What movie did you just watch, and how was it? (expect some spoilers but try not to post any!)

Forums › Off topic › What movie did you just watch, and how was it? (expect some spoilers but try not to post any!)

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#2825676 7-Dec-2021 12:07

networkn:

New Spiderman is out 16th December. Wasn't keen to head to Cinemas in Auckland just yet, does anyone know if there are any legal watch at-home options for it?

It'll likely end up in Disney+ as a PPV soon after theatre release, I would imagine

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#2825677 7-Dec-2021 12:09

Handsomedan:

networkn:

New Spiderman is out 16th December. Wasn't keen to head to Cinemas in Auckland just yet, does anyone know if there are any legal watch at-home options for it?

It'll likely end up in Disney+ as a PPV soon after theatre release, I would imagine

Apparently, not for a year at least!

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#2825678 7-Dec-2021 12:13

networkn:

Apparently, not for a year at least!

Holy mother! That's a long wait in this day and age. Is that because of the Sony/Disney "who owns Spidey" thing?

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#2825773 7-Dec-2021 13:34

The Forth Protocol [1987] 7/10, DVD

John Preston (Michael Caine) is a British Agent with the task of preventing the Russians detonating a nuclear explosion next to an American base in the UK. The Russians are hoping this will shatter the "special relationship" between the two countries.

One of Frederick Forsyth's excellent books. Michael Caine plays one of his typical brooding roles. Young looking Pierce Brosnan earning his stripes to 007.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

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#2825853 7-Dec-2021 14:52

Dune (2021 - Event Cinemas) 8.5/10

Huge fan of Frank Herbert's Dune series, and also a fan (maybe one of the few) of David Lynch's 1984 adaptation. I never really enjoyed the SyFy channel adapatation, but generally welcome new takes on this seminal sci-fi work. When I heard that Denis Villeneuve was directing, I knew I was in for something special. And I think he delivers.

I'll say from the get-go that Dune is a difficult book to adapt, as many fans will already know. It's a dense book filled with a lot of political intrigue - from the Great Houses of the Landsraad, the Bene Gesserit, the feud between House Harkonnen and House Atreides, the dominance of the Navigators Guild, the Fremen and so on. It makes it really hard to do the story justice while also making it accessible for non-readers of the books. So when I watch the film (either of them), I'm not looking for something that includes every detail, but rather how it captures the essence of the story and the vibe. I think Dune (2021) achieves that. We get a sense of the gravitas of House Atreides, and Oscar Isaac does well to project Duke Leto's tragic leadership - you can see in his eyes that he knows what is coming, but is committed to the path he is on. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica presents gracefully but hiding a core of iron strength, and walking the line between her love for Leto and her loyalty to the Bene Gesserit. And Timothee Chalamet rounds out the Atreides household as the doomed Paul, turning in an excellent performance. But there are many more characters who are brought to life by excellent actors - Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgaard, Dave Bautista, and many more. This is a great cast.

But the real star for me was the world building. There is a real sense of an expansive galaxy of worlds. We don't dwell overly on one location, apart from Arrakis, but we see glimpses of places like Salusa Secundus - home of the Sardaukar warriors, and Caladan, the Atreides homeworld. There is also the weariness of a galaxy ruled over by the Emperor, with thousands of years of history sitting behind it. This is supported by things like the costumes (e.g. the stilsuits), the effects (the personal shield) and the sets. I think it actually validates David Lynch's version that both films largely stick to the same structure, but the main difference is in the cast and sets. The garishness of 1984 gives way to a more grounded look - but I appreciate both. The outlandishness of the 1984 film helps to make it feel "otherworldly" and is consistent for the time (e.g. Flash Gordon), but 2021's take is still great, just in a different way.

My only complaint isn't to do with the film - it's to do with the fact that it is a film. I have long maintained that if ever there was a book (or series of books) crying out for a medium-length TV adapatation, this was it. I'm still flabbergasted that they didn't apply the Game of Thrones treatment to Dune. Ten episodes per season would offer a great way to give the first book room to breathe and establish the different houses, the rivalries, the power politics and the many other themes woven throughout the story. Season 2 could pick up nicely with Children of Dune, and would be the perfect way to introduce the new characters and expand the universe. Season 3 would be God Emperor of Dune, and so on. Even if you confined it to just the Frank Herbert novels, you still have a good five seasons of material, and would be able to do justice to the story lines.

But they obviously considered that and decided film was the way to go. I think they have done a great job, and I'm looking forward to part 2 (whenever it comes out).

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#2829623 9-Dec-2021 20:07

Better Watch Out (2016) 8/10

Tired of family members putting Die Hard (1988) on for Christmas? This film is set at Christmas time, but with references to Home Alone and a OHOHO jumper (entirely appropriate for this film), it's at least as Christmas-y as Die Hard and worthy of a watch this festive season.

I'm not really sure how to describe this one. It's meant to be a horror/comedy. I'm not sure if it really is either, but I've never really understood the distinction between genres, particularly when they're more subtle. I take each film on its merits. This one reminded me a little of Hard Candy (2005), mixed with any '80s film featuring horny (pre-)teens with a crush on their older babysitter. Back in the day I was a huge fan of Adventures In Babysitting (AKA A Night On The Town).

I enjoyed this one about as much as Anna And The Apocalypse (2018), another obscure Christmas film you should really watch if you can find it. That was carried in a large part by the soundtrack, while Better Watch Out had a more interesting story. Anna And The Apocalypse is a high school teen musical comedy horror zombie Christmas film and also gets my recommendation.

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#2829750 10-Dec-2021 07:15

South Park: Post Covid

Typically mature and with questionable taste. 8/10

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#2829771 10-Dec-2021 08:40

Handle9: South Park: Post Covid

Typically mature and with questionable taste. 8/10

I love a bit of high-brow entertainment. Especially this type of Film Festival content.

I'll be watching this, for sure.

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#2829776 10-Dec-2021 08:46

Get Shorty 7.5/10 DVD

A very amusing watch from John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Renne Russo with Travolta playing a mob enforcer who decides he wants to get into making movies in Hollywood.

Some genuinely funny lines and scenes and Travolta especially is excellent. He's a good comic actor as evidenced by Wild Hogs as well.

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#2829793 10-Dec-2021 09:23

London Has Fallen (Netflix - 4/10)

I'm still not entirely sure why I watched this film. I think it was FOMO because Netflix said the last day to watch was 31 December, and I had previously watched the (passable) Olympus Has Fallen a few months ago. But nevertheless, over a couple of nights, I managed to fit this in.

It's just a lame action film that simply retreads the previous film's plot (which is itself recycled from pretty much every action-film that preceded it). Clearly they were trying to establish Gerard Butler as some kind of Liam Neeson-esque action star, with unmistakeable echoes of the Taken series. But it's not really fun, and the suspension of disbelief is a bit much. I generally have no problem with unbelievable action (I have enjoyed most of the Fast and Furious franchise), but even I raised my eyebrows when asked to believe that some "terrorists" masterminded a series of nearly concurrent attacks during a state funeral in London with barely any notice and with no intelligence agencies having the slightest clue. But the worst part was a line delivered by the protaganist near the end, when he crows to the terrorist he is beating up about the enduring nature of the good ol' US of A, declaring "in a 1000 years we'll still be here!" I was in the kitchen tidying up while watching, and I literally had to stop what I was doing and asked the TV "did you actually just say that?" Never has a Nazi Third Reich reference been so blindingly used...

Red Notice (Netflix - 6/10)

I'm a fan of Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson is usually pretty good in films, and Gal Gadot is good value too. So I was pretty keen to see Red Notice, and when it came to Netflix so soon after it's limited theatrical run, I decided to watch this one at home. The trailer looked fun, if unoriginal, but fun is still good.

To be fair, it is fun - but I feel that this film illustrates that as good as the respective actors are, they still need a decent script and director. I'm unfamiliar with this film's writer and director (the same person), but a lot of it felt a bit flat. Not bad, as such - but lacking that je ne sais quoi. There were a couple of slapstick moments that were funny, and some sequences were good, but overall it felt a little lacklustre. The twist, such as it is, was entirely predictable, and they clearly set it up for a sequel which I won't be surprised if they do. I just hope they get a better writer in for the script.

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#2829825 10-Dec-2021 10:14

Lizard1977:

London Has Fallen (Netflix - 4/10)

I think that 4 is very generous. It's awful.

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#2829844 10-Dec-2021 11:18

Lizard1977:Red Notice (Netflix - 6/10)

I'm a fan of Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson is usually pretty good in films, and Gal Gadot is good value too. So I was pretty keen to see Red Notice, and when it came to Netflix so soon after it's limited theatrical run, I decided to watch this one at home. The trailer looked fun, if unoriginal, but fun is still good.

To be fair, it is fun - but I feel that this film illustrates that as good as the respective actors are, they still need a decent script and director. I'm unfamiliar with this film's writer and director (the same person), but a lot of it felt a bit flat. Not bad, as such - but lacking that je ne sais quoi. There were a couple of slapstick moments that were funny, and some sequences were good, but overall it felt a little lacklustre. The twist, such as it is, was entirely predictable, and they clearly set it up for a sequel which I won't be surprised if they do. I just hope they get a better writer in for the script.

Similarly, I think 6/10 is overly generous for this!

I had wondered if it was original Netflix material, ie one spun out of it its fabled detailed viewership data, as it seemed designed to tick all the ‘right’ boxes resulting in a cliched mess that seriously misses the mark. But, nah, I see it was going to be released by Universal prior to being bought by Netflix, so it’s clearly just another inditement of the formulaic crap that Hollywood generally pumps out these days.

I’ve been so disappointed by most of these ‘blockbuster’ movies this year; the only one I can think of that I really did enjoy was ‘Nobody’.

Paul1977

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#2830030 10-Dec-2021 16:14

Lizard1977:

Dune (2021 - Event Cinemas) 8.5/10

Huge fan of Frank Herbert's Dune series, and also a fan (maybe one of the few) of David Lynch's 1984 adaptation. I never really enjoyed the SyFy channel adapatation, but generally welcome new takes on this seminal sci-fi work. When I heard that Denis Villeneuve was directing, I knew I was in for something special. And I think he delivers.

I'll say from the get-go that Dune is a difficult book to adapt, as many fans will already know. It's a dense book filled with a lot of political intrigue - from the Great Houses of the Landsraad, the Bene Gesserit, the feud between House Harkonnen and House Atreides, the dominance of the Navigators Guild, the Fremen and so on. It makes it really hard to do the story justice while also making it accessible for non-readers of the books. So when I watch the film (either of them), I'm not looking for something that includes every detail, but rather how it captures the essence of the story and the vibe. I think Dune (2021) achieves that. We get a sense of the gravitas of House Atreides, and Oscar Isaac does well to project Duke Leto's tragic leadership - you can see in his eyes that he knows what is coming, but is committed to the path he is on. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica presents gracefully but hiding a core of iron strength, and walking the line between her love for Leto and her loyalty to the Bene Gesserit. And Timothee Chalamet rounds out the Atreides household as the doomed Paul, turning in an excellent performance. But there are many more characters who are brought to life by excellent actors - Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgaard, Dave Bautista, and many more. This is a great cast.

But the real star for me was the world building. There is a real sense of an expansive galaxy of worlds. We don't dwell overly on one location, apart from Arrakis, but we see glimpses of places like Salusa Secundus - home of the Sardaukar warriors, and Caladan, the Atreides homeworld. There is also the weariness of a galaxy ruled over by the Emperor, with thousands of years of history sitting behind it. This is supported by things like the costumes (e.g. the stilsuits), the effects (the personal shield) and the sets. I think it actually validates David Lynch's version that both films largely stick to the same structure, but the main difference is in the cast and sets. The garishness of 1984 gives way to a more grounded look - but I appreciate both. The outlandishness of the 1984 film helps to make it feel "otherworldly" and is consistent for the time (e.g. Flash Gordon), but 2021's take is still great, just in a different way.

My only complaint isn't to do with the film - it's to do with the fact that it is a film. I have long maintained that if ever there was a book (or series of books) crying out for a medium-length TV adapatation, this was it. I'm still flabbergasted that they didn't apply the Game of Thrones treatment to Dune. Ten episodes per season would offer a great way to give the first book room to breathe and establish the different houses, the rivalries, the power politics and the many other themes woven throughout the story. Season 2 could pick up nicely with Children of Dune, and would be the perfect way to introduce the new characters and expand the universe. Season 3 would be God Emperor of Dune, and so on. Even if you confined it to just the Frank Herbert novels, you still have a good five seasons of material, and would be able to do justice to the story lines.

But they obviously considered that and decided film was the way to go. I think they have done a great job, and I'm looking forward to part 2 (whenever it comes out).

I just thought it was boring for the most part, and I'm really not one who needs explosions to enjoy a movie... it just didn't grab me. The main character fell flat for me, we kept getting told how special he was, but never saw anything particularly special about him on screen. I haven't read the book, but if reading the book is a prerequisite for enjoying the move than that's a pretty big fail. Maybe part 2 will change my mind, as it really did feel like half a movie that ended just when it looked like it might start getting interesting. I suspect you're correct that a big budget 10 eposide series would have been better - it could have fleshed out the politics and characters more, and wouldn't mean a two year wait for part 2 (which is just too long a wait).

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#2831168 13-Dec-2021 08:41

You're probably right about the whole "read the book before the movie" thing, and that puts the director in a bind - make the movie more expository for the uninitiated, or retain the story structure and keep a big chunk of your audience in the dark. While big stories (like Lord of the Rings) did a really good job by splitting the movie into three parts, they also managed to make each movie relatively standalone. While you do need to watch all three in the trilogy to get the full payoff, you can watch the first film and be "satisfied" (sort of). With Dune, even the entire first book (which I believe is being filmed as two parts) is really only the prequel for the main stories which kick off with book 2 (Dune Messiah). That's where the episodic approach would be more appropriate. You can lay the groundwork in a two-part pilot episode, and flesh out the characters in 60 min chunks over the next 6 episodes, and bring the first story to a conclusion with a big finale for season one.

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#2831202 13-Dec-2021 09:20

We saw a couple of movies over the weekend - watched the old classic, Anger Management on Sky TV yesterday.

I'd forgotten how annoying that movie was...which is the whole point. Well acted and quite funny in parts, but also really quite annoying.

Also watched Elf on Friday night. Another annoying but classic movie for this time of year.

Overall, I came out of the weekend slightly annoyed. But entertained.

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