Tell that to them. The fans of Harley Quinn (said movie and character), and SS (2016). Whether they be the hardcore cartoon/comic fans, casual fans or movie goers, my big bro, and teenage fans. Especially the teenage girls, they love either Margot Robbie, the character she plays, or all the above.
BoP is fine enough for me, but I can see its flaws, or why someone would not like it.
The movie cuts out a LOT from the book. It only follows roughly the first half of the first book, but no joke they cut an entire other 2 hour movie worth of plot and story.
Dune is one of those stories that doesn't really work as a movie because its such a dense book, and even the smallest details come back in the later stories. So cutting something will eventually lead to confusion later.
I have officially run out of patience with Ryan Reynolds. The exact same character for the nth time. I also can no longer excuse Gal Gadot. She really just cannot act.
Personally Im kinda done with Ryan Reynolds. He reminds me too much of Jim Carrey, who did Ace Venture, and then the Mask, and then another Ace Ventura and its like...enough.
Here's Deadpool. Oh that's kinda funny.
And here's Deadpool 2. Oh, more of the same but sure.
And here's Free Guy. That's...okay we're kinda done.
And here's Deadpool 3. Okay we're good, moving on.
And maybe Im less tolerant because I don't think Deadpool's comedy is that great. It feels like baby's first parody, more in line with the Scary Movie franchise than Blazzing Saddles. One tells jokes, the other is funny.
Personally Im kinda done with Ryan Reynolds. He reminds me too much of Jim Carrey, who did Ace Venture, and then the Mask, and then another Ace Ventura and its like...enough.
Here's Deadpool. Oh that's kinda funny.
And here's Deadpool 2. Oh, more of the same but sure.
And here's Free Guy. That's...okay we're kinda done.
And here's Deadpool 3. Okay we're good, moving on.
And maybe Im less tolerant because I don't think Deadpool's comedy is that great. It feels like baby's first parody, more in line with the Scary Movie franchise than Blazzing Saddles. One tells jokes, the other is funny.
That's fair, and entirely subjective. My point is if you go to see Deadpool 3, don't blame Ryan Reynolds when it's exactly what you know it's going to be. I like Deadpool's humor for the simple fact that it flies in the face of the oversaturation of superhero movies we've been bombarded with for over a decade... which is kinda what Deadpool has been since his inception into the comic book world, a piss-taking of the ridiculousness of superheroes.
To each their own; I just get tired of people complaining about a thing's quality when they put themselves in a situation to consume it expecting anything other than what they know it's going to be. I'm not particularly fond of barbecue sauce. Guess what I don't do? Try every barbecue sauce that comes around under any illusion it might change my mind.
Honestly, the absence of Jared Leto alone made it an improvement over Suicide Squad. Other than that... I dunno, while I can't say I got a whole lot out of Birds of Prey I did find it less tiresome than Suicide Squad in general. I just found SS ugly and boring and kinda grating. At least Birds of Prey made an effort to camp it up a bit.
Honestly, the absence of Jared Leto alone made it an improvement over Suicide Squad. Other than that... I dunno, while I can't say I got a whole lot out of Birds of Prey I did find it less tiresome than Suicide Squad in general. I just found SS ugly and boring and kinda grating. At least Birds of Prey made an effort to camp it up a bit.
I found Birds of prey to be a little schizophrenic with its quality and pacing. It was more like I enjoyed what it was trying to do rather what it was doing. I think it clearly wanted to be a Deadpool movie, the writing was just not there so when the stronger individual actors were hamming it up like Ewan Mcgregor as the insane Black Mask or Mary Elizabeth Winsteads naive insecure Huntress, who both seemed to have a strong understanding of what a scene was trying to accomplish, I was like "Yes I am having a good time, I want more of this", but it seemed like nearly every time there's a Harley scene or group scene the director and cinematographer didn't know where to cut to maximize effect and those felt like they were missing a queued laugh track. Very clumsy. It's difficult not to compare it to James Gunn's Suicide Squad which had comedic timing front and center, I could almost hear James yelling CUT! Right at the edge of harleys lines so the audience isn't forced to linger on everything she says or does, or any other character for that matter. This was the BOPs directors debut, hopefully she learns some lessons about making a scene work over just "doing" a scene and hoping the actors can carry it.
Mulholland Dr. (BFI player) (Mulholland Drive is apparently a different film that Dan Birnbaum also starred in 2 years later, according to the trivia, lol and what?)
Not in any fancypants talky analysis mood, but is very good film. Surprised how it's been so easy to avoid spoilers for this considering how long it's received almost unanimous praise. I remember getting spoiled within 2 days for Avengers End Game by some random bloke in a shop. Thankfully it's difficult to care about MCU characters' lifespans.
Polytechnique (BFI player)
After seeing Dune, felt like pawing through Denis Villeneuve's back catalogue and found this, a dramatised retelling of a 1989 Montreal Massacre by another anti-feminist. Is the first time I heard about this one, and holy shit, the more things change the more the stay the same, eh? It's very quiet, mournful and in black and white. Provides the amount of sobriety most likely appropriate for such a topic.
To each their own; I just get tired of people complaining about a thing's quality when they put themselves in a situation to consume it expecting anything other than what they know it's going to be. I'm not particularly fond of barbecue sauce. Guess what I don't do? Try every barbecue sauce that comes around under any illusion it might change my mind.
That's not at all my situation. I like Ryan Reynolds. Hell I've watched 4 of his movies this year alone. But this movie finally broke me.
I genuinely found his character in this one to be more annoying than Deadpool, except he doesn't get a tragic backstory and grinded into pulp every ten minutes. So he's just an annoying guy. Maybe it's because he's acting opposite to the Rock, who is acting as a character who is acting and so is as uncharismatic as a rock. But everytime Reynolds would go on his trademark monologues where he riffs on everything, I felt like I as watching someone crash and burn in his first stand up comedy performance because absolutely no one is reacting to it. Everyone else is playing it straight, unlike Ryenold's other movies. Sam Jackson in Hitman's Bodyguard, most of the AI characters in Free Guy.
So to use your analogy, it's like someone put my favorite barbecue sauce in a fucking cake or something. Reynolds can keep recycling his character if he wants, but his performance absolutely needs to be supported by a good premise and cast.
That's not at all my situation. I like Ryan Reynolds. Hell I've watched 4 of his movies this year alone. But this movie finally broke me.
I genuinely found his character in this one to be more annoying than Deadpool, except he doesn't get a tragic backstory and grinded into pulp every ten minutes. So he's just an annoying guy. Maybe it's because he's acting opposite to the Rock, who is acting as a character who is acting and so is as uncharismatic as a rock. But everytime Reynolds would go on his trademark monologues where he riffs on everything, I felt like I as watching someone crash and burn in his first stand up comedy performance because absolutely no one is reacting to it. Everyone else is playing it straight, unlike Ryenold's other movies. Sam Jackson in Hitman's Bodyguard, most of the AI characters in Free Guy.
So to use your analogy, it's like someone put my favorite barbecue sauce in a fucking cake or something. Reynolds can keep recycling his character if he wants, but his performance absolutely needs to be supported by a good premise and cast.
After that one Suicide Squad style movie from Michael Bay, I've been deliberately avoiding anything with Ryan Reynolds until Deadpool 3 comes out. You ain't the only one getting tired of his antics. If anything, he's been doing the same gimmick since Van Wilder and as that Night Stalker character in Blade III. I have no interest in the movie, and will watch something else when I find the time.
Saw something called Gamer, from the hacks that made the Crank movies.
It's like Ready Player One if the Oasis wasn't virtual and people controlled other people instead of digital avatars. 'Players' are uniformly characterized as either overweight sex fiends who get off on pimping and humiliating the people they're controlling (think of the public sex scene in Crank) or teenagers playing multiplayer shooters with death row cons. The result is a depiction of sleazebag internet dehumanization that seems vastly more true to life than Ready Player One's squeaky clean utopia, where apparently nobody ever even thought of going the other way around in a race.
What I don't buy for a second is how any of this works out on a technical (or social) aspect. Where do the Jabba creeps who're online 24/7 get their money to fund their lifestyle? And why whore yourself to them if you're gonna be under their thumb 24/7? The do's and the don't's don't add up. How disposable are these 'avatars'? They get treated like ragdoll punching bags and apparently you can murder them scott free (outside arenas I mean). Did they waver their basic human rights when they signed on?
And crucially, the movie can't decide on what is it that gives the lead hero his edge - whether he's better off being controlled by a hardcore wunderkind, or being given free rein to do as he thinks best. It's all very case by case, which cheapens any point that the movie's trying to make about free will.
The movie also looks ugly as sin and has that coked-up music video energy that makes me sick after a while.
It's without a doubt their worst movie. I don't understand how some people consider it so bad it's good. The action is ugly, the visual and style aesthetics are ugly, and the characters ugly. I've only seen this movie twice, and I couldn't finish in the first time through. I downloaded it through torrents. I am so glad I never bought this movie nor saw it in theaters. All I have to say is that The Running Man and Battle Royale better movies. You'd be better off playing Smash TV, Mad World, or Manhunt. Those at least require some thought or fun.
Edgar Wright's first foray into horror, the movie is about a young fashion student named Ellie (played by Thomasin Mackenzie) who moves to London, and soon after getting her own apartment in a house owned by an old lady (played by Diana Brigg in her last role before passing away) she starts experiencing mysterious dreams where she finds herself following the life of an aspiring singer named Alexandra (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) in the 1960s.
On the technical side of things it's pure Edgar Wright perfection: the editing, acting, music choices and visuals are all top notch. The movie is just bursting with colours, and the neon-clad streets of 60s era London have clearly been recreated with the utmost care. It's also a melancholic farewell to the London of yore, since many of the characters in the film were in their prime in that time, but are now old and withered. There are some incredibly choreographed sequences and the element of trying to ascertain as to what exactly is going on is very engaging. There's a strong mystery element to the movie (which the tagline kind of spoils), and I'd say it's best experienced completely blind. But it also means I can't discuss details, both story and thematic, without spoilers.
Despite all its technical prowess, great acting and strong script, I was left feeling that this is probably among the less substantial of Wright's movies I've seen. Alongside Baby Driver I don't really feel the need to watch this movie again any time soon (and to this day I've only seen Baby Driver once). It's ultimately a pretty simple mystery story where the characters take a back seat to the setting, but as a result they don't feel particularly deep. The main character in particular is actually rather reactionary in how she proceeds through the story. There are some twists, but they're telegraphed quite clearly (though my dumb ass failed to pick up on them).
How interesting that the last two films I've seen in cinemas have both had "last" in the title, depict a specific time in history, and deal with the misogyny and mistreatment of women in their respective time periods. I had no idea that that was what the movie's about, but it was definitely interesting following Alexandra downward spiral. In retrospect I should have seen the twist (that the old lady is Alexandra and she's not actually dead) coming, but the grumpy misandrist old landlady is such an archetypal character that I didn't even think of it twice. Terence Stamp's character on the other hand feels almost like you're supposed to know that he's not what he seems to be, because he's signaled so overtly to be a bad guy that it borders on comical. It's one of those frustrating screenwriting situations where if a single character had at any point said something like "he used to be a cop", or even spoken one name out loud, then the whole setup with the character would be rendered pointless. Yet at the same time the central mystery relies so much on the viewer assuming he's the bad guy that ultimately I'm left confused as to what I was supposed to be thinking. I guess you could make the excuse that we're seeing Stamp's character through Ellie's paranoia and escalating unhingedness, and that's why he seems so sinister.
The movie does end on a quite interesting note, and I appreciated how they leave it up to the audience to judge Alexandra: was what she did empowering? Was she righteously punishing all the misogynist men who wrecked her life? Or did the monstrous things she was subjected to turn her into an even greater monster? Did the men deserve what happened to them? Or was Alexandra so blinded by hatred and bitterness that she forever saw any and all men as little more than cockroaches? It's one of those "who gazes into the abyss" situations. But even as Alexandra's trying to kill her, Ellie still can't bring herself to condemn her because she's seen what Alexandra went through to such an extent.
Edgar Wright's first foray into horror, the movie is about a young fashion student named Ellie (played by Thomasin Mackenzie) who moves to London, and soon after getting her own apartment in a house owned by an old lady (played by Diana Brigg in her last role before passing away) she starts experiencing mysterious dreams where she finds herself following the life of an aspiring singer named Alexandra (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) in the 1960s.
On the technical side of things it's pure Edgar Wright perfection: the editing, acting, music choices and visuals are all top notch. The movie is just bursting with colours, and the neon-clad streets of 60s era London have clearly been recreated with the utmost care. It's also a melancholic farewell to the London of yore, since many of the characters in the film were in their prime in that time, but are now old and withered. There are some incredibly choreographed sequences and the element of trying to ascertain as to what exactly is going on is very engaging. There's a strong mystery element to the movie (which the tagline kind of spoils), and I'd say it's best experienced completely blind. But it also means I can't discuss details, both story and thematic, without spoilers.
Despite all its technical prowess, great acting and strong script, I was left feeling that this is probably among the less substantial of Wright's movies I've seen. Alongside Baby Driver I don't really feel the need to watch this movie again any time soon (and to this day I've only seen Baby Driver once). It's ultimately a pretty simple mystery story where the characters take a back seat to the setting, but as a result they don't feel particularly deep. The main character in particular is actually rather reactionary in how she proceeds through the story. There are some twists, but they're telegraphed quite clearly (though my dumb ass failed to pick up on them).
How interesting that the last two films I've seen in cinemas have both had "last" in the title, depict a specific time in history, and deal with the misogyny and mistreatment of women in their respective time periods. I had no idea that that was what the movie's about, but it was definitely interesting following Alexandra downward spiral. In retrospect I should have seen the twist (that the old lady is Alexandra and she's not actually dead) coming, but the grumpy misandrist old landlady is such an archetypal character that I didn't even think of it twice. Terence Stamp's character on the other hand feels almost like you're supposed to know that he's not what he seems to be, because he's signaled so overtly to be a bad guy that it borders on comical. It's one of those frustrating screenwriting situations where if a single character had at any point said something like "he used to be a cop", or even spoken one name out loud, then the whole setup with the character would be rendered pointless. Yet at the same time the central mystery relies so much on the viewer assuming he's the bad guy that ultimately I'm left confused as to what I was supposed to be thinking. I guess you could make the excuse that we're seeing Stamp's character through Ellie's paranoia and escalating unhingedness, and that's why he seems so sinister.
The movie does end on a quite interesting note, and I appreciated how they leave it up to the audience to judge Alexandra: was what she did empowering? Was she righteously punishing all the misogynist men who wrecked her life? Or did the monstrous things she was subjected to turn her into an even greater monster? Did the men deserve what happened to them? Or was Alexandra so blinded by hatred and bitterness that she forever saw any and all men as little more than cockroaches? It's one of those "who gazes into the abyss" situations. But even as Alexandra's trying to kill her, Ellie still can't bring herself to condemn her because she's seen what Alexandra went through to such an extent.
I'm no horror fan, but based on what I've seen and read about this movie, if its considered the lesser movie of a filmography then you're probably a fuckin' great director.
While technically true (I'm guessing you're referring to Shaun of the Dead being classified as a horror comedy), I've always seen Shaun of the Dead being referred to as a comedy first and zombie film second. Shaun turns into a full on horror movie only at the very end, up until that point it's basically a farce involving zombies.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn): Hot garbage/10.
This is the first time in a long time I couldn't sit through a movie and had to turn it off because I found it too grating to keep watching. I mean, I didn't like [the academy award winning] Suicide Squad either, but at least I was able to finish that movie before calling it a trainwreck. This thing is inexcusable though. How the hell does this have a 60 on metacritic?
Because it’s hip. C’mon, you of all people should know how these things work!
On topic: Red Notice.
One of the more entertaining comedy/action flicks lately featuring some exceptional stunt work and two unlikely allies plus a femme fatale all with oodles of screen charisma. However Reynolds’ snarky act is wearing thin. I think part of it is he’s been typecast into the latest generation of goofball cheesiness and that’s how literally all of his characters are written now. Kinda like how Will Ferrell was with every other line being some idiot bs.
It kinda had hints of another solid action/comedy flick(s) with simply Red in the title but not quite as good, in no small part because it was missing Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox and John Malkovich.
That's not at all my situation. I like Ryan Reynolds. Hell I've watched 4 of his movies this year alone. But this movie finally broke me.
I genuinely found his character in this one to be more annoying than Deadpool, except he doesn't get a tragic backstory and grinded into pulp every ten minutes. So he's just an annoying guy. Maybe it's because he's acting opposite to the Rock, who is acting as a character who is acting and so is as uncharismatic as a rock. But everytime Reynolds would go on his trademark monologues where he riffs on everything, I felt like I as watching someone crash and burn in his first stand up comedy performance because absolutely no one is reacting to it. Everyone else is playing it straight, unlike Ryenold's other movies. Sam Jackson in Hitman's Bodyguard, most of the AI characters in Free Guy.
So to use your analogy, it's like someone put my favorite barbecue sauce in a fucking cake or something. Reynolds can keep recycling his character if he wants, but his performance absolutely needs to be supported by a good premise and cast.
With the exception of Gal Godot whose resume isn't familiar enough to me for me to have any strong opinions, both Johnson and Reynolds were exactly who they always have been, and the film was exactly what I expected. I watched this film expecting just that because I enjoy it; it entertains me. And you're completely entitled to feel differently, but the criticism seems a bit harsh considering anyone who's seen a Johnson or Reynolds film in the past 10 years knew exactly what was coming. Feels a bit like intentionally taking a whiff of a fart just to complain about the stench.
With the exception of Gal Godot whose resume isn't familiar enough to me for me to have any strong opinions, both Johnson and Reynolds were exactly who they always have been, and the film was exactly what I expected. I watched this film expecting just that because I enjoy it; it entertains me. And you're completely entitled to feel differently, but the criticism seems a bit harsh considering anyone who's seen a Johnson or Reynolds film in the past 10 years knew exactly what was coming. Feels a bit like intentionally taking a whiff of a fart just to complain about the stench.
I don't think my criticism is particularly harsh, at least relatively. Of my family, I was one of the few who even bothered to sit through the whole movie. Glancing at the average ratings of Red Notice compared to Reynolds and the Rock's latest previous movies, it looks like this movie is taking a beating. But as you said, we are all entitled to feel differently.
Bit of a side note, but while looking at the ratings, I learned that this is the biggest budgeted Netflix movie as of yet. A whopping $200 million. I guess that's to be expected when you have two of the highest paid actors of 2022 in your movie.
No Time To Die - Thought it was great! Or maybe I was just relieved that it wasn't anywhere close as bad as Spectre. I wish I hadn't already been so spoiled beforehand, but I still enjoyed the twists they threw at us.
Most of what's good about the movie has already been mentioned, so I'll just go over my limited criticisms.
First, the movie suffers from the same problem as Justice League (albeit to a lesser degree): outright pretending the previous movies were something different. Namely, Bond's relationship with Felix Leiter and Bond's constant retirements. Bond considers Leiter his brother, when the last time we saw Leiter was more than decade ago. And yeah, Bond's nth retirement is hard to take seriously. But unlike Justice League, I think I prefer to go along with the fantasy because Bond actually having a friend was quite fun.
Second, Lashana Lynch. For all the hullabaloo her casting made, what a disappointment. Cool idea, but she never does anything beyond a few tepid gunfights and wearing nice clothes. Oh, and being a dick to Bond in a way that paints her as a person with an inferiority complex. Only to become pals with him for reasons that either don't exist or were forgettable. I don't particularly care if they make the franchise about her now, because they really didn't show anything of what to expect.
That's all actually. I was genuinely impressed with how many possible plotholes they managed to cover up. It's probably because I watch all movies at home na, but I find myself less and less willing to overlook bad writing. But with this movie, I found myself thwarted at every turn when I tried to criticize the plot. Great sendoff for Craig's Bond.
In a not-so-distant future, mankind has ruined it's environment to the point that being outside in direct sunlight can be fatal. Tom Hanks plays Finch, a nomad roaming the country in his RV with his dog and a sentient robot he's built... and that's about it.
Not sure what this movie was supposed to achieve. It feels very innocuous in that it doesn't do much, or rather it does too many little things making it difficult to focus on the whole. Not a "bad" movie per se, just not a good one befitting a talent like Hanks.
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