Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Screen203
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

Post by Screen203 »

Vice

Disturbing film that is definitely not the satirical comedy that was advertised. Great performances from all, especially unrecognizable portrayals from Steve Carell
and Christian Bale. Bale's chilling transformation into Cheney and Carrel as Donald Rumsfeld are matched by a strong performance from Amy Adams as Cheney's wife. A complaint I do have is that Adam McKay's use of the style that he brilliantly used in The Big Short feels, at first, very out of place in such an intense movie. Jesse Plemons's performance is very good as the narrator, however. While the beginning of the movie is somewhat disjointed and all over the map, everything ties together in an interesting way. Tyler Perry, surprisingly, was also great in his brief role.

Stay after the credits, as well. It is one of the most biting scenes I have seen in a long time.

8 out of 10
It's not destroying. It's making something new.

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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Green Book 9/10

Driving Miss Daisy but better. This is the kind of awards bait film you don't really see anymore, the kind that really isn't made for awards but manages to get them because the film is so well-made and has excellent performances from Mortensen and Ali. It also helps that the film doesn't stick in one genre. It could have been an ultra-serious drama or an over-the-top comedy (it was directed by a Farrelly brother, after all) but it manages to balance itself out by telling its story and getting its message across while also being an enjoyably humorous odd couple movie.

It's earned its audience thus far but I feel Universal should have gone much wider with it. It's made more money than their two Christmas offerings but has played in fewer theatres. I get that they are waiting for Golden Globes results but smaller markets should be allowed to see this one for themselves instead of something like Holmes & Watson.
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Welcome to Marwen 2/10

Disastrous narrative version of the 2010 documentary Marwencol that seemingly exists for one reason: so Robert Zemeckis could bring back his dated approach to motion capture for a film that doesn't need it. When it's not in its animated trance, it ends up being a borderline offensive deception of the disabled and Steve Carell makes Mark Hogancamp come off as somewhat of a creep instead of the sympathetic figure a film like this one needs for it to work. Without the "based on a true story" angle, you could easily see this as Psycho told from Norman Bates' perspective. And what was up with Diane Kruger's character? Kruger's proved to be a very capable actress but the ham acting combined with the ridiculousness of the character combine to make this her worst performance.

Speaking of worsts, this is easily the lowest point for Zemeckis's career. He'll need The Witches to be a massive success if he wants to recover.
It's like what Lenin said...I am the walrus.

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Screen203
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Roma

First, I would highly reccomend seeing it in a theater if you can if you are at all interested. The cinematography is the best I've seen all year, and the monochrome style gives the film a beauty that is unparalleled by most films.
The sound mixing is great, as well. You can feel the pain in the emotional scenes and admire the craft that Alfonso Cuaron brought to this story. The acting is amazing across the board, especially Yalitza Aparicio as the lead.

The film itself will probably be somewhat divisive, however. I would advise people who don't like films without a central plot to avoid this. The film never feels pretentious, and every image adds to the experience. The film is obviously very personal for Cuaron, and it is a very moving experience I would highly reccomend for aadventurous moviegoers who don't mind visual storytelling.


10 out of 10
It's not destroying. It's making something new.

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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Bumblebee 8/10

Surprisingly enjoyable prequel to the Transformers franchise that shows the direction that the series needed to go the whole time. Despite the PG-13 rating, it's a soft one as with the exception of humans getting blown up into cytoplasm, it's a safe film for children to watch. And Transformers was always intended for children, right? A lot of the film's success comes from the fish-out-of-water premise of a teenage girl and an Autobot who takes the form of a Volkswagen (and yes, they explain how he became a Camaro and why he needs a radio to speak) and the ability to mine humor from it. In a way, it's kind of like E.T. or Lilo and Stitch rather than the aural assaults of the Bay films.

My only two complaints are that it got a little too 80's in places and it was a bit derivative of the first Bay film. Despite Travis Knight striving to emulate the popular 80's film, the soundtrack choices felt less like what was popular in 1987 and more like a Best of the 80's list on Spotify. As for the latter, Charlie felt a little too similar to Sam in places. But luckily, she gets to become a much more capable character than Shia ever did in the series (also, no romantic plot this time around).

I have to wonder how the series will progress from here. Will the next film focus on Optimus Prime? Will they continue to progress through the 80's and everything before 2007 with Bumblebee? Will they return to Cybertron? Any way they choose, it's a step on the right path to redeeming Transformers for both nostalgia freaks and less obsessive audiences.
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Catching up with 2019 viewings

Possum: 5/10
Beautiful and atmospheric film about a troubled man trying to get rid of his creepy puppet. It's really a short that was stretched too thin into a feature.

Blindspotting: 5/10
Over-rated film about two pals in California's Oakland, one being a guy on the last days of parole, the other his slightly wild friend. A confused tone, sense of direction that ranges between drama and hip-hop music video, some poor performances, and an unfocused narrative all robs the film of its promise.

Don't Leave Home: 4/10
Forgettable horror about an artist who heads to Ireland at the behest of a priest with strange abilities. Half a decent idea in there that critiques artists and the worlds they build, but it doesn't stay with you.

Under the Silver Lake: 6/10
Unfocused, unwieldy, but somewhat fascinating film from the director of It Follows. This is more like a metaphysical mystery about a unemployed man on the search for a missing woman he recently befriended. It takes him on a weird journey full of signs, symbols, and mysteries. Ultimately it makes fun of it all, being intentionaly deflating while saying something about masculinity (I think). It lands somewhere between Mulholland Drive and Southland Tales - full of ideas but doesn't quite tie together.

Assassination Nation: 5/10
What a brilliant first half, as we enter the lives of 4 teenage girls as they negotiate highschool. They're witty, strong, sexually assured. Until a hacker rocks the town by revealing its secrets. The second half of the film turns into a bloody revenge thriller that's utterly ridiculous and goes too far in its forced-feminist preachiness, leaving it unconvincing on a narrative and thematic level.

Five fingers for Marseilles: 5/10
A watchable but over-long South African modern Western, in which a bandit returns to the townland he lived in as a kid, only to find one of his childhood mates on the verge of taking over with a ruthless fist. It's a decent film, but sadly the action looks lazy and cheap.

First Reformed: 7/10
Excellent drama directly inspired by one of my favourite Bergman films, Winter Light. Here, a priest with issues running a church that's more of a museum tries to help one of his parishioner's husband, who is depressed at the damage humans have done to the environment. Tragedy rocks the priest's life and forces him to look at his beliefs, as a major celebration is planned. Amazing performances light up the austere direction and naturalistic cinematography, with an occasional jump out of realism, making this a surprising and exciting film.

The World is Yours: 6/10
Fun but forgettable gangster thriller in which a young conman does one more job before going legit. So far so predictable but there's energy and a sense of fun in Romain Gavras's second feature, reminding me of a young Guy Ritchie. I wish the film was a tad more subversive, considering Gavras's past work, but it was an enjoyable 100 mins nevertheless.

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Screen203
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Escape Room

An okay diversion, but nothing special. The concept of a more glossy and mainstream version of films like Saw is a good one, at least fiscally. The set design and overall effects are extremely good for a relativley cheap film (though above the production values of most others in this genre). The acting is okay, with no performance standing out. Some of the characters are unsympathetic, which I'm not sure is intentional, and that seems to have something to do with the relatively flat performances. The film is very predictable, and the hook for the sequel kind of leaves the film in limbo as certain plot elements are never addressed. In conclusion, this film is better than most horror/suspense films released on the first weekend of the year, even though the end is very rushed (though it doesn't end with a link to a website, thank God.) An entertaining matinee that is easily disposable.

6 out of 10
It's not destroying. It's making something new.

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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Glad you liked, even if not as much as me, Under the Silver Lake and The World is Yours, Six ;)
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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The Favourite - really great/10

Might be the funniest movie I've seen from last year. As someone who HATED The Lobster and couldn't get into Sacred Deer at all, I'm glad to discover I'm not allergic to Yorgos Lanthimos.

It's so ludicrous and well-done, all at the same time. And I am no history buff, but I couldn't believe this was a true story :o

I get the love for Olivia Colman, but Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Nicolas Hoult are incredible here. It's been so long since I've seen Emma Stone actually act, and I haven't seen Hoult outside of the X-Men movies (which everyone but Fassbender sleepwalks through) in a while.
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numbersix
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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BanksIsDaFuture wrote:
It's so ludicrous and well-done, all at the same time. And I am no history buff, but I couldn't believe this was a true story :o
Although massive liberties were taken with the true story

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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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You don't remember Nux, Banks?
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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If Beale Street Could Talk 8/10

A superior film to the similar Roma but a bit of a disappointment compared to Moonlight. Barry Jenkins' new film feels a lot like an early Spike Lee film in terms of style and the way Jenkins uses color and music. But once you really get down to things, the end result doesn't really feel that ambitious. The story on its own (a young woman being forced to raise her child on her own while her boyfriend is jailed for a crime that he didn't commit) is good but Jenkins, adapting from James Baldwin's work, seems to suggest that these stories will build into an even bigger story about civil rights, something that never actually happens. The film seems to end with a whimper rather than a bang. And I wasn't all that impressed with Regina King's performance. King was excellent on American Crime but she had a lot to do on that show. King really doesn't get to do much here outside of the scenes in Puerto Rico. If she wins the Oscar, it will likely be due to a weak field.

In short, a strong follow-up but it kind of didn't meet the hype.
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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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Replicas was... mostly boring, but any scenes with the Bicentennial Man robot were hysterical.
It's not destroying. It's making something new.

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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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The Favourite: 7/10
Excellent darkly comic drama about Queen Anne and a tricky love triangle involving her confidante and an upstart. It's Barry Lyndon meets All About Eve. And it happens to be beautifully lens (good ol Robbie Ryan) utilising fisheye lenses, and boast three absolutely perfect performances by Olivia Coleman (who finally makes the transition from her stunning TV performances to the big screen), Emma Stone, and Rache Weisz. The only negative point is that it's not as imaginative or as unpredictable as Yorgos Lanthimos's other films.

Colette: 4/10
Dull biopic directed like it's made for TV. It's an itneresting story, about a young French woman in the early 20th century whose populist novels are all the rage, but she is forced to publish under her husband's name. So it's a predictabe feminist tale, with some lesbian intrigue, but the writing and performances aren't strong enough to make the most of that good subject matter.

The Old Man and the Gun: 6/10
A lovely farewell to Mr Redford, with a look and feel of some of his classic films. Another true story, Redford just waltes through the film, dealing with a bank robber who has grace and tact, but doesn't know when to quit, even when the promise of romance arises. There's great support from the likes of Danny Glover, Sissey Spacek, Tom Waits, Casey Affleck, and Elisabeth Moss, but it's all about Ol Red bowing out with dignity.

Support the Girls: 6/10
Powerful in how unassuming it is, this is about a difficult day for the manager of a Hooter-like bar. The film manages to be witty and quite honest in the dreary drama that populates Regina Hall's day, which quickly starts to come undone. Its realism means a lack of significant resolution, but the characters are all great, and the film incredibly engaging.
Last edited by numbersix on January 14th, 2019, 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Rate That Movie Part IV: Movies Never Sleep

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If Beale Street Could Talk

A beautiful, lyrical film that is fully deserving of the praise that it's gotten. The acting is amazing among every cast member (even Ed Skrein), particularly Stephen James. His performance has been overshadowed by some of the other great performances in the movie, but he is brilliant as Fonny. Another highlight is the score. Truly sweeping, stirring material that adds even more heft to the surroundings and pulls you in to the film even more. The cinematography and direction are also stellar, in particular a long shot which features the main characters walking through the city with heavy winds behind them. It has a extremely authentic feel to it, and you can almost feel the breeze of the wind in the theater with you. One complaint I do have is that due to the dual timelines, some scenes happening before Fonny's arrest (particularly the scene with Brian Tryee Henry, as one of the witnesses who is seemingly wrongly accused as a cover-up for the framing of Fonnywhich leads to a break from the complete immersion of the rest of the movie) do drag somewhat, as you dread what is going to happen to the couple (which is likely purposeful), and the narration using still photographs of the characters should have been cut out (but considering it is an adaptation, it makes sense to have Tish narrate). Overall, a very effective movie.

9 out of 10
It's not destroying. It's making something new.

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