The Film Thread

I had a beverage and sat down to watch an action movie…and I felt like I saw 3 hrs of Pattison moping around and brooding. Like an emo Batman. Do something already Batman! :joy:

May have to rewatch it.

Oh, it was definitely slow. And that annoyed me at first because I was all ready for a Nolan-esque action-fest. But then I readjusted and approached it like The Joker. Thought it was great and Farrell as the Penguin redeemed himself from the shit he served up in True Detective 2.

1 Like

Counterpoint, I wouldn’t bother.

I just don’t see what it adds at all. Sometimes the licensing of these franchises is the driving factor behind making these sorts of films (the entire Garfield version of the Spiderman franchise was filmed because of a clause in the contract that said ownership went back to Marvel if Sony were inactive for x number of years) more than having a story to tell. This felt more like that sort of film than one that was done out of a burning desire to do something new and worthwhile with something that is now very well worn intellectual property.

1 Like

The Best Movies Of 2022 To Keep On Your Radar (msn.com)

We watched Fresh. It was only average, and the subject matter makes it uncomfortable to watch.

Turning Red was also average as Pixar movies go. It’s basically Teen Wolf, but not, and the message of the movie gets lost in the execution.

Not managed to see any of the others on the list yet despite watching 29 new releases already this year as a self inflicted challenge

Devil’s Advocate was set in a law firm, not so much about jury-based movies. it’s a gooder though.

Runaway Jury is pretty good (I think- it’s been a while). 90s movie with John Cusack. Based on a Grishim book

1 Like

Copycats :stuck_out_tongue:

Haven’t seen it, but did watch Encanto recently and LOVED it. I’d heard a lot of people say something similar about that film. Obviously these films are geared to a general audience and have messages that can be understood pretty universally, but they’re also premised on a very specific cultural reference. It’s possible that for those of us without that experience it just doesnt land as well, but there’s also the reality that sometimes it just feels like a win to have your culture noticed and represented.

2 Likes

Yeah, myself and the kids all liked Encanto. I haven’t seen Turning Red, but I will say my youngest (9) bloody loved it and has watched it about 10 times in quick succession…

I definitely wasn’t a pre-teen asian-canadian girl in the early 2000s, so i’m always happy to admit when I’m not the target audience. I just felt whatever they were trying to say with the movie just wasn’t clear unlike every other Disney/Pixar movie I’ve seen, even though I wasn’t the target audience for those either. There were some funny moments and the CG in the food looked the best I’ve seen in a CG movie.
I haven’t seen Encanto as I have antipathy to Lin Manuel Miranda

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I didn’t mean to suggest these are films targeted at a specific ethnic group. But this is now 2 films in a row coming out of Disney/Pixar that while exploring a generalizable theme, both insert a very specific cultural PoV dealing with the immigrant experience in doing so. Reviews of both have seemed to be more varied than normal, and I’d guess that it would be perfectly reasonable to think these films work on different level to different people, and if you can only relate to the more generalized bit, then yeah this is just going to look like a cartoon teen wolf. But it’s also got the potential to resonate very differently with people who see something of their experiences in these perspectives being presented.

1 Like

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I don’t think these films are made for specific ethinicities. I am more than aware that as a middle aged man, I’m probably not going to relate to any movie about a teen aged girl in the same way that an actual teenage girl would. Particularly if they’re from a different culture. Just as I won’t relate to a movie about racism in the same way that someone who has experienced racism will, or a movie about a deaf character in the same way that a deaf person will.

But I have never seen a Pixar or modern Disney movie that did not have an underlying moral or a take home message. And I can enjoy (or not) these movies irrespective of that message. But Turning Red didn’t feel like it knew what it was trying to say.

Encanto is terrific. My son loves it. Surface Pressure is probably the best Disney song ever - maybe not the most iconic but certainly the highest in quality.

1 Like

Big Lebowski is in my top five films of all time. It’s hilarious, original, unpredictable and brilliantly acted.
I’ve watched it at least ten times and it never gets old.
Too many brilliant scenes, but who can resist the Jesus?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KdOjVsfuKPs

4 Likes

Ever seen Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead? Like the one, you’re bound to like the other.

3 Likes

Really like the Coen Brothers, have watched all of their movies. Shoutout to " The Man Who Wasn’t There" which hardly anyone seems to care about, but I really enjoyed. Brilliant anti-hero.

1 Like

They were brilliant throughout their careers but their early stuff is unparalleled in my opinion, especially Miller’s Crossing and Barton Fink. I could never pick one over the other.

2 Likes

Barton Fink for me, but they’re both great

3 Likes

And Raising Arizona