Movie/film thread: resurrected

The Revenant (2015)

This is the entire plot -
A fur trapper/guide in the late 1600s is badly mauled by a bear. He spends the movie crawling through the bush to hunt down the man who killed his son and abandoned him to die.


Actually, the plot is deeper than that. Unfortunately, Hollywood gives not a crap about plot, rounded characters, good dialogue or any kind of tool used to create and maintain a good narrative. The book it is based is terrific. And it is set in the early 19th Century. The main character, Hugo Glass, was actually a real person and the novel is a dramatized account of his life. I found the movie cinematographically splendid but lacking in narrative depth. There are a few flashbacks which aims to inform us of Glass's past but they are merely confusing.

I found "The Revenant" pretty tedious. Whilst Leonardo DiCaprio received awards for his acting, I must confess to getting a bit bored just watching him. I'd be interested in your opinion Calech, if you've seen it yet.

"THE BIG SHORT". :  Four outsiders in the world of high finance, who predicted the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid 2000's, decide to take on the big banks for their lack of foresight and for their greed. An interesting topic, but I found that I had to really concentrate on the story and even then I'm not sure that I got it right. I'd love to have asked the other patrons to give me a run down on what they thought they understood.

planning to watch that one tonight.. so please, not too many spoilers!

one that impressed me so far was Creed... the next chapter in the Rocky story! really well done and directed! sure, as predictable as can be but really nicely done.

How I Live Now (2012)

The source book is, perhaps unfortunately, a superior YA-meets-WWIII novel. The film, though not bad in its own right, relative to Meg Rosoff's novel is grossly, arse-toundingly disappointing. Aside from hollowing out several significant characters and making Daisy a type A teenager the whole way through, they made everyone call Edmond Eddie. Lord that did grate.

Not a bad movie, but thumbs down anyway.

Deadpool (2016)

Funny in places ("you know what to do"), and surprisingly perhaps actually underdoes the fight scene cgi. The supposed breaking of the fourth wall is a bit twee too, and used without purpose. The character might well have been genuinely subversive in the comics, but in the movie he's entirely yoked to the current standards of comic book movie making. (And from the perspective of ancient movie making, quite overshadowed by characters like Tyler Durden.) He does get off some good lines though and the movie's fun.

 

"GRIMSBY" with a cast of Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong and Rebel Wilson, went a bit far I think.  I must confess that I did laugh when everyone else was quiet, but that is because I see humor when others don't, or perhaps they were in shock! It only got 2 stars here. I mention this film because I wondered if anyone else had seen it?

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.  When some begin to fear Superman, Gotham City's vigilante, Batman decides to take on the superhero. The infighting leaves the world exposed to a new threat that puts mankind in greater danger than anyone could have possibly imagined. If you like this type of movie, the visual effects are pretty good.

EYE IN THE SKY Complications arise when a Lieutenant General (Alan Rickman) and a Colonel (Helen Mirren) order a drone missile strike to take out a group of terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya. I don't want to spoil things, but there is a child involved.

Alan Rickman knocks up Helen Mirren?

Hmmm, that might be worth watching.

Stil, it sure would be!

Mr. Six - 老炮儿 - (2015)

Old school local gangster comes up against super rich fuerdai when his estranged, unconnected son incurs a debt. Spoilers: this is a film that starts as one thing and ends as another. Somehow, by the end, the gangsters are laobaixing and the fuerdai are cured. Nonetheless, great character flick.

 

The Jungle Book...I rather liked it. Must admit, it was Bill Murray as Baloo that rather lifted the movie for me.

The Jungle Book...I rather liked it. Must admit, it was Bill Murray as Baloo that rather lifted the movie for me.

I liked it too. My only complaint is that the songs were too short (though a full version of my favourite song is played at the end, so not too bad  )

"EDDIE THE EAGLE" The story of Britain's first ski jumper to enter the Winter Olympics. Because it is based on a true story, I liked it. Hugh Jackman's part was certainly unusual for him!

Le  Tout Noveau Testament: The Brand Mew Testement. Filmed in Brussels in French. Fantastic cinematography and script, even in French.

Finally got my lovely wife to sit through enough Star Trek that she'd get the concept of Galaxy Quest.  Must have worked - she laughed in most of the right places.