Gendo watches more movies in 2018

Faustus5 · Post by **Faustus5** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:58 pm

Gendo wrote:48. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Awesome. I didn't know much about this going in; not familiar with the graphic novel or anything. Aside from being quite funny; I really liked the blend of fantasy and reality. Other than the sister's brief moments of confusion; the characters just accepted the bizarre anime-like things that happened when it came to combat. Overall, it was just so much fun.

Just re-watched it yesterday. Favorite line: "How are you doing that with your mouth?".

Post by **Gendo** » Thu Apr 12, 2018 2:38 pm

49. Universal Soldier - A confused mix between RoboCop, Terminator, and First Blood. It was lacking Emmerich's usual over-the-top fun; and instead was just a very bland action flick. The one good thing was Dolph Lundgren; he was over-the-top in a fun way. And the last fight scene between the two was fun as well; with some good campy quips. Also, the alternate ending was terrible; glad they didn't go with that one.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Thu Apr 12, 2018 2:57 pm

Gendo wrote:49. Universal Soldier - A confused mix between RoboCop, Terminator, and First Blood. It was lacking Emmerich's usual over-the-top fun; and instead was just a very bland action flick. The one good thing was Dolph Lundgren; he was over-the-top in a fun way. And the last fight scene between the two was fun as well; with some good campy quips. Also, the alternate ending was terrible; glad they didn't go with that one.

Supposedly the two DTV sequels to this are very good, but yeah Universal Soldier itself is kind of whatever.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 2:41 am

Gendo wrote:43. The Theory of Everything - Ok I guess. I just wasn't all that into it. I mean, I didn't learn anything about Hawking that everyone doesn't already know... except that he was something of a jerk when it came to his (first) wife.It seems like the film was attempting to make some sort of connection between his disease and his theories, but I think it failed to do so.

I would have liked to see a lot more about his actual theories, or even just more emphasis on his genius in general. If you didn't already know it going into the film, you might not have realized that he wasn't just someone with somewhat above average intelligence. Eddie Redmayne was good; but most of his acting came from just playing the disability. Felicity Jones was better.

44. Manchester by the Sea - Good stuff. It really brought you into Lee's world; the way they showed the flashbacks were very effective. The music may have been a little over-the-top, but I was still glad to hear classical music used as a score in that way. I wasn't actually a big fan of Affleck's acting... though maybe it was just how the character was written; it was too one-note for my tastes. He portrayed grief very well; but even people in the deepest grief aren't literally like that 24/7. The ending is quite bold in a way that sticks with you. A very interesting mix of hope with hopelessness.

I didn't care much for either of these. Besides Redmayne's performance in TTOE, it's clearly Oscar bait material with nothing the least bit daring or original in it.

Manchester is one of those films that seems to use how depressing it is as a crutch. I also found it quote OTT and more melodramatic than genuinely dramatic. Not that I mind melodrama when done right, but if you're going to do melodrama you better be up to the level of Sirk, Fassbinder, or Haynes. By comparison, Manchester was just drab in every element.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 5:48 pm

Eva, I'm surprised that you found Manchester by the Sea "OTT and melodramatic". The centerpiece revelation was "OTT", sure, but the movie, for the most part, steers far away from overwrought melodrama and aims only to quietly paint the psychological portrait of an emotionally anguished man who's become numb with the pain of the unfathomable tragedy that now defines his life, a man who is unable to recover because of his inability to forgive himself. In a lesser movie, an OTT revelation like that could have totally derailed the movie and made any subsequent 'melodrama' feel forced, but here, the performances and the languid direction just pull it together for me. The only bit of melodrama that it does filter through, apart from the revelation, occurs towards the end, where it was really well-earned and just beautifully done. I admit I teared up when Affleck's character finally breaks down in front of the only other person who could possibly imagine what he's going through. For me, the whole movie became something of an attempt to make sense of a chaotic, cruel universe, but, of course, getting no answers in return, except to let go, no matter how impossible that may be.

It reminded me of Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter, which has a similar tragedy binding it together. Have you guys seen that?

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 1:46 am

I think Manchester was TRYING to be restrained, but when a film is that monotonous I think it's easy to be OTT even if the emotional outbursts are kept to a minimum. It reminded me a lot from a film several years back called House of Sand and Fog that had a similar problem. When films are that heavy-going, constantly stuck in that downer mood, with very little variation, it can become too much/OTT just by the accumulative effect of the tone rather than by any actual events in the film. By the time it got to the revelation and the outburst at the end, I was just numb to it.

I have seen The Sweet Herafter. I don't remember it too well, but I think I liked it. Not as well as Egoyan's Exotica, though.

Post by **Gendo** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 2:58 pm

Despite liking the film, my opinion of Manchester is closer to Eva's than Maz's.

50. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Excellent. Wonderfully written to show things from the perspective of a naive patriot who is learning that our government is not perfect. Stewart was perfect in portraying both the inexperienced, hopeful, and confused character at the start; as well as the passionate and tough senator that he became by the end.

The early patriotic scenes of his tour of Washington, while a bit over-the-top, actually made me miss the city, having grown up there. It also did a great job of showing the corruption in both the government and the media that we still have to struggle with 80 years later. I wished there had been another 5 minutes at the end as something of an epilogue, but I've noticed that that's just a product of the time; movies back then tended to just suddenly end when the story was resolved.

51. American Gangster - Not bad, but not special. It largely felt the same as any other drug lord movie I've seen. I actually really liked Russell Crowe in it. Denzel did just fine but I don't think he stood out.It was a bit too long; although I was watching the extended edition. The ending felt weak; with a seemingly sudden shift in tone in terms of how they portrayed the character of Frank Lucas. I did like the style as a whole of showing the lives of the 2 men; in what almost seemed like 2 separate stories taking place together. The sets and the conversations between characters did a good job of showing life in Harlem during that time.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:52 pm

I think Frank Capra gets a bit of a bad rap as being just a schmaltzy director (Or as a documentary I saw about him once said, as making "Capra-corn"). Like yeah he has optimistic endings, like in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but they're usually balanced out by plenty of cynicism about America beforehand.

It's a Wonderful Life is the same way. Like yeah that ending is heartfelt, but there's like over two hours of Jimmy Stewart getting continuously shit on by life before that. Hell it was Capra who was one of the first guys to bring out the darker side of Stewart in the scene where he snaps at his family in IAWL, and that was years before Anthony Mann and Alfred Hitchcock started working with him.

Post by **Gendo** » Tue Apr 17, 2018 5:35 pm

Raxivace wrote:I think Frank Capra gets a bit of a bad rap as being just a schmaltzy director (Or as a documentary I saw about him once said, as making "Capra-corn"). Like yeah he has optimistic endings, like in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but they're usually balanced out by plenty of cynicism about America beforehand.

It's a Wonderful Life is the same way. Like yeah that ending is heartfelt, but there's like over two hours of Jimmy Stewart getting continuously shit on by life before that. Hell it was Capra who was one of the first guys to bring out the darker side of Stewart in the scene where he snaps at his family in IAWL, and that was years before Anthony Mann and Alfred Hitchcock started working with him.

Yeah.. plus he didn't write Mr. Smith; so it's unlikely he had anything to do with the happy ending; other than choosing to direct a story that ended that way. Not sure about Life; he's one of 3 writers, so he may or may not have had anything to do with the happy ending. Pocketful of Miracles seems similar; with the schmaltzy ending, but not that way throughout. Those are the only 3 Capra films I've seen.

Even so; I can't imagine faulting a movie just for having a happy ending... lots of great movies do. Yes, sometimes a darker ending works better, but not in every film.

*Edit* Oh, he also did Arsenic and Old Lace. I remember liking that one, but don't remember much about it.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 02, 2018 3:24 am

52. Before Sunrise - Quite interesting. I didn't really know what to expect, but it slowly drew me in. It could feel boring sometimes; due to the lack of actual things happening. But by the end I found myself really rooting for them; and heavily invested in the relationship. One of those films that I couldn't stop thinking about for the next couple days. I mean, the entire movie is simply 2 people talking to each other. But it was such an interesting look at the foundations of love. The next day I found Before Sunset on DVD for cheap; so I'm looking forward to continuing the trilogy.

53. Persuasion (1995) - Like most Jane Austin (and most British stuff in general), hard to follow. So many characters that all blend together, and things don't make any sense unless you remember specific lines said by specific characters earlier. I had to keep pausing to ask my wife what was going on. But I still found it enjoyable by the end. I wasn't a fan of the lead actress; she had this look on her face throughout almost the whole thing, looking like she was more confused about what was going on than I was; or just deeply concerned.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed May 02, 2018 7:36 am

Before Sunset and Before Midnight complement the original in some interesting ways. Before Might in particular really made me rethink the trilogy. I'm curious what you'll think of those.

They're absolutely not plot heavy films (Hell the original Sunrise from Murnau, which the title of the Before Sunrise is probably referencing, has way more plot than anything in the Before trilogy does), but Hawke and Delpy are charismatic enough to make the emphasis on their relationship work really well.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed May 02, 2018 7:42 am

The Before Trilogy Cinematic Universe:

Before Sunrise
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Before Sunset
After the Sunset
Before Midnight
Midnight Special
Predestination

This is the correct order to watch these movies in. They won't make any sense at all unless you watch them like this. Good luck, Gendo.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 02, 2018 2:44 pm

lol. Interestingly enough, I own and have seen After the Sunset. Oh man, I love the theory that Jesse is actually the agent from Predestination.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 09, 2018 1:30 pm

54. 10 Cloverfield Lane - I liked it a lot. John Goodman is one of my favorites; and he really shone here. It expanded on the events of Cloverfield in such a unique way.

55. Seabiscuit (2003) - By complete coincidence, I watched this on the day of the Kentucky Derby. Pretty good; kind of a standard sports movie. I liked the style though; mixing in the historical narration.

56. Avengers: Infinity War - Um, yes. With all the hype, I was looking forward to this a lot, and it did not disappoint. It really felt more like an epic like Lord of the Rings than a superhero movie. Thanos as a character was amazing. The very first scene with him fighting and defeating The Hulk was a perfect way to really introduce his character as someone to fear. The idea that everything that happens by the end must all be part of Doctor Strange's plan is great. I can't wait to see where it will go next.

57. The Tree of Life - What was this? Very nice visuals, and stunningly beautiful music. But I just don't like movies that are completely theme-driven, with no plot to speak of. It reminded me of 2001 in some ways; another movie in which I like the music and visuals, but don't really like the movie. I think I get what it was trying to say; and I suppose it succeeded at saying it, but I prefer a movie where an actual story is told.

58. Hidden Figures - Excellent. The music really stood out for me also.

BruceSmith78 · Post by **BruceSmith78** » Wed May 09, 2018 5:43 pm

I stopped watching Tree of Life after about 15 minutes because what the fucking fuck?

I don't think Infity War lived up to the hype, but I liked it. DA ripped on it on his thread because it was all plot and the plot will be undone in the movies to come, but I don't think everything will be undone, and this is what comic books do - they kill off characters for shock value and then bring them back. Not that this is really a defense of the practice, but it's certainly not unprecedented and it's something we should expect in a movie like this. Besides, I thought it was a little refreshing for a villain to win for a change, even if we know it won't be a permanent victory.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed May 09, 2018 6:41 pm

Tree of Life absolutely has a story dude. Its not the most plot driven film in the world, but, on a basic level at least, pretty plainly about Sean Penn coming to terms with his childhood, his strict father, the lack of wonder of his adult life compared to his youth etc.

Like if you got what it was going for on a basic surface level you absolutely should not be saying the movie doesn't have a story its telling. Its by no means some collage of non-sequiturs.

Gendo wrote:54. 10 Cloverfield Lane - I liked it a lot. John Goodman is one of my favorites; and he really shone here. It expanded on the events of Cloverfield in such a unique way.

The Cloverfield connections were also quite literally tacked on- it originally had nothing to do with Cloverfield at all until Abrams got his hands on the rights to the film and had it rewritten.

I think it works into the movie's favor for the most part (Particularly with how the initial ambiguity of whether the movie even is a sequel or not reflects the ambiguity of whether John Goodman is lying about what happened to the world or not), and I think it works right until the kind of dumb action scene right at the end that's lifted straight out of Spielberg's War of the Worlds.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 09, 2018 6:59 pm

Given that it's known that it's the first of multiple parts, that complaint seems silly to me.. it's like complaining that the ending of Empire Strikes Back meant nothing because you knew ahead of time that there would be another part, and they would probably rescue Han in that one.. Or similar things with the ending of LOTR or the ending of Harry Potter part 7.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 09, 2018 7:24 pm

Raxivace wrote:Tree of Life absolutely has a story dude. Its not the most plot driven film in the world, but, on a basic level at least, pretty plainly about Sean Penn coming to terms with his childhood, his strict father, the lack of wonder of his adult life compared to his youth etc.

Like if you got what it was going for on a basic surface level you absolutely should not be saying the movie doesn't have a story its telling. Its by no means some collage of non-sequiturs.

I mean, I did get all that (except I wasn't sure until looking it up afterwords which child Sean Penn was, and which child it was that died). But I'm talking about the long pauses taken for fancy visuals and camera work. The actual story itself was maybe an hour of content it seemed.

Gendo wrote:and I think it works right until the kind of dumb action scene right at the end that's lifted straight out of Spielberg's War of the Worlds.

Agreed that the ending was lame compared to the rest. Although I did enjoy the expanded information that the random godzilla-style monster attack was in fact part of a large-scale alien invasion.

Post by **Gendo** » Mon May 14, 2018 3:32 pm

59. La La Land - Great! Although the musical numbers felt a little inconsistent. It starts off with a big number like most musicals do; but there's a long period of time through the middle where there aren't really any numbers; at least not full-length song and dance numbers. Still, the music and style was a lot of fun.

Post by **Gendo** » Thu May 17, 2018 1:35 pm

60. Room - Not The Room; Room. Wow. not sure what else to say. I did prefer the first half; due to the added suspense of not knowing what was going to happen. But the whole thing was excellent. Both main actors were terrific.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Thu May 17, 2018 3:14 pm

Now watch Split to cap off of the "Women trapped in confined spaces" trilogy that also includes 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Post by **Gendo** » Thu May 17, 2018 3:23 pm

Raxivace wrote:Now watch Split to cap off of the "Women trapped in confined spaces" trilogy that also includes 10 Cloverfield Lane.

I was in fact reminded of 10 Cloverfield Lane!

Post by **Gendo** » Mon May 21, 2018 12:50 pm

61. Alice in Wonderland (2010) - It was cute. I don't know anything really about the source material or earlier adaptations, so couldn't complain about that. But from what I read, the movie was really a mix of multiple Carroll stories. The title character was lacking in any depth or personality, and Johnny Depp seems to have replaced all his talented acting with just being a parody of himself. But I still enjoyed it for the most part. It was a fun and silly adventure.

62. Run All Night - Pretty good action-thriller. Not as good as Taken, but it did sort of feel like it could have been Taken 4. I always like Ed Harris playing bad guys with depth.

63. Before Sunrise - I'm pretty pissed at Linklater for this. Not that it wasn't good; it was great. But the decision to make him married ruined a lot of it for me. I suppose it's just my personal views, but the moment it was revealed that he was married, I went from rooting for them to get back together to really disliking both of them for even considering the idea of adultery. Nothing in the first movie suggested that they would share my values or anything; but I can't bring myself to hope to see a romance based on infidelity. The ending, while very well done, left me simply being angry and both characters. Ok, rant over. It was well-written, well-filmed, well-acted. Like the first one, it was simply a realistic look at two people; except with 9 years of "real life"; there was more realism to be had. The first one, while realistic, was also something of a fantasy-romance.

64. Before Midnight - I wasn't going to watch this right away, but after the way part 2 ended, I had to jump immediately into this one. I have mixed feelings about this one. It seemed to lack the charm and simplicity of the first two. It definitely did nothing to help me regain the respect of the characters. Again, personal values conflicting with that of the characters. The fight scene was hauntingly realistic; the whole movie reminded me more of Reiner's "The Story of Us" than a "Before" film. It did a good job of making me root for them, at least. And, as always, the dialog was simply excellent.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 23, 2018 1:28 pm

65. Anastasia (1997) - Not bad. I felt like the animation didn't live up to what I expect from Bluth, except for the action scenes. The end with the death of the villain was pure Bluth. I enjoyed the music; the story felt like it could have been Disney.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 23, 2018 7:31 pm

Thoughts on my thoughts about the last 2 Before movies?

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Wed May 23, 2018 10:38 pm

I loved the realism in Before Sunset too. That's what makes it a masterpiece for me. How it takes the romantic fantasy of the first movie and turns it on its head by having Jesse and Celine share experiences from their very real, imperfect lives. The naivety of their youth has washed away, and they are wiser and perhaps more cynical because of it. I love how the two dance around the issue of 'what could have been', that mere thought bubbling under the surface until Celine's emotional breakdown later on. I also love how that memory of that one day is enough to rekindle the spark they once had. That chemistry is something time did not take away from them, regardless of how much they might have changed. Were they considering the idea of adultery? Possibly, but I walked away with the impression that he was going to break off his unhappy marriage (first) and then give their relationship a chance.

I understand what you mean by it 'lacking the charm and simplicity' of the first two, but I think that was by design. Before Midnight reminds you, again, that as perfect Celine and Jesse seem for each other (and as perfect the romantic fantasy of Sunrise was, and as perfect as their very promising reunion in Sunset was), relationships require effort and compromise, something that becomes especially apparent when the initial exciting honeymoon period is over and real life issues intervene. Again, the optimistic note on which preceding movie ended is challenged. It's heartbreaking (Jesse did possibly cheat on his wife), but it's also weirdly optimistic in the sense that it reminds you that two people can love each other, no matter what real life shit comes their way (alternatively, if you're cynical, it means that people have to necessarily look the other way on each other's mistakes and feign happiness in order to be with each other). I like how their fight takes place in the sterile white light of the villa, that feels more and more cramped as the fight goes on. It's brilliantly written, performed, directed. Celine is such a well written female character, and Delpy's input in the writing process is apparent in how well she wears her.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Wed May 23, 2018 10:39 pm

Gendo wrote:60. Room - Not The Room; Room. Wow. not sure what else to say. I did prefer the first half; due to the added suspense of not knowing what was going to happen. But the whole thing was excellent. Both main actors were terrific.

I fell in love with Brie Larson. I don't care about comic book movies, but I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing her in the role of Captain Marvel.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Wed May 23, 2018 10:41 pm

Gendo wrote:65. Anastasia - Not bad. I felt like the animation didn't live up to what I expect from Bluth, except for the action scenes. The end with the death of the villain was pure Bluth. I enjoyed the music; the story felt like it could have been Disney.

Is this the 1997 animated film? I really liked this one as a kid. Still do. The music was fun and nice ear-candy. The action sequences were intense too.

I also saw the 1956 classic recently, and liked it. (Okay, I cried.)

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 23, 2018 10:45 pm

maz89 wrote:
Gendo wrote:65. Anastasia - Not bad. I felt like the animation didn't live up to what I expect from Bluth, except for the action scenes. The end with the death of the villain was pure Bluth. I enjoyed the music; the story felt like it could have been Disney.
Is this the 1997 animated film? I really liked this one as a kid. Still do. The music was fun and nice ear-candy. The action sequences were intense too.

I also saw the 1956 classic recently, and liked it. (Okay, I cried.)

Yes, that one. Didn't know there was an older one, though not surprised. And thanks for your "Before" comments.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Wed May 23, 2018 10:53 pm

Gendo wrote:
57. The Tree of Life - What was this? Very nice visuals, and stunningly beautiful music. But I just don't like movies that are completely theme-driven, with no plot to speak of. It reminded me of 2001 in some ways; another movie in which I like the music and visuals, but don't really like the movie. I think I get what it was trying to say; and I suppose it succeeded at saying it, but I prefer a movie where an actual story is told.

I love ToL (as evident from my dp). I don't know if it's entirely theme-driven (more like there are many dangling threads that are suffused together), but yes, it does not render plot in a traditional way. This was just a right-time-right-place kind of movie for me, and left me floored for a couple of days. It's got a grand vision, beginning as it does from the very beginning of the universe and then the very beginning of an individual's life, but it pulls everything together to say something about nature and grace, family and love, and tragedy and loss.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Wed May 23, 2018 10:54 pm

Gendo wrote: Yes, that one. Didn't know there was an older one, though not surprised. And thanks for your "Before" comments.

I had been meaning to respond to your thoughts on them, but I forgot until I was reminded by your post.

We're very much aligned on our views there.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Thu May 24, 2018 4:01 am

maz89 wrote:I understand what you mean by it 'lacking the charm and simplicity' of the first two, but I think that was by design.

Yeah the big thing I liked about Midnight was how it took basically the same basic plot as Sunset (Hawke cheating on his wife, probably) but just by changing the perspective a bit created something that felt entirely different and was at times very uncomfortable to watch- It kind of gives you an idea about what likely happened between Hawke and his first wife after Sunset. The fight between Hawke and Delpy was pretty raw itself, too. Really reminded me of growing up and hearing and watching my own parents fight constantly.

I think Hawke and Delpy probably don't stay together after Midnight, which sets up Hawke to become a time cop and chase after a new woman in Predestination.

BruceSmith78 · Post by **BruceSmith78** » Thu May 24, 2018 2:11 pm

Tree of Life lost me when there was like 10 minutes of nothing. I think all that happened in those 10 minutes was we watched the grass grow outside and we watched Brad Pitt sit in a chair. That's when my wife and I said fuck this shit.

maz89 · Post by **maz89** » Fri May 25, 2018 5:29 pm

I think you have to be in the 'right' frame of mind for it, and you have to be willing to go along for the ride. It's more demanding than a traditional movie in that it eschews the traditional cause-and-effect narrative for a more visually (or mood) driven 'plot' and dialogue for the inner musings and monologues of its troubled characters. If you're not familiar with Malick's style and don't know what you're heading in to, then I can understand how it can be off-putting.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 30, 2018 8:46 pm

66. Risen - Pretty good. It doesn't feel as much like in-your-face propaganda as most Christian films. Some good set pieces and action. Still a Christian propaganda film, of course, so there's limits to my expectations.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed May 30, 2018 9:06 pm

Haven't seen Risen, and while the resurgence of "faith-based films" is an interesting albeit unfortunate phenomenon, most of them do like crap.

The best film explicitly about Christianity that I've seen in the last 10 or so years is probably Martin Scorsese's Silence.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed May 30, 2018 9:40 pm

So you may or may not know that most of these films are done by a studio called Afirm Films, which is owned by Sony. They did Risen, Soul Surfer, Fireproof, Facing the Giants, Heaven is for Real, Miracles from Heaven, etc. So the trailers at the start of Risen were all for Afirm Films stuff. And it included a trailer for The Remaining... which, while being a Christian film, is also a straight-up horror movie:

It's just so jarring that the same production company would make that. From the little I've read, it's not just one of those trailers that misrepresents the film either (except for not making the Christian parts obvious); it really is a horror movie.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Thu May 31, 2018 3:21 am

Maybe they're trying to branch out more. Horror stuff is still pretty popular anyways (And it's not like there aren't plenty of scary parts in the Bible to draw upon, or stuff like Dante's Inferno or whatever).

I'll give them this: That's not the worst trailer I've ever seen. A couple of shots even looked half-way decent.

Eva Yojimbo · Post by **Eva Yojimbo** » Mon Jun 04, 2018 2:45 am

I basically agree with maz about the Before Trilogy, but I think I'm closer to agreeing with you about Midnight. I also think it's easily weaker than the first two films, though still excellent.

Gendo wrote:57. The Tree of Life - What was this? Very nice visuals, and stunningly beautiful music. But I just don't like movies that are completely theme-driven, with no plot to speak of. It reminded me of 2001 in some ways; another movie in which I like the music and visuals, but don't really like the movie. I think I get what it was trying to say; and I suppose it succeeded at saying it, but I prefer a movie where an actual story is told.

Tree of Life is not an easy film if you're not acquainted with Terence Malick. Go watch The Thin Red Line instead, and then maybe The New World, and then maybe come back to TTOL with a better idea of Malick's very unorthodox narrative strategies. The thing with Malick's late films (Badlands and Days of Heaven weren't like this) isn't that they don't have stories, but rather that the way in which the stories are narrated is utterly nontraditional. Malick uses a technique that I've coined "perpetual fragmented voiceover montage." Essentially, Malick's taken three devices--non-linear structure, heavily edited montage, and voiceover--that are almost always used in film sparingly and typically in demarcated sections (in most films you know "this is a section with voiceover" or "this is a montage section") and started making entire films out of them. The closest equivalent I can think of are the early Modernist novels of Faulkner and Joyce; there's a similar "stream of consciousness" feeling to Malick, where the story, scenes, themes, emotions, etc. are all fleeting and impressionistic. They seem like a good analog to the mind in motion, constantly thinking, questioning, and perceiving but not in a logically coherent way.

Many don't know this, but Malick actually has a rather deep background in philosophy (graduated summa cum laude from Harvard, Rhodes scholar at Oxford, translated Heidegger), and his films are highly influenced by that. However, I do not agree with the notion that Malick's films are theme-driven. I think they're IDEA driven, but the most common idea that's driving these films is the attempt at awakening people to a very primal way of seeing the world, to a kind of ancestral, pre-linguistic power and awe of nature and/or God and beauty and ugliness and everything that makes up existence. The Tree of Life tells the story of a man who, like most of Malick's characters, is completely lost, alienated, who is completely disconnected from everything around him and I think the film is, its own way, trying to evoke in the viewer the kind of meaningful connection to life and nature that's so easy to lose as we get older and become very jaded and cynical and literal and limited in our ways of thinking. I'm not wholly convinced The Tree of Life 100% works, but I admire its ambition and grandeur and sheer chutzpah of making this big, "spiritual" film in our postmodernist age. Still, I think this approached worked better in The Thin Red Line where the horror of war seemed a more natural bridge to examining these themes. Even in The New World (which is probably inferior to TTOL) the style felt like a more natural fit given the story/subject. I also have a soft spot for To the Wonder as it was filmed not far from where I live. Knight of Cups I just didn't care much for at all, and I really started thinking Malick had run out of new things to say/do with this style.

Post by **Gendo** » Fri Jul 27, 2018 2:42 pm

I watched a movie!! I missed movies.

67. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) - Brilliant. I can't say too much about the film as a film. But the dialog was completely true to the play; and the dialog was amazing. Firth and Everett were great. Witherspoon not so much. And always a big fan of Tom Wilkinson, even in a small role like this. Really though it was just the dialog. Super hilarious, and clever throughout.

Post by **Gendo** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 2:04 pm

68. Awake - This felt like halfway through writing the script, the writers got an idea for a different movie, and just started writing the other movie instead, rather than finishing Awake. The previews and first half of the movie made it seem like it was going to be a suspense/horror/torture porn type thing about the idea of undergoing surgery while being conscious. After a few minutes of the surgery bit; the movie decided that was no longer interesting (to its credit, they were right; it wasn't interesting), and introduced a new story. The new story was somewhat interesting, but didn't require the main character to be conscious for it to work at all. Overall, not a good movie, despite having some interesting ideas.

69. Inside Out - Great! Not sure if I'd put it on the level of Up, but certainly at least up to Pixar's general standards. Going into it, I didn't think that the concept stood out at as all that imaginative, but they managed to do a lot of imaginative stuff with it. The parts that took place externally, in the real world, were some of the best.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:01 pm

Haven't seen any of those three but what you write about Awake reminds me of an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents called "Breakdown".

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4s8z3v

Post by **Gendo** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 3:53 am

Raxivace wrote:Haven't seen any of those three but what you write about Awake reminds me of an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents called "Breakdown".

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4s8z3v

Just watched it. Yeah, that's basically what it was; at least at the beginning. Awake even had the crying thing; except it was the guy hoping the doctors would notice the tears; but they didn't.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 1:37 pm

70. Westworld - I've been curious about this one since before the (new) TV show was a thing. It was good! Kind of like a cross between Jurassic Park and The Terminator; except with an early 70s feel. I thought they were going to do more with the idea of not being able to tell if someone was a robot or not; but at least they had some of that. And interesting that Christian Bale traveled back in time to star in it!

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:04 pm

Michael Crichton wrote both the original Westworld and Jurassic Park novels, and even directed and wrote the screenplay for Westworld '73. Its a neat little movie, and in some ways subtler than the TV show- I'm not sure if it was an influence on Terminator but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

I don't think Crichton had as much involvement in the sequel film though, Futureworld. That's not one I really recommend unless you're just really curious about seeing Peter Fonda in a sci-fi movie.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:44 pm

Yeah I didn't know the sequel existed until yesterday; probably not something I'll bother with. I was surprised when I saw Crichton in the opening credits, because I didn't know before that he had done any directing.

Raxivace · Post by **Raxivace** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 6:29 pm

Yeah Crichton actually directed a decent number of films. Its weird that that part of his career has basically been forgotten from public memory.

Post by **Gendo** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 2:35 pm

71. Silver Linings Playbook - Really good. Not at all what I was expecting though... for some reason, I thought it was a romantic comedy; so quite a surprise. Great acting all around, and really good writing.

Faustus5 · Post by **Faustus5** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:24 am

Gendo wrote:71. Silver Linings Playbook - Really good. Not at all what I was expecting though... for some reason, I thought it was a romantic comedy; so quite a surprise. Great acting all around, and really good writing.

The first time I saw this, I had to replay the scene where Tiffany schooled Pat's father on her "curse" and compelled him to make that silly bet over and over again to the point where I have ten minutes of dialogue memorized.

Post by **Gendo** » Wed Aug 15, 2018 2:19 pm

72. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - The opening titles were excellent. As well as the rest of the movie. The comedy and dialog was spot-on. The story itself was a great twisting mystery. Reminded me of Lucky Number Slevin, which I also loved. Always a fan of RDJ, and Kilmer was great also.