Rate the last movie you saw

[Jack Brickman]

The main reason I've stayed as invested in the MCU as I have is their insistence on creating and maintaining a single universe for everything to take place in since the project launched with Iron Man 1.

As someone who never really read comic books, it's made following and understanding the stories of the characters a much more enjoyable experience knowing that what happens is going to stay happened as opposed to dealing with so many iterations of the Green Goblin in my life.

It really is impressive what they've done, and equally impressive that they've maintained a level of quality over damn near every film they've made. Not every movie they make is amazing, but outside of Iron Man 3 there aren't really any that are outright bad. Over the amount of films they've made, that's pretty insane. Even more insane when you consider they've turned comics no one gave a shit about like Guardians and Ant-Man into successes as easily as more recognizable ones like Spider-Man and Captain America.

The only real knock is that they don't take a lot of risks and their films tend to follow a certain formula, but that's probably also why they've been able to maintain that consistent quality.

When you compare what Marvel has done to the disaster that is the DC film universe, it's night and day.

 

[Cavs2018]

Cloverfield lane 10 was interesting.

 

[Sebastian]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGl7IjSaKhE


Bold move to basically do the exact same plot as Avengers, but like a decade later and without the fun.

As a person who enjoyed BvS, what say you @gourimoko?

What do you think of the Flash casting?

 

[Jack Brickman]

Man, I absolutely hated Baby Driver. Most cringe-worthy film of the year for me by far.

Do you just hate fun? Because Baby Driver was fun as hell.

 

[gourimoko]

As a person who enjoyed BvS, what say you @gourimoko?

What do you think of the Flash casting?

Well, I've liked MoS, BvS, and I thought Wonder Woman was great... But, Suicide Squad was just plain terrible... This.. this could be just as bad, although, I'm hoping it won't be.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the source material, and, I'm one of the few people alive who does like Zack Snyder / Chris Nolan's original vision for Superman, which, is what this version of the mythos is centered around (Kal El as a living god).

But... I'm with you on the casting.. It really didn't make sense, particularly with how well received the Flash TV show was, it would seem like a no-brainer to cast the fan favorite. But, I think from Snyder's perspective, you end up with the possibility that Gustin's character brings too much levity to the film, too much baggage with respect to tone and mood, as well as the possibility that, if the film bombed, you'd damage the Flash CW franchise.

I think, from a commercial standpoint, that's probably where Warner Bros., more so than Snyder, probably thought it would stand to reason to keep things as separate as possible. I think Snyder wasn't inclined to mix the two either considering they're supposed to be separate universes and such...

 

[Jack Brickman]

War for the Planet of the Apes - 5/10

This one started out really promising, but under-delivered in the long run. I will say that it's sad that a couple of digital apes are more fleshed out as characters than the bulk of characters in Hollywood films. It's also sad that the apes in this film are far, far more fleshed out than their human counterparts. Woody Harrelson is fun as the main bad guy, but ultimately he's just not a very deep character.

I thought the first half of the movie or so was great. But beyond that, it kind of went off the rails and never delivered on the promised war in the title. There's a battle, sure, but that's not a war. This was more like Schindler's List with monkeys.

Most of the action scenes didn't make a lot of sense either. I'll avoid going into specifics to stay away from spoilers, but there's never anyone guarding the apes, and they escape in a comically easy manner. The war camp of the humans also has to be the worst-defended war camp in the history of mankind. There are like no lookouts anywhere.

I will say that the tech here is fucking phenomenal. There are various scenes where the apes are wet due to the rain and they look incredible. The movie itself may not be very good, but it certainly looks fantastic.

I also really liked the comic relief ape they introduce about a third of the way through the film. He doesn't do much, but he has a handful of laugh out loud moments that added some nice levity to a film that really needed it.

Just overall very disappointing, especially after the early parts of the movie were really enjoyable. It definitely wasn't as good as the first two, which were both a hell of a lot better than they had any right to be. This one was desperately missing the sympathetic human characters, as the relationship between Caesar and various humans was generally the high point of the previous films. You wanted them to figure out a way to work together, but you knew that tragedy was inevitable. This film didn't have that. The humans on one side are basically just Nazis, and you never get to meet any of the humans on the other.

Can't really recommend it.

 

[Sebastian]

Well, I've liked MoS, BvS, and I thought Wonder Woman was great... But, Suicide Squad was just plain terrible... This.. this could be just as bad, although, I'm hoping it won't be.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the source material, and, I'm one of the few people alive who does like Zack Snyder / Chris Nolan's original vision for Superman, which, is what this version of the mythos is centered around (Kal El as a living god).

But... I'm with you on the casting.. It really didn't make sense, particularly with how well received the Flash TV show was, it would seem like a no-brainer to cast the fan favorite. But, I think from Snyder's perspective, you end up with the possibility that Gustin's character brings too much levity to the film, too much baggage with respect to tone and mood, as well as the possibility that, if the film bombed, you'd damage the Flash CW franchise.

I think, from a commercial standpoint, that's probably where Warner Bros., more so than Snyder, probably thought it would stand to reason to keep things as separate as possible. I think Snyder wasn't inclined to mix the two either considering they're supposed to be separate universes and such...

I liked MoS though the ending was headache inducing. But boy are you right about Suicide Squad. It is painfully obvious the notes the Warner Bros. execs sent their way: "Guardians of the Galaxy had a classic rock soundtrack. It made a lot of money. Put classic rock into the film."

I can see why DC ultimately decided against casting Gustin and Amell for the cinematic universe, though I don't get the insulting manner in which they dismissed suggestions that both would fit right in. But Ezra Miller seems like a terrible choice. I don't know what they saw; despite the fact Miller is an accomplished actor he just seems wrong for Barry Allen. It doesn't look like Allen is a scientist or involved with the police. Miller's Allen seems like a rudderless hipster douchebag.

Moreover, Grant Gustin is way hotter than Miller.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Well, I've liked MoS, BvS, and I thought Wonder Woman was great... But, Suicide Squad was just plain terrible... This.. this could be just as bad, although, I'm hoping it won't be.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the source material, and, I'm one of the few people alive who does like Zack Snyder / Chris Nolan's original vision for Superman, which, is what this version of the mythos is centered around (Kal El as a living god).

But... I'm with you on the casting.. It really didn't make sense, particularly with how well received the Flash TV show was, it would seem like a no-brainer to cast the fan favorite. But, I think from Snyder's perspective, you end up with the possibility that Gustin's character brings too much levity to the film, too much baggage with respect to tone and mood, as well as the possibility that, if the film bombed, you'd damage the Flash CW franchise.

I think, from a commercial standpoint, that's probably where Warner Bros., more so than Snyder, probably thought it would stand to reason to keep things as separate as possible. I think Snyder wasn't inclined to mix the two either considering they're supposed to be separate universes and such...

I just wish DC would get away from this "we have to catch up with Marvel" bullshit and just focus on making better movies. I thought Man of Steel was all right, if very grim. BvS was pretty bad. It had a few awesome moments, like when Batman just goes beast mode on the people guarding Clark's mom, but overall it was just too long and the big CGI fight scene at the end was terrible. I haven't even seen Suicide Squad, and don't really want to. I plan to see Wonder Woman at some point, but BvS didn't really give me high hopes for the film universe, especially with Snyder playing such a big role.

It just seems like DC is trying to do in two or three films what Marvel spent years building to, and it's going to fail as a result. They should have been patient and realized that we don't really care if they take their time and do it right, even if it means Avengers 3 is out before Justice League.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I liked MoS though the ending was headache inducing. But boy are you right about Suicide Squad. It is painfully obvious the notes the Warner Bros. execs sent their way: "Guardians of the Galaxy had a classic rock soundtrack. It made a lot of money. Put classic rock into the film."

Yeah, it seems like DC's general goal is to just do what Marvel is doing, but minus the fun.

 

[Sebastian]

I just wish DC would get away from this "we have to catch up with Marvel" bullshit and just focus on making better movies. I thought Man of Steel was all right, if very grim. BvS was pretty bad. It had a few awesome moments, like when Batman just goes beast mode on the people guarding Clark's mom, but overall it was just too long and the big CGI fight scene at the end was terrible. I haven't even seen Suicide Squad, and don't really want to. I plan to see Wonder Woman at some point, but BvS didn't really give me high hopes for the film universe, especially with Snyder playing such a big role.

It just seems like DC is trying to do in two or three films what Marvel spent years building to, and it's going to fail as a result. They should have been patient and realized that we don't really care if they take their time and do it right, even if it means Avengers 3 is out before Justice League.

Wonder Woman is awesome. It is a genuinely good film. The ending is bittersweet and does a good job of demonstrating the costs of being dogmatic in one's beliefs.

Moreover, WW actually makes the fight between Doomsday and WW, Bats and Supes slightly better.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Wonder Woman is awesome. It is a genuinely good film. The ending is bittersweet and does a good job of demonstrating the costs of being dogmatic in one's beliefs.

Moreover, WW actually makes the fight between Doomsday and WW, Bats and Supes slightly better.

Yeah, I'll probably get to that one later this week. I think I am going to bite the bullet and punish myself by watching Suicide Squad first. I also need to watch Doctor Strange, as I haven't caught that one yet either.

I think my main issue with DC's films compared to Marvels is that they all just feel so grim and self-important. Nolan's Batman movies never felt like that. They were grounded and enjoyable. They were dark too, but they didn't have the awful, grey/brown color palate of the newer stuff.

 

[Sebastian]

Yeah, I'll probably get to that one later this week. I think I am going to bite the bullet and punish myself by watching Suicide Squad first. I also need to watch Doctor Strange, as I haven't caught that one yet either.

I think my main issue with DC's films compared to Marvels is that they all just feel so grim and self-important. Nolan's Batman movies never felt like that. They were grounded and enjoyable. They were dark too, but they didn't have the awful, grey/brown color palate of the newer stuff.

You can skip Suicide Squad. You will literally rue the 150 minutes of your life wasted on slow motion establishing shots set to classic rock for characters no one cares about.

Doctor Strange is actually one of my favorite Marvel films. Not only because Strange has always been a favorite of mine because the comics were always so weird, but also because of the underlying message involved. The ending is a pleasant surprise. Cumberbatch, Ejiofor and Swinton are pitch perfect.

 

[gourimoko]

You can skip Suicide Squad. You will literally rue the 150 minutes of your life wasted on slow motion establishing shots set to classic rock for characters no one cares about.

Doctor Strange is actually one of my favorite Marvel films. Not only because Strange has always been a favorite of mine because the comics were always so weird, but also because of the underlying message involved. The ending is a pleasant surprise. Cumberbatch, Ejiofor and Swinton are pitch perfect.

Agreed.. Easily one of my favorite Marvel films, I think only bested by the Captain America franchise up to this point.

 

[Jack Brickman]

You can skip Suicide Squad. You will literally rue the 150 minutes of your life wasted on slow motion establishing shots set to classic rock for characters no one cares about.

Doctor Strange is actually one of my favorite Marvel films. Not only because Strange has always been a favorite of mine because the comics were always so weird, but also because of the underlying message involved. The ending is a pleasant surprise. Cumberbatch, Ejiofor and Swinton are pitch perfect.

I'm ten minutes in and I can already tell why this movie sucks. They spend the entire first act of the movie doing flashbacks to establish who each character is. This is the type of thing that Marvel would have shown us in individual movies. How much better could this movie have been if we had seen all these villains in previous films and were invested in them, and now we see them come together to wreck shit in the name of the government?

None of this feels earned.

Like, Harley killed Robin and that's a moment that wasn't even important enough to make it into a fucking film? DC just rushes these things way too much.

 

[Sebastian]

I'm ten minutes in and I can already tell why this movie sucks. They spend the entire first act of the movie doing flashbacks to establish who each character is. This is the type of thing that Marvel would have shown us in individual movies. How much better could this movie have been if we had seen all these villains in previous films and were invested in them, and now we see them come together to wreck shit in the name of the government?

None of this feels earned.

Like, Harley killed Robin and that's a moment that wasn't even important enough to make it into a fucking film? DC just rushes these things way too much.

Arrow did a Suicide Squad two-parter that was way better than the film.