The Movie (and TV show) Watching Thread

[Fubart Solman]

I also forgot to mention that I had also seen 'The Nice Guys' for the first time. I don't know why it took me such a long time to see it, it's a really entertaining movie...minus the actual mystery that Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are trying to solve. I really found that uninteresting. Otherwise I would love to see another movie with these two (and Gosling's character's daughter too) and a more interesting mystery-they were a delight to watch.

I love that movie! Hadn’t heard of it before my former housemates and I went to see it (one of them is in film school) in theaters. Glad I went!

[Fubart Solman]

Rewatched Sahara (2005). Wonderful film that doesn’t deserve the hate it got from critics or the box office.

[Fubart Solman]

I just saw Casablanca for the first time last night. It has definitely aged, but I think that it was still very good. A lot of lines that are still referenced today.

I’ve also recently seen Emperor’s New Groove, the three new Star Trek movies, both Princess Diaries, Doc Hollywood, and the three Back to the Future movies.

[Fubart Solman]

I saw the Truman Show for the first time on Wednesday(?) night. Very solid movie. I knew the general premise of it, but it was very done as a whole.

I rewatched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (on Blu-Ray) for the 11th(?) time on Friday. You can probably guess my thoughts on it.

I also watched Salt last night. I had seen it in theaters with my friends back in 2010 (I wonder why?). I vaguely remembered some parts of it, but it kept me guessing the whole time, though I had some suspicions. Not sure if I like the ending, but a solid movie overall. Best of all? It (and the Truman Show) are free on Amazon Prime.

[Fubart Solman]

Rewatched Jojo Rabbit last night. Obviously holds up. Noticing more and more things though.

Also watched The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, which is new and free on Amazon Prime. It wasn’t bad, somewhat a rehash of Groundhog Day (as it even references), but different.

Over the weekend, I watched Sahara, which I will defend as an amazing movie. Likable protagonist, hot chick, one and a half funny sidekicks, a cool car, bad guys lose, good guys win, and rare coins are involved. I don’t care if it bombed in the box office, it’s a great movie.

Tonight is Thursday night, so no movies for me, but we’ll see what I end up watching on Friday night.

[Fubart Solman]

Last night was a Wes Anderson double feature of movies I hadn’t seen: Fantastic Mr Fox and Moonrise Kingdom.

I think that Anderson captured the zaniness of a Roald Dahl story quite well and I thought it was very enjoyable. The Beach Boys music was a bit jarring at first, but it kinda worked (see below **).

Moonrise Kingdom was a bit odd; it seemed uncanny at times. I’m not sure if the acting was stilted or if it was the writing of the two main child actors. I think that it does touch on something that isn’t really discussed that much in society - kids of those sorts of feelings sooner than many adults would like. The ending was nice though. Norton and Willis were the standouts here, I think. How many movies have Lucas Hedges and Frances McDormand been in together? I’m thinking at least 3 (Moonrise Kingdom, Lady Bird, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Hedges just kinda bothers me, tbh. In the two movies I’ve seen him in (Moonrise Kingdom and Lady Bird), he doesn’t really play likable characters. Also, his face kinda bothers me.

I had heard Jojo Rabbit compared to Moonrise Kingdom (and called “Moonreich Kingdom”). Now having seen both, I don’t think that’s the case. There’s a very superficial link with the “scouting” troops, but if I were to compare Jojo Rabbit to a Wes Anderson movie, I would probably lean towards Grand Budapest Hotel. Perhaps it’s just the color palette of the titular hotel or the European wartime setting. ** Speaking of Jojo Rabbit as compared to Wes Anderson movies, it used more modern music than the setting would imply and that now makes me think of Fantastic Mr Fox. Mr Fox seemed to be set sometime mid-century, before The Beach Boys, and Jojo Rabbit was obviously a good 20-30 years before the Beatles and Bowie songs used in it, compared to Hank Williams in Moonrise Kingdom, which would’ve been contemporary, if not dated for the 1965 setting. All that being said, if you told me that Jojo Rabbit was a Wes Anderson movie and I didn’t know better, I would believe you.

~~~

Tonight was Sherlock Holmes (2009): a fun movie that I hadn’t seen in a while. Not really much to write home about.

[Fubart Solman]

Kicked off the Christmas season with Diehard.

[Fubart Solman]

4.0* Prehistoric Planet (2022) - UK
Better than I expected. A Walking With Dinosaurs for a new generation. Sure some of it is speculative or a reconstruction based on some things we know (because of science) and some knowledge about animal life today. It will always be a reconstruction because it would be impossible to travel back in time with your camera, but I think it's exceptionally well done with good use of CGI and a good narrator. Some stuff definitely has been updated with recent findings in palaeontology. I liked the focus on extreme environments too.

I loved this program, though it is a shame that you can only watch it on Apple TV.  It would be nice if PBS could purchase it so it can be made more widely available.  

I got temporarily (for six months) Apple TV for free due to it being an action if you owned a PS5. That time is almost over now, and i only wanted to watch this so i made sure i did that. Maybe i'll see The Velvet Underground documentary and possibly CODA but i'll see, they're not too important for me. For All Mankind seems like a good series too but i've seen they announced a fourth season so i'll not be watching the first three seasons yet.

I don't think i have any way of seeing PBS content. I have to download and there's some on YouTube that i can just see but there is no PBS streaming service or something like that.

Apple TV tho sucks and is not worth it. I only have it because it was for free and i immediately cancelled subscription so that it wouldn't be automatically renewed. It barely has content and a lot of content still needs to be "hired" or "bought".

Not a movie, but Slow Horses on Apple Plus is good. It’s about incompetent/misfit British spies. Currently on the second season (4/6 episodes are out) and it’s been renewed for a third and fourth.

[Fubart Solman]

Finally saw both “Now You See Me” and “Tenet”.

Both were pretty good. I’m not sure that “Now You See Me” would hold up to repeated viewing (though seeing it a second time, knowing the twist would be interesting). Tenet seems like a movie that needs to be watched multiple times. I had a decent grasp of the story (and I didn’t have major issues with hearing dialogue using a pair of AirPods lol), but there’s probably a lot of stuff I missed or that would be interesting to see it again knowing what happens.

[Fubart Solman]

Things I’ve seen recently:

Hunger Games (rewatch) - still need to finish my rewatch, but I really like the aesthetic of District 12 and then the juxtaposition of the Capital

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - thought it was boring tbh. I liked Benedict Cumberbatch’s character’s Citroen DS.

Palm Springs - really liked this one

In Bruges - got through half an hour before giving up because it was rather dull.

[Fubart Solman]

I finally saw Baby Driver last night. It’s been on my watchlist for years. I thought it lost steam about 2/3 through. Solid concept though, just a bit lost in the execution at the end. It definitely earned the sound award nominations though.

Spoiler alert: Beware spoilers

Show

Probably about when Bats shot up all of the arms dealers. I’m fine with things going south on the final job, but it was just a bit too off imo. Buddy just wouldn’t die. I also figured there would be more of a car chase than there was. The *ending* ending was kind of weird too. I’d choose to believe that Debora waited the five or so years that I’m guessing Baby ended up serving.

Edit, while I’m sharing…
I also watched a pair of HBO miniseries over the last couple weeks. Chernobyl and White House Plumbers.

Chernobyl was very good. I had no idea of the scale of the “liquidation” efforts shown in episode 4. Not knowing that much about the investigation/management,

Spoiler alert: Beware spoilers

Show

I was glad that Boris Shcherbina turned out to be a decent guy for a high up Soviet bureaucrat. Also hadn’t actually known the full issue with the plant (the graphite tipped control rods). Knew that Dyatlov was a bad boss though.

White House Plumbers was funny in a straight-man sort of way. It wasn’t quite Veep levels of humor and absurdity, but I thought it was still funny. In WHP, you’re very much laughing at the characters and their bumbling ineptitude for most of it. The last episode is a bit odd though, I’d probably rate it the lowest of the 5 episodes.

[Fubart Solman]

I finally saw Baby Driver last night. It’s been on my watchlist for years. I thought it lost steam about 2/3 through. Solid concept though, just a bit lost in the execution at the end. It definitely earned the sound award nominations though.

In the vein of “Movies with Lily James where the soundtrack is integral to the movie,” I watched Yesterday, well… yesterday. Very good movie, moved me to tears at a moment near the end.

I’d recommend it to any Beatles fan. Interesting to see Kate McKinnon in an actual movie role as opposed to her work on SNL. A fun movie, somewhat predictable as a rom-com, but still enjoyable. I liked seeing all the other things that didn’t exist or changed in the world the movie took place in.

Spoiler alert: Beware spoilers

Show

Regarding the moving scene near the end, I figured it was going to be Paul or maybe Ringo making a cameo.

Also, the mention of “Thursday Night Live” was funny especially with McKinnon famously being an SNL alum.

[Fubart Solman]

My thoughts on Asteroid City:

…

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the story layering of Asteroid City. Framing this film as a stage play (and then constantly interrupting its momentum with digressions to a secondary plot) adds nothing to the narrative. With The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson used his story-within-a-story technique brilliantly-- the layered structure made the film's tale feel like it came from a time that had long since passed, and most importantly, the story itself was allowed to unfold without interruption. But now that he's begun employing that approach in every film-- regardless of whether it's appropriate-- I've begun to wonder if Budapest was simply a massive fluke, the rare instance in which Anderson's default style actually elevated the story rather than detracting from it.

Despite what I've said here, I enjoyed Asteroid City. Multiple scenes made me laugh out loud…

Snipped a few things out, but this was my issue with it. To use a metaphor from Inception, Wes Anderson went a layer too deep with Asteroid City and ended up in limbo. I honestly couldn’t really follow the black and white parts, but I was laughing a lot at the “real story” or whatever you want to call the part in color. I don’t regret seeing it and I imagine I’ll watch it again when it comes out streaming, but I wouldn’t say that it was his best work.

[Fubart Solman]

I finally saw The Prestige last night. A very good movie and I’d recommend it without saying anything further.

[Fubart Solman]

*Sigh* another one of my friend's is seizing upon a favor I owe him and is going to make me see 'Oppenheimer' with him. I've made it known that I find Christopher Nolan a somewhat overrated director, and that's probably mostly a reaction to his cultlike fanbase that almost rival Snyder fans in obnoxiousness, but my real apprehension towards seeing 'Oppenheimer' in particular is because I feel like I already know how the whole movie is going to play out and that Nolan's style won't elevate it past being a typical biopic. It's probably going to be over two hours long too...

Wiki says 3 hours and 1 minute.

I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I’ve been reading American Prometheus in the mean time. Some friends and I are planning to do the Barbenheimer double feature. Maybe not on opening weekend, depends on people’s availability.

[Fubart Solman]

*Sigh* another one of my friend's is seizing upon a favor I owe him and is going to make me see 'Oppenheimer' with him. I've made it known that I find Christopher Nolan a somewhat overrated director, and that's probably mostly a reaction to his cultlike fanbase that almost rival Snyder fans in obnoxiousness, but my real apprehension towards seeing 'Oppenheimer' in particular is because I feel like I already know how the whole movie is going to play out and that Nolan's style won't elevate it past being a typical biopic. It's probably going to be over two hours long too...

Nolan's head is firmly planted in his own rectum

But is it more up there than Wes Anderson’s is?

[Fubart Solman]

I watched Red Notice tonight. It’s not gonna won any awards, but it kept my attention after a long work day and it was funny. I don’t always feel like watching Shawshank Redemption after all.

To be honest though, I think the greatest con pulled with that movie was the fact that it had a $200 million budget. I’d bet that The Rock (and to a lesser extent Reynolds and Gadot) made bank on it.

*Sigh* another one of my friend's is seizing upon a favor I owe him and is going to make me see 'Oppenheimer' with him. I've made it known that I find Christopher Nolan a somewhat overrated director, and that's probably mostly a reaction to his cultlike fanbase that almost rival Snyder fans in obnoxiousness, but my real apprehension towards seeing 'Oppenheimer' in particular is because I feel like I already know how the whole movie is going to play out and that Nolan's style won't elevate it past being a typical biopic. It's probably going to be over two hours long too...

Wiki says 3 hours and 1 minute.

I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I’ve been reading American Prometheus in the mean time. Some friends and I are planning to do the Barbenheimer double feature. Maybe not on opening weekend, depends on people’s availability.

Three hours! I am become dread!

If I'm going to have to see it in theaters though, I am going to hope that it exceeds my expectations. I don't want to sit there for three hours and force myself to be grumpy. My problem going in, beyond Nolan, is just that I tend not to like biopics, especially when they are about a figure I am already familiar with and whose conflict I already know is going to predictably play out on screen as I expect. My favorite biopics typically involve more underhanded borderline villainous types of people, and I am certain that Oppenheimer is not going to be portrayed that way.

I’m hoping that I haven’t spoiled myself by reading American Prometheus haha. Granted, I knew what happened at the Battle of Dunkirk, but the movie “Dunkirk” was still enthralling. Also, I don’t think I’ll finish the book by the time I see it. I’m about halfway through according to my ebook app. I also had a general idea about Oppenheimer in the sense that I knew he led the effort to make The Bomb and that he had issues afterwards.

[Fubart Solman]

I finally saw See How They Run tonight (7/28). I had hoped to catch it in theaters, but never had the chance. Honestly, I’m kind of glad that I didn’t. Wasn’t that impressed by it. Saoirse Ronan’s character was fun and Adrien Brody’s was alright at times, but I was kind of disappointed by Sam Rockwell especially since I had rewatched Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on Wednesday. I liked him in Jojo Rabbit too. Granted, some of it may have been the material that he was given in See How They Run.

Speaking of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I liked it a lot more than I had remembered. Caught some things that I hadn’t noticed before (only my third time seeing it: theaters and then once a few years ago). Rockwell was good in this and honestly, I think most of the other actors were too. Can’t name someone who I didn’t like here. I love quoting Douglas Adams and it was fun to be reminded of how absurdly funny H2G2 is.

Barbenheimer double feature coming up on Sunday for me. I’ll catch up on what everyone has said about them after that.

[Fubart Solman]

(Snipped)

(Snipped)

And Adria Arjona is quite pretty and was one of the few things keeping my attention through its runtime.

Well dang, I might have to watch it then.

Also, I made a Letterboxd and added you two.

I finally watched the first Mission: Impossible movie tonight. I was told to start on number three and then remembered that my friend that told me that has bad movie tastes, so I started on 1. Idk how Jon Voight went from looking like maybe 45-50 in Mission: Impossible to like 75 in National Treasure less than a decade later.

[Fubart Solman]

(Snipped)

(Snipped)

And Adria Arjona is quite pretty and was one of the few things keeping my attention through its runtime.

Well dang, I might have to watch it then.

Also, I made a Letterboxd and added you two.

I finally watched the first Mission: Impossible movie tonight. I was told to start on number three and then remembered that my friend that told me that has bad movie tastes, so I started on 1. Idk how Jon Voight went from looking like maybe 45-50 in Mission: Impossible to like 75 in National Treasure less than a decade later.

I followed you too!

But maybe watch 'Andor' instead, if you haven't already. She's in that too and its legitimately good. It's the direction 'Star Wars' should have been going the whole time. It's a bit slow at times though.

God I love Andor. I could go on and on about it. It definitely took a few episodes to hit its stride, but once they got off Ferrix and started expanding multiple storylines, it was absolute gold.

[Fubart Solman]

And 'Asteroid City,' after already feeling this way about 'The French Dispatch,' might be making me finally waver slightly in my Wes Anderson fan identity. I still enjoyed them both, mostly, but they're more uneven than his previous works and definitely at the bottom of my ranking of his films. In 'Asteroid City's' case, the maybe 40% of the movie told in black-and-white really felt unnecessary and kind of jarring. Usually I'll defend Anderson's quirks, but it was finally a bit much for me. The parts that were actually about this tiny Southwestern town was the good old symmetrical Andersoniness I know and love, complete with an adorable and hilarious stop-motion alien. I love when his look is applied to different time periods and locations.

His films aren't for everybidy, they're mostly for him, but I tend to always recommend them, regardless. But this one is the toughest to suggest people unfamiliar or uninterested with his style watch. And I'm a bit disappointed in saying that.

I don’t think I’m as big of an Anderson fan, but I definitely agree. I would’ve been just fine with a 90 minute movie about a kids space camp in the southwest in the 50s. I love the roadrunner puppet! His aesthetic really did get to shine through in the desert parts and I enjoyed that. The black and white parts just lost me. I’m still glad I saw it though. Still need to see The French Dispatch and most of his earlier filmography.

[Fubart Solman]

I barely made it through Maestro. And by make it, I mean “watched the first 1/3 or so, then watched another 10 minutes at 1.5x speed, then skipped to the parts with Maya Hawke, then was disturbed by how literally every other word out of her mouth was ‘Daddy,’ then basically just skipped to the credits.”

In my Letterboxd review, I riff on how they got “carried away” like that obnoxious song near the start. Something else that really bugged me was how fake the CGI of the theater seemed. There wasn’t even a good reason to use CGI either. At times the movie seemed over the top without being self-aware of that (see RRR or Sisu for over the top movies that are self-aware). The soundtrack (well, what I heard) was good. I’m something of a sucker for classical and classical-adjacent music.

However, I think Twilight might’ve been a better love story (though I’ve never seen Twilight).

Fortunately that left me with time to rewatch 10 Things I Hate About You, which is a much better movie and didn’t almost put me to sleep. I’m tempted to rate it even higher than I did before (4/5 stars). The writers really did a good job at fleshing out the secondary characters. Also, see 28:39 for an absolute Joker smile from Ledger right there.

[Fubart Solman]

I saw Inside Man last night. Very solid heist movie. Kinda left me wondering who the title referred to. There’s the obvious candidate, but I was left wondering about Jodie Foster’s character, especially with some of her lines at the end when she was talking to the mayor.

Just came back from seeing Dune: Part II. And holy hell, it's gotta be one of the, if not, the best movie released this year.

Good to know. Heading out to see it in a couple hours. I liked the first one better having seen it again, so maybe I’ll like this one more since it concludes the first book. Felt like a lot of mythology and build up in the first one.

[Fubart Solman]

Rewatched the Kill Bill movies over the last two nights. They weren’t my favorites of Tarantino’s when I saw them and they definitely weren’t this time either. The second one especially just wasn’t doing it for me—it basically ended up being background noise.

[Fubart Solman]

Rewatched the Kill Bill movies over the last two nights. They weren’t my favorites of Tarantino’s when I saw them and they definitely weren’t this time either. The second one especially just wasn’t doing it for me—it basically ended up being background noise.

For me the first one is by far the worst thing Tarantino ever made. It's the equivalent of cinematic masturbation.

I actually liked the first one more than the second. Wasn’t expecting that, but there was at least more action in it. It kind of seemed like parts of the first should’ve been in the second and vice-versa. I mean, the movie says why she went after O-Ren Ishii first, but it set the tone for more action that the second just didn’t really deliver on.