What was the last movie you watched?

[DogOnPorch]

Meaning of Life: Organ Donor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aclS1pGHp8o

[Altai]

Blood Father


I dont recommend.

[kimmy]

I recently got around to watching "Captain America: Civil War", and thought it was pretty good.

I thought it was a very interesting contrast with the Batman vs Superman movie, because they bear some striking similarities.

Both movies are centered around conflict between two good-guys that's set in motion by a "who watches the watchmen?" type issue.

In the Batman vs Superman movie, it was outrage in the aftermath of the destruction brought to Metropolis in wake of Superman's battle against General Zod and the other renegade Kryptonians. In Civil War, it's international demands for oversight over the Avengers in wake of the devastation brought to the tiny country of Sarkovia in the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie.

Bruce Wayne (in B vs S) and Tony Stark (in Civil War) are both confronted face to face with the human cost of superhero shenanigans and realize that things have to change. That brings them into heated conflict with Superman, and Captain America, respectively. In B vs S it's a case of two guys who only know each other by reputation and decide that they don't like each other... in Civil War, it's two guys who have been close friends and allies for several films reaching an irreconcilable difference in their relationship.

Enter the villains! In B vs S, we had Jesse Eisenberg in a scene-chewingly wretched performance as Lex Luthor. In Civil War, we have Daniel Bruhl as Helmut Zemo. Daniel Bruhl might not be a household name, but many people will remember him from the movie Inglourious Basterds as Freddy Zoller, the Nazi sniper turned propaganda hero. I felt that he was "just right" in this performance. This version of Zemo is extremely different from the comic-book version, where the character Baron Zemo is an ex-Nazi with a mutilated face who wears a purple mask, a golden crown, has all kinds of hi-tech weapons. The movie version is none of that. He's Colonel Helmut Zemo, a former Sarkovian intelligence officer with absolutely nothing remarkable about him, aside from being an extremely capable individual with an extremely large grudge to bear. The character, like Daniel Bruhl's performance, is understated and plausible and has a ring of authenticity that's the exact opposite of Jesse Eisenberg's incredibly awful performance in Batman vs Superman.


The tone of Batman vs Superman was relentlessly grim-- apparently it's always raining in Gotham City-- and nobody cracks a smile. Civil War has a much more varied feel. Guest appearances from light-hearted characters like Ant-Man and the Marvel/Disney debut of Spiderman provide a lot of levity. And yet, in some ways, Civil War is the darker film. In B vs S, spoiler Batman and superman arrive at a reconciliation that feels forced and somewhat corny. In Civil War, spoiler Tony Stark and Steve Rogers never do reconcile. They don't end as friends. The bad-guy wins. It's a decidedly less feel-good ending than you expect in this sort of film. In a genre known for black-and-white, Civil War ends up in shades of grey... Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are both right... and they're both wrong as well.

Sooo... I quite liked this, actually.

-k

[overthere]

Magnifcent 7.

 

Too long and too stupid.

 

However, it was laughably diverse.  The cast of characters who likely set back their careers with this turkey included  a black man, Asian, First Nations, a fat guy(for the differently abled ) and  a woman who apparently  had all intelligent dialogue in her script replaced by extensive cleavage.

 

They overlooked the LBGQT faction, maybe the sequel will address this shortcoming.

[Guest]

The Martian - enjoyed it

Interstellar - really enjoyed it

Ender's Game - ditched it halfway through

[overthere]

The Accountant.

 

I was pretty much expecting not to like it, but was pleasantly surprised.  It has some unintentionally silly, laugh out loud bits and the premise is pretty flawed.  Dweebs and nerds everywhere will love the whole idea.....

 

But it had plenty of action and overall was quite entertaining.  I did not nap at any time.......

[Guest]

The Imitation Game - disappointing. 

[The_Squid]

On 10/19/2016 at 9:33 PM, bcsapper said:

The Imitation Game - disappointing. 

How so?

I thought it was a very good movie.  Cumberbatch was great... the story was engaging, as was the character.  What's not to like?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, The_Squid said:

How so?

I thought it was a very good movie.  Cumberbatch was great... the story was engaging, as was the character.  What's not to like?

I had already read some on the work done at Bletchley Park.  I was disappointed with the way the movie twisted history for dramatic effect.  It will always happen to some extent, I know, but the turning point for me -SPOILER ALERT- was the scene where Turing's group finally figured out how to decode Enigma.  I can see showing it done as an AHA! moment, movies have to sell, after all, but then to show the group making the decision not to tell anyone about the convoy attack, that was the moment It lost my approval.  Such decisions were made, but not at the cryptographer level.

There was no reason not to show that as it would have happened, IMO.  It would not have made for a lesser movie.

[cybercoma]

Speaking of Cumberbatch, I'm looking forward to Doctor Strange on Nov. 4.

[Guest]

Yeah, I do like to watch him.  "Sherlock" is a favourite TV show of mine.

[overthere]

I just realized what The Accountant reminded me of.... Steven Seagal movies.

 

Imagine a Seagal flick with a plot not derived from a comic book, a decent budget, plus competent actors and you have The Accountant.

[Moonlight Graham]

On 2016-10-21 at 5:21 PM, cybercoma said:

Speaking of Cumberbatch, I'm looking forward to Doctor Strange on Nov. 4.

Marvel movie I've wanted to watch most since Guardians of the Galaxy

[BC_chick]

On 7/31/2016 at 7:31 PM, cybercoma said:

You must be a sexist POS then because that film has Academy Award written all over it. /sarcasm

The casting was so amazing I had to put aside what I had remembered reading here from you and Ash and give it a try.

I liked it, it was very funny.  Then again, I don't know how you can lose with Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon.  

[kimmy]

1 hour ago, BC_chick said:

The casting was so amazing I had to put aside what I had remembered reading here from you and Ash and give it a try.

I liked it, it was very funny.  Then again, I don't know how you can lose with Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon.  

I saw it as well not too long ago, and I thought it was ok. I like Kristen Wiig, but I agree that Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon are by far the highlights of this movie.

I didn't care for the Chris Hemsworth character... if the genders had been reversed it would have been utterly offensive. Perhaps that is the point they wanted to make, but I don't really see why that point needed to be made at all.   I also feel like the idea of all-female leads was a marketing gimmick... like execs sat around talking about the project and said "ok, how are we going to get people interested in a franchise that's been dormant since the 1980s?"

=====

How I envision the studio brainstorming session:

Rex Grossman: "How do we get people's attention? How do we make this new? We need an angle! Chucky. Talk to me." 

Chucky: "What if the Ghostbusters are actually ghosts! Like in Sixth Sense?"

Rex: "That's stupid. Jimmy. Go."

Jimmy: "What if we had a story where there's a--"

Rex: "I'm bored already. Alvin! Hit me!"

Alvin: "Babes."

Rex: "Babes?"

Alvin: "Ghostbusters who are babes. Sexy women. Big ta-tas. Tight spandex jumpsuits instead of overalls. Camel-toe."

Rex: "Alright. Let's work on that. Get me some women who make bank. Chucky. Women who make bank. Hit me."

Chucky: "Melissa McCarthy. Bank."

Rex: "Alright. How does she look in a spandex jumpsuit?"

Alvin: "uhhhh..."

=====

Anyway, I thought it was a pretty entertaining movie on its own merits, but not a home run or anything. It's unfortunate that the controversy from some corners of the interwebs turned it into some kind of weird referendum on gender relations.

 -k

[cybercoma]

7 hours ago, BC_chick said:

The casting was so amazing I had to put aside what I had remembered reading here from you and Ash and give it a try.

I liked it, it was very funny.  Then again, I don't know how you can lose with Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon.  

I'll tell you what, the first 30 minutes were fantastic. I thought for sure the criticisms were wrong. However, it's like two completely different people wrote this movie. It's like they wrote the first half hour to get funding and the green light, then they just slapped a bunch of nonsensical garbage together for the rest of the film. I really wanted to like it but it went some something interesting with good writing to Michael Bay CG vomit. The effects were so bad that they literally looked like a couple women standing in front of a green screen towards the end of the movie. There was a god damned dance number (which I think was edited out of the theatrical release, but still). The final monster was so cartoony and ridiculous that it completely belies the class struggle themes of not only the original film but the first 30 minutes of this one. It was set to be great and they squandered it on nonsense.

But seriously, I think two different writers made the film, there's that much of a disconnect between the last 1.5 hours and the first 30 minutes.

Edited November 14, 2016 by cybercoma

[Smallc]

On 10/29/2016 at 1:22 AM, Moonlight Graham said:

Marvel movie I've wanted to watch most since Guardians of the Galaxy

Loved it, and love that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is on its way.

[cybercoma]

Oh yeah. Doctor Strange is easily the best Marvel film, imho. I might even go see it a second time with my wife because she wants to see it now too.

[Guest]

Cloud Atlas.  It was half an hour in when I came across it on the telly, but I was hooked pretty quick.  I'll definitely watch it all the next time it comes around.

[Derek 2.0]

Saw Arrival....its original, if not deep...I was expecting War of the Worlds meets Independence Day.........instead got 2001 with a dash of Interstellar and a pinch of Contact......My wife and I left the theater feeling stupid and confused...and we're not that old....When it comes On Demand we're going to watch it again and try and figure it out.......I'd say watch it, but be prepared to watch again when you can rewind it.........I'll give it 4 1/2 Heptapod tentacles out of 7.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Derek 2.0

[overthere]

On 11/15/2016 at 10:29 PM, Derek 2.0 said:

Saw Arrival....its original, if not deep...I was expecting War of the Worlds meets Independence Day.........instead got 2001 with a dash of Interstellar and a pinch of Contact......My wife and I left the theater feeling stupid and confused...and we're not that old....When it comes On Demand we're going to watch it again and try and figure it out.......I'd say watch it, but be prepared to watch again when you can rewind it.........I'll give it 4 1/2 Heptapod tentacles out of 7.

I haven't been yet, but will soon.  It is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who has made at least one very good movie- Incendies, and one great movie- Sicario.

[Derek 2.0]

2 hours ago, overthere said:

I haven't been yet, but will soon.  It is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who has made at least one very good movie- Incendies, and one great movie- Sicario.

 

See it for sure, just pay attention really good for the last ~45 minutes.

[Goddess]

On 11/14/2016 at 9:41 AM, bcsapper said:

Cloud Atlas.  It was half an hour in when I came across it on the telly, but I was hooked pretty quick.  I'll definitely watch it all the next time it comes around.

One of my favourite movies.  You need to watch it a few times to notice everything.

Have you seen Snowpiercer?  Also good.  

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Goddess said:

One of my favourite movies.  You need to watch it a few times to notice everything.

Have you seen Snowpiercer?  Also good.  

I wasn't even aware of it.  It sounds like my kind of movie.  I'll keep an eye out for it, thanks.

[overthere]

I went to Arrival last night.

Wow.  One of the best movies of 2016 for sure.***

Denis Villeneuve is a genius, with this movie surely the best Canadian moviemaker of his generation. .  Amy Adams is a certainty to get an Oscar nomination.  You have to pay attention.  It is worth paying attention........  The premise is that aliens spacecraft arrive at 12 locations on the planet, nobody knows what they want or how to  communicate, civilian linguists and scientists are called in......and, WOW.  The plot is complex, subtle and brilliantly done.  Highly recommended, but not for everybody.***

 

 

***  Note that this movie has none of the hallmarks of the blockbusters of today.  It has one small explosion, no sex, no swearing, and the actors barely wear makeup, so no glamour.  It is quiet and contemplative for long stretches.  It looks inward, often and it has periods where the audience is left wondering what is really happening- though that all get clear by the end. If the Marvel franchise is your favorite genre, best to avoid it.  On the other hand, it nails what Interstellar missed: compassion,heroic performance from ordinary people, and a wonderful sense of hope and deliverance.