Movies 2: Electric Boogaloo

I thought it was good precisely because there was no character development. The whole movie is a snapshot from the early days of the rebellion, where apparent nobodies step out from obscurity to tackle a much greater foe, not for their own glory but to fight the evil forces of the Empire. Obviously you knew what was going to happen and that the plans ultimately end up in rebel hands but that's not really the point of the movie at least for me, the movie is all about showing the bigger picture of the rebellion's struggles by focusing on this one small group who gave their lives to keep the rebels one step ahead of the Empire. The movie really made me wonder just how many other small groups of forgotten heroes there have been that gave everything to keep the nascent fire of the rebellion going. And I think that was a large part of the idea behind the film, that the rebellion is so much more than Luke, Leia and Han trying to kill a guy in a robot suit. It's about people trying to free themselves of a totalitarian regime.
There's not a huge amount of character development precisely because they don't matter, it's all about what they achieved, and what can be achieved when people set aside their egos to work together for the common good. The movie also had Donnie Yen in it who is one of the best on screen martial artists around, and you can't tell me Darth Vader has ever been scarier or more impressive than in the last scene when the message is being taken to the blockade runner absolutely excellent stuff right there.
I'd absolutely put Rogue One in the top spot for my favourite Star Wars movies.

NintenDUCK wrote:

The movie also had Donnie Yen in it who is one of the best on screen martial artists around......

This is the only saving grace of Rogue one for me & him and his machine gun laser pal need their own film.

That's all true enough, and an interesting idea, but I just didn't think it made for a very good film
Each to their own, I don't judge anyone else for liking it, I was just giving an answer for why I think it hasn't been placing well amongst us.

I quite liked Rogue One and The Last Jedi but I'm not judging either of them from the position of being a Star Wars fan.

Anyway, I saw out 2017's cinema going with Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. A solid piece of unspectacular fun and a classic "seize the moment" message. Also, The Rock.

Sorry to bump this back to star wars chat but I just saw the last Jedi and couldn't be happier with it. Although it was a tad long, I didn't want the ride to end and it was all just great fun. It put revitalising twists into the old formula, and was genuinely funny. Easily my favorite star wars film.

I also saw rogue one a few days ago, thought the exact opposite. It was cool to see Vader with modern effects and the action scenes were fine. But I didn't care about any character other than the blind dude and it all felt formulaic.

I'd also completely disagree with the notion that it was a bunch of nobodies. The first scene no less

Spoiler:

Muss is, as usual, correct.

Did you spot as many obvious "this is meant to be 3D" moments? I don't think it was too bad.

I was too engrossed in the film to notice obvious 3D moments to be honest. In sure there were some but everything felt natural to me at the time.

ZeroJones wrote:

I quite liked Rogue One and The Last Jedi but I'm not judging either of them from the position of being a Star Wars fan.

Anyway, I saw out 2017's cinema going with Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. A solid piece of unspectacular fun and a classic "seize the moment" message. Also, The Rock.

I also saw Jumanji which get's a better then Star Wars The Last Jedi from me.

Muss wrote:

I was too engrossed in the film to notice obvious 3D moments to be honest. In sure there were some but everything felt natural to me at the time.

I didn't either, I just remember you sitting next to me and chuckling in Force Awakens.

I also saw The Last Jedi.

Best bit:

I think that's really all there is to say on the matter.

I love the Porgs and despite having some criticisms of the film as a whole, I'll hear nothing against those little bird tykes.

So I watched Logan for the first time this morning & thought it was great! It also shows that with the right story a film based on comic books doesn't have to be all about the comedy and it is up there with my favorite superhero films.

(side note: On the sky go app they also have a version called Logan Noir which is the same film but in black & white.)

Logan is a phenomenal film but I don't think I could watch it over and over like some of the X-Men films. I'm intrigued to see it in Black and White, I think that would suit the tone well.

I Santa got my mum a Porg for Christmas in her stocking.

I now feel like I've missed out this Christmas.

I watched Valerian last night, I went thinking it would be visually stunning especially in 4K but overall as a film a bit pants.

The film sure is visually stunning and isn't pants, sure it's not fifth element but still worth a watch of a evening.

Films I've watched recently:

Departures
Yôjirô Takita, 2008
This is a charming, melancholy little film about a man who stumbles into the encoffining business. It has moments of incredibly black comedy, some drama and sombre scenes, but ultimately is genuinely beautiful and touching. Well worth a watch.


The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Justin Lin, 2006
When I watched this one as part of a series marathon, I found it kind of disappoining. No Brian, barely any Dom, minimal action, all racing. Watching it in isolation, I enjoy it for those same things. a fun story about a Gaijin learning to drift. Plus, it gave us Han, who I love in F&F 5, 6 and 7.

I watched La La Land the other night, it's decent and can see why it was mentioned in most awards but personally don't think it's that good.

Last night I watched

The Last Samurai
Edward Zick, 2003
I remember enjoying this film when it came out. The visuals and music are phenomenal, and the recreation of 19th century Japan was spot on. The action is good, the characters are well done but it really is the quintessential stupid American film that pointlessly concentrates on Tom Cruise instead of the actual Japanese characters and story.

Last night I watched

My Neighbor Totoro for the first time, much preferred it over Princess Mononoke it was filled with whimsy.

Yesterday Jo and I saw The Greatest Showman. We had planned to see Coco as well but our nearest cinema has switched to all premier seating in its screens, meaning there are fewer seats overall, meaning it's easier for them to sell out. And they did.

Jo loved it - she even cried in places. I was not quite that keen but it is good fun and a great spectacle.

Now watched two more Studio Ghibli films since my last lost, which where Kiki and Howl both fantastic. I'm really enjoying these films and can't wait to watch the next film but I've not got things like Whisper of the Heart to watch from my collection, whcih I've never heard much about.

Jo and I are back from seeing Coco, Pixar’s latest film. It’s really very good; also, I cried.

I also thought Coco was brilliant. I was certainly pretty close to tears. Those people sure know how to make a good movie.

Watched Grave of the Fireflies last night the sad film was sad and today I watched Whisper of the Heart which wasn't what I was expecting as I thought it was a fairytale set in this cat kingdom but I did enjoy it.

masofdas wrote:

I watched Whisper of the Heart which wasn't what I was expecting as I thought it was a fairytale set in this cat kingdom but I did enjoy it.  

You're thinking of Heathcliff: The Movie