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Film & TV

Film & TV
Damien Mason's avatar

Hey Alex Sinclair, this says tell us for $1, but has a single $20 reward attached. Just thought I'd let you know before entering in case you need to re-post.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

Thanks a lot Damien! I'm going to get this changed now.

K

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is my favorite film of 2023. I had no expectations but really liked the style of animation and art they chose.

They got people who sound like 13-15-year-olds to voice the turtles, the chatter when they are all talking at once is spot on to how teenagers act. Jackie Chan voiced Splinter, which is just wonderful. All the voice acting in the film is really really good.

It's clear this film was aimed at the 32-42-year-old demographic based solely on the music choices. And oh boy, did that work. A fight montage to No Diggity, Shimmy Shimmy Ya as background music, What's Up but the version that's part of that super awesome He-man Youtube video. It's amazing how much they crammed in.

And for me the absolute best part is it came in just over 90 minutes, which is the perfect sweet spot for movie length.

https://youtu.be/JhXRNRmuYcc?si=k8O8zssOcTv5Wrc2

Alex Sinclair's avatar

I watched this for the first time last week. I thought it was fantastic!

Makster's avatar

https://youtu.be/oRBG2xuDcNY?si=BjnMJj54SArvC423

I love how the movie really emphasised not only the childish side of the Turtles (I mean they're teenagers - so they're immature, not just Mikey) but also their fraternal connection.

This scene honestly had the whole cinema wheezin'

Dave's avatar

This is by default really but it's Barbie. This was the only film I saw at the cinema in 2023, everything else was Netflix or Amazon Prime films that I don't even remember! We had intended to see this and Oppenheimer but the thought of sitting through such a long film at the cinema put us off in the end.

I hadn't actually paid much/any attention to the Barbie film before going to it see it so it was a real nice surprise when it had something for everyone. Really enjoyed it as it was a nice refreshing change to see something fun and unique looking like this compared to "super hero film".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBk4NYhWNMM

Stella's avatar

Zone of interest for sure. It was a harrowing watch but one that will stick with me for a very long time. Sandra Huller is definitely on my radar she is an amazing actress.

Demonsmustdie's avatar

One of my 2023 films is Shazam 2. Definitely an underdog movie compared to other superhero movies but has great comedy and great story.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

Do I need to have watched the first one to enjoy it?

Emilia's avatar

Mine would have to be Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, what felt to me like an ode to women-hood! Coppola does female narratives like no other, and this film was beautiful and sad and everything it sought out to be. The casting (although Elordi wasn't the most convincing Elvis) was extremely well thought-through, putting the 6ft something Elordi next to a 5ft, fairly unknown Cailee Spaeny really hammered in the difference in age, power and maturity. This film led me to read Priscilla's autobiography, and the whole narrative was shocking and confusing, the love she had for Elvis simultaneously existing with her recognition of the power imbalance and the way he treated her was captivating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBWk6BohVXk

Horror and Cats's avatar

When Evil Lurks.

It’s an Argentinian horror film which basically has blown the mind of everyone who watched it, including myself.

It ticks all the boxes of a horror fan such as nearly exclusively practical effects, and unapologetic, unflinching portrayals of what it set out to do.

Refreshing and disturbing; just how I like ‘em.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

That reminds me. Have you heard of Horror in the High Desert? I watched it at the weekend. If you haven't, don't Google it. The less you know going in the better.

Horror and Cats's avatar

I have heard of it but I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet. I’ll def check it out! Technically where I live is classified as “high desert” in Oregon so hopefully it’ll be extra spooky haha

Alex Sinclair's avatar

In that case you may already know the 'spoiler' that I'm trying to dance around. It has awful reviews, but I watched it alone without knowing anything about it - just as a piece of algorithmically recommended viewing after watching a true crime show - and I can't tell you the last time I felt so scared.

Horror and Cats's avatar

Alex SinclairJust checked it out. If you like this one, check out Lake Mungo. Well in the same spirit and mind blowing.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

Ah nice, now I can stop talking so cryptically!

Horror and Cats's avatar

Haha dude, idk if you had your finger on the pulse for Blair Witch back when it was coming out, but that was fully their game. They THRIVED on the conflation between fiction and reality. Had a whole internet campaign supporting it. Genuinely the first of its kind considering we’re talking about 1999 when the internet was just a baby.

But seriously, if you like the faux docu-drama with a little bit of horror flavor, Lake Mungo is going to blow your mind. Probably the finest found footage/doc on earth.

Edit: I just talked myself into watching it again like, right now. Genuinely just hit play.

Nicole's avatar

Exactly what happened to me!

Alex Sinclair's avatar

I'm relieved that I'm not the only person who made that mistake. Were you equally terrified by the ending? I was not okay afterwards.

Nicole's avatar

Yes! The speed at which I went to goggle afterwards 😅

Horror and Cats's avatar

I just watched an Aussie flick called The Tunnel (2011) over the weekend. It’s along the same lines as Horror In the High Desert and Lake Mungo as far as structure. Another recommendation from the resident horror hound.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

I haven't gotten around to Lake Mungo yet, but I was talking about it to a friend who shared your recommendation. Consider The Tunnel added to the watchlist too! Have you caught Late Night With The Devil yet? The same horror-loving friend said they were underwhelmed by it

Horror and Cats's avatar

It was added to Shudder within the last few days and I did watch it. I felt it squandered the engagement and mystique it garnered in the final act. I don’t know a better way to describe its narrative evolution. It made sense as far as a story goes, but I thought it was going to be more “mind blowing.”

Alex Sinclair's avatar

I think you've described it very eloquently actually. What a shame! I had high hopes from the trailer, but I'll deprioritise that one.

Do I remember correctly that it was also you who recommended From? I've now seen all of it, and despite a few weaknesses - and the unshakeable feeling that I'm about to get Lost-ed all over again - I really enjoyed it. So thank you if it was you who recommended to me, and if it wasn't, then I recommend it to you

Horror and Cats's avatar

If I recall, I described it as “Lost, but much more violent” lol. Paraphrasing my self-recollection is interesting.

I’m curious about what you found were weaknesses? Aside from a few skin-deep characters, I didn’t find any major gripes.

BUT you’ve seen it in more of a binge format than my week-to-week viewership, so I’m interested in any holes you found!

Alex Sinclair's avatar

There were a few immersion-breaking 'wait, why don't you just do that though?' moments that I found hard to ignore. And then there were a few decisions that seemed to stifle the tension a bit. For example, the very first scene gives you the gist of what's going on in the town before the new family arrives, whereas if they'd led with the new family arriving and put the viewer in their shoes, I think I would have been hooked into the mystery faster. But admittedly those are all minor, couch-director gripes!

Horror and Cats's avatar

Oh okay haha yeah I get that. People, especially scared people, make terrible decisions. Typically I see most of those decisions as that classic zombie movie message—people are the real danger. Even the “good” guys make bad calls in the face of fear.

Horror and Cats's avatar

Alex Sinclair did you know they made two sequels to Horror In the High Desert? The third one just came out in the last few weeks. I'm going to check them out tonight. According to the descriptions they are both directly related to the first.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

Ooh I did not know that. I'm not sure they'll have quite the same impact on me now I'm watching them from a position of enlightenment. I checked out reviews for the first one and saw they were all pretty unforgiving, including this one: "That anybody believed this was an actual documentary after the first couple of minutes explains the mess the world is in." My bad, I guess 😅

Will I check out the sequels anyway? Probably! Thanks for the tip.

P.S. I took your Lake Mungo advice, and I enjoyed it. In light of my Horror in the High Desert trauma, I watched it with a friend whom I persuaded it was a real documentary because I'm a terrible person.

Horror and Cats's avatar

Oh my god that’s cruel lol. Lake Mungo is one of the most convincing fake docs out there. At what point did they realize Mungo wasn’t real?

Alex Sinclair's avatar

During the closing credits, when I told them 😬 I wasn't planning on being so mean. I had previously told them it was a horror film, but then fifteen minutes in they asked me if it was a real documentary, and I just couldn't resist

Horror and Cats's avatar

I think people I know, know ME well enough to where I wouldn't be able to convince them it was real haha. I'm completely agnostic on ghosts/supernatural/religion so they'd be like "yoooouuuu don't believe thiiiiis"

EveOnlineTutorials's avatar

For me, it's hands down

The Equalizer 3 - Denzel Washington

Amazing actor, The Siege is one of the best films I saw, this series is nothing but amazing, and action-packed but also, his cold detachment in playing the role, or any role he plays, is in fact, epic

Sturmer's avatar

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2906216/

It's heist, it's comedy, its D&D - what else do we need? =)

Sadly profits are disappointing, which means we wont see D&D anytime soon, but there are always guys like The Legend of Vox Machina around to please our geekish souls.

Kane Carnifex's avatar

I am thinking… which movie in 2023 comes back into my mind. Oh Boi, there is emptiness.

Ok, lets google Movies from 2023 lets have a look.

No, not Barbie nor Oppenheimer. Bah… why is it so empty in here. Hmm should watch Marvel again. Keep on the Task…

Hmm ok got it This one I watched multiple times and had my fun with it. Also the setup suits me some 40k vibes with Spaceships and small superhero group. The effects were nice and some new (i think so) slomo camerastuff was shown.

0ffworld's avatar

It's really hard to pick just one. While they weren't all made in 2023, I watched exactly 129 movies in 2023. That's 240 hours of film!

Some animated, some live-action, some CG - and not all of them were good. 🥲

While I would love to put Nimona, John Wick: Chapter 4, or the Holdovers at the #1 spot, I have to go with one that I think a lot of people enjoyed: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqGjhVJWtEg

Music, animation style, story - I enjoyed all aspects of this movie and it'll almost blow your mind if you think about the possibilities of where they could go next. I already enjoyed the Marvel Spider-Man movies a lot - but these Spider-verse movies are simply on another level because they offer even more artistic freedom for the creators - even though you can do so much with CG in movies these days.

I don't want to go into specifics - in case someone hasn't seen it (which they should rectify immediately) - but just think of it this way: If there is an alternative version of Spider-Man you can imagine, they're probably in this movie!

It was worth going to the cinema and seeing this movie on the big screen. After months, I'm still hyped for the next one! 🕸️🕷️🕸️

JB

Without a doubt mine is Across the spider verse. Nothing compares to the art style they've created for this trilogy, and the characters and story elevate it above most other superhero comic book movies and ptrrey much all other animated superhero movies I can think of. It's up there with Mask of the Phantasm!

MargotCandy's avatar

I have had this weird obsession with apocalyptic stories over the last couple of years, so the one that had me talking most was The Creator.

While there are some flaws in my opinion to the story telling, it was visually very impressive and we actually went to the cinema to watch it. I might rewatch it this week at home just to make sure I still like it as much. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex3C1-5Dhb8

Horror and Cats's avatar

Why are you engaging with a closed bounty? Are you some sort of DEVIANT or something? 🤣

I haven’t seen this one because I typically am cramming my eyes full of horror content whenever I can manage to sit still long enough to watch a movie. I heard there were some philosophical quandaries with this one.

MargotCandy's avatar

I used to watch so much horror. But my SO hates horror so it’s more sci-fi and comedy these days as we have one decent TV and audio system. 😅

But you mentioned a few interesting sounding ones that I’ll check out. It’s been a while that I have had a proper buzz from watching a good scary film.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

I've been meaning to get around to this. Thanks for the reminder!

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