The last movie you saw Thread

[Maria]

"Possession"! That's the word for it!

[Frelga]

Until we get first hand accounts, I am cool with fictional souls being happy about returning to the land of the living.

The other angle does sound troubling, and while I haven't seen the movie, I can't imagine how it would play so that it's OK.

In other news, Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse is amazing, and the art is a refreshing break from Disney.

[Alatar]

White Tiger - Based on a book I read while in Bangalore so it really resonated. Dark but also funny. Worth watching on NEtflix

The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Depressingly brilliant. Aaron Sorkin can do no wrong.

[yovargas]

Not that there was a lot of competition but Chicago 7 was easily my favorite movie of 2020. But then, I'm a big Sorkin fan too.

[Smaug's voice]

Yikes, and I thought Trial of the Chicago 7 was easily one of my least favourite Oscar nominees and a very forgettable film In general. (complete with a very cheesy ending). And that's coming from someone who loves 'The Social Network'.
Steve McQueen's 'Mangrove',, also released last year, tackles very much the same concept but I felt it was a far better movie in every way.

[yovargas]

I've seen a lot of people say they hated the movie so I'm not surprised to hear you say that. I don't really get why though. I found the whole thing ridiculously entertaining from front to back, with a bunch of great performances and such delightful, sharp writing.
(Though I agree the ending was pretty darn corny.)

[Túrin Turambar]

Out of curiosity, has anyone here seen the Snyder cut of Justice League?

For those who haven’t been following the story, Zack Snyder, director of Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, began working on Justice League but needed to pull out from the production following the death of his daughter. The film was finished by Joss Whedon and didn’t do all that well either critically or commercially. Snyder hinted that he had a nearly-complete cut of the film and fans demanded that Warner Brothers allow him to finish and release it, which they did via online streaming, and the Snyder Cut has got a far more positive reaction from viewers than the theatrical cut did.

It’s unusual for a large studio to re-do a major film based on fan reaction, so it’ll be interesting to see if WB makes a return on the money they spent to finish and re-distribute the film.

I haven’t seen either cut, but I’m interested in the opinions of those who have.

[Frelga]

People who watched it didn't seem to be that impressed. I'd like to know if someone here thinks it's superior to the original. I think cable will HBO Max for free next week.

Of course, superior to the original is not that tall an order...

[Alatar]

A few of my friends who've seen it think that its a huge improvement on the original. As you say though, not a high bar.

[Snowdog]

The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Depressingly brilliant. Aaron Sorkin can do no wrong.

That was quite an interesting film as it rekindled memories of my watching the whole thing unfold on the news as a kid in 1968.These conspiracy trials seemed to pop up all over. I remember walking out of the door of the Seattle Library righ tinto an impending riot at the federal courthouse where the 'Seattle 7' hearings were going on...

The last movie I watched was Mosul on Netflix. It gave some good insight as to the destruction and aftermath of the ISIL occupation of the city. Good character development and is a good urban warfare movie quite well done.

[RoseMorninStar]

I grew up in 'Greater Chicagoland'. While I was fairly young I wonder what I'd remember, if anything, watching the film.

[Beorhtnoth]

A Re-view of an old film, but I watched John Carpenter's "They Live" the other day, for the first time in over 30 years, and I was pleasantly reminded just how clever a film maker John Carpenter was. Most refreshing was how naturally "diverse" was the casting. There was no impression of crow-barring; each character fitted their role, and each role was fleshed out and believable.

Oh, and the ten minute brawl between the two main male protagonists is both wonderfully cartoon-like, and viscerally believable.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable film, with a surprising depth of social commentary, and I heartily recommend it to those unfortunate enough not to have seen it.

[Túrin Turambar]

I've started watching The Hollow Crown, the recent adaptation of Shakespeare's plays from Richard II to Richard III which seem to feature every famous actor in England. I'm impressed - they play the source material with a straight bat, the acting is unsurprisingly excellent, and the cinematography makes it interesting to watch. I'm partway through Henry IV: Part I now.

It's showed up free on ABC Iview. I'm not sure if it's accessible outside Australia, but if it is, or if you have a VPN, you could see them here: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/hollow-crown/series/1

[Lalaith]

I have these DVDs, and I was also very impressed with them.

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[Túrin Turambar]

I'm up to Henry V. I generally like Tom Hiddleston's interpretation of the titular character, but the episode suffers from being overshadowed by the 1989 Kenneth Branagh film, one of the best Shakespeare adaptations of all time. Hiddleston deliberately goes for a softer and lower-key performance than the scene-chewing Branagh (or Laurence Olivier in 1944, for that matter). This works well in some scenes but not others. The character walks a fine line between friendliness and ruthless aggression and Hiddleston sometimes wanders a bit too far into the former. It doesn't help that the adaptation loses the Southampton Plot, which is a great character-building moment for Henry (and, IMO, one of Branagh's best-ever scenes). Here's Hiddleston's St Crispin's Day speech. It's consciously different to his predecessors, and I can see the quiet and calm persuasion working, but I think he comes across as a little too much like a school guidance counselor rather than a war leader.

[media][/media]

For comparison:

Branagh, 1989:

[media][/media]

Olivier, 1944:

[media][/media]

I will say, though, that viewing the film in the context of the entire cycle starting with Richard II adds a lot to the experience.

[Túrin Turambar]

Finished The Hollow Crown. The second series was pretty grim and suffered from the lack of a likeable protagonist, although that isn't Shakespeare's fault! I liked it overall.

I think it suffered from having too few people in the crowds and battles, which makes its version of England look pretty empty. I'm not sure if this was a deliberate choice to evoke a stage production or the result of budget limitations. If the former, I think it doesn't work, and if the latter, it could have been worked around. There are ways to film a few to look like a multitude (low-angle shots, indistinct extras in the background, combining matte paintings or CGI with real people, etc). Or even using the weather. The real Battle of Towton took place in a snowstorm, which would have been the perfect excuse to have only a few dozen people on-screen. The adaptation puts it on a summer's day in, for reasons I'm not sure of, a creek.

Fun fact - English schoolchildren used to be taught a mnemonic to remember the names of the principal battles of the Wars of the Roses: "A Black Negress Was My Aunt, That's Her House Behind The Barn" (St Albans, Blore Heath, Northampton, Wakefield, Mortimer's Cross, 2nd St Albans, Towton, Hedgeley Moor, Hexham, Barnet, Tewkesbury, Bosworth). I doubt that English schoolchildren are still required to learn lists of battles by rote, and if they do, I doubt they use this particular mnemonic.

[Lalaith]

I need to rewatch the series. (And I'm sure they don't use that mnemonic!)

I watched this the other night on Netflix, and it was rather decent. Fairly predictable (with only a few surprises for me) and obviously reminiscent of the Hitchcock classic, but a decent watch. Amy Adams was quite good, and the NPR article points out the timeliness of dealing with agoraphobia.



Again, not anything spectacular, but a good choice for an evening at home.

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[Túrin Turambar]

The Babadook.

[Alatar]

So, has anyone seen "in the Heights" yet? I loved it, but I may be biased....

[Alatar]

Nobody? This makes me so sad. Its awesome.