The Movies Thread!

[aileth]

Hey, has anybody else here (except johobbit--I know you have ) seen the movies put out by Little Crew Studios? The first is The Runner from Ravenshead and the second The Defense of New Haven. (Really, really hoping there is a third).

Not a superhero movie, exactly--it is a family style movie, and definitely not a Hollywood blockbuster. Maybe that's why I like it so well?

I wrote a review of it here: https://ailethelgin.wordpress.com/2016/09/22/the-defense-of-new-haven-a-movie-review.

On their website http://littlecrewstudios.com, they have been doing an Our Story/behind the scenes feature, which I have been enjoying.

[ValiantArcher]

aileth, I'm afraid I haven't seen anything by Little Crew Studios.

I missed all the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 discussion by a page, but we watched it the other day and - kind of surprisingly - I'm much closer to fk on this one. I never actually saw the GotG2 trailer and I went in with low expectations (partly due to the previous discussion), but the things I disliked overweighed the things I did. Don't get me wrong, there were things I liked - Groot had some cute moments, some of the humour was funny, and there were some good character moments - but the cavalier attitude toward murder/death (particularly the murder of the mutineers by Yondu and the others - they had done terrible things, but the scene was played with music more for laughs or as a cool action scene; the murder of the first half of Yondu's crew in the mutiny WAS portrayed as terrible, but it was hard to watch) and the high body count did not sit well with me, nor did the offcolour humour (and there seemed a lot more of it than in the first movie?).
Also, most of the major items had been spoiled for me (such as Nebula teaming up with them and Yondu's death - since both happen late in the film, Nebula's antagonism was a little confusing for me, and I kept expecting Yondu to die at any minute... On the other hand, I'd vaguely heard that Ego was a terrible guy, so I kept waiting for the shoe to drop, though I didn't expect the murdered children or the brain tumour specifically - but that was less surprising than it was, "Oh, that's why".), so it lost the element of suspense it otherwise might've had.
And the credit scenes - there were five of them and only about two of them made sense, and those were the two that didn't tie into the grander plan... Anyone have an explanation for what the credit scenes were supposed to be showing?

I'll probably see Thor: Ragnarok when it comes out on DVD... I know a lot of people who loved it - and it seems that most people who didn't, didn't like the campiness - but the spoilers I have been unable to avoid have not been encouraging...

[ValiantArcher]

Saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Very random and assorted thoughts below.

SHOW SPOILER

Yi. How depressing.

The beginning scene with the "Holding for General Hux" ploy was hilarious, but that is the only thing humourous sticking out to me.

I didn't really care about Poe in TFA, but he did grow on me a bit in this movie, and I appreciated his clear arc into leadership and understanding the importance of a strategic retreat to save lives - even if he was an arrogant idiot for a good part of the arc. (IF only he had followed the Vice-Admiral's orders and/or actually asked her what was going and she had given him a straight answer...)

Rose was...fine, I guess. I didn't know anything about her going in except she was being added to the cast, so I didn't have any expectations besides a vague uneasy feeling that she was being added as a romantic interest. Which, well, apparently she was. I mean, she was obviously more than that, but there was also that element (LIKE THEY'D KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR EIGHTEEN HOURS??? The timeline seemed to be all kinds of messed up in this movie anyhow...it didn't make any sense). I'm hoping that since she's likely to be in the next movie she'll grow on me then as Poe did in this one...

And Rey...I don't know what to think about some of her actions in the movie. It's to her credit that she tried to turn Ben/Kylo Ren, but she may've needed a bit more caution measured in with compassion. And the force/psychic conversations she had with Kylo Ren were a bit weird. I didn't really get what exactly the movie was trying to establish their relationship as... I know gp will be ecstatic about the revelation of who Rey's parents were, though.

I was also disappointed because Rey and Finn and their dynamic was really the best thing about TFA for me and we really didn't get that in this movie. I mean, we did get the characters separately - but in some less interesting situations mostly - but they were only onscreen together for about 10 or 15 seconds (which was really great, but...). So I'm just hoping we get more of them in the next movie.

Kylo Ren/Ben - Yi... At this point I have no idea what his motivations are or what he wants. I did love him using Snoke's mind reading against him with the lightsaber, and his offer to Rey for them to rule the universe side-by-side was definitely a Skywalker offer.

I really don't know how to feel about Leia's role in the movie, either - it kind of felt too big and everyone was far too in awe of her? I felt like there were several very natural ways they could've killed the character off and yet they didn't, which seemed odd since they seemed very bent on killing off all the other original characters.

Which brings me to Luke - Luke just died from using too much Force apparently??? I did like that he kept himself from being killed by Ben/Kylo Ren, but it was also disappointing that he wasn't there in person... Does anyone know what the importance of the "dice" hanging in the Millennium Falcon were? I don't remember them from the original movies, but maybe they were there?

I think if any of the original characters survive, it might be C3P0 and R2-D2. Possibly Chewie, and maybe the Millennium Falcon.

The plot itself was some kinda weird mashup of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Overall, too, the movie just was too much all at once - too many battles, too many deaths, and too many climaxes. I felt like there were about three or four places where the movie could've ended well before it actually did and instead it just kept going.

[narnia fan 7]

I liked The Last Jedi, but it dose have some problems. I loved pretty much everything they did with Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren. All three performances were great, especially Mark Hamill.

Everything else was just okay. I like Poe and Finn's arcs, but I think they needed to trim the fat in places, the Finn, Rose sub-plot on the casino planet while I didn't hate it I think it takes up too much screen time and could be completely cut out and the film would be better for it.

[fantasia_kitty]

I might get into the theaters to see "The Last Jedi", but it's soooo hard to go see a movie in the theaters with a nursing baby. Still on the to-do list.

But I did see "Wonder Woman" last night. It was okay, but I also didn't find it to be anything particularly special. It's funny how I keep watching super hero movies even though there are very few that I really REALLY like, just to keep up with the movie lore. I'll probably see Thor 3 when it comes out on DVD for that exact reason.

In the meantime, I'm ready for a Super Hero movie break. *says the person who has the Lego Batman movie next on her Netflix list*

[AJAiken]

The Last Jedi ... it's strange, I love it and hate it. It got some things so right, and some things so wrong. At some point I'll need to watch it again to see what I really think about it. Seeing Episode IX may change my perception of the story, perhaps ... but my main issues were WHY was there a whole, unnecessary, Prequels-esque subplot with Finn and Rose? It achieves NOTHING. However I have heard some people talk about how this compares to the Cloud City segment in Episode V, and I can understand how it might then be somewhat relevant as part of a trilogy of films. Yet it's still unsatisfying as part of one episode.

I also really dislike Leia flying through space. It's cheesy and makes no sense - not her using the Force (that I don't mind) but the fact that there's no airlock for her to return to the ship. Spoiler for Gravity: it was like the dream moment when George Clooney's character returns. Except in Gravity it is a dream, and in The Last Jedi it is real.

Everything with Kylo/Ben, Rey and Luke I loved. I thought the uncertainty about which story was true was perfect. I would have liked to see Luke actually turn up at the end (especially after the film threw in a shot of his X-wing) but I like that he wasn't killed by Kylo. And I love puppet Yoda!

I enjoyed Thor Ragnarok, but it doesn't feel like the previous movies. The characters are different and the Shakespearean tone is gone. That may well have been completely deliberate, given the utter destruction of Asgard, Mjolnir, Odin, etc. It's also very much a Taika Waititi film - I love Hunt for the Wilderpeople - but I think the only thing that keeps me from really liking this film is that the tone is so different.

Has anyone seen Justice League? FK, I'll admit I'm the same in terms of DC movies. I do tend to enjoy the Marvel ones. I was disappointed. I like Wonder Woman but I think DC missed out on building on what worked with that film. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, but it felt very ordinary. I also saw it a couple of weeks after seeing Thor Ragnarok so it didn't survive the comparison terribly well (especially as Justice League tried very hard to be funny). The best thing about it was Barry. I think it missed a huge opportunity in not making Superman a potential threat. I was excited for a moment when he was clearly confused and unsure but still dangerous. They could have really delved deep into something special, but five minutes later everything was back to normal. A pity! Perhaps something like that could have been better explored in a Superman movie, but then it would have been good if they'd set that up.

There are several films coming out here this month that I want to see - Darkest Hour, Coco, and Early Man - Aardman's latest, I'm especially excited for this.

[coracle]

Has anyone seen the "Showman" movie yet?

I'll be interested to hear how it presents the way Barnum bought and used a dwarf for a Sideshow. Barnum is famous for using and probably inventing the word 'midget' (seriously not acceptable for referring to Little People today).

[ValiantArcher]

AJ, re: TLJ, how have you seen the Casino subplot compared to the Cloud City subplot? The only thing they got out of it was the hacker - and I still don't know if they got the right one (it was indicated that he wasn't, but I think he had the brooch?). Cloud City in Episode V had some major parts - introduction of Lando, Han being taken out of commission, Han and Leia's "I love you" & "I know" (important for their character progressions), and - most important of all - Luke and Vader's fight and revelation of relation.
Very good point, though, about the Casino plot being unsatisfying in this movie - even if it somehow ends up being important to the next movie, it has to make sense and fit in this movie...
SAME about Leia flying through space - it was really cheesy and terrible, like some intergalactic Mary Poppins but without any of the charm... XD I did like her using the Force, but for this to be her only instance of it - it seems terribly out of place and HUGE.

[AJAiken]

Valia, also regarding TLJ, it was a discussion that didn't go into much detail but suggested that the Casino subplot being unsatisfying mirrored the Cloud City subplot being unsatisfying at the time. It's difficult to imagine Episode V (I realise I wrote the wrong movie above - I'll edit it!) without Episode VI now, but at the time it must have felt unsatisfying at least to some degree. I wasn't including the Luke/Vader fight in my thinking, so a better comparison may be the Poe/Finn/Rose plots compared with the Leia/Han/Lando plot. The hacker - DJ? - could be another Lando. If he's in Episode IX, that is. There was a reflection of "I love you"/"I know" in Rose's declaration after saving Finn. But overall I felt it was Poe who really developed.

This sequel trilogy is taking a lot of cues from the original trilogy, so I'm guessing there will be things that all tie up eventually. It's strange to think that I might like this movie more after seeing the next one ...

[narnia fan 7]

Has anyone seen Justice League?

I saw it, but I keep forgetting that I did. It was a complete in one ear out the other kind of movie. That not to say it was completely terrible there is some entertaining things about it, but I think it's saying something when the only engagement I had in the movie was looking for were they CG 'd out Henry Cavill's mustache.

Concerning the TLJ talk, I've seen a lot of people say that the point of the Casino subplot was too show Finn commuting to the Resistance's cause. Since in TFA his goal was just to get away from The First Order not fight them, and the only reason he helped the Resistance was to save Rey. And that by seeing all the corruption, greed, and selfishness of the Casino people and DJ, he decides to stop running and fully commit to the Resistance and to fighting The First Order.

I think that maybe right, but I think the execution was sloppy and it takes up WAY to much screen time. I think they needed to trim the fat and make it a little more streamlined, and I could have done without the space-horse chase.

[narnia fan 7]

Apologizes for the double post.

I saw Black Panther and it was okay I guess. Like most of the MCU films it's well made and entertaining, through I thought the visual effects look really bad in places. And honestly I was kind of bored through most of it, there is some interesting stuff, but I was indifferent to the story and I didn't really find any of the characters that engaging, everything felt vary flat to me.

I also saw The Shape of Water which I didn't like vary much at all. It's vary well made the acting, directing and cinematography were all vary good. But I thought the story and especially the characters were really weak, and the "romance" between the main character and the "fish-creature" was just gross and disturbing, I know that's not what the film intended, but... Eww.

[AJAiken]

Hmm, I've been thinking about going to see The Shape of Water.

In the last few weeks I've seen Early Man, Coco, Black Panther and The Greatest Showman.

Black Panther is good. I like the characters a lot - it's nice to have a main character who is nice, and has a good relationship with his family. It does feel slow in parts, but I like the change of pace from some of the other Marvel movies (perhaps particularly Thor Ragnarok). I like it, but it's not the strongest Marvel film.

I was disappointed in Early Man. I'm a huge Aardman fan, but though the animation and quirkiness is there some of the magic of previous outings like Chicken Run, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! and Wallace and Gromit is missing. I think Shaun the Sheep Movie was better.

Coco is really sweet, and unexpectedly emotional. I think it's the best Pixar film since Up. (Though I know people love Toy Story 3 and Inside Out, I don't quite get them. They're good films but they didn't make me giddy with joy in the same way as some of Pixar's earlier films.) My only problem with Coco is that I figured out what was going to happen very early on, as it was 'revealed' so quickly and obviously that Ernesto de la Cruz is Miguel's great-great-grandfather that I didn't trust it to be true, and immediately latched on to Hector as the alternative.

I really didn't know what to expect when I went to see The Greatest Showman as I'd read both positive and negative reviews of it, but the film had me hooked from the very beginning. I love it! There's a sweetness, joy and power to the story. From what I've heard since it's not very accurate, so that may turn some people off; I don't know much about P. T. Barnum so I gleefully accepted whatever was on screen. The songs work well to move the plot forward at key moments, and feel very much part of the piece. I also enjoyed the theatrical reveals and tricks of the cinematography; I'm not sure how best to describe this, but, especially in musical numbers, the visuals flowed. Though the songs are good, they're made even better with the visuals. Overall, I think if you like musicals you'll like this.

[Puddleglum]

I don't post much on this one, but The Mrs., and Ihave been going to the theatrs a bit lately to ward of "cabin fever" during these winter months.
The Greatest Showman was an excellent film. Not historically correct by a long shot, but non-the-less a good family film with a great message, and musical score.
Wonder I will recommend to everyone. It was well written, and acted. I especially enjoyed the way it blended all the main characters into the story, and did not just focus on the son.
Black Panther. Just saw it the other day. Also well written, with a slight social/political spin so needed today. I really enjoy the main character of T'Challa. From first seeing him in "Captain America Civil War" he has shown a true maturity, and desire for taking a moral stand that is beyond most "super heros" we see today, with the possible exception of Captain America.

[narnia fan 7]

I saw A Quiet Place and I thought it was pretty good overall. The best thing about it is the execution, the premise itself is a little silly I thought, but the movie has a unique style and the directing and attention to detail was great. I think the first half is better then the second half and there were several dumb character decisions that took me out of the movie, but not enough to completely ruin it.

[waggawerewolf27]

One movie I did see over Easter was A wrinkle in time, which some of you may have already seen. I read the book years ago and thought it was an interesting story, and also used it in a TAFE Children's Literature assignment I had to do in 1968 for my first vocational qualification, where I compared it with Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, Animal Farm and a few others, including Tolkien's The Hobbit and another one called The phantom tolbooth.

This 2018 film is the second movie adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's book. This adaptation, in which Whoopi Goldberg stars as a competent, if over-the-top, Mrs Which, did cover the basic story, but we agreed the directorial choices might have been a bit different. Although I remembered the story quite well, there seems to be much that is left out, which bothered me. These omissions included the absence of Meg's twin brothers and Aunt Beast, the sightless furry creature who comforted Meg after her escape from Camazotz. And I was disconcerted that the film, unlike the Wikipedia article insists that Charles Wallace, Meg's 5 year old brother was adopted, which wasn't my impression in 1968

The colour palate and some of the landscapes, plus special effects were awesome, but rather 1950'ish from my point of view. However, how many others who went to see it would concur with my admittedly nostalgic memories of books, graphics and illustrations from that time? The bit that disturbed me most was the depiction of "It" as some sort of eerie 1990's computer video games take-over, as well as the depiction of people who were not quite real. A scene from the movie, the children of Camazotz bouncing balls in unison, certainly reinforced this impression.

I still enjoyed the film and honour how Madeleine L'Engle's creative vision has echoed down to the present.

[AJAiken]

I love Madeline L'Engle's book, though I read A Swiftly Tilting Planet before A Wrinkle in Time for some reason. I was planning to go see the film but the reports I heard about some of my favourite scenes and themes being stripped out put me off. It's no longer showing at my local cinema, but I'll try to see it sometime.

Over the weekend I saw Isle of Dogs which I really enjoyed. I'm not a big fan of Wes Anderson, though I've only a couple of his films. Moonrise Kingdom I just didn't understand. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. Fantastic Mr. Fox I disliked because though the animation is good I don't think it's anything like Roald Dahl's book. With Isle of Dogs, I liked the quirkiness and was drawn into the story. The heart of the film is a story about a little boy looking for his dog, and the bizarre events that precede it and follow seem completely justified in the universe Wes Anderson and the animators create.

The film looks great, and I love the use of 2D animation within the stop motion environments. Anything displayed on a video monitor is animated in 2D, even if it's replaying something previously shown in stop motion. It's not for very young children, though. (There are a few distressing moments, and lots of 'oogly' ones.) I recommend it - it surprised me and it may surprise you too.