Movie/film thread: resurrected

Napoleon (2023)

Not as great as some say, but not bad.  The editing looks more than a little choppy - as in someone took an ax and chopped well over an hour out of it.  Ridley Scott is already talking about a 4+ hour long director's cut.

I do think Joaquin Phoenix is a great actor, but someone he just didn't seem to fit the role.  The expression on his face during a large part of the film seemed to convey "Damn this uniform is uncomfortable!" instead of reactions more relevant to the scene.

Historians are (as usual) complaining about the large amounts of poetic license taken by the script.  Then again, Shakespeare's "historical" plays were full of all sorts of factual errors.  I think historians should chill out and advocate for making factual documentaries and reinactments instead of worrying about details in entertainment that was never billed as "the actual true story."

Oh, and one phrase that will mean little until you see the movie.  "The mating call of Napoleon." 

I just watched the new Nicholas Cage film 'Dream Scenario' and just, wow. That's a classic. It completely gets it right about so much stuff
Really good satire and Nic Cage, well, the man is a legend

I also rewatched Sprited Away because that has been back in the culture since Miyazaki has a new one out, I want to see the new one, but Jesus Spirited Away is such a piece of art. I have an opinion on it now that it's about NoFace as much as ChiChiro but it's not even the plot so much as the world and the logic of it. One of the best things ever

Haven’t gotten to watch Napoleon yet but really looking forward to it. The Chapo Trap House podcast did an interview about it that I enjoyed: https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackWolfFeed/comments/1898vyb/786_able_i_was_ere_i_saw_ridley_feat_everett/

 
Thanks

Haven’t gotten to watch Napoleon yet but really looking forward to it. The Chapo Trap House podcast did an interview about it that I enjoyed: https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackWolfFeed/comments/1898vyb/786_able_i_was_ere_i_saw_ridley_feat_everett/

I just watched Napoleon last week. It was a proper mess. It did have it's moments but a very silly film. There are these really long bits where nothing happens, but then they do the battles really quickly.

A film that I highly recommend is Mars Express. It's a French animation from 2023, it's very cyberpunk, like plot has bits of BladeRunner, Total Recall, Minority Report, all of that stuff, it's very much it's own film though. Very beautifully drawn and directed, I'm a nerd for that stuff so subjective, but it never gets boring because like with all of the best scifi there are all of these great little inventions, they don't make a thing out of it, but there are just cool ideas everywhere. 8/10

Alien Romulus (2024)

They put some massive effort into this and it paid off.  It would have been nice if the characters had been a bit more likable, but maybe it was better not being too attached to most of them.

For maximum fun, I recommed watching the first 2 Alien flicks again just before seeing this.  It's hard to believe that it's been almost 45 years since the first one came out.

Ne Zha 2 (2025)

I definitely recommend seeing the original first.  Otherwise, the . . . unusual status of the two main characters at the beginning will likely seem a little odd.

The first movie is well worth watching, but the second is better.  The animation quality is at least as good as major US animation releases if not better.  The story line is well written and includes some good plot twists.

Don't rush out the door when the credits roll.  Your patience will be well rewarded.

Ne Zha 2 (2025)

I definitely recommend seeing the original first.  Otherwise, the . . . unusual status of the two main characters at the beginning will likely seem a little odd.

The first movie is well worth watching, but the second is better.  The animation quality is at least as good as major US animation releases if not better.  The story line is well written and includes some good plot twists.

Don't rush out the door when the credits roll.  Your patience will be well rewarded.

I love the NeZha films. The artwork is not up to US or Japanese standards, although I'm talking about the absolute tip top, but the visual jokes are top class.
While I was typing that out, I just thought that Pixar and most anime doesn't look as good as it did anymore.
I'm a total weeb so I even in middle age like to watch Japanese cartoons and the good ones are still pushing that hyperreal art, but NeZha should be a thing outside of China. As a brit I love her perfect teeth

I just watched 28 Years Later

It's set in Northumberland where I grew up, and The Holy Island is a real place where you can only visit depending on the tides. It was nice to see my hometown, and films set in Northumberland usually are the end of the world, but I'll take it

I thought the film was ok despite being self indulgent. I don't think that there was a need for it. There's this crew of guys, I think they are all normalish guys who got into Cambridge: Charlie Brooker, Chris Morris, Edgar Wright, Armando Ianucci, Alex Garland.
They are posh to me, but they went to state schools and spent their youth with no money, and I loved them in the 90s and I'm so glad for their success since they were doing weird arty stuff that I related to and I'm so glad they now get to do what they wanted to in their youth, but it's a bit over. They are in their 50s and I'm in my 40s but I get it, they have a lot to say, but they aren't saying it

I just saw The Shadows Edge (2025) in a theatre.  Jackie Chan may be getting older, but his ability to do an action film with a bit of comedy on the side is still going strong.

Tony Leung does an excellent job as the primary villain in the film.

I'm not certain if there were some inconsitencies or if I just missed a few details.  The movie kicks into high gear frequently, so I'll need to see it again (with a pause button available) to see.

Definitely watch the closing credits (a regular thing for Jackie Chan films) and the post-credits scene (not such a regular thing for a Jackie Chan film).