Seen Any Good Films Lately?

[The Ashes Urn 1,359]

Saw this horror film yesterday. One of the best horror movies I've ever seen:

 

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

Solo's already underperforming at the box office, both in the US and internationally:

 

"The news is grim overseas, where Solo is launching in most points around the globe timed to its U.S. launch, including China. The movie took in a dismal $11.4 million from its first 43 markets on Wednesday and Thursday. Disney hasn't yet provided numbers from China, but box-office sources there show the movie opening to roughly $3 million on Friday for a possible weekend debut in the $10 million range."

 

 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/box-office-solo-a-star-wars-story-thursday-previews-1114854

[Charlotte's Controller 195]

I really liked Dark City, well ahead of it's time in terms of effects, also Subway and anything starring Isabella Adjani an inspiration to embrace the french language.

[bladan 293]

On 26/05/2018 at 01:01, The Ashes Urn said:

Saw this horror film yesterday. One of the best horror movies I've ever seen:

 

You liked it? Jesus, please not... not the Changeling

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

On 26/05/2018 at 16:19, Davey Jones' Locker said:

Solo's already underperforming at the box office, both in the US and internationally:

 

"The news is grim overseas, where Solo is launching in most points around the globe timed to its U.S. launch, including China. The movie took in a dismal $11.4 million from its first 43 markets on Wednesday and Thursday. Disney hasn't yet provided numbers from China, but box-office sources there show the movie opening to roughly $3 million on Friday for a possible weekend debut in the $10 million range."

 

 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/box-office-solo-a-star-wars-story-thursday-previews-1114854

Officially a bomb:

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/05/27/box-office-solo-a-star-wars-story-bombs-with-148m-global-weekend/#33110b1a221f

 

[theoldlady 2,343]

On 26/05/2018 at 08:19, Davey Jones' Locker said:

Solo's already underperforming at the box office, both in the US and internationally:

 

"The news is grim overseas, where Solo is launching in most points around the globe timed to its U.S. launch, including China. The movie took in a dismal $11.4 million from its first 43 markets on Wednesday and Thursday. Disney hasn't yet provided numbers from China, but box-office sources there show the movie opening to roughly $3 million on Friday for a possible weekend debut in the $10 million range."

 

 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/box-office-solo-a-star-wars-story-thursday-previews-1114854

I saw this film last Wednesday in Norway and there were only 3 people in the theater, which is not good for a film that started at 6 p.m.

[Prophet 251]

Solo was the worst Star Wars Movie. Disney ruined Star Wars.

[runebomme 377]

I dot think the film was that bad, it was not much of a star wars film reminded me more of the guardians of the galaxy

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

Solo's box office take is plunging further in its second week. It truly is the first ever Star Wars film to bomb. Significantly, apparently toy sales have slumped for the first time ever as well. Disney might not quite be getting the returnon investment they expected... 

 

Anyway...

 

@Prophet @the_engineer@runebomme @Bibliogryphon and any other interested parties, 

 

Lads, if you haven't already seen this clip yet, it might interest you. It was being discussed on another forum on which I was lurking.   It is a strange, short (2 mins), deleted scene from Last Jedi that seems to summarise many of the problems with the film. Check out this weirdness:

 

 

My take:

 

1. It highlights what a poor character Rey is and what a limited actress Daisy Ridley is. At least we get a little insight into Rey's personality though, which is a bonus, since she doesn't seem to have one in the films as they currently stand.

 

2. Rian Johnson's supposed "subversiveness" is fairly predictable: the raid being a party just doesn't come as a surprise for anyone who has seen the tone of the rest of the film. You just know there is going to be some kind of twist.

 

3. More awful cheesy Disney humour. The austere nuns actually like to partt and Rey looks like a dill in front of them again.  Ha. Ha. Ha.

 

4. Another rehash of an OT scene: in this case, the Ewok party. One of the nun creatures is even banging on drums in the same way.

 

5. Finally, the biggest problem for me: what on earth is Luke actually trying to say with all of this?! He starts the scene seemingly making an anti-war statement and ends up turning it into a pro-war, anti-Jedi statement. WTF? The whole film seems like that. For all its preachiness it seems unsure of what it is trying to say. Rose the SJW is pro-animal rights, anti-arms dealers but hates war deserters and is earnest about fighting the war... until she decides that love is better and saves Finn at the end. Is the Last Jedi actually a pro-war film? If anything, the scene is perhaps doubly subversive: Rey accidentally gatecrashes the nuns' party and you expect Luke to tell her she is a daft bimbo but he praises her for it. Again, WTF was Rian Johnson actually trying to say with this?

 

Also, given George Lucas has Buddhist sympathies in real life, I wonder how he feels about Rian Johnson using his character to attack elements of the Jedi religion based on that real world faith?

 

Anyway, in Rian Johnson's favour, at least he had the good sense to delete this scene from his trainwreck of a film. Pity he left in every other scene.

 

[Heef 166]

On 29/05/2018 at 00:12, bladan said:

You liked it? Jesus, please not... not the Changeling

 

Watched it as a kid and thought it was a little bit naff. The car crash was very poorly done as I recall. My brother loved it though. I always struggled to see why.

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,226]

Star Wars, as a whole film franchise, is overrated crap.

I have never seen more than 2 mins of any of the films, I would rather shit out my own eyeballs.

 

 

[msc 18,536]

Original films are basically for kids. Enjoyable stuff when you're 8, not intended to be analysed to death by adult fans who take things like talking teddy bears far too seriously.

[runebomme 377]

37 minutes ago, msc said:

Original films are basically for kids. Enjoyable stuff when you're 8, not intended to be analysed to death by adult fans who take things like talking teddy bears far too seriously.

there is some truth in that

[Bibliogryphon 9,647]

1 hour ago, Lord Fellatio Nelson said:

Star Wars, as a whole film franchise, is overrated crap.

I have never seen more than 2 mins of any of the films, I would rather shit out my own eyeballs.

 

 

There is one classic film in the entire franchise.

[Toast 16,232]

I've only ever seen the first one.  I quite enjoyed it at the time, but not enough to want to see any more.

[bladan 293]

This is a philosophical classic. A really intelligent film

 

 

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

15 hours ago, Toast said:

I've only ever seen the first one.  I quite enjoyed it at the time, but not enough to want to see any more.

The thing is the original was meant to be a lighthearted homage to old 1930s sci fi low budget  serials with a dark ending (the medal presentation scene at the end was intended to be reminiscent of Leni Riefenstahl's work.) It was okayish for what it was but basically just a step up from the Flash Gordon film in terms of quality and featuring a much larger budget. 

 

Lucas forgot all that when  the film was a hit and started taking it all way too seriously when he saw the $$$ pouring it, retroactively claiming he had always intended fro  the outset to make a huge, serious mythological epic based on Joseph Campbell's half-baked theories. In reality though, they are just dressed-up toy ads.. 

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

Oh and here is a classic  quote from a leaked memo from George Lucas to the makers of the TV show Lost where he admits the whole thing is a con:

 

"Congratulations on pulling off an amazing show. Don't tell anyone ...but when 'Star Wars' first came out, I didn't know where it was going either. The trick is to pretend you've planned the whole thing out in advance. Throw in some father issues and references to other stories -- let's call them homages -- and you've got a series."

 

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/george-lucas-sends-letter-lost-53645

 

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

That said, I decided to watch some more substantial science fiction next after the SW bollocks: I have started looking at the Planet of the Apes series since I had only ever seen the first one with Charlton Heston and it was years since I had looked at it.

 

I rewatched that today and it stands the test of time well. I then watched the second one next (Beneath the Planet of the Apes) and it is a lot weaker but, whereas I knew the first one was based on Pierre Boulle's book "Monkey Planet" I had no idea that the second one drew so heavily on Aldous Huxley's "Ape and Essence". I'll watch Escape from the Planet of the Apes next which apparently brought Boulle back as a consultant to help with the script. These were the good old days when Hollywood used actual writers for their scripts...

[bladan 293]

1 hour ago, Davey Jones' Locker said:

The thing is the original was meant to be a lighthearted homage to old 1930s sci fi low budget  serials with a dark ending (the medal presentation scene at the end was intended to be reminiscent of Leni Riefenstahl's work.) It was okayish for what it was but basically just a step up from the Flash Gordon film in terms of quality and featuring a much larger budget. 

 

Lucas forgot all that when  the film was a hit and started taking it all way too seriously when he saw the $$$ pouring it, retroactively claiming he had always intended fro  the outset to make a huge, serious mythological epic based on Joseph Campbell's half-baked theories. In reality though, they are just dressed-up toy ads.. 

Don't forget Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in which Indy reaches "the innermost cave" or the central crisis of his adventure, where he must undergo "the ordeal" where he overcomes the main obstacle or enemy, etc. Having found bliss and enlightenment in the other world, Indy doesn't want to return to the ordinary world to bestow the boon onto his fellow man. But Shorty breaks free and burns Indy with a torch, shocking him out of the trance. Next there is the Magic Flight and so on.

 

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have found the Formula which makes money fast.

 

[Toast 16,232]

1 hour ago, Davey Jones' Locker said:

That said, I decided to watch some more substantial science fiction next after the SW bollocks: I have started looking at the Planet of the Apes series since I had only ever seen the first one with Charlton Heston and it was years since I had looked at it.

 

I rewatched that today and it stands the test of time well. I then watched the second one next (Beneath the Planet of the Apes) and it is a lot weaker but, whereas I knew the first one was based on Pierre Boulle's book "Monkey Planet" I had no idea that the second one drew so heavily on Aldous Huxley's "Ape and Essence". I'll watch Escape from the Planet of the Apes next which apparently brought Boulle back as a consultant to help with the script. These were the good old days when Hollywood used actual writers for their scripts...

 

Here's a sad story for you.  One of those Planet of the Apes films had a 15 certificate.  I was 12 or 13 and went with two older friends to see it, only to be knocked back because the jobsworth in the ticket office didn't believe I was 15.  I was utterly mortified and had to go home alone on the bus (a 40 minute journey). 

 

The only comfort was that I hadn't really been all that keen on seeing the film.

[runebomme 377]

 

you didn't miss much

[YoungWillz 21,211]

So, earlier tonight I was watching All The President's Men on TCM.

 

Absolutely gripping movie from start to finish.

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

21 hours ago, bladan said:

Don't forget Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

 

I've never watched it. I thought the first one (Raiders of the Lost Ark) was a plotless series of action scenes randomly strung together. Can't understand what people see in it. Possibly the most shallow film ever made.

[Bibliogryphon 9,647]

8 hours ago, Davey Jones' Locker said:

I've never watched it. I though the first one (Raiders of the Lost Ark) was a plotless series of action scenes randomly strung together. Can't understand what people see in it. Possibly the most shallow film ever made.

I don't like The Temple of Doom but The Last Crusade is excellent it is a deliberate throw back to classic adventure films. It does what it says on the tin. Ford and Connery are on top form.