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

NewDArt said:
Wind River 7.5

Not quite sure why I liked this so much, as it was quite derivative. It did have a very unexpected series of events towards the end of the movie - but other than that, it was highly formulaic.

The atmosphere was very powerful, though - as was Jeremy Renner's performance. Same goes for the guy playing the girl's father.

It's really a mood piece more than anything.
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I wouldn't say that formulatic is always a bad thing. Sure, there were familiar elements from crime film genre, but the movie wanted to tell a certain kind of story and it did that extremly effectively. I think at it's core it is a very humane story which could very well take place in such setting. The story has that raw belivable quality which makes it so memorable.

I also think it was clever how the director placed the viewer in the shoes of this young fbi-agent. I was learning through her eyes what the heck was going on. Some of the comance traditions for instance seemed foreign to me. It was easy to understand how she was feeling way out of her depth at first as she was trying to navigate through all that. Although her character was somewhat inexperienced and physically untested, she was really courageous and willing to learn. Despite her weaknesses, she took control of the investigation bravely and it was wonderfull to see how her training kicked in during those tough spots.

It is indeed a very atmospheric film. I'm personally a sucker for these kind of rural frozen settings and the director used camera very effectivly to capture all of it on screen. I'd give it 8/10 myself. One of the more memorable films i've seen this year. :)
 
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Mother!

6/10

I've been a big fan of Aronofsky - but his last couple of movies have been quite underwhelming.

I like the concept of the movie - and I didn't pick up on the obvious allegory - which is also kinda cool when I think about it.

But the execution didn't work for me. The first two thirds of the experience worked well enough - but I felt it fell apart in the last third. Things escalated too fast - and became comical rather than scary.

I also think Lawrence was the wrong choice here. I won't spoil what she's supposed to represent - but she's just not seasoned enough for that kind of role. She was doing well at first - but she couldn't quite carry the weight of what she was supposed to be experiencing towards the end. One of the final lines, in particular, was delivered really awkwardly.

On the up side, the visuals and especially the sound worked well. Bardem, Pfeiffer and Harris did very well - as you would expect. Especially Pfeiffer - she was masterful here.

Best thing I can say about it is that it was engaging throughout - and didn't bore me.
 
Dunkirk

7/10

Quality war movie from Nolan.

Refreshing that he can actually make a movie (almost) without filler - which I didn't expect. It was quite riveting for the most part, though I must admit I didn't care for the non-linear repetitive action sequences taking up too much of the film. I know Nolan thought it was necessary to convey the major differences between the time people on land, at sea and in the air were participating in events - but a zillion other war movies have managed without that trick, so why not here?

I've never been a fan of what I consider the Tarantino-style of messing with the time line. It was cute and quirky in Pulp Fiction - but I never felt it helped any movie deliver a more interesting experience. It's almost as bad as movies that start with the ending - which is another trend I absolutely despise.

Anyway, except for that little slip-up - everything worked well, including the cast - though I felt the movie was primarily about the event itself and it was a little light on interesting character drama, which was ok. Well, there was some of that but it was so familiar as to be almost redundant.

I also have to give it a nod for not indulging in violence - though I have more tolerance for that sort of thing in realistic war films, where it's sometimes appropriate to represent the nature of what's going on.

The clock-ticky music is back from Interstellar and it still works. Powerful soundtrack - though I don't think I could deal with the same thing in yet another film. Enough is enough.

Overall, excellent film with a few significant flaws.
 
It's in cinema over here tonight.
Since Rogue One was worthless experience I will just skip this one and binge on some rental when they complete the final trilogy. If it's final.

The only reason I could still go for it today is if Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian make appearance in Star Wars again. If not, well. Tough luck.
 
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Like most people? That doesn't quite compute.

To me, it didn't have much Star Wars feel about it - and I found it boring and, as I said, mostly redundant.

Then again, I'm not a huge fan of factory line products made from repetitive blueprints :)
 
Yes like most people. 87% audience approval rating and it grossed over $1 billion. I think it’s fair to saw Dart and Joxer aren’t exactly “most people”. And Star Wars doesn’t cater to sophisticates
 
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I actually enjoyed Rogue One much more than Force Awakens, which I thought was quite overrated.
 
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Well I also thought the Hobbit trilogy was a blast despite half my brain reeling in outrage while Tolkien rolled in his grave
 
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Rogue One didn't have the fun factor that I expect in a Star Wars film. If it had been lighter in the beginning I think the tragedy would have had more impact, being so somber from the beginning killed it for me.
 
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ToddMcF2002 said:
Yes like most people. 87% audience approval rating and it grossed over $1 billion. I think it’s fair to saw Dart and Joxer aren’t exactly “most people”. And Star Wars doesn’t cater to sophisticates
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I liked Force Awakens :)

I'm not sure why you need to quote approval ratings.

Your opinion can't stand alone or?

Anyway, it's just a matter of personal preferences, nothing more and nothing less.

If we went by approval ratings - then the vast majority of Disney movies would be masterpieces.

Well, they're masterpieces of sound business, but.....

Well I also thought the Hobbit trilogy was a blast despite half my brain reeling in outrage while Tolkien rolled in his grave
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Which translates to you not really relying on your brain - and now we all understand some of your statements ;)

j/k
 
thelma 8/10 a norwegian movie i think, pretty creepy some times but with a sad and somewhat dark mysterious atmosphere plus very good photography, the director nailed it and the girl who played thelma did her job very well
 
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