NOW CLOSED ; List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV... and give a */10

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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,679
14,934
126
Haha, oddly enough I just finished watching Battle Through the Heavens Season4 not too long ago. I watched the live action which was OK, but not great.


There is so much chinese animation being put put but they are all clones of each other.
 

akugami

Diamond Member
Feb 14, 2005
5,644
1,829
136
There is so much chinese animation being put put but they are all clones of each other.


For those that don't know, a lot of Chinese animations are somewhat simplistic quality CGI affairs, and based on Chinese web novels (light novels), which are monetized by daily clicks/views. So it's highly formulaic, and wordy. The longer you can stretch it out, and still retain viewership, the more money you would stand to make as an author. Which goes back to it being formulaic and wordy. There's a few common tropes that are easily recognized once you've read a few.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
following a recommendation via Reddit, i watched the hitherto unknown
Bringing Out The Dead - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163988/reference
starring our boy Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, and John Goodman, Tom Sizemore and Ving Rhames in minor roles. Martin Scorses directing.

First off, did you guys know this existed?

BOTD is the story of Frank (Cage), a nightshift paramedic who is slipping into overwork-related madness; he is looking for salvation, but also, not trying particularly hard to find it.
The entire film is, pretty much, this. There are minor stories intertwined, none of which are particularly relevant. The film starts well, and keeps a brisk pace to avoid annoying us, with a decent soundtrack to boot. I think i actually felt some emotion, watching this.

I can see why this film would have a low rating - currently 6.8/10 on IMDb; the story is simple, and it's just an excuse to show us these 90 minutes of things happening. I would say i like it, but then again i wouldn't be too enthusiastic about either recommending it, or watching it again. It was ok, it was refreshing to see an old-skool style film for once, but there's certainly better out there.

My vote: 7/10 - worth it just to watch Nic Cage in a role that doesn't suck, for once.
 
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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,679
14,934
126
For those that don't know, a lot of Chinese animations are somewhat simplistic quality CGI affairs, and based on Chinese web novels (light novels), which are monetized by daily clicks/views. So it's highly formulaic, and wordy. The longer you can stretch it out, and still retain viewership, the more money you would stand to make as an author. Which goes back to it being formulaic and wordy. There's a few common tropes that are easily recognized once you've read a few.

So, exactly the same as newspaper serial. Like every single Dickens book.
 
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shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
Being the Ricardos didnt look particularly good, but I saw it was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.
He usually makes quality movies.
 

brianmanahan

Lifer
Sep 2, 2006
24,202
5,608
136
the family man - 9/10

i love it and watch it every december, even though it makes me regret the choices i've made

plus, tea leoni
 

Charmonium

Diamond Member
May 15, 2015
8,786
2,297
136
S03 - Lost in Space. 8/10

Used to watch this as a kid so I notice how radically different this one is - but that's a good thing.

Interesting and at least for me, novel and imaginative story. Pretty good graphics and sets. Pretty good acting. I found it very watchable and entertaining.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
today i could watch the new Wes Anderson film, or Cotton Club, or The Rescue, but no, because of ATOT, i will have to watch Ishtar.
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,246
10,748
136
Wheel of Time.

EP1 6/10
EP2 - EP5, 7/10

Could have done a better job of introducing the viewers to this world. The start should have someone narrating, about how the Creator made the True Source (the One Power) as the driving force to power the Wheel of Time (WoT), which is separated into Saidin and Saidar. The Dark One is always trying to break free and remake the WoT.


Just watched episodes 5-6 and I'm overall enjoying it. *(7/10 so far)

Thing is however the reasons I'm enjoying are that I read (and enjoyed) the books PLUS I'm not one of those silly folks who get upset about "canon" in a fantasy-story! (EVERY book in the series is 800+ pages no way to include it all)

Point being that I completely agree... unfortunately they did an extremely poor job setting up the story-world for those unfamiliar with the books and if the series ultimately fails that will be the reason.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
sooooo, the critics are mostly giving spider man no way home good reviews, but theres a lot of talk that its pretty much just fanservice and not much else.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
ugh ..

ok so, i watched Ishtar - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093278/reference

a movie so awful, that the Director's Cut is actually 2 minutes *shorter* than the normal run.

Ishtar is the .. in theory .. story of two New York guys, who are total losers. Both middleaged, they drunkenly decide to become songwriters, while both having zero talent, and also being completely oblivious to the fact.
As they struggle to ... accomplish anything, they land a poorly paid gig in Marocco. As they travel through to get to their destination, idiot N1 (Dustin Hoffmann) gets caught up with the CIA and a sexy terrorist(Isabelle Adjani).
The film starts as a wink wink comedy, where we are supposed to laugh at these two pathetic idiots. Then turns into a Marx-Brothers-style action/spy caper with additional RomCom elements. Idiot N1 and idiot N2 (Warren Beatty) are really good in portraying these two absolutely hideous, intolearble fuckwits, however the film never progresses into the "let's make fun of them" part of the story, instead, it clumsily tries to somehow make us root for these two idiots. And fails.

I can think of, at least, Spies Like Us and Dumb & Dumber, who are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better in using this formula, where the characters are clearly morons, but they are caricaturized, and we, the audience, get to make fun of them. Their scrips do not attempt to humanize them, they don't take seriously their ridiculous dreams and aspirations, because doing so would make US, as bored as their wives are in the film, who, coincidentally, dump them at the very start of the film.

From a production point of view, it's not even bad (for an 80s film), there's talented actors at work, but the script is so bad that we might as well be watching cutting floor bits because there's no relatable theme, no point to the dialogue, no characters to invest in - they might as well be speaking pre-dub gibberish.

My vote: Isabelle Adjani flashes a tittie at the camera, and even THAT can't save this film/10
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
Watched The Last of the Mohicans for the first time in several years. IMO one of the best films ever made. 10/10
you owe it to yourself to watch the film review of History Buffs, which is an absolutely brilliant Youtube channel that deals with the historical accuracy of films, both for what's bad, but also for what's good.
In the case of The Last Of The Mohicans, he brings out so many details which are not evident at all from the film - the film is quite hermetic when it comes to what means what - and that will most likely augment your enjoyment of the film.
 
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DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
see, Rama is .. a .. well, a pretty stupid story.

Or rather, it's enticing because - spoilers for those who have not read a 50-year-old book - there's a lot of mystery about this thing that's arriving from outer space, and when they get there, it's a big deserted city. And the fun of pretty much all the middle of the book, is these alien vistas, these weird environments that they run across.
Basically that's all that happens, 1. they identify the object and get to it, 2. they look inside and see this deserted spaceship, 3. they leave.
There's a tiiiny little bit of tension with one accident one guy has, but nothing really changes throughout the book.

And, give that Villeneuve put his name to, *literally, not figuratively*, the worst film miniatures i have ever seen - specifically the flyover of Arrakeen - i have serious doubts that, short of an improptu' brain injury, he can do better.

Clarke's stroke of genius is - again, *literally* - concentrated into one single phrase at the end of the book, without which i would rate RWR much lower. You know, i loved the book, it's different in the way the narrative is constructed, it's very strick with the science, it's an interesting concept, and, while it kinda slows down by the second half, it manages in the end to leave you with even more interest that you came in with.

But again, Villeneuve is a guy who can't do subtlety, he couldn't cope with the concept that Rabban is a sadist, so he made him BIG, and VIOLENT, because normal people can't be evil. Idaho is a warrior, so he's gonna be a mentally-superficial mountain of muscles. I do not trust him to be able to even conceive the subtleties of character differences in a crew where everyone is a scientist.

Sign of the times, i suppose. The crew of Alien were realistic, the crew of Prometheus were caricatures. It's just a third-millennium thing.
 

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,135
2,445
126
I liked The History Of Time Travel, a 2014 "documentary" movie about time travel that slowly changes as the characters shown the documentary change history itself. You can currently find it on Prime Video.

It's a very creative spin on a overused movie genre, and I'll give it an 8.5 out of 10. I can only imagine what they could have done with the premise if they have a bigger movie budget!
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,388
5,256
136
Venom: Let there be Carnage 4/10

The first one was surprisingly fun. It was an interesting take on Brock & Venom's relationship & a different perspective on Venom's personality. This Carnage movie definitely felt like a sequel. I think it would have been better as a TV show, where they had more time to flesh out the character development, especially for the bad guys. They kinda made Carnage too powerful imo. Fun for popcorn movie, especially the graphics!
 

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
30,160
3,300
126
Witcher Season 2

I'm on eps 3.
so far, i think the 'I am groot' side quest is stupid
 
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