Random Movie Thoughts Thread

[Totenkindly]

Also, I think I know where this story is going. Potential spoiler:

Lol. That is what I actually wondered too -- but based on Part 1, unless there's a twist in Part 2, I do not think that is true.

So yeah, it's not ENTIRELY predictable lol

 

[Red Herring]

Has anyone here seen Ridley Scott's Napoleon?

I considered watching it but so far I've only heard bad things about it (uninspired, superficial, vacant, historically uninformed, historical characters as caricatures, no character depth, bad dialogues,...overall flat and lowbrow). Apparently the costumes and the cinematography are good though.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Hopefully people will be up for this. I decided to share this based on the fact that it ultimately is a Christmas movie.

I'm reminded of just how good this movie was. (I also forgot Joel Edgerton had a fairly large part in this.)

I saw it in my theatres with my family; I was quite surprised I got them to go along with me. I think the general consensus was that it looked really cool, but they didn't understand what was going on.

I liked the interpretation this video gave of the film's ending; I found it rather encouraging and positive.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

My vast network of agents and informants have at last succeeded. They have tracked down this man, known only by this photograph:

Artist's rendering:

His only known alias: Tim Cappello.

My best field agents have compiled the following dossier. I have requested clearance for consumption by all members of the forum in good standing. The higher-ups, under the grounds that "it's Christmas", have granted my request:

The True Story of The Lost Boys' Sax Man

I have informed my agents of the dissemination of their findings. I told them that I look forward to more excellent work from them in the following year, and that in the meantime, they can look forward to some well-earned rest.

 

[Totenkindly]

I have been on a mission to educate my eldest in decent but forgotten films from late 80-90's and a smattering of other time periods, that he said his generation (he's in his late 20's) doesn't even really know exists because they were forgotten and not really "move star" style films except for maybe Face/Off at best (Presumed Innocent, a Few Good Men, What Lies Beneath, Ronin, Abre Los Ojos, The Game, Contact, Face/Off, Jerry Maguire, Heat, etc.)

Yesterday we watched the extended cut of Gladiator which is one of Scott's decent films, w/ a great performance by Richard Harris (one of his last) whose shadow looms over the rest of the film, and was really kind of a breakout for Connie Nielsen and also an early Joaquin Phoenix role that showcased his unique approaches to his roles for the future as he plays Commodos in some unexpected ways. It's just really a solid film and got emulated (visually and/or musically) by lesser films over the years. We also ended up watching "The Edge" with an Anthony Hopkins in his 50's, and Bart the Bear -- just a really enjoyable albeit smaller film with a David Mamet script and a short but lovely Jerry Goldsmith score.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I have been on a mission to educate my eldest in decent but forgotten films from late 80-90's and a smattering of other time periods, that he said his generation (he's in his late 20's) doesn't even really know exists because they were forgotten and not really "move star" style films except for maybe Face/Off at best (Presumed Innocent, a Few Good Men, What Lies Beneath, Ronin, Abre Los Ojos, The Game, Contact, Face/Off, Jerry Maguire, Heat, etc.)

Yesterday we watched the extended cut of Gladiator which is one of Scott's decent films, w/ a great performance by Richard Harris (one of his last) whose shadow looms over the rest of the film, and was really kind of a breakout for Connie Nielsen and also an early Joaquin Phoenix role that showcased his unique approaches to his roles for the future as he plays Commodos in some unexpected ways. It's just really a solid film and got emulated (visually and/or musically) by lesser films over the years. We also ended up watching "The Edge" with an Anthony Hopkins in his 50's, and Bart the Bear -- just a really enjoyable albeit smaller film with a David Mamet script and a short but lovely Jerry Goldsmith score.

Gladiator's a forgotten movie?

 

[Totenkindly]

Gladiator's a forgotten movie?

Not nearly as much as the others, and it ended up being ripped off by some other films (like, Zimmer's music style suddenly got "borrowed" by Zack Snyder and some other directors over the years since) but it's weird what he says his friends aren't aware of.

Rain Man came up too -- I should watch that with him. 1988 I think, and it won Best Picture and I think Director, Best Actor, and Screenplay too, but he know nothing about it. We were talking about Tom Cruise's career and how he's a good actor, but my son hadn't even heard of some of these films. he should probably also see The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Eyes Wide Shut. (He really liked The Firm and A Few Good Men.) I told him he can skip Legend, Far and Away, and Days of Thunder.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Not nearly as much as the others, and it ended up being ripped off by some other films (like, Zimmer's music style suddenly got "borrowed" by Zack Snyder and some other directors over the years since) but it's weird what he says his friends aren't aware of.

Rain Man came up too -- I should watch that with him. 1988 I think, and it won Best Picture and I think Director, Best Actor, and Screenplay too, but he know nothing about it. We were talking about Tom Cruise's career and how he's a good actor, but my son hadn't even heard of some of these films. he should probably also see The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Eyes Wide Shut. (He really liked The Firm and A Few Good Men.) I told him he can skip Legend, Far and Away, and Days of Thunder.

The only real reason to watch Legend is Tim Curry, I think.

 

[ceecee]

Not nearly as much as the others, and it ended up being ripped off by some other films (like, Zimmer's music style suddenly got "borrowed" by Zack Snyder and some other directors over the years since) but it's weird what he says his friends aren't aware of.

Rain Man came up too -- I should watch that with him. 1988 I think, and it won Best Picture and I think Director, Best Actor, and Screenplay too, but he know nothing about it. We were talking about Tom Cruise's career and how he's a good actor, but my son hadn't even heard of some of these films. he should probably also see The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Eyes Wide Shut. (He really liked The Firm and A Few Good Men.) I told him he can skip Legend, Far and Away, and Days of Thunder.

Oh Far and Away was a terrible movie, spotlighting HORRIBLE legislation, wrapped in a bad immigrant story.

Legend is great for people of a certain age, I know my own kids found it to be weird and pointless.

The Color of Money - I don't even know what it was trying to do. People should just watch The Hustler and enjoy a great movie.

I keep thinking about Nicole Kidman and her performance in The Northman. It's so good even though she doesn't have a principal role.

 

[Totenkindly]

I keep thinking about Nicole Kidman and her performance in The Northman. It's so good even though she doesn't have a principal role.

I wish she had even more scenes in that film than she did, but she was very great in the ones she did have. I might rewatch that again soon, it's been awhile.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

So, is this too dark?

A sequel to the Breakfast Club where Brian had committed suicide before the movie begins and all the characters finally encounter each other again at the funeral. My idea for the end of the movie is that the characters read his suicide note, which might just be too much.

This is probably too dark, isn't it? I don't have a sequence of events written out, just an ending really, but I have most of the characters nailed down except for Andrew, which is interesting because I find him more relatable than Clare.

 

[Totenkindly]

Got the KL 4K release of Face/Off today. The film was a little hard to get a hold of (not as hard as Oppenheimer 4K was, I still haven't bought that yet), but it came in. It was just a pretty stunning presentation, where the visual and sound finally matched the emotional pitch of the films. The darks and colors are all vibrant and pop off the screen especially the reds and blues. Easily the best presentation of the film out there on home video. It also has a lot of extras.

The reviewer on Blu-ray site gave it a stellar audio/visual presentation but criticized the film in that I guess he's a big Woo film and feels Woo never really exceled in his American films like he did in his home turf overseas and also accuses negatively of this film being too melodramatic. I'm a pretty rational person (i lean more towards Nolan, for example) and there is plenty I smile at in this film that just doesn't follow rationally (like at the end you'd never put Archer and Troy in the same ambulance) but that is to provide an opportunity for Archer to take back his wedding ring. LOTS of stuff like that, but the emotional arcs are what is consistent and travels through the film coherently. There is a sincerity and a passion that flows through this film. There's also authenticity -- like, how Archer treats Troy's friends like dirt in the early part of the film (including Dietrich and Sasha) but then must go to them for help -- and he realizes that they still have some level of honor/loyalty and are willing to sacrifice, because they are also capable of love. He has misjudged and dehumanized them during his long vendetta against Troy, and so being forced to wear Troy's face for awhile gives him insight into others and himself that he did not have previously.

Like, the film HAD to be melodramatic to have some emotional depth, because the action is melodramatic and also the personalities of Castor Troy and Archer are also larger than life and melodramatic. The whole movie is on steroids, so it's just being consistent.

So, is this too dark?

A sequel to the Breakfast Club where Brian had committed suicide before the movie begins and all the characters finally encounter each other again at the funeral. My idea for the end of the movie is that the characters read his suicide note, which might just be too much.

This is probably too dark, isn't it? I don't have a sequence of events written out, just an ending really, but I have most of the characters nailed down except for Andrew, which is interesting because I find him more relatable than Clare.

Wow, that film's been out awhile. Has this been something you've been thinking about for awhile?

I mean, the end of BC was kind of optimistic, so it would be kind of jarring or a big left turn in where the other film ended up. I guess it depends on how it was handled and how old they are in the sequel and maybe if the suicide was less tragic and more just something that could be understood.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I have been on a mission to educate my eldest in decent but forgotten films from late 80-90's and a smattering of other time periods, that he said his generation (he's in his late 20's) doesn't even really know exists because they were forgotten and not really "move star" style films except for maybe Face/Off at best (Presumed Innocent, a Few Good Men, What Lies Beneath, Ronin, Abre Los Ojos, The Game, Contact, Face/Off, Jerry Maguire, Heat, etc.)

Yesterday we watched the extended cut of Gladiator which is one of Scott's decent films, w/ a great performance by Richard Harris (one of his last) whose shadow looms over the rest of the film, and was really kind of a breakout for Connie Nielsen and also an early Joaquin Phoenix role that showcased his unique approaches to his roles for the future as he plays Commodos in some unexpected ways. It's just really a solid film and got emulated (visually and/or musically) by lesser films over the years. We also ended up watching "The Edge" with an Anthony Hopkins in his 50's, and Bart the Bear -- just a really enjoyable albeit smaller film with a David Mamet script and a short but lovely Jerry Goldsmith score.

I believe Gladiator was also Oliver Reed's final film.

I read recently that he was a rumored contender to play Bond when they were looking for a replacement for Connery (then they hired Lazenby instead). I think he'd have made a good Bond, a little rough around the edges. But I'm sure people thought Connery was too "rough" for the role when he was first hired. Reed would've been a good forerunner to Dalton and Craig.

 

[Totenkindly]

I believe Gladiator was also Oliver Reed's final film.

It was, at least in terms of his actual life. (Not sure if anything released posthumously otherwise.) He died during filming and there was that much-talked-about CGI scene of his face that I am still not sure where it occurs in the film.

I read recently that he was a rumored contender to play Bond when they were looking for a replacement for Connery (then they hired Lazenby instead). I think he'd have made a good Bond, a little rough around the edges. But I'm sure people thought Connery was too "rough" for the role when he was first hired. Reed would've been a good forerunner to Dalton and Craig.

That would have been a pretty interesting choice, instead they went Lazenby and then Moore which is really a different feel.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

It was, at least in terms of his actual life. (Not sure if anything released posthumously otherwise.) He died during filming and there was that much-talked-about CGI scene of his face that I am still not sure where it occurs in the film.


That would have been a pretty interesting choice, instead they went Lazenby and then Moore which is really a different feel.

Perhaps it was seen as the riskier choice for them, so Lazenby and Moore made more sense.

Apparently they also wanted Burt Reynolds in the seventies, then later they nearly hired James Brolin but Moore decided to return at the last minute. Both of those would have been terrible fits. Reynolds had a lot of charisma but would've been the worst possible fit. Brolin has about as much charisma as a piece of wood. I've seen the screen tests he did for Bond, and he is god awful. Doesn't even attempt a British accent, and his delivery is very lame, monotone. I've never thought Brolin was a good actor. Josh on the other hand is awesome, must get it from his mother's side.

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

"Leave the World Behind" was really intense - and better than the official trailor. The music in the trailor is nothing like the film score which has modernist elements. It was really fascinating movie with compelling ideas.

It is based on "The three-step theory of isolation, synchronized chaos, and civil war presented by G. H. Scott which shows how cyberterrorism can destabilize a powerful nation." It demonstrates how effective a cyber-attack would be and how the consequences would be disorienting on so many levels creating confusion and anxiety. The step three of that theory relates well to real life, and is also part of a cyber-attack to radicalize the citizens of a country with conflicting conspiracy ideas which breakdown reason and communication. Then when transportation and communication systems break down, that psychologically instilled fear and distortions would lead to more violence and inability to reason through the conflict. The first and second steps also feel like they are in early stages by increasing reliance on satellite networks for basic functioning in life without autonomous backup systems built into the infrastructure.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Got the KL 4K release of Face/Off today. The film was a little hard to get a hold of (not as hard as Oppenheimer 4K was, I still haven't bought that yet), but it came in. It was just a pretty stunning presentation, where the visual and sound finally matched the emotional pitch of the films. The darks and colors are all vibrant and pop off the screen especially the reds and blues. Easily the best presentation of the film out there on home video. It also has a lot of extras.

The reviewer on Blu-ray site gave it a stellar audio/visual presentation but criticized the film in that I guess he's a big Woo film and feels Woo never really exceled in his American films like he did in his home turf overseas and also accuses negatively of this film being too melodramatic. I'm a pretty rational person (i lean more towards Nolan, for example) and there is plenty I smile at in this film that just doesn't follow rationally (like at the end you'd never put Archer and Troy in the same ambulance) but that is to provide an opportunity for Archer to take back his wedding ring. LOTS of stuff like that, but the emotional arcs are what is consistent and travels through the film coherently. There is a sincerity and a passion that flows through this film. There's also authenticity -- like, how Archer treats Troy's friends like dirt in the early part of the film (including Dietrich and Sasha) but then must go to them for help -- and he realizes that they still have some level of honor/loyalty and are willing to sacrifice, because they are also capable of love. He has misjudged and dehumanized them during his long vendetta against Troy, and so being forced to wear Troy's face for awhile gives him insight into others and himself that he did not have previously.

Like, the film HAD to be melodramatic to have some emotional depth, because the action is melodramatic and also the personalities of Castor Troy and Archer are also larger than life and melodramatic. The whole movie is on steroids, so it's just being consistent.


Wow, that film's been out awhile. Has this been something you've been thinking about for awhile?

I mean, the end of BC was kind of optimistic, so it would be kind of jarring or a big left turn in where the other film ended up. I guess it depends on how it was handled and how old they are in the sequel and maybe if the suicide was less tragic and more just something that could be understood.

I first saw the movie when I was a teenager. I was inclined to turn up my nose at it because of the whole teen drama angle (the WB/90210 angle), but I watched the movie with my sister and enjoyed it.

What got me started on it @TheCat mentioned a dark decades later sequel, and I said that I thought I could do better. I think my initial intention was that it was a black comedy parody of the decades later sequels, but I decided it was a bridge too far.

The movie is 20 years later, and assumes that the year the film was released (1985) is the year the film takes place in (and also that they are juniors). I noticed that if you make them 20 years later, you put them in 2005, which is a year after I graduated from high school. And the other interesting thing (for me) is that it puts them at roughly the age I'm at now. Brian's reasons for suicide have nothing to do with group, and they aren't even about failure like in the first movie. They're more about success. The connecting thread between almost everything (except Allison, maybe) as I see it would be about how society forces all of us into these shapes and penalizes us if we don't conform, or how we might penalize ourselves if we do.

But I don't know if I can really come up with the contents of a suicide note, and I've considered a version where they read it but they never tell you what it was (which I think would be frustrating for the audience, but it's been done).

 

[Totenkindly]

Favorite 4K releases of 2023

4K used to be a total cluster in that production companies would just run a generic filter on their bluray films and slap a 4K label on it, but to make a really solid release means actually spending time to hand-tweak for both the color palette and blacks, as well as not just blur or filter the shit out of the film which can result in a devastating loss of grain, etc.

There were some really great packages that released in 2023 that reached 5/5 status and/or were such a huge jump over what was previously available. While I didn't see everything that came out this year (and might have found a few more treasures in there), here's some notable entries in no particular order:

• Dragonslayer (1981) -- and what a hell of an upgrade for a film they could have just slapped a filter on and not wasted any effort.
• Titanic (1997) -- Cameron took forever to do the 4K for this but it looks and sounds absolutely spectacular. It makes me look forward to his other releases coming out.
• Avatar (2009) -- This was the other big Cameron release this year (along with The Way of Water), where although there was a 4K Avatar a year ago, this time the Special Edition / long DC forms were upgraded to 4k as well. Again, Cameron's investment in the transfer really shows.
• Face/Off (1997) -- this film always got half-hearted transfers in the past (including to bluray) but this is now the definitive version, the film is absolutely gorgeous and there are colors visible that you might not have even been aware of from the prior releases. The only weakness is maybe the computer graphics during the surgery scene, which they couldn't do much with, but it's like a new experience to see this (both the dramatic and the action sequences) in this 4K transfer.
• Ronin (1998) -- A solid Frankenheimer film with some stars of the time, that never has looked better and with decent extras.
• Across the Spiderverse (2023) -- As dazzling a home release as it was in the theater. Both of the Spiderverse releases ported beautifully to home 4K, it's just a feast for the eyes and ears.
• Elemental (2023) -- This was panned in the theaters but seemed to gain extra life in home release. The animation is just beautiful, and the story (once you get partway into it) actually has more richness than one might have expected. But it's really one of the more beautiful Pixar releases available.
• Mission Impossible 7 (2023) -- Plot points aside (which created dissonance in the fan base), the MI films (esp the last 3) have looked great in home release and MI7 is no different -- and it has a lot of great cinematography and set shots that benefit.
• Kubo & The Two Strings (2016) -- The bluray looked pretty good, but the 4K takes things up a notch where you can see how absolutely exquisite the stop-motion models actually were. It feels even richer than before. And decent extras.
• The Others (2001) -- A great gothic horror flick that never got a really good home release, and Criterion this year put out both a bluray and a 4K version that are at the top of their respective formats, although with a lot of extras. This film really benefited from the attention.
• Babylon (2023) -- Kind of surprising this film tanked as much as it did, as it was really enjoyable until maybe the last 15 minutes -- but it was also very long. But the sound and visual (including the 20 minutes of the opening party) just blow you away. It deserved more praise than it got.
• John Wick 4 (2023) -- Again, big spectacle action pics tend to really look great on home vid 4K if given decent attention, and Wick has multiple landscapes from around the world that just look great.
• Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), A24 special release -- This release in the A24 special treatment category (they've released 5-6 of their films in these hardback cloth cases) is just a great transfer + stock full of extras.

Honorable Mention

• The Creator (2023) -- not really much extras but a pretty spectacular 4K release otherwise, that generates some of the same emotion experienced in the theater.
• The Firm (1993) -- While not making the total most of the 4K release, the home versions of this film (DVD and Bluray) just frankly were terrible. This is like watching a whole new movie even if it only reaches the 4/5 rating and is the preferred version if you care about this film.
• Thelma & Louise (1991) -- Another Criterion special that takes a drama with average prior bluray releases and really upgrades the quality of the film to feel new and fresh, plus lots of extras.

I also have been hearing really great things about the Oppenheimer 4K release, which isn't surprising, but i just didn't get a hold of a copy yet.

 

[Totenkindly]

W is for WTF? 'Alien' is getting the children's book treatment — yes, THAT 'Alien'

Ridley Scott's 'Alien' is becoming a Little Golden Book, 'A is for Alien: An ABC Book,' to teach young readers the alphabet.

ew.com

I'm so behind this.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Since someone brought up the topic of MPDGs a little while ago, I clicked on this.

Eh, Clementine shouldn't be included, even though she always is with regards to this subject (and I knew she would be) because she looks the part. The thing about her, though, is that she's a subversion, if you can say that about one of the so-called earliest examples of this trope.

She straight up tells Joel what her deal is in their first(?) meeting in the bookstore and, of course, Joel overlooks the warning. In the beginning of the loop, he's seeing her as an MPDG, and as things progress, things become strained as he finds out that's not really a thing. This wouldn't happen if she was actually an MPDG; none of these relationships with MPDGs typically show the gaping fissures we see in this movie. You also have to keep in mind how the movie is about how our memories and perceptions can be flawed and curious things; I think a distinction can be made between how Joel sees her in the beginning and how she is within the broader universe of the film. The movie (unlike Garden State or, I presume, Elizabethtown) was not simply written as a comedy or romance written to appeal to men, like a lot of these other films. There's at least one other level to it; the movie is examining things like memory and desires and how they affect our behavior.

Everybody forgets about this scene, although there's the element to add here that this is filtered through his own perceptions and memories, which might trip people up. He's the one filling in her dialogue; portions of this is his idealization of her and we don't know what the real Clementine thinks because we don't watch her as she undergoes the procedure. This is through Joel's eyes as he undergoes the procedure, but he's an unreliable narrator like all of us are.

TLDR: Clementine is an MPDG within the universe of Joel's mind, but not within the "real world" of the film itself. This is obscured by the fact that this movie is very interested in depicting the contents of Joel's mind.