Topic: Movie thread.

Watched Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans on DVD with Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendez. I found an old box of DVDs I own and wanted to check out how well some of them upscale with the Panasonic UB820. It doesn't look as good as 4k blu-ray, or even normal blu-ray, but it was totally watchable. I mean, I did watch the entire movie. I'm shocked at how good this thing upscales. Never did I think DVDs could actually look good enough to stomach. It's crazy how good they look for being 480p.

Then I watched Prisoners on blu-ray with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhall. It was pretty good.

Also watched Sing, the animation from Illumination. I wasn't sure I'd like it but... I kinda liked it. Not always in the mood for animations but it's good to have some diversity.

Also found Push on DVD with Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning and started watching that, but found out it's on 4k blu-ray so I ordered it and will wait to see it in better quality.

I know I've watched all those DVDs many years ago, but I can hardly remember them it's been so long.

edit
Forgot about Memento, with Guy Pearce. That was a pretty crazy movie. Not sure it's as good as I was expecting but, I'm still glad I saw it.

Watched Your Name this morning. Surprisingly good. Glad I bought it.

The New Yorker has put an article explaining the writers strike.

Some of its sensationalist like the writer of The Bear (LOVED that show btw) having to go into debt to buy a tie for their best writer award but it does a good explaining how their pay model doesn't work since it was based on residuals which don't happen with streaming now, how writers rooms have changed (although they didn't mention writers are being hired as producers because it's cheaper) and something I hadn't considered that in TV there's a shift to being more IP based as the telly has been the place to see the best writing for the last few years. Like how Hollywood movies are no longer the place to see the best movies as they are only interested in franchises (and looking at the Mario movie thread where even the most fierce defenders of it having to go out of their way to talk about its mediocre writing so there's no jobs there) which is why so many of the genuinely must watch movies and Oscar winners of the last few years are either indie films or world cinema.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/notes-on-hollywood/why-are-...

I was about to put it on only to see it's 3 and half hours long! I'm still refusing to watch The Irishman a passion project from arguably the greatest living director because it's that long. I suppose I can watch it during the coronation as it will give me something to do other than "swear my alligance" malarkey.

Polite Society is loads of fun.

It feels like it could comfortably sit in between Shaun Of The Dead, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Hot Fuzz etc with its genre mash up vibe but it kinda reminds me more of something like Scott Pilgrim or Amelie in its more far out there elements are because you’re viewing from inside the protagonists head.

It does that thing I liked about British comedies where it finds real moments and laughs at it like walking down the street whilst gorging on some food and then having to hide from someone you know or the general banter between the characters. There’s also a scene involving wax whilst a plot development happens which made for perfect timing.

One thing I was surprised about is it’s less Kung Fu and more like a heist/Mission Impossible film which the trailer is kinda misleading about.

The soundtrack is magnificent!

The lead actress is very good for her age, I could see her becoming a star sooner or later.

The older sister who was in Unbrella Academy I realised is in an indie band called Kin. They are a small DIY band playing half empty pubs and unsigned band club nights I’ve seen a couple of times before.

I LOVED the evil mother who ranks up there with the stool from Million Dollar Baby in the pantheon of great baddies with an evil grin that would put Jack Nicholson to shame and since there’s half a dozen Batman things at the moment they should cast her as The Joker!

As a first time director though it’s a job well done! Hopefully it will give the money people confidence to give her bigger budgets for more ambitious films in the future.

The only thing holding it back for me is it’s a tad too consciously tween like the fights could be harder, the banter more punchy and the sex jokes dirtier etc but other wise a jolly good ol’ time.

Just saw The Super Mario Bros. Movie today.
I really enjoyed it, it would be a 9/10. The fanservice was great and the action was also top-notch.
I usually don't like Illumination, but I feel this movie could be their Spider-Verse moment.

I was going to see it in 4DX, but the plans changed last minute to watching it in standard 3D. But the cinema actually misprinted it, and it was actually showing in 2D. But at least the film was in 35mm instead of standard digital 2D. It looked amazing in analogue 35mm celluloid.
What's weird is the lens distortion and chromatic aberration is whack, almost making the film feel like a 1950s CinemaScope epic. And I loved the effect. Sort of like a CGI La La Land.

I watched a couple of movies this past weekend.

The Northman. It was decent. Generic revenge plot. I'm fine with a revenge plot, but the film didn't do anything new or anything worthwhile. Some neat visuals and that was it. The only memorable thing about it is that it had a fight scene with two characters fighting naked with swords and their ding dong hanging out. 6/10

Caveat. It was a mess, nothing made sense and the movie desperately wanted the viewer to shut off their brain to make sense of the movie. I regret renting Caveat. 4/10

Evil Dead Rise. I loved this movie from beginning to end. Tense and bloody. Alyssa Sutherland stole the show. I was legit scared at the theater of her, lol. Add the fact the makeup artists did a wonderful job. This was a top-tier film that did not pull any punches. But, it could have done so without jump scares. Very unnecessary. 9/10

@Owl1, out of curiosity, why do you rate Smokey & the Bandit so low? Can't say it's a favorite of mine or anything, but I always thought it had it's humorous moments.

Anyhow, only one movie for me this weekend due to all the new gaming goodness in Future Redeemed & Jedi Survivor.

Coffy (Blu-Ray)

After her sister falls victim to drug pushers and finding out that the law isn't exactly on her side, Coffy decides to take justice into her own hands by hunting down the dealers & the powerful men who enable them.

This was pretty fun when all's said in done. I'd have liked a bit more action, but what's here is good (shoutouts to the dude who got shotgunned to the head & the big cheesy prostitute brawl. A "prostitussle", you could say?), and it can be quite effectively brutal at times. King George's bold yellow pimp jumpsuit has to be seen to believed, and you'll get an eyeful of boobs, which is always a plus (though not always in the most politically correct of scenarios, being a 70's flick, if that bothers you).

@RR529 idk I just got kinda bored at parts and I only really liked one scene. I'm gonna watch Part II and then rewatch the first again, maybe things will change with a second viewing.

While I was waiting for watching Mario movie, at my local cinema, I saw Little Mermaid live action movie trailer being played and it looked so great on the big screen. Can't wait for 26 May 2023.

@Anti-Matter... I hope you enjoy it!

@Colonel_Mustache CONAN did that 10 years ago lol

This could be good and probably will.

@Colonel_Mustache I'm Andy then. I agree.

@Colonel_Mustache just a reminder Mr. Anderson has two films coming out this year. Yes you heard me right TWO!

@Colonel_Mustache we got a trailer for one and now... Please let it be tomorrow...

@Colonel_Mustache it sounds good.

@MsJubilee Well The Northman isn't really a generic plot, simple sure but it's an adaptation of the legend of Amleth which was famously ripped off by Shakespeare to create Hamlet which in turn was ripped off by everyone since. The funny thing is Shakespeare couldn't even bother to hide it so he just moved the letters of his name around like an anagram rather than creating a new name. Still the story has been tweaked by giving up the righteous idea to avenge his farther and save his mother after plot twist so it's not goodie vs baddie, you're left to debate with yourself is he after revenge because it's all he knows or if he's after peace. It also does a job of foreshadowing in the plotting with loads of details scattered about like the mother telling the kid not to come into her room because of the secrets she keeps or the fool being tortured for the jokes he made which were too close to home.

I found it missold as an action epic about Vikings when it's really a testosterone pumped arthouse drama about folklore so instead of focusing on creating action pieces it focuses on details for atmospheric world building. There's so many cool bits to it like catching that spear is pure movie magic, the moment Nicole Kidman plot twists is incredible, the blending of visions to reality by showing you both so you doubt Alexander Skarsgard, the nutty rituals, the theme work of destiny and cycles of the parent and child and also there are some great lines of dialogue in it like "they must be Christians, their god is a corpse nailed to a tree". The best thing about the movie is that a fat cat studio exec saw The Lighthouse, did a line and then decided they should give the guy that made it a wad of cash to make a Hollywood movie. lol

I LOVED Evil Dead Rise too. It's just cherry picked tones and feelings from all the past films and blended them together arguably to make the most Evillest Dead like film. Yeah Alyssa Sutherland is a proper highlight of the film, she reminds me of a 90s Jim Carrey if he was cast as the baddie in a slasher film. If I were to have a complaint it was that it wasn't that scary really, to me it was more about being twisted and splattering for that uncomfortable feeling of horror rather than the goosebumps I'm goona lose it at any moment type feeling.

@Colonel_MustacheIn terms of being a fun genre mash up or the surprise must see critics’ darling?

It's a small British indie so it doesn't need to make $400m just to break even, even Everything Everywhere didn't do gangbusters. Rubbish like Morbius, a flop which even Marvel fans don't like made more money until a year later when it got released again because it won an Oscar. It's not gonna do what Everything Everywhere did of winning awards as it's not as ambitious or (for lack of a less pretentious word) profound but it's a fun flick that will find its niche audience sooner or later.

Watched the original Mortal Kombat movie last night since I have been in a Mortal Kombat mood lately. Surprising it still holds up really well and is still one of the best video game movie adaptations.

I’ve just watched Mad God, bloody hell that was a proper mental bit of animation. It’s a passion project from a guy that made special effects for basically every 80/90s blockbuster you can think like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park etc and this will sound pretentious because it is however it is a true visionary auteur claymation film where so much ridiculous amount of care and love has been poured into every frame it doesn’t matter how crazy it is which is good as it’s really crazy. The closest thing I can think of is it’s like those old animated Tool music videos but only for the length of a whole movie rather than a single song. It’s really impressive how it has a fraction of the budget of the likes of Shrek and Minions but it is completely mesmerising so unique.

I also saw Memories Of Murder and spoilers I thought it was pretty good. Its by Bong Joon Ho who made the amazeballs Parasite, The Host and Okja films and this is every bit as good as those. What it has over so many other types of cops hunting a murder type films is the feeling of it being human rather than abit of drama of crying victims and intense detectives. Like they are so wound up which is why they are getting into fights, every murder is failure which brings them closer and they feel out of their depth rather than the slickness of confidence/arrogance you find in other similar movies. I love how well the humour works as it causally throws it out whilst not undercutting itself. The final scene is fantastic showing how the case played on their minds their entire lives and having them look right at the camera like they are still desperately seeking the murder.

@Colonel_Mustache This made me laugh. This is many things, that's why it's in this thread.