Topic: The Movie Thread

@zupertramp You're not alone. No offence to the guy, he's obviously talented and appreciated by his fans and the best of luck to him, but he's not for me, either.

It be like that. I kinda went through this phase where I just kept playing it over and over because what else could I do lol?

Mads is cool. I'd like to see Another Round but it's just one of those I've not gotten to yet.

So saw The Post. It was good. Figure I might as well follow up with All The President's Men now since I've only ever read the book.

Then my family and I took the plunge on The Suicide Squad. Certainly better than the first (or original?) but I still didn't see the same movie all these critics who are raving about it saw, apparently. The pacing was just bizarre. Some of the humor was really forced. Also Harley Quinn seemed barely there and then in her one shining moment they turn her into another generic girlboss badass who can do it all. Like... she's not Gamora, James. But those are more minor quibbles compared to the uneven pacing.

Still it was certainly a more enjoyable watch than Ayer's WB cut.

Watched that Frank Grillo action-groundhog day movie on amazon Boss Level. Its probably the worst of the 'groundhog day' type movies that I've seen... but was alright. Worth it for the various cameos and geek-love.

Finally made the time for Zack Snyder's Justice League.

If nothing else, it stands as a fascinating case study regarding the post-production process. Which angles to use, which shots to edit, what direction to take the soundtrack, which story beats to retain and which to abandon as superfluous, and all that jazz. I say this because, for the most part, this four-hour cut still feels like the same movie as its two-hour predecessor. It's telling exactly the same story, just in a different way, with different details given different weights. It wasn't the revelation I thought it could've been, but it wasn't boring, either. With so many major characters clamouring for attention, the entire runtime felt justified. I made it through in a single sitting, only getting up to change the disc halfway through.

Cyborg is the biggest, most obvious reason for revisiting the film. I always wanted to see more of him in the original version and now, thanks to the hindsight provided by the Snyder Cut, its decision to reduce him to a plot point makes me borderline angry. Ray Fisher's performance deserved better, and it's a privilege to finally see it all. He's the unquestionable highlight of the movie. Cyborg instantly became my favourite character throughout, and it's criminal that he's the only member of the Justice League who hasn't been given a standalone movie (yet). Somebody get Mr. Fisher a three-picture deal, right now.

One major difference which fell flat for me was the music. The "wall of noise" approach which worked so well during Batman V Superman doesn't make the same impact here. It sounds hollow and somewhat obligatory in parts, and made me miss Danny Elfman's thematic, hummable work from the first cut. There's a tribal yell that heralds every shot of Wonder Woman and it's just annoying.

But those with greater knowledge of the source material will have a blast with all the added details, nods and references, and it's objectively an improvement over what we got before, if only because it gives everybody and everything room to breathe. It could have (and arguably should have) always been treated as two separate movies; the first showing Earth's heroes scramble against insurmountable odds, and then the second dealing with the realisation that they need to resurrect Superman in order to win. Split across two Blu-Rays, that's kinda what we've been given, more or less. It's just a shame how events unfolded, because Mr. Snyder's inability to complete the movie first time around still shows, with some midpoint exposition restricted to pedestrian first pass camera angles and lacking his trademark flair for scene-setting.

Not as good as Batman V Superman, but better than Man of Steel... oh, and if you're looking for closure, don't get your hopes up. It still ends on several cliffhangers. Will they ever get resolved? Never say never. After all, I just watched the Snyder Cut.

@RogerRoger What did you think of the flash forward scenes? I actually found them really intriguing despite clearly they’re never going to be expanded upon.

@nessisonett As somebody who really loved the "Knightmare" sequence from Batman V Superman, I enjoyed getting to see more of that possible future but you're right, they were served on a plate of regret. Not so much when Cyborg was shown them as a potential consequence of resurrecting Superman, because that was just a cool flash of interconnection, but having the entire four hours effectively end with a new, much more detailed one was a bit of a kick in the teeth.

@RogerRoger glad you go the chance to see it! It really is a, somewhat unprecedented, window into the creative and iterative process of some huge players. I agree, it’s fascinating.

Beyond Cyborg, I also felt that Darkseid’s motivation, Deesad’s existence and especially Steppenwolf’s plight were so much better communicated, which for me is what really transformed the film.

I agree that the music wasn’t particularly melodic or memorable but felt it suited the moments and carried the film cohesively. Not my favourite of his works but effective.

I’m thrilled we got this version. Who knows what the future holds, though I’m not holding my breath for anything beyond this film in Snyder’s universe.

@Jimmer-jammer Absolutely fascinating. Given how it's broken up into chapters, I can see myself watching this again soon, maybe spread out over a long weekend. I feel like, because of its production history, I didn't really watch it as an immersive piece of fiction first time around.

I agree that Steppenwolf was hugely improved, yes. Even though it still all boils down to "bad people want to destroy the world" there was proper motivation and the interpersonal politics between Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid added some interest. The CGI for Steppenwolf was much, much better and some of his facial expressions conveyed more character than any dialogue ever could.

Been listening to the soundtrack this afternoon and, despite what I said earlier, it's still a heck of a lot of excellent music. Some parts deserve to be heard in isolation and you're right, it might've felt out-of-place to have something more traditional. I guess I just wanted to be grabbed a couple more times, but it's certainly got my attention now. Another reason for a re-watch!

Well, apparently all the hashtags got switched from #releasethesnydercut to #restorethesnyderverse shortly after its release. Given the power of such fandoms, anything is possible! At least, for now, we have what we have. Even though I liked the first Justice League, this has helped me see how badly Mr. Snyder's original artistic vision was mauled. It's one thing to say "you can't make any more movies" after a point, but to leave something so unfinished, and so mistreated, was a mistake which needed correcting.

Captain Harlock (Amazon Prime Video) - Don't have any knowledge of the wider franchise to compare it to, but I thought this was a decent CG anime sci-fi flick.

Eat my Dust! (Amazon Prime Video) - 70's teen debauchery flick that focuses on a group of southern teens who steal a race car for a joy ride around the countryside. It was decent, though surprisingly (and a bit disappointingly) tamer than I was expecting.

Evangelion 3.33 (Amazon Prime Video) - They've really narratively jumped off the deep end with this one, but man was it a feast for the eyes.

Godzilla vs Kong (Amazon Prime Video) - The story & background lore explaining everything was pretty far out there (even in comparison to the past "Monsterverse" films), but man were the fights absolutely glorious.

InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time (Amazon Prime Video) - Doing my yearly watch of the franchise's films. Not much for you if you aren't into the series, but I always enjoy them.

InuYasha the Movie 2: Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (Amazon Prime Video) - See above. This is my favorite of the bunch, though.

Rouge One: A Star Wars Story (Disney+) - It's been awhile since I actually sat down to watch this, but man was it ever still fantastic, with an absolutely epic climax. Also glad to finally remember why that resistance leader in Jedi: Fallen Order seemed so familiar, since he plays a part here.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (Disney+) - A decent enough time. Definitely not one of my favorite Star Wars films, but a fun watch.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Disney+) - Definitely still the best of the prequel films, with a fantastic climactic light saber duel. Though Clone Wars has partially ruined me. While Anakin's portrayal in the prequels never really bothered me before, he definitely seems a bit more whiny now comparing his portrayal to that in the animated series.

Teen Wolf (Amazon Prime Video) - This was very 80's, and a decently fun time. As someone who grew up loving the Back to the Future films I've seen surprisingly few other Michael J Fox films, so I was glad to watch it at least once.

@RogerRoger yeah, concerning villains, it ain’t no Dark Knight. Puddle deep moral dilemmas aside, what sucked me in so strongly with this one was how it made me feel. I’ll try to explain:

Though much more coherent and cohesive than Justice League, it is still on the whole, a bit of a messy film. However, when broken down into smaller pieces, I see the film as a collection of emotionally powerful and visually stunning vignettes that each, in their own unique moments, evoked very real and powerful feelings in me. Kind of like my experience reading a comic book, which is very different from reading a novel. It’s the emotion of the moments that I get lost in, not the overarching narrative or characters.

For example, when the Amazonians selflessly and bravely fight tooth and nail, not only for duty but for each other, I could feel their strength, their dedication, their discipline, their grit, their unending love for one another unfailing in the presence of great evil - an evil that in the moment doesn’t need full explanation because it simply stands opposed to something that is beautiful. I could feel the battle of “good vs evil” in a carnal, human, inexplainable way without exposition because it was presented in such a powerful and contrasting way.

Lois’ grief. It’s essentially all she’s given here over the course of the entire film, but worked for me because it wasn’t about explaining or convincing me of her grief, it was about letting me feel it. Or the scene when Aquaman returns to the sea, this random song bursts forth from nowhere. It’s so human. With no explanation, we know that these people are moved, that perhaps there is a legend or spiritual connection to the god of the sea that carries profound meaning to them. It’s real to them, and it’s a beautiful moment.

Getting a bit long and meandering here, and I struggle to present myself in this form but the film flows like a comic, not a film, and for better or worse, I personally thoroughly enjoyed it for that reason.

@Jimmer-jammer I think the best part for me was the entire sequence with Barry and Iris. I have absolutely no idea why it was cut because it was both visually stunning and emotionally charged.

@nessisonett totally! And permeated with an unexpected moment of comedic weirdness that was just so Barry.

Got a nice surprise whilst browsing Prime last night. Evangelion 3.0 1.0 thrice upon a time was available to stream, what a trip that was. Will have to watch it again after watching the previous 3. Some really crazy imagery paired with heavy themes and a bit more positivity than previously seen in Evangelion on the whole.

Can't believe that In the time between releases of the last 2 films I met my now wife, have a squad of nieces and nephews and changed my car and job.

@RogerRoger I’m glad you finally got around to (and enjoyed) the Snyder Cut. I’m even more motivated to get to it. It keeps getting pushed back. I had some time amd superhero-watching impulse this weekend and decided to spend it on Falcon and the Winter Soldier (which is actually getting better the more I delve into it).

Would you recommend I rewatch Man of Steel and BvS before jumping into the Snyder Cut? It’s been a few years since I watched them, but I’m starting to think I might never get around to the whole series if I wait for the time and motivation to start back at the beginning.

@Th3solution I reccomend you watch the backlog of DC films starting with the original Superman, and let us know how you get on. 😂

@JohnnyShoulder Actually I probably do need to watch the old Superman movies just to see if they hold up. 😅 And the old Keaton Batmans. But life is too short for such wanderings. 😛

@Th3solution I've seen Burton’s Batman not too long ago as I got it on 4K disc. It held up pretty well I thought, just the way some of the fight scenes were filmed looked a bit dated.

@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, the Keaton Batman films are great but what dated it for me was the way he can’t actually turn his head in the rubber suit 😂😂

@nessisonett 🤣 Ha ha, yeah his movement was a bit stiff at times.