The Movies I Liked

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Short Term 12 (2013)

Though I have come across this in a few of the good movie lists (and this was mentioned back in 2015 in this very thread), I never really cared to check this out. What a miss! This is one movie with all the good characteristics I like - short running time, fantastic performances, good characters and realistic portrayal (and on top of that, what a way to open and close). Brie Larson as Grace is just fantastic, equally matched by John Gallagher Jr. as her co-worker and boyfriend. Kaitlyn Dever, whom I remember from 'Justified' (Loretta) and Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) are two other familiar faces. I won't do much justification by writing my review (I am still excited by what I just saw), but I will point to something I found on the net (Editing [...]: Mine).

It's been nearly two weeks now. Two weeks since I sat down to watch a film I caught wind of in my daily rounds of finding foster care news. Two weeks since characters like Marcus, Sammy, Jayden, Mason and Grace started haunting my dreams. Over a decade removed from care and in just over 90 minutes of watching the most realistic view of care I've ever seen captured on film, I am back in my foster home.

In those two weeks since viewing the rawest look at care outside of a documentary, I've not slept well. I haven't been able to eat or concentrate. I had forgotten the emptiness. I had forgotten the kids around me and their hopelessness. I eliminated all of their names from my mind. [..] Then I watched Short Term 12. [..] Everything came back. All of those faces. All of those feelings. All of those fears and uncertainties. [..]. That's what Short Term 12 does, it puts you there. Right there. Right next to these kids and these caseworkers who can be found all across the nation. I'm a movie buff. I thought I couldn't be shocked. I thought I couldn't be affected by film anymore. I was wrong.
Click to expand...


The Florida Project (2017)

I am not sure if this one is for everybody. But, this too is a special film. Other than Willem Dafoe (who nails his role as a kind-hearted motel manager, Bobby), almost all the others are non-professional actors. What I liked most about the film is even though it is about families at the margin, who are trying to make ends meet on a daily basis, it is a joyous film. This is not a tear-jerker show of poverty, but how daily lives can be happy despite that. Most of the film revolves around mischievous, shouty gang of children and the world they inhabit (The first 2 minutes of this video is a good sample to see if this film will suit you (but don't see after that anyway)). This reminded me somewhat of "Pather Panchali" as far as happy children in tough conditions go (but Pather Panchali, IMO is a superior film). The ending is somewhat of a head-scratcher though!

Sean Baker's explanation of the ending can be found here: "We've been watching Moonee use her imagination and wonderment throughout the entire film to make the best of the situation she's in — she can't go to the Animal Kingdom, so she goes to the "safari" behind the motel and looks at cows, she goes to the abandoned condos because she can't go to the Haunted Mansion. And in the end, with this inevitable drama, this is me saying to the audience, 'If you want a happy ending, you're gonna have to go to that headspace of a kid because, here, that's the only way to achieve it.". But, still....
 
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

I had high expectations for this movie and it did not quite meet it. I thought it would be a dark comedy, but it is best described as a drama with a good sprinkling of dark comedy. The acting is quite good with all three, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell, putting in good performances. While I won't mind if Frances McDormand got the best actress Oscar, I don't think this is worth the best film award (but I don't give those awards, so...).

Mildred's daughter (a brief appearance by Claire from "Supernatural") has been raped and killed seven months ago and no suspect has been arrested. Enraged by this, Mildred puts up three billboards questioning the police chief "Why no arrests?" (and hence the title). For the first half of the film, the attitude displayed by Mildred when handling the backlash was a treat to watch - be it the dentist, the priest or the rogue students. Normally, we see upset parents (the first season of Forbrydelsen/The Killing comes to mind) and so, it is refreshing to see this don't-care attitude. But, that good impression did not carry over to the second half for me (all rants in spoilers) resulting in yet another 'good, but not great' film in the end.

1. The sudden U-turn of Sam Rockwell's character (though it leads to good scenes and moments).
2. None of what Mildred results in a consequence. When everybody "knows" that you are the only possible suspect in burning the police station and you are at the scene, is that how a police chief would enquire? Are they going to just take your word for it and leave it at that? No verifications? If they are so incompetent, then it makes sense that they can't solve her daughter's case. What is the point of instigating such incompetent police to investigate?
3. Why was Peter Dinklage even in the movie? To see how many 'midget' insults his character can take?
4. I doubt any mother would say "I hope you get raped" back to a daughter even if they were always fighting and the daughter just spit out that nonsense. Really?
5. What is the relevance of racism as part of Dixon's character? When the black characters are just coming and going like cardboard cutouts, it feels like an unnecessary trait. An idiotic cop with anger management issues due to his mother's upbringing would have worked out just fine. It seems critics got all worked up over this.
6. The ending was fine. I was wishing for it to end when they drove off in the car, but ending it after the conversation in the car worked even better. However, did that guy come into Mildred's shop earlier just to threaten for fun? Or was that scene totally unnecessary other than to show his impulsive, violent nature? Would it not have worked just fine even he had not been introduced to us earlier (though the scene does result in the second of three 'Chief letters')?
 
Darkest Hour (2017)

Gary Oldman puts in a fantastic performance as Churchill (Could probably win the Oscar). But, this film did not have as much an impact on me as Lincoln - there's something lacking in here. As this film also deals with Operation Dynamo, this can serve as a companion piece to Dunkirk (Their Finest is the third one, but I am yet to watch it). As for the historical inaccuracies in "Darkest Hour", the following two articles would be helpful.

1) History vs Hollywood
2) Slate
 
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

This is certainly the best Thor film and Chris Hemsworth's best outing in the MCU. They took a leaf out of GotG and mixed up a lot of comedy here. I would rate "The Avengers", "Guardians of the Galaxy 1" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" as my favourite films in the Marvel universe. This would follow them. But, no matter what, MCU starts to feel like you are watching the same film (or formula) rehashed over and over again now. I hope "Black Panther" is worth the hype and I also hope that "Infinity War" is infinitely better than "Age of Ultron" (which is a low hurdle to cross).


Waking Life (2001)

This is a hard movie to recommend IF you consider this a movie at all. It is an animation where the central character meets various people, who talk philosophically about life and dreams. If you have seen any of the films of Richard Linklater (like the famous Before series), you know what you can expect. There is no plot and nothing actually happens in the film (unlike the Before series). This is like hearing a series of philosophical blog posts, some of which are familiar, some of which are interesting, a few others just boring or too full of jargons that make it sound "intellectual". If you have read a bit of philosophy or thought about life in general, you would be familiar with many of these disconnected things. There is nothing too deep or profound here, just 'ideas'. This one can be totally pretentious, very exciting or somewhere in between for you.

One thing though - I slept for 20 mins in between yesterday. That rarely happens during a movie. Today, after I caught up with what I missed, I feel sleepy again. This movie may just be the cure for my insomniac phases!

PS: Alex Jones is in the movie. My favourite clip of him would be the first 2:24 of this video from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (battle of wits: artificial intelligence vs natural stupidity)
 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543472/?ref_=nv_sr_1

At last a movie that the whole family can watch and its not a superhero movie.

Coming from a family that loves superhero films, this one was fully endorsed by the family. The movie is touching, funny, and truly entertaining. While the baseline story is of a kid with facial deformity getting into Grade 5 and entering a school for the first time and how it affects all around him.

The story is beautifully written (no wonder its from a book) and well acted by all. The surprise element is Owen Wilson's acting where he is no longer just a funny guy.

One worth taking your kids to.
 
Justice League ................ yawwwnnnn!!!!!!! DC has lost all together ..... I dont know why they are stuck with Zyak Synder? DC was already miles behind Marvel in all respects and with repeating same directors they are not doing any good. With an already disappointing, Batman vs Superman. DC came up with another yawn Justice League. There was so much potential with this movie and all went garbage. There was nothing I could relate to with this installment, no connection, no humor (watch Thor ; Ragnarock to learn how to create humor) I coldnt care if any character lived or dies. After the awesome kick ass wonder women (The only DC movie that made it), here she looked so pale. Superman was a waste, his resurrection was so so so pale and uninteresting ..... ...... The effects and sound, are good whch is obvious and expected. @esantosh I dont think MCU looks repetitive, Thor Ragnarock is a perfect example. ALl the typical notions that we have in a super hero movie were broken in Ragnarok. I LOVED it........ JL, was a disappointment ...... I will go with 5.5/10 for this one.
 
@sam9s, Thanks for helping me skip yet another DC movie. I only watched "Wonder Woman" and thankfully, that was the only good DC film as per you :). Also, "Thor: Ragnarok" is among my current favourites in the MCU (4th), no question there either.

I didn't mean repetitive in the bad sense, but after the 15th or 20th super-hero movie, you know exactly what's coming (a packed-to-the-hilt second half, for example). I even finished two films I skipped earlier - "Spiderman: Homecoming" (which was surprisingly good. Even though initially, I couldn't accept anybody else in place of Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, in the end, Tom Holland made a great fit for Marvel's version of Spider-Man) and "Ant-Man" (which is one of my least rated MCU films). They are all fun (even Ant-Man) and entertaining, but then they also are cut from the same cloth. At least, Marvel knows how to make proper super-hero films.
 
Lady Bird (2017) and The Shape of Water (2017)

My expectations were high for both films and they both invoked the same question - "Haven't I seen this before?".

"Lady Bird" is a coming of age story. At its core, it is the story of the relationship between a rebellious teenager and a passive-aggressive mother. Where it differs from the usual coming-of-age films is that it feels 'realistic' as opposed to the usual loud-mouthed, stereotypical teenage films. The "rebellious" teenager is not gothic, the fat friend is not called out for being a 'fatty', even the "meanness" of famous kid is to the extent of not knowing Lady bird's name. Despite that, it was only the final 20 minutes that elevated the film for me. It was good, but not very special. Laurie Metcalf puts in a good performance as the mother, though I am not sure if she will win the Oscar.

Once you have watched a few Guillermo del Toro films, you know his liking for creatures (especially inside tanks), you know Doug Jones and you know how the movie is going to go. It is predictable in plot, has a stereotypical villain and does exactly what you expect it to do. What sets it apart are the performances - Sally Hawkins as the mute lead, Octavia Spencer as her co-worker and friend, Richard Jenkins as the fatherly figure and of course, Michael Shannon. I would put this ahead of "Lady Bird" for sure due to the acting, the photography, and composition of scenes.

"Three Billboards..", despite the problems I have with it, was at least different and I'd put it ahead of these two films. "Darkest Hour" is my least liked Oscar Best Picture Nominee so far.
 
LOCKE ... another pretty unique movie after sunset limited. If in sunset limited two people arguing in a room sounded different, how about a movie where all the protagonist does is phone calls in movie car during the entire course of 90 mins. For me these kinds of primise have always interested me especially if the ratings of the movie are high. So I gave this a shot and, I was not disappointed. This is not a thriller at all, its pure drama, but the way its crafted and absolute stunningly performed by Tom Hardy, made it worthwhile.

The plot is simple, Tom hardy geta phone call, and he makes a decission, to persue it, and that sets an motion of events which he has to deal with while on the move. I thought except few things all the situations were plausible. The movie will appear a bit intimidating at the begining but stick with and and all will start to make sense. Tom Hardy expressions is mostly that makes the the movie what it is. ................ 6.8/10 for this one.
 
I, Tonya (2017)

This was more entertaining than I thought it would be. Since I don't read taglines or plot these days before watching the movie (and I don't know anything about figure skating), I thought this would be yet another Oscar-bait. However, it turned out to be a sort of a dark comedy with a lot of breaking the fourth wall moments. You can suspend your disbelief for a movie to an extent, but it was really, really hard to buy Margot Robbie as a 15-year-old Tonya Harding and even as a 23-year-old. But, this may be her best performance yet. Allison Janney is fantastic as the abusive, controlling mother. What surprised me was how 'factual' this movie is (much more so than a historical movie like "Darkest Hour") - a few things that I thought were 'artistic liberties' turned out to be real life facts. Reality is always stranger than fiction.

Coco (2017)

This is the first Pixar movie I have liked in a long while. With their recent slip-ups and what I generally saw as the "Disneyfication" of Pixar, I was worried. But, this one is a good comeback. Their animation was never an issue (it has always been great), but they haven't made me this emotionally invested since Wall-E (or the backstory of "Up", though I did not love that film on the whole as much).

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

It is really hard for me to sit through 'gay films' (fine with "L" of LGBT though). But then curiosity about what made this film an Oscar nominee made me watch it anyway. The best part of this film is location, location, location. The second good aspect is the mixing of spoken languages - English, Italian and French. It is a well-done (beautiful looking) film for sure. But, as usual, I have my opinions which are in the spoilers (which you can read if you don't plan to watch it). The best scenes occur on either side of the relationship between Elio and Oliver and the best characters to me are the parents of Elio.

The relationship did not look alright. There is the age issue as mentioned in many IMDB comments. But, let's overlook that for a moment.

There are a couple of "WUT" scenes - shorts on the head scene, Peach scene (all I can think is "unhygienic" and "Go wash that peach off your body" respectively). Let's overlook them too for a moment.

Their relationship begins when Elio hints at it at the WWI memorial. But, that pivotal moment did not feel like it was organic (Unlike "Show me Love", which in my opinion was done very, very well). It was more likely that Elio would ask for tips to ask out Marzia at that stage. So, when Oliver asks to clarify "Are you saying what I think you are saying?", I was thinking he suddenly became telepathic and read something I cannot otherwise fathom. I was also rooting for Marzia when she asks "Am I your girl?" to Elio (to which he gives the silent dumping treatment). She seemed like a better fit than lusting after an older person who was going to leave Elio within days.

After inadvertently(?) watching so many Oscar nominees just before the Oscars, I am going to cleanse my palate by sticking to 5.0 rated films for a few days before going back to my regular diet of the old, the odd and the obscure.
 
sam9s said:
Justice League ................ yawwwnnnn!!!!!!! DC has lost all together ..... I dont know why they are stuck with Zyak Synder? DC was already miles behind Marvel in all respects and with repeating same directors they are not doing any good. With an already disappointing, Batman vs Superman. DC came up with another yawn Justice League. There was so much potential with this movie and all went garbage. There was nothing I could relate to with this installment, no connection, no humor (watch Thor ; Ragnarock to learn how to create humor) I coldnt care if any character lived or dies. After the awesome kick ass wonder women (The only DC movie that made it), here she looked so pale. Superman was a waste, his resurrection was so so so pale and uninteresting ..... ...... The effects and sound, are good whch is obvious and expected. @esantosh I dont think MCU looks repetitive, Thor Ragnarock is a perfect example. ALl the typical notions that we have in a super hero movie were broken in Ragnarok. I LOVED it........ JL, was a disappointment ...... I will go with 5.5/10 for this one.
Click to expand...
While I understand the whole world and their grandma's have hated Justice League I am probably the few in this whole wide world :) who found it better than Thor Rangnorak. Disney/Marvel has made movies funnier but to me a super hero movie needs to be of the brooding variety. The movie probably could have edited around 30 minutes but is still entertaining to me. Would give it a 7.5/10
 
Its not a surprise, everyone sees a movie from their own perspective, and for me Brooding Variety is where MCU shines, they have come up with superhero movies time and again and again and again and baring few exceptions like Avengers: Ultron, Dr Strange etc all were at least decent and watchable. The only DC movie (keeping Nolan's Batman trilogy and Wonder women separately) I loved was Man of steel. Rest all are just garbage and full of yawnnn!! quotient .....

I am highly looking forward to The infinity wars, huge expectations.

BTW : @sud .. 7.5 raring in my scale is way too high, I rarely give a movie above 7.2 unless its like I LOVED IT ... Blew me off crosses 7.5 and touches 8 .. and hardly any movie has ever crossed 9. I have seen so so s0 many movies with so many gems that it is impossible to rate all of them on a scale of 10, hence my very stringent rating for most of them ......
 
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Annihilation (2018)

This is "Ex Machina" director, Alex Garland's second film and it is available on NetFlix. Though the trailer had me believing otherwise, this film is somewhat like "Arrival" in using "science" as a cover to explore other themes. I like it mostly for the reasons mentioned here (contains spoilers!).

Liked: CGI / the genetic mixing effects (the idea)
Missing: Build-up of Characters other than Natalie Portman's, Logic
1) Lena was in the army. Where did others (a physicist, a psychologist etc.,) get training to handle weapons?
2) If you lose track of time, what about using pen and paper?
3) Why would anyone do guard duty so alone when they can look out from the top using night vision? Relatedly, if I hear a noise, the place is dangerous and there was already an attack, would I stay where I was or would I wake up everybody and run down to face danger?
4) Why would mirroring stop once it had the grenade?
and lots of others...
50-50: The last 20+ minutes

I will give this another shot after a few months because I have a mixed feeling about this one.

Lady Snowblood (1973)

This was an inspiration for "Kill Bill". I had watched the other inspiration for KB, Thriller: A Cruel Picture, which was part totally-family-unfriendly and part unintentional comedy. In the first few moments of "Lady Snowblood", the first kill, the fake blood, the action choreography - all made me believe that this would be another unintentional comedy. But, it turned out to be a good film. The fights are not that good and there's just too much fake blood at times, but the revenge story was interesting. It inspired a lot of things in "Kill Bill" - The plot, chapter format, blood sprays, the last fight in Vol. 1, "Unfinished business" line - Tarantino's talent lies in amplifying and mashing up these in his own style.

The Breadwinner (2017)

This is the third film from the creators of "Secret of the Kells" and "Song of the Sea", both of which I liked and have mentioned before in this thread. I wondered whether they would be out of their element since they are moving away from the Celtic culture. But, this turned out to be quite good. It is not as good as "Coco", nor is it comparable to their earlier films, but it has done a very decent job of handling a darker, heavier matter.
 
Jumanji 2 :
Amazing movie, excellent sound effects and nice story line ( should have waited for the Blu-Ray to come in)
 
I think ShreeuX and Balabala were doing a good job by posting the movies they watched....it was a great recommendations
for dormant users like us, asking them to stop it was very harsh and needless IMO....they were more helpful to people like us...
otherwise this thread is almost as good as dead....someone posting a great worded review once in a month is absolultely boring
and of no use to us....
 
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