The last movie you've seen thread 2016

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White House Down. Fantastic film, can't wait for the sequel. Channing Tatum should be in every movie. The faces he makes are hilarious but also really put you, as the audience, at ease and make you feel safe. Could have used a better villain though.

It's also very, very pro-Obama, which I found so refreshing in the current political climate.

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The Purge 2: Anarchy

Certainly better than the first one. You could tell it was very low budget. I still maintain it's an interesting premise, but the people making these movies don't seem to be able to do anything interesting with it. But it sort of reminds me of 1970s era sci-fi movies which were heavily political/allegorical, which is pretty cool.

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Gone Girl

I'm not sure if I loved it or hated, but definitely one or the other.

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I watched Rosemary's Baby for the first time last night. It's a masterpiece. It might be one of the best movie I've ever seen. It manages to be profoundly terrifying but also really darkly hilarious, and it's scary and creepy with almost no violence or gore, or even darkness or shadow. I love how Polanski dumps information on the audience and uses film techniques so that we're pretty sure what's happening like a third of the way through the movie, but are absolutely powerless to do anything about it while Rosemary is sucked deeper and deeper, which just adds to the anxiety and unease you feel as the audience. It's so, so good.

Also as someone who lives in New York, it's insane that an unemployed actor was apparently able to afford the rent of an apartment like that in 1965. That would easily be worth millions today.

[Lief 🗽]

I watched Rosemary's Baby for the first time last night. It's a masterpiece. It might be one of the best movie I've ever seen. It manages to be profoundly terrifying but also really darkly hilarious, and it's scary and creepy with almost no violence or gore, or even darkness or shadow. I love how Polanski dumps information on the audience and uses film techniques so that we're pretty sure what's happening like a third of the way through the movie, but are absolutely powerless to do anything about it while Rosemary is sucked deeper and deeper, which just adds to the anxiety and unease you feel as the audience. It's so, so good.

Also as someone who lives in New York, it's insane that an unemployed actor was apparently able to afford the rent of an apartment like that in 1965. That would easily be worth millions today.

I just rewatched that a few days ago.  It's really great.

What I find really amazing is that it's a profoundly feminist film, it's ultimately about how society forces women to subjugate themselves and punishes them for independence and individuality.  It's sort of about the tragedy of pregnancy, because a woman's maternal instinct can keep her with a man that she knows is unreliable and bad for her.  That was what I took from it anyway.  And, to think that feminist message is coming from a rapist.

Yes! I was thinking exactly the same thing this morning. It's crazy.

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I'm seeing it this weekend. But it's sounding like Nolan might have forgotten how to make movies, after the disastrous failure that was The Dark Knight Rises and now this.

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Okay guys, Interstellar is garbage. It looks pretty and Matthew does the best with the awful script he's given, but otherwise everything else is garbage. The score especially was incredibly bad. Zimmer thinks because he invented the BWAAAH noise he can do whatever he wants now, but no, that was exhausting.

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The more I think about it, the more I dislike it. 

In my opinion Nolan has gotten progressively worse. I think Memento remains one of his best movies.

Yes. I think Nolan is on course to becoming another George Lucas or Shyamalan if he's not careful.

[Lief 🗽]

Nightcrawler

Very, very good, but it has some issues (really bad soundtrack, formulaic and predictable screenplay) that prevent it from being great. Gyllenhall is fantastic of course. It's also a gorgeous movie.

It reminded me a lot of American Psycho, which is one of my favorite films. But I don't think Nightcrawler committed to being an insane satire to the same degree, sort of keeping one foot in realistic thriller territory and the other in dark comedy satire, but never fully one or the other.

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Skeleton Twins -- Pretty cliched indie dramedy in almost all respects (from the screenplay to the direction), but Hader and Wiig are delightful, so I enjoyed it. Rad soundtrack too.

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Snowpiercer

Probably my favorite movie I've seen so far this year (though yet to see things like Boyhood and Birdman). Everything about it was great. And unlike some over-hyped science fiction films this year, it was actually interesting, thought-provoking, and open to interpretation.

Also re-watched Gone Girl last night, and it's even better on re-watch. Really masterful film.

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Whiplash

I think people are over-rating it a little bit, but it's very good. The editing is technically very impressive, and the performances from both leads are amazing. I think at the end of the day though I'm just not super interested in the trials and tribulations of college jazz band. I do love a movie that evokes a consistent mood in the viewer though, and the whole thing makes you so tense and anxious.

[Lief 🗽]

So would you say it was really good for what it was, but not necessarily your cup of tea?

Yeah, basically.

I actually also watched The Imitation Game and I really enjoyed it. I just thought that Cumberbatch's performance was so, so good. It was really beautiful to me. It is a very formulaic and cliched historical biopic, to the point that a number of scenes are so obviously ahistorical fabrications that it breaks the suspension of disbelief.

And it sort of comes off as a cheap knock-off of something like "A Beautiful Mind." 

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American Sniper

This is like the third movie I've seen this year (after Nightcrawler and Imitation Game) with a really, really fantastic lead performance carrying an otherwise mediocre or flawed film.

Also caught Mean Girls on the comedy central network and goddamn was Lindsay Lohan ca. 2004 fine.

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If you see one film about gay rights in Britain this year, definitely see Pride instead of The Imitation Game. Such a wonderful film. You're laughing and cheering for two hours and then bawling by the end. It's not maudlin or cheesy, but the emotional beats are really earned. And unlike the hatchet job done of Turing's life, this film takes many, many fewer liberties.

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Spielberg was originally supposed to direct two mediocre films that came out this year: American Sniper and Interstellar! What might have been if he weren't replaced by the talentless hacks who ended up directing the two.

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Birdman is so f[inks]ing weird, but I really enjoyed it. Not sure it would hold up on a rewatch though. It's very well shot, and I love the score, and the acting is mostly pretty good, but I feel like there's not a lot of substance to the film, beyond the critique of modern Hollywood or whatever.

Spielberg was originally supposed to direct two mediocre films that came out this year: American Sniper and Interstellar! What might have been if he weren't replaced by the talentless hacks who ended up directing the two.

Haven't seen either of those movies but Chris Nolan is a talentless hack? He's definitely overrated by some but "talentless hack" is a bit much...

Hahah yeah, just being hyperbolic, old friend.

[Lief 🗽]

I'm just finished Her.

What in the world did I just watch?
That was something else. I've now watched all but Gravity from last year's BP nominees, and I think that may have been the worst, and I had no interest in even seeing Gravity. Now I may have to just to see if there is a bottom.

Nebraska > Dallas Buyers Club > Philomena > American Hustle > 12 Years A Slave > Captain Phillips > Wolf of Wall Street > Her.

I loved the first 3 and thoroughly enjoyed the next 3.

Now I'm really surprised Saving Mr. Banks didn't get nominated despite the Disney connections.

Aw man, you didn't like Her? I feel like we've been pretty much on the same page as far as movie opinions since you've been posting here, so that's surprising. I found it really delightful and surprising. I especially loved the production design and costume design and was really bummed that it didn't win anything for that.

I agree though that Saving Mr. Banks was weirdly snubbed. 

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I mean it's obviously not Snowpiercer, which is the best sci-fi movie of the past decade or so, but it's not entirely lacking in emotional or thematic resonance either, and it's possible to justify watching on semi-serious grounds.

Have you seen Under the Skin?

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I mean it's obviously not Snowpiercer, which is the best sci-fi movie of the past decade or so, but it's not entirely lacking in emotional or thematic resonance either, and it's possible to justify watching on semi-serious grounds.

Have you seen Under the Skin?

No, that flew under my radar somehow. Should I?

Yes, it's great! Right up there with Snowpiercer as my favorite sci-fi of the year (though very different).

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It Follows

One of the best horror films I've watched in many, many years. The soundtrack is fantastic, it's super creepy, it raises a lot of interesting issues about a host of topics, and the direction is superb. I think it's only in like twenty theaters at the moment, but it's wide release is this weekend. I highly, highly recommend it.

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Interstellar for a homework assignment.

... I no longer support teacher unions.