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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.
I saw Warfare in IMAX a few days ago. It's closer to a documentary than a regular war movie. It's basically "this is as close as you can get to experiencing an hour of combat without actually being there".
I rate it 10/10. It can't really be compared to other war movies, it's in another category. I don't think I'll watch it again. It should be seen in a theatre.
I agree, but I was in a normal theater. It isn't a traditional/heroic/patriotic war movie; you're basically a fly on the wall as stuff happens. It's definitely a movie that benefits from a theater sound system where loud sounds are loud and the bass shakes the entire room.
Warfare is the best modern-era war film I've seen, and I'd say it's the best war movie since Saving Private Ryan.
I have seen the 2018 remake of Suspiria and that was really something else. The 1977 original impressed with its colorful style and iconic score. This is very much its own thing with a very different approach. Colors are much more muted, the story is expanded to also include RAF terror events of that time and it isn't really a horror film, even though it uses horror elements in plenty of scenes. I was drawn into this very quickly. There are some super fast cuts and a constant presence of a moving camera, which is a style I usually don't like, but that just makes it so much better when a film can subvert my normal taste in things like that. It is a film heavily drenched in symbolism, which I mostly just chose to ignore as that kind of analytical interpretative film watching is not my main interest. It is just one heck of an experience like a bloody blend of the original Suspiria, Climax, Black Swan and The Substance - though I think this takes the prize in arthouse pretentiousness.
I have also seen some more "normal" films, coincidentally all dealing with dilemmas in some fashion. Scent of Woman gave me something to think about in terms of morals on "snitching". Captain Fantastic was an interesting portrayal of a man with firmly held ideals and principles that were challenged by normal society. And In the Line of Fire at least tried to deal with the dilemma of sacrificing yourself in the line of duty versus the instinct of self preservation.
I watched A Minecraft Movie last Saturday and, let me just say, it was a perfectly acceptable movie.
Am I too old and cynical? Who was honestly expecting something 'great' from this movie? It's corny, it's stupid at times, and to be blunt it's exactly like playing Minecraft with a kid.
Now, one thing I wasn't expecting was the amount of... Not really graphic but 'violent' moments. Two characters are killed unceremoniously, one of them a child stabbed in the chest (they comically turn into an item drop, ha ha) and another gets one last funny line in before being shot point blank. The Ghasts don't flop over and poof out of existence, they cry and crash into walls before exploding, sending nearby mobs flying. A sheep gets ripped apart by zombies while it screams. I really wasn't expecting that much. The movie has human characters that barely get scratched from creeper explosions to the face but doesn't balk at making you watch a baby piglin scream and fall to their death.
Thankfully, it was a relatively quiet theater - none of the theatrics I've seen online.
I… obtained a copy. I've played Minecraft since alpha days, so I had to check the movie out, even though I wondered what the hell you could make a Minecraft movie about and the previews didn't help. lol
My impression is that many people will be alright with it.
I watched it and thought the initial premise was ridiculous, and it just got worse from there. I skipped around a bit trying to see if there might be some amusing injokes that would help.
I never found any.
I won't diss anyone who likes this piece of dreck, but it is a disappointing piece of dreck with no redeeming features for Minecraft fans, imho. lol
This week, I watched some good films. The first is Under the Flag of the Rising Sun (1972), which offers a dark, critical look at Japan’s post-war reality. With its unconventional structure, the film portrays war in a raw, unsettling way, using authentic imagery to evoke discomfort and anguish. It challenges viewers to reflect on the normalization of violence, dehumanization, and the social humiliations that linger after conflict. Melancholic yet brutally honest, the film blends black-and-white cinematography with splashes of color in violent scenes, heightening its impact.
Another standout was Gomorrah (2008), based on the investigative journalism book of the same name. The film depicts real events and characters with visceral intensity, weaving individual stories together to show how organized crime permeates lives. Unflinchingly brutal, it exposes power dynamics within criminal networks without holding back.
Lastly, I watched The Woman in the Yard (2025), a more recent film that uses supernatural horror elements to explore grief and family dynamics. Avoiding grand twists, it relies on strong performances and a solid, dramatic narrative to engage viewers and provoke reflection.
These were the most interesting films I saw to recommend.
Does anybody want to talk about any of the following?
Grease (1978): ★⯪☆
Beetlejuice (1988): ★★☆ (rewatch)
A Working Man (2025): ★★☆
Warfare (2025): ★★★
We can't be friends. ;) Grease is my all-time favorite musical film. I have seen it so many times that I can even act out the movements and facial expressions of most of the actors. We used to play it on repeat for months on end when I worked at a video rental store in high school, and we all would dance and sing along while we worked.
Have not seen Sinners yet, but with the Oscar buzz brewing and with the film having so many Original songs attached to it. It got me thinking. What are the best songs made for films so far of the 2020s. If I had to come up with a quick five:
I literally just got out of an IMAX showing of Sinners and holy shit what an incredible experience. The music was incredible, there were a couple of insane shots and aspect ratio changes that blew me away. Just in general the movie felt so alive. There was one scene that I was literally open mouthed for the whole one-er (without giving too much away). It's gory, well shot, dynamic, and unbelievably sexy.
It doesn't help that my two major celebrity crushes are Hailee Steinfeld and Michael B Jordan.
Quick edit: IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE GO SEE IT IN IMAX IT'S INCREDIBLE.
Finally saw Sinners
I liked it a lot. I would put it on par with The Substance, they're both modern riffs on exploitation films. I don't really understand the "best movie ever" stuff I've been seeing. Similar thing to EEAAO, I've seen people say Sinners is better than Oppenheimer which I couldn't disagree with more.
I think it's a little messy, I think it could have benefited from being a little bit more focused. We could have maybe gotten to the vampire stuff earlier. I also think Coogler still has MCU brain considering there are two post-credits scenes here.
Yeah it's well made, the techs are all great. The performances are all great. There's one scene that people have been loving, but I think it maybe could have been cut out. I think it feels out of place and the concept could have been re-worked to still fit the overall aesthetic of the film.
A lot of the film is corny and cheesy, which makes sense since this is a b-movie through and through. There's some aspects of this that remind me of Tarantino's work.