Current Events > Waffle's Big Movie Discussion topic

(+) Yeah! (+)

watched Incredibles 2 again. it's still awesome.
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Rewatched Silver Linings Playbook today. I love that movie. It's probably the closest thing to a "dark" rom-com I can think of off the top of my head that still has a happy ending.
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^ I really like it, too.

saw Gemini and You Were Never Really Here this week, and I enjoyed the latter a lot more than the former, but Zoe Kravitz is bae, so it's whatever
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I saw Logan Lucky recently and thought it was pretty good. But I'm an idiot so I didn't understand the ending
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I still need to see that, heard some decent things about it.
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just saw Dark Web (trash, IMO) and Most Likely to Murder, which was pretty funny
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Was the first Unfriended even remotely... entertaining?

It's so weird to me that it got a sequel. Never saw it, but still.
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idk, but the one I saw wasn't the Unfriended sequel, it was just called "Dark Web", and I think that it came out a year or two ago.

it's an anthology horror movie, kinda like the VHS series.
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Oh, gotcha lol. I just knew the unfriended sequel was also called that.
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Writing a double review now, just gonna bump this in advance given the possibility of this topic purging while I write it.
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Double review, let's do this!

Do the Right Thing (1989)
I came into this movie with pretty high expectations, and I was still impressed! Right off the bat, one thing that really surprised me about the movie was its ambiguity in tackling the issue of racism. Besides the cop who killed Radio Raheem at the end, the film doesn't have any clear protagonists or antagonists; all the movie's characters are imperfect people & have their fair share of shady characteristics, and it's unclear which "side" was more in the wrong by the end of the film - this is accentuated by the conflicting quotes placed right before the credits roll.

Do the Right Thing is a rather exhausting movie to watch - as the heat wave gets worse & the citizens of the neighborhood get increasingly agitated, the film keeps its viewers consistently on edge, continually wondering when & how the people of Bed Stuy will inevitably reach their breaking point - and when the film finally reaches its climactic scene, viewers may actually feel a sense of relief, at least finally knowing what was in store.

One thing I can always appreciate in film is a good "slow burn", and Do the Right Thing impressively manages to pull this off despite its energetic & fast-paced cinematography through introducing the various characters of the neighborhood little by little, and chronicling their various daily activities as everything slowly becomes intertwined by the end.

Though Do the Right Thing generally has an "angry" vibe to it, the movie still has its fair share of upbeat moments and warmth; the film is a dramedy, after all. Sal's treatment of Mookie's sister was unexpectedly endearing (which made the film's ending all the more poignant), and Ossie Davis' character of Da Mayor served as a delightful - albeit often mistreated - contrast to the rest of the citizens of Bed Stuy. Also, while not exactly the "warmest" scene from the movie, the racial stereotype rant(s) was comic gold (especially Samuel L. Jackson's words in response).

I feel like I've only scratched the surface of the movie with this review, but that's only because Do the Right Thing is one of the most dynamic, impressive & layered American movies of what I consider to be the "modern era" (1980-present). It succeeds where too many American films (particularly American films about racism) fail in that it's not a black-and-white, overly sentimental, quick-fix approach to racism nor does it inadvertently reinforce racist viewpoints (I'm looking at you, American History X). Probably the best movie about racism I've watched so far. 9/10

(Ran out of characters, will continue in my next post)
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The Seventh Seal (1957)
Gonna try to make this review a quick one. This was my first Ingmar Bergman film, and I think I made a good pick for my first viewing. From what I've read about his works, Bergman's films are known for their dark & gloomy atmosphere, and that's certainly present in The Seventh Seal. The visual style was a huge standout, with the crows at the beginning, the way Bergman personified Death (especially in his first appearance), and the castle at the end are all standout examples of the film's wonderfully gothic aesthetic. If I were to pick a favorite scene, it would probably be the burning of the "witch" - very emotionally resonant in a film that's mostly apathetic in feeling, and Max von Sydow's on-screen crying was extremely impressive & raw.

Though a very good film - and considerably ahead of its time - I don't think I can quite give The Seventh Seal a perfect score, and that's because of one specific criticism I can't let go at the moment: I feel like the movie's ending happened somewhat... abruptly, and I also feel like the movie could've been a little longer - should've been 120 minutes long at least, imo. My stance on this may change, though, as there are still several things about the movie still stewing in my head, and as I watch more of Bergman's movies, my appreciation might be heightened even more. Oh yeah, I should also mention that that scene with those Catholic radicals was surprisingly scary for a 1957 movie. 9/10

Anyways, I have my Blu-Ray of My Neighbor Totoro ready for viewing - do you guys recommend the original w/ subtitles or the english dub for a first viewing?
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I watched it dubbed and it was good, never watched it subbed though.
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Sorry if I've asked you before but have you seen any Yorgos Lanthimos movies? I love everything he's done but The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer are amazing imo. I'm sort of shilling for him hard right now.
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as the guy who created the movie club mentioned in the OP, thanks for the FUCKING tag11!

^ I've seen both, and really enjoyed them.

I prefer The Lobster between the two, though.

edit: at post 216
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boxington posted...

^ I've seen both, and really enjoyed them.

I prefer The Lobster between the two, though.

edit: at post 216

I agree very much. The Lobster had a social meaning in between while I feel the latter didn't have as much of a deeper meaning. But I enjoyed both thoroughly.
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Gamer99z posted...

Sorry if I've asked you before but have you seen any Yorgos Lanthimos movies? I love everything he's done but The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer are amazing imo. I'm sort of shilling for him hard right now.

I haven't but I really need to ,I've heard great things about those movies.

mistalightbulb posted...

as the guy who created the movie club mentioned in the OP, thanks for the FUCKING tag11!

Shit, sorry dude. I remember looking for your name, but I couldn't find what your current account was. :(
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You should really check them out as someone who loves movies if highly recommend them.
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I have such a huge backlog of movies, lol. There's still movies I've been wanting to see for years but still haven't gotten a chance to. Definitely gonna try to watch those 2 soon as I can.

Has anyone seen Thank You For Smoking? That's been a top one on my "need to watch" list for a while, but it's hard to find anywhere short of renting or buying it outright, and I'd have to buy it online, never seen it in a store.
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I, absolutely love Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up In The Air (on US Netflix if you're interested and haven't seen it), and most recently Tully. Jason Reitman is pretty great overall but does have some hard misses.
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Oh shit, didn't realize Thank You For Smoking and Juno were by the same director.

I remember watching some videos about it, and it looks like a movie that is definitely my cup of tea. I love subversive seeming movies.
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Thank you for Smoking is a great film. It's been a while so thats all I can really say about it anymore
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I just started watching The Endless, it follows a couple of guys who left a suicide cult before they all killed themselves, and they go to revisit where everything took place, or something along those lines. Got great reviews and it's supposed to be very strange.
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My brother actually just recommended that to me the other night, I really need to watch it.
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just watched Le Samourai.

it was pretty, pretty, pretty good.
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Not a movie, but binged the first season of American Horror story, it was pretty decent
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WafflehouseJK posted...

Not a movie, but binged the first season of American Horror story, it was pretty decent

Just about every AHS season starts off great and then ends in the worst possible way. Actually that goes for anything Ryan Murphy has ever made.

I'm at 40 movies on the year now
https://boxd.it/1Pl2k

Gonna catch Mission Impossible: Fallout tomorrow and I'll probably watch You Were Never Really Here sometime soon
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What were your thoughts on Hotel Artemis? You might have already said earlier in the topic, but I don't remember.

I definitely felt underwhelmed by it, but I didn't necessarily hate it. Just thought there was a lot of wasted potential.

My girlfriend despises it though, says its her least favorite movie of the year so far.

I also still really need to see Isle of Dogs and Early Man, I'm sad I missed them in theaters.
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Isle of Dogs was pretty good, but I found something lacking compared to Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Early Man wasn't much storywise, but it was pretty funny.

As for what I'm watching now, Collateral with Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise is great.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

a lot of wasted potential.

That pretty describes Artemis. There was a lot of talent there, but it felt like the movie never really got going and it ends abruptly
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Watched Incredibles 2 last night (okay), finally watching My Neighbor Totoro tonight. Will post thoughts whenever.
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I saw What We Do In The Shadows the other day and it was one of the funniest movies I've seen in recent memory. It knew exactly what it wanted to be and it knocked it out of the park.
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I loved Incredibles 2 tbh, it was basically a perfect sequel IMO.

Haven't heard of What We Do In The Shadows, but it sounds interesting.
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I second What We Do in the Shadows being hilarious.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

I loved Incredibles 2 tbh, it was basically a perfect sequel IMO.

Haven't heard of What We Do In The Shadows, but it sounds interesting.

Here's the trailer. If you like Flight of the Conchords's style of humor, this is definitely for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZEWtyhpes" data-time="
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So it looks like Movie Pass is finally dying. :/

A shame, but no real surprise.

I do hope a more feasible option pops up soon, I did really enjoy the usage of it. If there was a universal version of AMC's new thing I'd probably hop on that for sure, even with it being more expensive and less viewings per week.
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I only have a Cinemark and an Icon theater in my town. I'd switch over to AMC right away if I could. After MP, I'll just be paying cash. Cinemark is only $4.87 before 6pm everyday and I'd honestly pay that in cash before having some annoying charge from Peak Pricing
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Our only theater in town is a Cobb, and it's garbage. We're in the middle of Alabama, yet tickets are still always $10.

Moviepass was great cause it gave me reason to go see movies I normally never would have seen.

I don't think I would have seen Upgrade, Adrift, Sorry To Bother You, Book Club, or several others if I hadn't had movie pass.

Me and my GF were seeing 2-3 movies a week when in the past I was lucky to go once a month.

MP just made things so much more cost efficient.
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saw Flatliners and Truth or Dare, the newer ones.

both sucked, IMO.

*Truth or Dare spoilers* I know that it was for self-preservation, but it was a dick move how the girl at the end unleashed the curse to everyone
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boxington posted...

*Truth or Dare spoilers* I know that it was for self-preservation, but it was a dick move how the girl at the end unleashed the curse to everyone

It was, but honestly, I loved it. That "twist" at the end made the movie worth it for me, I legit wasn't expecting that as an ending.
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Incredibles 2 (2018)
Very enjoyable romp, but the whole time I was watching it I felt like something was... missing. Villain was interesting enough, though I literally predicted them being the film's main antagonist by their very first appearance. Mr. Incredible being the stay-at-home parent was funny, the action scenes were cool (I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the scene where Elastigirl confronts "Screenslaver", Jack-Jack & Edna Mode is a fantastic pairing, and I'm glad Violet got to do more this time around.

I guess if I really had to pinpoint my main issue with the film, it would be that the structure felt a bit more uneven than the first one. The fact that action scenes were prevalent throughout the movie led to the movie lacking a big sense of build-up.... the climactic scene with the ship was kinda underwhelming for me & earlier scenes like Elastigirl stopping the monorail actually eclipsed it quite a bit for me. I still liked the movie a lot, but it didn't feel as smart, polished or distinguished as its predecessor. Also the short played beforehand was very sweet. 7/10

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Not a lot to say on this one, but what a cute, cozy movie! The relationship between the sisters felt super organic - still occasional bickering, but it's consistently clear that they love each other very much. Creature designs are adorable (that one soot gremlin that slowly fell into Mei's hand at the beginning is a standout example), mesmerizing animation, and a story that's delightfully lighthearted, despite some serious moments. It's not often you see a movie with absolutely no antagonist to be found. 8/10
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Think I'll update my list again - might do it one more time if/when this topic is at 450+ posts.

5/10
Scream (1996)

6/10
Dark City (1998)
It Follows (2014)
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
The Matrix (1999)

7/10
Brazil (1985)
Incredibles 2 (2018)

8/10
Carrie (1976)
Goodfellas (1990)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Phantom Thread (2018)

9/10
Badlands (1973)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Eraserhead (1977)
Rear Window (1954)
The Seventh Seal (1957)

10/10
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
The Straight Story (1999)

I should note that this list excludes movies I've rewatched this year & movies I watched parts of on TV with commercials.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

boxington posted...

*Truth or Dare spoilers* I know that it was for self-preservation, but it was a dick move how the girl at the end unleashed the curse to everyone

It was, but honestly, I loved it. That "twist" at the end made the movie worth it for me, I legit wasn't expecting that as an ending.

I dunno, when one of the girls watching the YouTube video got the "truth or dare" face, I was like, "hell nah", lol
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Mission: Impossible is one of the few franchises where every movie gets better (except for 2, which is the red-headed stepchild), and Fallout is probably the best one yet. Definitely gonna see it again.
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Rogue Nation is the only MI film I've seen. I liked it well enough, so I probably should go back and watch them all, but eh...
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finally saw A Wrinkle in Time.

idk if it's for me.

it'd be cool if they adapted 'Madeleine L'engle's other stuff to film, though, but the later generations of the family.
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WafflehouseJK posted...

Rogue Nation is the only MI film I've seen. I liked it well enough, so I probably should go back and watch them all, but eh...

They're all great except 2.
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I saw Mama Mia for the first time.

It's fine, it embraces its cheesiness, which I respect, but it's not really for me, but I also feel like it's not a film really made with my demographic in mind.
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I still haven't seen Fallout because I haven't felt like sitting in a theater for 2.5 hours lately. Tomorrow is the last day it plays on the biggest screen in town, so I'll probably go see it

I also want to see Christopher Robin and The Spy Who Dumped Me
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