Rate the last movie you watched

[redbreegull]

how has the superhero bubble not burst yet?

[TuralyonW3]

civil war might be awesome

[FoolofaTook]

fuck you guys. superhero movies are the shit. I hate nationalism with a passion and ADORE Captain America. In winter soldier, there is this scene in which he takes out like fifty million motherfuckes in an elevator, while shackled and then he dives headfirst out a fucking skyscraper and lands ON HIS MOTHERFUCKING SHIELD

[teh b0lly!!1]

Originally Posted by redbreegull

how has the superhero bubble not burst yet?

people are stupid and they love their buffed up men in tights

[redbreegull]

I love Joss Whedon but I haven't been able to make myself watch Avengers because it just seems so hackneyed

[TuralyonW3]

Batman superman was fun b+

[vixnix]

Originally Posted by buzzard

Superhero movies are to film what McDonald's is to the local burger joint and Starbucks is to the independent café.

Bloated monstrosities of vacuous mediocrity where virtually bottomless marketing budgets take the place of merit.

I mean this is my assumption, which is why I've never tested it and watched one. I mean, as a kid, yeah. But not since high school. Actually I lie. My husband was given those Gold Class cinema tickets where you can sit in the fancy chairs and drink alcohol, and his mother was visiting from NZ so she could babysit. It was our one date night for the year, and the only movie showing was Iron Man 3. Even RDJ couldn't stop the feeling that 2 hours my life had been stolen from me.

[Disco King]

Originally Posted by Elphenor

The biggest disappointment is still how bad Green Lantern was ruining that franchises reputation before it could even get to Sinestro and The Darkest Night story arch

they should have outright skipped GLs fairly boring origin story

I was so excited for the Green Lantern film because I never thought that one would be made during my lifetime that I ignored all the blatant evidence that it would be awful. Then I saw it and it literally ruined my life.

I dunno, I like Hal Jordan's origin. I think one of the many mistakes of the film is that it didn't develop Jordan's character at all. In the comics, like in Emerald Dawn or Secret Origin, they kind of show how his whole careless exterior is really just a defense, because he doesn't want people to pity him, but underneath the nonchalant machismo, he has a lot of resentment toward the world and whatnot. There's also the whole thing about his strained relationship with his family because of his in career.

The film just of skips over all that and presents Jordan as this handsome pilot who bangs hot chicks who one day gets a magic ring, and you have no reason not to hate him (like, he gets a bunch of people laid off just to show off against a product that would probably save lives, and we're supposed to root for him because he's the main character I guess). And even though the whole allure of Green Lantern is the huge cast of weird aliens that aren't just the Star Trek "our species are basically humans with weird foreheads," but are actually creative speculations about possible alternative lifeforms, they built CGI models for these guys just to have them in the background on a city CGI planet and never do anything or interact with Jordan. Sinestro's complex character and descent isn't explored, he just decides to create a yellow ring after the threat for which he thought the yellow ring was necessary is already neutralized, but I guess he still makes it because he needed to for a sequel that will never happen.

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

fuck you guys. superhero movies are the shit. I hate nationalism with a passion and ADORE Captain America. In winter soldier, there is this scene in which he takes out like fifty million motherfuckes in an elevator, while shackled and then he dives headfirst out a fucking skyscraper and lands ON HIS MOTHERFUCKING SHIELD

I used to think Captain America was shit, too, but then I started reading his series during Ed Brubaker's run and it was pretty good. He's not really jingoistic at all, he represents the ideal of what he wants his country to be, but he's very troubled by all of its flaws.

I read the first arc of Rick Remender's run as well, and that was great. JRJR actually tried on the art instead of just shitting it out to meet deadlines like he usually does these days, so it looked really good.

I only saw the first movie, and while it was just okay, I definitely liked it better than the other Marvel Studios movies I saw (The first two Iron Man ones, the Hulk one, and The Avengers). I kind of gave up on Marvel Studios' films because they are kind of boring (I think the only reason they are so hyped is because most superhero films turn out like Fantfourstic, Green Lantern, and Elektra, so the bar's pretty low). At least Cap looked cool with its period set pieces. Avengers looked like some NBC television show to me.

Originally Posted by redbreegull

I love Joss Whedon but I haven't been able to make myself watch Avengers because it just seems so hackneyed

Yeah, no, it's not a good film. Half the movie is shots of the Avengers conveniently standing in group poses that would make a great wall poster. I mean obviously I like a good superhero film and don't hate them on principle because I think even really commercial products can intersect with actual merit when corporations hire people who care about what they're doing and have the competence to match the enthusiasm, but I literally fell asleep during The Avengers.

Mark Ruffalo was likable as Bruce Banner, though.

Originally Posted by teh b0lly!!1

agree.
i did enjoy brian singer's first x-men movie or two though

I've never seen any of the X-Men flicks. I've heard that the Singer ones are good. Only one that really looked interesting to me was First Class (not Singer, some other guy) because of it being this period piece during the Civil Rights era and Missile Crisis and all that jazz.

I haven't read a lot of X-Men, but I remember loving the '90s cartoon as a kid (awesome theme song, too). I was reading some of the dozens of X-Men titles during that time right after the X-Men split up into Wolverine's MLK-ish team and Cyclops' Malcom X-ish team. Then they did some shitty Avengers vs. X-Men crossover and then Bendis took over the titles and things started going nowhere.

[Disco King]

I'd love me a film or miniseries based on Green Lantern: Mosaic. Some crazy ex-Guardian decides to just transplant a bunch of communities from a bunch of different planets to a new one, and John Stewart (that's the black Green Lantern) is tasked wit keeping the peace on this patchwork planet. A lot of themes about race and segregation and stuff. I find Gerard Jones hit and miss. He writes good shit like Mosaic, but also awful shit like this

[MeAndMyLlama]

10 Cloverfield Lane - B+?

I absolutely loved the first 95% of this movie. Ratcheted up the tension so well. John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were amazing. But then when it turns into a generic sci-fi plot the mood whiplash was appalling.
Repurposing scripts into vague sequels is pretty gross. Oh, a random line of dialogue said John Goodman worked with satellites in the navy. A satellite fell out of the sky in Cloverfield. This must mean something!1!
I suppose it put more asses into seats to see a good movie.

[TuralyonW3]

Originally Posted by redbreegull

I love Joss Whedon but I haven't been able to make myself watch Avengers because it just seems so hackneyed

First one is great, second one didn't come together

[Starla]

I thought B vs S was okay... but I'm easily entertained these days and it made a decent date night movie. I was wondering if the giant was a nephilim. Allegiant was a little boring.

Others I've recently watched and enjoyed:

Gods of Egypt
Brooklyn
The Danish Girl
Revenant
Creed
Frozen River

[Disco King]

Hey, anyone here ever write a screenplay?

I dunno, it's one of those things I've always told myself I'd do, but I've never gotten around to completing one. I mean, I know it'd probably never be filmed, but just for the fun of it.

Problem with me is that, even though creations are, like, 10% idea, 90% how those ideas are developed, I can only think of ideas and get stumped on how to develop them. And then I get bored of the idea and go "nvm actually it's shit" and don't do anything with it.

Like, I had an idea for a film, a short film, that would be a fixed camera from a single perspective for the whole thing. It would be about somebody in the hospital in with locked-in syndrome (the camera angle would be from their perspective), and the film would just be the patient's friends and family visiting him or her in the hospital and talking to the patient or each other. Pretty much, because the patient can respond, and the visitors are grief-stricken, they confide in the patient things they wouldn't normally reveal to people, and sometimes talk as if the patient isn't there. A story would emerge from the bits and pieces of all the little conversations.

I haven't gotten any further than that. I don't know what that story would be.

Sounds like a drama to me, but now that I think of it, seeing as locked-in syndrome is pretty much one of the most horrifying things that could happen to anybody, one could spin a pretty scary psychological thriller out of the concept. 2spooky4me

[Disco King]

I have a few other ideas for works of fiction, but not sure if all of them would be films. At least a couple, I'm fairly certain I envision them as comics.

[buzzard]

I actually like that idea, though I would think it'd work better as a short.

The film that comes to mind as similar in at least one regard, though it wasn't shot from a single perspective nor did it revolve entirely around the patient in hospital, was Open Hearts. It's Dogme 95 certified, directed by Susanne Bier, written by Anders Thomas Jensen, and features a man rendered paralyzed at the neck. Though this particular movie is not a personal favourite, Anders Thomas Jensen is a brilliant writer and it might interest you to see how he handles the material.

Visually, your idea would probably end up looking like Roy Andersson's trilogy, where each vignette consists of a long-take from a fixed perspective and thereby more or less necessitates the use of wide-angles. The British television series Peep Show is all done in the first-person perspective, but the characters are able-bodied and so I'm not sure if your idea could follow its example.

[teh b0lly!!1]

whenever i try to write anything that's longer than a song or a journal entry (that's perhaps a bit more word-y than what would be considered a normal journal), i just get very self conscious and feel like i'm a sham

if wish i was one of those people who can create a world through their words. maybe i should just give it a go and try not to overthink it sometime.

[reprise85]

Originally Posted by Disco King

Hey, anyone here ever write a screenplay?

I dunno, it's one of those things I've always told myself I'd do, but I've never gotten around to completing one. I mean, I know it'd probably never be filmed, but just for the fun of it.

Problem with me is that, even though creations are, like, 10% idea, 90% how those ideas are developed, I can only think of ideas and get stumped on how to develop them. And then I get bored of the idea and go "nvm actually it's shit" and don't do anything with it.

Like, I had an idea for a film, a short film, that would be a fixed camera from a single perspective for the whole thing. It would be about somebody in the hospital in with locked-in syndrome (the camera angle would be from their perspective), and the film would just be the patient's friends and family visiting him or her in the hospital and talking to the patient or each other. Pretty much, because the patient can respond, and the visitors are grief-stricken, they confide in the patient things they wouldn't normally reveal to people, and sometimes talk as if the patient isn't there. A story would emerge from the bits and pieces of all the little conversations.

I haven't gotten any further than that. I don't know what that story would be.

Sounds like a drama to me, but now that I think of it, seeing as locked-in syndrome is pretty much one of the most horrifying things that could happen to anybody, one could spin a pretty scary psychological thriller out of the concept. 2spooky4me

That's an awesome concept

[killtrocity]

Ant Man

D-


Why

[duovamp]

Just a two word review. Shit Man.

[killtrocity]

Disney is the ant christ. I just can't even

[Disco King]

Originally Posted by buzzard

I actually like that idea, though I would think it'd work better as a short.

The film that comes to mind as similar in at least one regard, though it wasn't shot from a single perspective nor did it revolve entirely around the patient in hospital, was Open Hearts. It's Dogme 95 certified, directed by Susanne Bier, written by Anders Thomas Jensen, and features a man rendered paralyzed at the neck. Though this particular movie is not a personal favourite, Anders Thomas Jensen is a brilliant writer and it might interest you to see how he handles the material.

Visually, your idea would probably end up looking like Roy Andersson's trilogy, where each vignette consists of a long-take from a fixed perspective and thereby more or less necessitates the use of wide-angles. The British television series Peep Show is all done in the first-person perspective, but the characters are able-bodied and so I'm not sure if your idea could follow its example.

I'll check those things out. Thanks!

When I hear that a work already exists similar to an idea I have, my instinct is usually to avoid it at all costs so that I don't become influenced by it and end up just copying it. Like, I had an idea for a comic that sounds vaguely like Chris Ware's Rusty Brown, so I still haven't read it in its entirety.

But since I know nothing about film, I probably should check this stuff out, especially for the technical aspects of it (I'm only really thinking of writing a screenplay, not filming it, but the script should probably still take into account how the film would have to be presented).

Originally Posted by teh b0lly!!1

whenever i try to write anything that's longer than a song or a journal entry (that's perhaps a bit more word-y than what would be considered a normal journal), i just get very self conscious and feel like i'm a sham

if wish i was one of those people who can create a world through their words. maybe i should just give it a go and try not to overthink it sometime.

I'm too self-critical to ever finish a creative work, even short things like songs or short stories. I always encounter road blocks and just give up. Like, I get bored of my song and just give up trying to finish it, or I realize I can't write a given story competently because I know nothing about how an aspect my story includes works in real life (like, let's say a character is a banker or something, and I'm like, "Shit, what do bankers even do all day? Like, send memos about money and shit? Fuck I'm too sheltered and dumb to write this."

[MyOneAndOnly]

I literally spent 2 full days traveling this week and most of that time was watching movies on planes


The Revenant B+

cinematography was amazing. well acted. the violence is continuous and exhausting.


Sisters D

terrible. not funny. boring. etc.


Daddy's Home C

mildly amusing, but one of Will Ferrell's weaker comedies


Meadowland B+

Indie flick with Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson which deals with the aftermath of their son's disappearance. Rather depressing, but Wilde does a great job and kind of steals the film from Wilson, who plays the non funny version of himself.


American Ultra C+

somewhat entertaining. definitely reinforced my loathing for Jesse Eisenberg

[buzzard]

This documentary, which is basically a collection of micro-interviews with and uncomfortably long close-ups of a collection of mostly unfortunate individuals, is really quite intense. If anybody ever saw American Juggalo, it's by the same guy and just as haunting.

If you want to watch it on your television and not online, I would suggest 4K Video Downloader. It'll allow you to strip it directly from Vimeo at whichever quality you desire.



Especially recommended to fans of Gummo and the like.

[vixnix]

For class.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - B-
After reading the screenplay, I found this disappointing. Which was interesting because I enjoyed it when I first saw it, a few years ago. A lot of effort went into making it more like another Lock, Stock IMO. Which was a waste. Especially with that cast. Although Gary Oldman wasn't quite right, in parts. Bad direction. Director is the son of film people, so is probably an idiot.

Alien - A
This was the opposite. The screenplay read like neckbeard fanfic. Nobody could have polished this turd the way Ridley Scott did. Although he couldn't have done that, if Kubrick hadn't made 2001. It restored my confidence in the worth of cinema as a human art form.

[run2pee]

Alien really feels like an art film at parts, doesn't it

That image of Harry Dean Stanton turning his chin up to catch the falling water while looking for Jonesy in the engine bays is one of my favorite moments in all of movies

[buzzard]

Originally Posted by Disco King

When I hear that a work already exists similar to an idea I have, my instinct is usually to avoid it at all costs so that I don't become influenced by it and end up just copying it.

Honestly, any similarity between Open Hearts and your idea strikes me as fairly superficial. There's plenty of room for genuine originality, as the mere existence of a paralyzed character in a hospital is the only common thread and the other story more so explores interaction outside of that setting between those connected by it.

If you do end up watching it, you'll at least be treated to a scene featuring one of the best Mads Mikkelsen performances I've seen.

[Disco King]

Originally Posted by vixnix

For class.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - B-
After reading the screenplay, I found this disappointing. Which was interesting because I enjoyed it when I first saw it, a few years ago. A lot of effort went into making it more like another Lock, Stock IMO. Which was a waste. Especially with that cast. Although Gary Oldman wasn't quite right, in parts. Bad direction. Director is the son of film people, so is probably an idiot.

Alien - A
This was the opposite. The screenplay read like neckbeard fanfic. Nobody could have polished this turd the way Ridley Scott did. Although he couldn't have done that, if Kubrick hadn't made 2001. It restored my confidence in the worth of cinema as a human art form.

Reading a screenplay before seeing a film sounds like it would be an interesting exercise in seeing exactly how the director shapes the material. The only screenplays I've read, I read after seeing the film. I always assumed that a shitty screenplay will automatically be a shitty film, no matter who directs it, because you can't fix poor character motivations, bad dialogue, or plot holes, no matter how interesting the shots are or how well-done the set design is. But maybe I'm wrong and the presentation counts for more than I think it does.

[teh b0lly!!1]

Alien was masterful.

i don't remember it being terribly written though. it sort of doesn't matter - the sense of isolation, the premise, the location, the android situation are kind of what drives it.
but i can see what you mean disco stu.

[buzzard]

Jodorowsky's Dune, which is a great documentary about Alejandro Jodorowsky's ultimately unsuccessful bid to adapt the science fiction novel to film, pretty strongly suggests that Alien's art design was effectively recycled from that earlier project.

[buzzard]

I mean, Giger is Giger, but come on...