Good or New Movies Review

[Coin]

@arkandel said in Good or New Movies Review:

@coin It also managed very well (in my opinion) to avoid the 'comic book prose' of a direct conversion from the source material coming off as a bit forced. For example I found Watchmen to suffer from that a bit.

But The Batman somehow avoided doing that. It sounded seemed so cool.

I don't think I need spoilers for this as the scene is in the trailer, but the part at the end of the car chase with the Penguin was just fucking incredible. On its own it's easily on par with the 'oh shit' moments like Cap picking up Mjolnir, Thor's arrival in Wakanda, etc. Yet it was just a normal human dude walking out of a car.

I don't think Watchmen suffered from the narration, myself. But I loved loved the way they did it in The Batman. and he's so moody, lol, I loved it.

The car chase is fucking fantastic, yes.

[Warma Sheen]

@greenflashlight said in Good or New Movies Review:

I think I like the Matrix: Resurrections. It feels like an extremely meta movie and I kinda lost the thread of the metaphor in the middle, but if I'm reading it right, it's basically a story about accepting that the struggle never ends and the same fights will always be on loop so the best you can do is fight for what you have to fight for and accept the happiness you can make of it.

Oh, I did not like. I felt like I got what they were going for, but it did not hit the mark for me. It felt very clunky and too heavy into itself, like it was too wrapped up in its own legend to see where it was going astray.

That franchise is one of my favorite ever and I expected amazing things. I did not get anywhere near that. But even from a more neutral perspective without so many expectations, I don't think they did a very good job of telling the story they wanted to tell. Way too convoluted. Way too many distractions.

[Lotherio]

Turning Red was a good one for me. Holy Metaphors Batman, it was loaded and they were direct at times. It was a lot of emotions packed in there representing a lot of teen angst that most go through as they learn independence from their parents. I wish they would have gotten a little theater exposure like they wanted instead of direct to Disney+ but I still greatly enjoyed this movie. My 13 year old daughter watched first and was happy to share with her parents for a second viewing.

[Ganymede]

@lotherio

Turning Red was made for people like me.

Chinese? Check. Canadian? Check. Impossible-to-please mother? Check.

Actually, if you take out the first two, that also works.

But, I mean, I cackled when I saw the Daisy Mart, SkyDome, and No. 15 on Tyler's purple jersey.

[Lotherio]

@ganymede I liked Domee Shi's short too, I can't wait to see more of her work.

[Aria]

I watched Turning Red last night and also enjoyed it. And that's while being neither Chinese nor Canadian, so I'm preeeeeeeeeeeeetty sure these people bitching that it's "totally unrelatable" are just, y'know, fucking racist.

[Ganymede]

@aria said in Good or New Movies Review:

I watched Turning Red last night and also enjoyed it.

About the only thing that they didn't add is how other non-Chinese would tell Mei how proud her parents must be and how good a job they did for her being so successful, while casually ignoring the telltale signs of mental abuse.

[Ganymede]

Double-posting because of something Aria said months ago.

I read a post on Facebook complaining about how Turning Red was objectionable, but Luca, which has a young male protagonist that rebels against his parents, was not. The post insinuated the misogynistic spirit in a lot of the criticism leveled at Turning Red. That observation isn't off-point, but it really does not do either movie justice.

Turning Red is a movie about the trauma families inflict on one another, particularly among women. This runs contrary to the unconditional love Mei's friends apparently have for one another. But it is important to point out that, unlike many films, the antagonistic force isn't male or phallocentric; it is wholly "feminine."

Luca is a movie about parental alienation. Luca's parents alienate him by refusing to understand him; Giulia's parents alienate her because of their own alienation as divorcees; and Alberto's parents simply leave him. That trauma motivates their actions: Luca seeks freedom; Giulia seeks approval; and Alberto seeks parental love.

In Turning Red, parental love is seen as a destructive force. Even when Ming is a monstrous red panda, she's still the "parent": she criticizes the 4*Town crew, shouting guilt slogans, and being judgmental. But in Luca, it is something healing -- something all the children are really looking for. They are two different movies with different themes, and it would be nice if people recognize this.

If you haven't seen Luca -- it was also a straight-to-Disney-plus Pixar film -- you really should. It is beautifully understated and quiet, and brilliant in construction. Once you see that, go watch Ciao, Alberto and cry some more.

Pixar is really hitting hard with its films.

[Lotherio]

@ganymede said in Good or New Movies Review:

Pixar is really hitting hard with its films.

They're hitting hard with their SparksShorts too.

[Jennkryst]

Everything Everywhere All At Once is amazing, and I am livid that the one local theatre that had it playing only had it playing for a single week.

[Aria]

@jennkryst said in Good or New Movies Review:

Everything Everywhere All At Once is amazing, and I am livid that the one local theatre that had it playing only had it playing for a single week.

@insomniac7809 and I just saw it and it was so ridiculous(ly good).

[Arkandel]

SPOILER FREE review of Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness.

This was very much a Sam Raimi movie. The effects were spectacular (I think the best visuals than any Marvel movie) but many scenes were so clearly all him. His fingerprints were all over this. It was as distinctly his film as Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok.

I quite enjoyed it. So many references. Probably the most meta movie. It gave nerds so much to talk about.

Have fun, folks!

[Misadventure]

We enjoyed Antlers, Hold the Dark, and Ravenous. All have been on streaming recently.

[BloodAngel]

@misadventure said in Good or New Movies Review:

Ravenous

From the '90s is a great movie, with the wendigo. Or is this a new one?

[Misadventure]

@bloodangel That's the one.

[boneghazi]

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 10/10

[Arkandel]

I'm surprised The Gray Man got lukewarm reviews. I quite enjoyed it.

I wonder for how long Chris Evans will play villains from now on, to counter Steve Rodgers.

[Too Old For This]

@Arkandel TBF, he played a villain before he was done playing Steve Rogers.

[Arkandel]

@Too-Old-For-This I appreciate the subtle correction on Steve's last name.

I will surrender my nerdcard on the walk of shame out of here.

[Too Old For This]

@Arkandel I didn't even notice. I just wanted to give a nod to his performance in Knives Out.