What Movie Did You Just Watch

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I recently watched The Gift and Inside Out. Both were great films, IMO. The Gift is a somewhat disturbing personal story that I don't really know how to describe without giving away spoilers for the plot. It's almost Hitchcock-ian in nature, that way. It's definitely not for everyone, though. I'll just say that it's one of those movies where you think that the plot is going one way for about the first half, and then it completely throws you for a loop. It's greatest strengths are in its performances, though. I never knew that Jason Bateman could pull of serious drama as well as he did in this movie, and Joel Edgerton was just the definition of creepy, here.

Inside Out is one of the best Pixar films in a long time, and I don't say that lightly as someone who generally doesn't love Pixar as much as everyone else seems to. I'd say that it's easily a top 5 for me, though. If it weren't for Toy Story 3, it may have even cracked my top 3, but that movie along with Monsters, Inc. and Up tightly hold those rankings on my list.

I also recently re-watched Hellboy for the first time in over a decade. As a film that I didn't like or get when it came out, I appreciate it so much more than I did. Guillermo Del Toro really is such a unique and visually interesting director, but while I love movies like Pacific Rim and Blade II, I almost forgot that he's genuinely great at writing substance, too, when the movie really calls for it. Hellboy is one of the most unique comic book movies that I've seen, in a way that makes it feel a bit more timeless than the typical Marvel of DC film (and I'm a huge fan of the MCU, so I don't say that as a detractor to those movies in any way). It doesn't have a lot going in the way of action, but much like Captain America: The First Avenger or The Rocketeer, I don't view it as an action movie. In this case it's about the characters, and Ron Perlman's performance as Hellboy is on the level of someone like Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man; I just can't imagine anyone else playing the character. I also love the use of make-up and prosthetics for the character, and especially adore the abundance of practical effects in this movie. Yes, there's tons of CG, of course, but only in places where it's absolutely necessary. The look of the film still primarily holds up because of the practical effects, though, IMO.

Now, I do actually remember enjoying The Golden Army back when I watched that movie for the first time, so I can't wait to revisit it now that I've grown a deeper appreciation for the first movie.

[Foggle]

Saw The World of Kanako. What an insane, fucked up, disturbing, vile, horrible, reprehensible movie. I absolutely loved it. Every minute.

[Avaitor]

Here are the cities that are getting Hateful Eight in 70mm.

My nearest theater is getting it, and I have plans to see it on the 26th! I'm getting a little more excited about this movie every day. Especially since I found out that Ennio Morricone added some unused cues to The Thing in his score!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It makes sense if you consider that this movie is basically the general set-up of The Thing (minus the Thing itself), and mixed with a Western.

Ennio Morricone scored The Thing, and a bunch of classic Westerns. Of course they'll use his music.

[gunswordfist]

  Don't know what's going on in here but I like it!

[Foggle]

Got tickets to see the 70mm version! I'm so excited!

[gunswordfist]

Awesome! Enjoy and tell us how it goes. 

[Dr. Insomniac]

So I guess Episode VIII will take place on New Zealand?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'll be seeing The Hateful Eight tomorrow. I'm not sure if it's in 70mm, though.

[Avaitor]

Oh, it should be. The only screenings right now are in 70mm. The regular transfer will be out a week or two later.

I have plans to see it on Saturday, myself. The reviews are looking a bit mixed, but it still sounds like something I'll like. I'll find out soon enough, at least.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Oh, it should be. The only screenings right now are in 70mm. The regular transfer will be out a week or two later.

Nice!

[Avaitor]

TCM recently announced their Fathom Events rerelease schedule for the coming year.

January 17/20- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
February 21/24- The Maltes Falcon
March 20/23- The Ten Commandments
April 24/27- On the Waterfront
May 15/18- Ferris Bueller's Day Off
June 26/29- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
July 24/27- Planet of the Apes
August 28/31- The King and I
September 18/21- Dr. Strangelove
October 23/26- The Shining
November 27/30- Breakfast at Tiffany's
December 11/14- From Here to Eternity

There's some good stuff here, but I wish that we got more Hitchcock or Wilder films in this selection. I'm still sad that I had to miss Double Indemnity and Rear Window.

I actually just watched Butch Cassidy again earlier this semester, and my opinion remains the same as ever- I like the film when the characters sit down and talk, but it loses me with the action sequences. I much prefer The Sting, myself.

I don't consider The Maltese Falcon to be noir. Proto-noir, sure, but some of the key ingredients are missing, and Mary Astor is miscast as the femme fatale. But it's still a very well-made film. I'd consider going.

Definitely will skip the Ten Commandments, since I can still barely watch it in full. I know that the film still has its fans, but I'm not much of a fan of this kind of epic. I still haven't been able to watch more than a half-hour of Ben-Hur.

I like everything about On the Waterfront but Brando, honestly. That's why I own the Criteiron release, and why I'll pass on this.

I'm also not a fan of John Hughes' high-school movies, so Ferris Bueller will be another pass for me. I like the Vacation movies that he had a hand in and his more "adult" films like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and parts of The Great Outdoors (if you haven't seen the DVD Shelf's review of that, go for it, since I'm right with him), but Ferris Bueller, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, I can't deal with.

I'm not a huge fan of Willy Wonka in any capacity (it's one of my lesser favorite Daal stories), but I do like parts of both movies in varying capacities. Still, I'll probably skip this one.

Planet of the Apes, however, that will be nice to see in theaters. I'm putting it in the maybe pile.

I haven't seen The King and I, and I haven't heard all that many great things about its adaptation. With Rodgers and Hammerstein, while the Sound of Music is considered to be among their lesser shows, it's easily regarded as the best adaptation of their work (and it's definitely worth seeing in theaters if you get the chance, like I was able to earlier this year). I'd go again for that, but this one is a maybe, if I have a friend who wants to go.

Both Kubricks are among the most likely that I'll go. The Shining, in particular, seems like something that I need to see in theaters.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is another maybe. This is a good movie (Mickey Rooney aside), but like Roman Holiday, it's not something that I really NEED to see in theaters. But if I have someone interested, I'd be down.

From Here to Eternity, though, that I feel like would be a great experience in theaters. The DV Shelf also touched on this one briefly in his excellent Hawaiian films video, and he's right, this is a true knock out.

Is there anything here that you guys feel the need to see in theaters?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Nothing for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly's 50th  anniversary? I'mean disappointed.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Brief thoughts on The Hateful Eight:

-It's definitely worth seeing in 70 mm for the experience

-It's a Tarantino movie, so it's violent as hell

-The first half is slow; It gradually gets more interesting as the plot progresses, but I will admit to being a bit bored during portions of the first hour, and it just starts to get really interesting before the intermission; the second half is much better, though

-The music is excellent, as expected by a soundtrack featuring the talent of Ennio Morricone

-Overall, this movie is sort of like a Western version of Reservoir Dogs; not as good as Inglorious Basterds or Django Unchained, but I still personally prefer this to most of Tarantino's earlier stuff

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Based on what I've seen, here are my top 5 favorite films of the year so far:

5. Kingsman: The Secret Service
4. The Gift
3. Inside Out
2. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
1. The Martian

Honorable Mentions:

Ex-Machina  (an interesting film, but one that I wouldn't personally re-watch)

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F  (a really fun movie, and one of the best anime-original entries to come out of the franchise, but ultimately it still had flaws holding it back from being great)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (a fun movie, and IMO superior to the first, but not quite up there with the better films of the year)

The Hateful Eight (a memorable experience, but the first half being such a slow-burn ultimately held it back for me)

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (much like AOU, this one was a really fun movie, but suffers a bit from essentially relying too heavily on the formula of the older films)

I still missed a lot of movies, though, including Mad Max: Fury Road and Creed.