[Film] Film 2020

Ninja Elephant · Feb 6, 2020

The Clamp said:
I’m sure we have. I work shifts so enjoy going to midweek daytime screenings. The limitless card pays for itself most months. It enables one to see films you are not sure about so end up seeing some gems I would otherwise miss out on.
In the whole I am glad I got the membership. Definitely worth itself over the year, I reckon I save a fortune. Even if you only see two films a month it’s worth it. Though I go easily twice a week.

I take advantage of a reward scheme where I work to get the annual pass for £144 - essentially £12 a month which is 1 film a month. I saw 106 last year, so it's less than £2 a film. All the value in the world. There are more than enough unexpected gems to justify going to see pretty much every film, you're absolutely right. Do you keep a track of the films you've seen anywhere? I keep a list on IMDb, along with my personal ratings - https://www.imdb.com/list/ls041176577/.

The Clamp · Feb 6, 2020

Ninja Elephant said:
I take advantage of a reward scheme where I work to get the annual pass for £144 - essentially £12 a month which is 1 film a month. I saw 106 last year, so it's less than £2 a film. All the value in the world. There are more than enough unexpected gems to justify going to see pretty much every film, you're absolutely right. Do you keep a track of the films you've seen anywhere? I keep a list on IMDb, along with my personal ratings - https://www.imdb.com/list/ls041176577/.

Not online but I keep a diary of my daily comings and goings and write down the films I’ve seen and what I thought of them.
I shall check out your IMDb .

highflyer · Feb 6, 2020

Uncle Spielberg said:
Absolutely spot on Easy. I am truly baffled by some people saying they were " disappointed " but human beings baffle me daily. Opinions, opinions

1917

(warning, some potential spoilers and unpopular opinions).

I went last night. I can appreciate its is technically superb. But it left me emotionally cold.

I thought I must be weird given the reaction of others (including those I was with) but checking a few reviews I am certainly not alone.

The single shot approach seems very limiting in terms of character development, dialogue, plot and any sense of the wider context. Everything gets carried along by repeated action sequences, impressive special effects and a lot of gore. In the necessity of keeping the pace up, it misses what has really touched me about so many other films, plays and programs about the 1st world war. The squalor, the fear, the waiting and the wider context. There was some of all of that, of course, but mainly, it seemed, in passing.

I hate to say it, but at times it just felt too much like a video game, as the main character runs around a runed landscape, jumps, shoots, swims, fights etc.

So I can admire it for what it is, but it was a long way from the best war films (I loved Dunkirk btw) I have seen, let alone the best film full full stop.

Badger · Feb 6, 2020

highflyer said:
1917

(warning, some potential spoilers and unpopular opinions).

I went last night. I can appreciate its is technically superb. But it left me emotionally cold.

I thought I must be weird given the reaction of others (including those I was with) but checking a few reviews I am certainly not alone.

The single shot approach seems very limiting in terms of character development, dialogue, plot and any sense of the wider context. Everything gets carried along by repeated action sequences, impressive special effects and a lot of gore. In the necessity of keeping the pace up, it misses what has really touched me about so many other films, plays and programs about the 1st world war. The squalor, the fear, the waiting and the wider context. There was some of all of that, of course, but mainly, it seemed, in passing.

I hate to say it, but at times it just felt too much like a video game, as the main character runs around a runed landscape, jumps, shoots, swims, fights etc.

So I can admire it for what it is, but it was a long way from the best war films (I loved Dunkirk btw) I have seen, let alone the best film full full stop.

I have to say, I felt very much the opposite about 1917 and Dunkirk. I enjoyed Dunkirk but I didn't get the overall feeling I'd seen something special. 1917, on the other hand, was just brilliant IMHO.

All the things you mention you didn't really like are what made it so great for me. I loved how it felt like a video game. It really gave me a sense of being there and sharing that fear of what might be lurking around the next corner.

I agree with US. It's the best film I've seen in years. I'm glad I saw it in the cinema too.

Ninja Elephant · Feb 6, 2020

[MENTION=33872]highflyer[/MENTION] - I totally agree. I think it's going to pick up awards all over the place for everything except the story and the acting. Visually it's incredible and a wonderful achievement of film making, but it's not the best film for decades. That kind of hyperbolic praise always frustrates me because it's too much and too extreme a reaction.

Mellotron · Feb 6, 2020

Films what I have watched so far this year, thanks to my Letterboxd app;

Dunkirk - Blu Ray.

Solid mood piece. Basically one long scene (until 1917 came along and trumped that). Harry Styles is in it but genuinely doesn't annoy or detract too much. Enjoyable. Branagh is excellent, glad Nolan seems to be adding him to his cast of regulars.

9/10
===

The 40-Year-Old Virgin - DVD (rewatch).

Steve Carell is superb and warm as per, but some of the juvenile humour has dated on me quite badly now.

7/10
===

Jojo Rabbit - Worthing Connaught Cinema.

Warm hearted film about the Hitler youth. Amusing, interesting. An enjoyable watch, not one I'd necessarily return to time and again but decent enough. Moving final act.

8/10
===

Fighting With My Family - Netflix.

Solid. Enjoyable and interesting subject matter.

However, Merchant keeps it INCREDIBLY safe on his directorial debut, hitting all the expected tropes for a sporting-triumph-through-adversity story.

7/10
===

Downsizing - Netflix.

Bizarre film. Didn't click with me. Thought it an interesting concept and expected to see a less bleak Black Mirror episode.

However, halfway through the film it feels like they completely ignore the original concept and move into a totally different film. Disjointed to such an extent that I was left pretty cold by the conclusion of the film.

5/10
===

mid90s - Netflix.

Strong, well acted film. Did well to recapture mid90s skate culture, took a serious turn towards the end but did it effectively, however with a massive plot hole in my opinion (how is f***s*** not arrested immediately following the accident?) - be intrigued of anyone else's thoughts on this...

Solid directing debut from Jonah Hill. Great soundtrack from Trent Reznor, as expected. Think Dazed & Confused meets Menace II Society with shades of American History X.

9/10
===

31 - Amazon Prime Video (rewatch).

A bit of an ordeal to get through. One of Zombie's weakest films for me. Elements of it feel really rushed and underdeveloped, and it doesn't have either the humour nor the art style of his better works.

Sherri Moon Zombie is not a good actor and this is painfully apparent at points in this film.

Added a mark for the performance of Richard Brake (Doom Head) and the final 20 minutes being slightly stronger than the rest.

5/10
===

My Neighbour Totoro - Netflix (rewatch).

Wonderful, gorgeously drawn, relaxing, happy film. Watched it with my young son who was absolutely transfixed.

8/10
===

MattBackHome · Feb 6, 2020

Mellotron said:
Films what I have watched so far this year, thanks to my Letterboxd app;

Dunkirk - Blu Ray.

Solid mood piece. Basically one long scene (until 1917 came along and trumped that). Harry Styles is in it but genuinely doesn't annoy or detract too much. Enjoyable. Branagh is excellent, glad Nolan seems to be adding him to his cast of regulars.

9/10
===

The 40-Year-Old Virgin - DVD (rewatch).

Steve Carell is superb and warm as per, but some of the juvenile humour has dated on me quite badly now.

7/10
===

Jojo Rabbit - Worthing Connaught Cinema.

Warm hearted film about the Hitler youth. Amusing, interesting. An enjoyable watch, not one I'd necessarily return to time and again but decent enough. Moving final act.

8/10
===

Fighting With My Family - Netflix.

Solid. Enjoyable and interesting subject matter.

However, Merchant keeps it INCREDIBLY safe on his directorial debut, hitting all the expected tropes for a sporting-triumph-through-adversity story.

7/10
===

Downsizing - Netflix.

Bizarre film. Didn't click with me. Thought it an interesting concept and expected to see a less bleak Black Mirror episode.

However, halfway through the film it feels like they completely ignore the original concept and move into a totally different film. Disjointed to such an extent that I was left pretty cold by the conclusion of the film.

5/10
===

mid90s - Netflix.

Strong, well acted film. Did well to recapture mid90s skate culture, took a serious turn towards the end but did it effectively, however with a massive plot hole in my opinion (how is f***s*** not arrested immediately following the accident?) - be intrigued of anyone else's thoughts on this...

Solid directing debut from Jonah Hill. Great soundtrack from Trent Reznor, as expected. Think Dazed & Confused meets Menace II Society with shades of American History X.

9/10
===

31 - Amazon Prime Video (rewatch).

A bit of an ordeal to get through. One of Zombie's weakest films for me. Elements of it feel really rushed and underdeveloped, and it doesn't have either the humour nor the art style of his better works.

Sherri Moon Zombie is not a good actor and this is painfully apparent at points in this film.

Added a mark for the performance of Richard Brake (Doom Head) and the final 20 minutes being slightly stronger than the rest.

5/10
===

My Neighbour Totoro - Netflix (rewatch).

Wonderful, gorgeously drawn, relaxing, happy film. Watched it with my young son who was absolutely transfixed.

8/10
===

Have you seen Booksmart yet? I finally got round to it last week and really really liked it. Lots of heart and felt like characters we hadn't seen a million times before.

Nitram · Feb 6, 2020

The Lighthouse. Very dark and intense, and quite intimidating. Very well acted, don’t go if you want cheering up.

Mellotron · Feb 6, 2020

MattBackHome said:
Have you seen Booksmart yet? I finally got round to it last week and really really liked it. Lots of heart and felt like characters we hadn't seen a million times before.

No, not yet. Have had it recommended to me before so will get on it and report back.

Acker79 · Feb 6, 2020

MattBackHome said:
Have you seen Booksmart yet? I finally got round to it last week and really really liked it. Lots of heart and felt like characters we hadn't seen a million times before.

I saw that over the weekend. I agree, it was really good.

vegster · Feb 6, 2020

Just tried to watch Hidden Gems tonight on Netflix. Gave up about halfway through though. It's like when I tried to watch an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, it's one long angry shouting match of in yer face arguments and rolling bickering with the swear/Nigga count ramped up. Don't try and watch it without subtitles or you will miss the few non swear words that have to carry what passes for the script. I wonder how the late, great, Clive James might have reviewed this film but realise he would have probably struggled too. Probably a film for the youngsters.

Unrated

Acker79 · Feb 6, 2020

vegster said:
Just tried to watch Hidden Gems tonight on Netflix. Gave up about halfway through though. It's like when I tried to watch an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, it's one long angry shouting match of in yer face arguments and rolling bickering with the swear/Nigga count ramped up. Don't try and watch it without subtitles or you will miss the few non swear words that have to carry what passes for the script. I wonder how the late, great, Clive James might have reviewed this film but realise he would have probably struggled too. Probably a film for the youngsters.

Unrated

I watched that on sunday. I powered through the whole thing, but wasn't that taken with it. Saw a lot of great reviews about every scene being filled with tension, I just didn't care about anyone and found the soundtrack and sound effects irritating.

vegster · Feb 6, 2020

Acker79 said:
I watched that on sunday. I powered through the whole thing, but wasn't that taken with it. Saw a lot of great reviews about every scene being filled with tension, I just didn't care about anyone and found the soundtrack and sound effects irritating.

There was lots of tension but as you say, I didn't care about anyone either. Maybe it's me ? just glad I didn't shell out at the cinema for this.

herecomesaregular · Feb 6, 2020

Acker79 said:
I saw that over the weekend. I agree, it was really good.

These recommendations prompted me to give it a watch ..... but couldn't get on with it, just don't relate to anything about US college life! Also found the dialogue rather mumble-y and sorry not very funny. Was expecting something much "sharper". Shame, couldn't finish it.

Easy 10 · Feb 7, 2020

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I gave a miserly 41% I believe.

I've since done a LOT of reading up on the Sharon Tate / Manson murders, which I only had a vague knowledge of - fascinating. And I've also now listened to the Rewatchables pod on this movie. I need to revisit this film armed with this knowledge, as its given me a whole new perspective on it.

If you've not seen this film yet, and you're not up on your Manson murders history, then I recommend a little Wiki research on it before diving on in. It makes all the difference.

MattBackHome · Feb 7, 2020

Easy 10 said:
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I gave a miserly 41% I believe.

I've since done a LOT of reading up on the Sharon Tate / Manson murders, which I only had a vague knowledge of - fascinating. And I've also now listened to the Rewatchables pod on this movie. I need to revisit this film armed with this knowledge, as its given me a whole new perspective on it.

If you've not seen this film yet, and you're not up on your Manson murders history, then I recommend a little Wiki research on it before diving on in. It makes all the difference.

As a general rule I prefer not to have to bone up on a film's subject before seeing it; my feeling is that it should be judged on its own terms.

Obviously having an interest in the subject matter affects one's experience of a movie about that subject, but whenever I hear something along these lines about a film it gives me a little pause for thought, as if they are using it to mitigate the weakness of the film in successfully getting it's message across in it's own terms.

That said, I know **** all about the Manson Murders (beyond what I've heard on You Must Remember This) and have yet to see OUATIH so I can be roundly and summarily ignored on this subject :thumbsup:

The Clamp · Feb 7, 2020

Bait.

I was curious more than keen. It was good. I think a lot of people will dislike it. It’s very difficult to describe the film and why I liked it. Better just to watch it.

7.5/10

Easy 10 · Feb 7, 2020

MattBackHome said:
As a general rule I prefer not to have to bone up on a film's subject before seeing it; my feeling is that it should be judged on its own terms.

Obviously having an interest in the subject matter affects one's experience of a movie about that subject, but whenever I hear something along these lines about a film it gives me a little pause for thought, as if they are using it to mitigate the weakness of the film in successfully getting it's message across in it's own terms.

That said, I know **** all about the Manson Murders (beyond what I've heard on You Must Remember This) and have yet to see OUATIH so I can be roundly and summarily ignored on this subject

I don't entirely disagree. But I think you'll get a LOT more from the movie if you at least have a gist of the Manson family murders case, because its such an intrinsic part of the story. Without this knowledge, you won't really "get" the twist at the end. At least I didn't. Now I know, the next time I watch it, it'll be in a whole different light and I'll pick up on a lot of references I missed last time through my rank IGNORANCE.

Acker79 · Feb 7, 2020

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
I thought this was ok. There were some great action set pieces/choreography (including a protracted fight in an abandoned funhouse). Everyone seems to be having fun (particularly Ewan McGregor). But I couldn't help feeling like it was missing something. I wonder if I expected more Birds of Prey, but the titular team up is barely a blip in the story. It did make me crave an egg sandwich, though.

JC Footy Genius · Feb 7, 2020

highflyer said:
1917

(warning, some potential spoilers and unpopular opinions).

I went last night. I can appreciate its is technically superb. But it left me emotionally cold.

I thought I must be weird given the reaction of others (including those I was with) but checking a few reviews I am certainly not alone.

The single shot approach seems very limiting in terms of character development, dialogue, plot and any sense of the wider context. Everything gets carried along by repeated action sequences, impressive special effects and a lot of gore. In the necessity of keeping the pace up, it misses what has really touched me about so many other films, plays and programs about the 1st world war. The squalor, the fear, the waiting and the wider context. There was some of all of that, of course, but mainly, it seemed, in passing.

I hate to say it, but at times it just felt too much like a video game, as the main character runs around a runed landscape, jumps, shoots, swims, fights etc.

So I can admire it for what it is, but it was a long way from the best war films (I loved Dunkirk btw) I have seen, let alone the best film full full stop.

Agree with most of this, quite disappointed if I'm being generous 7/10 .. a poor mans Saving Private Ryan.

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[Film] Film 2020

Doctor Elephant

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