My single most anticipated movie of the year by far. Incredibly hyped
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The Imagineering Movie Discussion Thread
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My single most anticipated movie of the year by far. Incredibly hyped
Because I’m the madman I am, I took the challenge to hit five new releases in theaters in one day and I just sat down for #5 meaning I spent literally all day in this Regal Cinema and won’t be out until like midnight.
Movie checklist
The Bikeriders
Thelma
Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter One
A Quiet Place: Day One
Kinds of Kindness (just sat down for it)
Movie checklist
The Bikeriders
Thelma
Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter One
A Quiet Place: Day One
Kinds of Kindness (just sat down for it)
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
June was honestly a HUGE turn around month for me. Pretty much everything I saw at least lived up to, and in a lot of cases exceeded my expectations. There's also a lot of excitement on my end from just seeing a new wave of directors honing their craft. It's been a crazy turn around from the brutal first half of the year. Hoping the rest of the year can keep up with the momentum, because this month is honestly one for the record books. Or maybe I was just that starved for any sort of quality cinema this year that I'm hyping up anything with a sense of artistic integrity.
7. Kinds of Kindness
I think by and large, Yorgos Lanthimos isn't on my wavelength. The performances here are both really good in some regards, and also incredibly wooden in a super intentional way from the director's viewpoint. That's where I struggle with Lanthimos. I just don't think his mix of tones works for me on a personal level. Still, this is a really ambitious ensemble anthology movie with some outstanding technical elements to it. If Poor Things was your favorite movie of last year you might really vibe with this thing. I'm glad I saw it and definitely think Jesse Plemmons and Willem Dafoe in particular deliver some stand out performances, but that run time is probably the biggest endurance test I've had for a movie like this since Beau is Afraid.
6. Tuesday
I might have been over hyping this in my initial post, but it's seriously a super interesting take on the concept of a personified depiction of Death. It's a pretty small scale movie overall, but there's some very striking visuals and existential musings. The visual effects on the death parrot in particular deserve a huge shout out. The thing is so damn unsettling but also oddly endearing. It's a difficult balancing act to pull off and the effects got there. I think the movie goes on a little too long and at a certain point I feel like it's just kind of spinning its wheels with what it wants to say, but it's still yet an extremely heart on sleeve, bold piece of storytelling.
5. Hitman
This movie just oozes likeability and charm. I'm a huge sucker for it. Not really a ton to say. Glenn Powell is making every argument in the books here for why he should be among the next great true Movie Stars. He's the sole reason I'm actually looking forward to Twisters. Powell both gets to play really against type in this film and also kind of lean into versions of his persona that veer on the point of self parody. I'm not really sure if the higher stakes nature of the story vibes with Linklatter's "hangout movie" style, but it's still a damn fun time and had me smiling through the run time.
4. The Bike Riders
First of all, probably my favorite title reveal of the year so far. The narration, the lived in but still kind of mythical characters, the slow burn arc of the titular bike riders going from genuinely enthusiastic hobbyists to full blown violent gangsters. Yea, this movie really worked for me. I think Tom Hardy is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Austin Butler's character is more of a James Dean stand in who doesn't really have a lot of layers, but Hardy's character goes on one hell of an arc and really carries the weight of the movie's dramatic arc on his back. This is also by far my favorite Jodi Comer performance I've seen thus far, with her pulling off an infectious ear worm of an accent to act as the main narrator.
I can totally see how this movie isn't going to be to everyone's tastes. It feels like a 70s sleazy vibes movie mixed with a Scorsese mob epic. I don't think the script really sticks to landing in some elements of the character development, but I generally think this movie is a big success as far as conjuring a time and place.
3. A Quiet Place: Day One
It's my third favorite movie in the franchise, but it's still a genuine banger. I think it lacks a true show stopping horror sequence, but what it lacks in scares it more than makes up for in heart and character development. Lupita Nyongo and Joseph Quinn are such an adorable odd couple in this movie, and the fact that 90% of their dynamic naturally develops without dialogue is definitely a feat of performance art. More importantly, this movie's production design is just off the charts. Genuinely some of the most unsettling "city destruction" sets I've seen in a movie since Spielberg's War of the Worlds.
2. Inside Out 2
I think I said everything I needed to say about this in my initial post. A freaking rock solid Pixar sequel that doesn't reach the emotional heights of the first film but pulls off some genuinely amazing character work and feels like a full blown playground for creative ideas that expand the already amazing world building of the first film.
1. Thelma
As someone who's lucky enough to be in their 30s and still have three out of four grandparents living, this movie was a punch in the gut and a warm hug all wrapped into one delightful package. It's far from the most technically sophisticated movie of the year, but I just adore everything about it. The character work is wonderful, the cast is sublime, June Squibb is pretty much guaranteed to get a Golden Tiki nomination for Best Actress next year. While the craft isn't anything mind blowing, the premise and execution of how mundane things like navigating a messy store or trying to click out of a pop up ad become genuine action movie set pieces for the elderly is a super fresh concept. There's a bit mid way through the credits that absolutely BROKE me emotionally. If you know, you know.
7. Kinds of Kindness
6. Tuesday
I might have been over hyping this in my initial post, but it's seriously a super interesting take on the concept of a personified depiction of Death. It's a pretty small scale movie overall, but there's some very striking visuals and existential musings. The visual effects on the death parrot in particular deserve a huge shout out. The thing is so damn unsettling but also oddly endearing. It's a difficult balancing act to pull off and the effects got there. I think the movie goes on a little too long and at a certain point I feel like it's just kind of spinning its wheels with what it wants to say, but it's still yet an extremely heart on sleeve, bold piece of storytelling.
5. Hitman
4. The Bike Riders
First of all, probably my favorite title reveal of the year so far. The narration, the lived in but still kind of mythical characters, the slow burn arc of the titular bike riders going from genuinely enthusiastic hobbyists to full blown violent gangsters. Yea, this movie really worked for me. I think Tom Hardy is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Austin Butler's character is more of a James Dean stand in who doesn't really have a lot of layers, but Hardy's character goes on one hell of an arc and really carries the weight of the movie's dramatic arc on his back. This is also by far my favorite Jodi Comer performance I've seen thus far, with her pulling off an infectious ear worm of an accent to act as the main narrator.
I can totally see how this movie isn't going to be to everyone's tastes. It feels like a 70s sleazy vibes movie mixed with a Scorsese mob epic. I don't think the script really sticks to landing in some elements of the character development, but I generally think this movie is a big success as far as conjuring a time and place.
3. A Quiet Place: Day One
It's my third favorite movie in the franchise, but it's still a genuine banger. I think it lacks a true show stopping horror sequence, but what it lacks in scares it more than makes up for in heart and character development. Lupita Nyongo and Joseph Quinn are such an adorable odd couple in this movie, and the fact that 90% of their dynamic naturally develops without dialogue is definitely a feat of performance art. More importantly, this movie's production design is just off the charts. Genuinely some of the most unsettling "city destruction" sets I've seen in a movie since Spielberg's War of the Worlds.
I freaking love the fact that the core mission of the movie boils down to a quest to get pizza. It really sticks with the "micro world building" that I've always loved about the franchise. Seeing the formation of the island colony is also a really rewarding piece of world building, as is some of the rules established for how the creatures act when they move in herds in more urban settings. Really excited to see a potential Quiet Place Part 3 with Joey Quinn's character meeting up with the Abbott family.
2. Inside Out 2
1. Thelma
As someone who's lucky enough to be in their 30s and still have three out of four grandparents living, this movie was a punch in the gut and a warm hug all wrapped into one delightful package. It's far from the most technically sophisticated movie of the year, but I just adore everything about it. The character work is wonderful, the cast is sublime, June Squibb is pretty much guaranteed to get a Golden Tiki nomination for Best Actress next year. While the craft isn't anything mind blowing, the premise and execution of how mundane things like navigating a messy store or trying to click out of a pop up ad become genuine action movie set pieces for the elderly is a super fresh concept. There's a bit mid way through the credits that absolutely BROKE me emotionally. If you know, you know.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
REALLY wasn't feeling The Bear this season. I feel like there was absolutely nothing about the plot that actually moved forward. Pretty major let down. I guess that's the price I pay for such a good movie month 
Last month I said I wasn’t looking forward to a ton of June’s releases and honestly I’m glad I said that. Doing so led me to having lower expectations and ending up (mostly) enjoying everything. That said, June was a very rough month personally so I didn’t see too many new releases. Still, I managed 10 (five of which I saw yesterday) so here it goes.
#10- The Watchers
[Watched in theaters]
This is the only movie of the month I truly left angry at. I feel like I had reasonable expectations for The Watchers and yet I came out not only disappointed, but angry at how bad they squandered this concept. I love folk horror and this concept could’ve been so neat but instead they made one of the most boring and generic horror flicks of the year with a terribly predictable twist at the end.
#09- Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter One
[Watched in theaters]
Ugh, this was so ridiculously boring. The beginning had me really intrigued and the footage was really well shot, but this felt more like the pilot to a tv series than a film and it has a really bad case of “part one fever.” I do like westerns so I will be back for part two and I just pray it’s better.
#08- Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue
[Watched on Disney+]
This was a totally harmless and sweet documentary about an island nation that I know very little about. I love a good conservation focused nature documentary so it was nice to have that angle rather than just showing off fish or whatever.
#07- Kinds of Kindness
[Watched in theaters]
I’m on the opposite spectrum as @TheOriginalTiki where I connect hardcore with Lanthimos (typically). That said, I did feel the length here especially in the third (and weakest imo) part of this anthology. It could also be that it was the fifth movie in a row I sat through. I loved the first story a lot and the second was also fun. I will never complain seeing Emma Stone or Jesse Plemons in anything and DaFoe and Margaret Qualley I’m also always happy to see.
#06- The Bikeriders
[Watched in theaters]
I really enjoyed this mostly, but the framing device of it being an interview with backstory led to me not loving or being attached to all the characters, Austin Butler especially. The rest of the cast though was phenomenal and I enjoyed the slow burn aspect.
#05- Bad Boys: Ride or Die
[Watched in theaters]
For a summer blockbuster action flick, I think this completely nailed it. Both Smith and Lawrence deliver with a fun and energetic action comedy. I’m not well versed in the Bad Boys franchise so going into this I had low expectations, but I came out really having fun with it.
#04- A Quiet Place: Day One
[Watched in theaters]
I also didn’t expect a ton from this one but I ended up really enjoying it. For such a large scale movie, I loved the relatively small stakes, I loved following a character who wasn’t necessarily trying to survive as she’d already been grappling with death, and I loved the amazing sound and production design. A really worthy addition to the series I think (though maybe cut down the jumpscares next time, a few felt very unearned).
#03- Hit Man
[Watched on Netflix]
This movie just oozed charisma and charm. I agree that Glen Powell is a star and I’m glad to see him getting so much work. This movie was really fun and funny and while the ending lost me a bit, I still overall would call this one a must watch.
#02- Thelma
[Watched in theaters]
I had zero expectations for this one and ended up absolutely adoring it. The charm and sweetness of this movie were ever present and I loved the countless jabs at every generation here as they were actually funny and not overdone. Definitely this month’s biggest surprise.
#01- Inside Out 2
[Watched in theaters]
I’m not really a fan of the first film, it’s fine and all but it just never really gelled with me. Going into the sequel I had zero expectations and came out loving this movie. Anxiety was perfect here and represented that emotion so effectively and the rest of the emotions also succeeded where last time I didn’t feel they did. I wouldn’t mind if this becomes Pixar’s next Toy Story and we follow Riley through more life events as she gets older.
——————————————————————————
Now we reach the present. Going into July, some of the big anticipated movies for me include Maxxxine, Twisters, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Longlegs most notably. Excited for hopefully another great movie month
#10- The Watchers
[Watched in theaters]
This is the only movie of the month I truly left angry at. I feel like I had reasonable expectations for The Watchers and yet I came out not only disappointed, but angry at how bad they squandered this concept. I love folk horror and this concept could’ve been so neat but instead they made one of the most boring and generic horror flicks of the year with a terribly predictable twist at the end.
#09- Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter One
[Watched in theaters]
Ugh, this was so ridiculously boring. The beginning had me really intrigued and the footage was really well shot, but this felt more like the pilot to a tv series than a film and it has a really bad case of “part one fever.” I do like westerns so I will be back for part two and I just pray it’s better.
#08- Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue
[Watched on Disney+]
This was a totally harmless and sweet documentary about an island nation that I know very little about. I love a good conservation focused nature documentary so it was nice to have that angle rather than just showing off fish or whatever.
#07- Kinds of Kindness
[Watched in theaters]
I’m on the opposite spectrum as @TheOriginalTiki where I connect hardcore with Lanthimos (typically). That said, I did feel the length here especially in the third (and weakest imo) part of this anthology. It could also be that it was the fifth movie in a row I sat through. I loved the first story a lot and the second was also fun. I will never complain seeing Emma Stone or Jesse Plemons in anything and DaFoe and Margaret Qualley I’m also always happy to see.
#06- The Bikeriders
[Watched in theaters]
I really enjoyed this mostly, but the framing device of it being an interview with backstory led to me not loving or being attached to all the characters, Austin Butler especially. The rest of the cast though was phenomenal and I enjoyed the slow burn aspect.
#05- Bad Boys: Ride or Die
[Watched in theaters]
For a summer blockbuster action flick, I think this completely nailed it. Both Smith and Lawrence deliver with a fun and energetic action comedy. I’m not well versed in the Bad Boys franchise so going into this I had low expectations, but I came out really having fun with it.
#04- A Quiet Place: Day One
[Watched in theaters]
I also didn’t expect a ton from this one but I ended up really enjoying it. For such a large scale movie, I loved the relatively small stakes, I loved following a character who wasn’t necessarily trying to survive as she’d already been grappling with death, and I loved the amazing sound and production design. A really worthy addition to the series I think (though maybe cut down the jumpscares next time, a few felt very unearned).
#03- Hit Man
[Watched on Netflix]
This movie just oozed charisma and charm. I agree that Glen Powell is a star and I’m glad to see him getting so much work. This movie was really fun and funny and while the ending lost me a bit, I still overall would call this one a must watch.
#02- Thelma
[Watched in theaters]
I had zero expectations for this one and ended up absolutely adoring it. The charm and sweetness of this movie were ever present and I loved the countless jabs at every generation here as they were actually funny and not overdone. Definitely this month’s biggest surprise.
#01- Inside Out 2
[Watched in theaters]
I’m not really a fan of the first film, it’s fine and all but it just never really gelled with me. Going into the sequel I had zero expectations and came out loving this movie. Anxiety was perfect here and represented that emotion so effectively and the rest of the emotions also succeeded where last time I didn’t feel they did. I wouldn’t mind if this becomes Pixar’s next Toy Story and we follow Riley through more life events as she gets older.
——————————————————————————
Now we reach the present. Going into July, some of the big anticipated movies for me include Maxxxine, Twisters, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Longlegs most notably. Excited for hopefully another great movie month
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
@PerGron I'm glad I'm not the only one who really enjoyed the pizza stuff in Quiet Place. Sooo many people are missing the point of that and just saying "well tha's not a very compelling end goal is it?? The pizza place is probably closed anyways." Ughh, not to sound like a snob but this movie has really brought out a new crop of media illteratacy people.
I've seen some frankly pretty ableist takes over the main character being a bad final girl because she has cancer. I honestly really hate when people boil down a character "arc" to just rather or not they're going to live or die, and I thought Sam's struggle to keep going in this movie was all the movie compelling because of the cancer stuff, not in spite of it. I guess the small scale nature of the character stuff didn't surprise me much because I went in expecting a movie done by the guy who did "Pig". Alas I definitely don't think the trailers should have leaned into the whole "THIS IS THE MOST TERRIFYING QUIET PLACE YET" because it's definitely the least horror centric movie of the three, but that's all on the marketing department and it sucks that the director is likely going to get thrown under the bus for that.
The same genius COUGHgracerandolphCOUGH who called Sam a bad final girl also criticized the director being being "naive and inexperienced" and "not understanding the assignment". If I know anything about how protective Krasinski is over this franchise though, not feeling like a Aliens meets a Rolland Emmerich movie and maintaining that Indie arthouse vibe is EXACTLY what the assignment was in the first place and I think the guy nailed it.
I've seen some frankly pretty ableist takes over the main character being a bad final girl because she has cancer. I honestly really hate when people boil down a character "arc" to just rather or not they're going to live or die, and I thought Sam's struggle to keep going in this movie was all the movie compelling because of the cancer stuff, not in spite of it. I guess the small scale nature of the character stuff didn't surprise me much because I went in expecting a movie done by the guy who did "Pig". Alas I definitely don't think the trailers should have leaned into the whole "THIS IS THE MOST TERRIFYING QUIET PLACE YET" because it's definitely the least horror centric movie of the three, but that's all on the marketing department and it sucks that the director is likely going to get thrown under the bus for that.
The same genius COUGHgracerandolphCOUGH who called Sam a bad final girl also criticized the director being being "naive and inexperienced" and "not understanding the assignment". If I know anything about how protective Krasinski is over this franchise though, not feeling like a Aliens meets a Rolland Emmerich movie and maintaining that Indie arthouse vibe is EXACTLY what the assignment was in the first place and I think the guy nailed it.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Catching up with some 2024 horror along with this week's big new release. We'll start with Maxxxine. While I can totally see how this film could end up being a disappointment for some, it really, REALLY worked for me and cemented this series as probably THE definitive horror trilogy. I absolutely adored the style of this thing. Ti West has really outdone himself in the editing department. I love how each of the three movies in this trilogy take on an entirely different tone and style while still really coming together to form a really bold statement. There's nothing here on a performance level that lives up to the third act of "Pearl", but Mia Goth once again transforms herself. I love how in the meta narrative of the movie Maxine's character has evolved into an Ellen Ripley/Sarah Conner style heroine with most of the scares of the movie itself exploring the dark side of that. Some genuinely memorable kills here, but I like how it's very much not a slasher. It feels like the perfect meeting point between X's creative kills and Pearl's intense character focus. I probably need a rewatch to really determine its placement in the overall rankings this year, but right now it's sitting at a very comfortable #3 right behind the two headed Zendaya monster that is Dune/Challengers (a top two that has a pretty high likelihood of simply never being topped this year)
Next up I watched I Saw the TV Glow and it was...definitely an experience. First and foremost, my absolute biggest issue is the casting of Justice Smith. My issues with him are twofold. It feels very out of place to have an actor of his profile and fame (aka "The Detective Pikachu" guy
) in a movie like this, and I've also just not really enjoyed him in anything he's been in. He's very much in the Aaron Taylor Johnson department for me as far as always being the last engaging part of any cast. I think he carries this movie OKAY and definitely has some standout moments in the closing scenes of the film, but in the first half of the movie where he's trying to play a freaking HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN I really don't buy it.
I love what the movie is trying to say though, and I really wish it was more rewatchable. The commentary on how nostalgia fades over time as the real world takes over was really poignant. The moment where he streams The Pink Opaque and realizes it was always super cheesy from an adult lens just hits right in the damn feels. I also think having the film essentially be existential trans horror is really groundbreaking just on a cultural level, and am super proud of Jane Schoenbrun for being bold enough to put something so in your face out there. While I'm definitely starting to turn into a "back in my day" bitter old man about a lot of things, it does warm my heart that kids growing up in these times will at least have a lot of progressive movies like this to fall back on. It's certainly a lot better than most of the trash I was subjected to growing up which treated issues like this as literal punching bag jokes.
Lastly I caught up on The Last Omen since it dropped on Hulu. It's very good, with a standout performance from Ralph Inenson. I've never actually seen any of the other Omen movies, so the very premise of this movie was kind of lost on me in regards to if it should even really exist or not. What this movie does it does well. It's a slow burn, mostly character focused story that methodically ratches up the tension as it goes through its run time. It's a little too slow in parts, and honestly there's really nothing here that's particularly scary for my tastes. Still, I appreciate the atmosphere, the moodiness, and the care to make this not just another Hollywood cash grab. A very solid 7/10
Next up I watched I Saw the TV Glow and it was...definitely an experience. First and foremost, my absolute biggest issue is the casting of Justice Smith. My issues with him are twofold. It feels very out of place to have an actor of his profile and fame (aka "The Detective Pikachu" guy
) in a movie like this, and I've also just not really enjoyed him in anything he's been in. He's very much in the Aaron Taylor Johnson department for me as far as always being the last engaging part of any cast. I think he carries this movie OKAY and definitely has some standout moments in the closing scenes of the film, but in the first half of the movie where he's trying to play a freaking HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN I really don't buy it.I love what the movie is trying to say though, and I really wish it was more rewatchable. The commentary on how nostalgia fades over time as the real world takes over was really poignant. The moment where he streams The Pink Opaque and realizes it was always super cheesy from an adult lens just hits right in the damn feels. I also think having the film essentially be existential trans horror is really groundbreaking just on a cultural level, and am super proud of Jane Schoenbrun for being bold enough to put something so in your face out there. While I'm definitely starting to turn into a "back in my day" bitter old man about a lot of things, it does warm my heart that kids growing up in these times will at least have a lot of progressive movies like this to fall back on. It's certainly a lot better than most of the trash I was subjected to growing up which treated issues like this as literal punching bag jokes.
Lastly I caught up on The Last Omen since it dropped on Hulu. It's very good, with a standout performance from Ralph Inenson. I've never actually seen any of the other Omen movies, so the very premise of this movie was kind of lost on me in regards to if it should even really exist or not. What this movie does it does well. It's a slow burn, mostly character focused story that methodically ratches up the tension as it goes through its run time. It's a little too slow in parts, and honestly there's really nothing here that's particularly scary for my tastes. Still, I appreciate the atmosphere, the moodiness, and the care to make this not just another Hollywood cash grab. A very solid 7/10
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Is anybody going to tell her. Ok fine, I’ll tell her. She is dead, she died in multiverse of madness.
I’m going to see Longlegs tonight and since I was at work near the theater I figured I’d just head over and see what’s playing before it. Now I’m a grown adult sitting here surrounded by kids and families at Despicable Me 4 and I feel like I’m not supposed to be here
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Longlegs was a lot and honestly...I kind of hated it. The plot was all the hell over the place and the third act was basically a painfully long exposition dump. There's definitely some good qualities. As far as visuals and craft go it's certainly a worthy Fincher knock off. Cage's performance I'm pretty mixed on. He goes really hard for what he's given, but I'm kind of left feeling like his presence in the film was a bit of a miscast and you could have easily gotten an equally chilling performance from another actor with less baggage than Cage. The lead actress also felt very unengaged which I get was a directorial choice but she leaned into that side of it a little too bit and it made her character frustrating to watch.
Definitely interested to here your thoughts. This could very well be our next Bones and All
My friend we’ve got another Bones and All on our hands. I absolutely adored this movieLonglegs was a lot and honestly...I kind of hated it. The plot was all the hell over the place and the third act was basically a painfully long exposition dump. There's definitely some good qualities. As far as visuals and craft go it's certainly a worthy Fincher knock off. Cage's performance I'm pretty mixed on. He goes really hard for what he's given, but I'm kind of left feeling like his presence in the film was a bit of a miscast and you could have easily gotten an equally chilling performance from another actor with less baggage than Cage. The lead actress also felt very unengaged which I get was a directorial choice but she leaned into that side of it a little too bit and it made her character frustrating to watch.
Definitely interested to hear your thoughts. This could very well be our next Bones and All
So yesterday I caught Despicable Me 4, Longlegs, and MaXXXine and I enjoyed all three of them more than I expected.
Despicable Me 4 was still not good and super generic, but I found it to be a step up from 3. At this point though, I think it has the Ice Age problem of continuing to add too many characters with not nearly enough plot to justify them. I think it’s time to age up the girls, give them new arcs, or cut them out entirely by sending them to college or whatever. I’ve always felt Edith should be an aspiring villain and having Gru teach her instead of Joey King how to be a villain despite having turned over a new leaf would’ve been more interesting. It’s better than I expected but still not good. I was very happy to see Vector though.
MaXXXine was pretty solid. I don’t get the hate it’s getting, but I also wasn’t as high on X and Pearl as everyone else seemed to be. They were both good, but they weren’t the horror masterpieces everyone made them out to be. With that thinking, I had some fun with MaXXXine! I loved how pulpy it was, with the neon pink fake blood everywhere and the city feeling grimy and gross, it really felt like an 80’s crime thriller and I really enjoyed that about it. Mia Goth was also very good, though I do think she had the least to do in this one compared to X and Pearl, but she was solid as is.
As for Longlegs, as I said last night, I adored this movie. I completely ignored the hype behind it because I’m really just over the whole “scariest movie ever” B.S. that we get consistently every single time a Neon or A24 horror movie drops, so I didn’t go in expecting Terrifier 3, I went in expecting a Nic Cage crime thriller and that’s exactly what I got. I loved how this movie gets under your skin and feels like the anticipation of a jump scare without the release. It’s not scary as in shocking imagery and jump scares and that type of horror, it’s a slow burn with an incredibly uncomfortable villain and a vibe and cinematography that has you checking behind you after you leave.
I’ve already got my tickets to Twister in D-Box so I’m very excited about that. July overall is looking like it may even top June
Despicable Me 4 was still not good and super generic, but I found it to be a step up from 3. At this point though, I think it has the Ice Age problem of continuing to add too many characters with not nearly enough plot to justify them. I think it’s time to age up the girls, give them new arcs, or cut them out entirely by sending them to college or whatever. I’ve always felt Edith should be an aspiring villain and having Gru teach her instead of Joey King how to be a villain despite having turned over a new leaf would’ve been more interesting. It’s better than I expected but still not good. I was very happy to see Vector though.
MaXXXine was pretty solid. I don’t get the hate it’s getting, but I also wasn’t as high on X and Pearl as everyone else seemed to be. They were both good, but they weren’t the horror masterpieces everyone made them out to be. With that thinking, I had some fun with MaXXXine! I loved how pulpy it was, with the neon pink fake blood everywhere and the city feeling grimy and gross, it really felt like an 80’s crime thriller and I really enjoyed that about it. Mia Goth was also very good, though I do think she had the least to do in this one compared to X and Pearl, but she was solid as is.
As for Longlegs, as I said last night, I adored this movie. I completely ignored the hype behind it because I’m really just over the whole “scariest movie ever” B.S. that we get consistently every single time a Neon or A24 horror movie drops, so I didn’t go in expecting Terrifier 3, I went in expecting a Nic Cage crime thriller and that’s exactly what I got. I loved how this movie gets under your skin and feels like the anticipation of a jump scare without the release. It’s not scary as in shocking imagery and jump scares and that type of horror, it’s a slow burn with an incredibly uncomfortable villain and a vibe and cinematography that has you checking behind you after you leave.
I’ve already got my tickets to Twister in D-Box so I’m very excited about that. July overall is looking like it may even top June
NateD1226
Well-Known Member
Longlegs was a lot and honestly...I kind of hated it. The plot was all the hell over the place and the third act was basically a painfully long exposition dump. There's definitely some good qualities. As far as visuals and craft go it's certainly a worthy Fincher knock off. Cage's performance I'm pretty mixed on. He goes really hard for what he's given, but I'm kind of left feeling like his presence in the film was a bit of a miscast and you could have easily gotten an equally chilling performance from another actor with less baggage than Cage. The lead actress also felt very unengaged which I get was a directorial choice but she leaned into that side of it a little too bit and it made her character frustrating to watch.
Definitely interested to here your thoughts. This could very well be our next Bones and All
I watched Longlegs Monday night, and I would say that I fall in between you both when it comes to my liking of the film. I did not hate it, but I was a bit disappointed by the end product. The opening scene was creepy as hell, really setting the tone quite perfectly. Then there was the scene as Lee's house, which scared me even more! The tension was insane!!! I was so on board with the story and the vibe...until I wasn't. Lemme put the rest of my thoughts in a spoiler tab:
Once Lee went to visit her mom the first time and they showed the cockroach coming out under the door, I knew that Longlegs was down there. It sucks because once they showed that scene, I felt like I knew the rest of the movie. Why did they have to show that he was in a basement before that scene!!! It just felt like they set up the twist too much that it ruined the whole pacing of the story. There were also a lot of plot points left unexplained, leaving me a bit frustrated. Why did Longlegs target Lee and her mom even though she does not have a dad? Was there an accomplice before Lee's mom? Was the metal ball giving Lee her powers? Who killed Lee's partner in the beginning and what was his relation to the whole case? The questions just keep going and going. It sucks because I was genuinely terrified for the first 40 minutes, but the film got less unsettling when more questions arose. I tried my hardest to kinda just let the film take me on its journey, but the ending just upset me the most. Oh, and Nic Cage...he scared me. Well, his appearance scared me, like in the opening scene and when he breaks into Lee's house and ties up her mom in the flashback. Yet, there were moments where he was overdoing it a bit, like when he was screaming in his car. It felt a little too much, kinda detracting from the scary nature that was so well done in the first part of the film. I saw someone describe this a Blumhouse plot disguised under art house visuals, and that is honesltly spot-on. There was a lot of potential to say something here, whether it is about religion or innocence. Yet, I felt like it had nothing to say at all. Even the creatives did not want to say something, at least give us a good script that matches your tone.
Anyway, I am seeing Twisters tonight. I am also quite excited about it! I realized I never ranked last month's releases so I am gonna have to do that soon lol.
Lord Fozzinator
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Ok since the Acolyte is over, I will give my full unbiased review of the show. Going through every episode (the ones I have watched which have been every one but 3).
Episode 1: Overall I liked it and I got invested in it. The fight scenes were excellent and the writing and dialogue didn’t seem too bad. Also I would like to point out something, this show is NOT woke. There is literally nothing about this show that even gives off a hint of wokeness. Just because the leads are African American and a woman doesn’t make it woke. Anyway this gets a 7/10
Episode 2: A bit worse than the first, the fight scenes were good as always but everything else was kind of meh, so it gets a 6/10
Episode 3: I didn’t watch so I can’t give an accurate review so we will move on to the next one.
Episode 4: Overall, this episode was filler, mainly building up to 5. Nothing is bad, except that it is kinda boring, so this gets a 6/10.
Episode 5: This one is my favorite by far. The fight scenes were incredible. Dialogue really played a backseat but that is fine, we wanna see lightsabers flying around people. This gets a 9/10
Episode 6: Another filler episode but overall this is a decent one. Nothing inherently bad about it but there is not a lot of good stuff too. This gets a 6/10
Episode 7: This one is a pretty good flashback episode, it builds on the lore and has some pretty good fight scenes. But I do not care for the night sisters. So this gets a 7/10
Episode 8: This one does a good job in toeing the series in a nice little bow, all loose ends are tied up. I really like how they kept the Sith a secret. Again the fight scenes were good. Overall this gets a 8/10
Overall the series gets a 6.5/10. Not a bad show but also not a great one. There were some good episodes and they were some bad ones. Unfortunately this just adds another decent show to the Star Wars catalog. This show is not as bad as everyone says it is, I think there just mad that Disney is making it and nothing else. Sure there is some bad things but this is not the worst show in the world.
Episode 1: Overall I liked it and I got invested in it. The fight scenes were excellent and the writing and dialogue didn’t seem too bad. Also I would like to point out something, this show is NOT woke. There is literally nothing about this show that even gives off a hint of wokeness. Just because the leads are African American and a woman doesn’t make it woke. Anyway this gets a 7/10
Episode 2: A bit worse than the first, the fight scenes were good as always but everything else was kind of meh, so it gets a 6/10
Episode 3: I didn’t watch so I can’t give an accurate review so we will move on to the next one.
Episode 4: Overall, this episode was filler, mainly building up to 5. Nothing is bad, except that it is kinda boring, so this gets a 6/10.
Episode 5: This one is my favorite by far. The fight scenes were incredible. Dialogue really played a backseat but that is fine, we wanna see lightsabers flying around people. This gets a 9/10
Episode 6: Another filler episode but overall this is a decent one. Nothing inherently bad about it but there is not a lot of good stuff too. This gets a 6/10
Episode 7: This one is a pretty good flashback episode, it builds on the lore and has some pretty good fight scenes. But I do not care for the night sisters. So this gets a 7/10
Episode 8: This one does a good job in toeing the series in a nice little bow, all loose ends are tied up. I really like how they kept the Sith a secret. Again the fight scenes were good. Overall this gets a 8/10
Overall the series gets a 6.5/10. Not a bad show but also not a great one. There were some good episodes and they were some bad ones. Unfortunately this just adds another decent show to the Star Wars catalog. This show is not as bad as everyone says it is, I think there just mad that Disney is making it and nothing else. Sure there is some bad things but this is not the worst show in the world.
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
I also see it tonight! I am super excited!
I have to wait until Friday but I’ve got it in DBox so it should be a thrilling time
AceAstro
Well-Known Member
I have tickets for the IMAX + Q&A for tonight but I was extremely tempted to wait a few days and do Dbox as it feels like such a perfect movie for that
NateD1226
Well-Known Member
Have you done DBox before? If you have, how do you like it? I’m always curious about it and kinda want to try it, but I’m scared the motion might overpower the movie lol.