I remember being... bored is not the right word, but unmoved by it the first time I saw it. It's so matter of fact to the point of being clinical in its study of a pandemic, which is something I appreciate now more than before. It never injects drama for the sake of drama and all the stakes are firmly grounded in reality. Jude Law's character is basically present day Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie she stars in, which is something.
I remember being... bored is not the right word, but unmoved by it the first time I saw it. It's so matter of fact to the point of being clinical in its study of a pandemic, which is something I appreciate now more than before. It never injects drama for the sake of drama and all the stakes are firmly grounded in reality. Jude Law's character is basically present day Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie she stars in, which is something.
I enjoyed the very undramatic way it presents a lot of what is going on. The moment where Matt Damon witnesses a neighbour being murdered is so much more memorable and disturbing for how completely detached and out of nowhere it is. He's just watching it through a window, like it's a dream or something.
I remember being... bored is not the right word, but unmoved by it the first time I saw it. It's so matter of fact to the point of being clinical in its study of a pandemic, which is something I appreciate now more than before. It never injects drama for the sake of drama and all the stakes are firmly grounded in reality. Jude Law's character is basically present day Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie she stars in, which is something.
If the movie was remade today Jude Law's character would be a much bigger part. It's funny how even a movie made just 9 years ago underestimates the impact of the internet and social media.
The other thing that movie does so well is the lingering shots on things contaminated people touch. The first time I saw it I didn't even register it. Watching in today's context changes that.
I haven't seen Wages of Fear, but I've seen Sorcerer (which is based on it) and that was fantastic. If you liked Wages of Fear and want more, I'd check it out.
You know, I’ve been complaining for awhile now how modern trailers are too long, especially on certain streaming services, but that was nearly 3 minutes long! For a 1977 film!
It held my attention, though. Looks good.
It also made me remember that I never saw The Exorcist from start to finish.
Wages of Fear and Sorcerer are pretty different in terms of feel, even if in broad strokes they seem to tell the same story. They're both well worth watching.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
I wouldn't call this a great film, but it is a pretty interesting one. Immigrant stories are so often cliched, with ambitious lead characters who fall into traps of corruption and exploitation; taking the complexities of transitioning geography, life, and culture and transposing them onto simplistic high-drama templates. This isn't to say that those sort of stories don't happen in real life, but I find those sort of stories distracting and unfortunately common.
This film has a very passive protagonist. This means that certain qualities, like character psychology and causal plot progression are initially thin. This poses a problem early on, when Roberto's decision to leave his homeland feels quick and unsubstantial in its justification. But as the film moves along, it becomes apparent that this is a man who does as others do: he takes advice and follows a lead, which makes him reliable but exploitable, just what America wants---and yet immigration is the prime existential threat. He's slowly revealed as an intelligent man, marred by a naivety that feels universal for so many immigrants.
Alambrista avoids melodrama, happy to focus on Roberto's perception of his new surroundings instead of arranging a string of confrontations. The handheld camera work is solid here, but at its best capturing work itself, the interactions of foliage, dust, and sun. For all of its low-key charm, I wish it was even slower, even more austere and willing to build a spiritual mooring for its lead character. Even if it's light and episodic, I think its observations are worthwhile.
Murder on the Orient Express was great. Early in it had a kind of irreverent whimsy. Poirot wears a mustache guard to sleep! Then as the plot develops it gets more serious such that at the end it's earned some genuine pathos. Also my wife and I had never seen nor read the story so the mystery was a fun to unravel. Overall it's a perfect distraction on a Covid season evening.
+12
Options
SixCaches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhexRegistered Userregular
Murder on the Orient Express was great. Early in it had a kind of irreverent whimsy. Poirot wears a mustache guard to sleep! Then as the plot develops it gets more serious such that at the end it's earned some genuine pathos. Also my wife and I had never seen nor read the story so the mystery was a fun to unravel. Overall it's a perfect distraction on a Covid season evening.
Murder on the Orient Express was great. Early in it had a kind of irreverent whimsy. Poirot wears a mustache guard to sleep! Then as the plot develops it gets more serious such that at the end it's earned some genuine pathos. Also my wife and I had never seen nor read the story so the mystery was a fun to unravel. Overall it's a perfect distraction on a Covid season evening.
I'm a sucker for big ensemble casts; if you enjoyed the most recent Murder on the Orient Express, I would recommend that you track down the Peter Ustinov's Poirot films, Death on the Nile (this is also being remade) and Evil Under the Sun.
Murder on the Orient Express was great. Early in it had a kind of irreverent whimsy. Poirot wears a mustache guard to sleep! Then as the plot develops it gets more serious such that at the end it's earned some genuine pathos. Also my wife and I had never seen nor read the story so the mystery was a fun to unravel. Overall it's a perfect distraction on a Covid season evening.
I'm a sucker for big ensemble casts; if you enjoyed the most recent Murder on the Orient Express, I would recommend that you track down the Peter Ustinov's Poirot films, Death on the Nile (this is also being remade) and Evil Under the Sun.
I was low key hoping drive in's would come back as a thing, but studios are heavily delaying all movies at the moment so it wouldn't be sustainable except small indie places playing classic movies that
Murder on the Orient Express was great. Early in it had a kind of irreverent whimsy. Poirot wears a mustache guard to sleep! Then as the plot develops it gets more serious such that at the end it's earned some genuine pathos. Also my wife and I had never seen nor read the story so the mystery was a fun to unravel. Overall it's a perfect distraction on a Covid season evening.
I assume the recent Kenneth Branagh version? I've recently taken to watching multiple adaptations back-to-back to see the different choices made - it can be fun - so I'd recommend also checking out Sidney Lumet's version from '74 (with Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, et al).
(And I think Branagh was supposed to have his version of Death on the Nile out this year... it's probably being delayed though.)
I remember being... bored is not the right word, but unmoved by it the first time I saw it. It's so matter of fact to the point of being clinical in its study of a pandemic, which is something I appreciate now more than before. It never injects drama for the sake of drama and all the stakes are firmly grounded in reality. Jude Law's character is basically present day Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie she stars in, which is something.
If the movie was remade today Jude Law's character would be a much bigger part. It's funny how even a movie made just 9 years ago underestimates the impact of the internet and social media.
The other thing that movie does so well is the lingering shots on things contaminated people touch. The first time I saw it I didn't even register it. Watching in today's context changes that.
It’s kind of a master piece taken the current situation into account.
The extreme distance it has from major characters dying is something that really hammers in how much a virus does not fucking care.
Watching contagion now. This is a straight up horror movie now
It was made two years after swine flu hit. Maybe we'll get another virus movie before the end of 2022.
I'm guessing we get a lot of virus movies after this whole thing is over.
Maybe after 10+ years. There were a few 9/11 movies but not a whole lot. And it is a lot easier to make a movie about that than it is about a virus. We get movies about things that happen "over there" and not things that happen to us viscerally and immediately.
I enjoy ensemble movies very much. I'll probably watch the old Poirot movies eventually. Still haven't seen Knaves Out. Last I checked on Amazon it was not on prime. When it's on there or any if the other streaming services we have we will definitely wat h it.
I recently watched Knives Out as well and highly recommend it to the other 2% of people out there who haven't yet seen it. I know his OTHER GREAT MOVIE comes up a lot when discussing it, but holy shit did Star Wars not ever deserve Rian Johnson. Dudes a treasure.
I recently watched Knives Out as well and highly recommend it to the other 2% of people out there who haven't yet seen it. I know his OTHER GREAT MOVIE comes up a lot when discussing it, but holy shit did Star Wars not ever deserve Rian Johnson. Dudes a treasure.
The other movie is Brick, right? God I love Brick.
Captain Marvel is so good.
I am in the business of saving lives.
+1
Options
TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
Netflix is going to try a live action Dragon's Lair movie, with Van Wilder as Dirk the Daring. Written by two people who were part of the writing crew for Lego Movie and Hotel Trannsylvania and Don Bluth is producing it, it could work. Maybe. At least aim for Jumanji 2017 and not Jumanji The Next Level.
(Eiza Gonzalez or Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Daphne complete with plunging dress plz k thx)
I enjoy ensemble movies very much. I'll probably watch the old Poirot movies eventually. Still haven't seen Knaves Out. Last I checked on Amazon it was not on prime. When it's on there or any if the other streaming services we have we will definitely wat h it.
It's on Amazon Prime $6 to rent. As a bonus you can laugh at the butt hurt 1-star reviews whining about it being political.
Also, JustWatch is fantastic and everyone should use it when they have similar questions. In the US at least, I don't know if it tracks services in other countries.
Also, JustWatch is fantastic and everyone should use it when they have similar questions. In the US at least, I don't know if it tracks services in other countries.
Oh awesome, I'll have to bookmark that. Thanks for sharing!
I enjoy ensemble movies very much. I'll probably watch the old Poirot movies eventually. Still haven't seen Knaves Out. Last I checked on Amazon it was not on prime. When it's on there or any if the other streaming services we have we will definitely wat h it.
Watching contagion now. This is a straight up horror movie now
It was made two years after swine flu hit. Maybe we'll get another virus movie before the end of 2022.
I'm guessing we get a lot of virus movies after this whole thing is over.
Maybe after 10+ years. There were a few 9/11 movies but not a whole lot. And it is a lot easier to make a movie about that than it is about a virus. We get movies about things that happen "over there" and not things that happen to us viscerally and immediately.
I dunno. 9/11 was a big event culturally and politically but it wasn't a physically or temporally large event. We've had a lot of movies about/around the various wars that have started following 9/11 and it seems like every movie that needed a badguy used some thinly-disguised Al Quaeda/Bin Laden stand-in for a bunch of years (now replaced by ISIS stand-ins).
This virus is a global phenomenon directly impacting basically every human and it's going to go on for months. There are going to be a boat-load of documentaries looking at how this has played out and the impact on every part of society.
And then, besides movies actually about this virus, everyone on Earth now has a shared touchstone in fear of global pandemics in a way that nobody's had for the last century. I think we're going to see a lot more movies with viruses featuring even if it's not this virus.
Plus there will probably be a spate of movies just set during this period. Dramas about people locked into their apartments in NYC, heist films during the shutdowns, etc.
PSN,Steam,Live | CptHamiltonian
+4
Options
FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
So James Bond themes. Usually I wait until the movie comes out, so I can hear the song in context. I've done it for the last few anyway. With the next film delayed to November though (and rightfully so, let's not take any chances), I figured I should listen to it now, because with that much of a gap, there was some chance I would hear it before then.
When I heard Billie Eilish was performing the theme, I wasn't sure what to think. Then I heard her perform at the Oscars, and I became somewhat optimistic.
So it's ... fine? Honestly, it feels like someone was tasked with writing a slightly different version of Writing's On the Wall, which was just kind of okay to begin with, if that. It's kind of generic. It's breathy modern pop, with the most generic, mid-tempo bond theme you could think of. I'd say we were talking mid-Roger Moore levels of generic, but most of his were actually somewhat memorable.
It's not even a knock against Billie Eilish. The kid clearly has some talent. I'm not pinning this on her.
It's just ... disappointing, and I'm hoping the movie doesn't end up being disappointing in a similar way. I'm tired of movies I've been looking forward to being disappointing.
Maybe I can hold out hope for Mission Impossible. The last bunch of those have all been good. So here's to Mission Impossible 7!
Edit: I've listened to the No Time To Die theme several times, and I keep forgetting it. Several times, the Spectre theme has filled in instead while I've tried to remember it, and that's not a great theme, so that's not encouraging. It's just ... not a distinctive or particularly good theme. I genuinely expected better. Again, nothing against Billie Eilish. I don't think this is her fault. It's just ... boring.
We rented Kinves Out. I absolutely loved it. Wife says it's one of the top 10 movies she's ever seen. Craig's accent was delightful. Not like an actual southern accent to my southerners ears, but fitting to the character. My wife has mild face blindness which makes it hard to follow movies sometimes so she really appreciated how all the characters were very distinct.
"Our donut hole is actually another, smaller donut with it's own hole!"
We rented Kinves Out. I absolutely loved it. Wife says it's one of the top 10 movies she's ever seen. Craig's accent was delightful. Not like an actual southern accent to my southerners ears, but fitting to the character. My wife has mild face blindness which makes it hard to follow movies sometimes so she really appreciated how all the characters were very distinct.
"Our donut hole is actually another, smaller donut with it's own hole!"
I loved that movie. Surprising in all the right ways, lots of personality. Just very clever, very witty, great characters. All around a good time.
I wasn't sure how they were going to bring it around once we got the reveal that Marta given him the morphine. At the slayers rule part I figured they were going to go with multiple people killed him and she was just the last but in hindsight that would have been too derivative. I wasn't a huge fan of the "microscopic differences in the fluid dynamics" cop out but I'm not sure how they could have completely cleared her name.
Posts
I enjoyed the very undramatic way it presents a lot of what is going on. The moment where Matt Damon witnesses a neighbour being murdered is so much more memorable and disturbing for how completely detached and out of nowhere it is. He's just watching it through a window, like it's a dream or something.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
Gwyneth Paltrow definitely uses a bidet with special incense filled, crystal laced water to soothe and uplift the spirit of her arse or some guff
If the movie was remade today Jude Law's character would be a much bigger part. It's funny how even a movie made just 9 years ago underestimates the impact of the internet and social media.
The other thing that movie does so well is the lingering shots on things contaminated people touch. The first time I saw it I didn't even register it. Watching in today's context changes that.
You know, I’ve been complaining for awhile now how modern trailers are too long, especially on certain streaming services, but that was nearly 3 minutes long! For a 1977 film!
It held my attention, though. Looks good.
It also made me remember that I never saw The Exorcist from start to finish.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
It was made two years after swine flu hit. Maybe we'll get another virus movie before the end of 2022.
I'm guessing we get a lot of virus movies after this whole thing is over.
I wouldn't call this a great film, but it is a pretty interesting one. Immigrant stories are so often cliched, with ambitious lead characters who fall into traps of corruption and exploitation; taking the complexities of transitioning geography, life, and culture and transposing them onto simplistic high-drama templates. This isn't to say that those sort of stories don't happen in real life, but I find those sort of stories distracting and unfortunately common.
This film has a very passive protagonist. This means that certain qualities, like character psychology and causal plot progression are initially thin. This poses a problem early on, when Roberto's decision to leave his homeland feels quick and unsubstantial in its justification. But as the film moves along, it becomes apparent that this is a man who does as others do: he takes advice and follows a lead, which makes him reliable but exploitable, just what America wants---and yet immigration is the prime existential threat. He's slowly revealed as an intelligent man, marred by a naivety that feels universal for so many immigrants.
Alambrista avoids melodrama, happy to focus on Roberto's perception of his new surroundings instead of arranging a string of confrontations. The handheld camera work is solid here, but at its best capturing work itself, the interactions of foliage, dust, and sun. For all of its low-key charm, I wish it was even slower, even more austere and willing to build a spiritual mooring for its lead character. Even if it's light and episodic, I think its observations are worthwhile.
It’s very charming.
I'm a sucker for big ensemble casts; if you enjoyed the most recent Murder on the Orient Express, I would recommend that you track down the Peter Ustinov's Poirot films, Death on the Nile (this is also being remade) and Evil Under the Sun.
And Knives Out!
I foresee a lot of indie films that take place within an apartment with maybe 2 camera shots hitting in the next 8 months.
I assume the recent Kenneth Branagh version? I've recently taken to watching multiple adaptations back-to-back to see the different choices made - it can be fun - so I'd recommend also checking out Sidney Lumet's version from '74 (with Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, et al).
(And I think Branagh was supposed to have his version of Death on the Nile out this year... it's probably being delayed though.)
Blizzard: Pailryder#1101
GoG: https://www.gog.com/u/pailryder
It’s kind of a master piece taken the current situation into account.
The extreme distance it has from major characters dying is something that really hammers in how much a virus does not fucking care.
Maybe after 10+ years. There were a few 9/11 movies but not a whole lot. And it is a lot easier to make a movie about that than it is about a virus. We get movies about things that happen "over there" and not things that happen to us viscerally and immediately.
The other movie is Brick, right? God I love Brick.
Captain Marvel is so good.
(Eiza Gonzalez or Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Daphne complete with plunging dress plz k thx)
It's on Amazon Prime $6 to rent. As a bonus you can laugh at the butt hurt 1-star reviews whining about it being political.
The only place that has it included with a sub is Cinemax. Rent/buy everywhere else.
https://www.justwatch.com/us/search?q=contagion
Also, JustWatch is fantastic and everyone should use it when they have similar questions. In the US at least, I don't know if it tracks services in other countries.
Oh awesome, I'll have to bookmark that. Thanks for sharing!
Its on regular. I think for 3 dollars.
It's on Netflix in Canada. They have it listed as like a top search right now.
I dunno. 9/11 was a big event culturally and politically but it wasn't a physically or temporally large event. We've had a lot of movies about/around the various wars that have started following 9/11 and it seems like every movie that needed a badguy used some thinly-disguised Al Quaeda/Bin Laden stand-in for a bunch of years (now replaced by ISIS stand-ins).
This virus is a global phenomenon directly impacting basically every human and it's going to go on for months. There are going to be a boat-load of documentaries looking at how this has played out and the impact on every part of society.
And then, besides movies actually about this virus, everyone on Earth now has a shared touchstone in fear of global pandemics in a way that nobody's had for the last century. I think we're going to see a lot more movies with viruses featuring even if it's not this virus.
Plus there will probably be a spate of movies just set during this period. Dramas about people locked into their apartments in NYC, heist films during the shutdowns, etc.
When I heard Billie Eilish was performing the theme, I wasn't sure what to think. Then I heard her perform at the Oscars, and I became somewhat optimistic.
So it's ... fine? Honestly, it feels like someone was tasked with writing a slightly different version of Writing's On the Wall, which was just kind of okay to begin with, if that. It's kind of generic. It's breathy modern pop, with the most generic, mid-tempo bond theme you could think of. I'd say we were talking mid-Roger Moore levels of generic, but most of his were actually somewhat memorable.
It's not even a knock against Billie Eilish. The kid clearly has some talent. I'm not pinning this on her.
It's just ... disappointing, and I'm hoping the movie doesn't end up being disappointing in a similar way. I'm tired of movies I've been looking forward to being disappointing.
Maybe I can hold out hope for Mission Impossible. The last bunch of those have all been good. So here's to Mission Impossible 7!
Edit: I've listened to the No Time To Die theme several times, and I keep forgetting it. Several times, the Spectre theme has filled in instead while I've tried to remember it, and that's not a great theme, so that's not encouraging. It's just ... not a distinctive or particularly good theme. I genuinely expected better. Again, nothing against Billie Eilish. I don't think this is her fault. It's just ... boring.
"Our donut hole is actually another, smaller donut with it's own hole!"
I loved that movie. Surprising in all the right ways, lots of personality. Just very clever, very witty, great characters. All around a good time.
(full spoilers)