Recommend (or don't) a movie thread v2

[peter12]

Oh ya, Chinatown is actually one of the best movies out there.

[PsYcNeT]

Chinatown is one of those weird time capsule films that is a perfect snapshot of film techniques of the early-mid 70s, and is a 45 year old(!) film that is an homage to films of 30 years previous to it's making. So good.

[Coach]

Watch Chinatown and Blade Runner back to back. Pretty cool how similar they are. A lot of the same motifs. Made only a couple years apart.

And, grotesquely, the later revelations about Polanski make the movie better in the worst possible way.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Yes, please, more people watch that movie. That way when I say "forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" in casual conversation in reference to various things, maybe fewer people will look at me like an insane person.

[Magnum PEI]

Midway was Ok. CG and green screen was unconvincing. Some cliches and some bad acting. Dive bombing scenes were cool though. Maybe didn't explain all the ins and outs of the battle well enough. There was a tacked on Chinese subplot that seemed pretty forced. 5.5/10

[direwolf]

Saw Doctor Sleep last weekend and I really enjoyed it. It works well as both a sequel and an homage to the original film, and to Kubrick. Beautifully filmed, excellent acting from everyone (particularly Ewan MacGregor), and a solid story.

Also, the recreation of the Overlook Hotel is very impressive, right down to the lighting, the decor, the colors, and the patterns on the floors. As a massive fan of the original, it's a real treat to revisit that setting with such incredible detail.

[peter12]

Yes I loved Doctor Sleep. Definitely a film that was trying to execute a big idea and pretty unapologetic about it.

[bluejays]

I just came back from Doctor Sleep and it was great casting to have McGregor and the little girl. I liked the concept of using good substitute actors from the original, and they did a good enough job replicating the original actors' work. The set was pretty awesome at the end coming back to the hotel. HOWEVER, the villains were horrible! What were they thinking with hillbillies in hipster clothing. The the flying effects? Oh lawd. The original was creepy and really had you frightened at times. The villains made it seem like a made for TV movie and I was getting aggravated at times. I think I jumped, maybe 1 time? There were no shivers or anticipation scenes and that was disappointing because that's what Kubrick did so well in the original. Personally, not to be uptight about it, I'd give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, at best, and that's because of the positives above. Really had a feel that maybe King wouldn't give signoff unless he had his say, which somehow most Stephen King movies seem to crap the bed.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by fleury

The villains made it seem like a made for TV movie and I was getting aggravated at times. I think I jumped, maybe 1 time? There were no shivers or anticipation scenes and that was disappointing because that's what Kubrick did so well in the original. Personally, not to be uptight about it, I'd give it 2.5 out of 5 stars, at best, and that's because of the positives above.

Really? Personally I thought the villains were pretty freaky, and Rebecca Ferguson's character was particularly strong.

[bigtmac19]

The Windsor Film Festival has obtained the rights to offer 7 days worth of screenings of The Irishman before it's released on Netflix and in Theatres. A big coup for WIFF. They will have screenings running from Nov 21 to 28. Running time is 3-1/2 hours - that is crazy.

[Northendzone]

i would agree with this review as well. from a story telling perspective i liked the original version better.

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

Midway was Ok. CG and green screen was unconvincing. Some cliches and some bad acting. Dive bombing scenes were cool though. Maybe didn't explain all the ins and outs of the battle well enough. There was a tacked on Chinese subplot that seemed pretty forced. 5.5/10

[Rando]

Originally Posted by AC

Parasite is great, though I'm a sucker for South Korean dramas / thrillers.
Bong Joon-ho is incredible (Memories of Murder, The Host, Mother, Snowpiercer, and Okja are all great).

Have you seen The Handmaiden from 2016? Chan-wook Park's work is excellent as well (Joint Security Area, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Thirst, and Stoker were great).

Okja had me thinking about dropping meat and becoming a vegetarian.

[psyang]

Watched a mix of old and new movies over the long weekend.

1) Lion. I think it's been discussed here before, but a tremendous film. As this is based on a true story, there's lots of followup material available (interviews with the actual people involved, other videos documenting what happened, etc). Amazing story, and really well told.

2) Glory. One of my all time favorites. I hadn't watched this in maybe 15 years, but it was on TV (commercial free even) as part of a Veteran's Day lineup. Still got chills at Denzel's staredown and at the campfire scene. Also, I laughed out loud when I realized it was Andre Braugher who played Thomas.

3) The Dirty Dozen. I had never watched this before, but had heard about it a lot. I thought it was fun and well cast. Pacing is always slower on older movies and my teen daughter bailed after 10 minutes. It also had some surprisingly dark moments that I wasn't expecting.

4) Bourne Ultimatum. Whenever I see this or the previous 2 Bourne movies playing while channel surfing, I usually stop and watch. A solid conclusion to a solid trilogy.

5) Jason Bourne. Didn't catch this in the theatres, so watched it as there was a Bourne marathon running. Disappointingly bad. Don't know what it was, but felt too much like they thought "copy some of the same scenes and techniques in the previous Bourne movies and audiences will lap it up". They also did other things that bugged me: "Enhancing" a blurry frame from a video to a crystal clear picture, Bourne can disappear in plain sight, but suddenly can't disappear in the middle of a city-wide riot at night, secret meeting of a world famous tech CEO and a high-ranking CIA official in a little restaurant booth? I complained through the whole movie.

[TheScorpion]

Midway was a little too long but Emmerich knows how to direct action and likeable actors. Worth a watch, those divebombing scenes were impactful and very entertaining.

[sl888]

Having a hard time compiling my top 10 of the decade list. It would've been easier if I had just rated all my watched films on Letterboxd. Anyone else start their list?

[AC]

The Lighthouse was incredible top to bottom.

Gotta be my favourite of the year.

[East Coast Flame]

Originally Posted by sl888

Having a hard time compiling my top 10 of the decade list. It would've been easier if I had just rated all my watched films on Letterboxd. Anyone else start their list?

1. Social Network
2. Get Out
3. Mad Max
4. Bridesmaids
5. Exit Through the Gift Shop
6. Inception
7. Zero Dark Thirty
8. Gone Girl
9. Booksmart
10. Ex Machina

[OutOfTheCube]

Mad Max: Fury Road
Inception
Interstellar
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Mission Impossible: Fallout
Life of Pi
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Star Trek Beyond
Fast Five

Admittedly I only watch mostly blockbuster movies and acknowledge these were not the "best" films of the decade. But they were my favorites!

[AC]

My top 11 of the decade:

The Cabin in the Woods
Django Unchained
Get Out
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Handmaiden
I Saw the Devil
Inception
The Lighthouse
mother!
Prisoners
The Raid

[peter12]

I Saw The Devil was wild.

AC, have you seen The Good, The Bad, and The Weird? Probably my favourite all-time action flick.