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The Last Movie(s) You Watched... (quick one or two sentence reviews)

It'sOnRandom

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Just watched The Invisible Man with my dad, and boy is it amazing, I was actually gobsmacked through most of the film. This is a must-see film it is brilliant

A strong 8 or a weak 9/10
 

addiesin

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Man that was some good sci-fi. Tight action, impressive stunt cinematography, good script, just when I thought it was a little too cliche, whammo.
 

DigModiFicaTion

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Infinity Chamber (Somnio) (2016)
Saw this on Amazon Prime. It's a small budget film that merges ideas of inception with technology and interrogation in a very confined setting. The majority of the film takes place in the infinity chamber with the main actor and a camera. Other reviews I've read compare it to Groundhogs Day and Edge of Tomorrow due to its repeating "dreams". It's more of a solo watch than a movie you'd watch with someone else. For a low budget film it was surprisingly good and I was engaged throughout. The ending had a nice little moment that makes you think. Christopher Soren Kelly did a great job as the lead role and I wouldn't mind seeing him in some bigger productions. Cassandra Clark was a little too casual in her dialogue delivery, but did a good job in her role. This could have been an excellent entry into the 90's Outer Limits series and could make a good edit as such. A pleasant surprise. 7/10
 

asterixsmeagol

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mnkykungfu said:
Seriously, though... he takes so many horrible scripts and low-budget films that you're bound to see a lot of material he just can't elevate.  But when he's on...he's ON!

 I love him in The Weather Man
 

Moe_Syzlak

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1917. Overall a solid war movie, but nothing outstanding. The decision to make the whole film seem like a single take was a mistake IMO and seems driven by technical desire to do it rather than a narrative need. I found myself trying to spot the seams early on and later it was felt almost video game-like. It detracted from my investment in the film rather than added to it. As usual though Deakins’ camera work is stellar.
 

mnkykungfu

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^I've heard some critics say this.  I've not heard any general public that didn't know this bit of trivia say this.  It's a technique, "Like a finger, pointing its way to the moon.  Do not focus on the finger, or you will miss all the heavenly glory."
 

Moe_Syzlak

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mnkykungfu said:
^I've heard some critics say this.  I've not heard any general public that didn't know this bit of trivia say this.  It's a technique, "Like a finger, pointing its way to the moon.  Do not focus on the finger, or you will miss all the heavenly glory."
I think long takes can be a fantastic technique. I absolutely love the way it was used in Children of Men. I didn’t even notice the technique when I first watched the movie, only that the scene was so visceral and immediate. The technique served the narrative purpose without calling attention to itself. In this movie it becomes a distraction and the movie is worse for it IMO. Don’t get me wrong, it works beautifully in some scenes; I just feel it was a mistake to so slavishly use it throughout the movie. It’s difficult to not focus on the technique when it is so blatant. To me, that’s like saying to ignore that The Lighthouse is in black and white. It’s an artistic choice and it is meant to provide an effect. If it’s the right choice it doesn’t call attention to itself and makes the film better. In this case, for me, the effect was for the worse.
 

asterixsmeagol

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When I saw 1917, I did try to find the seams, but that didn't take me out of the movie at all. I have never been so tense watching a movie. I really felt that the real-time feeling of the movie made everything feel very real.
 

mnkykungfu

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@Moe_Syzlak It sounds like you knew about the shot(s) before watching 1917 though, versus not knowing about it before watching Children of Men.  

For my part, it was the opposite, and the jeep chase in Children of Men really stood out to me, though I was immersed enough in the end scene that I didn't think about the one-shot there until after.  Either way, I appreciated it.

For 1917, I knew about the shot but didn't care.  I find I usually just get annoyed if I listen very much to whatever critics are hyper-focusing on before a film.  I forgot about the technique within 5 minutes of the film, because I just found it working together with the score and narrative to make for a very compelling, immersive experience.  Eventually I just sunk in and got used to it, like when watching a film with subtitles and you eventually forget that you're reading.

That said, I know some people just can't forget they're reading, and so hate subtitled movies.  Each to their own.
 

Moe_Syzlak

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asterixsmeagol said:
When I saw 1917, I did try to find the seams, but that didn't take me out of the movie at all. I have never been so tense watching a movie. I really felt that the real-time feeling of the movie made everything feel very real.

As I said, there were scenes in which it absolutely was effective. And I don’t think it was a bad movie. But I think it would’ve been better if it hadn’t tried to make the whole thing a “single take.” It robbed the movie of pacing that could’ve given the main characters more depth. It’s like a guitar solo that is always at blazing speed. The speed can be an effective device but it’s meaningless without contrast.

I admit that I had heard about the single take nature of the film way back when it was released. But I had forgotten about it when we started watching the movie. I was quickly reminded of it, however, by simply watching. About halfway through the movie I asked my wife, who had no prior knowledge of the technique, if she noticed. She looked at me as of I was crazy. “Of course,” she said. It was a do you think I’m an idiot type of response. It was an obvious effect; one noticed because it wasn’t strictly used in service of the narrative. If it had been used sparingly and when needed, I think the movie would’ve been better.

Edit: @"mnkykungfu" it seems you and I were responding simultaneously. I hadn’t read a single review before watching. As I say above I was vaguely aware of the technique’s usage. My opinions are my own and are not at all influenced by any reviews. To date I still have not read a single review of the movie.
 

DigModiFicaTion

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Friendly reminder: As to keep this thread focused on it's purpose of quick/short reviews, please feel free to create or find the movie thread dedicated to a particular movie to discuss it more in depth. Thanks everyone!
 

Jrzag42

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I watched Project A-Ko, and that was a mistake. Good character designs, animation, and music are met with stupid plot, annoying characters, and awkward sexualization of high-school girls.
Also, it's worth noting that the creators of this, iirc, are partially responsible for the creation of hentai, so that would explain the thin plot I suppose.
This movie is just so bad.
 

Jrzag42

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jrWHAG42 said:
I watched Project A-Ko, and that was a mistake. Good character designs, animation, and music are met with stupid plot, annoying characters, and awkward sexualization of high-school girls.
Also, it's worth noting that the creators of this, iirc, are partially responsible for the creation of hentai, so that would explain the thin plot I suppose.
This movie is just so bad.

@"mnkykungfu" liked this. Have you too been exposed to Project A-Ko, or do you just like my review of it?
 

Garp

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'Ant-man and the Wasp' [2018]

I thought the original 'Ant-man' was a fun, almost tongue-in-cheek, entry for the MCU, but this sequel was a mess. The psuedo-scientific-babble made no sense, arbitrarily ramping up the stakes with little to no pay-off. It had its entertaining moments and managed to coast on the charm of much of the cast, but I found it disappointing overall.
 

mnkykungfu

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jrWHAG42 said:
jrWHAG42 said:
I watched Project A-Ko, and that was a mistake. Good character designs, animation, and music are met with stupid plot, annoying characters, and awkward sexualization of high-school girls.
Also, it's worth noting that the creators of this, iirc, are partially responsible for the creation of hentai, so that would explain the thin plot I suppose.
This movie is just so bad.

@"mnkykungfu" liked this. Have you too been exposed to Project A-Ko, or do you just like my review of it?

I was an anime fan back in high school.  My friend managed a comic book store, and they also had VHS tapes (!) of anime.  This was before much of it had been ported to DVD.  It was pretty hard to find a lot of titles, so I just watched everything I could get my hands on.  I remember watching A-KO back then, and your review pretty much sums up my feelings towards it.  Actually, it was pretty representative of much of the 70s/80s anime, which was made for titillation as much/more than story.  It probably seems egregious nowadays, but that's because the trend now is to move away from that and focus on teasing out minor plot/relationship advances over 200 episodes.  Honestly, I think I might prefer the former.
 

Jrzag42

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mnkykungfu said:
a
I was an anime fan back in high school.  My friend managed a comic book store, and they also had VHS tapes (!) of anime.  This was before much of it had been ported to DVD.  It was pretty hard to find a lot of titles, so I just watched everything I could get my hands on.  I remember watching A-KO back then, and your review pretty much sums up my feelings towards it.  Actually, it was pretty representative of much of the 70s/80s anime, which was made for titillation as much/more than story.  It probably seems egregious nowadays, but that's because the trend now is to move away from that and focus on teasing out minor plot/relationship advances over 200 episodes.  Honestly, I think I might prefer the former.

From the era, all I've really seen prior to this is limited to Casshan and Robotech, both more geared towards younger audiences, and the latter is of course an American badtardization. I plan on watching Bubblegum Crisis and MegaZone23 at some point. I am of more accustomed to modern anime, but I've never bothered with the 200+ episode shows. I definitely do prefer a heavier focus on story and character development though. I definitely think that I'd see things differently if I were from the 70s/80s. If most things from the time have this little depth, then I guess I'm in no hurry to watch more.
Hearing about your experiences is very interesting though.

I feel oddly compelled to watch the A-Ko sequels now.
 

Garp

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'Onward' [2020]

A fun fantasy adventure, mostly down to the voice acting of MCU pals Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. Unfortunately, Pixar write themselves into a corner with a story about a son missing his deceased Dad while the family continues to evolve. The way they solve this conundrum is the only logical answer, but it's unsatisfying. They try for the usual emotional manipulation at the climax but it felt flat to me.
 

mnkykungfu

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jrWHAG42 said:
From the era, all I've really seen prior to this is limited to Casshan and Robotech, both more geared towards younger audiences, and the latter is of course an American badtardization. I plan on watching Bubblegum Crisis and MegaZone23 at some point. I am of more accustomed to modern anime, but I've never bothered with the 200+ episode shows. I definitely do prefer a heavier focus on story and character development though. I definitely think that I'd see things differently if I were from the 70s/80s. If most things from the time have this little depth, then I guess I'm in no hurry to watch more.
Hearing about your experiences is very interesting though.

I feel oddly compelled to watch the A-Ko sequels now.

Haha sure.  Happy to chat more with you about this, but this isn't really the thread for it.  If you tag me on an anime thread, I'll pop over.
 
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