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

[terry.330]

The VVitch- This is my second time watching it and I enjoyed it quite a bit more which is saying a lot because I absolutely loved it the first time. It gave me a chance to pay close attention to the dialogue and other subtleties this time around. It's an amazing film. It's depressingly gorgeous, the casting is impeccable as are the performances, the atmosphere and general sense of uncertainty/dread is executed perfectly. Very few films are as expertly made.

 

[Heinz]

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - nick cage. Kinda weird he plays himself filming his last film. Worth a gander if you like the man.

Edit: aaaand someone beat me to the punch with a better post. Anyway I concur.

 

[100proof]

Thirteen Ghosts- I don't often consider something a guilty pleasure movie but this certainly qualifies. It is objectively a bad movie, possibly even terrible. It makes almost no sense, it's loud, jarringly edited to the point of seizures, the casting is mostly baffling, the characters if you can even call them that are terrible and the acting ranges from scenery chewing to comatose. It's also late 90s as fuck. The hair, the clothes, I mean shit the cast themselves. Then there's those fucking glasses...

Despite all that I love it. The setting and practical effects are second to none. The ghosts are for the most part pretty creative. There is always something happening, often too much intact (that's the editing problem I mentioned) and there's just a sort of method to the stupidity that somehow works. At least most of the time.

I can certainly see why people hate it but I know a lot of people also embrace it's particular brand of shittiness.

I assume you're referring to the remake. I think the movie sucks for the most part (as you said, horribly miscast, the bad acting, the 90s editing and writing) but I do like the design of the house and can certainly appreciate finding joy in something widely considered to be crap. There's a reason the idea of guilty pleasures exists.

 

[terry.330]

I assume you're referring to the remake. I think the movie sucks for the most part (as you said, horribly miscast, the bad acting, the 90s editing and writing) but I do like the design of the house and can certainly appreciate finding joy in something widely considered to be crap. There's a reason the idea of guilty pleasures exists.

Yeah the remake, that was prime time for unnecessary horror remakes for some reason.

You had Thirteen Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill (both by the same producers) which are shitty but enjoyable on a certain level. Then Psycho and The Haunting, which are both just godawful. The Haunting is the only movie I've ever walked out of and the Psycho remake is so far beyond pointless it's laughable looking back on it. After Good Will Hunting Van Sant could have done literally anything he wanted and this was what he chose. An almost shot for short remake of one of the greatest movies of all time. How anyone thought that was going to work or that anyone would even want to see it is beyond me.

 

[100proof]

Yeah, 90s Psycho is less a movie and more a cinematic exercise. Remaking Psycho is a terrible idea in general and going for the shot-for-shot remake was just a "you thought if you could and not if you should" moment. Plus Vince Vaughn (while a capable dramatic actor) was simply the wrong choice.

I unabashedly enjoy the House on Haunted Hill remake. Geoffrey Rush hamming it up and some of the designs and scare ideas were really good at the time. The CG monster at the end is stupid and awful but I can totally overlook it. Probably why I was so let down by 13 Ghosts (same production company and also a remake of a William Castle movie). Plus anything to avoid another Scream-a-like at the time.

 

[Late]

Yeah, Thirteen ghosts is terrible, it's like a kid's movie. Only good thing about it was Catherine whatshername in a mini skirt and fuck me boots.

 

[Tripredacus]

Everyone told me that movie Battleship was trash. Everyone is wrong and they are trash. That movie is awesome.

 

[terry.330]

Yeah, Thirteen ghosts is terrible, it's like a kid's movie. Only good thing about it was Catherine whatshername in a mini skirt and fuck me boots.

That's The Haunting remake with Catherine Zeta Jones, which is unwatchable and not to be confused with The House on Haunted Hill with Famke Jensen which is shitty but still awesome. Thirteen Ghosts with Shannon Elizabeth is totally different but from that era, It's easy to get these mixed up. Especially because that's when Hollywood would release essentially two of the same movie at the same time by different studios.

The Haunting- House on Haunted Hill
Armageddon- Deep Impact
Volcano- Dante's peak
The Matrix- Existenz
Ants- A Bugs Life

Everyone told me that movie Battleship was trash. Everyone is wrong and they are trash. That movie is awesome.

It has Rihanna and a WWII vet fighting aliens with anti aircraft cannons. It's trash and not mindless fun trash.

 

[fake]

Persona
I definitely need to watch it again. Given its reputation I was kind of expecting to be overwhelmed, but I was more confused than anything about how well the movie is regarded. That said, the influence on stuff like Mulholland Dr. is pretty obvious. Hopefully I'll get a chance to rewatch it later this week.

 

[terry.330]

Sunshine Hotel- A 2001 documentary about one of the last flop house hotels in the the Bowery district in NYC. Boy was this depressing, I couldn't finish it. I can see how this would be appealing to some people in a car wreck way. However having had a family member who was basically one of these people it didn't reveal any sort human truth or insight into an unwanted segment of society. It was just a spotlight on alcoholic, mentally ill, pathological liars. If you've ever spent anytime around these types of people you know they love to talk. The problem is there's no real meaning to what they have to say, it's just a bunch of crackpot bullshit. They're not even aware that they're lying anymore.

 

[NeoSneth]

They're not even aware that they're lying anymore.

It's what makes them great story tellers. Everything they think up becomes real to them.

 

[terry.330]

It's what makes them great story tellers. Everything they think up becomes real to them.

Yeah, no.

There's no value to a story about something that never happened, just a 20 minute long disjointed delusional fabrication. Also the people are usually so repulsive that even if the story is entertaining just being around them is an endurance test.

Some of the guys they can't help it. It's sign of severe alcohol abuse, your brain stops processing thiamine and rambling delusions are one of the main side effects. But some of them just like to hear themselves talk shit 24/7.

 

[SouthtownKid]

There's no value to a story about something that never happened,

That's why I hate that piece of shit waste of time garbage movie The Usual Suspects.

 

[terry.330]

That's why I hate that piece of shit waste of time garbage movie The Usual Suspects.

Same with just about any "It was all a dream..." movies and TV episodes.

It's one thing to have a one off story but you have to be upfront about it. You can't trick people into getting invested in a story then reveal it's all just bullshit so none of it mattered.

 

[Thierry Henry]

Watched Ronin (1998) the other evening.

Atmospheric and engaging but at the same time does feel somewhat convoluted, but it kept me intrigued nevertheless. Great car chases.

I like to think De Niro's "ex-CIA" character in this and Meet the Parents is the same person, and this is some of his backstory.

 

[racecar]

Nobody - fun to watch , if you like John wick type of movies .

 

[NeoSneth]

Watched Ronin (1998) the other evening.

Atmospheric and engaging but at the same time does feel somewhat convoluted, but it kept me intrigued nevertheless. Great car chases.

I like to think De Niro's "ex-CIA" character in this and Meet the Parents is the same person, and this is some of his backstory.

This was one of my favorite car chases for a long time. Great movie too.

 

[Catoblepa]

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

I've discovered this old classic black comedy (about a young man murdering all the other heirs of a Duke to inherit the title) almost by chance: it was imported and dubbed here in Italy back in 1949, where it was called Sangue Blu, but I guess it's never been a great hit in my country. I usually prefer the italian dub at first viewing, but this time I wanted to watch it in english, just to enjoy the wonderful performance of Sir Alec Guinness, who plays something like nine different characters of different ages, and even a particularly ugly woman (I suspect he might've been a great inspiration for Peter Sellers). This movie is as british as it can be, and while some of the more subtle humour might be lost on me because of the language/culture barrier, it's still a really fun watch and incredibly dark for its time... but the british always seemed to love a good murder story, even when they irreverently mixed it with comedy. Not a laugh-out-loud movie like - for example - some Neil Simon works, but the dialogue is witty and the pace very quick, mainly thanks to the device of the narrating voice, that provides a natural and easy way to divide the story into short, concise vignettes. It's great to find little gems like this one.

 

[SouthtownKid]

This was one of my favorite car chases for a long time. Great movie too.

I never got the acclaim for the Ronin car chase. When they're driving into oncoming traffic, the cars are moving so slowly. It's cut in a way to try to hide it, bt everyone is going about 5mph. Once you notice that, you can't not see it, and the car chase becomes funny instead of exciting.

Still, I kind of enjoyed it and I liked seeing Drax from Moonraker as De Niro's friend. Until I watched the dvd and saw the original, non-ambiguous ending. That made me hate the entire movie.

 

[lithy]

That's why I hate that piece of shit waste of time garbage movie The Usual Suspects.

Sarcasm?

 

[SouthtownKid]

Sarcasm?

Usual Suspects is terrible. It's a movie that seems clever to midwits. Even if you liked it when you were younger, I bet your opinion would be less favorable if you watched it again today. If you've ever read a non-Mike Hammer story by Mickey Spillaine, the identity of the killer is obvious as fuck throughout. And then the ending invalidates everything you watched up to that point, making the entire thing a pointless waste of time. Not to mention it's stupid as fuck that after all the trouble Spacey's character went through to hide his true identity and kill off anyone who even came close to guessing, that he would then purposely and carelessly reveal himself to the police detective. It doesn't even make sense.

Bryan Singer is a mediocre filmmaker and a worse writer, whose career coasted on momentum from this early overrated success. He's very much like M Night Shyamalan in that regard.

 

[terry.330]

Sarcasm?

What STK said. It's a shitty movie, most people remember it fondly but haven't watched it since they were teenagers.

I'd put it in the same category as Memento and Identity as far as overrated gimmick twists that completely fall apart under any sort of examination.

 

[lithy]

I have seen it relatively recently. I always found it enjoyable although I don't think it would have ever topped any lists for me.

Wouldn't have thought it would engender that much hate, so I was curious if it STK's post might have just been a sarcastic counter to the quoted statement.

 

[Lagduf]

Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

Not what I was expecting but still standard enjoyable Marvel fair. Some surprising fan service towards the middle.

Ultimately the movie (appears) to serve only to introduce some elements to further whatever multiverse badguy story they’re developing, which is a bit disappointing though it appears Dr. Strange will continue to play a bigger role in overarching story.

Don’t skip the after credits scene though, it’s the best marvel has ever made.

If you’re tired of Marvel fair and Superhero shit this is entirely skippable and does nothing we haven’t seen before.

 

[SouthtownKid]

What STK said. It's a shitty movie, most people remember it fondly but haven't watched it since they were teenagers.

I'd put it in the same category as Memento and Identity as far as overrated gimmick twists that completely fall apart under any sort of examination.

I still like Memento, but Nolan's movies are all kind of like that. He's less interested in whether they actually work as straight-ahead stories, and more interested in the themes he's exploring. Dark Knight Rises probably being the most blatant example of that. Memento as an examination of objective reality vs subjective reality is still interesting even if there are a bunch of places where the internal logic of the story gets super-wobbly.

so I was curious if it STK's post might have just been a sarcastic counter to the quoted statement.

No. Although most times that would have been pretty safe money.