[Macros]

Wow

Just wow.

This is like the most spectacularly badgood awful what did I just watch bust out laughing at times movie

[HoosierDaddy]

Got the reserved tickets to do the IMAX 3D Avatar.... hoping I'm not wasting my money on this Christmas Eve matinee....

More like, my wife who hates watching moves agreed to come and I really would like to continue to get her to go to the theater. Last one we saw was Maverick, which was a fun theater experience. Hopefully this one is simlilar?

Guess we'll see.

Abyss, if it sucks I'm going to blame your "beautiful, was entertained and would see it again " lukewarm review.

[QuickTidal]

I thought AVATAR 2 was spectacular. Filled with vivid imagery, tight worldbuilding, abs tones of emotion. Just a really excellent continuation of the series. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for 3!

[Aptorian]

Is there a half time break in the middle where you can go and pee? I can't imagine sitting for 3+ hours without my bladder bursting.

[Tsundoku]

Watching Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix.

Halfway through, seems fun so far, again quite the homage to Agatha Christie. Except for SPOILERIFIC! DO NOT READ IF YOU HATE SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Spoiler

a couple of slipups

2 things you can see on Netflix where you can go back and check, that you'd probably miss seeing it in the cinema.
After Duke dies, Miles says Duke must have picked up his (Miles') glass, and you see that in the flashback according to Miles' memory, so someone was trying to kill Miles. However I recalled Miles fixed his own drink and went back to that part that they were silly enough to have on screen instead of distracting the viewer. Yep, Miles HANDS IT to Duke.
When Duke's pistol goes missing and everyone is wandering the house when the lights go out at 2200 (10pm), you can clearly see Miles wanders along with the pistol in his hand (I saw it as I watched and went back only to check), just before a gloved hand shoots Andi (he calls her Helen, which seems curious) when she is talking to Benoit.

EDIT: oh, cute, she was Andi's twin sister Helen all along. It seems Andi committed suicide/was murdered just before this just after sending a mysterious threatening email to the group (minus Miles), but the news wasn't leaked and Helen and Benoit cooked this up to try and catch the killer. Who I'm thinking is Miles, covering his arse. Someone must have forwarded the email to him

EDIT: Janelle Monae is the clear standout, she's really good. Of the rest most are clearly having fun and/or hamming it a bit, but IMHO Dave Bautista does probably the best job. I really like his willingness to play against type or muck around with it and do it quite well. Ever since Blade Runner 2049 actually. John Cena has been doing it a bit as well (see Trainwreck and Peacemaker).

EDIT2: loving the cameos.

Well, that ended up more fun than I thought halfway through.

Eight southern accents out of ten.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 24 December 2022 - 10:26 AM

[Cause]

I enjoyed wakanda forever.

Now that the movie is over though, I can’t understand why. I think it was probably a mess but I enjoyed it. Maybe I was just in a good mood.

That said bombs that release a deluge of water? Is this magic? Makes absolutely no sense otherwise but it’s never explained.

[amphibian]

The Banshees of Inishiren was pretty good - it's not beating one about the head with being a metaphor for the Civil War, has some great small town life bits, is very much against isolationism while being appreciative of the beauty of the country. I think a bunch of people will bounce off this movie though. It's not for everyone and the laughs are less stuff that's outrageously funny and more along the lines of "real people would say and do some of these slightly silly things".

[Aptorian]

Watched Knives Out and Glass Onion.

I LOVE these kinds of murder mysteries where a host of characters are gathered at a location where someone is killed, and the detective has to solve the crime.

I'm not so fond of the gimmick of revealing "the murderer" and then doing a twist but the movies do it well.

The characters are what makes it fun. Daniel Craig's character is especially silly and fun to watch.

[QuickTidal]

So one of my biggest complaints about WAKANDA FORVER was that the underwater sequences and locations and sets were murky, dark, and just generally terribly filmed and presented.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER on the other hand is a fucking MASTERCLASS on how to not only make underwater sequences work (night or day) well, but make them kinetic, and gorgeous at the same time.

I feel like these two films should be taught in a class about cinematography and lighting as how to do it (AVATAR 2), and how not to do it (BP: WAKANDA FOREVER).

----------------------

Oh, and I decided to be a bit cheeky today and collect the last ten years of "snark/naysaying/who is asking for this" comments about this movie from this forum. Sorry to all I've quoted below in my cheekiness, it's all in good fun!

I think even those of us who bet on Cameron didn't expect the film to not only 0% drop, but go UP 7% in revenue in it's third week (and insane feat). The legs on this will push it over AVATAR 1's performance.

Macros, on 24 April 2017 - 09:11 PM, said:

to be honest the only selling point for avatar for me at all was that it was pretty and actually made good use of 3d, but it epitomised how much of a gimmick 3d was.
Dances in wolves in space with smurfs, I don't see a need for a sequel let alone 4 more. you're better than this cameron

amphibian, on 06 January 2013 - 11:22 PM, said:

Avatar is the worst movie ever to be a smash hit.

What part really gets me about the movie is that the hero supposedly creates a lifetime bond with that one little dragon and then promptly abandons it for a bigger, better version. "Hey buddy, I'm just using you to get at the upgrade. I don't really care about your devotion to me and/or your courage in going up against the apex predator of the Avatar universe to deliver me safely to its back."

I like this comment because AVATAR: TWOW actually answers your latter complaint Apmh in the fact that the bigger "dragon" (Toruk Makto, of legend) was only used for the big fight at the end of AVATAR 1 and then lets it go, and he then returns to the Ikran he initially bonded with for the next what? 16 years? and it's the one he uses to fly to the new home in the reefs. Cameron always has a plan.

Silencer, on 28 September 2017 - 02:21 AM, said:

Honey Cups, on 28 September 2017 - 12:42 AM, said:

Some Avatar news hit today. I think we have a thread but I'm being lazy and not looking. I ll spoiler it I guess.

Spoiler

a bunch of kids have been cast as Jake and what's her faces offspring so we are getting a timehop

The scripts for 2-5 are already fully written.

Does anyone even want any of these films? What a waste of time and money. *sigh*

Silencer, on 25 April 2017 - 05:34 AM, said:

Briar King, on 24 April 2017 - 09:24 PM, said:

I'm just worried by movie 3 we ll be bored and not give a fuck anymore.

...we...aren't already? XD

Avatar was one of the most boring movies made in the new millennium (largely because it had zero unique plot, and relied solely on the gimmick of 3D to make it a spectacle, and while the 3D was great, in the end it highlighted how little the film or actors had to offer - excluding the villain, who was brilliant). Such a waste of time and money to make more.

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 12 May 2021 - 02:55 AM, said:

The takeaway from Avatar should have been "a cool, well-executed gimmick (3D) and cutting-edge CGI elevated a mediocre film" and not "this was an incredible film and we should make more of it"

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 03 January 2023 - 02:04 PM

[Gorefest]

Aw, I'm gutted. I'm sure I put forward a fair share of vitriolic comments about the new Avatar film in recent times. Or maybe it was all just inside my head. But to be fair, I haven't had a chance to go and see the new Avatar yet, so I'm not in a position to comment any more.

[QuickTidal]

Gorefest, on 03 January 2023 - 02:54 PM, said:

Aw, I'm gutted. I'm sure I put forward a fair share of vitriolic comments about the new Avatar film in recent times. Or maybe it was all just inside my head. But to be fair, I haven't had a chance to go and see the new Avatar yet, so I'm not in a position to comment any more.

I did a search for the title, so if you commented without the title it didn't pop up for me.

Ah well.

[worry]

You aren’t Honey Cups?!

[Gorefest]

QuickTidal, on 03 January 2023 - 02:59 PM, said:

I did a search for the title, so if you commented without the title it didn't pop up for me.

Ah well.

Looks like my comments were all made in a forum thread called 'Avatar sequels'. So I can see why you probably missed them.

@Worry: I'd considered Honey Cups but I eventually settled on Gorefest as my moniker, so nope, wasn't me. To be fair, if you think it was a poor pick for this forum, just imagine what it did to my stripper career. Hindsight 20/20 and all that.

[worry]

There’s a market for strippers named Gorefest!

[Macros]

I was underwhelmed by the story in Avatar, I'm sure I will catch #2 at some stage, but I can't see me being any further enamoured, 3d well done is all fair and well, an the pretty cinematography is all fair and well. But I generally don't give a shit about that stuff unless is so badly shot I can't watch/ follow the story, your move nerds!

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 04 January 2023 - 11:52 AM, said:

I was underwhelmed by the story in Avatar, I'm sure I will catch #2 at some stage, but I can't see me being any further enamoured, 3d well done is all fair and well, an the pretty cinematography is all fair and well. But I generally don't give a shit about that stuff unless is so badly shot I can't watch/ follow the story, your move nerds!

For what it's worth Mac, I feel like you'll be more impressed by the story and the character interactions in 2.

[QuickTidal]

Something else I'd like to comment on about AVATAR:TWOW...I kept thinking as I was watching it, beyond the action and the story beats, I kept thinking that if David Attenborough made a Nat Geo/BBC HD documentary about Pandora and its wildlife, this is 1000% what it would look like. I keep having that thought anytime Kiri was just sort of dwelling on the planets attachment to Eywa that she felt... and watching elements of the plantlife and wildlife around her...my brain was like "Wow, what a spectacular National Geographic Documentary this scene is!"....

Like...man....if you gave me a whole 2 hour documentary about the wildlife on Pandora, I would watch the shit out of that....

Going to try and see it again Friday I think. Need another dose.

[QuickTidal]

I have a few Criterion Kurosawa flicks I got as gifts that I've not watched yet, so last night the wife and I popped in HIDDEN FORTRESS. It's amusing knowing that George Lucas hoisted a LOT of this for STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, because SO much of it is clearly cribbed. I think the funniest thing in said comparison is that the two peasants (Matashichi & Tahei) who are where Lucas took Inspo for Threepio and R2...are not just the lackeys who help the Princess and the General do shit, but they are also CONSTANTLY trying to run and steal the gold, or contemplating assaulting the Princess while she sleeps only to be almost killed by a prostitute with a huge rock...like you could not find more grim analogies for our happy droids...they are hilarious though.

Even in what is CLEARLY a crowd-pleaser and super accessible "blockbuster" type film for Kurosawa, one in which many of the English critics who saw it found it superficial at best...he STILL manages to nail the things he sets out to do like in most of his other work. Like FFS the blocking alone in some scenes is exquisite. And this man (I dunno if I've said this before), even in the 1950's knew how to shoot in the rain outdoors and make it looks perfect.

Just a really awesome film.

There's a reason Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors who ever lived...hell, he might be THE best in my eyes...when he can deliver on even his more popcorn-y fare like this.

And it goes without saying that the BluRay Criterion remaster (including recreating Perspecta sound) is a sound and image marvel. Looks like it was shot yesterday.

The only complaint registered is by my wife who found Misa Uehara's performance as the Princess almost "shrill" yelling...and I can't say that this wasn't the case, but I am chalking it up to the character of the Princess being raised to behave like a man, and perhaps this was Kurosawa's instruction to have her affect her own version of the gruff forceful voice that many male actors use in his films? Either way, didn't bother me as much as her.

[Tsundoku]

QT, something you may like. It's just a short, but it's quite entertaining and to me it illustrates some of what you and many other have said about The Hidden Fortress and Star Wars:



I found it a hoot

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 09 January 2023 - 02:24 PM

[QuickTidal]

Re-watching EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, and this really is my fave film of 2022 without a doubt - Like I liked other stuff like TOP GUN 2 and AVATAR 2 but EEAAO is on a different level of enjoyment. In fact, I might argue this is my fave film since I saw BLADE RUNNER 2049 and probably goes into my top ten all time best....it's an exquisitely plotted and acted film. Every single moment is special, or strange, or amazing, or tense, or emotional... and the actors all elevate it even further than it might have otherwise been.

It would not work quite as well as it does without the heart that Quan, Yeoh, and Hsu all bring to the table, they deserve every accolade for their performances.