Ice Cream Planet
AV Clubber 
I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy.
Posts: 3,833 
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on Feb 13, 2016 7:57:06 GMT -5
The Big Short
At first, I was deeply annoyed with this film. Everything from this smug celebrity cameos to Steve Carrell's grating performance to its distractingly flashy 'more is more!' filmmaking style was irritating in the extreme. However, right around the halfway point, once the cracks start to show i the housing bubble and the subsequent financial doom, the film became so much more compelling and compulsively watchable. The performances still felt a bit cartoonish in spots, but given the cartoonish evil in much of the financial world, it all worked. I haven't read the book, so I can't say just how faithful of an adaptation it is, but it made me want to read it. Not a great film, but solid and entertaining enough. Jeremy Strong was the standout performance for me.
The Revenant
The prettiest adaptation of a non-existent video game I've seen. While the characters may be paper thin and there is a lot of ACH-TING™ to last another five Oscar seasons, it's hard not to be impressed by the visuals. Everything else is rather ho-hum and it's very long, which is a shame. Cut it down to two hours and play up the inherent silliness in a lot of the scenes and one could make a decent comedy with the material. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.
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Post by Lady Bones on Feb 13, 2016 11:19:32 GMT -5
Deadpool: I didn't hate it as much as I could have.
That being said, there was a transphobic joke that left me quietly upset and furious.
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Pear
TI Forumite
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Post by Pear on Feb 13, 2016 15:05:41 GMT -5
DEADPOOL
So obnoxious, and underneath it all it was the same lackluster movie we’ve seen a thousand times. It’s just repackaged with shittier packaging and stamped with a note that says yes, it’s shitty packaging.
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on Feb 14, 2016 16:21:19 GMT -5
Phoenix
Since the Johnny character was such an asshole, I could not buy or understand why Nelly was desperate to get back with him. Sinc ewe have no idea what her life was like with him before the beginning of the movie, it was just hard to accept her decisions and it just kept distracting me from the movie. And that much-hyped ending wasn't enough to overcome how underwhelming the film was.
Two Days, One Night
My first movie by the Dardenne Brothers and now I'll be checking more of their films out since this one had me in tars a few minutes into it and I was stunned at how emotional it was without feeling manipulative. Marion Cotillard's best performance ever?
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
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Post by Dellarigg on Feb 14, 2016 16:47:37 GMT -5
PhoenixSince the Johnny character was such an asshole, I could not buy or understand why Nelly was desperate to get back with him. Sinc ewe have no idea what her life was like with him before the beginning of the movie, it was just hard to accept her decisions and it just kept distracting me from the movie. And that much-hyped ending wasn't enough to overcome how underwhelming the film was. Two Days, One NightMy first movie by the Dardenne Brothers and now I'll be checking more of their films out since this one had me in tars a few minutes into it and I was stunned at how emotional it was without feeling manipulative. Marion Cotillard's best performance ever? I watched Phoenix last weekend, and I didn't take it as a film with much in the way of realism. I just went with it, and enjoyed it a bit without feeling the need to watch it again. As for the Dardennes, see The Child (as distinct from The Son - which is also great, but not as great). Best film I watched last year. |
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Post by Ben Grimm on Feb 14, 2016 21:01:03 GMT -5
Deadpool
I think we both liked it more than the other people here who saw it seemed to - very good translation of the character in places, though the origin, especially after it turned serious, was kind of a lead weight on the film. It was, admittedly, incredibly juvenile. But there were some genuinely funny bits, and it reflected a lot of worked from the Joe Kelly era, which is the only time I've liked the character a lot. I suspect I'll catch some stuff I missed whenever I see it again next.
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on Feb 14, 2016 23:08:12 GMT -5
Clouds of Sils Maria
OK, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed the movie, and then that epilogue happens.
The epilogue lacks any of the energy of the scenes beforehand. Besides that, the movie has a lot of good scenes and ideas (Juliette Binoche and Kristin Stewart have such great chemistry I wish they'd do more movies together) but the film overall felt pretty vague as if it didn't know what the main point was. Or maybe I didn't. Whatever.
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Post-Lupin
Prolific Poster 
Immanentizing the Eschaton
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Post by Post-Lupin on Feb 15, 2016 10:35:46 GMT -5
Creed: a very well made film of a derivative plot involving barely 2-dimensional characters.
The only thing of interest - Creed's class privilege vs the Scouse boxer's working class roots - is glossed over in one line. And there's so much possibility there, especially as a parallel to Rocky's rags-to-riches-to-restaurant arc.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2016 13:41:27 GMT -5
Mrs B and I watched The Martian yesterday. I liked it a lot, about as much as I expected to, maybe a bit more. I loved the amount of humor Watney found in his situation. I also liked how everyone's motivations made sense, even when they clashed. Jeff Daniels as the NASA director especially.
It was kind of odd seeing Chastain and Damon in another space movie so soon after Interstellar.
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Post by Jean-Luc Lemur on Feb 15, 2016 15:40:13 GMT -5
Rewatched Inside Llewyn Davis last night, mainly because I’d forgotten Ethan Phillips was in it
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Post by chalkdevil 😈 on Feb 15, 2016 17:33:07 GMT -5
Watched Tomorrowland. It was fine. I appreciate the message they were going for but it seemed to be lacking something. Maybe it was the expectation that we would share the main character's (who probably had a name) sense of wonder in Tomorrowland but really it was just busy, CGI retro-future stuff.
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Post by Lone Locust of the Apocalypse on Feb 16, 2016 7:11:06 GMT -5
I liked Deadpool. Perfect Saturday afternoon HBO movie, I think.
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Post-Lupin
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Immanentizing the Eschaton
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Post by Post-Lupin on Feb 16, 2016 8:09:31 GMT -5
Watched Tomorrowland. It was fine. I appreciate the message they were going for but it seemed to be lacking something. Maybe it was the expectation that we would share the main character's (who probably had a name) sense of wonder in Tomorrowland but really it was just busy, CGI retro-future stuff. It's an oddly-pitched film: 50's-era sensawunda aimed at Disney-age kids, not quite hitting either. It makes me cry joyfully in three places, without fail. |
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Post-Lupin
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Immanentizing the Eschaton
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Post by Post-Lupin on Feb 16, 2016 8:10:36 GMT -5
The Shadow.It's not a bad movie, really. Not particularly good either, as such, but it makes one wish that in some alternate universe Alec Baldwin had played Batman in a 1930's period version. I'm very fond of the 'Tibetan' magic in this, and Penelope Ann Miller wears the hell out of those gowns. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2016 13:09:43 GMT -5
The Shadow.It's not a bad movie, really. Not particularly good either, as such, but it makes one wish that in some alternate universe Alec Baldwin had played Batman in a 1930's period version. I'm very fond of the 'Tibetan' magic in this, and Penelope Ann Miller wears the hell out of those gowns. I am a fan of The Shadow thanks to a friend who loves old radio dramas, so this movie was great for me. I have dressed as The Shadow for Halloween three times. I wish I had the one photo my friend took of me, in costume, doing a guns-drawn flying leap on the Santa Cruz pier. |
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Post by William T. Goat, Esq. on Feb 16, 2016 21:58:54 GMT -5
Rise of the Planet of the Apes of the
Not bad. I don't like the overuse of CG when it's not necessary, but there was very little of that here. Actual artistry in bringing the ape characters to life.
Static
Not the recent horror movie, but the Mark Romanek one from 1985. It's got some good bits, but I would have preferred more of a plot. It doesn't even get to the premise until halfway through!
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Post by Jean-Luc Lemur on Feb 17, 2016 1:40:56 GMT -5
The Shadow.It's not a bad movie, really. Not particularly good either, as such, but it makes one wish that in some alternate universe Alec Baldwin had played Batman in a 1930's period version. I always forget there was a superhero—particularly retro-superhero—trend in the nineties. Rise of the Planet of the Apes of theNot bad. I don't like the overuse of CG when it's not necessary, but there was very little of that here. Actual artistry in bringing the ape characters to life. I’m really impressed with the new Apes films overall—in addition to looking really good they also maintain the originals’ exploration of themes while modernizing the storytelling. I really wish the new Trek films had taken a similar path. That said I wonder how big a franchise the new Apes films really are—big names are attached and the films seem to do well, but not necessarily TENTPOLE FRANCHISE well. Maybe they’re in that sweet spot where they’re profitable but still niche enough that they don’t have to dumb down. I finally saw the whole of Modern Romance[/b]—really good, quite funny, unfortunately couldn’t pinpoint much in terms of locations (such is the nature of LA, I suppose), but also quite dark when you realize Brooks’s hyperbolic, over-the-line behavior is the norm, not just a reaction to a bad breakup. I gasped half in horror when Mary said her final line. |
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Post by Ben Grimm on Feb 17, 2016 8:33:44 GMT -5
The Shadow.It's not a bad movie, really. Not particularly good either, as such, but it makes one wish that in some alternate universe Alec Baldwin had played Batman in a 1930's period version. I always forget there was a superhero—particularly retro-superhero—trend in the nineties. There was that really explicit reaction to the success of Batman, but a lot of the studios weren't sure what the key was, and they miscalculated, resulting in the Dick Tracy, Shadow, and Phantom movies. Dick Tracy did okay, but the other two more or less tanked. |
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Post-Lupin
Prolific Poster
Immanentizing the Eschaton
Posts: 5,673
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Post by Post-Lupin on Feb 17, 2016 11:55:50 GMT -5
DEADPOOL
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Post by rimjobflashmob on Feb 18, 2016 3:22:39 GMT -5
Zoolander 2
I knew going in this was gonna be stupid but I was not expecting transphobic, which put me off the rest of the self-congratulatory and boring slog that was to follow. The last 20 minutes were the best nap I've had in a while. Also, I still don't think Will Ferrell is funny.
Unrelated: I had been intrigued by posters for The Witch but Dowd's positive review has left me chomping at the bit to see it. I know he's commonly reviled but he's the best movie critic currently working IMO and I agree with his assessments more often than not. Either way, probably gonna see this one soonish.
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Post-Lupin
Prolific Poster
Immanentizing the Eschaton
Posts: 5,673
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Post by Post-Lupin on Feb 18, 2016 8:44:53 GMT -5
I still don't think Will Ferrell is funny. An AV Club Heresy to which I completely subscribe. |
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on Feb 18, 2016 21:12:43 GMT -5
Pride
It's far from perfect, but it brought a huge smile in my face throughout. It's the kind of movie I wish I had seen when I was a teen and was just starting to come out.
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Post by rimjobflashmob on Feb 19, 2016 20:34:30 GMT -5
Ended up being sent home from work early because I'm a disgusting, snotty mess, so I celebrated by watching A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. which was pretty freaking great, I tells ya. Not much to add beyond that, although (minor spoiler) I was really worried they were going to kill the cat at some point. Thankfully, we dodged that bullet. Wonderful film.
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Post by Stuffed Salvador on Feb 20, 2016 2:10:45 GMT -5
The WitchHOLY SHIT The dude who played Satan was so fucking hot! Sure we only saw his silhouette and his jawline, but both those things looked like they belonged to an incredibly attractive man that my friends and I basically agreed that we'd gladly give his soul to him if he asked.
Also, dude's on Instagram because he's a model of course.[\spoiler]
Oh yeah, I dug the movie by the way. Got under my skin even though I didn't think it was scary.
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Feb 20, 2016 9:44:26 GMT -5
The WitchHOLY SHIT The dude who played Satan was so fucking hot! Sure we only saw his silhouette and his jawline, but both those things looked like they belonged to an incredibly attractive man that my friends and I basically agreed that we'd gladly give his soul to him if he asked.
Also, dude's on Instagram because he's a model of course.[\spoiler]
Oh yeah, I dug the movie by the way. Got under my skin even though I didn't think it was scary. I can't wait to see this! I'm waiting for JaneSays though, so next week maybe. |
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Post by Douay-Rheims-Challoner on Feb 20, 2016 10:12:07 GMT -5
Bone Tomahawk
I do not want to be a Kurt Russell character in a Western released in America in 2015 and released here in 2016.
Anyway, it was slight, but fun - of the four Westerns from last year (sorta), this is the one that feels the most like a classic Western in terms of plot construction and flow (and Revenant would be the least) but it's also dryly charming with all these not incredibly bright characters shooting the shit as they stumble their way to the troglodyte caves. I mean you got Richard Jenkins as the amiable, decent, but a little dim 'backup deputy' to Kurt Russell's sheriff, that's a gold pairing right there.
Speaking of the troglodytes, I think if more people actually watched this movie, I could find more Thinkpieces about them - the film has an Indian character carefully distinguish themselves from him, saying they're inbred clanless weirdoes, a Native American take on the backwoods hick killers from a thousand horror films, but the surreally animalistic (and body modification) stuff these guys go in for is... how can I put this... makes Bone Tomahawk also the most like a classic Western in a way people can be decidedly uncomfortable about.
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,636
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Post by Dellarigg on Feb 20, 2016 17:04:14 GMT -5
Visitor Q
I'm happy to say I was unmoved by this, but I suppose I should express some gratitude for the crash course in the practicalities of necrophilia.
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Ice Cream Planet
AV Clubber
I get glimpses of the horror of normalcy.
Posts: 3,833
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Post by Ice Cream Planet on Feb 21, 2016 5:58:28 GMT -5
Headhunters
I'll admit I underestimated this film. Adapted from Jo Nesbø's novel (unread by me), what seems like slick, formulaic thriller (art heists and murder) has a nice darkly comic streak in it that gives the narrative a playfully nasty edge. It's a stew of familiar tropes, but it has a sense of humor about itself. Oh sure, there are plenty of contrivances and toward the end, the explanatory voice-over is unnecessary, to put it mildly. But, it's twisty, preposterous fun, which is exactly what I needed.
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Post by rimjobflashmob on Feb 22, 2016 23:53:37 GMT -5
The Witch
Out of a theater full of maybe thirty people, there were three walkouts, and after the lights went up somebody behind me profusely apologized to all their friends they'd presumably dragged along. For one, I loved it, and was intensely unsettled from the opening frame. Anya Taylor-Joy is a fucking revelation. The period-accurate dialogue was very effective in ushering in an alien sense of discomfort, even though a couple of times I was straining to hear what was said (usually when one of the younger children were speaking). The last couple of minutes (no spoilers) weirded me out at first, and my entire trip back home I was mulling it over and I think I liked it, even though it was kind of super goofy? Might warrant further thought, but on first impressions, filing this one with It Follows, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, and The Babadook in my 'new horror classics' collection.
Also, I am absolutely working "DID YE MAKE SOME COVENANT WITH THAT FOUL GOAT?!" into my daily lexicon.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 23, 2016 0:26:07 GMT -5
Prior to last evening I had never seen Alien or Aliens. This was something of a pop culture blindspot for me and I was taken to task within the box. "What?! You've never seen Alien or Aliens?! What the F?!" And so I watched Alien last night. What an excellent motion picture! It was creepy as fuck...the alien's hands when it popped up in the vent unnerved me more than I really want to discuss. Aliens was watched this morning, with fellow Alien(s) virgin, Tea Rex. Basically "OH NO!" "Vasquez is the coolest," and "WHAT THE FUCK!" got bellowed non-stop for 2+ hours by us. Aliens was a decent flick as well, but not really scary at all. I like how the genre and tone of the two flims is completely different. I honestly cannot think of another film franchise that switches genres in as dramatic a fashion as Alien did with Aliens. Anyway I've heard horrible things about the subsequent films (and honestly saw whatever one had Winona Ryder in it and thus do not doubt the terribleness of any other Alien movies that may exist), so I think I'm done with Alien unless someone is like, "Yo dawg Alien vs. Predator 2 is actually legitimately good," or something like that. |
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