VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[Chris B]

I liked Disclosure Day even if I didn't find it fully satisfying. Biggest issue were the shit CGI animals - they honestly might as well have just used cartoons. Something about the train stunt also made me feel distanced, and I think it probably is some of the way it was composited together. 

However, from an overall vibe and feel side, I really liked it. I'm a bit of a sucker for 'get the truth out' stories, and while this one made some weird jumps and choices, I mostly liked it. Firth and Blunt were both superb in particular.

One very weird moment though, with a particular character introduction.

Spoiler

With the slow reveal of the alien in the cocoon, it was SO drawn out, I went through a moment of 'wait, is this going to be a bigger reveal and it's actually a stealth sequel to ET?' - because it felt so much like it was going to be a big reveal and moment. And while it obviously was a big moment, it wasn't *that* kind of big moment.

 

[mim731]

47 minutes ago, Chris B said:

However, from an overall vibe and feel side, I really liked it. I'm a bit of a sucker for 'get the truth out' stories, and while this one made some weird jumps and choices, I mostly liked it. Firth and Blunt were both superb in particular.

I'm glad you liked it, but for me it was awful. A massive disappointment. A sentiment seemingly shared by the laughter and groaning in the screen we were in. 

I thought Emily Blunt was fine, but for me Firth felt wildly miscast. The writing for his character didn't help either, some just awful on-the-nose dialogue. Although that was a larger problem with the film as a whole. Just lots of exposition-heavy dialogue and then lots of bizarre, poorly explained motivations for the characters. The pacing was all over the place too, despite being easily 45 minutes longer than it needed to be.  

[Chris B]

1 hour ago, mim731 said:

I'm glad you liked it, but for me it was awful.

No, I'm right.

[HarmonicGenerator]

2 hours ago, Chris B said:

I liked Disclosure Day even if I didn't find it fully satisfying. Biggest issue were the shit CGI animals - they honestly might as well have just used cartoons.

Spoiler

I had felt like this a bit too, but the mention near the end that the aliens would mask as animals made me think that maybe they were deliberately meant to look a bit off. They weren’t quite right because they weren’t real animals. True or not, I’m willing to headcanon that as an explanation for any wonky CG.

 

[DavidB6937]

1 minute ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

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I had felt like this a bit too, but the mention near the end that the aliens would mask as animals made me think that maybe they were deliberately meant to look a bit off. They weren’t quite right because they weren’t real animals. True or not, I’m willing to headcanon that as an explanation for any wonky CG.

 

I've seen that mentioned a few times but

Spoiler

Did anyone in the movie think they looked weird? Like is that mentioned? I can't remember, but if they were deliberately going for a 'not quite right' look then you'd think they'd play into that clearer.

 

[mim731]

36 minutes ago, Chris B said:

No, I'm right.

Sorry, that's not quite how I meant it to come across. But thanks. I was just trying to get across my disappointment with the film. 

Edited June 17 by mim731
Extra info/reply

[Devon Malcolm]

I went to see it yesterday. If anyone else had made this it would have been laughed out of the cinema. The CGI is terrible and it's way too fucking long. I didn't hate it but I really stopped concentrating when Wyatt Russell wasn't around. Eve Hewson was great though and it was nice to see something so positive on the big screen that isn't a cartoon for a change. But Spielberg actually seems much better making smaller movies like The Post and Bridge of Spies these days.

[Chris B]

20 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

I've seen that mentioned a few times

but

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Did anyone in the movie think they looked weird? Like is that mentioned? I can't remember, but if they were deliberately going for a 'not quite right' look then you'd think they'd play into that clearer.

 

Nope. I'd have rather they did that. But that's entirely something people have come up with to explain it. 

Also, should point out, for only getting one scene as the news reader, Courtney Grace did an amazing job.

20 hours ago, mim731 said:

Sorry, that's not quite how I meant it to come across. But thanks. I was just trying to get across my disappointment with the film. 

Wasn't meaning to dunk too much, sorry - was aiming for funny rather than dickish. 

I totally get how and why this is so divisive, and I really did like it more on vibes than anything.

I've been asked by family about this one, which doesn't often happen with films, because they're trying to decide if they should take my nephew to see it. My take is that, since he does seem to be getting into films, however he reacts to it, going to see a big Spielberg summer movie isn't something he'll have many more chances to do - and also, whether he likes it or not, I think they'll enjoy chatting about it afterwards.

[Hannibal Scorch]

Toy Story 5 was much better than 4. Maybe better than 2. I thought it wasn’t as predictable as I’d feared and it definitely felt more necessary than 2. Kermode’s review I thought was bizarre. Definitely enjoyed it a lot more than I’d expected.

[mim731]

Backrooms. I honestly don't know what to make of it. I enjoyed it, and I think it was really well made but it was bizarre. Will be thinking about it for a long time. 

[Fog Dude]

Caught the cheap £5 showing of Madfabulous on Wednesday and at 41 was the youngest audience member by far in a packed audience, and (dressed in pink for the first time since Barbie 3 years ago) the only one who seemed to be there for its queer theme more than for the fact it was mainly filmed at nearby National Trust stately homes. I know three of the pensioners in attendance personally, and they're loaded enough not to have to attend the discounted screening.

Anyway, the actual movie is well shot and has a strong central performance but there's not much to it beyond a posh guy overspending. Little things bothered me like incorrect spacing for the punctuation in French subtitles, forum favourite The Actor Kevin Eldon putting on a South Walian accent to embody a photographer from Anglesey, and loyal butler Rupert Everett (who ought to know better) referring to "Elizabeth the First" when the protagonist dresses up as Elizabeth Tudor... in a scene set a full quarter century before Liz Windsor was born.

If you're the sort of person who either doesn't care or doesn't notice such things, then you might enjoy it more than I did. For comparison's sake, a fortnight earlier in the same slot, the screening of The Mandalorian and Grogu had been near empty. It was just me, the bloke that runs the quiz night at the local Lounge and his partner whom he'd managed to drag along.

[SuperBacon]

25 minutes ago, Fog Dude said:

I know three of the pensioners in attendance personally, and they're loaded enough not to have to attend the discounted screening.

Is the discount means tested then? Maybe it was the only screening they could go to?

[Fog Dude]

7 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Is the discount means tested then? Maybe it was the only screening they could go to?

Well I don't think so, because I get it too every time I go to that cinema that time of the week, with no further questions asked.

Actually it's just occurred to me the earlier screening that day was labelled "pictures and pram" for parents with babies, so it's only fair to point that out the OAPs wouldn't have been welcome at that one.

Edited June 19 by Fog Dude
Alan Kernaghan

[WyattSheepMask]

Angel’s Egg - Cinema

Saw this on YouTube probably about a decade ago but this was the first time seeing it in any kind of decent quality.

Visually stunning and the music is great. Forgot how much of it plays out with no dialogue and it was much shorter than I remember it being, start to finish is only around 70 minutes.

If you can catch it at the cinema do so, as it’s not out over here on home media and imports of the 4K released last year are very expensive. I’m sure you can find it easy enough on torrents, but I enjoyed seeing this on the big screen 

 

[HarmonicGenerator]

Toy Story 5 is not on the level of 1-3, but it is an improvement on 4, which I like, but this one had more moments that got me emotionally. There’s something about these films that remind me how I felt as a kid, in a happy way and a sad way, and they got me again with this one. Liked it more than Hoppers from earlier this year, too.

Also watched Strangers on a Train this afternoon. They should show this to anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to try and talk to people on public transport. Let it be a lesson.