I might even watch this weeks movie before the next one is decided! No guarantees!
The finger taps stood out like a sore thumb, haha, to me as well. Forget even thinking about if it was cheating, if someone was doing that in most of my classes they'd be yelled at for the noise alone. Unless you're trying to argue she was phantom tapping or something, which then asks the question of how did everyone, regardless of where they were sitting in relation to her, manage to see her that clearly.
Also, the double turn at the end with her coming clean and Bank completing his transition into a bad guy felt a little forced, especially with the random narcissism of him naming the new clothes washing place Mister Bank. Thought there should have been more gray to the ending instead of the clear cut black and white approach.
So I started watching this at around midnight on Saturday in my dark bedroom, and that bright white light for a good minute or two was giving me a headache. Anyways, I've heard stories from friends who took DMT, and they all said they talked to some mechanical giant interdimensional being. That's all I needed to hear, never doing that shit. Instant bad trip for me. One of my thoughts when starting the movie was, "this movie would be trippy if I smoked a bowl or took shrooms," but when it was over, "Nope, nvm."
The movie had a pretty good plot, and the Book of the Dead is in the center of it all. The Alex character explains early on what the book tells us of what happens when we die, and the movie is a journey of one's life, death, and reincarnation. I thought that was interesting. The camera zooming through buildings and flying above was great. It's just the execution of it in the second half got old real quick - watching from a 3rd person view and seeing the back of Oscar's head. This would be cool in maybe VR. Also, what was up with Oscar and Linda - they had some incest vibes going on. That underwear scene, wth. I mean, they've been through a lot, but that was weird.
I've always pondered on what happens when we die, and I'd like to think that we do get reincarnated but maybe not as a human. That would be the ideal way to come back, but yeah. I don't know how to rate this movie. It was definitely an experience, but probably one that I wouldn't want to sit through again, like a bad trip.
7/10
---
dilateDChemist Last minute changes killed my bracket - still would've got destroyed by azuarc
I'm not a crazy heist movie fan; they tend to be fine but are often repetitive to a decent extent. This movie broke that mold, and did it almost effortlessly, with great performances from the main few, lovely cinematography and just so fuckin good sound design. It really surprised me how into this film I got. It's thrilling and funny and well-crafted.
I find myself having issues with the ending though. Not so much with her just confessing, because I guess that makes sense, but more with the film seemingly taking the stance that she was objectively in the wrong and confessing is the morally right thing to do? But it provides no real counterpoint to her earlier reasons for doing it. I mean, sure, it's unfair for the rich to be able to just buy their way to victory. But, like, they do that anyway, so I have some issues with it demonizing a poor student for doing what she needs to to afford an education given the fact that she accurately points out that those in power over the schooling system deceive and take advantage of students for profit.
Anyway Lynn was obviously in love with Grace and they should stop being cowards and acknowledge it
8/10
---
Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs
I feel bad for ol' Bank who basically had done a complete 180 by the end of the movie. Also Grace was possibly the most selfish person on the planet. Also, what's the deal with the school fee of 200,000 Bahts?
Overall I'd give the movie either a 6/10 or a 7/10. It was decent, but only really liked the first cheating method. The second was convoluted, and went on way too long in my opinion.
I find myself having issues with the ending though.
yeah i don't like the ending much either. after being so on board with the movie up to that part, after bringing up the issues of hyper-competitiveness in academics and the high pressure it exerts on the youth, wealth disparity and how that affects the education system, and how despite what you're told hard work DOESN'T always pay off, it's kind of deflating to have it end with the simplistic 'cheating is bad' message. Lynn was "forced" to admit to the cheating because Bank threatens to reveal it and if she was going to talk about it anyway, I would have liked to see her using that opportunity to comment on the whole nature of standardized testing rather than the simple 'yup i was wrong and let's move on" take. If it had a better ending, it would have been an easy 9/10 for me since it's so entertaining otherwise. As I said before, I'm usually way more nitpicky about smaller details but this is one of those rare movies where I don't care as much and I'm invested either way and I'm absolutely willing to suspend my disbelief. With a lot of other movies I would have just lost interest when too many of those conveniences started piling up but here I'm a lot more forgiving because it's so entertaining.
like when they're getting the answers back and the printer gets stuck or the phone gets cracked, there's already so many issues they're running into that it was just a "ah come on" moment that it just felt unnecessary. or when she's initially trying to vomit in class and nobody looks up until she actually does when she was making those sounds for like 20 seconds before? or how Lynn is struggling so hard to remember the last couple answers before sending the text. at that that point it's like two questions out of like 100, just say fuck it lol. how many of those kids would believably get perfect scores anyway.
but there are so many more moments that i really love.
like when it's revealed that there's two sets of questions for the test; it's a fun 'oh shit' moment that reminded me of the times when there was that one genius in class who was like "There's a back side?"
or when Lynn first gets busted for cheating and the principal uses Bank as an example of a deserving student and he just fucking winces and you see he just wants to die inside lmao because he knows he fucked everything up for her.
Also, the double turn at the end with her coming clean and Bank completing his transition into a bad guy felt a little forced, especially with the random narcissism of him naming the new clothes washing place Mister Bank. Thought there should have been more gray to the ending instead of the clear cut black and white approach.
ViolentAbacus posted...
I feel bad for ol' Bank who basically had done a complete 180 by the end of the movie.
I can buy into his transition and I think it's pretty interesting. In the beginning he's so morally uptight and against any idea of cheating that he goes out of the way to unsubtly inform Lynn that someone is cheating off her AND even tells the instructor who doesn't seem to care as much as him. He's bought into the system that told him that if you work hard academically, you can succeed through your own merit despite all the disadvantages and he was confident enough in his own abilities that he felt he could do it. And then the opportunity he's been waiting for happens with the scholarship exam (the principal says it covers from bachelor's to doctorates) and he doesn't even fail but he's denied even the chance. He gets partly guilted into the scheme by Lynn who says, "You're responsible for what happened to me" (i.e. she lost her scholarship opportunity because of him). He notably uses that same line against her later.
I think the common background they share of both being financially troubled super geniuses who were probably the only ones at the school based on merit with struggling single parents probably influenced his decision as well. Like, he knows that she knows how it feels to lose an opportunity like that scholarship. He tells her, "You cheated but I just got unlucky" and he's met with "Even if you don't cheat, life cheats you anyway." After the scrap heap reveal, I'm sure he was thinking about that conversation and how even if he takes the "right' way people with money/power (like Pat) can just fuck shit up for him to suit their whims. There's that moment in the bathroom right before he sends the answer and CEMENTS his status as a cheater, where he almost vomits because it's going against that "honest" person he's been his whole life. and he's like fuck it give me more money because the system i bought into is fucked and the REAL WAY the world works has been revealed ($$$). like "am i going to go through university, exams, the "proper way" to have a CHANCE at a good life? maybe some asshole just ruins it for me near the end just like before. or am i going to take the money right now when the opportunity presents itself. i missed out on one chance before." and when he gets caught, he feels like he has no option but to double down. that's what i got anyway.
I can buy into his transition and I think it's pretty interesting. In the beginning he's so morally uptight and against any idea of cheating that he goes out of the way to unsubtly inform Lynn that someone is cheating off her AND even tells the instructor who doesn't seem to care as much as him. He's bought into the system that told him that if you work hard academically, you can succeed through your own merit despite all the disadvantages and he was confident enough in his own abilities that he felt he could do it. And then the opportunity he's been waiting for happens with the scholarship exam (the principal says it covers from bachelor's to doctorates) and he doesn't even fail but he's denied even the chance. He gets partly guilted into the scheme by Lynn who says, "You're responsible for what happened to me" (i.e. she lost her scholarship opportunity because of him). He notably uses that same line against her later.
I think the common background they share of both being financially troubled super geniuses who were probably the only ones at the school based on merit with struggling single parents probably influenced his decision as well. Like, he knows that she knows how it feels to lose an opportunity like that scholarship. He tells her, "You cheated but I just got unlucky" and he's met with "Even if you don't cheat, life cheats you anyway." After the scrap heap reveal, I'm sure he was thinking about that conversation and how even if he takes the "right' way people with money/power (like Pat) can just fuck shit up for him to suit their whims. There's that moment in the bathroom right before he sends the answer and CEMENTS his status as a cheater, where he almost vomits because it's going against that "honest" person he's been his whole life. and he's like fuck it give me more money because the system i bought into is fucked and the REAL WAY the world works has been revealed ($$$). like "am i going to go through university, exams, the "proper way" to have a CHANCE at a good life? maybe some asshole just ruins it for me near the end just like before. or am i going to take the money right now when the opportunity presents itself. i missed out on one chance before." and when he gets caught, he feels like he has no option but to double down. that's what i got anyway.
I don't have a problem with Bank coming to the conclusion that he doesn't have to follow all of rules if it means bettering his and his mothers life, but his character at the end feels like it's gone too far into the 'money for the sake of money' level of greed. He's Robin Hood if Robin Hood forgot the second half of his motto.
If he tried to recruit her, she turned him down and he left her with a "Well, when you change your mind you know where to find me" kind of line, that feels more like what I would envision Bank becoming. The blackmail feels... too desperate?
if his plan for that test needed Lynn (or someone on his level) in the same way that she needed him for the STIC, then the operation wouldn't happen if she's not in and he leaves money on the table (the subs say the plan 'requires' her). i mean i guess he could look for other people but he would probably see it as easier/less time-consuming to try to guilt someone he's already familiar with and knows is competent.
i do think he feels that level of desperation though. the way he sees it, his life is over because the path to success he was envisioning for himself is gone. expelled from school, probably some kind of record, i'm not even sure if he would be allowed to take that test himself in cases like that. the academic path to success is closed off for him so he needs to feel like he needs to pendulum shift to the other direction because he needs to start all over anyway.
i also don't think his mother is a big part of the reason anymore. I imagine the scene where Lynn first gets caught for cheating and the principal criticizes her dad for not raising her right and he later gives back the shirt she bought for him but like 10x that for Bank's situation. and i think the principal scene and the shame Lynn's dad feels is a good indicator to how Bank's mom would feel. that whole thing was on an international scale. who knows if she's around. maybe that's why the name change.
the first time i watched Enter the Void years ago i think i remember wishing there were subs available because there were certain parts where i couldn't make out what was being said without rewinding a couple times. i have now found out that the file had subs coded the entire time and i just didn't enable them
Bad Genius - 9/10 It was a quite fun heist movie! It was really well-done most of time, but the tall "Australian" guy's acting was hilariously bad, IMO. And what the heck was that accent? They totally got me with the fake out "confession" scenes. Nice one. Bank's spiral down into greed was interesting, but I don't feel like they really managed to convey his thought process all that well. Despite some shortcomings, it was still a really fun experience and one of the most exciting movies I watched from this project so far.
The Lobster - 8/10 Now, the world of The Lobster is the kind of crack-played-straight that I really enjoy. There are systems in place and everyone is going along with this crazy concept. The story is fascinating, as well as the lengths that Joaquin Phoenix's character would go to pretend to have found his soulmate. It's a well-made movie, but the third act and how bleak everything is made me unable to enjoy it to the fullest.
---
Into the woods, but mind the past... Into the woods, but mind the future!
i've never seen the original Mary Poppins. i'm pretty sure we had it on VHS along with the other Disney stuff but i either never watched it fully or never paid attention to it on because it wasn't fully animated
i didn't know about the Anna Kendrick one but speaking of her...i wonder if we'll ever see PITCH PERFECT for here. i kind of love it but idk if i can see myself nomming or voting for it
Vote for all movies you would be interested in seeing for the next week (~April 30th, NA). Rank your choices. If you do not intend to vote for whatever reason, please reply with "No Vote" so there is as little of a waiting period as possible. Please vote by Friday, April 30th, 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST
Bye Bye Birdie (1963) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) The Muppets (2011) The Last Five Years (2014) Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
i didn't know about the Anna Kendrick one but speaking of her...i wonder if we'll ever see PITCH PERFECT for here. i kind of love it but idk if i can see myself nomming or voting for it
I actually forgot how much incest was in this. I found that I had drastically overestimated my memory regarding it actually since i forgot about such key scenes like being inside the vagina while the penis is fucking it. It's a film where Im definitely more interested in the concept than the plot/film itself. It was what drew me to it in the first place since I had a morbid fascination with imagining my death and the reactions of people when i was young. A lot of really cool MOMENTS but i really started to feel the length as it went on. I remember hoping I was going to have my mind blown before i watched it the first time but i was just left with a 'wat' feeling. I had it at a 7/10 when I first watched it but bumped it up to an 8 because I thought it was something that stayed in mind despite not exactly "enjoying" the experience. well apparently it did not really stay in my mind since i forgot most of it besides some scenes like the dicksucking and momfucking. i still feel like it's something special and a unique experience but again, not something i can say i "enjoyed" which is what my 8s are so it's back to a 7 for me.
Second time watching this one. On paper this is up my alley but it never totally works for me, I share the opinion that the second half deflates it. I admire that it makes this structural gambit of a binary narrative, and I like that it skewers both extremes of we live in a society but I felt like the second half was just the first half in reverse and it spent too much time with the loner leader character (the lady from Death Stranding! I couldn't place it the first time).
There's a lot of stylistic choices I like. The ridiculously flat line deliveries and absurd dystopian world-building serve each other well, the over-the-top strings in the score use classic horror elements for good comic punctuation. Weisz's narration is just as funny as Farrell's performance for my money, and I like the choice to have her narrate in past tense for the first half and then reveal her as the love interest in the second, and then reveal the narration itself to be what gets her character in trouble (in the form of the journal). The visuals were great too, loved all the nature shots and the slo-mo indulgence. John C. Reilly running into a branch at 1/4 speed over classical piano music is just solid slapstick. I do wish they did more with the animal transformation concept, it never really materializes past sight gags in the background and the bro-dog.
To interpret the open ending - it seems there's three options, the relationship can either be abandoned or continued through lies or self-mutilation. Obviously it's ambiguous and nothing is certain but I think there are several indications throughout the movie that Colin Farrell's character would be inclined to fake blindness at that point. His arc is fixated on the matching characteristics, right in the first scene he asks an off-screen woman (presumably his ex-wife) "does he wear glasses or contacts?". She answers glasses. He too wears glasses. It bothers him. This short exchange informs his head-space during the entire ordeal. At the hotel he sees John succeed at faking nosebleeds to get a partner, although it takes physical sacrifice. He suggests to the blonde with great hair that he could get hair transplants, showing that he's open to the idea of changing himself, even faking it. Then he tries faking heartlessness to be with short-hair lady, a test which shows the limit to his ability to make a truly difficult sacrifice. His breakdown in that scene happens in front of a mirror, which I think is a motif pointedly echoed in the final scene. The climaxes of the two halves mirror each other (even visually, the orientation is flipped). And I think this quote is important "he thought that it was more difficult to pretend that you do have feelings when you don't than to pretend you don't have feelings when you do." Insert vision for feelings - the movie shows us that Rachel Weisz is able to fool Colin Farrell for about five seconds that she isn't blind but the loner leader is able to feign death against her. It would be all to easy for him to simply fake being blind.
Maybe the mirror reminds him who's visage he really cares about...7/10 ---
I've just started watching it, but Enter The Void is a perfect example for why I want subtitles even when the movie is in English. I can't understand half of what's being said.
The copy I'm watching doesn't have subs. I've got an hour left to go but thankfully the dialogue has been much better after the first half hour, so unless it takes a turn I'm not going to bother looking for a different copy or getting softsubs for it.
right in the first scene he asks an off-screen woman (presumably his ex-wife) "does he wear glasses or contacts?". She answers glasses. He too wears glasses. It bothers him.
ooh yea. i did think a bit about everyone's 'unique' characteristics being something so commonplace like liking cookies or being short-sighted and how it's so character-defining for them that it forms the basis for entire relationships. but i guess they did address it a little that the traits being so generic means that eventually there will be cases where partners are more or less replaceable by people who also have that trait but are also "better" in other ways. like they got complacent because they had that one thing which served as their entire identity but they actually don't have a personality beyond that.
i'm also inclined to believe the 'faking' option seems most likely because of the instances we've already been shown. it's got to kill him inside though because he was so smug when revealing the ruse behind the nosebleed man. like he felt superior because his connection to his partner was 'real' but now he's in that same position.
So I'm thinking it would've been a better decision to go with the version that was about 20 minutes shorter. I'm not going to watch it to confirm but I can't help but imagine most of those missing minutes came straight out the second half of the film, which was really kind of kicking my ass.
And if I wasn't sure before, this movie has definitely confirmed the fact that flickering/flashing lights are starting to bother me a bit. There were some sections in there that I was seriously thinking of just skipping a minute or so into the film to get through.
"No says that none of the cut material is essential for the film. He describes it as "some astro-visions, an orgy scene with Linda and the Japanese girl, the scene where you see [Oscar] waking up at the morgue and he thinks he's alive but he's not, and then the camera goes down the plughole where she's tipping his ashes."
i did skip a couple seconds during the 'trip' scenes, like pressed the arrow keys a couple times. i remember watchign that the first time and thinking this is taking forever and if i was on something i'd probably like this part a lot more but damn"
The street shots of Tokyo are great (running through the pachinko arcade), as are the two leads. I wasn't completely hooked by the story but I thought it was pretty good overall, and am looking into other Sophia Coppola movies.
---
azuarc wasn't even home. he was playing Magic the Gathering at his buddy's store, which is extremely easy to verify
BIG RATING for the BIG LAUGHS that this movie brought me, wocka wocka. This is only the second Muppet thing I've ever watched (first being Christmas Carol) and I was shocked at how well the humor was hitting with me. Which frankly, is pretty much most of what I'm asking for in a light-hearted children's movie.
Also Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams was killing her role. Mary is the real hero of this film.
it's got to kill him inside though because he was so smug when revealing the ruse behind the nosebleed man. like he felt superior because his connection to his partner was 'real' but now he's in that same position.
Totally, he seems to resent the whole 'defining trait' system deep down but he still plays the game. He really takes it out on nosebleed/limp guy when he kicks his daughter in the leg and says "you should thank me, now you'll be more like your father", what a dick ---
I enjoy it when a movie takes a simple concept and goes all-out with it. Applying all the film language of a heist movie to an academic cheating scandal makes it ridiculously over-dramatic, maybe even hard to suspend disbelief at times - I think it fits how we perceive high school as teenagers more than the reality of it.
I was expecting a serious biopic but as soon as Lynn put the eraser in her shoe I knew it was gonna get wacky (which I like). A serious movie would just have her pass the eraser back when the teacher isn't looking. I like to imagine that was how their first draft went but they realized it was boring so they punched it up with an Ocean's 11-worthy shoe transfer. So yeah a lot of it doesn't make sense if you take it seriously, the piano code is silly (why not just make it A-D = pointer-pinky?) but that's part of the fun of heist movies. The way they were using the camera and music to heighten the drama felt very tongue-in-cheek too, I was reminded of Edgar Wright by some of the slo-mo/zoom/focus gags. The scene where they realize there's a second set of questions especially has a lot of fun camera stuff. Bad guys in suits showing up for a chase scene at the end was the cherry on top.
Bank's arc did work for me, he got wronked and took the academic integrity redpill. I felt like there was a reasonable buildup of jealousy/revenge/hormones going on there.
Favorite scene: Lynn's father is giving her the disappointment speech and takes off his button-up all mad like "I'll fuckin' sell the shirt off my back for this shit" and she's crying, just thought they were both really good actors in that moment. For how hammy the heist business was this movie sold the emotional parts pretty effectively. 8/10 ---