7
votes
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 got an AMC A-List subscription for the month so I'm trying to milk all the value I can out of it. Watched both The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary this week. As a result of my poor time management, I unfortunately only watched the former in IMAX and the latter in "Laser" since the two clashed in getting IMAX slots.
The Super Mario Galaxy Move (2026) - 6.5/10
Enjoyed overall but have some criticisms. Massive spoilers ahead!
I grew up playing the first Mario Galaxy game so I was pretty excited for this. Overall, I think this is a decent film but naming it after the Galaxy games was a misstep in my opinion. While there were elements of the story that were pulled from the games, they sort of sidelined one of the major characters from the game, Rosalina, and wasted her potential. They gave Fox McCloud more screen time than Rosalina in her own story. That being said, with all the extra character cameos, it really does feel like they're building towards a Super Smash Bros. movie or something.** Project Hail Mary (2026) ** - 7/10
A fun watch indeed, but don't expect another "The Martian". Massive spoilers ahead!
I had to spend a while rewriting this section since I wasn't sure what to talk about. I went into this movie expecting another movie like The Martian. I expected build ups of tension as problems were introduced, scenes walking us through the main character trying out different things to fix them, showing some of the science, finally finding a breakthrough and then moving on to the next problem. Project Hail Mary does do that, but in a very hand-wavy sort of way. It's not bad, just very different from what I was expecting. It's a feel good movie for sure with a pretty classic formula of two different people with two very different backgrounds coming together to solve a shared problem. However, with the hype of The Martian, it unfortunately kinda set the wrong expectation for the movie for me. I'll need to watch this again with a clear mind.
Does anybody want to talk about:
M (1931): ★★★
I don't usually like movies with unsympathetic protagonists, but this one worked since Mr. M isn't really quite a protagonist. This movie does the suspenseful chase really well without any smoke and mirrors or modern special effects. The ending was slightly abrupt, and we don't explicitly get the fate of one of the minor characters, but this was good overall.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): ★★☆
I am Groot.
The Passion of the Christ (2004): ★★★
I have lots of Christmas movies, but I realized that I don't really have any proper Easter movies. This was the closest thing, and I hadn't seen it before.
M is an incredible film. Yes it is old, but also very pure in the sense that everything is just built around the paranoia and tension from the fear of this murderer on the lose. A modern movie would have several side plots, character arcs or layers, which can be fine, but also strips away the simplicity that this movie shines from. Not quite the same thematically, but I can recommend I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang from 1932 for another example of a great films from the pre-code 30s that also benefits greatly from its narrative simplicity.
I saw Saltburn recently; the trailer really got me excited, but I was disappointed by the lack of narrative depth and the overly rushed pacing.
The acting and the sets are incredible, though, and some of the dialogue made me smile, but I was mostly disappointed by the lack of explanation regarding the main character's motivations.
I’m slowly going through the sci-fi catalogue at Tubi where the following were watched.
Tales Beyond the Galaxy
Sci-fi
I rate this a bit above meh. It’s a series of slow moving vignettes. One I liked, one I didn’t get, and one I didn’t like. The rest were okay. Would not watch again, but not unhappy that I watched it.
Andromeda
Sci-fi
Not really sure what’s going on here, but the movie was engaging enough. For a supposed production budget of $20,000, it’s better than it ought to be. I’d be mad at the ending but there’s an Andromeda 2. I’ll refrain from judging how I feel about it until I’ve watched the second one.
The Sheol Express
drama/sci-fi/fantasy short (30 min)
Odd, surreal, metaphorical? I mostly liked it. There were some crass moments I found unnecessary.
I watched Saturday Night last night which I know got a pretty tepid response when it was released but I actually really enjoyed it. I don't have a ton of nostalgia for SNL, particularly for that era since it was about 20 years before my time, but I do think this movie was the best version it could've been with this conceit. Sure, it dramatized things but they really really nailed the casting.
I went back to look what what I wrote after watching it. I sometimes forget about it and that it was pegged as a contender early on. From my memory I only recall Dylan O’Brien in shorts, and also being like wow they really cast a good looking guy for Dan Akroyd.