What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

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Screen203
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Screen203 »

In The Heights is pretty much an extended music video. Most of the music is good, but it goes on for too long.
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Ron Burgundy
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Ron Burgundy »

Raise the Red Lantern

A beautiful but melancholy film, starring Gong Li - now i see why Chien had a crush her. Not sure why ive been avoiding Chinese films for forever, but no more! This sucked me in with its depiction of a poor woman (Li) going away from her family to marry off some rich landlord. It does kind of sound dull and perhaps there are rare times where it is, but more often than not, the scenes seem so authentic that you get swept away by Gong Li's character and start rooting for her- like you are also a visitor in this strange place. Oh and the lanterns give it some unusual but nice quality i can't explain

7/10
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

I'm going to be getting to host a screening at my local arthouse in a couple of weeks. I hope it goes better than the last time I got to pick a movie to screen at one of my nearby theatres.
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numbersix
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by numbersix »

What film are you hosting, Boosch?

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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

Speed. I finally managed to get a theatre to book it after many "no DCP's available and then Disney buys the Fox library" roadblocks.

It's the first film in a revived series where members of my local arthouse get to pick a movie that plays for one night. It had been going for a few years before COVID shelved the series but it's coming back. I've been helping get the word out as ticket sales are set to begin. I also have to write an introduction while also encouraging patrons to buy memberships. Seeing how this is a rarely-screened action classic, maybe we'll get some people who don't typical come to arrive and maybe like what they see.

The best-case scenario for me would be that it's like the Rad screening I attended on Thursday and all of these people come (seriously, it must have been two-thirds full and Rad is not the most well-known movie) and have the best time they could possibly have, enjoying every minute like it's a miracle that they got to see this movie the most optimal way possible.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

I don't know where to post this but here we go.

Why is it so impossible to get Snydercut people to understand why you don't agree with them? They are like the film version of QAnon.

Also, I got called an edgelord recently for saying I didn't like some mediocre 80's slasher.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

The good and bad about the Speed screening.

The bad: hardly anyone showed. It got scheduled against a pair of showings of the 4K restoration of Gojira at another theatre and I guess the intended audience went to that instead. I don't blame the theatre for this but myself for trusting that other people would have similar tastes as me. 0 for 2 with me and thinking I know what the local audience wants (oddly, they've got Punch-Drunk Love coming in February). I ended up not doing my intro as I didn't feel like anyone would care. I might post what I wrote for the intended online. I was also supposed to thank everyone for coming but no one was around to help out so I assumed the staff forgot I was supposed to. I hope I'm not in hot water over that.

The good: it was the new 4K restoration Disney released earlier this year. Speed on the big screen looks and sounds great and the film is still as amazing as it was before. I miss action movies like this, where they do not let up on the action and you actually care for the character. Jack Traven forever.

It was nice getting to see Speed in the theatre but maybe I don't deserve success in life.
It's like what Lenin said...I am the walrus.

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Ron Burgundy
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Ron Burgundy »

Some recent viewings (lots more, just did not write down)

The Guilty (2018)
So, after my father saw the remake with Jake Gyllenhaal, i thought, maybe he is ahead of the Curve somehow. He wasn't. And this original is pretty good. It kinda drags in places but overall its a solid film with minimal variation in scenery.
7/10

La Strada (1954)
Had this one booked in the ol back pocket for maybe, i dunno, 6 years? Well worth the wait. Simple and yet beautiful. The characters are dense and thorough. Bittersweet film, but since i knew very little, it was mostly a carnival ride of bliss.
8/10

The Jacket (2005)
Hmm, what can i say about this? Maybe Adrien Brody shouldn't have taken this script, maybe the director and stuff coulda been a new type of 12 Monkeys. But it wasn't. It was confusing and stretched the credibility. All in all, not bad, but i can see why it flopped.
5.5/10

Shallow Grave (1994)
What a delight! If you're into graves and what not. This is not about graves though, its about what happens to people when a bunch of money hits them unawares. Unaware i was for years that this is basically the same team that brought you Trainspotting!! Yes, Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle did this a year or so before the aforementioned film, that was enough of a hook to get me line and sinker, and it did not disappoint...
9/10

Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972)
Another one i was saving for later. Or more so, i half watched it, then fell asleep, then revisited it years later. Ok, so yes, it is very much a Werner Herzog amazon film- what does that mean? Well, you have to see it to understand, because its all about the people. Some people are not so nice.
6.5/10

Elle (2016)
This is a bit of a treat. Its been a while since i seen it, but it was a treat. Paul Verhoeven gives this script a proper treatment, did you know that Nicole Kidman, Sharon Stone and Julianne Moore all turned down this movie?! Maybe they thought it was Showgirls. Maybe they hadn't seen Soldier of Orange. All round i enjoyed this.
7/10

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
Been a while now but it was surprisingly suspenseful.
6.5/10

Ugetsu (1953)
Almost forget i had seen this. But then i read some reviews on here. This is a gem of a film, just give it a chance.
8/10

Loving Vincent (2017)
Impressive animation, almost like Vincent himself was present while the was done. Well cast and perhaps lacking in story but still worth a watch.
6/10

Deception (2013)
Very ambitious and only fairly deceptive. I had high hopes for this after scouring through my watchlist, not many newish or English language films left! All i can say is its well acted and somewhat tedious.
5.5/10

Come and See (1985)
The movie many of you have talked about. Harrowing at times, majestic at other times, slightly boring before the meat is chewed. All in all, ill give this 1 thumb up, but viewer beware, this is the real war shit Hollywood is not accustomed to showing...
7/10

Sleuth (1972)
Wow, what a show. Michael Caine Vs Lawrence Olivier basically. Goes right until the end. Its a game of cat and mouse, with the ultra high consequences at stake. A little bit too 1970s but then again, what isn't in that decade...An absolute pleasure to watch!
8.5/10
“One time I wrestled a giraffe to the ground with my bare hands.” — Dale

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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

I also watched The Jacket recently. I liked it more than you did. I'd also forgotten that Daniel Craig was in it.
It's like what Lenin said...I am the walrus.

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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

Who wants a $5 Fandango VIP code? I have one that expires on Friday but couldn't find any movie to used it on because they got rid of their any rental option. If you want to rent any movie or want to use it on their list of movies in theatres, I can select said movie and then send the code over to you.

Edit: as no one asked for it, I checked if new titles became available and I ended up renting Willy's Wonderland, as one of the people in my local film club insisted it was good. Of course, her taste isn't the best but I'm sure this is a better Cage film than Prisoners of the Ghostland.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Ron Burgundy »

Life as a House.
I saw some reviews, calling it out on how artificial it is. After watching it, perhaps its more resonant now, than ever before. Starring Kevin Kline (quite frankly, does a great job), Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiensen) and many more familiar faces! I've now decided to dig up more of the Director (more a producer it seems) Irvin Winkler, damn, what a contrast in filmography. All in all, I enjoyed this on a lazy Saturday afternoon, a story of redemption, reliving and resigning.
6.5/10
“One time I wrestled a giraffe to the ground with my bare hands.” — Dale

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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

I got to see Batman Returns last night and before the movie, the trailer for The Batman was shown.

The Batman - why does it look like Zack Snyder remade Nolan's trilogy? I usually go see every Batman movie as soon it as comes out but this looks like a pass for me. SnyderAnon destroyed most enthusiasm I had for superhero movies.

Batman Returns - why doesn't this style exist for superhero movies anymore? Sure, it's dark but there is a certain beauty to the grotesque that Burton projects on-screen. For a guy that almost never reads comic books, Tim Burton's Batman films might be more authentic to the artistry of what goes into the creation of the medium that most modern-day adaptations.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

Went to a showing of Almost Famous today and I'm trying to figure out how this script won an Oscar. Viewing it in 2022 eyes, this is nothing more than an inauthentic ego trip designed solely to appeal to boomers and studio executives. Also, Licorice Pizza ripped off a lot of this movie and made it worse.

I'll just stick to Boogie Nights.
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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by JohnErle »

It's the first day of Spring, so I thought I'd do a quick ratings dump for everything I watched this winter. Most of them are older titles because, you know, they don't make 'em like they used to.

9/10
Il Sorpasso (1962)
The influence on Alexander Payne's Sideways is undeniable. Both are great films.

Ran (1985)
A late-career masterpiece from Kurosawa. I wasn't sure what to expect since he was virtually blind when he made it and had to rely on his cinematographer to frame his shots, but whoever was mostly responsible the film is stunning to look at and always compelling.

8/10
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
Le Doulos (1962)

7/10
Letter Never Sent (1960)
A Soviet-era propaganda film about the plucky, can-do spirit of the Russian people, so basically the last movie anyone should be watching right now.

A Man For All Seasons (1966)
A bit too stagey for my tastes, but it's hard to argue against Paul Scofield's Oscar for this performance.

6/10
Last Night In Soho (2021)
The biggest problem with this film is Thoamsin McKenzie, who is basically a manic pixie nightmare. The over-emphasis on style and the big twist that was utterly predictable after forty minutes didn't help either. The trippier it gets the better it gets, but the whole cliched college mean girls subplot could have been cut. Edgar Wright is in danger of turning into Cameron Crowe if the soundtracks continue to be better than his movies.

Sin Alas (2015)
The first American film given permission to shoot in Cuba since before the revolution is a bit underwhelming and doesn't really capture the feeling of being there, but it's worth a watch.

Gotcha! (1985)
I loved this one when I was a kid but hadn't seen it since the 80s so it was like watching it for the first time. It starts off as a goofy comedy before turning into a tender romance before finally morphing into a Cold War spy thriller. I'm so used to Hollywood films written by committee with a slavish devotion to formula that this film's almost naïve disregard for genre conventions was oddly refreshing. It's very dated, but nostalgic fun.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)
Middling Giallo fare, but decent enough if you enjoy the genre.

5/10
Phantom Lady (1944)
And Hope To Die (1972)
Free Guy (2021)
Ryan Reynolds was really bugging me in this movie, and then halfway through I realized why. He basically spends the whole movie doing an impression of Will Ferrell in Elf.

4/10
Radio On (1979)
Speaking of Cameron Crowe, the soundtrack is easily the best thing about this British road movie. It probably inspired Anton Corbjin to make Control a black and white rock biopic where nothing happens.

3/10
The Djinn (2021)
The last five minutes are the only reason I rated this so highly. It should have been a 20-minute short.

2/10
Blood For Dracula (1974)
Save yourself a lot of time and just fast-forward to the nudity.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
I shouldn't have let my morbid curiosity get the better of me. It's even worse than I'd imagined after skipping its initial release. Did no one notice that Sophie Turner can't act?

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Re: What Are You Watching Right Now? Episode 3 - Turtles in Time

Post by Buscemi2 »

A lot of the Game of Thrones actors can't carry movies. That's why The New Mutants de-emphasized Maisie Williams in favor of Anya Taylor-Joy, even with the bad accent.

And I think Wright is already turning into Crowe. He's got the self-indulgence and undeserved cult following. All he needs to do is hang out with a big time producer and constantly copy his style. Guy should have never stopped working with Simon Pegg.

As for Ryan Reynolds, nearly his entire career has been him playing Van Wilder in a different setting. His continued success might be one of the great mysteries in Hollywood.
It's like what Lenin said...I am the walrus.

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