Random Movie Thoughts Thread

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Borat II was pretty funny.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Tommy Lee Jones was considered for the roles of both Snake Plissken and Rick Deckard. I could see him as a good fit for the second.

 

[Totenkindly]

I wasn't gonna do a 13 Nights of Halloween / AKA Hallowscream this year (because this year is scary enough, hardee har -- but mainly because I was exhausted) but then ended up watching a bunch of horror movies earlier in October. So technically I can actually get 13 in, although i didn't watch them on the last 13 days of October. Here's my current plan:

1. The Babysitter
2. The Lie
3. Black Box
4. Relic
5. Nocturne
6. Evil Eye
7. Mama
8. House of 1000 Corpses
9. I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
10. In Fabric
11. Train to Busan
12. Sputnik
13. Session 9

The ones in red are the ones I had not watched until this particular lineup. (I am currently at #8 on the list, although since it's Saturday, I might swap in Train to Busan which is longer, because I have more time on the weekend.)

Session 9 is a pretty understated and much more a psychological horror tale -- but it's lingered with me ever since I saw it some years back. It's a great example of what you can do with a low budget, a really great location (the rotting remains of an abandoned asylum), and a few decent character actors like Peter Mullan.

I finally ended up seeing Transsiberian this year as well, by the same director (Brad Anderson), with Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson, among others -- even Spanish star Eduardo Noriega who I loved so much in the original Abre los Ojos. Not quite as good as Session 9 to me, but I think it takes a little longer to click in and ends up pretty crazy by the end.

Anderson of course also directed the "The Machinist," with Christian Bale as a tormented man from a shattered past / unreliable narrator, where he notoriously dropped his weight to 120 for the role and suffered heart palpitations, then had six months before shooting for Batman Begins started to put on a ton of muscle.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

To me, this sort of scene was always more suspenseful in Bond films and I wish they’d had more of these “low key” types of scenes throughout the series. It’s worlds better than some over the top action scene. Barry’s music really sells the tension and urgency here; minus the music we’re just watching someone copy documents. Also, love how he’s flipping through a playboy while waiting for the safecracker machine. It’s a very good example of a well edited, well paced scene. Even though I as viewer know Bond has plot armor and won’t be caught here, I still feel it’s a well done scene versus him in some elaborate death trap device.

And he took the playboy with him

Peter Hunt had worked as an editor before directing this film. It shows. It’s a long film by Bond standards (shorter only than some of the Craig movies IIRC), yet I never feel it drags or wastes a scene. Which just goes to show that long movies don’t have to be tedious if edited well. Also considering the later films have much longer end credits, I’d be curious to see how they all compared without length of end credits accounted for.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

So I found this ranking by length: Every Bond Movie, Ranked From Shortest To Longest | ScreenRant

I am shocked that Thunderball came in at # 11; I’d assumed it was one of the longest. It really drags out by the third act.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

License to Kill was fifth longest. I think it flows better than many of the shorter Bonds.

I love how Bond worms his way into Sanchez’s organization by pretending to be a rogue freelancer. He doesn’t even hide his career from Sanchez, who likely hires much of his security from ex military special forces.

He then proceeds to sow seeds of distrust so that Sanchez starts killing his own henchmen (Krest and the guy who was an informant), saving Bond the trouble of blowing his cover and having to kill them himself. To me, this is more in line with what I’d imagine a trained spy doing to take down a criminal enterprise

Reminds me of The Departed, in some ways.

 

[Totenkindly]

So I found this ranking by length: Every Bond Movie, Ranked From Shortest To Longest | ScreenRant

I am shocked that Thunderball came in at # 11; I’d assumed it was one of the longest. It really drags out by the third act.

Not shocked that Quantum of Solace was the shortest -- thank god. It's not horrible and offers a bit of closure to the Vesper arc, but... kind of forgettable.

In slight defense of "You Only Live Twice" and yellowface concerns -- this was something from the book. To infiltrate Shatterhand's "Garden of Death" where locals go to commit suicide regularly (Bond is being forced to assassinate him), he sets up a cover identity as a mute Japanese coal miner. It's even a main point of the interrogation scene, where Bond is going to die unless he responds to commands given to him in English (kind of like throwing a witch in the water to prove her innocence by drowning). So it's not like the film was going off-book with that angle. I just think it plays better in the book, because you don't really "see" it, you can just buy into it.

 

[anticlimatic]

Jacobs Ladder remake is abysmal.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Not shocked that Quantum of Solace was the shortest -- thank god. It's not horrible and offers a bit of closure to the Vesper arc, but... kind of forgettable.

In slight defense of "You Only Live Twice" and yellowface concerns -- this was something from the book. To infiltrate Shatterhand's "Garden of Death" where locals go to commit suicide regularly (Bond is being forced to assassinate him), he sets up a cover identity as a mute Japanese coal miner. It's even a main point of the interrogation scene, where Bond is going to die unless he responds to commands given to him in English (kind of like throwing a witch in the water to prove her innocence by drowning). So it's not like the film was going off-book with that angle. I just think it plays better in the book, because you don't really "see" it, you can just buy into it.

Yeah. Connery just looked silly. I imagine that wedding scene dated badly even then. Like, the film establishes they have a secret service contact office in Japan, could they find no Japanese operatives to more easily go undercover and let Bond take a more hands off role? It really is one of the most Austin Powers things in any Bond (I think Lazenby’s frilly disguise in OHMSS takes the cake though)

I though quantum draaaaaggged way out. For such a short movie.

 

[Totenkindly]

Yeah. Connery just looked silly. I imagine that wedding scene dated badly even then. Like, the film establishes they have a secret service contact office in Japan, could they find no Japanese operatives to more easily go undercover and let Bond take a more hands off role? It really is one of the most Austin Powers things in any Bond (I think Lazenby’s frilly disguise in OHMSS takes the cake though)

ROFL

Yeah, I keep expecting him to be wearing a peach tux like in Dumb & Dumber.

I though quantum draaaaaggged way out. For such a short movie.

It was such an odd film... and rather non-compelling, aside from an interesting action sequence or two. (Like, when Bond frees himself from M's agents after being removed from service -- AGAIN, how many times does he get kicked out -- and then hooks up with Felix in the bar briefly.) I mean, the whole film is about acquiring water rights on the low-down. Ooooooh.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

ROFL

Yeah, I keep expecting him to be wearing a peach tux like in Dumb & Dumber.

My favorite part of the Austin Powers films aren’t the over the top potty humor bits but rather the numerous nods to the 60s Bond films, simultaneously parodying and homaging. Like, “look how silly and dated these movies really are, but damn we love them”

Also, the way Austin sort of flinches when aiming and shooting his pistol, reminds me a bit of Lazenby and Moore not always totally selling Bond as skilled assassin and marksman. I still think Connery and Dalton are most convincing as killers, with honorable mentions for Craig. Although Craig is really good in fist to fist scenes. Lazenby was good with the fist fighting too, just not so believable with the Walther

Brosnan struck a really good balance between Dalton and Moore IMO

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Oh that’s why Karen didn’t want to go down the alley in Goodfellas

 

[Stigmata]

Oh that’s why Karen didn’t want to go down the alley in Goodfellas

In the movie she saw the dudes rustling around in the building then say "shhhhh. She's coming..." with everything going on and the line of business Henry was in, she knew she was a dead woman if she walked down there.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

In the movie she saw the dudes rustling around in the building then say "shhhhh. She's coming..." with everything going on and the line of business Henry was in, she knew she was a dead woman if she walked down there.

But but pennywise

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Narrowing it to 15. Even that’s tough. I’ll give it a shot. In no particular order:

Walkabout
Moonraker
Chaplin
King Kong ‘76
The Living Daylights
Dances With Wolves
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Octopussy
Somewhere in Time
You Only Live Twice
Out of Africa
Cry The Beloved Country
Midnight Cowboy
Until September
Diamonds Are Forever

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Where ya goin’, LoRrAiNe bRaCcO?

 

[Totenkindly]

So I will probably have to buy Possessor (by Cronenberg's kid Brandon) straight on 4K because I just can't find it to stream legally. It's gotten decent reviews, I just don't like buying films nowadays without having seen them first.

I remember back when Blurays were first becoming a thing, it wasn't as big a deal -- I could honestly buy a bluray, watch the film, then sell it for close to my purchase price. (this is YEARS ago.) Like, on half.com or elsewhere. On occasion, depending on how on sale I managed to snag it, I could watch it, then resell for more than I paid.

But that isn't the way things are now, they're all overpriced and don't command much on resale, esp with the streaming codes if they are already used.

2020 has been such a shit year for cinema, I've barely seen any new films -- it's mostly being a review of old favorites or films I should have watched years back but just didn't. Normally I pick 10-12 films a year for my "favorites' list, and I only have 2-3 films max so far for 2020 because nothing has come out... and what has, I either didn't enjoy much or it was a nice experience but nothing that resonates. (I mean, one of my favorites this year so far has been "The Platform" I think from Amazon Prime, which is a foreign film to boot... but I found it provocative.)

Anyway I search for films that provide catharsis but haven't found much. I think the most catharsis I got were from TV shows -- the final episodes of Mr. ROBOT (which I watched probably in January, not the December airing? Don't recall now) and now The Haunting of Bly Manor. I've seen some aspiring horror flicks but I can't say that any of them have quite sealed the deal.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

So I will probably have to buy Possessor (by Cronenberg's kid Brandon) straight on 4K because I just can't find it to stream legally. It's gotten decent reviews, I just don't like buying films nowadays without having seen them first.

I remember back when Blurays were first becoming a thing, it wasn't as big a deal -- I could honestly buy a bluray, watch the film, then sell it for close to my purchase price. (this is YEARS ago.) Like, on half.com or elsewhere. On occasion, depending on how on sale I managed to snag it, I could watch it, then resell for more than I paid.

But that isn't the way things are now, they're all overpriced and don't command much on resale, esp with the streaming codes if they are already used.

2020 has been such a shit year for cinema, I've barely seen any new films -- it's mostly being a review of old favorites or films I should have watched years back but just didn't. Normally I pick 10-12 films a year for my "favorites' list, and I only have 2-3 films max so far for 2020 because nothing has come out... and what has, I either didn't enjoy much or it was a nice experience but nothing that resonates. (I mean, one of my favorites this year so far has been "The Platform" I think from Amazon Prime, which is a foreign film to boot... but I found it provocative.)

Anyway I search for films that provide catharsis but haven't found much. I think the most catharsis I got were from TV shows -- the final episodes of Mr. ROBOT (which I watched probably in January, not the December airing? Don't recall now) and now The Haunting of Bly Manor. I've seen some aspiring horror flicks but I can't say that any of them have quite sealed the deal.

We’re being forced to dive back into the archives. 2020 has been both blessing and curse for movies