[Movies] Talk about the last movie you saw 2: Electric Threadaloo

Orion and the Dark
A sweet and fun Dreamworks movie that has a cute and unique twist in its storytelling. I think parents will especially like this one as well. It’s not an incredible story or anything, but that’s kind of the point for this one.
 
Argylle

This is a Kingsman movie. I don't mean that literally (though there's a credits scene that's either strongly suggesting this movie takes place in the Kingsman universe or is a hell of a reference to the Kingsman movies), but rather it's like someone decided to take all the most memorable parts and key tropes from Kingsman, turn them up to 11, stick about seventeen plot twists into the story, and then call it a movie. So whether you'll like this movie depends on whether you'd enjoy the ludicrousness of Kingsman in frankly unhealthy quantities. I had fun watching it, but people with better taste than me will probably consider it too much.

Also, Bryce Dallas Howard is hot. Dua Lipa is also hot, though her screen time is sadly very limited. And y'know what, Sam Rockwell as a hobo secret agent also did it for me, strangely enough. But of course, Henry Cavill is always the hottest.
 
Argylle

This is a Kingsman movie. I don't mean that literally (though there's a credits scene that's either strongly suggesting this movie takes place in the Kingsman universe or is a hell of a reference to the Kingsman movies), but rather it's like someone decided to take all the most memorable parts and key tropes from Kingsman, turn them up to 11, stick about seventeen plot twists into the story, and then call it a movie. So whether you'll like this movie depends on whether you'd enjoy the ludicrousness of Kingsman in frankly unhealthy quantities. I had fun watching it, but people with better taste than me will probably consider it too much.

Also, Bryce Dallas Howard is hot. Dua Lipa is also hot, though her screen time is sadly very limited. And y'know what, Sam Rockwell as a hobo secret agent also did it for me, strangely enough. But of course, Henry Cavill is always the hottest.
In October 2023, Matthew Vaughn announced his plans to create a larger spy-themed universe through his Marv Studios, with that universe being interconnected and comprising the Kingsman franchise, the Argylle films, and an unnamed third franchise. His intention was to have the new upcoming films in each series culminate in a crossover in the future.[45]
 
Dune: Part Two

Saw an early screening of this today. I wasn't a huge fan of the first after a bit of reflection. It was good but I wasn't blown away by much other than the visuals.

Maybe it's not intended but I honestly view these as one movie now and the two of them together are phenomenal. The first sets up so much that pays off here.
 
Dune: Part Two

Saw an early screening of this today. I wasn't a huge fan of the first after a bit of reflection. It was good but I wasn't blown away by much other than the visuals.

Maybe it's not intended but I honestly view these as one movie now and the two of them together are phenomenal. The first sets up so much that pays off here.
... What do you mean not intended? They're literally part one and part two of one story told in one book. Part one was always going to feel unfinished.
 
Dune: Part One

Tried watching this last night and gave up after about half an hour. The glacial pacing and dry characters couldn't keep my attention span. I found I kept looking at phone and barely paying attention.

Maybe I'll give it a second chance sometime, but yeah, I couldn't get into this at all.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
The Wrath of Becky
I didn't feel like this one had the same impact as the first movie, but it was still fun.

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem
Holy shit, this was fantastic. I did not expect that I would cry happy tears. There have been so many excellent versions of TMNT, and I'm happy that younger audiences get something even better than what I loved growing up.

Lucy
I knew this one was a stinker going in, but holy shit this is just bland and stupid.

The Marvels
I enjoyed my time with this one. It doesn't stand out as one of the best Marvel movies, but it feels like a campy comic book and I love it for that.

Edge of Tomorrow
I can't believe I slept on this one for so long. This was a fantastic movie that really uses it's gimmick well.

Gran Turismo
A solid sports/underdog movie. Not really amazing, but it had some good moments, and it was fun.
 
... What do you mean not intended? They're literally part one and part two of one story told in one book. Part one was always going to feel unfinished.
I don't know how to clarify what I said further. I wasn't certain if the intention with them was that they were meant to be standalone or viewed as one.

I understand it's from one book, that was never in question.
 
I don't know how to clarify what I said further. I wasn't certain if the intention with them was that they were meant to be standalone or viewed as one.

I understand it's from one book, that was never in question.
They split the book on purpose to make it more theater and viewer friendly. Easier to sell a couple of 2.5 hour movies rather than one 5 hour movie. The first was faithful to the book, with all the boring stuff (needed setup, but even reading the first half of the book is a slog through the political swamp) in part one and the action and payoffs all in part two.
 
The problem with the Marvels is that characters introduced in Disney+ are unknown to movie goers, so their impact is diminished.
 
The problem with the Marvels is that characters introduced in Disney+ are unknown to movie goers, so their impact is diminished.
That's honestly a fair assessment. And it's, as best I can recall, the first MCU film to start that way, so being the guinea pig, on top of coming out of the strike, wasn't doing them any favors as far as mass appeal.
 
That's honestly a fair assessment. And it's, as best I can recall, the first MCU film to start that way, so being the guinea pig, on top of coming out of the strike, wasn't doing them any favors as far as mass appeal.
Consider Black Widow was in 6 movies before her death, if Moon Knight dies in the first movie, will anyone notice?
 
That's honestly a fair assessment. And it's, as best I can recall, the first MCU film to start that way, so being the guinea pig, on top of coming out of the strike, wasn't doing them any favors as far as mass appeal.
It came out at the worst possible time.

What I've noticed is that a certain breed of fanboy didn't really bat an eye when Black Adam, Blue Beetle, and Love & Thunder had disappointing releases. They were quiet when Quantumania, The Flash, and Morbius bombed. Maybe they made a few comments about superhero fatigue but that was about it. However, when The Marvels bombed those same fanboys erupted in glee because "the M-She-U" had another box office bomb on its hands.

Incels gotta incel.
 
What I've noticed is that a certain breed of fanboy didn't really bat an eye when Black Adam, Blue Beetle, and Love & Thunder had disappointing releases. They were quiet when Quantumania, The Flash, and Morbius bombed. Maybe they made a few comments about superhero fatigue but that was about it. However, when The Marvels bombed those same fanboys erupted in glee because "the M-She-U" had another box office bomb on its hands.

Incels gotta incel.
All women leads, 2 out of the 3 were women of color? None of them were treated like male-gaze sex objects? That's like a Red Pill rage boner. Of course they're going to do anything and everything to tear it down, and defend every middling male-lead effort of the death. :rolleyes:
 
Moon Garden

A practical effects wonder land about a comatose world trying to wake up, all while reliving the events of her childhood both good and traumatic, highly recommend!
 
I haven't watched the Marvels, mostly because I just didn't get into the Ms. Marvel mini-series and dropped it like 2 episodes in. Since it seems the movie builds on stuff from that, I just haven't been super pumped to watch it. I got no problem with non-sexualized strong female leads...
the whole "la femme nikita" style of movie where an unassuming female turns into a bad ass bitch is my jam. (The Long Kiss Goodnight, Ava, Anna, Lucy, The Messenger, Salt, etc). I used to have a whole plex playlist devoted to it until I had to wipe out my plex and reinstall the software from scratch when I had to rebuild my NAS
 
Poor Things

I need someone smarter than me to describe how I feel about this movie. I feel lots of things, but I'm having trouble vocalizing them.

On the surface, it's an interesting and thought-provoking film. Following Bella and her journey of discovery is an entrancing process, and though it's not always comfortable to watch, it feels like it's a journey worth making. The men around her, and the contrasting ways they treat her, are also fascinating to study.

Emma Stone does a tremendous job in the leading role. The other cast members also do well, with Mark Ruffalo's sliminess being particularly memorable. The visuals are also interesting, if a bit confusing at times, though that might be because I'm not smart enough to get what the filmmakers were going for. For example, I don't know why they were so obsessed with fish eye lens shots. I also thought the use of music, particularly its dissonance, was interesting.

Anyway, overall I'd say I liked it, but man, I do not feel smart enough to fully get it.

(At this point you might note the conspicuous absence of the thing I always append to the end of my movie reviews, and I'd just like to say, no, I didn't forget it, I just don't feel like saying it cause Emma Stone's character spends most of the movie with the mental age of a child.)
 
I just don't feel like saying it cause Emma Stone's character spends most of the movie with the mental age of a child.)
I likely won't watch it because of this aspect of the story. I find the whole idea of that arc fairly repulsive. I won't be surprised if that director is me too'd someday.
I haven't read any details, just overall plot, so I may be way off base here.
 
I likely won't watch it because of this aspect of the story. I find the whole idea of that arc fairly repulsive. I won't be surprised if that director is me too'd someday.
I haven't read any details, just overall plot, so I may be way off base here.
No, your instincts are correct. Emma Stone's character is mentally a small child for the vast majority of the movie, though she also develops quickly so that by the end of the film she's pretty much achieved an adult level of cognition. But for the first 60% of the film, her words, movements, and behavior are all those of a toddler to preteen. Despite this, however, there are multiple men who fall in love/lust with her, and have sexual relations with her. One of them, the one played by Ruffalo, specifically states that he likes her child-like state better than her eventual more grown-up state... though this guy is also very much not meant to be a sympathetic character.

Of course, it is natural to be skeeved out by a plotline such as this, and it's perfectly understandable to not want to watch this movie as a result.
 
Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken

WELL-I made it through the FIRST half of that film at least and...my god, I'd rather just reread "Andy Bass" on Webtoons, god damn, at least THAT story had freaking NUANCE.
 
Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken

WELL-I made it through the FIRST half of that film at least and...my god, I'd rather just reread "Andy Bass" on Webtoons, god damn, at least THAT story had freaking NUANCE.
People seem to give Disney a hard time for having a flop, even to the point of stating “Disney is done!” or some over exaggerated bull shit.
Dreamworks flip flops with good and bad films all the time. After the two great films that were The Bad Guys and Puss and Boots 2, no one called Ruby Gilman “the end of the studio”
Ruby was just a rushed attempt to appeal to anyone who might like Turning Red, with another tale of an awkward teenage girl with unlocked super powers.
Characters were boring. The jokes were lame. Script was half assed. Twist was expected. And not a memorable feel good moment to be had.
Even Hailey wasn’t impressed with this one.
 
I've seen three whole movies since my last update (which was in May 2022).
I've been putting off seeing KFP2, just because I didn't think it could live up to the original. Now I'm not so sure.
I mean, I like KFP enough. In fact, I think it'll endure as a shining example of the genre, the sort of thing that future students of animation cinema will pick apart in classrooms. It has layers of depth that you don't notice until subsequent viewings. But if you guys say KFP2 is worth it, well, then I'd better rustle up a copy.
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Finally getting around to reviewing that third movie I mentioned, and...I'm glad I waited as long as I did to see it. I know many people here have a great fondness for KFP2, and I'm not going to say it isn't a decent movie, or that it's not entertaining, or anything like that. But what I am going to say is, it ... is not as good as the first one, full stop.

Since I haven't formally reviewed the first one on here, I'll summarize by saying that, in the first movie, nothing is wasted. Everything has meaning. Every character we meet has something important to contribute to the story. Every scene progresses the story. Every camera pan/zoom/pull/transition, every slo-mo, every angle. All the characters grow and change. The entire movie and story have a constant forward motion and flow that carry the viewer towards the thrilling conclusion and reveal. The movie itself has a message it wants to convey--more than one, actually, if you're paying attention.

The second movie...it's good enough. It's entertaining, it deepens the lore of the KFP universe, and it gives us that Po fix we've been wanting for 3 years, but it's nowhere near as "tight" as the first one. I went in completely unspoilered, but except for a few clever callbacks to Po's fantasy sequence from the first movie (Look! The same F5 fantasy action sequences from the opening of KFP, but this time it's for reals!), I felt like the entire beginning third of the movie was a waste of its screen time. The movie doesn't start to build any actual momentum and "suck you in" until the point where they get captured (the first time). Oh, there are plot points which get introduced, and important events that happen, sure, but their presentation doesn't have the same weight of the first movie, and the scene/line delivery has the same stilted lack of polish/flow/continuity/pacing that you might get from a high school or community-access cable theater production, a kind of "We did the lines like we were supposed to but we didn't actually live them" feel. Even the slapstick feels...forced, I guess, like they maybe had a different idea for the first act but then plans changed and they had to hastily reshoot/rerecord/reanimate a different opening BUT were still required to include certain plot points which just ended up feeling disjointed. It lacks the feng shui of the first. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the KFP2. I did! I just went into it expecting the same high level of storytelling I got from the first one, and I didn't get that. Maybe it's because I had my bar set a little too high after hearing how much everyone else had praised it, I don't know. Maybe it's because I wanted Michelle Yeoh and Danny McBride's characters to get more screen time instead of just being animated MacGuffins (They wuz robbed!). Maybe it's because the scene of Po's enlightenment felt so arbitrary ("Huh, guess it's time to believe now"). Maybe it's because I could see how much more this movie could have been, but wasn't.

It has its moments, and plenty of them. The action sequences are all very action-y and full of action in their action-ness. The cinematic references are clever. We DO get more growth from Po, watching him go through some more much-needed acceptance of who he is/how things are (with some help from his friends, of course), and the device of having his memories go from 2-D cell to mixed to full 3-D is inspired. We get more of a peek behind Tigress' façade (and leave open the possibility for more, some of which was apparently explored in the series?), which I welcome. Jackie Chan gets a few more lines. Gary Oldman is awesome at fully submerging himself into everything he does, as always. And, like the first movie, this one culminates in a new lesson which is shown, not told, further showing what can/will happen to those who accept and those who refuse to accept this message. Plus there's the teaser for a third movie...which unfortunately made me think more World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria rather than Kung Fu Panda 3, but I can't have been the only one.

Was it worth watching? Yes. Would I recommend it? Of course I would. Each and every one of my complaints about this movie have nothing to do with this movie itself, but rather that the movie which preceded it (and which I'm therefore going to compare it to) was so much better, nothing more. I have a feeling that my opinion of this movie might be adjusted a bit after seeing the third movie and adding it to the lore, but I guess I won't find out until I finally watch it.

--Patrick
 
People seem to give Disney a hard time for having a flop, even to the point of stating “Disney is done!” or some over exaggerated bull shit.
Dreamworks flip flops with good and bad films all the time. After the two great films that were The Bad Guys and Puss and Boots 2, no one called Ruby Gilman “the end of the studio”
Ruby was just a rushed attempt to appeal to anyone who might like Turning Red, with another tale of an awkward teenage girl with unlocked super powers.
Characters were boring. The jokes were lame. Script was half assed. Twist was expected. And not a memorable feel good moment to be had.
Even Hailey wasn’t impressed with this one.
Exactly, only unlike Turning Red Ruby doesn't have like... ACTUALLY interesting friends, we have Not-Meredith, not Priya, Not-Ariel, AND the token male. But she DOES have a love interest she has...NO on screen chemistry with.

I finished the monstrosity today, and I don't know what about it's ending is worse, how they NEVER explain THE REASON for the Mermaid Kraken war, the tacked on DreamWorks Dance party, or the "RUBY a sequel monster is attacking the black bla bla!"

HORRIBLE film , has great animation, but the message about"Not lying about yourself " was done better in SCORES of films, and Nerisa being just pure evil for no reason didn't WORK because from what I understand she merely lost the war and wanted revenge for her people who are straight up in hiding.
 
Over the weekend, the spouse and I watched 2 MCU films we've been meaning to get around to.

The Marvels - I really liked this movie! They could have done a better job showing the villain's motivation and explaining the backstory, but overall I think it worked. I do see why all the Incels & Dudebros hated it. I can also understand how people who want a serious movie for serious comic fans also did not like it for completely different reasons. Chief among them being the need to have watched the Ms. Marvel show to really understand her character. But, I thought it was fun. It doesn't hurt that I really want Cap Marvel's dress from the song planet (Aladna?).

Guardians of the Galaxy, vol 3. - aka, everything you wanted to know about Rocket's backstory but were too afraid to ask. That's a bit harsh, I did enjoy the sequences with Baby Rocket & his friends. The retconning of The Sovereign to be subservient to the big bad of the film felt kinda shoehorned in to me. The rest was a paint-by-numbers Guardians film. Danger happens, things explode, Peter quips, Drax says/does something dumb, Nebula is angry, I am Groot, shooty time, more things explode, day is saved, and Peter learns something and maybe grows a bit more mature until the next time we see him. I laughed, I cried, I enjoyed it, but looking back at it, I'm not sure anything will really stick with me.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Damsel (Netflix)

This is an absolutely gorgeous movie. The cinematography is fantastic, and the set pieces are lavish. The story isn't especially deep, but it's well told and I enjoyed watching it a lot.

These days it takes a lot for me to focus on a movie and not get so distracted that I miss huge chunks, my brain is just not in good shape, but I stayed very connected to this one, and while that may not sound like praise, for me lately it takes something special to keep me engaged. This movie did that for me. The visuals, emotional tone, and pacing hit just right.

I was about to cynically say that I expect to see this movie torn to shreds online, because people don't want to just sit down and enjoy a movie anymore. It seems like too many things I've enjoyed just get eviscerated for being anything less than perfection, but I guess that hasn't been true of everything I've liked recently.
 
Exhuma (a Korean supernatural horror movie)

Overall I'd say it's ok. Not terrible, but there are some problems.

The cast do well. Every person who appears on screen hits all the right notes when they need to, with every member of the main cast getting chances to show their chops. The visuals are generally good, or at least fit for purpose. And I felt the pacing of the movie was generally good, with the tension building up nicely in the first 40% or so of the film before the first real supernatural stuff starts happening.

For the less good stuff, I'm gonna put it in spoilers because there's no way to discuss it without spoiling huge chunks of the film.

The first problem with the movie is that it feels like two separate horror films crudely grafted together. First there's the malevolent Korean spirit that goes around killing people, but they deal with that around 60% into the movie. But wait, there's another evil spirit, a Japanese one this time! And suddenly most of the characters, plotlines, themes etc. from the first half of the film go away, and our protagonists end up fighting a completely different creature in completely different ways.

Secondly, they make a big deal about the second spirit, the completely evil one with no redeeming features whatsoever, being Japanese. The first spirit was at least given an understandable motivation for bearing a grudge. The second one was just like, "Rawr, I was an evil Japanese conquerer in life, so now I'm gonna be an evil Japanese conquerer in death too and do bad things to you guys in Korea! Rawr!" I dunno, I feel like if you need to tap into nationalistic sentiments to make your evil ghost scary, then something is wrong. For one thing, people who aren't Korean aren't going to find that guy frightening.

Thirdly, this is a scary movie that just doesn't feel very scary. Part of it might be what I mentioned above about not feeling nationalistic toward Korea, but other issues include the Japanese spirit not looking very horrible once it's fully revealed, and the protagonists having plot armor so they never really feel threatened. Also, the ending felt a bit nonsensical. The Japanese spirit is finally defeated using Chinese Wuxing elemental properties, so if you're not familiar with Wuxing then it'll feel like an ass-pull, sort of like how the aliens in Signs were inexplicably weak to water. And if you ARE familiar with Wuxing, then you'll realize that the film used the elemental properties wrong. So instead of being frightened or tense during the final confrontation, I was all like, "Wait, no, that's not how that works."

Oh, also, a relatively minor complaint, but there's a major Chekhov's Gun that does not get a payoff.

Anywho, despite these complaints, the movie still kept my interest and was nicely entertaining. It's not an amazing film, but if you're a fan of horror, I'd say it's worth checking out.

Finally, Kim Go-eun, who plays the female lead, is incredibly hot. And Lee Do-hyun, who plays her assistant, is also a guy who's nicely pleasant to look at.
 
Last edited:
Dune: Part 2 (IMAX)

Visually stunning; beautifully shot. Sound design was also spot on.
The character of Paul remained engaging to watch, Jessica has agency again, which is nice. Stilgar remains my favourite character, though he's been... significantly simplified. And Chani is put in some odd character situations.
Some definite character changes from the book, the only one that I really didn't like was what they did with Chani. And I'm not sold on Stilgar and Jessica's changes either.
As someone who has read the first two books, albeit a long ass time ago, it held together and was easy to follow.
Also, excellent fight choreography.
Did not feel like a 3 hour movie, despite having a close to 3 hour run time.

So, ya - good storytelling, freaking beautiful; but if you love the books some of the changes may not be to your liking.
 
All you Dune 2 dorks going to movie theaters and shit. Me sitting here watching Rebel Moon with a buddy last night to enjoy the crapulence and I don't think I've seen a more pathetic movie in my whole life. Pathetic is the only way I can describe my feelings towards it. It's a Zack Snyder movie so of course sexual assault has a lengthy scene. Also, it ends after 2.5 hours at like the end of the second act of the film. It's like if Star Wars ended after the escape from the Death Star.

No wonder Lucasfilm passed on this for Star Wars, it's just shittier, edgier Star Wars.
 
Top