The Film Corner

[Spacy]

Dunkirk

Made my wife drop tears.  Not a common occurrence for her.  She didn't get the technology back then, though, and why they tried to turn cars into docks (at low tide). 

[Unorthodox]

I didn't mind either of them; but found nothing to write home about, either. 

I didn't get the whole tribe thing in kong, with them being on the islands in the late 20's early 30's and having come from a freighter.  Was there boat people back then with whole tribes moving around (I am not familiar with SE asian history at that time) as cargo?  Sam Jackson came across as a bad Apocalypse Now Colonel Kurtz wanna be - although how they tied it into the media loosing the war instead of the military was done excellently I thought.  The (admittedly few) combat military officers and senior NCO's have have known of the years were all about keeping their people safe, not putting them unnecessarily at risk. 

I know for a fact the wreckage of the freighter is The Wanderer, as they made a POINT of showing it.  What folks might not know is this is a nod to the original novelization, which they traveled on The Wanderer, not The Venture.  I thought he said that the tribe had been living in fear on the island, but that one day something made things they fear start protecting them.  I took it to mean the original boat that captured Kong/family of Kong crashed on the island, thus releasing Kong/parents of Kong rather than the tribe coming on the boat. 

Hence the whole boat temple and Kong worship. 

Ghost I thought was a good movie, but was so far off on comparison to the original anime that I thought it would have done a much better job if they gave it a different title, with Ghose being a subtitle.  Would have made it clear just how different it was.  Of course, I rewatched the anime movie the day before I watched the Scarlet new version. 

  That may be why it felt more like bladerunner to me.  Again, generic Scifi not being my thing, it might have even been good scifi but not for me as a result. 

[Spacy]

That I guess makes more sense, re: boat that had kong on it and thus the shrine.

I thought that they lived in fear of kong & kin, and then they realized that kong was killing the lizard heads and left them alone if they left him alone, so paz and all that stuff. 

[Unorthodox]

So....

Death note live action movie made for Netflix. 

Go in with low expectations, and note it's billed as a HORROR movie (I wouldn't label the source material Horror, myself).

Quickly see attempted shock-gore death with a ladder decapitating a bully. 

Ok, I think, we're going for silly gore levels.  I can get behind that.

A string of Final Destination inspired deaths ramped up to ultra gore levels commence.  It's actually funny, and decent in the not-take-too-serious just laugh at it sense.  The acting is all WAY overdone, but somehow fitting with the silliness of the deaths.  B movie gore goodness.   

I feel somehow obligated to note a particularly bad nude seen.  I mean, it's clearly tacked on as an excuse to add nudity to begin with, but it was extremely poorly done in a genre known for poor and tacked on nudity.   

Then we hit the mid point and it does an about face and attempts to become this psychological thriller.
Which is exactly what all that overacting DOESN'T do well. 

Overall NOT what I expected.  The first half is silly, but fun.  The second half is a waste of time. 

[Buster's Uncle]

-The source material's greatest fault was taking itself too seriously, of course.

[Unorthodox]

Thats just it, I thought it could make a GOOD 2.5ish hour movie out of that source material.  Trim most of that exposition and focus it down right...

Yeah, no, it turned into mind game thrillers based on umpteen billion added rules to the book.  Which ITSELF could have done well, had they let Ryuk go to town on the creepy. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Well hell - I could turn the original anime authentically brilliant with a sufficiently ruthless edit.  There's a couple hours of good stuff in the whole run if 90% of the dialogue/babbling and nearly that much unnecessary plot was thrown out.

[Lorizael]

...had they let Ryuk go to town on the creepy.

I had heard that Willem DaRyuk was basically the only highlight of the film.

[Unorthodox]

The best part, by far, but so little screen time it's hardly worth mentioning.  If you liked the Final Destination series at all, I'd think the first half would hold your interest fine.

[Unorthodox]

IT

Yes, folks.  Not only did I go to a full price horror movie...but it was hEt's choice. 

Last horror film we went to in theaters at all was in 2000.  Usually just me with the kids. 

Movie was good and well done and everything...

To my surprise the new Pennywise is every bit as well done as Tim Curry's, though it left me wanting more of him. 

All that said, I really don't get the whole clown thing. 

There was a couple of absolutely gorgeous set pieces.  To the point where one of them in particular actually pulled made me break suspension and begin analyzing how they had built the piece.  Clearly physical props, and easy/cheap ones at that, but masterfully put together, as in you could use it to teach classes. 

[Spacy]

Blade Runner 2049

Worthy

[Unorthodox]

RAW

French horror film which had taken on a kind of mythical hype around horror circles.

Folks fleeing the theater in disgust and terror mythical hype. 

Don't know how much of it is due to culture, but the plot really had a lot of suspension of disbelief required to get into.  Wasn't the language barrier, just a 'people wouldn't act that way in that situation' barrier. 

Outside of that, the story is well told and gleefully non-traditional. 

And while the gore is certainly amplified, it's mostly in that 80s too red and semi-silly style.

With one particular scene being an exception.  I'd have to go view it again to verify whether it was digital or physical effect, but either way, it was clearly done with an eye for anatomy which is typically lacking in such things. 

[Unorthodox]

IT

Yes, folks.  Not only did I go to a full price horror movie...but it was hEt's choice. 

Last horror film we went to in theaters at all was in 2000.  Usually just me with the kids. 

Movie was good and well done and everything...

To my surprise the new Pennywise is every bit as well done as Tim Curry's, though it left me wanting more of him. 

All that said, I really don't get the whole clown thing. 

There was a couple of absolutely gorgeous set pieces.  To the point where one of them in particular actually pulled made me break suspension and begin analyzing how they had built the piece.  Clearly physical props, and easy/cheap ones at that, but masterfully put together, as in you could use it to teach classes. 

They've release this scene...which explains so much of what I'm trying to say above. 

ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY NAILED the creepy clown.  Makes me wish they'd have found a way to fit in MORE of that, instead of so much of the Pennywise turning into other stuff.  God, you've so perfectly captured the clown, let him go all creepy on all the kids. 

! No longer available

[Unorthodox]

Valorian

Sooo much potential.  So much MISSED potential.

Story was so unbelievable and just poorly executed, that the amazing universe and background was completely wasted on it.  This could have taken place anywhere, really. 

Yeah, there was a good movie in there somewhere.  I haven't seen acting that bad in a long time...

[Unorthodox]

The Dark Tower

! No longer available

Going in what to know about me:

Like, do not love King. 

Like Idris Elba. 

Love the man in black as a character. 

The movie is a hot mess.