What Is The Last Film You Watched? (2020 films)

[KK 3,307]

48 minutes ago, Brundlefly said:

Tenet is a great movie, however, the broad audience that apparently got used to emotional fastfood had demands on the movie that the movie has never even placed on itself. The dialogues and actions of the characters were never ever intended to be natural, but abstract. The critique of a movie needs to be in line with the movie's general premise and intention (important: not the maker's intention!). It is not a coincidence that the protagonist is called the "protagonist" in Tenet.

 

Oh please. Let's not pin this on "the audience is too dumb to get it" 

 

Pointless ciphers and vapid gestures circling around an empty centre are not exactly signs of a great film.

 

Tenet is no Roy Andersson film.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

1 hour ago, Brundlefly said:

???

INCEPTION was as convoluted and hard to follow as TENET.

Yet, it was a box office smash.

Are you saying the audience for TENET is less sophisticated?

[A24 4,331]

11 hours ago, Edmilson said:

 

Dunkirk might be a good movie, but not because of Nolan's script. 

 

The script is the most problematic aspect of that movie.

 

Because it's not script driven or character driven, Dunkirk does things quite differently than most other movies, so I'm not even sure if the script is problematic. I have the impression that Nolan tried to make Tenet somewhat similar to Dunkirk but he also wanted to make a typical or classic Nolan joint. Maybe this is where the shoe pinches?

 

10 hours ago, Brundlefly said:

The dialogues and actions of the characters were never ever intended to be natural, but abstract.

 

You mean"abstract" besides the reaction of the characters to the inverted world, which is, of course, unnatural? What I noticed is that acting itself leaned towards 'natural' as opposed to 'heightened'. 

[rough cut 1,714]

Godmothered

 

Spoiler

I liked this movie right up until the end... is this what we teach kids today?

 

“‘Forget happily ever after, just live happily.” Seems very millennial.

 

To paraphrase: “Just do the bare minimum kids! You deserve to be happy even if you fail, as long as you think that you are a success - you are!“

 

Ummmm, no.

Why couldn’t we have the two main characters end up romantically entwine - what’d be wrong with that? Too saccharin for today’s audience?

 

Apparently.

Music was good though, glad to see Rachel Portman back in form.

[A24 4,331]

The Midnight Sky

 

 

Zzz ... Clooney and the kid couldn't keep me awake. Please, Netflix, don't make movies like this anymore.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

Honestly, Alex, I thought that the trailer would have put you off? Oh, well. Some people never learn 

[A24 4,331]

The trailer did put me off, Richard, but I wanted to make sure. I stopped watching after 30 minutes or so. 

[crocodile 8,006]

That's why you should stick with Master Nolan at all times. He'll show you the wondrous magic of cinema.

 

Karol

[Naïve Old Fart 9,516]

We're doomed!

[A24 4,331]

 

School teachers experimenting with alcohol. To be honest, it was just okay, but I expected more than okay. The idea that people are performing better professionally as well as socially when they have 0.5 (per mille) alcohol in their blood is an interesting starting point but of course things go quickly and predictably out of hand after that. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

54 minutes ago, AC1 said:

The idea that people are performing better professionally as well as socially when they have 0.5 (per mille) alcohol in their blood is an interesting starting point

 

See here:

https://xkcd.com/323/

[Matt C 452]

Wonder Woman 1984

 

It's certainly bigger and louder than the first movie, but not necessarily better. Returning director Patty Jenkins tailors it as a self-contained story (although a mid-credits scene hints at what's to come), but it gets bogged down with an unnecessarily convoluted plot device. Kristen Wiig is hot AF in this movie, but badly miscast as one of the main baddies. Her character is badly developed, as is Pedro Pascal's Max Lord.

 

What really saves it is leading lady Gal Gadot, who maintains effortless charm and charisma as the titular role. Her sparks with Chris Pine are almost as good as the first movie, and the action scenes are riveting (not as good as the No Man's Land sequence). Hans Zimmer delivered a nuanced and mostly orchestral score that hearkens back to his fun mid-to-late '90s Media Venture days. No dreary Nolan/Snyder soundscapes here. 

 

The movie starts and ends well, with great stuff in the middle and sluggish plot filler throughout. Hopefully Gadot and Jenkins can reunite and finish a third WW film on a strong note.

[KK 3,307]

 

Soul

 

Pete Doctor clearly knows how to maximize the Pixar formula for all its potential worth, resulting in a lovely cocktail of fantastic subversive visuals, lite metaphysical observations and heart. It's probably Pixar's most ambitious film, which makes the predictable third act a little more than disappointing. But at the end of day, these are family crowdpleasers, so there's only so far Pixar can go, and boy do they get a lot of mileage out of it. Pixar's existential fantasia is easily their best in years.

 

Batiste's jazz compositions are great, and Reznor/Ross' score worked well, though a bit anonymous. I feel like Tom Coolman could have worked in similar sonic territory but delivered more heart to make those Pixar beats really hit home.

[Jay 37,352]

Yea certainly their overall best film since Inside Out (though Toy Story 4 was harmless  fun).

 

I was really only disappointed by the ending - everything after he exits the jazz club.  Before then the entire film was firing on all cylinders, after that it seemed like they were hesitant about what direction to go in and not really all that confident about the direction they chose.

 

It was fun trying to guess the voice actors while watching (I hadn't looked up a thing about the film so literally didn't even know what the plot was, let alone who was in it).  Lots of big stars, and if I'm not mistaken, no John Ratzenberger?  I didn't see his name in the end credits anyway.

[KK 3,307]

Agreed. And that whole "lost soul" chase bit was kind of like this film's equivalent of the silly dog fight sequence in Up. Felt like something shoehorned for the kids.

 

1 hour ago, Jay said:

It was fun trying to guess the voice actors while watching (I hadn't looked up a thing about the film so literally didn't even know what the plot was, let alone who was in it).  Lots of big stars, and if I'm not mistaken, no John Ratzenberger?  I didn't see his name in the end credits anyway.

 

Apparently he had a cameo as one of the off-screen voices when we see the main character's memories.

[Jay 37,352]

Ah, I figured they snuck him in somewhere.  Odd that he wasn't credited

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

On 9/14/2020 at 12:28 AM, KK said:

My understanding of the narrative [of i'm thinking of ending things]:

 

Yeah, I've watched it again and that seems to be a pretty good fit.

 

Impressively, it made intuitive or emotional sense even in the absense of a literal interpretation. I think it's a film for which the admonition "Don't try to understand it; feel it" could be helpful.

[Bayesian 1,363]

On 12/25/2020 at 7:43 PM, Matt C said:

Wonder Woman 1984

 

It's certainly bigger and louder than the first movie, but not necessarily better. Returning director Patty Jenkins tailors it as a self-contained story (although a mid-credits scene hints at what's to come), but it gets bogged down with an unnecessarily convoluted plot device. Kristen Wiig is hot AF in this movie, but badly miscast as one of the main baddies. Her character is badly developed, as is Pedro Pascal's Max Lord.

 

What really saves it is leading lady Gal Gadot, who maintains effortless charm and charisma as the titular role. Her sparks with Chris Pine are almost as good as the first movie, and the action scenes are riveting (not as good as the No Man's Land sequence). Hans Zimmer delivered a nuanced and mostly orchestral score that hearkens back to his fun mid-to-late '90s Media Venture days. No dreary Nolan/Snyder soundscapes here. 

 

The movie starts and ends well, with great stuff in the middle and sluggish plot filler throughout. Hopefully Gadot and Jenkins can reunite and finish a third WW film on a strong note.

My wife and I watched WW84 last night and we loved it. In my case, this was a more enjoyable movie than just about every MCU/DCEU film I can recall right now, with the exception of Thor: Ragnarok and the first Iron man and Wonder Woman. Agreed with @Matt C that Wiig is hot in this (as is Gadot). Very much disagree that Pascal was miscast--his performance was wonderfully exuberant and "big." I can't believe he's the fucking Mandalorian. I mean, you could have a robot play the Mandalorian for all the acting that that character does, but there's something about Pascal in this performance that's perfect for Max Lord.

 

I get it that one's suspension of disbelief falls apart by the end of the movie, but I think I really just appreciate that the villain and main plot device are not "monster-y," if that makes sense. And the way wish fulfillment is woven throughout the characters and plot line is handled surprisingly well for a movie in this genre. I loved it all.

 

 

[Jay 37,352]

2 minutes ago, Bayesian said:

this was a more enjoyable movie than just about every MCU/DCEU film I can recall right now, with the exception of Thor: Ragnarok

 

Well that's an unpopular opinion if I ever saw one!

[Quintus 5,399]

 

Groundhog Day in the sunshine, only this time with the girl privy to the time loop problem and so there's some good excuses to have laughs while trying to figure a way out of multiverse purgatory. Set over an endlessly repeating wedding day at which both characters were unrelated guests, there's some really good moments here, and as romcoms go this one is more up my alley by way of not being your normal run-of-the-mill exercise in two people getting together. it's a charming little diversion which I'm glad I watched (although I wouldn't go as far as IGN and say it's the film of the year). 

 

It helped that the lead girl is a lady called Cristin Milioti, whom I first spotted in Fargo (actually, I saw her in an episode of Black Mirror prior to that). She's a solid comedy performer with big benign eyes and an irresistible smile. 

 

 

Someone should pair her up with Aubrey Plaza. They're both quirky in a way that is engaging. 

[Jay 37,352]

Palm Springs is one of the best films of 2020!

[Jay 37,352]

I was terrible at actually coming here and writing about the films I saw this year after I saw them, so I'll write up a bit about every 2020 film I've seen so far now (and try to be better about writing about films shortly after I see them going forward)

 

 

 

THE GENTLEMEN - Guy Ritchie's return to the Lock Stock / Snatch formula is very similar to those, except now it's Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Charlie Hunnam, Jeremy Strong, Colin Farrell, and Michelle Dockery.  It was enjoyable, nothing I feel like I'll ever see again though

 

THE INVISIBLE MAN - An incredibly well-made thriller, I was not surprised to see it was directed by Leigh Whannell when it was over, because UPGRADE was equally brilliant.  It's great to see what he can do with a much bigger budget!

 

GUNS AKIMBO - This was terrible, I came close to falling asleep.  Just not entertaining or funny enough

 

THE HUNT - Loved this film, I thought it was very well made, and quite hilarious at time.  "You done fucked up, bitch!"  Betty Gilpin was fantastic

 

COFFEE & KARIM - Forgettable action comedy (I genre I really like) that's sort of an updated Cop and a Half.  Betty Gilpin is great again, at least, hilarious ending

 

THE WRONG MISSY - A dumb Sandler-style flick that was perfect for us on a beer-filled Friday night, Lauren Lapkus brought her A game, David Spade was a decent straight man, and it was great to see Sarah Chalke again

 

THE LOVEBIRDS - Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are completely wasted is this action comedy that just isn't funny enough.  Paul Sparks was a good bad guy though

 

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA - We laughed.  Completely forgettable but worked for us as a Friday night drinking movie

 

IRRESISTIBLE - Pretty clever political comedy/drama directed by Jon Stewart starring Steve Carell, Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, Rose Byrne.  I quite enjoyed the clever ending

 

MY SPY - Pretty funny action/comedy with Dave Bautista (that guy brings it in everything I've seen him in)

 

THE OLD GUARD - I loved this action / sci-fi romp where Charlize Theron leads a crew of immortal warriors.  Interesting plot, nice story turns, good action scenes, I hope they make sequels

 

GREYHOUND - I loved this simple WW2 ocean thriller, never seen a movie quite like it.  The 90 minute runtime is refreshing and every single minute in between the bookends is exciting.  Would watch again any time

 

PALM SPRINGS - Fantastic rom/com with a sci-fi twist, I loved it and it's easily one of the best and most refreshing films of the year.  It makes a good double-feature with THE OLD GUARD, two different interesting perspectives on immortality vs humanity

 

AN AMERICAN PICKLE - A very nice little Seth Rogen vehicle, mostly so because it's not like the typical Seth Rogen flicks at all; He goes a decent dramatic turn in an interesting story here

 

BILL AND TED FACE THE MUSIC - Completely forgettable followup; It's like they forgot this was supposed to be a comedy series, it just wasn't that funny or interesting. 

 

THE BINGE - Pretty funny comedy slant on the "The Purge" series, where instead of crime being allowed on only one day a year, booze is banned all year except for one day and we follow a group of high school friends making the most of it.  Skyler Gisondo continues to be great in everything he's in (though admittedly, he basically plays the same character every time)

 

UNPREGNANT - Really nice buddy / road trip comedy, with memorable performances from the two leads (I had never seen them before) and an interesting story.  Not as good as BOOKSMART, but still worth watching and good in different ways

 

ANTELBELLUM - Completely terrible thriller, one of the worst movies I've seen in a while

 

ENOLA HOLMES - Enjoyable enough detective romp I suppose; It's based on YA novels and that's immediately apparent.  The hectic editing style makes all the action and chase scenes impossible to follow and it's all too long and meandering, but the cast is pretty good, maybe they'll improve as they continue to adapt the series

 

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO SEVEN - I enjoyed this interesting portrayal of an event I hadn't known about before

 

AVA - Forgettable action thriller that wastes Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, and Colin Farrell

 

HUBIE HALLOWEEN - Funniest Adam Sandler flick since Billy Madison / Happy Gilmore, and this felt like the third entry in that "trilogy" complete with references to both

 

THE WITCHES - Forgettable adaptation of Dahl's book, with weak CGI and meandering plotlines

 

NOELLE - Anna Kendrick makes any movie worth watching, and Shirley MacLaine, Julie Hagerty , Kingsley Ben-Adir and Billy Eichner bring their best too to a decent enough Christmas flick for the kids that has just enough in it that the adults won't be bored

 

HAPPIEST SEASON - A really nice new romcom by Clea DuVall doesn't quite make the most of its stellar cast (Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen but the whole is better than the sum of its parts (which include some clunkiness and cliched tropes)

 

GODMOTHERED - What had potential to be a Christmas classic for the kids just kinda falls flat despite Jillian Bell giving it her all, Isla Fisher is completely wasted

 

WONDER WOMAN 1984 - Harmless fluff.  I went in with no expectations (I didn't like the first movie) and so wasn't necessarily disappointed, and wasn't wowwed either.  It's just fine

 

SOUL - Really nice new Pixar flick, certainly their best in a while, though I dunno if I am fully onboard with the ending; The first 80% of the movie is brilliant though

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020 flicks I intend to see, but haven't yet

 

UNDERWATER - I like a good creature feature thriller

 

THE RHYTHM SECTION - It's terrible from all accounts but I'm mildly curious how Blake Lively does in an action role and what a non-Bond Broccoli flick is like

 

THE ASSISTANT - Julia Garner is great on OZARK and Matthew Macfadyen is great on SUCCESSION so why not

 

BIRDS OF PREY - I didn't love Suicide Squad but why not, seems fun enough

 

TIMMY FAILURE: MISTAKES WERE MADE - heard good things

 

HORSE GIRL - Mildly curious about it

 

DOWNHILL - I enjoyed Force Majeure a lot, curious about this remake

 

THE CALL OF THE WILD - Dunno why we haven't gotten around to this one yet

 

ONWARD - Ditto

 

DA 5 BLOODS - It looked interesting

 

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN - Great cast

 

TENET - I guess eventually we'll see it

 

THE NEW MUTANTS - Curious to see this train wreck

 

ROGUE - Mildly curious to see this hilariously-bad looking action/thriller starring Megan Fox vs wild animals

 

THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME - heard good things, looks depressing though

 

KAJILLIONAIRE - Great cast

 

LET HIM GO - I like to see every Giacchino-scored film eventually but I don't even know what this is about

 

HILLBILLY ELEGY - It'll probably be bad but I'm curious

 

MANK - Bummed by the mostly negative reviews, but I'll see it eventually anyway

FREAKY - Looks fun

 

FATMAN - Looks fun

 

RUN - Looks good

 

UNCLE FRANK - Heard great things

 

LET THEM ALL TALK - I like most Soderbergh, bad reviews though

 

MIDNIGHT SKY - Looked decent from the trailer but the reviews are pretty poor

 

NEWS OF THE WORLD - Seems interesting

 

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN - Ditto

 

 

 

I think 2020 will go down as a decent year for films

[Edmilson 7,436]

The Midnight Sky

 

Meh movie. It has some interesting moments, but overall a very bland and forgettable mix of sci-fi and drama.

 

Desplat's score is the best thing about it, so I'll look after the OST. But Desplat haters would probably hate the score, because it's Desplat at his most Desplatian.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

10/10

 

Wow!

I'm someone who is very knowledgeable about the events depicted in the film.

I was doubtful a two hour film could do the subjects justice.

An astounding piece of filmmaking.

Brilliant in every aspect!

On 11/29/2020 at 11:44 AM, Edmilson said:

It's unfortunate that many youngsters who watched Joker in theaters and thought it is a masterpiece never watched the original Scorsese movies which inspired it.

It surpasses them- by ALOT!

[A24 4,331]

Joker is a Scorsese movie for the superhero generation.

[Brundlefly 2,385]

Seems like the only 2020 movie I've seen is Tenet. However, I've seen a lot of Hitchcock flicks for the very first time and found out that I fucking love that director!

[KK 3,307]

18 hours ago, Edmilson said:

The Midnight Sky

 

Meh movie. It has some interesting moments, but overall a very bland and forgettable mix of sci-fi and drama.

 

Desplat's score is the best thing about it, so I'll look after the OST. But Desplat haters would probably hate the score, because it's Desplat at his most Desplatian.

 

It's so obviously a mishmash of tropes and scenes from far better sci-fi films, that it felt like the screenplay was assembled by a computer.

 

The score was as dull and unimaginative as the film. 

[Edmilson 7,436]

2 hours ago, KK said:

It's so obviously a mishmash of tropes and scenes from far better sci-fi films, that it felt like the screenplay was assembled by a computer.

 

 

Precisely that.

[A24 4,331]

KK and Edmilson get points for endurance. I could stomach more than 10 or 20 minutes of The Midnight Sky.  

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

On 1/2/2021 at 6:00 PM, Jay said:

...every 2020 film I've seen so far...

 

Wow - I've seen around a hundred 2020 films, which I thought was pretty good coverage, and yet I've only seen five of your twenty-eight.

[Jay 37,352]

That's kinda shocking.  Which 5 did you see?

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

The Invisible Man, Palm Springs, Ava, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Happiest Season. My reactions to them were pretty similar to yours, except that Palm Springs isn't one of my favourite of the year. It's great for a rom-com, but rom-coms aren't generally my cup of tea.

[Jay 37,352]

Most of the ones I saw that you didn't are comedies then, and most not great

 

But I would definitely recommend checking out GREYHOUND, THE HUNT, and SOUL - even if they might not change your top 10 list, they won't be a waste of your time

[Quintus 5,399]

49 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

 Palm Springs isn't one of my favourite of the year. It's great for a rom-com, but rom-coms aren't generally my cup of tea.

 

Same here. Enjoyed it well enough though. But film of the year? Surely not! 

[Jay 37,352]

What other 2020 films are better?

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

I'll check out Greyhound and The Hunt when I get the chance. Soul I'm less sure about, even though everyone raves about it - the last time I watched a Pixar film was nearly two decades ago when my sister agreed to give me her Jaws DVD in return for my watching Finding Nemo...

 

44 minutes ago, Jay said:

Most of the ones I saw that you didn't are comedies then, and most not great

 

My favourite 2020 films in the general rom-com orbit (if not exactly the traditional mould) were Saint Frances, The Climb, Shithouse and I Used to Go Here.

 

4 minutes ago, Quintus said:

Same here. Enjoyed it well enough though. 

 

Yeah, I'm glad I watched it - a very entertaining hour and a half - but I haven't thought about it much since and probably won't see it again.

[Jay 37,352]

21 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

the last time I watched a Pixar film was nearly two decades ago when my sister agreed to give me her Jaws DVD in return for my watching Finding Nemo...

 

Finding Nemo is one of their flicks aimed more direclty at children than adults.  Others in their repertoire have more appeal for adults, like The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Inside Out, and Soul.  I don't think any young kids would like Soul at all actually

[Quintus 5,399]

12 minutes ago, Jay said:

What other 2020 films are better?

 

I barely watched anything, but off the top of my head I thought Parasite was good. 

[Jay 37,352]

Aye, but that's a 2019 film

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

The release schedules have meant that several films (notably Parasite, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Uncut Gems and Clemency) are 2020 films in the UK though they were released in other places the previous year.

[Jay 37,352]

Yea I know

[Quintus 5,399]

Parasite didn't release here till Feb 2020. 

[Jay 37,352]

5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Yea I know

 

[GerateWohl 4,357]

18 minutes ago, Jay said:

I don't think any young kids would like Soul at all actually

I think you are right. They enjoy the slapstik, but "what did I make out of my life" is not really a kids topic.

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

23 minutes ago, Jay said:

Finding Nemo is one of their flicks aimed more direclty at children than adults.  Others in their repertoire have more appeal for adults...

 

I see; I always imagined that they would be similar in style and tone. I don't have anything against Finding Nemo, by the way; it just didn't do all that much for me (other than helping me swindle that copy of Jaws).

[Jay 37,352]

Nah their repertoire has different styles and tones throughout

[Quintus 5,399]

12 minutes ago, Jay said:

Yeah I know

 

Yeah you were just being your usual pedantic smartarse self. Plot twist: I literally set Parasite up as a Jaylure because I knew you wouldn't be able to resist pointing it out that the film actually came out in 2019 in the US and elsewhere (I remember because it did well at the Oscars at the beginning of the following year). 

[Jay 37,352]

Well we're an international message board and no one should be expected to keep track of when different films opened in different countries or anything, so you just go by the standards the majority of people use; IE Parasite made critics 2019 lists, won the oscars for 2019 films, etc.  Nothing more complicated than that.

 

Did you see any other 2020 films you liked more than Palm Springs?

[Quintus 5,399]

I mean, you just really overthink this shit. 

 

Edit: first Google result I found: 

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/01/the-50-best-films-of-2020

 

I literally don't care if something comes out earlier or later in another country, it doesn't affect me. 

[Jay 37,352]

Cool.

 

Did you see any other 2020 films you liked more than Palm Springs?