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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 watched The Life of Chuck last night. I actually really enjoyed it. I went in blind with no idea what it was about.
Its a good movie! It has this tenderness to it, that I find a lot of movies lack as of recent. It's layered, a bit emotionally vulnerable and has some funny heart warming moments. The world building in the first (3rd) act is unique and has me believing it was some pre-apocalypse character drama. The later scenes are more endearing and does a better job of providing context to the first (3rd) act. I enjoyed everyone who played a role in the movie. I'd recommend it!
In the Mood for Love (2000), Wong Kar-Wai -- basically perfect. In the middle of the trilogy, Days of Being Wild (1990), 2046 (2004), there's almost more unspoken than anything... remarkable exercise in subtly. You see this films influence everywhere from Lost in Translation, Moonlight, Everything Everywhere All at Once --- but, and I could be wrong, but I really get a sense that The Price of Salt / Carol by Highsmith influenced this... but I haven't looked into that.
The 2012 Criterion release had a more vibrant but natural coloring where the 2021 release is noticeably greener. One person on reddit suggested it was like viewing old photos... a cute theory. I'm not sure which I prefer... maybe a middle ground. I might reset it in Premiere and mess around a little to find that.
Anyway, fantastic film. Don't watch it if your marriage is shit, though. :)
quick edit: has there ever been a better wardrobe than the one Maggie Cheung has? Absolutely stunning in every shot.
The Phoenician Scheme (2025): ★☆☆
I was disappointed. I had only ever seen one other film by Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel) and wanted to try out another of his movies. Compared to that, the humor in this movie didn't land, and some of the plot points seemed silly to the point of breaking my suspension of disbelief. This made it difficult to sympathize with the characters, so I wasn't emotionally invested during the ending. Maybe I'm just too dumb to understand the symbolism, but this movie wasn't for me.
I don't want to give up on Wes Anderson, though. Maybe someone can recommend a third movie to try that's available on blu ray?
Royal Tenenbaums or Darjeeling Limited are the two I would suggest. They're probably the easiest to appreciate as traditional films since they have some actually realistic drama, characters with some depth to the them, and are slightly less quirky/fantastical/surreal (although those are elements present in all his films). If you do want to give another more quirky, fantastical, surreal Anderson comedy a try though, Life Aquatic is top notch, IMO.
I would also recommend Rushmore
Rushmore is my least favorite of Anderson's movies, TBH. But I know I'm a bit of an outlier in that regard so it's probably still a good recommendation.
Fair enough, I think I just like that age era for the Wilson brothers and Bill Murray.
The Man Who Knew Too Little, Lost in Translation
I wholeheartedly agree with the above recommendations.
I tend to enjoy Anderson's more comedic elements, so I lean more on the side of Life Aquatic and Rushmore.
If you're not turned off by the idea of animation/claymation , I would also recommend Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs. Fox is my favorite of the two, but I love them both. Fantastic Mr. Fox is also one that my whole family enjoys. We've watched it multiple times and it never seems to get old.
28 Years Later
Really kind of a weird movie, much weirder than I was expecting. Frantic editing and quite spiritual. It’s much better than 28 Days Later which I didn’t care for (I have not seen Weeks). It’s thrilling and emotional. It’s really more of a domestic drama with a post-apocalyptic backdrop.
Aaron Taylor Johnson and Jodie Comer are great in it, but they’re not the leads like the marketing might make you think. The young boy is the lead and is clearly planned to be the lead for the rest of the trilogy. Quite rare to have such an expensive film on the shoulders of such a young person.
It’s Boyle’s best film since Steve Jobs. Boyle is hit or miss like Sam Mendes. Not an auteur and not exactly a journeyman, something in between. But his direction is so energetic here it’s like a new filmmaker.
I’m a Sorkin apologist (though Being the Ricardo’s is awful). But I’ve enjoyed his work that’s been maligned such as Trial of the Chicago 7. This scene from Steve Jobs is also ingrained in my memory.
Also just got out of the theater for 28 Years Later, and it's pretty crazy for sure. I'm not too sure how much I enjoyed it, but there were definitely some shots where it was absolutely gorgeous.
Click to expand spoiler.
The dad and the kid running back to the village with the Alpha chasing was insane, with the beautiful sky and the water the way that it was.I feel like the movie was really frantic and jarring at times, and there were points where I was wondering what I was actually watching. But I think the boy has some great potential and really did a great job, especially as a kid actor.
Side note, I had people two seats down just making comments during the movie, it's crazy how people just don't really know how to whisper anymore. Combined with the dude next to me just eating snacks all the time, it's really making me hate going to opening nights of even semi-popular movies.