Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 I’m watching Amistad #DiscoStu #OnBrand Not Mr. Big and SteveMc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 The X-Files: I Want to Believe I really wanted to believe this wouldn't have been the final say on this franchise, but it looked that way for a long time. I enjoy this film as a piece of canon but I can see why it ended up pleasing pretty much nobody. Normies would have been lost and uninterested, and fans were just baffled by the choice in premise. Still I think its biggest asset is it's one of the most beautifully shot films I've seen in the modern era, which contributes to its classic X-Files atmosphere. Really kids, this is how you shoot "dark" - you need highlights composed meticulously to conjure a sense of spatial presence, and not that monochromatic blob of blackness you see in a lot of recent productions whose cinematographers and their dopey fanboys get defensive over. Oh and Gillian looks stunning in this. Gruesome Son of a Bitch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Give us us Spielberg movies that don't put me to sleep! JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,083 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 6 hours ago, Quintus said: I know people rave about Fury Road (AKA Big Trucks: The Movie), but it bored me and gave me a headache. That's what she said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 10 hours ago, Quintus said: I know people rave about Fury Road (AKA Big Trucks: The Movie), but it bored me and gave me a headache. Best film of the last 10 years! Officially! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 15 hours ago, Disco Stu said: I’m watching Amistad #DiscoStu #OnBrand I saw this one a couple of months ago. I liked it quite a bit. A couple of the historical inaccuracies are a little off-putting, and Spielberg gives in to some perhaps excessive sentimentality a couple of times, but overall it is quite impressive. The cast is cohesive and driving. The cinematography quite well done. And many sequences really lay things bare, with Spielberg bringing a unique vitality to the forefront. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeping Strings 2,363 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 On 5/11/2019 at 12:02 PM, Nick Parker said: Didn't it get criticized for being a white Asian dress up power fantasy back in the day? There was a movie that came out a few years ago that was another entry into that subgenre, I want to say it didn't do very well. The Great Wall with Matt Damon and the live-action Ghost In The Shell with ScarJo both got flak for being Asian stories with Western leads. Box-office considerations still trump cultural sensitivity (there's 3 words that don't appear together often, lol), it seems. Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 The Eiger Sanction So Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy being all manly and shit, and everyone else being all sissy and stuff, and Clint go climb a big rock man. Needed Spock to rescue him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,551 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Go and study your ass off. But, er...don't study it all off. Unlucky Bastard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,950 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Excalibur (1981) aka Soft-Focus: The Motion Picutre So this is what fantasy was like before the 2000s came about? Yuck. For an R-rated motion picture, its attempts at being gritty are counteracted by squeaky-clean suits of armour, lewd sex (with Boorman directing his own daughter in one instance), the incessant soft focus and green lighting. The way the actors are directed, too, is probably where Michael Bay learned his craft. When you have stage actors like Sir Patrick Stewart, you could be forgiven for directing them to infuse their performance with a bit of theatricality. But this is something else entirely: all of these performers SCREAM every other line, especially in the early scenes. Its defeaning! Which is problem enough, had not most of what they screamed been exposition or their own character motivations. I suppose the locations are pretty, and it gets points for guts. Writing off a movie never gives me joy, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't suffer through this. ** out of ***** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,514 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Two months ago, I saw a provocative movie on cable TV. It was called The Net with that girl from the bus. I did a little reading and I realized it wasn't too far-fetched. Unlucky Bastard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post A24 4,345 Posted May 13, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 13, 2019 6 hours ago, Chen G. said: Excalibur (1981). So this is what fantasy was like before the 2000s came about? Yes. This and ... Jurassic Shark, Chen G., John and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeping Strings 2,363 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Train To Busan - this very enjoyable South Korean 'zombies on a train' flick has gore, tension, a little humour and even a bit of genuine poignancy. And appropriately enough given its title, it moves at a fair old lick too. Fabulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 It's a rip-roaring comic strip of a zombie flick and very easy to recommend. Sweeping Strings 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,551 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 13 hours ago, Chen G. said: Excalibur (1981) aka Soft-Focus: The Motion Picutre ** out of ***** You dare diss EXCALIBUR! Take it back, all of it!! Are you a dream, Chen G? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 I even saw it in the theatre, which is something JoeinAR can't say (no way he was going to pay for a non-American movie). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 I prefer Krull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,551 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Well, they both have Liam Neeson 2 hours ago, Alexcremers said: I even saw it in the theatre, which is something JoeinAR can't say (no way he was going to pay for a non-American movie). Just before it was released in the uk, one of the red tops ran a two-page spread, focussing on Helen Mirren's...er..."assets". It was called (groan) SEXCALIBUR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 2 hours ago, SteveMc said: I prefer Krull. Saw that one too in the theatre. Remember it to be a Star Wars wannabe and didn't like it. For the record, I didn't like Excalibur either, but years later, I watched a version with black bars (on Dutch TV). It looked incredible. I loved it! Then decades later the Blu-ray came out, watch it, there were no black bars, and thought it was something of a kitsch fest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Interesting since Excalibur is a 1.85:1 film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,083 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 ...which gives black bars on a 4:3 screen. Don't you live in the 90s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 1 minute ago, Jurassic Shark said: ...which gives black bars on a 4:3 screen. Don't you live in the 90s? Yeah, I think i watched it on my Pioneer TV, which was a 4:3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 14, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted May 14, 2019 A.I. Artificial Intelligence I always enjoy revisiting this Spielbergian anomaly. Pre-9/11 dark and disturbing, a relief in these Trumpian times, conceived by the late director of Eyes Wide Shut and according to audiences either a masterpiece or trash after an aging increasingly dull Steven Spielberg got his hands on it. I've recounted the tale of seeing it on opening day and the projector breaking down during the overlong climax which led to even more groaning from an unimpressed audience. My feelings haven't really changed about it with the passage of time. I've always been somewhere in the middle, agreeing with those who both love and hate it. It's just that type of experience. I think ultimately it's something that I can't take my eyes off for about two solid hours. But there's the rub, as a Steve Jobsian William Hurt tells his skepticle board of directors. For the second consecutive viewing of this movie, I've nodded off during the awkward climax where David is discovered under the ice. I think 'awkward' is a good word to describe this flick. The idea of a robot made in the form of a child is odd. The child will never eat (Beware spinach!), sleep, grow old or even "love" unless given a command. This is inherently creepy and so opposite of what a child is, one wonders what the people in this strange futuristic society were thinking. Several people do question what the point of a mecha child would be. Created by a man mourning the loss of his son as a first-of-its-kind experiment for childless couples in this weird tomorrowland, well, the concept is still pretty hard to swallow. Now, sex worker robots I absolutely buy. The impression I got when I first saw A.I. was that it was going to be an anthology movie about different robots. The first story about David seems to have a clear beginning, middle and end, then Jude Law becomes the focus. This never happened, however. It doesn't take long for them to meet up after David is realistically and relatably made homeless and left to fend for himself in a dark and disturbing universe that, like Minority Report, seemed to rather accurately anticipate the post-9/11 world excepting smartphones. I think David was cast too old. Monica and her husband in their soulless posh home don't really come off as Spielbergian at all. In fact, the actress playing Monica is perhaps the worst in any Spielberg production. This leads to a lot of awkwardness and a near-impossibility of watching this movie with anyone else around when the young Norman Batesian Osment is obsessing over being reunited with Mother. It is more creepy than anything. I find Jude Law with receding hairline and leather jacket more charming. Despite being another weird robotic creation, he has a clearer understanding of the world and his place in it, charisma and a more interesting arc. His programmed loving nature and desire for self-preservation makes him indebted and caring towards the boy robot. Sadly, the focus returns to David in the overlong sleep-inducing climax. I get it. The future mecha's closest link to humans is David, a robo boy designed to love and dream. Then the message perhaps is that the essence of humanity will be preserved by our technology, or what we leave behind. While I do certainly believe this may be an accurate prediction, things get a bit too damn--yep, I'm going to say it--schmaltzy. The visuals are stunning. John Williams delivers the goods on his end. The score is effectively eerie, brooding and heartfelt, just skip the song. Jude Law steals the show, but there are memorable appearances by Brendan Gleeson as a trashy ringleader, Hurt as a depressed industrialist and the teddy bear. The Illustrious Jerry, SteveMc, A24 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 10 hours ago, Ghostbusters II said: The idea of a robot made in the form of a child is odd. The child will never eat (Beware spinach!), sleep, grow old or even "love" unless given a command. This is inherently creepy and so opposite of what a child is, one wonders what the people in this strange futuristic society were thinking. Several people do question what the point of a mecha child would be. A child that will always stay a child (and thus forever dependent) is exactly what some mothers would like to have, I think. It would be an answer to the often heard 'complaint' that they grow up too fast. Well, maybe David was indeed already a bit too old and not adorable enough to fulfil that 'desire'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 10 hours ago, Ghostbusters II said: Monica and her husband in their soulless posh home don't really come off as Spielbergian at all. In fact, the actress playing Monica is perhaps the worst in any Spielberg production. It's one of the numerous misconceptions of this sucker to have a mother as personality-free as that soulless interior-decorator-cum-Ikea home (i buy that she's depressed but at least give her a manic phase, too!). Would this have worked in a Kubrick version? I doubt it, though it would have probably made more sense from a narrative POV. For Spielberg, it's a death knell. You would have needed someone on the level of a younger Sally Field to make that part of the story come alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 2 hours ago, publicist said: to make that part of the story come alive. But it was the best part of the movie since this act does deal with interesting questions about the relationship between man and artificial intelligence. The 'journey' and the 'supermechas' part is where the movie becomes less interesting, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 And that makes it good by implication? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 It certainly doesn't make it bad. The first act was interesting because of what was going on. I never felt it needed a Sally Field so one could relate to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 I like the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Was that ordinary song even used in the movie? Or was it meant to be a hit song to satisfy the Whitney Houston crowd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 8 hours ago, Alexcremers said: It certainly doesn't make it bad. The first act was interesting because of what was going on. I never felt it needed a Sally Field so one could relate to it. It's not about 'relating'. It's the usual boring millenium motif of american cinema (also see: Wes Anderson) of prosperous but whiny americans suffering through endless bouts of soul-searching and depression . Not very inviting and basically lazy screenwriting. Gruesome Son of a Bitch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 2 hours ago, publicist said: It's not about 'relating'. But it is, that's why you feel so disconnected to it. Because it's ... Quote ... boring millenium motif of american cinema (also see: Wes Anderson) of prosperous but whiny americans suffering through endless bouts of soul-searching and depression . Not very inviting and basically lazy screenwriting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 I don't really understand all the comments I've read on YouTube videos with women claiming to ball their eyes out at the end of A.I. That implies chick flickage status, but I don't feel any emotion during that scene. Something screwy here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,345 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Just now, Ghostbusters II said: That implies chick flickage status, but I don't feel any emotion during that scene. Imagine it was E.T. spending one more day with Elliot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Pete and Dorinda? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 2,032 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Funny, the premise to the upcoming Pixar movie Onward is very similar to A.I.: Quote The film is set in a suburban fantasy world where humans do not exist, populated with fantasy creatures. Two elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic in the world in order to spend a day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Seems quite different to me. Gruesome Son of a Bitch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK 3,307 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Sounds like a lame Dreamworks flick. SteveMc and The Illustrious Jerry 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Then Desplat should do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,372 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna are scoring it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Well it's like George and Ira Gershwin. Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not Mr. Big 4,639 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 5 hours ago, Jay said: Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna are scoring it Pixar's clearly just trying to recreate the success of The Good Dinosaur! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,372 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 The lowest grossing film they've ever released! https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=pixar.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 It's a bit sad that their two best films (Ratatouille and Wall-E) are so low on that list. The Illustrious Jerry and Koray Savas 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,372 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Yea it's clear looking at the list they pretty much give sequels to the original ones that make the most money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 George Lucas said in an Australian interview in 1999 that sequels never make more than their originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,950 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 As was - and has remained - the general pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Each Toy Story has made more than the previous one though. A pattern I bet will be broken with the 4th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMc 2,674 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Toy Story 4 is painfully unnecessary. As was Cars 3 (and I love the original Cars). This new thing with the elves and the magic seems rehashed. Nowhere near the guts of Pixar's best concepts. They need to think outside the box again. The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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