PCF at the Movies (4 Viewers)

[jbutler]

As this is the season to express thanks and gratitude, I thought I would share something movie-related I realized I am thankful for this weekend as I was watching the preview for Joy.

I am very thankful that David O. Russell and Jennifer Lawrence have chosen to team up repeatedly over the last several years. I find Jennifer Lawrence to be extremely overrated and David O. Russell to be irritating as hell, but with sparks of greatness that keep making me want to give each of his new films a chance. He has produced two stone cold classics: Three Kings and The Fighter. Apart from that, his movies are too entertained with themselves to be loved even though there are scenes in each that show what he would be capable of if he weren't such a relentless douche.

But at least he has pulled Jennifer Lawrence into his charade of faux prestige film and minimized her involvement in other great films by directors I truly love. She can always rest on the fact that she's in "real"movies due to her association with David O. Russell, so perhaps her agent doesn't push for her to be in the next big film by Scorcese or Tarantino or Paul Thomas Anderson.

Okay, that's a bit snarky, but it has also honestly been a great year for film. And we have plenty of more new releases to get to. I could come up with a very good top ten at this moment and I expect I haven't even seen half the movies that will ultimately make my list at the end of the year. Thought it's primarily been the year genre film (It Follows, Mad Max, The Gift, Crimson Peak), there have been some excellent comedies (Mistress America, American Ultra) and traditional dramas (Phoenix, Spotlight). And at least one movie that looks to be quickly climbing my personal list of all time favorites with each revisit (Queen of Earth).
While some of those anticipated movies from the top of this page didn't turn out to be a wonderful as I'd hoped (Steve Jobs, By the Sea, Suffragette), there are a few top notch contenders on the way (The Force Awakens, The Hateful 8, The Revenant). Can't wait.

 

[detroitdad]

Captain America: Civil War trailer. Very much looking forward to this. Loved comics version.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/73828

 

[Anthony Martino]

Captain America: Civil War trailer. Very much looking forward to this. Loved comics version.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/73828

I was looking forward to this but was left underwhelmed by the trailer. I just feel the trailer was too focused on Captain America's friend he's trying to protect, rather than what I thought the issue of the Civil War was about (the Superhero Registration Act that Cap and some Heroes oppose and Iron Man and some Heroes support) and the issues of liberty and civil order that go along with it

 

[Phantom]

@jbutler Couldn't agree more about Jennifer Lawrence being over-rated. I saw American Hustle (rather, I was cajoled into seeing American Hustle), and she was underwhelming in that. Consequently, I don't see movies with her in it. Snark away

 

[jbutler]

@jbutler Couldn't agree more about Jennifer Lawrence being over-rated. I saw American Hustle (rather, I was cajoled into seeing American Hustle), and she was underwhelming in that. Consequently, I don't see movies with her in it. Snark away

She ruined her scenes in America Hustle, but honestly the movie was so stuck up its own ass that she didn't do any real damage to its overall quality. David O. Russell wanted to be Martin Scorcese so bad with that movie it was pathetic.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Agreed on Jennifer Lawrence, never found her as amazing as the public seems to. But pretty much only have the Hunger Games movies under my belt and haven't watched American Hustle yet.

I mean, she's ok looking, not great. Her acting is ok but not great. I think the big appeal is that she trips in public and people feel like they can relate to her

 

[atomiktoaster]

I thought she was pretty good in silver linings playbook. She's a bit stiff in the hunger games by comparison, but that could be writing/direction.

 

[Phantom]

She ruined her scenes in America Hustle, but honestly the movie was so stuck up its own ass that she didn't do any real damage to its overall quality. David O. Russell wanted to be Martin Scorcese so bad with that movie it was pathetic.

Nailed it mate, awful show. I didn't mind the fella who played the Mayor in that one, he did a good job. I found the whole hair thing with both Bale and Cooper quite bizarre, and frankly, disturbing.

 

[jbutler]

I thought she was pretty good in silver linings playbook. She's a bit stiff in the hunger games by comparison, but that could be writing/direction.

There was one scene in Silver Linings that had me absolutely dying like almost crying laughing:

It's possible I could be forgetting one or two more, but my recollection is other than that scene I found the movie totally forgettable and mediocre. As usual, Jennifer Lawrence annoyed the hell out of me as did the presumption of the film that I would be completely taken with her in every scene.

She's very good in one movie - Winter's Bone - and I have a feeling she's good in it because they caught her before she got all the hot air blown up her ass by Hollywood dickfaces who expect everyone to think her shit doesn't stink.

BTW, Winter's Bone is an excellent movie and highly recommended.

 

[BGinGA]

Finally got around to watching Man of Steel. Anyone else get a very Battlestar Galactica vibe from it? The visuals, camera cuts and even the music really reminded me of the BG reboot. Of course, there were also some BG actors in the movie as well.

For the record, I did not appear in said film.

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Pretty awesome gif of the evolution of on-screen Batman

 

[tigon]

Pretty awesome gif of the evolution of on-screen Batman

I've only seen The Dark Knight series and the batnipple movie with Poison Ivy in it. Any of the others worth a watch?

 

[jbutler]

I've only seen The Dark Knight series and the batnipple movie with Poison Ivy in it. Any of the others worth a watch?

60s Batman was great but you have to be up for some serious camp humor. The two Tim Burton movies are awesome.

 

[jbutler]

Saw two movies this weekend in the theater and both were stunningly good.

First, Creed.

There was a glimpse in the trailer of what Creed could be and that's what made me excited to see it, but I didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it was. To be honest, I never thought much of Michael B. Jordan and I was a little bummed he got this part. He certainly has the look, but I've never seen him in anything but superficial parts that require little in the way of actual acting (I haven't seen Fruitvale Station, though). And for all the accolades heaped upon the first Rocky film, Sylvester Stallone is still underrated as an actor. Both turn in huge performances.

But the performances aren't the only things that make the movie. What makes the movie is the writing, which is phenomenal. Boxing movies are almost always about a hard-scrabble guy coming up from poverty or at least lower class conditions in a tough gym with tough guys who help him get through a tough life. They could have gone that way here if they had continued on with the short prelude that starts the movie. But it would have been an easy way to communicate the tension welling inside Adonis Creed. Instead, they show Adonis for what he is: a privileged kid who has an interior struggle that isn't always obvious to those around him, but which nevertheless pushes him to prove himself.

Not accidentally, Rocky is going through the same thing. He's a local hero and an undisputed success, but he carries a pain that, naturally, he can't communicate. When he has the chance to reconnect with someone from his past in the form of training Adonis, he opens back up and has to pull out into the world his previously suppressed fear and hopelessness.

This might stand toe to toe with the original Rocky. I'm looking forward to a second viewing to see if it continues to carry the same weight.

I also saw Room.

The story is obviously beyond heart-wrenching, so it's no surprise that the film is wall to wall emotion and tension. Astonishingly, though, it isn't manipulative. I have seen some complain that it is in the sense that the voiceover from the child is intended to pull on the audiences heartstrings. Maybe that's the result, but I think the intention with the voiceover is to give an indirect look into how the child has been raised to see what little miniscule part of the world he's known.

The structure of the film initially gave me pause. I could see half way through that the movie was going to be cleanly divided into a half spent in "room" and a half spent in the world. It breaks the traditional three act structure in that way and I wondered if the director hadn't blown his load with the hard-charging first half so much that he would have trouble holding my attention for the second. But he did it. I would imagine a lot of directors would have chopped it up into three acts showing Brie Larson's capture, her imprisonment, and her freedom. That certainly would have been the ordinary and maybe easier way to do it.

Splitting it as he did, the director forces you to give equal weight to the trauma endured by the protagonists. Yes, being imprisoned is hell. But what if when you leave hell you don't go to heaven? What if you go to a place in which you're expected to relive and reinterpret your prison and your actions while you were there? Undoubtedly a better place, mind you, but it is likely to sometimes feel as only a different means to the same end.

Anyway, before I bloviate any further and sound even more pretentious, the performances, as in Creed, were fantastic. Brie Larson is unsurprisingly good (as she very often is) and the child actor is certainly at the top echelon of child actors. Of course, when you predict greatness, you get mediocrity, so hopefully he won't be saddled with too many expectations, but he was wonderful.

The one single criticism I have is of the score. There are times where it is way too Explosions In The Sky-esque, mostly during the "escape" sequence. Other elements during the "in the world" chapter were quite beautiful and appropriate, but if I could change anything about modern film score, it would be to erase all the influence of Explosions In The Sky. It's just so, so, so, so overused at this point.

Both Creed and Room will be very strong contenders for any year-end top ten.

 

[manamongkids]

Saw two movies this weekend in the theater and both were stunningly good.

First, Creed.

There was a glimpse in the trailer of what Creed could be and that's what made me excited to see it, but I didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it was. To be honest, I never thought much of Michael B. Jordan and I was a little bummed he got this part. He certainly has the look, but I've never seen him in anything but superficial parts that require little in the way of actual acting (I haven't seen Fruitvale Station, though). And for all the accolades heaped upon the first Rocky film, Sylvester Stallone is still underrated as an actor. Both turn in huge performances.

But the performances aren't the only things that make the movie. What makes the movie is the writing, which is phenomenal. Boxing movies are almost always about a hard-scrabble guy coming up from poverty or at least lower class conditions in a tough gym with tough guys who help him get through a tough life. They could have gone that way here if they had continued on with the short prelude that starts the movie. But it would have been an easy way to communicate the tension welling inside Adonis Creed. Instead, they show Adonis for what he is: a privileged kid who has an interior struggle that isn't always obvious to those around him, but which nevertheless pushes him to prove himself.

Not accidentally, Rocky is going through the same thing. He's a local hero and an undisputed success, but he carries a pain that, naturally, he can't communicate. When he has the chance to reconnect with someone from his past in the form of training Adonis, he opens back up and has to pull out into the world his previously suppressed fear and hopelessness.

This might stand toe to toe with the original Rocky. I'm looking forward to a second viewing to see if it continues to carry the same weight.

I also saw Room.

The story is obviously beyond heart-wrenching, so it's no surprise that the film is wall to wall emotion and tension. Astonishingly, though, it isn't manipulative. I have seen some complain that it is in the sense that the voiceover from the child is intended to pull on the audiences heartstrings. Maybe that's the result, but I think the intention with the voiceover is to give an indirect look into how the child has been raised to see what little miniscule part of the world he's known.

The structure of the film initially gave me pause. I could see half way through that the movie was going to be cleanly divided into a half spent in "room" and a half spent in the world. It breaks the traditional three act structure in that way and I wondered if the director hadn't blown his load with the hard-charging first half so much that he would have trouble holding my attention for the second. But he did it. I would imagine a lot of directors would have chopped it up into three acts showing Brie Larson's capture, her imprisonment, and her freedom. That certainly would have been the ordinary and maybe easier way to do it.

Splitting it as he did, the director forces you to give equal weight to the trauma endured by the protagonists. Yes, being imprisoned is hell. But what if when you leave hell you don't go to heaven? What if you go to a place in which you're expected to relive and reinterpret your prison and your actions while you were there? Undoubtedly a better place, mind you, but it is likely to sometimes feel as only a different means to the same end.

Anyway, before I bloviate any further and sound even more pretentious, the performances, as in Creed, were fantastic. Brie Larson is unsurprisingly good (as she very often is) and the child actor is certainly at the top echelon of child actors. Of course, when you predict greatness, you get mediocrity, so hopefully he won't be saddled with too many expectations, but he was wonderful.

Both Creed and Room will be very strong contenders for any year-end top ten.

go listen to Bill Simmons podcast with Michael B Jordan (Adonis Creed), worth the listen

 

[jbutler]

go listen to Bill Simmons podcast with Michael B Jordan (Adonis Creed), worth the listen

It might just be worth suffering through Bill Simmons to check it out

 

[spikeithard]

Watched Interstellar for the 2nd time last night. Pretty solid movie and I love the tesseract part when you realize he is the 'ghost' . sorry spoiler!
I just had to go on youtube right after it was done and see a better explanation of the ending and I ended up getting into some videos of Neil D. Tyson talking about the movie and quantum physics in general. Really amazing and mind bending stuff. Just awesome to think that everything is happening at the same time on different 'time' spectrum's. AKA your always being born, your always having sex and your always dying. I recommend searching 'interstellar Neil Tyson' on youtube and being in awe. here is a good short one...

I just finished though tonight, 'No Escape'. Wow what a suspenseful thriller. Fairly predictable though of course but still 2 hours of mind releasing action.

 

[detroitdad]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/73867

A quick clip from Batman vs Superman. Kind of dark. I hope this is good. I don't hold high hopes for it.

 

[bergs]

I was underwhelmed by Creed at first, but the first scene with both of the main actors together grabbed me. I love that Rocky revealed who won the mythical third fight between him and Apollo. After that, it seemed to pick up and I enjoyed it.

 

[tommythecat]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/73867

A quick clip from Batman vs Superman. Kind of dark. I hope this is good. I don't hold high hopes for it.

I enjoyed Man of Steel though I agree with most everyone that the fight between Supes and Zod was way too much. The recent news of the studio wanting MORE AFFLECK in the movie has me a bit worried... http://www.slashfilm.com/batman-v-superman-adding-more-batman/

Spoiler: Speculation

The sequence in the clip is most likely a dream sequence according to what I have seen talked about online.

 

[manamongkids]

need a spotlight review, tempted to see it soon, although i usually only attend theaters for comic book movies, action and 3d. Spotlight is definitely not on my theater list

 

[jbutler]

need a spotlight review, tempted to see it soon, although i usually only attend theaters for comic book movies, action and 3d. Spotlight is definitely not on my theater list

My thoughts earlier in this thread here. In short, I loved it. Highly recommend seeing it. Nothing intrinsic to the film which would make it necessary to see it in the theater, though I prefer to see the vast majority of movies in the theater, so I have a bias in favor of it.

 

[detroitdad]

Last week I streamed the 1953 version "War of the Worlds". For some reason tonight I'm streaming the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds. Its actually not to bad from what I remember.

Faults:

1. Dakota Fanning screaming way to much
2. Tim Robbins. Entire scene with him just felt out of place
3. Tom Cruise. I still struggle with him in movies even though some of them are pretty solid
4. His son leaving to join the war and returning alive. Maybe the worse part of the movie.

Pro's:

1. Aliens blow tons of shit up.

 

[jbutler]

Last week I streamed the 1953 version "War of the Worlds". For some reason tonight I'm streaming the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds. Its actually not to bad from what I remember.

Faults:

1. Dakota Fanning screaming way to much
2. Tim Robbins. Entire scene with him just felt out of place
3. Tom Cruise. I still struggle with him in movies even though some of them are pretty solid
4. His son leaving to join the war and returning alive. Maybe the worse part of the movie.

Pro's:

1. Aliens blow tons of shit up.

Agreed that the son's return is bad, but that was actually the only criticism I can recall. I really liked it on initial release and on rewatch.

I've got several Spielberg sci-fi flicks on the queue for rewatch in the near future: Close Encounters, E.T., Minority Report and War of the Worlds. My recollection is Minority Report is my favorite of those 4 with Close Encounters close behind, then War and finally E.T. I know it's a classic, but it's never been one of my personal favorites.

 

[detroitdad]

Agreed that the son's return is bad, but that was actually the only criticism I can recall. I really liked it on initial release and on rewatch.

I've got several Spielberg sci-fi flicks on the queue for rewatch in the near future: Close Encounters, E.T., Minority Report and War of the Worlds. My recollection is Minority Report is my favorite of those 4 with Close Encounters close behind, then War and finally E.T. I know it's a classic, but it's never been one of my personal favorites.

Never was an ET fan. Loved minority report and close encounter

 

[Anthony Martino]

Just watched Thor 2 and was compelled to make this meme, pleased to enjoy

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Captain America: Civil War trailer. Very much looking forward to this. Loved comics version.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/73828

I was looking forward to this but was left underwhelmed by the trailer. I just feel the trailer was too focused on Captain America's friend he's trying to protect, rather than what I thought the issue of the Civil War was about (the Superhero Registration Act that Cap and some Heroes oppose and Iron Man and some Heroes support) and the issues of liberty and civil order that go along with it

 

[jbutler]

The Golden Globe nominations came out today and as usual they are horrible.

BEST PICTURE (DRAMA)
Mad Max: Fury Road
Room
Spotlight
The Revenant
Carol

BEST PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Joy
Spy
The Big Short
The Martian
Trainwreck

BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)
Cate Blanchett (Carol)
Rooney Mara (Carol)
Brie Larson (Room)
Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)
Will Smith (Concussion)
Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl)
Leonardo DICaprio (The Revenant)
Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

BEST ACTRESS (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Lily Tomlin (Grandma)
Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)
Melissa McCarthy (Spy)
Maggy Smyth (The Lady in the Van)
Amy Schumer (Trainwreck)

BEST ACTOR (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
Al Pacino (Danny Collins)
Mark Ruffalo (Infinitely Polar Bear)
Christian Bale (The Big Short)
Steve Carell (The Big Short)
Matt Damon (The Martian)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)
Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)
Helen Mirren (Trumbo)
Jane Fonda (Youth)
Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Shannon (99 Homes)
Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation)
Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
Sylvester Stallone (Creed)
Paul Dano (Love & Mercy)

BEST DIRECTOR
Todd Haynes (Carol)
George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
Ridley Scott (The Martian)
Alejandro Inarritu (The Revenant)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer (Spotlight)
Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs)
Charles Randolph, Adam McKay (The Big Short)
Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight)
Emma Donoghue (Room)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS
Mustang (France)
Son of Saul (Hungary)
The Brand New Testament (Belgium, France, Luxembourg)
The Club (Chile)
The Fencer (Finland, Germany, Estonia)

 

[snooptodd]

Not sure if this belongs here or in the WTF/Derail, but this mashup is outstanding.

If you're wondering WTF this is all about ... here's the inspiration.

 

[jbutler]

Been too lazy/busy (both at once is possible I promise) to update this thread, so a few quick words on the last few movies I didn't stick in here:

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Pretty underwhelming. Maybe the best example of why final books in a series should not be chopped up into two films (a la Harry Potter, Twilight, etc.). If Mockingjay had been put into one film, I think it could have been the best of the series. Instead, it's split into movies 3 and 4 and I'm left wondering if there's any plausible reason beyond the obvious cash grab motivation. So much wasted time in this movie and it's still 2+ hours.

In the Heart of the Sea

I'm tempted to say this movie doesn't know what it wants to be, but that would imply that it could be more than one thing. In reality, it's nothing. Totally uninteresting. The CGI looks laughably bad at points (I think due to its mixing with the somewhat eccentric digital feel of the movie) which these days is pretty much unforgivable. I have no idea whether I was supposed to be rooting for Hemsworth's character and if so, why. What minuscule backstory was provided was completely pat.

If it was supposed to be an adventure thriller then why was it so boring for such long stretches. If it was supposed to be a character study, why was it so devoid of development. Not bad (other than some of the CGI), but just a totally wasted 2 hours.

Tangerine

Waited too long to see this one. Hilarious and cool. The camera work (it was famously shot on an iPhone 5S) is really compelling and even if I hadn't know it was shot with a phone, I would have been impressed with the look and probably would not have suspected it was filmed with anything other than affordable equipment. The characters (portrayed by actual trans prostitutes from LA) were completely believable and memorable.

It really reminded me of a 90s-era indie film with the actual plot and action as a backdrop to the dialogue and personalities, both of which are stellar. And a great length. I think it was 97 minutes or something. Wonderful watch. On Netflix and highly recommended.

Goodnight Mommy

Waited a bit to see this one too and I liked it, didn't love it. Austrian horror film (maybe German but set in Austria?) about two kids whose mom comes home from an accident/surgery in bandages and they have suspicions that maybe somehow she's not their mom.

This probably would have played a ton better if not for the fact that every 3 movies has a "twist" nowadays. There were a few creepy scenes that I liked and I wish there had been more of that sprinkled throughout. Instead, the movie plays it straight much of the time and while there's plenty of tension, I never had any doubts about where the film was going and for a movie like this, I think that's a problem.

Recommended if you love horror films, but I wouldn't go out of my way to try this as a way of seeing what's the best in the genre these days.