Amph At The Movies (film discussion thread)

Star Wars aside,

Top Gun
I'm old enough to have seen this movie during it's theatrical run, and to be watching this film on a very large and the footage been shot for the cockpit of a F14 Tomcat was breathtaking and gave a sense of some virtual ride. As the camera turns and tilts with the motion of the fighter jets, you feel like you're really up there, "with the best of the best."






House of Flying Daggers
This movie is just stunning to look at, as the use of background aesthetics and colors are beautifully shot and become as much as part of the story telling as the characters and costumes, it provide nuance and moods. The story is as beautiful as the colors.




The original anime version of Ghost in the Shell
Like Blade Runner, this film does an excellent job through its visuals to world build and create a futuristic but familiar place, as it combines the looks of cities with the promise of technology. And the visuals in Ghost in the Shell sells the viewers on its world.



The fluid motion of the characters also provides a great level of surrealism. Moreover, the director of the fight scene below takes advantage of the use of multiple "camera angels" to provide a sense of space and motion.




What Dreams May Come
Much like House of Flying Daggers, What Dreams May Come uses colors and the background aesthetics to paint the story, but moreso as the characters minds and moods change the scenery and colors. It's a reflection of the characters.





The Matrix
This image of Thomas Anderson standing under an overpass with the raining coming down hard, was the problem of choice and free will. I often think of this scene when I face a fork in the road of my life. It's said that rain in cinema is a metaphor for washing away the past and moving forward, and that's the case here in The Matrix...





... additionally, the rain reflects the matrix in code, which is why when in the Matrix everything has a green hue.

 

So the 2016 Birth of a Nation was on the movie network channels last night and the cable box thought it was the 1915 DW Griffith Birth of a Nation.

 

^ Is Margot supposed to be Sharon Tate?

 

Top 5 visually stunning films? Too hard. I’ll do 10. And I’ll try to stick to one per series for variety. In alphabetical order:

Doctor Strange (2016)



This film just constantly blew my mind. Whenever visual effects were used it looked absolutely amazing.


Gravity (2013)



There’s so many good looking space films, like the Star Wars series, Interstellar, Prometheus and The Martian, etc., but I’ll put Gravity in here because I don’t think there was even a second where it didn’t looking stunning. It was so simple yet so effective.


Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)



Probably the most colourful film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was never a dull moment and everything was incredibly exciting to watch.


King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)



I mean... wow. This has got to be one of the most underrated films ever made, even though it only came out last year. I absolutely love it.


La La Land (2016)



The lighting in this film was beautiful. Both outdoors and indoors.


Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)



The colour pallet was so simple, yet so damn effective. Browns and blues. That’s all they needed to create this amazing look.


Moana (2016)



Disney’s always producing stunning looking films, like Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Finding Dory, Incredibles 2 and Wall-E, but Moana is the best in my opinion. The vibrant colours of the islands and the ocean were just amazing to look at.


Skyfall (2012)



Probably the sexiest looking Bond film of them all. This scene with the neon signs reflecting onto the glass walls is the best example.


Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)



Out of all the Star Wars films, I’d say this one looked the best. The Crait sequence alone puts it in first place. The contrast between the white and red was incredibly effective. Then the sun starts setting as Luke Skywalker walks out for his final showdown. Oh boy.


Thor: Ragnarok (2017)



Combined with it’s wonderful use of colour and breathtaking cinematography, Thor: Ragnarok takes #1 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 

Yup

 

Yeah, Moana is a beautiful movie. It's rare that I'm just like knocked out by a computer animated character these days, but the way that movie used the water was astonishing. Making the ocean itself a character was a stroke of genius and perfectly executed.

 

Hi @Jordan1Kenobi did you know films have been made for more than six years?

 

It's the chicken's face in the bottom picture that really sells that meme.

 

I knew someone would bring this up. I’m too young! Haven’t seen many older films. But I plan to start one day.

 

I have signed up for the Cinemark membership for $8.99/monthly. I would have preferred to sign up with AMC, but Cinemark is closer to my house. And of course, as I want to see Mission Impossible: Fallout tonight, the Cinemark theater closest to my house is not screening the movie in their only theater with "luxury lounge recliners." UGH!!! Which meant I had to seek out the next Cinemark theater which is about a 20 minute drive on the freeway, which is a long way considering it's at least twice as far. So, I look to see the showtimes and notice there's a screening in a Dolby Atmos theater, and so I click on my app and see that it's nearly sold out with a single seat here and there. Bummer. I see there's a screening for a Real 3D theater 30 minutes later. 3D screenings aren't what they built up to be, but whatever, there are available seats together. I learned upon completing my purchase this particular theater offers discount Tuesdays. Which meant, because of my Cinemark membership and me not going to the theater in July, both tickets were free.

I just hope the theater sell kettle popcorn because that's the treat my wife looks forward to at our regular theater. Me, I'm happy when a movie theater provides self serve butter, and I drown my popcorn in butter. I've learned to allow the butter to slide down the side of the popcorn on container to get the most of buttered popcorn per hand scoop.

 

I watched The Departed today. It's a movie which has been on Netflix for a while, and I know it's an Academy Award winner for Best Picture, so I wanted to give it a shot. Besides, I've loved many of Martin Scorsese's films. I loved the movie and I thought I'd discuss a few things about the film.

First off, I think one of the film's biggest themes is the duality of the system & society - and, might I note, this is where the brilliance of Martin Scorsese & his casting director Ellen Lewis, shine. They were able to use their actors' typecasting to an amazing advantage; frankly, in a way I've never seen done before. The film has four major players as far as the crime rings are concerned:

Billy Costigan, the son of a mobster who's been drafted by the cops (and one whole lot of cash) to join the mob and be their rat.
Colin Sullivan, a protegé of Frank Costello, drafted to be his man on the inside from the time he was a boy.
Captain Oliver Queenan, the only guy in this film who seems to never have a dark side.
Frank Costello, the godfather of the local crime ring.

I just want to take some notes on the casting here. Let's look at Billy Costigan:

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He's played by Leonardo DiCaprio in probably one of his best performances. He just looks the part. Not only does he look like the kid with no past who's just trying to name himself, but that's what he played on Growing Pains and aligns well with DiCaprio's performance in Titanic. This just is who DiCaprio was at that time and it's marvelously done.

Colin Sullivan is played by Matt Damon:

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Matt Damon is the perfect rat for the mob. He's long, tan, and handsome, perfectly fits the mold of the guy that's the community's golden child. He's the last guy any of us would suspect, but that's why Costello picked him.

In 2005, these two were the rising stars of their generation. They weren't Hollywood greats, but they were well-known stars. It makes sense, then, that their elders were played by Hollywood greats.

In the role of Captain Queenan, we have Martin Sheen.

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In 2005, I don't know if they could have picked anyone better to epitomize the idealism of hope & justice. At this point, Sheen was still starring on The West Wing as a near-perfect president Josiah Bartlet, and the man reeks of fatherly love. He was the figure that Costigan looked up to, in the absence of a decent father, and it in the film, it shows.

And finally, The King of Crime himself

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He was the Joker, an axe-wielding killer in The Shining and he's one of the most skilled actors of our age. He's also better than everyone else at portraying a slimy bastard. His persona reeks of it.

Can you imagine a better juxtaposition than Martin Sheen & Jack Nicholson? President Bartlet & Jack Torrance? I can't.

 

Oh, I totally learned the hard way about over indulging with self serve popcorn, and pick up that cardboard snack tray at the concession stand to create a much needed barrier between the soaking through butter and my lap.

But, I like your tip of deploy the butter an opening near the middle. I'll try that out.

And I have been using the soda cup condensation to create a wet-nap for years already. Of course, it happen by accident, just like the creation of the potato chip.

 

Alright, I have a task for you lot. 5 essential films to watch before the year 2000. Fire away. I’ll start ticking them off.

 

Do you want American & International cinema or just American cinema?

 

Hmmm, American cinema, BUT if there’s a really good international one that must be seen, then that’s fine. I was fine watching Pan’s Labyrinth.

 

there are So many more than five. How about one per decade. To start.

 

Yeah, I like that. Good idea.

 

I went for less obvious picks for each decade - I would not claim any of these are the "best" of their decade (except Vertigo & Chinatown, because they're the best ever )


1910s: Intolerance (1916)

1920s: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

1930s: Modern Times (1936)

1940s: The Third Man (1949)

1950s: Vertigo (1958)


1960s: High and Low (1963)


1970s: Chinatown (1974)


1980s: Paris, Texas (1984)


1990s: Heat (1995)

 

1) Pulp Fiction

2) Aliens

3) Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!