[Movies] Talk about the last movie you saw 2: Electric Threadaloo
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figmentPez
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"Well adjusted" people are a myth.
They do exist, they're just really boring
And many of them are just one bad day away from becoming Christian Bale (or Michael Douglas).
--Patrick
Yeah it's a gut punch for real.
As for how well adjusted people react to it, was talking about it with some others and while a few loved it and understood the introspective nature, one replied that while the songs were catchy they didn't understand or like the video portions and just thought they were like a bunch strung together music videos and I've never wanted to fight someone more for being so oblivious...
See I think that proves you aren't
It's one of the few pure joke songs, but even it serves as an example of what social media is doing to society and has a turn in the middle where it suddenly gets real.
Oh and maybe it's just because it's a heavily auditory thing, I find so few people mention the cinematography and lighting are amazing, particularly for just him alone in his room. It's so simple yet massively effective. "Content" starts and he sitting is there facing the camera in the dark then midway through he tilts his head back, turns on his headlamp on and toward the disco ball and the gloomy room just explodes in light with the beam emanating from his head and covering the room, or his world. It was kinda late when I started it and I was admittedly half-engaged when I turned it on, then that happened and I got right onboard.
Definitely agree with what @Dave said when he first watched it. Even in a stronger year than the last few we've had, this would absolutely be an Oscar contender.
Definitely agree with what @Dave said when he first watched it. Even in a stronger year than the last few we've had, this would absolutely be an Oscar contender.
So it's not really a movie. "Comedy special" is what it's most often called, but it's not really a comedy, or well it is, but not by the most common definition of comedy. It's a work of art put out by a single person over the course of a quarantined year in which the audience is give insight as he slowly goes insane.
And if you aren't familiar with Bo Burnham, or you only remember him as the funny kid that got his start singing funny songs on YouTube years ago, here's the last performance from his last special, which was five years ago right before he quit:
Apparently Free Guy has already been optioned for a sequel...
Considering how late it was released, it's already practically its own sequel.
--Patrick
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Jungle Cruise
This was pretty fun. Think of it as a slightly more comedic version of Pirates of the Caribbean or The Mummy and I could easily see them cranking out another 2 of these. The Rock's pretty on point too, hitting the kind of groaner jokes you'd hear of the actual Jungle Cruise ride like fucking nuclear strikes. I literally had to stop the movie at one point because one of them was so good. It's got a bit of depth too, so it's not all bad jokes and action scenes.
All in all... I'd watch more of these if they made them.
This was pretty fun. Think of it as a slightly more comedic version of Pirates of the Caribbean or The Mummy and I could easily see them cranking out another 2 of these. The Rock's pretty on point too, hitting the kind of groaner jokes you'd hear of the actual Jungle Cruise ride like fucking nuclear strikes. I literally had to stop the movie at one point because one of them was so good. It's got a bit of depth too, so it's not all bad jokes and action scenes.
All in all... I'd watch more of these if they made them.
Free Guy
Really fun movie, with a lot of good, hearty laughs and some clever action bits.
I have my criticisms, though. The most video gamey stuff is either a passing thought or background stuff. Which is strange, for some of the things they set up. Early in the movie, Guy gets an unexpected power item and it leads to some fun stuff. But then we don't see it or something like it used again.
There's also a "break the spell" kind of moment that I feel would have landed better if done a different way. I'll mention that behind the spoilers. There's also a part at the end that's really, REALLY blatantly fan-servicey that, while I laughed at a certain payoff, thought it was really cheap when they could have established something more meaningful within the movie's universe.
So, spoilers:
Really fun movie, with a lot of good, hearty laughs and some clever action bits.
I have my criticisms, though. The most video gamey stuff is either a passing thought or background stuff. Which is strange, for some of the things they set up. Early in the movie, Guy gets an unexpected power item and it leads to some fun stuff. But then we don't see it or something like it used again.
There's also a "break the spell" kind of moment that I feel would have landed better if done a different way. I'll mention that behind the spoilers. There's also a part at the end that's really, REALLY blatantly fan-servicey that, while I laughed at a certain payoff, thought it was really cheap when they could have established something more meaningful within the movie's universe.
So, spoilers:
The "power up" item I mention is the sneakers. They show him a HUD with objectives and they have a limited supply of charges. And yet it's not a gimmick that's every brought up again. Yes, he uses other power items later on, but he just pulls them out of the ether or his inventory and it doesn't have the same impact.
The "break the spell" was when Hallie gets Guy to remember everything after he was rebooted. She does it with kiss, but I honestly thought it would've been better to reuse the song that she sang that caught his ear in the first place. It would've been a nice callback to how they met, tied more with the romance between her and her ex, and doesn't involve her basically just forcing herself on him. It would've been a better message of "really pay attention to someone" rather than just forcing a kiss.
The Dude character was hilarious and should've been employed sooner. But his appearance was also spoiled for me because they used him in some of the promotional footage. Still hilarious.
The fan-servicey thing was the sudden use of Captain America's shield, a Hulk fist, and a lightsaber. It just felt like forced fanservice that comes out of nowhere without any indication that this movie had ties with the rest other properties. It was cheap. That said, Chris Evans' sudden appearance was fucking hilarious and almost made the fanservice worth it.
The "break the spell" was when Hallie gets Guy to remember everything after he was rebooted. She does it with kiss, but I honestly thought it would've been better to reuse the song that she sang that caught his ear in the first place. It would've been a nice callback to how they met, tied more with the romance between her and her ex, and doesn't involve her basically just forcing herself on him. It would've been a better message of "really pay attention to someone" rather than just forcing a kiss.
The Dude character was hilarious and should've been employed sooner. But his appearance was also spoiled for me because they used him in some of the promotional footage. Still hilarious.
The fan-servicey thing was the sudden use of Captain America's shield, a Hulk fist, and a lightsaber. It just felt like forced fanservice that comes out of nowhere without any indication that this movie had ties with the rest other properties. It was cheap. That said, Chris Evans' sudden appearance was fucking hilarious and almost made the fanservice worth it.
This was going to be a review of Bo Burnham Inside, but our Netflix is acting up, and four times I tried to watch it, and Netflix would boot me out of the app 3 seconds into the movie. I guess I'm not going to see it anytime soon. So, runners up:
Palm Springs - I'm late to this, but as a simple time-travel comedy, it works. Great cast, funny and sad, and surprisingly short.
They Came Together - I really wanted to like this, but I couldn't make it longer than 15 minutes into the movie. It was just TOO self-aware to be a funny parody of other rom-coms. It's such a shame, too, because I still really enjoy Wet Hot American Summer, and the cast was stacked.
Palm Springs - I'm late to this, but as a simple time-travel comedy, it works. Great cast, funny and sad, and surprisingly short.
They Came Together - I really wanted to like this, but I couldn't make it longer than 15 minutes into the movie. It was just TOO self-aware to be a funny parody of other rom-coms. It's such a shame, too, because I still really enjoy Wet Hot American Summer, and the cast was stacked.
Shang-chi
I don't actually know how I feel about this one? Like the action was good and the actors and effects and all that stuff you come to expect from a marvel movie was there. But I guess since it's all been there since 2008 a lot of the magic is gone? So when the baseline of all that stuff is expected and taken for granted all the other elements need to be above average to really shine I think.
So like the plot is kinda overly complicated. Most of the jokes are just "aw shit this is crazy!" After something crazy happened. Tie ins to the rest of the marvel universe felt weird. So like small spoiler: Wong and Abomination fight in an underground fighting ring. They're not forced to do so or being held captive in any way. Also they're friends kinda? Zero explanation.
Heavier spoilers:
But honestly at this point I think I'm okay skipping marvel movies outside of like Spider-Man and anything directed by James Gunn or Taika Waititi
I don't actually know how I feel about this one? Like the action was good and the actors and effects and all that stuff you come to expect from a marvel movie was there. But I guess since it's all been there since 2008 a lot of the magic is gone? So when the baseline of all that stuff is expected and taken for granted all the other elements need to be above average to really shine I think.
So like the plot is kinda overly complicated. Most of the jokes are just "aw shit this is crazy!" After something crazy happened. Tie ins to the rest of the marvel universe felt weird. So like small spoiler: Wong and Abomination fight in an underground fighting ring. They're not forced to do so or being held captive in any way. Also they're friends kinda? Zero explanation.
Heavier spoilers:
Okay so the first like 1/3 of the movie is the leader of the 10 rings and Shang-chi's father needs to talk to his kids. So what does he do? Sends henchmen and assassin's after them to fight and capture them. Like honestly though? He could probably have called. Like once he does capture them they're pretty receptive to what he has to say at first.
The big monster thing was kinda weird and felt shoe horned in. Like okay so every now and again it starts invading someone's mind and gets then to invade the village to free it, right? But the mandarin has been around for 1,000 years so....why now? Why wait 20 years after his wife died to start speaking to him? Just offer him more power and glory during his centuries long climb to power.
And the 10 rings weren't like the key to releasing it. They just gave him the power to....punch the barrier down? After the big guy broke through shang chi used the rings to collapse the cave and block the smaller ones from pouring through so this wasn't a magical barrier but a physical one?
And the gang that killed Shang-chi's mom just walked into the compound? I know the mandarin had given up his old ways but surly he kept a small group of guards on hand? Or even just a fucking door with a passcode?
Also bugged me how Kate just happens to be a great archer and shang-chi more or less mastered that mystical fighting style after one sparring match with his aunt.
The big monster thing was kinda weird and felt shoe horned in. Like okay so every now and again it starts invading someone's mind and gets then to invade the village to free it, right? But the mandarin has been around for 1,000 years so....why now? Why wait 20 years after his wife died to start speaking to him? Just offer him more power and glory during his centuries long climb to power.
And the 10 rings weren't like the key to releasing it. They just gave him the power to....punch the barrier down? After the big guy broke through shang chi used the rings to collapse the cave and block the smaller ones from pouring through so this wasn't a magical barrier but a physical one?
And the gang that killed Shang-chi's mom just walked into the compound? I know the mandarin had given up his old ways but surly he kept a small group of guards on hand? Or even just a fucking door with a passcode?
Also bugged me how Kate just happens to be a great archer and shang-chi more or less mastered that mystical fighting style after one sparring match with his aunt.
But honestly at this point I think I'm okay skipping marvel movies outside of like Spider-Man and anything directed by James Gunn or Taika Waititi
Saw it yesterday. Had very similar feelings. It was just an ok movie. I enjoyed it far less than I'd hoped.
Him and Castlevania's Dracula need to start a support group...
Just got back from seeing SHANG-CHI.
I really dug it. There are some shots that are jaw dropping gorgeous. The martial arts action is crisp and relatively easy to follow (not shakey cam shit).
The third act, especially the last bit, was a bit too CGI and hard to follow, but it all still kinda worked for me. Simu Liu is great in the role, like he was born for it. And I like how they re-imagined a villain whose comic counterpart started as a bad Asian stereotype bordering on offensive. Love how they reinterpreted the ten rings.
Not sure where I'd rank it overall on my MCU list. I don't think it'll crack my top ten, but I think it'll stand somewhere around the high middle with Dr Strange and the Ant-Man movies. Which is still good company to be in. It's not flawless, but I greatly enjoyed it.
I get the feeling stuff from @phil's criticisms is on the cutting room floor. Some stuff isn't explained, but I don't think it matters that much.
The Wong/Abomination thing could just be Wong's way of earning some cash on the side. I don't know if they're necessarily friends or if it's just a friendly arrangement. Maybe he snuck Abomination out or maybe it's a short visit out as part of time served?
As far as the other stuff...
I really dug it. There are some shots that are jaw dropping gorgeous. The martial arts action is crisp and relatively easy to follow (not shakey cam shit).
The third act, especially the last bit, was a bit too CGI and hard to follow, but it all still kinda worked for me. Simu Liu is great in the role, like he was born for it. And I like how they re-imagined a villain whose comic counterpart started as a bad Asian stereotype bordering on offensive. Love how they reinterpreted the ten rings.
Not sure where I'd rank it overall on my MCU list. I don't think it'll crack my top ten, but I think it'll stand somewhere around the high middle with Dr Strange and the Ant-Man movies. Which is still good company to be in. It's not flawless, but I greatly enjoyed it.
I get the feeling stuff from @phil's criticisms is on the cutting room floor. Some stuff isn't explained, but I don't think it matters that much.
The Wong/Abomination thing could just be Wong's way of earning some cash on the side. I don't know if they're necessarily friends or if it's just a friendly arrangement. Maybe he snuck Abomination out or maybe it's a short visit out as part of time served?
As far as the other stuff...
I got the impression he gave up being the leader of the Ten Rings after he had kids. In the flashbacks, they showed no indication he still ran things. She even said he's not like that anymore. That was my impression, anyway. No idea what happened to the organization during that time, but there was a line about him bringing the Ten Rings back into power after she died.
With the monster, I got the feeling it reached out to him while he was vulnerable. Plus, he said the way to the town was open for the first time in a thousand years or something. I kinda wish we could have seen how the way was different for him and the army, since the forest obviously didn't attack them, but that was hardly a loss after seeing the bamboo forest twice already.
Personally, I'm curious about the first post-credit scene. They didn't say where the rings were signalling. And more than likely, even the writers don't know yet and threw it in there to tease a sequel. Nice to see Bruce & Carol back for a moment, though That was a pleasant surprise.
With the monster, I got the feeling it reached out to him while he was vulnerable. Plus, he said the way to the town was open for the first time in a thousand years or something. I kinda wish we could have seen how the way was different for him and the army, since the forest obviously didn't attack them, but that was hardly a loss after seeing the bamboo forest twice already.
Personally, I'm curious about the first post-credit scene. They didn't say where the rings were signalling. And more than likely, even the writers don't know yet and threw it in there to tease a sequel. Nice to see Bruce & Carol back for a moment, though That was a pleasant surprise.
It better be the Makluans.
Free Guy was showing at the same theater I saw Shang Chi at. I wish I'd seen it instead
We (Mr. Z, Li'l Z and myself) saw Shang-Chi today, and we all really enjoyed it. A lot of what Nick said I agree with. Li'l Z loved that the opening sequence "looked like Dynasty Warriors" (and far better than the actual Dynasty Warrior movie, which...eeyeesh). I loved that the fight outside Ta Lo reminded me so much of Zhang Yimou's Hero, with is monochromatic framing and wirework fighting. I like that a good chunk of the movie has it's characters speaking Mandarin, which is a longtime issue with American movies that are supposed to take place in other countries, and everyone speaks English for ....reasons. And most of all, I like that Mr. Z liked it so much. It's not going to be one of his favor Marvel movies, but he said this is something he wanted since he was a kid*, and he wasn't disappointed.
I think the biggest criticism I have is that there are some plot holes I almost feel like they left on purpose because they're still figuring out how everything is going to connect in Phase 4 and beyond.
(*Not Shang-Chi specifically, but an American superhero blockbuster with a Chinese lead that isn't comic relief or Long Duk Dong'd.)
I think the biggest criticism I have is that there are some plot holes I almost feel like they left on purpose because they're still figuring out how everything is going to connect in Phase 4 and beyond.
(*Not Shang-Chi specifically, but an American superhero blockbuster with a Chinese lead that isn't comic relief or Long Duk Dong'd.)
I was pleased to see the director said Kung-Fu Hustle was one of his main inspirations. And I could tell in that last battle as Shang-Chi was falling back to Earth above the demon… it looked like that final move in Kung-Fu Hustle.
Dune (1984)
I finally rewatched/ watched it in its entirely for the first time. I haven't read the book but I can see why people say it's the most important sci fi novel of the 20th century. Even though it's a bit like "Lawrence of Arabia".
But the movie is a bit of a mixed bag. Made in the 80s, it looks like something from a decade earlier. It's like a low budget movie that had a big budget. After watching it I'm worried about the new movie. I can't see how this story will fit in just one movie.
I finally rewatched/ watched it in its entirely for the first time. I haven't read the book but I can see why people say it's the most important sci fi novel of the 20th century. Even though it's a bit like "Lawrence of Arabia".
But the movie is a bit of a mixed bag. Made in the 80s, it looks like something from a decade earlier. It's like a low budget movie that had a big budget. After watching it I'm worried about the new movie. I can't see how this story will fit in just one movie.
The new Dune is only the first half of this movie.