What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread

Originally Posted by joxer
Best picture Oscar nominees (for rest of categories follow the link):
https://oscar.go.com/nominees

Only movie on that list I watched was Joker.

While not bad it was slow paced and boring at times.

Joxer is an interesting one. I didn't care for the movie but the acting was generally speaking quite good. I also saw Little Women which I thought was quite good but the two movies in context of the oscar are hard to compare. I'll be seeing 1917 the first week of Feb; as for the others - some of them sometime in the future so i can't really comment on them.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Only movie on that list I watched was Joxer.

While not bad it was slow paced and boring at times.

Originally Posted by joxer
Again, I hope I'm wrong and wouldn't mind even that silly Jojo a winner over 1917.

Last week we, me and my husband, wanted to see the Parasite. But since it was sold out we bought a ticket for the last film of that evening: Jojo Rabbit.
Entertaining, that is best qualification I can give. Not bad, not good. I probably will have forgotten all about it in a month or so.

Finally got around to seeing Greenbook. One of those movies I saw without a clue what it was about or how it would unfold (the best way to watch a movie). It was decent I guess - kind of prefer little women and peanut butter falcon but it wasn't bad by any means. Interesting contrast to Hate U Give.

"After all these years" finally watched Cold Prey and Cold Prey 2.

These are slashers about a group of people who get offed 1 by 1.

Anything that makes them better than the shovelware slashers? Yes!
You'll see some stunning snowy mountains footage, experience a disturbing villain story and adore chilling claustrophobic parts. And you'll have a crush on the absolutely fantastic lead. Why was Norway hiding her and why she appeared elsewhere only in popcorn trash till Westworld series I have no idea.

While I can't say these are mustwatch like Dead Snow duology, entertainment value of Cold Prey movies is at max if you ask me. So send kids to bed and get yourself some decent horror fix.

Note that there is also the third movie which is a prequel thus without the lead from first two flicks. That means an instant no from me, but feel free to risk it.

Originally Posted by you
Finally got around to seeing Greenbook. One of those movies I saw without a clue what it was about or how it would unfold (the best way to watch a movie). It was decent I guess - kind of prefer little women and peanut butter falcon but it wasn't bad by any means. Interesting contrast to Hate U Give.

Might have missed, but what was your opinion on Hate U Give? Compared to book (i.e. did you also read)?

Which book ? Are both movies based off of a book or just one?
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I didn't really like Hate-U. Something about the pacing was off for myself. It wasn't a bad movie and it had a clear and concise and likely accurate message but there were enough significant details in the movie that it just nag me (like cops ignoring two adults with guns). For the type of movie that was being presented those flaws in little details scattered throughout the movie were just plain annoying.
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A better script would have greatly improved this movie - one which try to match the message it is trying to send with a bit more realism and even pacing. Instead the movie came across as preaching with over emphasis on some key points beyond realism.

Originally Posted by txa1265
Might have missed, but what was your opinion on Hate U Give? Compared to book (i.e. did you also read)?

Lion King 2019. I actually prefer the original by a wide margin. The music was fine but the lip syncing and contrast between animal noises, cgi movement and talking was just plain annoying. Oh well maybe Mulan-2020 will be better.

Leap - A rather poorly rated animation that i really like. It is one of those 'feel good' movie without some of the excessive Disney foobar. The french title is Ballerina.

Freshly back from the cinema:

1917 (2019) was a very enjoyable experience that only lacked that little je ne sais quoi to make it into the land of the exceptional.

It's the 1st world war in the trenches of the Tommys and two front-liners are tasked with hand delivering a cease-attack order to a battalion some 9 miles away, deep in potentially enemy territory. So essentially we have a ticking time-bomb road movie akin to a cross between Apocalypse Now and Clockwise where the conceit of the plot is an excuse to provide a panorama of the misery that was the 1st World War.

Of special note is the attempt of the director to film it in 'real time', or, rather, the illusion of real time. While this doesn't really work from a 'real' perspective and will provide more opportunities for criticism than if they hadn't bothered, the overall effect is quite successful and it does provide a wonderful pacing to the film which practically never left me in slow or boring scenes and made the time fly by.

I've no doubt if it had been filmed normally then it would have had different criticisms and I'm happy to guess that if both versions had been made, a 'normal' and a 'real time' then I'd have preferred the 'real time' one. The only scene I found to be particularly dull and cliché at the same time was a short scene where they come across a stranded woman with a baby - having just recently seen the exact same routine played out, and played out better, in Cold Mountain, another similarly themed film.

The great problem with filming The Great War, The War To End All Wars, WW1, is twofold:

Firstly, and most importantly, it was a war no-one wanted to remember and no-one wanted to glorify (as depicted by the main protagonist in 1917), and, as a result, you really don't see many films covering this era. Even though the cinema was in full swing after this war, the number of movies about it are rare and mostly forgotten. Now look at how many WW2 movies there are, both during and after.

By default a WW1 movie has to be depressing, it has to be anti-war, it has to be apocalyptic. Because that's what it was. And there's only so many ways you can film that, which brings us onto problem number two:

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) already said everything that needs to be said about the 1st world war. It was an instant classic when it was released, it has stayed a classic to this day, and no film has ever been made which more fully provides everything you could feel or experience in a WW1 film. And 1917 (2019) does not either compare or compete with it, though by saying this I'm not detracting from it, if that makes sense.

In this regard, 1917 does say the right things, it still has the correct tone. It's not gung-ho but still action packed, it doesn't glorify anyone or anything but you still feel the individual glory that each soldier has for their duty and each other. And many more points that would be spoilers to discuss.

The character arcs are very well done though, again, to discuss them would be spoilers, and it scores very well on the unpredictability front by providing lots of unexpected moments while avoiding the obvious clichés and expectations. It didn't quite manage to bring a lump to my throat but I've no doubt it will in some, but for me, this is one aspect of the je ne sais quoi that it missed, those moments of overwhelming emotional power, but then… maybe it wasn't going for that anyway, it's perfectly fine as a fast-paced semi-action semi-documentary film about the horrors of the 1st world war.

So, all in all, for me a good solid 4/5, would happily watch again with others but its not something I'd seek out to watch again on my own, if you know what I mean.

original Star Wars 9 script leaked?

https://www.esquire.com/entertainmen…revorrow-leak/

Originally Posted by Lucky Day
original Star Wars 9 script leaked?

https://www.esquire.com/entertainmen…revorrow-leak/

And a thousand Star Wars YouTubers and bloggers rejoice at the sound of millions of clicks …

Whatever. All I know is that the movie somehow managed to reach 1bn of $ at box office:
https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/ne…-at-box-office

Some like that movie, some not, some like me can't care less, but it seems everyone and their mother want to buy something else:
https://twitter.com/U_S_Ace/status/1…-build-bear%2F
Apparently this one will be more "cuddlier" than others so I'm gonna get one just to troll friends during beer nights. Everyone needs some cuddling.

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Because the next 007 is coming soon and I'm eager to see it, clicked on two related articles.
https://screenrant.com/james-bond-mo…-future-never/

When talking about the search for the next James Bond, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson insisted 007 could never be a woman.

Now I wouldn't have a problem seeing a female 007, but we live in sad times where sjw/pc became too aggressive and irritating. It makes me sad when a statement like the one above now makes headlines. Why was someone even asking it? Go write and pitch your spy movie with a female lead (although such already exist like Anna) and stop pestering runners of existing franchises.

https://screenrant.com/james-bond-ri…need-avoiding/

James Bond: 5 Rip-Offs Worth Watching (& 5 To Avoid)

AVOID: Secret Agent Super Dragon
WATCH: For Y'ur Height Only
AVOID: Never Say Never Mind
WATCH: OSS 117: Cairo, Nest Of Spies
AVOID: Licensed To Kill
WATCH: Never Too Young To Die
AVOID: Casino Royale (edited in: 1967 release)
WATCH: Our Man Flint
AVOID: Operation Kid Brother
WATCH: From Beijing With Love

I have to agree on the two last recommendations I marked. Do watch them, both are entertaining. Don't forget to watch equally fun sequel: In Like Flint!

Any "rip-offs" you remember that aren't on this list?

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Oscar nominations are revealed. Seeing Knives Out is not among the best picture nominees reminded me on Oscars history when it comes to crime mysteries and thrillers.

The name every unborn child knows, wasn't filming boring drama/war/biography/history rubbish.
How many best director Oscars did master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock get? And how many of his movies got the best picture Oscar?

When I was just a kid I thought the academy is supposed to crown those movies that will be attractive even after 50 years pass. At that point I already didn't believe Santa exists any more.

Originally Posted by joxer
Now I wouldn't have a problem seeing a female 007, but we live in sad times where sjw/pc became too aggressive and irritating.

(Hint: saying SJW for ANY reason critical of the victims of misogyny makes you a misogynist)

So the problem with sexism & misogyny and rape culture is not the men perpetrating it, but the women standing up to it and those who suggest alternatives? okey dokey

here's the apparent source

Three reputable? sites I've seen are confirming it



it takes him about 24 minutes to actually start talking about the script.

Here's the reddit summary of the breakdown

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLea…arly_draft_of/

there's some details missing I noticed right away. i.e. BB8 is in disguise at the beginning, by being painted different colors!

A movie called Sam from 2015. Basically a womanizer gets his just deserts by being cursed to be female. It's a RomCom but so what sometimes I love watching them.

As for the movie it's funny watching a guy adjust to being female.

So basiccally it's horror.

I re-watched Remains of the Day several nights ago, and it still stands as a film well worth viewing. An excellent cast, and a good setting make it a joy to watch. Yeah the book is superior, but the film comes a close second.

Last night we watched Anatomy of a Murder, probably one of the greatest court dramas ever filmed. I'd not re-watched the film since the seventies, and it still holds up to this very day. With a cast including James Steward, Lee Remick, George Scott, Ben Gazarra and a host of others, it's simply a top notch film and you'll be amazed at how quickly two and a half hours will fly by.

Not probably. It is. If there is a top 10 court drama ever made list, it has to be on it.
Said it before and am saying it again. I want the old Hollywood back! The new one is not capable of filming anything like this.

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Right so Sony, erm, Columbia… Decided.
Joker is a sorta batman who meets Doctor Who and Batman. Don't believe me?
Watch closely who appears on screen:


The movie might end up rubbish, but that some brilliant cast choices up there - for a trailer.

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A former secret agent leaves the service to become a comics artist. I love comics. Thus I want also to love this story too.