Movies/Shows you're watching.

[ThePumisher]

Garland

Hah! Now that i watched the first episode of his series "Devs" (which was promising, but i need to watch the other episodes to give a final conclusion), i found out that the main character is played by Sonoya Mizuno - she is the dancer in the "Wide Open" video.

[Wolkenkrabber]

Hah! Now that i watched the first episode of his series "Devs" (which was promising, but i need to watch the other episodes to give a final conclusion), i found out that the main character is played by Sonoya Mizuno - she is the dancer in the "Wide Open" video.

She also danced (with Oscar Isaac) in Garland's Ex Machina but she didn't say a word for the whole film.
When I watched her in Maniac recently, I was surprised to hear that she speaks superb English and is a pretty good comic actress too.

[sandelic]

Batman was fantastic.
Especially Colin Farrell as penguin.

[ThePumisher]

She also danced (with Oscar Isaac) in Garland's Ex Machina but she didn't say a word for the whole film.

Even though i love this movie i didn't remember seeing her in this until your post.

[Enjoyed]

Batman was fantastic.
Especially Colin Farrell as penguin.

One of the greatest performances I've ever seen. That guy freakin' melted into the role of Penguin. Even knowing in my lizard brain that it's Colin Farrell in there, I cannot tell at all. Crazy stuff.

[GLAKO-FAHN]

Even knowing in my lizard brain that it's Colin Farrell in there, I cannot tell at all.

yeah this, couldn't even force myself to see him

[Wolkenkrabber]

You've all beaten me to it with the Colin Farrell comment.
I started watching this without knowing anything about who was cast other than Pattinson.
It took me a couple of minutes to recognise Jeffrey Wright, thirty seconds to recognise Andy Sirkis. But Farrell? I had to check IMDB, otherwise I never would have known.

BTW did anyone think that the cavernous nightclub in the film looked like London's Printworks (host to the most recent Chemical DJ set and the Free Yourself video)? If you did, that's because it is.  And yes there's a Chemical reference in the headline of the link.

As for the film? I liked the overall look and feel of it. I liked the cast (and my goodness, Zoe Kraviz has remarkable cheekbones). But...It didn't feel like a satisfying free standing film. Ultimately it felt like a setup for the next one. Ideally I like a film that can stand on it's own feet, rather than getting to the end and realising, oh I have to wait a couple of years for the next one, and at some point maybe there will be a proper ending/payoff. Will I watch the next one? Yeah, probably...

As per the closing credits, the film was made in other UK spots too including Glasgow and Liverpool.

https://twitter.com/IanSkelly1/status/1516478344715718656

     

[;]

I thought Batman was pretty great; not on the level of The Dark Knight, but still fairly well done.  I've always wanted an actually good, serious take on the riddler, and this delivered on that.  He was pretty well acted, I thought, as was most of the roles.  The only major gripe I had with it, really, was the relatively unsatisfying ending.  I can't fully explain why, but it's sorta just that,

Spoiler

yeah, they saved some people, and the politician or whatever, but still, likely hundreds of people still drowned, and probably billions of dollars of damage was done. 

I'm not sure how they plan on returning Gotham to normal for the sequels.  As Wolkenkrabber pointed out, it does sorta feel like a set up for the sequel. 

BTW did anyone think that the cavernous nightclub in the film looked like London's Printworks (host to the most recent Chemical DJ set and the Free Yourself video)? If you did, that's because it is.  And yes there's a Chemical reference in the headline of the link.

No way, I knew it was printworks!  I said to my friend while watching it, "I think I know where this part is filmed..." but then immediately realized, no, of course not, why would they go to a different country to film this part?  And I'm sure there's lots of night clubs that look like that.  But would you have it, I was right!  While watching it, I was practically expecting to just hear Woo Track or Swoon or TDTYF in the background.  What a funny, awesome coincidence that I've been watching printworks clips on repeat recently, and it's in a huge main stream movie I watched. 

[GLAKO-FAHN]

ah very cool, i had assumed they'd simply modelled it after the printworks

[Bosco]

Can I request a review of the new Dr. Strange film? I'm a bit tired of the whole superhero genre, but I figure someone on here is headstrong enough to go see the latest marvel movie on opening weekend. I'm mostly interested in what Sam Ramimi (director) can produce here. I admire his Evil Dead series, and I think this was interesting choice as long as he isn't beholding to some sore of Disney/Marvel formula.

Basically fishing for a reason to see if I should make the effort to catch in IMAX.




I've been taking advantage of my trial pass of Apple+ that came with my recent iPhone upgrade. I'm finally catching up on the series "Long Way Up" with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. The duo is traveling from the bottom of South America with electric motorcycles all the way up to Los Angeles California. I'm about half way through the series, and the shots they have of Patagonia are quite incredible.

Has anyone watched the previous series "Long Way Round" or "Long Way Down"? I'm very captivated and envious of these expansive adventuring trips. Me and my brother have been a fan of this series for quite some time. It also has local ties with me, since their cameraman, Jimmy, is from my hometown. They even visit his parents house towards the finale of the the first installment ("Long Way Round").

Anyway, the series reminds me of Michael Palin traveling series, which I recommend as well.



Excited for this too:

[GLAKO-FAHN]

haven't seen the new dr strange, but i will comment that sam raimi also did the spider-man trilogy from 2002-2007..

[Bosco]

haven't seen the new dr strange, but i will comment that sam raimi also did the spider-man trilogy from 2002-2007..

More importantly, also produced Xena and Hercules: The legendary journey

I'm a slave for Lucy Lawless

[Wolkenkrabber]

I watched Chinatown for the first time in many years last night. It's so long since I had seen it that all I remembered about it was Jack Nicholson's nose.

It had me looking at reviews and YouTube videos about it afterwards. Everything in the film serves a purpose and moves you on, deeper into the mire. A mire that Nicholson's Jake Gittes perhaps wishes he had never waded into.

The film is brave enough not to have a happy ending. In fact Robert Towne's original, more upbeat ending was changed by the director to make it darker.

One of the YouTube videos I stumbled on suggested that The Batman (2022) takes some inspiration from this film. And yeah, that could actually be possible. The more you look into things, the worse they actually are. There's a water element to both films too.

Whether that should be what a superhero movie is about, I guess is open to interpretation.
Under another YT video (by the same reviewer) someone left a comment:

"I don't see how a person could have seen Se7en, Silence Of the Lambs, Zodiac, Saw or The Nolan films and like this movie. This film didn't do anything those films didn't do 10X better because THIS film was a sloppy version of them. I guess the new trend for superhero films will be shamelessly making superhero versions of classic non-superhero films for people too stupid & lazy to see the films that influenced them."

Well despite the slightly agressive/condescending attitude of the commenter, they may have a point.

And it made me wonder: Did I not like the ending of The Batman because it was kind of a damp squib or because it wasn't what I expect from a Superhero film (or both)? I'm old enough to remember the release of the Keaton Batman films - the first of which, funnily enough, had Jack "Chinatown" Nicholson in it. And I remember watching some of the comedic 1960s TV series too, prior to seeing the'89 film.

I loved Se7en. In fact it's one of my favorite films of all time. But maybe my expectations are for something a bit different from The Batman. And maybe I'm starting to ramble and I don't have a neat ending for this post...

Incidentally, the reason I watched Chinatown was because someone said the "water supply" theme of the film had been borrowed by Quantum of Solace. And I had indeed watched Q of S quite recently. Now there's a film that definitely benefits from being watched very quickly after Casino Royale. Some people say "it's a really short film". Well its 1hr46. If it had been ten minutes longer no one would have said it was short.
I have concluded that Quantum would have been really good without the writer's strike. The script was underwritten but there's actually plenty to enjoy there. It was never gonna be as good as Casino Royale, because no Bond film is (well, maybe Skyfall...). But compare it to Octopussy or Licence To Kill and it's a freakin masterpiece.

[Bosco]

^ I want to make a significant comment, but I haven't seen all of the films you're keying in on.

As far as my overall preference in how movies end, I must be a dour kinda guy, because I typically like movies to have unhappy endings. It seems more truthful to the history of human behavior and or unfulfilled promise.

Sometimes unhappy endings turn into sequel bait, which outside of "The Empire Strikes Back", I consider lazy writing.

[sandelic]

Same here. I have not seen Chinatown and don't remember a damn thing about Q of S.
Bond movies are so forgettable to me, I hardly remember anything about them.

Also, I did not, and I know I'm somewhat wrong here, look at Batman as superhero movie (which is why I don't agree with that YT comment at all).
For, I would call it, noir detective thriller ending was kind of appropriate, if open to sequel, which is why it felt to you like damp squib (and I don't think you're wrong here), but I liked it.
It felt bleak as entire movie was. Which is fine by me.
Like Bosco, I rarely like happy endings, or find them fitting in movies that deal with human condition.

P.S. Speaking of movies you've not seen in years, I recently rewatched The Cell (2000), movie with, good Lord, Jennifer Lopez as main cast.
I liked it when I've seen it 23 years ago, despite her performance.
It has some truly beautiful and creative design and costumes and some equally disturbing images.
Did anyone seen that movie?

[Bosco]

The Cell

I liked it when I've seen it 23 years ago, despite her performance.
It has some truly beautiful and creative design and costumes and some equally disturbing images.
Did anyone seen that movie?

Basically same for me from what I remember. I just rewatched the trailer to refresh me, and think I'll give it a second go should I find it streaming somewhere.

The modern takeaway, Vincent D'Onofrio played the creep, and has to be one of the more interesting and underrated character actors of our time.


Edit: also, didn't someone parody the suspended bodies thing? Was it MTV awards or "Scary Movie" franchise or something? Fuck, I'm getting old...

[sandelic]

I never realized Vincent D'Onofrio played the creep 
He is unrecognizable in that role, I had to check on IMDB, I thought you made a mistake!
He is, indeed, one of the best character actors of our time.

[Wolkenkrabber]

The Cell? Pants!

Instead of re-watching that thing, you could spend the time watching one of the highest ranked movies of all time.

Just sayin'

[sandelic]

Indeed.
I watched The Cell before I was aware of Chinatown's existence and will watch it as soon as I can.
Cast is intriguing and it is a Polanski movie, after all.
I tried not to look too much at trailer or wiki entry in fear of spoiling the movie, but I gathered it is noir film and that is right up my alley.
Thanks for recommendation.

[Bosco]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit the better noir, TBH...

Honestly, ChinaTown is on my bucket list just like a lot of coveted films that I have never seen. I'll get around to it.