All Things Movie/Documentary Reviews/Recommendations Thread

[Ope3]

Licorice Pizza was awesome. Loved it.

It's rare that I see a movie a 2nd time in a theater, but the relentless promotional campaign is wearing me down. Each time I see an ad I am reminded how much I enjoyed it.

 

[Nax5]

I'm just starting Home Team on Netflix.

I'm a big Adam Sandler fan, so not sure what to think about this yet. From first impression, I really don't want to see them make Sean Payton a loveable family man. Because he's still a walking butthole.

Finished it.

The best actor in the world couldn't convince me Sean Payton was a good guy. And not enough butthole lips from Kevin James.

 

[Ope3]

Speaking of, these would be the top 3 movies I have seen and hope get Best Picture nominations in order of preference.

1. Belfast
2. Licorice Pizza
3. Nightmare Alley

All 3 made the grade. Also glad to see Summer of Soul get nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Penelope Cruz a Best Actress nod.

Oscar Nominations 2022: ‘Power of the Dog’ Leads With 12 Nods, ‘Dune’ Follows With 10 (Full List)

Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog,” a revisionist Western that uses a careworn genre to examine toxic masculinity, dominated the Academy Awards on Tuesday with 12 nods, the most of …

variety.com

 

[Ope3]

Just got back from Get Back on IMAX, totally delightful. It was barely over an hour long. Damn you London police!

Actually the sideshow with the cops elevated the drama. Being familiar with those Beatles songs almost my whole life, it struck me as how cool it would have been as a passerby to hear all the tunes fresh in that setting. Would have been awestruck, I imagine. Though I wasn't even a month old when filmed.

Favorite part was watching the entire band with their wives and girlfriends after the gig listening to some of the playback. They seemed just giddy with what they pulled off.

 

[Ope3]

I saw The Worst Person In the World today. All I knew about it going in was that it was made in Norway, subtitles, and is nominated for Oscar Best Picture.

Superb.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Watched the latest Pixar movie last night on Disney+, called Turning Red.

Was pretty good, kinda dorky. No theatrical release, straight to streaming.

 

[Frink]

The director of The Witch and The Lighthouse has a new movie coming out. It's a film about the Norse legend that Hamlet was based on. He's bring back Anya Taylor Joy from The Witch (and Queen's Gamibit) and Willem DeFoe from The Lighthouse, adding Ethan Hawke and Nicole Kidman, plus...wait for it...

Bjork as a sorceress.

I cannot wait for this. It's going to be brain bendingly fantastic.

 

[Ope3]

I saw Drive My Car Last last night. All I knew about it going in was that it was made in Japan, subtitles, and is nominated for Oscar Best Picture.

It's really an amazing film, so much so that I would probably bump it up to #1 on my Oscar list. Warning, 3 hours long but it never dragged. Also very little comedy levity, but just fantastic in all aspects. Very moving.

Hopefully I will see Power of the Dog this weekend, but I would now have my Top 5 as:

1. Drive My Car
2. Belfast
3. Licorice Pizza
4. The Worst Person in the World
5. Nightmare Alley

 

[Ope3]

I saw Summer of Soul today, just tremendous. What a great experience in a theater but I am sure will play well at home too. Directed by Questlove, he weaves it all very well into a great story. Whomever filmed the footage originally in 1969 did a fantastic job.

It features Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Staples Family, Sly & the Family Stone, Mahelia Jackson, Nina Simone and other greats.

Odds on favorite for the Best Documentary Oscar. If it doesn't I may have a full on temper tantrum. Also the soundtrack is really good, despite no Stevie Wonder.

 

[tikited]

I have been to three movies since they "came back".

Last Night in Soho
Licorice Pizza
The Batman

I enjoyed Licorice Pizza the best but all were very good imo.

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

I have been to three movies since they "came back".

Last Night in Soho
Licorice Pizza
The Batman

I enjoyed Licorice Pizza the best but all were very good imo.

Saw The Batman on Monday. Solid movie. 3 hours was rough, I drank a lot of bottomless diet coke and ended up in the rest room a couple of times. But I picked good moments to go (I think)

I really liked the Gotham City they protrayed. Maybe a little fakey in how awful it was, but it is a comic book movie. I think this movie set things up well for some good sequels. Transformed to worrying only about vengeance into worrying about people and having a heart.

 

[tikited]

Saw The Batman on Monday. Solid movie. 3 hours was rough, I drank a lot of bottomless diet coke and ended up in the rest room a couple of times. But I picked good moments to go (I think)

I really liked the Gotham City they protrayed. Maybe a little fakey in how awful it was, but it is a comic book movie. I think this movie set things up well for some good sequels. Transformed to worrying only about vengeance into worrying about people and having a heart.

I should have snuck in a six-pack instead of just the one beer it was that long...

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I should have snuck in a six-pack instead of just the one beer it was that long...

In the good old days --- wear tube socks with boots, and you can easily smuggle in a pint of booze.
buy a big pop at the concession stand, drink part of the pop, pour in the booze and you're set. Although I did have a buddy pass out during "Apocalypse Now" after using this method.

 

[tikited]

In the good old days --- wear tube socks with boots, and you can easily smuggle in a pint of booze.
buy a big pop at the concession stand, drink part of the pop, pour in the booze and you're set. Although I did have a buddy pass out during "Apocalypse Now" after using this method.

I just use my wife as a "mule". She has a large purse...

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

I just use my wife as a "mule". She has a large purse...

The only movie I ever snuck a beer into was "Hoosiers", went in with a couple of guys on my HS basketball team. Holy shit that was a long time ago!

 

[Ope3]

I wound up seeing The Power of the Dog on Saturday. It is a fine piece of work that I recommend seeing as it's incredibly shot and acted. Very little levity involved. I did figure out what was going to happen about 20 minutes into the film, but will say how it goes about it is quite fascinating.

All totaled, I did see 8 of the 10 Oscar Nominees and I think they each of them are worthy of watching. After seeing Drive My Car & The Power of the Dog, I was ready for more of a feel good film. Thank goodness CODA delivered when I saw that on Sunday morning. Just a great movie with fantastic performances all around with some great comedic moments. What's great is the deaf characters are in on the joke. I would not deemed it #1 on my list, but still glad it won. Plus the other films I have above, did not go empty handed on Oscar Night.

Here is my ranking:

1. Drive My Car (did win Best Foreign Language Film)
2. Belfast (did win Best Original Screenplay)
3. CODA
4. Licorice Pizza
5. Nightmare Alley
6. The Power of the Dog
7. King Richard
8. West Side Story

Didn't see Don't Look Up nor Dune.

Sort of ironic, that while CODA is an AppleTV+ movie, it was the best theater experience I have had since pre-pandemic. There were a few limited showings this weekend, and I went to an 11:30 AM screening and the auditorium was packed. Not an empty seat in the house except the very front row. The entire audience just loved it.

Of course, while in my early 50s, I might have been the youngest one there.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Back in the day, I always made it a point to try and see all of the movies that were nominated for Best Picture.

But in recent years, between covid and more movies originating on streaming platforms, it's rare for me to see any of the nominated films in first-run. I try to catch a few when they come out on DVD.
also doesn't help that I live in a rural area where movie choices are limited to the big block-busters.

The only 2022 nominated film I saw was Dune, and it was OK, but nothing special. I think I am so familiar with the material that it just didn't show me anything new.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Finally saw "The Batman."

1st time actually in a movie theater in over 2 years. felt a little weird - got so used to watching movies on the couch that I had a hard time getting comfortable in the theater chair.

as to the movie - I enjoyed it.

It's long, but it is also what I would call a 'dense' movie - meaning that a lot of stuff is going on and you have to pay attention to figure out who's who and what's happening.

definitely tried to be more of a 'realistic' superhero movie. fairly dark tone - very little humor.

Paul Dano as the Riddler is flat-out creepy.

I liked Pattinson as Batman/Bruce Wayne more than I expected. It's a different take on the character, but I think it works. this version is more of a noir approach - emphasis on Batman as a detective. It's also shot like a noir - lot of scenes with minimal lighting, shadows, etc.

I would recommend it - just be sure to take a leak first. I made it through, but I was racing for the bathroom when the credits rolled.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Anyone watch Swan Song? It was AppleTV+, so probably not a ton have that.

Extremely depressing. Anti-feel good.

 

[stocker08]

Not a review....but I just heard a commercial for Michael Bay's new movie AmbuLAnce that they've been promoting for what feels like half a year. In it they brag about how it's Bay's highest scored Rotten Tomatoes movie. "Including 'The Rock'....and everybody LOVES 'The Rock'."

Out of morbid curiosity I looked at Rotten Tomatoes and found that the critics have it at 68%. Lol. The thing is that all his other directed movies are lower.

Found that to be a super funny selling point in this ad.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Not a review....but I just heard a commercial for Michael Bay's new movie AmbuLAnce that they've been promoting for what feels like half a year. In it they brag about how it's Bay's highest scored Rotten Tomatoes movie. "Including 'The Rock'....and everybody LOVES 'The Rock'."

Out of morbid curiosity I looked at Rotten Tomatoes and found that the critics have it at 68%. Lol. The thing is that all his other directed movies are lower.

Found that to be a super funny selling point in this ad.

some people just like movies where s*it blows up. and Michael Bay can blow up s*hit better than anyone. plus, he doesn't waste your time with plots or realistic characters........

yeah, I've seen that trailer a lot, and every time I see it, it makes me less interested in watching that movie.

also saw an interview where Bay admitted that Spielberg told him to stop making "Transformers" movies. that was hilarious.

on a tangent - stumbled across a You Tube site called "Good Bad Flicks." the host makes fun of bad movies. the guy is pretty funny, and the videos are reasonably short.

 

[stocker08]

some people just like movies where s*it blows up. and Michael Bay can blow up s*hit better than anyone. plus, he doesn't waste your time with plots or realistic characters........

yeah, I've seen that trailer a lot, and every time I see it, it makes me less interested in watching that movie.

also saw an interview where Bay admitted that Spielberg told him to stop making "Transformers" movies. that was hilarious.

on a tangent - stumbled across a You Tube site called "Good Bad Flicks." the host makes fun of bad movies. the guy is pretty funny, and the videos are reasonably short.

Yeah I've got nothing against Michael Bay. He makes big, loud, and usually dumb action films on giant budgets. Nothing wrong with that. Just love the fact that the ad brags about a 68% RT score.

 

[Nax5]

I went and saw "Everything Everywhere All At Once" last night.

Keep an eye on that one. It's gunna end up being one of the best movies of the year.

It's funny, action-packed, emotional, and reminds us that we are where we are supposed to be, even in this miniscule speck of time that is our life.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Just got back from Get Back on IMAX, totally delightful. It was barely over an hour long. Damn you London police!

Actually the sideshow with the cops elevated the drama. Being familiar with those Beatles songs almost my whole life, it struck me as how cool it would have been as a passerby to hear all the tunes fresh in that setting. Would have been awestruck, I imagine. Though I wasn't even a month old when filmed.

Favorite part was watching the entire band with their wives and girlfriends after the gig listening to some of the playback. They seemed just giddy with what they pulled off.

When they block a road in the old city they block a road. Tho I recall the imax is in Westminster but same same.

 

[stocker08]

Roland Emmerich is gaslighting everyone now. He knew that his movie, Moonfall, was going to be an audaciously idiotic mess. This makes 2012 (also an Emmerich movie) look tame by comparison. And that movie was ridiculous in a bad way. I just wonder if the studios giving him huge budgets realize this.

 

[stocker08]

I heard about a movie called 'One Cut of the Dead' a year back or so. It is a low budget comedy/horror film out of Japan that was made on a shoestring budget. Decided to watch it after stumbling upon it this evening.

Deserves all the prop given. The goofs were funny as intended....and while I kept expecting a misfire or two....those never came.

Overall....really inventive idea. Broken up into a few distinct parts that flow together well at the end. Give it a shot....and fight through the shock of subtitles for at least the first 20-25 minutes.

 

[Gophers_4life]

It looks like The Northman is getting fairly solid reviews from critics, on Rotten Tomatoes. Of course, having to boil down all range of reviews and sentiments into a simple yes/no gauge is a difficult task.

Critic recommendations can be pretty hit or miss for me, at times.

But I may indeed head to the theaters this weekend. Have not been in quite a while!

 

[Nax5]

I heard about a movie called 'One Cut of the Dead' a year back or so. It is a low budget comedy/horror film out of Japan that was made on a shoestring budget. Decided to watch it after stumbling upon it this evening.

Deserves all the prop given. The goofs were funny as intended....and while I kept expecting a misfire or two....those never came.

Overall....really inventive idea. Broken up into a few distinct parts that flow together well at the end. Give it a shot....and fight through the shock of subtitles for at least the first 20-25 minutes.

Never understood people who despise subtitles. I liked this one too. Really had no idea where it was going as the opening act is just so bad. But it was worth sticking with.

 

[Ope3]

Never understood people who despise subtitles. I liked this one too. Really had no idea where it was going as the opening act is just so bad. But it was worth sticking with.

This spring I have seen 4 movies with subtitles, and recommend all 4 strongly.

Parallel Mothers (Spanish)
The Worst Person in the World (Norwegian)
Drive My Car (Japanese + a little bit of others)
CODA (American sign language)

I have even become adept at multi-tasking and being able to enjoy my popcorn while reading the screen. If anything they bring the viewer even more into the experience. If one checks their phone during the film, just like that...lost.

 

[Nax5]

This spring I have seen 4 movies with subtitles, and recommend all 4 strongly.

Parallel Mothers (Spanish)
The Worst Person in the World (Norwegian)
Drive My Car (Japanese + a little bit of others)
CODA (American sign language)

I have even become adept at multi-tasking and being able to enjoy my popcorn while reading the screen. If anything they bring the viewer even more into the experience. If one checks their phone during the film, just like that...lost.

Agreed...People miss a lot of amazing films because of aversion to subtitles.