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Midweek Movie Free Talk
Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.
Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.
When Harry Met Sally...
Director: Rob Reiner | Year: 1989
Actors: Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Carrie Fisher
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Links: IMDb
this is an excellent format!
I was scrolling through the sci-fi category for something to background watch and I came across Infinity, which I hadn’t seen. The movie is total junk and it’s hard to believe that anyone actually spent time writing it (funny side note: apparently the author of the book wanted a movie made so badly the first page offers a commission to anyone who puts him in touch with Hollywood.), but what frustrated me is that it was in the sci-fi category.
It had some sort of futuristic elements, but the basic premise that some special people can reincarnate (no reason given) and some even more special people get magic powers from it (no reason given) is definitely fi, but there’s no sci.
Obviously im aware that sci-fi is a catch all category for lasers, robots and spaceships, I just wish there was a distinction between standard empowerment fantasy (he’s not weird, he’s The One!) and movies with something to think about.
I am an avid science fiction reader, but the genre is horrible presented in movies. There is so much interesting stuff being written that is extremely up to date with current issues with technology, yet Hollywood mostly does stories that have been done better several decades ago in science fiction literature. The best science fiction movies also tends to be based on a novel or short story. Blade Runner, Contact, Arrival etc. I think the Black Mirror series is the one of the few exceptions that actually does something new and relevant in that genre.
Agreed on all points, though some films do buck the trend like Gattaca or Primer. I do think Black Mirror was better before Netflix got to it, but I’ll take what I can get.
If you care to list any books in a similar vein I’d love to read them.
Maybe not quite as dark and depressive as Black Mirror sometimes is, but I think Greg Egan and Ted Chiang are doing interesting contemporary stuff in their short stories. Any of their short story collections are worth picking up.
I enjoyed Incandescent by Egan and I’ve only just discovered Chiang wrote the book Arrival was based on. I’ll catch up on both, cheers
These are actually two shorts from director Pedro Almodóvar and currently being shown in select theaters. Along with the two shorts is a ~20 minute interview of the director discussing the writing and making of Strange Way of Life. It's not often that shorts from acclaimed directors get theater releases so this is quite a treat.
The Human Voice is a rendition of a play starring Tilda Swinton and she delivers a wonderful performance as always. Essentially it's a 30 minute monologue, so if you enjoy her acting this is a great showcase of her talents.
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal helm Strange Way of Life as cowboys who once rode together and are reuniting after 25 years. It's a fun jaunt in a colorful Western world without attempting to be perfectly historically accurate. It's much more of an excuse for Almodóvar to play in a genre he hasn't spent time with before.
If you're into Pedro Almodóvar's works and/or short films they're worth a watch if you have the opportunity in theater near you. These types of shorts often never get distribution so who knows when and where they'll be available after this.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (7.9, 2023, 163 min Action, Adventure, Thriller)
Director: Christopher McQuarrie, Writers: Bruce Geller, Erik Jendresen, Christopher McQuarrie, Actors:Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames
Bellflower
I was going to try and shoehorn this into another post looking for grim atmospheric films but it fits better here.
I love this gem. Low budget with a great soundtrack. 72 on metacritic, 73 / 63 on RT.
Summary
Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building MAD MAX-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse. But when Woodrow meets a charismatic young woman and falls hard in love, he and Aiden quickly integrate into a new group of friends, setting off on a journey....(Oscilloscope Films) I cut the summary so not to spoil anything
Hope someone gives it a chance.