Movie opinions thread (what have you seen, what did you think?)

HornheaDD

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Anyone need a deep dive on Sonic 2?
You did, or did not like it? I liked the first one more, but the second was fun.

Specially with Super Sonic making an appearance. Super Sonic > Super Saiyajin
 

Lastblade

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Bored on a Sunday so I finally got around to Moneyball, the story of Billy Beane and the analytics revolution in baseball. I always avoided it because I don't give a shit about baseball but I know it won a bunch of awards and is written by Aaron Sorkin so I figured I'd get around to it one day. Unsurprisingly it's well-written and has very natural dialogue. The main performances are really good for the most part (even Jonah Hill who I normally can't stand) and the whole story is really low-key to the point of almost being dull. It's kind of admirable that it has almost none of the trappings of the usual cliched sports movie save for a couple of montages and there's shockingly little baseball footage (and what is there is a weird mix of shot footage of actors and archival footage of the actual players). Chris Pratt before he hit it big too which is always odd.

Nothing particularly wrong with it and it seems like a good enough movie but it did absolutely nothing for me. Guess my instincts were right but I try to give things a chance even if it seems like it's not something I would enjoy. Can't win 'em all.

I really enjoyed Moneyball. I am a math geek so it is interesting to see how analytics took over sports (and generally made it worse from a spectator perspective). The performance is very good, I love the scene with Pitt pointing to Hill every time one of the older baseball scouts argue with Pitt.

 

famicommander

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Looks like Comcast/NBC Universal is seeking a complete merger/buyout with Warner Bros Discovery.

That probably sheds light on WB's recent behavior with movies, TV shows, and HBO Max. Trimming the fat.

In 20 years it might just be Disney and Comcast that own every damn thing in all of global media.
 

terry.330

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Suspiria (2018)- This is the third time I've watched this and I think I actually understand pretty much everything that happens now. Somehow I had completely forgotten the entire last half hour or so. That's when shit gets really crazy, like Jodorosky meets Hellraiser crazy. Though I still don't why it's set in Berlin during the Lufthansa hijacking and how that ties into anything related to the school and witches coven.

It's certainly an interesting remake, while I don't think it's great overall and parts of it are borderline unintelligible I have to give them credit for doing something so different. It's also nice to see something where nothing is directly explained to the audience. In fact I think it's intentionally a bit too cryptic and self indulgent which leads people to think it's deeper than it actually is. It's also overly long by at least 30 minutes.
 

SouthtownKid

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I really enjoyed Moneyball. I am a math geek so it is interesting to see how analytics took over sports (and generally made it worse from a spectator perspective). The performance is very good, I love the scene with Pitt pointing to Hill every time one of the older baseball scouts argue with Pitt.

I rewatched this today, and yeah, I really like this movie, too. I'm not a baseball fan and I'm even less a fan of math, but I think this movie is absolutely perfectly structured. Like a lot of movies based on true stories, particularly true sports stories, I think this movie benefits a lot the less you know about the actual events and people. But the story is beated out perfectly, the script has zero fat on it -- there's zero self indulgence -- every line either furthers plot or reveals character, there's no cuteness. And there's only enough personal drama to convey the story, not enough to make the movie enjoyable for a female audience, which is a bold move today.

Contrasted against another semi-recent "true story" movie like The Big Short. Which was the complete opposite in that it was a subject I was interested to learn more about, but I thought ended up being tedious and self indulgent as fuck. The writer/director couldn't get out of his own way.
 

basic

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I rewatched this today, and yeah, I really like this movie, too. I'm not a baseball fan and I'm even less a fan of math, but I think this movie is absolutely perfectly structured. Like a lot of movies based on true stories, particularly true sports stories, I think this movie benefits a lot the less you know about the actual events and people. But the story is beated out perfectly, the script has zero fat on it -- there's zero self indulgence -- every line either furthers plot or reveals character, there's no cuteness. And there's only enough personal drama to convey the story, not enough to make the movie enjoyable for a female audience, which is a bold move today.

Contrasted against another semi-recent "true story" movie like The Big Short. Which was the complete opposite in that it was a subject I was interested to learn more about, but I thought ended up being tedious and self indulgent as fuck. The writer/director couldn't get out of his own way.
Margin Call is probably more aligned with what you were looking for from The Big Short then.

also, this was my favorite scene from moneyball
 
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terry.330

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Samurai Cop- I've been saving this one for quite awhile and it did not disappoint. A masterpiece of shit from the man who made Killing American Style and Hollywood Cop. Truly one of the best bad movies ever made, just a shining example of incompetence and laziness. The dialogue, sound, editing, camera work, stunts and sex scenes are all (chefs kiss) perfection. While not as entertaining as Miami Connection (what is?) it's still hilarious and just a nonstop spectacle of ineptitude. And that fucking wig... If you love bad movies and haven't seen this it is truly a must watch.

 

lithy

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I rewatched this today, and yeah, I really like this movie, too. I'm not a baseball fan and I'm even less a fan of math, but I think this movie is absolutely perfectly structured. Like a lot of movies based on true stories, particularly true sports stories, I think this movie benefits a lot the less you know about the actual events and people. But the story is beated out perfectly, the script has zero fat on it -- there's zero self indulgence -- every line either furthers plot or reveals character, there's no cuteness. And there's only enough personal drama to convey the story, not enough to make the movie enjoyable for a female audience, which is a bold move today.

Contrasted against another semi-recent "true story" movie like The Big Short. Which was the complete opposite in that it was a subject I was interested to learn more about, but I thought ended up being tedious and self indulgent as fuck. The writer/director couldn't get out of his own way.

Recently watch Ford vs. Ferrari (not sure if search still isn't working to know if its been talked about here) and felt very similarly and in that case it was a 'true story' I mostly knew. Well above average movie, I don't know about an all time great, but at the very least it was refreshing to watch a fun movie that didn't suck the will to live out of me. It still has a bit of fat at 2.5 hours, but it used most of it at least and I was never bored, looking up the run time, thinking, "holy shit there's still an hour left?". The only sort of pointless character was Miles's wife, who had one scene in particular that should have been cut.

Couldn't find the two parts together, but this was a good scene.


 

HornheaDD

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Samurai Cop- I've been saving this one for quite awhile and it did not disappoint. A masterpiece of shit from the man who made Killing American Style and Hollywood Cop. Truly one of the best bad movies ever made, just a shining example of incompetence and laziness. The dialogue, sound, editing, camera work, stunts and sex scenes are all (chefs kiss) perfection. While not as entertaining as Miami Connection (what is?) it's still hilarious and just a nonstop spectacle of ineptitude. And that fucking wig... If you love bad movies and haven't seen this it is truly a must watch.


The Mystery Science Theater version of it (or is it Rifftrax... I cant remember) is pretty great. Have you seen Samurai Cop 2? Its not as good and is kinda self aware..... but it's got Tommy Wiseau in it, so - I mean that just makes it great.
 

SouthtownKid

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Recently watch Ford vs. Ferrari
I've been dying to watch this since it came out, but it hasn't hit streaming yet for whatever infuriating reason.

btw, your second video is disabled by the "video owner". May be a region thing, I don't know.

edit: whoops no, I'm an idiot. Never mind.
 

terry.330

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The Mystery Science Theater version of it (or is it Rifftrax... I cant remember) is pretty great. Have you seen Samurai Cop 2? Its not as good and is kinda self aware..... but it's got Tommy Wiseau in it, so - I mean that just makes it great.
No and I have no intention to. Samurai Cop 2 is one of those things that just shouldn't have been made. It's a blatant cash grab to capitalize on the sudden cult popularity of the first. Tommy Wiseau being in it is only further proof of that. The magic of the first movie can never be recreated. You can't set out to purposefully make a bad-good movie and succeed.

@lithy Ford vs. Ferrari is solid, you should also check out Rush. It it falls in that category of sports movies that are too smart to really be about sports and the usual trite feel good bullshit. It's all character development and motivation done extremely well. I'd say it's as good as Moneyball and FvF.
 

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Blade Runner 2049
It still looks amazing and has a great mood, but the "resistance" bullshit still brings the movie down a notch for me.
 

SouthtownKid

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Blade Runner 2049
It still looks amazing and has a great mood, but the "resistance" bullshit still brings the movie down a notch for me.
I'm not a fan, because the movie is set up and structured as if it's meant to be a bridge between the first movie and a third movie that doesn't exist and hasn't even been announced. Kind of an Empire Strikes Back for a series that will never have a Return of the Jedi.
 

fake

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I'm not a fan, because the movie is set up and structured as if it's meant to be a bridge between the first movie and a third movie that doesn't exist and hasn't even been announced. Kind of an Empire Strikes Back for a series that will never have a Return of the Jedi.
I do think the movie is kind of fighting against / succeeding (?) despite the overall premise of "replicants can have children" – which feels very first draft to me. They're able to use that to drive K's identity crisis. Ultimately, he's disappointed, but is moved to the point where he sacrifices himself so that the actual child of Deckard can meet her father.

I think it does wrap up somewhat neatly. K is dead, Deckard is presumed dead and he can carry on living off the grid, but also gets to meet his daughter.

(Blade Runner 2099 has been announced but who knows if it'll actually be made. Also, it's a TV show, not a movie, which stinks unless it gets GoT budgets.)
 

terry.330

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Ghost House- I thought this was going to be a shitty Italian Poltergeist knockoff but it turned out to be more of generic haunted house story. It about a group of 20 something idiots that get trapped in an old house haunted by an ugly little girl and her stupid clown doll. Unfortunately it's neither campy or incompetent enough to be fun, it's just blah even by terrible 80s B movie standards. If this had been made by someone a bit more self aware it could have been a lot of fun. I guess if you really like Ham radio, denim and "Italian logic" you might enjoy this. The only real positive in the whole movie is that some of the score is classic Italian synth rock.

Random trivia: this movie was titled La Casa 3 in Italy and marketed as the third Evil Dead movie lol.
 

roker

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Blade Runner 2049
It still looks amazing and has a great mood, but the "resistance" bullshit still brings the movie down a notch for me.

I’m not a huge fan of the Director and I know that’ll piss off some people, but I think his movies are beautiful but boring. And that’s how I feel about blade runner. I don’t regret watching it. In fact I saw in the theater and the visuals were beautiful but the story just didn’t grab me like the first did.

Sometimes I feel like some of my favorite movies of all time can be a little slow and will have some boring parts and I guess that’s just how it goes but I just feel not only was 2049 slow and boring but it just didn’t really get the story right.

Dune can suck my balls too.
 

wyo

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Dune was the first movie from the Director that I enjoyed.
 

SouthtownKid

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We watched A Rainy Day in New York. I haven't watched anything by Woody Allen since the '80s, and even then, that was a movie from the '70s. But I still felt like I knew his movies just from all the trailers over the years which all looked like the same movie warmed over. Rich neurotic people in New York blabbering about nothing. Like Wes Anderson without the charm. Plus, the dude is a fucking creep and I never wanted to support him.

But I saw the trailer for this and it looked okay, before his name came up and I realized it was one of his. I thought what the hell, my boycott of one isn't doing anything, I might as well try it.

It was shit. Complete shit.
 

lithy

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I never saw the appeal enough to watch one of his movies. I know Annie Hall gets put on all the lists. Is it something I should see even if solely for my own edification?
 

Syn

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Never seen Annie Hall but Sleeper I'd watch again. Nothing brilliant but I laughed a few times at stupid crap.
 

terry.330

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I never saw the appeal enough to watch one of his movies. I know Annie Hall gets put on all the lists. Is it something I should see even if solely for my own edification?
His better known films are worth a watch, they are important pieces of the time but I find them all absolutely dreadful. All of the humor and plot pieces come from Allen's particular style of constant neurotic waffling, especially when it comes to relationships and love. Which for me (and a lot of other people) ruins anything good he builds on that style with. It certainly doesn't help that he usually plays one of the main characters. As STK said there's a very strong theme of entitled wealthy people problems, lots of petty drama and jealousy, which come off as unrelateable, self involved and oblivious. There are people that his particular style and views on relationships really hits a chord for though.

The only movie by him I've even remotely enjoyed is Midnight in Paris.
 

terry.330

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Danger: Diabolik- Italian heist/spy thriller from 1968 directed by Mario Bava. It's based on a comic series but this is definitely more of a straight up Bond ripoff. Very 60s and very Italian. Worth watching for the 60s aesthetic, eye candy and general 60s insanity. It's cheap, trashy and a lot of fun. i had heard that it was a major influence on the Venture Bros. and boy is it ever. The movie poster alone is hugely influential and Diabolik's lair is one of the most awesome and dumb things ever put on film. Bonus points for the score by Ennio Morricone. It's really an amazingly entertaining piece all around.

 
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