recommended though.
Wasn't sure if I was going to read the book first, but now I'm opting to reading before watching.

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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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Gone Girl - Great movie. Not as good as the book, but reasonably so. Just translating it to film and maintaining the twists would've been a monster task. Affleck was a little flat, but pretty much spot on since Nick was a rather flat character. Pike was excellent as Amy, especially in the second half.

Spoilers ahead for both book and movie. Stuff that can't really be blacked out unless I did the lot.

Ultimately the problem with the movie was that Nick was never the complete villain and Amy never really felt like the innocent 'cool girl' as parts of the book implied. Amy, even in the early flashbacks had a sort of sociopathic edge to her. Never quite 'present'. On the other hand Nick, in the first half, never really felt like he was guilty. His reactions always felt reasonable, not potentially hiding guilt as the book implied. Now a lot of that is because the movie never translated Nick's inner-monologue well. Particularly that he could 'picture Amy crawling around on the floor bleeding, head bashed in'. Which were, I think, the book's main way of focusing guilt on him. The movie used his attempts to solve the case on his own as the main implication for his guilt, which never quite landed.
I mean there are a few other issues. Desi didn't feel as much a threat to Amy as the book implied. And the ending was more about Nick being a dutiful father than actually accepting that him and Amy kinda/sorta worked.
But other than that it was a pretty decent adaption. I figured the movie would have to use a lot of crutch-narration to tell the story properly. But it did an admirable job, with most of the narration being more of a scene-setter than an explanation of what was going through character's heads.

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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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Trainwreck - Awkward dull movie. Not my kind of humour. If you want to watch a beefcake man having sex with someone while talking about protein drinks for five minutes solid, maybe this is your sort of humour? I was hoping for slap stick but it ended up being awkward reality sort of movie.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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Completely Spoiler Free:

I saw Star Wars. Last week I watched the other six movies for a refresher beforehand.
It wasn't bad. I'd say 6.5/10. Considering I was expecting a 3 or 4...
My scoring of this may or may not improve or devolve when I see it again.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

Post by Liriodendron_fagotti »

My review has more spoilers. I liked it. Give it a 8/10.

It felt like Star Wars IV: Bigger, Better, Stronger, Faster. The BIG THING was done really well. Like you were 75% sure it was going to happen but you're still when it does. They didn't pump in toooo many nostalgia moments. Main beef, how on earth does Fin even slightly hold his own in a lightsaber duel with Evil Solo?
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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Obviously there's more to FN-2187 than simply being a stormtrooper with a conscience.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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I'd have to give it a 17/20.* The cinematography was excellent, the characters were interesting and different, and the plot was pretty intriguing.
Now for the spoilers.

First off, I loved the cinematography. Really any scene which included crashed Star-Destroyers was music to my eyes. Add on to that the amazing lighting of the 'bridge scene' combined with the clear juxtaposition of light and dark on Kylo Ren's perspective? Ever so excellently done.
But on to plot and theme:
I didn't really see it as A New New Hope at the time. But a friend who hadn't seen it yet said he had friends who had complaints that it felt like a remake of Episode IV. Which, on further thought, actually seemed a semi-valid criticism. And all day I've been rolling it through my head (saw The Force Awakens last night). And while I can come up with a half-dozen quite similar elements, when I try to compile a list, I'm pulled to make the elements quite vague. And, so, here is a vague plot that parallels Episode IV:
Character (Leia/Poe) places a piece of information pertinent to the Rebellion/Resistance in a droid (R2D2/BB8), but ends up sending it off for later retrieval. An unlikely person (Luke/Rey) rescues the droid, and ends up charged with the task of delivering the droid to the Rebellion/Resistance. In the process of making that trip the unlikely hero (Luke/Rey) both reveals a strong connection to the Force and requires the help of Han and Chewie to deliver the droid. Meanwhile, a plot-integral person (Leia/Rey) is captured by the Empire/First Order. Two tasks are then undertaken. Plot-integral person (Leia/Rey) is rescued**, and the Rebellion/Resistance has to attack a small part of a moon/planet sized destruction-machine in order to cease it's destructive power, enlisting the help of Han and Chewie as well as the unlikely hero (Luke/Rey).
Meanwhile, from the Dark Side perspective we have the main baddie. He's essentially a puppet of a darker practitioner of the Force and torn between the Dark Side of the Force and between the Light Side, the latter corresponding with a familial connection
(admittedly this parallel has more to do with the entirety of Episodes 4-6). The unlikely hero (Luke/Rey) ends up witnessing the main baddie (Vader/Ren) slaying the unlikely hero's primary mentor. But after witnessing this slaying of the unlikely hero (Luke/Rey) ends up seeking out the lone bastion of the Jedi way (Yoda/Luke) who will presumably train the unlikely hero in the ways of the Force
Now, with that all said, I actually have a conceptual problem with this perspective.
1. If boiled down even further, you can liken either Episode IV, VII and/or the Star Wars series to a number of other epics. As many an internet denizen has done to, say, Star Wars and Harry Potter.
2. It ignores the characters. If there is only one thing which differentiates IV from VII it is the motivation of the characters. Any characters which might have counterparts from IV to VII have a different drive/motivation as the ones from the other, even when it is the same character providing a notably similar role.
3. It ignores the cyclical nature of the Star Wars universe. The entire series is based on the balancing of the Light Side (Jedi) and Dark Side (Sith) of the Force. The premise of the Star Wars universe is based on a cycle. So it seems only natural for the story-line to resurrect the themes and even the specifics of the previous films.
4. Much of what could be considered directly parallel from IV to VII are also general story-telling techniques from the Star Wars universe in general. IV and VII are hardly the only Star Wars movies which use plot developments which require: a) hiding something in a droid, b) destroying a small part of a larger infernal machine, c) using an unlikely hero to advance the plot, d) having a mentor slain by one of the few dark-side adepts... and so on and so on.
And even those points ignore the delightfully female spin that VII puts forward. I saw the movie with a friend and his wife, and she said that Rey was the character she had wanted through much of her childhood. She's right. Rey was, indeed, a delightful female character. I hesitate to explain the various 'feminist' aspects of Rey's character, but I think she was a great introduction to a strong, essentially self-based female character.
So, all-told, I think any suggestions that The Force Awakens is a remake of A New Hope are a little bit, but not wholly, misguided.




*Since I couldn't decide on an 8 or 9 out of 10.
** Rey isn't exactly 'rescued'.

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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

Post by Liriodendron_fagotti »

Valid points. I dig the cyclical nature of the franchise, I think it's a strong point, but those little cheeky nostalgia moments tended more to interrupt the flow of my brain as I watched it. Pretty much every part of BB-8's journey was a rehash of R2-D2's - from getting assaulted for parts/resale before getting rescued to projecting the information "he'd" been entrusted with. Don't get me wrong, I think "she's" great as a character and I absolutely chuckled when they did their little "thumbs up".

I guess I just sensed that the people making it knew they had a lot of expectations to live up to.

The cinematography was awesome. Except I don't get why they decided to use computer models for, like, three individuals in the whole thing - the scrap dealer, small orange lady, and Snoke (he, I get). They looked really out of place/distracting.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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It was a shame that Lupita Nyong'o's character did not resemble Lupita Nyong'o, as I enjoy looking at Lupita Nyong'o's visage much more than I do a wrinkled bug-eyed orange thing.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

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Liriodendron_fagotti wrote:Valid points. I dig the cyclical nature of the franchise, I think it's a strong point, but those little cheeky nostalgia moments tended more to interrupt the flow of my brain as I watched it. Pretty much every part of BB-8's journey was a rehash of R2-D2's - from getting assaulted for parts/resale before getting rescued to projecting the information "he'd" been entrusted with. Don't get me wrong, I think "she's" great as a character and I absolutely chuckled when they did their little "thumbs up".

I guess I just sensed that the people making it knew they had a lot of expectations to live up to.

The cinematography was awesome. Except I don't get why they decided to use computer models for, like, three individuals in the whole thing - the scrap dealer, small orange lady, and Snoke (he, I get). They looked really out of place/distracting.
Yep. I agree with most of this. I hate to make excuses for the movie, but when people take the position of "it's basically a remake of A New Hope" I want to encourage them to step back and take a bit of a wider view of the franchise as a whole. Not all that unlike how I encourage people to view Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill Volume 2. Sure you can see them as two very different films. But if you take a step back, combine the films, and take a wider view... well, I think you'll be able to see that its more accurately 7 or more short-films threaded together in one narrative over two cinematic releases.
I will also agree with you about the overuse of computer models. Not whole agreement, mind-you, but I it would've been marvelous if they had made at least made Maz a puppet of some sort. Something I felt during the movie but forgot about afterwards. Even if Maz was half low-tech and half computer generated I would've been delighted. It would've been a great throwback to the original series stylistically, and also a move that would've given me huge respect for Abrams. And Abrams did do a vaguely humanoid-alien who was largely non-CGI (I assume) in the Star Trek film series, so it is in his repertoire.

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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

Post by Edminster »

Watched The Hateful Eight, Tarantino's newest movie. Projected in Super Panavision which is to widescreen as widescreen is to fullscreen, and on real film instead of digital! It was super neat, because apparently this is a one-week only thing before the film is released nationwide and it's the Roadshow extended cut on top of that so there was an additional twenty minutes of footage. Had a program book and an intermission and actual film; I was very impressed.

It's funny you bring up the concept of how Kill Bill should be viewed; I've always been in the 'single movie with abnormally long intermission' camp. This I think was one of the reasons TH8 went down well with me; it felt very much like an inverted Kill Bill. Overall I enjoyed it, but at times it felt like Tarantino was pushing too far into Robert Rodriguez' stylings and it pulled me out of the movie. The dialogue in the script was at times cringeworthy which was also unusual given Tarantino's usual knack for wordsmithing but given the script was re-written after the original was leaked I can understand some rough spots.

Cinematically though it was absolutely stunning and I highly recommend you see the Roadshow if you possibly can; from what I understand it runs through the end of this month and from there on it's the general release version.
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Re: LR's MOVIE OF THE NOW

Post by Liriodendron_fagotti »

Youth - fantastic movie. I went to see it with my parents thinking it was just a comedy. Woof. There's plenty of humor, but it's a pretty intense, and very beautiful, film. The two leads are Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, who make a great pairing. The soundtrack that wasn't taken from other sources was composed by David Lang, who is a great contemporary composer. That Press Release piece I posted ages ago that I played is by him.

Highly recommended.
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