Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[Casual Shinji]

Watched Top Gun: Maverick and it was pretty damn good. Don't know how much I would've liked it had I not seen it on the big screen, it's impossible not to be impressed when everything around you drags you into that cockpit. The story itself was rather corny, but I could appreciate it for what it was. More than anything the experience was just 'look, REAL things in a blockbuster; isn't that WILD', and yes... yes it was. My little bitty heart skipped again watching a big movie where real, actual real, cool stuff happened.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Watched Top Gun: Maverick and it was pretty damn good. Don't know how much I would've liked it had I not seen it on the big screen, it's impossible not to be impressed when everything around you drags you into that cockpit. The story itself was rather corny, but I could appreciate it for what it was. More than anything the experience was just 'look, REAL things in a blockbuster; isn't that WILD', and yes... yes it was. My little bitty heart skipped again watching a big movie where real, actual real, cool stuff happened.

Still showing in your theaters? That's pretty impressive. They still bring it out here from time to time when they have nothing else, but otherwise I missed out on my chance to watch it in theaters.

 

[laggyteabag]

-How come Jane can use the hammer and make it fix itself automatically? How does it give her god powers? How does SHE breathe in space? Or ist it all just magic hammer powers?

Your answer can be found in the first Thor Movie.

It is the same reason why Captain America could suddenly shoot lightening at the end of Endgame.

As for the hammer fixing itself... Im going to go for the Rule of Cool for this one. Which, lets be honest, it is. Especially when she can shoot out the fragments of the hammer in combat.

 

[Gordon_4]

Thor: Love and Thunder.

Generally enjoyed it, though I pretty much had to turn my brain off to avoid asking a bunch of questions I knew the film didn't want me to ask, like:

-Why does everyone keep talking about going to Valhalla when Valhalla got destroyed in the last Thor movie?

Asgard the homeworld of the Asgardians was destroyed, Valhalla is the afterlife of the honoured Norse dead. In mythology they're both celestial plains (I think) but in the MCU it seems that Asgard is a corporeal, if very amazing and physics defying place that a person can go to. Per the presence of Heimdall (who you'll recall was killed by Thanos at the beginning of Avengers Infinity War) and the now knowingly deceased Jane Foster you can safely assume that Valhalla remains the truly celestial realm of the worthy fallen.

-How come Jane can use the hammer and make it fix itself automatically? How does it give her god powers? How does SHE breathe in space? Or ist it all just magic hammer powers?

Its easy to miss, but during the montage they do of Thor and Jane's time together, specifically when they were very much happy and in love, Thor entreats Mjolnir to protect her in his absence if need be. What better way to do so than to give her the power of Thor?

As for fixing it, well, it IS indeed a magic hammer that was forged in the heart of a dying star and since after its breaking against Hela, Thor was sent to Sakaar where he met Valkyrie and Hulk, triggered a revolution, returned to Asgard to save as many of his people from Hela, fled to Earth, was intercepted by Thanos and tossed into space where he met the Guardians etc. It probably never occurred to him to try and retrieve the broken one and see what could be salvaged.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Still showing in your theaters? That's pretty impressive. They still bring it out here from time to time when they have nothing else, but otherwise I missed out on my chance to watch it in theaters.

Well, if you ever want to be impressed by practical movie magic again and it makes another return to your theater, we suggest rather imploringly to check out.

Anyways, finished The Batman, and really enjoyed it. Even kinda got me in the mood to play a new Batman game (Arkham Knight would be next for me). One thing that made this one feel fresher than most is the characters were more grounded and believable as actual people vs people merely playing comic book characters. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it has long been done to death. Having said that, they did nicely retain the characters’ spirits.

It also managed to put a new twist on some tired old themes, and while not all that original the way they were presented made up for it. Not sure if they plan to expand upon this new direction but I’d love to see where else it could go. This is some of the most retreaded ground in pop culture history, but even as a casual fan it’s gotten another shot in the arm at least.

 

[Chimpzy]

Thor: Love and Thunder.

Generally enjoyed it, though I pretty much had to turn my brain off to avoid asking a bunch of questions I knew the film didn't want me to ask, like:

snip

Yeah, I know it's weird that I still enjoyed it despite complaining so much about it, because maybe the parts that worked, worked even if it's a tonal and thematic mess otherwise.

The answer to all of these is "Don't think about it, enjoy the jangling shinies"

 

[Dalisclock]

The answer to all of these is "Don't think about it, enjoy the jangling shinies"

I know. Just sit back and enjoy the classic rock

 

[09philj]

Crash (1996)

As Crimes of the Future is now out in UK cinemas, my local indie cinema has a David Cronenberg season on, so I got to see this on a big screen.

Crash is a film about people who are sexually aroused by car accidents. Cronenberg has a very detached and underplayed style of direction that works to help normalise the insanity the characters are involved in, which is aided by deliberately keeping normal people out of the film as much as possible. I think there are about three scenes involving speaking characters who aren't car crash fetishists, and none of them are named. Much like the JG Ballard novel that it's adapted from, and Ballard's work in general, the film takes you on a straightforward, matter of fact journey into a world of unhinged perversity presented as scientific and logical. Out of all the films I've seen that have provoked controversy and walkouts, this is the one where I understand the detractors the most. It's cold and bleak and the characters are impossible to like or empathise with and it's full of graphic, depraved sex. I think I liked it. Certainly, I won't forget it.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Crash (1996)

As Crimes of the Future is now out in UK cinemas, my local indie cinema has a David Cronenberg season on, so I got to see this on a big screen.

Crash is a film about people who are sexually aroused by car accidents. Cronenberg has a very detached and underplayed style of direction that works to help normalise the insanity the characters are involved in, which is aided by deliberately keeping normal people out of the film as much as possible. I think there are about three scenes involving speaking characters who aren't car crash fetishists, and none of them are named. Much like the JG Ballard novel that it's adapted from, and Ballard's work in general, the film takes you on a straightforward, matter of fact journey into a world of unhinged perversity presented as scientific and logical. Out of all the films I've seen that have provoked controversy and walkouts, this is the one where I understand the detractors the most. It's cold and bleak and the characters are impossible to like or empathise with and it's full of graphic, depraved sex. I think I liked it. Certainly, I won't forget it.

Ugh, saw it as a kid somehow (nice parenting, mom and dad) back when it came out. Felt filthy afterwards, really uncomfortable, confused and even a little upset by what I'd just seen. Don't think I couldn't stomach it as an adult as empathy and the reality of my looming mortality make "hard to watch" stuff, well, hard to watch.

 

[Baffle]

The Big Ugly. I think we're supposed to sympathise with Vinnie Jones? But that's impossible?

 

[Gordon_4]

The Big Ugly. I think we're supposed to sympathise with Vinnie Jones? But that's impossible?

I dunno, he didn’t do too bad in Mean Machine. Mind you he also got reality checked by other prisoners in that film.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Turning Red

A recent Pixar flick about a 13 yr old Asian-Canadian girl in the '90's who turns into a big red panda when she feels strong emotions, onset by puberty and getting her first period.
A cute clever tribute to the experiences of the female teenage experience that uses light anime and video game art style touches. Of course it's Pixar so it's well-crafted.
The one thing that struck me as a bit odd was how specific the confluence of references and touchpoints are in there- 90's era pop culture especially the boy band craze; the fact that protagonist is exceptionally energetic and brilliant; and the east-Asian pop culture trappings. Clearly this must be the writer or whatever adding her personal touches which makes it so fully realized but also I wonder if it limited that audience and that's why I kind of never heard about it after it came out. Which is fine as far as art goes I'm just surprised Pixar went there.

Either way, if you need to kill a couple hours while babysitting or need your fill of goofy cartoon wholesome goodness, this one fits the bill.

 

[Gordon_4]

Turning Red

A recent Pixar flick about a 13 yr old Asian-Canadian girl in the '90's who turns into a big red panda when she feels strong emotions, onset by puberty and getting her first period.
A cute clever tribute to the experiences of the female teenage experience that uses light anime and video game art style touches. Of course it's Pixar so it's well-crafted.
The one thing that struck me as a bit odd was how specific the confluence of references and touchpoints are in there- 90's era pop culture especially the boy band craze; the fact that protagonist is exceptionally energetic and brilliant; and the east-Asian pop culture trappings. Clearly this must be the writer or whatever adding her personal touches which makes it so fully realized but also I wonder if it limited that audience and that's why I kind of never heard about it after it came out. Which is fine as far as art goes I'm just surprised Pixar went there.

Either way, if you need to kill a couple hours while babysitting or need your fill of goofy cartoon wholesome goodness, this one fits the bill.

You should have seen the backblast when some chump reviewed it and was all bent out of shape that the September 11 attacks weren’t a more prominent bit of background. Oh man was that shit hilarious.

 

[Bartholen]

Top Gun: Maverick, 7/10

When i saw this was still playing in IMAX (at 8:20 PM on a Tuesday night) I knew I had to see it. And I'm glad I did, because seeing this in a theater definitely elevates it. It is probably one of the best action movies to come out in years, though I think that has more to do with how Covid fucked up things in that regard. On the action front this movie is basically untouchable. The flying scenes are simply breathtaking, and made all the more impressive by the fact that all of it (or at least most of it) is in-camera. The roar of the engines, the sense of speed and power is honestly quite unlike anything released in at least a decade. One thing the movie particularly excels at is tension and stakes. Things seem to be constantly ramping up, and it always feels like the characters are getting by by the skin of their teeth. If the whole movie were as good as the action scenes, it'd be a 10/10. The soundtrack's also incredible, and genuinely got me feeling nostalgic for a movie I''ve never seen, from a time when I wasn't even born yet. That's quite something.

Not that the movie's bad outside of the action scenes. The story is actually really wholesome and sweet. There's a strong theme of mentorship and generational shift, as the characters from the original movie are now old and withered, but the movie also conveys the new younger generation stepping in and carrying on the tradition. This is helped in large part by Maverick himself clearly being out of his depth and struggling with some pretty heavy guilt. As weird as it feels to say there's a genuine sense of gravitas to the movie.

I can't really say there's any major issues with it. It's just that this movie clearly exists for the action scenes and nostalgia, and it excels at those, but everything else feels just "good enough". Outside the action scenes it's not really visually very interesting and the dialogue is just alright, so there's not much really grabbing my attention. And that makes this movie, as good as the action scenes are, feel pretty disposable in the end. Which is fine, this is basically an old school blockbuster after all, but it kind of dampens my enthusiasm for it when I can be on the edge of my seat while watching it, and struggling to remember much of it the next morning.

There is one unfortunate effect real life has had on this movie though, and that's the villains. They're kind of weirdly never specified or characterized or even told where they're located, but it's clearly supposed to be Russia. It's just that when we've now seen the mighty Russian military turn out to be the wettest paper tiger in history, it's kind of hard to take them seriously as having some kind of high-tech superjets and ultra-skilled pilots. It's not the movie's fault, this was shot mostly pre-Covid after all, and I suppose them being unspecified also helps, because you can always tell yourself it's not Russia, it's the Republic of Russkograd or something.

 

[Hawki]

There is one unfortunate effect real life has had on this movie though, and that's the villains. They're kind of weirdly never specified or characterized or even told where they're located, but it's clearly supposed to be Russia. It's just that when we've now seen the mighty Russian military turn out to be the wettest paper tiger in history, it's kind of hard to take them seriously as having some kind of high-tech superjets and ultra-skilled pilots. It's not the movie's fault, this was shot mostly pre-Covid after all, and I suppose them being unspecified also helps, because you can always tell yourself it's not Russia, it's the Republic of Russkograd or something.

Chances are you've encountered the theory, but while it struck me as obvious that it was meant to be not!Russia (or some kind of breakaway state), there's a strong case to be made that it's Iran.

And as we all know, the US military has a solid track record in carrying out unilateral action based on WMDs in that part of the world.

 

[Bedinsis]

Chances are you've encountered the theory, but while it struck me as obvious that it was meant to be not!Russia (or some kind of breakaway state), there's a strong case to be made that it's Iran.

That's the conclusion the YouTube channel Film Theory reached.

 

[Bartholen]

Chances are you've encountered the theory, but while it struck me as obvious that it was meant to be not!Russia (or some kind of breakaway state), there's a strong case to be made that it's Iran.

Let's get even more out there: there's some speculation as to the future of the Russian federation past their upcoming defeat in Ukraine, with some people saying Russia might even break apart Soviet-style entirely. With that in mind, and also remembering that I don't think they specify at any point an exact year the movie takes place during, I think it's possible to say that the movie takes place in like 2025, and what we're seeing is actually one of the breakaway states.

That's the conclusion the YouTube channel Film Theory reached.

MatPat's narration makes me want to shove icepicks in my ears, so does the theory address these two questions:

1. How does a US helicarrier get to the very distincly landlocked Caspian Sea?
2. Do spruce trees, which the mountains are clearly covered in, even grow in Iran?

 

[Gordon_4]

There is one unfortunate effect real life has had on this movie though, and that's the villains. They're kind of weirdly never specified or characterized or even told where they're located, but it's clearly supposed to be Russia. It's just that when we've now seen the mighty Russian military turn out to be the wettest paper tiger in history, it's kind of hard to take them seriously as having some kind of high-tech superjets and ultra-skilled pilots. It's not the movie's fault, this was shot mostly pre-Covid after all, and I suppose them being unspecified also helps, because you can always tell yourself it's not Russia, it's the Republic of Russkograd or something.

The plane they refer to as the Felon or Fifth Generation Fighter and you see on screen is very real, its the Sukhoi Su-57 and its been around in testing since 2010, however only 6 have been built and it was only formally introduced to service in 2020. Felon is its NATO reporting name and the capabilities it demonstrates - like that boss as shit dodge - are very much within its spec. Also don't forget that compared to ground forces, Fighter aircraft are considered a prestige item and being their pilot an equally prestigious position and generally not given to people with their thumbs firmly lodged up their arse OR poor rank and file.

Of course that still works with your statement because in this one unimportant - in the grand scheme of things - operation that cost them only two FA/18 Super Hornets, the US Navy has successfully reduced Russia's fleet of peer aircraft compared to the F-22 and F-35 by 50% with two of those kills made by a pilot in a plane likely older than the men flying the Su-57s which he stole from their own airbase and the third by another plane that should have no business beating it presumably because its pilot was cocky or flat out not paying attention.

 

[Bedinsis]

MatPat's narration makes me want to shove icepicks in my ears, so does the theory address these two questions:

1. How does a US helicarrier get to the very distincly landlocked Caspian Sea?
2. Do spruce trees, which the mountains are clearly covered in, even grow in Iran?

Yes.

They narrow it down to either Iran or Syria and then state that

1. "Both would be accessible from the Persian Gulf using F-18 Hornet fighter jets we see our heroes fly in Maverick."
2. "They both also have mountainous regions where snow and vegetation could reasonably pass as the Pacific northwest."

Syria is eliminated on grounds of not having F-14s in their military, something Iran does.

 

[BrawlMan]

MatPat's narration makes me want to shove icepicks in my ears, so does the theory address these two questions:

Hate him too. His gimmick wore out too fast, and his "theories" became beyond obnoxious.