If I had been Doss I'd have spent my night on Hacksaw Ridge lowering all the guys I went to boot camp with down that cliff...without the rope. He should have totally went Private Pyle on all their asses.
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
I think it stays a little too close to its stage play origins but there are some very memorable bits of dialog that are as relevant today as they were during More's time.
Vacation (1983)
Tomb Raider (2018)
Pretty lame. Not enough tomb raiding.
Chinatown (1974)
"What's the matter with ya? You're screwin' just like a Chinaman!"
Stick around for the post-credits sequence to see the aliens turn around and obliterate the Earth after translating the word "calamari."
I saw this in the theater and wasn't too crazy about it. Later, I read the novella that it was based on, "Story of Your Life," and was very impressed by it. I enjoyed the movie more on a second viewing; appropriately enough it's a better watch when you know how it ends.
The movie does have a major flaw, however, and that is the way it was filmed. As is all too common with modern movies, almost every scene is shot with a heavy blue filter. This isn't an action packed thrill-a-minute movie, which is fine, but when you film this type of story in dark muted colors it makes for a somewhat somber experience. Outdoors, it's always overcast, indoors every room is as dark as a cave. "Story of Your Life" is bittersweet while "Arrival" is almost melancholy.
My recommendation? Give the movie a shot if it's on, but definitely check out "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang. It's a novella so you can probably read it in less time than it takes to watch the movie. [Reply]
I'm going to throw this out there, it's not new, but if you haven't seen it and you like action and drama, go watch The Place Beyond the Pines. I really liked it when I saw it, years ago. [Reply]
Just threw it on because it looked like a decent action flick. It was. It didn't get too big for it's britches. It's a nice little self contained action flick. It's about this young woman who a group is trying to kidnap for ransom and her fill in bodyguard, also a woman.
It doesn't beat the girl power drum very hard, other than them just being onscreen. Ended up I liked the action, cared about the characters, and couldn't see the plot ending. Pretty goddamned successful if you ask me.
Not just another boring family drama thanks to a good cast, a unique method of storytelling, and a fantastic performance by Anthony Hopkins.
I was expecting a story in which a family patriarch begins to unravel due to mental illness while his family struggles to cope with an increasingly tough situation. And that is what the story is basically, but what makes this movie different is the way the story is told. The film's reality is that of a dementia patient; time skips backwards and forwards, locations change, and character swap faces and names sometimes in the middle of a scene and the only constants are Hopkins' fear, confusion, and frustration.
Another interesting thing about it is that Hopkins is not a sweet old man. He can be charming one moment and cruel the next (particularly to his long suffering daughter.) Anyone who has had family members with dementia will probably recognize how accurate this is. [Reply]
I watched the Harder they Fall on Netflix while I was in the office last week.
The action was really good and there were some really compelling characters. The twists and turns weren't inexplicable and definitely added a lot of intrigue and kept me engaged.
Dialogue and performances were pretty good other than a couple of a little too modern "black" type dialogue.
By the end I really cared about the characters, and the big twist was believable and goddamned compelling. Idris Elba continues to be straight flawless. [Reply]
I also enjoyed The Harder They Fall. Idris is always great. Johnathan Majors was very good as he was in Lovecraft Country even if the story/writing got worse toward the end of the series.
The music and cinematography was also great in The Harder They Fall. [Reply]
I watched the new Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin on Paramount+ last night.
Major takeaways, good and bad: it was a decent watch if you like movies in the Paranormal Activity mold, but it really doesn't have anything to do with the previous installments of Paranormal Activity so that was kind of a bummer. Plus, if it matters to you, it was not completely found footage. Several shots were clearly traditional and they even added music to some of them, which was strange.
Spoiler!
This one also struggles with characters who are just complete idiots.
The main character girl spends the whole movie snooping through these people's house and overstepping boundaries after they opened their community to her.
A bunch of weird shit is going on and at one point they find this 100-foot deep tunnel in a creepy ass church on the property. The chick is like "fuck it!" and straps herself into the harness to be lowered into the tunnel to investigate :-) Literally no one on the planet would do that! Ever!
At another point she ends up injured/infirmed or whatever so the couple guys who came with her head to town to get a battery for their car. On the way, they discover that the community they're staying with is just pretending to be Amish. Then they discover information about a demon and how sacrifices needed to be made linked to iconography they found in the creepy ass church.. so what do they do? They head back to the farm, just the two of them! Didn't even bother calling the cops. So dumb.
Dumb characters are pretty much a staple of the scary movie genre, so don't let this discourage you from checking it out if you're interested. It is enjoyable enough. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ThaVirus:
I watched the new Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin on Paramount+ last night.
it really doesn't have anything to do with the previous installments of Paranormal Activity so that was kind of a bummer.
Oh you're wrong there, buddy. It absolutely does. Matter of fact, it finishes the story. I think i posted about it in the Horror Movies thread as i watched it last weekend.
But the latest installment explains the origins of the demon and fills in who/why the cult exists that was seen in one of the previous movies.
It totally explains everything. Maybe you missed a movie or two in the franchise that woulda made the latest make more sense.
The latest installment works effectively like an origin movie. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Detoxing:
Oh you're wrong there, buddy. It absolutely does. Matter of fact, it finishes the story. I think i posted about it in the Horror Movies thread as i watched it last weekend.
But the latest installment explains the origins of the demon and fills in who/why the cult exists that was seen in one of the previous movies.
It totally explains everything. Maybe you missed a movie or two in the franchise that woulda made the latest make more sense.
The latest installment works effectively like an origin movie.
Originally Posted by Buehler445:
I watched the Harder they Fall on Netflix while I was in the office last week.
The action was really good and there were some really compelling characters. The twists and turns weren't inexplicable and definitely added a lot of intrigue and kept me engaged.
Dialogue and performances were pretty good other than a couple of a little too modern "black" type dialogue.
By the end I really cared about the characters, and the big twist was believable and goddamned compelling. Idris Elba continues to be straight flawless.
Originally Posted by Great Expectations:
I also enjoyed The Harder They Fall. Idris is always great. Johnathan Majors was very good as he was in Lovecraft Country even if the story/writing got worse toward the end of the series.
The music and cinematography was also great in The Harder They Fall.
Freakin' loved this movie. Matter of fact, one of my favorite movies of the year.
It was like a Tarantino flick with less unnecessary dialogue.
It was well acted, great soundtrack, great sets, well written, funny, action packed, violent, dramatic, emotional and just outright fun.
Highly recommend this. If you're a fan of Django or Hateful Eight then you gotta give this one a watch. [Reply]