Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

I don't find his movies that good, but Unbreakable is pretty good. I missed it after watching his most famous movies and didn't really like them, but then I saw Tarantino recommending it and its pretty solid movie.

 

I saw M. Night Shyamalan's OLD the other day. I'm sorry to report that it's a mess of a movie with some intriguing actors marooned in a bizarre and inauthentic-feeling script.

Some scripts just feel right onscreen: the arc of each character and the overall plot-lines align so that most or all of the plot points & narrative surprises feel almost inevitable, or at the very least, intrigue the viewer. The script of OLD was the opposite. So many plot points felt labored or irrational, and the surprises (there were a number of those) were too often just baffling. None of it holds together in my memory of the film.

I knew it as trouble when in the opening scene of the main family group in their car, traveling, their heavy-handed joking involved being too young or old to appreciate this or that thing (in a movie named OLD--get it?).

For reasons I don't begin to understand, MNS cast himself in a role that's a plot clone of the director's role. Perhaps he intended this as narrative resonance, but it became just one more thing I don't understand.

I find myself wondering what special circumstances are needed for this talented director to come up with something as good as his earlier films. Not the same, of course--but as good. It's not impossible...wish I knew the answer.

 

Too hot to do my 5 mile walk outside, so did it on the treadmill in the basement. For no particular reason I cued up the Coen brothers' THE BIG LEBOWSKI. I'd totally forgotten how randomly funny this film is. I mean laugh out loud funny every few minutes.

Maybe the funniest bit (at least for me) is John Turturro's astounding turn as a pedophile bowler named Jesus.

Not sure whether I'm seeing the triumph of deranged direction over a wacked out script, or the reverse, but this film is a joy to watch again.

 

It's been out for awhile now, but I watched Shutter Island (2010) within the past week. I enjoyed it although I figured out the "plot twist" well before it was revealed in the movie. What was sad for me was the very end when Teddy fell back into his delusional character despite the work done by the staff at the hospital. I liked the movie enough to start me reading a number of Dennis Lehane's books (the Kenzie & Gennaro PI series). He's an excellent writer of gritty thrillers.

Not sure if I'll watch Mystic River right now as I want to read that book beforehand. IMHO, books are almost always better than the movies they are based on.

 

Perfect for a nice, romantic movie on date night...



(Amazon's infallible algorithm hard at work)

 

I think the word "Doomed" goes in front of "Romance"

This is my favorite Hitchcock film by a wide margin (really saying something). Back in the early '90s it was re-released, all cleaned up & perfect, in full CinemaScope, and played for weeks in the one remaining ultra-wide screen in Manhattan. I'd seen it countless times on TV & video, then saw it in that theater. I still haven't recovered from the experience. It's an absolute mindfuck of a film...

 

My favorite Hitchcock as well, probably just for Novak alone.

They released the UHD 4K of this last year. Not as good as the 70mm but looks absolutely great up on the screen, color is fantastic.

 

I need to see that 4K blu ray on the big OLED. Sure, it's not 70mm--but it's a damn sight further than any previous video version could go.

 

Saw another film yesterday: REMINISCENCE. Sorry to report the film is an ungodly mess from the 1st scene. The setup is novel & effective: Miami after devastating floods courtesy of global warming. This is a color noir set in the future: sci-fi noir. I'm a big fan of noir of any kind, so I'm the target demographic for this film.

But it's mediocre in nearly every way. I won't try to list all the flaws--there are too many, and I get no pleasure from sandbagging any film at this sad moment of pandemic-wrecked cinema.

I'd rather focus on the one really good thing here--the always magnetic, persuasive acting of Thandiwe Newton. She's great in everything & nails every role. Saw her 1st film, FLIRTING, and have been a big fan ever since. She shines in this heavy, slow, ungainly film as she does in pretty much every role. When she's onscreen, the film feels more engaging and real. Thandiwe is a beautiful woman, and I'm fascinated to see her aging so well and, if anything, getting better at her craft.

 

I'm with you there... I had a bad feeling about it from the nonsensical trailer. The premise was solid, and given the director's involvement with Westworld, I knew it was going to be a non-linear walkabout, but it just felt like a slow, two hour... thud.

I bought the 4K box set with Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds. I'm almost embarrassed to say it's still sitting in its plastic wrap on the shelf. :|

 

Why haven't you watched any of those 4K Hitchcock films?

Actually, I should know better than to ask. I have 5 or 6 4K blu rays that are still in their packaging. All of my 4K blu rays (maybe 15 discs total) are films I've seen before, most of them many times before. That's part of it, no doubt.

 

Guilty as charged. I've seen all of them a half dozen times over at least... and I still buy the discs... and I'll still go to the next anniversary screening at the theater... /shrug/

 

Related point: 20+ years ago I bought the soundtrack to VERTIGO on CD and have played it at least once a month ever since (in fact, listening to it right now).

I have a number of Bernard Herrmann's soundtracks for Hitchcock films, but IMO this one is exceptional--just as hypnotic & immersive as the film itself.

 

I've watched three of them, Vertigo several times. I haven't done "The Birds" yet, I just never got into that one.

I just watched the Paramount 6K scan of "Last Train From Gun Hill", its fantastic. Straight blu-ray, not 4K UHD but I cnt imagine how the presentation could get much cleaner. I massive step up from the cruddy DVD that's been available for years.

 

So looks like Matrix 4's marketing train is leaving the station. There is a website up with a blue pill and red pill logo. When you click either pill you get some footage, but there are apparently 180,000 variations of it the more you click!

https://thechoiceisyours.whatisthematrix.com/

 

Zero anticipation for this. Is it supposed to be a money grab timed to exploit the end of the Marvel movies?

 

The sequels weren't very good, but still better than most shit these days, and at the very least it looks like some ridiculous eye candy. There are far worse things in the pipeline I'm sure.

WB was going to make a Matrix sequel with or without the participation of the Wachowskis, so Lana (formerly Larry) decided to ditch the one they were developing with Michael B. Jordan and do a fresh take. So yeah, cash grab at first, then something approaching some level of integrity.

 

Can't say I am very hopeful about Matrix 4 either. The Wachowskis (P.K. Dick like) core idea around reality, perception, and self was welled played in the first movie, but just became nihilistic open-endedness in the next two - a mere pawn to move the plot on to the next explosion. I doubt they will be more successful recovering the original coherence than Lucas was with Star Wars.

 

After all these years, the OG Matrix remains as my favorite movie of all time. The sequels were so-so. Like the opinions expressed above, I have no interest in the upcoming Matrix 4 and will not be spending any of my shekels on seeing it.

 

The Matrix is one of the few franchises that is able to get me excited about movies again. Regardless of the clunkiness of the sequels, I love the ideas, the world building, production design, and overall mood and tone.



I love the idea of Neo being a therapy patient and taking blue pills as medication for some sort of psychological ailment, having forgotten his former life. I'm sure there will be plenty of surprises, and some deep philosophical symbolism along with kick ass action. I'm there opening day.