What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread

[lackblogger]

So … is it rather a detective movie ?

That is what I've heard, yes. Batman originally appeared in Detective Comics no.29 after all & he's not someone with superpowers other than the super power of being extremely rich. He was a caped crusader in theme with many at the time, as was the theme of noir, hence the gothic atmosphere. So this film attempts to get back to those roots. And I must say, I'm quite motivated to go see it, the only thing making me possibly think twice being the 3 hour run-time.

 

[lackblogger]

Death on the Nile (2022)

Kenneth Branagh's latest Hercule Poirot movie, moustache and all.

A great cast of celebs line up for another mysterious murder in exotic locations. This film has some scenes which are similar to the 1978 Peter Ustinov version, some scenes which are completely new and many scenes that are a blend of old and new.

All of which conspires to produce a visually gorgeous couple of hours of pure entertainment. I think this film would definitely suit someone who hasn't had a holiday for a few years as Death on the Nile is one of those stories that feels like going on holiday in a virtual reality sense. You can come out feeling like you've been on a package tour with the famous detective having seen all the sites and met all kinds of weird and wonderful people.

A special shout out to the music, which is also an absolutely gorgeous rendition of ye olde blues and jazz, straight outa N'Orleens.

Honestly, your senses will be so pummelled by the outstanding cinematography and perfect soundtrack that things like plot will be way down the list of things that matter while your sitting there. It is still a good plot though, whether you bother trying to work it out or not.

Maybe a bit slow in a couple of places is the only complaint, so, for those who love this genre, expect a good 8/10

 

[Carnifex]

It's certainly more a detective film than superhero, and is much better for that, in my opinion. You know, back when I read comics I was always a "make mine Marvel" bloke, yet the DC films seems to be much more to my liking these days, when compared to those awful Avenger films. I'll mention two other highlights of the film for me: how Wayne and the police get along ( heh, they don't!-p) and the duo purpose of the Bat signal. It was always implicit in the comic books yet, to date, no other film has made that double purpose nearly as clear as this picture did. The movie almost borders on noir, it's that damn enjoyable.

And as for the run time, I could have taken another three hours.

 

[SleepingDog]

Death on the Nile (2022) - Another view

I got to admit that I like Agatha Christie's work for the tight plotting and the way the mystery unfolds. I agree with many points made by lackblogger - wonderful locations, beautiful costumes - how the rich in 1937 probably lived. Lovely eye candy. Yet I felt that the film was over long - I kept nudging my partner to keep her awake! For me the pace was off - so slowwww though it woke up in the second half.

The acid test for me is do I want to watch it again? - the answer is no. Would I have watched it at all if I knew what it was like? - the answer, again, is no. Would I have watched it if I had seen lackblogger's post? - hell no.

For me it is a 2 out of 5.

 

[Eye]

I got to admit that I like Agatha Christie's work for the tight plotting and the way the mystery unfolds. I agree with many points made by lackblogger - wonderful locations, beautiful costumes - how the rich in 1937 probably lived. Lovely eye candy. Yet I felt that the film was over long - I kept nudging my partner to keep her awake! For me the pace was off - so slowwww though it woke up in the second half.

The acid test for me is do I want to watch it again? - the answer is no. Would I have watched it at all if I knew what it was like? - the answer, again, is no. Would I have watched it if I had seen lackblogger's post? - hell no.

For me it is a 2 out of 5.

Well, he got me convinced.
I am not enthusiastic about over long movies though, yup, dozing off, so I think this one will be a great watch when sweating on the treadmill.

Thanks you two, SleepingDog and lackblogger!

 

[lackblogger]

And as for the run time, I could have taken another three hours.

That is definitely what I wanted to hear.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

I'm guessing The Batman won't be releasing to hbomax any time soon? Did they drop the initiative to release their movies on both streaming and cinemas, on the same day?

 

[danutz_plusplus]

A great analysis and critique of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. And I also remembered how much I hate Square Enix, and the way they fucked the sequel to Mankind Divided..

 

[lackblogger]

Saw Batman (2022) in IMAX today.

7/10

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

That is what I've heard, yes. Batman originally appeared in Detective Comics no.29 after all & he's not someone with superpowers other than the super power of being extremely rich.

This is why I originally liked him to be the only of the various "Supermen" whhom I'd liked : No super powers.

He was a caped crusader in theme with many at the time, as was the theme of noir, hence the gothic atmosphere. So this film attempts to get back to those roots. And I must say, I'm quite motivated to go see it, the only thing making me possibly think twice being the 3 hour run-time.

Now that's thing that gets me interested, too …

Death on the Nile (2022)

Kenneth Branagh's latest Hercule Poirot movie, moustache and all.

I once saw his mShakespeare movie "Much ado about nothing", found it just great, and I always wanted him to get the "Oscar" prize one day.

 

[Carnifex]

This is a huge favourite of mine, which I watched once again last night, though the last time I saw this was while I was in Canada, so it's been a number of years, at least: L.A. Confidential. This is one of those few films that does indeed almost measure up to the novel, though it's not my favourite of the quartet, it's well worth reading or watching. The cast is damn near perfection, as a noir-type feature it works really well, with a solid story and many things that happen in the back-round yet, in some ways, go unresolved, both in the written and film versions. I would strongly encourage anyone that likes this film to not only check out the novel, but consider reading the other three associated with the series as well. Barring that, if you've two hours and change on your hands and are looking for a fine film, this should fill that void.

 

[JDR13]

I was forced to watch a couple of romantic comedies this weekend.

First was Just Go with It which I think is around 10 years old at this point. It's with Adam Sander and Jennifer Aniston. He's a plastic surgeon and she's his assistant who agrees to pose as his ex-wife to help him land a younger woman that he thinks he's in love with. Completely predictable and forgettable.

The second movie was Murder Mystery with… yep, Adam Sander and Jennifer Aniston. Now this one actually wasn't bad, and I even laughed out loud at some of his jokes. It reminded me a bit more of Sandler's older films from back in the day. Worth seeing if you're a Sandler fan in general.

 

[JDR13]

I rewatched Sicario this weekend. Great movie. Along with Blade Runner 2049, I still think it's Denis Villeneuve's best work.

I also watched Sicario: Day of the Soldado for the first time. It's the sequel to Sicario and directed by Stefano Sollima. It's a good film in its own right but not on the same level as Sicario. Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro both reprise their roles, but Emily Blunt's character isn't involved. It also adds Catherine Keener and Matthew Modine to the cast.

 

[joxer]

Well, I watched Encanto

OMG
White Snake then Green Snake.
After that Nezha Reborn.

I was forced to watch a couple of romantic comedies this weekend.

Cut ties with the one who did it to you.
Life is too short to spend it whole on sheer mediocrity.

I still think it's Denis Villeneuve's best work.

It is not.
His best work is Incendies (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953

 

[Carnifex]

Sicario is a pretty good film, I need to re-watch that one.

 

[lackblogger]

Have to disagree there, I thought Sicario was very bland and slightly below interesting, very firmly in the 6-7/10 category. Some parts intereting enough for the 7 but other parts just eye-rollingly 6.

 

[Redglyph]

New trailer for Top Gun, which is coming out May 27th.

Super Hornets instead of Tomcats, but same Tom... I still think that he's a bit old for that role.

I wonder if that's going to be as iconic as the first movie.

 

[Carnifex]

My guess would be no, it would be quite an achievement to recapture the magic of that first film. We'll see!

 

[JDR13]

I wonder if that's going to be as iconic as the first movie.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic there, but I think we can safely file this under "Movie sequels that got made far too late."

 

[Redglyph]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic there, but I think we can safely file this under "Movie sequels that got made far too late."

Maybe I was a little bit sarcastic. I think it could potentially have a good success if they did it right, but there's no chance it eclipses the first one.