Futurama   Planet Express Employee Lounge
The Futurama Message Board

Design and Support by Can't get enough Futurama
Help Search Futurama chat Login Register

PEEL - The Futurama Message Board    Off Topic    It's got a TV!    Come December, keep in mind there is already a Star Wars thread - Movie Reviews « previous next »
 Topic locked! 
Author Topic: Come December, keep in mind there is already a Star Wars thread - Movie Reviews  (Read 62103 times)
Pages: 1 ... 12 13 14 [15] 16 17 18 ... 20 Print
LoveForFry

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #560 on: 11-13-2017 22:45 »


Weirdly, it was very comedy-focused. I don't know if this is a side effect of the first Guardians of the Galaxy's success or not but it seemed unusual for a Thor movie to be full of jokes (Mind you, it was mostly situational comedy rather than being dialogue-based, with the exception of Korg the rock dude).

I think a lot of this has to do with Taika Waititi being at the helm. I'm glad they gave him as much freedom as they did - this humor in this movie reflects a lot of his past work. Also, Taika is Korg, which makes a ton of sense. He also roped in Rachel House whose been in his previous films - can you tell I'm a big fan of all the kiwi-ism of this Thor?!
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
****
« Reply #561 on: 11-14-2017 07:32 »
« Last Edit on: 11-14-2017 07:36 »

others felt forced (Thor begging not to get a haircut...erm...nope).

Was that even meant to be a joke, aside from the obligatory Stan Lee cameo?


Weirdly, it was very comedy-focused. I don't know if this is a side effect of the first Guardians of the Galaxy's success or not but it seemed unusual for a Thor movie to be full of jokes (Mind you, it was mostly situational comedy rather than being dialogue-based, with the exception of Korg the rock dude).

I think a lot of this has to do with Taika Waititi being at the helm. I'm glad they gave him as much freedom as they did - this humor in this movie reflects a lot of his past work. Also, Taika is Korg, which makes a ton of sense. He also roped in Rachel House whose been in his previous films - can you tell I'm a big fan of all the kiwi-ism of this Thor?!

True, but it's possibe for a movie to become too in line with a directors style to the point where they almost become parodies of themselves (not saying this movie is, however).

Age of Ultron is a better example. The Joss Whedon-ness was completely out of control there.
winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #562 on: 11-14-2017 08:01 »

What about that scene I've read about where time seems to slow down?  I heard from the dog that they shot it at something like 1000 frames per second.  Some sort of NZ vfx house developed the techniques and technology, so the dog that was talking told me.
Gorky

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #563 on: 11-17-2017 04:00 »

Just got back from an early showing of Justice League, and it was fine. My main beef is that it's not really about anything--and I don't mean that on a narrative level (though there's not much of a plot, really), but a thematic one. I get that most superhero movies have a default theme of "Is it better to live for yourself or risk your life for a greater good?"--generally manifested in the conflict of "It is my duty to save the world and am I going to answer the call or not?"--and while there's some of that here with the various folks corralled and cajoled by Batman into Defeating the Forces of Evil, it's all very rote and non-specific and blah.


And speaking of blah: Visually, I was turned off by the sort of bleached-out color palette and the over-reliance on CGI; the movie just didn't look all that great. But it was well-acted (I was particularly charmed by Ezra Miller as the Flash) and it basically held my interest and it was good to see Gal Gadot again because she is a goddamn (inter)national treasure...so I don't know, I guess I'd give the movie a 3/5, which is probably more like a 2.75/5 that I am generously rounding up.
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
****
« Reply #564 on: 11-19-2017 06:10 »
« Last Edit on: 11-19-2017 06:15 »

For me Justice League is a big fat meh. There's a handful of awesome moments and aside from the climax, the action was well-directed and visually pleasing.

But... the plot was so damn boring. For all of Batman vs Superman's faults, it still had a logical, albeit flawed, narrative that was interesting enough to entertain me. The plot in this movie was so forgettable that I could barely keep up with details that I assume were important.

Ben Affleck is once again amazing. Sadly he was barely Batman in this movie. Since he's got nothing on the rest of heroes he spends way too much time in armoured tanks like it's some kind of even shittier version of Arkham Knight. That scene right at the start with him fighting that guy was pretty cool though.

Aqua Man and Plastic Man Cyborg sucked; I could never bring myself to give a shit about anything they did. Flash was fun, and many of his scenes were good. Wonder Woman stole the show for me though. Her intro scene reminded me so much of the best parts of her solo movie and she was great to watch vs. the villain (who was absolute trash by the way. Marvel may get a lot of rightful criticism about their bad guys but this guy was somehow worse than all of them).


In summary, it was mediocre. It had some cool scenes but that's all I can really say.

Also, I mentioned Joss Whedon a few posts above. I know he came on board late, but I could barely see any of his influence in Justice League. It felt 100% Snyder.
JoshTheater

Space Pope
****
« Reply #565 on: 11-19-2017 06:50 »

Joss Whedon only came on as a favor to Snyder after he suffered a family tragedy, and I'm pretty sure he had little intention to put his stamp on the movie, and rather just to finish it up competently. And you have to imagine that WB for sure was meddling and forcing their influence the whole time. Joss Whedon already had a lack of investment of the movie so I bet he just towed the line.
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
****
« Reply #566 on: 11-19-2017 07:59 »

Joss Whedon only came on as a favor to Snyder after he suffered a family tragedy, and I'm pretty sure he had little intention to put his stamp on the movie, and rather just to finish it up competently. And you have to imagine that WB for sure was meddling and forcing their influence the whole time. Joss Whedon already had a lack of investment of the movie so I bet he just towed the line.

Yes, and that's completely understandable. I was just making an observation.
Gorky

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #567 on: 11-19-2017 13:24 »
« Last Edit on: 11-19-2017 13:31 »

I felt like some of Whedon's influence was apparent in the dialogue (he's a credited screenwriter, but I assumed it was more in a script-doctoring sense once he was brought in to finish the reshoots and such),
just felt real Whedon-y to me, and not in a good way. That could totally just be me reading too much in to his (as Josh notes) negligible, late-stage involvement in the movie, though.
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #568 on: 11-19-2017 23:30 »
« Last Edit on: 11-19-2017 23:33 »

Justice League

Considered the movie quite enjoyable. Especially the aspect that one did not have to remember which Avenger accidently ate an Infinity stone 37 movies ago in the 13th post credit scene, becaus (s)he mistook it for an M&M.

The plot was a tad thin, but - then again - which Superhero Movie plot isn't right now (Like Hela in Thor: Ragnarök, Steppenwolf was the a..hole because someone had to, and that was the job description).

Final judgement will be reserved after watching the 3h cut on Blu Ray.
Like BvS in the theatrical version, JL seemed to consist of the mere main plot, but lacked those scenes that provided additional details and atmosphere. BvS delivered in the long version...even Zak's watchmen needed the Director's cut to REALLY shine.

I agree that Cyborg was not very interesting: He might have been a side character, but he treated that traumitic experience as if his application for the favorite college had been rejected.

Flash-wise, I would have prefered the series version. Ezra delivered a good job, but his character was written a tad to much as the "scared kid among the adults".

Congrats to Henry Cavill: Playing Superman beyond a "Mr. GoodyTwoShoes" without any personality was certainly not an easy task.

Affleck: Now I want to see him in his own Batman movie.

Gadot: Her performance was okay till good for me, but not THAT oustanding.  (I already did not share the fuzz about WWII: It was a well done coming-of-age story, but no groundbreaking novelties were covered).
Svip

Administrator
DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #569 on: 11-20-2017 03:18 »

I think the best way I've heard it described was like a classic Saturday morning cartoon.  So bad it's enjoyable.

Particular the studio turning Snyder's dark vision around to something more goofy (like how their costumes don't fit the final colouring) and Whedon getting to add a lot of quips throughout the movie.

Of course, the re-shoots with Superman are those you can clear tell, because the actor had a moustache during the re-shoots, and so they had to CGI a new upper lip for him, which looks terrible.  (He couldn't shave the moustache off, because he was using it for another film he was shooting at the time.  And he clearly prioritised.)

Seriously, I think these actors are trying to get themselves out of these movies.  I hear that Affleck aren't keen on continuing his portrayal as Batman.

Anyway, fun dumb movie.  Truly proving that DC stands for "Don't Care".  I notice Inquisitor Hein appreciates that it doesn't require prior knowledge of a DC movie, but that's largely because no one actually has a grand plan for the DC movies.  They are just winging it as they go along.

That's why they have two Joker movies in the works.  And neither may star Ben Affleck as Batman (but they sure won't start the same actor as Batman either).
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #570 on: 11-29-2017 02:43 »
« Last Edit on: 12-03-2017 22:26 »

This past weekend concluded Ghibli Fest 2017, in which select theatres showed one movie a month from the famed Japanese Studio Ghibli from June through November. The six films features were:

My Neighbor Totoro
This was a fantastic movie and my second favorite of the bunch. It was engaging and magical the whole way through. If you've ever seen any drawings of this distinctive creature around, this is the movie that it is from. (That character is also voiced by the wonderful Frank Welker. :D)

Kiki's Delivery Service
This is a movie about a young witch in a world where witches and wizards exist, but are rare. The rest of the world is much like our own. So, even though magic was a common element throughout the film, it still felt very down-to-earth. This film was also fantastic

Castle in the Sky
This was the studio's first film after being founded. It's clear to see that this prolific studio started off with a bang.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Based on a manga of the same name, this film was made by the studio's core creators before the studio was actually founded. Despite this, it is considered to be a part of the studio's legacy of work, both by fans and the company alike. I didn't like this film as much -- I felt it relied too much on expositional soliloquys and focused on telling rather than showing. But it was still a good film overall, and I appreciated having had the opportunity to see how it all started.

Spirited Away
This is probably the studio's most famous film, and the most recognizable one in the West. And that's for a very good reason -- the film is beyond exceptional in every regard.

Howl's Moving Castle
This movie (which was based on a book) was good, but felt hampered down and held back, as though they were trying to do too much with one movie. Entire elements of the film could have been reworked into a separate movie. This was also the most abstract and surreal movie of the bunch. The film felt a bit unfinished, as some of these elements were pretty confusing and the ending felt rushed and convoluted. Still, it was engaging regardless of these faults. Throughout the film, I felt like I was exploring a new and mysterous part of a magical world, which is a quintessential part of the Miyazaki/Ghibli viewing experience.


These six films represent about a third of the studio's 21 films over the past three decades. Every movie ranges from really good to top-tier fantastic. If you haven't watched them yet, do yourself a favor and watch them now.
Tachyon

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #571 on: 11-29-2017 03:18 »

Until a month or so ago, I'd never seen any Studio Ghibli films. Over the recent holiday I pulled Nausicaä and Castle in the Sky from my Miyazaki set and watched them for the first time. I know that everyone's already watched all of these movies numerous times and I really have nothing to add other than "wow!", and that I will definitely be revisiting them again throughout my life.

I'm watching in the order they're laid out in the set, and I can't recall which is next.

Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #572 on: 11-29-2017 03:49 »

Prior to Ghibli Fest 2017, I had only ever seen one Studio Ghibli film: Spirited Away, and I saw it a long time ago. I wasn't really familiar with the studio until more recently, so I jumped on the opportunity to see some of their films for the first time -- and in the theaters, no less.

Tachy, you have watched the first and second movies so far. So, I'm guessing that the next movie will be the third movie. :p That would be Grave of the Fireflies, which I've never seen. The next two movies after that, however, would be My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, both of which I saw in theaters this year. Both of those were also written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, too. So you're in for a treat.

I'm curious. Where did you get your Studio Ghibli box set from? Did you get it new or used? I would be interested in buying one when I have a bit more money saved up.
winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #573 on: 11-29-2017 04:02 »

Princess Mononoke.
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #574 on: 11-29-2017 04:04 »

I've heard Princess Mononoke is fantastic. I can't wait till I get the opportunity to see it.
Tachyon

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #575 on: 11-29-2017 07:22 »

The set I have is only Miyazaki films. I did purchase Grave of the Fireflies separately and I'm saving that one for some time in the future. I've avoided any spoilers so far, other than the fact  that it is deeply sad.

The films in my set:

winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #576 on: 11-29-2017 08:29 »

Princess Mononoke, Ponyo Ponyo!
Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #577 on: 11-29-2017 19:35 »

Scrappy, *the* Blade Runner version to see is The Final Cut. Failing that, The Director's Cut isn't bad, but it's not really the director's cut. The Final Cut is the actual director's cut. Got that?


What i can say.. its true that both Villenueve and Gosling said 2049 is a sequel to the final cut.. but after seeing 2049 i think all versions work..the theatrical version could work too..  its the more diferent due mainly to the voiceover thing so 2049 is closer to final cut in feel ..but you wont miss much if you only see the theatrical release before 2049..

Tachyon

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #578 on: 11-29-2017 20:33 »

While waiting for the chance to catch 2049, a friend opined that it was a terrible film, very misogynistic in nature, and urged her friends to boycott it. And I realize that it's kind of silly and very non-independent-thinking of me, but now I'm really hesitant -- down inside I think I might be afraid that I'll like it...

winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #579 on: 11-30-2017 04:45 »
« Last Edit on: 11-30-2017 04:47 »

Does misogyny in art say something about reality?  Should people be aware of misogyny, and if so, then how will they find out?

I'm looking forward to watching 049 at some random point in the far future.  I think I will enjoy it, regardless of all of the racism, genocide, or misogyny the story will use as thematic elements.  I also have my suspicions that boycotts objectively affect anything significantly in our stratified economies.  I'm pretty show most people don't purchase share holdings in murder porn, but murder porn probably exists, perhaps even thrives like the burgeoning child slave market.
Tachyon

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #580 on: 11-30-2017 06:16 »

Oh, I absolutely hear you, winna! There are so many aspects to the subject. The friend who mentioned this to me is a very savvy character, and rarely ruffled or driven to passionate expression. So it took me by great surprise, as I'd never heard anything like that from her, previously.

That was enough to give myself a hiatus from even thinking about the film. Yes, I will watch it, eventually.

My plans for this weekend involve opening and watching my Wonder Woman disc, and maybe another Miyazaki film :) Oh, and earlier today I bought an Indiana Jones DVD box set for $5, so maybe I'll binge them, never having done so, previously.

Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #581 on: 11-30-2017 10:14 »

a friend opined that it was a terrible film, very misogynistic in nature, and urged her friends to boycott it. And I realize that it's kind of silly and very non-independent-thinking of me

Oh god... infinite facepalm

did they even watched the damn movie?
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #582 on: 11-30-2017 17:00 »
« Last Edit on: 11-30-2017 17:28 »

Valerian

I missed it at the theatres, and was really looking forward to the Blu Ray release.
Luc, you showed with "5th Element" that you CAN handle Sci Fi with a humorous French touch. And as "Valerian" was your "Heart Project", it sounded really, really promising.
So tell me: WHY??? WHY FOR HEAVENS SAKE?????

I must admit that I stopped watching after 1h, I could not bear it any more.
- The visual style was all right. But the action scenes were not catching at all, they did not really appear like a contribution to the story. More like an "SFX Company showreel".
- Whomever DeHaan played...that character did not have too much similarity to the comic character. But he was GOLD compared to Delevigne: Whatever her character was supposed to be: It did not appear in the Valerian comics. Or did they have to rewrite Laureline in a way that the character could be handled by an actress who got exactly one facial expression (annoyed teenage girl who was forced by her parents to skip that REALLY important party, to go to great aunt Lissies birthday) ?
- Had anyone held up a cardboard sign, stating "I will be revealed as the villain" over a certain character, it could hardly have been classified as a "spoiler". It was so embarassingly obvious (checked the restplot on Wikipedia, and was hardly surprised I was right.  And came to the conlusion that reading the rest of the story in 5 minutes vs torturing oneself through watching had been the better option.).

As a fan of classic French comics, that movie was painful to watch. It hurt...it just hurt. Okay, I do not necessarily want my time or my money back, this ranks under "cut your losses and go". But I could have done without the knowledge what a comic like "Valerian" could be turned into. It was already painful to watch how "Aquablue" could be ripped-off into a soulless, generic flick ("Avatar"), but this...this..could somebody just wake me up, maybe it was a bad dream.
 
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #583 on: 12-03-2017 07:39 »
« Last Edit on: 12-03-2017 09:01 »

I haven't had a chance yet to see Loving Vincent, but I've found another film I want to see:

The Breadwinner
Quote from: Wikipedia
The Breadwinner is a 2017 Canadian-Irish-Luxembourgian adult animated drama film by Cartoon Saloon directed by Nora Twomey and executive produced by Mimi Polk Gitlin and Angelina Jolie. Based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis, the film was released on November 17, 2017.

The film had its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Plot
After her father Nurullah is unjustly arrested, Parvana, a girl in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, must dress as a boy so she can work to support her mother Fattema and her sister Soraya.

This is the studio's third film so far. All three films have enjoyed exceptional reception, with RottenTomatoes ratings above 90% for all of them. Their second film, Song of the Sea (2014), has an astounding 99% rating on RottenTomatoes! Song of the Sea is reportedly influenced by the works of Hayao Miyazaki and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2015.
Gorky

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #584 on: 12-04-2017 04:02 »

Just got around to watching The Big Sick (now available to stream on Amazon Prime!), which I had wanted to see when it first came out this summer and which did not disappoint. Like most Judd Apatow-adjacent comedies, it is far longer than it needs to be (a full two hours) and the narrative has a habit of meandering--even though there should be enough forward momentum inherent in the set-up of girl-falls-ill-with-mysterious-condition-and-doctors-have-to-race-the-clock-to-save-her-life.

That said, the movie is still hilarious, and sincere, and meaningful, and lovely. It is also exceptionally well-acted, and the cast is fabulous (I was particularly pleased to see Aidy Bryant (of SNL) and Vella Lovell (of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) in small supporting roles). I must admit it's a little odd as a romantic comedy because one half of the couple is in a coma for about 50% of the movie (though she is pretty well-drawn in the scenes for which she is actually conscious and ambulatory), but it still works. 5/5, fo' sho.

I also happened to watch Air Bud tonight, but I cannot actually rate that movie because it's just so nostalgic for me and the dog is so adorable and Googling the dog led me to my new favorite page on Wikipedia: "Animal actors." I have no qualms giving that page a 5/5, too. 
Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #585 on: 12-08-2017 13:27 »

Valerian

I missed it at the theatres, and was really looking forward to the Blu Ray release.
Luc, you showed with "5th Element" that you CAN handle Sci Fi with a humorous French touch. And as "Valerian" was your "Heart Project", it sounded really, really promising.
So tell me: WHY??? WHY FOR HEAVENS SAKE?????
 

I watched it knowing allready the massive negative reviews..but since most were americans saying "eurotrash" i ignored them..

The movie started good.. but it began to derail quick.. i really didnt needed all those overly detailed explanations for alien races and parts of Alpha station wich later proved to be pointless..

and then... it comes the MASSIVE DETOUR.. or derailment.. if the movie has a plot line.. like a highway until you reach the end.. the movie at about 40m or so does a a violent turn to an exit lane and then begins to wonder secondary roads going arround stuff NOT related to the main plot and that ends up being useless until it rejoins the main highway 1 hour later .. (1 frakin hour later!) to solve the main plot and close the movie..

It wastes one hour with a plot everyone can see its purelly accidental and unrelated..

So i can see anyone not familiar..or familiar with the comics being utterly confused and not understanding whats going on.. because thats exactly what happent....


I wouldnt give it that negative review as the average.. i didnt mind the massive CGI..i know how the comics looks like and that was necesary and i think it was done fairly.. it stays close to the comics in much visuals..while not in plot (first it not only totally omites the important part that Laureline its a 12 century woman in the future wich provided her with a unique POV on human stuff.. but totally shots it down making her a normal "rich college" girl).. but the plot is utterly broken..and even selecting the good stuff and cutting out the rest its an average sci-fi
winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #586 on: 12-08-2017 18:17 »

That makes me want to watch it, thanks.  -:4
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #587 on: 12-11-2017 01:41 »

Loving Vincent

I really enjoyed this movie. I was engaged with the story. It did seem a little weird how Armand Roulin (the protagonist) became so deeply invested in Vincent's last days when he didn't care at all at first. But I was already interested in his life and death, so I was already there in a way.

The way the story played out through a series of interviews reminded me a lot of LA Noire. Armand was trying to piece the story together and had to figure out Vincent's actions and motives as well as the motives of why some people weren't being entirely honest with him.

The animation reminded me of LA Noire in a way, too. It was fascinating how lifelike and emotive the expressions in their faces were as they talked. The eyes darting back and forth. The brows scrunching and extending ever-so-slightly. The depth and reflectiveness of the eyes.

I was wondering how the animation would have worked for the first-ever fully painted feature-length film. I quickly noticed that they used layering techniques, as with pretty much any animation. You could even see the textures of the background paintings after the foreground characters and objects were placed over them. Eventually, I came to conclude (this is just a guess, though) that they must have filmed the actors playing out the scenes, projected each frame onto a canvas, and painted the frame out by hand. That's the only way that I can figure that they could have managed such depth, emotion, and consistency throughout the film. In addition to each character feeling full of life, it was impressive to see how much weight and tangibility each object in the movie possessed. One character, for instance, swiveled a chair about himself. It really felt as though the characters were interacting with something that had its own gravity in the world.

The beginning of the movie seemed to largely brush past character and plot development to jump straight into story of Armand trying to deliver the letter. I wasn't entirely clear on what was going on in the first scene or two, but fortunately the rest of the plot was well-connected enough that I was able to infer everything from that point on.

I was both intrigued and engaged by the extrospection the characters delivered while discussing Vincent's life and death. I was satisfied to see the full range of reactions to Vincent in these times, from the hyper-judgmental and contemptuous housekeeper Louise Chevalier to the jealous and remorseful Dr. Gachet.

It would have been fascinating, however, if they had tried to paint the picture through Vincent's eyes. To feel his pain and to see how that led to the visual artistic expressions.

I watched some Behind the Scenes videos last night on their official YouTube channel. They talked about how they wanted to be as true as possible to Vincent's life. Many scenes were based on actual van Gogh paintings. Sometimes they had to change the coloring of the scene because, for example, the painting was painted on a winter night and the scene in the movie took place on a summer evening. So they studied his other paintings to see how they should adjust the colors.

I don't think there would be any truly accurate way to portray the movie from Vincent's point of view 127 years after his death. The only way to safely remain as accurate as possible is to base the movie around existing letters and explore the time through other people's eyes.

Still, a movie that explores Vincent anxieties and depression in a more first-person manner would be fascinating.

Regardless, my first major when I as an undergrad was Art. I eventually changed my major to Psychology. So the psychology of one of my favorite artists is of course of great interest and intrigue to me.

I also find it quite humorous that the producers chose to employ classically-trained painters in order to portray the life and stylings of a painter who was famously never trained at all.
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #588 on: 12-16-2017 01:25 »

While waiting for the chance to catch 2049, a friend opined that it was a terrible film, very misogynistic in nature, and urged her friends to boycott it. And I realize that it's kind of silly and very non-independent-thinking of me, but now I'm really hesitant -- down inside I think I might be afraid that I'll like it...

The film isn't misogynistic at all. Some people are just ridiculously stupid and unable to distinguish the difference between a film portraying something and a film condoning it. The world portrayed in Blade Runner (both the original and the new film) is extremely misogynistic. There's an argument that the original Blade Runner has a streak of misogyny (I mean, hell, Deckard basically rapes Rachael in it at one point), but Blade Runner 2049 is critical of the world it presents. To get angry with it for this is to completely miss the point of the film, which is (among other things) that misogyny is bad.
Gorky

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #589 on: 12-16-2017 17:59 »
« Last Edit on: 12-16-2017 18:04 »

Some people are just ridiculously stupid and unable to distinguish the difference between a film portraying something and a film condoning it.

Yes, thank you, hallelujah. This is a conversation I'm always forced to have not only with my college-aged students but also my grown-ass adult colleagues in creative writing courses: it's so easy to get into a conversation about how "problematic" some piece of pop culture is, and see this as a moral failing of the artist instead of an intellectual/creative project that artist knowingly undertakes to examine a fucked-up aspect of society (misogyny, racism, classism, what-have-you), not endorse it.

To be sure, there are plenty of assholes who make movies that unwittingly propagate their own asshole-ish, shitty worldviews--but good art, created in good faith, can present us with odious ideas (and people, and events) as a means of better understanding them without necessarily promoting them. (Example: I'm currently reading Lolita, and that is one hell of a ride into the seedy underbelly of a middle-aged man's psyche. Doesn't make Nabokov a pervert for writing it, doesn't make me a pervert for reading it.)

On that note:

And I realize that it's kind of silly and very non-independent-thinking of me, but now I'm really hesitant -- down inside I think I might be afraid that I'll like it...

You can like a piece of art that contains un-examined misogyny (or other problematic prerogatives) without that making you a bad person. Your job as a viewer just becomes, in part, examining those prejudices. I like plenty of good art by bad men (oh hi, Woody Allen), and part of my own process of being able to enjoy that stuff is having to reckon with the gross circumstances under which it was produced.

Like, if you saw a blatantly misogynistic movie and then chose to live your life according to its blatantly misogynistic tenets, that'd be bad--but just enjoying a work that has clear artistic merit and also clear ideological flaws? That happens all the damn time, my friend. It's not ideal, of course--I would love it if only Great People were capable of producing Great Art--but it's life.

As a right-thinking, goodhearted person, you should be able to view a potentially problematic film without absorbing its harmful messages. The problem, of course, is when those with worse hearts (and/or fewer critical faculties) accept those harmful messages at face value, but that's a whole other conversation...
winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #590 on: 12-16-2017 20:03 »

If people complained about my art style so much I'd probs 'ill 'em.  :(
Tachyon

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #591 on: 12-18-2017 02:15 »

Thanks a lot, Gorky. I think it's natural to consciously or subconsciously compare the results of our thinking to that of our friends. e.g. if all of your friends think that your opinion in some area is dead wrong, it might not be, but a reasonable person should definitely reevaluate the logical steps they took to reach that opinion.

Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #592 on: 12-26-2017 22:16 »
« Last Edit on: 12-26-2017 22:18 »

Jumanjii : Welcome to the Jungle
B

As someone usually not too keen on remakes/reboots, this movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise. While not Oscar material breaking new grounds, it was just "nicely done" and provided laughs at pleasantly short intervals.

It also managed to smoothen some of the originals flaws:

- A more structured storyline. While the original's "random events" captured a diceroll based board game, a computer games laid out story is usually the better choice for a movie
- Dedicated villain, instead of "random dude we met before and walzes in the last few minutes as we wanted to have a showdown"
- The discrepancy between player/avatar highlighted the "playing piece" aspect of the players

Johnson and Hart basically did what they already did in "Central intelligence", the chemistry worked. Was worried about Jack Black having a Rob Schneider "Derp Derp Derpy Derp" Role (South Park viewers will get this one). As he was not the protagonist, his role worked. Was impressed by Karen Gillians comedic skills.

If you already saw the trailer with it's second half indicating a generic action movie, do not be fooled by it: Those action scenes mostly come with a joke and parody on the 90s computer game (we saw Karen lay down two opponents with a kick...it didn't show her hilariously incompetent efforts to seduce those guards before, etc.. ).

The "tension" aspect turned out to be the major weakness: There have hardly been any scenes making you think "Damned...this is close" "How the heck will they get out of this one". As this movie is primarily a comedy with action elements, and not an action movie with humorous elements, it did not matter too much.

Again: It will certainly not get the creators any Oscar nominations, but it is just a nicely done comedy eligible to create more than the average amount of laughs.
winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
**
« Reply #593 on: 12-27-2017 01:32 »

:(
DannyJC13

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #594 on: 12-27-2017 12:52 »

I must admit that I stopped watching after 1h, I could not bear it any more.

The first hour contains all the best parts; the Big Market concept is super fascinating & original imo, also liked the opening with Space Oddity playing over it & all the countries and planets uniting on Alpha.

The second-half is so predictable & overflowing with clichés and the same-old-tired sci-fi beats. Cool visual effects, though.
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
****
« Reply #595 on: 01-20-2018 09:15 »

The Incredible Hulk

I've never seen this movie until a week ago, surprsingly. I've seen many bits and pieces on YouTube but this was the first time I sat down and watched the entire thing.

Honestly, I can see why it's the weird child of the MCU that nobody invites to their parties. It's so incredibly bland, and this might be controversial, but Edward Norton's Banner is actually pretty shit, and Mark Ruffalo does a far superior job with the character. Norton's Banner never seems angry at all. In fact, he he barely seems annoyed.

The Lego Batman Movie


Genuinely one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. So much fanservice to the character it was unbelievable. I didn't think the animation was as good as the Lego Movie though; I was disappointed to see that they animated the characters in such a way that they move in ways not possible for an actual Lego minifigure instead of carefully working around their limited points of articulation.

Also, when your two main characters are voiced by Will Arnett and Michael Cera, not having an Arrested Development reference is a crime. :(

None of that matters though because it was so amazingly witty.
Tachyon

DOOP Secretary
*
« Reply #596 on: 01-31-2018 22:52 »
« Last Edit on: 01-31-2018 23:48 »

The circumstances and mood have to be just right for me to watch a movie. There are quite a few in my to-watch pile at the moment, so last night I put on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and kicked back with a beer.

Let me put the positives first:

  • Taken purely as casual opera, it was fair-to-OK
  • I laughed a couple of times
  • The characters were mostly cool
  • The dramatic moment between Rocket and Drax was outstanding, and came across as completely sincere and genuine

tl;dr The movie was terrible. Simply terrible.

And I mean terrible as in Independence Day: Resurgence terrible. Yes, really. The opening was shit. The plot progressed from OK to completely off the rails. The soundtrack, as a soundtrack, was awful; it seemed to be thrown together haphazardly in a simple effort to include songs that audience members loved from high school and there was no "flow" to it. Some of the retro-stylistic elements were nice, and reminded me of sci-fi art from the '30s and '40s. I am not joking when I say that the pace and scale and detail and kaleidoscopic motion and color palette of the climactic confrontation was suggestive of an Andy Warhol interpretation of a scene put together by Peter Maxx on acid -- it would make for an interesting screensaver, and that's about it.

The acting was hit-or-miss, and some of the soulful, heart-tugging interplay near the end was completely uninspiring: you could have replaced the dialog with the output from a mediocre text-to-speech generator and lost very little of what emotional impact there was. Oh, not enough drama? Why not throw more amped-up CGI at it? Even the Stan Lee cameo fell flat for me, though I admit that I am not a comics nerd and didn't get the connection to the Watchmen until a read a review, later. This is a completely formulaic, trope-laden film that tries to distract the audience from its insipidness with cringeworthy forced humor and enough CGI for any three decent movies.

To summarize, I'll borrow from the lovable Grinch: stink, stank, stunk. Naturally I checked out some ratings after watching. The 7.7 on imdb didn't surprise me, but I was fairly well stunned to see an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. 83%? Are you fucking kidding me? Guardians Vol. 2 is utterly uninspired, and totally devoid of any spirit, heart, or intelligence whatsoever. It is a sloppily packaged soulless effort that comes across as something designed by a committee of Hollywood moneymen.

If I had been shitfaced to the point where I could hardly tell what was going on, it's possible that I would have given it a C. My mostly sober rating, however, is:

D

A disappointing waste of $16.



After chatting with Josh, I agree with his observation that I wrote the above in the context of a sequel to a movie that I really liked, which really added to the disappointment. In a completely isolated context, Guardians Vol. 2 was just an uninspired mess of a movie and I might have given it a C or C-minus. I still think it sucked, though.

UnrealLegend

Space Pope
****
« Reply #597 on: 02-01-2018 07:55 »

I don't think it's anywhere close to being the best Marvel movie, but I don't think I could disagree more.

And Rotten Tomatoes is an extremely flawed platform that should always be taken with a grain of salt; if every reviewer gave a movie 6/10 then the RT score would be 100%.
JoshTheater

Space Pope
****
« Reply #598 on: 02-02-2018 05:01 »
« Last Edit on: 02-02-2018 05:08 »

That doesn’t make it a flawed platform, it just means that people interpret it the wrong way. Instead of the numerical percentage representing level of quality of the film, it should be read as being simply the percentage of critics who thought the movie was at least worth seeing. Viewed through that lens, I’d say it’s an incredibly effective platform, especially when it comes to knowing which movies to outright avoid wasting time on.
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
****
« Reply #599 on: 02-02-2018 07:33 »

That doesn’t make it a flawed platform, it just means that people interpret it the wrong way.

I agree. I'm not sure why I said flawed.

What I meant was that you need to understand how it works in order for it to mean anything. Everyone understands averages and it's easy to automatically see an 80% on RT and say "Oh, that's an 8/10!"
Pages: 1 ... 12 13 14 [15] 16 17 18 ... 20 Print 
 Topic locked! 
« previous next »
Jump to:  

SMF 2.0.17 | SMF © 2019, Simple Machines | some icons from famfamfam
Legal Notice & Disclaimer: "Futurama" TM and copyright FOX, its related entities and the Curiosity Company. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. As a fan site, this Futurama forum, its operators, and any content on the site relating to "Futurama" are not explicitely authorized by Fox or the Curiosity Company.
Page created in 0.241 seconds with 35 queries.