What Movie Are You Watching?

[Huntn]

Dumb and Dumber (1994)- Floyd’s dream is an amazing sequence in movie comedy history. Then the incident at Dante’s. Yet the critics did not love it.

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[Roller]

Avatar (2009)- Live action-animated like never before. The most incredible thing about this movie is besides the story (although the theme has been seen before but not in this setting) is the creativity on display, science fiction, the scope and epic nature of the conflict, a seemingly complete world created, amazing cinematography, and fidelity to physics, and the way imagined organisms would move. Hard to believe this was filmed in a warehouse.

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Was this the first time you saw it? I remember being mesmerized by effects on Pandora, especially during the night scenes.

I'm looking forward to the sequel in December. It'll be interesting to see how advancements in CGI will serve the production and storytelling, though practical effects are sometimes preferred when feasible.

 

[Huntn]

Was this the first time you saw it? I remember being mesmerized by effects on Pandora, especially during the night scenes.

I'm looking forward to the sequel in December. It'll be interesting to see how advancements in CGI will serve the production and storytelling, though practical effects are sometimes preferred when feasible.

I first saw it at the theater when it premiered, then I went to iMax to see it again a couple months later and I have the bluray version at home. Fingers crossed the long wait was worth it.

I understand where you are coming from about practical effects, but the fidelity of CGI is becoming so good, it's getting difficult to tell the difference. There are movies with animals, that you can't really tell if these critters arereal or CGI, that is until they start talking or tap dancing or are a dino, or a critter on Pandora... Two of my favorite practical effects movies are Aliens, and The Thing (1984).

 

[Huntn]

Love and Monsters (2020)- (watched before) Post Apocalyptic, civilizations decimated, most humans killed and/or consumed by large mutated creatures of Earth origin after a world wide event. Love drives one person on the short wave for seven years talking to her, to brave the wilds and reunite with his girlfriend.

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[DT]

The Black Phone
2021
R
Horror/Thriller
Based on a Joe Hill story.

Solid thriller with supernatural elements, not so much "scary" as an anxiety generating, slow burn thriller. Hawke is always awesome, and this is a second Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill "horror" movie he starred in, see below

(Saw this as an early release rental)

Sinister
2012
R
Horror
Supernatural horror, true crime author gets involved in researching the horrific deaths of families and disappearance of children, neat use of old school 8/16mm type movies/projector, the nature of communication. Pretty decent, elevated by the Hawke performance, same writer/director team as The Black Phone.

 

[lizkat]

What movie I guess we are all NOT going to be watching... the "irredeemable" Batgirl. The fallout from Discovery merger continues, but this is some pricey writeoff here, wow.

‘Irredeemable’ Batgirl movie unexpectedly cancelled despite being in final stages

Warner Bros confirms film starring Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, Michael Keaton, JK Simmons and Brendan Fraser won’t ever be released

www.theguardian.com

 

[DT]

What movie I guess we are all NOT going to be watching... the "irredeemable" Batgirl. The fallout from Discovery merger continues, but this is some pricey writeoff here, wow.

Yeah, I was reading about this yesterday. Hahaha, given some of DC's other releases, I can't imagine this being so "irredeemable" that it's not even dumped on streaming, which sort of leads to a few things I've read on some other coverage of this - from a poster on AVC:

According to Variety, whose sources I trust more than the New York Post, it wasn’t about the quality of the film but a continuation of Zaslov’s slash and burn reorganizing of the film and TV division. He wants all DC stuff to be huge theatrical releases, not mid-budget direct to HBO Max releases. Not only does not want DC stuff on streaming and TV, there are reports that he wants to keep ANY HBO Max original movie under a $35 mil budget.

 

[lizkat]

Yeah, I was reading about this yesterday. Hahaha, given some of DC's other releases, I can't imagine this being so "irredeemable" that it's not even dumped on streaming, which sort of leads to a few things I've read on some other coverage of this - from a poster on AVC:

Beancounters.... always the beancounters.

 

[DT]

Beancounters.... always the beancounters.

Totally, and this guy has a very specific agenda, that could also threaten things like a second season of Peacemaker.

Most sources say "complete", but I guess it's also possible there was some significant additional post-production still to go[?]

... or this is a super smart reverse psychology exercise: "Well, we've decided to release it anyway, I'm SURE nobody will want to see it ..." and it racks up $300M in train-wreck revenue

 

[lizkat]

Totally, and this guy has a very specific agenda, that could also threaten things like a second season of Peacemaker.

Most sources say "complete", but I guess it's also possible there was some significant additional post-production still to go[?]

... or this is a super smart reverse psychology exercise: "Well, we've decided to release it anyway, I'm SURE nobody will want to see it ..." and it racks up $300M in train-wreck revenue

Sounds to me like they mean to greenlight only blockbusting global theatrical releases... but it's nuts to put HBO originals meant for streaming on a $35M per film budget. They may as well shoot everything with a handheld iPhone.

On the wrap of your post there, yeah, "never" is aways a sometime word, isn't it.

That biz is ego driven even if the beancounters do rule, and right now there are a lot of personality issues and rivalry among down-chart employees at both Discovery and Warner Media plus a lot of sharp elbows within HBO. But even in the days of $300M "big movie" budgets, the $90m or so writeoff of Batgirl seems... well, maybe hasty, despite rumors of bad feedback on trial screenings during post production work.

Zaslav is canning Batgirl at least in part because he promised Wall Street big cost savings and is trying to sweep out whatever big bucks operations that look like they're needing still more big bucks without sufficient justification. And he might not be spending a lot of time listening to anyone trying to offer those justifications.

Money talks, art struggles for patronage... and Wall Street likes those flash bang action flicks that teenage boys all over the planet like to see in theatre. Was Batgirl ever going to be that? Nope, and by preannounced intention just to stream the thing.

Maybe after things settle down in the merged landscape, Warner Brothers Discovery will unearth a reason to revive post production of Batgirl. Right now it's all about trying to get the Wall Street to bless the merger and kill off all those annoying flashback stories about the disastrous mergers that had preceded it, e.g., AOL with Time Warner, and then ATT with Time Warner... so Batgirl is just a victim (perhaps temporary) of Zaslav's desire to show the street he's actually making a profitable enterprise out of yet another merger where a lot of people threw around the word "synergy" knowing full well it's all about the money and hang if the crews on the two sides have had different ideas about how to make entertainment.

 

[Huntn]

The 15:17 To Paris (2018)- Based on a true story, a terrorist event on a train that requires you watch the entire lives of 3 Americans with drips and drabs of the event scattered throughout the film as if to remind you why you decided to watch it. Terrible critic and audience reviews at Rotten Tomatoes. The film imo has serious pacing issues. I expected more from Clint Eastwood.

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Spoiler

What happens is completely heroic, nothing over the top, but the event takes about 15 minutes, and required too much other stuff not related to the event to make a movie of it. And if felt like too much like reality which can be good or bad depending on your perspective. Watching the trio get in trouble as juveniles did not pull me in. Too much time spent on previous years and vacation.

Very interesting is that the real people involved in this incident, played themselves. Maybe that’s why it felt like a reality story.

 

[lizkat]

The 15:17 To Paris (2018)

Thanks for the heads up. Think you watched it so I don't have to?

I'm finally going to watch The Perfect Storm this weekend.

Read a nonfiction book titled The Lost Boys of Montauk recently, about another perfect storm, one offshore Long Island in late winter of 1984. Then got around to reading The Perfect Storm, so now I'm ready for whatever they've done in having made that movie version of the latter book. I like reading the book first for some reason.

Just as a sidebar, that book The Lost Boys of Montauk was interesting for having also delved into the history of the development of the whole eastern end of Long Island -- the Hamptons and eastward-- including the establishment of the Long Island Railroad, and the separations (physical, social, economic) between those who have long lived there year round as fishermen and those who even today are mostly seasonal residents, many very wealthy, and/or powerful politicians and celebrities.

 

[Huntn]

Lightyear (2022)- I’m a big Toy Story Fan, and this story did nothing for me, didn’t even finish it. Agreement not expected.

 

[Huntn]

The Long Hot Summer (1958)- Classic story based in the 1930s Mississippi based on 3 Faulkner stories. Great performances by Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Orson Wells.

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[DT]

The Long Hot Summer (1958)- Classic story based in the 1930s Mississippi based on 3 Faulkner stories. Great performances by Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Orson Wells.

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I'd very highly recommend the new documentary miniseries (6 episodes) The Last Movie Stars about Woodward and Newman, it's directed by Ethan Hawke, who was asked by the family to do this project. They do some dramatic recreations based on interview transcripts, and it's pretty amazing, Laura Linney is Joanne Woodward, and George Clooney is Paul Newman, it's seamless with actual original video and audio, and everything is put together kind of through Hawke's vision as an artist himself.

It's currently on HBOMax (or just HBO, or Disco+, or whateverthehell it is this month ... )

 

[lizkat]

The Long Hot Summer (1958)- Classic story based in the 1930s Mississippi based on 3 Faulkner stories. Great performances by Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Orson Wells.

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tbh i have been more of a fan of the 1985 remake, but the original also deserves its place in my loosely organized collections of films about... yeah, summertime. There's something about summer that can bring out the best and worst in people, and so likewise operate in stories and films about such dramas.

 

[Alli]

We got tickets to go see Bullet Train on Thursday. It looks like fun. Meanwhile I decided to wait for Thor: Love and Thunder to hit Disney+.

 

[Huntn]

Quiet Place 2 (2020)- Worthy sequel. Si-Fy Horror, aggressive, murderous alien creatures invade Earth whose primary sense is sound. What is interesting is that the beginning of this movie shows the beginning of the event. The first movie started in the ongoing situation, this is a direct sequel that starts with a flashback. I enjoyed this because the tempo was perfect, no dragging.

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[Roller]

I watched Thirteen Lives, a docupic about the rescue of 12 boys and their coach from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand in 2018. It's on Amazon Prime. Despite knowing the outcome, I found it gripping, especially its depiction of multi-hour underwater traverses through tight passages. Although I remember the incident vividly, some aspects were new to me.

IMO, this is the sort of film Ron Howard excels at, as he did with Apollo 13, where the outcome was also known.

 

[shadow puppet]

I watched Thirteen Lives, a docupic about the rescue of 12 boys and their coach from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand in 2018. It's on Amazon Prime. Despite knowing the outcome, I found it gripping, especially its depiction of multi-hour underwater traverses through tight passages. Although I remember the incident vividly, some aspects were new to me.

IMO, this is the sort of film Ron Howard excels at, as he did with Apollo 13, where the outcome was also known.

Glad to read this. It's on my to watch list as I've greatly enjoyed Ron's work in the past. Thanks for the feedback.