Last Movie You Saw, Name & Review Movie • Page 10

I'd like to watch Rushmore again.

 

I've only seen Grand Budapest and Fantastic Mr Fox

 

Over the Top - 7/10

 

A second viewing of Hail, Caesar! suggests a better film than was initially evident. While it seems more goofball than anything else, there is a deeper nihilist theme. That the criticisms of the film industry seem inconsequential is emblematic of the fact that we have seen these movies so often before, but the Communist angle is a reminder of how more intellectual the Coen brothers are than the vast majority of filmmakers. Baird's quick adoption of Marxism-Leninism despite being a vastly privileged celebrity is a mockery of more hypocrisies than one, and the desire of Mannix to achieve salvation while refusing to leave a soulless industry is an indictment of the ways in which so many Americans make these compromises regularly. It is still held back by its lack of the darker humor that the brothers usually use, and the lack of their usual profanity-and-violence laden conflict is missed, but it is doing something a little different than what they are used to.

 

Watched Attack the Block again. It was still good.

 

I totally get the knocks on Midnight Special (too blatant a Spielberg homage, unnecessary ending, lack of real surprise at where the narrative goes) but I loved it. It hits that same feeling of suspense transitioning to wonder that Close Encounters does. And damn, does Nichols look good with a little budget. Some gorgeous shots in there.

 

I want to see that so much. Is it anything like Take Shelter?

 

I haven't seen that yet. My only Nichols so far is Mud.

 

My girlfriend hadn't seen the Force Awakens yet so we watched that tonight. Kylo, Finn, and Rey are such great characters. It's a shame they aren't really tested and they're surrounded by a lackluster, derivative plot and action. Kylo's whole journey is fully embracing the dark side but he never visibly struggles with it, he just says he's struggling with it sometimes. It's never tested by action except when he confronts Han, but there's been no thematic build-up to that, so it doesn't hit as hard as it could if we were actually given a glimpse of him actively influenced by the light.

Rey is so good, it's a shame she's also not really held up to any truly testing arc. She's fixated on Jakku and staying there until she's thrust into this war and doesn't really acknowledge or confront it. Sure Maz explicitly tells her to look forward, and when Finn comes for her it's a nice moments, but those should serve her overarching conflict, not be the only evidence of it. Same deal with the light saber. She completely rejected it halfway through the film, so it should be a huge moment of her overcoming an internal struggle when she finally embraces it to fight Kylo. But instead the only conflict we see is the mysterious flashbacks. That's not anything substantial, she's not overcoming a fear or conflict later when she grabs it. It's not an earned moment. It's one that plays nice, but should mean more. Amidst all the nice and likable stuff in this movie, there's just so many shortcuts taken, so many things glanced over but never really delved into. Some of it will be explored more in the sequel, but that's not good storytelling. It's just a frustrating weakness.

Looking forward to seeing what Rian Johnson does, though.

 

Give it time, man. Luke wasn't really tested in Star Wars either. Let them get to their Empire. Haha

 

I'm looking forward to Rian Johnson's film, but Luke had earned moments in A New Hope. He wants to do more and see more and be more, but he's tied to the farm, then his aunt and uncle are horribly murdered. That's when he finally embraces Obi-Wan. And throughout the film he's rash and gets himself into trouble and has to learn to truly embrace the force, culminating in turning off his targeting computer. Those are tests to his psyche, his emotions, his faith. Rey's biggest moments aren't earned the same way. Her biggest fears come from a mysterious flashback when she touches Luke's saber, and she never directly confronts the fallout from that. She just says she's never touching it again until it's necessary for the plot that she does. There's no visible growth or confrontation from that moment to her using the light saber. It should be a bigger moment than it is.

 

My big fat Greek wedding 2. Was thankfully cute and fun and funny. Brought in some nostalgia, but it wasn't overdone. Nice plot, they brought back original cast, and it was well paced.

 

I agree Eye in the Sky was very well done! Alan Rickman was fantastic in this. The cinematography was really good too in the drone flying over the house scenes. Also plot wise I genuinely did not know what was going to happen in the end. Good suspense throughout

Also loved zootopia

 

Last movie I saw was The Jungle Book

Looked awesome, better than Avatar and Life of Pie (two films that people often say look great CGI wise). I had a great time in this film. Would give it 8/10

 

Now there is a movie.

 

so its like a more broad barton fink

 

That is fair, although I kept thinking of parts of A Serious Man.

 

Did you watch it via the leak with hardsubs? My town never brought it but I've been dying to see it. I find those leaks to usually be poor in quality though.

 

I saw it in theaters the first time, but this one had the Mandarin subtitles. I did not notice them terribly, though.

 

Cop Car - 8/10

Not got the strongest of endings but before all that everything else is solid. Judging from the premise I was expecting not all that much but it delivered on practically all fronts.

 

It is still hard to pin down Knight of Cups within the Malick filmography, but the way Malick shoots Las Vegas is exactly what it feels like to actually be there. Just like To the Wonder, scenes and moments that initially seemed minor or inconsequential reverberate much stronger in the mind over time. The complaints about the film miss the central point; we are supposed to be as simultaneously disinterested in and addicted to the hedonism as Bale's character.

 

Eyes Without a Face - old movies are always a crapshoot for me. i feel guilty for it, but most of them simply can't hold my attention effectively, and i'm not sure why. but, I enjoyed this a lot. very beautiful film, although the plot was spread a little thin.

 

Starred Up - 8/10

 

Jeff, Who Lives At Home- 9/10

The Forest- 7/10

The Boy- 8.5/10

 

Hail, Ceasar! - (2016)

Classic Cobros coming back after ILD and all they brought with them was non-violence. Non Violence is fine, theres plenty of great peaceful films im not hating on its just noticeably absent. Also on first viewing its appears to lack a consistent theme or coherent message. Like sacrjo has an accent and a baby and then shes eyes jona for once scene then later we are told its cool. I like scarjo and the 2 scenes were good but thats it. Channing dances on a table and later jumps on a boat with a dog, with us being told he was banging a director and is also a communist. ok cool?
I could write 4 more of those and thats the movie. Luckily i will happy sit threw 120min of Cobros cause i know it will atleast look good and have genuine comedic moments with great characters.

actually one more; Communist kidnapping club's leader jumps ship and they throw all their money in the ocean loool.

Reminds me of the Life of Pablo, cool short bangers and i like kanye sometimes bit of what the fuck but its quick to move on. Not a game changer just we all have our expectations

I understand from the extensive background research i put in for this review that theres quite of lot of references to that particular era of hollywood and the changes it was going through at the time but it will be lost on almost everyone who watches without prior knowledge of the times as it just happens in the back ground and through the stories/charaters and never explicitly explained. Not a negative, just is what it is and if it was a different movie about a different thing that i knew more about id probably love that they not coddle me or have awkward explosay scenes.

***will edit gamma in abit