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Started by SmallBlueThing, 04 February, 2011, 12:40:44 PM

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MacabreMagpie

Quote from: Professor Bear on 31 August, 2020, 10:32:23 PM
It does occasionally look shockingly cheap

For the most part I thought it looked great, but when they're taken to the far future (as shown in the trailer) the composition of the actors over the CGI environment - which, in itself, looked fine - was pretty shoddy.

On the subject of the daughters, I have wondered if [spoiler]the usual types will complain about a male-centered series giving more prominence to female characters[/spoiler] but then [spoiler]are any of those types of people Bill and Ted fans anyway?[/spoiler]

Greg M.

Did you just ask if there's much overlap on the Venn diagram of rock music and misogyny?

MacabreMagpie

Quote from: Greg M. on 01 September, 2020, 10:27:56 AM
Did you just ask if there's much overlap on the Venn diagram of rock music and misogyny?

:lol: :lol:

Professor Bear

Quote from: MacabreMagpie on 01 September, 2020, 09:04:05 AM
but then [spoiler]are any of those types of people Bill and Ted fans anyway?[/spoiler]

I'm pretty sure the Ghostbusters/Star Wars fanboys who did the most yapping about female-centric reboots weren't fans of the originals, and if they were, they weren't paying attention to them very closely.

Keef Monkey

Just saw Tenet, I'd been pretty nervous about going back to the cinema as didn't know how comfortable I'd feel but the distancing was good (despite everyone but me taking their masks off as soon as the film started) and I only felt a bit anxious about whether the yappers a few rows behind me were going to shut up (spoiler: they didn't).

As far as the film though, I thought it was pretty good and has the potential to be way more enjoyable on another watch. I found the first half surprisingly dull though. After introducing its reverse-time concept it seems to wait an age to do anything very interesting with it, and the first hour feels more like a fairly generic Bond film rather than the Nolan mindbender I was hoping for.

When it does start doing interesting things with its idea though, it does some very interesting things with it indeed, and it makes for some very unusual set-pieces and action scenes that really don't look like anything else out there. I think the thing that impressed me most was mainly that, that he's found another way (after Inception's nested realities and logic-defying hallways) to make action scenes that look unique.

I do think that while the idea itself is if anything probably simpler than something like Inception, it possibly doesn't do as good a job of depicting it in a way that's as readable in the moment to moment action. By which I mean I never really hit that point where the visual language of the concept became second nature and I stopped thinking about it enough to get lost in the excitement of the action if that makes sense. Other (smarter!) folks may fare better in that regard but I found my brain was constantly having to decode the why and how of things in a way that was a bit distracting.

I do think on subsequent watches though that'll become easier, and that the puzzle aspect is part of the appeal. I just have to hold my hands up (slightly ashamed) and say that as someone who doesn't usually have a struggle following films that are supposedly painfully complicated, I did find this one confusing to watch. I did have to go to the loo midway through and am certain I missed the explanation of why exactly a particular element was incredibly important so that won't have helped.

Looking forward to another go, although I have to say that after getting used to watching at home being the norm, the experience didn't do much to convince me that cinema (and chattering patrons) enhances the film experience significantly enough for me to start going frequently again so given the option I'll still be watching at home when I can.

Apestrife

Quote from: Keef Monkey on 01 September, 2020, 04:13:02 PM
I do think on subsequent watches though that'll become easier, and that the puzzle aspect is part of the appeal. I just have to hold my hands up (slightly ashamed) and say that as someone who doesn't usually have a struggle following films that are supposedly painfully complicated, I did find this one confusing to watch. I did have to go to the loo midway through and am certain I missed the explanation of why exactly a particular element was incredibly important so that won't have helped.

I'm happy to hear people liking the puzzle aspect of the film. Figuring it out. Had alot of fun discussions at work about the ins and outs of it.

Watching it the second time it almost felt like I had "trained" my brain into better make sense of it changing between moving forward and backwards.

Keef Monkey

Quote from: Apestrife on 01 September, 2020, 08:08:14 PM
Quote from: Keef Monkey on 01 September, 2020, 04:13:02 PM
I do think on subsequent watches though that'll become easier, and that the puzzle aspect is part of the appeal. I just have to hold my hands up (slightly ashamed) and say that as someone who doesn't usually have a struggle following films that are supposedly painfully complicated, I did find this one confusing to watch. I did have to go to the loo midway through and am certain I missed the explanation of why exactly a particular element was incredibly important so that won't have helped.

I'm happy to hear people liking the puzzle aspect of the film. Figuring it out. Had alot of fun discussions at work about the ins and outs of it.

Watching it the second time it almost felt like I had "trained" my brain into better make sense of it changing between moving forward and backwards.

Totally, I was chatting to a gamer friend about it and I described it as feeling like I've done the tutorial level now so when I go back to it things will really flow a lot better! Which is probably a good thing for cinemas, there isn't much in the way of releases just now so they're probably glad they've re-opened with a film that compels people to come back for more.

I just watched Ghost In The Shell SAC: The Laughing Man, I've watched and rewatched the show a bunch over the years but never saw this film version. It came with the most recent box set so gave it a go. It's basically the first season of the show edited down to movie length (well, 2hrs40mins so the length of a long movie) mainly by removing any elements or storylines that aren't part of the overarching plot. I guess it works pretty well and would be an efficient way of just digesting that storyline in one chunk, but it did make me realize how much I particularly like the standalone episodes and stories in that show so doesn't feel the ideal way to watch SAC. There's a film cut of the second season included too so will give that a watch at some point too.

Rately

Have booked ticket to go and see Tenet tomorrow, and glad that it seems to be getting positive, if puzzled, reviews. Nothing new for a Nolan film.

Had a re-watch of The Prestige, and Inception, to get me in the mood. Have to say, I love Inception, and seeing it again after a few years made me appreciate the fact that in Nolan, we have a fella not afraid to make the viewer think, while still delivering incredible visuals and moments of action. Really head melting movie on first viewing, but all these years and views later, it really is a magnificent piece of filmmaking with a belting Hans Zimmer soundtrack.

That said, The Prestige, is my personal favourite of Nolans. Just a great movie from start to finish, with great acting and some lovely moments and an incredibly well filmed, atmospheric movie. The stuff with Tesla could be a movie on its own.

Keef Monkey

The Prestige is my favourite too, I love most of his films but for some reason that's the one to beat for me. Haven't done a full rewatch of Inception for a while but caught the last half hour on TV the other night and was reminded just how incredible that soundtrack is. It gets pigeonholed as the bombastic BWAAAAAARM score but the themes are absolutely beautiful and so perfectly suited to the dreamy visuals. I find the piece that plays that plays over the whole last sequence [spoiler]where he wakes on the plane etc.[/spoiler] incredibly moving, there's such an aching yearning sound to it that it really seems to grab something in me and squeeze all the feels out.

Rately

Quote from: Keef Monkey on 02 September, 2020, 01:44:26 PM
The Prestige is my favourite too, I love most of his films but for some reason that's the one to beat for me. Haven't done a full rewatch of Inception for a while but caught the last half hour on TV the other night and was reminded just how incredible that soundtrack is. It gets pigeonholed as the bombastic BWAAAAAARM score but the themes are absolutely beautiful and so perfectly suited to the dreamy visuals. I find the piece that plays that plays over the whole last sequence [spoiler]where he wakes on the plane etc.[/spoiler] incredibly moving, there's such an aching yearning sound to it that it really seems to grab something in me and squeeze all the feels out.

Keef, it has to be my favourite soundtrack. As you say, it got lumbered for the bombastic BWAAAAARMMMM trailer, but as you say, it has some wonderful, personal pieces of music that really do get the eyes watering. So many great moments in the movie are played out to wonderful, low key background music.


Link Prime

Quote from: MacabreMagpie on 31 August, 2020, 04:16:56 PM
You can get Shudder on a free trial to check it out for a month, if that helps.

Good to know, although I will likely forget to unsubscribe in my dotage!

Watched The Nightingale last night - good enough, but a pretty tough watch in places, and seemed to meander a bit by the final act (or maybe that was just my mind wandering).

I stuck with it to the end to see some of the biggest bastards in onscreen history get their just deserts.

Rately

Tenet

Wowzers. Another puzzle piece by Nolan, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, although I won't pretend that I understood or followed the entire plot/some scenes etc. Definitely need another viewing to really get my head around the inversion puzzle, and the fact that I found some of the dialogue indecipherable because of the sound mix, which at times I found oppressively loud, but assume that is Nolan's intention. So, next viewing will no doubt be accompanied by Blu Ray subtitles. Some of the reverse action bits are mind blowing, and the skill in editing them together, the actors performances and the technical mcgubbins are astounding.

It staggers me that Nolan somehow always manages to make even his most extravagant movies such hard work for the audience, but still brings in the Box Office, and at this stage it seems Warner Brothers would literally allow him to make a £320m adaptation of Coronation Street with no questions asked. Russell Crowe for Jack Duckworth.

paddykafka

With Scarlett Johansson as Vera Duckworth.

Rately

Quote from: paddykafka on 04 September, 2020, 11:03:52 AM
With Scarlett Johansson as Vera Duckworth.

This movie is getting near the top of my to-watch list with every new casting announcement!

von Boom

Ryan Reynolds for Ken Barlow.