Last Movie You Watched

Incredibles 2 (2018). Based on the trailer, I expected some horrible feminist sjw-fest, but the movie managed to pleasantly surprise me. It's good fun and a very good sequel.

 

The best of the TNG movies... First Contact.

 

BlacKkKlansman
I liked it. I didn't love it. It survives mostly on the humor and performances of Washington and Driver. Would definitely like to see Washington in a straightforward comedy. His timing is on point. Also, the score was really, really well done as well.
Certain aspects felt a little forced to me. Definitely worth watching.

 

REVENGE - French indy revenge (duh) movie. Loved it. Well paced. Brutal. Violent. It takes place in a desert but still feels small and condensed. Tension runs high.

 

We Need to Talk About Kevin - a masterpiece.

 

Rewatched the classic 'Leon'

 

Saturday I rewatched Shin Godzilla, also known as Godzilla Resurgence. I watched it with my best friend and it was his first time going through it. He enjoyed it.

The last time I saw the movie I didn't see it with subtitles, didn't know what was being critiqued, and didn't know a few key points in Japanese. This time I knew better. The movie is still complex and frankly painful to watch, but at the same time the points come across brazenly. My thoughts about the visuals remain the same (beautiful destruction), as do certain critiques about the English in the movie (although subtitles and prolonged exposure in Japan really helped).

This movie is a good throwback to the original Godzilla the heart of why it was created. But Godzilla has evolved as a cultural icon. He's gone from being a allegory about the dangers of nuclear power to an anti-heroic force of nature. To bring him back to that, well, I understand it. Maybe not always agree, but I can respect and understand it.

Overall, I still recommend this movie. It's VERY different from Gareth Edward's Godzilla, but there's enough room in the world for both now.

Added Note: I haven't seen the animated movies in the Godzilla: Monster Planet series. I'm not sure I want to. They remind me too much of Attack on Titan, and while I like that series, I don't need more of it...

 

The way they swerve with Mr Incredible being stuck at home and just have him lean into it and be a great dad is awesome. It plays it like it's going to be a rehash of the first then just move on from it.

 

Haven't been able to stop thinking about this one.

 

Adam Driver extravaganza!!!

BlacKkKlansman - Very good. Interesting premise, quite chilling depiction of racism, balanced by strong comedic tones. I expected a little bit more suspense, though, because my favourite scenes were those when they were at risk of blowing the cover. Adam's character was my favourite. Great performance. Also, funny thing - I had no idea it was Topher Grace playing Duke, didn't recognize him at all behind that mustache! I'm not sure how to feel about the epilogue - I see the point, but I think the film would be fine without it. Last but not least: the score is brilliant. Very catchy.

Logan Lucky - A fun, lighthearted flick. I enjoyed it. There were some confusing things about the heist, but well... I chose not to overthink this. I liked the Game of Thrones bit, lol. Channing Tatum was a solid lead - not an outstanding performance or whatever, but he was likable and natural. Adam was funny, although the robotic, monotone manner of speaking might have been a bit over-the-top.

Midnight Special - Probably the most surprising out of the bunch. I really enjoyed it. I was very impressed by how engaging the beginning was. The mystery hooks you right off the bat. Wasn't blown away by the reveal of what this is all about, but it's fine. I guess it's a matter of the bar being set very high in the first act (at least IMO). As for our boy Adam, he was basically playing a regular dude, but I like that there were enough subtle nuances in the performance to feel that this is a character and not an actor playing himself. The guy knows what he's doing.

Silence - It's masterfully made and there's a true epic feel to it. It's an interesting study of faith. Makes you ask some unexpected questions (at least in my experience). Great performances too, but I have to say that Garfield's acting took some getting used to. Like... he wasn't convincing to me at first, but I wasn't bothered later on. Overall, really good and powerful.

Paterson - Great, meditative film. Very lyrical - well, quite literally lyrical. I loved the juxtaposition of this very deep, poetic vibe with the depiction of average life. The theme resonated with me very well.

 

Widows are awesome. Topical, tense, fantastically acted (probably the best ensemble of the year) and smartly written. There's also a very cute dog. What more could one ask for?

 

If you liked Midnight Special, would highly recommend TAKE SHELTER by the same writer/director.

 

OUTLAW KING - David Mackenzie returns from making a personal favorite of mine (Hell or High Water) to making a grand epic about Robert the Bruce. The early reviews were not kind. After that festival run, they edited the film and cut it down to 2 hours. It's now a sleek, well paced epic with some GREAT battle scenes and some really beautiful shots. Pine is great. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is insane (in a good way). Tony Curran is always a delight. Stannis is finally King!

 

Technically not a film, but I'm going to list it anyway because it's definitely on the caliber of film, and it could have been done as a film...it's just that it would have been a 5 hour film.



This was badarse!
It's like Logan's Run, 2001: A Space Odessy, Cell, The Matrix, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Total Recall, Dreamscape, Inception, What Dreams May Come, and Sunshine of the Eternal Spotless Mind, most notably (with a slight hint of Altered States...and there's more, like there's some Raising Arizona and Alien vibes in there as well...lots) all rolled up and smashed into one show.

More importantly, it's really the only show recently that I know of to have given a reprisal to the late 70's philosophical sci-fi psychological thriller.
Those are defined by long and slow shots, often with shots hanging on practically nothing.
The only thing that might be moving, if anything, in some shots might be eyeballs, cigarette smoke, or coffee/tea steam, etc...
But often times you'll get shots that are just spacial and tonal shots, with nothing moving at all.
They just hang, providing time to ponder and provide a tone based around what was last seen and the image the camera is currently hanging on.

This method was where the psychological tension of this genre is built, which is pretty counter to modern psychological thrillers, which tend to rely on more motion and disturbing content than slow camera movement.

I LOVED this genre when I was a kid...I still do, but it's not really around much anymore.
So when I flipped on Maniac when a friend suggested it and it started employing that method...man, I was so happy.
It was like I had found an old sweater in the attic in the middle of winter. I just cuddled into bed, flipped on and enjoyed a hell of a great damn show for the next couple of days.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves shows like 2001, Altered States, Logan's Run, Soylent Green, Westworld (the original), etc...

Cheers,
Jayson

 

Oh, It's sci-fi! Then it's on my list.
I've watched an Indian fantasy movie called Baahubali: The Beginning (2015). I'll write more once I finish part 2.

 

Finally yesterday I've watched the new 'Halloween' with @NinjaRen who had seen it already on opening day.

Michael was finally scary again. Contrary to the prevailing opinion, I think the movie is very atmospheric and I personally really liked the finale in Laurie's "fortress". It was a satisfying ending to Laurie's character arc.

Here are two videos which I think are worth sharing:

 

The Shape is back (as he was called in the original script)!


John Carpenter's score was great as always!

 

Oh indeed! Technically I believe it's called cassette futurism.

Cheers,
Jayson