Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Theli]

Thanks for the review Squire. I'm going to see it on Tuesday.

[Sock Monkey]

I'm also looking forward to seeing mother!, though it'll probably have to wait until it's released on DVD. I'm a big fan of Aronofsky's work--The Fountain, though maligned by most, is one of my favorites and Requiem For A Dream is about as bleak and soul-crushingly brutal as any horror film; The Wrestler also gives Mickey Roarke his best role in years--and am pretty much down for the challenging weirdness of mother!

[Sock Monkey]

It was with great trepidation that I sat down yesterday to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice The Ultimate Edition. I wasn't a big fan when I saw the movie in the theaters and had no real desire to rewatch it, let alone an extended three hour cut. But since my wife and I are on vacation this week and we are both keen on watching Wonder Woman AND she had never seen BvS, I thought that it was either now or never.

Most times, these extended cuts add little or nothing to the actual film, but that is not the case with BvS. While the theatrical cut of BvS was a jumbled assortment of scenes stitched together with the flimsiest of connective tissue, The Ultimate Edition fixed almost all of the issues I had when I first saw the movie: the plot makes more sense, character beats are given a little more room to breath, Superman's arc is better established. I can also see why the studio didn't want to release this cut: a three-hour R-rated superhero movie was a rather risky move at the time (whether it still is in the wake of Deadpool and Logan is another discussion entirely). The decision might have made business sense, but the The Ultimate Edition is by far the better film.

BvS still isn't perfect by any means--Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is still too manic for my tastes (the closest we've gotten to a screen translation of Lex Luthor that I would like would be Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood on House of Cards; it's a shame that Spacey was wasted on a Gene Hackman impersonation in Superman Returns) and the fight scenes aren't quite suspenseful or fun enough to get the pulse racing--but it is so much better than what most people, including myself, experienced in the theaters. Here's to hoping that as time goes on, more people find this version of the movie.

[Dan Hocker]

It was with great trepidation that I sat down yesterday to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice The Ultimate Edition. I wasn't a big fan when I saw the movie in the theaters and had no real desire to rewatch it, let alone an extended three hour cut. But since my wife and I are on vacation this week and we are both keen on watching Wonder Woman AND she had never seen BvS, I thought that it was either now or never.

Most times, these extended cuts add little or nothing to the actual film, but that is not the case with BvS. While the theatrical cut of BvS was a jumbled assortment of scenes stitched together with the flimsiest of connective tissue, The Ultimate Edition fixed almost all of the issues I had when I first saw the movie: the plot makes more sense, character beats are given a little more room to breath, Superman's arc is better established. I can also see why the studio didn't want to release this cut: a three-hour R-rated superhero movie was a rather risky move at the time (whether it still is in the wake of Deadpool and Logan is another discussion entirely). The decision might have made business sense, but the The Ultimate Edition is by far the better film.

BvS still isn't perfect by any means--Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is still too manic for my tastes (the closest we've gotten to a screen translation of Lex Luthor that I would like would be Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood on House of Cards; it's a shame that Spacey was wasted on a Gene Hackman impersonation in Superman Returns) and the fight scenes aren't quite suspenseful or fun enough to get the pulse racing--but it is so much better than what most people, including myself, experienced in the theaters. Here's to hoping that as time goes on, more people find this version of the movie.

Whatever you do, don't go looking for the Suicide Squad extended edition to fix the problems with that movie.

The BvS extended edition really does add a lot to that movie. I still like the original cut, but I do understand why some people might not. At the end of the day I think the biggest problem was kinda two fold. Basically they tried to be too "Frank Miller" for what they could get away with in a block buster PG-13 studio setting. Had they gone R rated and gone even more "Frank Miller" it probably would've been better, just like had they stayed PG-13 and been less "Frank Miller" it probably would have been better. I am biased though as I love super hero movies (even the bad ones) and I love DC, especially Batman (and the Bat-Family).

[Sock Monkey]

Whatever you do, don't go looking for the Suicide Squad extended edition to fix the problems with that movie.

The BvS extended edition really does add a lot to that movie. I still like the original cut, but I do understand why some people might not. At the end of the day I think the biggest problem was kinda two fold. Basically they tried to be too "Frank Miller" for what they could get away with in a block buster PG-13 studio setting. Had they gone R rated and gone even more "Frank Miller" it probably would've been better, just like had they stayed PG-13 and been less "Frank Miller" it probably would have been better. I am biased though as I love super hero movies (even the bad ones) and I love DC, especially Batman (and the Bat-Family).

I haven't tackled Suicide Squad yet. I'll probably get around to it one day. I still can't get over that gaudy Joker design, though from what I've heard that's the least of the film's problems.

I agree with your point about the balancing of the Frank Miller elements in a PG-13 movie. My main issue with this film's Batman is the lack of set-up for his cruelty and his arc back to redemption. This was our first introduction to this version of Batman and his first actions under the cowl in the film are brutal brandings of criminals. The movie's opening scene was supposed to set up his descent into cynicism, but I wasn't quite sold on that transition so the brutality in Batman's fights are jarring in a way that made me question this take on Batman when I saw the theatrical version. I think if there had been a stand alone Batfleck movie prior to BvS, the character's descent and redemption would have been more poignant.

[Theli]

I'm also looking forward to seeing mother!, though it'll probably have to wait until it's released on DVD. I'm a big fan of Aronofsky's work--The Fountain, though maligned by most, is one of my favorites and Requiem For A Dream is about as bleak and soul-crushingly brutal as any horror film; The Wrestler also gives Mickey Roarke his best role in years--and am pretty much down for the challenging weirdness of mother!

I also quite liked The Fountain. Requiem, and Black Swan were top notch and I liked the Wrestler too (if not quite as much).

This one though... It's another beast entirely. It's hard to tackle it. I've never been so frustrated and irritated while watching a movie ever. I won't go into the why and I'm actually going to leave this review rather vague so that you and others can view this film fresh.

The movie had some really well shot scenes, and a great set. The acting was solid all around. I actually liked Lawrence in it, she plays it pretty subtly as opposed to what could have been a much more over the top execution (and I don't think I could have handled that). I enjoyed the main themes, the story, and the intent, even if it was a bit heavy handed and predictable. The film itself, though, is incredibly frustrating and stress inducing. That is Aronofsky's intent, so it's successful in that capacity, but that doesn't diminish the impact. It's a sensory over load. It made for a wholly unentertaining movie. Much like watching A Serbian Film, and even Requiem for a Dream to a lesser extent; it's well made and effective, but maybe a bit too much so.

I think to have the full impact of this film you need to see it in theatres, but to enjoy it more watch it at home. So... yeah 2/5 for enjoyability and 4/5 for quality. I guess I'll give it a 3/5 overall. Glad I saw it, but I won't be revisiting it anytime soon. It does make for interesting discussions post-viewing though.

[jeffingoff]

I also quite liked The Fountain. Requiem, and Black Swan were top notch and I liked the Wrestler too (if not quite as much).

This one though... It's another beast entirely. It's hard to tackle it. I've never been so frustrated and irritated while watching a movie ever. I won't go into the why and I'm actually going to leave this review rather vague so that you and others can view this film fresh.

The movie had some really well shot scenes, and a great set. The acting was solid all around. I actually liked Lawrence in it, she plays it pretty subtly as opposed to what could have been a much more over the top execution (and I don't think I could have handled that). I enjoyed the main themes, the story, and the intent, even if it was a bit heavy handed and predictable. The film itself, though, is incredibly frustrating and stress inducing. That is Aronofsky's intent, so it's successful in that capacity, but that doesn't diminish the impact. It's a sensory over load. It made for a wholly unentertaining movie. Much like watching A Serbian Film, and even Requiem for a Dream to a lesser extent; it's well made and effective, but maybe a bit too much so.

I think to have the full impact of this film you need to see it in theatres, but to enjoy it more watch it at home. So... yeah 2/5 for enjoyability and 4/5 for quality. I guess I'll give it a 3/5 overall. Glad I saw it, but I won't be revisiting it anytime soon. It does make for interesting discussions post-viewing though.

You saw A Serbian Film? I never have and I don't think I ever could. I read the plot summary on Wikipedia and was sick.

[Theli]

I own it. It's pretty hard to watch. The most infamous, and seemingly most reviled, scene in A Serbian Film is in actuality just the tip of the iceberg. It's full of very disturbing imagery, and some of it looks all too real (it's not of course).

[srboone]

I think to have the full impact of this film you need to see it in theatres, but to enjoy it more watch it at home. So... yeah 2/5 for enjoyability and 4/5 for quality. I guess I'll give it a 3/5 overall. Glad I saw it, but I won't be revisiting it anytime soon. It does make for interesting discussions post-viewing though.

mother! was a difficult film to process, but once I tarted looking at every character as a stand in for someone/thing else, I enjoyed it. (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfieffer as Adam and Eve, their children as Cain and Abel, Jennifer Lawrence as Mother Earth, and--I think--Javier Bardem as God, or at least Man striving to be God. Even the octagonal home as the Garden of Eden).

But like you, I won't be watching it again anytime soon.

[subie09lega]

I'm hoping someone goes to see BR 2049 and posts their thoughts. My buddy wants to go next week but I'm hesitant. I've only seen BR once which was a few years ago and I guess it didn't fall into the cult classic category for me but I think I'll try watching it again to see if I can glean more from it than during the first screening. I heard a review for BR 2049 last night and the reviewer was rather neutral about it but the Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes scores are pretty high.

[Dan Hocker]

I'm hoping someone goes to see BR 2049 and posts their thoughts. My buddy wants to go next week but I'm hesitant. I've only seen BR once which was a few years ago and I guess it didn't fall into the cult classic category for me but I think I'll try watching it again to see if I can glean more from it than during the first screening. I heard a review for BR 2049 last night and the reviewer was rather neutral about it but the Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes scores are pretty high.

I'm planning on seeing it this weekend. I fall pretty much in line with you on BR. It was fine, but it wasn't what the "hype" made it out to be (for me at least). That said I'd probably have seen this one based on the director alone.

[Theli]

mother! was a difficult film to process, but once I tarted looking at every character as a stand in for someone/thing else, I enjoyed it. (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfieffer as Adam and Eve, their children as Cain and Abel, Jennifer Lawrence as Mother Earth, and--I think--Javier Bardem as God, or at least Man striving to be God. Even the octagonal home as the Garden of Eden).

But like you, I won't be watching it again anytime soon.

I think you nailed it there (not to mention the baby...), and I think it was relatively obvious upon watching it. But I think there is more too it as well. I think the obvious allegory is almost allegory for something else; the creative process primarily, the pressure of celebrity and the constant bombardment of social media/always being available and online (rise of technology like smartphones etc.) as well as it's relation to celebrity and creativity. The movie has a lot and it's really chaotic, yet also controlled.

I know the writing process for this film was quite different from Aronofsky's usual. Short and frantic as opposed to long and composed.

[Dan Hocker]

I'm planning on seeing it this weekend. I fall pretty much in line with you on BR. It was fine, but it wasn't what the "hype" made it out to be (for me at least). That said I'd probably have seen this one based on the director alone.

I'm just gonna copy and paste something I posted elsewhere for this.

Just got out of Blade Runner 2049. I really couldn't say if it was good or not. It was very Blade Runner. It was stunning looking. It was certainly art. I think if you're into Blade Runner you will probably like it, maybe love it. If, like me, you are in-different towards Blade Runner, you probably won't know what to think about it.

[Sock Monkey]

I'm just gonna copy and paste something I posted elsewhere for this.

Just got out of Blade Runner 2049. I really couldn't say if it was good or not. It was very Blade Runner. It was stunning looking. It was certainly art. I think if you're into Blade Runner you will probably like it, maybe love it. If, like me, you are in-different towards Blade Runner, you probably won't know what to think about it.

I'm not the biggest Blade Runner fan, but I'll be seeing this solely on the strength of director, Denis Villeneuve. I've loved all of his movies so far (Sicario!) so I'm in. We're really getting some great directors of "dark" movies right now: the aforementioned Villanueve, Michael Flanagan, Jeremy Saulnier, and S. Craig Zahler.

[Dan Hocker]

I'm not the biggest Blade Runner fan, but I'll be seeing this solely on the strength of director, Denis Villeneuve. I've loved all of his movies so far (Sicario!) so I'm in. We're really getting some great directors of "dark" movies right now: the aforementioned Villanueve, Michael Flanagan, Jeremy Saulnier, and S. Craig Zahler.

That and the trailers / shorts they've released are what drove me to see it as well. I'm glad I did, though I still don't know what I think about it really.