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

Elvis (2022)

Omg, omg, omg, omg.

This is just totally Elvis.

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Oh fuck yes.

They absolutely nailed it.

Words cannot even.

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It has a downside. It ended. And one would have liked even more Elvis.

So it's even more accurate.

One of the best 2 hour 40 minutes I've seen in a while.

9/10, maybe a 10. Close to.

Uh huh.
 
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There's Someone Inside Your House

I was bored and browsing Netflix last night and decided to give this one a shot. It's every lame teen slasher trope you can think of rolled into one film along with a powerful injection of woke. Laughably bad. 3/10
 
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Watched the new prime movie, Samaritan. The trailer had me fairly hyped the past few weeks (big dearth of new movies lately), so I had been optimistic. Unfortunately, it felt like a mid 90's comic b-movie (think Spawn, etc). I certainly don't regret watching it, but the script was forgettable and the acting pretty poor - especially by the kid actor.
 
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I'll definitely see Nope, but I'm getting the impression it has similar issues.
Well, I saw Nope and can confirm my impressions. Much like Us, I enjoyed it in parts, but the whole was kinda unsatisfying, messy. It would have benefited from some focus.

Most of the cast were excellent, but I would have removed all of the miscast Steven Yeun's character's backstory - too much, mostly unrelated, completely unnecessary other than as a throw away reference in one of characters lines in the last act. I would have cast someone who could carry off the "showman" aspect of the character more convincingly and added a minute or so emphasizing that.
There's a bunch of other issues, but I'll leave it at that for now.

I didn't hate it, just disappointed for what it could have been.
 
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Thanks for that feedback, it adds some confirmation bias to my choice of which film to see the other day.

What with everyone preparing for the great squeeze that is being hammered home by the media over the past few months, going to the cinema isn't much of a regular thing any more and one has to be extra picky in choosing stuff for the occasional visit.

I was tempted by Bullet Train, Nope, Elvis, all playing at the same time. We eventually settled on Elvis after browsing some reviews, but I felt bad for possibly neglecting the other two.

Your review has helped me confirm I made the right choice!
 
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Yes, that one was trailered before Elvis, though the trailer in the theatre was really bad and likely didn't do it justice.

They're really pumping out the historical pop star biopics at the moment aren't they!
 
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Yes, that one was trailered before Elvis, though the trailer in the theatre was really bad and likely didn't do it justice.

They're really pumping out the historical pop star biopics at the moment aren't they!
Yeah, I'll be having some of that. Haven't been to the cinema since Covid, but that will be the one to bring me back.
 
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I must admit, it wasn't so much love for the pop star that enabled me to enjoy Elvis as much as it was the ensemble, script and general production. The fact that it was also about Elvis was just icing on the cake.

It's directed by Baz Luhmann, someone with a very fine pedigree of back catalogue and for who a movie by them is but an occasional treat, this being their first directorial effort since Australia in 2008 (which I really enjoyed). He also directed Moulin Rouge from 2001 and Strictly Ballroom from 1992, so you know you're in good musical hands.

Elvis also stars Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker, Elvis' manager, and the film is shown from his perspective, adding a very intriguing layer as we follow the story from the PoV of the bad guy. Having Hanks star in your movie is also normally a sign that the production values will be very high.

Finally, having Austin Butler play Elvis allowed the audience to fully immerse themselves in his portrayal of Elvis, as most people, including myself, have no pre-conception of Butler, and he nailed it of course with many touting him for the best actor Oscar.

So it's quite the package.
 
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@Couchpotato you seem to have an opinion, but I don't know if it's an opinion on me, my words or the film, or just a disdain for Elvis related products generally, or some combination thereof.

I've had a look back and I can't see you mentioning the Elvis film since it's release date.

Much as I guess I have to grin and bear the 'improvement' of codexian emotes below posts now, this is a good example of why we never had them.

It communicates nothing and, worse, could be interpreted in so many different ways as to lay the foundation of all kinds of misunderstandings down the road.
 
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I have to say I haven't seen a trailer in a long time that's that intriguing. But even as teasing as it is, I think I would've liked to not even see that, and just go in fresh. Is it me or is the title a play on the world mentioned in the trailer? It feels borderline trollish :p
 
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I have to say I haven't seen a trailer in a long time that's that intriguing. But even as teasing as it is, I think I would've liked to not even see that, and just go in fresh. Is it me or is the title a play on the world mentioned in the trailer? It feels borderline trollish :p
I sense a definite trolling aspect to the production.

Yes, sorry if the trailer is a bit of a spoiler - but I saw it and thought some of you deviants might be intrigued. :biggrin:
 
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I stopped halfway through the trailer, as I decided it was interesting enough for me.

Yeah, in general, I prefer not watching trailers for movies I'd be interested in - but that's a bit paradoxical, as it can be hard to tell if it's interesting or not without a trailer :)

I used to be a huge movie buff, and back then I'd know pretty much just by the names involved - but I haven't been following the industry closely for years.

I also lost 90% of my passion for movies, after Hollywood changed into whatever it has become.

Not that it was all that great before, but I feel like more chances were taken with less mainstream subjects.
 
I'm another that tends to skip trailers, not been keen on those for twenty years or more, now. What I will do is seek out thoughts on a film or telly show, from someone I've read before and have an idea why it might appeal to them, and therefore perhaps to me.
 
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One of my favorite film series when I was a kid. The Showa era (1950s-80s) was the golden age of Godzilla. Everything since then has been mediocre at best.
I enjoyed Shin Godzilla quite a bit. Not as frightening as the original, but very much in the style of the early ones brought into the modern age.
 
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