Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Jul 25, 2019 19:44:32 GMT -5
That's the part which pushes it from misguided to amusingly crazy. I think you mean from misguided to ungodly annoying. I think we had this same argument about Bad Boys II... |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 26, 2019 8:15:58 GMT -5
Oh, you wanna start that again?  |
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Jul 26, 2019 9:37:55 GMT -5
Bad Boys II is transcendent. Woosah.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 26, 2019 10:06:32 GMT -5
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on Jul 26, 2019 10:37:24 GMT -5
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 11, 2019 14:48:10 GMT -5
Turkey: The Wolf of Wall Street
Hoooooo boy. Back when I first saw this movie in theaters, I convinced myself that I liked this. Sort of like how I convinced myself the same thing with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back in 2008. But ever since, it's gone down and down in my memory. I just re-watched it for the first time, thinking that just maybe the second time would be the charm...but it turned out to be the nail in the coffin.
First off, it's not the acting or direction that's the problem here. It's the script. It gleefully glorifies such despicable people and immoral behavior and values when it thinks it's satirizing and skewering them, and the end result is a slog that's three. Fucking. Hours. Long - and you feel every minute of it. It feels so one-note and narrow in focus and scope, essentially recycling the same joke and point over and over ad nauseum. Rarely is it ever that funny, either. It seems to think different variations on the same joke are hilarious and that its main characters are interesting simply because they're always drunk, high or having sex. These are not characters I want to spend three hours with. It all ultimately feels shallow. It feels like such a waste that Scorsese's energetic direction here is wasted on such a one-note story and characterization.
One of Scorsese's most overrated films, if you ask me.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 11, 2019 14:53:47 GMT -5
Turkey: The Wolf of Wall Street
Hoooooo boy. Back when I first saw this movie in theaters, I convinced myself that I liked this. Sort of like how I convinced myself the same thing with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back in 2008. But ever since, it's gone down and down in my memory. I just re-watched it for the first time, thinking that just maybe the second time would be the charm...but it turned out to be the nail in the coffin. First off, it's not the acting or direction that's the problem here. It's the script. It gleefully glorifies such despicable people and immoral behavior and values when it thinks it's satirizing and skewering them, and the end result is a slog that's three. Fucking. Hours. Long - and you feel every minute of it. It feels so one-note and narrow in focus and scope, essentially recycling the same joke and point over and over ad nauseum. Rarely is it ever that funny, either. It seems to think different variations on the same joke are hilarious and that its main characters are interesting simply because they're always drunk, high or having sex. These are not characters I want to spend three hours with. It all ultimately feels shallow. It feels like such a waste that Scorsese's energetic direction here is wasted on such a one-note story and characterization. One of Scorsese's most overrated films, if you ask me.
Is this review satirical? Is it actually April 1st and no one told me? |
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Aug 11, 2019 14:58:28 GMT -5
Turkey: The Wolf of Wall Street
Hoooooo boy. Back when I first saw this movie in theaters, I convinced myself that I liked this. Sort of like how I convinced myself the same thing with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back in 2008. But ever since, it's gone down and down in my memory. I just re-watched it for the first time, thinking that just maybe the second time would be the charm...but it turned out to be the nail in the coffin.
First off, it's not the acting or direction that's the problem here. It's the script. It gleefully glorifies such despicable people and immoral behavior and values when it thinks it's satirizing and skewering them, and the end result is a slog that's three. Fucking. Hours. Long - and you feel every minute of it. It feels so one-note and narrow in focus and scope, essentially recycling the same joke and point over and over ad nauseum. Rarely is it ever that funny, either. It seems to think different variations on the same joke are hilarious and that its main characters are interesting simply because they're always drunk, high or having sex. These are not characters I want to spend three hours with. It all ultimately feels shallow. It feels like such a waste that Scorsese's energetic direction here is wasted on such a one-note story and characterization.
One of Scorsese's most overrated films, if you ask me.
Yes |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 11, 2019 15:08:22 GMT -5
Turkey: The Wolf of Wall Street
Hoooooo boy. Back when I first saw this movie in theaters, I convinced myself that I liked this. Sort of like how I convinced myself the same thing with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back in 2008. But ever since, it's gone down and down in my memory. I just re-watched it for the first time, thinking that just maybe the second time would be the charm...but it turned out to be the nail in the coffin.
First off, it's not the acting or direction that's the problem here. It's the script. It gleefully glorifies such despicable people and immoral behavior and values when it thinks it's satirizing and skewering them, and the end result is a slog that's three. Fucking. Hours. Long - and you feel every minute of it. It feels so one-note and narrow in focus and scope, essentially recycling the same joke and point over and over ad nauseum. Rarely is it ever that funny, either. It seems to think different variations on the same joke are hilarious and that its main characters are interesting simply because they're always drunk, high or having sex. These are not characters I want to spend three hours with. It all ultimately feels shallow. It feels like such a waste that Scorsese's energetic direction here is wasted on such a one-note story and characterization.
One of Scorsese's most overrated films, if you ask me.
Yes Thank you. |
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Aug 11, 2019 15:19:41 GMT -5
I don’t hate the movie. It has its merits. But that 3-hour runtime is a buzzkill. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 11, 2019 15:37:29 GMT -5
The three-hour runtime was a problem for me from Day One. Michael Phillips was spot-on in his review when he said scenes go on for two minutes too long, and those minutes add up. Like I said, Scorsese directs it well and DiCaprio's good, but it reaches a point where all that energy starts to feel monotonous.
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Deexan
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Post by Deexan on Aug 11, 2019 15:44:58 GMT -5
If they mated, would we call their offspring a Turkaroo or a Kankey?
Also, TWOWS is awesome.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 11, 2019 16:20:29 GMT -5
If they mated, would we call their offspring a Turkaroo or a Kankey? Good question. These are both pretty good. |
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1godzillafan
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Post by 1godzillafan on Aug 11, 2019 16:25:17 GMT -5
All I know is that now I'm hungry for kangaroo stuffed turkey.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 11, 2019 18:13:02 GMT -5
I said it in my other thread but Wolf of Wall Street is a movie that no other director could have made work. It's a 3-hour movie of Leo doing blow off hookers' asses and the energy is cranked to 11 the entire runtime which is the only way you could do it. From a story level it really doesn't have much to offer but seeing the neverending depravity and excess makes it a fun go-round. It's hard to say that it isn't entertaining as all hell.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Aug 11, 2019 19:15:01 GMT -5
Turkey: The Wolf of Wall Street
Hoooooo boy. Back when I first saw this movie in theaters, I convinced myself that I liked this. Sort of like how I convinced myself the same thing with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back in 2008. But ever since, it's gone down and down in my memory. I just re-watched it for the first time, thinking that just maybe the second time would be the charm...but it turned out to be the nail in the coffin.
First off, it's not the acting or direction that's the problem here. It's the script. It gleefully glorifies such despicable people and immoral behavior and values when it thinks it's satirizing and skewering them, and the end result is a slog that's three. Fucking. Hours. Long - and you feel every minute of it. It feels so one-note and narrow in focus and scope, essentially recycling the same joke and point over and over ad nauseum. Rarely is it ever that funny, either. It seems to think different variations on the same joke are hilarious and that its main characters are interesting simply because they're always drunk, high or having sex. These are not characters I want to spend three hours with. It all ultimately feels shallow. It feels like such a waste that Scorsese's energetic direction here is wasted on such a one-note story and characterization.
One of Scorsese's most overrated films, if you ask me.
How does it feel to be really really wrong about something on nearly every level?  |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 11, 2019 19:26:02 GMT -5
Drac’s not in the mood to pull punches. Not today.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 11, 2019 19:37:29 GMT -5
Turkey: The Wolf of Wall Street
Hoooooo boy. Back when I first saw this movie in theaters, I convinced myself that I liked this. Sort of like how I convinced myself the same thing with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull back in 2008. But ever since, it's gone down and down in my memory. I just re-watched it for the first time, thinking that just maybe the second time would be the charm...but it turned out to be the nail in the coffin.
First off, it's not the acting or direction that's the problem here. It's the script. It gleefully glorifies such despicable people and immoral behavior and values when it thinks it's satirizing and skewering them, and the end result is a slog that's three. Fucking. Hours. Long - and you feel every minute of it. It feels so one-note and narrow in focus and scope, essentially recycling the same joke and point over and over ad nauseum. Rarely is it ever that funny, either. It seems to think different variations on the same joke are hilarious and that its main characters are interesting simply because they're always drunk, high or having sex. These are not characters I want to spend three hours with. It all ultimately feels shallow. It feels like such a waste that Scorsese's energetic direction here is wasted on such a one-note story and characterization.
One of Scorsese's most overrated films, if you ask me.
How does it feel to be really really wrong about something on nearly every level? I don't know -- you tell me. |
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IanTheCool
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Post by IanTheCool on Aug 21, 2019 15:55:07 GMT -5
How does it feel to be really really wrong about something on nearly every level? I don't know -- you tell me. Really? I came here excepting a battle royale, and what you give me is "I know you are but what am I"? |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 21, 2019 16:24:17 GMT -5
Kangaroo: Ronin (1998)
I just watched this on Amazon recently and enjoyed it as much as I remember. Robert DeNiro stars but it's not a Robert DeNiro movie. He's still Robert DeNiro but he plays against type as a burned out ex-CIA agent thrown in with a group of mercenaries who are trying to retrieve a mysterious case for the IRA. It's a pretty simple story that's filled with crosses and double crosses and replete with shootouts, car chases and loads of collateral damage. It also features 3 Bond villains of yore who each have pretty interesting characters. I can see how a movie like Ronin can be eclipsed by the Bond and Bourne franchises as it lacks the explosions and machine guns and replaces them with dialogue and side-eyes but it's an entertaining spy flick and worthy of being one of John Frankenheimer's last gigs.
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on Aug 21, 2019 16:35:22 GMT -5
Sean Bean doesnt die!
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 21, 2019 16:50:10 GMT -5
I don't know -- you tell me. Really? I came here excepting a battle royale, and what you give me is "I know you are but what am I"? Hey, if you wanna jump in on this, then let's go! |
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 21, 2019 17:03:43 GMT -5
I'll quickly argue against that Wolf glamorizes its leads, because I don't think it does. Or at least, I don't think it's that simple. The excessive lifestyle does look fun at points, but I'd argue that authentic. Like, yeah, living with complete hedonism seemingly all the time probably would feel pretty good, at least for a while. But eventually, that excess starts to become overwhelming and gross. The movie doesn't need to finger wag to condemn the lifestyle it depicts, it just brings it to its natural conclusion.
If the characters still come off as cool or desirable, I'd argue that says more about a society which celebrates wealth than it does the film, and that's very much the point. In spite of everything, our culture which worships money above all still sees Jordan Belfort as aspirational. That's why he doesn't suffer any real consequences, why we get a shot of Kyle Chandler's agent riding the subway without anyone giving a shit about him while Jordan gives speeches to eager crowds. It's why the final shot of the movie is a sea of masses completely enamored with Jordan. The movie is about how, despite how gross, horrid, and selfish these cats are, they're still valued.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Aug 21, 2019 17:36:55 GMT -5
Sure, maybe the depiction skews more realistic, but the problem I have still stands where these simply aren't people I want to spend three hours with. And it doesn't change the fact that the film keeps going back to the same wells for all the jokes: "Oh, look, they're high on drugs and acting craaaaazy!" "Oh, look, they're doing blow off hookers' breasts and asses!" "Oh, look, they're throwing a wild party -- and guess what -- they're high afain after doing more blow with hookers!" The movie has just one point to make and it keeps making it over and over until it becomes obvious that there's nothing more to say...but the movie just keeps going. And the fact that they're such egregiously greedy drug addicts doesn't automatically make them interesting characters. Scorsese and DiCaprio said many times that the movie "needed" to be three hours, but I never heard a convincing justification as to why.
A much tighter script would've certainly helped; one that trimmed things down by at least an hour. Seeing Jodan Belfort get high the thirtieth time tells me nothing more about him than the fifth time.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Aug 21, 2019 17:40:15 GMT -5
Sure, maybe the depiction skews more realistic, but the problem I have still stands where these simply aren't people I want to spend three hours with. And it doesn't change the fact that the film keeps going back to the same wells for all the jokes: "Oh, look, they're high on drugs and acting craaaaazy!" "Oh, look, they're doing blow off hookers' breasts and asses!" "Oh, look, they're throwing a wild party -- and guess what -- they're high afain after doing more blow with hookers!" The movie has just one point to make and it keeps making it over and over until it becomes obvious that there's nothing more to say...but the movie just keeps going. And the fact that they're such egregiously greedy drug addicts doesn't automatically make them interesting characters. Scorsese and DiCaprio said many times that the movie "needed" to be three hours, but I never heard a convincing justification as to why.
A much tighter script would've certainly helped; one that trimmed things down by at least an hour. Seeing Jodan Belfort get high the thirtieth time tells me nothing more about him than the fifth time.
But isn't there something of a statement in the fact that he keeps doing this stuff and keeps doing it and keeps doing it and nothing happens to him? It's basically a portrait of what happens to certain kinds of people when there's absolutely no one there to check them. It's almost prophetic in the way it predicts the current presidency. |
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