The last movie you've seen thread 2016

[Antonio the Sixth]

My friends dragged me to watch the last Transformers. Oh God, those were three long hours...

[Antonio the Sixth]

Finally got to watch The Blues Brothers.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I haven't seen American Sniper and I have no intention of seeing it either.  But is it really as bad as this review claims it is?

No. I didn't really feel like it was propaganda. It's just bland and full of cliches from better war movies.

I really wish Spielberg had stayed on the project as director instead of Eastwood. He apparently didn't want to make it much of a biopic and instead wanted the entire film to focus on a part of the book where Kyle is in battle against an enemy sniper that he couldn't locate. He dropped because he couldn't agree on the budget. Much more interesting idea for a movie right there.

It's already been done - and pretty well.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I too really liked Her.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Anyway, the last movie I've watched is actually Citizen Kane (online, obviously), and I wasn't disappointed at all. I usually have some difficulties enjoying really old movies, due to different storytelling convention from those I'm used to, but this one really kept me hooked up. It's produced a really fascinating and timeless character (who, BTW, is probably a far better person than the real William Randolph Hearst). I don't know if it's the best movie of all time (frankly I'm not sure it makes sense to even claim that there is a best movie of all times), but it's definitely an excellent film. Glad I've finally gotten around to watching it.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The Imitation Game. I have no idea how historically accurate it is (though I definitely wouldn't be surprised if it took its liberties), but I liked it. I feel that watching Doug Walker's videos has made me a lot more cynical (or realistic) about movies, and I have to admit this movie was filled with all the clichés we've seen a million times. Still, some moments were really moving, especially the ending. And I must admit part of me is actually pleased that the character Turing is portrayed as (basically, the Asperger guy) is turning into a cliché. I think this could help raise awareness.

Also, am I the only one who for the first 20 minutes couldn't think anything else but "OMG that's Tywin Lannister playing the obstructive military officer! ".

[Antonio the Sixth]

The Imitation Game

In theory, it's perhaps a good movie.

Unfortunately, I knew beforehand how much of a fairy tale the story is and it somehow spoiled the experience for me. The fact that Turing worked in cryptography during WWII and his homosexuality are probably the only things which were entirely historically accurate.

Turing didn't have Asperger or Autism (or at least not to the extent depicted here) and generally got along well with his colleagues at Bletchley Park. The latter also applies to Commander Denniston who was turned into an antagonist in the movie for dramatic purposes and even tries to get Turing arrested for espionage, all which is a complete fabrication (or for the lack of better term, a character assassination). Turing also probably never met MI6 chief Stewart Menzies or Soviet spy John Cairncross, and certainly didn't work with Cairncross on the same team.

Wow yeah, that's pretty bad. I don't get why filmakers do these sorts of films. If you want to tell a fictional story, just tell a fictional story and don't use the names of real people.

[Antonio the Sixth]

L'affaire SK1. Nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing, but a pretty well-conceived and well-executed movie. It manages to avoid the excesses that plague most films that deal with horrifying real-life events, and gives all the elements of the police inquiry (including those that go nowhere) without trying to force them into an artificially coherent ex-post narrative.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Big Hero 6. Really loved it.

First off, the visuals are absolutely magnificent, with excellent CGI, bright colors, and, most importantly, the greatest city in the world as a setting! Yeah, San Fransokyo, whatever... all I saw was San Francisco. And boy, I couldn't have asked for more. I had an eye-gasm every time they showed aerial views of the city. And SF is obviously the perfect place to set this semi-deranged techno-wonderland. I've never been a geek for technology and gadgets, but I really got sucked in into the universe. It got this perfect balance between "feeling real" and dreamlike wonderment that made other Disney movies work.

In terms of characters, I guess Hiro is the only one to be really developed beyond a couple funny lines (or actually, I take it back: Baymax, of all people, actually is a fully fleshed character). The interaction between the two brothers in the first part of the movie is really touching and spot-on. It's new territory for Disney and I feel they've handled it really well, it's really a believable character dynamic.  Baymax, as I said, is a lot of fun. From Data on, it's always impressive to see how the magic of filming manages to give a lot of personality to characters that are explicitly conceived as having no emotion. And it's really cool to see the creativity invested in fully exploiting its status as a medical robot in situations where they wouldn't seem very useful.

The plot isn't particularly brilliant, but it's OK. I'm sooooo glad they avoided the obvious route of making the greedy corporate guy the villain, for a couple seconds I actually believed they were going that way, but thankfully it soon became so obvious that it could only be a red herring. The actual plot they went for is not exactly new, but it's a good concept that allows some degree of moral complexity. It reminded me of the Batman episode "Heart of Ice". It's a shame that Prof. Callaghan is given absolutely zero exploration as a character, turning him into a fully fleshed anti-villain could have brought the movie to a whole new level. But still, for what it is, the plot works fine.

After watching this movie, I felt thrilled to realize that Disney seems to be regaining all their creative genius. This movie shows that they still have people with talent who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of animation and bringing joy to children and adults alike. I have no idea what critics have though of it, but to me, after Frozen (which I really need to see some day), this movie might mark the beginning of the Second Disney Renaissance.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Has anyone seen Kingsman? I'm considering going to see it, but it sound like the kind of movie that could either be a lot of fun or absolutely godawful. Is it worth the time?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Has anyone seen Kingsman? I'm considering going to see it, but it sound like the kind of movie that could either be a lot of fun or absolutely godawful. Is it worth the time?

I liked it.  It's very campy, it kind of reminds me of a mix of James Bond, Austin Powers and the Indonesian movie, The Raid.  Nothing amazing certainly, but pretty good.

That sounds good. I don't mind camp, if done smartly enough.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Just saw it today. It was fun, I had a good time. It's not amazing or anything, but there were a lot of funny moments. Colin Firth is great, as usual. The main character wasn't interesting, but he wasn't too annoying either. The bad guy was hilarious, and kinda creative in his style and attitude (BTW, does he also have a lisp in the original version? He had one in the dub and that worked fine). I didn't mind the violence, since it's surreal enough to be beyond the reach of emotion, kind of like a Tarantino movie. The Church scene among the best, but certainly not something to be shocked about (and the preacher's speech before gave me a few laughs). On the other hand, the final "fireworks" scene was hilarious. Best mass killing ever! And I like the subplot about the Swedish PM. What's the name they give him, Martin Lindstrom or something like that?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Selma. It was a good movie. The emotional scenes were very powerful, and it did a good job at getting its point across. With that said, I was really annoyed by the historical inaccuracies, especially regarding the portrayal of LBJ. Yeah, we all know he was a huge dick, and yes, it might be true that, without the SCLC's continued pressure, he wouldn't have put so much energy into passing the VRA. But the way the movie turns him into a quasi-antagonist who deliberately attempted to stall the process is really unfair. They even imply that he was actually behind Hoover's shenanigans, as if Hoover needed anyone's permission to slander or threaten the figures he didn't like... That's pretty gross. It's also weird how MLK's philandering tendencies are given only an almost imperceptible nod. Not that I care about that, but if you're going to have a good chunk of the movie centered around the tensions in his couple, then it's weird not to address the elephant in the room. I think we're past the point when we can celebrate the man's greatness while also acknowledging his flaws. Also, I didn't picture George Wallace like that at all, but his character was hilarious (Tim Roth is great), so I give it a pass. Still, despite these issues, I was glad I saw it.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I saw Tomorrowland today. Really conflicted with this one. I loved a lot about it, but hated almost as much.

Pros:
1) Hugh Laurie was great and a solid anti-villain. I really like it when movies make the antagonist have a point and be good intentioned in their own right.

2) The Paris/Tomorrowland entry scene was beautifully shot and rendered. A clear example of CGI helping the movie along. In general, the cinematography was above average.

3) I actually really liked the message of the movie and wish more people would internalize it. However...

Cons:
1) This may be the most preachy movie I've seen outside of bad Christian movies. Talk about beating a dead horse. I generally liked the message, but virtually everything in the movie was in service to that message. Every conversation in the first third of the movie was based on "positivity" and "hope" and "dreaming" and etc. and so forth. (Anyone who thought Interstellar was on the nose would die watching this)

2) This movie was essentially two hours of Disney fellating itself. Gratuitous Star Wars references, It's a Small World being a portal, Disney itself serving to inspire Frank, etc. Add in the ridiculous physics, laughable mooks, and a cliché Disney finale, and I really start to wonder if this movie couldn't have been so much more if it had been made by a different studio.

3) Gov. Nix's death. Ugh. Just ugh.

4) Every jetpack scene was a horrible CGI-fest of awful.

5) I'm pretty sure the second-fifth or so of this movie was directly copied from Jupiter Ascending

6) Young Frank's acting was pretty bad.

It's probably a 2.5/5, maybe a 3/5. Could have been great, but it really failed to live up to that potential.

I feel exactly the same. I love the message, but I wish they would have been more subtle about it, or even added a slight twist. Something along the lines of "It's good to be optimistic, but even if the world is really doomed you should still do your part to make it a little better". I was really looking for it. I also thought Laurie's character had a good point, but the movie doesn't really seem to acknowledge it. It could have been used to develop the film's message in a more dialectical way, ending with a synthesis of the two points of view.

Still a solid movie IMO.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Finally got around to watching Frozen. It's never too late to let it go!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wait, it's called Terminator Genisys? Seriously?

...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moK7nE_UCqU

[Antonio the Sixth]

Man on the Moon.

I did some research afterward, and was baffled to realize that nearly everything in it was 100% accurate. Andy Kaufman really was (is?) quite a character.

Also, it has two of my favorite songs, from my favorite band, in its soundtrack.

[Antonio the Sixth]

MI: Rogue Nation

It was good, not quite as good as 1 and 4, but better than 2 and 3, still keeps me interested in the franchise. I hope they finally drop the whole "IMF is shut down and the agents are hunted (no pun intended) down by their own country" routine next time, though. It's starting to get old.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Full Metal Jacket

The first part is an absolute masterpiece in dark humor (and a perfect summary of why I'd rather die than join the military). The rest is OK, but not nearly as engaging, and the "serious" parts are hard to take seriously after all the comedy we've been fed. But it was worth it just to hear Paint it Black when the credits roll.

[Antonio the Sixth]

In the Name of the Father, a movie on the Guildford Four, who were innocent people convicted of IRA bombings in 1974. Very interesting, and it made me read more on the Troubles.

I saw it a while back, it's really good. It really got to me emotionally, I was genuinely heartbroken and horrified.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The Great Gatsby (2013)

I liked it. Compelling story, great character exploration, and some truly moving moments. However, while I haven't read the book, I get the feeling that that the portrayal of Gatsby fails to grasp the character's nuance. Although his flaws are addressed, the movie still ends up largely praising Gatsby, making him into the innocent victim of society's prejudice and shallowness. From what I've heard, Fitzgerald insisted more on his severe character flaws, and made it explicit that these flaws are what brought about Gatsby's demise. I would have liked to see the movie take that angle. Still, judged on its own, the movie holds up.

As a side note, I was a bit surprised by the anachronistic style that this movie goes for (in the music, but not only), making it sometimes hard to believe it was really set in the 20s. It's too obvious not to have been intentional, and I don't really mind it, but it's weird.

[Antonio the Sixth]

As a side note, I was a bit surprised by the anachronistic style that this movie goes for (in the music, but not only), making it sometimes hard to believe it was really set in the 20s. It's too obvious not to have been intentional, and I don't really mind it, but it's weird.

Most or all of Baz Luhrmann's movies are like that. I watched Moulin Rouge! last week, and that movie, which is set in I think 1899, has a medley that includes 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.

Ah yeah, I've heard about Moulin Rouge, and now that I think about it the two movies definitely seem to share a lot visually.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Fight Club.

Honestly, the movie was starting to seriously annoy me right before the big twist occurred. This is the example of a twist that works perfectly, because it makes sense and actually explains plot holes instead of creating them (like, why does the protagonist look like the only sane man in the whole gang, and if so, why does he keep putting up with Tyler's crap? Or why does Tyler even bother with him when he has plenty of other people who seem to obey him blindly?). I really admire movies that manage to pull that off.

Still, when you take away the twist, there's not much left. The narrative and visual style is entertaining at first, but I got used to it pretty fast. It's also hard to take seriously at some points, like when it wants us to believe that Tyler built from scratch a terrorist organization so ubiquitous and powerful as to infiltrate the police and evade any sort of prosecution? Come on! But mainly, the film's nihilistic tone gets trite really fast. Maybe it's because this sort of "commentary" was new at the time and has since become painfully mainstream, but there seems to be a lack of self-awareness of how stupid and pretentious this whole "screw society" mindset comes across. It's not cool or edgy. And honestly, every character (even the protagonist we're supposed to root for) in this movie is so unlikable that I ended up not really caring what would happen.

I still end up liking it for the twist, but I've seen a movie with a similar twist (I won't cite the movie to avoid ruining it for you), which had the advantage of having a far more complex and interesting protagonist, being more thrilling, and also being a period piece on the early Cold War period.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Paranormal Activity

It's Halloween Season, and I realized that I have seen almost no scary movie, so might as well try one of the recent hits.

Ugh, it was so boring... 90% of the time, nothing happens except for the couple's antics. And even when stuff happens, it's extremely mild. There are a few slightly creepy moments that feel like they might build up to something big, but they don't really. In addition, the guy is such a colossal moron that it gets distracting. The demon probably did a service to humanity by offing him.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Thanks for the tip.