The Official Movie Thread
- Thread starter Manic Ferocity
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CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Not really anymore. Action cinema has been on a massive qualitative decline since the 90's. This is why John Wick has been so popular, because it's filling a gaping hole.
no country for old wainds
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the best action scenes are more about choreography and personality and arcs of tension than big bangs and explosions anyway. the bigger/slicker/louder is better mentality has been the worst thing to happen to the genre.
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Einherjar86
Active Member
Counterintuitive pro-John Wick reflection:
I personally find several of the fight scenes (in all three of the films) long and surprisingly frustrating; but this isn't a knock on the movies. After a while, I began reflecting on why I felt this way, and realized it's because the fight scenes aren't over-the-top or outrageous. They're realistically (to an extent) choreographed fights in which the combatants get increasingly tired. I find myself wanting John to just end it already, but that's hard to do when you're fucking exhausted. So a lot of the fight scenes (mainly the hand-to-hand shit, not the motorcycle battle so much) end up looking clumsy and plodding, which is part of the point.
Also, re. Parabellum (and the first two films somewhat), one of my favorite elements of it was the open-city concept. It was just so much fun watching characters navigate the complexity that is NYC (or at least, this imagined underworld version of NYC).
I personally find several of the fight scenes (in all three of the films) long and surprisingly frustrating; but this isn't a knock on the movies. After a while, I began reflecting on why I felt this way, and realized it's because the fight scenes aren't over-the-top or outrageous. They're realistically (to an extent) choreographed fights in which the combatants get increasingly tired. I find myself wanting John to just end it already, but that's hard to do when you're fucking exhausted. So a lot of the fight scenes (mainly the hand-to-hand shit, not the motorcycle battle so much) end up looking clumsy and plodding, which is part of the point.
Also, re. Parabellum (and the first two films somewhat), one of my favorite elements of it was the open-city concept. It was just so much fun watching characters navigate the complexity that is NYC (or at least, this imagined underworld version of NYC).
RadicalThrasher
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CiG
Harbinger of Metal
no country for old wainds
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- Nov 23, 2002
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CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Funerary_Doom
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Anom@nder Rake
lives on the internet
Giallo via amazon prime:
Deep Red
Blood and Black Lace
Don't Torture a Duckling
Opera
Masks
Short Night of Glass Dolls
The Cat o' Nine Tails
Death Walks on High Heels
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
random cult 70s-80s horror amazon prime:
Dead Ringers
Parents
Society
Microwave Massacre
Alice Sweet Alice
Twins of Evil
Funerary_Doom
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
challenge_everything
Active Member
Parasite is fucking brilliant. Much funnier than I expected, exquisitely plotted and with a sense of outrageous bravado that Tarantino at his peak would be proud of.
Try not too read too much about it before watching.
Try not too read too much about it before watching.
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
RadicalThrasher
Active Member
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
Live Flesh (1997) - The summer Almodóvarathon continues. Melodramatic soap operatics combined with a brooding, frustrated sexuality, this could be considered Pedro's contribution to the 90's erotic thriller craze. The first Almodóvar film to feature a young Penelope Cruz who plays a small but crucial role in the films prologue. Works just as well as a romantic drama as it does a thriller. The melodrama is laid on thick though there is a standout instance of out of nowhere humor and some of the various twists aimed at the heartstrings do give a good tug, especially those involving Angela Molina who plays a different kind of obscure object of desire. Really extraordinary performance. Sort of an overlooked film from an overall quality year, though perhaps it was inevitable that it was going to be overshadowed by All About My Mother (1999).
Einherjar86
Active Member
Saw Midsommar yesterday. Different vibe than Hereditary, more moments of light (pun not intended) humor and melodrama, both of which are carefully placed within a psychedelic nightmare trip in northern Sweden. Shit hits the fan pretty early (both in the first and second acts), but characters act subdued through most of the film.
As with Hereditary, Aster's a master when it comes to visuals. I'm sure some of this has to do with his cinematographer, but damn--both movies are visually stunning.
No doubt part of this is due to the influence of mind-altering drugs, which seem to be at play through most of the film. One element that I wasn't expecting but appreciated was the academic angle, which actually inhibited characters' ability to see things rationally, in my opinion. It was an interesting touch.
As with Hereditary, Aster's a master when it comes to visuals. I'm sure some of this has to do with his cinematographer, but damn--both movies are visually stunning.
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