"Now Showing"

[Howie]

1917 then.

Not much plot to this and what little plot there is frequently doesn't make a lick of sense. It strains credulity to breaking point at times. The German soldiers are about as good as aiming their weapons as the average stormtrooper, for instance. It also presents a strangely sanitized version of trench warfare - which is odd for a purportedly anti-war film.

But I'm seriously glad I caught this at the cinema. As a piece of moviemaking, it's an incredible tour de force. The cinematography and camerawork are the obvious standouts but the production design (and set construction!) deserve special mention too. The SFX and the sound mix (I caught this in an Atmos auditorium) were faultless.

I suspect this isn't going to work nearly as well on a telly, much like 2001: A Space Odyssey becomes a snooze-fest on the small screen.

Can't argue with you at all. Thanks to @davidm I caught Birdman again the night before and 1917's edit points are muh more difficult to spot. I suspect there's quite a bit of digital manipulation going on though, unlike the former's carefully planned physical effects. (I got it wrong by the way - there's three instances of "pan up to the sky" cheats in Birdman). It's unbelievable that neither film was even nominated for an editing Oscar.

I don't think it is, but then again I do love Birdman to bits. And speaking of Oscars, I don't think it's as good a film as either The Irishman or Parasite, but it'll almost certainly beat both.

I read the first paragraph of this post and thought, 'Aye up, here we go, Farley's gonna give it a mauling', but thankfully you redeemed yourself with later comments.
I largely agree to be fair - 1917 doesn't have much 'plot', and what there is is only there to serve the concept of the single take thing - and you do feel that sometimes. Geographically speaking it doesn't make much sense either, I mean, how far did they (he) actually travel? No man's land was, what? 100 yards? Few German trenches, bit of a wood, open field, couple of shelled-out buildings and boom - he's there. Wasn't it supposed to be an 8 or 9km trek that would take several hours?
But hey, it's not supposed to be Shakespeare and it's not supposed to be a documentary - 1917 is very much a technical exercise. In that respect, it reminded me a lot of Gravity (which is also a snooze fest on telly). People who complained about it not being scientifically (or in this case, historically) accurate are missing the point. I mean, you wouldn't go on Disney's 'Round the World in 80 Days', and then complain that it didn't actually last 80 days, would you?
What Mendes has done here is offer up a big-screen experience, and a bloody good one at that.
One that's better than Birdman.

 

[FarleyFlavors]

I largely agree to be fair - 1917 doesn't have much 'plot', and what there is is only there to serve the concept of the single take thing - and you do feel that sometimes.

That's the feeling I frequently got too - that they decided on the one-take thing first then hung a few vignettes on it to vaguely resemble a plot.

Which leads to some ridiculous moments, probably the most egregious being

Spoiler

French woman: "The baby needs milk".

Soldier: "Have this fresh milk I found in a bucket a couple of hours ago."

What Mendes has done here is offer up a big-screen experience, and a bloody good one at that.
One that's better than Birdman.

A better big-screen experience than Birdman? No question.

It did have nearly six times the budget though.

it reminded me a lot of Gravity

Thanks for a more recent example than 2001. I am old.

 

[Howie]

Spoiler

French woman: "The baby needs milk".

Soldier: "Have this fresh milk I found in a bucket a couple of hours ago."

Ha ha, or...

Spoiler

In a vast, open, empty field, why did that poor German guy crash his plane into the only solid object in sight?

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Watched a few movies last night. First was Jigsaw which I wasn't going to watch because the whole Saw thing sort of died over a decade ago, but it actually was pretty good with a few good twists. There were some scenes that even made me feel like looking away even though I'm not a squeamish person. Kept me entertained at least. 7/10

Then I watched Wonder. I have never read the book and therefore had no expectations but I really enjoyed it. Nothing much really happens but I cried probably about 4 times. Loved the characters, and it was overall just a cute movie with a good but cliche message. 8/10

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Might as well:.

Also, Imagineering Story: First 4 are brilliant. It looks at all sorts of failed projects and lovely old-school backstage shots. Really enjoyed those. The last 2 though? Blegh. They're just Bob Iger circlejerks that don't even come close to touching this decade's 'failures', and instead tries to show that adding a few rides to their unsuccessful parks made them good. There's still some great backstage info, but it really just did not work as well as the first 4. Also, the last bit of the last episode has Rise of the Resistance spoilers if you don't want to see those.

I just got around to watching the last two. While I agree a bit of it seemed braggy, I think they have a right to brag for sure. They did talk about a lot of the failures experienced by Cali Adventure in the 5th one which was kind of cool to see because I remember it getting so much flack but I never visited it until after it was redone. The last two aren't as interesting as the first four but it's cool to see ideas come to life and technology advance like it has. It also makes me cry when I see how much heart and soul the Imagineers put into the projects to the point where they get teary talking about it!

 

[GuyWithAStick]

It also makes me cry when I see how much heart and soul the Imagineers put into the projects to the point where they get teary talking about it!

I did really appreciate that aspect. I do have a ton of respect for the Imagineers and their work, it's really just the way it was presented that irked me with the last two. And there's still a ton they didn't cover that I wish they did(gimme my Illuminations globe god dammit). Overall, it was a very good set of documentaries that offered some unique perspectives on the world of Disney parks.

 

[peep]

Saw a few films over the past week. First was Greed at a preview screening. The only thing I knew going in was the director and that it stars Steve Coogan. I enjoyed it, you can feel the hate for these mega wealthy people in charge of big business. There's quite a few very amusing things but some of the darker moments feel a little out of place, the tone shifts about quite a lot to really help drive home the point about low paid workers in foreign countries etc. It is good though and it is shining light on an important topic.

The Personal history of David Copperfield - I've never read the book by Dickens but I love Armando Iannucci and the cast looked great. I liked it, I think the variety of the characters helped the film along but it did drag at times.

Dolittle - I was expecting this to be terrible and ended up enjoying it. The creature vfx is great. Overall the film is a bit weird, certainly wasn't expecting some of the things in the third act, I enjoyed Michael Sheen chewing the scenery.

The Rhythm section - I knew very little about this film going in. I recommend avoiding this film. It is terrible. The pacing is really bad, it takes forever to get going but then when it is "going" it is somehow really dull. The car chase is ok, the way the camera keeps panning around is neat. Just a really bad film, I think half the audience walked out.

Just Mercy - This was fantastic, maybe a little long but the cast were incredible and the story is great, very emotional.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood - My only exposure prior to this film of Mr Rodgers was the occasional reference or meme on Reddit so this film was a weird experience. It's clearly very dedicated to re-creating his show and clearly doesn't shy away from the reporter being a douche. That was actually a problem for me, so much of the film is centered around the reporter but he's so unlikable that it's off-putting. On top of this the film has some absolutely wild dream sequences which gives the film a really disjointed feel. Overall for me it was ok but there was a lot to dislike for a film about a wholesome kids TV presenter (who comes off a bit creepy at times).

Netflix added Uncut Gems the other day which seems to have a lot of hype around it and "Adam Sandler deserves an Oscar for it". This film was not for me, I do not understand the hype. I hated the characters (which you're clearly meant to) but that just turns me off the film from the get go. The soundtrack made me want to mute the film, it was awful. Meh.

 

[davidm]

^ yeah I really didn't like Uncut Gems either - watched it because of the hype and thought WTF is this meant to be. Sandler was very good in it, but a film full of horrible characters making life more horrible for themselves was not great fun.

 

[gavin]

Uncut Gems was s**t. Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood felt like it lasted 5 hours despite being less than 2.

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[FarleyFlavors]

1917 [...] speaking of Oscars, I don't think it's as good a film as either The Irishman or Parasite, but it'll almost certainly beat both.

My gast is truly flabbered.

 

[Coaster Cinema]

Parasite: Very well done movie. Well thought out editing and cinematography, final 15 minutes are amazing. The overall themes were too similar to the Joker, however I think both movies have some great qualities to them.
Final Grade: A+

 

[peep]

Birds of Prey.. - I really enjoyed this, thought it was just fun and the action sequences had some great direction. Ewan McGregor was also really camping it up and it was awesome.

Sonic the hedgehog - I grew up with some of the original Sega games but never fully dived into the wider world of Sonic, this film has a whole backstory for the character and I have no idea if this has been referenced before in comics etc or if it was made up for the film but it was a slightly surprising start to the film. The vfx were actually really good and the cast were great at acting around a CG character, those extra months after that trailer backlash clearly helped this film a lot. The film is fun and I never felt bored, Jim Carey pulling out something similar to one of his 90s roles was a delight and I laughed quite a few times. There are 2 end credit sequences but nothing at the very end.

Parasite - Having not liked the director's previous film, Snowpiercer, I went in with very mild expectations despite all the awards being thrown at it. I liked it, the characters were all well written, it was amusing and I was completely hooked throughout. I went in knowing nothing about the film (outside of who made it) and I think this is the way to go. I've heard you catch more details the more you watch which I'm not convinced by but I'll probably watch again on home release.

Emma. - I've not seen an adaptaion of this Jane Austen novel before but do tend to enjoy her other adaptations that I've come across. I liked it, the cast were excellent, it was nicely directed and shot and the pivotel scene about a third in was amazing. If you like period dramas, especially from Austen, then I'd recommend.

 

[Thecoasterrus]

Birds of Prey: Much better than I was expecting. They took the best part of an awful movie and made a spin off which turned me around into enjoying this side of the DC universe. This film had, for the most part focus on what the film should be and actually had some interesting character development for Harley Quinn. While I do have criticism when it comes to the forced and rushed chemistry between the rest of the girls (they become best friends in 5 minutes) and how the plot is a little scatted, overall I found the film fun and entertaining and a step in the right direction. Thinking a 6.5 - 7/10

The Lighthouse: I had to go out of my way to see this one, but it was worth it. I honestly couldn't describe it walking out of the cinema. I knew of Robert Eggers work from 'The Witch' so I was familiar with the folklore backdrop and the more dramatic side of horror his films lean towards, but still this film struck me with it's "weirdness". The black and white cinematography is just beautiful and the tightened 1.19 : 1 aspect ratio (yes I just looked that up). William Defoe's performance is incredibly realistic and yet theatrical with his long and hearty monologues. "Ye fond of me lobster right???". In the hands of anyone else it would me seen as a mess, but someone, while I can't say it all makes sense, I cared about what was happening and had fun making my own conclusions and theory's. Not for everyone, but if you're into the filmmaking side of things I would definitely recommend it. 8/10

Parasite: Saw this a while ago, so it's not fresh in my memory, but I found it to be the prefect mix of artistry and entertainment. Because of the Oscar win I know people who are going to see the film who never usually watch foreign language films, which is a great result and I think if people enjoy this they may be open to other films not in the English language. This film is funny, suspenseful and satirical, but most importantly it felt original. I never understood the hype for Snowpiercer or okja, but this film brings out all of the director/writer's strengths. 8.5/10

 

[Thecoasterrus]

Emma: Enjoyable and like @peep said it is well directed. The performances are all good and fitting. The costumes and staging are well done, while predicable and I dare to even say inconsequential and perhaps is too dialog driven, it is a charming story overall and a worthy film in the period drama genre. 6.5 - 7/10

The Call of The Wild: Liked it more than I thought I would, while the overt CGI dog is admittedly distracting, it doesn't ruin the strong story this film has at it's heart. Harrison Ford turn in a good performance, which is no surprise, but still he lifts the film and makes it a more entertaining and warming watch. 7/10

True History of a Kelly Gang: I would recommend "True History of a Kelly Gang" unless you are epileptic, as there is one scene which messed up my vision more then any Pokemon episode. George Mackay is brilliant, definitely an actor to follow in the coming years, his performance is so intense, but controlled, Elise Davis and Nicolas Hoult are also great. Even Russell Crowe does a solid performance (he even sings) It's a dirty looking film and isn't always a pleasant watch, but the harsh backdrop makes you understand the Irish gypsy's way of living in 1800's Australia. My only criticism is that the film seems to jump from the second to third act too quickly, to where it almost feels like a different film, but still it's something that feels original, which is what we need. Light 8/10

 

[peep]

The Invisible Man - Loved this! I'm not the greatest fan of horror films but this was excellent, I have never been so creeped out by a simple camera pan. It's long and maybe the end gets a bit silly but I really liked the slow build so you genuinely question if she's crazy or not. I'd love to see a behind the scenes for some of the shots because they're absolutely wild.

Dark Waters - This was a great film with a brilliant performance from Mark Ruffalo. Absolutely insane true story and it feels like a very important film. It is a bit long and very sluggish at times but it's worth sticking with.

True History of the Kelly gang - This was great, quite a slow burn with some really cool shots in there (I'd love to know how they filmed those horse shots at night, they were beautiful). Like @Thecoasterrus said, incredible performance by George Mackay - who is always excellent but especially in this film. I also wasn't expecting the massive seizure inducing scenes, it looked cool but they went on for so long.

 

[gavin]

Onward

S**te.

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