Movie Discussion Thread

Haven't seen some of those, I'll be sure to check them out. Thanks

Out of the ones I've seen Bladerunner 2049 was my favorite of 2017. Incredibly hard film to follow up but I think they just about pulled it off, lots of credit to Denis Villeneuve for the visuals. If anything it was the score by Hans Zimmer which I think failed to match the original score by Vangelis. I think Zimmer came in a bit late in the project but still, he has such a great track record and I expected more. Maybe it wasn't his style of movie.

 

Some other notable films (off the top of my head) caught this year

- Get Out: GREAT film. Highly original storytelling. Non-conventional frights.
- King Kong: Sucked.
- GoTG v2: Was decent, but a step down from v1.
- Thor Ragnarok: Funny, original, real retro/futuristic hybrid feel. Loved it.
- RotJ: YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE CHOSEN ONE.
- Wonder Woman: Overrated, but still good. DCs best effort.
- Logan: Really enjoyed the concept. Loved the execution.
- Justice League: Cringey. Weak script. Pacing was poor.
- War for the Planet of the Apes: Amazing film. Loved all 3 in the series.
- Baby Driver: A real slick film. I thought it got a little too 'loose' towards the end.
- Logan Lucky: Rather enjoyable, unique film. That scene with his daughter at the concert... dang.
- American Made: Tom Cruise is slightly one-dimensional, but is an underrated actor. A big fan of Doug Liman.
- The Wall: Did I say I love Doug Liman films? This one sucked balls.
- Kingsman: Golden Circle: The original was original, audacious. This one was utter shit.
- Suicide Squad: No, please no.
- Hidden Figures: Straightforward, highly enjoyable.
- Deepwater Horizon: Good.
- Hell or High Water: Nice western film. Great acting.
- Fate of the Furious: Pretty enjoyable as along as you don't think too much.
- Split: Original horror/thriller. Decently enjoyable.
- Edge of Seventeen: Man, Hailee Steinfeld can really act. Really nice, well crafted teen film.
- John Wick 2: Bad-ass, slick, original. Highly enjoyable.

 

OMFG, this is actually real. Thought it was a joke and well done one at that.

 

As a musician, La La Land is as unwatchable as August Rush...quite misunderstanding of music as a whole...same with stupid films like whiplash..Anyhow...la la land..the whole white guy who has genuine creativity but is struggling to survive while John Legend is "too" pop. I mean come on....typical hollywood stereotyping shit. All that talk about "pure music" and jazz met with banality of the cheap tunes for the movie. Disgusting....if you are gonna make a music film and communicate the significance of music, at least try to be like Amadeus. Its amazing how even the masses can appreciate the genuisness of mozart's music through that film. I leave you with this dinky tune to reinforce my point. I would never listen to this shit voluntarily.

 

Made your point. I lasted 2:31. Think I’ll put on some Mozart. Perhaps a piano piece.

 

I will never understand it when people of a certain craft watch a mainstream movie about their craft, and bashes the shit out of it because it doesn't conform to their purist interpretation of the craft. To me, it's essentially snobbery, and an excuse to flaunt off some misplaced sense of higher understanding.

I am (was) a competitive chess player, and have been a student of the game since a young age. Had to endure an isolated section of chess 'purists' who bashed the film Pawn Sacrifice to no end because it did not correctly capture the nuances of high-level competitive match play correctly... Because it cheaply used traditional sportscasting methods to narrate the beautiful game of chess... Because it committed sacrilege by misrepresenting the characters of Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky... Because it sensationalized the political agenda behind the 1972 World Championship match... Because it wrongly represented the defining game 1 and game 6...

Like holy shit. I get that you're all chess fanatics with some higher order, uppity better than mortal plebs appreciation of chess, but it's f'ing irritating and completely missing the whole point and overall work of art of the film just for the sake of waving around your formidable chess penises.

Or the same with Dunkirk. I consider myself having a more than decent grasp of military and combat, but I don't sink to the levels of some 'purists' with their online commentary about how Nolan shat the bed by not doing this... wrongly representing that... even a critic marking down the film for not including the role on the French forces in stalling the German advance and buying time for the British evacuation.

Or the same with a recent criticism of a film (that I can no longer remember), and how it was 'shameful' because they did not include enough 'strong female characters' inside it.

Films are a body of work that incorporate so many different elements. It is fundamentally difficult, almost impossible, for a single film to cater to every agenda and every demographic without giving up something in return. The craft and vision of the director for a particular film needs to be taken into consideration, and contextualization is required in order to appreciate the film for what it is attempting to be.

 

You don't have to understand.....and you have an example...amadeus. I'm not gonna go through the history of western music and point out all the inaccuracies, but it is a far classier film than la la land will ever be. Not to mention the music direction, the script, the sets....its on a different level than la la land.

Its not about being accurate and getting inside the music craft. Its about the art of making a movie, delivering the message about music.

Its just you can't talk about being an artist and caring for the artwork, then have shitty banal tunes. At least get some real jazz in there like in the movie "Piano Solo". Its like hyping a movie about a painter who is willing to commit to pure art, then showing him painting a tree that looks like a bush and a twig. Then trying to hype it up to more with melodrama. After showing this, he struggles because he can't stand that he is forced to play even more "pop" than the shit he's playing. Does the director even understand anything about jazz? My lord..... And the guy who happens to be more "pop" is a black dude. At this point...I'm like come on. Jazz originated from the African Communities in New Orleans. Not that its wrong to use a black dude, but I mean did they really have to use John Legend Lol. Its almost as bad as Tom Cruise being the Last Samurai.

Its a matter of taste. If it was just a musical, telling a wonderfully vibrant story with supporting music, its fine. Not gonna eat the whole I'm an artist, "pure music" bs that they spew out, being melodramatic about what it takes to be a true artist.

Movies like august rush....I knew it was my child even if I've never seen him because when I heard that shitty piece, I knew it couldn't be anyone else...did I mention the music is just shit? I just felt it....the power of music.....you get a warm hearted feeling and you go around to people being like...music is so deep. and powerful...that's just bad taste and delusion. Not to mention all the inaccuracies of "the Juilliard School"...not that give a crap about that. just one lady happens to be the financial office, the admissions office, and just everything in one...just praising his geniusness for shit music. Please.

Its ok to like films like that and I'm not gonna say you are wrong. Not gonna go hunting the 52 percent of the people who agree with the critics on TLJ. If non-music films like star wars create better music, I think they can do better when a chunk of the FILM is about music. At least have some decency to have real jazz. I don't see Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky playing checkers in the chess movie.

Rant Over....and no I don't hate it because its a musical. I would watch this japanese rendition of Little Mermaid any day over La la land and its deluded purist jazz.

 

I like Whiplash. A lot.

It's not a movie about music.

 

Just like black swan isn't about ballet right?

 

That would be correct.

Those are just vehicles to address larger themes.

I'm a teacher and coach. Almost every movie starring teachers and coaches are complete BS regarding the reality of teaching, but some of them still work. As long as the larger themes ring true.

No worries, though. You like what you like.

If the poor music takes you out of a movie, then so be it. I don't think it needs to be a debate.

 

I think you might be missing the point about La La Land. The overarching theme in La La Land is that of passion and dreams, and the costs that are associated with pursuing them. Whilst the film is a musical, music in this film is the vessel through which the story is told.

I'd agree with you about the casting issue if the director Damien Chazelle had actively sought to push a certain agenda. But if you go a little deeper, you'd understand why he specifically chose Ryan Gosling. Dude has worked with Emma Stone before on Crazy Stupid Love and Gangster Squad. They have amazing chemistry, and this really paid off in the film. The issue of race is simply not an issue at all, unless you specifically nitpick and bring it into play.

 

I hear you @Cellist88



This movie is a travesty of what it's like to be a cat.

This is serious business

There was a lot of discussion on the cat discussion boards and scent marking areas online.

 

I'm actually not a fan of musicals at all. Which probably explains why I loved La La Land.

I liked how the dancing was kept relatively minimal, and within the flow of the movie plot. I don't think the leads were accomplished dancers by any means, but their dancing was visual appealing and the overall lack of complexity also added to the authenticity of the film.

The emphasis was very much on the developing plotline and themes.

Not sure if it makes sense, but La La Land was more of a drama with musical themes rather than a full scale conventional musical. Only two (Another Day of Sun and Someone In the Crowd) fully fledged dance pieces in total.

 

Hey I love King Kong lol.....the movie lets us understand more of his world. It is quite sad that he is the only surviving one im his race.

 

I saw 'The Shape of Water' tonight. Very Cool.

Has there been a topic already about music centered movies? I enjoyed 'Once'. I don't remember it as Overly sappy and I liked the tunes.

 

Once is a cool movie.

Shine is another favorite of mine, sticking with the music theme.

 

Yeah, I liked Shine also.