I wish Id watched that instead of Tron Ares. Or even just watched the Tron trailer again and called it a day. A stubborn refusal to explore its themes of what it means to be alive and our stewardship over our creations. Also if you liked the previous films experiences of cyberspace, then you can screw yourself too. Literally the only significant time they showed “on the grid” was one action scene and one character development scene.
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I am convinced that Disney has never really known what to do with the Tron franchise. To do it right would result in what I imagine to be rather UN-Disney films or series, and so they try to wash everything in special effects and positive messages and hope people will buy into it. The Tron: Uprising cartoon was the best thing they ever did with Tron, IMO, and they didn’t give that much chance to grow.
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Winner. A more comedic take on Reality Winner’s story, and one that is more enjoyable but no less sad, in some respects. It also gives you a closer look into her character, ably assisted by Emilia Jones’ excellent performance. Worth it just for Galifianakis not overacting. It’s darkly funny and borders on the absurd at times, but then so did the real events.
Im pretty sure I enjoyed Bugonia. I was certainly captivated throughout, but it was grim and dark in a way that tickles my brain but maybe not others.
2 conspiracy theorists kidnap a ceo. Dark humour and satire ensue.
If you ever wondered if Jesse Plemons had enough tricks in his bag of psychotically menacing moods to lead a movie, then it turns out he has. Emma Stone has to be a generational A list actor with how she can turn up to whatever the role demands of her
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If you get the chance, watch the original: Save the Green Planet! - Wikipedia! It’s very good. I’m off to see Bugonia tomorrow.
Much to my surprise, I quite enjoyed Predator:Badlands. I was expecting a CGI fest (which it was), but Elle Fanning injected some character and humour into proceedings.
Ive not watched any of the recent Predator movies, so I dont know if this is new, but this film had a tone that worked for me. It didnt take itself too seriously. If youre a fan of the original then this is probably a heresy, but this sci fi action film that wasnt afraid to be a little silly was right in my wheelhouse.
Looked like shit from the trailer, but I’m going to see it tomorrow.
I was fully expecting it to be shit, but it was a stinking hot day, and the cinema has air conditioning, so …
I spend the first 10 minutes wondering what the cinemas refund policy was, then Elle Fanning showed up on screen, and I realised the film was trying to be a sci fi action/comedy buddy film.
Very much not the claustrophobic horror from the first Predator
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Bugonia. Genuinely impressed with this, although the original is in some ways still superior, both Plemons and Stone are great. A really dark laugh. Perfect ending.
Predator: Badlands. The Predator discovers the power of friendship, complete with a CGI animal sidekick. Do you remember when the Predator used to kill, hang, and skin people, back in the good old days? Not any more, not least because there’s no humans in this, so the killing is all rather neutered. Weightless CGI is yet another aspect that has changed things for the worse, and it’s on full show here.
Frankenstein. I am unsure as to what Del Toro is doing, overall, but making a film that is macabrely funny while also hewing close to the book (including some of the more ridiculous parts) while also going overboard on the tragedy and additionally changing things for no good reason, and then adding new stuff makes me think the whole thing might just be too long. I appreciate some of Isasc’s work here as the doctor, he seems genuinely dark and brooding, but there’s no real connection between what he does regarding different aspects of the story; it’s hard to see how he makes sense as one whole. Mia Goth looks faintly ridiculous in every scene and also gets little else to do; the one scene she has with an edge to it was worthwhile. Frankenstein’s pursuit of her is wholly unconvincing. The film as a whole is 200% more gothic than you think it’s going to be. Christoph Waltz is almost entirely wasted.
The Mastermind. A normal out-of-work chap decides to carry out a heist. It does not go to plan. I thought this was going into Coen brothers territory, but there’s only a little humour here. It’s mostly a slow slide into hopelessness and further ignominy, portrayed very nicely by a glum Josh O’Connor. There are several shots in this I would describe as perfect, and the end sequence in particular is rather choice.
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Looking forward to this one.
Also just watched One Battle After Another. Enjoyed it so much I bought it on iTunes (Apple TV? Apple TV+?) and watched it again the next day.
ETA now that I’ve had some time to reflect on OBAA. The filming was great, as were the actors. Benicio del Toro was one of my favorites, although he doesn’t come into his own until the latter part of the movie. Sean Penn plays the asshole superbly and there’s enough humor and absurdity to lighten the heavy topics just enough. A worthwhile purchase and if you enjoy films you owe it to yourself to watch this one.
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Shelby Oaks. The stupidest film I have seen in a long time, and one that has genuinely made me consider just abandoning films altogether for a while. This utter fucking slop is ridiculous. Total and utter clown shoes ending.
The Running Man. The parts of this that are more faithful to the book are good, and there’s quite a lot here taken from the book, but it flubs quite a lot of the dystopian feel. Wright’s direction is good, but there’s little here of his signature verve, and there’s no real substance making up for the lack of rapid-fire tempo, just some very generic Glen Powell and Michael Cera in a role as the comic relief. Brolin is thoroughly unlikeable and is one of the best people in it. The ending really misses the mark, it stinks of studio interference.
Wake Up Dead Man. About half an hour too long, this really does not justify the weighty run time even in the fun stakes. Josh O’Connor is good in the lead as a slightly hapless priest, but the poisonous assembled cast are a little weak, and Brolin is, hilariously, almost shoved out of his central importance to the plot via various methods. The film feels a little hollow as a result. The central mystery is also frustratingly thin.
The Lost City. I enjoyed this, to my shock. Bullock has still got it, Tatum is okay, Radcliffe is actually quite funny. Some unexpected screwball comedy, some genuine laughs.
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Not going to lie, the often dumb action/rom-com movies are a genre I’m happy to watch. I think part of it is that my wife enjoys them, too, so it’s always good to have something to agree on, but more often than not for me they are entertaining, which is a win in my books. I enjoyed this one, too.
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The Accountant 2: Autistic Boogaloo. This isn’t very good, even with Bernthal as additional colour, and even though Affleck does quite well in his role. The action is not particularly good, there’s a huge amount of CGI (particularly bad dust clouds, for instance, which look terribly fake), and there’s nothing else of note here at all. The school for autistic hackers is particularly cringe, and as for acquired savant syndrome involving learning how to be a hitman from watching telly, the less said the better.
I totally agree with everything you said. The first movie is amazing. The second one is just terrible. I love that Affleck has an autistic computer whiz who can do all of those things. Having a team of them at the institute is just beyond belief.
I do love the banter between Bernthal and Affleck, but overall this movie is terrible.
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