The Film Thread: Page 430 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

The Film Thread

Claudius

I watched the Harley Quinn movie. It's loud, sonically and visually. The whole time I kept wondering why they gave it a name that I couldn't remember. I think it's Birds of Prey and the Fantabolous journey of Harley Quinn. Or something.

This morning I found out that they'd actually renamed the movie to just Harley Quinn because it has better SEO than Birds of Prey etc etc. Wow! You'd think. How on earth did that original name pass any focus groups?

QuincyAbeyie

Everything's done wrong when marketing this movie. The movie is apparently better than the awful trailers, the name was all wrong, they made it rated R while having a target group that isn't interested in an R rating. From what I've heard this is actually a decent movie compared to most of the DC stuff, but it'll make less money than all of them.

Claudius

It’s one of the better DC movies despite how loud it is. A little less joker talk it’s a really, really good movie.
Also, it didn’t need the R rating. There’s no point in an R rating if you’re just going to dip your toe. Go all in. Could’ve been a PG-13. The whole thing sounds like too many decision makers without a clear vision of the concept.

jones

Uncut Gems on Netflix. Worst film I've seen in ages

No idea how it's getting good reviews it's genuinely dogshit for every minute of what feels like 30 hours

Asterix

Just to change the tone, I saw Emma on the weekend. I'm a Jane Austen fan and I really enjoyed most of the movie. The production - costumes, sets etc - was very lavish. It really plays up how rich and privileged Emma is, which is important for some of the plot elements. Bill Nighy's coats in particular were wonderful.

There was an odd jarring moment in the proposal scene, which was just plain weird, and really ruined the romance that would usually be extracted from such scenes. And the relationship between Emma and Frank Churchill never had me believing she might have felt anything for him. But apart from that it was a really enjoyable adaptation.

arsedocmd

jones wrote:
Uncut Gems on Netflix. Worst film I've seen in ages

No idea how it's getting good reviews it's genuinely dogshit for every minute of what feels like 30 hours

plus one, with normal people speak.

IBL

Wasted my time on that garbage too, just dragged on and on.

Burnwinter

It's a very uncomfortable film to watch, I liked that about it. The ending is pretty perfect, the journey is pretty painful. The fact that it's at least in part a relatively unvarnished, participatory document of a particularly odd social world is also cool. But I'm not going to watch it again in a hurry.

Klaus

I really tried my hardest but I had to turn it off after an hour because the mix of boredom and annoyance was literally killing me. There's no way I would have made it out the other side, I felt my pulse go. I can get on board with your take on it Burnsy, without the benefit of having seen how it ended, but bloody hell this wasn't for me.

Burnwinter

It's like watching all the excruciation of a whole season's worth of a Ricky Gervais show in a couple of hours. I commented to a friend that it felt like watching myself at my worst if I could never, ever switch off. The story's logic is that Howard Ratner will never stop himself and the ending is gracious in light of that.

mags

Saw Pain and Glory...
With Banderas, Cruz, Etxeandia...Don't know this actor...
Fine acting throughout...
A seamless meeting of now and then a la Almodovar...
Emotions wrapped up in a restrained, gentle way...
Loved this film...

Of the movies I have seen recently, two stand out...JoJo Rabbit and Pain and Glory.
There is a quality of grace, of love, of vulnerability which illuminates.

Segway

I found Uncut Gems a really stressful experience but it was pretty good I thought. Pretty disturbing and quite funny at times. The eerie synthesizer soundtrack was great.

KingslandBarge

I'm going to start with Wings, Paths to Glory and Lawrence of Arabia. Thanks guys!

Just saw 'The Lighthouse' over the weekend. I would be curious to hear interpretations from Burnwinter, MistaT, or anyone else who has seen it.
Spoilers
[spoiler]Wow. Found this a discomforting and feverish viewing experience. Its only after a couple days of distance that I've started to really savor the enjoyment of the film. I thought it was very ambiguous, and may be the primary reason I, like Burnwinter, prefer 'The Witch'.

I loved some of the technical work in this film. The 1:19 film ratio, how the film stock created the beautiful monochromatic shades, how they exagerated luminosity at night to create nostalgic contrast, and the sounds throughout are just exemplary. [/spoiler]

The movie has passionately reinvigorated my interest in coastal/nautical surrealism, mythology. If anyone has any literary recommendations I'd love to get your suggestions. As long as none of it diverges too much into sexually frustrated, homoerotic old seamen.

I've heard Eggers is line to do a recreation of 'Nosferatu', one of my favorite silent films and folktales. I think that kind of material suits his strengths quite well. He doesn't seem to utilize dialogue and intensive verbal communication to flesh out his stories. A bit like Kubrick I find him more cinematic as a director and the narratives in his movies move through different cues and sensory instruments. I say Kubrick because I can see he has been inspired by him, not because I think he is at that level.

jones

Segway wrote:
I found Uncut Gems a really stressful experience but it was pretty good I thought. Pretty disturbing and quite funny at times. The eerie synthesizer soundtrack was great.

I thought the music was just about the worst part of the film. Way off sync and way too loud. Thought the ending was piss poor until I heard the credits song at which I started to question if the whole film was a giant piss take which I didn't get.

QuincyAbeyie

@[deleted] The Lighthouse is the kind of movie I've come to appreciate more after reading others takes on it, as I didn't quite know what to make of it myself.
[spoiler]An interesting one is that Pattinson's character (I don't remember the characters' names) actually did kill his past partner and has been doomed to repeat the process again and again without realizing it. Dafoe's character tries to tell Pattinson what actually happened as he is a symbol of Pattinson's partners. Pattinson's missing eye at the end showing that he condemned himself by killing the one-eyed bird.

This is also supported by Pattinson being supposed to represent Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and was punished by being chained to a rock and eaten alive by birds only to regenerate every night so the punishment could last forever. Dafoe is apparently representing the sea god Proteus. He knows everything about the sea, and although he don't want to share this forbidden knowledge he is eventually tricked by humans into sharing it. Once I read up on the stories it seems obvious enough that the lighthouse is both the fire and the forbidden knowledge etc., but I didn't know any of it beforehand to be honest.[/spoiler]

QuincyAbeyie

I read a couple of reviews of a new remake called Downhill, but both suggested that I'd be better of watching the Swedish original called Force Majeure. I gave it a shot, and I really liked it. Interesting premise and a good execution. Only thing that didn't sit well with me was the ending, which felt too on the nose and forced.

Klaus

Force Majeure is excellent. I've got high hopes for Ruben Östlund's American debut that I think is due later this year. It's called Triangle of Sadness or something like that. Apparently it's about a luxury cruise where billionaires and mega celebrities end up throwing up on eachother like there's no tomorrow after the Marxist captain poisons their food. He claimed he wanted to film the world's best puking scenes after filming the best avalanche 😆

QuincyAbeyie

Sounds ridiculous to be honest, but he seems to know what he's doing so why not. Another film he's made that I've heard good things about is The Square, have you seen that one?

Klaus

I have. It's, very simplified, a satire of the contemporary art world set in and around a pompous museum in Stockholm. It's different from Force Majeure, but very good. It has a sort of similar comedic approach. Good casting too. It was the first thing I saw Claes Bang in and I thought he was excellent.

Burnwinter

FORCE MAJEURE was a great film, very strong and relatable premise about trust in relationships, striking visual metaphors too.

Eggers' next film is allegedly THE NORTHMAN, I think the NOSFERATU reboot got shelved. THE NORTHMAN is supposedly a Viking revenge saga, which sounds like something I'd really want to watch in his hands.

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