Recently Watched Movie Thread 2017

[nwhoopfan]

such marvelous animated features like Triplets of Belleville, Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Kubo and the Two Strings, and the Red Turtle

It's been quite a while since I saw it, but my recollection is that "A Cat in Paris" was also a very worthwhile animated feature, probably in line with some of those you've listed.

 

[dbmill]

It's been quite a while since I saw it, but my recollection is that "A Cat in Paris" was also a very worthwhile animated feature, probably in line with some of those you've listed.

I haven't seen it or heard of it, but from a quick look on the internet it does seem to fit in with what I was writing about. And yes, it did get nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar. Thanks, I'll have to get around to watching it sometime.

 

[Mano]

Just watched Sicario 2. I want to post a longer review later.

It was really implausible but also really good.

I thought the first one was great. It felt pretty grounded in reality too. I'm guessing they tried to amp it up in part 2? Was it the rapid fire trigger fingering from the trailer? Seemed silly, what kind of practical purpose could that have served? Random spray pattern?

 

[Mano]

I haven't seen it or heard of it, but from a quick look on the internet it does seem to fit in with what I was writing about. And yes, it did get nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar. Thanks, I'll have to get around to watching it sometime.

Not that you asked but...

Mano's Animated Movie Primer!

I'd be all for a dedicated animated movie thread. Hand drawn animation especially is something I've long loved and will truly lament once its gone for good. In the west that day is probably already come and gone so thank goodness for the Japanese! Since you listed Grave I take it you're open to Japanese Anime in general. Studio Ghibli is the natural starting point and I'm sure you've heard of some/many of their films (Grave being one of them). Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind -- all being beautifully animated, well done and well told stories. Some more whimsical than others, and all of them really having some mature themes within. Really, Ghibli and Miyazaki's films are the preeminent examples of Japanese animation excellence.

Still a great many other films to consider too:

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Akira
Wings of Honneamise
Armitage III
Steamboy
Ninja Scroll
Vampire Hunter D
Ghost in the Shell (and it's sequels)
Millenium Actress
Metropolis
Paprika
Summer Wars
5 Centimeter per Second
Tekkonkinkreet
Patlabor
Tokyo Godfathers
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
....and a million more I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Out of these above Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Wings of Honneamise had huge impacts on me as a kid watching them. I count Paprika among my favorite movies ever as well, just incredible and a terrible shame that Satoshi Kon died so young.

This isn't even counting any animated series'. Tons of good ones to choose from there too. My faves: Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Last Exile, Paranoia Agent, Samurai Champloo, Fooly Cooly (FLCL), and finally The Big O. That there barely scratches the surface of the thousands upon thousands that are out there both good and bad, but I generally find it harder to get into watching too many different series'. Who has the time?

Ok, so that's Japan. Other countries do the animated thing too:

Heavy Metal
Persepolis
Waltz with Bashir
The Triplets of Belleville
The Secret of Kells
The Illusionist
A Cat in Paris
Song of the Sea

My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
(I've yet to see these last two, but I'm including them as I've read they are very poignant)

Only thing I would add to these, and since you listed Coraline earlier, would be a few clay or model animated films, mostly from Nick Park and the people at Aardman Animations. All of the Wallace and Gromit shorts are great and the feature Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is tremendous as well. I know you said more "heavy stuff" but really they are quite awesome. Chicken Run was pretty good too, and Early Man looks to be hilarious coming soon. The folks over at Laika (which is run by Phil Knight's son) having been pretty solid too, with Coraline, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings.

 

[dbmill]

Not that you asked but...

Mano's Animated Movie Primer!

I've only seen a fraction of this list. Still of what I have seen, some good stuff on that list, although The Illusionist didn't do much for me. Funny, as I did love Triplets of Belleville.

In addition to what I've mentioned on animated film, I'm a sucker for Nick Park and Aardman as well, especially the Wallace and Gromit stuff. I'd toss in the Shaun of the Sheep Movie, I thought that one was quite good as well. Sooner or later I will get around to seeing Early Man.

 

[ZooCougar]

I thought the first one was great. It felt pretty grounded in reality too. I'm guessing they tried to amp it up in part 2? Was it the rapid fire trigger fingering from the trailer? Seemed silly, what kind of practical purpose could that have served? Random spray pattern?

Spackler could tell you.

I liked it. It’s like a techno thriller-Western packaged in crime suspense drama with Alejandro emerging as this ultimate anti-hero protagonist. The third movie should be interesting.

 

[Walker11]

Interested in your thoughts on Hold the Dark @Mano. I know we are both Saulnier fans.

 

[Mano]

Interested in your thoughts on Hold the Dark @Mano. I know we are both Saulnier fans.

I haven’t had a chance to watch it just yet (two kids under 2 limits the free time somewhat), but I am looking forward to seeing it despite the lukewarm reviews. Seems some of the reviewers thought its slow pace held it back. I don’t generally mind slower films though as long as they fill the screen with interesting things to look at while they loll about, which this one apparently does if reviews are to be trusted. Have you seen it yet? I think Saulnier has some big, award contending movies in his future to be sure.

 

[Walker11]

I haven’t had a chance to watch it just yet (two kids under 2 limits the free time somewhat), but I am looking forward to seeing it despite the lukewarm reviews. Seems some of the reviewers thought its slow pace held it back. I don’t generally mind slower films though as long as they fill the screen with interesting things to look at while they loll about, which this one apparently does if reviews are to be trusted. Have you seen it yet? I think Saulnier has some big, award contending movies in his future to be sure.

I saw it yesterday. I saw in an interview that he has interest in doing some bigger budget films and that could be interesting. This was by far his biggest budget, and still only 15 mil.

 

[nwhoopfan]

This is a sorta recommendation with a caveat. "Terminal" was a small budget, weird, twisty film that keeps you off balance. It was somewhat mediocre, but Margot Robbie made it worth watching. Her character has some of the same brand of crazy and a gleam in her eye as did her portrayal of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. I think she's an underrated actress, plus...she looks like Margot Robbie.

 

[Mano]

Tag - Not particularly funny or novel. More than anything its just a waste of a lot of talent. I'm starting to not be able to stand Jeremy Renner too.

Early Man - I'm a sucker for Aardman. It was decent, definitely not their best effort. It held my daughter's attention well enough for a while at least.

Father Figures - Background noise while it was on HBO and I was doing other things. Mostly terrible from what I caught of it.

 

[Dove]

Captain Fantastic

After catching up on Hell's Kitchen I surfed and stumbled upon this movie. Never knew of it and...wow. Excellent.

Viggo Mortensen is a widower with all of his kids well off the grid. He takes them to her funeral and their lives change.

High rec.

Power to the people. Stick it to the Man!!

 

[nwhoopfan]

I liked that too Dove. Different than anything else I've ever seen. Much of it was filmed here in Washington State.


edited--I thought all of the kids did a good job too. The two older sisters really looked like sisters, they did a good job of casting. That funeral dirge/acoustic cover of "Sweet Child o' Mine" was really cool.

 

[Dove]

All the kids were awesome. Major props to eldest son played by George Mackay.

The Erin Moriarty cameo was heaven-sent.

 

[nwhoopfan]

All the kids were awesome. Major props to eldest son played by George Mackay.

The Erin Moriarty cameo was heaven-sent.

So awkward though! (not her, George)

 

[8893]

Just saw The Old Man & the Gun. Charming film. Nice way for Redford to go out. Impossible not to like his character, and Sissy Spacek, too. Good warmth between them. Two great, wise smiles and understated characters.

Thought the Casey Affleck character was a bit underdeveloped and lacking, but enjoyed Tom Waits’s acting.

Very nice soundtrack too.

 

[Dove]

The Devil's Candy

Cool horror flick.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Ant Man and The Wasp" was entertaining, I didn't think it was quite as good as the first. Or maybe it's because I had such low expectations for the first and it was such a pleasant surprise. This one was just a bit too goofy, and most of the jokes fell flat. But when you have Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins and Michelle Pfeiffer as part of the supporting cast, you're doing something right. And Hannah John-Kamen was great as Ghost, the main antagonist. Fairly nuanced and complex character. I'm a big fan of her from the tv series Killjoys. She's been in movies a bit, just little roles. I'm hoping this is the beginning of bigger things for her on the big screen.

 

[Dove]

Revenge

French film starring Matilda Lutz. She gets pushed off a cliff and survives a 300 foot fall and a backward impalement on a snag. And she gets revenge.

Lutz looks really good, tho.

 

[Dove]

Apostle (Netflix)

Weird as duck.

Period piece where a new society sets up on an island worshiping an old lady vegetable goddess.

 

[Dogdeacon]

So awkward though! (not her, George)

Wow I thought it was farcical crap. I liked the opening where they lived in the woods, totally unrealistic & fantastical imagining that you if you just go into the woods you can live & raise children self-sustaining off the grid, but at least fun entertainment in the ridiculousness of it. But once they try to cross into the real world yet still persist in their obsessive anarchy it becomes malecowcrap.

The kids supposedly question society, authority, all structure and are free thinkers yet at same time their father's ways are not to be questioned. No disconnect there at all. I wanted to enjoy the atypical family & see the benefits of an alternative way, but they presented it with no introspection. This rendered it into a fairy tale as full of hypocrisy as the world they supposedly rebel against.

The Post - Great, a little too much about the individual (Streep) than the overall theme but nonetheless excellent
Tag - unbelievably horrible, Ed Helms doesn't belong in movies (loved him in the Office) and Renner is just a dick
Phantom Thread - really indulgent, what it lacks in entertainment value is offset by the analogy of an artists inner life, pretty insightful & thought provoking

 

[8893]

Game Night - Was hoping for better based on the reviews. It was alright but mostly just "blah". The twists weren't too hard to see coming and the stakes never really felt too high, taking the oomph out of much of the plot. Could've used more laughs.

Just watched this on a whim, knowing nothing about it beforehand except the blurb I read on the Xfinity On Demand guide. Really enjoyed it. Love Jason Bateman and this was a perfect role for him, and McAdams was good. Laughed a lot more than we expected to. Seemed like a funnier Ozark.

 

[dbmill]

I saw "Sorry to Bother You" over the weekend. Bizarre movie with its alternate universe take on labor issues goes off into its own little fantasy world. I can't imagine this film is for everyone's taste, or for that matter, political views, but my wife and I found it quite entertaining. Something like this could have been a lot worse. Excellent movie debut by director Boots Riley.

 

[Mano]

I saw "Sorry to Bother You" over the weekend. Bizarre movie with its alternate universe take on labor issues goes off into its own little fantasy world. I can't imagine this film is for everyone's taste, or for that matter, political views, but my wife and I found it quite entertaining. Something like this could have been a lot worse. Excellent movie debut by director Boots Riley.

Funny, my wife and I watched it this weekend too. It had that surreal sensibility about it like a Michel Gondry film might. Definitely walked the tightrope between absurd and captivating at times. We both also thought it was thoroughly entertaining. Will be interesting to see where Riley goes next.

 

[dbmill]

Funny, my wife and I watched it this weekend too. It had that surreal sensibility about it like a Michel Gondry film might. Definitely walked the tightrope between absurd and captivating at times. We both also thought it was thoroughly entertaining. Will be interesting to see where Riley goes next.

Surreal is definitely a good word to describe this film.