Topic: The Movie Thread

@Jaz007 Very glad you enjoyed Aquaman; I can't wait to see it, really looking forward to whenever its released on Blu-Ray (which nowadays, shouldn't be too long now).

@RogerRoger So have you watched all the earlier Marvel movies, ie the three Iron Mans, the other two Thors, the three Captain Americas, Ant-Man, the first two Avengers ... etc, etc? Because if not, I’m sure that some of the humor and references fell a little flat due to lack of context. For example the intro of Peter Parker for the first time into the MCU was in CA: Civil War and explains a little about he and Tony Stark’s relationship. I seem to recall much of Ragnarok’s humor and plot being more meaningful given the goings on of the previous films.
I’m just curious. The entire MCU library is gargantuan at this point and very difficult for a newcomer to the series to get through all of it unless you have a spare 3-4 weeks with nothing to do. I think the filmmakers have tried to make each film somewhat accessible as a stand alone piece of enjoyment, but inevitably some plot lines build on one another by necessity. Although I’m sure your friend has gone above and beyond to try and explain and expose you to all the information that the crazy universe throws at you in the course of a gazillion movies.

@Th3solution No, I've seen all of the Marvel movies before (except Guardians of the Galaxy, but after seeing Chris Pratt's "character" in Infinity War last night I'm convinced I'm doing myself a favour by ignoring them). Because I'm not really a fan, though, and as such I find them quite forgettable, I tend to just catch up with them in chunks every three or four years.

It's not that I don't get the gags and connections; as I said above, my favourite part of Spider-Man was all the interweaving with Tony Stark, Happy and the events of the first Avengers film (not to mention Cap's awkward motivational videos... the one at the end of the credits was brilliant) and I laughed a lot during Ragnarok. It's just that I think Marvel suffers from being too big, too much of a money machine, so they're constantly playing it safe. When the jokes fall flat for me, they do so because they're incredibly predictable or simply tweaked versions of previous ideas or quips. Then again, the same could be said of their characters; Doctor Strange, for example, is a rich and arrogant genius who suffers an injury which forces him to learn the error of his ways and embrace a larger, more important role in socie... sorry, did I say Strange? I meant Stark. The only difference is the McGuffin, swapping out cutting-edge technology for ancient mysticism.

It's why I liked Ragnarok the most, because it took predictable and boring characters and put them in a genuinely unique place. By the end, I felt like they'd moved things along and developed people, moreso than any other film in the MCU had done before. It made many of the jokes and overall tone feel fresh and new, even though only about half of them probably were. "Get Help" is probably the best example of this; something I've seen countless times before, if not in the MCU then in movies of all kinds across decades of cinema, but I still laughed.

Anyway, this is gonna become another massive wall of text and I apologise for that, so I'll move things along quickly and offer thoughts on the final two films I watched yesterday. Black Panther was another which I'd rate as "perfectly fine". I respect and praise it for being direct about its core message, particularly in the closing moments, but otherwise it was a relatively safe storyline about whatever the heck it was about. I was entertained and loved the performances across the board, and felt the tone was far more consistent throughout, but there was just something about it that felt like it was going through the motions... which, I can understand, was kinda the point. Still, wouldn't have minded being surprised a couple times, because whilst I'd rank it higher than Spider-Man Homecoming, even that film managed to make me gasp once.

And I don't mind admitting this, but I really, really enjoyed Avengers: Infinity War. I feel like I shouldn't have because, when subjecting it to critical analysis, it's basically one giant fight sequence and the scraps of plot and story aren't nearly enough to support the weight of all that flashy CGI, but as the first part of a game-changing event movie, it did the job of showing all these beloved characters come up against some actual hardship for once (rather than the cookie-cutter "threats" of the previous films which we all know are gonna get their comeuppance before the credits roll) and the acting was solid. As I said before, the only character I hated was Star Lord, mainly because he came across like a stereotypical smart-mouthed-yet-stupid fratboy who messed everything up for everybody (although I loved the rest of his crew, and felt genuine sadness when Thanos sacrificed Gamora and genuine delight when Groot had his moments). I also don't like where they've taken Cap, as he used to have a little bit of hopefulness about him, but I understand the context for his character arc; as I understand it, we won't be seeing much more of this incarnation of Cap and maybe that's a good thing, because they can never return him to his previous "upstanding, innocent-hearted moral beacon" status.

Otherwise, I was pretty hooked all the way through, which is a testament to the film's inventive action and tightly-edited pacing more than anything else. It never felt boring, as a two-and-a-half-hour crossover of dozens so easily could have done.

Will I rush to see how it all pans out? Probably not. I'll catch up again in three to four years.

But I'm certainly looking forward to doing so.

@RogerRoger For all my fandom of the MCU (and I have seen them all and tend to see them all in the theater on release), I pretty much agree with you about Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Infinity War. Your feelings are pretty spot on with mine. The only variance would be Star-Lord. Yes, he definitely comes across as a “stereotypical smart-mouthed-yet-stupid fratboy” whose primary role in the MCU seems to be for comic relief, but the two Guardians movies do a pretty good job of developing his background as a somewhat fragile and vulnerable individual. Much of his backstory is actually quit heart wrenching and emotional, especially in the context of the overall goofiness of the Guardians movies and the MCU in general. Also, he, like Stark (and Bruce Wayne for that matter) has a more “Everyman” type character that I find perhaps more relatable. He doesn’t have flashy inherent superpowers, can’t fly or shoot lasers from his eyes, bring down lightening from the sky, or have superhuman strength, but uses his wit and technology to his advantage. Same applies for Ant-Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, ... among others. Also, Groot is almost reason enough to see the Guardians movies as well; Gotta love Groot. But if it’s just Chris Pratt that annoys you, or the slapstick nature of the MCU and recycled jokes, then you’ll proabably not find enough there to make it worth your time.

But further on Black Panther, I am totally with you on that one. For the highest grossing film of the franchise, it was rather pedestrian in my opinion. Just kind of “meh.” I was expecting to be blown away and it just didn’t do much and the storyline was clear from a mile away. Perhaps I need to watch it a second time. I actually enjoyed Ragnarok and Infinity War much more on a subsequent viewing.

It’s great fun reading your takes. Keep ‘em coming. Maybe rewatch the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter next and give us your impressions 😋

Not a film I'd usually go for, but I watched the Bros documentary, After The Screaming Stops, the other night, because a friend told me it was like Spinal Tap, only real. He was spot on (sample quote: "Rome wasn't built in a day. And that's true. But we don't have the time Rome had").

Although you're laughing at their David Brent-like buffoonery to begin with, you do end up rooting for the pair of them. They basically got too famous at an early age and it messed up their relationship with each other.

A strange recommendation maybe, but it's a very interesting watch. If you're in the UK, it's still on iplayer I think.

@Th3solution That's fair enough; his character obviously appeals to many, but there's always the "personal taste" factor. Where I do agree with you, however, is that "everyman" heroes who aren't just magically gifted with powers and abilities are far, far more interesting and relatable, and you drawing a connection between Star-Lord and Bruce Wayne / Batman raised my eyebrow, so whilst I may not go looking for them, I might keep the Guardians films in mind should they pop up in future.

Black Panther almost needed to be "meh", though. I'd argue that in order to normalise each persecuted section of society, they should each start with a truly-average popcorn blockbuster to push for wider representation. Otherwise it risks becoming a special one-off event film (which will then largely be ignored and never happen again; how many mainstream gay romance films have we had since Brokeback Mountain, eh?). That's me with my cynical hat on, but it reflects the unfortunate reality of what's popular and mainstream nowadays. Money makes movies, so Black Panther needed to be an accessible, straightforward populist film in many ways, rather than a critical darling. At least this way, with box office receipts to point to, there's more chance of Black Panther 2, or a standalone Cyborg movie over at DC, or perhaps even a black James Bond, to keep the momentum and stop us from having to treat black heroes as some kind of big deal, because they shouldn't be. They should be normal.

Social justice ranting aside (sorry), I'm grateful that you read and enjoy my walls of nonsense. I'm actually thinking of re-watching Indiana Jones next, so watch this space!

@Frigate Oh my god, I had NO idea that Denzel Washington was in his 60's! Talk about aging like fine wine. The man still looks incredibly good.

@RogerRoger Sounds great! I actually watched the original Indiana Jones movies (minus the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) not too long ago. And if you do end up giving GotG a try, be sure to let me know what you think. I honestly think you’d like the overall direction of the story, but I do feel like Chris Pratt will drive you crazy with his constant quips. So it has potential to crash and burn for you, but also has potential to be a pleasant surprise. If nothing else, the music is great.

And I totally agree with your social analytics and I hadn’t previously thought of Black Panther as a trailblazer for more African American hero films, but it makes sense that by playing it safe and more digestible to the populace it probably accomplishes more for diversity in the long run. It’s something that video games have done pretty well. Better than films I think in the way they just place minority representation as a natural part of the overall game.

@Th3solution ...why would you leave out the best Indiana Jones film from your re-watch?

To be continued.

Yesterday I watched Murder on the Orient Express, the new Kenneth Branagh one. I really enjoyed it. Despite knowing the story very well, I was still entertained, through his smart direction, great take on the Poirot character and the all-star cast (some of whom felt a little underused, which is unfortunately always the case when you have a good dozen huge-name actors filling every single role). I'm kinda hoping he does another, picking up on the mention of another famous case at the end.

@RogerRoger you mean Death on the Nile, it's out next year and yes i am a HUGE Poirot fan, they cast Gal Gadot as Linnet (also a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, speaking of Sherlock the 3rd film of that should also be out next year)

@RogerRoger Give Guardians a go if you get chance. Like you, I thought Ragnarok was one of the better ones, because it didn't take itself too seriously. It knew what it was - a superhero film whose job is to entertain. Guardians of the Galaxy has a similar vibe, and the second one is great too.

Starlord won't get any less annoying of course, but after watching Guardians, you'll at least get why he has built himself a wall of cockiness to hide behind.

Also, Yondu is my favourite Marvel character (speaking as one of those annoying people who has read absolutely no comics and whose only Marvel knowledge comes from the films). He rules.

Watched the latest Spiderman yesterday, fantastic, has to be the best of them all, I think it benefits from being animated.

I also watched Spiderman into the Spider Verse and thought it was a very good film Some heavy themes, some good characters and cracking animation. Well played.

@FullbringIchigo Yes, I did mean that case and AWESOME!! Never got into Sherlock but am a big fan of Poirot (despite having 20% of his genius, I've got 100% of his OCD and I'm glad they focused on that element of his character in the new film). Thanks for giving me something to look forward to!

@Gremio108 Thanks for the recommendation. That's several of you now; I might have to watch them!

Over lunch, I watched Kingsman: The Golden Circle. This was a bit of a disappointment in some areas, but at least the fight sequences (c'mon, the only reason we're showing up, right?) were as good as they were before, if a little unevenly spaced throughout the runtime. Some elements went too far into the zany territory which worked before, but fell flat second time out. I also have serious moral objections to elements of the plot, which I'll keep to myself because I doubt they'll be popular. All that being said, it was nice to see Colin Firth and Mark Strong again, they were excellent throughout. Overall, I'd put it straight down a central line of "yeah, it was okay, I guess".

@RogerRoger if you want to get into Sherlock the best series to watch is the series ITV did staring Jeremy Brett, they got through most of the stories about 40-45 of them it ran from 1984 to 1994 but sadly Brett became ill and was no longer able to play the part and he died later that year but he is according to many (myself included) the "Definitive" Sherlock Holmes

@FullbringIchigo I appreciate the tip but, from the bits and pieces I do know of his character, I don't think I'd like Sherlock Holmes and therefore wouldn't really enjoy his adventures. I'm not really a "crime mystery thriller" fan anyway. I just understand and like the Poirot character.

Although surely Lt. Cmdr. Data is the definitive Sherlock Holmes?

@RogerRoger

you should still give it a go better to watch and know than think and not

@FullbringIchigo Good point well made, thank you.

I'll add it to my list.

I have been watching a load of films recently. I'm going to run sight and sounds top 5 in the next month, Citizen Jane, Vertigo etc as I have never seen them. What I have watched recently;

12 Monkeys: Amazing film. One of the best of all time imo.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The cinematography and sound effects are fantastic. Level up.

Concussion: Based on a true story and great as well. Nigerian death specialist vs the Nfl. Fantastic David vs Goliath film.

Lego Movie: Everything is awesome. All 4 movies have been boss.

@themcnoisy I absolutely loved the Lego Movie! It made me smile throughout.