Whatcha Been Watching?

This is the place where you can conflab about all the other stuff besides videogames
ThirdMan

Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by ThirdMan »

The Farewell (Cinema)

I missed this upon release but thankfully my local arts centre hosted a screening last night. It's a belated entry onto my best of 2019 list. Akwafina plays a Chinese-American twentysomething who returns to Changchun to say goodbye to a loved one. It's a sweet, funny and deeply moving story that made me reminisce and shed a couple of sly man-tears.

It reminded me of both Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel American Born Chinese and Brianna Lei's visual novel Butterfly Soup in how it presents a rich, insider's view of Asian-American lives. All three are unafraid to gently poke at the eccentricities of their respective communities, at their relative 'otherness', but in a celebratory manner that invites you to laugh along in appreciation.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Just got back from watching 1917 in my local theater.

I was going to try and cobble together something resembling a coherent review, but words are failing me today and ThirdMan very eloquently said everything that needed to be said exactly one month ago, so I'll leave it at that.

Fantastic experience overall, I'm glad I hadn't seen any trailer or promotional material beforehand.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by ThirdMan »

Little Women (Cinema)

There was a lot of noise about Greta Gerwig being snubbed for Best Director at the Oscars. However I think she was very lucky to see her film receive the attention that it did, including a Best Picture nod. This is the seventh mainstream adaptation of the source novel and enough is enough. There are other, better versions of this story and there were other, better films directed by women in 2019, with original source material no less.

Gerwig put together a well-acted and handsomely-lit film that made a lot of money and further increased her profile. That's a good return. There were a number of major casualties when the nominations were being doled out during the recent award cycle but I don't think she was one of them.

Little Women is a pleasant and occasionally elegant film and one that I will never watch again.
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Sonic the Hedgehog was mostly fine. I felt like it was very much a kid's film with Jim Carrey playing it up for the adults, especially us that miss his 90s persona. And, I think, as a kid's film, it works. If I had seen this movie when I was a kid and Sonic was too cool for school, I would have loved it. Unlike how confused I was as kid in the theaters for Super Mario Bros...
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Shoplifters (2018)
Excellent film, not to mention very sweet and very sad. Shoplifters portrays the have-nots in society both unflinchingly and gently. I was reminded of the amazing Tokyo Godfathers with the plotline of social outcasts taking in a small child. The MVP has to have been Sakura Ando; the film's dénouement features a lot of long shots of her and show off her ability to communicate immense pathos with just a couple of words, or without saying anything.

Shadow (2018)
Been a minute since I watched a film by Zhang Yimou. Maybe I've missed some of his recent stuff, but I was surprised by how bloody this got. Worth a watch, the buildup to the central duel is really good, and as is to expected it's a treat to look at. The visual storytelling in the opening act is heavy-handed but so striking and beautiful, Zhang's use of colour (or the lack of it) remarkable as ever. Deng Chao and Sun Li were both superb.

Black Klansman (2018)
John David Washington and Adam Driver knock it out of the park here, in a film that's precision-honed with perfect pacing. It handles its message and characterisation really well, capturing the time it portrays while reflecting what is going on today very powerfully.

Knives Out (2019)
I'd been chomping at the bit to watch this and it didn't disappoint. Believe the hype! As a big fan of detective stories, it's enormous fun watching Daniel Craig's effortlessly masterful performance of a cleverly written original character like Benoit Blanc. Tremendous stuff by Rian Johnson.

Made me hungry for donuts though.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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duskvstweak wrote: February 21st, 2020, 4:58 pm Sonic the Hedgehog was mostly fine. I felt like it was very much a kid's film with Jim Carrey playing it up for the adults, especially us that miss his 90s persona. And, I think, as a kid's film, it works. If I had seen this movie when I was a kid and Sonic was too cool for school, I would have loved it. Unlike how confused I was as kid in the theaters for Super Mario Bros...
It did make me pine for a new Ace Ventura
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Caligulas Horse »

ThirdMan wrote: February 21st, 2020, 12:56 am

There are other, better versions of this story
I haven't seen the others to compare but you're the first person I've seen say this so I'm a little curious to know which ones you think are better?

I loved it and I thought she definitely deserved the nomination over Todd Phillips, it did seem odd that she didn't considering it was nominated in basically every other category but I guess you could say the same for The Joker.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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First Love

Latest Takashi Miike film about a boxer and a prostitute who get caught in the middle of a gang war. This film is full of completely incompetent homicidal criminals, everybody is double crossing everybody else. It's bonkers, super violent and a ton of fun, one of the funniest films I've seen in recent years.

Aside from an elderly couple who stormed out towards the end (I think they probably popped in off the street without knowing what they were in for) everybody in the cinema was having a blast, definitely worth the trip if any of ya'll get the chance.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Little Joe

A psychological Sci-Fi Thriller about a plant breeder (Emily Beecham) who has genetically engineered a plant that requires careful attention and in return it makes you happy.

I was so up for this, ended up pretty disappointed but it isn't bad. My main issue is that for the majority of the film it's all quite predictable, everything that is happening is spelled out in conversation and there's barely any mystery to any of it. It didn't work for me as a paranoia thriller because "who has been turned? Is this really happening or is it all in their head" are questions I never needed to ask, there are a few scenes thrown in that try to cast doubt but they felt a bit cheap and silly to me. I was also kinda uncomfortable with what it had to say about anti-depressants, in the end I was left a lil unsure of what that even was.

That all being said Emily Beecham is great, solid performances all round, it's real pretty to look at and the score is fantastic, especially when you get to the chorus of Dogs barking lol. It might work a bit better for other people, particularly people who haven't seen Invasion of The Body Snatchers.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Caligulas Horse wrote: February 24th, 2020, 10:36 amI haven't seen the others to compare but you're the first person I've seen say this so I'm a little curious to know which ones you think are better?
The 1933 version for a start. Directed by George Cukor and starring Katherine Hepburn. Just a different pedigree of director and actress as far as I'm concerned. I even preferred the 1994 version with Winona Ryder and Gabriel Byrne.

Perhaps I'm just the wrong person to sit through Little Women in 2020. I know the book and I've seen it all before. I didn't take against it. It's a well made film, mostly solid to excellent performances, but ultimately it underwhelmed me. And I take no pleasure in saying that because I was initially very excited about it, especially because of the cast.

But I'm happy there's another version out there. The 30's version isn't going to do anything for young people today and even the 1994 version has been largely forgotten about.

I just did not get the hype and subsequent mourning around Greta Gerwig and her Oscar snub. But luckily for her she speaks the right language and is the right colour for awards-outrage. There weren't many people going to bat for Lulu Wang and Mati Diop during award season.
Caligulas Horse wrote: February 24th, 2020, 10:36 amit did seem odd that she didn't considering it was nominated in basically every other category but I guess you could say the same for The Joker.
Argo is another one. Seven nominations and three wins, including Best Picture, and yet Ben Afleck didn't even receive a nomination for his direction. But trying to make sense of the manufactured and highly-politicised awards season is a fool's game. And yet the hype and disappointment always gets me in the end.

I have to be honest and open to the possibility that I just didn't want to like Little Women because the campaign around it was so loaded. I'd like to think that my comments about a film aren't so shallow in origin but maybe I, too, am capable of spitting out gutter press.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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DomsBeard wrote: February 24th, 2020, 10:15 am
duskvstweak wrote: February 21st, 2020, 4:58 pm Sonic the Hedgehog was mostly fine. I felt like it was very much a kid's film with Jim Carrey playing it up for the adults, especially us that miss his 90s persona. And, I think, as a kid's film, it works. If I had seen this movie when I was a kid and Sonic was too cool for school, I would have loved it. Unlike how confused I was as kid in the theaters for Super Mario Bros...
It did make me pine for a new Ace Ventura
Well, Jim Carrey is technically hunting down a hedgehog...
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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ThirdMan wrote: February 24th, 2020, 6:28 pm
Caligulas Horse wrote: February 24th, 2020, 10:36 amI haven't seen the others to compare but you're the first person I've seen say this so I'm a little curious to know which ones you think are better?
The 1933 version for a start. Directed by George Cukor and starring Katherine Hepburn. Just a different pedigree of director and actress as far as I'm concerned. I even preferred the 1994 version with Winona Ryder and Gabriel Byrne.

Perhaps I'm just the wrong person to sit through Little Women in 2020. I know the book and I've seen it all before. I didn't take against it. It's a well made film, mostly solid to excellent performances, but ultimately it underwhelmed me. And I take no pleasure in saying that because I was initially very excited about it, especially because of the cast.

But I'm happy there's another version out there. The 30's version isn't going to do anything for young people today and even the 1994 version has been largely forgotten about.
Yeah, I hear that.

I’m usually one of the first to dismiss another reboot, remake or dozenth adaptation of the same book but in this case I’ve never read Little Women, watched any of the adaptations or paid much attention to it in general so I was a pretty good target (plus I loved Lady Bird). I was surprised at how much I ended up taking to it, it was a real nice warm hearted cinema trip but it’s not one of those films that’s played on my mind much since and I might not remember it so fondly in a year or two.

I was actually considering watching the 1933 version the other day but I decided to leave it for now, I didn’t want to spend the whole film making comparisons, that’s a general issue I have with remakes or adaptations if I’m too familiar with the story.
ThirdMan wrote: February 24th, 2020, 6:28 pm I just did not get the hype and subsequent mourning around Greta Gerwig and her Oscar snub. But luckily for her she speaks the right language and is the right colour for awards-outrage. There weren't many people going to bat for Lulu Wang and Mati Diop during award season.


Argo is another one. Seven nominations and three wins, including Best Picture, and yet Ben Afleck didn't even receive a nomination for his direction. But trying to make sense of the manufactured and highly-politicised awards season is a fool's game. And yet the hype and disappointment always gets me in the end.

I have to be honest and open to the possibility that I just didn't want to like Little Women because the campaign around it was so loaded. I'd like to think that my comments about a film aren't so shallow in origin but maybe I, too, am capable of spitting out gutter press.
Haha I think that's true of all of us from time to time. It's funny you mention Lulu Wang because I think I had a similar experience with The Farewell where I had gone into it because of the Akwafina hype and spent quite a lot of the film wondering what was so special about her performance and not enough appreciating how great Zhao Shu-Zhen is.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Any U.K. forumites ever visit this place?

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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Nobody Knows (2004)

Another one by Hirokazu Koreeda who directed Shoplifters. This one has an even more tranquil pace and is even more gentle with its characters, fittingly as most of them are young children. The film is based on a real abandonment case that happened in Japan. Koreeda's calm slice-of-life approach contrasts with the complete despair and anger you feel at what is happening in a very powerful way. Like in Shoplifters, moments of unspeakable tragedy are small and everyday in a way that is really true to life. Not an easy watch.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Jon Cheetham wrote: February 27th, 2020, 10:20 am Nobody Knows (2004)

Another one by Hirokazu Koreeda who directed Shoplifters. This one has an even more tranquil pace and is even more gentle with its characters, fittingly as most of them are young children. The film is based on a real abandonment case that happened in Japan. Koreeda's calm slice-of-life approach contrasts with the complete despair and anger you feel at what is happening in a very powerful way. Like in Shoplifters, moments of unspeakable tragedy are small and everyday in a way that is really true to life. Not an easy watch.
That's on the list. Sounds great. I'm slowing making my way through his filmography which, thankfully, is a rather manageable size.

My favourite so far is Still Walking, followed closely by After The Storm. Both of those are very gently paced. They make Shoftifters feel high-octane.

The Third Murder is his outlier. A Hirokazu Koreeda legal thriller? I randomly pressed play on it and only realised it was one of his when the credits rolled. It didn't feel like him and yet I've subsequently read some well-argued criticism that tries to join the dots.

Have you watched his non-Japanese language debut, The Truth, yet? It recieved a comparatively muted response but I'm quite looking forward to it.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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Caligulas Horse wrote: February 25th, 2020, 5:58 pmI was actually considering watching the 1933 version the other day but I decided to leave it for now, I didn’t want to spend the whole film making comparisons, that’s a general issue I have with remakes or adaptations if I’m too familiar with the story.
The 1933 version was a staple in my house when I was a kid. It's one of my mother's favourites. She raised me on Golden Age Hollywood while my father took care of the Westerns, vigilante fiction and horrors. It was textbook bad parenting from my dad but I loved it!

I haven't revisited the Cukor version since reading the book and I don't think I ever will. I'm afraid of what I'll find. John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath was another one on hard-rotation in my home but when I watched it years later, having become a massive Steinbeck fan, I was utterly dismayed by what was on screen. It was missing so much. It practically gutted the novel!

Perhaps that was my issue was Gerwig's adaptation. Or perhaps I was railing against the consensus. A renegade in the back row. Whatever the reason, I will watch it again. Lady Bird is a brilliant film and Ronan is an outstanding actress (and the type of pleasant Irish girl I was ordered to find and marry!) so there's enough there to warrant a second viewing. I'll be buying it for my mam when it gets a physical release so I'll roll back the years and spend a nice afternoon with the matriarch. Don't be surprised to hear mention of some humble pie later in the year.
Caligulas Horse wrote: February 25th, 2020, 5:58 pmIt's funny you mention Lulu Wang because I think I had a similar experience with The Farewell where I had gone into it because of the Akwafina hype and spent quite a lot of the film wondering what was so special about her performance and not enough appreciating how great Zhao Shu-Zhen is.
I only got around to watching The Farewell last week but I was retrospectively surprised that Wang didn't receive any major awards attention other than at the BAFTAs. I never heard or read any serious commentary about how her contribution had been overlooked. And if Joker earned a Best Director nod then The Farewell deserved one, notwithstanding how fascile that line of reasoning is.

I thought Wang's work was subtle and dignified, gently prodding at the sad tourism of an expatriate's visit home. Just a lovely film. And yes, Zhao Shu-Zhen was a revelation. That final wave goodbye! Ooof! I watched it in my local arts centre where the average age of the patrons is about 65 (due to the ridiculously cheap cover-charge for pensioners and the complete disinterest of the younger locals). So there was an added poignancy among the audience. It really hit home.
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clippa wrote: February 26th, 2020, 12:59 am Lulu Wang, just jotting that down for if I ever start doing a drag act of a weekend. Weeeeeeeeeeeell! You know you make me wan' a stout! (I'd come on with a pint of stout).
Gregg Turkington would cum in his pants if he saw that video store! and then just as quickly have an anxiety attack when he realised that they weren't sorted by runtime.
clippa wrote: February 19th, 2020, 5:06 amThe Golden Glove
I've been thinking more about this. I didn't know this was based on a true story until the end when they showed the photos, and I did get a feeling that maybe that might have changed things, maybe it was a bit light to the point of insulting the victims, but I quickly dismissed that because I don't think it's true.

I did wonder if knowing that going in would have changed my feelings while watching it, but just like with the house that jack built, I feel totally at odds with the reviews I'm reading after seeing it.

This is an amazing film. Even if you believe that it has nothing to say, it is such an amazing, comforting, fun trip. It feels like I'm saying "Oh, look at me, I'm a total edgelord psychopath, this is like soulfood for me like rewatching old episodes of steptoe" but after seeing it, it's gone on my list of films that I'd happily rewatch and that's rare for me.

I always hated horror films growing up, they scared the life out of me and I still can't watch an american warewolf in london all the way through since my sister used to torture me with it, she loved it and used to put the video on when I was in the room knowing it scared me half to death. I can remember being utterly paralysed, too afraid to turn around and staring down, fiddling with a kinder egg and it's toy at the dinner table, trying to block out the noises that were filling my head for what felt like an eternity.
That bit where he's being wheeled through the forest on the hospital bed and then he bights a dear on the neck and goes all warewaffle, that's the bit I managed to get to the last time I tried to watch it :lol:
I'm gonna download it and make sure I watch the whole thing. That's my new goal. I think I've seen the whole thing but just in bits. The whole idea of not being able to relax and if you do, you turn into a monster, that must have fucking stayed with me. That bit where he finally just gives up and starts reading a book and then Gaaaaaaaaaah!

Nowadays, I love horror movies so much, somehow they're great for my anxiety, having something to genuinely be scared of and having that tension and release feels really healthy and cathartic for me.
My sister has gone completely in the other direction, she can't bare to watch anything like that nowadays!

My point is that I feel like films of this kind get a raw deal from reviewers.

Critics are weird with documentaries, regardless of quality, they tend to get a very easy ride. I've seen many fuck-awful documentaries in my time that all got above 90% on rottentomatoes.

"Dear Zachary" is one that instantly springs to mind. That just left me feeling angry at the amateur, manipulative, sensationalist, mawkish pricks who made it.

Cropsey is another one that feels like a stretched out, bad show you'd see deep down in the channel list late at night and these sorts of things get a free pass because a documentary is seen as more worthy or something?

Even if you think this film has nothing to say, which I would refute, but wouldn't feel too confident to argue against, honestly, it's fucking amazing, regardless.

My point is, why can't you just a make a film like this for the sake of it? Why can't you just tell a horrible story and that be enough? You can certainly tell an uplifting, pretty story and it be enough.

I'd be interested to see what other people think. Has anyone else seen it? Easily one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

TL;DR The Golden Glove is a 90%+ film, it's currently 50% on RT, why dat den?
and no, it's not subjective, it's objectively a 90%+ film.

edit: Oh, shit! The latest episode of All Killa No Filla is about Honka - https://allkillanofilla.libsyn.com/all- ... tz-honka-0

I like those two, they're funny. They have their moments of insensitivity, but christ, don't we all. Taken for what it is, a podcast with two mates goofing around and trying to make each other laugh and to hell with everything else. It's one of the best of it's kind. Gonna listen now!

edit: "I'd rather not see or smell that, I think I'd rather have it in my vag than my mouth"
:lol: I always feel a bit scared recommending something sight unseen, but I think it's safe to call that "delivered".
That was great post, clippa. I didn't know re-watching Steptoe made me an Edgelord but I'll take it like a man!

I wonder if any of our more international members could be forced into watching some Steptoe. A greyhound wearing reading spectacles may need some context though. I think we take it for granted that our British cultural references will be understood across the board.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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ThirdMan wrote: February 27th, 2020, 11:44 am
Jon Cheetham wrote: February 27th, 2020, 10:20 am Nobody Knows (2004)

Another one by Hirokazu Koreeda who directed Shoplifters. This one has an even more tranquil pace and is even more gentle with its characters, fittingly as most of them are young children. The film is based on a real abandonment case that happened in Japan. Koreeda's calm slice-of-life approach contrasts with the complete despair and anger you feel at what is happening in a very powerful way. Like in Shoplifters, moments of unspeakable tragedy are small and everyday in a way that is really true to life. Not an easy watch.
That's on the list. Sounds great. I'm slowing making my way through his filmography which, thankfully, is a rather manageable size.

My favourite so far is Still Walking, followed closely by After The Storm. Both of those are very gently paced. They make Shoftifters feel high-octane.

The Third Murder is his outlier. A Hirokazu Koreeda legal thriller? I randomly pressed play on it and only realised it was one of his when the credits rolled. It didn't feel like him and yet I've subsequently read some well-argued criticism that tries to join the dots.

Have you watched his non-Japanese language debut, The Truth, yet? It recieved a comparatively muted response but I'm quite looking forward to it.
I had heard Shoplifters was amazing and watched it on a plane recently and it made me want to check out the rest of Koreeda's stuff, so Nobody Knows is the only other thing I've seen, although my brother is a big fan and has listed off a couple of the ones you mentioned. Thanks for the recs though! A legal thriller by this guy is something I definitely want to see.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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JoJo Rabbit (2019)
Other than an uproarious appearance by Stephen Merchant as a Gestapo officer, I think the film was stolen by anti-Nazi mum Scarlett Johansson. She pitches her performance between ditzy, desperate and warmhearted, and is able to flick between each with complete ease.

The movie doesn't hit every note it could in portraying the exposure of a brainwashed fanatic to a person they've been told to hate, and there have been very informed takes for and against its success. I really think it is worth a watch though.

The Hurt Locker (2008)
Missed this at the time. This really is Jeremy Renner at his finest. He's amazing as the hot head bomb disposal specialist, and there's a good turn from Anthony Mackie as a gruff teammate.
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The Invisible Man (Cinema)

An entertaining genre workout. Contains some well-placed jump scares and sustained periods of unease. It's a fresh and relatively grounded re-imagining of H.G. Wells' core idea (although it bears little resemblance to the novel or previous adaptations). Elizabeth Moss is very good in the lead role. What a career she's having. From Aaron Sorkin to Margaret Atwood to this.

The politics are inch-deep but with the conviction of rapist and arthritis survivor, Harvey Weinstein, they're at least well-timed. Elizabeth Banks is directing the sequel, The Invisible Woman, so I expect even more right-on social commentary and much less flare. But that won't detract from what is a very successful reboot of a long-dormant IP.
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