Movies The Movie Thread! - Continuation - Part 1

[Eigengrau]

Will add Mirai to the watch-list.

High Life has been on my must-see list, I've checked out most of Claire Denis' stuff since I saw 35 Shots of Rum (the title will get you to watch that).

Suspiria I'm pretty excited about.

Yeah I would really like to know what others thought about Suspiria, hopefully my post wasn't too spoiler-y.

~~~~

Yesterday I saw Long Day's Journey Into Night.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8185182/

I know this is becoming a recurrent thing to say in my pseudo-reviews, but yeah, not for everyone.
You definitely have to be in the right state of mind to see a film such as this one.
As I was watching it, I kept thinking "this feels like something a Wong Kar Wai will would be like, from what I've been told" (never seen any) and noticing many similarities to Tarkovsky films, and lo and behold, later on I came across a review that said the exact same thing:

"The unexpected love child of Wong Kar-wai and Andrei Tarkovsky, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” transforms from a lush, slow-burn pastiche to an audacious filmmaking gamble while maintaining the pictorial sophistication of its earlier section. It’s both languorous and eye-popping at once."

Worthy of mention, is the fact that we were given 3D glasses at the start of the film, but it's not a 3D film.
That's because the last 55-59 minutes, an incredible one-shot take, was in 3D, and that was quite an unique and immersive experience.
I mean forget about the 3D if you want, that hour-long tracking shot alone was just wonderful and amazing, especially when you take into account the dream-like vibe and ambient all the way through.

As I said, you really have to be the kind that's patient and in the right mood for this kind of film.
I dug it overall, even if a bit hard to follow at times. I was really trying to surrender myself completely to it (you really have submit all your senses to it) but a jerk woman was really, really obnoxious all the way through the film, which really pissed me off and didn't let me enjoy the full experience as I wanted to.

If, by some chance/miracle you have the opportunity to see it in theaters, at least consider it. IMDb says 1h50mins, but the version that I saw was 2h13mins long. You definitely "feel" the runtime since the whole thing is very slow and dream-like, similar in a way as well to Apichatpong's films, though this one had a more serious/noir vibe to it.

What really got me interested in it in the first place (besides the Cannes talk) was how it looked, and yeah it's definitely a gorgeous film for sure.

Here's the only available clip/footage of the film so far, to the best of my knowledge:

I think you can easily tell from it that it's a film that likes to take its "time" (time is also a big theme, obviously).
Also worthy of mention is the fact that the director is only 29 years old... so jealous! But good on him, curious to watch his previous film.

~~~~

Will be seeing a couple more movies tomorrow, including The House That Jack Built, finally : D
Both excited and anxious at the same time, but I'll be sure to report here afterwards.

 

[FetherMan]

Widows 8 / 10

Recently became a fan of Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame) and I really liked his approach with this film and his ability to level out a great casting of actors. The story is a little more than what was presented in the trailer and I was gracious for that. Davis really was the central point of the film and carried it well and the plot twist at the end was unexpected. Really enjoyed the film and looks forward to more from McQueen.

 

[Eigengrau]

Widows 8 / 10

Recently became a fan of Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame) and I really liked his approach with this film and his ability to level out a great casting of actors. The story is a little more than what was presented in the trailer and I was gracious for that. Davis really was the central point of the film and carried it well and the plot twist at the end was unexpected. Really enjoyed the film and looks forward to more from McQueen.

You know, I was mildly interested in that film at first, but then I saw that Michelle Rodriguez was in it and ugh... sorry but I just can't stand her, it's just one of those things that's a total deal-breaker for me. She always plays the same role, always does the same "Michelle Rodriguez thing" she's been known for, and I just can't stand it, it always breaks immersion for me.


------------
The House That Jack Built

I want to say right from the start that, in regards to the violence and all the "fucked up" stuff in this movie, as well as considering everything that's been said about the film and its contents, I was actually quite surprised to find it rather "tame".

Don't misunderstand me, though. There ARE some messed up scenes in there, but that's the thing: "scenes", it's not as if the most extreme stuff keeps happening throughout the whole 2h35mins runtime... that's totally not the case.

And yet - and despite it being a sold out showing - so many people left at various times during the film...

Like, I totally get it if you draw the line at X or Y, but did you really not know what you were getting yourself into when coming to this particular film...? I mean bruh, all sorts of things have come out regarding this film in the past 6 months, surely you'd know what to expect, I'd say.

I mean, even some people behind me exclaimed (during the mass walkouts) "what the fuck? Really? You're leaving because of that...?".

I even saw a guy who got up and as he left the room he had to put his hand up and cover his eyes because he simply couldn't bear to look at the screen anymore...

Once again, I get it that everyone has a different sensibility to this type of thing, but I found it rather easy to sit through.

Again, there are some brutal, grotesque shots, but they're few and far between.

I guess what helps "amplify" the whole thing is the disturbing narration/justification, as well as the handheld camera (more realism?).

Anyway, besides all that, I think I really enjoyed the film. There were some REALLY funny moments towards the beginning, and the audience kept laughing and laughing. Dark humor at its purest, I'd say.

I also think Dillon did really well in his part, realy liked the narration bits and whatnot, and I think he's the reason that "elevates" the movie overall.

I think it was quite an experience as well, and I'd say it's an easier film to sit through (regarding runtime, at least, I think Suspiria remains a superior work overall) than Suspiria, in part because of the narration that just draws you in and keeps you interested (that was the case for me, at least).

In a way, that's one thing that saddens me... I REALLY would've liked to see more of Jack. Initially, "The House That Jack Built" had been planned as a 6-episode series, and I can't help but think that that the longer format would've probably been for the best.

I'd hope there's still a chance of that happening at some point, but I find it highly unlikely given how the story unfolds.

I think that's pretty much all I can say for now, without wanting to ruin it for others.

If anyone has any questions, let me know.

If you think you can stomach this type of film I think it's totally worth it to watch it in theaters.

 

[Brandish μ]

Watched the anime movie - Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms.

I'm still up in the air about it. I know I didn't love it, but I may have liked it. I couldn't piece together some of the events. I couldn't understand some of the characters actions or didn't connect with them.

Not trying to make this movie sound complicated because it's not. I'm questioning whether the writing was cohesive, in the first half mostly. I will commend the story for doing timeskips without telling the audience 'X years later'. Because the MC doesn't really age, it's keeps you on your toes so you focus on it, and I think it enriches the concept of time with it's theme + MC's dilemma a little bit. (note this didn't cause my previously mentioned issues with cohesion). The last 20 mins were pretty sad, and the parent theme is done well throughout. I was able to follow that lol.

The art/animation was nice to look at. I feel like I say that with most anime movies though. My animation taste sucks.

Anyways, I'd recommend this to anime movie fans who like fantasy feels.

As I was watching it, I kept thinking "this feels like something a Wong Kar Wai will would be like, from what I've been told" (never seen any)

Man, you're seeing all these interesting af movies. I definitely want to see that, unfortunately, I'll probably have to wait another year.

JustWatch returned the movie from 1962 when I searched the title. Do you know if they're similar? The old one is available to me. And stars Katharine Hepburn, so I'll give it a go anyhow.

Maybe you should try some Wong Kar-Wai films. Not sure how you take romance so heads up, if you ever try. Go with Chungking Express if you do ; )

 

[Eigengrau]

Man, you're seeing all these interesting af movies. I definitely want to see that, unfortunately, I'll probably have to wait another year.

I've just been lucky with the sort of films that the film festivals around here managed to snag throughout the year. From my count, that's 30 films in total that I watched all year at 3 separate film festivals.

Cost me a pretty penny for sure, but as I mentioned throughout the year, I just decided to start watching more films no matter what and stop giving excuses.

This last batch was worth the money, for sure.

There's a showing of Roma today, too, but I had to take a train (something I don't really do) and stuff and it's a bit of a hassle (also more money) so unfortunately I had to pass on that one.

From the relase page on IMDb, I think you should be able to see it sometime in early 2019.

JustWatch returned the movie from 1962 when I searched the title. Do you know if they're similar? The old one is available to me. And stars Katharine Hepburn, so I'll give it a go anyhow.

They're 100% unrelated! Nothing to do with each other, it's just the title that's the same.

Maybe you should try some Wong Kar-Wai films. Not sure how you take romance so heads up, if you ever try. Go with Chungking Express if you do ; )

Oh I definitely want to see his movies sometime, just haven't gotten around to as of yet, but I plan to at some point.

 

[FetherMan]

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - 9 / 10

I have to say, I'm a much bigger fan of this new film series that serves as the back drop to the Harry Potter franchise of movies. Not a hardcore Harry Potter fan and I enjoy the story telling in these new Beasts films. This new one was really interesting for me and I enjoyed it very much and they aren't trying to reveal too much or connect everything to the previous movies and I love that. Grindelwald is definitely different for this kind of series and I feel a lot of politics being thrown into this particular sequel that really draw out a lot from all the characters. Newt is even better in this movie and I am wondering what will happen to him, once Warner Bros. releases the final 5th film to Fantastic Beasts. Highly recommend it.

 

[Eigengrau]

So a few days ago I finally decided to pull the trigger - so to speak - and finally watched Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds, followed by Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days. Nearly 5 hours of film in total!

For those who don't know, they're films based on a Korean webcomic (still haven't read it) called With The Gods.

I know I've posted the trailer before (for the 1st film) but here it is again just to refresh everyone's memories:


Anyway, if you're familiar with Korean dramas/films in general, you already know how good they can be, and man, The Two Worlds definitely got to me.

Of the two films, it's clearly the best one. Even though both films are tied together, the 2nd film deals with two separate plotlines that, even though they "connect" at the end, still can't quite reach the level of the first film.

Which is understandable, since The Two Worlds is undeniably more focused on one thing, and one thing only (and it does that extremely well).

I didn't like that a "twist" in the 2nd film was made extremelyyyy obvious from the very beginning, although the film still managed to surprise me here and there.

And I'll be honest... there's a scene at the 2h mark from the first film that genuinely made me cry, and I believe that's something no other film did to me this year, and I've already watched 100 films so far(!).

The next day after watching the films, I went back to that particular scene once again to see if it was still as impactful, and holy shit you better believe it made me cry again.

Koreans, man... their acting sometimes is simply on a whole other level. Sure, it's a fantasy film, there's loads of CGI (not always good, but definitely better than the Japanese CGI in most cases), but what can I say?

That scene towards the end/climax just ruined me, period.

I highly recommend both films, since they were pretty much shot as one.

I also found out shortly after finishing the 2nd one that they're making a further two films next year!

~~~~

To close out the month of November and reach 100 films seen this year, I (finally) watched The Chaser as well as The Host (with Kang oh-song, a really great actor which I'm sure a lot of people will recognize) another two Korean films.

WIth The Chaser, I expected a little more, well, "chasing", as well as action and confrontational scenes and whatnot. While I didn't get exactly as much of that as I expected, the film was still surprising a few number of times, and still packed a punch.

Same thing with The Host; It's the 2006 film which I never got around to watch. I expected something, got more of something else, but was still plesantly surprised.

And again, I think this just goes to show how masterful Koreans can be when it comes to plot and structure.

Next film I'm gonna watch is yet another Korean one with another great, great actor, but I'll tell you more about it next time :3

 

[Faust]

Golden Globe nominees are out!

 

[FetherMan]

So a few days ago I finally decided to pull the trigger - so to speak - and finally watched Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds, followed by Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days. Nearly 5 hours of film in total!

For those who don't know, they're films based on a Korean webcomic (still haven't read it) called With The Gods.

I know I've posted the trailer before (for the 1st film) but here it is again just to refresh everyone's memories:


Anyway, if you're familiar with Korean dramas/films in general, you already know how good they can be, and man, The Two Worlds definitely got to me.

Of the two films, it's clearly the best one. Even though both films are tied together, the 2nd film deals with two separate plotlines that, even though they "connect" at the end, still can't quite reach the level of the first film.

Which is understandable, since The Two Worlds is undeniably more focused on one thing, and one thing only (and it does that extremely well).

I didn't like that a "twist" in the 2nd film was made extremelyyyy obvious from the very beginning, although the film still managed to surprise me here and there.

And I'll be honest... there's a scene at the 2h mark from the first film that genuinely made me cry, and I believe that's something no other film did to me this year, and I've already watched 100 films so far(!).

The next day after watching the films, I went back to that particular scene once again to see if it was still as impactful, and holy shit you better believe it made me cry again.

Koreans, man... their acting sometimes is simply on a whole other level. Sure, it's a fantasy film, there's loads of CGI (not always good, but definitely better than the Japanese CGI in most cases), but what can I say?

That scene towards the end/climax just ruined me, period.

I highly recommend both films, since they were pretty much shot as one.

I also found out shortly after finishing the 2nd one that they're making a further two films next year!

~~~~

To close out the month of November and reach 100 films seen this year, I (finally) watched The Chaser as well as The Host (with Kang oh-song, a really great actor which I'm sure a lot of people will recognize) another two Korean films.

WIth The Chaser, I expected a little more, well, "chasing", as well as action and confrontational scenes and whatnot. While I didn't get exactly as much of that as I expected, the film was still surprising a few number of times, and still packed a punch.

Same thing with The Host; It's the 2006 film which I never got around to watch. I expected something, got more of something else, but was still plesantly surprised.

And again, I think this just goes to show how masterful Koreans can be when it comes to plot and structure.

Next film I'm gonna watch is yet another Korean one with another great, great actor, but I'll tell you more about it next time :3

Yo, I watched both these films as well and think they are amazing. Really got into the story and characters and I heard rumor there is a third film in the works. I really wish I could see these in theaters and get a real experience out of them.

 

[Organizized]

...

...

 

[Eigengrau]

Yo, I watched both these films as well and think they are amazing. Really got into the story and characters and I heard rumor there is a third film in the works. I really wish I could see these in theaters and get a real experience out of them.

Cool to see that someone else liked them! Actually from what I've read around the web, they're shooting 3 and 4 next year, so I'm guessing the release will be sometime in 2020.

...

...

Well, that was a good teaser, not gonna lie. Sweet soundtrack, too.

 

[FetherMan]

Cool to see that someone else liked them! Actually from what I've read around the web, they're shooting 3 and 4 next year, so I'm guessing the release will be sometime in 2020.



Well, that was a good teaser, not gonna lie. Sweet soundtrack, too.

Oh, there doing "TWO" more films, cool. And the teaser for Avengers 4 is perfectly done, not giving away anything and I hope, this is the only trailer they release before the film comes out.

 

[Organizized]

And the teaser for Avengers 4 is perfectly done, not giving away anything and I hope, this is the only trailer they release before the film comes out.

In a perfect world, this would be the only type of trailer for any film. But I’m counting on the usual, give-everything-away-trailers to follow in a month or so..

 

[Thunderheart]

Oh, there doing "TWO" more films, cool. And the teaser for Avengers 4 is perfectly done, not giving away anything and I hope, this is the only trailer they release before the film comes out.

I purposely didn't watch the trailer, haha, I want everything for the new movie to be a surprise! I don't want to feel any feelings other than excitement going to see watch it for the first time!

I just watched Deadpool 2 last night. It was so good! Highly recommend

 

[FetherMan]

In a perfect world, this would be the only type of trailer for any film. But I’m counting on the usual, give-everything-away-trailers to follow in a month or so..

I hope not. I heard they are already releasing a teaser trailer for "Spiderman: Far From Home" and that seems like it will kind of spoil Avengers 4. But, them people at Sony are impatient, you'd think they would put more focus into "Into the Spider verse" and making money from that first.

 

[Brandish μ]

Just watched Alfonso Cuaron's new movie Roma on Netflix.

From what I know this is a personal film for Cuaron. The setting and it's characters feel authentic and there's a lot of detail. And, that's all I think this movie is to me, a vision or creation of a memory or story from his life (assuming that's the 'personal' thing here). I didn't get much from the movie. Sure, my heart went out to the main character on several occasions. Great camera work as usual (a little too many panning shots). It just didn't bring anything else to the table.

Idk, maybe I missed something. Because Cuaron, to me, is a very direct director. I expected something along the lines of Y tu Mama Tambien. Maybe it is. They're both cross-sections of people reaching a critical moment (Tambien - boys 'becoming' men/leaving school; Roma - woman becoming a mother), perhaps I can't relate to a mother? I don't believe that's the case here though. Roma has scenes where you feel for her struggle, and there's enough build up before those. It's just a quality difference for me. There's a richness in Tambien that I don't get in Roma. Possibly it's a time factor, Roma could stand to lose a few pounds. There wasn't a plot really, but it felt predictable, if that makes sense.

I could be lacking the life experience to get hit by this. For now, Roma is okay/meh, like 6ish. Shame because I was pretty hyped for Cuaron's new movie once I heard about it. Children of Men was like my favourite film when it came out and remained so for a couple of years, still one of my fave sci-fi's. And I loved Y Tu Mama Tambien as well. Ah, I'll rewatch Roma down the track, give it time.
----------

Watched 2 animes this week too, both of the dramatic/melodramatic nature:

Omoide Poroporo is a Ghibli movie I hadn't seen, so I gave it a go. It damn near shot to the top of the list. If this movie has to be about one thing it's perspective. Taeko's troubles and liberation of those come from perspective and changes to it, which is easy to relate to, and those scenes were beautifully told and animated. One gripe in that regard was a scene towards the end of the movie, where we heard Taeko's inner monologue about Toshio, we didn't need to hear it and it got in that way of the moment. The ending is one of those I tend to hate, but I loved it so much I won't say what happened because it's not to be spoiled. I enjoyed the flashbacks too. The voice actors were amazing particularly for Toshio - and that's his only career role!

A Silent Voice/Koe no Katachi was not as good as the manga, still loved it.

 

[Riku]

I didn't like the Avengers trailer that much.

Spoiler: Trailer details

The idea of using space-drifting Tony for narration was amazing and brought something moist to my eyes. And the 10-year Anniversary logo fading into dust was a horribly nice detail. But I didn't like the Scott Lang reveal at the end at all. Sure, many speculated that his sub-atomic misfortune at the end of Ant-man and the Wasp would turn out to be a blessing, but I didn't like at all that they "spoiled" so much already.

I saw Spideman: Into the Spiderverse yesterday, and I thought it was absolutely spectacular! Visuals were absolutely the stand-out point of the film! It looked absolutely amazing! Incredible! The styles blends so damn well. CGI-characters, 2D explosions and effects, comic like rasters and color bleeds. Excellent compositions and use of color and movement. The best looking animation I have seen in years - really pops out!

The story itself was rather expected, but it works and the characters were lovable. I absolutely adore this version of Miles Morales and Spider-Hobo was incredibly sympathetic. Tears were shed. Spider-Gwen shows a lot of promise too, and I'm pumped up for the sequels and spin-offs.

The post-credits were heartbreaking (post-credits 1, not really a scene but a tribute to Stan) and absolutely hilarious (post-credits 2 might have been about as funny as the post-credits of Deadpool 2).

9/10 and a high recommendation. Most likely the best animated movie of the year. Yet to see though Mirai and How to Train Your Dragon 3.

 

[Eigengrau]

I didn't like the Avengers trailer that much.

I totally agree with what you said, and told my friend the exact same thing:

Spoiler

For a first teaser, which is exactly what it is, it's just a teaser, not a trailer, they should've ended it with the title reveal and on that somewhat somber note of what's to come... Personally, I would've left the Scott Lang reveal for the end of the first ACTUAL, full-blown trailer that will probably only drop next year. Now, I get it, it's Disney, blah blah blah, there needs to be a hint of hope, but the way this teaser was put together + that incredible music, I feel they should've cut out that bit and, as you say, not needlessly spoil fans right now... at least leave it for the next full blown trailer.

-

I've watched 9 films this month so far! Brace yourselves because they're all mostly asian 'o'

- Memoir of a Murderer: "a former serial killer with alzheimer's has to try and figure out how to protect his daughter from another serial killer".

The film was alright, but I must admit that if this had been an american film I probably wouldn't have been as interested, so for me what puts this on another level is the performance of Kyung-gu Sol, I absolutely adore this actor, this guy is incredible. I first discovered him in the films Peppermint Candy and Oasis - which I HIGHLY recommend, in that order if possible - made by director Chang-dong Lee, who currently has the film Burning earning tons of praise and awards around the world (can't wait to see it, and I'm really disappointed I won't get the chance to until next year).

But seriously, to me he's just an amazing actor, truly one of my favorites that makes me feel like it's almost an obligation to watch all his films.

- Angels Wear White: "In a small seaside town, two schoolgirls are sexually assaulted by a middle-aged man in a motel. Mia, a teenager who was working on reception that night, is the only witness. For fear of losing her job, she chooses to keep silence."

Had this film on my watchlist since last year and had no idea there was a way for me to watch it already, but thankfully someone brought it up. There were some very interesting choices when it came to symbolism/framing, but I didn't find it exactly stellar, yet I'm glad I watched it.

- Forgotten (Gi-eok-ui bam): I'm sure a lot of you will know this one perhaps, since it seems to have been somewhat talked about? Could be wrong. I don't want to say too much since the film is a mystery/suspense, but I'll say this: the way the movie starts off and the way it ends, it almost feels like two very different films. After a certain plot development (which I found a little lackluster) everything changes tremendously.

The execution IS done well, but story-wise I felt like they were some inconsistencies. It was watchable, but a bit too jarring for me in the story structure department. I mean, I can understand how everything makes sense in the end, but realistically I don't think it really does?

- Son of Saul: I'm sure everyone knows about this one, it won Best Foreign film (Oscards) in 2016.

Fun story: I actually went to see this movie in theaters, but there was a power outage when there was about 40-50 minutes left of film, and they couldn't restore it.

At the time, they said they could give us a free ticket for the next day, but the thought of me having to sit through the first half of the film again didn't sit well with me, felt like having to sit through a half repeated viewing in less than a day would make me feel "bored" which really isn't good, so instea they just gave me and my friend the refund.

Well, I finally watched it (from beginning to end again) and yeah, it's a really well executed film despite its nature... it's really very dark and somber but it's one of those "necessary" films that we collectively need. It's very, very heavy on the heart, but it's pretty much flawless in its execution.

- The Merciless: crime film with same actor from before, Kyung-gu Sol. Again, quite watchable and interesting, but not exactly a story you haven't seen before in crime films where there's a lot of backstabbing going on. What draws me to it (and a lot of others) is the fact that they're foreign especially Korean films that tend to do drama/acting REALLY well. Maybe I've just grown sick/used to the Hollywood stuff, but that's how I feel, there's something really gripping when it comes to certain Korean actors.

- Dark Figure of Crime: another Korean investigative thriller, although this one doesn't have much action going on considering that the killer is in prison since the very beginning, but it was very interesting and well-acted enough.

- Shadow (Ying): this is from the same director that did Hero and House of Flying Daggers. What you need to know is that the "shadow" refers to a person that pretends to be someone else of high importance, so as to protect them from assassination attempts and things of the sort, while the real person lives in hiding.

Visually I thought it was very interesting, very dark film with a theme and concept obviously revolving around Ying/Yang. The beginning of the film is very slow because there's a loooot of set-up involved, but whenever there was action/fighting (not that much compared to his other films though, I think) it was all quite-well done, I think.

I'd like to discuss the ending with someone else if they've seen it, just to make sure that I got it properly...

- Mr. Long: I really liked this one! The movie wasn't perfect by any means, but the simplicity of some scenes work in great favor for the film. It's about "Professional hitman Long takes on an assignment in Japan. When things go awry, he has to flee. Badly injured, he takes refuge in a deserted part of a small town."

I think this sentence from a review on IMDb sums it up perfectly: "Is the film for everyone? No, it's not. Is it a bit artsy? Kinda. Is it really good? Absolutely."

It was really heartfelt and funny at times, too. I'm really interested in checking some of the director's other works.

- Harmonium: I've been wanting to watch this for a couple of years now: "Toshio hires Yasaka in his workshop. This old acquaintance, who has just been released from prison, begins to meddle in Toshio's family life."

I'd already seen people saying it was a very, very hard drama to watch (well ok, not THAT hard but still there were quite a few gut punches) so I was already prepared in a way.

I didn't know much about the film besides reading the synopsis, and it's the best way to go into it. Like, you don't know right away what this Yasaka did to go to prison, so you start thinking a lot about what his presence means for the family the story is centered around.

When thinking about what I had previously read about the film, I was expecting some REAL sinister stuff, but that wasn't exactly the case, BUT I believe they play around with your expectations in a really, really good way. In that aspect, the one that "keeps you guessing", I thought it was really well accomplished.

So yeah, I quite liked it I think! Good acting from ex-prisoner guy, too, somewhat creepy. But umm, yeah, remember, "hard", heavy drama, not exactly for everyone...


@Brandish
I'll be seeing Roma sometime this week in theaters!
To be perfectly honest, it's not a film that I was particularly interested in watching at first, but with all the talk, praise, and pretty much the near guarantee that it will win Best Foreign Picture, I'm thinking eh, why not?

It's probably the last film I'll see in theaters this year. I know it's already online, but a lot of people have mentioned the sound and all other technical aspects and how there's a lot to be appreciated by seeing it in theaters. Hell, the theater where I usually go to (which is the only one showing it) even went out of their way to announce how it was going to be played with the original 7.1 surround sound or something like that.

I'm absolutely not big on historic/semi-autobiographical films of sort, I usually prefer fiction, but since it's somewhat of a long film, has a lot going for it and the technical marvels are quite a feat, I figured I might as well watch it.

So yeah, when I have I'll make sure to read everything you said and give my own opinion

 

[Riku]

Eh? I thought this was supposed to be the dark and gritty version? Seems like a weird British action comedy.

 

[Eigengrau]

Eh? I thought this was supposed to be the dark and gritty version? Seems like a weird British action comedy.

Yeah, honestly that looks like ass to me.
I wasn't going to watch it regardless, but from the trailer alone it seems to be inferior to the 2004 one in almost every way... and that's not good... at all...
Maybe it's just a bad first trailer or something, but I've read around that the first test screenings did horribly so everyone scrambled to try and salvage it somehow...

Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if it ended with a 27% score on RT or something. Not that scores matter that much, but yeah, I don't see this doing too well for some reason.

~

Saw Godspeed recently, a film I had on my watchlist for a couple of years now.

I was somewhat disappointed by it. In a certain way, it's quite realistic in that nothing much happens, and when it does it's usually with hardly any fanfare.
I'm not sure whether the film was trying to say something about people from Taiwan and the hardships they face or something, but that message was lost on me.

The film was funny, in fact it had some good amount of very subtle comedy all the way through, and the way the film was directed had its charm for sure, but in the end there wasn't much of a plot or anything. I mean, there was a plot, but almost every scene felt pointless/anti-climatic... not really sure how to explain it.



Also saw Bird Box. For those who don't know, it's pretty much A Quiet Place, except that you can't look at the monsters/things otherwise you go crazy/die.
Also worth mentioning that this is based off a book from 2014 I believe.

Anyway, I know there's probably a ton of people that won't agree with me, but conceptually? I very much prefer the "you can't look at this thing or you die" rather than "you can't make a sound".

It's more interesting, and leaves a lot more to the imagination, I feel, which of course can be a good thing in book form but might not translate well to the screen.

Saw some peole saying "lol this is pretty much The Happening 2" but I honestly don't agree with that.

Is the directing on the same level of A Quiet Place? Unfortunately, hell no, and that's a damn shame because this film coul've been as good as A Quiet Place.
I hated some of the acting/reactions in the first 30mins, it didn't seem genuine/believable at all... and for the most part, John Malkovich acts like he's there to just collect a paycheck or something.

Like, I get it, he's not the main character or whatever, but it was a bit weird to see such a distinct actor... well, not acting much, in my opinion.

I also would've enjoyed far more creepy/monster encounters, but you run into that problem which is you can't show them... Regardless, I found that this was an ok watch. I liked it, and I dare say I might even enjoy it more than A Quiet Place, again, because of the concept alone.

As a filmmaking achievement, A Quiet Place is very likely the superior work, but I enjoyed this all the way through, though it would've worked better as a Netflix series, for example... you could've done so much more with this idea, even though the film (from what I understand) pretty much adapts the entire original story (but the ending is slightly changed).

Am not a fan of Sandra Bullock (don't mean I hate, I simply don't follow her stuff), but she did good. Not Toni-Collette-Hereditary-level of good for a horror film, but there were a couple of "dramatic" moments that I found were pulled off quite nicely.

Also, kudos to the 2 kid actors, even though they don't have that much screen time, they had a strong presence and really good acting capabilities/expressions for their age.



Saw Roma earlier today.
I'll be honest, I really, really struggled with whether I really wanted to see this movie in theaters, or save 5 euros instead, especially when the film hit the web a few days ago.

Even yesterday before going to bed I was still debating if I really wanted to go or not, especially so "early" (showing was at 13h35), but I ended up saying screw it and I just went for it.

All in all, yes, it was worth it.
It was worth the money, and it was worth seeing it in theaters.
Would I have regretted if I hadn't? Not really... I mean, from a technical standpoint it's quite an achievement, but it's no Blade Runner 2049 or Mandy in terms of pure visual/auditory orgasmic fest, but I was glad I did and I don't regret it one bit.

This film did everything quite well, even the very subtle things coming from the kid actors, and of course, there were 2-3 moments where I got teary-eyed and could've easily cried.

In that aspect, the build-up throughout the whole film and its emotional pay-offs are handled really well... really, I think it's fair to say that this is quite the fillmmaking lesson.

As @Brandish pointed out, there's a lot of pan-shots. In fact, most of the shots are either pans/fixed camera shots/dolly shots, and I think this speaks volumes to the quality of the film when you consider that the camera remains mostly the same all the way through, yet keeps the audience (me, at least) engaged in what's happening, and it's a testament to the brilliant directing and mise-en-scène.

So yeah, I can definitely see why so many people are making a big deal out of it, and how it's very likely to win the oscar for Best Foreign Film.
I will probably vote for it, but only because I know it's going to win; Shoplifters is still the film I liked the most in that category, it's the one that spoke to me the most and surprised me the most, and the one I would like to win, but probably won't, because Roma is just killing it at the awards.

Btw for those who don't know, these are the shortlisted films for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars:
Colombia, “Birds of Passage”
Denmark, “The Guilty”
Germany, “Never Look Away”
Japan, “Shoplifters”
Kazakhstan, “Ayka”
Lebanon, “Capernaum”
Mexico, “Roma”
Poland, “Cold War”
South Korea, “Burning”

Only 5(?) will actually be selected sometime in January.
My guess would be:
- Shoplifters
- Capernaum
- Roma
- Cold War
- Burning

Oh shit, speaking of Burning; it's finally online : D
But it takes me days to download D:
Must wait for a better source/link, I have to see it before the end of the year D:
edit: oh shit, I think I just found a better link, only around an hour to download, might even watch it tonight : D
If anyone wants it, let me know. Apparently it's 720hdrip, but we'll see. I hope it's good enough quality otherwise I'll have to wait... but I think it should be good.