I'll have to give the book a second shot, but I really felt as though if I hadn't seen the movie I would have put it down unfinished. One of the things that really impressed me about the adaptation was that there are bits that were only in the book (the "turban" that Robert Frobisher made for himself, for example) that I remember as having been in the film.
I recall buying the book and that I did read it, however I have no recollection of it. The movie Cloud Atlas has taken over as my memory of the work much in the same way as me trying to reread LotR and not imagining the actors as the characters. I rewatched it recently, and I still enjoy it. Don't agree with all the hate that it received, although in some scenes there is some pretty embarrassing makeup work. My favourite storyline has to be the Korea of the future, and the escape from the old folks' home is also pretty good.
The one thing that baffles me is the whole Timothy Cavendish section. He doesn't seem to progress as a soul, and there's some temporal overlap in the birthmark with Luisa Rey that bugs me.
Men is pretty trippy. It's a bit self-indulgent though. I wasn't 'shocked' and liked the symbolism and abstract/ philosophical nature of the story but sometimes it felt a bit 'film school.' The performances were top notch though.
A friend of mine really wanted to watch Top Gun, so I bit the bullet and went to watch it with them. I had never seen the first one, so I was going to watch it first, but I didn't get past the first five minutes before giving up on it. So I went to watch the new one only because I had already promised to do so. It wasn't good. The movie had so many, "oh, look at the past!" moments with panning over pictures, zooming in on them even though we could see and read the captions from where the camera started out at. Those who loved the first movie probably loved all those moments, but for me, it was just trying too hard to capitalize on the nostalgia factor. Some of the acting was not great, and seemed to me they were just reading a script and finding their mark. Very wooden, no heart, just actors saying their lines with forced emotion. The bar and beach scenes were cringy. There was nothing professional about the team, they behaved like frat boys and their attitudes were trash. I was not invested in the outcome and honestly didn't care if any of them died. The ending was predictable. What I DID like were the flying scenes. The jets were amazing, the dog fights were awesome, loved it. Almost made me glad to go see the movie just for those moments. Too bad they didn't make up more of the screen time. My take on the movie is probably in the minority. The theater was packed, I haven't been in a packed theater in several years, even before the pandemic, and this was a week and a half after the movie opened. People were literally on the edge of their seats and gasping at certain parts, lots of laughter at some scenes, and many clapped at the end. The last time I was in a theater where people clapped at the end was Endgame. It's an extremely popular movie and people love it. So if you enjoy action flicks with a bunch of hot shots learning to work together as a team to complete a very challenging mission, with awesome action shots of planes dog fighting, then you'll love Top Gun. There was a trailer for the next Mission: Impossible movie and at first, I wasn't sure it was Mission: Impossible because they didn't have the freakin' theme song until the end and it was a lame-sounding rendition! ARGH! Yes, I consider the theme song a character in the movies. They killed recast my favorite character in that trailer. Blah.
That looks like an interesting film, I hope it comes to one of my subscriptions (doesn't look worth paying theater price for though). I think that's a very fair assessment of Top Gun 2. I saw the original in the theaters when I was young, and I'm sure I've seen it once or twice since, but yeah, it was a whole lot of copy-paste fanservice for us older folks. A friend of mine pointed out that it was basically Heartbreak Ridge with airplanes. I'm sure the trope is older, but he wasn't wrong. I know I spotted The Right Stuff, An Officer and a Gentlemen, and 2 Fast, 2 Furious referenced in it right off the bat.
Watched The Black Phone. Satisfying, not great. Joe Hill though reminds me of his dad when his dad was a younger and better writer.
Caught Elvis at the theater earlier today. It’s undoubtedly one of my top fifty films of all-time. Feel free to judge me accordingly.
Seriously? The trailer looked like total dogshit. Could I convince you to make some brief remarks on the film? The trailer looked so incredibly bad, but the critical response has been generally positive. I may have to go see it now.
It's the director that I pay attention to on that one. Normally I would hold much interest in an Elvis biopic, but that director makes it more of a possibility. Good to know at least someone liked it a lot.
Possibly. I have friends who saw it and rave about it. Not a big Elvis fan, so don't know if that influences people's take on it. I may have to see it.
Sure thing. (1) It’s dazzlingly gorgeous. (2) It perfectly captures the kinetic energy of Elvis Presley, reminding the audience just how utterly magnetic of a performer he was. Honestly, before watching the film I wouldn’t have imagined that was possible. (3) The performances are mesmerizing. (4) It offers emotional reasons to care about his musical influences, his career ups and downs, and his family relationships. (5) It delivers the quality of ending that I always hope for in a movie. Some of the scenes are truly perfect combinations of all possible cinematic elements. His black leather outfit comeback “Christmas” special scene... Legendary.
Kimi was surprisingly good. It was well written, well directed, and engaging. I wasn't expecting any of that. Often these techno focused films are too futuristic and silly, but the tech was plausible and worked well. It glossed over a few story points that needed better explanation but all in all it's a tight, compelling, focused narrative that does set-up and pay off very well.
Alien Worlds (currently on Netflix) is, hands-down the best documentary I've ever seen. Amazingly creative.
I saw Blade Runner: The Final Cut on the big screen yesterday. I still kind of prefer the voiceover version but the level of detail with all models and practical effects was way cool.
The live-action bits didn't do it for me. For something so artistic (and a technical masterwork), I found it surprisingly forgettable. Just didn't resonate. I found it really compelling. I was 50/50 on the monologues, though, and Spoiler: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR MIDNIGHT MASS ...the last episode was comically absurd with how many times the crowd got distracted then finally noticed someone just emptying a can of gas, match in hand.
Great movie. Caught it for the billionth time not too long ago. What always gets me is the flying cars. Somebody, somewhere, seemed cocksure about the future being full of flying cars. As if anyone can drive on the ground without crashing into things. Nevermind the cities on the moon. Like, hey, we built this town on the moon! Cool, what are going to do there? I don't know... drink beer and screw? Great, where are we going to get the beer? Shit, didn't think about that. Ah, the future! ETA: Darryl Hannah is hot as hell, btw. Sean Young wasn't bad either.
