The Unofficial Ongoing Current Movies in Theaters thread

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Originally Posted by toast2266

Curious which Fincher movies you consider to be the great ones, and which ones are mediocre?

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Merely my opinion and ymmv:

GREAT FINCHER FILMS
The Game
Fight Club
The Social Network
The Killer

MEDIOCRE FINCHER FILMS
Se7en
Lords of Dogtown
Zodiac
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Girl with the Deagon Tattoo

CRAPPY FINCHER FILMS
Alien3
Panic Room

I have not seen either Gone Girl or Mank

And, yes, I realize that many folks consider Se7en to be a classic. I, however, thought it was severely overrated when it first came out. Perhaps I should revisit it given that I hated The Game when it first came out, but revisited it last year and really enjoyed it and felt that it has aged well.

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Originally Posted by dookeyXXX

Merely my opinion and ymmv:

GREAT FINCHER FILMS
The Game
Fight Club
The Social Network
The Killer

MEDIOCRE FINCHER FILMS
Se7en
Lords of Dogtown
Zodiac
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Girl with the Deagon Tattoo

CRAPPY FINCHER FILMS
Alien3
Panic Room

I have not seen either Gone Girl or Mank

And, yes, I realize that many folks consider Se7en to be a classic. I, however, thought it was severely overrated when it first came out. Perhaps I should revisit it given that I hated The Game when it first came out, but revisited it last year and really enjoyed it and felt that it has aged well.

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Fair enough. I'm certainly one of the folks that considers Se7en to be great. And I'd at least consider all of the ones you listed as mediocre to be "pretty good to fairly good," although agreed they can't really be considered great. I'd put Mank and Gone Girl in that category as well (I really liked Gone Girl, although it's not quite good enough to be called one of Fincher's greatest). It's been years since I saw Panic Room, although I remember it being more mediocre than actually bad.

So if Fincher doesn't make the cut, who's on your shortlist for consistently great directors?

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Originally Posted by toast2266

So if Fincher doesn't make the cut, who's on your shortlist for consistently great directors?

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TARANTINO
he’s only made one film which I didn’t like: Django Unchained

PAUL VERHOEVEN
His Dutch films are amazing and I loved all of his Hollywood films (yes, even Showgirls)

NICOLAS WINDING REFN

STANLEY KUBRICK
again, an unpopular opinion, but the only film of his I haven’t liked is The Shining. I respect it for its technical prowess, but feel it is sorely overrated.

PANOS COSMATOS
Granted he’s only got two films under his belt, but both wowed me over.

JULIA DUCOURNAU
Another director with only two films to her credit, but damn are they both stellar.

DOMINIK MOLL
Overlooked and underrated French director. All of his films that I have managed to see are great

HELENE CATTET + BRUNO FORAZI
Again, only a few films to their credit, but all of them are tight.

ALEX VAN WARMERDAM
Quirky Dutch director with only one or two duds in his oeuvre.

ROY ANDERSSON
Eclectic Swedish director whose films are droll satires. I’ve seen all but one of his films and they are amazing.

Most of the directors I admire have made, imho, a handful of truly great films and a lot of mediocre ones:
William Friedkin
Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch is my all-time favorite film).
Steven Spielberg
Steven Soderbergh
The Coen Bros
Dario Argento
Kevin Smith
John McTiernan
Guy Ritchie
Walter Hill
John Woo
Yuen Woo Ping
George Miller
David Lean
Nicolas Roeg
Alfred Hitchcock
Claude Chabrol
Francois Truffaut
Ken Russell
Alan Parker
Takashi Miike
Bong Joon-ho
Park Chan-wook



These are just off the top of my head. And all of their great films are truly great, which is probably why their mediocre ones stand out so glaringly…

And there are quite a few directors I’m still “discovering” and am not terribly well versed in such as Akira Kurosawa (I have seen his key films and enjoyed them immensely, fwiw).

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Originally Posted by dookeyXXX

TARANTINO
he’s only made one film which I didn’t like: Django Unchained

PAUL VERHOEVEN
His Dutch films are amazing and I loved all of his Hollywood films (yes, even Showgirls)

NICOLAS WINDING REFN

STANLEY KUBRICK
again, an unpopular opinion, but the only film of his I haven’t liked is The Shining. I respect it for its technical prowess, but feel it is sorely overrated.

PANOS COSMATOS
Granted he’s only got two films under his belt, but both wowed me over.

JULIA DUCOURNAU
Another director with only two films to her credit, but damn are they both stellar.

DOMINIK MOLL
Overlooked and underrated French director. All of his films that I have managed to see are great

HELENE CATTET + BRUNO FORAZI
Again, only a few films to their credit, but all of them are tight.

ALEX VAN WARMERDAM
Quirky Dutch director with only one or two duds in his oeuvre.

ROY ANDERSSON
Eclectic Swedish director whose films are droll satires. I’ve seen all but one of his films and they are amazing.

Most of the directors I admire have made, imho, a handful of truly great films and a lot of mediocre ones:
William Friedkin
Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch is my all-time favorite film).
Steven Spielberg
Steven Soderbergh
The Coen Bros
Dario Argento
Kevin Smith
John McTiernan
Guy Ritchie
Walter Hill
John Woo
Yuen Woo Ping
George Miller
David Lean
Nicolas Roeg
Alfred Hitchcock
Claude Chabrol
Francois Truffaut
Ken Russell
Alan Parker
Takashi Miike
Bong Joon-ho
Park Chan-wook



These are just off the top of my head. And all of their great films are truly great, which is probably why their mediocre ones stand out so glaringly…

And there are quite a few directors I’m still “discovering” and am not terribly well versed in such as Akira Kurosawa (I have seen his key films and enjoyed them immensely, fwiw).

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Nice. That's a good list.

And yeah, Tarantino is hard to argue with. I'd imagine he's near the top of almost anyone's "consistently great" list. Also probably the only established director where I've seen everything he's made. I haven't seen Verhoeven's Dutch films, but yeah, he'd probably be in my top 5. I'm with you on Kubrick too (although I think the Shining is incredible). Maybe less with you on Refn. The stuff I've seen from him is really good, but it's all pretty similar - he seems like a bit of a one trick pony.

A lot of the other stuff further down the list seems a bit more art-housy. Which isn't to say they aren't great directors making great films. I just personally don't really find them to be comparable to the stuff from guys like Tarantino or Verhoeven or Fincher - it's just an entirely different experience. It's like comparing a go-cart to a Ferrari. Sure, a go-cart is a ton of fun and I like it, and sure, a Ferrari is limiting in certain situations, but there's a certain amount of awesomeness and spectacle that can only be achieved by throwing a lot of money about.

Did you just inadvertently forget Scorsese and Coppola?

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Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

Did you just inadvertently forget Scorsese and Coppola?

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:biggrin:

I’d probably put them in the second list…:eek:

LOVE Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.
Thought Gangs of New York was overrated. And have been underwhelmed by more of MS’s stuff than ecstatic about it.
On the Scorsese tip, I’ve found that the films he’s done with screenwriter Paul Schrader are my favorites.
As for Coppola, Apocalypse Now, hell yeah. And The Godfather, for sure. Also Rumble Fish and The Outsiders, but he’s made quite a few duds, as well.

I just thought of another director who has, imho, a solid track record:
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON. Only dud in his canon is Punch Drunk Love…

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Originally Posted by toast2266

And yeah, Tarantino is hard to argue with. I'd imagine he's near the top of almost anyone's "consistently great" list. Also probably the only established director where I've seen everything he's made.

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Yeah, I’ve seen all of his films, but still have holes in many of the other directors I listed…

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Originally Posted by toast2266

I haven't seen Verhoeven's Dutch films….

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In another lifetime, when I had an office job, one of my co-workers bought the Paul Verhoeven DVD box set. Each week he’d loan me one of PV’s early Dutch films and then we’d discuss them.
Spetters, A Soldier Orange, The Fourth Man, and Black Book are all worth tracking down.
His two French films, Elle and Benedetta are also great, imho.

I’d add LUC BESSON and JOHN CARPENTER and PETER BOGDANOVICH and DAVID O. RUSSELL to my second list.
Each have made some of my favorite films, but have made equally as many not-so-great ones, too

I forgot WES ANDERSON and DAVID CRONENBERG.
I have enjoyed just about everything both of them have done with only a few exceptions (couldn’t stand DC’s A Dangerous Method and haven’t seen M. Butterfly, but everything else is gonzo great).

Cronenberg is a bit more of a mixed bag for me. Anderson is great - maybe not to everyone's taste, but what he does, he does better than anyone else.

Where do you put Christopher Nolan? More of a big gaudy blockbuster guy these days, but even his worst movies are pretty damn good.

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Originally Posted by toast2266

Cronenberg is a bit more of a mixed bag for me. Anderson is great - maybe not to everyone's taste, but what he does, he does better than anyone else.

Where do you put Christopher Nolan? More of a big gaudy blockbuster guy these days, but even his worst movies are pretty damn good.

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Cronenberg is definitely an acquired taste.

Nolan, I’d put in the first category as I’ve only been disappointed by 2 of his films: Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises.
That said, it ultimately took me multiple viewings to finally like Inception…

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Originally Posted by toast2266

Cronenberg is a bit more of a mixed bag for me. Anderson is great - maybe not to everyone's taste, but what he does, he does better than anyone else.

Where do you put Christopher Nolan? More of a big gaudy blockbuster guy these days, but even his worst movies are pretty damn good.

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Cronenberg is definitely an acquired taste. The Fly is one of the few films that I went back to the theater at least 3X to see it upon its initial release. I convinced my parents to see it, as well as numerous classmates.

Nolan, I’d put in the first category as I’ve only been disappointed by 2 of his films: Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, although it took me multiple viewings to finally like Inception…


I forgot DAVID MAMET. He had a really good run in the late ‘80s through the early oughts…

CIVIL WAR




https://youtu.be/aDyQxtg0V2w?si=l4V8LvHFeRLlhq2S

Saw the new movie Weak Layers at the theater in Big Sky this week. Not really a "ski" movie but it was funny and entertaining. Support Katie Burrell and go see it if you get a chance.

Still kicking myself for not seeing the black & chrome version of Fury Road…
Gonna do my best to catch this:

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Originally Posted by dookeyXXX

Still kicking myself for not seeing the black & chrome version of Fury Road…

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You can still get it on blu-ray, homey! I own it and it is absolutely my preferred version every time I revisit Fury Road. I don't know what kind of video editing wizardry they did on this one, but the way they pull off the visuals on this one is just other-worldly. Tough to describe, but it's just so badass in this format. ESPECIALLY with a kick ass sound system. The sand storm scene just hits different with this one somehow. Heck. The whole movie does! You'll feel like you're in some crazy fever dream or something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bbh9CUFS0M

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Originally Posted by MontuckyFried

You can still get it on blu-ray, homey! I own it and it is absolutely my preferred version every time I revisit Fury Road. I don't know what kind of video editing wizardry they did on this one, but the way they pull off the visuals on this one is just other-worldly. Tough to describe, but it's just so badass in this format. ESPECIALLY with a kick ass sound system. The sand storm scene just hits different with this one somehow. Heck. The whole movie does! You'll feel like you're in some crazy fever dream or something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bbh9CUFS0M

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:D

Sadly, my 48” screen just ain’t gonna be the same as if I’d seen it in the theater…
Wish I’d seen the B&W version of Parasite, as well.

Kinda surprised that Nolan hasn’t jumped on the B&W bandwagon. Oppenheimer might be cool sans color. Barbie would be a trip in B&W, too.

Hoping to see this next week (it opens tomorrow at one of the local cineplexes):

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Originally Posted by dookeyXXX

Hoping to see this next week (it opens tomorrow at one of the local cineplexes):

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No biggie, but for a wee while now, most all of the YT links you post up are dead to me. (Assume it's not just me. One worked recently tho. No 'puter for me, just phone).
So if you could mention the title in passing, that'd be cool.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using TGR Forums mobile app

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Originally Posted by TurxSki

No biggie, but for a wee while now, most all of the YT links you post up are dead to me. (Assume it's not just me. One worked recently tho. No 'puter for me, just phone).
So if you could mention the title in passing, that'd be cool.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using TGR Forums mobile app

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Weird.
I am posting the links up via my phone (iPhone13) and they show up on my screen fine.
Have you cleared your cache recently?

At any rate:
THE PROMISED LAND

https://youtu.be/c9U1E9cC5is?si=3CMhDJc4XLD-RN1P

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Originally Posted by toast2266

… list of directors with a consistently strong track record...

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Left one off my list last time around:
JIM JARMUSCH
IMHO, he has only made one stinker: The Dead Don’t Die.
I know a few folks around here loved that film, but I didn’t.
That said, it gets name-dropped in Fallen Leaves, a film I ecstatically enjoyed, so perhaps I should re-visit it…

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Originally Posted by dookeyXXX

Weird.
I am posting the links up via my phone (iPhone13) and they show up on my screen fine.
Have you cleared your cache recently?

At any rate:
THE PROMISED LAND

https://youtu.be/c9U1E9cC5is?si=3CMhDJc4XLD-RN1P

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Well, that link ^^ is fine.
The montucky link for b/w fury road worked. Yours didn't. For me.
And really, doesn't matter so don't explain, but "clear cache" has no meaning for me on tgr. Now if this was mario kart tour? Sure.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using TGR Forums mobile app

I have been slacking on writing reviews due to family obligations, a bout of COVID, and winter storm survival. But I have seen a bunch of films since Christmas.
I’ll drop more detailed reviews in the next few days, but for now will do a :) for the films I recommend, :):) :)for the films I highly recommend, and a :( for the ones I wasn’t thrilled by.

:):):)AMERICAN FICTION
:) THE BEEKEEPER
:)THE BOOK OF CLARENCE
:smile:THE BOYS IN THE BOAT
:):):)FALLEN LEAVES
:):):)GODZILLA MINUS ONE MINUS COLOR
:)THE IRON CLAW
:)I.S.S.
:):):)THE PROMISED LAND
:):):)THE ZONE OF INTEREST

:(FERRARI
:(POOR THINGS

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Originally Posted by dookeyXXX

I have been slacking on writing reviews due to family obligations, a bout of COVID, and winter storm survival. But I have seen a bunch of films since Christmas.
I’ll drop more detailed reviews in the next few days, but for now will do a :) for the films I recommend, :):) :)for the films I highly recommend, and a :( for the ones I wasn’t thrilled by.
[…]
:(POOR THINGS

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Your opinions on movies are dead to me.

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Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

Your opinions on movies are dead to me.

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:biggrin::biggrin:

I dunno what to say, man.
POOR THINGS was incredibly derivative to me in regards to cribbing the aesthetics of Terry Gilliam (specifically Brazil) and Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet (specifically City of Lost Children).
The story was cool, but the delivery left me cold.
I am eager to read the source novel by Alastair Grey, though…

Yorgos Lanthimos’s previous films—Alps, Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Favourite—are alll stellar imho.
This one just fell short of all the hype for me.