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Originally posted by John Stuart MillRIP: Charlie Munger​Originally posted by Robert “Hoot†Gibson -
Saw WIDOWS last night.....it was alright....Comment
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Shockingly I didn't care for this. Thought the movie dragged a little bit, which is hard to do for an action film. Also thought they went way too hard with the concept that Tom Cruise's character was this infallible demigod type character.
The helicopter scene almost saves it but I was left a little cold.Comment
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Bird Box.
I liked this but didn't love it. It sort of borrows stuff whole cloth from other post-apocalyptic movies, notably The Mist. It really doesn't nail the "strangers stuck in a confined space while the world ends outside" elements, mostly because the characters aren't fully realized. But it has a couple of very suspenseful scenes and the concept is just freaky enough to make it interesting.
The novel is a sort of near-masterpiece. The filmmakers made the decision to strip out one crucial element of the book for some reason, but it mostly hews pretty close to the book. Unfortunately the film doesn't have the insane, careening wildness the book does and it mostly works as a safe, decent breakdown-of-society flick. Worth a watch.
Last edited by Joneslab; 12-29-2018, 11:05 PM.Comment
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
I've never read a comic book. Have never felt the need to read a comic book. I wouldn't even know where to start, honestly. But after watching this movie I believe I'm going to have to rethink my stance.
This movie is something else. Not only is it cool as hell to look at, the story is a thrumming work of genius that never quits. It's heartfelt without being sappy, action packed without being stock, and loaded up with enough awesomeness to fit into four movies. Has to be in the conversation as one of the finest superhero movies ever made.Comment
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I stopped reading Spider-man about the time Miles Morales was created. The clips I have seen seem very much like a good Spider-man comic.
Comic book movies are generally best when the experience is like a live action version of the book. The notable exceptions being Iron Man and Thor whose best movies bear little resemblance to their comic book sources.
I must admit, I never got Spider-ham as a kid.Originally posted by John Stuart MillRIP: Charlie Munger​Originally posted by Robert “Hoot†GibsonComment
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I would think this is probably true.
Trouble is, we've seen so much of that. The market is fully saturated at this point.
Spider-Verse is just way different--and much cooler, imo--because the makers decided to stick to the comic book roots of the character. (There's a little logo that pops up at the beginning that says something like "Approved by the Comic Book Authority" or something, which made me think Marvel may do more of these animated movies with other characters.) But trust me: you could know nothing about comic books and love this. It's got some comic- style trappings but it works great as just a straightforward action movie. The movie it probably resembles most that I've seen is Thor: Ragnarok. Perfect blend of action, comedy, and feels.Comment
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Crazy Rich Asians.
Finally, a movie where the title tells you exactly what it's about. And what a strange little film it is. I can't really say I liked this or disliked it--it just exists, throwing out some romcom cliches and surprising you just enough to make the $2.99 you'll pay on Amazon worth it. But what makes it odd is the movie's tone. It seems to push against "crazy rich" people and their culture, but it glorifies the hell out of those same people. The characters at times swing wildly between being unpretentious and decent to being zany and out of touch--sometimes within the same scene.
This movie was an unprecedented smash in Asia, and it's easy to see why: it sends up Asian culture, makes fun of the oddities of arranged marriages and closed societies, but in doing that it seems to celebrate those very same things. Through most of its running time this thing looks like a hip-hop video: a lot of bling with very little substance on the inside.
It's really hard to read this movie. I didn't love it or hate it but it definitely doesn't break any new ground.Comment
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I thought this movie sucked.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, on the other hand, was pretty great. It's a pick-your-own-path adventure with your remote control on Netflix. Probably not one of the upper tier "Black Mirror" episodes, but the gimmick gives it a big time boost.Comment
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The Guilty.
A Danish confined-space thriller that's been on some of the best-of-the-year lists for 2018. Like Buried and Locke, this movie turns on a gimmick: a 911 operator tries to solve a woman's abduction. The movie is entirely told through the operator's eyes, and the actor who plays the operator is brilliant. The movie hinges not on the abduction story but on the operator's past, and after the abduction is sussed out it's these revelations that give the movie a powerful last-act punch.
A suspenseful movie about personal reckonings and the lengths people will go to to purge their own guilt, this is a solid film that doesn't quite rise to the level of must-watch, but it's still one of the more inventive and powerful thrillers you'll see. Recommended.Comment
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Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.
This is the Netflix documentary (there's a Hulu one about the same event), and man is it tough to watch. I've always been a little squeamish watching and/or reading about people who are slowly getting trapped in their own lies. But the villain in this film is so unlikable, such a cold-blooded thief, that you want to watch until the end to see how everything crashes down around him. And man, does it crash down spectacularly. The most heartbreaking thing in this are the islanders who were duped by the guy, many of whom are still to this day waiting on their money.
I mentioned a great book in the political forum called Bad Blood. The guy who conceived of the Fyre Festival is the same kind of villain as Elizabeth Holmes, the star of Bad Blood. They're both maniacally diabolical, they're both sociopathic, and to be perfectly honest they're both the exact kinds of villains you would expect to see in America these days.
Highly recommended but also highly uncomfortable to watch.Comment
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I'm going to run down a one word review for all the movies I've seen recently:
Glass - Underwhelming.
Green Book - Pandering.
If Beale Street Could Talk - Okay.
The Favourite - ZZZZZ.
Vice - Entertaining.
Bohemian Rhapsody - Youveseenitbefore.
Roma - Beautiful.
Eighth Grade - Good.
Leave No Trace - Fantastic.
Beautiful Boy - Depressing.
Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse - Incredible.
Birdbox - Mediocre.
Take from this what you will.Last edited by KCKUKFan; 01-25-2019, 08:50 AM.Comment
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Leave No Trace.
Watched this on KC's recommendation and I'm glad I did. This isn't the kind of movie you watch if you want riveting, breathless entertainment. There are no chase scenes or stunning reversals, no suspenseful twists as the score swells in the background. This is a character study, and in character studies the actors have to carry their weight. And the two leads do, particularly the daughter, who's played by 18-year-old Thomasin McKenzie. She's brilliant in this, and as the movie goes on you realize that it's her movie and that everything that happens is really a reflection on her power and her future. The realization of what this film is "about" is a revelation, and that gives the movie as much of a kick as any twist ending could.
My highest recommendation and one of the best things I saw that was made in 2018.Comment
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