Watch Watched Watching: Danny Ocean's Star Wars with Groundhog Zombies and Aliens at the Edge of 28 Days later than Tomorrow

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Watched Primal Fear last night. What an excellent movie. The acting was all around superb and I totally bought the story. Highly recommend this courtroom drama if you haven't seen it before.

[Veltigar]

I got caught up on Loki yesterday. Always loved the actor (second best Marvel villain after Killmonger) and the style of this series is really great. It's a tad predictable so far, but I'm really enjoying this and I'm wondering how Marvel is going to turn this breath of fresh air into the same stale product they usually put out. The only thing I really didn't like was 

Spoiler

The Tesseract and Infinity Stones being turned into worthless marbles. if that turns out to be true, it just shits all over the previous films and makes them retroactively matter less (or as I like to call it, they Rise of Skywalker'ed their own franchise)

Also rewatched 28 Days Later for the first time in a few years. This used to be one of my favorite films back in the day and it has held up extremely well story wise (pretty prescient taking inspiration from Ebola in hindsight). Unfortunately the film looks like shit though. I appreciate the pioneer mindset of shooting digitally, but that makes the film look extremely harsh and dated.

Also watched Bill & Ted: A Bogus Journey which is a pretty good follow up to the original. It lacks some of the flair, but I get why these two films became so beloved and inspired a sequel so many years after the first one was released. I'll probably watch the third one eventually.

23 hours ago, RhaenysBee said:

I also watched Pride and Prejudice and I finally understand the hype. 

 I love that film  

[A True Kaniggit]

On 6/26/2021 at 12:59 PM, RhaenysBee said:

I also watched Pride and Prejudice and I finally understand the hype. 

Ha. Oddly enough I just reread it for the first time since high school a couple months ago.

I think I need to watch it again sometime in the next few days. 

[RhaenysBee]

25 minutes ago, A True Kaniggit said:

Ha. Oddly enough I just reread it for the first time since high school a couple months ago.

I think I need to watch it again sometime in the next few days. 

I really want to read it after the film as well! 

[Veltigar]

Needed something mindless and fun so I decided to check out the Rundown. I vaguely remember having seen it, but I forgot how good it is. Of all the films set in the jungle that star The Rock, it is by far his best. Great action, nice performances, good humor and an okay story line. I wish The Rock's overall filmography was closer to this film's level. 

[Ran]

Watched, for the first time, Come and See (Иди и смотри in Russian, Ідзі і глядзі in Belarussian), a Soviet film made in 1985 by Elem Klimov (after this, he would never direct another film, explaining that he felt he had done all he had wanted to do). Most of the dialog is in Belarussian, with some Russian and German. The script was co-written by Ales Adamovich, who had fought with the partisans when he was a teenager.

It is one of the most brutal anti-war films I've ever seen. It takes place in 1943 in the Soviet republic of Byelorussia (today's Belarus) and follows a young teen named Flyora who goes off to join the partisans fighting against the Nazis. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong. Horrors upon horrors are witnessed by this young boy, who ages years in the course of what's probably a few days. A particularly dark segment is towards the end, when Flyora finds himself in the hands of an SS unit loosely based on the criminal Dirlewanger Brigade which commited countless atrocities on the Eastern Front. The film also ends (well, nearly ends, it's the penultimate scene) with a pretty remarkable montage of old press and propaganda footage, but all played backwards, starting in the present and going back and back and back until the infancy of one of the central antagonists of the war.

The film shifts seamlessly from realism to surrealism and back, making the whole experience seem like a waking nightmare. Which is entirely appropriate. I'd say it has some real affinity with Apocalypse Now, although this film is much darker (yes, really). 

It is not a film for the faint of heart, but it will stick with you.

(I would be remiss if I didn't note that this is also not a film that can say no animals were harmed in the making of the picture. I find that aspect of the film very troubling, but at the same time the film has undeniable power and that the death was used in a way that contributed to that.)

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

@Ranivaka,

The film with English subtitles is on YouTube. I may give it a go later today or tomorrow.

[Veltigar]

49 minutes ago, Ranivaka said:

Watched, for the first time, Come and See (Иди и смотри in Russian, Ідзі і глядзі in Belarussian), a Soviet film made in 1985 by Elem Klimov (after this, he would never direct another film, explaining that he felt he had done all he had wanted to do). Most of the dialog is in Belarussian, with some Russian and German. The script was co-written by Ales Adamovich, who had fought with the partisans when he was a teenager.

It is one of the most brutal anti-war films I've ever seen. It takes place in 1943 in the Soviet republic of Byelorussia (today's Belarus) and follows a young teen named Flyora who goes off to join the partisans fighting against the Nazis. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong. Horrors upon horrors are witnessed by this young boy, who ages years in the course of what's probably a few days. A particularly dark segment is towards the end, when Flyora finds himself in the hands of an SS unit loosely based on the criminal Dirlewanger Brigade which commited countless atrocities on the Eastern Front. The film also ends (well, nearly ends, it's the penultimate scene) with a pretty remarkable montage of old press and propaganda footage, but all played backwards, starting in the present and going back and back and back until the infancy of one of the central antagonists of the war.

The film shifts seamlessly from realism to surrealism and back, making the whole experience seem like a waking nightmare. Which is entirely appropriate. I'd say it has some real affinity with Apocalypse Now, although this film is much darker (yes, really). 

It is not a film for the faint of heart, but it will stick with you.

(I would be remiss if I didn't note that this is also not a film that can say no animals were harmed in the making of the picture. I find that aspect of the film very troubling, but at the same time the film has undeniable power and that the death was used in a way that contributed to that.)

 

Yeah, I remember that film well. It's indeed haunting and a shame that it isn't more widely seen in the West. The main actor is so scared throughout. I think he was under hypnosis for some of the scenes.

[ithanos]

Watched Hotel Mumbai (2019) for the first time last night. Its the dramatization of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It's categorized as an action drama on IMDb and Wikipedia describes it as an action thriller. A difficult balance to show the cold hard events without appearing to exploit the tragedy for spectacle - the editing was tight around these parts to minimize this. The dramatization, particularly of the response from the staff of the Taj Hotel, is definitely in line with what I would expect from the hardworking staff and their dedication to their work and guests. Don't expect answers to anything here, that examination can be explored in other media. This movie reminds that in adversity people get through best when they help each other.  

[dbunting]

Watched S7 of Bosch on Amazon, a good farewell season that touches on some timely subjects.

[Slurktan]

On 6/27/2021 at 5:29 PM, Veltigar said:

Needed something mindless and fun so I decided to check out the Rundown. I vaguely remember having seen it, but I forgot how good it is. Of all the films set in the jungle that star The Rock, it is by far his best. Great action, nice performances, good humor and an okay story line. I wish The Rock's overall filmography was closer to this film's level. 

The Rundown is great but mostly because while the Rock is the star, it is Stiffler and Walken that carry it.

[RedEyedGhost]

On 6/21/2021 at 6:58 AM, dbunting said:

Also watched Infinite on Paramount+   Mark Walberg action movie based around being reincarnated forever and remembering your past lives. Premise seems pretty interesting but it never seems to gain traction. 

Wow, that premise is my jam.  Disappointing that it doesn't really land (will still probably check it out when it's available on a platform I get).

[TheLastWolf]

Watched a short film called A Quiet Place II

Expecting more from the feature length sequel if it is ever planned, but great

[Veltigar]

I had the distinct pleasure of finally watching the original The Wicker Man (1973). Totally not what I was expecting, as I assumed it was just going to be a scary, coherent version of the Nicolas Cage remake that gave use countless memes but it is a completely different animal all together. I didn't think it was very scary at all, which is usually not a good thing to write in the review of a horror film, but this film gets away with it because it is simply so atmospheric. I

t's the type of film that in all its weirdness and nudity could only have been made in the 1970s. Despite the iconic imagery (and in stark contrast with the Cage version) it is gloriously low-key. All the actors are wonderful in it and the film just feels like its completely its own thing. The Wicker Man also has one of the finest sound tracks ever committed to film. Never expected that I'd write that of a horror film, but there were so many great sing-a-long songs in it. I'll definitely listen to the music in years to come.

EDIT: I also caught up with Rick & Morty season 5. Excellent beginning to the season I must say!

14 hours ago, Slurktan said:

The Rundown is great but mostly because while the Rock is the star, it is Stiffler and Walken that carry it.

I can agree to that

1 hour ago, The_Lone_Wolf said:

Watched a short film called A Quiet Place II

Expecting more from the feature length sequel if it is ever planned, but great

I was very happy with this approach. Sequels always try to do bigger and better, but they usually get stuck on bigger. I admired the fact that this film didn't forcibly make itself bigger than it had to be.

[Spockydog]

4 hours ago, The_Lone_Wolf said:

Watched a short film called A Quiet Place II

Expecting more from the feature length sequel if it is ever planned, but great

Running time is listed as 97 minutes. Which is pretty much bang on the standard length for a horror movie.

 

[GallowKnight]

More movies should be 97 minutes long.

[Nictarion]

It’s actually longer than the first one. 

[Maithanet]

18 minutes ago, Nictarion said:

It’s actually longer than the first one. 

I remember before I watched Quiet Place that I found out it was like 95 minutes, and was worried it would feel short/rushed.  But when I was actually watching the movie it didn't feel short at all. 

[TheLastWolf]

5 hours ago, Veltigar said:

was very happy with this approach. Sequels always try to do bigger and better, but they usually get stuck on bigger. I admired the fact that this film didn't forcibly make itself bigger than it had to be.

But unlike the first part, this felt a teeny bit rushed 

3 hours ago, Spockydog said:

Running time is listed as 97 minutes. Which is pretty much bang on the standard length for a horror movie.

Cmon. Make em longer 

1 hour ago, GallowKnight said:

More movies should be 97 minutes long.

Seven Samurai or Snydercut anybody 

1 hour ago, Nictarion said:

It’s actually longer than the first one. 

Yep. Yet felt like the opposite 

1 hour ago, Maithanet said:

I remember before I watched Quiet Place that I found out it was like 95 minutes, and was worried it would feel short/rushed.  But when I was actually watching the movie it didn't feel short at all. 

Same. But only the first part 

[JGP]

Started in on Mr Inbetween a few days ago. I'm now about midway through S2, it's kind of dark, pretty funny, and quite enjoyable so far. I haven't determined if it's intentionally lampooning male stereotypes or not, but otherwise a good watch, Oh, and the lead is also the writer of the series.