I Just Watched (Films)

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Stormbringer
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Stormbringer » Sun Jan 26, 2025 3:31 pm

Raid wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2025 9:12 am
Would you care to elaborate on that? I thought it was probably the best live-action superhero film. Dripping with atmosphere and with great performances from everyone involved.
I really think I would have trouble articulating myself; I struggle to put it into words. But, it was one of the most disappointing films I've ever seen. I'm only glad I waited long enough to see it for 'free' (it was on Amazon Prime not so long ago) and didn't pay money for a cinema ticket. That would have felt like a kick in the teeth.

If I could pick one element I hated the most, it was how much of the story was told through screens. Phones, laptops, TVs. I hate it when a screen experience relies on screens within the screen to tell the story. Hate it.

Another thing I hated was seeing Batman...
Spoiler
...TAKE A BOMB-BLAST TO THE FACE, and the worst damage he received was having the wind knocked out of him. Good grief! How did anyone think viewers would buy that? Even if his amazing bat-suit survived the blast, his face should have been a ruin. And he should be dead.

There were many other things too. The overall effect for me was one of lifelessness, dullness and tedious cliché. One outstanding 'I'm insane' scene by Paul Dano did not make up for the rest of it.
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by arqueturus » Sun Jan 26, 2025 4:22 pm

Stormbringer wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2025 3:31 pm
Raid wrote:
Sun Jan 26, 2025 9:12 am
Would you care to elaborate on that? I thought it was probably the best live-action superhero film. Dripping with atmosphere and with great performances from everyone involved.
I really think I would have trouble articulating myself; I struggle to put it into words. But, it was one of the most disappointing films I've ever seen. I'm only glad I waited long enough to see it for 'free' (it was on Amazon Prime not so long ago) and didn't pay money for a cinema ticket. That would have felt like a kick in the teeth.

If I could pick one element I hated the most, it was how much of the story was told through screens. Phones, laptops, TVs. I hate it when a screen experience relies on screens within the screen to tell the story. Hate it.

Another thing I hated was seeing Batman...
Spoiler
...TAKE A BOMB-BLAST TO THE FACE, and the worst damage he received was having the wind knocked out of him. Good grief! How did anyone think viewers would buy that? Even if his amazing bat-suit survived the blast, his face should have been a ruin. And he should be dead.

There were many other things too. The overall effect for me was one of lifelessness, dullness and tedious cliché. One outstanding 'I'm insane' scene by Paul Dano did not make up for the rest of it.
I'm with Raid, it's probably my favourite Batman film ever after the 1989 one. Batman does actual detective work, gets beat up plenty, has believable tech. Catwoman is human and has genuine hatred and fear so rather than just being 'sexy'. The Penguin is a brilliant villain, flawed, faceted and again has lots of human aspects like obviously being deeply insecure and, again, fear.

The lower points were:
  • Paul Dano phoning it in as a standard frothing at the mouth antagonist although I did like how it was all his own logic inside his head which was a decent motive if nothing else.
  • Robert Pattinson actually did a better job than I expected as Batman but just didn't quite manage to fill Bruce Wayne's persona that well.
With regards to the story through screens - this is the world we live in these days and it's hard to get away from them, granted it's trickier to make it interesting. You can't rely on spoken exposition of visual information as that would be really jarring and unnatural.

Finally, the sound design of the film is next level and it has the best Batmobile ever - you can absolutely believe that it's designed to punch out sub sonics and other noise to instil fear in the perps.

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by arqueturus » Sun Jan 26, 2025 4:23 pm

PS.

Oh and the sound was so good, I was on a flight back from Singapore and put my Sony XM3's in just to listen to it instead of the dodgy provided headphones.

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Stormbringer » Sun Jan 26, 2025 7:41 pm

I have to admit, I liked the Batmobile scene, and I liked the "hyper-modified car" aesthetic far more than the "super-tank with a bike in it" from the Nolanverse.
Last edited by Stormbringer on Sun Jan 26, 2025 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Raid » Sun Jan 26, 2025 9:33 pm

The sound and lighting in the Batmobile scene are sublime. Just the noise of the thing starting up gives me goosebumps.

I don't really agree with the criticism of screens on screen thing, but I suppose I can understand it could come across as lazy.

And on the bomb bit:
Spoiler
He gets both arms up as the bomb goes off to shield his jaw, the suit presumably takes the energy of it. I had to watch that again just to make sure, but he gets a countdown so it's not like it would have been a surprise.

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Alan » Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:08 am

Section 31
More like Section Smellybum.

Its like someone wanted to do Firefly but couldnt write good characters and also like someone wanted to write a Star Wars but were handed the Star Trek licence. At 62 Michelle Yeoh can still kick ass and moves better than most 20 year olds and she seems to be having fun so good for her. At least the universe didn't revolve around Michael Burnham for 90mins. Oh and the Terran Empire have the dumbest way of picking a new emperor you could imagine.



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Barbara Stanwyck is a handicapped woman alone at night. Her husband gave her nurse the night off since he would be home early but when he doesn't show up she calls his office looking for him. She gets a crossed line and overhears two men talking about murdering someone at 11.15 tonight and slowly starts to believe they are coming for her. Its good, its dark and Stanwyck is pretty great. It does feel like a Hitchcock Presents type of a tale expanded to a 90min run time but it works.
Last edited by Alan on Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Raid » Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:15 am

Is it just a 90 minute episode of Discovery or was it actually good?

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Alan » Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:23 am

No and no. Discovery had some Trek in it, this has zero. Its mindless and in being so brainoffy it is less irritating than Discovery but its just bland. The section 31 team might as well be Borderlands characters but even less funny (a feat I know!) though not for the lack of trying. Actually most of this feels like a computer game, especially the intro. You know I think my Firefly reference was off the mark, I think they were aiming for Guardians Of The Galaxy and missing by a mile.
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Wrathbone » Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:47 am

I wasn’t even aware of its existence. Sounds like it’s been sent out to rightfully die.

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Animalmother » Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:48 am

Nosferatu (2024)
Was it good? I guess so, yes
Will you ever watch it again? No

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Raid » Mon Jan 27, 2025 11:03 am

Wrathbone wrote:
Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:47 am
I wasn’t even aware of its existence. Sounds like it’s been sent out to rightfully die.
I think it had a troubled development. I'm fairly sure it was originally meant to be a series, not a film, but I never saw any enthusiasm for it among Trek fans. Granted, a large portion of Trek fans hated Discovery, myself included, so to many it was always going to be a non-starter, but Discovery had already ruined the entire premise of Section 31 anyway. It was meant to be a clandestine organisation that nobody in the general Starfleet officer pool knew existed, but Discovery gave them a fleet of specialised starships and there's just no way that could be kept secret. I have no idea how Yeoh's character fits into this, as last I knew she was sent back to the mirror universe where Section 31 can't exist because it was a Federation organisation, and I can't see the Terran Empire having need for anything so cloak and dagger when they just glass entire planets from orbit if something on it offends them.

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Alan » Mon Jan 27, 2025 12:10 pm

Yeoh was the saving grace of discovery till the time jump so I have been trying to be optimistic. She’s the only good thing here but she’s not enough which is not her fault.
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Animalmother » Tue Jan 28, 2025 7:11 pm

The Northman
Watched last night after not being that impressed with Nosferatu. This I enjoyed much more with it's mixture of fantasy and realism. Some great long tracking shots of combat made to look like single takes. The cast are mostly good with the actual ones from Nordic countries having a better time of it (Nicole Kidman's now weirdly angular face looked so out of place). I know it's a very marmite film for some people but definitely worth a watch.
Spoiler
awesome draugr fight!

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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Snowy » Sat Feb 01, 2025 9:57 am

Animalmother wrote:
Tue Jan 28, 2025 7:11 pm
The Northman
Watched last night after not being that impressed with Nosferatu. This I enjoyed much more with it's mixture of fantasy and realism. Some great long tracking shots of combat made to look like single takes. The cast are mostly good with the actual ones from Nordic countries having a better time of it (Nicole Kidman's now weirdly angular face looked so out of place). I know it's a very marmite film for some people but definitely worth a watch.
Spoiler
awesome draugr fight!
I absolutely hated it. I love Norse history and mythology but to me the film was a total miss. So many stories that they could have used, and that was the best they could manage.
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)

Post by Stormbringer » Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:30 pm

I enjoyed it quite a bit!

I know the original Norse tale it is based on — that of Amleth from Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum — is also the source of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Disney's The Lion King (albeit relocated to the Serengeti), but on that latter point...


Spoiler
...the final "boss fight" near a volcano was far too reminiscent of Simba Vs Scar for my liking!
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