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Finch (2021) Years after an apocalyptic environmental disaster, an engineer assembles a robot to care for his dog after his own imminent death and embarks on a journey with them to San Francisco. Tom Hanks is rock-solid as a vaguely-defined character in a shallowly-considered post-apocalyptic landscape that has no particular interest in providing a compelling narrative, in examining its various sci-fi conceits, or much of anything that isn't Tom Hanks broadcasting warmth as he pets a dog. A serious waste of time.
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# ? Aug 30, 2023 20:22 |
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# ? Jun 3, 2024 23:45 |
The Fabelmans - How the gently caress did this not win best picture? I loved EEAAO but it was not a better film than this. Spielberg really lets all the formative traumatic childhood stuff hang out there way more than I expected, especially the part with Mitzi dancing in front of the headlights. Very good performances out of Rogen, Williams, and Dano which probably would've gotten more attention if they weren't overshadowed by Yung Spielberg and Hirsch. Perfect ending too. Probably as good of a (moderately fictionalized) autobiopic as anyone could do. One of those rare movies that I wish I'd caught during the theatrical run.
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# ? Sep 2, 2023 21:39 |
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The Equalizer This, this right here is what an action movie should be. Dumb as gently caress, creative, and unrelenting. There is no reason for Denzel to go so hard but he goes for it. The Home Depot Home Alone section at the end is one of the most inspired sequences in human history, the whole section should be in the Louvre.
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 02:52 |
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Mat Cauthon posted:The Fabelmans - How the gently caress did this not win best picture? I loved EEAAO but it was not a better film than this. Spielberg really lets all the formative traumatic childhood stuff hang out there way more than I expected, especially the part with Mitzi dancing in front of the headlights. Very good performances out of Rogen, Williams, and Dano which probably would've gotten more attention if they weren't overshadowed by Yung Spielberg and Hirsch. Perfect ending too. My only real gripe with it was how much he borrowed from Cinema Paradiso. Still a banger with some great moments. Spielberg does not miss
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 03:44 |
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Dr. Yinz Ljubljana posted:Spielberg does not miss I just finished Jurassic Park for the umpteenth time, although it’s been a few years since I’ve last seen it. I am still bowled over by how great this movie is. It’s greatness is so self-evident that it’s almost not worth talking about but my god! Not only did it completely change the movie landscape (again), it’s such a reliably great time for guests of any age. AND Spielberg makes Schindler’s List in that SAME year. It will never not be impressive to me. Dude was on some juice. I am always torn between which of Spielberg’s popcorn spectacles is his best and often I flip between Jaws and Jurassic. I used to go Jaws, because he does so much with so little, but Jurassic Park does so much…with so much!! Kart Barfunkel fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Sep 3, 2023 |
# ? Sep 3, 2023 06:37 |
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The unbearable weight of massive talent answers the question "what if Birdman but good?"
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 13:50 |
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Meanwhile, Bottoms answers the question, "what if Superbad but lesbians?" (Never mind that Booksmart already did this.) Goes for an outrageously over-the-top, cartoonish vibe which is fun but undermines any attempt to create emotional stakes. Some great comedic moments from the two leads, though. And since my movie-geek thing is looking for excellent supporting performances, I will call out Summer Joy Campbell as a manic braceface psycho, Ruby Cruz as a sweet wallflower who really likes blowing things up, and, of all people, Marshawn Lynch as The Cool Teacher. One minus that has stuck with me: the movie leans really hard on "stupidity is hilarious" which gets old quick, especially when even the two leads are portrayed as dumb. I think this is one of those rapid-fire comedies that will reward repeat viewing, but maybe wait until it's out on streaming -- unless, of course, you really want to financially support the risk being taken by the producers & studio in trying to create a mainstream queer comedy hit, which is reasonable.
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 15:50 |
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Bottoms may not be perfect but the moment it dropped us in a restaurant called But I'm A Diner it earned boatloads of goodwill from me. Frequently loving hilarious and exaggerated to the degree that any complaints I may have feel utterly inconsequential because of how much fun I was having. Sometimes you really do just gotta make it queer.
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 20:32 |
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El Camino is a pretty great coda to Breaking Bad, and I enjoyed it more than many Breaking Bad episodes. The acting is great across the board, it continues the 'modern western' vibe (with a great duel that wears Leone on its sleeve), and the cinematography is outstanding.
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 02:29 |
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Dragnet (1987) - A few chuckles, but overall not very good and not worth most people's time, unless you happen to like unnecessary end-credit tie-in rap songs because this is my new favorite.
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 03:01 |
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Bottoms - Christ that was annoying. About to walk into Strays next. Haven't done a double-feature in a minute but they're both a tight 90 so... EDIT: Strays was EXCEPTIONALLY terrible holy poo poo. Nightmare Cinema fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Sep 4, 2023 |
# ? Sep 4, 2023 03:54 |
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Apropos username
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 03:59 |
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Buttchocks posted:Dragnet (1987) - A few chuckles, but overall not very good and not worth most people's time, unless you happen to like unnecessary end-credit tie-in rap songs because this is my new favorite. They were mandatory in the late eighties. Nightmare on Elm Street 4 had the Fat Boys during the end credits and Police Academy 4 opens with a painful seven minute long rap with the sound cop beatboxing.
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 10:50 |
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Ghostbusters 2 lucked out by getting both RUN DMC and Bobby Brown to do legit good tracks.
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 11:04 |
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smh if you dont remember all the words to mc hammers addams family rap
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 11:18 |
Oof lol
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 12:04 |
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Whoomp! The Addams Family! There it is! Whoomp! The Addams Family!
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 12:06 |
Mat Cauthon posted:The Fabelmans - How the gently caress did this not win best picture? I loved EEAAO but it was not a better film than this. Spielberg really lets all the formative traumatic childhood stuff hang out there way more than I expected, especially the part with Mitzi dancing in front of the headlights. Very good performances out of Rogen, Williams, and Dano which probably would've gotten more attention if they weren't overshadowed by Yung Spielberg and Hirsch. Perfect ending too. Just watched it too. I particularly appreciated the "climactic" scene in the school hallway that is a spirited commentary on the dynamics of authorial intent and film criticism. "I don't care what you meant!" And the final cameo is
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 12:43 |
Blades of Glory — kind of wild that in 2007 it was still super-cool to do a whole movie built around a "lol gay" joke. I mean at least it's mostly limited to sight gags which is a step up from stuff like "Claustrophobic? Call me that again and I'll punch your lights out! I've never even looked at another man!" from TMNT, but there's still a goddamn lot of it and it's the source of 80% of the humor Anyway what I kept wondering while watching it (and wikipedia tells me nothing) is, how did they do the skating stunts? Did Heder and Ferrell do their own skating for much/any of it? It didn't look like stunt doubles or trick shots/CGI for most of it. I wouldn't be totally surprised to find out that Heder was actually that good at skating (his dancing is legit pretty slick in ND, and he had to kind of pull his punches in the scene with the choreographer guy in BoG from the look of it), but I am not here to believe you that Will Ferrell can move with any kind of grace
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 14:54 |
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I feel like I've seen some variation of You Can Live Forever a bunch of times in the past decade but it has a banging soundtrack, great performances by the leads, some interesting insight into a community I know little about (Jehovah's Witnesses) and a couple of final shots that have been stuck in my head a lot so thumbs up.
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 14:56 |
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Data Graham posted:Blades of Glory — kind of wild that in 2007 it was still super-cool to do a whole movie built around a "lol gay" joke. I mean at least it's mostly limited to sight gags which is a step up from stuff like "Claustrophobic? Call me that again and I'll punch your lights out! I've never even looked at another man!" from TMNT, but there's still a goddamn lot of it and it's the source of 80% of the humor You got me curious, so I looked around. It looks like it was a combination of skating doubles, wire work, surprisingly little vfx, and the actors doing some basics. Honestly, this makes me want to go watch the skating scenes.
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 15:32 |
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Boyz n the Hood. Great film. Ice Cube is a natural, can't help but think that Angus Sampson's character in Fargo S2 was influenced by his work here.
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# ? Sep 4, 2023 15:50 |
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Chicken Butt posted:Meanwhile, Bottoms answers the question, "what if Superbad but lesbians?" (Never mind that Booksmart already did this.) Goes for an outrageously over-the-top, cartoonish vibe which is fun but undermines any attempt to create emotional stakes. Some great comedic moments from the two leads, though. And since my movie-geek thing is looking for excellent supporting performances, I will call out Summer Joy Campbell as a manic braceface psycho, Ruby Cruz as a sweet wallflower who really likes blowing things up, and, of all people, Marshawn Lynch as The Cool Teacher. One minus that has stuck with me: the movie leans really hard on "stupidity is hilarious" which gets old quick, especially when even the two leads are portrayed as dumb. You know what though, I just got out of Bottoms an hour ago and I think that while there’s a Superbad comparison to be drawn, I think the movie shares a lot more DNA with Heathers than anything. The cartoonish nature of the movie is a great fit and I think I missed a shitload of visual gags because they’re just so drat dense; the school’s hallways alone are chock full of ridiculous, over-the-top crap on the walls. The writing’s also a lot more clever than the movie wants to give itself credit for (“ok, if not rape then what about, like, the gray area?”) and I feel like I’ll have to watch it again at least once. Also what the hell Marshawn Lynch is actually funny
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# ? Sep 6, 2023 01:12 |
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Yeah, Lynch was great, he’s got a good career ahead of him if he wants to stick with it. I thought of Heathers too, but I think Bottoms suffers from the comparison. Part of what makes Heathers work so well is that Ryder and Slater’s characters form a smart, cynical outsiders’ group of two. Very explicitly in Bottoms, no one is smart enough to be cynical, including the leads.
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# ? Sep 6, 2023 01:29 |
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For me, while it definitely courts mid-to-late-00s comedies and the Heathers comparison is invited, the film I kept going back to was the incisive yet silly nature of Polyester. Considering But I'm A Cheerleader is clearly a favorite of the crew involved, and that film was (unflatteringly!) compared to John Waters' work, it makes sense to me. God, now I want to go see it again.
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# ? Sep 6, 2023 01:38 |
Data Graham posted:Just watched it too. I particularly appreciated the "climactic" scene in the school hallway that is a spirited commentary on the dynamics of authorial intent and film criticism. "I don't care what you meant!" God the hallway scene is so good. I thought for a minute that the ditch day film and the positive audience reaction was going to be an uplifting moment to show Sammy getting an uncomplicated victory through his art but nope he's still depressed and then the hallway confrontation kicks in just to twist the knife a little deeper. The blonde kid (Logan?) sold the hell out of his lines - "You made me look like I could fly. I can never live up to that. Why would you do that?". Just perfect. Sammy's response at the end was one of the funniest moments I've seen in a movie this year - "I'll never ever make a movie about this. Probably". That whole scene is just great and honestly makes me really curious about what Spielberg's dynamic with Harrison Ford is like. ElectricSheep posted:Also what the hell Marshawn Lynch is actually funny Lynch has been stacking up lots of minor roles where he shines. Dude seems talented but also knows his limits and picks stuff where he can be himself but still add a lot in small ways. Very cool to see.
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# ? Sep 6, 2023 01:54 |
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You Were Never Really Here Quarter way through I was going to write this off as a lesser Taxi Driver influenced flick, after he rescued Nina my estimation for it went up considerably. The way the action was shot in the Brothel raid was absolutely excellent, as was the hotel kidnapping and his few scenes with Nina in the car and hotel. But then the movie gets stuck in a rut again, I just don't have enough about the shop owner, his contact, or even his mother really, to give a poo poo about them dying. They should've taken more time to establish them better, or just went full bore on him going to rescue Nina. That would have hosed with the way the portrayed his frayed consciousness, but to be honest I don't think it worked all that well anyways. Good film, but not a great one, although it is a great performance from Phoenix along with all his other mentally unstable man with mommy issues roles. If nothing else it's better than Sound of Freedom.
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# ? Sep 6, 2023 02:20 |
Mikey and Nicky: How is this so good? It's both a great friendship movie, but also a gangster flick. It shows how truly sad a lot of these crime related people are, there's none of the glamor. But you understand the characters, why they act the way they do, there's a loving tribute to male friendship with Falk's character really trying to take care of Cassavetes', but also the hurt is real and you see the impact Nicky's cruelty and impulsivity inflict. I wish this was shot a little more consistently, it's similar to The Killing of a Chinese Bookie in that certain shots are just super grainy and hard to pick-up, but there are some shots that are pretty amazing, the final scene is one, as is the scene in Nellie's apartment. I could go on, I love that Kinney the hitman is having a whole different movie than the other two. But drat, it's really good.
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# ? Sep 6, 2023 21:28 |
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ElectricSheep posted:Also what the hell Marshawn Lynch is actually funny He's great as Detective "Bag a Bitch" in Murdertown
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# ? Sep 7, 2023 00:30 |
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Marshawn has always had a great sense of humor
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# ? Sep 7, 2023 16:14 |
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Marshawn is the GOAT
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# ? Sep 8, 2023 00:22 |
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"Take care of your mentals, take care of your chickens"
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# ? Sep 8, 2023 12:51 |
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Thief: cool vibes, love all the dark cities, rain, and neon. And watching the planning and execution of a heist is always a lot of fun. I didn’t really care about some of baby and trying to crate an ideal family stuff. But the film was clear in why this was important to him.
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# ? Sep 8, 2023 18:43 |
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I also watched Bottoms and I enjoyed myself. I didn't think all of it was uproariously funny or anything but I thought it had some interesting things to say about the relationship between violence and queerness. Plus Marshawn Lynch was really good
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# ? Sep 8, 2023 23:43 |
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Saw Bottoms (2023) and it’s great to see a good comedy in a theater again. Absolutely madcap, extreme joke density , does not take itself seriously at all. I found the juggalo style character very annoying in a not funny way but the rest of them were good to great. There was a group of younger movie goers behind me and they did not get any of the jokes about historical feminism.
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# ? Sep 9, 2023 07:04 |
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Arrival: I really liked Blade Runner and Dune, and had a friend say this was one of his favorite films, and beyond knowing it was vaguely about linguistics and aliens I went into it blind. Holy poo poo, this needs a giant flashing warning up front for people who are parents. I have a daughter at toddler age and the ending loving wrecked me. Great movie but I was not prepared for the stuff with the daughter.
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# ? Sep 9, 2023 18:41 |
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^^ One of the rare times Hollywood adaptations were better than the story. (Which was great, don't get me wrong, but upping the stakes and the emotion in the movie was the right call for the adaptation.)
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# ? Sep 9, 2023 21:25 |
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FART: The Movie is the worst piece of media ever created.
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# ? Sep 10, 2023 03:08 |
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Also saw Bottoms. I really loved it. You can’t really compare it to Superbad, or Heathers, or even [spoiler]Fight Club[/b]. It’s so much more outlandish and cartoonish than I was prepared for. It’s more like a more low-key and significantly gayer Not Another Teen Movie. I’m already telling everyone to see it.Dr. Yinz Ljubljana posted:Spielberg does not miss Tell that to Ready Player One. Fabelmans is great though and sadly didn’t get the recognition it deserved. I bet it would be much bigger if it came out this year.
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# ? Sep 10, 2023 04:20 |
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# ? Jun 3, 2024 23:45 |
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Fabelmans got plenty of critical love last year, but it’s not the type of film that’s going to sell a lot of tickets anymore. This year is probably even worse for it as Oppenheimer absorbs all of the adult drama audience.
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# ? Sep 10, 2023 12:58 |