Also saw Star Trek. Perfectly fine summer action movie, but even going into it trying to turn my brain off there were massive plot holes that were obvious while I was watching it. Draggy ending too.
The dumbest thing was probably Spock being beamed down all by himself, chasing Khan without yelling at anyone telling them to stop him, then the solution being that Uhura also beamed herself down. I try to ignore all the illogical decisions about who to beam where in this series, but that pushed it too far. Also, soon as Bones said Khan's blood had a regeneration factor, I knew it would be used to bring someone back from death. That took all of the tension out of things.
I'm with Drunken Butler that it was fun up until the Admiral died. Then it was just a special effects slog.
Caught Cabin in the Woods after Greatest Movie Ever did a podcast on it. Personally, I thought it was moderately fun as a comedy deconstructing modern horror tropes. Just don't go into it expecting horror or to be emotionally engaged in any way.
The Hangover: It's good. I don't know. I mean, I like it, but it feels too safe. It feels like they were holding back the entire time. It's still pretty funny, but yeah.
The Hangover: Part II: Better in pretty much every single way. I don't understand why people don't dig this one!
The other day I watched 7 Psychopaths. It was okay. Nothing more. To be honest, it felt pretty pointless due to the fact I've previously seen Adaption and Pulp Fiction. Putting those movies together isn't a great fit... or not the way it was done here.
Those hangover movies (I saw the first one and clips from the second) are basically the second worst kind of comedy movie. They're so tired, so full of basic tropes, so inane, and so "OH WE'RE SO WHACKEY LOOK HOW THAT JOKE CAME OUT OF LEFT FIELD WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT UP!"
(The worst kind of comedy movie is the American popular romantic comedy).
Saw From Up on Poppy Hill on Tuesday, the newest Ghibli movie. I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it, considering that Goro Miyazaki directed it, and his last outing wasn't so hot. This is probably my favorite Ghibli movie since Princess Mononoke/Spirited Away. There aren't any fantastical elements, but the movie was just... full of whimsey, I guess is the best way to describe it. I really enjoyed it.
Those hangover movies (I saw the first one and clips from the second) are basically the second worst kind of comedy movie. They're so tired, so full of basic tropes, so inane, and so "OH WE'RE SO WHACKEY LOOK HOW THAT JOKE CAME OUT OF LEFT FIELD WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT UP!"
The only thing worse is all the bro-ed up wankers who get the "clever" idea of calling their group of drunken louts the "wolfpack." I've seen fucking brawls over that shit - one group got confused with another, because two entirely separate groups of drunken morons had, surprise surprise, dubbed themselves the Wolfpack, and each took offense at the other.
I saw Iron Man 3. It wasn't terrible, but it was kinda boring in stretches, overly long, and ultimately disappointing after listening to a positive RLM review that gave me the idea it was significantly better than Star Trek (not really.) Despite the topical-seeming opening, it didn't ultimately have anything to say, nor did it really present any discernable conflict or arc for the main character other than having 3 panic attacks based on the events of The Avengers. It was maybe mildly above average for a popcorn movie in cleverness, with a handful of good gags, and stuff blew up good, but that's about all I can say for it. Even Downey's charisma didn't really do anything for me here, because I felt like we never settled in with the character.
Maybe I would have felt differently if I had seen the first two movies in the series, or if ST hadn't already filled my mindless action movie quota for the next couple of months a few weeks ago.
Those hangover movies (I saw the first one and clips from the second) are basically the second worst kind of comedy movie. They're so tired, so full of basic tropes, so inane, and so "OH WE'RE SO WHACKEY LOOK HOW THAT JOKE CAME OUT OF LEFT FIELD WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT UP!"
(The worst kind of comedy movie is the American popular romantic comedy).
Yeah, I'm also way more into "Advanced Tropes." Like seriously, step up your tropes game Hollywood... sheesh
Those hangover movies (I saw the first one and clips from the second) are basically the second worst kind of comedy movie. They're so tired, so full of basic tropes, so inane, and so "OH WE'RE SO WHACKEY LOOK HOW THAT JOKE CAME OUT OF LEFT FIELD WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT UP!"
(The worst kind of comedy movie is the American popular romantic comedy).
I think the first one gets points for actually being a clever mystery with some good lines. But absolutely overrated. Especially since Hangover 2 and 3 are considered to be total garbage.
Those hangover movies (I saw the first one and clips from the second) are basically the second worst kind of comedy movie. They're so tired, so full of basic tropes, so inane, and so "OH WE'RE SO WHACKEY LOOK HOW THAT JOKE CAME OUT OF LEFT FIELD WE REALLY KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT UP!"
The only thing worse is all the bro-ed up wankers who get the "clever" idea of calling their group of drunken louts the "wolfpack." I've seen fucking brawls over that shit - one group got confused with another, because two entirely separate groups of drunken morons had, surprise surprise, dubbed themselves the Wolfpack, and each took offense at the other.
I find this fairly funny, at least in part because my school's team name is "The Wolfpack" (after Lupa, from Roman myth).
Saw Side Effects on iTunes last night. It was slow but still riveting, and I appreciated its portrayal of depression and the seemingly endless sea of drugs of varying effectiveness -- up until the last few scenes. Considering the way the characters and structure of the story were portrayed until then, the ending felt way too pat and tidy. Spoilers below on why I thought that:
Jude Law's character may have been wronged, but he was still being portrayed as an asshole for putting his desire to get his job and reputation back over his wife and kid, and for playing Emily and Siebert against each other so ruthlessly. Yet he doesn't suffer any kind of consequences in the end, not even implied guilt or his wife not coming back or something. In the end, it seems Em and Siebert were just criminal assholes, Jude Law was 100% justified in getting them put away, and he gets to ride off with his wife and kid magically returned to him without explanation.
Maybe we're supposed to infer that he doesn't fully deserve this ending based on his earlier behaviour? I hope so. I know Steven Soderbergh is capable of that level of nuance. But nothing in the cinematic cues suggested that to me, at least not on a first viewing. The final scene of Em saying "Much better" seems like one final dig at her character via situational irony, with no further comment on Law's outcome beyond "slow motion shot of me happily picking up my kid from school because I have solved all my problems now".
I think I'm mostly just disappointed that Emily and Siebert's motivations weren't more complex than they were implied to be, either by the depression angle or the complex mystery plot. In the end, it just feels like they went with "Eh, they're just evil lesbians who can fake emotions and manipulate people. Go with it." That was especially disappointing and awkward because I was watching with my mom and her wife. Yeeeah. Not exactly the most nuanced portrayal of lesbianism ever. And in the end, they both agreed with me that the movie was mostly good, but that it was slow and the ending was too tidy. So it wasn't just me who felt that way.
So yeah. TL;DR: it was a mostly good movie with a disappointing ending. Anyone else seen it and feel similarly? Differently?
I caught the movie "Mud" with Matthew McCougnahey this week when I decided to check out this limited release instead of Star Trek. Heard great things and it's from the same director as "Take Shelter" for some of you who heard of that movie.
Image Southern Gothic River Delta Noir novel come to life with every detail. McCougnahey has found his niche playing these southern fried characters and Mud himself is really interesting, where he can be charming and deceitful at the same time. You could even track it back to those coming-of-age adventure novels from the old days, because it's more about these two kids (with incredible child actors) who have to grow up and really learn about trust and relationships. The cast is stellar, along with McCougnahey you have Sam Shepherd, Reese Witherspoon, and Michael Shannon. I really have no complaints about the film, and it ends with a brilliant climax with an ending that really hits close.
Flight is a movie which is let down by impossible situations and improbable characters, but is sustained purely by the acting abilities of Denzel and other main actors. In the end I had a really good time watching it, which is all that counts, I guess.
The music choices were the most painfully obvious in any movie I've seen, almost ruining the movie in another way, but thankfully none of the painfully obvious music was bad music.+
Makoto Shinkai's new movie, Garden of Words, is really good. I haven't seen any of his other movies, but I get the impression that they are similar in style to this, and I loved it.
Sounds about right for a Shinkai movie. His feature length films are, respectively, "way too long" and "Ghibli-derivative garbage (that is also way too long)"
The Bond movie nights continue, but will soon be over. Last night I rewatched Casino Royale for the first time since it was in the cinema. It's really good fun, but takes a big dip after the end of the poker game. I understand what they were trying to do with the Bond really in love plot, but it results in a quite disappointing end to what could have been an amazing movie.
So I've recently seen Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig as Bonds, and Brosnan is clearly the best in that role. His movies sucked, but he's the best Bond.
Brosnan has the suave and debonair down pat; I don't think even Connery was that deliciously smooth. I really dislike the Craig bond - He's a hardened, tradecrafty spy, not a smooth ladykiller superhero.
So I've recently seen Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig as Bonds, and Brosnan is clearly the best in that role. His movies sucked, but he's the best Bond.
I think I have to agree with you. I always judge Bond movies, not Bonds themselves. Can't judge a Bond entirely by his movie.
I really like Daniel Craig, though, as the "neophyte" Bond. The young one who is a little too brash, a little to bold, a little too rough, and lacking perfection.
Agreed. Brosnan was definitely the smoothest of all the Bonds, though Connery came pretty damned close at times (From Russia with Love is probably Connery at his absolute smoothest). Craig, interestingly enough, may be in some ways the closest to the Bonds of the books (which I'm still meaning to read), as that Bond was described as a "blunt instrument." I also do like his "neophyte" Bond angle, although it'll be interesting to see if they plan to have him shift more into the smoother Bond mold. There was some of it going on the post-Casino Royale movies of his, but he's still no where near the league of the classic Bonds.
There is something great about the look of this movie, Robocop, Underground 2021, Judge Dread, that whole era of sci-fi. It's like... theirs the post-cyberpunk that is like, Ghost in the Shell with more Cyber than Punk, and then there are these settings with more Punk than Cyber.
Basically, there needs to be a word for the style that combines sci-fi tech and CTR monitors. Other than "awesome."
This is also increasing my desire to adapt Underground 2021 to a better system.
Comments
I'm with Drunken Butler that it was fun up until the Admiral died. Then it was just a special effects slog.
Caught Cabin in the Woods after Greatest Movie Ever did a podcast on it. Personally, I thought it was moderately fun as a comedy deconstructing modern horror tropes. Just don't go into it expecting horror or to be emotionally engaged in any way.
The Hangover: Part II: Better in pretty much every single way. I don't understand why people don't dig this one!
(The worst kind of comedy movie is the American popular romantic comedy).
Maybe I would have felt differently if I had seen the first two movies in the series, or if ST hadn't already filled my mindless action movie quota for the next couple of months a few weeks ago.
Maybe we're supposed to infer that he doesn't fully deserve this ending based on his earlier behaviour? I hope so. I know Steven Soderbergh is capable of that level of nuance. But nothing in the cinematic cues suggested that to me, at least not on a first viewing. The final scene of Em saying "Much better" seems like one final dig at her character via situational irony, with no further comment on Law's outcome beyond "slow motion shot of me happily picking up my kid from school because I have solved all my problems now".
I think I'm mostly just disappointed that Emily and Siebert's motivations weren't more complex than they were implied to be, either by the depression angle or the complex mystery plot. In the end, it just feels like they went with "Eh, they're just evil lesbians who can fake emotions and manipulate people. Go with it." That was especially disappointing and awkward because I was watching with my mom and her wife. Yeeeah. Not exactly the most nuanced portrayal of lesbianism ever. And in the end, they both agreed with me that the movie was mostly good, but that it was slow and the ending was too tidy. So it wasn't just me who felt that way.
So yeah. TL;DR: it was a mostly good movie with a disappointing ending. Anyone else seen it and feel similarly? Differently?
Image Southern Gothic River Delta Noir novel come to life with every detail. McCougnahey has found his niche playing these southern fried characters and Mud himself is really interesting, where he can be charming and deceitful at the same time. You could even track it back to those coming-of-age adventure novels from the old days, because it's more about these two kids (with incredible child actors) who have to grow up and really learn about trust and relationships. The cast is stellar, along with McCougnahey you have Sam Shepherd, Reese Witherspoon, and Michael Shannon. I really have no complaints about the film, and it ends with a brilliant climax with an ending that really hits close.
My favorite movie of the year so far.
The music choices were the most painfully obvious in any movie I've seen, almost ruining the movie in another way, but thankfully none of the painfully obvious music was bad music.+
EDIT: Just did a quick search for the music cues in this movie, and it turns out I'm far from the first one to notice how on the nose the music choices seemed to be.
So I've recently seen Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig as Bonds, and Brosnan is clearly the best in that role. His movies sucked, but he's the best Bond.
I really like Daniel Craig, though, as the "neophyte" Bond. The young one who is a little too brash, a little to bold, a little too rough, and lacking perfection.
Why haven't I just watched it every day forever?!?
Basically, there needs to be a word for the style that combines sci-fi tech and CTR monitors. Other than "awesome."
This is also increasing my desire to adapt Underground 2021 to a better system.