The Unofficial Ongoing Current Movies in Theaters thread

[PB]

The Green List: easily overcomes its shortcomings, creating a feel-good movie for our times to overcome the shit rain.

[dookeyXXX]

PROSPECT
3.5/5

Stumbled upon this little gem playing Elk Grove the other week. Not sure if it is still in theaters, but totally worth the watch if you are into low-key, well-acted, well-scripted, low-budget sci-fi.
Had a distinct western vibe to it mixed with a bit of coming-of-age nuance.
I'd actually read about the film last year as it was one of several feature length films that were being made based on short films. In this case the director/screenwriting duo made a short film and then based on that got financing to turn it into a feature.
They did a solid job of expanding the mythos they created in the short film into a feature.

RIYL
Outland; True Grit (the Coen Bros. version); Shane


SHORT FILM



FEATURE FILM TEASER

[Meadow Skipper]

The Rider. 4.75/5 I went in not knowing anything about the (amazing) background of this flick. I’d just heard somewhere that it was good and deserved awards, and I had a free afternoon so I drifted in to catch it at a local art-house theater.

One of the things that immediately blew me away was the honest realism. The settings, the clothing, the cast’s look...I was super-impressed and wondered how the director and production crew had nailed it so well. Then the honesty and sincerity of the actors, and the realism of the story got to me. The story itself felt so true and poignant...

I’m not going to go on much more, but afterwards I did some research and that explained why the movie felt so true, and the backstory further blew me away. It was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long, long time. It deserves tons of award recognition, especially the direction and cinematography. I feel lucky to have seen it without knowing anything about it beforehand. RIYL Leave No Trace.

[dookeyXXX]

Four upcoming films that have me intrigued by:
1. the directors involved
2. the casts
3. the trailers

THE FAVOURITE
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster).


VOX LUX


CLIMAX
Directed by Gaspar Noe (Irreversible)


UNDER THE SILVER LAKE
Directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows)

[Meadow Skipper]

^Good list. I’m looking forward to The Favourite and Under The Silver Lake.

[dookeyXXX]

Another one on my radar (it's been making the art-house rounds in the major markets):

BORDER

[Elkhound Odin]

Another one on my radar (it's been making the art-house rounds in the major markets):

BORDER

A "romance" about two neanderthal troglodytes? No thanks. Euro trash award film, meh

[dookeyXXX]

The Girl In The Spider’s Web
2/5

A gorgeously filmed, but ultimately stiff and vapid action thriller.
That said, Claire Foy (no idea where she came from, but she's been all over the Cineplex screens this summer/fall) absolutely kills it as Lisbeth Salander, but the film overall just feels bland and empty. I thought the original Swedish films were okay and I kinda dug the Fincher remake of the first film, but this one just exists up on the screen, rather devoid of any depth or emotional connection.
The one problem I had out the gate is that the filmmakers assume the audience is familiar with the previous films (or have read the books), so characters just pop up with no exposition or re-introduction. It actually felt a lot like a James Bond film in that respect: they (the filmmakers) assume the audience has seen all the previous JB films and thus don't need their time wasted explaining who all the characters are. The problem here is that it's been 7 years since Fincher's remake of the first film and 10 years since the third Swedish film, so my recollection of the core characters was a bit rusty.
While the film moves along briskly, it has gaps where you think "Wait, what?" and most of the characters are seriously one-dimensional and cliched.
Some of the cinematography is nice, rendering Stockholm in metallic sepia tones and there's one scene with gas masks that's kind of visually cool, but overall most of the visuals are things you have seen before in other films (start landscapes, rain soaked city streets, sweaty euro disco clubs, etc.).
The villain was like a weak James Bond villain, too.

So, yeah, perhaps worth a rental if you are a fan of the previous films and the novels (FWIW, I have not read any of the 5 books yet).
Definitely no need to see it on the BIG screen, imho.

[PB]

Any of you guys seen "Widows" yet? Supposed to be damn good.

Strange film: excellent sections, some dynamite character development but some very shallow as well, seems like it should have resulted in a top notch product, but when all was said and done ...... I was left slightly wanting. Liked the ending though.

[dookeyXXX]

Any of you guys seen "Widows" yet? Supposed to be damn good.

Strange film: excellent sections, some dynamite character development but some very shallow as well, seems like it should have resulted in a top notch product, but when all was said and done ...... I was left slightly wanting. Liked the ending though.

I thought it was one of the worst films I've seen this year (totally agree with PB on the shallow aspect, but more on that later)...I'll post a review once I've gathered my thoughts, but it was a waste of my day.
I would not recommend taking the time to see it on the big screen.
It honestly felt like they took a 22-episode season of some generic Chicago-based network drama and edited the 22 hours down to 2 (apparently it was based on a two-part series that aired on British TV in 1983 (first 6 episodes) and 1985 (second 6 episodes), plus a 1995 sequel); so it felt as if it was the CliffsNotes of that series.
If you really feel the need to see it, wait for Redbox or NF/AP...

I may try to track down the source material, as I have a feeling it may be much better...

[PB]

I like you comparison to a bad mash-up of a 22 episode series, Dookey - very choppy.

[4matic]

Queen. So so story but great music. Very emotional movie if the music moves you.

[robnow]

That said, Claire Foy (no idea where she came from, but she's been all over the Cineplex screens this summer/fall)

She's the Queen in The Crown (Netflix).

[dookeyXXX]

CREED II
3.5/5
Despite basically being a modern day rehash of Rocky IV, Creed II is surprisingly entertaining.
There are quite a few "real" moments that resonated with me, the fight sequences are jarring, and the acting is solid (with the exception of Phylicia Rashad, who seems to have only one facial expression: sardonic mom).
Sly comes off sagely, Tessa Thompson continues to eek her way to the top of my "cinema crushes" list, and Michael B. Jordon is passionate. And how can you lose with Drago and Drago, Jr.?
Needless to say, while it is teeming with cliches and follows a very specific (and some could claim, tired) formula, I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly entertained.

[dookeyXXX]

MORTAL ENGINES
2/5 (a generous 2, that is, just because a few of the FX are cool...)

A vapid exercise in psuedo eye candy (but even the eye candy's flavor ran out quickly: think of it like Fruit Stripe Gum in that it has a great flavor burst that eventually turns into tasteless rubber).
While I have not read the book upon which the movie is based, all I can say is that the screenplay delivers all the standard sci-fi/fantasy tropes and archetypes and rather than doing anything clever or even remotely new with them, instead allows them to wallow in cliche.
While there are a few cool steampunk visuals, for the most part this is just routine, empty-headed blockbuster fare that's barely worth matinee/bargain admission (I paid $5 and kind of wanted at least half of that back).
The opening sequence is kind of whiz-bang enjoyable, but then the film falls off from there with one-dimensional characters and a plot that more or less rips off Star Wars.
I kept thinking that this might have made a halfway decent Netflix or Amazon series as that format might have allowed for more exposition and character development.
If you are looking for some solid escapism at the cineplex over the X-mas holidays, this ain't it.
Save your coin.

[Elkhound Odin]

Thanks. I suspected this from the premise and trailers.
I wonder if Aquaman is going to match the hype


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[dookeyXXX]

Thanks. I suspected this from the premise and trailers.
I wonder if Aquaman is going to match the hype

Based on the several trailers I've seen, I feel that the Aquaman movie is gonna be utter shit,
But I'll still go see it, what with being a comic book nerd.

FWIW, I've seen several Shazam! trailers now and that movie looks like supreme shit. So, too, does the new Gozilla.
Again, being a comic book/sci-fi/pop culture nerd, I'll go see those flicks, but I won't have any kind of high expectations.



Now the film that I actually think looks halfway decent, based purely on the trailers, is Bumblebee (and I haven't seen the last coupla Transformers films...the ones that I have seen were horrible in terms of the story, but amazing in terms of the FX, fwiw).

[lopanona]

Thats a great job.. just loved it.

[Diamond Joe]

Any opinions on "Roma"?

I looked back a few pages to see if anybody had reviewed it, but found nothing. I'm seeing it mentioned in a lot of "best of 2018" lists, and most of the time, its #1

[dookeyXXX]

Any opinions on "Roma"?

I looked back a few pages to see if anybody had reviewed it, but found nothing. I'm seeing it mentioned in a lot of "best of 2018" lists, and most of the time, its #1

AFAIK, super limited release in theaters (i.e. major markets and select art-house theaters; methinks it was so it could get nominated for an Academy Award, since I believe a film has to show in a theater prior to TV/Cable/Streaming/DVD in order to qualify).

It's on Netflix, though...

[m2711c]

Based on the several trailers I've seen, I feel that the Aquaman movie is gonna be utter shit,
But I'll still go see it, what with being a comic book nerd.

FWIW, I've seen several Shazam! trailers now and that movie looks like supreme shit. So, too, does the new Gozilla.
Again, being a comic book/sci-fi/pop culture nerd, I'll go see those flicks, but I won't have any kind of high expectations.



Now the film that I actually think looks halfway decent, based purely on the trailers, is Bumblebee (and I haven't seen the last coupla Transformers films...the ones that I have seen were horrible in terms of the story, but amazing in terms of the FX, fwiw).

Movies reflect life. DC sucks..... Marvel rules.




Fact.

[dookeyXXX]

Unless you are over 65 and really, really, really love Clint Eastwood, you can skip The Mule.

THE MULE
2/5
I was intrigued by the trailers plus I grew up on and have continued to enjoy quite a lot of Eastwood's films over the years, so I went into this one with slightly high expectations.
Needless to say, it was rather disappointing.
In many ways it's very similar to The Old Man and the Gun, in that both films are based on non-fiction newspaper/magazine articles about old codgers evading the law. The comparisons end there, however.
Eastwood's picture is very uneven, which I feel is the result of a choppy script. For starters, it's filled to the brim with limp-wristed "old people" humor that when it doesn't fall short, feels really forced (i.e. Eastwood's character shares the screen with Dykes on Bikes, refers to a black family as "negroes", spends a lot of time with hookers, and never misses an opportunity to slag the younger generation about their incessant cellphone dependence).
The familial subplot is not only cliched beyond reproach, but it is corny and lacks any interesting exposition (again, gonna blame the screenwriter for this).
The film is also filled with what I felt were some just plain lazy performances (Bradley Cooper and Michael Pena seem to be channeling frat boy bro-brah to the max) and some just plain excruciating performances (Dianne Wiest's turn as Eastwood's ex in this film may only be eclipsed in horribleness by Robert Duvall's role in Widows; if she doesn't win a Golden Raspberry for "Worst Actress" this year then something is wrong in the world of cinema), and some severely underutilized performances (Laurence Fishburne barely makes a mark).
The members of the cast who do shine are the bit players making up the Cartel grunts, plus a surprise cameo from Vincent Mancini.
I do give Eastwood props for playing his age, but too much of this film made me shake my head.

[SkiBall]

Watson & Holmes (or vice versa): It's exactly how you think it will be.

[skialpy]

Roma is worth the watch. Beautiful cinematography and pretty interesting story.

[PB]

....... Now the film that I actually think looks halfway decent, based purely on the trailers, is Bumblebee (and I haven't seen the last coupla Transformers films...the ones that I have seen were horrible in terms of the story, but amazing in terms of the FX, fwiw).

Yeah ....... no. Found it to be pretty meh. Not a fan of the previous iterations, but I wouldn't place this significantly above them - I actually think I missed some silly, frenetic action with crappy dialogue. BB veered sloppily into smaltz.