Jump to content

What Was The Last Movie You Watched?


Rugster

Recommended Posts

The Batman (cinema) - surely requires no synopsis.

A noir stab at a Batman film by way of the serial killer genre. It's OK - wears it's influences (hello David Fincher) on its sleeve, but the problem is that it feels like an 18 certificate film pulling its punches. Frankly, it feels like it would rather not be a Batman film at all. It's more on a par with middling genre entries like Kiss the Girls or Solace than something like The Silence of the Lambs. It's also very ponderous, and did not require a three-hour length.

Despite trying to do something different with the franchise, it sadly slips into a lot of the same tropes. Batman is more physically vulnerable in this one, yet still becomes invulnerable when it suits the story. There's the standard love interest that we've seen so many times before. The bad guys get the shit kicked out of them when required; help will always conveniently appear at the exact moment it's needed. Batman will always have a new gadget that will help with his situation.

It feels tired; this is just what's expected, don't think about it too much, that's just what happens in these films. There are no surprises here, and even a twist (I guess) towards the end feels like something we've seen before, and is pretty anticlimactic. It should be a surprise to nobody that, if this gets a sequel, they're going down the same path they've been on multiple times by this point.

Pattinson is fine as Emo Bruce Wayne, and as his alter-ego. Zoe Kravitz makes for a good Catwoman. Colin Farrell is an unrecognisable Penguin, channelling Robert De Niro, and probably puts on the best show in the film. John Turturro, Jeffrey Wright, and Andy Serkis are all solid without having to try much. Peter Sarsgaard uses his squirmy squeamishness well in a small role. You'll notice a number of other faces, and they all do fine. I personally didn't think much of Paul Dano's Riddler; he spends most of the film acting like one of Jim Sterling's castaway pisstake characters, and I could see what they were going for in the final third, but there's nothing sinister or challenging about him. It's nowhere near as bad as Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor, but I found the character a bit disappointing.

So yeah, it's fine, if you really want to see a film with Batman in. If you're after a detective/serial killer flick, there are many that are way better.

Edited by BFTD
Typooooo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went to see the five short films nominated for the Oscars. A depressing, somewhat overly worthy bunch.

019 -- On My Mind. Danish movie about a man wanting to sing a song on karaoke for the special woman in his life and prevented by a grumpy bar owner. Quite funny in spots before the premise becomes obvious. 6/10

020 -- Please Hold. Kafkaesque piece about a retail worker stopped and arrested by a police drone and dropped into a nightmarish automated jail system. Maybe the most entertaining nominee, even if it did feel like a fictionalized version of a Last Week Tonight segment. 8/10

021 -- The Dress. Polish drama about a housemaid with dwarfism at a dingy motorway hotel looking for love or, at a push, any kind of sexual encounter. Crushingly depressing stuff, although the acting is great. 6/10

022 -- The Long Goodbye. Really strange short with Riz Ahmed. I expected so much more. It's part domestic terrorism, part slam poetry with nothing much of a story that seemed to demand that we get angry about something that isn't happening, like Fox News attempts to get us angry about stuff that isn't happening. 4/10

023 -- Take and Run. Krygyzstan woman goes to the city to study and winds up being kidnapped and forced into an arranged marriage. Fairly bleak again, but I love the landscape of the country where if you're not in the city, you're in the middle of nowhere, with no chance of help, and little chance of escape. Beautifully acted as well and had something of a glimmer of hope in the end. 8/10

And then...

024 -- The Worst Person in the World. I enjoyed this at the time but the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I really loved it. Renate Reinsve is captivating as Julie, a woman who finds it hard to commit to every aspect of her life until she meets comic book writer Aksel and the pair fall in love. It's a bit Harry Met Sally where Harry isn't really asked to contribute too much and there are a few set pieces that will live long in the memory, such as when Julie meets a guy at a party and they decide to see how far they can go without cheating on each other, and a fantasy scene where the world stops. Only minor complaint is really that the timeline is a bit confusing and when it announces at the start that it's a story told in 12 chapters, it's made me a bit impatient to be an hour in and only on Chapter 5. Probably my favourite movie of the year so far. 9/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the Batman was a decent take.

I get why they didn't want to kick off with yet another Batman/Joker effort but Paul Dano as the Riddler sucked. I guess they wanted an intense serial killer but they ended up as a speccy VL.
Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell were good. As was Zoe Kravitz's bod. 

The Dark Knight is still the one to beat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 13/03/2022 at 20:31, Scotty Tunbridge said:

The BAFTAs are a load of shite. But on a side note are there really people in this world that find Rebel Wilson funny?

I thought she was one of those folk you're supposed to find funny just because they're fat.

Speaking of which, there's a film where they teamed her up with Matt Lucas. Every bit as hilarious as you'd imagine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought she was one of those folk you're supposed to find funny just because they're fat.
Speaking of which, there's a film where they teamed her up with Matt Lucas. Every bit as hilarious as you'd imagine.
Sure it's Bridesmaids, the main character lives with them for a bit and they're brother and sister.

Would've been better if Lucas had played George Dawes
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, LoonsYouthTeam said:

Sure it's Bridesmaids, the main character lives with them for a bit and they're brother and sister.

Would've been better if Lucas had played George Dawes

Right enough; and if Rebel Wilson had played...erm...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Turning Red.  By Pixar. 

Don't know if this got a cinema release but i suspect not. Teenage angst around a "tiger mom"/ daughter relationship with shapeshifting. 

It was ok but always felt a bit misconceived. The kids enjoyed it. I liked some of the retro (20 years) detail, mobile phones and boybands.  Story was average. Main character was quite well rounded but the rest were bolted on. Unusually for Pixar, it looked like shite. Plenty bits of quite good fun though. 

Six, by the skin of its teeth. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blue Jean Cop

80s video rental shop fodder starring Peter Weller and Sam Elliott as a hotshot lawyer and a tough cop who tackle corruption within NYPD. 

Plenty of sadistic violence, gratuitous tits, car chases and a couple of quite frankly ridiculous action sequences.

Corny but entertaining. Only recommended for fans of the genre.

7/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just finished watching the new spiderman. I liked it but thought it was a little leading at times. It told you where it was going as soon as you got to strange and never really stopped with that. I had largely stayed away from spoilers for it as well. It was like most marvel films where you can switch your brain off and just enjoy. I'll watch it again but I'm not sure there's much more to see on a second viewing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Batman Begins (2005)

I have recently watched the 1990s movies with the kids and we move on to Christian Bale. My memory of this film was that it was underwhelming. Having re-watched it, I'm even less of a fan now. Nebulous baddies, led by Liam Neeson who must have had all of 10 minutes screen time. Hardly any humour or fun, very serious and po-faced. 

Better than the Joel Schumacher ones (that wouldn't be difficult) but underwhelming in the extreme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Bully Wee Villa said:

I think all that list tells you is that people can access pornography a lot easier nowadays. Imagine going to the actual cinema to see a bit of filth, surrounded by perverts. The olden days were weird.

Only one is a an actual porno.

Last Picture Show, Klute and Last Tango In Paris are far more interested in sex than any popular film of recent years. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I assumed Carnal Knowledge and the one with Baaad Aaaasss in the name were porn. 

Last Tango In Paris probably wouldn't get made today but that's a good thing bearing in mind the suffering inflicted on Maria Schneider by Marlon Brando.

Edited by Bully Wee Villa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...