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

[terry.330]

And as far as I understand, it's the first actual German film version of the novel as well!

Have you seen the original film? I find it quite striking for a film from (IIRC) 1930. The action and level of violence is pretty unprecedented, and while not graphic, I think it captures the feeling of the pointless carnage of it all pretty well.

I have seen the original and read the book maybe 25 years ago and don't really remember much.

A couple weeks ago I watched a documentary series on Netflix about the history of tanks which heavily covered WWI trench warfare and it was cool to see how accurate this movie was. I thought this was far better than Dunkirk or 1917 and it being from the German POV was quite interesting. You should watch it, I think you'd really like it.

 

[Lagduf]

I have seen the original and read the book maybe 25 years ago and don't really remember much.

A couple weeks ago I watched a documentary series on Netflix about the history of tanks which heavily covered WWI trench warfare and it was cool to see how accurate this movie was. I thought this was far better than Dunkirk or 1917 and it being from the German POV was quite interesting. You should watch it, I think you'd really like it.

Yeah I kinda forgot it came out. What streaming services is it on?

 

[terry.330]

Netflix

 

[Syn]

Since I forgot I had already seen it

Hereditary

I can see why I forgot about it! I guess this is what scares kids nowadays. To me 2+ hours is way too long for this anticlimactic flick. I didn't give a crap about any of the characters.

I will not forget this time.

 

[100proof]

Gettin' together with some old buddies to watch this one (it's the new Evil Dead trailer):

 

[fake]

Saw 2001: A Space Odyssey on 35mm last night. I still think this is one of the best movies ever made, despite all the hate. Solaris is a joke in comparison.

Since I forgot I had already seen it

Hereditary

I can see why I forgot about it! I guess this is what scares kids nowadays. To me 2+ hours is way too long for this anticlimactic flick. I didn't give a crap about any of the characters.

I will not forget this time.

Wow, that's a worse take than my After Dark take!

 

[jro]

Gettin' together with some old buddies to watch this one (it's the new Evil Dead trailer):

That looks like it could be phenomenal. I generally like the 2013 reboot, but that trailer's in another league entirely. Nice to have Raimi himself back on board for sure.

 

[Syn]

Hereditary

it was alright but not great. i had big hopes for this movie considering it was made by the same people who made The Witch which was one the most original and disturbing movies i have ever seen. but hereditary was very slow and predictable with things we've seen in many other movies in the same genre before it.

the acting was good for the most part until towards the end ware it got over the top and unnecessary and sometimes comical. over all a good movie to watch once because it does keep you interested to see what happens next, but not worth the hype. again, it doesn't do anything we haven't seen many times before.

Hmm

 

[100proof]

Raimi's just producing like with the remake. Director is another up and comer (Lee Cronin). Giving me definite remake vibes though which is great. Some of those shots in the red band trailer are grizzly.

 

[terry.330]

That ED trailer did nothing for me. The remake was passable modern horror and I'm sure this one will be as well but these aren't Evil Dead.

Where's the humor? Where's the likable protagonist? Just a bunch of generic nobodies with the ED mythos slapped on top. And the mother-daughter angle is eye rolling as fuck.

 

[Syn]

Wow, that's a worse take than my After Dark take!

Apparently not. I'm lame enough to go back and reread the opinions. Like jro liked it overall but said the second half dragged and he laughed at the ending.

You thought it was great btw. Most thought it was alright I guess.

No where near your After Dark take.

Anyways, everyone's opinion is interesting and I enjoy your's as well as others.

 

[Tarma]

Predator (4K) - such an action classic, and still, for me, Arnie's best film as it just showcases what he did best. While I like the original sequel, it's just a shame no one has been able to recapture the magic of the original, but then, I suppose it was very much a product of its time.

I hear Prey is supposed to be pretty good, but I've not watched it yet.

 

[famicommander]

I hope Scream 6 doesn't suck. Already strike 1 against it cheaping out and not getting Neve Campbell back.

I thought 5 was pretty good. Roughly as good as 2 or 4, much better than 3, still well short of the original.

 

[wyo]

I will go see the new Scream movie but only because I have AMC A-List. If I had to pay for it directly I probably wouldn't bother.

 

[terry.330]

Predator (4K) - such an action classic, and still, for me, Arnie's best film as it just showcases what he did best. While I like the original sequel, it's just a shame no one has been able to recapture the magic of the original, but then, I suppose it was very much a product of its time.

I hear Prey is supposed to be pretty good, but I've not watched it yet.

I need to pick this up on 4K. The various blu-rays are all absolutely atrocious, apparently they came to their senses and went back an eliminated all DNR and smoothing for the 4k release.

Prey is solid, a little cheap looking but second or third best in the series depending on how much you like P2.

 

[100proof]

Where's the humor? Where's the likable protagonist? Just a bunch of generic nobodies with the ED mythos slapped on top. And the mother-daughter angle is eye rolling as fuck.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess... I prefer ED2 over the original in large part because they went full Stooges but you're not going to find another Bruce Campbell (likable leading man and unbelievably gifted physical comedian). They're much better off going back to more straight-ahead horror movies (where the comedy comes from the ridiculous, over-the-top gore) like the first one than trying to recreate lightning in a bottle that's destined to be a cheap imitation of ED2.

 

[Tarma]

I need to pick this up on 4K. The various blu-rays are all absolutely atrocious, apparently they came to their senses and went back an eliminated all DNR and smoothing for the 4k release.

Prey is solid, a little cheap looking but second or third best in the series depending on how much you like P2.

I'd been watching the Special Edition DVD for years, upscales pretty well, but the 4K transfer is much better - as you'd expect. There's some pretty bad noise in the picture right at the start, but I'm going to put this down to the age of the original film. These films were never intended to be seen in such a high resolution so I always look at the picture subjectively... hence why I'm still happy to watch a number of films on LD, and have never bothered to upgrade to DVD, let alone a HD format.

I've always liked P2, arguably more violent than the first film. Danny Glover is great, as are the supporting cast... it just lacks the machismo charm and slick one-liners that the first film has.

 

[terry.330]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess... I prefer ED2 over the original in large part because they went full Stooges but you're not going to find another Bruce Campbell (likable leading man and unbelievably gifted physical comedian). They're much better off going back to more straight-ahead horror movies (where the comedy comes from the ridiculous, over-the-top gore) like the first one than trying to recreate lightning in a bottle that's destined to be a cheap imitation of ED2.

Sure but what's the point of even tying it to the ED franchise then aside from name recognition and a baked in loose mythos? I like the ED remake but it would have been just fine as a stand alone movie without the ED name.

@Tarma the noise in certain shots is because of production troubles, the entire shoot was a mess on every level.

4k and even BD are such a huge upgrade over LD and DVD when done right that I can never go back. A nice 4k transfer of an older film is as close as we're going to get to actual film quality. Movies like Blade Runner and Suspiria look amazing.

I collected LD for years and honestly was relieved to get rid of my collection a couple years ago. Any positives the format has is completely outweighed by the filmic qualities a good 4k transfer offers.

 

[fake]

Apparently not. I'm lame enough to go back and reread the opinions. Like jro liked it overall but said the second half dragged and he laughed at the ending.

You thought it was great btw. Most thought it was alright I guess.

No where near your After Dark take.

Anyways, everyone's opinion is interesting and I enjoy your's as well as others.

The first time I watched it, I was whelmed. It seemed so middling to me. But after watching it a second time, I noticed a lot of things that made the movie wayyyy creepier. I'm not gonna tell you to invest more time into a movie you don't dig, but there's so much attention to detail, I think it's a fantastic movie and probably the best modern supernatural horror movie.

Sure but what's the point of even tying it to the ED franchise then aside from name recognition and a baked in loose mythos? I like the ED remake but it would have just fine as a stand alone movie without the ED name.

@Tarma the noise in certain shots is because of production troubles, the entire shoot was a mess. 4k and even BD are such a huge upgrade over LD and DVD when done right that I can never go back. A nice 4k transfer of an older film is as close as we're going to get to actual film quality. Movies like Blade Runner and Suspire look amazing.

I collected LD for years and honestly was relieved to get rid of my collection a couple years ago. Any positives the format has is completely outweighed by the filmic qualities a good 4k transfer offers.

I always thought it would be cool if they'd include a digitized version of a beat up print of the given movie on a Blu-ray. That way you can have the crystal clear 4K remaster, plus something with scratches, film grain, etc.

 

[Tarma]

the noise in certain shots is because of production troubles, the entire shoot was a mess. 4k and even BD are such a huge upgrade over LD and DVD when done right that I can never go back. A nice 4k transfer of an older film is as close as we're going to get to actual film quality. Movies like Blade Runner and Suspire look amazing.

I collected LD for years and honestly was relieved to get rid of my collection a couple years ago. Any positives the format has is completely outweighed by the filmic qualities a good 4k transfer offers.

Interesting note about the video quality - it didn't bother me, but it's so blatant you can't help but see it.

Ha, well, I am, not for one moment, going to try and extol LD over Blu Ray / Ultra 4K, but certain pressings on the right set up still offer an entertaining experience I feel.

I'd love to see David Fincher's Se7en in 4K, the Criterion LD is superb.

BTW - If anyone ever wants to see how good LD was, I'd recommend watching T2 in its Squeeze THX pressing. Just a shame it wasn't the extended version they used, just the theatrical cut.

 

[terry.330]

The first time I watched it, I was whelmed. It seemed so middling to me. But after watching it a second time, I noticed a lot of things that made the movie wayyyy creepier. I'm not gonna tell you to invest more time into a movie you don't dig, but there's so much attention to detail, I think it's a fantastic movie and probably the best modern supernatural horror movie.


I always thought it would be cool if they'd include a digitized version of a beat up print of the given movie on a Blu-ray. That way you can have the crystal clear 4K remaster, plus something with scratches, film grain, etc.

I will say it is odd sometimes when you see a total piece of shit from the VHS days like Street Trash or CHUD all cleaned up. It's like the movies aren't supposed to look good. On the other hand sometimes it's really surprising when a movie you always dismissed get the HD treatment and it looks great and you find a new appreciation for it.

And yes Hereditary is great. It is an exceptionally well made horror movie.

 

[100proof]

Sure but what's the point of even tying it to the ED franchise then aside from name recognition and a baked in loose mythos? I like the ED remake but it would have been just fine as a stand alone movie without the ED name.

I mean, we both know the answer to that question: people want more ED stuff and studios don't hand out budgets for movies without pre-established audiences anymore. We can argue over how creatively bankrupt that is from the studio-side (very) or how what people should really want is new movies and new ideas (which they should) but if we're going to get another Evil Dead movie, I'd rather it be a different idea from a different creator that's loosely tied to the original than another sad regurgitation of the same old shit like Scream 6 or whatever piece of shit Blumhouse squeezes out next.

 

[terry.330]

I mean, we both know the answer to that question: people want more ED stuff and studios don't hand out budgets for movies without pre-established audiences anymore. We can argue over how creatively bankrupt that is from the studio-side (very) or how what people should really want is new movies and new ideas (which they should) but if we're going to get another Evil Dead movie, I'd rather it be a different idea from a different creator that's loosely tied to the original than another sad regurgitation of the same old shit like Scream 6 or whatever piece of shit Blumhouse squeezes out next.

I'd rather they just stopped after AOD. If the scripts for these new ED movies were good and not tied to ED there's a pretty good chance they'd still get made, especially these days. Look at all the successful original horror lately with stuff like Pearl, Barbarian, Black Phone etc. it just seems so unnecessary. But we all know this. Oh well at least it's another horror movie that probably won't suck...


Hellboy- I wish Del Toro would make more stuff like this and Blade 2. While I appreciate Devils Backbone, Pans Labyrinth etc. (not Shape of Water though, fuck that shit) I think he excelled at character driven supernatural action. I think he's a guy that works best adapting the right kind of material rather than his own completely original stuff.

I think this one is overlooked. Made right at the beginning of the comic movie boom and seemingly forgotten. It's not perfect but it's still really good especially considering how weird the source material is. This would have been a disaster in almost any other directors hands and there's no way anyone else would have nailed the visuals. Perlman is great and the supporting cast is solid. Great villains, good action set pieces, an impressive amount of practical effects, there's a lot to like. The CG is pretty dated at times (nothing as heinous as Gumby Blade in Blade 2) but never really detracts from the movie since everything is so fantastical in general. I'd probably put this on the same level as Blade 1&2 and The Crow.

I need to re-watch the sequel. I remember it being alright but not as enjoyable as the first. A bit too ambitious for it's own good. I also haven't seen the reboot but haven't heard anything but negative stuff about it.

 

[LoneSage]

Hellboy 2 is surprisingly good. And I'm not a del Toro fan.

 

[Tarma]

The Last Boy Scout (BR) - still hugely entertaining buddy-action flick from Tony Scott. Incredibly well paced, packed full of one-liners, and the typical action visuals you'd come to expect from Tony Scott post Top Gun. Written by Shane Black, Damon Wayans and Bruce Willis really bounce off each other, despite stories saying the two hated each other on set.

It allegedlly was a troubled production, but editor Stuart Baird pulled a really good film out of the wreckage, and it doesn't feel like there are chunks of it missing on the cutting room floor somewhere (like Tango and Cash or Shodown in Little Tokyo).

The film has a great soundtrack from Michael Kamen with an awesome opening music video from Bill Medley... ah, they just don't make 'em like this anymore.

If you've not seen this and you liked the first two Leathal Weapon films you'll love this. Such a shame Shane Black doesn't produce stuff like this nowadays.