Movie Night (Official Movie Discussion Thread)
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neo2090
OG
BLINK TWICE
ILLUSIONS !!
PRAISE: Director Zoe Kravitz and Co writer E.T. Feigenbaum take specific controversial subject matter ,fame,the pleasures of life and celebrity worship and put a darkly comic comedic spin on it. Most of the movie works for the most part and it's no wonder there is a trigger Warning for this film because it's a huge reflection of horrible situations people have experienced in real life. Channing Tatum does really well as mogul Slater King . He's charming,nice,attentive and giving. As Frida Naomi Ackie is very believable as a woman who falls under his spell. The way she fawns all over him and the casting of a certain actor actually reminded me of a couple of characters from the movie Showgirls. It's easy to see how things and the illusion works because of the invitation to a beautiful island and the liquor and psychedelics are flowing and dinner seems to be at nine,the sun is shining and the women are fine. But something sinister may be simmering beneath the pleasure.Kravitz not only wants the characters to lose themselves in the indulgences they are engaging in but the audience watching the movie too. There's a good who's who in the casting including: Alia Shawkat Adria Arjona, Camilla Liz Caribel, Trew Mullen,Geena Davis, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, and Haley Joel Osment. When the blood and gore starts flowing i thought it was amusing at times because of the way things are set up in the movie.I thought the path of a character was going a certain way and said Oh they are going to try and make me think a certain way about the character and I liked how that was played with.
PROBLEMS: I thought some parts of the movie were overdone in such a repetitive way that it loses the fun of the dark humor and jump scares. I wanted more from the ending which felt kind of basic around its edges.I also felt there was some contradiction tied to the ending.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
The Crow
Love & Revenge
Praise : I'm not going to compare this movie to the 1994 movie because it truly tries to be it's own thing. I did enjoy the performances by Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven and musician FKA Twigs as Shelly. I liked their whole broken people bonding thing and enough time is spent between the two to make the love between the characters believable. There is a good build up to the ultra violence and gore. There are several unique and great kills. I enjoyed a truly wicked and ultra entertaining moment.As the villain Roeg Danny Huston does what he does best so much so I was looking forward to his inevitable showdown with Draven. The writing and direction made me feel the loss and the yearning especially when coupled with great looking and dreary set designs. It's odd that there were no press screenings for this as if it truly belongs in the August dumpster but it definitely doesn't.
PROBLEMS: The pacing could have been better. I had the same problem with this movie as i did with the movie Trap when it's extremely obvious that something
is going on but hundreds of people dont notice because hey they are so into a show they're watching?!?There are some moments which I felt were to convenient. The latter portions of the movies climax felt a bit lackluster to me because there was such a great build up in its beginning.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7
ILLUSIONS !!
PRAISE: Director Zoe Kravitz and Co writer E.T. Feigenbaum take specific controversial subject matter ,fame,the pleasures of life and celebrity worship and put a darkly comic comedic spin on it. Most of the movie works for the most part and it's no wonder there is a trigger Warning for this film because it's a huge reflection of horrible situations people have experienced in real life. Channing Tatum does really well as mogul Slater King . He's charming,nice,attentive and giving. As Frida Naomi Ackie is very believable as a woman who falls under his spell. The way she fawns all over him and the casting of a certain actor actually reminded me of a couple of characters from the movie Showgirls. It's easy to see how things and the illusion works because of the invitation to a beautiful island and the liquor and psychedelics are flowing and dinner seems to be at nine,the sun is shining and the women are fine. But something sinister may be simmering beneath the pleasure.Kravitz not only wants the characters to lose themselves in the indulgences they are engaging in but the audience watching the movie too. There's a good who's who in the casting including: Alia Shawkat Adria Arjona, Camilla Liz Caribel, Trew Mullen,Geena Davis, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, and Haley Joel Osment. When the blood and gore starts flowing i thought it was amusing at times because of the way things are set up in the movie.I thought the path of a character was going a certain way and said Oh they are going to try and make me think a certain way about the character and I liked how that was played with.
PROBLEMS: I thought some parts of the movie were overdone in such a repetitive way that it loses the fun of the dark humor and jump scares. I wanted more from the ending which felt kind of basic around its edges.I also felt there was some contradiction tied to the ending.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
The Crow
Love & Revenge
Praise : I'm not going to compare this movie to the 1994 movie because it truly tries to be it's own thing. I did enjoy the performances by Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven and musician FKA Twigs as Shelly. I liked their whole broken people bonding thing and enough time is spent between the two to make the love between the characters believable. There is a good build up to the ultra violence and gore. There are several unique and great kills. I enjoyed a truly wicked and ultra entertaining moment.As the villain Roeg Danny Huston does what he does best so much so I was looking forward to his inevitable showdown with Draven. The writing and direction made me feel the loss and the yearning especially when coupled with great looking and dreary set designs. It's odd that there were no press screenings for this as if it truly belongs in the August dumpster but it definitely doesn't.
PROBLEMS: The pacing could have been better. I had the same problem with this movie as i did with the movie Trap when it's extremely obvious that something
is going on but hundreds of people dont notice because hey they are so into a show they're watching?!?There are some moments which I felt were to convenient. The latter portions of the movies climax felt a bit lackluster to me because there was such a great build up in its beginning.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7
neo2090
OG
The Killer
The plot is very basic but the movie is pumped up by John Woo's stylish direction and some good performances from Nathalie Emmanuel, Omar Sy, Sam Worthington, and Diana Silvers. I think there was some good tension between the characters and it's fun at times but unfortunately only really comes to life in it's last 30 minutes. On top of that even with a high production it felt like I was watching a B movie at times due to some line delivery and awkwardly displayed scenes.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 6
The plot is very basic but the movie is pumped up by John Woo's stylish direction and some good performances from Nathalie Emmanuel, Omar Sy, Sam Worthington, and Diana Silvers. I think there was some good tension between the characters and it's fun at times but unfortunately only really comes to life in it's last 30 minutes. On top of that even with a high production it felt like I was watching a B movie at times due to some line delivery and awkwardly displayed scenes.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 6
neo2090
OG
Strange Darling
Stranger Danger
Praise : The beginning of this movie is so ambiguous I couldn't help but be drawn into it and it's involving presentation. It's one of those movies in which I immediately was looking for what was the cause and effect of what was happening onscreen. Writer/director JT Mollner's script is at times darkly humorous as it's tied to what some people may be into in real life but this worked for me for a couple of reasons one because it threw me off for a bit and I wanted to see how far things would go. As The Lady” Willa Fitzgerald, and the lead male, “The Demon” Kyle Gallner are both equally great because they fall in line with how ambiguous everything is. As Genevieve : Barbara Hershey, and Frederick: Ed Begley Jr. they both have fun with their roles. They are so good and written with such great quirkiness I would like to see a movie just based on their characters. Scenes displaying great pain are so well directed and acted they actually made me wince.
I loved how visuals were played with that they either got laughs from me or a WTF !! Back to the beginning I thought the movie was really spelling things out to me....but I was wrong and it added to how effective the movie was for me.
Problems: Even with its great use of ambiguity there were a couple of things that became obvious. When the movie reaches its last 30 minutes it goes down very familiar thriller movie paths but it at least gave me a couple of more insane moments.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
Stranger Danger
Praise : The beginning of this movie is so ambiguous I couldn't help but be drawn into it and it's involving presentation. It's one of those movies in which I immediately was looking for what was the cause and effect of what was happening onscreen. Writer/director JT Mollner's script is at times darkly humorous as it's tied to what some people may be into in real life but this worked for me for a couple of reasons one because it threw me off for a bit and I wanted to see how far things would go. As The Lady” Willa Fitzgerald, and the lead male, “The Demon” Kyle Gallner are both equally great because they fall in line with how ambiguous everything is. As Genevieve : Barbara Hershey, and Frederick: Ed Begley Jr. they both have fun with their roles. They are so good and written with such great quirkiness I would like to see a movie just based on their characters. Scenes displaying great pain are so well directed and acted they actually made me wince.
I loved how visuals were played with that they either got laughs from me or a WTF !! Back to the beginning I thought the movie was really spelling things out to me....but I was wrong and it added to how effective the movie was for me.
Problems: Even with its great use of ambiguity there were a couple of things that became obvious. When the movie reaches its last 30 minutes it goes down very familiar thriller movie paths but it at least gave me a couple of more insane moments.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
neo2090
OG
Rebel Ridge
Small Town Troubles
PRAISE: I went into this movie thinking First Blood. You have a character Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) with one goal in mind but he's literally hit by a police officer and a lot more trouble follows. But writer/director Jeremy Saulnier wants more from his characters and the viewers of this movie. So of course he gives you the First Blood vibe but he also throws in some Michael Clayton ( one of my favorite films) . This movie is about survival and people. Sometimes that survival is tied to corruption or literally trying to survive a barrage of bullets and Sauliner knows how to give the audience both and does it to a T with every twisty word spoken and every bone that cracks. Pierre is great in this providing all of the intensity and frustration,plus a good dose of raw emotion in very well acted scenes. This has to be matched with an adversary and it's Don Johnson as Chief Sandy Burnne who's as no nonsense as he is corrupt and Johnson is great as Burnne. AnnaSophia Robb is quite good in the movie to as a court clerk named Summer who does her best to help Richmond. I really liked how they fleshed her character out. The supporting cast does well to portraying people that either are turning a deaf ear to the corruption or realizing they do have their limits.
PROBLEMS: As the movie nears it's climax the pacing slowed down a bit and I did wonder why a couple of scenes had to be so drawn out since everything in those scenes had already been explained.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 7½
Small Town Troubles
PRAISE: I went into this movie thinking First Blood. You have a character Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) with one goal in mind but he's literally hit by a police officer and a lot more trouble follows. But writer/director Jeremy Saulnier wants more from his characters and the viewers of this movie. So of course he gives you the First Blood vibe but he also throws in some Michael Clayton ( one of my favorite films) . This movie is about survival and people. Sometimes that survival is tied to corruption or literally trying to survive a barrage of bullets and Sauliner knows how to give the audience both and does it to a T with every twisty word spoken and every bone that cracks. Pierre is great in this providing all of the intensity and frustration,plus a good dose of raw emotion in very well acted scenes. This has to be matched with an adversary and it's Don Johnson as Chief Sandy Burnne who's as no nonsense as he is corrupt and Johnson is great as Burnne. AnnaSophia Robb is quite good in the movie to as a court clerk named Summer who does her best to help Richmond. I really liked how they fleshed her character out. The supporting cast does well to portraying people that either are turning a deaf ear to the corruption or realizing they do have their limits.
PROBLEMS: As the movie nears it's climax the pacing slowed down a bit and I did wonder why a couple of scenes had to be so drawn out since everything in those scenes had already been explained.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 7½
mike030270
Memes
It was decent for what it was
neo2090
OG
Kinds of Kindness
Watching this movie was like watching 3 raunchier, beyond quirkt and head scratching episodes of The Twilight Zone and at times that worked for me . I praise all of the actors including : Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie, Joe Alwyn for truly giving their all in the 3 oddball stories. I did enjoy a lot of the crazy visuals and the beyond dark humor placed in each story. I liked that i was thrown off by something that i thought a character was talking about or referring to. Some parts are about love and dedication and being able to tell what's happening to your loved one, other parts are about the limits of love and dedication and giving into dedication even though it could lead to something sinister. Director: Yorgos Lanthimos takes some "real" life situations and puts crazy spins on them which helped me to not get completely lost in some of the story threads.Where the movie falters for me is how robotic it is at times without any real emotion coming from the characters or performances. This movie is definitely not for everyone but if you are looking for something different this is the one.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
Watching this movie was like watching 3 raunchier, beyond quirkt and head scratching episodes of The Twilight Zone and at times that worked for me . I praise all of the actors including : Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie, Joe Alwyn for truly giving their all in the 3 oddball stories. I did enjoy a lot of the crazy visuals and the beyond dark humor placed in each story. I liked that i was thrown off by something that i thought a character was talking about or referring to. Some parts are about love and dedication and being able to tell what's happening to your loved one, other parts are about the limits of love and dedication and giving into dedication even though it could lead to something sinister. Director: Yorgos Lanthimos takes some "real" life situations and puts crazy spins on them which helped me to not get completely lost in some of the story threads.Where the movie falters for me is how robotic it is at times without any real emotion coming from the characters or performances. This movie is definitely not for everyone but if you are looking for something different this is the one.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
Films I refuse to make threads for are those types and the MAGA/obviously right leaning movies like Regan, Am I A Racist lol
I'm trying to go into it with an open mind but the Tyler Perry/TD Jakes type of films never really do it for me cause it's so exaggerated for a genre that's supposed to be based in some reality.
Same copy/paste story line but my main reason I'm here is for the fellowship
It wasn't terrible
Just mad cliche and heavy handed
I wouldn't watch again but I know my mama gonna love it
neo2090
OG
Speak No Evil
Praise : These days or maybe it's always been the case people are suspicious of a stranger even stopping them to ask for directions out of fear of what it might lead to. Not so with the The Daltons – father Ben (Scoot McNairy), mother Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) who are originally from the United States but are now living in London. London. Now Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their mute son, Ant (Dan Hough), friendly enough British travelers so why not go to their home for a visit. I like the way the story sets up the slow reveals,through mannerisms or the sudden roughness of a character which mainly comes from another great McAvoy. He portrays Paddy as charming so much so he gets characters to do what he wants even though they are dead set against it. Sometimes it's that oh I'm just trying to be helpful manipulation and my family identifies with so much about your family and the lure is hard to deny. There are some great scenes as situations play out and are well acted as to what Paddy is really up to. There are obvious signs that something odd is going on but the film has already sold me and the Daltons on the ok they're just different bracket. Then when things become to creepy it may be to late.
PROBLEMS: I felt some portions of the movie became predictable especially when there is a visual reveal and there was still about 40 minutes of the movie to go.I couldnt get on board with a couple of things that played out,so much so i almost yelled out just let it go !! Then it falls in to the basic thriller lane and it's likely why some people prefer the 2022 Danish version of the same name which I have not seen but very curious to check out the differences.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
The Killer's Game
This is a live action cartoon about an assassin living his best life,falls in love, thinks hes dying sets himself up to be taken out but guess what he isnt really dying none of this is a spoiler because it was all in the trailer. But definitely a cartoon.From the cartoonishly written characters and the blood soaked way some of them are taken out. But fortunately four actors make a good portion of the film watchable: Dave Bautista,Ben Kingsley,Sofia Boutella and Terry Crews.
I had fun watching some of the action sequences even though I could tell when a stuntman was standing in for Bautista for one of those sequences. I did laugh at some of the one liners and I actually bought into the romance in the movie. But this is a quick action romp nothing more nothing less. The kind of movie you watch on a plane or a night when your plans get canceled. Order a pizza and sit back and take in the silliness.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 6
Praise : These days or maybe it's always been the case people are suspicious of a stranger even stopping them to ask for directions out of fear of what it might lead to. Not so with the The Daltons – father Ben (Scoot McNairy), mother Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) who are originally from the United States but are now living in London. London. Now Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their mute son, Ant (Dan Hough), friendly enough British travelers so why not go to their home for a visit. I like the way the story sets up the slow reveals,through mannerisms or the sudden roughness of a character which mainly comes from another great McAvoy. He portrays Paddy as charming so much so he gets characters to do what he wants even though they are dead set against it. Sometimes it's that oh I'm just trying to be helpful manipulation and my family identifies with so much about your family and the lure is hard to deny. There are some great scenes as situations play out and are well acted as to what Paddy is really up to. There are obvious signs that something odd is going on but the film has already sold me and the Daltons on the ok they're just different bracket. Then when things become to creepy it may be to late.
PROBLEMS: I felt some portions of the movie became predictable especially when there is a visual reveal and there was still about 40 minutes of the movie to go.I couldnt get on board with a couple of things that played out,so much so i almost yelled out just let it go !! Then it falls in to the basic thriller lane and it's likely why some people prefer the 2022 Danish version of the same name which I have not seen but very curious to check out the differences.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
The Killer's Game
This is a live action cartoon about an assassin living his best life,falls in love, thinks hes dying sets himself up to be taken out but guess what he isnt really dying none of this is a spoiler because it was all in the trailer. But definitely a cartoon.From the cartoonishly written characters and the blood soaked way some of them are taken out. But fortunately four actors make a good portion of the film watchable: Dave Bautista,Ben Kingsley,Sofia Boutella and Terry Crews.
I had fun watching some of the action sequences even though I could tell when a stuntman was standing in for Bautista for one of those sequences. I did laugh at some of the one liners and I actually bought into the romance in the movie. But this is a quick action romp nothing more nothing less. The kind of movie you watch on a plane or a night when your plans get canceled. Order a pizza and sit back and take in the silliness.
Scale of 1 to 10 a 6
neo2090
OG
Transformers One
Praise: The origin story of the Transformers is retold again in this animated movie. I will start with the voice work which I found enthusiastic and on point for the most part . There's Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry),Sentinel Prime(Jon Hamm) B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key), and Elita (Scarlett Johansson). The names are not recognizable but I did like that there was clear evidence of what these Bots would become as Transformers. When the movie reaches its more serious paths I found it to be very entertaining and involving. I enjoyed the call backs that made me smile. The action sequences were really well done some even had a Tron feel to them. So high praise to the crew behind the animation and CGI. I actually enjoyed watching the villains in the film and how they coldly wielded their power. Old legendary rivalries between certain characters were really done well.I did like the fact that the legacy of the characters so many of us have come to love was respected.
PROBLEMS: Unfortunately parts of the movie reminded me of the dumbed and watered down versions of Transformers cartoons that were produced for toddlers and eight year olds. Sure I know they want to make the kids in the audience laugh at some slapstick but I found it to be unnecessary and obnoxious.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
Praise: The origin story of the Transformers is retold again in this animated movie. I will start with the voice work which I found enthusiastic and on point for the most part . There's Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry),Sentinel Prime(Jon Hamm) B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key), and Elita (Scarlett Johansson). The names are not recognizable but I did like that there was clear evidence of what these Bots would become as Transformers. When the movie reaches its more serious paths I found it to be very entertaining and involving. I enjoyed the call backs that made me smile. The action sequences were really well done some even had a Tron feel to them. So high praise to the crew behind the animation and CGI. I actually enjoyed watching the villains in the film and how they coldly wielded their power. Old legendary rivalries between certain characters were really done well.I did like the fact that the legacy of the characters so many of us have come to love was respected.
PROBLEMS: Unfortunately parts of the movie reminded me of the dumbed and watered down versions of Transformers cartoons that were produced for toddlers and eight year olds. Sure I know they want to make the kids in the audience laugh at some slapstick but I found it to be unnecessary and obnoxious.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 8