Last Good Movie You Saw

[deanb]

 

It's not "anti-mutant toxin", they've put gene therapy in the food so people won't give birth to mutants, a la Children of Men. The current mutants are being hunted down and killed off by Richard E Grants team.

 

Anywho post film and me posing the question (along with others); X-23 never had a full adamantium skeleton like Logan she only ever had her claws done (in the comics). Which I guess they tried to show with the phone video of her having the adamantium coating on, she wasn't in a full tank like logan had been.

 

But yeah, adamantium poisoning is very much a thing, when Magneto rips out his adamantium in the comics he ends up with a much more increased healing factor as his body doesn't have to spend so much overhead on the adamantium.

 

[deanb]

Moana

 

Watched this with my siblings, a first time watch for all of us which at least gave me a moment to be "we're all watching it at the same time, I know as much as you". First time it seemed to sink in.

 

Anywho for the film: I quite liked it in that it's not a usual Brothers Grimm tale so new for all of us. It does refrence the usual tropes of Disney films (arguing with Moai that she's a "chieftains daughter" not a "princess"). Moai was great, I think Dwane "The Rock"* Johnson is pretty good and I think he had a very fun time on this. I liked his living tattoos, quite cute characters of their own. One pleasant surprise for me was Jermain Clement giving a very Fart-esque song number.

 

A rather colourful film with its own non-western myths and legends that works all quite well with a nice "twist" at the end. Also like how Moai, of legend, is portrayed as a sort of self-centred villain who stole the source of life, but in actuality was (at least to his own version of events) just trying to help out Man in all he did.

 

I guess if you're a grown up not a film to watch on your tod, but a nice film to watch with kids.

 

*"Can you smell what Moai is cooking?"
*blank looks from younger siblings*

[deanb]

Kubo and the Two Strings

 

Wanted to watch this for a while, but meddling siblings. It's pretty damn good. Really love the animation, especially knowing it's stop motion animation. Only negative with it is that it is a bit cliched, what with power of love n other elements that are a bit obvious, but I guess for a kids film it's to be expected. It otherwise was quite grown up, and quite violent at times too. It's pretty as hell.

 

Worth giving a watch, even if the ending falls a little bit flat. The bit near the start with the origami street art is certainly a delight (though I've also seen that bit over and over and over and over again so might be biased )

[CorgiShinobi]

Doctor Strange

 

So there is magic in the MCU. I remember that being a question before the film debuted. With characters who are highly scientific or have a mutation, I'm glad we have an actual magic wielding powerhouse in the MCU. A lot was strong in the film, so I have very little complaints. Really, I just felt they went too ham with the Mirror Dimension and visual effects. It's impressive, but at times I felt it was being used to fill time. The plot is pretty straightforward so I have to imagine they needed razzle-dazzle to help empathize the scope Strange and his companions have on their world.

[TheMightyEthan]

It's not "magic", it's "energy from other dimensions."  I imagine the scientific characters will be dismissive until it's demonstrated, then want to understand how it works from a scientific perspective.

[deanb]

Yeah I'd say that ultimately it's 'magic' in a visual way, but mostly in a Arthur C Clarke kinda way (any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic). Kinda lines up with Thors stuff about them having what we'd consider magic and science as one and the same. We've already seen Ant-Man go to the "quantum realm" and he's not what you'd consider magical, was purely through a technological means.

 

Anyway have you seen the trousers Bruce Banner wears? This universe has had magic a lot sooner than Doctor Strange was on the scene

[CorgiShinobi]

It's not "magic", it's "energy from other dimensions."  I imagine the scientific characters will be dismissive until it's demonstrated, then want to understand how it works from a scientific perspective.

Magical application of dimensional energy is what I watched. Spells, sentient relics, and all that jazz being wielded by human beings on Earth.

 

There's creating a wonky-ass alien wormhole generator, and then there's self-called sorcerers who hop around geographical locations by spinning their arms. This is where I can't see it as advanced science. Even the Ancient One humors Dr. Strange's assumption he'll be undergoing experimental cellular regeneration, but then she brings up the body, mind, and spirit. Aside from that, it would be a bit presumptuous to say on one hand Asgard is so highly advanced compared to Earth... oh, except for a sect of Earthlings who have ultra science. (I also stand by Asgard being a hybrid of magic and science.)

 

It takes sending his astral consciousness through different dimensional planes for it to be shown real and not hocus pocus marketed to tourists. I would also argue that scientific technology could get people to these dimensions, but Strange just took a grand tour from a single push by the Ancient One. And I wouldn't consider the quantum realm of Ant-Man to be uniquely separate as it's own dimension. In theory you could reach a multitude of different dimensions' quantum realms. There's quantitative science to it, but I find it hard to pigeonhole Dr. Strange's reading of ancient texts and physical exercises as advanced science.

 

Not to mention...

 

As the Ancient One is in her last moments, she has her final piece with Dr. Strange. She clarifies that really she didn't heal the man who was paralyzed. She states the man channels magic into himself everyday to even function. In a sense, the man's not medically healed as Dr. Strange thought he himself would be one day. The Ancient One is saying this to clear her conscience, but as the viewer we're suppose to understand that the magic before us is not as absolute and as beneficial. Case in point, what happens to our antagonists at the end of the film.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

To me the thing that makes something truly "magic", and not a natural phenomenon, is that it cannot be understood using the scientific method.  If it behaves according to rules, and you can experiment with it and determine it's properties, then it's not magic, regardless of the terminology used to describe it; it's just an aspect of the uni/multiverse we don't yet understand.  I have seen nothing in the MCU, including Dr. Strange, to indicate that anything in it is magic in that sense.

[deanb]

Yeah with Doctor Strange they made a point of vastly curtailing his powers/artefacts and for the most part they are quite limited. The Eye of Agamoto in the comics can pretty much do anything you want it to, but here it's specifically shown to manipulate time and only time (given it's the Time gem n all). Most of the other powers largely manipulate dimensions (in a 4th dimension set, see Miegakure). So there's the doors to the other Sanctums (and similarly the windows to various areas around the world), as well as the whole "fucking things up in New York". I'd say that the cape is the only thing kind of "magical", and given one of the artefacts is "the rod of the living tribunal", I'd say they're not artefacts made by earthly sources (the Living Tribunal being a step down from god in the MCU).

 

Worth noting this is a cinematic universe where it is openly acknowledged that a vibranium shield "doesn't obey the laws of physics", Hulk is pulling in mass from somewhere, and Tony has developed a near infinite power source. None of these are considered "magical". If he pulled a chicken out of a hat, then that's magic.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Finally got around to watching the film, and it was disappointing. Seemed like they rushed into him being a magical genius.

[CorgiShinobi]

Worth noting this is a cinematic universe where it is openly acknowledged that a vibranium shield "doesn't obey the laws of physics", Hulk is pulling in mass from somewhere, and Tony has developed a near infinite power source. None of these are considered "magical". If he pulled a chicken out of a hat, then that's magic.

 

So you mean like in the mid-credits scene?

 

 

Where he changes Thor's teacup to a beer mug, and once Thor finishes it, it refills with more beer out of thin air.

 

[deanb]

Firstly, I hate to break it to you but when magicians pull a rabbit out of a hat, it's not real.

 

Secondly;

 

The latter we've already scene him do with the apple. And the former, we can technologically turn lead into gold, so turning a cup into a tankard should be doable. There's a wee conservation of mass side of thing but as noted that seems to have some lee way given the Hulk. Pulling matter from a side universe I'd imagine is doable.

Also given it's Thor we're talking about it's quite probable he'd have been given beer, so swap the probabilities around and hey presto Wong had given him a beer all along.

 

 

Ultimately though I think you missed my main point that there's a shit ton of stuff that by most other considerations is "magical" it's just because some of it is done by a "sorcerer" it's more taken note of being "magical". The official line within the MCU with Thor, and reinforced in Doctor Strange too, is that "magic" isn't much of a thing. It's a bit of a nightmare for writing, it's why a lot of stories with magic in usually limit it (i.e "can't affect free will, can't bring back the dead").

[CorgiShinobi]

Yeah, but we were talking about a chicken. 

 

But to clarify, I get your point. Truly I do as I remember the conversations had here about how Captain America's shield needs to do the impossible to be possible in the MCU. The movie trope that reality is unrealistic. The thing is, the everything is science isn't reinforced in Dr. Strange as much as you and Ethan like to believe.

 

To take one of your points: It's a bit of a nightmare for writing, it's why a lot of stories with magic in usually limit it (i.e "can't affect free will, can't bring back the dead").

 

That is brought up in the film. Remember all those spell books Wong was protecting that only the Ancient One was allowed to view? The ones, as Wong described, were unnatural and would, not could, but would cause dire consequences in the wrong hands? So later in the film...

 

When Dr. Strange begins to rewind time, I immediately thought, "Wait, isn't he going to cause an alternate timeline!" His supporting cast was alluding to a consequence to his action. One staying with him, and the other abandoning him to walk a different path.This was all from one book and one artifact.

 

Another thing is that much of the production talk outside the film talks of Dr. Strange as magic and alternate dimensions. You'll find comments from Scott Derrickson, a.k.a. the director, in wanting to ground the magic into gestures and practical measures. Not abra-kadabra, alakazam with a flick and a twist of the wrist. I mean, you can believe what you want, but it's honestly a disservice to Dr. Strange if we're going to fold our arms and say, "Damn, that's some tricky science there." In Marvel comics, compared to DC, they do a much better job of integrating the different elements of each series as a cohesive multiverse.

 

Can it be tricky? Sure, but we're also in a cinematic universe where before all-time and eternal cosmic powers have been condensed into stones that can be wielded in gauntlet form.

[TheMightyEthan]

I didn't mean to say that I thought "everything in science" is reinforced in Dr. Strange so much as it's been established in the rest of the universe (see Thor), and I didn't see anything in Dr. Strange to contradict it.  Maybe that will change in the future, but as of right now my assumption in the MCU is just like my assumption in real life: everything is science.

[deanb]

Yeah the Ancient One is very much along the lines of "practitioners of antiquity would call them spells, but you can call them programs that shape the source code of reality". Bear in mind that in our reality, in Earth-1218, we accept that about 80% of the universe is made up of shit we (currently) can't detect but we know is effecting loads of things. We also generally understand other dimensions to exist (though being along the lines of the "dark dimension" is quite unlikely). IMO quantum entanglement is pretty much magic but it's obviously a real and doable thing.

 

Also worth noting the time stuff is through the Eye of Agamoto, which is shown to be the time gem. And the director has spoken on that being sort of on purpose so they don't have a comic book Eye of Agamoto that'll do everything and anything.

 

We'll see more I guess with Thor Ragnarok given Hela is kind of a sorceress of sorts.

[CorgiShinobi]

Magic in itself can be science in that, given the series/property, there are governing rules and limitations. Unlike non-fiction science however, magic is an undefined attribute that fluctuates in any given series/property. The magic of LotR differs greatly from that of Harry Potter, where the former's is essentially the nature of the land, and the latter's is a measurable and academically approachable field that must be taught and molded.

 

Or you take something like Full Metal Alchemist. It's a science that essentially is applied by magical means. It's established an alchemist must have a thorough understanding of the composition of different matter. That there is an Equivalent Exchange in the application of alchemy. Still, there's drawing of symbols, gestures, and unnatural elements to the science when the natural laws are broken.

 

The Ancient Ones comment to Dr. Strange is to help him understand the concept of the spells. So yes, you could call them programs that work off a universally understood source code to give you intended output from recognized input. Much in the way you could say Thor's hammer works off an OS where it accepts vocal commands and has a biometric feature that recognizes a quantifiable figure to "worthines

 

After posting I got curious how this was discussed in other communities. Given Thor's line from his first movie, which really only applied to Asgard and its people, I know this must have had some ripple around the cinematic universe. For the most part I was just finding what I found before, where the movie is labeled as magic and alternate dimensions. I stumbled upon a Reddit thread where this was discussed and I only bring it up because the top comment and its thread work together the kind of magic Dr. Strange and Marvel delves in. It's an orderly magic that harnesses energies, transcends dimensions, and alters perception. Of course, later on there's the article from Gamesradar where Derrickson explains it's magic as it can't be scientifically explained. That's reinforced by some other articles where Dr. Strange will apply his understanding of science and magic, but still be left with nothing as his answer.

 

Speaking of, that's much like the Infinity Stones. There won't ever really be an answer because they themselves are components of the universe that have just... been there. They can be harnessed with science like in Captain America: The First Avenger, and they can be used in magic like in Dr. Strange. As they are the universe in ingot form, they have multiple applications and appearances throughout time. Either as a source of knowledge, a prized treasure, or the means to indescribable power.

[danielpholt]

.............

 

I watched Creed. 

It's basically my favourite boxing movie. Great story, interesting characters and some of my favourite 'sports' scenes from any film. The camera work was especially fantastic. Also Michael B Jordan, I love the man. Clear Eyes and all that. The score was a little lacking, apart from that one moment, and it's perhaps a smidge too short, but those are some very small niggles indeed. 

I'm an emotional mess ATM, so take this with a pinch of salt. Creed made me cry. It made me hopeful and it made me incredibly excited all at once. I loved this film.

[Mr. GOH!]

Split.

It's a slick B-movie with some great character work from McAvoy. The abducted girls are good, too. I quite enjoy the movies Shyamalan has made since his fucking-up of the last airbender and subsequent humbling. While there isn't a traditional Shyamalan twist, the movie works best if it's not spoiled too much beyond the basic premise. Heavy spoilers behind the tag.

Spoiler

Also, Jesus Christ, it's a sequel to Unbreakable, which I remember really liking. But that aspect isn't revealed until the last minute of the movie, which kinda works. Apparently, Shyamalan wants to do a movie with Willis and McAvoy squaring off. I was not spoiled, and it was only about 2/3 of the way through the movie that I realized that the movie was heading into comic book territory. 

 

 

[deanb]

Yeah the spoiler I'd heard ages ago. I might give it a go, though majority of M Night movies have kinda never really fit with me.

[Mr. GOH!]

After the Storm, a Japanese film directed by Koreeda Hirokazu about a kinda loser middle-aged man dealing with his divorced wife, their son, and his aging mother. The main character wrote one successful novel fifteen years before and afterwards slid into compulsive gambling and now works as a part-time private eye, mainly spying on cheating spouses (and then extorting his targets without telling his boss). It's not the best Koreeda movie, but it's a nice, small film about family, relationships, and the choices we make in life. The acting was all quite good as well. 

Colossal, which I really liked. The premise is that the main character, played by Anne Hathaway, fucked up her blogging career in New York a few years prior and descended into being an alcoholic leech on her successful boyfriend (played by Dan Stevens). He kicks her out of his posh Manhattan apartment because of her hard partying and she moves back to her small town and meets up with an elementary school classmate played by Jason Sudeikis, who gives her a job at the bar he owns while she gets back on her feet. She ends up drinking with him and his group of loser-ish friends after her shift at the bar every night. I won't spoil too much, but after she moves back to her small town, a kaiju appears in Seoul and trashes the downtown for ten or fifteen minutes and then disappears. Hathaway's character figures out that she controls the kaiju in the sense that it tracks her movements. I won't give any more away (this is all in the trailers). The movie is ultimately about toxic relationships, feminism (although not in a direct, hit-you-over-the-head way), and about considering the effects of one's choices on people both close to you and impossibly remote. The critics are divided on this one, but any who say the movie does not have a clear thematic throughline just don't get it. 

And, finally, I got around to watching The Green Room, a non-supernatural horror film about a punk band that gets trapped in a rural punk venue run by neo-Nazis in the Pacific Northwest. Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart are great in it, and it is a tight, bloody horror movie that is never boring. It subverts enough traditional horror tropes to be fresh, but it isn't innovative in any huge way. Lately, these sorts of movies feature weird or intentionally mysterious and creepy antagonists; Stewart and his skinhead thugs are not cartoonishly over-the-top but are nevertheless thoroughly reprehensible antagonists. I highly suggest it if you like horror films. 

Edited April 12, 2017 by Mr. GOH!

[deanb]

Me: "Wait Colossal is out, I've not seen a peep about it"
*googles*
It's not out in the UK until mid May. :/

Good to hear you enjoyed it, certainly a premise that intrigued me.

[TheMightyEthan]

Ha! For once we get a movie before you!

[deanb]

Eh, I'll take a week head start on the MCU films over a month for Colossal.

[deanb]

The Founder

A fairly solidly built film with a mixed take on the early years of McDonalds. At times it's an angle of Ray Kroc as a shark smelling blood, and others it's a driven man creating a huge empire rags to riches and getting the girl. An interesting tale I guess, and all the more so given McDonalds is a fucking huge international brand.

The McDonalds brothers are quite well cast I think and they do seem to have quite good chemistry and a "wholesome" appeal to them. The setting was quite good, and opening sorta showing how the drive-in dinners were originally (which not really a thing over here so nice to have that intorduction). I quite liked the scene where Ray ordered and received his first McDonalds and is like "but I just ordered...and where's the silverware...where to I eat it?" and the server is looking at him like he's just crawled out of the ocean.

Also Nite Owl is in this, it took me a while to recognise him (in a "I recognise him, but not where from...to the IMDB mobile!"). He plays one of Rays franchisees and ex-husband of Rays future wife.

It does end with the "this person went on to become an astronaut" cliche.

I think something that might have helped, at least for me, was maybe years in the bottom corner or at least something indicating a passage of time. I've no idea if the film spans over say a year or a decade or more. I know it ends some time before President Reagan cos it references him as Governor. But I've no idea when that was. Oh wait...80s cos Thatcher years. But still, it even references 1954 (founding of the first McDonalds) so that's a huge span of time.

It's not my usual film but it interested me from its early trailers (like 3 years ago I think.)

[Mal]

When Marnie Was There

A Studio Ghibli film so you cannot go wrong with the art, animation and music direction. It's always fun to spot the very minor but critical animation details. I really got to commend the atmosphere of the silo scene since it gave off the kind of scares when you are in a scary place and you're alone. The narrative while quite predictable also explored some topics a bit dear to my heart.

Everything though is more low key than the Ghibli's greats. Kind of like The Secret World of Arrietty which is by the same director, Hiromasa Yonebayashi. He's definitely a good choice to continue on with Studio Ghibli's sprite since, face it, Ghibli is probably going to end with Miyazaki and Takahata. I look forward to Studio Ponoc's Mary and the Witch's Flower.

Maybe I'll go watch Your Name next. Shinkai's narratives never jived well with me but maybe that will be different.