John

Indian actor Irrfan Khan has died at 53. 
 
Man this hurts. Really liked him as an actor; he was great in Life of Pi. 

Well it's typically,
 
My list > Sophisticated Algorithm > Some dude > These lists > Shittier sources > IMDb >>>> Rotten Scoundrels

Well that was... a logo. Not sure why Sony chose to market that as a video. 

Raiders of the Lost Ark
 
It's cinema comfort food at its finest. I know you all rag on me for watching the same old shit, but come on! The old shit was better. There are certainly things that get worse as you get older, but the best stuff improves with age. Raiders is like a fine aged middle eastern bottle of family label booze, just waiting in the cupboard for you to pop open and get hammered.

The Spider-Man trilogy 

The first two installments are classics for a reason; very stylish and self aware films that are often silly but have a lot of heart to them. Revisiting Spider-Man 2, I was impressed at how deftly the quieter, more emotional moments were handled. There’s a lot of great action in both, and it’s pretty clear how influential these films are in the landscape of modern superhero cinema. 
 
The third film is largely a mess and not very satisfying but there are some aspects that are enjoyable. The character of Sandman is portrayed well and definitely a highlight here. 
 
The Irishman 
 
Enjoyed this one a lot. This definitely felt like Scorsese returning to his roots; the subject material feels very familiar but that’s not a bad thing. It’s similar in some ways to Goodfellas and Casino, but it feels much more meditative in tone, like a contemplation of the end of an era. De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino give memorable and nuanced performances, and Scorsese’s direction is stylish and compelling. The period settings look gorgeous and the cinematography is typically great. The final 40 minutes are pretty powerful filmmaking. 
 
**** and 1/2 out of *****
 
Knives Out
 
A clever and fun take on the classic murder mystery. Great ensemble cast, with Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig being the standouts; both are very watchable screen presences. It’s not especially subtle at times, but it’s well crafted and took some unexpected turns I appreciated. Well worth your time. 
 
**** out of *****

The Spider-Man trilogy 

The first two installments are classics for a reason; very stylish and self aware films that are often silly but have a lot of heart to them. Revisiting Spider-Man 2, I was impressed at how deftly the quieter, more emotional moments were handled. There’s a lot of great action in both, and it’s pretty clear how influential these films are in the landscape of modern superhero cinema. 
 
The third film is largely a mess and not very satisfying but there are some aspects that are enjoyable. The character of Sandman is portrayed well and definitely a highlight here. 
 
The Irishman 
 
Enjoyed this one a lot. This definitely felt like Scorsese returning to his roots; the subject material feels very familiar but that’s not a bad thing. It’s similar in some ways to Goodfellas and Casino, but it feels much more meditative in tone, like a contemplation of the end of an era. De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino give memorable and nuanced performances, and Scorsese’s direction is stylish and compelling. The period settings look gorgeous and the cinematography is typically great. The final 40 minutes are pretty powerful filmmaking. 
 
**** and 1/2 out of *****
 
Knives Out
 
A clever and fun take on the classic murder mystery. Great ensemble cast, with Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig being the standouts; both are very watchable screen presences. It’s not especially subtle at times, but it’s well crafted and took some unexpected turns I appreciated. Well worth your time. 
 
**** out of *****

I love how this scores has various long stretches of music where you can merge short tracks into longer continuous ones, while retaining an incredible  musical flow. Examples:
 
- The opening sequence up to the Naboo invasion
- Meeting Jar Jar and until getting through the planet core
- The Queen is arrested up until the Escape from Naboo
 
JW truly was firing on all cylinders with this. And it's probably one of the most varied scores of his score. You get all sorts of textures, colors, moods, . What a treasure chest

Love the score, of course, but I have no need for another STAR WARS thread. This board has too many of them already. It's as if that's the only thing people care about.

Terrible loss, the man was an incredible talent with an eye for visuals. Responsible for some of the most iconic imagery in cinema.
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Rest in peace.
 

Abrams is hit and miss, but he most definitely has a visual style (even beyond lens flares), and that's my main attraction to directors. That being said, I don't want him anywhere NEAR a SHINING/King adaptation. Needs someone more raw. Flannagan was an ideal choice in that respect (for DOCTOR SLEEP), but maybe the big studio budget and 'suits' bogged him down, I don't know. It was far removed from his previous, great work in film and TV. Maybe someone like Ari Aster? I'm not as big a fan as everyone else, but he would definitely make an interesting choice for this.

Uh, does someone wanna tap this guy on the shoulder and remind him it's okay to develop original properties rather than piggyback off the success of other filmmakers all the time?

Official title treatment for Dune:
 

Official title treatment for Dune:
 

Official title treatment for Dune:
 

Seven, Snatch, Babel, Jesse James, Inglourious Basterds, The Tree Of Life... these are all “pretty boy” roles to you?
 
Sounds like you haven’t watched a Pitt film since the 90s. 

Well, with all the critical acclaim it had, I expected something more of it...

I was battling with myself for 2-3 days now, on whether I should watch Mad Max: Fury Road.
Well, I watched it eventually..
 
Meh.
A simplistic plot just to justify the use of special effects.
 

A friend and I met Randy Newman at a party years and years ago. My friend told Newman that he was his mother's favorite singer. "Oh yeah?" he responded. "How old is she?" My friend answered, then added she'd be older the next week -- her birthday was coming up. "It is?" Newman said. "Give me your phone." He did. He called her, sang Happy Birthday, said, "here's your son," and tossed the phone back to my friend. 
 
 

The McGuffin has also been changed. Now it's a vaccine against COVID-19. In his search, Indy catches the virus, and being close to 80, he doesn't make it. Mutt Jones continues the legacy.

So Ford will be 80 years old by the time this is released?
 
Please Disney, just cancel this already.

So Ford will be 80 years old by the time this is released?
 
Please Disney, just cancel this already.

BEST SEASON EVAH