Topic: The Movie Thread

@JohnnyShoulder Fair enough it really is not for everyone. For me it was actually getting surprised by its plot and the soundtrack that made the movie so memorable. I was expecting a standard action flick and got that weird twist instead.

@snakeeater Thanks! I’ve heard good things about The Guest, and funnily enough, again it’s from a separate director and writer involved in the V/H/S movies. I’ll have to check it out.

@snakeeater It took my surprise too. Totally forgot about how good the soundtrack was, I'll have to listen to it on Spotify now.

@RogerRoger I fell asleep watching The Greatest Showman.

@KALofKRYPTON @Tjuz @WanderingBullet @jacobia
On the subject of Disney’s The Lion King, I rather like it as well, it’s probably a top 10 Disney movie, maybe top 20. But let’s be real, most of the Disney movies recycle the same basic tropes and plot devices anyways. And don’t get me wrong, I really like almost all Disney and Pixar movies, new and old. There is hardly a bad one in the bunch and I enjoy rewatching most of them even years later. Very high production value.
But if you think about it, can you name one major Disney or Pixar movie in which the protagonist actually has both parents alive? Almost all of them are centered around the main characters having lost a parent or spouse either before the movie (ex Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Finding Nemo, etc) or during (ex Lion King, Bambi, Up, Frozen etc). It’s hard to even think of a Disney movie that doesn’t have that the death of a parent or child as a central plot device.
It’s just an observation, not a criticism. I suppose they are going for the most emotionally impactful setting they can imagine, and so why not just kill off one of the main characters parents or spouse.
I apologize, these are the meaningless things my mind thinks about if I don’t occupy it playing video games.

@jacobia "I don’t think he’s a particularly good actor..."

Agreed and yeah, I think his performances during action sequences in John Wick were very good.

@Th3solution Haha, you're right. Trying to think of my favourites and I think the top three are Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Mulan.

@WanderingBullet Yup, see? My theory is 3 for 3 on your favorites: Belle — mom is gone (I think died, iirc). Aladdin — no parents and Jasmine also has no mom (and I vaguely remember something about her having died). Mulan — her dad is dead (I think died in war, iirc). No Disney character has a family free of some form of tragic death.

Traditionally animated films are so wonderful, and it is such a shame that many young people are growing up without seeing them. Disney's '50's output is sublime, and their early 90's stuff is awesome too.

@RogerRoger People seem to either love or hate Moulin Rouge. I saw it three times in the cinema. Now, that's not as bad as those strange women who saw Titanic or 50 Shades of Grey 20 times and then divorced their husbands, but it is the most times I've seen something in the cinema. I did notice people walk out - figuring it was sensory overload - and very nearly considered doing the same thing myself. I was glad I stuck with it though.

I hesitantly went to Mile 22 in the cinema earlier this week. Turned out I was right to be hesitant. One of the worst movies I have ever seen. A true, solid 3/10. Avoid at all costs, unless you enjoy action movies with boring action and stuffed in, irrelevant personal storylines with a director who doesn't quite know what to do with it all! Some really, really obvious product placement too. I have never experienced product placement quite that obvious. Terrible script too. At least the actors try their best with what they're given, but you can't make gold out of poop.

@Tjuz Let's watch the language please.

So Venom; thoroughly enjoyable for the most part. A good dozen or so inaccuracies to the comics - most of which could have been avoided while maintaining the isolated nature of the film - but even with that, it is a good watch.
Even Hardy isn't as terrible as I'd assumed he would be. I feel like the unexpected success of the film could inevitably lead to some sort of universe sharing sequel, which would actually be a bit of a shame. As a self contained comic character adaptation - it's absolutely fine.

Also watched Hereditary over the weekend. Great film, but another to add to the list of 'films miss -sold by their trailers'. It's an incredibly slow burn with minimal horror elements. Excellent performances all round, very nicely put together and more than a few brilliant scene transitions!

As Hereditary didn't really scratch the horror itch - I watched Event Horizon late last night to balance things out. Still an absolute favourite!

Finally got around to watching Downsizing. Enjoyed it very much and I liked how it went off in a slightly different direction to what I was expecting. Also, I could watch Christoph Waltz all day.

@Tasuki Sorry, didn't think that was too bad.

@RogerRoger You mean you wish to know why I was crazy enough to see it three times? Just tagged along with various family members and I really liked it.

Any fans of found footage horror movies? I watched The Taking Of Deborah Logan earlier today. Phew, the earlier parts of the film were personally a bit hard to watch. The movie deals with a small team documenting a sweet elderly woman’s deterioration from Alzheimer’s disease. My mum and grandfather both suffered with either Alzheimer’s or dementia, and whilst (as far as I recall, as I wasn’t either’s primary caregiver) their plight was nowhere near as extreme as portrayed in this film, it still made me feel a bid sad.
But, one’s real life and one’s a story in a movie, so....I finished watching it, as it is a horror, and the story took an intriguingly spooky turn.

@KALofKRYPTON Ooo, I’m looking forward to watching Hereditary, as I like a good slow burn. Talking of which, have you seen The House Of The Devil? It’s currently on Shudder, and I personally think it’s awesome.

@RogerRoger what do you think of the rumour about Richard Madden bing the next 007?

First Man is a really stellar experience. Vivid cinematography, great direction, effective use of music, and a nicely restrained lead performance by Ryan Gosling. Does a great job communicating both the wonder and danger inherent in space travel and exploration. Also does a great job of situating Armstrong's quiet tale of of buried grief within the bigger narrative about the tense international rivalry with Russia and the amazing feats enabled by that rivalry. Movie of the year so far.

@KALofKRYPTON Pretty much every A24 horror film has a trailer that doesn't adequately reflect the contents of the film itself. In the case of Hereditary, however, that's likely at least partially misdirection, as the film itself is an exercise in misdirection and overturning audience expectations.

At least it didn't spawn as large a backlash as It Comes At Night did.

@jacobia Ever seen Cannibal Holocaust? It's arguably the originator of the found footage conceit in the horror movie genre.

@FullbringIchigo Looks like James Bond's frat boy cousin.

@Ralizah No, I haven’t. But, as you said, I have read that it’s pretty much regarded as the original found footage horror film. I’ve also read a while ago about the real animal killing in it, and that’s always put me off watching it, because I’m vegetarian 🥦
Do you like the found footage sub-genre? If so, please let me know which ones you like, plus any recommendations.

@Ralizah Out of curiosity, have you seen A Star Is Born yet? I haven't seen First Man yet, although I would like to give it a shot later on for Claire Foy, but that's my movie of the year so far. Given, I haven't watched all that many and The Favourite might just unseat it!

@Tjuz I haven't. Not really a fan of celebrity-driven narratives. Seems like a lot of people (including you!) are enjoying it, though.

@jacobia Well, I'm not a vegetarian, and the needless animal violence still bothers me. It's why I won't purchase any home video versions of it. But it IS a surprisingly interesting and thoughtful film, even if it ends up culpable of the same sort of exploitation it sought to satirize.

I can't say I'm a fan of the found footage conceit, if only because so few films make good use of it, but, like anything else, it can be done well.

Anyway, if you're not averse to foreign language films, I recommend checking out Noroi (translates as "The Curse").