Forums

Topic: The Movie Thread

Posts 4,801 to 4,820 of 8,805

JohnnyShoulder

@Th3solution Yeah I really enjoyed Umbrella Academy too. It's a TV show rather than a movie however. 😂 I've not seen the 2nd series yet.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

RogerRoger

I keep thinking "people rave about Elliot Page, but I haven't seen him in anything" and then keep remembering that I've seen X-Men: The Last Stand and Days of Future Past. It's tough to single anybody out of such huge ensemble casts, so I should probably track down something he features in more prominently. Anybody got any recommendations (other than Beyond: Two Souls, of course)?

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Th3solution

@RogerRoger Have you seen Inception? I can’t remember for sure but if memory serves you’re not a particular fan of Nolan’s Dark Knight stuff, but Inception is a whole different animal (despite some Nolan stylistic consistency). Page is prominent in that role, and the movie as a whole is great in my opinion. Gives one a bit of a headache trying to understand all the dream related shenanigans, but it’s well done.

Edited on by Th3solution

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

RogerRoger

@Th3solution You're right, if I'm honest with myself, my bat-suited petulance has kept me away from Nolan's body of work, which it really shouldn't have (as Rian Johnson recently proved with the delightful Knives Out). I'll go looking for Inception on the streaming services available to me; I think I saw it on Amazon Prime a couple of weeks ago. Thanks!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Th3solution

@RogerRoger Cool! It’s a movie that fosters good discussion. Maybe a good one to watch with your partner of a friend. Or at least bounce reactions and theories off of someone who’s seen it. (Like myself! 😄)
If you do end up watching it then it’s one I like hearing people’s reaction to.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

RogerRoger

@Th3solution Google is telling me that I was right, and that it's on Prime, so I might even end up watching it this evening. My partner and I tend to disagree about 98% of all movies ever made, so it's better if I watch it alone, methinks!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Th3solution

@RogerRoger Sounds good — do post your thoughts, positive or negative. I have heard some call it one of the best films of all time, which is probably a stretch, but it does get mentioned in that realm. Just be in a mood to pay attention. It’s not a movie to put on in the background and shut your brain off for mindless fun. The real enjoyment requires investment of trying to understand the setting and mechanics of the movie. It doesn’t really explain things very effectively either, but if you stick with it then it will make some sense.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

RogerRoger

@Th3solution Yeah, I meant to type "will tag you with my thoughts" but I got distracted, sorry!

Thanks for laying some groundwork for me, though. Always helpful to set expectations. I was thinking of slouching in front of an old Bond movie with a bowl of popcorn, so at least I'll be sitting upright now!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

nessisonett

@Th3solution Yeah, Inception’s pretty good as Nolan movies go but not really my kinda thing. I still think The Prestige and Memento are probably his best by a long shot.

Plumbing’s just Lego innit. Water Lego.

Trans rights are human rights.

Th3solution

@nessisonett Yeah, good shout for those movies too.
Anyone seen Tenet?

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

ralphdibny

@nessisonett I agree, also insomnia. I always found inception to be overrated and because I saw it day one and was a bit disappointed I've never bothered to watch it again since.

Since then though, if any film or show is completely hyped or completely hated before it even comes out (unless it's something I'd love anyway like a superhero film), I'll skip it until all that's died down and my judgement is no longer coloured. (Ghostbusters 3 is actually pretty good, having watched it for the first time this year)

Interstellar is probably my favourite of the post Dark Knight Nolan films though, I know it gets hokey toward the end but I really love the cinematic interpretation (and exaggeration) of brain bending science and the end of it is just so 2001 it's brilliant!

See ya!

nessisonett

@ralphdibny Interstellar’s like Avatar for me, it was an experience on the big screen but watching it at home, I noticed the flaws a lot more and didn’t enjoy it as much. Some films are just better in the cinema.

Plumbing’s just Lego innit. Water Lego.

Trans rights are human rights.

zupertramp

@RogerRoger Inception is a favorite for me. That soundtrack!

But another Elliot Page movie I enjoy is Tallulah. Maybe give that a go.

PSN: frownonfun
Switch: SW-5109-6573-1900 (Pops)

"One of the unloveliest and least enlightening aspects of contemporary discourse is the tendency to presume that whatever one disagrees with must be very simple—not only simple, but also simply wrong." - Elizabeth Bruenig

ralphdibny

@nessisonett ah fair enough, I think i just like the ideas of time dilation that it attempts to show when it fits the narrative. I'm constantly seeing YouTube videos about that sort of thing!

Avatars another overrated one, it's pretty good when you watch it but it's not something I desire to revisit really

See ya!

RogerRoger

@zupertramp Thanks for the recommendation! Amazon allow you to perform wider searches by cast and so, once I've watched Inception, I'll scroll through Mr. Page's filmography and see if it's available.

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

RogerRoger

@Th3solution So yeah, Inception is certainly a moviegoer's movie! Like it or not, it's very reminiscent of a more traditional approach to "event cinema" and wouldn't be something easily thrown out in a miniseries, or via another medium. I respect it for being that, even if I wasn't completely blown away.

But maybe that's my own fault for being late to the party, as its popular party tricks have obviously been copied ever since, at least on a technical level. I've seen Doctor Strange do dreamscape horizon-mashing better, for example, and the concept of multiple layers of reality is a favourite of science fiction (actually, going back even further, there were multiple episodes of Star Trek in the 90s which questioned whether characters were still on the holodeck or not, playing with the twist of what was real and what wasn't, so its core concept wasn't jarring or unfamiliar to me). I'm pretty sure that there's also an anime film about shared dreaming, or dream thieves... alas, my memory of which anime films I've seen in passing is less-than-vivid. It certainly isn't one of the two anime films I have in my collection.

What I did like about it were the questions it raised about character, responsibility and choice. Playing with the whole notion of being responsible for a thought, saying the wrong thing at the right time (or the right thing at the wrong time) and triggering a chain reaction that changes somebody's life immeasurably, was the element which interested me the most. We've all said something we regret, or feel guilty about later in life, so mentally brushing aside the fancy-for-2010 cinematography and high-concept, corridor-rotating action made it a great story to empathise with.

As for what was real and what was a dream? I'm not sure that's as important a question as the film seemed to want to make it. When they visited the basement dreamers, and Cobb freaked and went to splash water on his face, I was very aware that the spinning of his anchor-totem thing was interrupted, and I kept waiting for the "Ah-ha! We never left the basement!" reveal. You could argue that such a reveal was made in the closing shot, or that it didn't need to be made at all; I quite like the idea that everything turned out to be Cobb's construct, because otherwise he manipulated a lot of people for his own personal gain. As a comment on how far somebody's willing to go out of guilt, it would sit better with me as a pure thought experiment, rather than a real heist.

Nolan is obviously desperate to direct a Bond film someday. He got excellent performances out of everybody, including Elliot Page. I'm not usually the biggest fan of Leo DiCaprio (I think he's a little overrated) but he made for a compelling centre, even if his permanent scowl wore thin after nearly three hours (!!) of wearing it. Tom Hardy was a surprising highlight, and both Joseph Gordon Levitt and Ken Watanabe were predictably superb, as always.

Pretty good stuff, all told. I need to get over my gut reaction to certain films, or certain individuals, because I think I'd have enjoyed it more a decade ago, when it would've felt fresher. I can at least understand the praise for it, and I'm very glad to have watched it. Thanks again!

@zupertramp Couldn't find Tallulah on Amazon, but will search my other services later.

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

HallowMoonshadow

Nice thoughts on inception there @RogerRoger (I seemed to have missed all this talk yesterday)

Always quite liked the film myself and I agree on Tom Hardy and his character being quite delightful. I quite like Cillian Murphy in it too myself alongside Ken Watanabe and Levitt. (Admitedly I'm a sucker for Leo too 😅)

Have you watched Momento by Christopher Nolan per chance? That's probably one of my favourite films from him

Edited on by HallowMoonshadow

Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
.
.
.

"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"

zupertramp

@RogerRoger Yeah it's a Netflix film so I don't know how that works, in terms of being available to stream/rent via any other services.

PSN: frownonfun
Switch: SW-5109-6573-1900 (Pops)

"One of the unloveliest and least enlightening aspects of contemporary discourse is the tendency to presume that whatever one disagrees with must be very simple—not only simple, but also simply wrong." - Elizabeth Bruenig

Th3solution

@RogerRoger Great thoughts and I can’t say I disagree with any of them. All well said. I am also in the ‘Leo D is probably a bit overrated’ club. Agree that the character story is more interesting in the end than the setting (although dream science and dream fiction has always fascinated me) and the subtext of guilt and redemption is what gives it the staying power. Glad you enjoyed it to a degree and it wasn’t a total waste of time, getting to see some of Hardy, Page, and Gordon Levitt in action.

What did you think of the musical score? I know you have a proclivity for movie and gaming music and so I would value your take. Many speak highly of it, and I quite liked it too. But Hans Zimmer is fairly polarizing, and has a definite style that may not resonate with everyone.

And now I’m curious what the two anime movies in your collection are. 😄

Edited on by Th3solution

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

nessisonett

@RogerRoger That’s Satoshi Kon’s Paprika you’re thinking of for that rather similar anime film. It really is similar, just better than Inception 😉

Plumbing’s just Lego innit. Water Lego.

Trans rights are human rights.

Please login or sign up to reply to this topic