Topic: The Movie Thread

There's another clip out from the Justice League Black Suit Edition (fan edit) over on YouTube. Really nice work, I'm looking forward to the finished edit.

Worth checking out! find the editor on twitter, #blacksuitedition

Also, AB Director has put together plenty of JL edits in a similar vein; restored trailer clips, deleted clips, dialogue edits, colour palette shifts and use of Zimmer/Junkie XL's scores (as well the odd smattering of Icky Thump).

I was absolutely ready to hate this, but it looks pretty charming - and y'know, the guy was in Eastenders!

Some films I've watched over the last few days:

Nightcrawler - Finally got around to watching this, after meaning to see it for aaages. Very very dark, with some incredibly tense moments. Watching Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed together (two of my favourite actors) was an absolute joy. Rene Russo is superb in it as well. It's an interesting film, which subverts cinematic expectations in a pretty fun way, such as the heroic music which tends to play when Gyllenahaal's character is doing some pretty abysmal stuff. Overall it was probably one of the best films I've seen in a while.

Velvet Buzzsaw - I made a beeline for this one after Nightcrawler (same director, plus Gyllanhaal and Russo return). It was absolutely barmy and way more uneven than Nightcrawler, but still worth watching. Gyllenhaal is amazing in it (I'm starting to sound like a Gyllenhaal fanboy here), and the rest of the cast are good too. The film is at its best when it's poking fun at the ludicrous self-importance of the art world. Not for everyone perhaps, but thank god for Netflix, because they seem to be the only ones making stuff like this at the moment.

The Lego Move 2 - Tonally different from the above films (thankfully), if you like the others you'll like this. Not quite up there with the mighty Lego Batman Movie for me (but only because that's one of my favourite films of the decade). The kids loved it and so did I. Personal highlight? Bruce Willis

Alita: Battle Angel (theater) - Apparently this was helmed by the same creative team that made Avatar, so my brother (who is a major fan of that film) invited me to go see it with him (in 3D, to boot). Not sure how faithful it is to the source material (though apparently it's a bit of a passion project for James Cameron as a fan of the original, so I'm guessing it followed the manga closer than these things tend to), but just as a movie watching experience it's leagues above any other live action manga/game adaptation I've seen.

It's absolutely full of awesome cyborg on cyborg combat, with a richly detailed sci-fi world, and I thought the 3D was pretty fantastic. Alita herself is a fully CG character (made to look mostly realistic, just with slightly exaggerated facial features to hit a balance between realism and her original manga appearance) amongst a cast of mostly live-action actors, but it worked for me so much that I never really noticed while watching (maybe it was because she technically isn't human, and/or the handful of other CG cyborgs sprinkled in). My only real issue is that they built up a big bad that she wasn't able to confront by the film's end, setting up for a sequel we may never get due to how well manga adaptations tend to pan out. I know they probably can't fit the entirety of the manga's story into one movie without major pacing issues, but I at least wish they were more subtle about the big bad's presence in a way they could still set up for the sequel, while making the villain she does confront seem more meaningful.

Ant-Man & the Wasp (Netflix) - Not quite as fun as the first film, but still a good watch.

I was really surprised when saw the trailer. The idea is original, but also strange.
And you're right. Though the main character behaves unfair, he also does that charming.

@RogerRoger yeah they are, shame Paramount are rebooting the films AGAIN as i would have loved a trilogy

lets hope they don't **** it up like they have the TV series with Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

@RogerRoger i used to love it as a kid, i had the Toys and everything i remember being really upset once because i dropped my Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (that's what it was called back then in the UK) Blimp toy down the stairs and it popped

@FullbringIchigo I'd be very surprised if any Turtle Blimps survived the 90's!

@KALofKRYPTON yeah they was quite fragile

@RogerRoger HOW COULD YOU!!

(goes and cries in the corner)

you meanie T_T

Speaking of Netflix in the TV Show Thread; we watched Velvet Buzzsaw at the weekend.

I quite enjoyed it - though it is another victim of being mis-sold by the trailer. It's a good slow burn thriller rather than the horror/gore-fest that the trailer makes it out to be.

Was a big TMHT fan when I was a kid. Think it's all a bit rubbish now.

Watched Lego Movie 2 today with the family.

Way worse than the original which my Daughter loves. It's far too intense and there doesn't seem to be a reason for it initially as it jumps around all over the place. The second half is better especially the jealous Batman section which is brilliant. It's hard to recommend even if you are a fan of the first film.

Hereditary. One of the scariest movies I've seen in recent times. And that is not hyperbole. From memory only The Babadook has come close (and The Haunting on Hill House) to really chilling me, this also reminds of The Witch. Some people will not like it, either the slow pace of the first third, or how it all comes together in the final third (and the answers that come with that). It builds tension like some of the best horror films, not afraid to slow things down or to have long a long scene of silence. There is one scene which will stay with me for a long time, I was quite shocked when I saw it. The soundtrack helps with that the building of tension. It is so unnerving and purposefully disjointed. I had to pause the film at one point as I thought someone nearby was playing music loudly, but no it was the score in the film. It is so well crafted too, everything from how it is shot, to the previously mentioned score all come together to create something quite artistic. Not to say it is overly artsy, as I usually find there is no substance behind it all. All the cast are superb, but Toni Colette is outstanding and definetly deserves all the accolades she receives. Oh yeah and it is on Amazon Prime here in the UK.

@JohnnyShoulder Interesting. I liked it - but it sat far more as a 'slow burn' supernatural thriller for me pretty much right up until the last quarter of the film. The family cult story takes a little too long to simmer and the final race to tie it together feels rushed. Honestly I feel like there's an extra 20/30 minutes of the film somewhere. Performances made it work though.

@JohnnyShoulder A gazillion percent yes, everything you said! My favourite horror film. Just perfect 👌

Saw Alita: Battle Angel and The Prodigy recently. The former is a decent adaptation of a science-fiction manga with a surprisingly grounded cyberpunk setting, while the latter is an interesting spin on the "evil child" concept in horror movies. I rather enjoyed both.

@KALofKRYPTON Yeah I totally understand how some wouldn't like the final act. For me, I was happy to have the pay off after all the build up. I've seen so many films when it all falls flat towards the end, or they don't build up the tension at all.

@jacobia Ah yes, I thought you would agree! Thanks for the recommendation!

@Ralizah I’m curious about Alita: Battle Angel. It has an interesting aesthetic, and James Cameron [despite his polarizing reputation as a person] tends to make great films. But I just don’t feel the urge to see it in theaters for some reason. Maybe it’s the awkward title. How would you rank it or compare it amongst Cameron’s other works (Titanic, Avatar, Terminator series, Aliens, etc)

@Th3solution @Ralizah
I've very little interest in Alita myself, but my very most Wapanese mate is extremely complimentary about it - and he's pretty hardcore!

@JohnnyShoulder Not that there's anything wrong with the slow burn, but the final act feels like it was made for the trailer.