Saturday, November 11, 2017

Weekend Open Thread

Nailed it.

I have so many movies to catch up, and now that both #ScaryMovieMonth and Cinepocalypse have ended, I'm hoping to get started. First up: A Dog's Purpose!!

In the meantime, let us know what you're watching and/or feel like talking about.

49 comments:

  1. It's Cinemadrome this weekend, the twice-a-year genre festival in my hometown. Yesterday I saw Night of the Creeps and an Italian horror called Zeder aka Revenge of the Dead, both in 35mm. And before the fest started, there was a free showing of a Spanish thriller called Sleep Tight.

    I'm sure I'm the only one here who'd never seen Night of the Creeps, so suffice it to say it's really fun. Definitely have to add it to my shopping list. Revenge of the dead isn't a gory zombie fest, even though you might think that based on the American poster. Instead, it's slow and atmospheric, but with enough nonsense plot twists and weird editing to keep it entertaining. And Sleep Tight was an interesting character study of a psychopath that was not afraid to go to some really dark places.

    Tonight gonna see The Room, The Running Man and Brain Damage, the last two in 35mm. Brain Damage is the only one of those I haven't seen before, looking forward to that. And it's nice seeing The Room again, since I already have a ticket to see The Disaster Artist at another fest in two weeks.

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    1. It sounds like it will be a fun weekend, Mikko. Your hometown looks very picturesque.

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    2. Damn Mikko, is there any weeks when there's no super cool movie festival in your town? The Running Man in 35mm sounds like the greatest night ever to me.

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    3. Cinemadrome is the only one in this town, I have to travel for the others.

      The Running Man just ended and was really fun with an audience that was totally on board with it. Brain Damage is about to start. The only bummer with these 35mm showings is the 30 seconds of a black screen while they're changing the reels.

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    4. Casual, you're googling Tampere? I like it here, but it's not at its best in November, mainly cold, dark and depressing.

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    5. I am no stranger to winter weather, Mikko. Pennsylvania can also get cold, dark, and depressing. Strangely enough, it is not the wintertime that gets me down. That would be summer, especially over the last decade.

      Seeing how close Tampere is to the Arctic Circle, I am curious about the period of daylight during the winter. How many hours is the sun out on the shortest days of the year?

      Do you know any languages beyond Suomi and English? I know Swedish is taught there but am not certain what proficiency is required.

      Please forgive all the questions, Mikko.

      I studied French for a long period during my youth. I regret allowing my skills in it to diminish over the years.



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    6. I don't mind the winter that much either, but there's no snow here yet, so right now it's cold, dark and wet. I had to check, the shortest day in Tampere is about 5 hours and 20 minutes long. Then again, the longest summer day lasts for almost 20 hours from sunrise to sunset. Swedish is compulsory in Finland but I just skated by and have forgotten most of it, which I now also regret.

      And since this is a forum to talk movies, I'll mention that Brain Damage was real fun, but unfortunately it turns out it was a cut copy. I'll have to track down the uncut version at some point. That one scene looks crazy judging by the stills I found.

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  2. "Mayhem", Joe Lynch's latest, is a lot of bloody fun. Samara Weaving is pretty great in it. While it deals with themes of corporate insanity in an office environment which kind of reminded me of "The Belko Experiment", it blows the latter away for simply being much more of a fun ride and fast paced watch.

    Totem (2017) the latest from the director of "Deadgirl", is not bloody fun at all. It plays out like an awful, modern made for TV movie and I didn't enjoy it one bit.

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    1. I love Joe. This makes me happy

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    2. Yep, had a really good time with Mayhem (especially after a 13 hour day at work). Weaving of course is awesome and it's good to see Steven Yeun in a starring role.

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  3. Good weekend to all of you.

    It was a light week for movie watching. Life was more complicated than usual.

    I saw a couple of animated biographical films from Japan.

    THE WIND RISES (2013)- I finally caught up with Hayao Miyazaki's most recent film. The depiction of the life of aeronautic engineer Jiro Horikoshi is not one Miyazaki's finest efforts. The main flaw is that he does not succeed in making Jiro a fully rounded character. Nevertheless, there is a beauty in the animation that is frequently spellbinding. Miyazaki especially excels in the flight sequences. The film is better as a love letter to aviation than a narrative film.

    MISS HOKUSAI (2015) - It is unfair to this film that I watched it straight after The Wind Rises. While this has a better story than Miyazaki's film, the animation of MISS HOKUSAI pales in comparison. The story is about O-Ei Katsushika, the daughter of the famous Edo artist Hokusai. While the details are probably not completely accurate, it seems that the depiction of a noncomformist personality is quite close to the real O-Ei. By no means terrible but not the most engrossing anime film, either.

    I should revisit SPIRITED AWAY sometime. It is one of my favorite films from this century.

    And now for something completely different...

    LITTLE MISS INNOCENCE (1972, dir. Chris Warfield)- A middle-aged man picks up two hitchhiking teenagers at a bus stop in L.A. Sexual hijinks ensue when the two young ladies decide that crashing at his house does not seem like a bad idea. The trouble is that they do not want to leave. This a superior sexploitation flick driven by strong acting and good production values, with the initial comic tone gradually giving way to some darker elements. Sandy Dempsey gives a standout performance.

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    1. Happy seeing some Spirited Away love. That movie is beyond masterpiece.

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  4. saw Brawl In Cell Block 99 earlier this week. i was not sure for the first part of the movie, but when it gets to the prison, the movie changes gear and the fun begins. it was the same kinda-slow-burn in Bone Tomahawk, but i think it didn't work as well in this. still well worth the watch

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    1. something i forgot to mention yesterday. i really liked the fight scenes. not many quick cuts. camera not moving much. just shooting the action. you could actually see the characters fight.

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  5. I keep waiting in eager anticipation for my favourite movie lover to see my favourite loved film, every week I keep thinking is this the podcast where all will be revealed? He knows who he is, there is no rush, the anticipation is killing me though, I'm hoping it works for him the second viewing the way Avatar worked on me for the same reasons

    I See You :)

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  6. Ryan Gregory Phillips' debut feature "Shortwave" is really good! It's a sci-fi/horror hybrid reminiscent of some of the better "low budget" films within the same genre of the past few years. It looks great, the story is pretty damn cool and the score and 5.1 sound design is freakin' awesome. I recommend it.

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    1. Meant to also add, this is a writer/director I'll be keeping an eye on.

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  7. Watched The Survivalist (2015). It was like a non-pretentious It Comes at Night. Highly recommended for those who like the post-apocalyptic survival genre.

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  8. i'm in the process of making my friend watch the new Planet Of The Apes trilogy. he usually doesn't like 'big budget' movies, or at least very suspicious of them. tonight we watched Rise. while he wasn't impressed, he didn't seem to hate it. can't wait to have him watch the other two.

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    1. I just watched War....hmmm. I think Rise is my favorite. The more Apes in these movies, the less I'm able to lose myself in them.

      I honestly like all 5 originals more than War of.... Apes

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  9. Replace (2017) Never heard of this director but I am pretty impressed. Loved the look and tempo of this film. Rebecca Forsythe was fantastic and I dodn't know of her until this as well. Of course, B-Cramps (I guarantee she hates that nickname) was decent though not as great as she is 99 percent of the time.

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  10. I put many hours of work this week at the theater and then have gone home and watched movies about theaters and drive-ins. I'm in the right line of work but do long for a more independent, less corporate form of it.

    Anyhow, I watched Going to the Drive-In, which was a decent but somewhat bland look at the history of Drive-In's. I also watched Out of Print which I kinda fell in love with as it's a documentary about the New Beverly. It gets bogged down a bit in the last 3rd when they start getting into the film vs. digital stuff although I get the importance. Prior to that though there's such a great selection of people they talk to that I had a huge grin on my face through most of it.

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    1. Fortunately, one of the national chains plays genre films at a couple of its smaller venues and shows the big budget movies in its newer "stadium" locations. Makes for a better experience all around.

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  11. Watched Happy Death Day and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. Happy Death Day was a lot of fun, but I don’t see me ever rewatching it.

    Behind the Mask is terrific. It’s like a cross between What We Do in the Shadows and The Cabin in the Woods. While I don’t like it as much as those movies, I felt a similar sense of giddiness while watching it. Like Cabin in the Woods, it rewards Horror fandom, and also questions it, and like What We Do in the Shadows, the main characters are just plain lovable. HIGHLY recommended!

    Also saw The Villainess, which was fine, and The Meyerwitz Stories, which is one of my favourite movies this year.

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    1. I was going to watch The Villainess tonight cause I've heard it has great 90's style, no holds barred action, but your comment of it being "fine" has me hesitant...

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  12. Saw Ingrid Goes West and then rewatched I Saw the Devil. I didn't remember much of the latter and, boy, is that a brutal film. Both are dark and extremely sad. Maybe it's the gloomy weather.

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  13. I'vew found my new comfort food: RedLetterMedia's Best of the Worst videos. It's a group of guys watching bad movies and then talking about them. Here's the first episode for anyone not familiar with them.

    There's just something so easy and comforting about it. Like F This Movie!, it's just like hanging out with your friends. And much like FTM, while I like the episodes with special guests on them, nothing beats having the core gang together.

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    1. I just watched this and, man, that was rough. This is the the kind of stuff that I actually can't stand. Where people are watching these movies ironically and forcing themselves to think everything is funny while thinking there comments are funny too. Some people don't think these kind of films are "bad" and the guy who calls "Never Too Young to Die" a "stupid ass movie" needs to never talk about film, ever. And they drop a cinder block on "Ninja Vengeance" because "Ninja Vengeance exists"?! Go review "Thor: Ragnarok" and stay away from genre films.

      Obviously this wasn't for me, haha. It could come down to I just didn't like smugness of these people and the presentation, I dunno, Maybe they are nice people in real life. Thanks for the link though so I could at least give it a shot!

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    2. i kinda agree with you Chaybee. i sometimes watch those Best Of The Worst when i'm in a sarcastic mood. i'll watch their review of the week (this week, Thor Ragnarok), even if i feel like they're 'out to get them' sometimes.

      the ones i like from them is the Re:View, in which they talk about older, often cult, movies. i like this one because they usually pick something they like. so it doesn't feel like they're 'out to get them'.

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    3. Good way to put it re: "Out to get them".

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    4. Gonna quietly step in and defend Red Letter Media. I can understand why they rub people the wrong way, but they're incredibly smart genre fans (and filmmakers in their own right) who always defend good stuff (Xtro, Chopping Mall) when they come upon it. They're not How Did This Get Made or Cinema Sins. They love movies the same way we do. Jay Bauman, in particular, is a genuine horror fan from whom I've learned almost as much as from Patrick. The "schlubby, ignorant white guy" schtick is just that, and - though I mostly hate what the format has evolved into - their Mr. Plinkett reviews essentially invented (or at least popularized) YouTube film essays/criticism.

      Anyway. It's totally cool if it's not your thing, but I'm a huge fan. Like what you like!

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    5. Like what you like - always! I'll stick to real YouTube critics like LCJ and Grace Randolph.

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    6. Grace Randolph is a "real" Youtube critic. She defends DC to the end & seems to hate on popular films just to get clicks but hey one of her favorite movies was BVS & she thought this year's Transformers was the best one.

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    7. They all Watched Xtro but was blown away by it. It on the new bluray. They watch it with two other films that I can't remember but they hated them and was genuinely in love with Xtro
      I have not seen any other of there reviews

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  14. so, why not finishing the weekend with Assault On Pecinct 13. this is my 2nd viewing of it. the first time, me and my friend were not into it. giving it a second chance because i found it at the used dvd store for relatively cheap. worst case, i have one more Shout Factory blu-ray in my collection.

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    1. speaking of carpenter. i just discovered he's in town tomorow night. too bad i don't have the money to go see the show. i hear it's excellent

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    2. Assault On Prcinct 13 is better than i remember. like, waaaaaaaayyyyy better. i don't know what happened the first time. maybe my shitty friends ruined it for me.

      i need new friend

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    3. Dude, that's one of his best!

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  15. I saw two films at the Hawaii International Film Festival last week, both which my sister worked on. One was the best film I've ever seen come out of Hawaii: Out of State, a documentary about native Hawaiian men who learn Hawaiian culture in prison, then have to reacclimate to life after prison. It follows two guys and it's really intimate, humanizing and moving, which is not something I can say for anything I'd ever seen made in Hawaii before. It reminds me of Rich Hill, the documentary on Netflix that follows some kids from a really impoverished area in middle America - kids from families who some would call "white trash". They're both refreshing because they're so humanizing and add valuable insights.

    The other film, 11/8/16, about last year's presidential election is basically like reliving that night again. There were 17 filmmakers around the country recording people's reactions. So depending on your feelings about how last year's election went- it's either great or it's a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. The hardest thing for me about the election, and what was hard about the film, is HOW SHOCKING it was. Like how did we not see this coming?

    I've been following all the sexual harassment cases in the entertainment industry and everywhere. I'm happy. When we focus on terrible things about Donald Trump it never feels new, I don't understand how it's surprising. Like please, tell me something we don't know. But women speaking out and this cultural shifting feeling is new to me, and it's so wonderful, and it feels like we'll be able to address who we are finally, our hypocrisy and our values. Because I always feel like DT happened on our watch because we weren't better, so we need this, we need to make these changes.

    Also watched Sense & Sensibility (written by Emma Thompson), and Freaks & Geeks, my comfort watches, a hundred times. Sense & Sensibility is a comedy masterpiece and F&G is so special.

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  16. Blade of the Immortal. Good but pretty standard modern Miike output. Long as hell.

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    1. really? i was hoping better for this one. though it's been a while since i seen a Miike film, so i don't know how good or bad they are anymore

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    2. They are very "similar" these days. I don't think that's a bad thing, cause Miike is better than most, but he's definitely not going all out bonkers these days. It's a beautiful film though. Just kind of a slog to get through.

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    3. Sorry to hear. I've been looking forward to it. The posters for the movie were awesome.

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  17. Showgirls is streaming for free. You're welcome?

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  18. Revisiting "Disclosure" and it's fantastic! Makes me miss when Donald Sutherland was in everything.

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