Saturday, November 19, 2016

Weekend Open Thread

They do not seem like two people in love.

("He said they do not seem like two people in love.")

How's everyone doing? Hanging in there? Watching anything good lately? Still looking forward to anything? Let's talk to each other.

70 comments:

  1. Holy shit, Night Train to Terror, holy shit. I hardly ever finish a movie and then immediately buy it on blu-ray, but this was one of those times. Bromley's review of it during SMM gave me the kick in the ass I needed to finally sit down with it after having meant to for years, and the delay worked out in my favor, considering the beautiful 2K restoration Vinegar Syndrome just gave this piece of unfathomable crap. Amazing!

    And speaking of unfathomable pieces of crap, I was able to watch the avant-garde DTV action disasterpiece Beyond the Game which Chaybee had recommended a few open threads back. Anyone out there who loves really really really really terrible and bizarre movies would be doing themselves a favor by hunting it down. Great find, Chaybee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks man! Gotta jump on the Night Train!

      Delete
    2. Goddamn I'm old. Yet another movie that 10 minutes in I was like "shit! I've seen this!" My memory lapses are killing me these days. Great revisit though!

      Delete
  2. Fine. Yes. Not really. Family, holidays and Star Wars. It's time for me to pay the piper. The deal I have with my wife is that I get SMM (no small conceit on her part) however, the rub is I have to watch any Hallmark Christmas movie she wants from now till 12/31. They are terrible...but she loves them and my kid can watch them with us, so shit's ok. To give you a taste, I watched Brandon Routh in " The Nine Lives of Christmas" exactly what you think it would be. Despite that I was pulling for that couple...didn't know if they'd find love/have a Merry Christmas! I got a stash of Christmas horror that I'll work in eventually (should have been in my looking forward to anything response). Let's follow Adam Beta and STAY POSITIVE!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh yeah saw Dr. Strange. Best movie featuring folding cityscapes...yep shots fired. Save your breath/keystrokes movie scholars.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My fan fiction. I want Stan Lee to show up with Tom Atkins in the next Marvel movie. Pretty much anyway that happens is magic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My fan fiction is that all the Stan Lee characters appearing in the MCU are clones of the same guy, the general we saw in the first Cap movie.

      Delete
  6. My boyfriend is also happy to have the television back after scary movie month, so it has been a lot of televsion in our house especially Westworld.

    Though I have been manage to sneak in another viewing of Susperia cause it's awesome and at the ballet! The Blues Brothers, which I have come to the conclusion that it might just be the greatest musical of all time. Babadook, which was brilliantly creepy and I really enjoyed it on both the monster and metaphore level. I also just finished watching Raging Bull for the first time. Yeah it's a masterpiece, and it annonounces it right from the get go. I always forget how good Scorsese is until I watch him again.

    ReplyDelete
  7. With Fantastic Beasts released this weekend (it was entertaining enough, which is generally how I feel about the Harry Potter movies), and Moana coming out on Wednesday the holiday season is pretty much upon me at work so I've largely been getting ready for that. It's much more of an enjoyable increase in work for me though compared to working retail during the holidays when I was younger.

    I'm on pace for my goal of watching 50 movies on average per month this year, and am currently sitting at 551 for the year not counting repeat viewings of some of those movies. That incentivized watching shorter movies though so next year I'll be watching a lot less movies total but am going to try to get through one long (3+ hour) movie per week. Means I'll finally get around to watching The Sound of Music.

    I've still been watching a lot of comfort food movies this week. Most recently it was The Commitments and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Looking forward to Moana and Rules Don't Apply this coming week.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Saw Netflix's Undecided: The Movie, which was surprisingly entertaining. Then saw Jingle All the Way for the first time, which wasn't. Then I saw it a second time with the F This Movie! commentary, which made it a whole lot better.

    I wasn't a big fan of They Live when I first saw it during last year's Junesploitation, but saw it again yesterday at a festival with an audience who were really into it, and now I am a big fan. Had so much fun! When I got home, I proceded to watch Prince of Darkness, which I also enjoyed a lot. I'm really becoming a Carpenter fan.

    Back to the festival tonight, for a triple bill of The Room, The Terminator and Meatcleaver Massacre.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Terminator was great to see in a theater, even if the film copy was old and pretty beat up. Meatcleaver Massacre was pretty standand 70's schlock, and there's not one meat cleaver to be seen. The Room was... a movie, I guess. Those two would have been a chore to watch at home, but an enthusiastic audience helped a lot.

      Delete
  9. I have just 3 things to say this weekend,

    XTRO IS COMING TO BLURAY

    XTRO IS COMING TO BLURAY

    AND

    XTRO IS COMING TO BLURAY


    HOLY SHIT!


    http://www.platinumcultedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/15052135_10210851640984580_1893574305_o.jpg

    A FOUR FUCKING DISC EDITION !!!


    Sorry about the swearing but I think you all know how important this is, just when Trump and Brexit made me think there is No hope, then this happens

    A Dream come true for me as you know

    And here is the first ever test footage of the release, Black Blacks even in the dark shots, not much grain, amazing details from the 35mm print, the colours looks fantastic, the picture looks really sharp, I could not be happier

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here is the test footage

      https://youtu.be/4CqKWGTojb8

      Delete
    2. And a 5.1 soundtrack too
      Faith in the world has been temporarily restored

      Delete
    3. No one has ever loved a movie more than Dennis loves Xtro. Great news!

      Delete
    4. I know it will be the ultimate xtroperience. Sorry couldn't resist. I think its great and I will be trying to get that one in.

      Delete
    5. May this Xtro news brighten your winter like your Xtro recommendation brightened my June.

      Delete
    6. I love Pieces and when it got the 3 disc edition from Grindhouse I was over the moon, Xtro is getting 4 discs, inc soundtrack, its genuinely fantastic, it took me ages to order through the German website in German but I got there in the end, and that test footage looks stunning too

      Delete
    7. Have you read Roger Ebert's review of Xtro? Uhhh, he hated it. "left me thoroughly depressed.", "Why was this made?", "the work of incompetent cynics.", "It's movies like this that give movies a bad name."

      If only ol' Rog' was around to give this one another chance...

      Delete
    8. That's weird because Ebert was born a full grown man.

      Delete
    9. Yeah, it's a pretty mixed bag to read Roger's horror reviews. Siskel and Ebert famously, and confusingly, have 2 thumbs down to Silence of the Lambs. Although, Xtro isn't exactly a critics movie. I think the best review out there is RedLetterMedia's Best of the Worst review. BotW is meant to feature a bunch of "so bad they're good" movies. But with Xtro, they slowly realize that it's just a straight up good movie, and end up just showering it with praise. I think it's still regarded as the best movie they've reviewed on it. So happy for you Dennis!

      Delete
    10. Yeah I did read it, sometimes the mood your in affects your reactions, I blame it on he wasent in the right frame of mind for Xtro, just like with Italian cinema your palate might need slight adjustment first, I'm happy about BOTW, me and my Brother for years watched the shit of of my VHS and always loved showing it new people, there reactions were always open eyed wonder at the unpredictability of it,

      Delete
  10. The only movie I have ever walked out on in the theater is "You've Got Mail" and I can only think of a handful of films that I have intentionally not finished at home. Well, add "Officer Downe" to that list! Whoa, you know you are in for some shit when the location card "Motherfuckin' L.A." pops up. I got 20 minutes in to that thing and couldn't take it anymore. It felt like someone was repeatedly punching every part of my brain while force feeding me unicorn puke. It was unwatchable and gave me a massive headache in just 20 minutes. I'll reluctantly finish it at some point cause it's against my code to have a final opinion without having watched the whole thing, but on the real - fuck that movie!

    Watched "The Pit" finally. I thought it was okay. Maybe a bit over hyped for me and I found the kid's acting quite annoying. I liked the vibe though.

    Also watched "In Order of Disappearance" a.k.a Kraftidioten with Skarsgard. I liked it. I'm a sucker for snow to begin with and this whole movie is snow covered (is Norway always covered with snow? Cause every movie I see from there seems to always have a very cold, winter atmosphere - although it could be a genre thing too). It was appropriately brutal and tastefully funny at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you trying to tell me that the secondary percussionist from Slipknot isn't a talented filmmaker? Why, I never....

      Delete
    2. Is that who directed that shit? Oh man.

      Delete
    3. It does hold the distinction of being the worst trailer I've ever seen. So there's that.

      Also, while we're on the topic of walk outs. I've only ever walked out of 1 movie in my life. And I'm about to throw the gauntlet down here, cause it's a movie a lot of people love, but it's Sin City. I can't stand that movie, not even for a second. I was close to walking out for Batman v Superman this year, but chose to stay to enjoy the warm theater and put off my cold walk home.

      Delete
    4. LOVED Sun City but whatever, to each his own. I don't fault you for that cause I'm sure there's people that love You've Got Mail and it's a terrible fucking movie. At least the 25 minutes I saw were.

      Delete
    5. Honestly, the most surprising part is that you actually saw You've Got Mail in the theater. That was one of those movies my mom would watch every time it was on TBS. Which was often. Just awful.

      Delete
    6. It was a date. She agreed it sucked and we left. She ended up being one of my favorite people ever and we were together for 3 1/2 years.

      Delete
    7. But yeah, my mom loves that movie too haha:)

      Delete
    8. Check out The Shop Around The Corner, it's the OG You've Got Mail, except you've got Jimmy Stewart and No Meg Ryans. My wife LOVES it.

      Delete
    9. Nope, thanks though. Not once, not never. :)

      I love When Harry Met Sally though, no joke. I also like Sleepless in Seattle and Roxanne. There's some good, bullshit romantic movies out there.

      Delete
    10. Sleepless in Seattle? Dude...no. Roxanne, yes.

      Delete
    11. Y'all are gonna love my column this week. You've Got Mail is the truth.

      Delete
    12. @Brent - Sleepless is legit.

      @Riske - You've Got Mail is the worst movie I've never fully seen next next to Dude Where's my Car.

      Delete
    13. What Chaybee doesn't realize us that by the end we learn that Tom Hanks was the unibomber THE WHOLE TIME!

      Delete
    14. Riske- Fair enough. I have no way to argue that except for me leaving led to something that was definitely better than that flick. I also finished it years later and nope, it doesn't. ;)

      Delete
    15. It reminds me of a simpler time when Greg Kinnear was our biggest problem.

      Delete
    16. I had a great time with "In Order of Disappearance" and laughed all through the credits after the final scene with the poor parachute guy. Skarsgard never disappoints.
      I walked out just once on the unbearable 1988 Christopher Lambert/Diane Lane starrer "Love Dream". On other occasions I may have left, I just fell asleep before making that decision, most notably on another endlessly boring Christopher Lambert movie: "The sicilian".

      Delete
  11. I highly recommend The Edge Of Seventeen, it might be my favorite movie of the year which no one is more surprised by than me. All the main characters are human beings and i sympathized with them all. Its really funny but also really sad, sometimes in the same scene. It avoids so many teen movie cliches while embracing others that it totally earns. The emotions felt real. Hailee Steinfeld gives a terrific performance playing a character that could've gone so wrong with a less talented actress. I fell in love with her character and her performance. I hope it makes her a huge star. Its a movie that takes a serious look at a teenage girl going through a transition in her life and yet can call her out on some of her bullshit without ever looking down on her. I had a huge smile at the end of it and if a movie does that then it earns my praise.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A prophet. Definitely top 5 of the last 10 years for me. Absolutely brilliant. Also one of my favorite movie going stories when I went to see it and some poor cretin had clearly been dragged on by a significant other. About 5 minutes into the film he exasperatedly asked "is it like this the whole way?" He got an affirmative response and then declared "fuck me. If I wanted to read I would have gone to the fucking library." Then he walked out. Then I almost pissed myself laughing before going on to enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I haven't had a chance to hear this week's episode yet, but the pic above has me worried that my beloved Frankie & Johnny will be shat upon. I'm a big fan of the play and the movie...am I alone?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry in advance. It's a lite shat.

      Delete
    2. It's ok, I'm sure I'll still love you. I'd even make you a rose out of a potato.

      Delete
    3. You're not alone, JP.

      Delete
  14. So I just saw the Neon Demon and Goddamn that movie is perfect. I CANT get it out of mind. I'm not schooled in Italian horror at all, I know that was a big influence. Got Suspiria cued up (never seen it) and fuck Donald Trump.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Okay, I just saw Kindergarten Cop. Who the hell is this movie made for? It's definitely not for kids and I'm pretty sure it's not for adults.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've seen all the movies this week. I've been playing catch up.

    Miss Peregrine - walked out
    Doctor Strange - it's fine
    Hacksaw Ridge - good, not great
    Inferno - pretty bad
    Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - ugh
    Fantastic Beasts - very disappointing
    Nocturnal Animals - really good
    Arrival - don't like it as much as most folks do

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm so happy Nocturnal Animals was really good!

      Delete
    2. Your a true soldier for watching all those so I don't have too, your two word reviews are enough

      Delete
    3. While I was a bit disappointed by Fantastic Beasts (big Potter fan myself), I still think that it was solid and laid the ground work for something more interesting to come. I was expecting Newt to be a bit more interesting. Eddie Redmayne's performance is so close to being good, it's just missing a little something. I grew up with the Harry Potter franchise and I'm trying my best not to turn this situation into my Star Wars, where I only love the originals and shit on the sequels (even though it's mostly justified in that case, lol). It did feel like an animal rights activist type of movie at times, but I thought there was enough character interaction to enjoy. I'm seeing Hacksaw Ridge and Dr. Strange this week, trying to catch up as well. Glad you dropped your opinions, cuz I always wana know what Mr. Riske thinks.

      Delete
    4. My biggest gripes with Fantastic Beasts is that the series could have re-established itself as being fun again but it opted for dark and brooding from the beginning. I can't imagine 4 more movies when shit's this dark already. I liked all of the stuff with Dan Fogler though. I would much rather watch this series with him as the lead because Redmayne and Waterston (to me) are charisma-less. Even the kids in HP1 had more screen presence than these two. They are wet noodles.

      Delete
    5. I did notice that Redmayne and Waterston had little to no chemistry together. She kind of bugged me in Inherent Vice and I was worried when I saw her attached to this. I go back and forth though on both of them in general. You're right Adam, now that I think about it, this movie was pretty dark overall. I enjoyed all of the scenes with Fogler, he's come a long way, since Balls of Fury, lol.

      Delete
  17. Finally caught up with The Purge series this weekend, and they were about what I expected. I thought Election Year was easily the most cohesive and successful, but I appreciate the world the first film built and the messy, anything-goes feel of Anarchy. Only a few months before it becomes our reality!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I watched THE NICE GUYS on the plane. So yes it was probably greatly censored, but at least what I saw was amaazing and hilaarious! The protest scene! OMG. I was in such a bad mood when I got on that plane. And I did not feel like watching any cool films about women this week, it was a hard week, and I'm allergic to romcoms, so The Nice Guys was just what I needed. I guess I see it's political underpinnings but I don't need political this week, so it was thankfully full of hilarity (HILLAR-ity? Ah!). And as Patrick talked about in his review, I have some new respect for Ryan Gosling, who was surprisingly amazing at making fun of himself. So, THANK YOU FTM because that "buddy-cop" movie was not going to be on my radar whatsoever if not for you.

    So I was in a super bad mood on the plane because my flight was delayed JUST enough that I'd most likely miss my connecting flight and have to wait overnight in LAX, and have one less day with my fam at home. In the scheme of things that's not a big deal, but I surprisingly could not shake off being furious with the airline and was making plans to write scathing reviews...somewhere. But it was kind of the anger built up after well, a really hard week, but also a really hard couple months of just reading constant negativity. I didn't realize I was becoming so depressed and negative during the election. To my surprise, in LAX they held the connecting flight, delaying it a long time in fact, so that myself and a few others could make it. That unexpected luck and unexpected understanding from the airline (though I understand its their job), was enough to break me out of that awful funk. The worst part (or the best part) about being negative is when someone shows you kindness, and you realize you were wrong.

    Anyway I am going to do something post-election. I'm going to actively and ongoingly collect as many good examples and role models as possible of the ways I'd like to be- humble, gracious, wise, discerning, and make a point to copy and emulate those things. Because not only do I not want to become the things I'm against (which actually happens a lot on a personal level in daily life for me), but I see my understanding about things needs to grow in order to know the way forward. For example, I usually don't know what it looks like to "go high" when someone else "goes low". Being the "bigger person" is not something I have a lot of practice in, but I need that obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The weather in Boston has been getting more miserable with each passing day. I seem to be under the spell of a perpetual cold. How does one fight back against the fog of crabbiness descending on their weekend? Brian De Palma's PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, that's how.

    Having not seen it since I dug it out of a $5 Wal-Mart bargain bin high school, revisiting it on Blu-ray (a French import-- not the Scream Factory iteration) was such a treat. This time around, the film it most reminded me of was the original ROBOCOP, if only because the heightened satirical elements seem, well, more believable than ever. (I mean, Kesha is pretty much trapped in a soul crushing, Swan-esque record contract, right?). I also forgot De Palma was responsible for the script, which is so relentlessly paced and razor sharp in its wit. My only real issue with the film is Jessica Harper's Elaine-esque dance moves. She's, uh, really going for something there.

    I also watched THE MIND'S EYE this morning. To quote Patrick, it was fine. A technically well-crafted throwback to SCANNERS and TRANCERS sequels that, unfortunately, did very little for me. You can't rightly criticize a film for what it isn't but, outside of some interesting gore set pieces, the film felt underwritten. Unlike most critics, I really like the look of the movie, which doesn't necessarily recall a 1990s setting but does heighten the pulpy atmosphere. I look forward to seeing what Joe Begos does next, hopefully with a more ambitious script.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Watching a bunch of Thanksgiving themed(sort of) movies. Here's my list:
    Blood Rage (1987)
    Intensity (1997)
    ThanksKilling (2009)
    Home Sweet Home (1981)
    Blood Freak (1972)
    Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (2002)
    The Ice Storm (1997)

    I haven't seen any of these but I'm hoping to watch most of them by Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh wow, Its not cranberry sauce!
    I really like Bloodrage

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm ok if you guys do a scrooged commentary. I'm willing to keep an open mind to hear what you don't like about it. I mean sure, it's going to be like listening to the audio verison of pervert park. But i am prepared.

    ReplyDelete