Movie Discussion Thread

Just a heads up.

In the new year I'll be starting a YouTube channel dedicated to deconstructing movies much like I've been doing here.

If you guys like my content here, I will be expanding and creating actual videos, with clips from movies, voice over deconstructing certain elements. But I will also want to vary the content. Sometimes I may just bemoan the state of the industry, praise a certain actor or director, things like that...

It will be called 'The Cinematic Mechanic'. I will probably make some kind of introductory video announcing my intentions in January.

I'm pretty excited about it as I've been trying to find a way to express these ideas in a cooler format, and if I get some successful subscriber numbers and view counts in the process, all the better. But my primary aim is to enjoy myself.

 

Sounds cool, please share a link when you start posting videos

 

If you have not already check out Jonathan Pageau's work on YouTube "deconstructing" movies from a symbolic angle.

 

Definitely. In fact I'm hoping to get the word spread for sure.

 

Wait, there's a cooler format than SBAF?

Well okay, it does sound like there's something more appropriate in a video based format...looking forward to it.

 

There are any number of cooler formats. For example:

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If you group 2 or more of these, appropriately blocked & lit, you get "mise en scene."

 

Against my better judgement I downloaded the Disney+ app on my OLED 4K.

I was mostly curious about the supposed 4K transfers of all the Star Wars films, which have been on many people's wishlist for years.

I sampled a bit of Empire Strikes Back and it was indeed amazing looking. Some minor compression artifacts from streaming, and a bit of edge enhancement but the HDR (Dolby Vision) and uptick in resolution did wonders.

I watched The Mandalorian, and while I feel Star Wars stuff is now mostly removed from what Lucas intended, and it's not really my thing anymore, the first episode was enjoyable... clever and intriguing.

In its favor, Disney+ has quite a few classics I haven't seen in years like The Black Hole, Tron, The Rocketeer, etc. It does seem worth a mere $6.99/month subscription.... for now.

 

Saw Pedro Almodovar's latest today, PAIN AND GLORY. It's a beautiful film, subtle and understated, visually arresting in places. At times I found myself moved, but wasn't sure why. That is what Almodovar can do...he layers emotion in every scene. To whatever extent the screenplay is autobiographical, it's a courageous unmasking of the self. The final shot was ingenious, jarring in the best way.

Besides the pleasure of seeing this masterful director at work, I again saw what a good actor Antonio Banderas is. He's aging beautifully--a leading man with a complicated past. Was he this interesting when he was young & handsome(r)? I don't think so.

 

Taking a long break from sbaf. But wanted to drop a review of the Irishman first.

If you can, dont wait for Netflix as this is a movie where the power of a huge screen is warranted. I kind of made this mistake with the masterpiece Roma and didn't want to again.

The Irishman may be Scorsese's best film since Raging Bull. I may even think it's better than Goodfellas, which is something I never thought I'd say since Goodfellas is better than almost anything in the 90s.

Goodfellas and Casino this is not. It's more soulful, more introspective, more deliberately grounded in a kind of psychological realism we rarely if ever see from Scorsese.

The Irishman is less about the stylistic flourishes of the mob world and more about the toll that lifestyle takes on a human being. But still contains the unapologetic savagery of his other mob films. You saw hints of this kind of psychological fallout in Casino, but only hints. Here Scorsese fleshes out those concepts alot more. The violence is more abstract here, more nihilistic... it sneaks up on you more. It is less violent than his other mob films, but simultaneously more repulsive, because the consequences are alot more dwelled upon.

The performances are astonishing. Deniro hasn't been this good in years. And it reminds you just how good he can be when he actually gives a shit. Pesci is... breathtaking. Oh how he's been missed. Pacino is also doing some of his career best work. Everyone is. I see an avalanche of acting nominations in this film's future. It's rare and refreshing to see a cast operating at this high a level. You just don't see acting this consistently good anymore. Holy shit the acting is incredible.

This is a film I like more every day. It's deceptive in its simplicity and quaintness. But there is a torrential powerhouse of cinema here. If not the best film of the year, certainly in the top 5. To me this beats even Once Upon a Time in Hollywood which I never thought I'd say.

 

FYI The Irishman is supposed to be on Netflix Novermber 27. Can't wait.

 

And FWIW it's getting the review blowjobs it deserves with the critics. I generally disdain reviewers fawning all over movies, usually ones that don't deserve it, as there always seems to be some ideological agenda. But this time the praise is well deserved. And it's hard to disagree with some calling it the best film of the decade/masterpiece.

 

@ColtMrFire this may or may not be your thing, but I really enjoy film analysis akin to what Slavoj Zizek does in Perverts Guide to Cinema. Interesting stuff even if I don't agree.

 

I just rewatched "Shutter Island".
What a masterpiece of a movie. The acting, the soundtracks and the picture is superb.

9/10

For sure top 5 DeCaprio movie

 

DeCaprio has his slack moments onscreen. But pretty much anytime he wants to, he can seize the scene and peel my eyelids back w/sheer acting power.

The first time I saw him was in WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH GILBERT GRAPE. I was quite unprepared for the subtlety & force of his acting; it was hard to take my eyes off him. This has happened often since in films like CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, DEPARTED and SHUTTER ISLAND (which is just as compelling as the above post suggests).

I wasn't a fan of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD; that macho, hagiographic vibe wore me out. But several of DeCaprio's scenes vaulted off the screen straight into my brain--especially the 2nd of 2 extended scenes with Julia Butters. Those scenes compelled in no small part because DeCaprio himself was such a superlative actor at a young age, which resonated strongly in his regretful interplay with Butters.

 

The independent film I made (with my own money) a few years ago called Modern Society is now on YouTube if anyone wants some "entertainment".



It's a labor of love and pretty dark but inspired by the works of my favorite filmmakers like Kubrick, Soderbergh, Fincher. I think I was going through an existential crisis at the time so keep that in mind.

 

Just watched "Once upon a time in Hollywood".
Not a movie for me at all. I'd be nice if I gave it a 2/10.
It was basicly boring 90% of the time.

I should note that I dident expect much from it, as I understand its not for me whos young, doent know much of the story etc.

 

Midway was a pretty terrible movie. Probably my most hotly anticipated film of 2019, but it was clear this was going to be a disaster within the first couple of minutes.

I don't really mind Roland Emmerich and some of the films he's made in the past, but handling a film of such nature is something he was never cut out for.

No coherent identity. Tries to cover all the bases and ends up doing done. Star studded cast largely wasted. Character development was zero. No emotional weight whatsoever despite pitiful attempts to drum it up. Ed Skrein is an okay actor but his performance here was artificial as hell and way over the top at times. CGI was a mixed bag. And most importantly - who the hell wrote the script for this film? Some of the worst dialogue I've seen in any recent film.

Probably the only thing I enjoyed was Yamamoto and his snarky one-liners.

 

... I'm unsure of calling Midway the most hotly anticipated movie of 2019. If nothing else, Infinity War came out this year.

 

Ah yeah that's true. Completely forgot about that one. Midway was a close second for me personally.

 

Watched Frozen 2 last night. Theater was super load and speakers were sibilant, just overall super piercing treble. Didn't have my earplugs with me so I had to stick in some IEMs otherwise I don't think I could have lasted the whole movie. Kids and parents were talking through the movie but I kinda expect these things for a kids movie.

Art and animation was great. Songs this time around were not as memorable as the first, I cannot honestly remember one song title even after watching it less than 12 hours ago.

The leaned into making Olaf even more of a comic relief character which was funny half the time and annoying the other half of the time.

Song was kinda messy, Disney didn't plan on the first Frozen to do so well and the story there was self contained and this felt like a sequel just to have a sequel. Guessed a bit of the plot and twists pretty early. Few plot holes towards the end. Felt like the movie went backwards at times compared to the first.

Movie is great for kids and fans of the first movie. I wasn't in love with the first movie like some but I enjoyed what it did different. Frozen 2 was a much safer and generic version of the first.