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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.
welp, I watched The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) tonight.
Great film -- but the horse on stage toward the end is my favorite.
One thing that really hit me is how bad the performances are in the first half an hour or so --- then, on a dime, suddenly everybody is excellent. John Wayne's physical acting when drunk was a real treat.
Anyway, great film once it gets going. Always nice to see Jeanette Nolan.
I liked it too. I have seen it more than decade ago, but could hardly remember. Not even who actually shot Liberty Valance, so that was still a surprise. It is very classical in its look and feel, with its black and white color, flamboyant acting and sound stage production. It reminded me more of the westerns of the 40s, so it might even have been retro in the 60s. Though it is a bit more revisionist it how it deals with the old trope of the male western hero, with the conflict of how John Wayne's character resolves things the old fashioned way, and then James Stewart with his modern ideas of law and justice. It reminded me of The Shootist which also stars both Wayne and Stewart, and I have come to prefer the later John Wayne films as those are often more self critical on the type of western persona he has come to represent. The narrative is really well structured around the title, that gives you a false sense of security in thinking you know where it ultimately goes. I also enjoyed seeing Lee van Cleef being just a mean henchman. That was quite fun.
Lee van Cleef has such a cool look. I think it was this, The Shootist and How the West Was Won that they did together. I wouldn't ever pair them up, but it kind of works.
Its an interesting time for film with B&W going out.
I watched Tangerine, directed by Sean Baker, released in 2015. I really loved it. I haven't seen his other movies, but I think I will after watching this one. It made me laugh a lot, it also made me tear up a little bit a couple times. It felt very real while also being kind of ridiculous. And I liked how much it felt like I was just following these people around the city. It didn't feel like it was "directed" or set up, just that it was happpening and the audience is standing nearby. They felt like real people. I felt like it was about loneliness, friendship, and acceptance.
i thought it was really neat that it was filmed with a few iPhone 5S.
I watched stripes (1981), a comedy with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. I was born right around this time, but never got a chance to see it, although I am of course acquainted with Bill Murray. Groundhog Day is one of my favorites. I have to say, however, that this was largely a miss for me. The Bill Murray character is very unlikable, I don’t know if that’s necessarily what they were going for. I imagine he’s supposed to be a fun “class clown” type persona, but it really falls flat. I was expecting a montage of sorts where he learns his lesson and stops being selfish, a sort of redemption arc. But it doesn’t really happen instead the movie just sort of keeps going aimlessly. Bright spots were Harold Ramis as the likable best friend and John Candy as a sensitive, but dangerous oaf.
A few things I was not expecting: there is a fair amount of gratuitous nudity, which was not unwelcome. However, along with that came a certain sleaziness, especially around Bill Murray’s characters’ interactions with women, which has aged poorly and left a bad taste in my mouth.
The Brutalist
One of the most acclaimed films of the year. I didn't really like this. I didn't like Vox Lux, Corbet's last film. The first part of this film (before the intermission) was good. Nothing about it signaled masterpiece to me, and it felt a little bit like it was cosplaying a GREAT EPIC.
The second half reminded me that this is from the guy who made Vox Lux.
Really one of the more ironclad definitions of pretentious that I've seen in a while. Nothing about it feels genuine, and there's no real substance here. The movie was stylistically incoherent with Corbet adding too many post-modern flourishes (crazy camera movements, slow-mo) compared to the films that inspired him which showed more restraint.
It's also not saying anything meaningful. There's several themes Corbet seems to be alluding to but none of them are properly fleshed out or they are handled at an annoyingly pompous surface level.
One of the more disappointing watches of the year for me.
Nickel Boys
Another film that has been highly acclaimed. I also didn't care for it. While I wouldn't call this film pretentious, the director, Ross, is more interested in being showman-like. The POV shots feel like a gimmick. They actively detract from the film, there would be more build-up and emotional catharsis if this was shot and structured in a traditional way. There's an artifice to the way everything is shot, although it is pretty.
Interestingly enough, both this and The Brutalist intercut news footage into their films. Both of which could have, and should have, done without.
Wolf Man
SUPER disappointing after I absolutely loved Whannel's The Invisible Man. It's like Whannell never had a reading on what to do here. It also felt like he was rushed (which he was as production had to deal with director and lead actor switches as well as the strikes).
The screenplay isn't even structured properly, with no rising stakes, and no real pay-offs. The themes are stated out loud by Garner's character in an eye-rolling inducing moment. "It's about generational trauma" which is now overdone and frankly boring.
A bit different from the usual posts here. Right now, I use my PS5 as a DVD/Blu Ray/4K player. If I don't have a fancy home theater setup, is there any value in getting a "real" dedicated player instead?
There are a few benefits with upgrading to a dedicated player, especially on the higher end:
A PS5 is a perfectly serviceable player and if you're currently happy with it, there's no need to upgrade. However, you will probably notice improvements if you decide to upgrade. I'd recommend looking at stock on 220-Electronics since they offer region unlocked players. I have a Panasonic UB820 from them and have been very happy with it.
It wont make a difference in terms of video/sound quality I guess. So only if you think it is cumbersome to use the PS5. Perhaps its powerusage is a bit higher as well.
If you're happy with the option you have for a remote control, then I don't know of any reason for getting a dedicated player. I still miss the PS3's media remote, but the PS5 media remote we have works well enough. (Personally, I despise using a gamepad to control video, especially because the video apps will insist on binding controls to the triggers, so every time you set it down there's a chance of pushing one of them.)
It can definitely be an inferior device for streaming, but you didn't ask about that, so hopefully that's not a concern.
I watched Nickel Boys and Gladiator 2. Nickel Boys tells an important story but the cinemetography was odd and I didnt like it. Gladiator 2 lacked the heart and intensity of the first one. The story sucked. Some of the animation was cool. If you want to see a gladiator ride a rinoceros, give it a shot. Othrwise skip it.
I did watch L'Avventura, u/winther btw.
I didn't really know anything about it. The first time I ever heard of it was when A.O Scott did an interview with Marc Maron and he brought up how all the old guard critics (of his day) would say stuff like "oh you really missed out, you weren't there for the great movies that we saw in theaters like L'Avventura."
I felt the same way watching this as I did La Dolce Vita. I. Don't. Get. It. I was super bored. I think I can handle plotless films, even if I don't prefer them. But this was wildly boring. I wasn't invested in anything, as for what people say about it. That it's beautifully shot and whatnot, sure, I think Dolce Vita is prettier and I still didn't care for it.
I remember liking La Dolce Vita more than this, and I can definitely see why it can come of as boring. It was in parts for me as well. I think it starts and ends well, but what I like most about it is the audacity of starting a mystery plot just to completely abandon it. I don't know exactly where, but at some point I had completely forgotten about Anna and didn't care anymore. Just like the characters. Which I assume is entirely intentional. But these type of Italian films are very dependent on one getting hooked on the style from the start. It is similar to The Great Beauty which I was also lukewarm to. I have yet to finish 8½, but I really liked Journey to Italy and La Dolce Vita. This sits sort of in the middle. I like the concept and how it destroys traditional narrative expectations, but I agree it had long boring stretches. There is only so much you get can invested in rich people and their existential problems.
A Different Man (2024) is unbelievable. Whoever decided to shoot it on 16mm also deserves every award available.
Beautiful film Seb Stan is boss, but I tend to like everything he does.
Yeah I like that one quite a bit, one of the most relatable films I've seen. This was my little blurb back when I watched it.
That scene in the bar where he gets female attention for the first time in his life is so well-done, very realistic to my own experience. One of my favorite pieces that examine how looks factor into life and how you're perceived (and when they don't). It's also a good companion piece to The Substance since that also examines self-hatred based on your outward appearance.
I thought it was really well done with Oswald calling him Edward. Everything with the trial etc would have been public --- but they just didn't go into any of that. Nice little detail to sort of catch us up with a word.
I'll be honest, I thought it was going to be waaaaay different than it was. I think I was expecting something more like Open Your Eyes/Vanilla Sky. Pleasant surprise :)