This came up in a recent conversation about Halt and Catch Fire and I know it also previously came up in a Homebrew Website Club so I finally watched it. I think I expected to learn more about the actual machines since I have no actual connection to any of this hardware. The most interesting part to me was the final news report that summarizes the state of the companies and the wikipedia rabbit hole I went down afterwards.
I got whiplash watching this. My expectations were high because Past Lives is probably in my top 10, but this is a very different thing. I think there is some interesting commentary about dating, class, and love but in the end it's just fine.
This post is my entry for this months IndieWeb Movie Club hosted by Tantek. There's a moment where Hugh Laurie's character is talking about the state of things and how people are taking the message that is supposed to make them scared and instead "repackaging" it. It can be enjoyed as video games, as TV shows, books, movies. The entire world wholeheartedly embraced the apocalypse and sprinted towards it with gleeful abandon. I liked some of what this movie is trying to say. I really liked how this movie looks. But the overall message feels more bleak than optimistic given pretty much everything. Maybe I missed the part where they explain how people in "Tomorrowland" talk about how they are helping the other dimension? What is the purpose of invention and research without obstruction if the advancements in technology are kept to themselves without benefiting the rest. It's not helped by the fact that it ends where it begins. Recruiting even more "dreamers" which will continue to improve their world while failing to help the rest. I've read about and watched my fair share of Disney history, from the parks to Walt so I appreciated the trivia. I even found myself pointing at the screen and saying "I understood that reference" more than once. It's not personal. It's just programming.
Watched Captain America: Brave New World, 2025 - ★★★
It was fine? I enjoyed the show more. This is a Captain America movie and it should focus on him more. I know it's the theme of these movies now but the MCU seems to be focus on the grand storyline rather than the characters. Anthony Mackie is doing great and I hope his next MCU film let's him do more.
It's hard not to compare this to A Real Pain. I did like what this had to say about the anxieties of becoming a parent. I just wish we heard a bit more from Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine's characters.
I technically liked this more than the first one but they keep reusing some stories which conclude the same way and makes them not as important in the end. But I'm happy to see Mr Barrow and Mr Molesley happy.
This is technically ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but it leaves one or two things too open to interpretation that I find it hard to rate it that. It's the kinda film that will stay with you long after you see it. I'm happy I saw this in a theater and the 3h35m runtime was barely felt. There is a 15min intermission which was a nice break as it splits the two parts rather nicely.
You would think I would've really liked this movie. The cute parts were real cute. It's just hard to believe the first kiss. Everything with the friend group was great and I would've enjoyed that a lot more.
This post is my entry for IndieWeb Movie Club #004. I had been looking forward to this month's movie as Sara had mentioned prior to her announcement post that it would be a Slovenian film. I originally thought I hadn't seen one before but going through a list of Slovenian films I found that in fact I had seen Slovenka (2009). Still, I had no idea what to expect for this film as Sara mentioned that this "Political Thriller" could also be seen as a comedy. One point that Sara also brought up was related to the availability of a chosen movie for IndieWeb Movie Club in different regions. I'm currently in the US so for me this movie was available to rent or buy on Amazon or watch for free (with ads) on Tubi. Tubi was a service I had never used before but it was nice that I didn't have to create an account or login to be able to watch. They also seem to have a few other Slovenian films, so I'll probably be coming back to watch more there in the future. Usually after I finish watching a movie, I check if any of the movie podcasts I listen to have discussed it in the past. I find that I usually learn something new whether it be related to the production, background, or cultural significance. Surprisingly, I could not find much discussion about this film so I tried venturing out to other podcasts, videos, or posts and still came up empty handed. One interesting thing I did find while searching for more information about this film was the fact that the composer, Kristian Sensini, has his own website. Not only that but he has also shared several reviews for the this film's soundtrack on his own site which felt very IndieWeb to me. This film started out very strong as it sets the clear threat to the main character and lays out what I thought the rest of the movie would be about. I was missing some context in relation to the country's political history and more specifically how it affected the smaller towns like the fictional one portrayed here, but it did not feel unfamiliar. The movie quickly shifts to something completely different and it continued taking unexpected, to me, turns which at the very least made it an enjoyable watch. I don't think I got much comedy until one of the last few scenes. Spoilers ahead: When Franta has his last heart attack, it felt so overacted by the cast that I couldn't help but smile. It's a very specific trope that I enjoy in movies where someone has some injury or health issue that is potentially treatable but all that everyone around can do is look at them while his daughter very aggressively cries. Maybe this isn't necessarily what Sara was getting at but it did lighten an otherwise fairly heavy movie. There are one or two subplots that I felt weren't necessary as part of the main plot or could have been trimmed in order to expand some of the other subplots. This wasn't an issue while viewing it but by the end it sort of just felt like it was there to add a romance story which came out of nowhere. Romantic subplots are always wedged into stories for no reason so this is no fault of this movie but more generally the industry. I'm really looking forward to reading what others thought of this film as it will fill those gaps that I would have otherwise gotten from podcasts.
This movie could have also been titled Her. Pretty cute overall even if it feels like ten 80s music videos with some light plot sprinkled on top. It also made me miss when songs that referenced the whole plot of a movie were a thing.
Can movies set legal precedent? Wasn't super into the premise but Aisling Bea and Billie Lourd are a joy to watch. Can you calm down and stop overturning furniture, please?
It wasn't as bad as I expected based on all the negative stuff I'd heard about it before. Spoilers: I didn't really like the design of the newborn but the fact that the creature emotes so much in its final scene was very impressive. For a second, you really feel for them as they look at Ripley.
110,000 people attended this World Cup final and I had never heard about it before. This was about the event and not the players but I still wish we learned a bit more about them and what happened after the final.
Jun
Rewatched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 2008 - ★★★
This is only the second time that I've watched this, first time was in theaters when it came out. I think if this movie would've come out 10 years before this it would've been more well received. It's not a bad movie and it has some fun Indy moments which is what I'm here for.
I watched this a few years ago but couldn't really remember much from it. Past me marked it 3.5 so he must have thought it was rewatchable. I can see why I may have thought that then but I no longer agree with my past rating.
I'll watch anything Sam Rockwell is in. I liked this more than I thought I would based on the first 30 minutes. I think it could even be 3.5 but the CG took me out of it more than a few times.
Not sure if its just me but Diana Nyad comes across as a very unlikable person. Annette Bening is amazing in this by making us dislike her and happy to see her succeed in the end.
I liked so much about this movie but not the story. It's a shame Penelope Cruz wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this role as she was the best part of it. Spoiler warning: Those crash scenes were extreme!
Jan
Watched Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, 2023 - ★★★
Watched this because of the title. "Mete gol, gana" was a thing we used to say as kids when having to finish a game earlier than expected. I really enjoyed being introduced to this team and its players and learning more about them, mostly on Wikipedia.
Watched 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture, 2022 - ★★★
I saw that gRegor watched this and I was very curious. I really enjoyed the historical parts but felt some of the personal dynamics were not necessary as they're just there to show that even with evidence and facts, some people just wont change their mind.
I don't know. Weird. Its the type of movie that deserves discussing to properly figure stuff out even when some of the things seem obvious. I'll be checking out the book this is based on to get some additional context.
I was curious about this movie after reading the book its based on. While different from the book, the performances from the main cast were very well done.
Parts 1 and 3 were very interesting and different from each other while still feeling that they were about people. I'm glad I saw Holy Motors (2012) before this. I would not have wanted to see any more of "Merde" if this was my introduction to him. Bong Joon Ho's was my favorite of the three.
