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

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Mattofthespurs

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Curious film in many respects. Firstly, it's the bridging film from the end of the old guard (Endgame) and the start of something new. This is all well and good except at times it feels like a bridging film with a plot added to the script after the effect.

Of course the cast have all aged quite a bit since the last Spider-Man film and it shows but this is explained in regards to 'The Blip' (where half of the students disappeared for a number of years after Infinity War).

Secondly, the film is almost meta in regards to it's nearly a film within a film [spoiler]After Mysterio is shown to be the villain the film takes on a much more realistic feel to it. Having been to Venice and Prague it's seems to me that both cities were depicted as what people would expect them to look like rather what they actually look like. For instance Venice looked much smaller (the Rialto Bridge for example is twice the size that it looks like in the movie, and Prague is not all cobbled streets, although a fair bit of it is. Then the flip side of this is that Berlin and London look almost hyper real in comparison. That's what it felt like to me, anyway[/spoiler]

Anyhoo. I enjoyed it and it had some nice touching moments and some of the stuff [spoiler]inside the augmented reality[/spoiler] was excellent.

Just a footnote to this; I read a fun interview with Tom Holland who said he thought the producers were trolling him. He said that when he filmed 'Homecoming' he had to relocate to America, 3000 miles away, and when he filmed 'Far From Home' he said loads of it was shot at Leavesden, just a 15 minute drive from his house.

Amused me, anyway.

Mattofthespurs

Oh, just to add, there are two post credit sequences. The 2nd of which answers a lot of questions I had about the film.

Mattofthespurs

Also, towards the very end of the film [spoiler]Newark airport, which I have been to, looks suspiciously like Stansted airport with the traffic facing the opposite way and a bus with dollar signs on it. I don't mind them filming stuff in different places (Berlin airport in Civil War was clearly not Berlin airport) but they could at leats make an effort![/spoiler]

Mattofthespurs

So in many respects it's the most comic book films I have ever seen as in that it takes liberties with almost everything, unlike some of the more 'realistic' comic book films.

In that regard I quite like it.

I'll shut up now.

TordelBack

Spiderman FFH: yeah, a very odd film, the decision to put two critical plot points in as end-credits scenes notwithstanding. I did enjoy it,  Holland and Gyllenhall are both solid, and their scenes together good, but everyone else seems off (admittedly some explanation for that in the end credits scene).

In fact if I was to point at any overall issue it's that the supporting characters set up in the first one are largely wasted: Flash is now just an idiot and Ned is a full-on fat comedy sidekick. Most egregiously MJ is no yet another vaguely defined love-interest. We get no sense of what she might see in the evasive, absent, awkward Peter to crack her formerly cynical armour, and no hint at all of her artistic side. It's a pity, since the school setting was this version's strength, and now as we learn in the mid credits scene [spoiler]that's essential blown.[/spoiler]

Mardroid

Just on my way back from Spider-Man Far From Home. I had a slightly surreal moment on the way to the men's before the film. Through an initial set of doors leading to the rollers is this small lobby area and there was Spider-man. "Hi!" he says, while adjusting his costume. I think he'd just come out of the toilet and had as bit more adjusting to do.

Quite a decent version of the costume too. Later or became clear he was a kid donning the costume promoting a comic stool that had been set up.

Anyway, I enjoyed the film a lot. 2nd end credit scene was a good gag.

Frank

Quote from: Mardroid on 07 July, 2019, 11:39:26 PM
... he'd just come out of the toilet and (was) promoting a comic stool that had been set up

That's what I call marketing.



JOE SOAP

#13267
The holding pattern continues.

Tonally the MCU itself feels like an extension of the Raimi films but MCU Spider-Man lacks the pathos and flair of those earlier flicks – Spider-man trapped in Mysterio's phantasmagoria is great, though, and I'm sure Raimi would loved to have done it if he could.

They managed to crack the concept of an updated Mysterio as a workable antagonist (Gyllenhaal returning with Keaton's Vulture would be great) but the theme seemed to override the supporting cast rather than working with them, and everyone is just a little bit too familiar with each other for me.

If [spoiler]J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson[/spoiler] is filling-in for Stan Lee cameos in the MCU, it'll be a masterstroke.

Mardroid

Quote from: Frank on 08 July, 2019, 12:14:55 AM
Quote from: Mardroid on 07 July, 2019, 11:39:26 PM
... he'd just come out of the toilet and (was) promoting a comic stool that had been set up

That's what I call marketing.

Dirty [spoiler]night[/spoiler] monkey!

Keef Monkey

Quote from: radiator on 03 July, 2019, 09:37:59 PM
QuoteWine Country on Netflix, which is really likeable and full of great people but not as funny as I'd expected given the great cast. Overall I definitely enjoyed, just never gets the big laughs you can feel it reaching for, but that's sort of fine because it's a pleasant way to pass some time and the characters are generally likeable.

I found it painfully unfunny, tbh - would have switched it off after 15 minutes if it had been my choice to watch it in the first place.

Amy Poelher is such an incredible comedic performer given the right material - see Parks and Rec - but the script for Wine Country, such as it is, was incredibly weak imo. Above all it just seemed so lazy - kinda reminded me of one of those Adam Sandler movies where him and his old SNL mates go on a jolly to an exotic location under the pretense of making a film.

Yeah it definitely wasn't good, but it didn't actively annoy me in the way that some failed comedies do. I was fine with just letting it run and wash over me a bit. It was the definition of meh for me, and I was knackered so that was kind of what I was after I guess.

Watched these this week -

The Thing From Another World - Despite The Thing being possibly my favourite movie of all time (it's jostling up there with a couple of others) this was only the second time I'd watched this. I remember being really disappointed the first time because it doesn't have the imposter paranoia that makes the Carpenter film so gripping, but watching it now I enjoyed it for what it is. It's a good example of that era of sci-fi/horror with some likeable characters.

Atomic Blonde - I didn't do a great job of following the plot to this, possibly more because that side of it was quite dull rather than because it was complicated. I just didn't care why the fight scenes were happening, but oh boy did I enjoy the fight scenes. Thought they had a great physicality to them, some real bone-crunching sweaty visceral punch-ups. I liked that they felt a little more raw and clumsy than in a lot of movies, and they really got the blood pumping. Also I may be a little bit in love with Sofia Boutella so if Hollywood could put her in everything that would be great.

Midsommar - Loved this. I thought Hereditary was brilliant (seriously, that movie and Toni Collette being snubbed for Oscar noms that year is genre snobbery at its finest) so went in with high expectations and wasn't disappointed. It's long (about two and a half hours I think) but has such a mesmerizing dreamy atmosphere that the length felt perfect to me, really gives you the space to sink into it and soak it all in. It has some horrifying moments (and is very gory in those moments) but uses shock very sparingly, instead it's all about maintaining that unique atmosphere it has going on.

The whole cast are good, and if Florence Pugh gets snubbed at awards shows the same way Toni Collette was for Hereditary it'll be a crime because she is amazing in it. Genuinely one of the best performances I've seen in years, with this and Fighting With My Family she's really come out of nowhere and become one of my favourite actors.

The whole thing looks gorgeous and the soundtrack and sound design is an incredible achievement, dynamic but using volume sparingly and always in interesting and intense ways. Audience were absolutely pin-drop silent for the entire thing too which was amazing and rare these days. Basically I was pretty blown away, I went in slightly worrying it would be a bit of a Wickerman rip-off, but while there are certainly similarities to that film it's got a lot more going for it than that and is very much its own thing. Also went in expecting to come away disturbed and horrified but got so much more than that.

I can't wait to watch it again at some point, because I haven't stopped thinking about it!

zombemybabynow

Mike Leigh's Happy-go-lucky

No one does real life like him

lovely film
Good manners & bad breath get you nowhere

TordelBack

#13271
Quote from: JOE SOAP on 08 July, 2019, 01:04:37 AM
  Spider-man trapped in Mysterio's phantasmagoria is great, though, and I'm sure Raimi would loved to have done it if he could.

They managed to crack the concept of an updated Mysterio as a workable antagonist (Gyllenhaal returning with Keaton's Vulture would be great) but the theme seemed to override the supporting cast rather than working with them...

The main illusion sequence was quite brilliant (although when [spoiler]Team Mysterio found time to design and render all that[/spoiler] I have no idea...). My son also made the connection to this Spidey feeling like a tamer Raimi version.

Whoever it is in MCU HQ that takes second-rate comics villains and reinvents them so they work on screen should have their own Oscar category - Thanos, Vulture, Mandarin, Ego and now Mysterio FFS! Complete with fishbowl!

Fingers crossed some convoluted deal permits us the Hulk vs Mole-man or Micronauts vs Hatemonger movies we deserve. 

Circling back onto the negative side, I also felt the European setting was underdeveloped: it was a good opportunity to touch on the chaos of 'the Blip' beyond the also-underused Aunt May charity bits, contrasting the largely-Snapped kids' idealised views of Venice etc. with the reality of a traumatised world.

Didn't have to be much, but it's hard to square business-as-usual tourist traps with the economic and emotional madness that the global situation must have caused. Half these buildings and vehicles have been abandoned for 5 years, half of all the people we see have been dead, there's presumably been a prolonged economic depression the likes of which we've never seen. Im not sure footage of a basketball mtach really covered it. Anyway.

What there was on screen was good Spidey fun, and that's what matters. It's interesting that my complaints echo the problems thst ongoing character books have with endless crossover events. Just let me enjoy the adventures of Night Monkey!

But gawds those school-teachers were poorly done.

MacabreMagpie

The Ritual.

Pretty good though felt a bit familiar, especially once they found their way into the woodlands (that's on the poster so presume it's not a spoiler), as certain scenes bring to mind other horror movies that have gone before. But within that are some nice, unique visual touches that mean I will remember this over some of the other ones that retread similar ground to the likes of Blair Witch etc.

Dandontdare

Quote from: zombemybabynow on 08 July, 2019, 10:14:59 AM
Mike Leigh's Happy-go-lucky

No one does real life like him

lovely film

I really enjoyed this too, but found myself veering between the two camps re Poppy - some find her endearingly lovely, others quite annoying. (also, I recall this came out very soon after the smoking ban, and even after such a short time, it was really weird to see people smoking in pubs)

EN-RA-HA!

Keef Monkey

My mate's free movie night theme last night (every Monday at the Banshee Labyrinth for any Edinburgh folk!) was big pigs, so he put on Razorback and Boar. I had to leave before Boar came on but really enjoyed Razorback. Going in I couldn't remember if I'd seen it as a kid, definitely had those vague VHS memories of it. Turns out I must have at least seen some of it because the finale came flooding back. Basically Jaws with a massive pig, and quite a decent stab at it really.