Movies

ayayrawn said:
Only 2 BP noms I haven't seen are Triangle of Sadness and All Quiet, so will post my ranking when I see those later this week.
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I'm on the opposite side, I've only seen two of the nominees (Banshees of Inisherin and Elvis). I'm definitely checking out Tár when it hits Peacock Friday and I've also been looking forward to watching The Fabelmans whenever it comes to streaming. I guess I'll finally get around to EEAAO even though the intense reactions to it kind of turned me away. I have zero interest in sitting through Way of Water or Top Gun (even though I'll likely subject myself to both before the ceremony).
 
gaporter said:
I'm on the opposite side, I've only seen two of the nominees (Banshees of Inisherin and Elvis). I'm definitely checking out Tár when it hits Peacock Friday and I've also been looking forward to watching The Fabelmans whenever it comes to streaming. I guess I'll finally get around to EEAAO even though the intense reactions to it kind of turned me away. I have zero interest in sitting through Way of Water or Top Gun (even though I'll likely subject myself to both before the ceremony).
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As an inveterate Avatar eye-roller, I think there's a strong argument to see Way of Water in HFR 3D or not at all. I had a more positive reaction to the second one than I did to the first, maybe because my expectations were more tempered. But the spectacle was genuinely incredible, and I had to remind myself more than once that not a single thing in a given shot was actually real.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
As an inveterate Avatar eye-roller, I think there's a strong argument to see Way of Water in HFR 3D or not at all. I had a more positive reaction to the second one than I did to the first, maybe because my expectations were more tempered. But the spectacle was genuinely incredible, and I had to remind myself more than once that not a single thing in a given shot was actually real.
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I've seen it four times now, which I think is just about enough. It's a terrific theatrical experience, and a much more satisfying movie than the first. I did prefer it at standard frame rate, though.

Top Gun is also some excellent popcorn filmmaking. Cut loose a little, @gaporter! I've got it and EEOAO on Plex already, and my Tar disc is coming later today. :)
 
gaporter said:
I'm on the opposite side, I've only seen two of the nominees (Banshees of Inisherin and Elvis). I'm definitely checking out Tár when it hits Peacock Friday and I've also been looking forward to watching The Fabelmans whenever it comes to streaming. I guess I'll finally get around to EEAAO even though the intense reactions to it kind of turned me away. I have zero interest in sitting through Way of Water or Top Gun (even though I'll likely subject myself to both before the ceremony).
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Top Gun is fun. It’s better than a lot of MCU movies. Probably doesn’t deserve an Oscar but it’s at least entertaining.
 
kvetcha said:
I did prefer it at standard frame rate, though.
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I'll defer to your experience, since I only saw it the once. The weird hyper-artifice of HFR is disconcerting at first, but I ended up feeling like it was totally immersive as I acclimated.

The Blank Check eps about Billy Lynn's Halftime Walk and Gemini Man make me wish I'd had the opportunity to see them in high frame rate, if only to have a better understanding of how Ang Lee was using those films to push the technical envelope. It's a shame that some of these innovations are so ephemeral when they make the jump to the small screen.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
As an inveterate Avatar eye-roller, I think there's a strong argument to see Way of Water in HFR 3D or not at all. I had a more positive reaction to the second one than I did to the first, maybe because my expectations were more tempered. But the spectacle was genuinely incredible, and I had to remind myself more than once that not a single thing in a given shot was actually real.
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kvetcha said:
I've seen it four times now, which I think is just about enough. It's a terrific theatrical experience, and a much more satisfying movie than the first. I did prefer it at standard frame rate, though.

Top Gun is also some excellent popcorn filmmaking. Cut loose a little, @gaporter! I've got it and EEOAO on Plex already, and my Tar disc is coming later today. :)
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TenderLovingKiller® said:
Top Gun is fun. It’s better than a lot of MCU movies. Probably doesn’t deserve an Oscar but it’s at least entertaining.
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As I said, I'll likely see them both in time for the ceremony, and despite not really anticipating them, I go into every movie with an open mind wanting to like it (never understood watching something just to shit on it). So if they're good, then I'll have no problem jumping in with the chorus. They just don't seem like my kind of popcorn entertainment is all!
 
Indymisanthrope said:
I'll defer to your experience, since I only saw it the once. The weird hyper-artifice of HFR is disconcerting at first, but I ended up feeling like it was totally immersive as I acclimated.

The Blank Check eps about Billy Lynn's Halftime Walk and Gemini Man make me wish I'd had the opportunity to see them in high frame rate, if only to have a better understanding of how Ang Lee was using those films to push the technical envelope. It's a shame that some of these innovations are so ephemeral when they make the jump to the small screen.
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I think there are whole sequences in HFR that feel hyper-real in a very immersive way, but I found the framerate grading they used to be pretty distracting. At 24, some of the action is not as crystal clear, but the movie feels more consistently cinematic. (Though I will say that even at 24 you can tell which shots were intended for 48, as they lack a bit of motion blur compared to the shots presented at 24 in both versions.) I enjoyed both presentations, though.

gaporter said:
As I said, I'll likely see them both in time for the ceremony, and despite not really anticipating them, I go into every movie with an open mind wanting to like it (never understood watching something just to shit on it). So if they're good, then I'll have no problem jumping in with the chorus. They just don't seem like my kind of popcorn entertainment is all!
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Avatar is kind of singular, in that it's an extremely earnest, big-hearted movie that dedicates like a full third of its runtime to just languidly experiencing these orgasmically beautiful underwater sequences. It's like one third slightly janky sequel setup, one third Planet Earth: Pandora Edition, one third S-tier action filmmaking. It's just a joy to watch something that feels so unembarrassed by itself.

Top Gun feels like a much more calculated product, but it's works well despite that. It has the same confident sense of purpose as the latter-day Mission: Impossible films.
 
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kvetcha said:
I think there are whole sequences in HFR that feel hyper-real in a very immersive way, but I found the framerate grading they used to be pretty distracting. At 24, some of the action is not as crystal clear, but the movie feels more consistently cinematic. (Though I will say that even at 24 you can tell which shots were intended for 48, as they lack a bit of motion blur compared to the shots presented at 24 in both versions.) I enjoyed both presentations, though.
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I'm no technical guru here, so a lot of this would probably just wash over me without having an expert point it out, but I did hear/read about how some of what Cameron was doing in a new way was using variable frame rates within certain shots, so that maybe elements in the foreground are moving at different speeds than those in the background, for example. I'd like to see some side-by-side comparisons of what that looks like in high vs. standard frame rate, to help me appreciate the nuances. In a first-time screening it's hard enough just to take it all in, much less to notice the technological flourishes.
 
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gaporter said:
As I said, I'll likely see them both in time for the ceremony, and despite not really anticipating them, I go into every movie with an open mind wanting to like it (never understood watching something just to shit on it). So if they're good, then I'll have no problem jumping in with the chorus. They just don't seem like my kind of popcorn entertainment is all!
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FWIW I'm in no rush to see Top Gun either, especially since I know it'll be less impressive in my living room.
 
gaporter said:
As I said, I'll likely see them both in time for the ceremony, and despite not really anticipating them, I go into every movie with an open mind wanting to like it (never understood watching something just to shit on it). So if they're good, then I'll have no problem jumping in with the chorus. They just don't seem like my kind of popcorn entertainment is all!
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Have you seen the first Top Gun? And if so, did you enjoy it?
 
Indymisanthrope said:
FWIW I'm in no rush to see Top Gun either, especially since I know it'll be less impressive in my living room.
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I watched the original Top Gun for the first time last year and hated it. That's not me saying it's a horrible film, but it was so not my thing that the idea of watching a legacy sequel to it didn't sound appealing at all. However, I do love spectacle, so I'm not going to rule it out before I actually give it a chance.
 
NateOEB said:
I generally don't care for Luhrmann's movies, they're pretty but weak on storytelling and depth of character. Tom Hanks was an over the top dumb cartoon villain in the movie Butler was at best a very good Elvis impersonator. There's just not enough bout the actual person and his place in history, good and bad, in the movie. It was like Baz makes a highlight reel of Elvis while really making a movie about spectacle and how good Baz is at creating it on screen. I'd say maybe I need to re-watch it to be sure but that's the la
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gaporter said:
As I said, I'll likely see them both in time for the ceremony, and despite not really anticipating them, I go into every movie with an open mind wanting to like it (never understood watching something just to shit on it). So if they're good, then I'll have no problem jumping in with the chorus. They just don't seem like my kind of popcorn entertainment is all!
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I guess the Oscars work both ways this year-- tricking indie snobs into watching mainstream blockbusters while also begging your average American to watch a film like Banshees.

I gave Top Gun a chance and made it about halfway through while battling a strong sense of boredom combined with the subtle feeling that I was watching military propaganda. I also am not a fan of the 1st film and hadn't seen it since my childhood so I feel like a lot of its references were going straight over my head.

I'll also watch Elvis but anticipate being lukewarm on it. Like Nate, there is not a single Luhrmann movie I care for and Elvis isn't my cup of tea.
 
gaporter said:
I watched the original Top Gun for the first time last year and hated it. That's not me saying it's a horrible film, but it was so not my thing that the idea of watching a legacy sequel to it didn't sound appealing at all. However, I do love spectacle, so I'm not going to rule it out before I actually give it a chance.
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Maverick is a much better movie than the original Top Gun, style and vibes of that film aside. It very much feels like it has Christopher McQuarrie's hands all over it.
 
gaporter said:
I'm on the opposite side, I've only seen two of the nominees (Banshees of Inisherin and Elvis). I'm definitely checking out Tár when it hits Peacock Friday and I've also been looking forward to watching The Fabelmans whenever it comes to streaming. I guess I'll finally get around to EEAAO even though the intense reactions to it kind of turned me away. I have zero interest in sitting through Way of Water or Top Gun (even though I'll likely subject myself to both before the ceremony).
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As an admirer of both action and sci-fi, I think you'd enjoy each of those last 3, Gap. They're all quite good at what they set out to do.
 
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