Movie Review and Discussion

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HasseRovdjur said:
Silly me, I forgot to add the biggest one: Ghostbusters. I've never watched it, despite plenty of opportunities to do so.

RE: Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and whatnot: I try and pick out a handful of reviews with different scores and read them. Other than that, I only use it to see how a specific work is being received, and just how unanimous that reception is.
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Dude, screw all the other movies you've mentioned (not really) but friggin' GHOSTBUSTERS? THAT'S A STONE COLD CLASSIC, MAN! STOP WATCHING SO MUCH ANIME!

But really, you should see it sometime.

RT is still leagues above something like IMDb, where movies are voted down and up out of spite or because people only know about rating them 10/10 or 1/10. But yeah, no need to take the critics word as gospel, just an orientation.

I still try to watch a movie before reading any reviews, just to watch it with an open mind and to see if they had the same complaints I had afterwards.
 
GenericUser said:
Eh, I don't necessarily take what other people and critics say as law. I just like having some kind of indicator, and rough gauge, when I consider going to see a movie or not, and sometimes I might just see it anyway.
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Pretty much this. I use the rating to take the general temperature of the discourse surrounding a movie. I don't take it as any kind of gospel on the quality of the film. Although, I will say that while there are numerous times I haven't agreed with the critics on movies, generally speaking if something is rated very high or very low it's usually a pretty good indicator of a film's quality. There haven't been too many movies that have scored bellow 30 percent that I found to be fantastic and I usually find things rated 80 and above to be at least watchable to mildly enjoyable.

Also, in this case I find the rating particularly interesting, but of how rare it is to see a movie get a perfect 100 percent with this large volume of reviews and you never see it for a horror film that is getting a wide release. If it wasn't for those factors I probably would have ignored Get Out, because as I said in my previous post, the trailer didn't do much for me. Being a horror fan, I would have probably watched it eventually, but this has got me interested enough that I'm going to see it in the theater. Even if I end up hating it, it seems like the kind of film I want to be able to discuss and have an opinion of my own on.
 
Also, if Get Out and Logan really are as good as the reviews are indicating, then this year in cinema will be off to an amazing start. Usually, January and February are the months when studios are dumping off the films they don't have much confidence in, but this year, it seems like there's going to be so much competition during Blockbuster season that we're getting a few good films early in the year. John Wick was fucking awesome, I'm fairly confident that Logan will be good and I'm definitely going to check out Get Out this week.
 
I wanna see this.
True, it looks like your standard Battle Royale type clone. But it has Michael Rooker and John C. McGinley in it. And McGinley looks to be the crazy guy. And he's fun crazy. I remember him playing a nutcase in this shitty mini-series called Intensity. He was the only entertaining part about it.
 
randomredneck said:
And McGinley looks to be the crazy guy. And he's fun crazy. I remember him playing a nutcase in this shitty mini-series called Intensity. He was the only entertaining part about it.
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McGinley makes the mini-series worth sitting through. I can find a clip of it, but my favorite bit of that performance is when his character explains his name. The monologue is so intense and he ends it by explaining that "God fears me" is an anagram for his name.
 
Get Out

Get Out is a finely tuned horror film with a strong steak of satire and humor. What makes the film all the more impressive is it's the directorial debut of Jordan Peele. It blows my mind that this film was directed by someone that's never directed a feature length film before. Sure, Peele has had plenty of experience writing and directing in comedy sketches and TV shows, but that's quite a bit different from directing a full length movie. If this film is any indication, then Jordan Peele is going to be an name everyone should keep their eye on in the coming years.

Get Out manages probably the trickiest feat of them all by being a bonafide horror comedy that succeeds in both being a tense horror film, while still being able to get the audience laughing out loud at the right moments. The humor is used at all the right moments to give relief from the tension without breaking the atmosphere. The movie truly sings when the horror and comedy come together in some really fucked up instances, which are both creepy and funny at the same time.

There's no talking about this film without mentioning the race aspect. The movie is about a black man going to meet his white girlfriend's parents. What could have been a heavy handed and preachy satire about how white folks are secretly racist ends up being something more nuanced. When they couple first arrives at the house of the parents I joked to my wife that the real horror of this movie was going to be the awkwardness and at least for the first half of the movie that was definitely the case. What confronts the protagonist isn't the obvious kind of racism, where he's rejected for the color of his skin. Instead, he's met with something just as alienating. A bunch of overcompensating try so hard to prove that they're not racist that they end up alienating the poor guy, because it's clear that they're still not seeing anything, but the color of his skin. It might be well meaning, but this type of treatment is more subtle, but just as racist as the more typical type of hate you usually encounter when you think of racism. The film does a great job of putting the audience in the protagonist's shoes, so that we feel how alienated he feels from being treated like this.

However, as the movie progresses this awkward overcompensating becomes increasingly more disturbing until the mystery behind this place is revealed and the film becomes a full on horror thriller. For me it was the slow progression from social awkwardness where it was clear something wasn't right with this place to horror was paced perfectly. From the second the couple arrives at the parent's house there's an atmosphere of unease. Nothing is so obviously off that the main character would want to immediately get out, but there's enough subtle signs that something is wrong that alarming flags are being raised left and right. The movie then builds on this initial unease slowly building up the tension to the breaking point, before releasing it in a satisfying conclusion that feels cathartic after all the main character has been, through.

While, the protagonist is caught up in this horror movie, there's a great subplot going on throughout the movie about his friend back home slow piecing together what is going on and attempting to mount a rescue. This subplot is where a lot of the more obvious humor in the film comes in, and if it hadn't been done just right it would have dragged the film down. Luckily, this subplot is hilarious and compliments the satire of the film by showing it's not just white people that can make some fucked up assumptions when it comes to race. It's a balancing element to the film that helps it from being seeming one sided. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm never going to be able to just say TSA again, from now they are the TSMotherfuckin'A.

The film is well acted. There aren't any big names in the movie, but it's populated by a lot of well known character actors, who are all perfectly cast in their roles. However, what really makes the film work is Daniel Kaluuya. He plays the lead, and he's the perfect straight man to all the madness happening around him. He's good in the smaller moments, but really excels in the more tense moments. Anyone that's seen Black Mirror will recognize him from the second episode and he's just as good at giving an intense performance here. The other stand out of the movie would be his friend, because dude was consistently hilarious.

The movie is technically well put together as well. It's shot and edited well, with a strong score that plays up at all the right moments.

If I had to criticize the movie in one regard there are a few shitty jump scares early in the film that were completely unnecessary. These scares weren't well built up and were reliant on sudden LOUD NOISES to startle the audience. Luckily, these only happened early in the film before the tension really started to build, but they do stick out in a movie that's otherwise well directed.

Overall, Get Out is a film that I'd recommend to any fan of horror films. I know some people don't like satire in their horror, but with this film you can ignore the social commentary aspect and still get a tense horror experience. 9 out of 10

TL:DR
This movie is
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@Schizm's avatar reminds me of how annoyed I was with the movie 30 Days of Night. The movie is a pretty forgettable vampire flick, but there was this one vampire that ran around with his mouth caked in blood for the entire flick and it drove me crazy. I just wanted him to wipe his damn mouth the entire time. Bugged the fuck out of me for the whole movie. I dunno, I just feel like having something like that slathered on your face would be irritating after a while. Maybe that's why the vampire seemed grumpy the entire movie, he needed someone to hand him a rag to wipe the blood off his face.
 
ZetsubouKaiji said:
@Schizm's avatar reminds me of how annoyed I was with the movie 30 Days of Night. The movie is a pretty forgettable vampire flick, but there was this one vampire that ran around with his mouth caked in blood for the entire flick and it drove me crazy. I just wanted him to wipe his damn mouth the entire time. Bugged the fuck out of me for the whole movie. I dunno, I just feel like having something like that slathered on your face would be irritating after a while. Maybe that's why the vampire seemed grumpy the entire movie, he needed someone to hand him a rag to wipe the blood off his face.
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Ugh, I hated 30 Days of Night. Except for creating a grim and hopeless atmosphere it was such a waste of time. Never bothered with the sequel, but I can't imagine it to fare any better.

My current avatar is Bill Paxton's Severen from Near Dark and he's got to be one of my favourite movie vampires ever. He could wipe the floor with the pretty dudes from The Lost Boys (love that movie as well) and Paxton just ups the craziness with his acting. The bar scene in ND is probably one of my favourite movie scenes of all time, too bad I can't find it anywhere.

And yeah, he doesn't look like that throughout the whole movie. Preacher's Cassidy was actually inspired by Severen regarding his look and personality.

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Schizm said:
Ugh, I hated 30 Days of Night. Except for creating a grim and hopeless atmosphere it was such a waste of time. Never bothered with the sequel, but I can't imagine it to fare any better.

My current avatar is Bill Paxton's Severen from Near Dark and he's got to be one of my favourite movie vampires ever. He could wipe the floor with the pretty dudes from The Lost Boys (love that movie as well) and Paxton just ups the craziness with his acting. The bar scene in ND is probably one of my favourite movie scenes of all time, too bad I can't find it anywhere.

And yeah, he doesn't look like that throughout the whole movie. Preacher's Cassidy was actually inspired by Severen regarding his look and personality.

1519137-preacher03.jpg
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Near Dark is easily in my top 3 vampire movies of all time. It's a brutal film of dark and violent seduction as the vampires try to woo a new member into their clan. The Tangerine dream soundtrack lends the whole film a dreamy surreal feeling. It's a brilliant film that deserves much more acclaim than its current cult status.

As for that bar scene. It's finger-lickin' good.


Paxton is brilliant in the role. It's one of his roles where he's allowed to go full crazy and he makes the most of every second of it.
 
I saw Logan today. I'm a huge fan of superhero movies, especially Marvel's. I've enjoyed basically all of them, whether they were fun romps like Civil War or Guardians or more lukewarm fizzles like Thor Dark World and TASM2. With the X-Men movies, it's been more of a mixed bag where I really enjoyed First Class and Days of, was let down by X-Men 3 and Apocalypse, and felt mostly neutral about the rest of the series.
Logan is one of those movies I really enjoyed. Not only did I enjoy it, but I left the theater impacted in a way that I haven't experienced with any other superhero flick. This film is very different from others of its ilk in a very good way. It was raw, intense, and powerful. That's a word I hesitate to throw around since it can be a bit of a buzzword, but I'd say it applies here.
I wouldn't go calling this a masterpiece or anything, but you're going to really like it. It's gonna be a thrill ride, so strap yourself in. And go see this movie.

I have to echo ZK's sentiment. Cinema is off to a fantastic start this year. Almost every single preview before Logan was something I was interested in checking out.
(please don't suck GiTS)
 
PG-13 Wolverine movie.
Adamantium bullet gives you amnesia.

R rated Wolverwine movie.
Adamantium bullet blows half your goddamn skull off.

I liked the second version better.
 
Logan

Logan is a bold film that defies normal comic book movie expectations to deliver a fitting downbeat outro for its titular character. Logan isn't really an X-men movie or even a comic book movie. The film has more in common with a gritty western like Clint Eastwood's The Unforgiven than it does with any of the previous X-men movies. The movie calls out this fact by decrying the comic books as in world fiction that don't capture the truth of events. This isn't a comic book movie it's a neo-western with some X-men characters in it and it is a better movie for it.

With its R rating the movie is just as violent and brutal as you'd expect. even if that violence isn't particularly flashy. The violence of this film is fast, brutal. ugly and most of the time you'll be wanting it to end so you don't have to see the characters suffering anymore. The film opens with a brutal fight scene that sets the tone of the movie perfectly. At first it seems like it's going to be the typical badass cold open to a movie where a group of throw away toughs get shredded to show what a badass the main character is. Instead, what we get is a pathetic display of a barely functional Logan getting his ass beaten until he lashes out in desperation. He's no longer the raging berserker that could claw through these punks like tissue paper. He fights a desperate and flailing battle and when he does finally unleash the claws, they won't even come out properly.

It's not just Logan that is suffering, though. The once proud Charles Xavier has possibly fallen even lower than Logan. Living out in the desert, Charles is nothing, but a shadow of his former self. His mind has begun to deteriorate and he can no longer control his powers. He has to live isolated away from people, because he suffers from seizures that will injure anyone nearby. Logan is doing his best to take care of Charles, but he can barely afford the medications that keep the seizures in check and Xavier doesn't want to live in a drug fuel stupor. Their only hope is to be able to buy a boat so they can go live far away from a civilization that hates them. This movie takes place in a future where the mutants have lost and been exterminated.

Into this situation comes a mysterious girl that Logan is forced to protect and it kicks off a depressing road movie that can only end in tragedy. Any glimmers of hope in this movie are always tempered by caveats and while there is some redemption to be found it only comes at the cost of great suffering.

The plot of the film is tightly wound and keeps the focus on Logan, Charles, and the girl's journey. A lot has changed in this world to lead to the character's current pathetic situation, but the movie keeps those answers vague. The audience are given enough clues to piece together a rough idea of what happened. If the movie had gone into long winded explanation it would have been burdened with a lot more exposition and been a much flabbier film. This isn't a movie about what went wrong, it's a movie about dealing with the aftermath after everything went to shit. It's a film about the characters reflecting on their legacy and what they can do in the present to prevent further tragedy.

When watching the film I was thinking that the biggest flaw was a lack of compelling villains. However, upon reflecting on it further I realize that the true villain of this movie is time. With time even the most proud are forced to fall. With time the body will betray you becoming weak and frail, but even more frightening is when you mind begins to fade and suddenly you can barely remember anything, but are left rambling on with no one willing to listen, because they think you've lost it.

That being said, I still think X-24 looked like shit and didn't fit with the tone of the movie. Superpowers aren't much on display in Logan, and there aren't many flashy special effects, which make the CG X-24 stick out like a sore thumb. CG technology still isn't at a point where they can successfully CG up a younger version of an actor without making them look like weird plastic. I thought we'd learned this lesson from Terminator Genysis, but apparently not. X-24 sucks and is easily the worst part of the film.

The best part of the film is definitely the acting. Jackman and Stewart having been playing these roles for a long time and you can feel all that history in their performances. They know these characters inside and out, and in this film they are finally allowed to exercise their acting chops and give the characters the proper gravitas.

Jackman is the most impressive, as playing Wolverine hasn't exactly been a taxing experience. In previous films the character has only had a handful of modes, he's either the raging berseker, the cocky smartass or the bitter loner running from his past. In this film Jackman is asked to do a lot more with the character. Wolverine can no longer pop his claws and action his way through any adversity. He now has to think of different ways to face his problems. Jackman brings a lot of emotion to the performance and does a lot more acting with his expressions and body language. Just the way he has to pull out a pair of grandpa glasses to read says a lot about how much the character has deteriorated.

Stewart's performance as Charles Xavier is heartbreaking. He's fallen even farther than Logan and his fall has caused world changing tragedy. Stewart can no longer play Xavier as the calm and steady presence he's been in previous films. This is a man that is thoroughly broken. It's quite shocking at the start of the film to hear him fire off a string of angry obscenities as he laments his situation. Stewart mines all of the tragedy out of the character and gives an emotionally effective performance that had me feeling and caring about Xavier in a way that I never did in previous films.

It's not just the franchise veterans that shine in the movie. The mysterious girl Laura is great in the film. She gets to do the action scenes that are the closest to being the fun kind of over the top that you'd expect from a hard R rated Wolverine film. However, while she's good in the actions scenes, it's her growth from a mostly expressionless character into someone that forms a bond with Charles an Logan that really makes the performance great.

Overall, Logan is damn good film. If you've grown up watching Jackman play Wolverine for the last 17 years, then the film is a fitting ending for his iconic run. Even if you're not familiar with Wolverine or the X-men movies, this is still a great cross of a road movie and a western that offers a lot more than just action. 8 out of 10
 
I need to see Logan but I've spoiled myself on it a little. Not a huge problem but it's good to know the hype is warranted. I also went back and started the comic Old Man Logan, where the influence comes from. The implications of the film make me think this is just one possible future for the X-Men. They've played with time travel shenanigans leading up to this but I like what they've done with the film, and I feel Logan should be respected as a film apart from the rest of the X-Men and Wolverine films.
 
randomredneck said:
Considering both the other solo Wolverine movies sucked ass, I intended to keep it apart from them.
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If only Origins had competent writers. One of them was responsible for Hitman and Live Free or Die Hard; think about that for a second.

The Wolverine wasn't so bad: it had the same writers and director as Logan, but I think they were constrained by Fox on what they could do. You can't PG-13 Wolverine, not when you realize who he is and what he does, but Fox wanted to appeal to a large audience, since they're in direct rivalry with Marvel's MCU.
 
Yeah, the team behind The Wolverine had the right idea, but the not tools to get the job accomplished. They fought hard to make Logan the movie they wanted it to be. The two big name actors of the film both took pay cuts to ease Fox's concerns. Even that wouldn't have been enough if Deadpool hadn't come along and made pile to money to show there is a market for R rated comic book movies. This is the direction that Fox should go in. Instead of trying to compete head to head with Marvel, they can cater to a different crowd and as long as they keep budgets reasonable they can be making good returns on their films. They can be the alternative to Marvel instead of their direct competitor. I generally like the Marvel movies, but they're never going to make anything like Logan or Deadpool, so it'd be nice to have a studio putting out these more mature films.
 
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