Recently watched movies!

[Benjamin Haines]

[Gwangi]

OK, thanks Benjamin! I just found it odd that their logo showed up in the end of this movie, considering this was not a Legendary picture.

[Dr Kain]

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - I definitely enjoyed it far more this time around compared to how I felt when I saw it in theaters back in May. It's still not as good as the first film, but it is still a pretty solid adventure. A lot of the scenes that I found annoying previously didn't bother me one bit and there was a lot more depth to it than I initially thought. I'm upping my score from a 7 to an 8/10.

Rogue One - Still just as good, perhaps better, than it was when I saw it in theaters last year. As I've said before, it puts the war in Star Wars. 9/10.

[jellydonut25]

I feel like I’m the only person who thinks Guardians 2 is better than the first. Kind of significantly better. I’d give the first a 3.5/5. Fun adventure, but lacking in emotional depth and with a muddled uninteresting villain. The second though is a 4.5/5 for me. It’s everything from the first but just done better with a more tangible emotional core.

[Dr Kain]

For me, I just feel like some of the jokes are forced and some things went on way too long. Drax is obnoxious this time around too.

[O.Supreme]

I forget most of GotG 2. The jokes and quips are hilarious as you are watching, but there are not a lot of lasting memorable quotable lines, so most of the film is forgettable. I think one thing GotG2 has is a really strong, significant ending. The whole funeral for Yondu gets me every time. The music (Cat Stephens "Father & Son"), the celebration, the atmosphere, and dialogue in those scenes etc... It definitely skews the film in a far more positive direction in the last 10 minuets or so, But balancing the last few minuets with 2 hours of gags and quips makes it a mid-range movie at best for me. Of course Ragnarok did the same thing, as critical as I am of that film, to me the best part IS the very end. Marvel has definitely known how to tug at my emotions in the last couple moments of their recent films.

[jellydonut25]

I think GOTG2 is the most pensive, quiet, contemplative MCU movie there is. It’s brief moments and snatches but that’s more than we typically get.

[lhb412]

When I first saw GotG2 I thought it a smidgen inferior to the first, but upon reflection I think that's just a case of how the first was such an out-of-nowhere surprise that it has that advantage. In terms of character, story, thematic stuff - the sequel is probably a bit better overall. It just lacks the element of suprise!

Finally finished the second season of Twin Peaks and, as promised, after making its way back up from the rough patch that was the middle of season two the final episode (which David Lynch returned to direct) was really, really good.

[eabaker]

Re-watched The Force Awakens in anticipation of The Last Jedi.

Having recently re-watched Rogue One, I was struck this time by the different ways in which the two movies are flawed.

The force Awakens is very clear in its sense of characterization and emotional arcs. Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and Han Solo are all well established, and their growth/transformations over the course of the movie feel organic and involving; I care about them. Unfortunately, at a plot level, it really falls apart mid-way through; having clearly established "find Luke Skywalker" as its objective, it suddenly introduces a super-weapon out of the blue, destroys a system that has been unmentioned up to this point but which one can just piece together is hugely important to the New Republic, turns the destruction of this base into the third act objective, and never directly links these events with the disappearance of/search for Luke. Then, the resolution of what was initially the primary thrust of the narrative is handed to us incredibly conveniently, and serves as more of an epilogue than a climax.

Rogue One, while an obvious patchwork, at least always knows what the objective of its plot is (obtain the Death Star plans), and keeps moving toward that. Alas, while having some intriguing supporting characters, it doesn't really know how to handle its leads. Jyn and Cassian may state their motivations from time to time (though more often it seems like other people state Jyn's), but they don't really do very much based on those motivations, and when they undergo changes of heart, it happens not because of any discernible transformations they've undergone as people, but simply because the plot now needs them to have a shift in perspective.

[jellydonut25]

[lhb412]

^Got it during the Criterion sale.

[Dr Kain]

Star Wars - Great movie all around despite some corny dialog. This was also my g/f's first time ever seeing the original theatrical cut of the film, so she was shocked to learn that Han really did shoot first. lol 9/10.

[O.Supreme]

Shrek (2001) -Still a great film. Great Jokes, and a great message. It's become a tradition that any time my family moves, we try to watch this film first in our new place. When my wife and I began dating in the fall of 2001 it was the first film we watched together, I still have that same DVD set (back when I thought it was so cool they gave you 2 discs- one with the film in *widescreen* and the other with the film in 4:3 ).

The Muppet Movie 1979 Now that we have access to all our stuff again, the kids are going through movies like crazy. Still, this one is always charming, and fun to watch.

Star Wars - The Force Awakens 2015 Just trying to watch this again getting prepped for the new film. I've never EVER fallen asleep during a SW film, but last night I must have just been exhausted, and I guess I'm just getting old. I fell asleep about 15 minuets in, I'll try it again tonight heh...

[canofhumdingers]

The Empire Strikes Back - Harmy’s Despecialized 2.0 version. I love this movie. I think it was lhb here on MZ who once called it the greatest 80’s fantasy movie ever, and I totally agree. It’s magnificent. It suffers a bit from being a middle act where it can’t really stand alone without the other two films. But it has the best writing, acting, and especially dialogue of any Star Wars movie by a long shot. And Darth Vader is at his most devilishly villainous in this outing and it is so much fun!

An interesting technical side note:
Harmy’s version is primarily sourced from the official blu ray. We know the official blu rays have some seriously screwed up color timing with clipped highlights, crushed blacks, incredibly unnatural blue and magenta pushes, etc. Harmy did his best to make a more natural and accurate color palette, but at the time there wasn’t a lot of truly reliable info about the original theatrical color timing. Since then a number of fan projects to restore the film from original 35mm prints have been under way. I have a very rough “Grindhouse” copy scanned entirely from a theatrical print. It’s beautiful and actually has more fine detail than the blu ray but it also has a LOT of print damage and was pretty severely faded to red. They did some color correction on it but it’s definately still too pink.

Anyway, after watching ESB Despecialized, I popped in the Grindhouse version and skimmed through for fun and I realized something. The official Blu-ray, (and thus also Harmy’s version) are often too bright. Like, it looks like scenes have been artificially brightened. This is most apparent on Hoth in Echo Base. In the original film echo base has VERY dark, moody lighting with lots of deep shadows and atmosphere. You can tell the person in charge of lighting worked really hard and the result is beautiful. This is almost entirely destroyed in many scenes in the official version. I’ve posted a few screencaps below. I’m working from an iPad and had to go with what I could scrounge by searching online so these aren’t necessarily the BEST examples, but I think they help make my point. But when you watch them in motion it’s a HUGE difference.

Keep in mind the Grindhouse is definitely a little too red and probably a little overly contrasty. But the original film is one top and the official Blu Ray is on bottom. Also, in the very last pic, look at how insanely unnatural the little red lights on the bottom of the Falcon look in the blu ray.

[Dr Kain]

The Empire Strikes Back - 10/10

[lhb412]

Blade II

Blade, the half vampire who kills vampires and who is also Wesley Snipes, must team up with a hardened group of vampire fighters in order to take out a common enemy: a new strain of vampires that feed primarily on vampires and are super-strong and super-gross (their jaws split open into huge mouths with a freaky proboscis thing and it's just great).

After having the worst possibly experience directing a Hollywood movie with Mimic and after scoring a major artistic breakthrough with Devil's Backbone Guillermo del Toro goes into this movie just having fun, loading it up with cool monsters and anime-style designs and that bit of classical vampire gothic horror the Blade franchise was missing, and generally just getting a feel from blockbuster filmmaking that would serve him well in further movies. It's a lot of fun.

[Dr Kain]

Return of the Jedi - It may be the weakest of the trilogy, but it is still a damn good movie. A nice 9/10.

[lhb412]

Tokyo Drifter

My first Seijun Suzuki film! Tetsu is a former Yakuza, and, along with his boss (to whom he's still loyal), has gone legit - as is the case with any film with a setup like that, bad guys complicate matters and drag him back into his gangster life. The interesting thing about this movie is not what it's about, but how stylized it's done. Some parts are almost whimsical, suggesting what it would be like if Wes Anderson directed John Wick. The low budget wouldn't allow for elaborate sets, so using lighting and paint the filmmakers make these suggestive spaces, like the night club is just this yellow space, and the finale occurs in this enormous white space (with Testu now in a white suit). Tetsu is in this blue suit for most of the film, and it's perfect no matter what happens: his coat is thrown into a pile, but once he puts in back on it's spotless and wrinkle free and sharp - that's what kind of movie it is.

[Dr Kain]

The Hitman's Bodyguard - A fun action packed film that features some excellent chemistry between Reynolds and Jackson despite being light on plot. If you have two hours to kill, you could do far worse. It could have been about 20 minutes shorter though. Nevertheless, it's definitely worth a one time watch. 8/10.

[O.Supreme]

Thor (2011) Still a fun film. I don't know why, but I just still feel a level of excitement for all the marvel phase one films, that the more recent ones cant provide. I dont know what it is. Sure the newer films are bigger, and have more spectacle, but the phase one films are just...somehow more appealing to me, and of course, the musical score in this one is so amazing, like John Williams level amazing. The Avengers main theme is a close second, but this film has hands down the best musical score in all the MCU IMHO. TDW only called back to it when Thor's Mother died, and Ragnarok at the very end aboard "Spaceship" Asgard. This film made me really enjoy Idris Elba as an actor. Too bad they cold not have worked in Baldur in this story somehow, he was the only one missing. A couple of notes...Odin refers to Asgard as "The Realm Eternal" (meaning it will stand forever), also he refers to Thor as "my firstborn". Which, in the Marvel comics are both true. Another reason to dislike movie studio "writers" dumbass decisions...

[klen7]

Coco - I think the advertising for this film did it a disservice. I really enjoyed it. The topics of death, impermanence, legacy and remembrance are ones that i often struggle with, and this film's focus on Dia de Muertos and how it specifically looks at those areas struck a cord with me. I was really impressed. My 5-year old... well her review was "I didnt like it as much as i thought i would" which is the most searing review she's given a kids movie since Kubo.

[canofhumdingers]

Return of the Jedi - Harmy’s Despecialized 2.5 version. It feels a little ironic that Harmy’s most magnificent despecializing effort is seen in the weakest of the original trilogy films.

The movie is a significant step down in writing, acting, plot, and dialogue from the incredible high point of ESB. But it’s still a pretty good movie. And those issues are not the real crux of the problem in ROTJ. The real problem is the pacing. It absolutely drags in the middle.

I love the early stuff in Jabba’s palace and out on the sail barge. Maybe it’s because I’ve been reading a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but I get a VERY “Barsoomian” vibe from that sequence. Especially the flying ships/boats and swashbuckling parts. Just don’t pay too much attention to the rebels’ plan to rescue Han because it falls apart upon closer scrutiny. But ultimately that doesn’t bother me much because, on the whole, the events on Tatooine are just fun.

Then there’s the middle which at some point has a pretty sweet speeder bike chase, but is otherwise a bunch of exposition that’s not dressed up very well to keep it interesting.

Then there’s the rip roaring end battle. The effects are amazing. There is more noticeable sloppiness this time (some painfully obvious matte paintings, TIE fighters that magically appear as they rush the Falcon) but the sheer number of effects shots makes the gaffes a bit more forgivable. But man, that space battle is something else. Just incredible. The ground battle is also great. And the duel, while not as good choreographically as ESB, is just as strong dramatically. The things going on internally with Luke, between Luke and Vader, and with the emperor manipulating the both of them are really intense.

Ultimately this is now my fifth favorite Star Wars film (behind SW, ESB, Rogue 1, and TFA) but I stil really enjoy it.

[Dr Kain]

The Force Awakens - A solid new entry into the Star Wars lore even if it does retread some plot conveniences, I mean points. Still great with excellent acting all around and I like the characters enough to want to see where they go from here. Oh, and Kylo is what Anakin should have been. 9/10.

[lhb412]

Hellboy (director's cut)

This was such an important movie for me: I saw it the first weekend it came out (foot covered in a mean poison ivy rash), saw it again the next weekend, and the weekend after that bought trade paperback collections of the comic. By the time I got the DVD, which had tons of GDT in the special features (including my first GDT commentary track - always a treat), I became a devotee of the director.

Now? Well, it's really eclipsed by Hellboy 2 and PacRim in terms of GDT's splashy blockbuster oeuvre, as those movies are bigger and better in pretty much all respects. Even Blade II is in some ways stronger: it's aims are simpler and it achieves them, a smooth running action and monster delivery system. As a movie, Hellboy is bit lumpier: a strange beast, with GDT trying to take his ideas for this quirky comic book that he loves and weld them onto something he thinks (or the producers and Hollywood types he's making the movie with thinks) is more accessible. Like, I just realized this movie is 20 minutes of exposition before we see Ron Perlman as Hellboy. That's insane. The movie thinks we need to be led up for this, braced for meeting a character so unusual, but once he shows up and Ron's performance is so warm and immediately endearing you know what a mistake that was.

Not to be wholly negative: it's good, just not as great as it was to me when I was a teenager. Ron is great as Hellboy, John Hurt is fantastic as Broom, and Kronen is a fantastic monster, and I totally dig the gonzo underground clockwork labyrinth the end of the movie takes place in, but in retrospect it feels a bit like a warmup for the full bloom of Hellboy 2.

[Dr Kain]

I guess I'm the only one who found Hellboy 2 to be vastly inferior to the first one. Visually it was great, but it just didn't have the same feel to it and I didn't like how the story was sequel baiting.