Cinema and Movie Thread: flickering images

[Amentep]

Kevin is it. Not sure if any wrestlers of the time will get cameos, given that I think they're stressing the biographical tragedies.

[Lexx]

So I just watched that Flash movie. First things first, it's absolutely amazing... how bad the cgi is. Some of the scenes are so rough, it looks like a video game from the time where we still had pre-rendered cutscenes. Especially batman right in the beginning is so terrible, it's almost as if Ben Affleck wasn't even there and they just slapped his face onto some 3d model.

That said, I did not fall asleep while watching the movie, which means it isn't the worst super hero movie out there. In comparison, with Wonder Women 1 and 2 I fell asleep quickly and only woke up in like the last 15 or 20 minutes.

Anyways, I lol'd because

 

they added a scene with Nicolas Cage superman fighting a giant spider.

Oh, I forgot something... can we stop with those multiverse storylines? They are annoyingly boring and just feel lazy. I get it, you want to make money with fan-service and trying to slap as many of your franchises into the same movie as possible, but it's just so ugh...

Edited October 12, 2023 by Lexx

[Amentep]

I think Marvel's multiverse is going to keep coming on strong (it kind of has to with Kang as the villain, and alternate timelines setting up multiverses).  DCU once the Gunn era starts hasn't given much multiverse crossover noise (they plan to keep The Batman and Joker series as their own thing, I believe branding them Elseworlds like in the comics to indicate they're not in the same universe as the Gunn stuff).

[Bartimaeus]

British film Peeping Tom (1960).

I watched this on a total whim while knowing virtually nothing about it going in, as I'd only taken a quick look at the poster, and to be honest, it's not a particularly remarkable one. So all I expected was a very tame 'thriller' that'd be able to put my insomniac brain to sleep, and for the first ten minutes, that's more or less what I thought I was getting.

It was not what I got. Great film that accomplished the exact opposite of what I wanted it to, but I can't really complain about that. It's kind of wild that this came out the same year as Hitchcock's Psycho, though it was across the pond in a film industry that was in a bit of a different place compared to Hollywood.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[Amentep]

Peeping Tom is a good movie. Been a couple of years since I last saw it though.

[Bartimaeus]

The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979).

Got fifteen minutes into it and was like "man, this German film sure is...German", and then turned it off. I'm sure it's O.K., but...nah, wasn't feeling it. So instead of a German film, why not go Austrian?

Ich Seh, Ich Seh AKA Goodnight Mommy (2014).

It starts off as a very obvious "our parent is an imposter!" kind of psychological horror film, but it's really just a cover for being a different and only mildly less obvious kind of psychological horror film. I think I liked it a little more than Martyrs, which I feel is a rather similar kind of film, if stylistically quite different.

Don't know a lick of German, but @majestic, does the tagline on the poster say "The Shining for a New Generation"? Bit of a sham of a tagline if so - you'd have to be utterly daft to compare them in any way.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[Gfted1]

Speaking of Germans, Dear Child. Meh it was alright but subtitles are so distracting to me. The German actor verbalizes "hmmm" then you see "hmmm" translated below.

[majestic]

14 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Don't know a lick of German, but @majestic, does the tagline on the poster say "The Shining for a New Generation"? Bit of a sham of a tagline if so - you'd have to be utterly daft to compare them in any way.

The tagline reads The Shining of a New Generation. The comparison made in this way is meant to imply a work of equal significance or craftsmanship within a simlar genre or setting. Whoever wrote that seems to have been impressed enough with the film to assume it will reach a similar significance. That does seem to be exaggerated, although I must admit to not having seen the film (yet). Presumably it comes from a review or critique, but I cannot seem to find it. Googling the phrase just turns up links to the DVD version (the BR version has a different tagline).

If you want to further explore films, Veronika Franz and Ulrich Seidl have collaborated before, but - and that is a major caveat - many of Ulrich Seidls films are highly disturbing at the best of times. They sometimes include unsimulated intercourse and scenes of violence. Hundstage ("Dog Days") is a good example. If you ever want to watch a film that finally convinces you that humanity has no right to exist on this beautiful planet, then go right ahead. The film follows a couple of people living on the outskirts of a large city, going about their daily lives.

Spoiler

Particularily one of the storylines in the film where a string of car keyings leads a security consultant/private investigator to falsely blame a mentally challenged woman in order to conjure up a perpetrator when he is unable to find the real culprit. Naive and unaware of what he intends to do, she follows him to a secluded space where the a group of angry neighbors take their revenge on her for slights never committed, ranging from simple beatings to rape.

The rest of the film is about abusive and violent boyfriends and husbands, broken homes, fighting between neighbors and an old geezer who makes his cleaning lady strip for him - and then there's the final scene of the film, where one of the abusive boyfriends is forced to sing the Austrian national anthem at gunpoint while having a lit candle stuck up his butt, as punishment for being, well, an abusive asshat, which just leads to the woman forgiving him for his transgressions, much to the dismay of the avenging guardian (who is just a new drinking buddy of the abusive boyfriend).

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by majestic

[Bartimaeus]

They Live (1988).

I talked myself into watching this again, because I thought I must've missed something the first time when I watched it years ago. My experience now is my experience from back then: I am bewildered. From the very beginning, it's...pointedly serious, awkward, slow, and ham-fisted. There's this constant gratuitous lingering in how shots are filmed, and there's so much camera A to camera B back to camera A, repeat, repeat, repeat until what the film is trying to tell you (and it's not exactly subtle!) has been bashed into your skull. It's as if someone without even a shred of subtlety or respect for their audience directed it...or maybe the director just had a sense of humor that is completely alien to me. I want to like this, because it's John Carpenter and the premise is fun and I even like what the film is trying to say (especially in the context of when this was made, the end of the Reagan era), but...I just do not get it.

I can see why people mostly seem to remember the silly pro wrestling fight. That got a snort of derision out of me. Does have a fun score, though.

2 hours ago, majestic said:

If you want to further explore films, Veronika Franz and Ulrich Seidl have collaborated before, but - and that is a major caveat - many of Ulrich Seidls films are highly disturbing at the best of times. They sometimes include unsimulated intercourse and scenes of violence. Hundstage ("Dog Days") is a good example. If you ever want to watch a film that finally convinces you that humanity has no right to exist on this beautiful planet, then go right ahead. The film follows a couple of people living on the outskirts of a large city, going about their daily lives.

No, I don't think I will: I was barely "fine" with this one as it is. Fairly certain I would like any even passingly similar entries by the same filmmakers significantly less.

3 hours ago, majestic said:

The tagline reads The Shining of a New Generation. The comparison made in this way is meant to imply a work of equal significance or craftsmanship within a simlar genre or setting. Whoever wrote that seems to have been impressed enough with the film to assume it will reach a similar significance. That does seem to be exaggerated, although I must admit to not having seen the film (yet). Presumably it comes from a review or critique, but I cannot seem to find it. Googling the phrase just turns up links to the DVD version (the BR version has a different tagline).

Oh, it would be even funnier if the tagline was something they themselves made up for the cover. I honestly should've heavily questioned the film right then and there just for including that.

8 hours ago, Gfted1 said:

Speaking of Germans, Dear Child. Meh it was alright but subtitles are so distracting to me. The German actor verbalizes "hmmm" then you see "hmmm" translated below.

Useless subtitles is a real pet peeve of mine as well. Why would you want to distract me from what's going on when it doesn't even aid my understanding of what's being said?

[Bartimaeus]

Alone in the Wilderness (2004). I saw this rank in the top 15 of a consensus-derived list of the greatest films of all time and decided to watch it.

It's a 57 minute video shot on hand-cranked film of a guy making a cabin and then living in said cabin. It's basically a Bob Ross painting video, but about a cabin and surviving in the wilderness.

There's apparently a sequel that is also somehow exactly 57 minutes.

[uuuhhii]

ballerina

like the atmosphere of city

the whole movie turn far more absurd in later half

not entirely bad

[Sarex]

 

[Bartimaeus]

I, Tonya (2017).

Well, whoops. I did not realize this was supposed to be an unreliable narrator comedy-ish mockumentary thing going in. I get that the film is more about the infamous Nancy Kerrigan knee-breaking hitman incident rather than the woman herself, but...I don't know, I think that approach kinda left me a bit cold, felt like the film was constantly undercutting itself as well as Tonya, which I really think is a shame when you have this great woman in her messed-up, tragic story. Her entire life seemed to be an endless series of failures and humiliations while almost everyone around her let her down and abused her at every turn, but the film kind of treats her like she's the butt of the joke until right at the end, where the film suddenly wants you to treat her and what she went through seriously. Didn't quite gel for me.

Edited October 20, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[Gromnir]

killers of the flower moon is released on the 20th.

our understanding is that scorsese original had a faithful adaption o' the book for his script but then he met with osage tribe representatives and afterwards made considerable changes. is that good or bad? dunno.  

recent deceased robbie robertson wrote the music for the film.

HA! Good Fun!

[Gorth]

50 minutes ago, Gromnir said:

killers of the flower moon is released on the 20th.

our understanding is that scorsese original had a faithful adaption o' the book for his script but then he met with osage tribe representatives and afterwards made considerable changes. is that good or bad? dunno.  

recent deceased robbie robertson wrote the music for the film.

HA! Good Fun!

I would be surprised if this isn't going to be "the movie to beat" at various award events

[Bartimaeus]

Sweetie (1989).

If all I knew of Australia was this film, I would have to think that they're all deeply disturbed and neurotic. But the truth is that I know they're all deeply disturbed and neurotic independent of watching this film, so watching it was completely unnecessary, albeit very amusing.

[InsaneCommander]

 

[Bartimaeus]

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985). I sometimes forget how good Tim Burton and the creative talents around and collaborating with him used to be. It's such a weird contrast to most everything he's made in the last 20 years being these corpulent nightmares. Maybe I'll try Batman next.

[Amentep]

 

Warning, this one is a bit sweary:

 

[Keyrock]

On 10/25/2023 at 6:54 AM, Bartimaeus said:

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985). I sometimes forget how good Tim Burton and the creative talents around and collaborating with him used to be. It's such a weird contrast to most everything he's made in the last 20 years being these corpulent nightmares. Maybe I'll try Batman next.

Apropos Batman (1989), I legitimately like it better than The Dark Knight. It's a fantastic movie. Highly recommended.

[Sarex]

14 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

Apropos Batman (1989), I legitimately like it better than The Dark Knight. It's a fantastic movie. Highly recommended.

It's the more important movie of the two, that is for sure. Saying that I prefer Nolan's rendition.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Sarex

[Gromnir]

On 10/25/2023 at 3:54 AM, Bartimaeus said:

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985). I sometimes forget how good Tim Burton and the creative talents around and collaborating with him used to be. It's such a weird contrast to most everything he's made in the last 20 years being these corpulent nightmares. Maybe I'll try Batman next.

sleepy hollow is a smidge over twenty years, but am mentioning 'cause it is an underrated burton film which few mention when discussing the burton catalog. were one o' the most gorgeous films o' o' late 90s and early aughts.

am gonna single out frankenweenie (2012) as a film in the twenty year range we would suggest is excellent. 

sweeny todd and corpse bride were also worth watching although we got also have noteworthy criticisms o' those flicks.

regardless, while burton's second frankenweenie may be bit schmaltzy, we do not hesitate to recommend it.

HA! Good Fun!

[Amentep]

I rewatched Sleepy Hollow a few weeks ago.  Lots of fun.

[Keyrock]

21 hours ago, Sarex said:

It's the more important movie of the two, that is for sure. Saying that I prefer Nolan's rendition.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Dark Knight, I just like the Tim Burton Batman that much; probably because it more closely aligns, tone wise, to the comics I read as a kid. The Batman character has been around for close to a century and the comic books have gone through numerous writers, phases, and shifts in tone over the decades, so the Nolan Batman films are every bit as faithful to the comics as the Burton ones.

Regardless of what we think of Tim Burton's more recent output, the man had one hell of a run in the 80s and early to mid 90s.

[Bartimaeus]

House (1977).

Look at that poster, that is what I call a masterpiece poster. Anyways, you're probably wondering what this film is about, and the answer to that is very interesting.

@Gromnir Yeah, I remember you recommending Frankenweenie. I've turned it on at least a couple of times and always go "maybe some other time" a few minutes in. Yes, I am perfectly aware that I am a total bastard.

23 hours ago, Amentep said:

I rewatched Sleepy Hollow a few weeks ago.  Lots of fun.

My sister adored Sleepy Hollow as we were growing up, but Johnny Depp has always irrationally annoyed me so I could never really engage with it, which...definitely does not help Tim Burton and how I feel about him, seeing as Tim Burton is very obviously madly in love with that man. Probably a lost cause, that one.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Bartimaeus