Dennis Bonvie
Registered User
Watched American Beauty yesterday.
Tackled so many issues for turn of the century America. Funny, haunting, dark. Brilliant.
Tackled so many issues for turn of the century America. Funny, haunting, dark. Brilliant.
OT: Movie Thread
- Thread starter smithformeragent
- Start date
I grew up reading Marvel comics, especially Spiderman. With few exceptions (like Spiderman 2), I have little use for the "M.C.U." Most of it is, imho, crap.
FWIW on a mid August day,
www.newyorker.com
FWIW on a mid August day,
How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Swallowed Hollywood
Robert Redford, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Rudd, and Angela Bassett now disappear into movies whose plots can come down to “Keep glowy thing away from bad guy.”
On vacation this week and was looking for a movie to watch last night. Settled on Hostiles with Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike. Also has a young Timothee Chalamet in a minor role.
I love Westerns, and this one was well worth the time. 3 out of 5 stars. Christian Bale was excellent as an aging and jaded Cavalry officer....
I love Westerns, and this one was well worth the time. 3 out of 5 stars. Christian Bale was excellent as an aging and jaded Cavalry officer....
Sounds interesting, will have to check it out. Bale's got form in being good in Westerns - he was excellent in the 3:10 To Yuma remake, and I see that Max Richter did the score. He's a very talented composer, so that's another plus. Thanks for the recommendation.
PlayMakers
Registered User
I was a comic book kid too, but I'm the opposite, I love the MCU. I mean, it's fading a bit now but man, what an amazing thing they did. Building a story line across 30 movies. Not 3 movies, not 6 movies. Not minor movies. 30 blockbuster movies.I grew up reading Marvel comics, especially Spiderman. With few exceptions (like Spiderman 2), I have little use for the "M.C.U." Most of it is, imho, crap.
FWIW on a mid August day,
How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Swallowed Hollywood
Robert Redford, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Rudd, and Angela Bassett now disappear into movies whose plots can come down to “Keep glowy thing away from bad guy.”
Frankly, I think the whining from some of the Hollywood folks is weak sauce. Don't tell me Robert Downey Jr didn't blow everyone away with his Tony Stark. That's an amazing portrayal of the character. Funny, charismatic, believable... I don't buy that the actors disappear.
I saw Quentin Tarantino say that it used to be, you see an actor give a great performance in a big movie and then fans watch other movies with that actor to see him/her again, and that doesn't happen anymore because of Marvel. Again, BS. I've seen a bunch of fairly average movies because Jeremy Renner, Gal Gadot (first WW) or Chris Evans were in them.
I remember Ricky Gervais picking on Marvel movies at the Oscars saying they're more like amusement park rides and that the Irishman was a 'real movie.' The Irishman was great, and yeah the Marvel movies are tons of action and effects but so was Avatar, so was the Abyss, so was Close Encounters, so was Star Wars... Imagine if they didn't make Empire because Star Wars was too much fun.
I don't know. To me, the complaints come off as jealousy mixed with old fart.
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I will cop to the latter portion of your assessment.
We all like what we like. It's a free country, the last I checked, and we're free to like or dislike what we wish.
Forgot to mention that I quite enjoyed Doctor Strange. Mostly because of its irreverence and humor.
Party on,
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PlayMakers
Registered User
Very true. There are plenty of movies that are universally loved that I thought were somewhere between meh and a waste of 2 hours. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood comes to mind.
And some movies folks I know didn't care for, but I really enjoyed...
The Illusionist
V for Vendetta
American History X
Snatch
Sunshine
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Tarantino is what he is, whatever that is, but he's usually fun. I haven't seen that one.
Enjoy as you see fit.
Me?
PlayMakers
Registered User
I'm not a big horror guy. I did like 28 Days Later, and 28 Weeks Later.
I like most of Tarantino's stuff, but Once Upon a Time, Death Proof and Jackie Brown weren't for me.
I like horror, though I am not a major aficionado. I enjoyed Return of the Living Dead because it's essentially a black comedy, with plenty of hilarious grue and stupid laughs.
quietbruinfan
Salt and light
Do not like horror in almost any form. Though sometimes it is fertile ground for black comedy or other social commentary. I.E. Zombies at shopping malls.
I've seen all of those except Vendetta and think they're all great. History X can be a tough watch but it's a brilliant and unapologetically uncompromising piece of work. Snatch is just great fun and still one of Brad Pitt's best performances. The Illusionist suffered from coming out at about the same time as Nolan's The Prestige, which admittedly is a better film and was more readily marketable. But The Illusionist is a decent little movie in its own right, although it could have delved into its themes a little deeper and it's blatantly Usual Suspects-esque ending I think was a let down for some.
Sunshine had ending problems too. Cillian Murphy's first crack at playing a physicist and of course he nails it, and the rest of the ensemble cast are also very good. The first two-thirds tell a gripping story that's suspenseful but purely grounded in realism. The final third of course goes into some quite different territory altogether, and I think that's where your mileage will vary as to whether you find the film great or disappointing. Personally I didn't mind it, and while I probably would have preferred a different way of resolving the story, what we got was still good drama and taken as a whole IMO it's still a very solid film. Great score too.
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Blowfish
Count down ...
All great movies...Snatch one of my favs. Brad Pitt was fantastic. Reminiscent of his 12 monkeys role.
If you enjoyed Magnolia, Crash, and Pulp Fiction...Be sure to watch 2 Days in the Valley and Babel.
V For Vendetta and American History X are two favorites.
I sense a resonance,
"I felt like I could see everything that had happened, and everything that was going to happen.
"It was like a perfect pattern, laid out in front of me. ...
"And I realized we were all part of it. And all trapped by it."
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@RoccoF14 I watched Hostiles yesterday. Good film. If the director was aiming for something really profound I'm not sure he quite got there, and it's not without its faults. But the acting is top-notch, the locations and music used are both beautiful, and the story is solid. Well worth a watch, shame it's not better known.
I think you summed it up perfectly. Glad you enjoyed it..
McGarnagle
Yes.
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Strays was the hardest I've laughed at a movie in ages. It was incredibly dirty but since they were dogs they could get away with it, and the ending had me laughing my ass off.
Blowfish
Count down ...
Is Dr. Stranglove a good movie?
Kubrick has a few classics out there including The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Space Odyssey.
Kubrick has a few classics out there including The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Space Odyssey.
EverettMike
FIRE DON SWEENEY INTO THE SUN
It's a masterpiece and Peter Sellers should have won three Oscars for it.
Blowfish
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- Sep 22, 2011
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Hysterical. One of the best dark comedies ever made.
McGarnagle
Yes.
- Aug 5, 2017
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- 40,887
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