This movie is outstanding. Keep in mind when you go to see this that this is not a typical comic book movie that is just a ton of pow pow action, haha chaeesy joke, pow pow. It's basically a movie about a man going crazy but set in Gotham and that man ends up becoming the Joker. It is far more similar to Taxi Driver than it is to even the grittier Marvel movies. The only comic book movie I have seen which has even a remotely similar tone is Watchmen and even that is not as similar to it is to Taxi Driver or Apocalypse Now.
So as a short recap it starts with Arthur, an insane and severely depressed man. He has a condition that causes him to laugh uncontrollably when he is uncomfortable. Literally everything in his life is shit, he gets his ass kicked at work by punk kids, he gets shaken down by his employer, his mom is completely reliant on his help and they live together in a cramped and squalid apartment and his therapy is barely keeping him hinged. In the background Gotham is experiencing lots of political turmoil around the government and wealthy residents showing a complete disregard for the well-being of the needy and Arthur is hit hardest by this. His psychiatric services are cut, he loses his job, his mom is expecting a wealthy benefactor to save them which Arthur knows is not coming, the TV show that Arthur loves and the host of it who he admires coldly shames him for something he was proud of. The shit continues to pile on him as he becomes more deranged and eventually he starts to crack and becomes more and more violent along with much of the rest of Gotham who identify with his same experiences.
The themes of this movie are easy to understand but they run extremely deep as well working on many levels. The top crust of society looking down on others, passing judgement, acting without any repercussions or any true understanding for the devastation they are causing for others. The prime symbol of this is Murray Franklin, this rich talk show host who Arthur initially admires and fantasizes about interacting with in the future but when it comes down to the reality he just stomps over his dreams and aspiration and treats him as a prop to use for his own joke. It's funny to the people looking down with Murray but it's devastating to Arthur. Joker coming onto the show at the end and turning the tables with his "Joke" is also symbolic of the other side of the message. Joker and the clown protests are not good guys, they are not right, they are not helping, they are rabid and reactionary and fueled simply by fury without logic. They have solid reasons for why they are mad but when it gets to the point where you are that beaten down it is hard to see if there is any way to improve it and so reckless fury is all they can muster.
The detailed execution in this film is OUTSTANDING and is really what takes this film to the next level. The acting of Joaquin Phoenix in obviously one of the greatest performances in recent memory. The way he talks, the innocence of his dreams juxtaposed with his tainted reality, the brutality, the way he contorts his body to make the viewer cringe and painfully stare without being able to blink or look away, the facial expressions, the crazy way he runs, the dancing, all of it. It's something you have to experience and feel as you watch it. The script itself is impeccable, the faux twists, the delusional fantasy that is impossible to pick apart from the reality, the dialogue (my god the dialogue during the Murray Franklin show bit was beyond perfect), the art style that puts you in the gutter with Arthur, the careful pacing to make sure that you saw and understood every bit of why Joker comes into being, the music and general sound editing, etc. etc. etc. it's nearly flawless.
Another part that needs further appreciation is the use of ultra-dark humor and the affect it has on being in the audience. This movie
is one of the more brutal movies I have seen in recent times and as it goes on there are these subtle jokes woven into these shocking and disturbing scenes. They are jokes that most people won't laugh at (like locking the door so a dwarf trapped in the apartment with Joker has to ask to get out after seeing a friend's head bashed against the wall, or this situational humor on the talk show with the inappropriateness of the drunk driving joke in the middle of Joker's final rant) but they are really funny if you have a certain sense of humor. The amazing thing this does is that it gets the sick bastards like me who find it funny to laugh uncontrollably in the audience. This has two opposite purposes; the people who laugh are now experiencing the uncontrollable laughter and cold stares that Arthur experiences every day. On the other hand the people who don't laugh get these creepy out of place laughs coming from the people around them in the theater and they know that they're surrounded by sick bastards. It is THE most creative use of humor I have ever seen in a movie.
If we are talking about down sides I can't really speak to that much. The only things that I think might give it a lesser score are the fact that it is not a movie for everyone. It isn't a comic book movie at heart so if you're wanting a Avengers-esque experience then you're SOL. It's extremely brutal and will make you uncomfortable multiple times throughout and it isn't fun action brutality where there is a good fight and one guy wins, it's blowing people's brains out in a subway with a revolver and then chasing down wounded victim #3 type action. I can see how people might not like the lack of justification with the Clown rallies but that is also part of their purpose as I said earlier so I can't knock that. Overall it is a super complex movie that is also easy to understand at a basic level which is an awesome thing because it's hard to do both and I feel like it allows anyone to talk about it and learn the depth.
Indubitably inferior to The Conjuring but, for me, indubitably better than, for example, The Babadook.
The story is interesting and it have some good moments, but sometimes is a bit too convoluted and this ruins the immediacy of the movie.
Can't say too much about the actors because it seems that most of the weight of the movie is on Annabelle's shoulders and on the general atmosphere. Anyway they all do a pretty decent job.
Sometimes it reminded me a bit too much of Rosemary's Baby and, in a specific thing, Insidious.
Anyway worthy to be seen
The Rise of Skywalker had been on my "to watch" list even before it came out. Because of all the negative backlash this movie received, I never decided to watch it in the theaters. Recently, this movie was leaked online and as soon as it did, I decided it was time to give it a chance - despite everything that was being said and all the spoilers I accidentally read while browsing Reddit.
After watching the movie I began to think about things they could have made better, but I did enjoy it. Whether or not if it was because it was another Star Wars film has yet to be clear for me.
In the end, I felt that these movies could have been made better than what they were, as it opened up the possibility of introducing more threats than the ones we are far too familiar with in the Star Wars universe. For example - When Palpatine was revealed to be alive he could have introduced us to more Sith for Rey to face. Which makes sense in the end, since Kylo betrayed Palpatine and the Empire.
I just don't understand how Kylo Ren was the only Sith Rey had to face this entire time.
Also, Having Rey denounce her last name that her parents gave her, despite it being from a sinister origin , made me kinda lose some respect for her in the end. If she really wanted to have the Skywalker name she could have made it : Rey Skywalker Palpatine. Or Rey Palpatine Skywalker. Any way would have been fine.
Leia's CGI was terrible right for the get-go. It immediately felt like a recording from the previous movies, which I know was planned, and I believe they could have made it more convincing with the money they had. They pushed out the movies too soon and it leaves a bitter taste, just like GOT S8.
To be honest, with these actors and these characters, I don't think it would be possible for them to make a film that's worth less than 6/10.
The original is better but I wouldn't class Double Tap as a disappointment. It's a good film in its own right, which is rare for sequels in general. Most importantly, it's damn entertaining. In a way, it's a perfect palate cleanser before Oscar-season hits us in the coming months.
It's a 7, but a damn good 7.
One of the most controversial movies of all time due to it's anti-black racism and the fact that this film inspired the formation of the 2nd Ku Klux Klan in the same year, but it's also a very innovative film from the early years of cinema, as seen in it's running time of 190 minutes (it was the longest movie until then), the impressive battle scenes of the American Civil War, many technical improvements like tracking shots, movie shots at night (thanks to magnesium flares) and the immense production costs at it's time of $100.000.
So, obviously this film isn't for everyone, but I recommend it to people who are interested in the history of film, likes silent movies or simply want a deeper look in the events about the Civil War/Reconstruction Era or the founding of the KKK.
Very realistic and intense survival of the fittest. Hardly any words are spoken and you don't need them. Good visual storytelling.
Surprisingly good, even if now it’s more like a Black Mirror episode. Or like the episode of Creeped Out where the A.I. cell phone went nuts. Than like the original movie. The new Chucky is more creepy than scary really and he’s even pretty funny.
Spoiler Warning: There’s some horror cliches though. If I wrote a horror movie or book. I’d spare the family pet for one. It’s just too obvious.
While the kill count is definitely less than the original or the sequels. However, the film is entertaining and darkly funny.
You may not leave thinking it was better than the original but it is fun. But maybe a little funner before Chucky goes predictably nuts.
There are some interesting concepts here to modernize the story but most aren't fully fleshed out. There are some funny moments. Chucky's new look isn't the best but at least Mark Hamill gives a decent voice performance. We need Brian Tyree Henry in more movies, he is always great.
James Dean was a true talent, and his acting is always superb this is a really great film that has a few plotpoints that don't circle around all the way but that's my only problem with this film because when this film is at it's best it's hard to dislike anything about it.
Great movie, like many of Elia Kazan, sometimes distressing to see. James Dean transmits his anguish
I’ve read the bad reviews but I liked this film. There was a lot going on but I found it fun.... sue me!
When teen movies were funny, not just stupid :) !
It does the Blair Witch world justice. But adds nothing fresh. Pretty much is the same result as the first film.
A good movie ruined by lame pop culture references and political agendas.
Not as retro kitsch chic as the original cartoon, not as tight as modern CGI features and not as self-aware as the the live action films, this is the kind of movie you fall asleep watching and still don't miss anything. :dog::sleeping::confused:
PS Why do they have Scooby speaking better than most of my students, yet he still can't pronounce the first letter of words? WTF!? :person_facepalming_tone2:
Typical kids movie with some fun callbacks to the original show. The plot is kinda crazy.
Love the recap at the end. :D
The monster battles are awesome. There are a ton more than the last one and I loved every second. It makes up for all the family drama they make us watch to get to those fights. Hopefully the next one will be Godzilla and Kong fighting for 90 minutes with little to no humans.
Let me start by saying I have been a Godzilla fan ever since I saw Godzilla vs Mothra back in the 80s. With that out of the way I really liked this movie. It is in no way like the 98' movie (which was terrible) but instead kinda takes the Clover field route by showing how the fighting of the monsters really impact human. In this movie it's very clear that human need to get the hell out of the way! While there is not an overly amount of scenes showing all out fighting with the monsters you still get a feel for the current situation with Godzilla. This also attempts to ground Godzilla the creature in reality but doesn't 100% succeed. Some of the explanations for why things are happening are not always believable. Still, I enjoyed seeing Godzilla take on these "enemies" and eventually kill them. One interesting twist, which I had never seen in a Godzilla movie was he used his radioactive breath. In the movie he uses it almost as a last resort, seemingly because it takes a lot of energy from him. While this is inconsistent with any Godzilla movie before it I rather liked the idea. It would probably take a great amount of energy to create that blast of power. This is best seen when Godzilla brutally kills the last creature with a prolonged blast of energy that knocked him out till the next day. So if you cam looking for a movie that showed nothing but Godzilla fighting all the way through or a "Man v Monster" movie...this may not be the movie for you. However, give it a shot...you may like it after all.
Enjoyable adaptation. Had horror, suspense, and a fair bit of drama too - guy below must've been watching a different movie...
Very scary and sometimes shocking horror flick based on the eponymous PC game: a girl, burned nearly to death because the village elders think she's the devil's spawn, takes revenge on the whole town of "Silent Hill". The ending (the return of Rose and Sharon after the destruction of the Church in Silent Hill by Sharon's "Twin") is somehow strange: are they both dead and live in a parallel world or why can't Christopher see them?
I agree about the last part. The rest wasn't that scary.
This was fun! I'm sure I watched this when I was younger but I didn't really remember it. Not too bad for a straight to video sequel.
Watching this amazing movie again as it's such a classic,stuff HBO for taking it down to bow down to the PC crowd..makes me want to watch it more,and since HBO did that.. The movie is number one on Amazon sales today..Go Woke Go Broke....
Okay so walking into the theater I wasn't exactly expecting much however wow I was blown away complete must see
