Seen any good films lately? [3]

scrolled past the credits, then the next few minutes are pretty cute. I may watch it later.

Skipping the opening credits like some kind of junkie

Watched Prey yesterday.

It wasn't horrific like the last 2 Predator based movies but it wasn't great either. If you have some time to kill then give it a go but don't plan your day around it!

Is that the native America one?

Yes, the main characters are all Comanches.
There are some European settlers in the movie too, but I wouldn't hold your breath on them being anything but caricatures. The natives might be as well, actually...

I really like the concept of it*, but I saw some shots from it of CGI bears and wolves being exterminated by the Predator, and it kind of put me off it.

*In fact I'd like more of these sorts of movies, except set in pre-history in long-lost times.

It has its good parts and bad parts. The concept is quite good but they don't really pull it off, especially as there is always the comparison to the original.

Spoiler:

As I said, if you have spare time then it isn't a waste of 90 mins but I wouldn't watch it over something that might add value to your life.

A glowing recommendation

Sounds like a review of frozen pizza.

{{ One of my favourite Asterix comics, and easily my favourite of the films- Asterix in Britain- enjoy! }}

enh...the opening music and voices put me off. Skip until you at least get to Caeser. The characterizations once Asterix finally appears begins to feel right, but it takes too long to get there.

{{ It's the portrayal of the English that really makes it, not cruel but very funny. }}

{{ Theres a live action version of Asterix in Britain with Depardue as Obelix (good casting that actually) but my goodness it looks terrible. Rather than follow the perfectly good and funny original they seem to have added a lot of really terrible stuff- like the queen, and they seem to have merged at least three different comic stories into it- the one where Asterix lovelorn nephew gets sent to their village for looking after, Asterix and the Normans and Asterix in Britain. Why do that when there is a really good story already in the comic to use? At least the animated one is pretty damn faithful. Plus many of the visual jokes are better animated- see the handshake joke starting at 15.25  in the animated version above compared to the live action version at 0.44 }}

Some things are so obviously comic bookish that live action should not be attempted.

{{ Well, the French you know }}

So some time ago I put the 2018 film Easy Virtue in my queue.  Based on a play by Noel Coward, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jessica Biel of all people are supposed to sing. What the hell, Sign me up!

Just started and had to take a break to comment.  Colin Firth is delightfully scruffy, Kristin Scott Thomas I only knew from the English Patient, famous for being beautiful and naked; but she's reached confident middle age and is unexpectedly fantastic in comedy.  There's other Brit actors as well, all taking turns stealing their scenes.  I thought it would all grind to a screeching halt when Jessica Biel shows up, but though she's not a scene stealer she's not embarrassing herself either.  Some woman was singing over the opening credits and doing a bang-up job, waiting to see who it might be.  The camera work and editing is first rate.

All in all I can't understand why I hadn't heard of this before.  Too clever to make a splash in American audiences?  Anyway, back to watching and have to crack some more ice for the bourbon.

Damn the script is good.  "...it's something we don't speak about, except in public of course."  How much of this is pure Noel Coward?  I'm guessing upwards of 60% (Edit: looked it up, only the best lines were used).  Nobody writes like this these days.

So it meandered and rambled, and then it took a dark twist that has no business in a comedy, and slipped into a very good tango scene.  Tango is amazing - no other dance relies on subtle communication so much; I've seen an old couple perhaps in their 80's do the most amazing tango I've ever seen: that's how well you need to read your partner.  It's far beyond the likes of me to do any more than appreciate it.

But on we go.  This film waxes and wanes and catches you up again.  Let's see how it goes.

Okay, they don't sing in the film - but they all seem to sing in the background. So it goes.

But Kristin Scott Thomas is great at comedy. She was wasted in her film career, got to assume she got better roles on stage.

Film as a whole is worth watching, but not memorable due to mediochre story telling. Good acting with some wonderful moments. Done drinking through this, going to bed.

Just watched Everything Everywhere All at Once. The best part is watching actors like Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis playing against their type casting and obviously revelling in it. Yeoh is Chinese Malaysian, but absolutely NAILS the acerbic Chinese-American laundromat owner/mother. It's almost painful to see such a stereotypical portrayal, but damn she's good at it. I love how they wrote using mixed chinese and english in the same sentence, but it plays hell with the subtitles. Jamie Lee Curtis doing a jaded frumpy IRS clerk is an equal winner. Then things get weird.

The film is all over the place by intention, it's science fiction/action; I'd say maybe 3/4 of it works well. It's a refreshing change from the typical hollywood formulas.

Excellent film. Taken from a German soldier's side of things. Well worth a look.

{{ Heard nothing but good things about that Chris- shall have to look it out and renew my netflix sub!. }}

Do they not have the kids read All Quiet on the Western Front in Australia? It's a famous novel, everyone knows it's German.

Went to school in England. Never new it was a book. Heard of the Western Front that's about it.
The Stranglers had a song called All quiet on the Eastern front.

Ah interesting.
Silly song haha.

Anywho, I finally got around to watching Legend (1985). I've had the disc from Netflix for... three months maybe? A long time lol.

It's delightful! An underrated movie, methinks. The sound and set design alone sells it, and on top of that the elements of faery are really lovely. Tim Curry's villain is quite good, and I liked the princess too. Gump, the fairy, is played by a young David Bennent, but voiced by an older actress I think. Otherwise the child has been smoking all his life. I don't know.

But yeah, visuals and sound are excellent. It seems like every scene has blossoms or seeds or snow or steam blowing through it. A lot of pyroworks, fanciful sets. Ridley Scott is very strong here. There's a lot that's simply shown to us with little explanation, which is good for a fairy story.

There are a couple things missing from the resolution of the plot. The frozen family in the cottage are not seen again. Presumably they are simply dead. Considering that this includes their frozen baby, that's pretty dark.
And Blix, the goblin who could, simply drops out of the movie after handing over the unicorn horn to the lord of darkness. This is not the greatest story-telling.

I can see why it gets criticism. But I still liked it a great deal.