Re: Recent movie playlist

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The Big Short: I suppose it was about as exciting as a film mostly consisting of investors making credit default swaps can be. It took me a while to get into it. The breaking the fourth wall bit was kind of annoying, especially as it never really added anything and was along the lines of "it didn't really happen like this" or "it really happened just like this." Carell was really good, considering this wasn't really wasn't a comedic role. Probably nothing I'll ever watch again, but it wasn't awful.
Just cut them up like regular chickens

Re: Recent movie playlist

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Yeah I thought that one was fairly disposable when all was said and done.

Goodnight Mommy--man, those Austrians. First we get Michael "Funny Games" Haeneke, now this little drop of sunshine. It's nicely shot and somewhat intriguing, although the 'twist' is clear from the get go, the movie doesn't really seem to want to hide it so that more or less worked, but a successful psychological thriller devolves into some really awful torture porn at the end. Can't say that I liked it after the last act. I guess if that particular genre does anything for you this is a well made entry.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Recent movie playlist

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We also found The Big Short pretty underwhelming. I was primed to enjoy it, too. I think you get more insight from The Wolf of Wall St. on the mindset that led to the financial crisis.
This is a snakeskin jacket. And for me it's a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom.

Re: Recent movie playlist

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It Follows - finally saw this. was pleasantly surprised. it had an ominous tone for a smaller budget film. didn't really go anywhere, but was a good watch with a great soundtrack.

follow-up: why the hell doesn't lili sepe work more???

Re: Recent movie playlist

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TC wrote:It Follows - finally saw this. was pleasantly surprised. it had an ominous tone for a smaller budget film. didn't really go anywhere, but was a good watch with a great soundtrack.

follow-up: why the hell doesn't lili sepe work more???
So glad you liked it. I'm somewhat obsessed with the film, have seen it many times and it's a blast on re-viewing IMHO.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

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ella enchanted - turned on tv to fall asleep at a hotel and this was starting. ended up watching the whole thing. ending was a cop out but was otherwise actually pretty entertaining. the moral is: do what you're told and everything will work out.

risky business - caught most of this last night for the first time in ages. ages well. still a great film.

Re: Recent movie playlist

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TC wrote:ella enchanted - turned on tv to fall asleep at a hotel and this was starting. ended up watching the whole thing. ending was a cop out but was otherwise actually pretty entertaining. the moral is: do what you're told and everything will work out.
risky business - caught most of this last night for the first time in ages. ages well. still a great film.
Ella Enchanted is a guilty pleasure of mine, though I haven't watched it in probably 10 years.
I should re-watch Risky again. I haven't seen that since the dvd came out back in the '90s.
Just cut them up like regular chickens

Re: Recent movie playlist

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Risky Business is a classic. All the better for the fact that this is one of the few movies my grandpa took my grandma to in the theater. Interesting call, gramps.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Recent movie playlist

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I loved the shit out of this film. Book is an interesting read too, especially the epilogue where you're told how much was based in fact and how much was fiction.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

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O-dot wrote:OK, so, Blackhat.

This is a weird one. The first 30-45 minutes or so are so flat, so un-Mann-like that you'd swear the studio retook control and had a journeyman do reshoots. It's just talky, uninteresting dross. I was getting worried.

But then at some point (I'd have to re-watch to pinpoint exactly where) we re-enter Mann Land: HD nighttime digital photography, brooding antiheroes, dialogue swapped out for tech jargon, explosive shootouts and chase scenes, the works. The last two-thirds isn't flawless, but it's a solid enough B entry from the director of Manhunter and Miami Vice (movies this one echoes, sometimes quite explicitly). Blackhat is exploring how small the world has become, with both borders and language barriers quickly being rendered irrelevant. People shed their citizenship to survive. Some critics have complained that Blackhat doesn't slam the Chinese enough, which seems to miss the point entirely.

I ended up liking Blackhat well enough, but coming nearly six years since Michael Mann's last movie (Public Enemies) and close to a decade since his last great one (Miami Vice), it can't help but carry a whiff of a disappointment. If he had released this in 2011 or 2012 I wouldn't have minded so much.

Re: the box office. Boy, did this one crash hard. But perhaps unsurprisingly. It was placed in direct competition with the patriotism-affirming American Sniper. A movie about alienation from national identity didn't stand a chance.
saw this yesterday. i tend to agree. the first 20-30 minutes are odd and clunky. how many instances of "3D CGI flying bits" do we need? once he gets out of prison, it becomes basically any other mann thriller/action film. i mean, yes, there are computers, etc., but it isn't really the main thing. i have some specific issues with some of the things done and said from a security perspective, but it's not awful. what they show isn't bad, probably more accurate than just about anything else i've seen re: "hacking" on screen, but the things said are silly and the way/speed things happen is crazy. outside of that, it is a pretty cool flick. wasn't nearly as laughable as i thought it would be/wanted it to be. that ending though - holy shit, multiple murders, automatic weapons shot many times, crazy bloody stabbings, all in front of a literal parade of people, and there are no consequences? literally the next scene is them walking out of the airport? what the fuck is happening in malaysia? ending just kind of wrapped up very, very quickly after everything. feels like it could have been longer at the end and shorter at the beginning. also, another question - i'm not a market guy, but is tin really volatile enough to make this whole thing worthwhile? seems like a very thin thing to hinge the entire film on. anyway, it was entertaining.

Re: Recent movie playlist

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TC wrote:
Alexhead wrote:I loved the shit out of this film. Book is an interesting read too, especially the epilogue where you're told how much was based in fact and how much was fiction.
that i'd like to hear.
Well, the bear attack happened. That much is true. The rest, especially if you read the book and watch the film, illustrate how quickly history can pass into the realm of legend.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

Re: Recent movie playlist

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Under The Shadow--really good Iranian horror flick. Set during the 80s Iran/Iraq war, it bears some resemblance to The Babadook in that we're with a mother and child who may or may not be under the threat of supernatural. What they definitely are is under the threat of having their apartment bombed at all times, and the stress of war elevating to a Djinn haunting them is seamlessly woven together into increasing dread. And damn, the scares are all pretty much perfect. Highly recommend.
"I'm like a dog chasing cars, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. . . . I'm not a schemer. I just do things."

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TC wrote:
Alexhead wrote:My take on this compared to You're The Worst was that, despite their supposed loutishness, the leads on YTW are actually likeable, whereas the couple on Married both seemed worthy of repeated face punchings in any given scene.
yeah, this. plus, poor-man's seth meyers.
just got caught up on YTW, watched the season finale last night. holy crap i didn't see that coming, then he leaves? they really ARE the worst.