Which movie did you watch today and how would you rate it?

[Sarpedon]

After a long hiatus, I continue my tank movie watching theme with Lebanon, an Israeli film which I give 8/10, to make it the first genuine good tank movie I've seen so far.

Its strength is that almost the entire film is shot from the perspective inside the tank. The crew have various conversations with each other, various outsiders pay them visits, but all views of the outside are via the gunner's sight. This makes him a kind of semi-interested observer of the war going on around him. A guy with a bazooka reminds him that he can't be entirely detached, however. The crew of the tank are 4 young fellows, an officer and three conscripts. They team up with a group of paratroopers for an operation in Lebanon. The characters are all pretty cliche, of the sort that I've seen in a dozen war movies: the tough paratrooper officer, the twitchy and weak tank commander, the guy who only has two weeks to go, the guy who talks about his mother all the time, and ostensible hero, the gunner who has a hard time bringing himself to fire the gun. But it is enlivened by its very brutal take on the war, its unique perspective, and the sheer filth and atmosphere of the tank itself.

Hooray! finally a good tank movie!

 

[Toni]

Hidden Figures. 9/10. Excellent cast and very good telling of the stories of three of the women --who were gifted mathematicians and black, who figured prominently in the US space program of the 1960's, set against a backdrop of the civil rights movement. A bit of hidden history gets a reveal.

Now I need to read the book.

 

[DrZoidberg]

After a long hiatus, I continue my tank movie watching theme with Lebanon, an Israeli film which I give 8/10, to make it the first genuine good tank movie I've seen so far.

Its strength is that almost the entire film is shot from the perspective inside the tank. The crew have various conversations with each other, various outsiders pay them visits, but all views of the outside are via the gunner's sight. This makes him a kind of semi-interested observer of the war going on around him. A guy with a bazooka reminds him that he can't be entirely detached, however. The crew of the tank are 4 young fellows, an officer and three conscripts. They team up with a group of paratroopers for an operation in Lebanon. The characters are all pretty cliche, of the sort that I've seen in a dozen war movies: the tough paratrooper officer, the twitchy and weak tank commander, the guy who only has two weeks to go, the guy who talks about his mother all the time, and ostensible hero, the gunner who has a hard time bringing himself to fire the gun. But it is enlivened by its very brutal take on the war, its unique perspective, and the sheer filth and atmosphere of the tank itself.

Hooray! finally a good tank movie!

Here's a classic
The Misfit Brigade
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093546/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

This one is a cult classic. The Afghan war seen from the eyes of a Soviet tank.
The Beast
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_(1988_film)

 

[Sarpedon]

I've seen the Beast, was not too impressed. I don't write reviews for every movie I see. But tanks for the other recommendation, I will check it out.

I did watch two movies over the weekend:

Zardoz: 6/10 This classic movie features Sean Connery in his underwear and lots of women with no bras, if either of these are your thing. Otherwise, it was surprisingly good, greatly exceeding its reputation as a kooky cult hit. It is a very serviceable and well done dystopian post apocalyptic future movie.

A Girl Walks into a Bar: 7/10 A movie set entirely in a bunch of moodily lit bars (and one ping pong parlor). It is primarily a dialogue movie, featuring a divorced lady detective, a guy who is having serious marital problems, a crime boss, various policemen, a pickpocket, his stripper sister, a bunch of bartenders and various bar flies. Good performances and snappy dialogue make this a good movie for date night or a thoughtful evening.

 

[James Brown]

I've seen the Beast, was not too impressed. I don't write reviews for every movie I see. But tanks for the other recommendation, I will check it out.

I see what you did there.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

I tried watching Assassin's Creed, the film, not the games. I've played the game so I thought the film might good to catch. I did not finish it as I got bred halfway through. The parts I watched I thought were kinda meh, the acting decent, the sets and cinematography kind of laggy, and the art style and direction not what I was hoping for, but whatev.

 

[bilby]

I tried watching Assassin's Creed, the film, not the games. I've played the game so I thought the film might good to catch. I did not finish it as I got bred halfway through. The parts I watched I thought were kinda meh, the acting decent, the sets and cinematography kind of laggy, and the art style and direction not what I was hoping for, but whatev.

Getting bred halfway through a film is surprisingly common. I understand that's how my younger brother was conceived.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Hidden Figures. 9/10. Excellent cast and very good telling of the stories of three of the women --who were gifted mathematicians and black, who figured prominently in the US space program of the 1960's, set against a backdrop of the civil rights movement. A bit of hidden history gets a reveal.

Now I need to read the book.

SNL during the newscast, the op-ed person said they were worried it was going to be The Help in Space.

 

[TSwizzle]

The Hateful Eight, 7/10; A Quentin Tarantino movie that stars a slew of familiar faces that have appeared in Tarantino movies before. The plot revolves around a bounty hunter trying to get his female prisoner to a town in Wyoming so he can collect the bounty and watch her hang. A blizzard forces them to take shelter in "Minnie's Haberdashery" to wait out the storm. Most of the story takes place inside this very large room where the various characters are collected. Tension exists between the characters and builds over the duration of the movie. It's quite a good movie, funny in parts, violent and bloody at times and a few twists and turns. Very well acted and directed. It was a little bit too long for my liking.

 

[ZiprHead]

RUSH, 8/10 - The story of the rivalry between Brit James Hunt and Austrian Nikki Lauda in the mid-seventies Formula One racing. Hunt is the consummate racer playboy, Lauda the technical genius. Their rivalry goes from disdain to great respect. Shows the dangers these men face and their bravery to challenge them. One of the great racing movies.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

RUSH, 8/10 - The story of the rivalry between Brit James Hunt and Austrian Nikki Lauda in the mid-seventies Formula One racing. Hunt is the consummate racer playboy, Lauda the technical genius. Their rivalry goes from disdain to great respect. Shows the dangers these men face and their bravery to challenge them. One of the great racing movies.

Movie would have been better if the relationship between the two wasn't completely made up.

 

[Arctish]

The Lobster 9/10

If you like your dystopias on the surreal side, this movie's for you. It's been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and no wonder. It's original, all right!

Colin Farrell plays David, a middle aged man who absolutely must find a new partner after his wife leaves him. The penalty if he fails is the ultimate exile. He will be turned into an animal, but at least he gets to choose which animal he will become.

The story is kind of a funhouse mirror look at match.com culture. The acting is excellent, and the cinematography and set design are beautifully done. All in all, it's a great movie but don't expect to get any warm happys watching it. David's quest for a mate is a quietly desperate one that at times can be very uncomfortable to watch.

 

[DBT]

Live by night - 7/10.

This got a poor review from the film critic in our paper, but I found it enjoyable.

 

[credoconsolans]

The Lobster 9/10

If you like your dystopias on the surreal side, this movie's for you. It's been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and no wonder. It's original, all right!

Colin Farrell plays David, a middle aged man who absolutely must find a new partner after his wife leaves him. The penalty if he fails is the ultimate exile. He will be turned into an animal, but at least he gets to choose which animal he will become.

The story is kind of a funhouse mirror look at match.com culture. The acting is excellent, and the cinematography and set design are beautifully done. All in all, it's a great movie but don't expect to get any warm happys watching it. David's quest for a mate is a quietly desperate one that at times can be very uncomfortable to watch.

In what sort of world does he live where this is possible?

 

[Angry Floof]

I tried watching Assassin's Creed, the film, not the games. I've played the game so I thought the film might good to catch. I did not finish it as I got bred halfway through. The parts I watched I thought were kinda meh, the acting decent, the sets and cinematography kind of laggy, and the art style and direction not what I was hoping for, but whatev.

They should have listened to me and used Tom Hardy.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Yes, because it was the actor that was the problem in that movie and not the script or the plot or the directorial decisions or any of the fifty other things which made it suck badly.

 

[Arctish]

The Lobster 9/10

If you like your dystopias on the surreal side, this movie's for you. It's been nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and no wonder. It's original, all right!

Colin Farrell plays David, a middle aged man who absolutely must find a new partner after his wife leaves him. The penalty if he fails is the ultimate exile. He will be turned into an animal, but at least he gets to choose which animal he will become.

The story is kind of a funhouse mirror look at match.com culture. The acting is excellent, and the cinematography and set design are beautifully done. All in all, it's a great movie but don't expect to get any warm happys watching it. David's quest for a mate is a quietly desperate one that at times can be very uncomfortable to watch.

In what sort of world does he live where this is possible?

They don't get into the science of it. The story uses its outlandish premise to examine human relationships and society, much the same way Jonathan Swift used talking horses, giants, and tiny people to do the same in Gulliver's Travels.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

But would he mind being a lobster? Their brains are the size of a pea, so it's not like he'd be able to retain his human identity with that sort of limited cognitive capacity and he'd have no awareness of the punishment he's receiving. He'd essentially just be dead, so why not just say they'll kill him?

 

[Ford]

Inside Job 9/10

Documentary about the causes of the 2008 financial collapse. One of many. Probably the best. Depressing because since nothing has been done to change the behavior of the banks, it is probably all going to happen again.

 

[Arctish]

But would he mind being a lobster? Their brains are the size of a pea, so it's not like he'd be able to retain his human identity with that sort of limited cognitive capacity and he'd have no awareness of the punishment he's receiving. He'd essentially just be dead, so why not just say they'll kill him?

Did I forget to mention the movie is surreal? They don't kill people. They exile the failures from society permanently, but they do it in a way that allows the failures to pick a future they think they might like.

Early on, the main character is asked to name his preferred animal if he's unsuccessful in finding a compatible partner:

Hotel Manager: Have you thought about what animal you'd like to be if you end up alone?
David: Yes, a lobster
Hotel Manager: Why a lobster?
David: Because lobsters live for over 100 years, are blue-blooded like aristocrats and stay fertile all their lives. I also like the sea very much. I waterski and swim quite well since I was a teenager.
Hotel Manager: I must congratulate you. The first thing most people think of is a dog, which is why the world is full of dogs. Very few people choose an unusual animal which is why they're endangered. A lobster is an excellent choice.

He thinks he would enjoy living in the ocean for a long time and perhaps eventually find a mate there. Under the circumstances it's a sensible choice.