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

[kinnikuman]

If you're really interested, Secret Galaxy did a really tight video about what was originally intended for the film, what went wrong, and what changes were made:

this was such a bad time for animation - todays cartoon movies are 2 hours long. This could have been a Disney plus series if done today. I wonder if Disney has those 15 minutes that were cut….

 

[Kouji]

A couple recent watches: (clearly on a bit of a Detective/Mystery kick recently)

The Pale Blue Eye (2022):
A rather slow-burn, atmospheric murder mystery with Edgar Allan Poe sprinkled throughout. Some pretty good performances by Christian Bale and Harry Melling, which I'd say are the highlights of the film. Not amazing, nor terrible, just a slow and somber investigation.

Memento (2000):
Finally got around to this fantastic Nolan film, definitely jumped up to one of my top favourites of his. Such a unique way for the story to be told, and Guy Pearce having done an amazing job in the portrayal of such an afflicted character. Definitely has some great rewatchability to it!

Insomnia (2002):
Another decent Nolan film, realized I hadn't seen/rewatched something with Robin Williams in a long time so it was pleasant to see another good performance by him and just reminisce in general. Another nice spin on a murder mystery with an all too real depiction of how insomnia feels, poor Al Pacino.

 

[mnkykungfu]

Prey (2022)
Absolutely one of my favorite films of '22, so of course it got about zero awards attention. Yes, this is a great actioner that finds a new formula for Predator movies. But it's also an extremely well-written story examining 'girl power', for lack of a better term.

Minamata (2020)
While everyone was focusing on picking a side between Johnny Depp or Amber Heard (like they can't both be trainwrecks as people?) this film got unfairly shelved and then quietly released. Features one of Depp's most inspired performances in an incredible, true story of cultural and racial conflict in a small Japanese town and how capitalism runs amok in Japan, too.

Nightmare Alley (2021)
For me, this goes alongside Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim as films where Del Toro achieves amazing visuals and excellent production value but where the writing feels unfocused. Who are you rooting for and why, and what are everyone's motivations? It's a muddled, overlong film that probably works better in it's original, shorter version.

 

[asterixsmeagol]

If you're really interested, Secret Galaxy did a really tight video about what was originally intended for the film, what went wrong, and what changes were made:

As little interest as I have in most Disney live-action remakes, I actually would be really interested in a live action version of The Black Cauldron, adding back in all the the stuff that was removed from the cartoon.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

As little interest as I have in most Disney live-action remakes, I actually would be really interested in a live action version of The Black Cauldron, adding back in all the the stuff that was removed from the cartoon.

There are/were supposedly plans for such a remake, and since there're 5 books in The Chronicles of Pyrdain series (been meaning to read them for a while) there's no excuse of a lack of material to base a new film on!

 

[Eyepainter]

As little interest as I have in most Disney live-action remakes, I actually would be really interested in a live action version of The Black Cauldron, adding back in all the the stuff that was removed from the cartoon.

I was excited about the Disney live-action remakes at first when The Jungle Book came out. I liked that they sought to try something different with that movie and looked for ways to improve and expand upon the original animated film, as I was never really a diehard fan of the original. Then, when Pete's Dragon came out, I had hope that a golden era of live action improvements to some of the lesser enjoyed animated films was coming, The Black Cauldron being one of them.

Instead, that carbon copy of Beauty and the Beast happened, and all my excitement for the live-action remakes have up and vanished ever since.

 

[Editzilla]

As little interest as I have in most Disney live-action remakes, I actually would be really interested in a live action version of The Black Cauldron, adding back in all the the stuff that was removed from the cartoon.

They said they were planning on a new adaption of the Pyrdain novels years ago...and done nothing with them.

Seriously, they could have their own little GOT fantasy show with multiple fandoms already in place for hype (Fans of the books and of the movie adaption) and could be a massive success for Disney +!

Instead, they went with Willow which barely anyone remembers......................................

 

[Eyepainter]

They said they were planning on a new adaption of the Pyrdain novels years ago...and done nothing with them.

Seriously, they could have their own little GOT fantasy show with multiple fandoms already in place for hype (Fans of the books and of the movie adaption) and could be a massive success for Disney +!

I think that's what they were going for with Artemis Fowl (It's been said that Miramax had the rights back in the early 2000's, and they were going to make a franchise out of it, but development hell happened instead). That movie turned out so badly that it's no surprise why Disney hasn't done anything more with that property since.

 

[mnkykungfu]

They said they were planning on a new adaption of the Pyrdain novels years ago...and done nothing with them.
Seriously, they could have their own little GOT fantasy show with multiple fandoms already in place for hype (Fans of the books and of the movie adaption) and could be a massive success for Disney +!
Instead, they went with Willow which barely anyone remembers......................................

I can only speak for an American audience, but I don't think many people even know The Black Cauldron came from novels. Willow on the other hand had a huge marketing push and was a really big deal. Younger people now would probably have only a vague awareness, but if they had marketed that series to an older audience they would've had built-in fans. Of course, only one of a great many aspects of that show that they royally screwed up.

 

[mnkykungfu]

Rio Bravo (1959)
This has a long, dialogue-free opening scene featuring Dean Martin acting the hell out of this thing, and it completely shook my expectations that this would be a creaky old white hat/black hat Western. It does have a bit of fat I would trim but overall this absolutely holds up and is such a convention-defying movie that I only wish had the ending from Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 homage.

The Black Phone (2021)
When Scott Derrickson got tired of waiting for Marvel to let him make an actual Horror movie with the Dr. Strange sequel and instead left to do this film, I had hopes we'd get a film on par with Sinister. This instead has some very effective drama but not many scares. You can feel it working better as a neat little short story by Joe Hill, but the expanded film here is a satisfying enough watch for a predictable genre joint.

The Brave One (2007)
Neil Jordan helms this story that essentially asks "What if The Punisher, but a woman, and a drama?" Basically a loose remake of Death Wish, Jodi Foster attempts to elevate the dialogue in this above an exploitation film and occasionally succeeds. It's a gritty enough movie but the ending feels rushed and it seems hard to recommend over better, similar fare.

 

[Ender]

I just watched The Princess and the Frog. Unusually, my dad sat this one out because, and I quote, "There's no spaceships." Honestly he didn't miss much. I've never liked Disney films and this one just confirmed every idea about them I remembered in my head is absolutely true. The whole comic relief sidekick schtick they always do never fails to drive me up the wall. The alligator, the hillbilly firefly, and Lawrence...I'd have cut all of them on the scripting stage. The one thing that peeked my curiosity and got me to watch this one (besides a lack of familiarity compared to other overexposed Disney films) was the Lousiana setting, which they used exceptionally well. I loved Dr. Facilier's use of French, though it only happens twice which is a shame. In fact, Facilier is underutilized in general despite being tied with Prince Naveen for being the best character in the movie. Despite the title, I didn't care much for the frog shenanigans and much preferred the start of the film everyone is human doing meaningful things rather than random filler in the bayou. I really didn't appreciate how they handled the firefly's death. He should've been instantly crushed to death when squashed by Dr. Facilier (granted the same is true of both times Prince Naveen is squashed with a book) and it would've been a fitting end with a nice somber tone. Instead, they decide that he's actually still alive but not really cuz it's only long enough for him to have a dramatic death speech that as touching as it was frankly wasn't necessary. I loved how the opening music number introduces all the key characters in one feel swoop. It's very effective, even if we don't quite know who they are yet. Charlotte's dad seemed quite prominent at the start of the film so it's a bit surprising he just kinda disappears once they turn into frogs. I expected him to have a more important role, possibly as a villain. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the film in a disorganized ramble. I hope the wall of text isn't too off-putting.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Good Will Hunting
Robin Williams and Minnie Driver give incredible performances, oh and Matt Damon was pretty good too. I think I like Finding Forester more as a movie, but the relationships between Will and Sean and Will and Skylar were fantastic. Language was a bit much for me personally, but there's a great story in this one.

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

Good Will Hunting
Robin Williams and Minnie Driver give incredible performances, oh and Matt Damon was pretty good too. I think I like Finding Forester more as a movie, but the relationships between Will and Sean and Will and Skylar were fantastic. Language was a bit much for me,l personally, but there's a great story in this one.

There’s a comedian that does a bit about Damon’s thought process writing this movie knowing he will play the lead that is pretty funny.

 

[addiesin]

The Princess and the Frog.

I thought that said The Princess Bride at first, and when you're review started going negative, I went to double check to see if we were in the unpopular opinions thread before reading the rest. It's not, so I double checked the movie title. My mistake. Lol.

 

[mnkykungfu]

I thought that said The Princess Bride at first, and when you're review started going negative, I went to double check to see if we were in the unpopular opinions thread before reading the rest. It's not, so I double checked the movie title. My mistake. Lol.

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion?: The Frog Princess is an underseen and underpraised Disney gem with gorgeous (mostly) 2D animation, great unique music, and enough twists to take a film clearly aimed at children but make it enjoyable for adults as well.

It's no Princess Bride though, which has apparently become fashionable for Gen Z to call overrated? Inconceivable.

 

[Ender]

The Princess and the Frog is no worse than any other 2D Disney movie. I just don't like any of them in general. They still have more soul than any of their 3D schlock at least.

And I do like The Princess Bride well enough, though it's nothing special.

 

[TM2YC]

The Princess and the Frog is no worse than any other 2D Disney movie. I just don't like any of them in general. They still have more soul than any of their 3D schlock at least.

The Frog Princess is a total joy for me (so is the The Princess Bride) but I get it that if you don't like the classic post-Little-Mermaid Disney formula, it's not going to work for you. It's not an innovative film in that way, it's a "throw back" really, which is one of the things I love about it.

And I do like The Princess Bride well enough, though it's nothing special.

It's not for everyone, I've known people who hated it. It's a bit cheesy and very cheap looking in places but it charms the pants off me every time.

 

[Ender]

Guys, can you please stop calling it The Frog Princess? It's called The Princess and the Frog.

It's not an innovative film in that way, it's a "throw back" really, which is one of the things I love about it.

I actually really love that they went the extra mile to do a full throwback to the 90s at the end of the 00s but it's ultimately a throwback to something I didn't like in the first place. Honestly if you removed the comic relief characters that would already substantially improve my enjoyment of those movies.

 

[Eyepainter]

Guys, can you please stop calling it The Frog Princess? It's called The Princess and the Frog.

I may live in the States, but I'm pretty sure it's called The Frog Princess in countries that are not based in America of North. Sorry, not everyone on this forum lives in 'Merica.

 

[Ender]

Don't you dare call me a filthy American! I am Canadian and want nothing to do with their anarcho-capitalist shooting range.

As for the title change, I literally can't find any evidence of such a thing online, but I'm open to being proven wrong.