Wednesday, January 2, 2019

FTM 473 - THE UNDERRATED, THE OVERRATED, & THE UGLY (2018)

Patrick and JB give their annual rundown of unsung highs and unpleasant lows.



Download this episode here. (41.9 MB)

Listen to F This Movie! on Stitcher.

16 comments:

  1. This'll sound a bit strange given my column, but I really agree with both of you in your assessment of First Man. I've heard others voices similar concerns about its historical accuracy and point of view, and I can't disagree. I just happen to connect with and admire that particular artistic license.

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  2. So many of your assessments of these films were absolutely spot on.

    Here's a few misc thoughts I had this year:

    -First man was a few tweaks away from making my top 10 list. I'm always really into space exploration films, and I liked most of the performances, but I felt the direction went the wrong way for me. I thought the discussion on grief, especially the scene where Armstrong hears his friends died on the launchpad, was vastly more interesting than the creative liberties taken with the plot about his daughter. One of my most anticipated movies of the year that kinda disappointed me. Hoping a rewatch helps.

    - I didn't get You Were Never Really Here. Obviously the Joaquin Phoenix performance is what everyone is talking about, but I found the film to be pretty empty despite his great work.

    -I liked Unsane, but that's the film I'm most afraid that I won't like it if I rewatch it.

    -Tag is hot garbage, but I saw it after a really bad week and had a fun enough time to respect that it halfway worked for me.

    -Movies I totally forgot I saw this year: Isle of Dogs, Ready Player One, Sicario Day of the Soldado, Oceans 8, Thoroughbreds, Cloverfield Paradox, and Action Point.

    -Movies I was really excited for that I have not thought about once since the theater: Incredibles 2, Solo, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Mission Impossible, Deadpool 2.

    Most expensive nap: Jurassic World: FK

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    1. Im with ya on You Were Never Really Here, for the same reason of it feeling empty/hollow

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    2. Tag is probably a bad movie, but I went to see it on a pretty downer night for me in the effort to cheer up. It got the job done, so I’m thankful for that. I just really like Jon Hamm and Jake Johnson. Doubt I’ll ever watch it again though.

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  3. I'll join the Can You Ever Forgive Me hype train for JB's sake - I think it's a well-acted, well-observed, small film about loneliness, the particular face of loneliness for gay adults at the height of the AIDS crisis, and the struggles of writers (a fundamentally lonely pursuit in many ways) to recognize themselves and have any certainty about what they're doing. I don't know if it was one of the "best" things I saw this year but it's stuck with me and I've found certain scenes and exchanges running through my head out of the blue.

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  4. I haven't seen First Man (although I will catch it one of these days), so I'm not completely sure if this is relevant. Michael Collins was the Command Module Pilot on Apollo 11, and therefore he never walked on the moon. The incident with the golf club was Alan Shepard on Apollo 14, a few years later. I also agree that Rob DeCristino's article about First Man is as brilliant as it is thoughtful.
    Sorry to play the pedant. I love the episode and the way you wrap up the whole year. I hadn't heard about "Damsel" and I am excited to watch that. I am a sucker for a good western.

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  5. Thanks for the correction, John. I think my confusion was based on the fact that my son's grammar school was named for Michael Collins, and the fact that I'm constantly mischaracterizing my wife's poetry. Thanks for listening.

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  6. Chappaquidick is streaming on netflix.
    I'm motivated to watch it just to experience a well put together film. I'm also discouraged by the subject matter I'm really not interested in.

    So torn

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    1. "It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it." -Roger Ebert

      Plus JB rarely leads one astray, I plan on checking it out soon.

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    2. JB is correct. I enjoyed it a lot.

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  7. Great podcast, cool dudes! Patrick gets a million billion bonus points for referencing Jive Bunny.

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  8. Thanks for the excellent podcast, especially the Damsel tip. I'm a big western fan but have put this off owing to mixed reviews. But no more! On this note, check out The Sisters Brothers (2018) based on the Matthew De Witt book. In fact, pound for pound, year to year, it strikes me that westerns are parhaps the most consistent of genres. Even if one isn't great, it generally feels like the film makers care about the material and are doing their best.

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  9. This year wasn’t great at all. I would say my 2 biggest disappointment are Battle at the El Royale and You Were Never Really Here. Battle At El Royale took a long time to go basically nowhere. You were never really here just went over my head. Hopefully with some analysis I’ll like You were never really here on a re watch better on a rewatch.

    On a brighter note I recommend everyone see Game Night.

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  10. Great show. Lots of good recommendations to check out.

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  11. I was listening to the "ugly" portion in the car, while my 10 year old played video games in the back seat. After a bit he said, "These people don't like any movies!". I explained to him that it was the "ugly" bit and the good movies are next week.

    A little bit later Patrick and JB started discussing Rampage and he couldn't disagree more. Then when Skyscraper was brought up, he became incensed. Then JB said (paraphrasing) "Anyone who thought Rampage was fun, isn't a fun person". You guys didn't win over a new fan, that's for sure. Hahaha!

    Great podcast. Can't wait to watch some of the recommendations.

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