Politesse
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She took her share while he was still alive, as seed money for her own (successful) business.
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Which movie did you watch today and how would you rate it?
- Thread starter C_Mucius_Scaevola
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She took her share while he was still alive, as seed money for her own (successful) business.
TSwizzle
I am unburdened by what has been.
Well the reviews on here were positive so I gave it a go but it was not my cup of tea. The first 20 minutes were fine, snappy dialogue and what not but it came over as a half hearted Guy Ritchie knock off.
I agree, it was formulaic but the cast in Knives Out was very good, particularly Don Johnson. He’s a pretty good actor really.
Horatio Parker
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Is that from the book?
The estate had $60M in cash, besides the property and books...in the movie JLC's business only cost $1M to start.
ideologyhunter
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Dr. Cook's Garden (1971 TV movie)
One of the few Bing Crosby films I hadn't seen. Made when he was 67, and, except for a cameo appearance in Bob Hope's Cancel My Reservation (1972), Bing's last film role. And he plays a mass murderer! I thought from the title that this would be a knockoff of Marcus Welby, but noooo. It's actually a latecomer in the What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? cycle. Very strange for Bing, and he's actually pretty good, playing the title role with restraint and blandness, since the part is a nutcase who has the whole town fooled. (Now, if they really wanted to make a demented story, they'd've had Bing reprise his Father O'Malley character from Bells of St. Mary's, only now as a murdering priest who brained unsuspecting parishioners with his censer and poisoned the holy water. And just imagine the murder scenes you could have in the confessional.)
One of the few Bing Crosby films I hadn't seen. Made when he was 67, and, except for a cameo appearance in Bob Hope's Cancel My Reservation (1972), Bing's last film role. And he plays a mass murderer! I thought from the title that this would be a knockoff of Marcus Welby, but noooo. It's actually a latecomer in the What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? cycle. Very strange for Bing, and he's actually pretty good, playing the title role with restraint and blandness, since the part is a nutcase who has the whole town fooled. (Now, if they really wanted to make a demented story, they'd've had Bing reprise his Father O'Malley character from Bells of St. Mary's, only now as a murdering priest who brained unsuspecting parishioners with his censer and poisoned the holy water. And just imagine the murder scenes you could have in the confessional.)
prideandfall
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My Spy - 7/10 for the genre, probably 3.5/10 for film in general.
a nice simple action/comedy, it felt like a real 80s throwback - it seriously reminded me a lot of Kindergarten Cop, both in the overall setup and premise and several of the beats.
big muscle man law enforcement is surveilling the ex wife and kid of a terrorist, ends up getting involved in this lives, hijinks ensue.
the thing is though, it's well written within the framework of what it is. the funny bits are funny, the action bits are actiony, it's intentionally self aware and a throwback but the screenplay works well with that fact and so it was a surprisingly enjoyable little weekend flick.
Guns Akimbo - 3/10
this is a high concept film that, by its premise, wants to be one of those crazy over-the-top buzz movies that's a fun romp for its ultra-violence and cool aesthetic, but it's waaaay too tepid.
it didn't go over-the-top enough, far too much of the movie is played straight to where the odd 4th wall breaking moments feel out of place and any dramatic payoff becomes pointless.
good example of what happens when you stumble in your commitment to finishing what you've started, i suppose.
a nice simple action/comedy, it felt like a real 80s throwback - it seriously reminded me a lot of Kindergarten Cop, both in the overall setup and premise and several of the beats.
big muscle man law enforcement is surveilling the ex wife and kid of a terrorist, ends up getting involved in this lives, hijinks ensue.
the thing is though, it's well written within the framework of what it is. the funny bits are funny, the action bits are actiony, it's intentionally self aware and a throwback but the screenplay works well with that fact and so it was a surprisingly enjoyable little weekend flick.
Guns Akimbo - 3/10
this is a high concept film that, by its premise, wants to be one of those crazy over-the-top buzz movies that's a fun romp for its ultra-violence and cool aesthetic, but it's waaaay too tepid.
it didn't go over-the-top enough, far too much of the movie is played straight to where the odd 4th wall breaking moments feel out of place and any dramatic payoff becomes pointless.
good example of what happens when you stumble in your commitment to finishing what you've started, i suppose.
marc
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The Old Guard - Excellent action movie. A band of soldiers who go around the world to make it a better place. Turns out they are all immortals, and have been doing this for a very, very long time. So long that their leader is starting to loose hope, thinking that what they do doesn't matter, when they detect a new immortal out there. Stars Charlize Theron who is a fucking badass in this. 
8/10
8/10
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The Old Guard - Excellent action movie. A band of soldiers who go around the world to make it a better place. Turns out they are all immortals, and have been doing this for a very, very long time. So long that their leader is starting to loose hope, thinking that what they do doesn't matter, when they detect a new immortal out there. Stars Charlize Theron who is a fucking badass in this.
8/10
She was quite the badass in Atomic Blonde too. There's a sequel in the works.
The Grey - 7.5/10
A group of Alaskan oil roughnecks and Liam Neeson, a hunter hired to protect them from marauding wolves, board a plane for home. The plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness and the six survivors have to contend with the cold, snow, and the pack of hungry wolves stalking them. Definitely some edge-of-your-seat moments throughout the film. Well worth a viewing.
James Brown
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The Old Guard - Excellent action movie. A band of soldiers who go around the world to make it a better place. Turns out they are all immortals, and have been doing this for a very, very long time. So long that their leader is starting to loose hope, thinking that what they do doesn't matter, when they detect a new immortal out there. Stars Charlize Theron who is a fucking badass in this.
8/10
She was quite the badass in Atomic Blonde too. There's a sequel in the works.
She was fantastic in Atomic Blonde. I watched that movie three times back to back.
Between that, Mad Max: Fury Road, now this. She's definitely shaken off the blonde bombshell stereotype. First saw her as a stunning beauty in That Thing You Do, and my how far she's come.
Another good one. That bar scene in the beginning? You hear about people going to bars because they want to get into fights, but man that place looked terrifying.
Shadowy Man
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Really?? With a movie called "Atomic Blonde"?? </snark>
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I tried to watch it once but just couldn't get into it. Maybe I should give it another shot.
James Brown
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Which one are you referring to?
Ford
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Um...Monster? She shook off the bombshell stereotype 17 years ago. Transformed herself into a serial killer who was not even remotely a "stunning beauty." Yeah, she's stop-traffic beautiful in real life, but she's got acting chops.
Now, back to the topic at hand...
Inside Job 8/10
One of the many films made about the financial crisis of 2008, and arguably one of the best. I liken it to "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room." Another film that left me yelling at my television over the appallingly irresponsible behavior of people responsible for huge sums of money and large sectors of the economy. Difference being that in the Enron case, people actually were prosecuted. Inside Job lays out the case that the architects of the financial crash that led to the Great Recession were not only not prosecuted...they were rewarded for their malfeasance.
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Oh, sorry. i was referring to Fury Road.
James Brown
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Wow. One of my favorites. I could watch it again and again. It's more visceral than most, I admit, but what a ride.
fromderinside
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Been going a bit retro lately. Watched a 1960
The Virgin Spring and a 1971 A Clockwork Orange (film) and I just found the 1948 The Boy with Green Hair on YouTube.
I saw them when the originals came out way back in the day. Looking back I see them as foundations for my future along with a bit of Donne, Camus, and Thomas and a pinch of salt.
Psycho drama anyone? Trust me I'm a Psychologist.
Brutal AA postapocalyptic is such a waste of money. One, two, three cameras, at most, based in psychological and id stomach wrenching moral issues much more satisfying. It's never about the eye candy.
Don't get mad. After all I'm probably that too.
The Virgin Spring and a 1971 A Clockwork Orange (film) and I just found the 1948 The Boy with Green Hair on YouTube.I saw them when the originals came out way back in the day. Looking back I see them as foundations for my future along with a bit of Donne, Camus, and Thomas and a pinch of salt.
Psycho drama anyone? Trust me I'm a Psychologist.
Brutal AA postapocalyptic is such a waste of money. One, two, three cameras, at most, based in psychological and id stomach wrenching moral issues much more satisfying. It's never about the eye candy.
Don't get mad. After all I'm probably that too.
Politesse
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Netflix suggested a late stage Western called Slow West, a film which I found kind of baffling; it seems like it tried to be a deconstruction of the genre and a shameless homage to it at the same time, resulting in wildly varying moods. The acting is quite good, but they were working with a paper-thin script and characters. The events of the fast-moving plot are so inexplicable and surreal, I was waiting for it to be revealed at some point that they were actually in one of Dante's circles working out their damnation or something similarly symbolic, but no --- apparently this is what the Scottish/Kiwi cast thought that 1870's Colorado was actually like somehow. Some of the decisions they made are straight up laughable. A British lording going out across the high plains without a hat, and he doesn't get third degree sunburns the first day out?
Despite all that, it was a compelling watch, and at 89 minutes, not a slow one despite the title. The cinematography is pretty, and the two men at the center of it make for an amusing pair of contrary life perspectives. The South Island of NZ looks nothing remotely like Eastern Colorado, but it is pretty and wide open as the genre requires. Good shootout at the end, quick and violent. Reminded me a bit of Quigley Down Under, another too-earnest late stage Western filmed abroad.
3.5/5?
Despite all that, it was a compelling watch, and at 89 minutes, not a slow one despite the title. The cinematography is pretty, and the two men at the center of it make for an amusing pair of contrary life perspectives. The South Island of NZ looks nothing remotely like Eastern Colorado, but it is pretty and wide open as the genre requires. Good shootout at the end, quick and violent. Reminded me a bit of Quigley Down Under, another too-earnest late stage Western filmed abroad.
3.5/5?
Jayjay
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Lincoln
8/10
A political satire where a quirky president tries to get a law passed during a civil war. Starring ... everybody in Hollywood, I guess? I particularly liked, in addition to Daniel Day-Lewis' Lincoln, Tommy Lee Jones and James Spader. Looking forward to a sequel.
8/10
A political satire where a quirky president tries to get a law passed during a civil war. Starring ... everybody in Hollywood, I guess? I particularly liked, in addition to Daniel Day-Lewis' Lincoln, Tommy Lee Jones and James Spader. Looking forward to a sequel.
hurtinbuckaroo
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Watched this last night. It had the largest differential between critic (high) and audience (low) ratings I've ever seen. The audience was right. It was not only bad, it was 2+ hours of bad.
Jimmy Higgins
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Star Wars IX - I'm assuming I was the last human to watch the film, so mild spoilers.
Well, one thing to took me by surprise was the number of people that defended VII and VIII only to trash the entire trilogy sequel... sequel trilogy (?) after watching IX. And now having had watched IX, I can not understand why.
I remember the initial glory days of X-Men and X2 and waiting for X-Men 3 to come out. The first two first grew from each other and with the Phoenix Saga to ensue, we were going to be ready for a wonderful experience. What we got wasn't literally trash, but compared to X-men and X2 it was trash. Luckily the two previous films had enough solid ground to stand on to make a stand on their own and pretend Last Stand never happened.
Star Wars VII - Star Wars IV Remix and Star Wars VIII - A Tale of Two Movies didn't have this going for them. Each needed a subsequent film to give it purpose. Star Wars VII was annoying because it was less fanfare and more plagiarism. Star Wars VIII was frustrating because it had very good character development for the two leads of the third trilogy, but almost nothing else going for it. The plot, otherwise, was nonsensical and incoherent.
Can they tie it all up like they did with End Game (which while flawed with a good deal of plot holes when you stop to think about it... you have to at least think about it)? The answer? Why did they try and tie it all up like End Game?!
The only, I mean only, good thing in this film is the cameo of Wedge Antilles who was my favorite character of the original trilogy, because he actually survives it! Nothing else makes sense. Rei's origin reminded me of Truman Capote's rant at the end of Murder by Death. It isn't a twist if there is absolutely no reason for it to be a twist. Poe is now the general of the resistance? The guy that is responsible for the two plans that got 50+% of the remaining survivors dead after he managed to get most of the remaining resistance ships destroyed in the dumbest attack plan in the history of attack plans?!
Finn? A character with almost no purpose... he is a driveless Solo. At least Solo had a reason or personal drive. Finn seemed to just be a plot device.
So that is why the movie is sucking. Because Rei is like the only character that has anything interesting going on as Kylo Ren (Ben) is more spineless than a car dealership blow up sock. And Rose... appears to have been relegated to a few scenes, probably because she wasn't exactly that high in the power structure to begin with. At least Rose was new. Almost every other character was a poorly constructed remaster of previously existing characters.
And that ignores the awful execution to tie up 9 films with little talent for crafting what is an otherwise actually small universe of characters, something that wasn't even necessary to begin with. Nevermind the careful attention to pandering and details, when it mattered to the writer... because at other times, it clearly didn't matter because apparently you could do anything with The Force.
I waited until Rifftrax came out for this and I'm glad. It made this abomination viable for watching. Disney owes Rifftax a little coin. This movie was awful.
1 of 4
Well, one thing to took me by surprise was the number of people that defended VII and VIII only to trash the entire trilogy sequel... sequel trilogy (?) after watching IX. And now having had watched IX, I can not understand why.
I remember the initial glory days of X-Men and X2 and waiting for X-Men 3 to come out. The first two first grew from each other and with the Phoenix Saga to ensue, we were going to be ready for a wonderful experience. What we got wasn't literally trash, but compared to X-men and X2 it was trash. Luckily the two previous films had enough solid ground to stand on to make a stand on their own and pretend Last Stand never happened.
Star Wars VII - Star Wars IV Remix and Star Wars VIII - A Tale of Two Movies didn't have this going for them. Each needed a subsequent film to give it purpose. Star Wars VII was annoying because it was less fanfare and more plagiarism. Star Wars VIII was frustrating because it had very good character development for the two leads of the third trilogy, but almost nothing else going for it. The plot, otherwise, was nonsensical and incoherent.
Can they tie it all up like they did with End Game (which while flawed with a good deal of plot holes when you stop to think about it... you have to at least think about it)? The answer? Why did they try and tie it all up like End Game?!
The only, I mean only, good thing in this film is the cameo of Wedge Antilles who was my favorite character of the original trilogy, because he actually survives it! Nothing else makes sense. Rei's origin reminded me of Truman Capote's rant at the end of Murder by Death. It isn't a twist if there is absolutely no reason for it to be a twist. Poe is now the general of the resistance? The guy that is responsible for the two plans that got 50+% of the remaining survivors dead after he managed to get most of the remaining resistance ships destroyed in the dumbest attack plan in the history of attack plans?!
Finn? A character with almost no purpose... he is a driveless Solo. At least Solo had a reason or personal drive. Finn seemed to just be a plot device.
So that is why the movie is sucking. Because Rei is like the only character that has anything interesting going on as Kylo Ren (Ben) is more spineless than a car dealership blow up sock. And Rose... appears to have been relegated to a few scenes, probably because she wasn't exactly that high in the power structure to begin with. At least Rose was new. Almost every other character was a poorly constructed remaster of previously existing characters.
And that ignores the awful execution to tie up 9 films with little talent for crafting what is an otherwise actually small universe of characters, something that wasn't even necessary to begin with. Nevermind the careful attention to pandering and details, when it mattered to the writer... because at other times, it clearly didn't matter because apparently you could do anything with The Force.
I waited until Rifftrax came out for this and I'm glad. It made this abomination viable for watching. Disney owes Rifftax a little coin. This movie was awful.
1 of 4
Politesse
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I actually rather liked the 8th installment, so I was bracing myself for the 9th, having heard from others that Abrams had set out to more or less undo everything in that episode rather than concluding it. When I did sit down and watch it, I was not surprised.
Ah, well. I don't dislike J.J. Abrams as a director, but as screenwriter and producer his weakness is definitely follow-through. It's funny that he's so daring when it comes to cinematography and acting, but so conservative about straying from established tropes when it comes to plot.
Episode IX was either the seventh or eighth most expensive film ever produced, which in Hollywood is usually a sure sign of "too many cooks".
Ah, well. I don't dislike J.J. Abrams as a director, but as screenwriter and producer his weakness is definitely follow-through. It's funny that he's so daring when it comes to cinematography and acting, but so conservative about straying from established tropes when it comes to plot.
Episode IX was either the seventh or eighth most expensive film ever produced, which in Hollywood is usually a sure sign of "too many cooks".