Films The Official bit-tech Movie Thread - What have you seen lately?

Joke came up in Derek (missed this on the first go around) that was straight from Denis Leary (about getting old...) - makes me laugh so much. I was a big fan of Rescue Me - great re-watch right there!

 

Old Henry
It's been a fair old while since a decent western was made, this fits the bill.

 

The Batman
Just seen it. Honestly pretty solid. It takes a lot of pointers from the Joker film and from the Arkham games. It leans more into the original comic book dynamics of what Batman is meant to be: a gritty detective mystery with horror elements. It explores ideological questions about what motivates him (or what *should* motivate him).

Casting is good; Selina Kyle has been well-cast for basically the first time in history, and is played straight as an interesting 3D character rather than a daft dominatrix succubus from a sweaty exec's fever dream. Pattinson is a bit stiff but basically nails the idea of a younger, more conflicted Batman making his first steps and missteps.

Gotham looks much more Gotham, the enemies and plot elements are satisfyingly grounded; regular mobsters who are legitimately scary and dangerous, imagine that! The plot doesn't hinge on atom bombs, super powers or macguffins - just good old-fashioned depths-of-depravity human nature. The visual style is straight and muted, like the more modern Batman comics.

There's a refreshing lack of real-life political pandering, but it still manages to draw tasteful allusions to modern spiritual dilemmas like the ability of a city to experience a collective loss of faith in itself, and the ability of an anonymous terrorist with an ideological bent to hold a population captive in horror.

The combat is beautiful, clearly video-game inspired, perfectly choreographed and deeply satisfying. I actively jittered a bit every time Batman let loose and punched a bunch of awful people in the nick of time. Batman's motivations are, finally, clear and ethical: he furiously throws himself into situations to prevent suffering, with the anger it merits but without an appetite for causing it.

The score is good: it begins with the famous refrain from Schubert's Ave Maria and every subsequent piece of score is a variation on that melody, which builds with a powerful effect over the course of the film.

Only the pacing lets it down slightly: the film has a faster first half and a slow third quarter, which seems to drag slightly and could've benefited from some judicial editing.

There is a tiny bit of trailer/franchise teasing, but it doesn't feel excessive or baiting.

All the supporting cast are fantastic.

The communication of important plot points to the audience is clear and effective and one never risks feeling lost or distracted.

A solid 8/10.

 

That does sound very good, will definitely catch it at the cinema (and what a great write-up as ever b_e)

 

Indeed! @boiled_elephant saved me the effort and he's spot on.

I would say that the style of Batman Robert portrays would've been more suited to a 6'4" 18 stone monster, but there again, that would make Bruce Wayne stick out like a sore thumb!

 

I did ponder this issue for a bit myself. Pattinson looks like...well, like me, when he's topless. It's quite jarring after the 'muscle' eras of Batman we've seen. He is the visual and spiritual opposite of Ben Affleck's Batman.

On the whole, I think it works. Some kind of training or context to his incredible martial prowess might've been good, just to hang a lampshade on the problem; who can forget Christian Bale's iconic pushups scene? Nobody's too straight to enjoy that kind of ridiculous display of macho excess.

But in the end I found it added to the intrigue of the character to have this striking contrast between Pattinson's suited vs unsuited appearance. Which is the direction this film went with the character: no exposition, no origins, no setup, just Batman, in action, largely in the shadows, saying little and acting through his physique and expressions rather than dialogue. This fosters fascination: who is this drawn, miserable-looking inheritance brat, why does he look so haunted, and what is it within him that turns him, so improbably, into this monstrous force of nature when he puts on the suit? We all know the canonical answers to these questions, but the film treats it as mysterious anyway, and it heightens the impression of a character driven by insuppressable internal tension and angst.

It's ironic, really - the emotional core of this character is very close to the emotional core of Pattinson's character in Twilight. Whoever first spotted that parallel between the characters is a visionary - I would never in a million years have thought about Twilight within 24 hours of thinking about Batman, let alone thought to cast Pattinson as Batman on the basis of the similarity. But there it is. Both are pretty camp and strange character concepts when you simply list their specifics on paper. The difference in quality between this film and Twilight goes to show that what makes a film great or terrible cannot be described on paper; it has to be seen.

 

If we're cruising along the same mental tramwaves, then you are indeed an oracle of my good fortune! Subsequent viewing (of episode 3, I believe - I did the remaining episodes in two sittings) supports your theory, good sir. I had to review ep3 several times to make sure but the evidence holds up.

However from there, that entire series went downhill and whilst I do indeed think Hawk suits up well in the role, some of that dialogue and the plot jumps/ridiculous feats of superhuman-ness (wrong series, Hawkcher-dude) were utter tosh. If you also have gunplay that the original A-Team would blush at, then your work here is over. Not done, just over.

 

No Time To Die - 7/10

the first Daniel Craig Bond where he finally starts to feel just a little like....Bond.
and then they start killing the holy cows of the franchise.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a white old male git. I actually read the books, and similar ones out of that time.
For me Bond is an old-school, gentelmanly, witty, spy-and-action romp. The way Craigs Bonds were written never fit into this.

Really? Isn't it just that Pattinson always looks and acts the same?

 

Wrath of Man.
The usual Statham flick / 10

 

With apologies to @boiled_elephant ...

THE BATMAN: Worth seeing/10

Disclaimer: this was part of an old friends weekend, hence I had little sleep the night before (owing to late night shenanigans and a buggered shoulder), so wasn't in the best state to view it - I actually drifted off for 5-10 minutes about halfway through during a slow scene.

The film starts off extremely well, with the setting being 2 years into the start of Batman's crusade against crime. This is a young and still relatively inexperienced Batman, who doesn't really have any other goal apart from pummelling villains as catharsis for his parents' deaths - indeed, the first takedown is damn satisfying to watch. The police now know what Batman is up to and is reluctantly tolerated but is still greeted with suspicion. Over the course of the film, which is a tad under 3 hours and is relentlessly dark, we see Batman learn that mindlessly bludgeoning criminals is not enough, and to truly uplift Gotham, he must become a figure of hope rather than that of bloody-minded vengeance.

My main criticism of the film is based around Robert Pattinson. Don't get me wrong, Robert is just over 6' and has a presence in his scenes, but the Batman he plays is that of a brawler, and unfortunately it doesn't quite come across as convincing. Batfleck is 6'3" and put on a lot of mass to play the role, which would've been more suited. Maybe this is the point though - after all, Bruce Wayne would stick out like a sore thumb if he was a huge bodybuilder! However, Robert portrays everything else about the character extremely well - I particularly like how he portrays Batman as a man constantly worn out, functioning on little sleep, and on the edge, yet has a resolute stubbornness to keep going.

The Riddler is a cracking villain. The actor who plays him (won't mention his name so the surprise isn't spoilt), is cast extremely well and comes across as a very creepy psychopath. Jim Gordon is also well played as a no-nonsense character. The take on Penguin is interesting, and you won't recognise who plays him! Catwoman? Me-ow! I was glad to see that Batman, as per the comics, was by far the superior fighter, so don't worry about THE AGENDA creeping in. Some of her fight scenes do require a little suspension of disbelief and feature some accommodating stuntmen. Still, a very interesting character and well played by Zoë Kravitz, who I now definitely have a thing for.

Now for the batmobile. Let's get one thing straight: The Tumbler may be the best thing ever made by humanity, so it's unfair to compare. Do I want the Batmobile from this film? HELL YES. Old skool muscle car that shoot flames from the rear and somehow combines a V8 and a turbine engine? HOW GODDAMN AWESOME IS THAT?! The only way it could be improved is to have a big feckoff air scoop soopercharger on the bonnet.

While Christian Bale's Batman will, for me, always be the definitive version (with the rage fuelled monster that was Batfleck in Batman vs Superman coming in a close second), this film is understanding of the core material and certainly earns my approval. At some point, I plan to watch it again, but not being tired! After all, at first I didn't really rate Batman vs Superman, but after a couple more viewings, it become one of my favourite films.

So, get a good night's sleep. buy two large boxes of popcorn, and have at it.

 

I am wondering if the tone of Batman 2022 will grow on me or not with repeat viewings. One thing I was conscious of in that respect is that it's really monotone, all sombre and brooding with very little humour, warmth or relief. I have loved other works with this approach for their unique depth (True Detective, There Will Be Blood). I have hated other things for being too monotone without the payoff of being interesting (Cold Mountain).

I really think a director's cut or fan cut that shaves down the runtime and paces things up a bit will lengthen this film's appeal in years to come.

edit -

Unrelated, but just found this in a Critical Drinker video:

I love it because it basically describes 90% of modern cinema. Probably 90% of old cinema too, tbf, we tend to forget how much crud there has always been in film, TV and music. Entertainment as a committee-tailored product.

 

No Time To Die.
No time to write a decent script either it appears / 10

By jiminy cricket that has to rate as one of the worst Bond films yet, it's right up there with Casino Royal, although granted I really don't like Daniel Craig's Bond.

 

Eternals

What a ****ing train wreck of a film - two and a half hours of peak trope-ish dog sh!t.

 

I managed to watch 20 minutes before giving up. It might have helped if any of them had talent and charisma.

 

Not making it onto Dave's Favs list then I take it?

 

I try to watch through to the end of a film, then I can feel I've earnt the right to slag it off. This was a challenge, for reasons outlined below.

That would be a firm No, sir.

Everyone has things.. triggers or whatever. I really ****ing struggle to sit through anything that makes me cringe; be it trope-ish dog sh!t, really bad acting or a particular brand of (what some call) comedy. The vast majority of films from the likes of Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler are almost impossible for me to endure. It's not an attempt at snobbery or anything like that, it's practically a physical reaction to it like nails on a blackboard to some, or chewing cotton wool to others. It is a deeply uncomfortable experience - Sometimes I literally twist in my chair.

Not every one of them does that - there are one or two in there that I actually enjoyed, but it's like walking through a minefield, so I tend to avoid films by the like of those guys. I figure I can live with missing an occasional gem, if it reduces the time my skin crawls.

Until IMDB includes a cringe meter, that's all I can do.

 

Due to the COVID diagnosis...

The Watch - 6 Green blooded aliens... As David writes above, it's a bit cringey but Richard Ayoade really pulls this out of the bag with some truly funny dialogue.

No Way Home - 3 out of 3. As much as I'm getting a bit bored with the Marvel machine (Eternals and Shang-whatever I'm still not fussed with), this was really clever. What was really amazing was the visual effect shots... things you never really expected to be CG were just that! Peter walking out of an apartment? The door frame was real, everything else was composite CG. He did all of the freeway stuff in a smart/ casual suit which was replaced in post with Iron-spider suit. It's an interesting 20 minutes if you fancy - How 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Visual Effects Were Made | Vanity Fair - YouTube - one part of this vid made me smile in regards to one of the scenes with the helicopter - he was annoyed that he didn't account for the rotor blowing debris around on the bridge... really good video!

Hawkeye TV Series - Binged this all in one go yesterday. Enjoyed this one more than Falcon/ Winter Soldier.

The Lighthouse 9 out of Noir

The Adam Project - Fun and Predictable but with Heart!

 

Dredd: HOTSHOT/10

everytime I watch it its just awesome, Urban just launches it out the park, the real tragedy is there wont be a sequel but then I doubt it could be topped.

 

Thing is, there was no secret sauce that made Dredd so special. No one-off, can't-be-repeated plot elements. If the same folks did a sequel with no no studio tinkering (big ask, I know), this was the one movie that I would have no problem betting on a good sequel (or sequels). Plus, all the pieces were there — a multi-movie arc, or heck, even just the one sequel, to deal with the corruption in the ranks.