Random Movie Thoughts Thread

[Totenkindly]

Apparently some of his films are free on YouTube. Stalker is also on Max.

Two of the Best Sci-Fi Films Ever Made Are Streaming for Free on YouTube

One director. Two sci-fi masterpieces. No cost.

movieweb.com

 

[Totenkindly]

Ok, finished Rebel Moon part 1, director's cut. Much better movie, real characters, story arcs, etc. Still too much slow motion battle scenes to showcase "epic" glimpses, but how can Snyder do anything else.
To anyone that skipped the orginal ones, you are lucky. But the director's cut was enjoyable.

I just finished Part 2 DC.

Anyone who says these movies were not improved or says they are actually worse than the December rollout mustn't have actually watched them. (Not that I blame them, with a 6 hour run time.)

But I just remember my reaction to the twist back in December, with the suggestion of more movies, and just thinking, "Dear god, no. Please don't. Please let it end." And watching this version, I'm actually kind of excited to see what might happen next.

I think some of Snyder's stuff works, sometimes the slo-mo is too often used. But pretty much it's just his affectation. I think he could tone back some of the gore -- I'm not bothered by it on a visceral level, I just think it's visually excessive and can sometimes distract from the story stuff.

I disagree with people who complained about the sex scenes (there's one in each part), I don't think they were just there for show; I think they are actually used to reflect on Kora's self-image and clarify how she's feeling about herself and what she is doing. They are handled very differently, and in one she feels much more vulnerable and self-accepting than the other, where she feels she needs to be in control. The camera shots also again treat her scarring differently.

Snyder is a director who is very visual. Dialogue tends to be the weaker part of his films (when it's not totally awful). It's why his action / active sequences tend to be visually strong, but his slower interaction scenes can sometimes clunk.

I didn't really see any hugely awful logic problems this time, whereas I thought the December films were just complete gobbledy gook. Maybe that is what happens when you have to excise an entire 60+ minutes from each film and something replace it with just enough to hold the films together.

Again, it was really far better clarified that the grain excuse was secondary, which makes more sense. They went there originally looking for connections to the rebels they've been tracking for years, with the grain secondary esp after the leader pissed off Noble, although they did need food supplies. THEN they were going back primarily to get Kora, since she's public enemy #1 and they had tracked her going there -- with again the grain a secondary enough to prevent just leveling the town, but once they have Kora, Noble is happy to burn down the whole village and leave.

I should really watch "The Seven Samurai" and compare with this film to see what he was tributing.

Sometimes I think Zac Snyder must lose his temper in an amusing way to studio executives because they seem to butcher his movies from what Ive observed.

It's really embarrassing for the studios IMO. I really hope Netflix doesn't continue to do this shit if he puts out any more of these. Just let him make his film and let it stand as-is.

 

[SearchingforPeace]

I just finished Part 2 DC.

Anyone who says these movies were not improved or says they are actually worse than the December rollout mustn't have actually watched them. (Not that I blame them, with a 6 hour run time.)

But I just remember my reaction to the twist back in December, with the suggestion of more movies, and just thinking, "Dear god, no. Please don't. Please let it end." And watching this version, I'm actually kind of excited to see what might happen next.

I think some of Snyder's stuff works, sometimes the slo-mo is too often used. But pretty much it's just his affectation. I think he could tone back some of the gore -- I'm not bothered by it on a visceral level, I just think it's visually excessive and can sometimes distract from the story stuff.

I disagree with people who complained about the sex scenes (there's one in each part), I don't think they were just there for show; I think they are actually used to reflect on Kora's self-image and clarify how she's feeling about herself and what she is doing. They are handled very differently, and in one she feels much more vulnerable and self-accepting than the other, where she feels she needs to be in control. The camera shots also again treat her scarring differently.

Snyder is a director who is very visual. Dialogue tends to be the weaker part of his films (when it's not totally awful). It's why his action / active sequences tend to be visually strong, but his slower interaction scenes can sometimes clunk.

I didn't really see any hugely awful logic problems this time, whereas I thought the December films were just complete gobbledy gook. Maybe that is what happens when you have to excise an entire 60+ minutes from each film and something replace it with just enough to hold the films together.

Again, it was really far better clarified that the grain excuse was secondary, which makes more sense. They went there originally looking for connections to the rebels they've been tracking for years, with the grain secondary esp after the leader pissed off Noble, although they did need food supplies. THEN they were going back primarily to get Kora, since she's public enemy #1 and they had tracked her going there -- with again the grain a secondary enough to prevent just leveling the town, but once they have Kora, Noble is happy to burn down the whole village and leave.

I should really watch "The Seven Samurai" and compare with this film to see what he was tributing.



It's really embarrassing for the studios IMO. I really hope Netflix doesn't continue to do this shit if he puts out any more of these. Just let him make his film and let it stand as-is.

I agree that the violence was strong. It feel unnecessary or too much. The sex was very important to establish character and even the culture. Even Noble seemed more developed.

I will start part 2 tonight. I really hope Netflix let's him continue the story.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Apparently some of his films are free on YouTube. Stalker is also on Max.

Two of the Best Sci-Fi Films Ever Made Are Streaming for Free on YouTube

One director. Two sci-fi masterpieces. No cost.

movieweb.com

The only Tarkovsky film I've seen was Solaris, which I found fascinating for the most part even if I didn't feel I understand it. I should rewatch that at some point. The caveat is that I would fast forward through all the scenes of driving through Moscow; now that I know the only purpose those scenes serve is to weed out the audience, I think I feel comfortable skipping them.

 

[The Cat]

 

[Totenkindly]

I agree with her gist about RDJr. I would even be pissed off, except all the other terrible things the MCU has done since Endgame in 2019 has burned a lot of the outrage out of me.

I can understand bringing back the Russos to direct (as they were not the face of the MCU and some people probably can't even recognize them from pictures), but not someone who was centered in and visibly identified so much as a hero.

The optics are just terrible on this.

I don't really see Deadpool & Wolverine as indicative of much. It is its own thing, potentially with different fan bases. You can get away with less decent dramatic writing in Deadpool as well -- it's all just hyperkinetic humor. Marvel has been severely lacking in effective gravitas.

 

[The Cat]

I agree with her gist about RDJr. I would even be pissed off, except all the other terrible things the MCU has done since Endgame in 2019 has burned a lot of the outrage out of me.

I can understand bringing back the Russos to direct (as they were not the face of the MCU and some people probably can't even recognize them from pictures), but

The optics are just terrible on this.

I don't really see Deadpool & Wolverine as indicative of much. It is its own thing, potentially with different fan bases. You can get away with less decent dramatic writing in Deadpool as well -- it's all just hyperkinetic humor. Marvel has been severely lacking in effective gravitas.

Yeah, she's got some pretty passionate takes, but they tend to be on point.

John Hamm really would have been a good doom. Having RDJr do it just feels like learning the wrong lessons from the last 10 years.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I saw Deadpool x Wolverine today. I didn't even know Like A Prayer was in it when I posted that video yesterday. The algorithm suggested it, and I clicked because I wanted to see why the video was considered controversial and I liked the song. The movie made me laugh a lot and that's what's important. My favorite line? "Fox killed you, but now Disney's bringing you back and you're going to be doing this until you're 90!"

Why are they dunking so hard on Gambit, though?

I got about 75% of the references just from spending so much time around Marvel nerds in one context or the other.

I did like that they had him wearing the suit. I never liked how the Fox X-Men uniforms were so colorless. I didn't see a problem with the ones from the comics or the cartoon; it was bright and colorful, kind of like a superhero, you know?

It wasn't a deep movie that made me ponder humanity's place in the universe or anything like that, but not everything needs to be.

 

[Totenkindly]

Welp, aside from the whole development sucking balls, this is probably the most viable angle I can think of for this move.

But the whole "anchor being" concept is really stupid to start with, and I don't think they should be fully mixing Deadpool universe concepts with the main Marvel universe. It operates better being a tangential reality where everything is bonkers, because it's mostly tongue-in-cheek and isn't fully serious.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Welp, aside from the whole development sucking balls, this is probably the most viable angle I can think of for this move.

But the whole "anchor being" concept is really stupid to start with, and I don't think they should be fully mixing Deadpool universe concepts with the main Marvel universe. It operates better being a tangential reality where everything is bonkers, because it's mostly tongue-in-cheek and isn't fully serious.



View attachment 31268

That would definitely piss me off if I was hoping for the Doctor Doom from the comics.

 

[Totenkindly]

That would definitely piss me off if I was hoping for the Doctor Doom from the comics.

Yeah, that's one reason why people have been pissed already -- they wanted an authentic Dr. Doom, not a repurposed Tony Stark.

 

[The Cat]

Ah The Great Man theory gets subparly cemented into the cinematic universe... Some Marvel News will have a field day with this...

I'll bet all the "anchor beings" will somehow turn up, totally by random happenstance to be representative the 1-2% crowd. Weird how so many comic movies and tv shows seem to be written "for" them.​

 

[Totenkindly]

Why are they dunking so hard on Gambit, though?

Gambit was hilarious: The Queen Who Never Was, so to speak.

They talked about making that damn movie with him playing Gambit for so long and it never happened -- so they cast him as Gambit in Deadpool now instead lol.

I have never much liked Gambit even in the comics. I liked comics Rogue a lot, though.

I got about 75% of the references just from spending so much time around Marvel nerds in one context or the other.

I'm sorry you lived in such a toxic environment lol.

I knew all the references, because I suck.

I did like that they had him wearing the suit. I never liked how the Fox X-Men uniforms were so colorless. I didn't see a problem with the ones from the comics or the cartoon; it was bright and colorful, kind of like a superhero, you know?

Yeah, all the Dave Cockrum costumes were always colorful...!

It wasn't a deep movie that made me ponder humanity's place in the universe or anything like that, but not everything needs to be.

I enjoyed it as a throwaway laugh-fest that helped me enjoy two hours. It was kinda fun to see Wolvie snipe Deadpool as the martyr, only to have Deadpool snipe him back, then to have Wolvie join him anyway.

One of my bigger laughs was the Chris Evans twist.

Nova's sticking her fingers through people's heads (which happens in the comic) was pretty nasty in the film.

I think the only thing I hated was how they again locked Morena Baccarin out of the plot. Sigh.

 

[Totenkindly]

The best sci-fi movies of 2024

And where to watch them

www.polygon.com

Lol, someone who actually watched the Snyder DC's!

But I'm also excited to see some other films on that list. The Animal Kingdom is now streaming on Hulu, as is Kingdom (apes film), and The Beast is rentable on Amazon.

 

[SearchingforPeace]

I enjoyed Rebel Moon Part 2 director's cut. I hope we get the sequel.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Gambit was hilarious: The Queen Who Never Was, so to speak.

They talked about making that damn movie with him playing Gambit for so long and it never happened -- so they cast him as Gambit in Deadpool now instead lol.

I have never much liked Gambit even in the comics. I liked comics Rogue a lot, though.

I knew somebody that liked Gambit. Not as much as they liked Rogue, though.

I'm sorry you lived in such a toxic environment lol.

I knew all the references, because I suck.

I'm sorry, I think that came off much more harshly than I intended. I just mean that those people were Marvel nerds in the way that I'm a Star Wars nerd. I know more than I probably should about that fictional universe.

Yeah, all the Dave Cockrum costumes were always colorful...!

I feel like they have their charm in a way that the black leather outfits didn't. It's like making a Superman movie where he's in a T-shirt and jeans. What's the point? The only one that really works for is Batman because his whole thing is being stealthy, and the blue in the original comics was probably just a way to save ink, anyway.

I enjoyed it as a throwaway laugh-fest that helped me enjoy two hours. It was kinda fun to see Wolvie snipe Deadpool as the martyr, only to have Deadpool snipe him back, then to have Wolvie join him anyway.

One of my bigger laughs was the Chris Evans twist.

Yes, that was nice. I remember him being the highlight of that first film (ignoring the Roger Corman one); it's not surprising he went on to be a headliner in the MCU.

Nova's sticking her fingers through people's heads (which happens in the comic) was pretty nasty in the film.

It seemed like it hurt.

I think the only thing I hated was how they again locked Morena Baccarin out of the plot. Sigh.

Yeah, it's unfortunate she did not have more to do.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Ah The Great Man theory gets subparly cemented into the cinematic universe... Some Marvel News will have a field day with this...

I'll bet all the "anchor beings" will somehow turn up, totally by random happenstance to be representative the 1-2% crowd. Weird how so many comic movies and tv shows seem to be written "for" them.​

I'm too lazy to watch the videos, but it seems like there aren't enough 1%er heroes for that to happen. The only heroes who qualifies is Tony Stark. Dr. Strange and Bruce Banner as top of their field surgeons and scientists, respectively, might make enough money to live extremely well, but nowhere near what Tony Stark has. If we include villains, I can think of a few examples, like Doom, Norman Osborne, and Sebastian Shaw (who was perhaps angered about getting screwed over by getting cut out of the special editions, thus explaining his turn to villainy).

I'll qualify this by saying that I haven't read many superhero comics, either DC or Marvel, so I could be wrong. I know about these characters mostly by hearing other people talk about them and through movies with the occasional television show thrown in.

 

[The Cat]

I'm too lazy to watch the videos, but it seems like there aren't enough 1%er heroes for that to happen. The only heroes who qualifies is Tony Stark. Dr. Strange and Bruce Banner as top of their field surgeons and scientists, respectively, might make enough money to live extremely well, but nowhere near what Tony Stark has. If we include villains, I can think of a few examples, like Doom, Norman Osborne, and Sebastian Shaw (who was perhaps angered about getting screwed over by getting cut out of the special editions, thus explaining his turn to villainy).

I'll qualify this by saying that I haven't read many superhero comics, either DC or Marvel, so I could be wrong. I know about these characters mostly by hearing other people talk about them and through movies with the occasional television show thrown in.

You're missing out, once again. You, specifically, would really get a kick out of watching them, whole reason i shared them. It goes through the marvel cinematic universe and reports the news, its wild when you start noticing some of our news of the day from the times when the marvel movies were being made.

The videos will show, how Tony Stark is not the only one, and it covers how isnt it weird how so many of the latest villains(from the series) only seem to be villains because they're not on board with the trickle down Starkenomics. And how the only people who seem to be benefiting from Tony Stark's technology and continued weapons manufacture, seems to be Tony, and his friends.

 

[The Cat]

I love a good farce. The Birdcage is one of the best.
Farce is a type of dramatic comedy. Its primary goal is to entertain the audience by making them laugh. To do this, farce often relies on absurd situations, silly or even raucous jokes and humor, and stereotypical characters.
There is often, usually several doors and the going in and out of rooms and the chaos that ensues while part of the cast of characters tries to decieve another part of the cast of characters, who are themselves also engaged in some form of scandal or deceit.
The phrase a perfect storm always comes to mind. Usually there is at least one character who is a proverbial eye of the storm an otherwise seemingly calm rational character acts as a herald of the coming chaos or bears some responsibility for its manifestation.​

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

You're missing out, once again. You, specifically, would really get a kick out of watching them, whole reason i shared them. It goes through the marvel cinematic universe and reports the news, its wild when you start noticing some of our news of the day from the times when the marvel movies were being made.

The videos will show, how Tony Stark is not the only one, and it covers how isnt it weird how so many of the latest villains(from the series) only seem to be villains because they're not on board with the trickle down Starkenomics. And how the only people who seem to be benefiting from Tony Stark's technology and continued weapons manufacture, seems to be Tony, and his friends.

I'll need to save the video for later, but this is common for many of the larger than life epic stories set on Earth. Perhaps this is why I prefer space stories.

Another thing I've noticed is that villains are often the ones who want to change things, and the heroes want to keep it the same. It's explicitly pointed out in the video I posted in the Bond thread, from No Time To Die. How does Safin phrase it? He wants things to evolve. There are lots of other reasons why that character is interesting, as well.

Of course, he's written and directed in such a way to be unsettling so that nobody in the audience could find themselves on his side; his methods are indefensible, etc. Many of the Bond villains are like this.

For a while, I didn't like James Bond because of this. Then I saw Skyfall, which was a terrific experience on so many levels. It was beautifully made, for one thing. I think the quality of the film and factors external to the movie made me feel that I could loosen up about this character. I was finally able to get why people could enjoy these movies. Still, it's interesting to notice patterns.