The Movies Thread!

[The Rose-Tree Dryad]

Hoping to see Kubo and the Two Strings sometime this weekend!

My impressions for The Good Dinosaur are mostly negative... I know it was in development for a long time and overhauled at least once, but I feel like they should've kept tweaking it until it was a better film. Yes, the scenery is gorgeous, and I liked the fact that the boy and dog story was actually a dinosaur and a human; that was really clever. I liked the scene where they tell each other about their histories without using any words, and I also thought the cowboy carnivores were pretty creative.

That said, the amount of times where Arlo falls down, is scared and/or imperiled drove my maternal instincts crazy. Will no one help this child?! I think he was originally supposed to be a teenaged character and I kind of wish they'd left it that way. I also didn't understand why the story was ultimately about him finding his place in his family, when the only family members that were still living weren't developed as characters. I was also annoyed that Arlo and Spot went their separate ways, seemingly just to tug at the audience's heartstrings... Spot seemed like the only bright spot (lol) in his life and it felt unnecessary. I would've been a lot happier with the film if it had ended with Arlo hearing Spot's call in the distance, hinting that they would see each other again.

[AJAiken]

I saw The Good Dinosaur when it first came out over a year ago (?) so I'm struggling to remember the story. I loved the animation and the backgrounds. Maybe I should watch it again.

Kubo I also saw at release, and liked much more. Laika's stop-motion animation is gorgeous, and I've liked each release more than the last. (Though I haven't seen Coraline.) I have to agree about the ending ... I did not like the deception about his grandfather's past. This I would like to watch again, and see how I feel about it the second time around.

I liked Moana a lot! I think it's better than Frozen, but I like Tangled most of all. All three have gorgeous animation and design, but story-wise I think Tangled is the best. Though it, too, went through various incarnations before becoming the story it did. Sometimes it seems like the story process brings out fantastic stories, and other times it appears more tortured ...

Has anyone seen The Red Turtle? It's a beautiful animation directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit, and co-produced by Studio Ghibli. Very unusual, but worth watching.

Doctor Strange ... I enjoyed it, and had a good time watching it, but I liked Guardians of the Galaxy 2 much more. The latter really got me emotionally, which I didn't expect at all. It was also hilarious.

I was pretty disappointed in the live action Beauty and the Beast. The animation is one of my favourites and I know it back-to-front, so I didn't go with high expectations. There were things I liked, but most of all I was disappointed that it wasn't more different. It felt like they were trying to do things in live action that only really work in animation. For example, the rather confused battle scene between the enchanted objects and the villagers. Is this a spoiler? I don't know. Anyway, it works in animation, but it didn't work as a kind of direct copy. If they had turned it into a more realistic battle it might have worked, but it's such a cartoony sequence ... I did like the new song.

After not liking the second one, I'm quite looking forward to Cars 3. The teaser trailer's hard-hitting.

I'm hoping to see Wonder Woman this coming week. I was disappointed in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman (and I avoided Suicide Squad completely) but I've heard good things about this one.

[daughter of the King]

Just saw Wonder Woman! It was a lot of fun with a good script and an excellent score. There were some of the usual origin story tropes, but they were executed well.

Watched the new Beauty and the Beast last week. I enjoyed all the songs, but some of the design bothered me a bit, such as the Beast not actually being very ugly, and the costumes couldn't seem to make up their mind if they were going for historical or fantastical. Also, some of the changes to the story were kind of confusing. If she had an escape plan all figured out and nobody was going to look for her until morning, why in the world was she exploring instead of escaping??? I'm not sure if I like it as much as the animated one, but I've always thought if they were going to do a live-action version of animated film then it needed to be one with the big-budget musical numbers, and it certainly delivered on that.

[ValiantArcher]

fk, nothing to apologize for - I had little interest in Doctor Strange from the get-go, so your praise of it just made me go, "Huh." And I see your points, though I'm afraid neither Tilda Swinton's nor Rachel McAdam's acting did much for me; I mostly just felt sorry for McAdam's character. :/ Your points about the ending are probably what the viewer is supposed to take away, but I had a much less pleasant view of it (as stated in my May 21 post); so I understand the things you liked about the ending, but I was unconvinced by them as what the character was actually thinking/meaning. Hopefully that makes sense.

The animation in Kubo and the Two Strings was stunning, especially the origami. As much as I love Wallace & Gromit, Kubo was entirely in a league of its own.

The animation in The Good Dinosaur was also lovely, in particular the scenery, as several of you have noted. And the story was nothing new, but I kind of enjoyed that since I could just have fun with what animals they put in what roles.

Haven't seen Wonder Woman but have heard good things about it from everyone I know who has seen it. May watch it when it comes out on DVD.

[AJAiken]

I saw Wonder Woman last weekend. It was good! I'm not convinced it's the best superhero movie since The Dark Knight, as I've heard it called, but it was fun and I would like to see more of Gal Gadot's character. And it makes me somewhat hopeful for Justice League.

My main disappointment was how Ares fought at the end. Everything up to that moment was very strong. I love how Diana kind of broke down at the inhumanity of humanity. Then, the moment when Ares revealed himself to Diana was very well done. The standoff in the guard tower felt very powerful and unique. Ares actually seemed scary. Then it turned into a CG-fest - which (presumably) the rest of the film was too, but it hadn't felt that way - just like every other movie. I liked the goodbye with Steve, and her decision to save Doctor Poison, but after that the film felt flat.

The problem I really have with the ending is the fact that Diana's whole goal is to stop war. All war. And yet everyone who knows anything about WWI knows that it is the main reason for WWII. So the vaguely happy-clappy atmosphere when Ares was defeated felt very off. Why was this issue not addressed? It was her main goal! And the movie ended with present-day Diana, who presumably had watched all the wars that followed her first ...

However. I enjoyed it. And I really liked how Diana was this strong, brave woman who was not afraid to be a woman.

[Ryadian]

Rya, we just watched Kubo and the Two Strings this past weekend too. It wasn't at all what I expected, but I also didn't have any solid expectations. We really enjoyed it as well! ... ...when the reveal about Monkey being his mom and the later reveal about Beetle being his father happened, they made sense. And I think I understand what you meant about it complementing the movie.

SHOW SPOILER "Kubo and the Two Strings"

Part of the reason I figured it out was because I started to get a very "fun dad" vibe from the way that Kubo and Beetle behaved with each other - almost like a dad teaching his son how to play catch. I will admit that I was too easily tempted by the "Monkey is just a magical guardian" trope to realize that she was the mother, but since I got a vaguely romantic idea from Monkey and Beetle, it made sense retroactively. I like that you get a few moments (like when they all sit down to dinner together) where it feels like this is the closest Kubo ever came to having a normal family, since he's had to care for his mother. And, sadly, it's probably the closest he ever gets. I was hoping Beetle, at least, would survive!!

Rosie, did you get a chance to see the movie? I'm curious to see your thoughts as well.

I did like [Doctor Strange] quite a bit, especially within the Marvel universe movie world, but it's not one where I'd go "OH MY GOODNESS YOU MUST GO SEE THIS MOVIE NOW!!!!!"

Admittedly, this is how I've felt about most of the Marvel movies pretty much since Ant-Man. I liked Doctor Strange well enough, but I don't think it was worth paying $10 for the ticket. Not when it's almost the same movie as several of the other MCU movies before it. It was basically Iron Man with magic. I went into the movie hoping for something with a bit more dignity, if I'm honest.

Moana - No, it wasn't hyped at all for me. I barely even noticed it coming out. I'm very much in the minority on this, but for me, it definitely goes Moana, to Frozen, to Tangled. I need to go watch Tangled again because it didn't do much for me at all. But then, I felt the same way about Frozen, but it grew on me when I was forced to watch it (repeatedly) by my kiddos. Maybe I'd like Tangled better if I gave it another viewing.

I liked Tangled much better after the second viewing, though I did like it at least the first time. While there are certainly parts of it I didn't like (which is also true of Moana), overall I really liked Rapunzel, Flynn, and Mother Goethel, and I really liked the fact that the story moved based on their motivations, rather than the other way around. That was one of my biggest complaints about Frozen. Plus, Flynn is now my favorite Disney prince. (I recognize that he doesn't have the greatest competition, but he still won over Aladdin and Simba. )

Agh, all this discussion about The Good Dinosaur reminds me that I need to see it. The reactions I've seen are mostly mediocre to negative, but it's a Pixar movie, and I think they've at least earned a viewing before I make any judgments. (Admittedly, I used to feel that way about Marvel and... well.... )

As you might've guessed from my current avatar*, I have seen Wonder Woman as well, though I'm going to refrain from talking about it too much before Monday. All I'll say is that if you like superhero movies, I definitely recommend it. I'm super happy it's done so well so far, too - it's really encouraging about getting more like it.

*To clarify, I've had that avatar since before the movie came out, at least in my region. I've been excited about this movie since I saw her in Batman v. Superman, since I'm in the apparent minority that actually likes that movie, though with several caveats and I'm fully aware that it's a highly flawed movie.

[narnia fan 7]

I saw Wonder Woman the other day and I thought it was alright. I wasn't looking forward to it after how terrible Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad where.

But I'm happy to say I thought it was definitely better then any of those films. Wonder Woman as a character was the best thing abouUt the it for me, it was great to have a hero in a DCEU movie that was actually a hero, who I liked and cared about. And it didn’t shy away from things that some people might think are to cheesy(though I did think it got a bit heavy-handed at the end). The acting was fine. I wasn't impressed with Gal Gadot in BVS but she was actually pretty good in this.

I had a few problems with it. The action scenes while they were well filmed the constant slow-motion got old really quick. I'm ok with it when it's used sparingly but the way it's uesd in this really took me out of the movie every time it happened. Also the villains, particularly the general and Dr. Poison were a bit too 'cartoony' I thought, they seemed out of place with the rest of the movie.

[AJAiken]

Hmm, I think you're right about the overuse of slow motion. I think the by the time the moment it was used best came about, it had already been used to death. The villains didn't bother me, perhaps because I didn't seem them as the real threat (the war as a whole) but as only a part of it. However, I'm not sure that was the intention.

Rya, I enjoyed parts of Batman v Superman. Bruce Wayne seeing the impact of the Man of Steel fight on Gotham was a brilliant set up. In fact, as I watched the opening of the film I thought "This is going to be great!" And then, not five minutes later, the floating-through-the-bats thing happened. I feel like there were some really good ideas in there that could have been something amazing, but it got lost under ... stuff. And darkness. And Wayne's dreams.

It's true that Batman and Superman don't exactly come across as heroes in those movies. They spend so much time wrestling with heroism that it seems they forget what it is.

When The Lego Batman Movie came out here there were lots of reviews saying how it was the best Batman movie in years. It was certainly fun, and not without action and adventure. Plus a good dollop of the madcap humour of The Lego Movie. I don't think the story was as strong as the original Lego movie, but it was inventive. And it was better than BvS! In my opinion.

[fantasia]

My husband and I watched a funny, little, low-budget film the other day called Eddie the Eagle. I ran across it by accident but we really enjoyed it! It's based on the true story of Eddie Edwards, a very unlikely candidate for the Olympics, but ended up going to represent England in ski-jumping in 1988.

I will add a couple of disclaimers that because it's low-budget, the special effects are pretty meh. And there is one scene that is similar to the infamous "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally.
Anyways, yeah, I liked it. I seem to be going for the "based on a true story" type films these days anyways.

[Varnafinde]

a very unlikely candidate for the Olympics, but ended up going to represent England in ski-jumping in 1988.

So unlikely that the powers that be decided that it must never happen again.

They changed the rules about participation and added a rule that to qualify for ski-jumping in the Olympics, a participant had to have done well (there were details about minimum results) in other international ski-jumping competitions first.

I haven't seen the movie, but I found an article about Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton, the two main actors, visiting Norway last year to promote it. They apologized for the movie portraying the Norwegian ski-jumpers as not being very nice to him. His real life Norwegian helpers were much nicer than their movie counterparts.

Don't take it personally, Norway, they said. We feel bad about it.

I remember him from the sports news when he was active. He's known in Norway too as "Eddie the Eagle".

Oh, and apparently you cannot use the movie as factual information about how a ski-jumping competition is run. The Norwegian reviewer says that they haven't got all their facts right.

But it's a comedy, so perhaps they didn't worry too much.

[Avra]

I've been excited about this movie since I saw her in Batman v. Superman, since I'm in the apparent minority that actually likes that movie, though with several caveats and I'm fully aware that it's a highly flawed movie. [/color]

Me too! I've liked all the DC movies...except Suicide Squad. Batman v. Superman is, as you've said, a flawed film, but I appreciate the message behind it, and

SHOW SPOILER

the death of Superman is so sad!

But I especially loved Wonder Woman; I still get chills thinking about the No Man's Land scene.

I recently saw Power Rangers. I rented it with low expectations, but I had heard one of the main characters had autism. Since my brother also has autism, I wanted to check it out. While not a perfect film, it has now become something special to me. There are few movies that present autistic characters, even fewer that actually name them as autistic and even fewer that give an accurate representation of the spectrum. This one...did. I wish it had been out when I was growing up, because I assure you, it was very emotional for me to see a movie where an autistic character was loved the way I love my brother. I later read that the actress who plays Trini/the Yellow Ranger (Becky G) has a younger brother with autism as well.
Highly recommend it!

[AJAiken]

Has anyone seen Spider-Man: Homecoming? When it was first announced I felt it was too soon, and I believe it would have been had it not turned out so well. I like the Tobey Maguire movies and though I liked Andrew Garfield's character I didn't enjoy those films so much. However I liked Tom Holland's cameo in Civil War so I was willing to give Homecoming a shot. I'm glad I did.

It's smart and funny and it keeps moving, not feeling bogged down at any part. Though I like Tony Stark / Iron Man I was worried this would overshadow the story. Not at all. It's there but isn't, I feel, overused. I also really liked Michael Keaton's character, especially as he was shown to have some kind of moral thought with regards to Peter saving his daughter and himself. He wasn't being evil for laughs or power. He's misguided, but was interesting to watch.

The big difference from the other Spider-Man films is the lack of an origin story. It's refreshing - at least for me, since I know the story. It also allows a different path for Peter, who isn't immediately shoved into a life-and-death situation. It will possibly also appear to those who wouldn't necessarily watch a Marvel or DC film because it also has a teen school movie feel. I think it also has a much tighter script and plot than a lot of other superhero movies.

I got to see a preview of Eddie the Eagle and I really liked it. It's sweet. Though I was disappointed by how much the true story had been changed: how ski jumping competitions are run is the least of it ...

Speaking of how true stories are changed, I was upset when I read the book of Hidden Figures after seeing it in the cinema. The movie changes almost everything, and several of the scenes which I found striking and powerful aren't based on anything. I still like the movie a lot, but I have to wonder why they changed so much. Couldn't they have told a different, more truthful story?

[Glumpuddle]

^ I enjoyed Homecoming. Something happened near the end that actually caught totally by surprise. Think about that for a second... Something at the end of a Spider-Man film that was actually surprising.

Usually in superhero movies, the characters work pretty well but the plot is meh. But I really liked this story.

[narnia fan 7]

I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming yesterday and I really enjoyed it.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the teen high school movie feel this had, in general I'm not a fan of those types of movies but I thought it worked perfectly for Spider-Man.

I thought Tom Holland was great this is my favorite on-screen Peter Parker, I liked a lot of the side characters, I thought Vulture was a surprisingly good villain I liked what they did with him.

[Anhun]

Has anyone else seen "Eye in the Sky"? When I first heard that it was a movie about drone warfare, I thought "meh." I'm not generally a war-movie sort of person, but I'm glad my Dad talked me into watching it with him when I was over for a visit. It's beautifully made and it felt more like a psychological thriller. Helen Mirren was perfect as the hard-nosed attack dog type who always gets her man (or woman, as the case may be). Then there was Barkhad Abdi, caught between self preservation and the desire to save innocent lives. Aisha Takow was engaging and adorable as the little girl unknowingly at the center of an international controversy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2057392/videoplayer/vi1137947161?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_2

[SummerSnow]

I watched Spider-Man: Homecoming last week. I admit that I'm not the hugest fan of Spider-Man. I wasn't really that interested in seeing it in theater, but was convinced by my friends to go see it with them.
It's not my favorite Marvel movie, but I think I probably enjoyed it more than the other Spider-Man movies I've seen. Overall, I did like Peter.

SHOW SPOILER

He did a lot of stupid things, though, which annoyed me. I didn't like that he kept on going after the bad guys in the beginning, even though he was very ill-equipped to do so.

It was an interesting movie to watch, because it definitely had a very different feel than the other movies. I think that it was a wise decision on their part to skip over the origin story, and instead do a quick reference to it.