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Turbinosamente posted:Dnd: Honor Among Thieves wasn't as bad as I feared, can't really recommend it though? Maybe watch it when it hits streaming if you're that bored. Glad they didn't beat you too over the head with the dnd references and opted for fairly typical snarky fantasy film. My eyes would have probably rolled out of my head if they went in a "ZOMG just like my dnd games!" direction. This is a very valid take and I respect it, but I wanted to post my counterpoint: D&D: Honor Among Thieves is played sincerely and written like the kind of memorable campaign that you have with your tabletop friends. You've got characters with backstories together, you've got newcomers, and they're up against believable stakes for who they are (pulling a heist, reuniting a father with his daughter, and saving a city from an evil wizard and an rear end in a top hat). It uses practical effects whenever possible, which means some characters move a little clunkily but prevents the movie from looking like a CGI greenscreen fest. There's some exposition to bring people up to speed, but it's done within the story (where the characters are pleading their case for a pardon). It also makes sure to show rather than tell whenever it can, demonstrating why the villains are to be feared and how our protagonists are heroes who might actually have a chance at winning. Like a great campaign, everyone gets their moment to shine, failures always move the story forward, and the characters grow throughout the movie. I personally feel like this movie has a ton of heart, comedic moments that make sense (Simon the sorcerer's speech on how "This is real life, magic can't solve every problem" stood out to me), and was made by people who really loved everything they were doing. However, I'm biased as I'm a tabletop RPG nerd, a sucker for fantasy, and a big fan of Chris Pine. I'm probably going to see it in theaters again because I love it that much.
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Apr 6, 2023 02:57
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Turbinosamente posted:In retrospect I was probably a bit harsh: this is the first impression thread after all. This is a good movie, even for me who only knows dnd poo poo through cultural osmosis. Even I could appreciate all the stupid plans of the characters as that's how dnd games and player logic works and could tell when Chris Pine rolled a bunch of 1s in a fight. Hell it does the Marvel formula but does it far better than actual Marvel movies do these days and the practical effects make it look better too. Oof, that sucks and has made me hate movies before.
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Apr 6, 2023 18:23
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Just saw Barbarian and all I can say is: Wow I went in having only seen the trailer. I knew it was going to have some weird house shenanigans, but if you gave me a million years to guess who the antagonist would be I don't think I ever would have guessed it to be an incest product and survivor with superpowers who just wanted to care for her baby. Everything in the movie works, the camera shots make everything feel creepy and claustrophobic, and it even adds humor with Justin Long playing a cowardly piece of poo poo. I wish I had seen it in theaters, but my life hasn't given me much time to go out. I finally got a treadmill for my apartment, so at least I can catch up on my backlog via streaming while doing something productive. All in all a fantastic horror film, and another reason why I will never use an AirBnB.
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Apr 9, 2023 05:20
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I watched Cobra after hearing some Cine_D folks mention how the infamous pizza scene is par for the course of the entire film. loving  at everything in this movie. It's one of those "so bad and cliche that it rules" movies, and I love it so much now. Also lmao that Sylvester's partner is Poppy from Seinfeld.
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Apr 10, 2023 04:58
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Payndz posted:Cobra: the version of Dirty Harry that they watch in the Last Action Hero universe. This is honestly the best description of it. Lol at the axe-banging and the whole "New World" stuff that they spout about when justifying killing. It's so '80s and so over the top. Every car chase scene is so ridiculous. Just beautiful.
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Apr 10, 2023 10:05
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Iron Warrior AKA Ator 3 - I watched this after hearing about it in Cine D when laughing about prior Ator movies. First of all, this is definitely an Ator movie-lots of exposition, legendary items, and incredibly slow fights and pacing. That being said, it's so much more. I can't say that it's good because it's pretty awful, but it's entertaining in how bizarre and beautiful it is. The costumes and makeup are colorful and pop, as opposed to the super drab designs of the first Ator movie I saw (The Blade Master or Cave Dwellers via MST3K). It steals ideas from better movies, like the boulder and cut bridge from Indiana Jones and the "hula hoop prison" from Superman. It almost makes things work, like having the evil witch be more of a trickster who constantly impersonates allies to foil Ator & Co. It's something that isn't seen in many barbarian movies now that CGI makes magic and other special effects easier to toss out. I'm glad I watched it, I don't know if I'll ever watch it again or recommend it, but it was a good way to waste 80 minutes. If you want to see a bad but ambitious sword and sorcery movie, then this is a pretty good pick.
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Apr 24, 2023 07:04
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Pearl (2022) - I knew this was a prequel to X, and managed to go in without knowing too much else. I assumed Mia was reprising her role as the final girl survivor rather than the actual killer because I'm dumb and forgot the names. I enjoyed X as a creepy homage to 70s slashers involving the country and dumbass young people, but my God. Pearl exceeds it in so many ways. It's not as bloody, but far more disturbing. It lets you know right in the beginning that things are going to be hosed up, and I appreciate that it lets the middle be a slow burn before building up to the final climax. Mia's final shot is loving incredible. I can only imagine how hard it is to pull that off, but I really hope she does more horror. She owns in it.
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May 22, 2023 06:01
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Terrifier - I never got the chance to see All Hallow's Eve, so I'm not sure if I'm missing part of the story. However, all I can say is that this is a horror movie with a great idea for a villain, but surrounded with poor execution. Art the Clown and the actor portraying him are great. The gore is well done. It wants to be an over-the-top movie, but the bad acting by Art's victims make it impossible to get that suspension of disbelief that they are in danger. Several of the girls seem to be jog-walking away from danger, and there's one moment where Art is "hover-hand" choking his victim (his hands are literally not touching her neck while she's gagging). I can appreciate it as a fun bad horror movie to watch where you want to laugh at the stupidity of the victims, enjoy the villain hamming it up, and endure excessive gore (there's a pretty harrowing hacksaw bit). However, it's not a movie you watch where you want to be scared. It lacks the oomph that horror movies like Friday the 13th, It, or Barbarian have. I'm still going to watch the sequel because I dig bad horror movies.
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Jun 24, 2023 21:52
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The Boogeyman This is based on a Stephen King movie, so there are some themes/connections you can make with prior material. I really enjoyed it for the atmosphere and acting. There is also more than a little misdirection, which you want in a supernatural horror film. The they do a good job of playing with light and shadows, and the sound effects and foley are really well done. Lots of focus on doors creaking, and the crackling of lightbulbs flickering on and off. All of that helps add to the tension to whether or not you catch a glimpse of the titular monster. Sophie Thatcher is a strong lead, convincingly playing a teenager dealing with grief on top of being haunted by the Boogeyman. The girl who plays Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) is especially good at playing a cute, endearing little sister. Also, the ending is heartwarming, OR IS IT?!? Also gotta give a shoutout to David Dastalmachian. Dude owns in everything I've seen him in, and he continues to do so in this film. It's a short part, but he delivers in it. Legs Benedict posted:just watched the outwaters, a found footage horror film Okay, I've gotta watch this.
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Jul 2, 2023 08:12
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Here's a map of Kyoto, Japan. See if you can spot something...
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Jul 19, 2023 16:29
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Maxwell Lord posted:Sir this is a Don Quijote lol 
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Jul 22, 2023 03:49
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He's wearing the male equivalent to magical bikini armor. 
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Jul 24, 2023 18:04
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I don't know if it's mechanical, but I do regret that they didn't have him driving around in a car instead of flying.
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Jul 27, 2023 01:40
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Lex Luthor, lowering a mask laced with glowing green crystals onto Superman's head... "OH, NO, NOT THE KRYPTONITE! NOT THE KRYPTONITE! AAAAAHHHHH! OH, IT'S IN MY EYES! MY EYES! AAAAHHHHH! AAAAAGGHHH!"
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Jul 27, 2023 01:46
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Oppenheimer It's a Nolan film, and I love me some Nolan. What I really liked is the interplay between science and politics, which is going to speak with me since those are two things I wanted to get involved in when growing up. The entire movie reminds me of a line from Star Trek II (no, not that one) from David Marcus: "I've tried to tell you before, scientists have always been pawns of the military!" It's a movie about a man who imagined what happened to stars in space, the interplay with energy and gravity, and when stars finally collapse in on themselves, and how world politics veered him into building a weapon of mass destruction before the Nazis could. It does a great job of highlighting the conflict of whether to continue making this weapon or even using it now that the initial reason for the Manhattan Project is over. And once the military has their superweapon, they excise and pillory any who question their desire to create even worse weapons. It's a beautifully shot film, totally makes sense to use 70mm to capture the beauty of New Mexico and contrast the force of nature against the force of science. I majored in chemistry and that was my passion, so it was really cool seeing some of the less portrayed scientists like Bohr, Fermi, and Heisenberg on screen. The acting is incredible, especially RDJ as Strauss. I'll also give a shoutout to Branagh as Niels Bohr. I didn't recognize him without his Poirot 'stache. I didn't realize it was him, but he's excellent during the short time he is onscreen. I know some see it as a celebration of Oppenheimer's genius, but I see the film more as a caution on how very smart people can be convinced to work together to create terrible things out of fear and manipulation, and those with the hubris to believe they can outwit those in power can be in for a shock.
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Aug 5, 2023 06:10
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They Cloned Tyrone I'm a sucker for this kind of soft sci-fi, where the explanation behind the science isn't more important than the messages it contains. The acting by the three stars is top-tier, and I love Yo-Yo's interest in Nancy Drew. I'll always be impressed by how well John Boyega does an American accent. Also, a big lol that Kiefer Sutherland plays Nixon, the highest-ranking government actor we meet in the movie. It's a fun movie that gets you to think while also letting you laugh.
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Aug 6, 2023 23:18
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Spare Parts (2015) This is the movie about the high school group that beat MIT in the robotics competition, not the grindhouse 2020 movie. It's a really touching movie, and hits hard because of my own background and I teach a similar demographic. The actors playing the students really nail it, especially José Julián as Lorenzo. George Lopez and Marisa Tomei are good in it, although the romance between them feels a bit ham-fisted. I would have preferred swapping that out to focus more on the students of the club, since this is really their story. We get background about Oscar and Lorenzo, but Luis and Cristian really get the short end of the stick. Beyond the message, it's a great science and engineering film as well. I watched it because I was hoping it would be a good film to show on days when I have to be out of school (give the sub something easy to do, and students something interesting to watch). It went above and beyond there. Seeing them look for supplies, go through build-test-refine cycles, and find solutions when problems happen is pretty great. There is a big push in getting students to build or make things in science, so hopefully this will give me some ideas and inspire some of my own kiddos to try designing their own robots.
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Aug 21, 2023 00:49
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Pope Corky the IX posted:Did the video store mix up the third tape? I had that happen to me with a Hellraiser DVD I rented at Blockbuster, lol
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Aug 24, 2023 09:36
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Mega Comrade posted:When I worked at blockbusters a mum rented Dreamer for her daughter and friends. A U rated film about a girl who saves a horse. Lol
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Aug 24, 2023 10:12
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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 is the GOAT
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Sep 8, 2023 00:22
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It's hard to top the 1953 movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDnim_yyLug
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Sep 11, 2023 06:41
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Doctor Sleep (Mike Flanagan, 2019) I had been putting this one off for a while because I needed to be in the right mood to watch it. I like Flanagan's work a lot, especially when it comes to horror. I enjoyed this film, but not as much as I hoped I would. It didn't feel like a horror film. The main characters are just more powerful than the antagonists, so much so that there really is only a few moments where you feel as though they are in real danger. That's honestly the first time I've felt that way in a Flanagan film. You are constantly on the edge of your seat with Hush (it's incredibly creepy), Oculus is disturbing, and Ouija: Origin of Evil is just  when it comes to using small, bizarre effects (the head-tilting, the whispering, crawling). Those films keep you in suspense about how the heroes are going to survive.The best way I can describe this film is like if IT started off with the Loser Club knowing how and having the ability to beat Pennywise. Rebecca Ferguson's "steam vampires" here are only threats to people without Ewan's and Kyliegh's gifts. They're an interesting supernatural threat, and I wish that they were given a chance to really show how dangerous they could be to people who have "the Shining." I feel like this is a movie with a ton of good ideas, ones that didn't need to be attached to The Shining. I just wish it has a chance to fully develop them. I feel like this could have been another IT, where children have to drive off a group of monsters that are hunting them this time with the help of a mentor. Oh well, now I feel like I should watch IT Chapter 1 again...
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Nov 6, 2023 00:05
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Philthy posted:Creep (2004) Yeah, that's a different Creep. Here's the one you want: 
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Nov 6, 2023 03:13
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Dicks: The Musical: I have mixed feelings about this film. I've been wanting to see it ever since I saw the trailer because it looked ludicrously absurd. And it is. I overall liked it because it's dumb as hell, knows it's dumb, and has fun with it. Seeing Nathan Lane chew and spit deviled ham at the muppet Sewer Boys is pretty great, despite his credit line including him saying "Of all the humiliations I've had in show business, and they are legion, THIS may be the most humiliating moment." Megan Mullally as the "identical twins"'s dementia-ridden mother is fantastic, and the cameo of her sentient and flight-capable pussy being a late act hero got a pretty good laugh out of me. Bowen Yang is funny and is definitely the God this musical deserves. If I had to explain what this film was in a nutshell, it's an absurdist musical parody of The Parent Trap proudly written by the two gay leads centering on two assholes instead of teenage girls. I mention that because the film wants you to know who wrote it. It says so in the beginning of the film. It also helps the audience understand a lot of the humor that is about to ensue. Some jokes probably went over my head because I'm a cis straight man. Still, I thought it was funny and I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think it's something I go back and watch again. That being said, I will never forget The Sewer Boys. 
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Feb 14, 2024 08:42
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Leave the World Behind: This was...interesting. It feels very much like a stage play because dialog drives most of what happens in the film. Obviously that's a feature rather than a flaw since most of what is happening is speculative, and we're left knowing little more than the main characters. However, I feel the dialog is also the weakest part of the film. It feels very scripted rather than natural. Some of the word choices by Julia Roberts' and Mahershala Ali's characters seem designed specifically to cause tension and drama, and that kept me from really getting into it. It's also a movie that wants to say a lot about race relations, the U.S.'s perception to the rest of the world, our dependence on technology, and our diminishing connection to other people. I think it hints at what it wants to say, but never really outright delves into them outside of one moment: Ethan Hawke's plea to Kevin Bacon to help his son because he is useless without tools like smartphones or GPS. As I wrote that, I realized that F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is a rather obvious riff on that last one. I originally thought Myha'la's comment on how the show is nostalgic for a time that never existed was more about race and class (no black people, and young twenty-somethings being able to afford large apartments in NYC). However, it's likely more meant to hammer home the idea that having a close sense of community with friends and neighbors less likely a reality for any of us, if it ever really existed. I liked it. Not enough to have it be my favorite, but I might rewatch it again. I know it got a lot of publicity, especially since the Obamas helped produce it (and they very proudly emblazon the opening credits with that in massive letters). I don't know if it would have made that much of an impact without them. It's a tense slow-burn with some moments of catharsis. Kevin Bacon is only in it for a bit, but he rules in it. I do appreciate that the ending is rather open-ended, with one exception: Rose gets the chance to see the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. series finale.
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Mar 1, 2024 07:52
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No One Will Save You (2023): This movie is interesting. I think it strikes a particular chord with me because I live alone and sometimes feel isolated, a lot like the main character. It's not for the same reason as her (which I won't go into because that spoils a lot of the driving force behind the movie). I just ended up living abroad in a lot in places where I didn't know the language all that well before finally settling down where I want to live only for COVID and work stress to complicate meeting new people and making new friends. Suffice to say, I really identified with Brynn's feelings of loneliness and isolation from the people around her. I have a lot of thoughts buzzing in my head about this movie, and I think the overall lack of dialog is a big reason why. This is a movie that takes "Show, don't tell" quite literally, and it makes for a fantastic viewing experience. What you see is what you get, and you don't have anyone providing exposition. As a result, it made me think a lot about the driving motivations behind Brynn, the townsfolk, and the aliens. I believe the overarching theme behind the movie is self-imposed isolation through past regret. Despite the trailers pitching it as Signs meets Home Alone, it's more a movie about the protagonist struggling to overcome her anxiety and alien pursuers. She lives alone in her late mother's house with most of her clothes, music, and aesthetics coming straight out of the 1950s (her flatscreen TV and SUV being the hilariously large exceptions). She struggles to interact with people in her hometown when reaching out for help, making the title ring even truer. Her encounters with the aliens make her relive painful moments from her past, providing context to why Brynn is the way she is. The actor who plays Brynn, Kaitlyn Dever, delivers a tremendous performance. She conveys everything about the character through facial expressions and movement, only mouthing a few words scattered throughout the scene. The film relies on her to carry everything in the film. She doesn't have many people to play off of, having her reactions come from how she goes about her solitary routine, coming across the results of alien encounters, and her CGI pursuers. Another thing I like about the film is the care that goes into the alien design. Yeah, they are derivative of the traditional "gray" aliens. There are a few variants based on size and height. However, they also look realistic and their faces are unique enough that you can spot differences. They also have the ability to emote, and are driven by individual motivations that result from Brynn's actions. It makes them feel more like actual characters rather than a threat the protagonist has to overcome. There are two flaws in the film. The first is, quite obviously, why are the aliens invading Random Small Town, USA. You just kind of have to go with it, and it's easy to overlook since the rest of the film is really good. The second flaw is that it might feel like there are too many endings. There is a point in the film where I said out loud, "What the gently caress?!" and had to check the remaining time to make sure the film wasn't messing with me. If it ended there, where Brynn wakes up as if it was all a dream I would have been pissed. Fortunately, it didn't. But it has maybe 2-3 false endings like that. Overall, a very enjoyable film and one I would not mind watching again.
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Mar 7, 2024 08:43
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Big Mean Jerk posted:The feeling I got watching it was that it was actually happening everywhere and you’re just seeing the invasion from a small town POV. IIRC that’s even outright confirmed at the end. Yeah, but the reasons behind it aren't really explained. Maybe they just want everyone to do intricate dance numbers.
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Mar 7, 2024 09:06
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Skinamarink (2022): When a movie has me thinking more about what I actually like about horror films rather than what I'm watching, it's probably time for me to turn the film off. I finished it because I was on my treadmill and then only had 30 minutes left of the movie once I finished. I'm not a film or art academic, so I can really only convey my thoughts as someone who enjoys watching movies. My takeaway is that this film was too enamored with its style. It relies on long static takes in dim light or darkness from awkward angles that mostly prevent viewers from seeing what is happening. It also doesn't really explain what is going on, making you rely on snippets of dialog from kids whispering into a microphone. That provides you enough to read between the lines and get a gist understanding of what is happening, but not enough to make it matter or make me care. It reminds me of one of my favorite MST3K riffs, "The movie that takes the bold step of not including the audience." Someone could take the counterargument and say that the film invites the audience to construct its own story around the set of scenes. That's a completely valid take on the film. However, that's not why I like to watch movies. I'm interested in having someone show me their story. That's especially true with horror. I love horror movies because they fill the void left by movies abandoning soft science fiction (taking everyday things and making them scary and maybe commenting on society along the way). It's why I really like movies like Coherence, They Cloned Tyrone, and (most recently) No One Will Save You. I'm happy to engage in stylistic films, like Unfriended or Hush. I just need a story in order to feel like the movie is respecting my time. Skinamarink didn't. And I am now 100 minutes older and even bitterer than before.
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Mar 13, 2024 06:19
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Magic Hate Ball posted:I'm going to suggest that the ideal way to watch Skinamarink is not while you are on a treadmill. I watch movies on the treadmill because it makes me forget how much I hate being on the treadmill. That being said, your point still stands because the ideal way to watch it is not at all.  shoeberto posted:Too late for you now, but Skinamarink was basically a feature length extension of a short film from the director called Heck. I thought Heck was great as an experimental piece but was glad it was only 20 minutes or whatever. Yeah, that would have made more sense. So much of Skinamarink felt like filler. The movie has some interesting ideas but they get old really fast with that runtime.
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Mar 14, 2024 07:06
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All Fun and Games 2023: This is like the polar opposite of Skinamarink in that it is a short film full of exposition. It's 76 minutes long and manages to cram a story into it. It's a dumb teen slasher horror film that goes into some pretty yikes territory with the source of the drama. It took me sitting at the computer typing this out for the message to click in my head, but I still feel like it is just loosely tied to the action. The non-spoiler premise is that it takes place in Salem and the protagonists are siblings (Marcus-Asa Butterfield, Billie-Natalie Dyer, and Jo-Benjamin Evan Ainsworth). They are all part of a dysfunctional family with a single mom and a good-for-nothing uncle. Jo breaks into an old house, finds a book and an ancient knife, takes it home with him, and so begins a movie involving the Salem Witch Trials, curses, and killings. The message I think the movie wants to convey is how trauma shapes families, like how being bullied or persecuted by your community boomerangs that pain back onto those who inflicted it. And that said trauma doesn't go away. There might be a longer cut out there that better fleshes out that message, but what is on Hulu doesn't really deliver convey it beyond Billie's final narration outside of one or two scenes showing Marcus and Jo dealing with teen bullies. It also doesn't help that Marcus, who ends up being the curse's vessel after saving his younger brother from becoming its victim, gets tossed in jail for the murders because there is no real rational explanation or tangible evidence to exonerate him. The thing that the movie really left me thinking about is Natalie Dyer and her haircut for the film:  It looks like they gave her Finn Wolfhard's bangs:  And that kept making me laugh throughout the film.
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Mar 14, 2024 07:31
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distortion park posted:What movies are good for pretending you're running away from something? Run Lola Run Or any Tom Cruise movie
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Mar 15, 2024 19:35
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Speaking of nuns, or wannabe nuns... Saint Maud (2019): I had a completely different inkling of a post in mind until the last 10 minutes of the film. So yeah. I went into this movie expecting more of a religious horror movie, which slanted the way I watched the film. I thought that the trailer pitched it as one when I saw it a few years back, so I rewatched it after the film. I can see why I thought it would be more of a horror film as it's cut in a way to make the film look like it moves a bit faster than it really does. However, every scene in it is in the movie. If I were the director, Rose Glass, I'd be a little frustrated that shows a few glimpses of the ending. However, maybe that's what is needed to get people to watch the film. The movie's pace is pretty slow. It's entertaining, but a lot of the film focuses on Maud's day-to-day routine as she goes about caring for Amanda. That's necessary to show her religious fanaticism, but it means the movie feels like it drags at places. I can't really go too much into the movie without spoiling some of it, but it reminds me a lot of Frailty---another movie that looks at someone's religious fanaticism. Saint Maud doesn't delve as far into the supernatural as Frailty does, but it keeps the audience guessing. Like I said at the beginning, I was about to write this film off as another movie where the trailer pitches a story that doesn't exist until the ending hits. And the ending is good if you like stories that blend religious fanaticism, psychosis, and the supernatural (which I do). It just means sitting through about an hour of mundane day-to-day activities plus some self-flagellation. If self-harm is something that you can't handle, it's probably best to skip this film. There's a lot of it, and it progressively gets worse as the story unfolds. The one thing I didn't like was the ambiguity of Maud's past life as Katie. It's hinted at during the film in that she did something bad, but I would have liked to have known more. It's not too important, but it would help flesh out the dichotomy between Katie's past as a normal person versus her pious Maud persona.
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Mar 17, 2024 06:42
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The Wave (2019 or 2020, depending on where you look): I took a break from horror to watch a psychedelic comedy about an insurance lawyer played by Justin Long who ends up taking a drug at a party which leads down the rabbithole of time, space, and the meaning of life. I love Justin Long, he's such a great actor. I've recently seen him in Barbarian and House of Darkness, and he just nails each character he plays despite forever being known as the nerd from Galaxy Quest and the wannabe cheerleader from Dodgeball. This movie is an interesting ride. It's irreverently goofy with Long playing a straight-laced insurance lawyer living paycheck to paycheck who is on the verge of getting a big meeting with his boss after finding a loophole in an insurance policy. His buddy, played by Donald Faison, convinces him to go out and celebrate. They meet two women in a bar, head to a party, and Long takes some drugs, and his life as he knew it is literally over. The film relies a lot on time jumping, cutting back and forth between scenes, and drifting in and out of reality and fantasy. It's a movie with a moral to convey, so the ending is pretty clearly telegraphed toward the end (very different from the last movie I posted about here). Still, it's not always about being surprised by the ending. Sometimes it's nice just to enjoy the story told along the way. I would definitely recommend watching this one. Prime Video lists it as science fiction and suspense, but it's more a serious story told humorously.
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Mar 18, 2024 07:21
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ccubed posted:Love The Wave. Midlife crisis Donnie Darko ftw. Wish we got more funny psychedelic movies. You can get your trippy visuals in horror but not comedy for some strange reason. That is a great analogy for the film And agreed 100%.
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Mar 19, 2024 00:01
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Goodnight Mommy (2022): Where to begin with this one? I didn't realize until after the fact that this is a remake, so I went in based on what I saw of the trailer. The trailer pitches it as something more sinister and supernatural, but this is more of a stilted psychological suspense movie. The basic premise is that twin boys are dropped off at their mother's house by their father. No one greets them, and when they come into the house they find her wearing a surgical mask due to a procedure that she tells them to keep as a secret between them. That sets up the tension in the movie, as the boys are growing more and more uncertain that the woman in the house is indeed their mother. That on its own is a pretty decent pitch for a film, but the trailer includes some dream sequences that make it look more like a horror film. I'm spoiling that bit right now because I don't like it when trailers hoodwink people into watching a different film. This one is weird. The dialog written for the mother is really odd, but Naomi Watts gives it her all (and you are never going to get a bad performance from her). It's one of those movies where natural questions elicit unnatural answers in order to hide future revelations from the audience. I feel like that cheapens a movie since it telegraphs that there is going to be a twist, and in this case it's done to maintain the crux of the film: who is Mommy??? There is some weirdness with the story as well. It starts out with the original premise and predictably starts to veer into into a familiar trope. That isn't a crime, and I'm fine with seeing the same story told a different way, but the shift between stories is jarring. I think it's because the film doesn't want to let the shift slip, but that means Naomi Watts acts like a total bitch to the twins for no apparent in-story reason. You can argue that part of it is because of unresolved psychological trauma from what happened, but none of that is really established. The story focuses on her having surgery to touch up her face, which requires the mask and drives the main plot. I don't know if that is due to the movie following the German original or if it's an attempt to differentiate it, but it makes the movie worse. That's especially true for a remake because most people will already be aware of story climax. Except for me, that is. Because I'm clueless.
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Mar 19, 2024 07:07
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ShoogaSlim posted:i watched this a few years ago when it came out expecting some really creepy cool macabre story about how hosed up it is to believe in god, but it was mostly just kind of boring (to me, at the time) and unmemorable. i don't really remember anything about the movie having seen it much more recently than a lot of other single-watch movies. Yeah, the ending is really good. I don't know if it fully redeems the slog of the beginning and middle, but it made me feel better for spending time on it.
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Mar 23, 2024 19:21
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