What movies have you seen recently?

[JayBee74]

Deer Hunter (1978)- Never saw the movie but came across it Friday while surfing through Peacock. I knew of some of the controversial Russian Roulette scenes and that John Cazale was dying throughout filming (his scenes were shot first).

At three hours the flick was too long. The three friends (Deniro, Walken & John Savage) who will depart for Vietnam are still in that little town in Pennsylvania at over an hour of the movie. The first hour plus has the trio getting off their late night shift at a steel plant for the last time, going to Savage's wedding, getting drunk, and then going deer hunting. It was pretty standard bro-bonding crap seemingly spread out as a time filler (for a 3-hour movie!!!). The you get to the war time horrors which are dominated by RR&B (Russian Roulette Betting).

I liked little about the movie. Streep was nominated for her first Academy Award and you have to wonder if that mostly came from her ultimatum that Cazale not be fired from the picture. She's fine in it but her part became bloated when she was given the freedom to write her own lines.

[Gramps91]

I watched We Are Marshall for the first time Saturday night. It was late, I was only going to watch the first half and finish the second half yesterday but it was great. Once I started it I couldn't stop watching, finished the whole thing and just went to bed late. Really good movie.

[DieHardYankee26]

Polytechnique (3.5/5), Elephant (2/5)
Was reading the news for Uvalde, it took me back to the guy who got out last year after doing 10 for building a bunch of pipe bombs to blow up my high school only to be ratted out by one of his friends and ended up watching these a week or so ago...Polytechnique is the recreating of a mass shooting in Montreal where a dude ran in an engineering school to kill a bunch of women for being feminists. Elephant is basically a recreation of Columbine. My guy Denis Villenueve did Polytechnique, it's in black and white and French. Gus Van Sant, who did Good Will Hunting which I also did not like, did Elephant. Elephant was first so credit for that, I just thought Polytechnique was pretty much better in every way, seemed much more thoughtful. Going grayscale to diminish the impact and shock of the blood, the way it follows the entire event, there's a hopeful message at the end. Elephant is much less a movie and more just a recreation, you're just watching it unfold. As far as following people through a routine day that is going to go bad, I'd just watch Polytechnique.


Margin Call (4.5/5)
Feels like I've watched a dozen docs on the 2008 financial crisis, The Big Short, and everything I could find on Enron and somehow I missed this. Awesome movie, really reminded me of Twelve Angry Men how much tension they're able to build mostly in a movie of people in suits just sitting around talking to each other. Frank Underwood back in his sleazy bag, even when he's supposed to be the good guy there's just that level of evil behind him. Better than The Big Short to me, really gets across how easy it is to get swept up in the system whether it be by greed or coercion. Simon Gruber and Vision just kill it, Vision trying to justify their place in the system was great.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by DieHardYankee26

Polytechnique (3.5/5), Elephant (2/5) Was reading the news for Uvalde, it took me back to the guy who got out last year after doing 10 for building a bunch of pipe bombs to blow up my high school only to be ratted out by one of his friends and ended up watching these a week or so ago...Polytechnique is the recreating of a mass shooting in Montreal where a dude ran in an engineering school to kill a bunch of women for being feminists. Elephant is basically a recreation of Columbine. My guy Denis Villenueve did Polytechnique, it's in black and white and French. Gus Van Sant, who did Good Will Hunting which I also did not like, did Elephant. Elephant was first so credit for that, I just thought Polytechnique was pretty much better in every way, seemed much more thoughtful. Going grayscale to diminish the impact and shock of the blood, the way it follows the entire event, there's a hopeful message at the end. Elephant is much less a movie and more just a recreation, you're just watching it unfold. As far as following people through a routine day that is going to go bad, I'd just watch Polytechnique. Margin Call (4.5/5) Feels like I've watched a dozen docs on the 2008 financial crisis, The Big Short, and everything I could find on Enron and somehow I missed this. Awesome movie, really reminded me of Twelve Angry Men how much tension they're able to build mostly in a movie of people in suits just sitting around talking to each other. Frank Underwood back in his sleazy bag, even when he's supposed to be the good guy there's just that level of evil behind him. Better than The Big Short to me, really gets across how easy it is to get swept up in the system whether it be by greed or coercion. Simon Gruber and Vision just kill it, Vision trying to justify their place in the system was great.

Wow I thought Margin Call was vastly inferior to The Big Short. Like not even in the same league. I was at BofA during the financial Crisis….the Big Short was incredible.

Margin Call had some very strong performances but the movie itself was one giant meh….and vastly simplified to what really took place.

2/5


Top Gun Maverick - simply awesome!!!! 4/5

Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[DieHardYankee26]

Simplified in what way?

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by DieHardYankee26

Simplified in what way?

There were so many layers of the financial meltdown, so many things and moving parts and they just explained away in literally 2 minutes. We sell all this and we will set off the meltdown.

I just felt the movie was dumbed down a tad too much......but again I am in the industry and experienced all this the entire year of 2008 and into 2009 and had a lot of insight and experience of all the things leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.

I think the movie as well acted. The performances were strong, but the plot and story simply over simplified what was going on and the payoff was kinda....meh.

The Big Short on the other hand really dug into the nuts and bolts of the entire meltdown and was an incredible story of how a few guys figured it all out well before the street and made a fortune betting the “do not pass” line on all of it.

Just a personal opinion. It ain't the gospel.

[DieHardYankee26]

I kinda appreciated that about it. I’ve read the book and seen TBS 3 times, I saw the word tranche the other day and nothing had stuck with me. It’s so insider baseball that I don’t think I gained anything hearing a lot of that stuff and felt like it was basically a waste when they said at the end it was happening again.

[Speedy]

Whiplash (2014)

Way too much cursing in this film for my taste but the movie really is breath taking. The build-up to the last scene is mesmerizing and it's both satisfying and tragic, as it shows an individual strive to be the absolute greatest and finally realize this potential...but at a significant cost as he secludes himself from friends, family and even his health.