Movie Recommendation Thread

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Ronin and Heat are two of my favorite movies. Ronins good, but Heat is the superior film. I have not seen really much of anything lately. Perhaps save for some old movies on Svengoolie. Did rewatch Sin City with the wife the other night. She kept commenting how it was so over the top. I told yup, take all the noir tropes give it a slightly modern twist and turn it up to 11. By the way its a fun movie, but not good.
 
Ronin and Heat are two of my favorite movies. Ronins good, but Heat is the superior film. I have not seen really much of anything lately. Perhaps save for some old movies on Svengoolie. Did rewatch Sin City with the wife the other night. She kept commenting how it was so over the top. I told yup, take all the noir tropes give it a slightly modern twist and turn it up to 11. By the way its a fun movie, but not good.

Agreed on Heat.

Sin City is one of those movies I hate myself for enjoying. It's the sort of movie I'll loudly pronounce as 'junk' in public, but will secretly watch in private from time to time.

I'd like to recommend Centurion. It's a Roman war movie, a fictional story based on the disappearance of the Ninth Legion. The short version: The Ninth marches into pict territory to conduct some healthy genocide, they're betrayed and ambushed, and the handful of survivors try to make their way back to Roman territory while being hunted by a very scary Olga Kurylenko.

I'm not generally a fan of war movies, but I liked this. The characters were interesting, the action scenes were good, and the scenery was beautiful. Worth a watch.
 
I'd like to recommend Centurion. It's a Roman war movie, a fictional story based on the disappearance of the Ninth Legion. The short version: The Ninth marches into pict territory to conduct some healthy genocide, they're betrayed and ambushed, and the handful of survivors try to make their way back to Roman territory while being hunted by a very scary Olga Kurylenko.
She was the only thing I really didn't like about that movie... too much waif-fu.
 
She was the only thing I really didn't like about that movie... too much waif-fu.

Interesting. I didn't find Etain's martial or tracking prowess to be unreasonable at all, but that's just me.

EDIT: Then again, I can excuse pretty much any shortcoming in a film if it involves Kurylenko. :p
 
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King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a bad Arthurian movie but a decent fantasy movie, and an okay Guy Ritchie movie. Mallory it isn't but there are mages and battles and a magic sword and a giant snake and even a sort of Lovecraftian Lady of the Lake. I coud totally run something on this vein with Mythras or LotFP.
 
I went and saw Mother! last night.
It's NOT a horror movie (IMO) and kind of heavy-handed with its metaphor/message, but I still enjoyed it somehow... and it does have some bizarre/intense moments that I'll probably draw from for future games.
One of its surreal 'features' is that time runs oddly and things will develop quickly when off camera. Some of it is just normal film pacing but others are part of stressful situations quickly getting out of hand... like watching a religious cult develop, split into factions, and turn against each other in a matter of minutes.
 
Lately I've rewatched Metropolis and Abre los Ojos. I feel like I can recomend both.
Oh, also: Haven't seen the thread up to now If that came out, but Ghost in The Shell was pretty good actually.
That took me by surprise.
 
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a bad Arthurian movie but a decent fantasy movie, and an okay Guy Ritchie movie. Mallory it isn't but there are mages and battles and a magic sword and a giant snake and even a sort of Lovecraftian Lady of the Lake. I coud totally run something on this vein with Mythras or LotFP.
Your the third person to say something along this vein...that’s it on my watch list
 
There's a movie I like to recommend. It's a small, independent film with some very nice effects for a low budget film.

Ink by Jamin Winans

It's hard to describe, so I won't really try. One notable tidbit is that there are a number of combat scenes between the forces of dream and the forces of nightmare. The actors/extras in these scenes are very accomplished at parkour, and it shows. I know it's available to view for free on Amazon Prime...not sure where else you can find it. (After watching it, I ordered the blu-ray.)

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Speaking of movies. I watch Svengoolie every week. Which for those that don't know is a program that plays classic horror, and sci fi movies with funny skits and bits before and after commercial breaks. This week they are playing the original Frankenstein. It's on ME TV 8pm (Eastern standard) on Saturdays.
 
I went and saw Mother! last night.
It's NOT a horror movie (IMO) and kind of heavy-handed with its metaphor/message, but I still enjoyed it somehow... and it does have some bizarre/intense moments that I'll probably draw from for future games.
One of its surreal 'features' is that time runs oddly and things will develop quickly when off camera. Some of it is just normal film pacing but others are part of stressful situations quickly getting out of hand... like watching a religious cult develop, split into factions, and turn against each other in a matter of minutes.


I think Mother was Aronofsky's revenge for nobody understanding The Fountain. Instead of a subtle analogy open to interpretation, this was the director beating the audience over the head with Bible metaphors. Basically the entire bible as the three act stage play being forcibly performed in Mother Earth's house.

Or maybe its the very clever prequel for the Captain Planet expanded universe.

The actress playing Mother Earth (the one from the Hunger Games and Mystique after Rebecca Stamos) seemed to have the same expression for the entire film. I'm not sure if that was on purpose, or the extent of her acting abilities. But it was nice to see Michelle Pfiefer again, cant remember the last time Ladyhawke has been in a film.
 
There's a movie I like to recommend. It's a small, independent film with some very nice effects for a low budget film.

Ink

One of my favourite films. Caught it at an arthouse showing, and bought the DVD as soon as it was available. Periodically indoctrinate friends. The acting is..."student filmish"...but the pure imagination injected is fantastic. And I adore the soundtrack. In my top ten scores of all time.
 
The actress playing Mother Earth (the one from the Hunger Games and Mystique after Rebecca Stamos) seemed to have the same expression for the entire film. I'm not sure if that was on purpose, or the extent of her acting abilities.
The sad thing is that she can act, but she seems to have stopped. It's like she has early-onset DeNiro's Syndrome. She did some critically acclaimed acting. She won some awards. Now she can coast. Maybe she caught it directly from DeNiro when they were doing Silver Linings Playbook together.
 
One of my favourite films. Caught it at an arthouse showing, and bought the DVD as soon as it was available. Periodically indoctrinate friends. The acting is..."student filmish"...but the pure imagination injected is fantastic. And I adore the soundtrack. In my top ten scores of all time.
Oh, yes. I have the soundtrack as well.

The Frame, his next film, wasn't as good...but it's certainly imaginative and well made.

FrameDVDSingle_2d2d01cc-3029-4449-bb58-323c36b7f48b.jpg
 
Kubo and the Two Strings is easily the best original film I've seen in recent memory.


And I don't care if its heresy, but I've loved Guardians of the Galaxy movies more than any of the Star Wars films since Jedi. Guardians really nails the fun factor in space opera for me.
 
I saw the trailer for The Frame, but it didnt "grab me" in quite the same way. Still meaning to watch it, but its a lot harder to watch indy films now that the video rental industry pretty much no longer exists.
 
I saw the trailer for The Frame, but it didnt "grab me" in quite the same way. Still meaning to watch it, but its a lot harder to watch indy films now that the video rental industry pretty much no longer exists.

The video rental industry still exists, it just went online. You can rent The Frame on Amazon Video.
 
The video rental industry still exists, it just went online. You can rent The Frame on Amazon Video.

Yeah, thats not even remotely the same, I'm afraid. I can buy books on Amazon, too, but there's a reason I go to bookstores.

There used to be those red boxes, which werent great, but were better than nothing. even they disappeared. Everyday on the way home from work I pass the building that used to be a Blockbuster video. And everyday it breaks my heart. Blockbuster wasnt even the greatest, -small selection, editing videos for content. But with them went all the others. Its a damn shame that experience is not one my kids are going to know.
 
There is no doubt "see how they win" is the default with most all media (movies, books, comics).

Yet another reason I absolutely love RPGs.

Its a damn shame that experience is not one my kids are going to know.

Your kids might be the last generation to visit a library.

Everyday on the way home from work I pass the building that used to be a Blockbuster video. And everyday it breaks my heart.

Explain!

Does your local library have a DVD collection? Our local library has walls of DVDs gathering dust, and I occasionally rent something that hasn't show on Netflix.
 
Your kids might be the last generation to visit a library.

Thats a horrible thought.


I don't know, maybe its me, but the experience of going into a videostore, especially a large, well-lit one, and browsing the stacks, picking out 5 or so films for a few days, and picking up cheap previously viewed copies, was just an incredibly enjoyable experience for me. I would spend an hour or more at video rental places, make my way through the cult classics sections, then grabbing films from various genres that fit my moods - a theme night based around a director, actor, or genre, a mixmash of one film from every genre, a host of foreign films, getting that new release I've been wanting to see. This was one of the pleasures of my life. The same as browsing a used bookstore, game shop, or art supply store. And its one thats been ripped from my life, never to return, lost to the mists of time.

Does your local library have a DVD collection? Our local library has walls of DVDs gathering dust, and I occasionally rent something that hasn't show on Netflix.

Yeah, but they are all scratched to hell. Unless I pick up something really obscure that no one else wants to see (like a nine disc recording of a performance of Taliesan - true story), its basically pointless.
 
There is no doubt "see how they win" is the default with most all media (movies, books, comics).
Yup... keeps me away from 90% of modern action movies.
I don't mind it so much in superhero movies and pulp stuff like Star Wars... but where's anything modern that ends like 'Bonnie & Clyde' or 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry'?
 
This weekend I finally got to watch Wonder Woman. Decently superhero flick (miles better than anything DC-related since Nolan's Bat-trilogy) but nothing to shout about. Fantastic action scenes, good script, good direction and I didn't see the Ares twist until a few minutes before it's revealed.

A few hours later, channel surfing, I ended up watching Transformers: Age of Extinction. To be honest I was not only entertained but found it refreshingly honest; say what you will about Michael Bay, but like a cinematic Kevin Siembieda, the man delivers.

You know what you're getting: gorgeous visuals, insane action sequences, explosions, hackneyed plot, over-the-top villains (up to and including Kelsey Grammer as an end-justifies-the-means CIA guy) and no pretense of sophistication, deconstruction, piss-taking or breaking new ground. Just old school, popcorn-munching, feel-good action cinema. He's no Jerry Bruckheimer (hell, not even Jerry Bruckheimer is Jerry Bruckheimer these days) but comparable to, say, Roland Emmerich's best.

It kind of makes me want to see the new one, and run a Transformers game (if my group doesn't kill me when I pitch it).
 
Agreed on Heat.

Sin City is one of those movies I hate myself for enjoying. It's the sort of movie I'll loudly pronounce as 'junk' in public, but will secretly watch in private from time to time.

I'd like to recommend Centurion. It's a Roman war movie, a fictional story based on the disappearance of the Ninth Legion. The short version: The Ninth marches into pict territory to conduct some healthy genocide, they're betrayed and ambushed, and the handful of survivors try to make their way back to Roman territory while being hunted by a very scary Olga Kurylenko.

I'm not generally a fan of war movies, but I liked this. The characters were interesting, the action scenes were good, and the scenery was beautiful. Worth a watch.

The same director did the excellent horror film The Descent.
 
I watched Flash Gordon for about the twentieth time last night. I can't decide if it's the best movie ever made, or the greatest movie ever made.

Ming the Merciless: "Who are you?"

Flash Gordon: "Flash Gordon. Quarterback, New York Jets."

:grin:
 
I watched Flash Gordon for about the twentieth time last night. I can't decide if it's the best movie ever made, or the greatest movie ever made.

Ming the Merciless: "Who are you?"

Flash Gordon: "Flash Gordon. Quarterback, New York Jets."

:grin:
The first time I encountered it, I stopped by the house of a kid I went to school with. I was living in Kuwait at the time, so I was a little outside the pop culture loop. He had a bootleg of Flash Gordon on, and it was in the final set-piece scene. I was completely taken in by the visuals and the soundtrack.

"What is this movie!?"
"It's Flash Gordon. It sucks."

I knew then and there that I was never really going to be friends with this kid.
 
I watched Flash Gordon for about the twentieth time last night. I can't decide if it's the best movie ever made, or the greatest movie ever made.

Ming the Merciless: "Who are you?"

Flash Gordon: "Flash Gordon. Quarterback, New York Jets."

:grin:

That is a very special, special film.
 
Loved Flash Gordon when I saw it in the theatre as a kid. Rewatched it last year and it was still fun.
I remember seeing Flash Gordon, the original Battlestar Galactica pilot and the pilot for Buck Rogers at the movies. Not all at the same time, min you. The late 70s, early 80s was a good time to be a slightly geeky kid.
 

So, I'm not a cop movie fan, nor am I a buddy cop movie fan, but I highly recommend Bright.

A buddy cop movie, set in LA. Will Smith and his rookie partner.

The twist? It's urban fantasy. An alternate world were demihumans (mostly elves and orks) and magic exist. This, in and of itself, is worthy of note given that it's such a rare genre in film.

Magic exists, but isn't common. It's only capable of being wielded by "brights', who use magic wands (which look like giant glowing...ahem...well, you know).

The two main characters are a human veteran LAPD cop, and his rookie ork partner. The only ork in all of American law enforcement, apparently.

The movie spends only a short time with the setup: setting up the world, introducing the characters, focusing on the conflict between the human cop and the ork. Then it goes into the actual plot: simple, but well done.

I don't like cop movies; I liked this one. I don't like movies that are heavy on 'current' social issues, such as the racism and class warfare found in Bright. However, it was well done, not preachy, and actually relevant to the plot.

The action was okay, pacing and suspense were good, but the real gem was the acting and dialog. The interaction between Daryl and Nick was excellent, with both of them having some really great lines.

Nick: "We're in a prophecy!"

Daryl: "We're in a stolen Toyota Camry."

Overall, I really liked this movie. Highly recommended.
 
A few hours later, channel surfing, I ended up watching Transformers: Age of Extinction. To be honest I was not only entertained but found it refreshingly honest; say what you will about Michael Bay, but like a cinematic Kevin Siembieda, the man delivers.

OMG. That's a perfect comparison.

I have seen and enjoyed all the Transformers movies. I can't tell you WTF the plots may have been. I am pretty sure they film 6 years olds playing with action figures and record their dialogue. Extinction was particularly fun because Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lector) was hamming it up and obviously having a great time slumming in a Bay movie.
 
OMG. That's a perfect comparison.

I have seen and enjoyed all the Transformers movies. I can't tell you WTF the plots may have been. I am pretty sure they film 6 years olds playing with action figures and record their dialogue. Extinction was particularly fun because Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lector) was hamming it up and obviously having a great time slumming in a Bay movie.

No, no, that’s The Last Knight (Transformers 5). Age of Extinction was Transformers 4. I guess? In any case, I’ll be sure to watch it on the strength of your recommendation.
 
So, I'm not a cop movie fan, nor am I a buddy cop movie fan, but I highly recommend Bright.
I watched this last night and liked it a lot more than I expected to.
It's a pretty dark/gritty (gritdark?) setting. Everyone seems to be some flavor of corrupt, jaded, angry, doomed. The buddy cop elements are the only lighten-up moments.

Normally I'd complain that it doesn't do much with the world reflecting the history of having all this fantasy stuff... which has always been there, out in the open, unlike something like Shadowrun or After The Vampire Wars. Also, most of the plot could easily have been non-fantasy... just make it about terrorists and criminals chasing some McGuffin. But it was all done in an entertaining way that staved off that complaint.

It seems like it's set up to be a series, but I'm not sure it could maintain the same downbeat atmosphere that was a big reason why I liked it.
 
Bright is max land is iirc? The writer of the Dirk Gently series. He has a unique approach that seems to equally push the Love and Hate buttons for me so I usually just end up unsure what I thought
 
Bright is max land is iirc? The writer of the Dirk Gently series. He has a unique approach that seems to equally push the Love and Hate buttons for me so I usually just end up unsure what I thought
From what I have heard, he did the first draft on the screenplay, and almost nothing he actually wrote made it to the screen. Apparently, when David Ayer was hired as director, he basically threw out the screenplay and made his own.
 
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Marketa Lazarova - This medieval Czech epic is pretty amazing. About a girl kidnapped and raped by a pagan warrior, it is widely considered the greatest Czech film. Slow, incredibly gritty, violent and poetic it is a real experience. I don't think I've seen a film that is as good at transporting you to a past that feels so alien yet lived in.


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Speaking of movies. I watch Svengoolie every week. Which for those that don't know is a program that plays classic horror, and sci fi movies with funny skits and bits before and after commercial breaks. This week they are playing the original Frankenstein. It's on ME TV 8pm (Eastern standard) on Saturdays.
Svengoolie was showing a movie today with killer ants, I guess army ants, terrorizing a community. Wish I had taped it as I only saw somewhere in the middle and was too busy to watch more than two uproariously lousy minutes. Anybody know the name? It was definitely from the 1970s.
 
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