The Films You Watched Thread VI: The Undiscovered Movie

[fallenangle]

Made the mistake of watching Euphoria 2017 on BBC2 on Friday.

What could have better potential than a film featuring Eva Green and Alicia Vikander as estranged sisters supported by Charles Dance and Charlotte Rampling? Almost anything - utterly depressing, unengaging and even the main plot 'twist' was signposted only a few minutes in and I'd guessed where this was going long before it arrived at the final destination.

Spoilers but this review pretty much sums up my feelings except I would not criticise any of the cast much at all except for their decision to appear in this film.

[Neon Ignition]

House of Wax
The 1953 version, never seen it before so it was eye opening as to how much the remake clearly couldn't care about it. Not an effective film but that's almost entirely down to its age now.

Last Night in Soho
I liked this but if I'm being honest it felt like Wright really reigned himself in and as a result it watered the film down. It's solid but a tad unremarkable, I expected a more visually and narratively darker and twisted take.

Jackass 3
I recall this being lesser than the previous two but on rewatch it was solid fun again

Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins
Sweet jesus, how to gut out a franchise of all its identifiable elements and in its place craft an origin story that's only half an origin and a damn dull one at that.

[wakka]

I watched Another Round

This is kind of a coming-of-middle-age film about four schoolteachers who are all dissatisfied in their lives in different ways. They decide to test a theory that humans function better with 0.05 blood alcohol content, basically by necking alcohol before and during work. It goes well, until it doesn't.

Overall, this is a pretty good. The idea of maintaining a particular blood alcohol level for improved professional and social performance is an intriguing premise, but it's really more of a framing device for a kitchen sink melodrama about the men's personal lives. I felt the film didn't go far enough with the idea of their being constantly slightly drunk. That component seems to reach its apotheosis quite quickly so that they can move forward with the family based drama. And I thought that was a shame.

I found myself not so much gripped, as gently handled. It's a decent watch, though.

[QualityChimp]

Men in Black
I'd forgotten that this was based off a Marvel comic. You know what, I was slightly underwhelmed upon a rewatch. The coupling of Smith and Jones (not those two...) is still brilliant and it chugs along at a decent pace, but seemed to lack something. I'd forgotten how smokin' hot Linda Fiorentino is in this, though! It's a PG, but there's swearing all over, which was annoying. Still good fun, though.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Well, this is still an astonishing slice of pure cinema, isn't it?
Just everything about it is amazing. I guess I wish they'd made Marion a little more consistently tough, rather than flitting to damsel in distress, but that's a small thing.
One thing that stood out this time was the excellent use of light and shadow. Just brilliant framing of the characters using light and silhouette.

[Atticus]

Last Night in Soho
I liked this but if I'm being honest it felt like Wright really reigned himself in and as a result it watered the film down. It's solid but a tad unremarkable, I expected a more visually and narratively darker and twisted take.

Even with its flaws (one moment it's sweeping you away majestically and the next you feel like you're watching an ep of Doctor Who) I absolutely loved Last Night in Soho. Completely lost myself in it.

I watched Another Round

This is kind of a coming-of-middle-age film about four schoolteachers who are all dissatisfied in their lives in different ways. They decide to test a theory that humans function better with 0.05 blood alcohol content, basically by necking alcohol before and during work. It goes well, until it doesn't.

Overall, this is a pretty good. The idea of maintaining a particular blood alcohol level for improved professional and social performance is an intriguing premise, but it's really more of a framing device for a kitchen sink melodrama about the men's personal lives. I felt the film didn't go far enough with the idea of their being constantly slightly drunk. That component seems to reach its apotheosis quite quickly so that they can move forward with the family based drama. And I thought that was a shame.

I found myself not so much gripped, as gently handled. It's a decent watch, though.

Yeah, it's not so much about the alcohol ... that's more a device or hook to explore other things. For me the film was about choosing to be in the moment ... it made a connection with the middle-aged man in me

[wakka]

Yeah, I'd agree with that. And the idea of just letting life drift past you definitely connected with me. It just didn't feel like it quite went far enough for me. It all resolved a bit too easily. I would've liked something knottier. I would have been happier for them to get weirder with it. It's a weird idea, an intriguingly weird one.

->Open Spoiler<-

But quite quickly we reach this point where they go, OK, let's just have a huge piss up. And that wasn't really that interesting of an idea, for me. That's a pretty normal thing to do, really. Whereas drinking before work, deliberately, as a non-alcoholic, isn't. And then following the piss-up they mostly knock it on the head.

I guess I just wanted a bit more, without quite knowing what precisely that would look like. It felt like it didn't fulfil its potential, for me.

[QualityChimp]

I watched The Batman, yet another dark, gritty take on The Dark Knight.
Thankfully, this time they lean more on The World's Greatest Detective element and there's the mystery of The Riddler to solve.

So lots of positives to say about this. I didn't think it felt long, even at 3 hours. It doesn't faff around with another origin story and gets on with it. Pattinson is fine as The Batman, going from crime scene to crime scene working out what has happened.
The Batmobile is mint. You hear the engine growl as he fires it up and I wonder what we'll do in movies in the future when fossil fuel cars are banned and we have a chase sequence in a Prius.

However, it didn't quite work for me.

->Open Spoiler<-

Pattinson is a bit weedy to be Batman. He also mopes around like a goth in the day, no attempt to have an alter-ego. The brevity of introductions also means although we don't have to see the Crime Alley murder of the Waynes again, we're also expected to take a few leaps of faith with characters, perfectly happy to accept, for example, that Catwoman is a hostess at the top club in Gotham, a cat burglar and martial arts expert with no explanation how or when she learned these things.

Batman is bulletproof too. He's shot loads, even with shotguns up close, blown up and whacked with pipes, but his armour just seems to shrug it off.

However, it was a great experience and welcome more sequels by Reeves.

[Neon Ignition]

The Batman
I enjoyed it too but it slightly feels like a film of a ton of great components that come together just short of greatness. I thought I'd struggle with Pattinsons moody Bruce but the Year Two style approach to the character at this point means he makes sense to be this way, even if I'm not sure I'd buy a more traditional take from him that later films might require. As Batman though he's great, he conveys plenty given he's in suit for the majority of the film. The detective angle is nice to finally see though I'd hazard the film goes a little too heavy on it. I started to doze a little toward the end of the first hour because it's a very sedate film most of the time, the central investigation isn't engaging to the point of remaining actively interesting because ultimately it's Batman so the bad guys are all too obvious.

The suit was great though, the fighting, Reeves depicts a grounded Gotham that still has enough of a feel of Gotham rather than Nolan's take where he lost interest in bothering by the second film. Penguin is great and whilst I was thrown a little off with Riddler I've mulled it more and I like it. I don't really get the takes that pull at the last third for being traditional superhero stuff because I found it to be, if anything, too low key.

The film feels like set up for a potential arc that could easily span a trilogy or even more so ten or more films, there's and incredibly wide and rich world to be delved into and the set up exists for this to become more Arkham Asylumesque as it continues too. I feel a rewatch at home where it can be digested easier will elevate it higher too.

Of all Batman films it's probably the closest, if to any, to Batman Begins. It definitely lifts from everything from the comics, through the Nolan films, via the games and even to the Telltale games. It's a world away from the Keaton era films, I'd easily hold it higher than Dark Knight (one of the most overrated films ever made) and TDK Rises.

[Atticus]

Loving the love for The Batman. Not seen it yet but hoping to get along soon

[QualityChimp]

Loving the love for The Batman. Not seen it yet but hoping to get along soon

Yeah, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Agree with Neon, it's begs a second watch to absorb some finer points and breathe in a bit more Gotham.

[CMcK]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Batman. It’s probably as close as possible to a realistic take on the character and his world. Concentrating on the mystery aspect was a good move getting away from it being an action movie with smarts. And respect due to Mr Pattinson for declining to get mad buff, ie full of gear, for the role too. Special hat tip to Colin Farrell too. He’s unrecognizable and does the De Niro / Italian American thing very well.
It’s a lovely looking film too but all those darks scenes don’t work well on crummy cinema screens unfortunately. Definitely hints of the Catwoman theme from the Burton Batman era in the music too. Wasn’t sure about the voiceover stuff though. Came across a bit like Rorschach’s journal in Watchmen to me.
Quick question for the lads that have already seen it. Did you feel the picture improved for the last 40 minutes or so? I could have sworn the whole thing looked sharper and clearer as if the frame rate had increased. None of my mates noticed though.
Defo going to grab this on UHD.

[thinkitty]

Pan's Labyrinth

Watched this on Amazon Video last night. I saw it in 2006 on release but my memory is atrocious and all I could remember was it's a dark fairy tale set during the Spanish civil war. I'd completely forgotten the characters, story, ending and how brutally violent it is. Fantastic film.

[QualityChimp]

Quick question for the lads that have already seen it. Did you feel the picture improved for the last 40 minutes or so? I could have sworn the whole thing looked sharper and clearer as if the frame rate had increased. None of my mates noticed though.
Defo going to grab this on UHD.

I didn't notice anything and my friends didn't comment on this either.
Not saying it didn't happen, just that it wasn't noticeable, which is probably good as it didn't take me out of the film.

[Neon Ignition]

I didn't notice anything different in the visuals either. For a sequel I'm hoping they lean increasingly into the more traditional imagery related to Batman, slightly pulling away from the grounded approach in the first film. Handled right it could work well, almost like the less grounded it gets the more it symbolises the insanity that's taking control of Gotham

[QualityChimp]

It's interesting to know where to go with it.
Ultimately, people enjoy watching Batman punch people in the face, but how do you "cure" Gotham?

It felt like Gotham had about 20 people in it and they were mainly corrupt politicians/cops or bad guys.
It doesn't feel like a city with civilians.

You think about real life America and how people say "defund the police", it's more complex than just giving them less money, it's also reinvesting that money elsewhere to reduce criminality earlier on (education and opportunities).
How would that notion work in a Batman film where people mainly want the punchy punchy?