Last Movie You Watched

I finally saw this the other day. If you really listen to him all he is really saying is that he wants a proper seat at the table. He is an historian, he uses history to establish his comedy.

All we want is a seat at the table, other groups have done so in a short period of time, and we still don't have an appropriate seat at the table. Those that cancel him, really don't listen or understand his stance. ( he says he left 50 million dollars on the bus... they tried to do the same thing to Scarlett Johansson but they gave in)

He has been doing this sort of comedy for years he didn't just start doing it.

He is the goat.

 

Pretty high on my list of favorite movies as well as books. I loved Patriot Games too but Clear And Present Danger I'm not crazy about. I haven't checked out any of the more recent Jack Ryan stuff though. I had read everything released and the spin offs through The Bear And The Dragon but I just lost interest after that. I went and saw The Sum Of All Fears with Ben Affleck, it was lame and I didn't bother with the Chris Pine movie or that series on Prime or whatever it is. It's apparently popular but doesn't look like my thing.

 

Just watched Pig with Nicholas Cage and Timothee Chalamet -- a heartwarming revenge drama about love and food -- and it's one of the best films I've ever seen. Easily one of my top 5 films ever!

Please pay money to see PIG.

 

Every week day this week I watched a movie. It started out as a joke to a friend, and then I decided to be serious about it.

Sunday/Monday - The Assassin (2015)



This movie is about a woman who is sent to assassinate her once-betrothed cousin in the midst of a politically tense time.
This movie was decent at best to me. Sure, it was beautiful and brilliantly acted, but that's really all it had. The Wuxia fights were short and sporadic, score were minimal, and the plot really didn't need the titular character as she spent most of her scenes either walking into a place in order to send the message of "I can kill you whenever I want" or staring at the scene we're watching from a distance. I'm POSITIVE there is a lot of subtext I missed, but sadly this movie was more boring than not for me. I had been looking forward to it for months!

Recommended if you like:
Rurouni Kenshin (and Ichi)
House of Flying Daggers
Possibly Leon: The Professional


Tuesday - Gate of Hell (1953)



This movie basically a 1.5 hour trigger to anyone who has been stalked or felt forcibly pushed into a relationship. DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE IF THAT IS YOU.

The movie is about a character named Morito, who greatly helps putting down a rebellion against the Emperor (IIRC). At one part, he meets a woman named Kesa, and the two must work together. A year or so after the rebellion is crushed, Morito meets Kesa again. At a ceremony where he can be granted one wish by a high-ranking noble in charge, Morito asks to be wed to Kesa...who turns out to be wed to someone else herself.
Morito, then out of "love" and pride, tries to win over Kesa in increasingly unsettling ways. Meanwhile Kesa and her husband Wataru have a seemingly strong relationship, but the ending makes it far more tragic, and far too human.

Ultimately, while this movie's dialogue was very expository, the acting was very well done, and it was the most human of the movies I've seen, for better and for worse. Also, if you can't tell, this movie is a tragedy.

Recommended if you like:
Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story



Wednesday - Dune (1984)



This movie was a lot of things in a lot of weird ways, and I really enjoyed most of it because of that. SWNN wrote a phenomenal article about what Star Wars owes to Dune ealrier this week, and I think watching this movie, it's even clearer to see. Ironically, this Dune felt a lot like it was trying to be Star Wars while being it's own epic saga (which the book is), all set in that weird '80s sci-fi practicality. The sets were GORGEOUS and dark and weird, reminding me of Bladerunner. The acting was well done and very thespian (shoutout to Sir Patrick Stewart!), and even some of the CGI still holds up! ...although most of it is so, so bad now. This movie has a lot to explain and a lot to compact, and instead of choosing to cut out what most would call filler, this movie goes the direct approach, expositing everything possible and giving us auditory italics for thoughts. It doesn't really work, but I respect the choice.

Dune also felt very much like OT Star Wars without the charm, if that makes sense. There's no swashbuckling adventure here, no tense fights, no score that elevates it above what it seemingly is. (Despite the score being pretty good, if not a little weird.) There's no tension in this movie - it feels like a beautiful, soulless art piece. I think having a road-map ironically made this movie worse, not better.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, all the same.

Recommended if you like:
Bladerunner
Star Wars
Dune



Thursday - Dune (2021)



I wrote most of my thoughts in the Dune page. Some other miscellaneous thoughts:

Zimmer's score feels like a cross between his Dark Knight Rises score, his Batman v Superman score, and one other score I can't remember.
I love Rebecca Ferguson's acting here, compared to her character in the 1984 movie. Both were good, but hers was more Mom than Bene Gesserit.
Beardless Jason Momoa makes me uncomfortable.



Friday - Batman Returns (1992)



This is one of those weird movies that I remember bits and pieces of, but can never place when or where I watched. I've seen it, but I don't remember it, so I don't really count it. The original Magnificent Seven is the other. As such, both of these movies are "new" to me.

This movie was weird. At first, I was on the fence about several things - I wanted Harvey Dent and Vicky Vale to come back; Gotham City still felt like a set piece and not like an actual city; and Batman felt like a side-character in his own movie for the first part. As the movie went on, though, things changed. I found myself really enjoying Keaton's Bruce/Batman in a way that I hadn't in the first movie. Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle and Danny DeVito's Penguin worked in ways I didn't expect them to.* The movie came together and felt embarrassingly poignant for this time we've been in.

Speaking of Keaton's Batman, let's talk about Batman for a minute. We've seen a lot of Batmen over the past ten years or so, from Christian Bale's "more than a man" Batman, to Ben Affleck's cynic-to-idealist arc, to the "reckless Rockstar in a decaying manor" that we'll be seeing next year. This year even saw the release of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures webtoon, where Bruce is more of a laid-back father (or, as his mug says, the "World's Okayest Dad").** Keaton's Batman felt nothing like those. Keaton's first introduction, with him sitting in a chair in the dark, waiting for the call was so so ironically Batman that I accepted the silly mirrors. Bruce wearing glasses was so humanizing, as were his mannerisms as Bruce outside of costume. Ultimately, while other iterations of Batman never found a healthy balance between the man and the vigilante, this one seems to have a healthier balance than most, actively participating in meetings, being able to hold a conversation, and even cracking a joke now and then with some witting banter. Batman in this movie feels more like a hobby than an addiction or a release or demon controlling Bruce in other interpretations...and that is terrifying to me. (In the best of ways, of course.) So yeah, I can see why Keaton is a popular Batman now. I don't think he's better than Bale or Affleck, but I do like the alternative interpretations.

Tim Burton did a fine job with this movie, but I admit I'm more a fan of the quieter, more drama-filled scenes than the gothic, dark, wacky appeal Burton is known for. Quiet moments, like Selina and Bruce trying to have a date, the ballroom dance and Selina's quiet-yet-despaired "are we going to have to fight now?" moment. The ending, with Bruce finding a cat, and Alfred's "Merry Christmas." These moments felt far more tangible than the theatrics of Catwoman's back-flipping everywhere, or the Christmas tree stuff. That isn't saying all of the superhero stuff was bad - the climax of the movie was treat, tragic, and cathartic all at once. But like this movie, it took time to grow on me.

Lastly, when people are upset about BatFleck killing people, let me remind you that Keaton's Batman not only willingly set a dude on fire with the Batmobile, but he also pushed a guy with bombs strapped to his stomach down a man-hole and walked away as it exploded.


Recommended if you like:
Batman (1989)
The Dark Knight Rises

*I'm always surprised at how much of a fan I am of live-action Catwoman portrayals. I'm usually one to go against the iconic comic love interest, since, as a comicbook reader, I've read that type story so many times that anything new is nice. Even secondary love interests are good! But as much as I want Batman to NOT get with Selina in many iterations, when she's on the screen, she always works.
**Seriously, do yourself a favor and go read Batman: Wayne Family Adventures. It's SO CUTE.

 

do you watch a new movie every day

 

My bother and I have just been talking about how we have never stayed awake through the original Dune. I wanted to watch it to get a clear vision of Lucas's vision, but fell asleep every time. Honestly I don't even know what it's about. I own the movie. If I can't sleep I'll pop in Dune. Is the new one better?

 

I watched David Lynch's Dune when I was a child I will watch it again as an adult. Jodorowsky's Dune documentary is a must watch too so I'll watch that as well.

 

Ha! I'm at a point right now where it's easier to watch a movie some days than it is to read a book. But no, not every day. I usually don't have time. This past week I honestly shouldn't have, but like I said at the top, it was something of a joke I turned into something serious.

I liked them both, but I'm not sure how you'll feel about the new one. Was the old Dune too slow for you? If so, then the new Dune isn't much better. It's about the same length, but with about 3/4 of the material, as the director is splitting the movie into at least two parts. Is it the weird voiceover? Fortunately the new movie doesn't have that. Is it the weird lack of tension? The new one definitely has tension. It's more of the tragic kind, but it's there.

 

Amazing…





Mesmerizing...



Typical...

 

I watched Halloween Kills as well. I was very disappointed in the movie. It was completely pointless IMO

 

U like?

 

To say Dune didn't disappoint would be a huge understatement, I don't think its Villeneuve's best work but I still think its better than most movies and solidifies him as my favourite director, now we just need a part 2!

Yes, I rather like Dune.

 

I agree with all of this Part 1 is also the least stand-out in the book, so... Dune: Part 2 is gonna be amazing!

Just wondering, what's your favorite Villeneuve film? (I mean, it's obviously Blade Runner 2049, right? )

 

You know me too well (Arrival is a very close 2nd)

 

Just saw the French body-horror flick, Titane, and while critics apparently love it, I cannot in good conscience recommend this film.

I think they were trying for an artsy and edgy, provocative movie, but the first half was a pretentious sexploitation fest, sprinkled with sexualized violence and Lynchian weird-for-weirdness sake nonsense. The major plot of the first half is then resolutely dropped and ignored. In the second half, however, there develops the prospects of a sweet and very strange little heartfelt drama side-story in between all the Bantha poodoo, which after a long hour of cringe was very much appreciated. Still, the film was primarily an annoying cringe binge. Bleh…