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See any good movies lately?

Wasn't really bowled over by movies that came out in 2022, but I did enjoy these:

- The Batman: I'm weary of all the Hollywood superhero tropes, which is why I always appreciated the Dark Knight series for its more grounded approach, but this film takes it to a whole other level of rawness. It's become my favorite Batman movie (Heath Ledger's Joker performance notwithstanding). The introductory scene where Batman visits the crime scene is brilliantly staged and sets the tone perfectly.

- Elvis: This was a total surprise. I'm not an Elvis fan and I generally don't like Baz Lehrman's movies, but this one held my interest and revealed things about Elvis' life that I hadn't known. And the last scene using Elivs' actual final performance was the perfect emotional capper.

- Emergency: I thought this film did a great job of depicting aspects of the black experience in America, relative to racism and law enforcement, without being heavy handed or preachy. Parts of it were a little contrived and implausable, but given the movie straddled a line between teen comedy and sobering drama, I was okay with it.

But generally speaking, television programming definitely delivered the most engaging and satisfying viewing experiences of 2022. The TV series format has some considerable advantages over movies in terms of narrative depth, character development, and presentation, so it's not surprising. But what is surprising is that it took this long for show creators and network execs to fully commit to it.
 
Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962), thematically similar in some ways to The Wild Bunch but without all the gore. Really enjoyed it (currently on TCM).
 
Same here. Been revisiting some of my old favorites lately, last night I watched the first 30 mins. of French Connection and enjoyed every single second of it.
Might have to give that a watch, don't think I've seen it.

Although cheesey as hell, watched Top Gun Mavrick the other night, wasn't to bad, enjoyed it for the most part.
 
Just caught up on a couple I've been meaning to see.

Everything Everywhere All At Once - Earns the hype imo. I particularly appreciated it as a rebuttal to the persistent strain of cynicism/nihilism that has infected so many films the last couple decades.

Three Thousand Years of Longing - Worth it for the sumptuous visuals and Idris Elba's hypnotic voice, but the last act either could have been better thought out or simply lost confidence in itself.

I also enjoyed Glass Onion, if not quite as much as the first. It's weakness is the mystery isn't nearly so deep and satisfying to solve, and the whole conceit being built around lampshading that fact isn't really enough to compensate for it. But its strength is that it works very well as a comedy, with a cast that is clearly having a blast.

Also also - no such reservations about Poker Face. Three episodes in and it's just perfect, especially if you've ever enjoyed Colombo. Adrien Brody's last scene in the first ep is a masterpiece.
 
I watched Top Gun: Maverick this weekend, and it delivered beyond my expectations. I liked how it appropriately threaded back to the original while pursuing its own story. I think the key element that made the film ultimately work for me is that Tom Cruise's character had clearly evolved and matured from the young arrogant hotshot that he was in the original. It grounded the story and made his character more sympathetic and relatable.

Is it Best Picture Oscar worthy? Definitely not. But the fact that it's nominated is a reflection on the overall weak crop of films that came our way in 2022.
 
Avatar 2 was very impressive in terms of animation/3D (except the faces), but there was simply too much fighting and the story line was kind of thin at times. Besides, it was so &%$?X@# loud that I left the cinema before the movie was finished.
 
I think my fave from the last few years has to be The Green Knight, it had a bit of a bodged cinematic release over here (I'm in the UK) but luckily I caught it in the cinema and I'm so glad I did, sound design & score were both fantastic and lots of cool sub stuff I'd have missed if I'd watched from home.
More recently I agree with Tim that Banshees of Inisherin was great, and I quite enjoyed Enys Men although it wasn't as good as his previous film IMO.
 
Besides, it was so &%$?X@# loud that I left the cinema before the movie was finished.
That's one of the reasons I have little interest in going movie theatre. It's ridiculous how loud some of them get.

The other reason is I'm a tight-ass cheapskate. ;)
 
Watched Vengeance last night, a recent indie film from writer/director/actor B.J. Novak. Thought it was excellent on so many different levels - definitely one of the better movies of 2022.
 
Saw a few movies lately
Been watching Lord of the Rings in 4k. They have never looked so good.
Reign over Me was pretty interresting (movie with Adam Sandler where his family died in 9/11). He can actually act
Saw Passion of the Christ, good movie even if you're not a Christian.
 
I know I’m biased since I worship Tom Brady but I actually had a great time with 80 for Brady, it was a fun little buddy comedy with some good laughs and heartfelt moments, and of course the GOAT!!
 
Saw The Batman. Went in not expecting much, left very surprised. The end credits has a full on Piano Sonata. I wasn't expecting a tent pole film of this type to be really just an art film. Kind of like the new Joker.

Finally saw Tenet. Rented it on my birthday. Mom was visiting and since it was my birthday we got to watch what ever I wanted. So my wife and mother suffered through it. I think its in my top 5 Sci-Fi movies of all time. It might have even edged out the Matrix after 25 years of being nearly top dog. But not sure if it edged out Blade Runner. Because you know.....Vangelis.

Really enjoyed Knives Out and Glass Onion.
 
Saw The Batman. Went in not expecting much, left very surprised. The end credits has a full on Piano Sonata. I wasn't expecting a tent pole film of this type to be really just an art film. Kind of like the new Joker.

Finally saw Tenet. Rented it on my birthday. Mom was visiting and since it was my birthday we got to watch what ever I wanted. So my wife and mother suffered through it. I think its in my top 5 Sci-Fi movies of all time. It might have even edged out the Matrix after 25 years of being nearly top dog. But not sure if it edged out Blade Runner. Because you know.....Vangelis.

Really enjoyed Knives Out and Glass Onion.

All great movies!! Let’s be honest with ourselves though… Ludwig’s TENET score is better than Vangelis’ Blade Runner score ;)
 
This year so far:

Hate-Movie
Avatar: The Way of Water

Bad story, stupid dialogues, good v-fx, ugly noise (overbusy senseless background score)


Love-movie
The Banshees of Inisherin
Good story, actors - great score
 
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