Topic: The Movie Thread

Some celebrity deaths hit harder than others... this one hit me like a million tons I know he more or less had retired, but the certainty that there will never, ever be anything new coming from him ever again just tears open a huge void.

@PeaceSalad Agreed, she hit the nail square on the head there

Just got back from seeing Leigh Whannel's Wolf Man on the big screen, and I enjoyed it quite bit. Not really scary, but very well acted with good characters it's easy to root for. When the Wolf Man design leaked earlier, I was a bit put out by it, but it worked really well in the context of the movie, I think, and the make-up and effects are very good, as is the sound design and lighting. Very atmospheric at times.
Think this one will go on the shelf when it drops

Just finished watching Alien: Romulus on Disney+ as it was added just a couple of days ago on the service. My subscription runs out on Monday and I was so glad when I saw that this movie was going to be added this week as I love the Alien movies.

This one did not disappoint at all, it's definitely one of my favourite entries in the series. The new characters were likeable and I like the protagonist a lot. It was refreshing having young characters in an Alien movie instead of adults as they're even more vulnerable. The atmosphere was great and there were a lot of tense scenes. I feel like the movie really captured the vibes of the first movie in terms of the setting, the technology, the characters and so on. It felt like the movie could've been made in the 80s. Really cool that the film makers retained the original movie's vision in this one.

So all in all, Alien: Romulus was absolutely fantastic and I highly enjoyed it. I hope they make a direct sequel to it.

@LtSarge I almost feel obligated to let you know how wrong you are, on behalf of a forum member who recently left, but I won't, as I too somewhat enjoyed "Romulus" (in fact, I suspect they left the forums because there were so many here who didn't loathe the movie as the worst cinematic abomination ever inflicted upon humanity and that was company they couldn't keep I jest, of course)

I found "A:R" to be enjoyable on the whole, but I had several issues with it, chiefly the CGI resurrection of Ian Holm and the incredibly clunky callbacks to the other movies, but, like you, I felt the new characters were compelling and, along with some great tense moments, helped elevate the movie quite a bit.

They are indeed working on a direct sequel to this

@FuriousMachine @LtSarge yeah rewatched with a family member recently who hadn't seen it and, idk, it really does seem fine to me. I f'ing hate the ian holm resurrection and reiterate how much I hate that stupid callback line but really that's it. That's the complete list of my complaints. Look forward to a sequel... kinda. We'll see.

I saw David Fincher's Se7en at the cinema in my old home town 30 years ago and I remember likening the experience to "being continually punched in the gut for two hours, but in a good way".
The movie has been one of my favourite movies ever since and with the one-two-three punch of The Game, Se7en and Fight Club, Fincher cemented himself as one of my favourite directors.
Yesterday I got to see the 4K restoration on one of Oslo's biggest cinema screens and it was absolutely fantastic! I hadn't seen the movie since I got it on DVD many years back, and it held up beautifully. While I felt the restoration may have brightened it a bit, the added details did not diminish the wallop it packs in the least. And that score by Howard Shore! Chills! That this movie didn't win all the Oscars is yet another testament to how clueless the members of the Academy are.
If you get a chance to see this remaster on the big screen, absolutely go for it. A masterpiece!

@FuriousMachine Oh wow, that sounds rather neat! I've not seen any of my favourites in the cinema recently. The best I did was see some trilogy of films I missed first time round (Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Back to the Future from memory).
Unfortunately my nearest cinema closed down last year . There is another one quite close, but I need to rely on other people to drive, whereas the other one was in walking distance.

@JohnnyShoulder That sucks. Cinemas are having a tough go of it in the age of streaming, unfortunately. I suppose it for many is a financial issue; a lot of people feel the ticket prices aren't worth it anymore (add in cost of parking, at least here in Norway, and general high prices for concessions etc and the proposition becomes too expensive). Also, I guess a lot of people really can't be @rsed to make the trip, which is fair (to each their own), but it does hurt the cinemas.

For me, making the trip is something special in itself and I connect so much more with the movie when other distractions (primarily the urge to look up things on my phone) are eliminated. And since the biggest cinema chain in Oslo introduced a movie pass type deal, I've been going a lot

Of the ones you mentioned, I saw all of the BttF movies theatrically, but I was too young for the first SW trilogy and the first two Indy movies. The rest I've all seen in the theaters and managed to catch "Empire.." on the big screen during COVID, of all things.

We're lucky here in Oslo to have the cinemas program classic movies every now and then. Last year I got to see Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein as a double feature and on February 1st I'll go see Lynch's Blue Velvet (which I've actually not seen before... it's a travesty, I know )

@FuriousMachine I think i've mentioned before, I used to got a lot more but I ended getting a bit fed of going so regular. And this was a couple of years before covid. Have started going again, buy only a handful of films a year.

@PeaceSalad @FuriousMachine I will definitely be getting the 4K of Seven. In my top 10 for sure!

@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember you said you used to go more frequently in the past. What soured you on it, if that is the right way to put it? The quality of the movies, prices, quality of theatres or something like that? Or maybe just as simple as not having a strong interest anymore?
I have the 4K steelbook on the shelf; haven't cracked the plastic wrap yet, as I knew there would be a chance to see it on the big screen, so I wanted to hold off for that.

@PeaceSalad Public transport and anxiety is a bad combo. Public transport here in Oslo is getting so bad that I'm actually developing a mild anxiety from it myself. I find myself dreading leaving home in the morning and work in the afternoon. And, wow, running Se7en on a loop for several days must have left some scarring

Looking forward, I've already secured tickets for some showings in February.
Kicking it off on February 1st, I'll see Lynch's Blue Velvet. I've actually never seen it before, so I'm extremely excited about getting to see it on the big screen first.
Then, the next day, I'll attend a special preview screening of The Ugly Stepsister, a Norwegian darkly comedic body-horror riff on the Cinderella tale. It's getting some healthy buzz out of Sundance these days, so I'm excited about that. There aren't many really good Norwegian films, but when they hit the mark, I tend to love them deeply. Here's hoping this is one of those.
Later, I've secured tickets to the premiere of Captain America - Brave New World- The buzz around this is that it is not a return to form for Marvel, but then I'm one of the few people in the world who actually thinks Marvel Studios has released entertaining movies after "Endgame", so maybe I'll like this one as well.

Other movies I hope to catch in February are Companion and Spermageddon (another Norwegian movie, this one an animated comedy with all the reverence and pathos of "Sausage Party", if the trailer is to be believed)
I'm also considering The Brutalist. I really want to see it, but three and a half hours in a theater is stretching it for me. A bit undecided still, but I will likely go see it if it lands in one of the "comfort" cinemas in town.
All in all, February's looking good

@FuriousMachine Probably a combo of the things you mentioned.

I just had a look on Amazon and the only version they have for Seven is the 4k collectors edition, which is out of stock. I thought there was a standard 4k release too?

@JohnnyShoulder As did I... maybe it releases later? The store I use has one listed as "coming", with no date, but these guys have a tendency to speculate on releases, so I won't put too much stock in that one. I'll let you know if I hear anything elsewhere

@FuriousMachine Found that there are 4K Digi Pak and Steelbook editions available in the UK, just not on Amazon. One of the outlets has a store near by, so will check that out in the week.

@JohnnyShoulder Nice! You should be all set, then

I bought my first 4K steelbook the other day with The Creator. I really enjoyed it when I saw it at the cinema and it was only a couple of quid more than the standard version.

@JohnnyShoulder Cool, I also really enjoyed the movie on the big screen, so when the steelbook came out I had it on pre-order. Have yet to crack the cellophane on it, though. Might be high time for a rewatch and check out the disc and features. Have you tried it yet?

@FuriousMachine No not yet. I'm at my parents this weekend annd I was gonna bring it to watch as they have a new OLED tv. But it has just dropped onto Prime, and I'd prefer to watch with my sound system, has they only have a very old sound bar.