Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Martin]

I've liked all his films but do see struggles in them. He hasn't exactly nailed the masterpiece yet but I think it's him. Also, funny that a lot of people think it ran too long when Peele said the original cut was actually three hours and forty-five minutes. That's a big edit!

Just to clarify. I do not think it ran too long. I think the pacing in the show was too slow. I had the same issue with Get Out. I think the pacing is done by choice; it just does not work for me.

[Tommy]

Just to clarify. I do not think it ran too long. I think the pacing in the show was too slow. I had the same issue with Get Out. I think the pacing is done by choice; it just does not work for me.

Understood. The pacing is possibly a result of it being edited down from a much longer cut.

[Martin]

Understood. The pacing is possibly a result of it being edited down from a much longer cut.

That is possible but based on the two movies I have seen from him I suspect it is a stylistic choice.

[Tommy]

I saw it again this weekend because we couldn't decide what to see. I want to see Maverick but he wanted to see the dinosaur movie again for the sixth time so we saw NOPE (Not Of Planet Earth) again. I enjoyed it more the second watch. The Word spectacle is the key to that film.

Spoiler!

The real villain is the little boy who witnessed the Gordy incident but didn't learn from it. He reveled in it and did the same thing to the life form essentially. You cannot train a wild animal. Siegfried and Roy were mentioned, also numerous shots reminded me of The Birds by Hitch. One over head shot with the creature coming to the gathering is like the overhead shot of the birds descending upon the town. Spectacle, Oprah moment they mention, Oprah interviewed a woman who had her faced ripped off by her neighbor's pet chimp. That episode of Oprah is still the craziest thing I've seen in daytime TV. She now wears a veil much like the disfigured woman in the film. TMZ, nuff said. Gordy, the name, might suggest the straight to video knock off of Babe. Another example of animals being exploited for entertainment. The flags that get hung in the creature's whatever reminds me of the flags we see towards the end of Charlie Chaplin's The Circus, again spectacle (exploitation of animals). The RUN OJ RUN line comes from the biggest spectacle of last century really. The OJ Simpson trial. One shot with Emerald in shadow looking out of the window reminded me of Norma Bates standing by her window in Psycho. That was the first gigantic spectacle due to it's marketing and a film that changed the world. The world of show business, again spectacle with nods to other alien sci-fi flicks of old like the mantis on the lens as a shout out to The Deadly Mantis. Even the ending where Emerald is trying to get the pics, almost makes me think of James Stewart taking flash pictures of Raymond Burr at the end of Rear Window. The first two things we see, after the Gordy clip, are the insides of the alien and it fades into the black man on a horse footage and the final shots we see are OJ on the horse and the shot of the alien Emerald managed to get, some nice symmetry there.

Of course this is all supposition on my part but that is what I see and I did feel like a second watch helped tremendously.

[Martin]

Tommy. I thoroughly enjoyed and see the points in your analysis of NOPE. I would have enjoyed those things if I had been able to watch without checking my watch every few minutes to see how soon I would be released. A second watch will not help me as I am unwilling to try. I have yet to see Maverick but may try it soon. At the moment Where the Crawdads sing is calling me back for a second watch,

[Tommy]

Thanks Martin and fair enough. I am not sure if I was trying to convince anyone about the movie's overall "goodness". I was sharing my thoughts after a second analytic look at the movie. I hope I didn't offend. I respect you way too much to try and strong arm you into liking a film. You are the nicest person I've met through various forums and I consider it an honor that you speak to me at all.

[Martin]

Thanks Martin and fair enough. I am not sure if I was trying to convince anyone about the movie's overall "goodness". I was sharing my thoughts after a second analytic look at the movie. I hope I didn't offend. I respect you way too much to try and strong arm you into liking a film. You are the nicest person I've met through various forums and I consider it an honor that you speak to me at all.

I certainly took no offense. I read it as you providing your thoughts on a movie you really enjoyed. In retrospect I see several of the points you make, which was interesting.

[Tommy]

And I get that every director is not going to be for every person. That's just life! Peele does get more ambitious with each project and I like the idea that his films can be seen as "Popcorn movies" but also as almost arthouse films with deep underlying sociopolitical messages.

Men was a film I liked earlier this year but it was no Popcorn Movie. It was straight metaphor storytelling throughout the whole thing. Made it more intense and it's not a film you have fun watching, you gotta think.

Peele's films, to me, can be taken both ways and I always admire a layered (especially horror) film.

And again, not saying that anyone that doesn't like his work isn't thinking hard enough or something insulting like that, far from it. I am at the point where I see patterns that aren't there sometimes from having seen so many films in my life. I immediately start analyzing on a second watch if I like the film. At one point I wanted to be a film critic but you see how terrible I am at it, HA!

Just another ramblin' stranger on the interwebs....

[Tommy]

Where the Crawdads Sing isn't playing near here. Figures.

[Martin]

Where the Crawdads Sing isn't playing near here. Figures.

Sorry to hear that. There is a very good chance I will go see it again before it leaves the theater.

[Brian861]

I saw it again this weekend because we couldn't decide what to see. I want to see Maverick but he wanted to see the dinosaur movie again for the sixth time so we saw NOPE (Not Of Planet Earth) again. I enjoyed it more the second watch. The Word spectacle is the key to that film.

Spoiler!

The real villain is the little boy who witnessed the Gordy incident but didn't learn from it. He reveled in it and did the same thing to the life form essentially. You cannot train a wild animal. Siegfried and Roy were mentioned, also numerous shots reminded me of The Birds by Hitch. One over head shot with the creature coming to the gathering is like the overhead shot of the birds descending upon the town. Spectacle, Oprah moment they mention, Oprah interviewed a woman who had her faced ripped off by her neighbor's pet chimp. That episode of Oprah is still the craziest thing I've seen in daytime TV. She now wears a veil much like the disfigured woman in the film. TMZ, nuff said. Gordy, the name, might suggest the straight to video knock off of Babe. Another example of animals being exploited for entertainment. The flags that get hung in the creature's whatever reminds me of the flags we see towards the end of Charlie Chaplin's The Circus, again spectacle (exploitation of animals). The RUN OJ RUN line comes from the biggest spectacle of last century really. The OJ Simpson trial. One shot with Emerald in shadow looking out of the window reminded me of Norma Bates standing by her window in Psycho. That was the first gigantic spectacle due to it's marketing and a film that changed the world. The world of show business, again spectacle with nods to other alien sci-fi flicks of old like the mantis on the lens as a shout out to The Deadly Mantis. Even the ending where Emerald is trying to get the pics, almost makes me think of James Stewart taking flash pictures of Raymond Burr at the end of Rear Window. The first two things we see, after the Gordy clip, are the insides of the alien and it fades into the black man on a horse footage and the final shots we see are OJ on the horse and the shot of the alien Emerald managed to get, some nice symmetry there.

Of course this is all supposition on my part but that is what I see and I did feel like a second watch helped tremendously.

Wow, Tommy! I stated I was bored with the film and was bummed since I had wanted to see it so badly. Your review actually makes me enjoy the film so much better without another watch. Thank you for opening my eyes to what was right in front of my face. Clearly, I wasn't qualified to view it lol.

[brlesh]

Wow, Tommy! I stated I was bored with the film and was bummed since I had wanted to see it so badly. Your review actually makes me enjoy the film so much better without another watch. Thank you for opening my eyes to what was right in front of my face. Clearly, I wasn't qualified to view it lol.

Yeah, I’ve got to agree, you got a lot more out of it than I did!

Guess I need to cut down on the vodka I sneak into the movies.

Good points - the cinematography & sound we’re very good.
NOPE is definitely a movie that needs to be seen in the theater, IMO, if you are going to see it.

The acting was good, especially the actors that played the brother & sister. Angel provided some well timed comic relief, and it was good to see Michael Wincott working again.

Lesser points - I was just kind of underwhelmed with the story. Maybe my expectations were too high going in, but I was just expecting more from the storyline.

One question, if any body can answer it: what was up with the vertical slipper/shoe in the Gordy scene?

B

[Sock Monkey]

Man, I feel like I need to go see NOPE so I can get in on this conversation. I love it when a movie sparks some conversation and debate.

[Tommy]

Wow, Tommy! I stated I was bored with the film and was bummed since I had wanted to see it so badly. Your review actually makes me enjoy the film so much better without another watch. Thank you for opening my eyes to what was right in front of my face. Clearly, I wasn't qualified to view it lol.

Glad you enjoy it better from my scattershot thoughts and everyone who likes movies is qualified for an opinion. Some reviewers have said a movie should be good enough to not have to watch again but I really disagree with that. I've re-watched movies I didn't like just to see why I didn't like them the first time. When I was an avid reader, a reread of a story or a book was sometimes like reading it again for the first time because I missed so much the first go round.

[Tommy]

Yeah, I’ve got to agree, you got a lot more out of it than I did!

Guess I need to cut down on the vodka I sneak into the movies.

Good points - the cinematography & sound we’re very good.
NOPE is definitely a movie that needs to be seen in the theater, IMO, if you are going to see it.

The acting was good, especially the actors that played the brother & sister. Angel provided some well timed comic relief, and it was good to see Michael Wincott working again.

Lesser points - I was just kind of underwhelmed with the story. Maybe my expectations were too high going in, but I was just expecting more from the storyline.

One question, if any body can answer it: what was up with the vertical slipper/shoe in the Gordy scene?

B

We wondered about that as well. Other than it being the killing weapon and resting in a weird position? I don't know. The fact that the man put it in his private collection of memorabilia is ghoulish.