The Movie (and TV show) Watching Thread

[Alben Barkley]

I'm sure Rise of Skywalker was terrible, but let's not let that distract from the fact that The Last Jedi, Rogue One, and The Force Awakens were all just as bad.

Objectively false, lol. Obvious to everybody except you (or you're trolling).

To be fair, I didn't see the Rise of Skywalker. But it's hard to imagine it sucking even more than the other Disney Wars movies.

It's DEFINITELY a tier below.
Worst Star Wars film, for sure.

Somehow this is true.

I left TFA disappointed because it was such a knock-off of the original rather than anything new; it reset everything the characters accomplished in the originals and Luke was barely even in it. I wanted a continuation of the original story, not a soft reboot, so the whole sequel trilogy was disappointing from the beginning for that reason alone.

I literally fell asleep during Rogue One, will NEVER understand the hype around that movie. Watched it again when it was on Netflix, fell asleep again. The Darth Vader scene at the end (which I did wake up for) was just fan service, as was most of the movie (that I saw).

I probably actually had the most positive immediate reaction to The Last Jedi, simply because it seemed different, but the more I thought about it the dumber it was; it too fell apart on a rewatch. Became obvious that it was just as much of a copy of Empire as TFA was of the original Star Wars, except they "subverted" it by doing the opposite of what happened in that movie at every turn, while still hitting all the same beats. It wasn't as clever a trick as Rian Johnson apparently thought it was.

I left Solo thinking it was OK, fewer complaints actually than against any of the other Disney War movies, but it proved to be forgettable. Maybe I was just pleasantly surprised it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be as I had very low expectations, especially with all the reports of a troubled production. In the end though it was so bland and forgettable that it's the only Star Wars movie I haven't even tried to rewatch until...

Rise of Skywalker. That movie OFFENDED me, not just as a Star Wars fan from childhood, not just as a moviegoer, but as a human f--king being. It insulted my intelligence on every conceivable level. I still cannot believe this script actually was shot. It is genuinely one of the dumbest, worst movies I've ever seen. I'd rather watch whatever schlock Nicolas Cage sends direct to streaming over that. It was HORRIBLE. On an entire other level of awful. John Dule is lucky to have never seen it, and he never should. I wish I hadn't. It destroyed what was left of my Star Wars fandom and now I just don't care at all anymore.

Certainly not gonna watch the new show about the boring guy from the boring Rogue One movie... Star Wars used to feel special (even if the prequels were really "SPECIAL" in another sense), but Disney has done almost nothing but water down the Star Wars brand with poorly planned, soulless, boring, by the numbers, fan servicey crap designed for the lowest common denominator. It has absolutely killed my interest in the franchise. As a kid I would have been thrilled for shows about Boba Fett and Obi-Wan and new Star Wars movies all the time. Be careful what you wish for...

[Alben Barkley]

Elizabeth (1998) - 2.5/5

Basically Braveheart in terms of historical accuracy, and came out around that time period when everyone wanted to make the next Braveheart. Except it's much less exciting and well-made and fun. Watched for Cate Blanchett, who didn't disappoint. The set/costume designs and music are good too. But holy hell does this movie ever offend me as a student of history. Historical facts were not only stretched but absolutely BUTCHERED for the sake of drama. It has all the worst hallmarks of 90s "historical epic" filmmaking, and 90s filmmaking in general for that matter. Not the worst thing I've ever watched, but disappointing as I went in expecting something a little higher brow, especially considering all the awards it was nominated for/won.

Oh it's also anti-Catholic as hell, complete with a scheming murderous Pope and a caricature of "Bloody Mary" while ignoring that Elizabeth was equally repressive of Catholics in her reign.

[Alben Barkley]

Oppenheimer is probably Nolan's best film. I need to rewatch Dunkirk to be sure, but this felt like more of a complete masterwork while that as far as I remember was more of a technical showcase.

I HATED Tenet, thought it was a pretentious mess; so rarely have I seen a director bounce back to such a high from such a low. I could even understand all the dialog this time!

I actually think this might be Nolan's Schindler's List in the sense that it may be the movie that will finally elevate him to a status where he is taken seriously by the arthouse and awards show crowds, and renowned as more than just a technically competent director of blockbusters. The reviews so far certainly seem to indicate that. I would not be surprised if Nolan, Murphy, and Downey Jr. all win Oscars and they definitely will at least be nominated along with the film for Best Picture.

It's also awesome that a movie like this -- long, thought-provoking, historical, intelligent, serious biopic/court drama -- looks to be a hit at the box office as well. Coincidentally, like Schindler's List, it's making far more money than most movies of its kind despite its bleak subject matter. It's just great to see something other than a superhero blockbuster or some other franchise film/reboot/sequel do well, even if it is ironically directed by one of the men who started the superhero movie boom circa 2008.

I don't have much more to say other than it was excellent, surpassed my expectations. It didn't feel 3 hours long. I was glued to the screen the entire time. Every performance was good. There wasn't really any wasted screentime. Editing was solid. The score and sound design as a whole was fantastic. The script was well-done, interweaving multiple timelines in a way that was easy to follow and made thematic sense. Just an all-around excellent movie I would recommend to almost anyone. I look forward to Napoleon and Killers of the Flower Moon, but I have a hard time seeing this topped as my favorite of the year.

[Alben Barkley]

The average fan of Harold and Maude:

1) Owns at least one top hat
2) Describes himself as an "Anglophile" because he can quote Monty Python and the Holy Grail verbatim
3) Wears eyeshadow for high school theater classes unsolicited
4) Treats Halloween costumes like a competitive sport
5) Has never been diagnosed with a mental illness, but secretly romanticizes the idea of having one (a cool one like multiple personalities or schizophrenia, not generalized anxiety disorder)
6) Got into steampunk after it became cool and stuck with it long after it wasn't anymore
7) Owns a leather aviator cap with goggles; has never flown a plane
8) Has a stupid favorite flavor of pie (probably huckleberry)
9) Owns at least thirty different mugs, none of which match and half of which are in the sink with teabags in them
10) Read either The Stranger or The Sorrows of Young Werther at the age of 15 and used that as the foundation to restructure his entire personality
11) Has at least four house plants, all of which are dying of neglect
12) Manages a checkout counter at a grocery store, but aspires to one day manage a checkout counter at a vinyl record store
13) Thinks Humboldt County, California is the epicenter of civilization
14) Imagines he would be good at whittling; has never tried it
15) At least once in his life, has moved the Bible to the "fiction" section of Barnes & Noble
16) Owns a pipe because he thinks it would be cool to smoke out of a pipe (doesn't smoke)
17) Thinks that bluntly oversharing inappropriate personal information in a deadpan tone is a fun personality quirk
18) Owns nunchaku, and will insist on correcting you if you refer to them as "nunchucks"
19) Bathes irregularly
20) Has a hamster with a name like Skeletor or something

I do not say any of this to be mean. I just call it like I see it.

Believe it or not, my high school girlfriend recommended that movie to me. And frankly upon watching it, I started to have doubts about our compatibility lol. No I kid…. mostly. It’s fine for what it is I guess but I don’t think I would ever watch it again. (And indeed I haven’t since then.) Don’t get the whole cult following around it.

But speaking of 70s or at least 70s-feeling movies, I just watched The Holdovers finally and THAT movie I f—king loved. I did NOT expect to like it nearly as much as I did going in. I laughed often and goddamn it, there may have even been a tear or two that welled up in my eyes at certain parts. “They don’t make ‘em like this anymore” was my immediate reaction to the film, except of course they finally did. Wow. This is the kind of movie, in a sea of movies I find mostly to be either brain dead tripe or pretentious tripe, I have been looking for. Loved it. Won’t be upset at all if Giamatti beats Murphy for the Best Actor Oscar. He absolutely earned it. Probably tops Sideways as my favorite movie from both Giamiatti and Payne as well, though it’s close.