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My girlfriend and I just watched The Irishman. We both loved it. It feels its length, but at the same time wastes not a second of it. The acting was fantastic, the script flawless, the cinematography epic. And the ending leaves you with a deeper meaning than you first expected. Quite simply one hell of a film. Big recommendations from me.
 
I watched The Hateful Eight as my last movie of the year. Definitely an underrated movie in Tarantino's filmography. Loved Samuel L. Jackson, as always.
 
Perun said:
Just finished watching Stranger Things. Late to the party as always, I know.
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What did you think?

I've watched a few things with the GF. She was in a horror movie mood the past couple of days and I was more than happy to ablidge. We saw The Bye-Bye Man. It was entertaining. a mixture of Oculus and It Follows. The ghost itself wasn't truly scary, but the way he plays with the characters minds is cool and what I liked best is it doesn't have a "happy" ending. Really liked it.

Watched th Blair Witch reboot/sequel. That was a waste of time. The original Blair Witch was a scary when it came out by taken found footage movies to th masses. At this point it's done to death, doesn't really move anything forward as far as the genre goes. It had it's cool moments, but overall a HUGE pass on this one. If you're a fan of the original it does expand the story and legend, but go into it with ZERO expectations.

In browsing Netflix we saw they had Insidious 2. She mentioned never watching them so I told her we had to watch all three. I found the first on another site, we watched II on Netflix and haven't gotten III to work from any other site that has it. I'm still trying. I really like these movies. The team of Leigh Whinnel, James Wan and Oren Peli have given us some great horror. The second movie doesn't stand up too too much scrutny, but it's still fun. Has one of my favorite unintentional humor with "DON'T YOU DARE!" But doesn't retract from the horror. I wish Whinnel would have teamed up with Wan for more movies, specially the Conjuring-verse, I like his style way more than Gary Doberman's.

After our horror binge we went on a Disney Binge... oh god, I want those 4 hours back. We began with Frozen II, what a blatant money grabbing sequel. The first broke with so many fairy tale staples and it was great. No wedding, no prince charming, Let it Go became an anthem for little girls and repressed housewives everywhere. This one? It just couldn't follow all that up. The songs are great, but by the numbers and it was really pushing for Into the Unknown to be the new Let it Go. I loved the instrumentation of the songs, not big on the lyrics at all. Kristoff's was so out of place, it felt like a left over song from Chicago's 80's phase. Visually stunning, duh, but gave me nothing to invest in.

Maleficent II... oh god. This wasn't a Disney movie, it was an aborted Lord of the Rings script. Again visually stunning and you could tell it was released in 3D with some shots of fairys flying in drops of water, slow mo and just a lot of action in the forground. The only good thing about this movie was Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeifer, they were a joy to watch whenever they were on screen, everyone else was just bland and boring.

hoping to get Insidious III to work and still debating whether to watch The Witcher due to the devisive reactions both here and in traditional media.
 
The Witcher was awesome, I thought. I'm a fan of the books as well as all three games, and while their are some changes from the books that make little sense to me, I absolutely enjoyed it and have run through the season twice now.
 
chaosapiant said:
The Witcher was awesome, I thought. I'm a fan of the books as well as all three games, and while their are some changes from the books that make little sense to me, I absolutely enjoyed it and have run through the season twice now.
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I was about to ask if anyone had read the books, lol. I'm on episode and loving it. I can see the criticism on the effects and fight choreography, but it isn't a deal breaker for me. The STORY is so engaging. Only now did I find out it was a book series first, then a video game and now a series. Even with that everytime some random guy asks Geralt for help, I'm like, "Side quest!"

Everyone is in love with The Witcher 3 and it's expansion. So how do the video games and series handle the original source? Have a favorite book, game, episode?
 
So I finally saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It was... OK. As given away by the title it's a fairy tale.

While I didn't have a problem with the typical Tarantino time period casual racism I did have a problem with him inserting the racism, but have Pitt's character not want a BJ from an underaged hippie. This IS 1969, right? When Jimmy Page, David Bowie, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were not only having sex with underage girls, but actually DATING them. I know the scene is suppose to make us think, "Aw, he's a racist, but he's a good racist." Bullshit. Also I didn't like how we only see the Hippie culture from Pitt's POV as he villifies all hippies, not just the Manson Family. We don't get to see just how evil Manson's grip was on these lost kids if, thanks to Pitt, we think all hippies suck.

The ending... it was... uncomfortable. Unlike Inglorious Bastards, here Tarantino changes history A LOT. The Nazis were defeated, Hitler Killed himself, so what if in a movie they are still defeated, just in a different way? But here, having them attack Leo's house and having a tripped out Brad and his dog defeat the Manson members is just cringy. Sharon Tate and her friends were murdered, a movie wishing different isn-t changeing that. Also, While TODAY it is a private, gated off road, back in 69, if I remember Helter Skelter correctly, it wasn't.

So yeah, it romanticizes the 60s, gives two has beens a last hoorah, but ultimately it made me very uncomfortable all the way through.
 
Onhell said:
So I finally saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It was... OK. As given away by the title it's a fairy tale.

While I didn't have a problem with the typical Tarantino time period casual racism I did have a problem with him inserting the racism, but have Pitt's character not want a BJ from an underaged hippie. This IS 1969, right? When Jimmy Page, David Bowie, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were not only having sex with underage girls, but actually DATING them. I know the scene is suppose to make us think, "Aw, he's a racist, but he's a good racist." Bullshit. Also I didn't like how we only see the Hippie culture from Pitt's POV as he villifies all hippies, not just the Manson Family. We don't get to see just how evil Manson's grip was on these lost kids if, thanks to Pitt, we think all hippies suck.

The ending... it was... uncomfortable. Unlike Inglorious Bastards, here Tarantino changes history A LOT. The Nazis were defeated, Hitler Killed himself, so what if in a movie they are still defeated, just in a different way? But here, having them attack Leo's house and having a tripped out Brad and his dog defeat the Manson members is just cringy. Sharon Tate and her friends were murdered, a movie wishing different isn-t changeing that. Also, While TODAY it is a private, gated off road, back in 69, if I remember Helter Skelter correctly, it wasn't.

So yeah, it romanticizes the 60s, gives two has beens a last hoorah, but ultimately it made me very uncomfortable all the way through.
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Did you just call DiCaprio a has been?
 
Onhell said:
What did you think?
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I enjoyed it, especially the first season. I felt the general plotting was very 80's in the sense that the series got progessively more absurd and goofier. Season 3 really did feel like a mid-eighties sequel (looking at you, Rocky IV). So that was fun, although the more I think of it in hindsight, the more I question the necessity of having a multi-episode series for that. The latter two seasons really only took advantage of the series format in terms of character quantity, not quality. I didn't feel that in Season 3, for instance, the characters were developed any more than they could have been in a two hour film; there were just more characters. Season 1 did a great job of exploring complexities within characters and between characters. Season 3 did this in a much more shallow fashion; had it been a 2-hour film, it would have been very good, but if I'm sitting through it for ten hours, I'd like to get to know the characters a little better, and not watch them go through struggles they basically already went through (Joyce) or have them simplified (Hopper). There were some good moments tough, such as showing that Eleven, despite her powers and her past, could still develop into an ordinary pre-teen.
With all that said, I liked it, even if I'm not sure it lives up to all the hype. I don't know where they would be going with Season 4, but I'd still watch it.
 
Just saw 1917; it is the very definition of a nail biter! The hype is true. While we (took my 14 year old son) were watching, the lyrics to the Motorhead song 1916 kept springing to mind; the visuals match the lyrics very well (to me).

Talk about determination against all odds; my God.
 
Can concur, 1917 has some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. 10/10.

On an unrelated note, in anticipation of the upcoming remake I got around to watching Dune. Was a bit shit, mostly in the second half, but I confess I did enjoy the abundance of 80's cheese. Sandworms were cool until they became a plot device.
 
Still on a horror mood. Rewatched Sinister and finally watched Sinister 2. The sequel was surprisingly strong. I like how it wasn't a sequel in name only like is common with horror. Plot and characters carried over and focusing on the children's POV was good too. Also rewatched Oculus, while still good didn't age as well as I hoped.

Like many people, I've been binging on YOU. Can't recall the last time a psycho was so sympathetic lol.
 
Finally got around to sitting through The Irishman. Jesus what a slog.

The last 30 mins would have made a much better film than the 3 hours leading up to it.
Don’t get me wrong: the movie is well directed and acted, but it’s 3 hours of the same old typical mafia “loyalty and crime pay until they don’t” crap that we’ve seen a thousand times (including multiple previous Scorsese films).

The story of a legendary hitman trying to reconnect with his family and struggling to find remorse for what’s he’s done? That would’ve been a new take and far more interesting to watch for 90-120 min movie. As it stands, it’s just a bloated, boring, I engaging gangster picture with no real individual character development.
 
On another movie binge weekend before the semester goes into full swing.

The Report. I watched this along with Marriage Story mainly because of the actors. The Report stars Adam Driver and Marriage story is him AND Scarlett Johansen. Both really good dramas. The Report is about the report on the CIA's "enhanced techniques." While it is obvious that torture in general doesn't lead to useable intelligence, some people are still on the fence about it... good grief. A powerful performance by Driver

Marriage Story was awesome because it is the breakdown of a marriage and what I like is that there is no villian. They are both good people, but they just ran their course. The anger, frustration and sadness is captured very well by both Johansen and Driver.

Bombshell. NOT the Heddy Lamar story, rather the one about the scandal at Fox news that led to the dismisal of both Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly. Mindblowing performances from Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and John Lithgow as Ailes. Theron got it down pat down to Kelly's VOICE and mannerism... unbelievable. Nicole Kidman was less impressive and I was disappointed with Margo Robbie's portrayal of what was more likely an amalgamation character. I'm assuming that due to fear of law suits at the beginning of the movie there are a bunch of "based/inspired on a true story" disclaimers and how names have been changed and whatnot, but honestly... sticks pretty close to what the scandal actually was.

Terminator Dark Destiny. I liked it. It was a fun action movie. This is a franchise that went off the rails loooong ago so it's obvious where the hate for this movie came from, but at the same time... what did people expect at this point? Terminator is still a frightening, straight up horror movie. Terminator 2 is a great blend of horror, action and comedy. 3 NEVER HAPPENED. Salvation was Meh and Genesis was good. I really enjoyed the alternate reality. DD....

The only thing I had issue with is WHEN does this take place? in the Terminator universe that is... it seems to ignore all movies, but the original. I mean in 2 she is afraid of Arnie, because he hunted her down in the first one, but then they're allies. Now another terminator actually kills John AFTER the defeated skynet and THAT SAME terminator grows a concious and sends her warnings of other breaches from the future? He ends up dying sooo.... he is going to warn her now? Clearly it isn't going to stop.

That was the only "bad" I saw with the film. What I imagine a lot of people saw bad with the film is that it was probably "too Mexican" and "too political" for their taste. I mean the NEW hope of humankind is an undocumented, Mexican woman... So I'm sure that ruffled a lot of feathers. I actually didn't mind the portrayal of "Mexico" in the movie, I'm used to Hollywood portraying most countries as shitholes. I also know how Canadians feel when the movie supposedly takes place in New York, but it's filmed in Toronto. The movie supposedly starts in Mexico City, but that shit was filmed in Tijuana or Ciudad Juarez, because it looked ZERO like Mexico City. They had ONE Mexican actor and he dies 5 minutes in. All very Hollywood. So can't really continue to place it into the "what's wrong with this movie" category.

I am starting to get tired of digitized young versions of the original actors. Glad the movie didn't over do it, but good god, enough. All in all I don't know where the franchise is going to go. Salvation at least brought the Terminator universe to "the present," Genesis tried to reboot it with an alternate timeline, this last one said "fuck it" to all of that... so.... what's next? These movies are going to continue as long as Arnie is alive. I for one would love to see a return to roots striaght up slasher/jaws/alien persecution horror. The first one worked, because of Arnie's imposing figure, the second one, because he WASN'T physically intimidating, but was technologically superior. So, nothing more scary than a non-intimidating old man.
 
Saw the director's edition of Doctor Sleep online. I had already seen the film in the theater but felt the director's edition does a better job of character development, Really like the way this film is a faithful adaption of the book...until you get to the end where it turns into a sequel to the Shining novel AND film. It finally links the best of all 3. That is why Stephen King supported this film (unlike the Shining film which took liberties from his book).
I bought it on Amazon and after the credits is a brief documentary which included the director and Stephen King talking about what I mentioned in my previous few sentences in more detail.

Even though the soundtrack is not by the same composer(s) as the Shining, it borrows heavily and very well from it.

LOVE the last 45 minutes when they return to the Overlook. The Shining I saw on a daily basis when it premiered on HBO in the early 80s (this is when cable was new); it was a big part of my early teenage years. This finale felt like closure not only to Danny, but to me, an old fan, as well.

Even though I read the book when it first released seven years ago, I forgot some of it. So when I was watching Danny and his AA sponsor digging up the baseball boy, I was worried they were going to get caught by law enforcement who just happened to be passing by and therefore framed! Glad that didn't happen and slow down the story. I also remember thinking when Abra caused Danny's chalkboard wall to crack and when Danny threw down (and broke) the bottle of alcohol on his floor that Danny's landlady must be deaf!
 
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