**2016 Films Thread**

[Brian]

Independence Day wasn't quite terrible, would put it in Batman vs. Superman territory.

 

Really missed Will Smith and Randy Quaid, the younger actors were capable but nothing really stood out. Obviously, it was mostly about the special effects/CGI we've seen about 50 times now in disaster movies, going back to the original ID in the 90's.

 

Nice to see Jeff Boldblum and Judd Hirsch again.

 

And that damn spaceship was so out of scale huge that it just was TOO much.

 

That was what I said when I saw it in the trailer. I'll still see it sometime.

[juddling]

As much as i liked Deadpool at the movies, I saw it yesterday on DVD and (to me) it didn't hold up as well. Maybe the punchlines were too fresh in my mind so i knew what was coming but i think i groaned more than laughed the second time through

 

[Brian]

I don't think I could put together a good top 10 yet. 7-10 would probably be average.

[Boopa1219]

I don't think I could put together a good top 10 yet. 7-10 would probably be average.

 

Mine were not in any particular order.

 

But If I pick a favorite movie of the year it would be between Neon Demon, Midnight Special and The Witch.

[caulfield12]

Not sure why in god's name you would launch a Civil War history biopic in the middle of the summer...poor timing.

 

First critical or box office miss for Matthew McConaughey in his last 5 movies.

 

 

I'll go with Finding Dory, The Conjuring 2, Weiner, The Nice Guys, Eye in the Sky. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Zootopia, Cloverfield.

 

Working on Demolition. Started The Witch and just couldn't get into it. Knight of Cups was too pretentious.

Edited June 28, 2016 by caulfield12

[Brian]

Terrence Malick? Pretentious? No way!

 

Sarcasm

[caulfield12]

Let's just say, The Knight of Cups is really really out there. It's basically inaccessible to a mainstream audience. Depending on your opinion about the Brad Pitt/Jessica Chastain one from 2011 (the name's eluding me at the moment), this was...well, as a film watcher, I could at least understand where he was trying to go, but something about Christian Bale's character just irked me (as opposed to playing a loathsome character exceedingly well, like in The Big Short). It's hard to put a finger on it, just a feeling...it was just such an opaque and philosophical movie, but one which the depth comes from it's being so simplistic in the many ways that it's trying to trick you into believing it's both a complex and meaningful statement about man's existence, speaking directly to our psyches. LOL.

 

At any rate, will never pass up a chance to watch Freida Pinto.

 

 

As far as DEMOLITION goes, let's just say that it's a very strong acting performance from Jake G., but just not to the level of, let's say Nightcrawler. It's one of those movies you admire the individual acting rather than the cohesive whole of the picture. The boy who plays Naomi Watts' son was pretty darned good. And it was nice to see Chris Cooper again. I think he's played that same role in at least 15 different movies. It's an uncomfortable or uneasy to watch, and it reminded me in some ways of Reservation Road...in that you say to yourself while watching you really don't have much interest in ever watching it again while still appreciating the labour that went into making it.

Edited June 28, 2016 by caulfield12

[Jenksismyhero]

So I rented Deadpool over the weekend. I despise comic book movies and other than Batman and the first Iron Man movie i've been able avoid the rest of them. But everyone said how good this one was so I gave it a shot. Gotta say, hugely entertaining. Mostly because it was raunchy and Ryan Reynolds was perfect for the part. He basically played his Van Wilder character but with sweet fighting moves. Would definitely watch the sequel. A-

 

Also caught Lucy on tv over the weekend (the one with ScarJo). Really wanted to like it, had some cool action scenes, but the story was too empty. C-

[Brian]

Also caught Lucy on tv over the weekend (the one with ScarJo). Really wanted to like it, had some cool action scenes, but the story was too empty. C-

 

I liked Lucy until that awful off the wall ending. Ruined everything.

[caulfield12]

Any movie with Morgan Freeman in it, well, ALMOST any...has a decent chance of at least being watchable.

 

That guy must be setting some kind of modern-day record for most roles over the age of 60.

[Boopa1219]

Let's just say, The Knight of Cups is really really out there. It's basically inaccessible to a mainstream audience. Depending on your opinion about the Brad Pitt/Jessica Chastain one from 2011 (the name's eluding me at the moment), this was...well, as a film watcher, I could at least understand where he was trying to go, but something about Christian Bale's character just irked me (as opposed to playing a loathsome character exceedingly well, like in The Big Short). It's hard to put a finger on it, just a feeling...it was just such an opaque and philosophical movie, but one which the depth comes from it's being so simplistic in the many ways that it's trying to trick you into believing it's both a complex and meaningful statement about man's existence, speaking directly to our psyches. LOL.

 

At any rate, will never pass up a chance to watch Freida Pinto.

 

I don't think Knight of Cups was trying to be complex at all and I don't think it was trying to trick anyone into thinking that it's complex. I think its beauty comes from its simplicity and I found it to be more accessible than The Tree of Life (the one with Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain), my favorite movie of all time.

 

Everything you need to know about Knight of Cups is in the title:

The Knight of Cups is someone who's a source of inspiration as they bring ideas with them wherever they go, in addition to opportunity (Rick's a successful screenwriter, writing is usually the first process in making a movie). The Knight of Cups is constantly in need of stimulation and excitement as they get bored easily (Rick's constant partying). He's artistic and is always creating and craving adventure (Him and each of the women, go somewhere together). He's also a man with big dreams (leaves his family to go to Hollywood), who can be easily discouraged. If the card is pointed up it represents change and new romance (the woman in his life) and if the card is pointed down it represents recklessness (drinking), unreliability (adultery) and false promises (failed marriage).

 

Like The Tree of Life and To The Wonder, this movie is based on Malick's life and that's who Bale is playing. Rick is a man that after the suicide of his brother has gone to Hollywood, the city of dreams, in the hopes of creating art and adventure away from his broken family. While he's had a successful career, his life is empty and he's emotionally drained by the machine that's Hollywood. This is a direct mirror of Malick's life and his exit from Hollywood.

 

My favorite sequence from the movie and maybe my favorite sequence from any movie this year, was the Judgement chapter with Cate Blanchett. When they're walking through the giant and empty sound-stages and they're talking about their marriage and what went wrong. She tells him that he grew bored of their marriage and that everyday they were together was a lie, they were each playing a part. She also talks about how full of life he was and how he wanted to make art and settled on being apart of the machine, presumably making 'empty studio fare'. The symbolism is great, the sound-stages represents the acting they did throughout their marriage and how empty Rick is and has become.

 

I don't think Knight of Cups was ever trying to make some meaning statement about existence, its a story about a man at a crossroads in life, who's trying to feel a void in his life and because he's caught in the machine of Hollywood, he fills that void with excess. its clear that he is desperate for love but he's caught in a viscous cycle.

 

I think Knight of Cups is a great achievement and I'm excited to see the next part, Weightless. While I am excited to see Malick return to WW2 for his next follow up to Knight of Cups/Weightless, I do admit that I'm sad that he's done making these autobiographical movies for the moment. Terrence Malick movies to me aren't just films, they're extensions of who he is a person. And no films better exemplify this than this series that began with The Tree Of Life and will conclude with Weightless.

 

Not to mention this movie had some of the best cinematography I've seen in a long time, I like how they mixed footage that was shot on camcorders and GoPros with 35mm.

 

 

[caulfield12]

Agreed on the cinematography....

 

Maybe the history teacher part of me prefers The New World and The Thin Red Line...that second one was definitely his most accessible, mainstream type of movie.

 

The New World is a beautiful movie to watch.

 

Maybe Tree of Life would resonate with me more, had I grown up in the 1950's/60's, instead of of the 70's and 80's.

 

To the Wonder had Affleck and two actresses I enjoy watching, McAdams and Olga Kurylenko, but it just didn't quite make it into that category of great move. It was a worthwhile watch, although I find some aspects I enjoy in almost every movie, no matter how terrible.

 

 

[The Gooch]

I liked Lucy until that awful off the wall ending. Ruined everything.

 

I was just about to say the same...

[StrangeSox]

ID2 was horrible. They tried having way too many characters and needless subplots. Could have eliminated half of the cast and tightened up the story.

[Brian]

ID2 was horrible. They tried having way too many characters and needless subplots. Could have eliminated half of the cast and tightened up the story.

 

It was worse than horrible. I didn't even know wtf was going on. They took down the aliens easier than they did in the first.

[Rowand44]

They took down the aliens easier than they did in the first.

Are you telling me that Will Smith is overrated?

[StrangeSox]

It was worse than horrible. I didn't even know wtf was going on. They took down the aliens easier than they did in the first.

 

Some "spoilers" but lol who cares about this mess of a plot:

 

I thought with the African dictator guy, there'd be a lot more hand-to-hand stuff instead of them shooting a handful. He didn't really provide anything useful to the story.

 

What was the point of that accountant guy/blatant Archer Cyril Figgus rip-off character? He did not need to exist.

 

What was the point of the two scenes of 'nerdy buddy pilot has a crush on Chinese pilot'? It didn't go anywhere, didn't matter, didn't provide any jokes.

 

What was the point of the "conflict" between Will Smith's son and the other douche bag pilot? Aside from one scene, it was irrelevant

 

What was the point of Goldblum's "love interest"? Again, pretty much useless.

 

Have the left over space ship and the African guys actually matter in deciphering what the aliens are up to and what this "helper" alien is/how to activate it, drop all of that other crap listed above, and maybe the plot could make a bit more sense.

 

NOT OUR MOLTEN CORE!

Edited June 29, 2016 by StrangeSox

[shipps]

Some "spoilers" but lol who cares about this mess of a plot:

 

I thought with the African dictator guy, there'd be a lot more hand-to-hand stuff instead of them shooting a handful. He didn't really provide anything useful to the story.

 

What was the point of that accountant guy/blatant Archer Cyril Figgus rip-off character? He did not need to exist.

 

What was the point of the two scenes of 'nerdy buddy pilot has a crush on Chinese pilot'? It didn't go anywhere, didn't matter, didn't provide any jokes.

 

What was the point of the "conflict" between Will Smith's son and the other douche bag pilot? Aside from one scene, it was irrelevant

 

What was the point of Goldblum's "love interest"? Again, pretty much useless.

 

Have the left over space ship and the African guys actually matter in deciphering what the aliens are up to and what this "helper" alien is/how to activate it, drop all of that other crap listed above, and maybe the plot could make a bit more sense.

 

NOT OUR MOLTEN CORE!

 

Good god this is all so true. I kind of just watched it for nostalgia purposes and didnt break down the plot or even really think about the movie afterwards. Every thing you mention is so true, what a dumb ass movie.

[caulfield12]

At least, they could have had the guys on the boat (earning their $100 million, lol) do SOMETHING.

 

And Judd Hirsch running around frantically was just too reminiscent of all those movies like Deep Impact, Armageddon and 2012.

 

Did they really need to bring the Oaken Laser guy back...and then delve into the relationship with his "partner"?

 

 

Was Angelababy in that damned movie (along with the Chinese base commander/father) for ANY reason other than pandering to the Chinese audiences?

 

They're OVER that now. It worked to an extent for Transformers (Li Bing Bing), for X-Men (Fan Bing Bing)...Kim Soo Hyun (also popular in China) in Avengers 2, etc.

 

Now, the audiences just kind of laugh....there was actually a blatant product placement as well for "Chinese milk" inside the vending machine on the space station. That was even more ridiculous.

They could have milk products from Wisconsin, Australia/NZ, Argentina, etc., they're REALLY going to have Chinese suspect/often tainted "milk powder-derived" drinks? C'mon!!!

Edited June 30, 2016 by caulfield12

[Boopa1219]

Agreed on the cinematography....

 

Maybe the history teacher part of me prefers The New World and The Thin Red Line...that second one was definitely his most accessible, mainstream type of movie.

 

The New World is a beautiful movie to watch.

 

Maybe Tree of Life would resonate with me more, had I grown up in the 1950's/60's, instead of of the 70's and 80's.

 

To the Wonder had Affleck and two actresses I enjoy watching, McAdams and Olga Kurylenko, but it just didn't quite make it into that category of great move. It was a worthwhile watch, although I find some aspects I enjoy in almost every movie, no matter how terrible.

 

I think his most accessible and conventional film is Badlands with Martin Sheen, ironically it's his first movie and he didn't become the Terrence Malick we know till his second film Days of Heaven. The New World is criminally underrated and I think The Thin Red Line is way better than Saving Private Ryan.

 

I am excited about Voyage of Time, its been talked about since before Tree of Life.

[caulfield12]

I personally prefer Daron Aronofsky and Werner Herzog, but that's just me.

 

Aronofsky had that huge misfire about the Spanish exploration in the New World...w/ Hugh Jackman and I think Rachel Weisz, a bit reminiscent of The New World in terms of its feel and scope/aspirations.

 

 

 

Have you seen DUEL, Steven Spielberg's first film with Dennis Weaver and a semi truck and unseen driver?

 

You were right about GREEN ROOM. Midnight Special was pretty good, not sure it being in a Top 10 is a testament to that movie or how few good movies have been released yet so far this year. Obviously, most of the critical/dramatic favorites will hit from Thanksgiving onwards. It had its moments. I also have more and more appreciation for Joel Edgerton's range every time I see him in a movie.

 

 

[Brian]

Can we get a Terrence Malick thread so I don't have to read this garbage in here?

[caulfield12]

The SoxTalk demand for a Terence Malick/Knight of Cups thread is about as high as another Puig or every single All-Star on the Royals last year has been DL'ed this year thread, lol.

 

What is the next movie coming out to be excited about?

[caulfield12]

 

 

 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_phenom...ch=the%20phenom

 

 

Best baseball movie since Moneyball.

 

Top 10 this year.

 

Great performances from Paul Giamatti (like Robin Williams' Dead Poets Society character), Simmons (the high draft pick pitcher with 98 MPH fastball) and Ethan Hawke (similar to JK Simmons in Whiplash).

 

Not really about the game, but about the psychology and mental aspects of pitching and being a professional ballplayer.

 

Some of the dialogue was too clever/cute/literary and pop culturally by a long shot, and it was disjointed in places, but it was a really compelling movie to watch because it's NOT a typical baseball movie but more of a character study.

 

 

Some of the plot points should have been edited out in the script. The kid's a #3 draft pick in the first round, but he's already reached the major leagues (he's back in Gwinnett/AAA as the movie develops, as he's struggling with the yips, ala Rick Ankiel, having thrown 5 wild pitches in a single inning). Somehow, he's supposed to be pitching in the majors/high minors and going to high school at the same exact time (his g/f is going to Yale but keeps popping in and out of the story), which made absolutely no sense. But it really doesn't take away from the movie because that's beside the fact, it's fascinating to see such a dialogue-based movie about sports. There's even an agent at the end who's kind of a takeoff on the Scott Boras caricature that made me laugh.

 

Bonus points for the kid asking for an autograph wearing a Roberto Clemente Santurce Crabbers Puerto Rican Winter league jersey.

 

And nice to see Paul Giamatti staying close to his father's two loves, literature and baseball...this movie must have been very personal for him to have made.

[WilliamTell]

I've read the reviews but I'm going to Independence Day tonight with the same friend that I went to the first one with as a 10 year old. Seems pretty fitting.