films you've seen recently and would NOT recommend

IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
Just watching Tom Hardy playing a washed up gangster in the final years of his life who has returned to his Florida mansion to die. It's painful to see him with his brain rotted away from syphilis, confused by his surroundings barely moving or even speaking except when occasionally he mutters incoherently under his breath. Twenty minutes in he's already soiled himself twice. He is tormented by his punishment for tax irregularities despite having committed and got away with far greater crimes throughout most of his life. Already his grasping kids are greedily jostling him towards the exit.

So yeah, the similarities between one of the most notorious criminals in US history and Al Capone are very striking and surprisingly numerous, but this film is as exciting as watching Trump spending hours trying to remember where he is without shitting himself.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
Went to the cinema to catch Oppenheimer and I left feeling quite bemused, it just felt so slight with a teeny-weeny bit of story stretched way beyond what it could stand meaning we were left with a molecule thick film* of story covering hours and hours of self-important posturing. The whole thing completely collapsed quite early on, utterly crushed by the weight of its own pretensions.

I do always enjoy the whole experience of going to the cinema as a rule but this time it really was something of an ordeal.


*I mean film as in a really thin layer here not as in movie
 
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rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
not seen the new one yet but this seemed like a fair assessment of nolans films, covering both the irritating parts of his filmmaking (the hyper literalness, the didactic, the stiffness, the over ambitiousness, the shallowness, the weird lack of flow in much of his films) and the better stuff (tricksier narratives and formalism, playing around with chronology, always trying to make ambitious/challenging/brain-teasing big hollywood movies, even if he doesnt get there).
www.indiewire.com

Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked from ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Tenet’ to ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Oppenheimer’

From “Following” to “Interstellar,” sizing up Nolan’s entire filmography is the best way to solve the secrets that bind it all together.
www.indiewire.com www.indiewire.com
ive never been convinced by nolan as a good blockbuster filmmaker, hes always been too self conscious, too worried about seeming dumb, so he always has to show hes above it all.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
rubberdingyrapids said:
always trying to make ambitious/challenging/brain-teasing big hollywood movies, even if he doesnt get there).
Click to expand...

For me there is a whole category of directors that I think of as taking risks, who should be recognised for choosing not to just make another Marvel or∆ equivalent grey goo type film - but who sadly lack the skill or talent to pull it off. But yeah, I'm glad they trying and probably if they keep the faith they will nail it one day.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Just passed 1,750 films on Letterboxd. Watched The Black Stallion today, and yesterday I watched Private Lives, and Chunking Express.

So far in my life I've been averaging about 1 new film every 5 days, but thats not counting rewatches, so probably closer to 1 film every 4 days, counting rewatches.
 
linebaugh

linebaugh

Well-known member
Clinamenic said:
Just passed 1,750 films on Letterboxd. Watched The Black Stallion today, and yesterday I watched Private Lives, and Chunking Express.

So far in my life I've been averaging about 1 new film every 5 days, but thats not counting rewatches, so probably closer to 1 film every 4 days, counting rewatches.
Click to expand...
In your whole life? Shouldnt you base the averages on after you turned 12 at least? Or are you already doing that
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
linebaugh said:
In your whole life? Shouldnt you base the averages on after you turned 12 at least? Or are you already doing that
Click to expand...
So I’ve been averaging about 1 new film very 3 days since I was twelve, and counting rewatched that is probably closer to 2 films every 5 days, almost one film every other day.
 
mixed_biscuits

mixed_biscuits

_________________________
Clinamenic said:
Just passed 1,750 films on Letterboxd. Watched The Black Stallion today, and yesterday I watched Private Lives, and Chunking Express.

So far in my life I've been averaging about 1 new film every 5 days, but thats not counting rewatches, so probably closer to 1 film every 4 days, counting rewatches.
Click to expand...
I've never been more disappointed than when Chungking Express turned out not to be about superlative working memory performance.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
The other day we watched the excellent Spanish film Open Your Eyes as reported in the unreservedly recommended films thread... we also learned that the film was remade as Vanilla Sky and so we resolved that we were going to check that out... and so, here we are.

Four minutes into the film it becomes apparent that Cruise has horribly misjudged how to play this role. The guy he plays is young, handsome, wealthy etc etc but perhaps the characteristics that come ultimately to define him are his shallowness and vanity which are thrust brutally to the fore when his face is horribly disfigured in an accident.

Thing is, Cruise clearly decided that his famously modest and retiring personality didn't capture the above and so to make it clear the guy is in love with himself he makes him peer desperately into mirrors and stuff. It's incredibly simplistic like a baby trying everything he can think of to show people what he's feeling cos he hasn't really got the hang of actual acting yet.

Beyond that, the film is just inferior to the original in every way; I can't be arsed to go into too many details but it feels as though this take has been fitted badly on top of the plot, tight when it should be loose, fast when it should be slow, and ultimately just never quite right.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
version said:
OllYou can see why he fell in love with Penelope Cruz though.
Click to expand...

Sure, the woman picked for the role that might as well be called 'beautiful woman' is indeed a beautiful woman - if that is indeed the kind of thing Tom Cruise is into, though to be honest I find it hard to imagine he likes much beyond himself*.

To be honest, when the ugly, scary hound dog that you need to escape from cos she keeps stalking you and trying to force you to have sex is Cameron Diaz you're not doing too badly...




*I did laugh at the bit when a broken Cruise is in the hospital awaiting experimental surgery on his face and he is singing in the shower, you hear passing orderlies say "great voice" - only Tom Cruise would insist on the addition of that line ai everyone knows he can sing.
 
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rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
Scrapper
NOT the reinvention of brit social realism promised. More of the same, but with over silly humour, almost wes Anderson ish switches in style, but ultimately not bright and dayglo enough, or THAT interesting formally/stylistically, nor with enough depth really.
Passages
Zero chemistry between anyone here. 3 good actors but rogowski has a truly weird voice, and while seeing how much of a selfish, inconsiderate, un self aware twat he is has its appeal, it also made this a bit annoying. Film was also just lacking in the gravitas or heft it needed.
 
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