Topic: The RAWK Film Thread

[BER]

Power of the Dog ended up being a bit of a disappointment. Beautifully shot, scored and acted but the central conceit is just a bit soft and nowhere near as profound as it thinks it is. Probably still would've enjoyed it overall if the ending wasn't so anticlimactic.

[Hedley Lamarr]

I loved The Power Of The Dog’s ending, I thought the film was excellent and I can’t see it NOT cleaning up at the Oscars.  My third or fourth favourite film of 2021 (using the US release date).  Licorice Pizza and Dune are my favourite two then it’s between Nightmare Alley and The Power Of The Dog.

[Red Viper]

I thought The Power of The Dog was one of the most tedious film viewing experiences of my life, and I'm normally an absolute sucker for a western.

Really underwhelming year overall it has to be said.

[IgorBobbins]

I haven’t watched all the films on the list, but the fact that Don’t Look Up is being nominated for Best Film says it all. 

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Moonfall

Completely bonkers, stupid story but very entertaining.

Conspiracy theorists and people that love tinfoil will love this film


You need to suspend pretty much everything, but nice to see that Sam survived the White Walkers

[El Lobo]

Moonfall

Completely bonkers, stupid story but very entertaining.

Conspiracy theorists and people that love tinfoil will love this film


You need to suspend pretty much everything, but nice to see that Sam survived the White Walkers

Its got 'shit film that is trying to be so shit its good but actually is just utter shit' written all over it. I've seen the trailer a couple of times in the cinema and all you can hear at the end of it is people going 'fucking hell that looks awful'.

[Schmidt]

Its got 'shit film that is trying to be so shit its good but actually is just utter shit' written all over it. I've seen the trailer a couple of times in the cinema and all you can hear at the end of it is people going 'fucking hell that looks awful'.

I was saying that at the start of the trailer but by the end I was thinking "Okay I'm in!".

Might be something I check out from the comfort of home rather than buying a ticket though.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

I thought The Power of The Dog was one of the most tedious film viewing experiences of my life, and I'm normally an absolute sucker for a western.

Really underwhelming year overall it has to be said.

Think you might have to be in a particular type of mood to enjoy it. I got about 45 minutes in and was absolutely bored out of my mind. Will go back to it at some point though.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Its got 'shit film that is trying to be so shit its good but actually is just utter shit' written all over it. I've seen the trailer a couple of times in the cinema and all you can hear at the end of it is people going 'fucking hell that looks awful'.

It wasn't great and was a bit of a mish-mash, but it was entertaining.

Won't win any oscars like

And obviously not as good as "Lost in Translation" - the story wasn't as deep as that..

[jillcwhomever]

My friend and I are going to see Belfast tonight, really looking forward to going back to the cinema missed it through all the lockdowns.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Uncharted

Me and Mrs. Allerton Loved it. If you like arty farty films then probably avoid.

Had a good, funny story, was a world-romping tale of adventure, greed, avarice, fisticuffs and mystery.

And lots of explosions.

Cracking.

[El Lobo]

Have you ever watched Congo, Andy? You’d fucking love it

[jillcwhomever]

Just back from seeing Belfast, really enjoyed the film. Because of the setting of the film and the ever changing situation it was a really great idea having it done through the eyes of a child. All the actors were first rate, I especially loved Ciarán Hinds who I thought was terrific and he had great chemistry with the young lad. It was very well written and I agree with Andy's point. I won't give it away.

Oh yes, also seeing Colin Morgan playing a baddie for once that was interesting I still see him as Merlin from years ago. 

[Drinks Sangria]

Uncharted

Me and Mrs. Allerton Loved it. If you like arty farty films then probably avoid.

Had a good, funny story, was a world-romping tale of adventure, greed, avarice, fisticuffs and mystery.

And lots of explosions.

Cracking.

Have you played the games Andy? Is it a prequel to their story? Because if not, as much as I love the guy, Tom Holland is an horrific bit of casting as Nathan Drake.

[RedSince86]

Have you played the games Andy? Is it a prequel to their story? Because if not, as much as I love the guy, Tom Holland is an horrific bit of casting as Nathan Drake.

Never knew a film came out, that is a shocking casting.

The guy I always thought would have been a perfect as Nathan Drake would have been this guy Nathan Fillion.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Have you played the games Andy? Is it a prequel to their story? Because if not, as much as I love the guy, Tom Holland is an horrific bit of casting as Nathan Drake.

Not played them at all.

Sounds like that might be an advantage.

Thought he was pretty good.

Very silly action fare, but I thought the stuntwork was excellent and some pretty nice totally off its head effects (Though the trailer showed you most of them!)

Worth a watch, but suspend belief and just enjoy it

[[new username under construction]]

Never knew a film came out, that is a shocking casting.

The guy I always thought would have been a perfect as Nathan Drake would have been this guy Nathan Fillion.

To old now I guess but Holland seems flavour of the month really

[Schmidt]

All I needed to see of Uncharted was the Holland casting and that moment in the trailer where he's hanging out the back of a plane and jumps back into it, that's enough to know it'll be liquid dogshit.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

All I needed to see of Uncharted was the Holland casting and that moment in the trailer where he's hanging out the back of a plane and jumps back into it, that's enough to know it'll be liquid dogshit.

I hope you're not suggesting *gasp* that some action films have improbable scenes?

Not played the game, but I expect that the scene was maybe replicating something in-game?

No more mad than aliens in Marvel, Dorathies ruby slippers, any spy film ever made, Indy surviving on a German U boat (outside) for weeks or Mary Poppins zapping off to her next gig really.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

I hope you're not suggesting *gasp* that some action films have improbable scenes?

Not played the game,but I expect that the scene was maybe replicating something in-game?

No more mad than aliens in Marvel, Dorathies ruby slippers, any spy film ever made, Indy surviving on a German U boat (outside) for weeks or Mary Poppins zapping off to her next gig really.

Exactly,it's based on a game mate 

[S]

Has anyone seen Drive My Car? Really want to watch it but it seems basically impossible unless you find "unofficial" methods. Nowhere to stream it and no physical release. I don't really even know how to get hold of films via those other methods.

[On Axis]

Has anyone seen Drive My Car? Really want to watch it but it seems basically impossible unless you find "unofficial" methods. Nowhere to stream it and no physical release. I don't really even know how to get hold of films via those other methods.

It looks like its available for 10 GBP on the British Film Institute site if you are in the UK https://player.bfi.org.uk/rentals/film/watch-drive-my-car-2021-online

I haven't seen it yet. Might see it in theaters tomorrow, debating whether to go

[S]

It looks like its available for 10 GBP on the British Film Institute site if you are in the UK https://player.bfi.org.uk/rentals/film/watch-drive-my-car-2021-online

I haven't seen it yet. Might see it in theaters tomorrow, debating whether to go

Thanks, I might have to go with that.

Yeah everything about it sounds up my street, be interested to hear from anyone who’s watched it on here.

[rafathegaffa83]

Finally got around to The French Dispatch. How was it not nominated for anything?

[Schmidt]

No more mad than aliens in Marvel, Dorathies ruby slippers, any spy film ever made, Indy surviving on a German U boat (outside) for weeks or Mary Poppins zapping off to her next gig really.

This argument is and has always been such a cop out. If I'm sat watching the next John Wick one day and he suddenly starts fighting a dragon should I be fine with that because dragons have appeared in other stuff?

[Ray K]

Power of the Dog ended up being a bit of a disappointment. Beautifully shot, scored and acted but the central conceit is just a bit soft and nowhere near as profound as it thinks it is. Probably still would've enjoyed it overall if the ending wasn't so anticlimactic.

Yeah, I tend to agree with this. We watched it the other night, and it's just a but underwhelming. Campion as a writer tends to focus more on the tone than the story or even the characters, and I found it generally underwritten. I didn't warm to the characters or even understand their motivations, and the ending left me with a overall sense of meh.

[stockdam]

Just back from seeing Belfast, really enjoyed the film. Because of the setting of the film and the ever changing situation it was a really great idea having it done through the eyes of a child. All the actors were first rate, I especially loved Ciarán Hinds who I thought was terrific and he had great chemistry with the young lad. It was very well written and I agree with Andy's point. I won't give it away.

Oh yes, also seeing Colin Morgan playing a baddie for once that was interesting I still see him as Merlin from years ago. 

Watched it tonight and I really enjoyed it. I went through all that shit and could relate to a lot of the film. It is a simple plot and doesn’t pretend to represent what went on but it does capture perfectly the close-knit communities back then in Belfast. Most of us were brought up with no “us and them” as Pa said in the movie.

[jillcwhomever]

Watched it tonight and I really enjoyed it. I went through all that shit and could relate to a lot of the film. It is a simple plot and doesn’t pretend to represent what went on but it does capture perfectly the close-knit communities back then in Belfast. Most of us were brought up with no “us and them” as Pa said in the movie.

It must have been a right step back in time for you then. I am glad you enjoyed it all of the acting was of the highest standard I thought.

[stockdam]

It must have been a right step back in time for you then. I am glad you enjoyed it all of the acting was of the highest standard I thought.

Yes it took me way back. Luckily Belfast, the city, is a much better place now and hopefully things will continue to improve.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

This argument is and has always been such a cop out. If I'm sat watching the next John Wick one day and he suddenly starts fighting a dragon should I be fine with that because dragons have appeared in other stuff?

Wait. You're saying that John Wick is any way realistic in any way?

If it was reality, he'd be dead before 5 minutes had passed in the first film.

If that didn't kill him then he'd deffo be dead around 300 times in the next three films.

[Redcap]

I'm fairly nonplussed about the Oscars this year.

Of the Best Picture nominees I've seen so far, Dune and Licorice Pizza are both worthy winners. Both are superb technical accomplishments while also delivering real emotional heft / great drama. Neither go down as one of my favourite movies ever, but they're IMO in a league of their own.

I liked Belfast a lot but that's likely to be somewhat down to my own experiences immigrating at about the same age as the lad, so it struck a chord with me. Really good film but I'm not sure whether the script was actually a bit superficial - I did think the directing was excellent though.

I haven't yet seen CODA but it looks like a middling crowdpleaser based on the trailer / reviews, King Richard was an Oscar-bait biopic but probably doesn't rise much further than that except that it has a slightly more original subject than most, The Power of the Dog I really wanted to like, and I think it's more than fine, but I'm a bit stunned at how it's been received both critically and by the Academy. It seems to be the odds on favourite but for mine it's probably at best a distant nominee in a field of 10 (and probably not at all in a field of 5). Nightmare Alley similarly probably is included because of a weak field. I liked it very much as a piece of pulpy, stylish entertainment (kinda similar to Grinding Nemo The Shape of Water), but less likely to win anything, but it's not Best Picture calibre.

Don't Look Up was unmitigated garbage and I enjoyed it all the less as someone who is very engaged with climate as an issue, because it's so embarrassingly clunky. Honestly don't know what the hell the Academy was thinking except that Leo is maybe a pretty influential person in the business?

Have not yet seen West Side Story but I want to like it - I was indifferent about the original.

Films unlucky to miss out

The Lost Daughter was for me one of the best 5 films of the year, easily. Pretty amazed it missed out actually because it was flat out excellent, and no less indie than some of what did get nominated. Olivia Colman is a shoo-in for Best Actress and Jessie Buckley is a decent shot at Best Supporting.

I find it quite interesting that exactly zero of the Best Actress films were nominated for Best Picture. To be fair, The Lost Daughter was the only really strong candidate of the 5, but it's a much stronger film than King Richard (Will Smith, Best actor nominee) for example. I wonder if it's actually some form of structural bias where the great roles for female actors are less within the Best Picture Oscar bait category and therefore get less lobbying support? Might just be idle speculation.

[Schmidt]

Wait. You're saying that John Wick is any way realistic in any way?

If it was reality, he'd be dead before 5 minutes had passed in the first film.

If that didn't kill him then he'd deffo be dead around 300 times in the next three films.

I'm saying that each movie/setting has established rules about what is and isn't viable. When you get movies that are set in the real world but then magically break the laws of physics in just one or two instances when it's convenient, I find it incredibly jarring and it shows a lack of interest in getting the details right, which for me is typically a good indicator that a movie is going to be shit.

[El Lobo]

Wait. You're saying that John Wick is any way realistic in any way?

If it was reality, he'd be dead before 5 minutes had passed in the first film.

If that didn't kill him then he'd deffo be dead around 300 times in the next three films.

As ever Andy, not sure you really get it (although not sure John Wick is the greatest example since I'm pretty sure he fell off like a 40 story building in the last one and managed to crawl away). And being based on a video game I don't really think matters, because Uncharted itself is meant to be pretty realistic no? A bit of an Indiana Jones clone (which again is all good until they bring in aliens and crystal skulls).

You can't really compare something which is meant to be moderately realistic to something which is literally meant to be the opposite. I was the same when I saw the trailer, it just looked daft (which isn't really what you want to take away from two minutes of a trailer). But then I appreciate we're speaking to someone who thought Moonfall was a groundbreaking triumph

[Red_Mist]

Having to isolate with Covid. Any good film recommendations on Netflix or Prime?

Watched Don’t Look Up yesterday. Made us feel worse! Awful.

[Macphisto80]

Having to isolate with Covid. Any good film recommendations on Netflix or Prime?

Watched Don’t Look Up yesterday. Made us feel worse! Awful.

Lost in Translation.

[Red_Mist]

Lost in Translation.

Not a bad shout, thanks Mac

[Red_Mist]

Just watched The Nest, which was okay. Bit meh. I think the covid might be affecting the concentration levels needed to enjoy a film.

[jillcwhomever]

I'm fairly nonplussed about the Oscars this year.

Of the Best Picture nominees I've seen so far, Dune and Licorice Pizza are both worthy winners. Both are superb technical accomplishments while also delivering real emotional heft / great drama. Neither go down as one of my favourite movies ever, but they're IMO in a league of their own.

I liked Belfast a lot but that's likely to be somewhat down to my own experiences immigrating at about the same age as the lad, so it struck a chord with me. Really good film but I'm not sure whether the script was actually a bit superficial - I did think the directing was excellent though.

I haven't yet seen CODA but it looks like a middling crowdpleaser based on the trailer / reviews, King Richard was an Oscar-bait biopic but probably doesn't rise much further than that except that it has a slightly more original subject than most, The Power of the Dog I really wanted to like, and I think it's more than fine, but I'm a bit stunned at how it's been received both critically and by the Academy. It seems to be the odds on favourite but for mine it's probably at best a distant nominee in a field of 10 (and probably not at all in a field of 5). Nightmare Alley similarly probably is included because of a weak field. I liked it very much as a piece of pulpy, stylish entertainment (kinda similar to Grinding Nemo The Shape of Water), but less likely to win anything, but it's not Best Picture calibre.

Don't Look Up was unmitigated garbage and I enjoyed it all the less as someone who is very engaged with climate as an issue, because it's so embarrassingly clunky. Honestly don't know what the hell the Academy was thinking except that Leo is maybe a pretty influential person in the business?

Have not yet seen West Side Story but I want to like it - I was indifferent about the original.

Films unlucky to miss out

The Lost Daughter was for me one of the best 5 films of the year, easily. Pretty amazed it missed out actually because it was flat out excellent, and no less indie than some of what did get nominated. Olivia Colman is a shoo-in for Best Actress and Jessie Buckley is a decent shot at Best Supporting.

I find it quite interesting that exactly zero of the Best Actress films were nominated for Best Picture. To be fair, The Lost Daughter was the only really strong candidate of the 5, but it's a much stronger film than King Richard (Will Smith, Best actor nominee) for example. I wonder if it's actually some form of structural bias where the great roles for female actors are less within the Best Picture Oscar bait category and therefore get less lobbying support? Might just be idle speculation.

You what? 

[S]

Just watched The Nest, which was okay. Bit meh. I think the covid might be affecting the concentration levels needed to enjoy a film.

Prime example of me being fooled by a trailer. Thought it looked great, turned out very boring.

[Red_Mist]

Prime example of me being fooled by a trailer. Thought it looked great, turned out very boring.

It had some interesting scenes, but yeah in general I completely agree with you. Dull!