Topic: The Movie Thread

My brother got me a lovely set (complete with vintage style box art) of the recently completed "Star Wars" trilogy 4K restorations - otherwise known as Project 77/80/83 - on blu-ray. Interested to see how these differ from Harmy's much loved "Despecialised" versions, if at all. Also finally got my 4K blu-ray of "The Abyss" (the extra features blu-ray isn't region coded) from the US yesterday, so I've got plenty to watch this weekend.

Just got done with the Special Edition version of "The Abyss". Some extremely clunky dialogue (it's a Cameron script) and weird, misplaced misogyny aside (why does everyone constantly refer to Mastrantonio's character as "a stone cold b**ch" when she's perfectly reasonable and entirely capable?) it's a great movie with some top notch acting - particularly from a suitably deranged (and hugely against type) Michael Biehn . The incredibly tense drowning/CPR sequence is probably the best thing Cameron has ever put on film. Lovely 4K transfer and Atmos soundmix as well. It was worth the wait.

@LN78 I hear (no pun intended) the Atmos is supposed to be good on the latest Cameron 4K releases. I will most likely pick them all up at some point, as I remember enjoying them all. Just not seen The Abyss and True Lies in ages, so will be interesting if I think they still hold up.

@JohnnyShoulder The mix on "The Abyss" is ace. Loads of great ambient creaks and groans in the underwater oil rig, some nice overhead movement and LFE during the action beats - particularly during the hurricane sequences.

going to be watching the Suspiria remake on Freevee sometime later tonight since I just watched RedLetterMedia's reviews of both Suspiria movies on YouTube.

I watched Suzume on Netflix last night, loved the whole package. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves animation!

From Up On Poppy Hill (Blu-Ray) - Set in 1960's Japan as the nation prepares for the Tokyo Olympics, a pair of high schoolers find love as they campaign for the restoration of a historic school facility earmarked for demolition, however secrets behind their parantage may bar them from being together. Absolutely brilliant film, definitely at or near the top of my Ghibli ranking. Very beautiful & emotional.

Minions: the Rise of Gru (Amazon Prime) - Pretty much run of the mill affair for what, the 5th(?) entry in this franchise. But hey, it was amusing enough, which is why they're able to churn out as many as they do.

Private Lessons (Tubi) - When the teenage son of a multimillionaire is left home alone while his father is away on a trip, he lives every teenage boy's fantasy when the new hot housemaid starts coming on to him. Turns out it's all part of a plot by the family's greedy chauffeur who's trying to blackmail the kid out of $10,000, and he has to find a way to get it back before dad comes home. It's so absurd it loops to being funny, although even by 80's standards I'm surprised this was allowed to be made (let alone available on a modern streaming platform).

Watched "Poor Things" again. Absolutely wonderful (whoever called it a Greta Gerwig movie directed by David Lynch was spot on) but on balance I think I prefer "The Favourite". Ruffalo should've got that Supporting Actor Oscar.

@LN78 I just watched this recently as well. I wasn’t completely in love with the story but it is without a doubt one of the most beautifully conceived films I think I’ve ever seen. The cinematography in particular was an absolute treat to behold!

Just got back from seeing The First Omen in the theatre. There is no shortage of really bad horror movies being released and while this is not one of those, neither is it a very good horror movie.
It's certainly a solid cut above the likes of The Nun (and sequel) and it has some pretty cool imagery at times, along with some truly excellent sound design (which needs a good surround system to be fully appreciated), but despite bringing a somewhat fresh idea to the franchise, you still feel like you've seen it all before (and you'd be right, there is very little originality on display here). So, weakest in the franchise IMO, but not a complete disaster.

EDIT: Not sure if the movie intentionally sets up a sequel (or a "sidequel" to the original Omen, if you will) but I'd definitely watch that movie if the final scene sets the premise. I mean, the anti-christ's twin sister being hunted by the church and satanists alike? Where do I sign up?

noticed couple of days ago while i was browsing Freevee on my playstation 4 that Mad TV keeps popping up on Freevee.

that a tease that they might finally add Mad TV on Freevee? That would be nice

Civil War (Cinema) - Set during a hypothetical modern US civil war, the film doesn't take any time to set up why the conflict is happening in the first place nor does it take a hard line politically (while there may be a few subtle hints of Trump in the president come dictator, such as a dismantling of the FBI & a murderous distrust of the media, his political party is left unmentioned, & while the unlikely union of Texas & California's "Western Forces" is the predominant rebel force against the government, the film doesn't portray them as heroes or liberators). Rather, it focuses on a small group of photojournalists making the dangerous trek from NYC to the front line, in the hopes of documenting the WF's historic seige of D.C., travelling through the ruined carcasses of towns which the fighting has already passed through, documenting small outer skirmishes, stopping at a small town that has seemingly managed to avoid the ravages of war, a refugee camp, & more on their way to the big show. While it may disappoint some that it doesn't take a blatant hard line stance on current political discourse, the imagery is all too often raw & pulls no punches when it comes to the brutality of war from all involved, and it had more than one absolutely heart stopping moment.

Deadpool (Blu-Ray) - Another thrift pick up. Probably have done a write up of this one at some point before, but it remains pretty fun, and I always seem to pick up on a new reference or two I missed out on the last time I watched it. Some good, inappropriate, laughs.

Neighbors (Blu-Ray) - The last of my thrift pick ups. Seth Rogan comedy about a couple of new parents who have to make a choice between the responsibility of adulting and trying to hold on to their youth when a roudy fraternity moves in next door. It seems well made enough for what it is & provided a few laughs, but I think I just overall don't care for the vibe of Seth Rogan's work (maybe I'm just a little old at heart, but give me Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, or John Candy any day of the week. Heck, even Will Ferrell will do for someone a bit more modern).

Pretty Smart (Tubi) - 80's teen comedy that sees a pair of sisters with polar opposite personalities (a good girl & troublemaker respectively) sent to private school in Europe & end up in rival cliques. When it's learned that the skeevy headmaster is secretly recording the girls' dorms (& selling the tapes) and using the students to move drugs, the sisters will have to get the cliques to put aside their differences in order to take him down & save the school. Maybe not a particularly novel setup for a teen comedy of the era, but I had a load of fun with it.

Saw Monkey Man last night, a revenge action flick written and directed by Dev Patel (of Slumdog Millionaire fame), who also stars.
Brutal and very well made, though it doesn't really offer anything new, particularly not if you've seen the John Wick movies. Now, I recently complained about the lack of originality dragging The First Omen down; Monkey Man, however, doesn't suffer as much from it as it is quite kinetic, fast moving and, above all, entertaining. Also, the setting is fresh and Patel does a fine John Wick impression (they are very similar characters, I felt).
I enjoyed it and will be getting the 4K release when it arrives

@RR529 I'm a bit on the fence about Civil War, but I will most likely go as I now have a movie pass type membership valid for most of the cinemas in Oslo. Comes down to timing, I suppose (the new vampire movie from Radio Silence, Abigail, comes out at the same time and will likely disappear faster, so that has priority for me).

@RR529 @FuriousMachine I’m also very much of two minds concerning Civil War. The trailer did nothing for me but I’m struggling to write it off entirely, due to Alex Garland being at the helm. Though his work is hit or miss for me, I’d hardly describe it as conventional, unimaginative or rote, as the trailer suggests. I like what I’ve read here so I’ll check it out for sure. At the very least it seems like it will benefit from the cinema experience.

@Jimmer-jammer Garland's directorial output is pretty much all miss for me. I kind of like Ex Machina even though I felt it came close but ultimately failed at having anything interesting to say about its subject matter (beautifully shot, though). Annihilation was a messy adaptation of a poor novel and while I didn't hate it, I didn't particularly like it either. I could never figure out why everybody was so over the moon about it; maybe the baggage of the novel colored my perception of the movie, IDK.

Still, have tickets to see Civil War on Sunday (and Abigail on Saturday)

@FuriousMachine I feel about the same as you do on Ex Machina, which I appreciate more on a technical level than anything. Annihilation was an absolute home run for me and remains one of the best sci/fi films I’ve seen over the last decade, though I’m not familiar with the source material whatsoever. Men occupies a strange place for me. I actually thought it was pure filmmaking genius until its final act, where I was presented with an ending that I so vehemently despised, it unfortunately wrecked the whole film for me. The whiplash was upsetting 😂

I’ll have to look into Abigail as I’ve not heard about it. Personally, I’m rather curious about Sasquatch Sunset. I’m just not sure I can bring myself to see it in the theatre. I’ll keep an eye out for your Civil War impressions.

@Jimmer-jammer Men has flown completely under my radar, hadn't heard of it until now and based on your assessment I'm quite unsure whether I should track it down or not

Hadn't heard about Sasquatch Sunset either, but, based on the trailer I just saw, it has the potential to be something truly special, but if it misfires it could wind up being a snoozefest. It takes a swing, at least! Will definitely check it out, but it probably won't have a theatrical release over here, so I will keep an eye for it on streaming.

I'll keep you posted re.: Civil War

"O.J.Simpson:Made in America". Surely one of the best documentaries ever made - ostensibly about one thing (O.J.) it ends up being a commentary on American society as a whole.
Absolutely incredible.

@LN78 I read on Wikipedia that it was released both as a feature and as a miniseries of five episodes. Was it the feature you watched? (I assume so based on posting it here and not in the TV Show thread)
I have access to the mini series, but can't find the feature, so I will give the series a look.