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Ramsay B.

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I watched To The Bone and it was ... okay. 

The plot, the dinamics and the pacing were all over the place and the trailer promised a much better movie than it actually was. (Most of) The actors were great though and it made me cry at one point. Not sure that's an accomplishment, almost any motion picture can make me cry. But it was an okay film to watch once. 

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Finally finished watching "War Machine" on netflix. Still find it hard to treat as a movie but that's just a psychological thing. The film is a bit of a mess as it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be - full on satire, catch-22 infuriating, documentary or war film. I think most will be disappointed at the lack of war in the film but it's interesting to see the futility of the situation and how the military knows they can't "win" and even with a plan of how to win they don't have the resources to make it happen.

Brad Pitt certainly does something different in this role but perhaps the most fascinating thing he does is that bizarre run. The most disturbing thing is that he looks a bit like Nigel Farage. Hopefully Farage doesn't do anything else to the UK that would guarantee him a biopic but if he did then Brad's the man.

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7 hours ago, red snow said:

Finally finished watching "War Machine" on netflix. Still find it hard to treat as a movie but that's just a psychological thing. The film is a bit of a mess as it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be - full on satire, catch-22 infuriating, documentary or war film. I think most will be disappointed at the lack of war in the film but it's interesting to see the futility of the situation and how the military knows they can't "win" and even with a plan of how to win they don't have the resources to make it happen.

Brad Pitt certainly does something different in this role but perhaps the most fascinating thing he does is that bizarre run. The most disturbing thing is that he looks a bit like Nigel Farage. Hopefully Farage doesn't do anything else to the UK that would guarantee him a biopic but if he did then Brad's the man.

Spot on analysis there in bold. I agree Pitt did a decent performance. Do you know the reporter who wrote the book this is based on died in a car "accident" at the age of 33? Conspiracy theorists think it was the general's retaliation for getting him essentially fired after the RS article was published. Google it. There is some interesting evidence out there to support the assassination theory.

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3 hours ago, PetyrPunkinhead said:

Spot on analysis there in bold. I agree Pitt did a decent performance. Do you know the reporter who wrote the book this is based on died in a car "accident" at the age of 33? Conspiracy theorists think it was the general's retaliation for getting him essentially fired after the RS article was published. Google it. There is some interesting evidence out there to support the assassination theory.

That's quite interesting. If it was true then it would make the film seem more like positive PR as while the general in the film was depicted as odd and misguided it seemed his intentions were in the right place. The film made it like some of his team were pretty scary.

I'll have to look up the theory. It sounds like a very different kind of film could be made based around the reporter.

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This is hilarious -- and Varys -- yes, the real Varys da Spider shows up too -- "Leslie Jones's Game of Thrones" --

http://www.vulture.com/2017/08/watch-leslie-jones-and-seth-meyers-watch-game-of-thrones.html

Dudes and Dudessas -- this is really great!  Nobody has more fun watching the G-O-T than me, says Ms Jones, and she is right.

 

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22 minutes ago, Ramsay B. said:

For anybody watching Snowfall is it good? I saw it only had a 59% rating on RT.

Also, has anyone ever read the story that The Prestige was based on?

I'm watching Snowfall. Enjoying it. It's fairly typical John Singleton, with a character or two resembling others from his previous films, but the story arcs are interesting enough. I wouldn't rate it more than good. I had high expectations before the season began, but those have been tempered and now I'm just enjoying it for what it is. It's summer, so I have more than enough room for it in my viewing schedule, with this and GOT the only currently airing shows I watch.

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31 minutes ago, Ramsay B. said:

Also, has anyone ever read the story that The Prestige was based on?

The Prestige is generally my answer to questions where the movie was better than the book. I didn't find the book very memorable. I actively recommend watching the movie first so the book won't spoil the reveals.

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just watched "swiss army man" what a surreal and different film. It's hard to categorise but in a good way. Parts are funny while some parts are incredibly sad. The leads were great and I admire Radcliffe for using his fame and fortune as Harry Potter as an opportunity to take on roles that are different and not guaranteed successes. I haven't seen Paul Dano in as many things, although it turns out he's a bit of a chameleon as I didn't remember he had quite big roles in "Prisoners" and "12 years a slave"

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Does anybody else was Wrecked on TNT?  It's a perfect summer comedy.  This season's been great.

 

4 hours ago, Ramsay B. said:

For anybody watching Snowfall is it good? I saw it only had a 59% rating on RT.

Also, has anyone ever read the story that The Prestige was based on?

I'm having a rough time with Snowfall.  The first episode was good, but I don't like or care about what happens to a single character on the show.  Just a whole bunch of awful people.  It's really depressing to watch, and every week I lag behind on it.  I've yet to watch the past two episodes.  Very disappointed by it, but maybe that's my fault for having my expectations so high.

 

4 hours ago, WarGalley said:

The Prestige is generally my answer to questions where the movie was better than the book. I didn't find the book very memorable. I actively recommend watching the movie first so the book won't spoil the reveals.

I really loved the book, and the ending was much more horrifying than the movie's.  The movie is probably my favorite from that decade though, so I guess I probably rate it higher than the book too. 

 

2 hours ago, red snow said:

just watched "swiss army man" what a surreal and different film. It's hard to categorise but in a good way. Parts are funny while some parts are incredibly sad. The leads were great and I admire Radcliffe for using his fame and fortune as Harry Potter as an opportunity to take on roles that are different and not guaranteed successes. I haven't seen Paul Dano in as many things, although it turns out he's a bit of a chameleon as I didn't remember he had quite big roles in "Prisoners" and "12 years a slave"

Dano has been great in pretty much everything I've seen him in (other than Cowboys and Aliens and Looper where he plays the same basic character).  Definitely an underrated actor in my opinion - the stuff I've seen him in that he's had a significant role: War and PeaceLove & MercyRuby Sparks, Being Flynn.

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21 hours ago, red snow said:

That's quite interesting. If it was true then it would make the film seem more like positive PR as while the general in the film was depicted as odd and misguided it seemed his intentions were in the right place. The film made it like some of his team were pretty scary.

I'll have to look up the theory. It sounds like a very different kind of film could be made based around the reporter.

Exactly, I think they humanized Pitt's character more to make him misguided rather than dangerously egotistical. I think the awkward scenes in the film with his wife were meant to show how this is a guy who literally can only function properly as a military strategist/leader yet they never actually show him succeeding in any of that stuff--it's just told to us via voice over int he beginning. Thus breaking one of the golden rules of good cinema in "show don't tell." I feel like I could've better spent my time watching a 45 min. documentary on the history of the ineffectiveness of counterinsurgency. Or just this clip:

5 hours ago, red snow said:

just watched "swiss army man" what a surreal and different film. It's hard to categorise but in a good way. Parts are funny while some parts are incredibly sad. The leads were great and I admire Radcliffe for using his fame and fortune as Harry Potter as an opportunity to take on roles that are different and not guaranteed successes. I haven't seen Paul Dano in as many things, although it turns out he's a bit of a chameleon as I didn't remember he had quite big roles in "Prisoners" and "12 years a slave"

Yeah, Dano is a bit of an indie go-to guy for a while now. My favorite thing he's done though is his performance as Eli in There Will Be Blood.

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3 hours ago, PetyrPunkinhead said:

Exactly, I think they humanized Pitt's character more to make him misguided rather than dangerously egotistical. I think the awkward scenes in the film with his wife were meant to show how this is a guy who literally can only function properly as a military strategist/leader yet they never actually show him succeeding in any of that stuff--it's just told to us via voice over int he beginning. Thus breaking one of the golden rules of good cinema in "show don't tell." I feel like I could've better spent my time watching a 45 min. documentary on the history of the ineffectiveness of counterinsurgency. Or just this clip:

Yeah, Dano is a bit of an indie go-to guy for a while now. My favorite thing he's done though is his performance as Eli in There Will Be Blood.

I really need tp track down there will be blood. One of those films that escaped me at the time and never seems to be on tv.

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12 hours ago, Astromech said:

I'm watching Snowfall. Enjoying it. It's fairly typical John Singleton, with a character or two resembling others from his previous films, but the story arcs are interesting enough. I wouldn't rate it more than good. I had high expectations before the season began, but those have been tempered and now I'm just enjoying it for what it is. It's summer, so I have more than enough room for it in my viewing schedule, with this and GOT the only currently airing shows I watch.

I planned on watching it when it premiered, and before seeing critics thoughts, but forgot about it. I knew if I saw lukewarm reviews then I probably wouldn't even bother (kinda hate that I'm like that but it is what it is). I will definitely like it more now that my expectations are lowered though.

7 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

I really loved the book, and the ending was much more horrifying than the movie's.  The movie is probably my favorite from that decade though, so I guess I probably rate it higher than the book too. 

This much more horrifying ending has me intrigued. 

Also agree about Dano. You know an actor is great when he can stand out in a film with Daniel Day-Lewis.

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2 hours ago, red snow said:

I really need tp track down there will be blood. One of those films that escaped me at the time and never seems to be on tv.

:o You need to get on that for sure. It's one of the films that puts 2007 over the top for best year of cinema for me. At least in recent history. 

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1 hour ago, Nictarion said:

:o You need to get on that for sure. It's one of the films that puts 2007 over the top for best year of cinema for me. At least in recent history. 

Discovered it's on Amazon prime. I shall be fixing this blatant gap in my movie knowledge.  I blame my flatmate pointing out Daniel Day Lewis was impersonating Tony the Tiger putting me off at the time.

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5 hours ago, Ramsay B. said:

I planned on watching it when it premiered, and before seeing critics thoughts, but forgot about it. I knew if I saw lukewarm reviews then I probably wouldn't even bother (kinda hate that I'm like that but it is what it is). I will definitely like it more now that my expectations are lowered though.

 

It may work best as a binge if you can since the pacing and build up has been on the slower side.

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On 8/10/2017 at 0:23 AM, PetyrPunkinhead said:

Spot on analysis there in bold. I agree Pitt did a decent performance. Do you know the reporter who wrote the book this is based on died in a car "accident" at the age of 33? Conspiracy theorists think it was the general's retaliation for getting him essentially fired after the RS article was published. Google it. There is some interesting evidence out there to support the assassination theory.

I really liked this film.  Pitt was excellent.  It was also so depressing revisiting the idiocies of the time in which we literally sent trillions of dollars flying off in the wind to nowhere particularly in the Middle East because this country is just too stupid to play there.

 

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Caught a double feature tonight of Dark Tower  & Valerian. I have to say, given the horrible reviews for these two films, I was pleasantly surprised by both. Dark Tower: I've never read the Stephen King books, but I have friends that have, so I went in knowing some basics about it. It felt like they were trying to cram in a lot into a 90min film. I remember Ron Howard was trying to get this thing going as a TV series that intersected with films a while back, and I can't help but fell if Howard and his production company would've just developed this as a 10 episode series with this same cast it would've been gold. But as a 90min film it's barely even bronze.

Valerian was a big surprise given the absolute ass reaming it's been getting on this board. I really enjoyed the rhythm of the film, and as I expected, it looked fucking fantastic in 3D. Granted, the dialogue was pretty terrible, the characters were cookie cutter (still scratching my head why Besson cast Dane DeHaan), and the plot was meh. However, Cara Delevigne was pretty damn charming as Laureline. And watching her and DeHaan take turns getting into and out of various intergalactic jams was entertaining. Oh, and Rihanna gives maybe the best dance routine in cinema history. Fuck you, Fosse!

On 8/11/2017 at 3:37 AM, red snow said:

I really need tp track down there will be blood. One of those films that escaped me at the time and never seems to be on tv.

What the what!?!? Go watch There Will Be Blood now. Like, this second now. Go!

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Finally got around to watching the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.  Liked it a lot.  It wasn't quite as good as the first one, and some of the comedy felt a bit more forced, but all in all it was a fun, enjoyable film.  I love that films like this can actually be made and find an audience these days, because it's basically just nerd nonsense masked with humor.  I can't imagine this movie (or the original, obviously) being made ten years ago.  

Batista continues to fucking kill it as an actor, by the way.  Dude just steals scene after scene.

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