Watch, Watched, Watching: Midsommar Night Blues

[Zorral]

I hate going to movies with other people.  If I hate it and they like it, walking out is rude.  If they hate it and I like it, they feel resentful.  There may be an exception once in a while, but they are few and far between.  I do very much enjoy discussing something we've all watched, but not necessarily together.

 

Also, there are very few movies per se I have any interest in, nor can I stand most of the audience in a theater auditorium these days, talking, chewing, texting -- and then the little kids who shouldn't be at these movies anyway!  Television is more what interests me.

Streaming has been my good friend.

[Jace, Extat]

48 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I can’t recall if I’ve asked this before, but what are your guys opinion on going to the movies alone? I’ve never done it before, but I really want to see Midsommar and none of my friends want to or already have.  

It feels fucking weird, but once the movie starts who gives a fuck, y'know? I got really comfortable with it when I lived in a shitbox in Texas with no A/C.

[Zorral]

Hot, Hot, Hot -- Sick, Sick, Sick.  Time for the annual summer re-watch of Seven-Year Itch.  Thank goodness for streaming.

P.S. Further thoughts on doing things alone:  Though I prefer to go to restaurants with friends, I also really enjoy going by myself.  I prefer going to museum and art galleries alone, and parks.  I like traveling solo too, though if one has the right companion that's the best, of course.

IOW, I'm not 100% anti-social.  

[BigFatCoward]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

I can’t recall if I’ve asked this before, but what are your guys opinion on going to the movies alone? I’ve never done it before, but I really want to see Midsommar and none of my friends want to or already have.  

90% of my cinema trips are alone. It's much better. You get all the popcorn for one thing. 

[Heartofice]

If you go at the right time of day it's just a bunch of people in a room who all went to the cinema alone. Nobody cares.

 

[GallowKnight]

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

I can’t recall if I’ve asked this before, but what are your guys opinion on going to the movies alone? I’ve never done it before, but I really want to see Midsommar and none of my friends want to or already have.  

I don't think I've gone to the cinema with someone since like, 2013 or something. Hell, when I watched Blade Runner 2049 I was the only one in the cinema.

[Veltigar]

Decided to go for some lighter and watched Captain Marvel. Pleasantly surprised by this I must say, I'm usually not all that enthusiastic about the MCU. Most of the films are fine, but nothing more. This one has a bit of a spark, although I cannot really put my finger on it. Perhaps it was the inclusion of Jude Law, whom I have always liked and have loved ever since The Young Pope.

Strangely enough, his character is also a major part in my biggest gripe with the movie though. I really liked it, but I think it could have been great if they had used his character better:

Spoiler

When the reveal came that it was his blood that was donated to Captain Marvel, I was expecting them to do more with it. The faux-empowerment moment of not-playing-by-your-rules-anymore when Larson blasted him was okay, but I feel that it would have been better if they had hinted at something more romantic. If I had written the script, I would have played more into the jilted-lover vibe you get from the character, ending it with the 'You know I'm proud of you moment' and then him just submitting to her power. I think it would have been less standard dastardly and it would have driven the empowerment moment they were so clearly angling for home. 

EDIT: I feel like giving Black Panther a chance now that this one turned out okay. 

[polishgenius]

31 minutes ago, Veltigar said:

EDIT: I feel like giving Black Panther a chance now that this one turned out okay. 

 
Man, Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok are both >> Captain Marvel.

I liked Shazam more than Captain Marvel tbh which would be irrelevant except for the name fight and coming out at the same time so I was inevitabely comparing them. I'm surprised you did think it had more spark than the average Marvel though, since I thought it was a pretty heavy step back towards phase 1 after th two I've mentioned, which is by no means bad but we've moved on, and with a heavy dollop of terrible action direction too.




Anyway, I watched Sweet Country, an Aussie Western directed by Warwick Thornton, today. Good movie, if you like the quiet slow-burner tension builders.  

[Jace, Extat]

Just now, polishgenius said:

 
Man, Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok are both >> Captain Marvel.

I liked Shazam more than Captain Marvel tbh which would be irrelevant except for the name fight and coming out at the same time so I was inevitabely comparing them. I'm surprised you did think it had more spark than the average Marvel though, since I thought it was a pretty heavy step back towards phase 1 after th two I've mentioned, which is by no means bad but we've moved on, and with a heavy dollop of terrible action direction too.




Anyway, I watched Sweet Country, an Aussie Western directed by Warwick Thornton, today. Good movie, if you like the quiet slow-burner tension builders.  

I was confounded by how anyone could think Captain Marvel had a 'spark' myself. When No Doubt started playing I felt so patronized at that I actually got the urge to leave the theater. That movie was a perfectly mediocre slog that sold itself as empowering to women.

Wonder Woman was infinitely superior, and I thought the 3rd act of that movie was basically incoherent.

[Raja]

45 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

 
Man, Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok are both >> Captain Marvel.

Ye. I adore Black Panther, and not just because of the gorgeously curated soundtrack by Kendrick & Ludwig Goransson. I'm not a huge super hero guy, but Black Panther & Into the spiderverse have both shown how good superhero movies can be. 

So Aziz Ansari's comedy special is out on netflix - I really don't know if I want to give it a go after all the sexual assault allegation that came out about him - but apparently that's what the special is about? Still uncertain if I wanna watch this. I've never been *too* into his comedy specials - but I might give this a try.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I'm kind of surprised it's so one sided. To be clear, I don't mind actually going alone, I just want someone to talk to afterwards to get their thoughts. Took a few film classes in HS and college so I like discussing some of the technical stuff, as well as the overall movie itself.

1 hour ago, GallowKnight said:

I don't think I've gone to the cinema with someone since like, 2013 or something. Hell, when I watched Blade Runner 2049 I was the only one in the cinema.

Twice in my life have I been "alone" in a theater (obviously with who I went with). The first time was with a close friend. The movie was Strange Wilderness, and after about 15 minutes when realized nobody else was coming, we sparked it up . The second time was with my college sweetheart. I have no idea what movie was, because we spent the whole time fooling around. Still not the strangest place I've had sex though. That would have to be a church. This Jew has befouled you heathen Christians! 

[KingintheNorth4]

I just got back from watching Crawl with some family members. It was a fun and suspenseful creature feature.

[polishgenius]

9 hours ago, Raja said:

I'm not a huge super hero guy, but Black Panther & Into the spiderverse have both shown how good superhero movies can be.  

Into the Spider-Verse is so good. Top 3 superhero film for me (along with Incredibles and Kick-Ass).

[Jace, Extat]

2 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

Into the Spider-Verse is so good. Top 3 superhero film for me (along with Incredibles and Kick-Ass).

Kick-Ass is wildly underrated.

Goddamn, but I thought Matthew Vaughn was gonna be the next big thing. I still mourn that Star Wars went to J.J. though.

[polishgenius]

3 minutes ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

but I thought Matthew Vaughn was gonna be the next big thing.

Me too, but I think he's still got it in him. Just patiently waiting for him to get over his Kingsman obssession (and hell, the first one was awesome).

I adore Kick-Ass. Has the one problematic plot strand that people understandably hate but as an exercise in action/comedy filmmaking it's almost flawless.

[Raja]

28 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

Into the Spider-Verse is so good. Top 3 superhero film for me (along with Incredibles and Kick-Ass).

Yeah - Kick Ass is great! That came out at a time before I had super hero fatigue, so to speak. I still haven't seen Kick Ass 2, though I heard it isn't great. 

I feel you re: Kingsman, I enjoyed the first one but man, I could barely make it through the second one. He's been attached to so many things that haven't seen the light of day, which is a pity.

As an aside, that's why I'm so excited about HBO's Watchmen. I feel like that's a team & a cast that could make a *really* good super hero tv show. I know Marvel is good, but those movies seldom do anything for me ( Civil war is a lot of fun though)

[polishgenius]

58 minutes ago, Raja said:

 

As an aside, that's why I'm so excited about HBO's Watchmen. I feel like that's a team & a cast that could make a *really* good super hero tv show. I know Marvel is good, but those movies seldom do anything for me ( Civil war is a lot of fun though) 

Watchmen looks good though I still haven't seen Leftovers and am still cynical about Lindeloff, I'll definitely give it a try though. The Boys too, a lot less serious and more puerile but it's showrun by Erik Kripke who did a magnificent job elevating the first five seasons of Supernatural over what they could have been, so I'm interested in that.


Have you seen Logan? Unquestionably the best Marvel-based movie for me, though obs not in the Marvel-verse.

[Ramsay B.]

16 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

I can’t recall if I’ve asked this before, but what are your guys opinion on going to the movies alone? I’ve never done it before, but I really want to see Midsommar and none of my friends want to or already have.  

As a 3rd shifter I do it often. Going around 2pm on a Wednesday or Thursday and I have the place to myself sometimes. 

[Jace, Extat]

38 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

Watchmen looks good though I still haven't seen Leftovers and am still cynical about Lindeloff, I'll definitely give it a try though.

Lindeloff is a fucking con artist. Anyone who watches something with his name on it is being had.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, polishgenius said:

Watchmen looks good though I still haven't seen Leftovers and am still cynical about Lindeloff, I'll definitely give it a try though.

You should! The Leftovers is the best TV out there in a very long time. It might even be my favourite show to date. I don't know how much, if any, you've seen, but it's certainly something you should seek out, especially as it's only 3 seasons.

That's why I'm excited about Watchmen - Lost & Lindeloff has its critics, but I feel like giving us a show like The Leftovers has more than made up for his missteps during Lost & that awful star trek movie.

Edit - Yeah, I've seen Logan. Really enjoyed that, I've always had a soft spot for those original X men movies, and Logan felt like a nice conclusion to them ( Though I wish we hadn't seen a wolverine v wolverine fight, I was kinda hoping they wouldn't go that way)