little late 2 the convo but credit where it’s due a24 certainly has had a defining influence on film culture stylistically and consciously among audiences but outside of maybe Moonlight i cant think of a single film that carries that as opposed to a consistently reliable slate of well received high concept genre films w/ various creatives/concepts that are trusted, and generally aim for a certain slice of audience. I think that’s what gets them defined by name more than say,
like, Blumhouse, whos output is definitely all over the place in quality & while Paranormal Activity and Get Out r singular films in terms of cultural impact, being a fan of them doesnt mean that u were seeking whiplash, or liking whiplash doesnt necessarily lead 2 being advertised for The Black Phone 2
always fun to see how varied mission impossible takes are. truly a series with almost no consensus on what’s what.
personally i really like 1 and 2 (in that order but it’s kinda close) and hate the rest.
I went to the drive-in theater tonight and saw A Quiet Place: Day 1 and Maxxxine. I was primarily there for Maxxxine cuz I like Ti West (even though his output is pretty uneven).
I assumed this Quiet Place movie was gonna be hot garbage, but you know what? It surprised me! It was kind of decent! I wouldn’t recommend you run out and see it or anything, but you could do a lot worse with a random pop horror franchise movie. It had a somewhat original take on the “survivors journey through a post-apocalypse” trope: The main character has terminal cancer and spends most of the movie walking away from all rescue attempts and evacuation protocols because she just wants to get a slice of NY pizza. I liked that fatalistic humor.
Oh yeah also John Krasinski is NOT in this movie, thank god, nor did he write or direct. They did put a random helpless british guy in the mix who looks like a slightly melted Krasinski though, so that was funny.
Maxxxine was also decent but a bit of a letdown. It’s the final movie in Ti West and Mia Goth’s recent trilogy (X/Pearl/Maxxxine). I thought X was OK, Pearl was fantastic, and Maxxxine was back to OK (though I liked it slightly better than X).
The movie’s a bit of a mess! The first third or so is really strong, sort of an 80’s erotic thriller pastiche where the leading lady is so intensely motivated in pursuing stardom that she will absolutely level all obstacles and threats with riveting intensity. She’s swimming comfortably through all these different sleazy environments and grasping for something larger. It’s compelling! The movie’s all over the place in the second third and then totally flames out in the last third though, imo. It doesn’t have much of an ending to speak of, the movie just sort of peters out quietly. Which is a pity when it has the burden of ending an entire trilogy.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the trilogy at all coheres into anything greater than the sum of its parts. Just watch Pearl, that’s the good one.
These guys tried their best, but Bad Boys without Bay just doesn’t have the juice.
Dunc 2
no need for dunkin’ on it — turns up the ante like a second part should, and esp if you like Villeneuve’s handwriting (every frame a painting), you’ll love it
(spoiler: i did!)
Finally watched Hundreds of Beavers myself and I’ll cosign the entirety of your post.
It’s a fantastic movie, a marvel of creative gags and low budget filmmaking bravura. I am so impressed that even as the plot settled into its groove, it never stopped escalating the comedic setpieces. Manages to not outstay its welcome at all even if the notion of a 100 minute looney tunes gagfest sounded daunting when I started the movie
Inside Out 2: where’s that asshole who said he couldn’t relate Turning Red, a 100 minute long menstruation joke for families
could he relate to girls going through puberty now that it was just having an anxiety attack or is that too hysterical for him
this film also contains a visual gag which feels like the endpoint of CGI and an amazingly stupid deus ex machina
they yeeted that motherfucker all the way out of the script, very straightforward Nothing Even Slightly Related to Seggs Here Please Thank You
no, it’s fine
she woke up with BO. puberty!
was honestly underwhelmed when made to watch this. i was expecting, well, disney-pixar’s carrie
they should definitely let de palma make one of these and then only build a ride for it in france
i’d buy a foam hand that says PLUG IT UP at the gift shop
it’s funny because the whole “analogy for periods” doesn’t add up if you scrutinize it lightly
why does the grandma get back her red panda spirit? so they aren’t periods? or did she not go through menopause yet somehow?
how did the mom have the protag if the spirit gets sealed up at like, 13-14?
why am I even thinking about this?
the conceit of IO2 is like “oh, hey, somehow Riley now has Anxiety and Jealousy and Ennui” and just them popping out of nowhere is a more believable conceit
despite dedicating several statements indicating I have no imagination or any practical experience with having That Time of the Month, I liked it. I liked IO2 too, although I think a lot of that is goodwill towards the most perfect execution of a PS2 character model in cinema
I honest to god think they decided to throw in an ambivalent association with menstrual blood to avoid it being perceived as too pro-CCP
like the big brains over in burbank went “what else is red”
the future** is female*****
well, if there’s anything people who hate China hate more than China, it’s women
I was referring to the bit where they launched the blaring flashing button labeled PUBERTY out of the control room and so far away that it never appeared again, even when going to all the repressed self-image memories at the back of the mind
the button did its job
what was done can never be undone
I’d also argue that they clearly hint at her sexual awakening but no I don’t want to talk about a 13 year old like this
did you watch a different movie than me. I thought the subtext was extremely obvious but also that the movie made zero effort to make it meaningful or visible
“they didnt say she wasn’t crushing on Val” yeah that’s the kind of sex-positive support I expect from noted LGBTQIA+ ally Giant Corporate Media Empire
well I was talking about Mount Crushmore at Imagination Island, clearly filled with the heads of 3 boys and her favorite PS2 game character, at which point I realized that no she wasn’t gay or anything, but I’m sure her weird idolation of Val could be read as such
you’re right, I had completely blanked those 2 seconds included to sell a bit
weirdly (this says more about me) the bishonen fighting character with the pathetic move slid straight into “that’s a fair and valid infatuation”