Last Good Movie You Saw

[deanb]

Watched Eddie The Eagle with family on Monday, bit of a going away day for my bro.

 

For those unfamiliar, which was pretty much everyone except my mum who I guess was a teen at the time, he's sort of the British version of Cool Runnings, and was in the same olympics. In fact in the background the radio does mention the Jamaican bobsled team too.

 

It's pretty good, heartwarming kind of film. There's no huge surprises (he comes in last) but Taron Eggerton is pretty great in it (like...you can sort of make out it's him but he's rather different in mannerism n such). The real Eddie Edwards ever stated it was like looking at a mirror. Wolverine also shows up as the washed up failed Olympian to train him, though he's a fictional creation. I imagine Christopher Walken was too. The core message I guess is about following your dream regardless of whether you're the best or not.

 

Tomorrow the plan is to watch Zootropolis, hopefully I'll be coming back to this thread too.

[danielpholt]

Batman v Superman.

 

I enjoyed it, faults and all.

 

I'll watch it again upon release, same with MoS and most 'Comic Book Movies'.

[deanb]

T2.

 

I've seen it before obviously, and I'd hope most of you guys have too. It's just such a great film. 

[deanb]

The Peanuts Movie

 

Watched this with my younger singlings, figured it'd be fine for them but was great for myself too. Used to read them back when I was young, have popped em on my little sisters Kindle too fiigured she'd enjoy. The annimation style on this was great, quite often a sort of faux 2D look throughout and very stylized look and effects. Overall the plot was pretty basic, following Charlie Brown trying to win the love of the Red Haired Girl, intermixed with Snoopys struggles against the Red Baron. Was quite nostalgic to watch, had a lot drawn from the old cartoon too with the "waah-waah" of the parents n such.

So yeah, good for the kids n nostalgic for the adults.

 

Followed up with the original Jungle Book too for the kiddies. Was talking with the kids on my childhood films, they were shocked to find Toy Story was the first 3D film and I was 7 when it came out and its only recent to have so many 3D films.

[deanb]

The Last Witch Hunter

 

Watched this with my dad, it's pretty neat. Both visually n fairly simple to follow story. Reading Hellblazer at the moment and yeah I'd say it's quite similar in tone n style to Constantine movie. So if you liked that you'll like this. I think the "trap" in the middle was a bit disorientating though, but I guess it was sort of meant to be. Oh yeah it has err..forget her name but "You know nothing Jon Snow" lass in too, she's quite a good choice for a witch has sort of similar bone structure to the Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz.

It does a good job of giving glimpses of the lore/world building too which is quite neat.

[deanb]

Captain America: Civil War

 

So I've just come from this movie so obviously still hype n got to mull over to pick up the bad bits (but if you've seen enough MCU films you know where its weakest element is anyway) but other than that it's great.

 

Probably the biggest thing for this is the fight coreography, it was great for all of them. This is the Avengers after months/years of training and honing their skills and they show it. I think it helps to not have Thor n Hulk in purely cos it means the fighting isn't as lopsided n all punchy punchy throughout but a nice use of all their powers and skills.(though there's one notable big hitter around but he's "distracted"). New additions are on point and Spider-Man was fantastic n while I'm bummed on the continually pre-20s Parker he's pretty neat so I'll let it slide. T'Challa is a great and organic addition and I'm looking forward to his standalone film. A shame his wife is in another franchises, but eh so are a few Avengers.

 

Only negatives:

Quite on the nose cameo, but it's a treat n over quite quick.

The villain (despite carrying a name that should make him more formidable)

Much like Week of Ultron, it's pretty much Civil Brawl but what one hell of a brawl it is.

It's quite anticlimactic.

Martin Freeman fucking sucked.

I drank too much tea before I left and had to nip to loo for like 5 minutes so something in that could have happened that was fantastic, but I feel not.

 

Now on to the spoiler filled section where I gush in detail.

 

 

Holy shit the bit about Empire Strikes Back you feel every grey hair on your head. This kiss scene was great too, audience erupted at that one. In relation to that I'm waiting for this to receive a relevant update:

http://i.imgur.com/q9HKQA4.gifv

 

That airport fight was totally awesome.

http://i.imgur.com/mYDFS.gifv

 

Because my housemate hypocritically told me who was gonna be in it a certain huge part of the scene was spoiled, but damn it worked great and much better in practice than I'd imagine it would be. A shame they didn't go full hog and only paralysed the guy who spends most his time in an exo suit already.

 

That helicopter bit I'm sure half the pop are pulling this face:

http://i.imgur.com/Dv3a7.gifv

 

I think it worked for having a less quippy Tony Stark Stank too, if he was all jokes then I think it'd ruin the film (and also I guess make it less of a Captain America film). Though Lang and Parker did well in lightning the mood, and the "it's bigger" joke was good. They did sort of 'Quicksilver' Spider-Man a bit early, but at least he was out for the count a bit, rather than just left on a runway.

 

Oh Red Wing was neat to have in, and worked quite well too. I'm continuing on from my Ultron issue that most of the gear (except I guess Ant-Mans) is quite Stark orientated. But I guess it does make sense). On the Ant-Man topic I loved his new design, nice upgrade from the more "retro" look he had in Ant-Man. I suspect that Ant-Man lacks a hyphen but I can't be arsed to check.

 

On the bad guy front I think Zemo could have been better. Tbh I was also hugely distracted in separating him from his Basterds character. Zemo does make a lot of sense to be in this, but I think they shouldn't have had him kill the other Winter Soldiers but convert them to the Thunderbolts or something, so there's something long-term for a bad guy threat (and hey, throw them in AoS). But what's done is done, at least he's alive. And yeah I guess technically he won too. Does make Captain even less "special" though with the amount of super-serumed folks and related popping up. Which on that thought I hope the standalone Spidey doesn't have an origin in it cos I think they handled it great here in just saying "long story".

Zemo did have a point though, which I think helped with the shade of grey, unlike most other bad guys who just want to rule. (on shades of grey: loved the symbolism in the end credits). But yeah, hoping for some more from Zemo since he does head the Thunderbolts in comics post/during Civil War (given Crossbones showed up in this it's sorta likely)

 

Vision was great, though notably absent during bits of the Airport fight when he probably could have taken on everyone single handed. AoS already had a bit of a nod to their comic book relationship, but this really drove home the Wanda & Vision up a tree doing what they shouldn't be...

 

Oh yeah, on a VFX spot, the bit at the start with early 20s Stark/RDJ was really really good.

 

Oh yeah, Panthers movement. Like I really liked the choreography n movement in this, and Panther was superb, he moved like what a Panther-god enhanced human would move like right down to hardly ever making a sound when moving around.

 

Oh I think Wanda showed a slight bit of Infinity War set-up too. She didn't control Vision, the mind gem is clearly what lit up under her power. I suspect she's got part of the stone in her and that'll probably play into part of Infinity War and also maybe start to expand her powers into "I can cause House of M" territory cos she's certainly a lot stronger than in AoU.

 

 

God I'd be embarrassed if I just knocked out another superhero fighting each other movie....

 

 

But yeah, here's looking forward to the rest of Phase 3.

[Hot Heart]

Saw it last night. Loved it. They're right when they say, "This isn't Avengers 2.5"... because it's pretty much Avengers 3.

 

While it doesn't seem like it, it covers so much ground but gives everyone enough time without bogging down the pace. The Spidey introduction is jarring for a second then quickly falls into place. And the way they pair up certain characters, not just in action scenes but the dramatic/dialogue-led scenes is well-done, too.

 

And, of course, it's got so many good bits of humour.

 

Also, best Spider-Man ever.

 

 

There's totally almost a Martha moment in the Cap/Spidey exchange.

"Queens."

"Brooklyn."

 

[Hot Heart]

What We Do in the Shadows

 

Been meaning to watch this for a while. Very funny with some terrific writing and acting. It does a great job of squeezing humour out of the vampire (and werewolf) mythos while building an amusing ensemble of characters. Weird to think that Viago will be directing the next Thor film. Then again, who figured the guys who worked on Arrested Development and Community would wind up helming one of the biggest, if not the biggest, superhero films ever? Marvel seems to like making somewhat left-field director choices, and it's worked so far.

 

p.s. "We're werewolves, not swearwolves!"

[TheMightyEthan]

"Language."

 

*Edit - When I came in here I was expecting you to be talking about Civil War and was so ready to be all "SCREW YOU GUYS FOR GETTING IT EARLIER!"

Edited May 3, 2016 by TheMightyEthan

[deanb]

They're doing a sequel: "We're Wolves"

[Hot Heart]

Amazing. Felt they could have their own film while watching it.

 

Ethan, Civil War is oooold news now. Gosh!

[danielpholt]

Captain America Civil War

 

It was setting up to be another solid entry into the Marvel world. And then we got the airport stuff. That takes it to another level. Everything after that was some of my favourite MCU stuff to date.

 

Loved the introductions of new characters, especially Blank Panther who I'm really excited about seeing more of. Spiderman is Spiderman, although I think I might actually have some interest in seeing a solo Spidey film this time.

 

I even had some sympathy for the villain, not something I ever expected to feel in a Marvel movie.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[deanb]

"Spiderman" is actually Spider-Man.

 

Black Panther wasn't like a show stealer or anything, but I went in not expecting much from him except like a bit of a cameo to lead into the solo film but he was really well done.

[TCP]

"Spiderman" is actually Spider-Man.

 

SAYS THE GUY WITH A MESSAGE BOARD THAT HAS A SUBFORUM CALLED "Playstation".   

[Mr. GOH!]

Captain America: Civil War

 

It's weird that this is a far better Avengers movie than Age of Ultron. I also find it fascinating how Tony Stark falls victim to his own paranoia/anxiety and has changed as a character since the heady Iron Man 2 days when we would tell the government to take a hike. Despite being a Disney joint, Civil War confronts its main protagonists' emotional damage head-on in a way that feel more honest than in any other superhero movie since the Raimi Spider-Man films. I mean, of course Ant-Man and *ahem* Spider-man's arcs are not as fleshed-out, but that's forgivable given the nature of comic book team-ups. 

 

Tom Holland was a really great Spider-Man and the Russos really nailed the snarky-yet-naive quips. But they did not feel like Stark quips or Lang quips, which is what I feared when I first learned all three MCU Earth-based quipsters would be in a fight scene together (I can only imagine the snark when Quill, Stark, Parker, and Lang all team up in one of the Infinity Wars). Stark and Parker's scene was fun, too. I like that the Parkers live in an apartment, which is more realistic than working class people living in a house in Queens these days.  

 

I also found it interesting that The Vision represented the philosophical ehart of the pro-Accords faction; Stark was just reacting according to his own emotional turmoil (he's a master at post-facto rationales rather than serious reflection), and Rhodes was just following his long-held principle of loyalty to his government (even that means loyalty to a supernational body's dictates). On the other hand, Captain's justification for not signing the Accords has little heft; we're told that maybe the UN wouldn't go after Zemo, but that's never established. In fact, if the UN were to forbid pursuit of Zemo, it would have been right; Zemo killed the evil super soldiers and only wanted to pit Stark and Rogers against each other.  On the other hand, keeping Rogers' stance purely philosophical keeps the tension between the pro-Accord and anti-Accord factions alive.

 

Cadwick Boseman is a fantastic Black Panther and I eagerly await his solo film.I liked his arc, too; overcoming the need for vengeance makes him a mature leader, buthaving known what it's like to seek vengeance makes him more human than, say, The Vision.

 

I liked Black Widow and the Scarlet Witch, too, but I felt like both needed more time to shine (aside from in fight scenes). Black Widow was very Black Widow-y and Wanda did not have quite as much heft to her non-combat scenes, despite Olsen being as good an actor as anyone else in the movie. it's good to see her combat prowess grow, though, since I hear her character is (was?) one of the most powerful in the comic book continuity.

 

I'd say this is the best of the MCU movies and it really makes me look forward to seeing the next few. 

 

PS: Dean from Community! The Staircar from Arrested Development! I like the Russo Bros Easter Eggs.

[CorgiShinobi]

Eh, do we need to still put spoilers for the movie? Zemo's plan is kinda twist there. It's what I wanted to talk about because I really enjoyed the movie and I think we've already touched upon some of the negatives. Just, Zemo's plan seems too plot dependent and highly unlikely.

 

Just in case, spoiler tags

 

So, cool that Zemo wanted to break up the Avengers and he kinda succeeds. But, he goes through all this drama so that he can possibly get both Rogers and Stark in a secret Siberian bunker to show off a recording, perfect angle and all, of Bucky killing the late Mr. and Mrs. Stark. It's hard to think he already knew about the assassination, but he must have. In a way, I guess all he was doing, going on about report details, is trying to find the video.

 

Which, I forget, did we learn about the Starks' deaths in Winter Soldier? Rogers already knew and I don't remember where we, the viewers, learned of it as well. Unless it's suppose to be a reveal to us too.

 

[deanb]

In Winter Soldier

 

Zola flashes a chunk of newspaper archives n redacted mission documents while discussing the rise of Hydra. There is the implication that Bucky killed Howard, but it's not outright stated. Rogers will have likely put two n two together given he's pretty much told "accidents happen" in relation to Howards death, and he knows one of Hydras tools for making accidents happen.

 

As for Zemo he's likely gotten info from the info dump Black Widow released that Winter Soldier was used on a mission in Dec, and then there's also knowing the date Howard has his "car crash" that killed both of Tonys parents. It's reasonable he put two n two together, then yeah tracked down the original tape. He sort of says as much to the hydra guy he drowns. If he didn't find it and they both turned up to the base, he had nothing and they killed him it wasn't going to hugely change his eventual plan, he just wouldn't get the satisfaction of breaking up Avengers first.

 

I suspect that the Russo brothers also worked with the assumption folks would watch Winter Soldier not long before seeing Civil War so it'd be somewhat fresh in their mind.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

Civil War

 

 

I don't think his plan required they find him in the bunker, that was just a happy accident. His plan would have worked equally well had he simply got out of the bunker and released the video, as long as Bucky was still around.

 

[TCP]

Be Here To Love Me

I've been getting really into Townes Van Zandt lately. I always liked country music when it's authentic and not overly produced (I feel overly produced country music flies in the face of what country music is al about) and Townes' music is definitely very real. The guy who runs the record store I visit recommended this film to me and I'm glad he did. It's a documentary that focuses just as much on his music as his life, which after watching the movie I understand it's probably the only way you can do a movie about him since he didn't seem to care about much other than music. You leave the movie feeling bad for Townes, even if it sounds like he could be a bit of an asshole. Even if you're not into acoustic folky country rock, if you're interested at all in musician's who've lived interesting and unique lives, I recommend giving it a watch.

[deanb]

The Hobbit: Tolkien Edit

 

So part of reducing the time of our Lord of the Rings marathon we watched the "Tolkien Edit" of The Hobbit. This fan edit (we've joked it's probably Peter Jackson) crops the trilogy into a single 4hr long movie (bit longer with credits included). It does this by removing most of Legolas (he's in for like 2 seconds), the elf lass (probably all of 14 frames), the entirety of Radagast and Dol Guldur (Gandalf fucks off for most the film all largely unexplained just like he does in the books), a bunch of the orc chasing sequences, and much of lake town as well(mainly concerning the Master), and cropping down stuff like the Barrel riders and bits of Smaug in the mountain (though it does mean he magically leaves the mountain coated in gold where before he wasn't) and a whole host of other things (like, 50% of the films really). It flows rather well together, I've watched a fan cut of a film years back and it was soo bad, like hard cuts n weird music and such but this (apart from Smaug suddenly in gold, and another bit with Beorn) flows so smoothly and there's only a couple quibbles we had but it's largely to do with the source material he had to work with. It was a much better film. Delayed our LotR watching to the point we've had to put off Return of the King, but was good to watch. It shows that yes it's a bit much for a single film, but it's nowhere near enough in there to make a trilogy without a nearly half your film being filler.

[Strangelove]

Neighbors 2. It's funny. Of course you have to like the first one to like this one. It's kind of more of the same.

 

The grownup stuff is disproportionally way funnier than the sorority stuff though. Not the girl's fault, they just didn't have a lot of jokes on their scripts.

Rogen, Byrne and Efron have really good chemistry. I don't know why but I find it weird. I guess I never saw Byrne and Efron as comedic actors. I figured the first movie was just them doing it for the fuck of it. But they're pretty legit now.

 

Also, there's this Asian girl in most of the sorority scenes who will say one line and always crack me up.

 

I will say that they wasted Dave Franco and Carla Gallo. They both have maybe one funny scene each. Hope there's an uncut version with more of them in it.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Strangelove

[Mr. GOH!]

Was the Asian girl played by Awkwafina? http://www.awkwafina.com/

 

She's a well-known outer borough comic rapper here in NYC. This video was her breakout: https://youtu.be/0-taYShNaPU

 

Edit: that song will make no sense if you don't live in NYC.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Mr. GOH!

[TCP]

X-Men: Apocalypse

Pretty good, I went in with low expectations so I think that's why I didn't get disappointed. It didn't really feel like the end of the trilogy though, so I imagine they're going to do more. As a fan of the "classic" X-Men who aren't Wolverine, I left the theatre pretty happy. Scott is an actual character, not just a dick to Logan. Jean Grey is ok. Nightcrawler was pretty great. And of course Quicksilver was awesome, he has an even better scene than last time. As for Wolvie, his appearance would have been more impactful if it hadn't been spoiled by the trailer. Did you get excited for Jubilee? Well too bad, she's barely in it! Fuck I'm not even 100% sure if she had lines?? That leads to the film's biggest problem. There's probably too many characters. It's ok with some of the characters from previous films having a reduced storyline because we already know them, but Storm, Angel, and Psylocke really got short changed. Oh and Apocalypse's makeup looked just as bad in the theatre as it did in the trailers. My wife didn't even realize Oscar Isaac was in it until the credits, I had to explain who he was. 

But I still think it was better than the original films. It seemed to feel more like an X-Men team movie, more so than the original films which felt like Wolverine films and the last two movies which felt like Professor X and Magneto films.

Edited May 29, 2016 by The Cowboy Poet

[Mr. GOH!]

Jubilee had 2 lines. Maybe 3. Also, the movie doesn't make a lick of sense. Quicksilver needs a solo movie.

[deanb]

They are doing more, next one already announced with the New Mutants or whatever the hell it was, the second set of X-Men. Which the ending was sort of setting up.

 

Also the only interaction between Logan n Scott, Scott was a dick about it.

 

And yeah waaayyyy too many people. Prety poor motiviation n such too. Writing was really the films major poor point and not much you could do on top of that.