Saw Joker this weekend. It's by no means a bad movie, but it's remarkably bland for how much buzz and apparent controversy it developed.

 

I agree. It's disappointing that a great performance by Joaquin was wasted on a Todd Howard script. He has the subtlety of a sledge hammer.

There's one plot point in particular that the movie decides to spell out in the most obvious, hand-holding way

Spoiler: spoiler

(Arthur hallucinating Zazie Beetz's character)

. For a movie that is ostensibly a serious and adult comic book movie, it sure didn't trust its audience very much.

 

Looking forward to this a bit.

 

Despite that sign-posting, my dad still didn't pick up on it at all until I explained it after the film finished...

I'll echo the other sentiments too. Film as a whole isn't bad, but Phoenix was very good.

 

That might be true. My dad didn't see Joker but he did see El Camino this weekend and didn't pick up on something until I explained it to him. Maybe my view of how much films should spell out is miscalculated.

Can't deny Joker's success. I wonder what Todd Phillips will do next since he thinks you can't make comedies any more.

 

Looks like Terminator: Dark Fate is gonna bomb.

Probably because no one wanted another Terminator movie and because the last one was strongly meh at best, and I bet a woke director didn't help.

 

Has he become substantially more woke since directing Deadpool?

 

There was this:

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-scares-internet-trolls-12

Edit: shit, link doesn't seem to work, but if you google "Tim Miller Internet trolls" you should get the relevant article

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-scares-internet-trolls-1202156922/

Here's the proper link, for those curious. It's basically the director in an interview going on about how the internet is afraid of "strong independent women" and so everyone who doesn't like the movie is clearly terrified of the cyborg woman and the threat she poses to their masculinity.

 

So not that substantial, as arguments over wokeness go. Seems more likely that it's underperforming because literally the only people I've seen getting enthusiastic about it are thirsty queer women gushing over Mackenzie Davis.

Edit to add: I've got to say, I kind of admire his restraint. Whatever the quality of the end product, if I'd directed a Terminator film and people had started bitching about the presence of tough women in it, I'd have some choice comments to make in response too. Jesus.

 

Is there any bigger red flag than the director of a goddamn Terminator movie trying to pull a Ghostbusters manoeuvre pre release?

 

It's now been 28 years since the last good Terminator movie. Maybe it's ok to let some franchises die?

 

Harriet was a really solid biopic. greatly enjoyed it.

 

I'm probably most excited for The Irishman out of the remaining movies that are coming out this year. Otherwise I've been looking forward to Watchmen every week but honestly it feels like this awards season is kind of in a rut as far as films I want to see.

 

Caught a preview screening of Knives Out, and it's easily one of my films of the year. Great script and performances, very funny, and very twisty. Definitely recommended.

 

Jojo Rabbit was good. Not as great as Hunt for the Wilderpeople but still an enjoyable time

 

21 Bridges isn't anything special, short on real substance and character depth, but it's a solid thriller, with the cast making the most of their limited roles and some effective, tense set pieces. Not a must see, but worth a watch.

 

Cats is looking good...

 

I don't really think the majority of DLP would like it and reviews for it have been less than glowing but I've just watched 6 Underground and I really enjoyed it. It has many problems and unfortunately, despite what people are saying, you can't just "Switch your brain off" because there are some key plots that are a bit hard to keep track of.

It's a Michael Bay movie so the action is a more than a little over the top and beyond believable but it is fun to watch. Unfortunately, the story takes quite a bit of a hit for it. The second half is amazing but the first hour or so, the story is all over the place.

For the first hour, it switches between the Present and the Past quite heavily, focusing on the history and background of each of the main characters. Unfortunately, it's more than a little excessive and in some cases, unnecessary. Plus, at one point, after a flashback, Ryan Reynolds' character says "Now you're all caught up" but there are still at least another two flashbacks after this.

I'm pretty sure that's down entirely to Michael Bay and any other Director could have salvaged the first half. I seriously don't get why the guy is allowed to Direct a movie and isn't some kind of Visual Effects Manager of even a "Scene Coordinator".

The movie however manages to mix just the right amount of comedy and action which tends to be my favourite combination of genres.

Ryan Reynolds is, as always, amazing. He brings some of his Wade Wilson persona into this but manages to mix it with aspects of a Bruce Wayne character as well.

The rest of the cast are okay as well. Mélanie Laurent was pretty awesome to watch as a badass CIA agent, Ben Hardy's scenes were great to watch but that might be me being biased as a Brit. Unfortunately, while Adria Arjona is stunning and I have no qualms with watching her on screen, I wish she would have had more to do after the initial opening. Manuel Garcia was funny at times but at some points it did get a bit over-the-top and it was hard to believe that this guy used to be a Hitman.

A couple times that the movie dropped the ball were:
When they did a backstory for literally everyone except the

Spoiler

Doctor

and I thought that it would turn out that

Spoiler

she's actually a villain.

Or

Spoiler

they reveal that Dave Franco's character is actually alive, hence why they went to "Seven" instead of replacing "Six".

If the reason they didn't do these was to subvert the audience's expectations then I would understand but that doesn't seem to be the case (Else there would have been hints and double bluffs throughout the movie).

Despite all my criticisms though, the movie gets a solid 7/10 for me. If the first half was more smooth it would have been an easy 9/10.

 

Michael Bay's fundamental problems are trying (and succeeding, unfortunately) to cram too much shit into every frame and autistically spastic editing. When he (rarely) subdues those flaws, he's capable of making a solid popcorn flick, up there with the best of the Fast and Furious movies. Thing is, the last time he succeeded in doing that was in 2009 with Transformers 2.

I went into 6 Underground hugely sceptical, even with @Agent's recommendation, but I find myself pleasantly surprised. Now, don't take this to mean Michael Bay made a smart, intelligent thriller. It's dumber than a bag of hammers and Michael Bayness oozes from it, but the actors clearly have a ball with their dumb lines (especially Reynolds, who is a gem), and the whole thing still works even when the script and director force the actors to say their dumb lines with a straight face. It's loud, incoherent and full of explosions, but if you're into that, immensely watchable. This is the kind of Michael Bay movie I want.