I only heard abut Glass Onion because of PW.

M3GAN: The trailers made this movie seem way better than it actually was, don’t get me wrong I still liked it, I was just expecting more. The acting was fine for the most part I guess, although I didn’t really care for the David character, a big part of that was the actor cast into the role (portrayed by Ronny Chieng). Still though, based on the film's ending, I wouldn’t mind a sequel to this one, hopefully with a higher kill count.

The Fabelmans

Yes, This finally opened in Australia :lol:.

This just felt like Aldi brand marriage story with some filmmaking stuff thrown in. I understand it’s semi-autobiographical but the way it tried to twist the family dramas into a positive in regards to filmmaking when it was really an apples and oranges situation.

Can see why Spielberg made this after both his parents had passed…

Also ironic for a film dedicated to loving movies and going to the cinema that people talked/texted all through this fucking thing. Cinema staff dealt with it but still infuriating.

Re-watched Robocop 2. What a great film. Did not like the third film that much, but the first two films were so goddamn good. Wish Frank Miller got to do Robocop 2 and 3 his way though.

Woke Robocop was so ahead of it's time.

M3GAN

Works well as a fun comedy and I really liked the dynamic of having a female character struggling in a parental role, normally it’s the deadbeat or distant dad not the emotionally distant aunt.

The uncanny valley aspect of that doll really worked in the films favour.
It’s only M (PG 13) so there’s very minimal gore and most kills are cut aways so can see some people going to be very disappointed for that.
Rumour is the version on streaming will be more graphic.

Also one of the worst experiences of going to the cinema people talked loudly throughout this entire fucking movie to the point I’m considering not even going to the cinemas anymore.

M3GAN has a second cut that is much more graphic that the director wants to get out there.

Jan 10, 2023 12:53:43 GMT System said:

Also ironic for a film dedicated to loving movies and going to the cinema that people talked/texted all through this fucking thing. Cinema staff dealt with it but still infuriating.

Jan 11, 2023 14:50:24 GMT System said:

Also one of the worst experiences of going to the cinema people talked loudly throughout this entire fucking movie to the point I’m considering not even going to the cinemas anymore.

Just two of the MANY reasons why I no longer go to the movies.  I will maybe once a year if that's our groups outing for that month, but otherwise...NO THANKS. 

The last time this guy rustled around in his popcorn all movie like he was searching for the meaning of life. 

I'm really intrigued by Megan too, but I might wait for it to come on streaming based on these comments. I love that Alison Williams has become like the horror icon of our generation, that's a trajectory I never would have seen for her.

Jan 11, 2023 21:30:38 GMT @admin said:

I'm really intrigued by Megan too, but I might wait for it to come on streaming based on these comments. I love that Alison Williams has become like the horror icon of our generation, that's a trajectory I never would have seen for her.

That Alison Williams bit is either sarcasm or a very big stretch.

Watched Everything, Everywhere, All at Once tonight finally. Not really a movie for me, but I can see that it’s good. I put it at 8 on my list for the year, but it’s probably in that 5-8 range. The end was really good.

Jan 17, 2023 3:06:08 GMT mikec said:

That Alison Williams bit is either sarcasm or a very big stretch.

I'm not going to pretend I'm really plugged into the genre but am I being ridiculous? Between this and Get Out she's been in two of the biggest crossover horror movies of the last few years.

Female face of horror is between Jenna Ortega and Mia Goth.

Jenna has Scream, X and Wednesday from 2022 alone. Mia has Susperia, X and Pearl. Mia will likely be collaborating with Ti West moving forward too as she cowrote Pearl and he got her producing MaXXXine.

Jenna is bigger now, but Mia Goth is far more talented and moving behind the lens too. But both had explosive years and will only get bigger from here.

While not as big yet, Sadie Sink also keeps appearing in great things.  She is doing a post apocalypse rock opera while waiting for Stranger Things to wrap up.  

Yeah, Jenna Ortega is fast becoming one of my fave young actresses. I can't wait to see her return in the next Scream movie.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

Completely forgettable action/comedy. Some of the characters were fun but a lot of the jokes fall flat especially Audrey Plaza’s because the rest of the cast just doesn’t react to her jokes like she wasn’t even in the room… it’s odd.

Can’t believe it got delayed because the henchmen are Ukrainian, not like it says anything bad about the country itself.

I’d say wait for streaming but this apparently isn’t even getting a theatrical release in the US and I can see why.

M3GAN - alright film. Nothing overly spectacular, especially if you grew up watching Child’s Play. While it had a great idea behind the premise the constant breaking out into song with no explanation just made it seem even more ridiculous than it was. I’m glad it’s another horror movie doing so well, but I definitely don’t get why people are praising it so much 🤷🏻‍♀️

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

Guy Ritchie is my favourite director, so I was super excited for this as soon as I saw the trailer. Was devastated when it got delayed as I really don’t think enough people see and appreciate his movies.

I really enjoyed the film! It was an excellent balance of action/comedy that Guy Ritchie always pulls off brilliantly. The narrative way of storytelling, and the chaotic way it unfolds - it is the absolute unique vision of Guy Ritchie that has shown throughout his entire career.

Always love seeing him working with Jason - and Jason is great in the role of course. The chemistry with him and Cary Elwes was great. The chemistry between Josh Hartnett and Hugh Grant was fantastic. Aubrey Plaza is incredible, and she shines in this film. As if I wasn’t already in love with her enough 😍

The villains were a little underwhelming, but it kept me guessing which I enjoyed.

It’s not as amazing as The Gentlemen was (that film is perfection), but if you like/love the other movies by Guy Ritchie you’ll definitely enjoy this, and if you don’t know what other movies he has done - I highly recommend you check them out.
Especially Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and of course The Gentlemen.

Missing: I saw this over the weekend, as it was the Wife’s turn to pick our date night movie. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much based on the trailer, however, it was a lot better than I expected it to be. Admittedly, not something I’d go out of my way to watch a second time, but it was decent enough for a one-time viewing.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: An enjoyable family movie that’s well worth the watch.

2023 Films Seen

SPOILER: Click to show

M3GAN
Missing

A couple of big ones over the last couple of days, 


The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent I thought was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Pedro is fantastic in everything, and Nic Cage playing himself was a bold choice but highly entertaining. He reminded me of a highly strung Hank Moody from Californication. 

Top Gun : Maverick, I hated the first. I'm one of those people who can't find anything good about it. It's boring, and I can't even watch it ironically like I believe most people do. I thought Maverick was awesome. It's a little slow at times, and I could care less for his pointless relationship with the assumed multi-millionaire bar owner - between a $180,000 vintage Porsche 911 S coupe and Sail Boat, I doubt serving beers to rowdy Pilots is anything more than a hobby. But the action was killer and it looks great and I'd love to see another movie where the threat is a little more real. But absolutely worth seeing. 

M3GAN was entertaining enough, wish her rampage could have been rampagier, but solid start to finish.

Babylon:

This only just opened in Australia but what a trip this film was, had no idea where it was going next at any moment. Basically once upon a time in Hollywood on acid but without the feet & Charles Manson part of it.

Definitely a love it or hate it film but I’ll give it credit it’s definitely ambitious and unique in its presentation. One scene both sandylea and I laughed so much we were in tears.

Shotgun Wedding: I mostly gave this a watch (on Amazon Prime) as Jennifer Lopez was in it. Anyways it’s a decent enough rom-com action movie, not bad for a one-time viewing, especially if you like Lopez or Josh Duhamel (the other lead) as actors.

2023 Films Seen

SPOILER: Click to show

M3GAN
Missing
Shotgun Wedding

I was a bit disappointed by You People, the trailer looked great but it was a real example of putting the funniest jokes in the ad. Considering the cast they really didn't manage to make it sparkle the way it should have, and the lack of resolution and new commentary on its racial issues felt like a real missed opportunity.

Jan 29, 2023 23:01:52 GMT @admin said:

I was a bit disappointed by You People, the trailer looked great but it was a real example of putting the funniest jokes in the ad. Considering the cast they really didn't manage to make it sparkle the way it should have, and the lack of resolution and new commentary on its racial issues felt like a real missed opportunity.

I watched it last night and it was one of the worst movies I ever watched. 

I watched Hustle, and it is a decent Adam Sandler movie. Which is saying something I guess, or maybe my standards for decent have dropped massively.

What’s Love Got to Do with It:

Really dreary and depressing attempt at a feel good story with a main that is unlikable and has a huge rant to her mother about something..then proves her mother’s point almost immediately.

The jokes about diversity and having a white director from the producers in the movie (the protagonist is a documentary filmmaker) is really odd especially when it’s a white saviour story.

Wakanda Forever was really good, still has a CGI problem though, Ironheart looked worse than Ironman ever has, just really stood out. But, solid movie all around, I could do for more M'Baku, but petty quibble. Pronunciation aside, Namor was suitably threatening, and the action was mostly done well.

Knock at the Cabin

SPOILER: Click to show

WHAT A TWIST…

THERE’S NO TWIST?!

I am not happy with the changes they made to that story.

SPOILER: Click to show

In the book Wen is killed midway through, but it was an accident so does not count towards the willful sacrifice. End of the book the remaining two guys leave during a storm, where there are no stars in the sky, leaving the reader to decide if the apocalypse has started, or if the visitors were just crazy. Sounds like the rest was faithful despite the brutal sacrifices happening off-screen.

Feb 4, 2023 17:28:36 GMT c said:

I am not happy with the changes they made to that story.

SPOILER: Click to show

In the book Wen is killed midway through, but it was an accident so does not count towards the willful sacrifice. End of the book the remaining two guys leave during a storm, where there are no stars in the sky, leaving the reader to decide if the apocalypse has started, or if the visitors were just crazy. Sounds like the rest was faithful despite the brutal sacrifices happening off-screen.

SPOILER: Click to show

Yeah having not read the book, I figured the twist in M Night’s version was going to be it was clear there was no apocalypse or left it vague.

Very surprising that it it’s as straight forward as it is especially for an night shyamalan film :lol:

SPOILER: Click to show

Way the book framed it, there was no apocalypse, and the big twist at the end was the world was likely actually ending and the cultists were right all along. Was very subtle in the presentation. Seems like the movie made it a whole lot less subtle. Still shocked then swapped out Wen's death. In the book it comes out of nowhere midway through and is an absolute gut punch.

M3GAN (Gerard Johnstone, 2022)

I'll preface my review by saying I've seen none of the Child's Play films since that is the prominent comparison.

I love the theme M3GAN brings to the table. You can create an AI human to act as a friend to your child, and an advanced enough AI would be wonderful at many things. But M3GAN very clearly demonstrates that such an AI, great as it seems on the surface, would cause more problems than it solves, and I'm not talking about all the malevolence and the murder. The scene that hits this point home is a short conversation between the therapist and and the aunt/developer of the AI, talking about attachment theory, and that creating an AI friend means the child will never be able to let go, reject all other social interaction, and thus never grow into an adult.

To me this is quite haunting, and this psychological side of the tale is told very well right from the opening scene. But if we were to frame this as a psychological drama, I don't know how you take it any further without it being super depressing, so instead it's a slasher film where the AI gets too intelligent for its own good and starts killing people to protect the child from harm. I'm glad they took the time to establish that philosophical theme as a slow burn before taking it to its inevitable and ludicrous conclusion.

For the most part they find the right balance between makin M3GAN appear cute and friendly, but also unsettling, intimidating and frightening. However the internal logic of the movie breaks down. M3GAN's first kills are precise, methodical and calculated, exactly how you'd expect a computer program to behave. But as the film drags on this program decides to take a large amount of dramatic license in her actions. Realistically she could have wiped out the cast without batting a mechanical eyelid. When M3GAN takes things into her own hands at the convention, kicking off the final act, it's very silly, but I think it just about manages to avoid being too silly. Unlike Malignant, which went way too far. I was invested to the end, and the final showdown was kinda cool.

To conclude, good film, with a pretty strong message about the pros and cons of AI, but the singing and dancing should have been scrapped at the drawing board.