Movie opinions thread (what have you seen, what did you think?)

[SouthtownKid]

Being There. This makes a lot of top 10 lists, so I've been curious for years. HOLY SHIT and YIKES. This is a weird one to take in. My wife punched out exactly midway through, so I had to watch the rest with headphones on in the dark. You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never really does. It's funny in an uncomfortable way that rivals the Scott's Tots episode of the US Office. Rain Man takes a LOT from this movie, and it's wild the amount of balls it took for someone less than a decade later to think it was already okay to make what is essentially a cheap, dumb commercial copy (without the magical age-swap bullshit) in Tom Hanks's Big. One scene is pretty much lifted directly.

Crazy ending which comes out of nowhere, but feels right. WTF

 

[terry.330]

Incredible movie on multiple levels.

Edit: Oh yeah they also just recently did a another ripoff of it with Charlie Day called Fools Paradise.

 

[SouthtownKid]

And now that I think about it, Cooper in season 3 of Twin Peaks seems directly lifted from Peter Sellers' character in this movie. Just wild. I'll have to watch it again at some point.

 

[terry.330]

Superman: The Movie- Oof this has aged poorly. Granted some of that is just what they were going for as far as tone but still even for the time a lot of the effects and action were pretty suspect. I also forgot how long it takes for the movie to actually get going and that beginning chunk is a slog. The cast is great, Reeves and Kidder have great chemistry and the supporting cast are all great as well but the movie is so goofy and old school comic booky that it wades into cringe territory more often than not. I get that it was the first of it's kind and we've been ruined by modern comic book movies etc. but it's really almost on par with Batman 66 as far as dumbness, just without the style.

 

[Syn]

Superman: The Movie- Oof this has aged poorly. Granted some of that is just what they were going for as far as tone but still even for the time a lot of the effects and action were pretty suspect. I also forgot how long it takes for the movie to actually get going and that beginning chunk is a slog. The cast is great, Reeves and Kidder have great chemistry and the supporting cast are all great as well but the movie is so goofy and old school comic booky that it wades into cringe territory more often than not. I get that it was the first of it's kind and we've been ruined by modern comic book movies etc. but it's really almost on par with Batman 66 as far as dumbness, just without the style.

It was an event when it was released. All sorts of coverage (papers, tv & radio) and many people called in sick to catch the first show. It was like a holiday.

The net fucked that from happening again.

 

[famicommander]

Superman: The Movie- Oof this has aged poorly. Granted some of that is just what they were going for as far as tone but still even for the time a lot of the effects and action were pretty suspect. I also forgot how long it takes for the movie to actually get going and that beginning chunk is a slog. The cast is great, Reeves and Kidder have great chemistry and the supporting cast are all great as well but the movie is so goofy and old school comic booky that it wades into cringe territory more often than not. I get that it was the first of it's kind and we've been ruined by modern comic book movies etc. but it's really almost on par with Batman 66 as far as dumbness, just without the style.

Do yourself a favor and don't try to rewatch Superman II, III, or IV if you thought The Movie was that bad.

 

[terry.330]

Rumble Fish- Coppola's almost avant garde adaptation of the SE Hinton book. While the book is a precursor to The Outsiders, the movie is leagues ahead of The Outsiders adaptation. Incredibly atmospheric with brilliant sound design and beautiful B&W cinematography. An all star cast of up and comers with Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Chris Penn, Lawrence Fishburne, Tom Waits and Dennis Hopper. It's really a unique movie and manages to capture a feeling like nothing else, I especially love the ambiguous time period and setting. My only real issue with it is Dillon's acting is pretty amateurish but he was really young and it kinds of works in his favor as his character is pretty raw. Highly recommended.

 

[jro]

Hundreds of Beavers

What an absolute treat.

I have been waiting on this one for a while now and it did not let me down in the slightest. This is just peak creativity and is a testament that there are still plenty of people out there in the world that continue to bring joyously unique ideas to film.

I'd suggest watching the trailer in lieu of me even bothering to start explaining this as I feel like it's better seen than described, but if you're a fan of Looney Tunes and absurdist comedies then this is a must-see.

The title of this alone, my good man, is enough to make me seek out and rent (or stream it whatevs) it.

If I was a Japanese lady like Mariko I'd bow in respect and then get blown into mebe 50 billion pieces.

edit: OK ADDED to watchlist. Will report back. AJ has really nice hair.

 

[famicommander]

After potential bids by WB and Comcast seem to have fallen by the wayside, it appears Sony is next in line to try to buy Paramount (and all they own including Viacom, CBS, etc).

It would essentially vault Sony from "the biggest indie" to "the smallest major" film studio.

 

[SouthtownKid]

I had no idea Sony was considered an indie studio.

 

[famicommander]

I had no idea Sony was considered an indie studio.

The terminology isn't really accurate but it's what they say. MGM (which is now owned by Amazon, doesn't get any less independent than that) is also considered an indie.

Basically the classical major studios are Disney, Warner, Comcast (Universal), and Paramount. Sony is either considered the fifth major or the biggest indie, even though they actually had a bigger year than Paramount last year.

The other big indies are Lionsgate and MGM with A24 being the up-and-comer.

And then there's Netflix and Apple, but it's hard to compare them since they go straight to streaming and keep the numbers to themselves.

 

[Hattori Hanzo]

It can't get more mainstream than Columbia Pictures.

 

[famicommander]

It can't get more mainstream than Columbia Pictures.

It does, though. It's a big name but like MGM it's been decades since they were truly one of the big boys.

2023 US/Canadian market share
Comcast 21.77%
Disney 21.26%
Warner 15.73%
Sony 11.26%
Paramount 9.55%
Lionsgate 6.48%
MGM 2.49%
A24 1.54%
Other 0.07%

Usually Warner and Paramount are higher up the charts and Sony and Lionsgate are lower, but the former two scaled back significantly last year to make themselves more attractive for a sale/merger while Sony got a nice boost from Spiderman (over 1/3 of their film revenue last year).

Also this is just box office receipts. Disney, Warner, Comcast, and Paramount have their TV and streaming departments reinforcing their status as the big four.

 

[Hattori Hanzo]

higher

I want some of your weed.

 

[terry.330]

The title of this alone, my good man, is enough to make me seek out and rent (or stream it whatevs) it.

If I was a Japanese lady like Mariko I'd bow in respect and then get blown into mebe 50 billion pieces.

edit: OK ADDED to watchlist. Will report back. AJ has really nice hair.

You should watch Lake Michigan Monster, it's by the same guy and it's incredible.

I've plugged it on here before and I'll do it whenever possible because everyone should watch Lake Michigan Monster.

It's on Prime.

Edit: Also just for the record Joe has no hair, anywhere.

 

[100proof]

Awakenings - 1990 drama based on a true story about a neurologist who "awakens" a number of catatonic patients in a mental institution in the 60s. Robin Williams plays the lead character (in the first dramatic role I ever saw him in) and Bobby D plays the main patient who goes through all of the highs and lows of waking up after essentially being a vegetable for 30 years. It's not a bad movie by any stretch but it's a pretty by-the-numbers Oscar bait movie right down to the manipulative score by Randy Newman, De Niro playing a character with a disability (very well, mind you) and the overly simple life lesson.

With a few exceptions, I was never much of a fan of Robin Williams as a comedian/comic actor (I remember finding his manic riffing annoying even as a kid) but the man was a terrific dramatic actor. This, Fisher King, Dead Poets, Good Will Hunting ,etc etc. Not exactly a hot take at this point but the man was strangely great at understated pathos. So yeah. I don't have a lot to say about the movie other than that it's a pretty milquetoast uplifting drama elevated by some strong performances (hardly surprising given the cast).

Also weird to see Julie Kavner doing anything that isn't voicework. I gather she did a few more live action movies after this but she's pretty much the weird recluse who voices Marge Simpson if you're under 50 or the lady from Rhoda and Taxi if you're over 50.

 

[Average Joe]

Edit: Also just for the record Joe has no hair, anywhere.

Only for north of the equator.

 

[Average Joe]

Occult

I've seen most of Koji Shiraishi's work now and I honestly kind of love this dude. He does weird low budget stuff that sounds kind of bad on paper, but he makes it work somehow. This one throws a lot at you while never quite explaining the how or why behind it all, but it culminates in a rather realistic and quite unsettling mass terror attack.

While this doesn't top Noroi: The Curse, as that is probably my favorite documentary/found footage style Horror movie, it still worked on a lot of levels for me.

 

[terry.330]

Hundreds Of Beavers- As mentioned earlier this is by the guy behind Lake Michigan Monster and as a fan of that I was really looking forward to this. It did not disappoint. It's a step up from that in many ways, honestly it's a lot to take in and I'm still processing it. It's almost too dense with gags, visual trickery and cartoon logic, it can be overwhelming at times. The pacing can be a bit of an issue as there's a lot of repetition and the madcap nature of everything means it's either moving at a breakneck pace or it's almost standing still. Any minor qualms aside it's truly a monumental achievement in executing a creative and hilarious vision. The sheer amount of work that had to go into storyboarding, compositing and editing is astounding.

Though I think I like Lake Michigan Monster more as it's easier to follow, shorter, paced better and the nautical theme works a bit better than the fur trapper/pioneer stuff but nonetheless they are both awesome.

 

[Hot Chocolate]

Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare
-aka Guy Ritchie's League Of Extraordinary Gentleman but with real life people. Its nazis getting murdered so its aces in my book.

 

[fake]

I'm really wanting to see Civil War this weekend but I am slammed with work.

 

[wataru330]

After potential bids by WB and Comcast seem to have fallen by the wayside, it appears Sony is next in line to try to buy Paramount (and all they own including Viacom, CBS, etc).

It would essentially vault Sony from "the biggest indie" to "the smallest major" film studio.

Why does anyone need to buy Paramount? Leave my MeTV and Pluto TV aloooooone.

 

[famicommander]

Why does anyone need to buy Paramount? Leave my MeTV and Pluto TV aloooooone.

Because they've had some rough years and the owners are looking to sell.

Seems doubtful Sony would mess with too much. They'd have to divest the broadcast CBS network as foreign media companies can't own US major networks by law, but they'd get everything else (Paramount Plus, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, BET, Nickelodeon, Flix, Logo, TV Land, Pop, Smithsonian Channel, all the movie and TV studios, Showtime, CMT, Pluto, etc).

MeTV isn't actually owned by Paramount, though. They're owned by some Chicago company called Weigel, who also own some other small time TV networks like H&I, Dabl, and Start:

Weigel Broadcasting - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[100proof]

Abigail - A fun "people trapped in a space with a monster" horror-comedy from the Radio Silence boys (of Ready or Not and the last couple of Scream movies fame). It's uneven, spends a lot of time spinning its wheels and goes full fucking camp in the last 10-15 minutes but it's also gory as shit and has a great little cast. We've got Dan Stevens flipping the "'The Guest' chewing-the-scenery" lever, the main girl from Freaky, the main girl/woman from the last couple of Screams (before she got booted for having opinions about the Middle East on social media), Giancarlo Esposito cashing a paycheck and the little girl from the Matlida Musical (which made the wife very excited) who clearly is having fun playing the titular snotty ballerina vampire.

Don't really have a lot to say about this one other than that it treads familiar ground and is a little too quippy but I had fun nevertheless. To be fair though, I'm a sucker for these kinds of movies so I'm probably a poor judge. The end does kinda suck though. Don't see myself watching this one frequently like I do Ready or Not.

Also don't watch the trailer... it gives away pretty much every major scene.

 

[Average Joe]

Late Night with the Devil

A bit let down by this one--very close to being quite good, but I'll have to settle on just being "good".

The 70s vibe is there and the setting/premise is definitely very fun and interesting. I also really like David Dastmalchian and he does his usual great job here and plays a perfect corny 70s late night host. There's some good moments in terms of horror and effects, but it doesn't have as much as I'd like nor does it take what is there to the level needed to elevate it. I also never buy it as a real show set in the 70s and always saw it as a movie doing a 70s theme--might not feel that way for others, but it did to me.