Every film you've watched in 2016

[Molly]

Maggie: not what I expected. Review forthcoming

Features: 188

Shorts: 90

Documentaries: 14

I fucking LOVED "Maggie". 

Arnold completely blew me away. 

[Dread]

In a Lonely place: feature for the fest

Features: 189

Shorts: 90

Documentaries: 14

[You Know Who]

Batman: Under the Red Hood: For the most part, it holds up very well indeed. Red Hood is one of the strongest anti-heroes ever presented in comic book media, while Bruce Greenwood's Batman and John DiMaggio's Joker are probably the second-best depictions of their respective characters in animation. Nightwing's fun too. The only major thing I dislike about the film is that it treats the Joker's sympathetic origin from The Killing Joke as canon, rather than one of multiple choices of origin, but that's purely down to personal taste.

Batman: Year One: Loyal to the source material to the point of being slavish and voiceless. Mazzucchelli's style doesn't lend itself to melding with that of the animators behind Young Justice and other DC animated properties (at least at this point). McKenzie, Dushku, and even Cranston did nothing for me as Bruce, Selina, and Gordon.

Son of Batman: Fifty shades of unimpressive. Voices all-around are either unspectacular or miscast (especially the al Ghuls). The opening fight is beyond ridiculous and Deathstroke is supremely jobbed out. Never have I pined so much for Poison Ivy to appear as when Damian started attacking the Wayne Manor topiary.

The Dark Knight Returns, Parts 1 and 2: I gave up on DC's animated, straight-to-DVD films by the time this originall came out, but I'm glad I saw each film and I enjoyed them overall. Part 1 is definitely stronger than Part 2 (namely because Superman: Agent of the President borders on character assassination), but the voice-acting is mostly quite strong and the animation benefits from not being too faithful to Miller's original artwork. Plus, Batman isn't nearly as much of a fascist as I had remembered or expected to be. Even so, the six-minute, Michael-Ironside-cast adaptation in "Legends of the Dark Knight" is probably adaptation we're ever gonna get of this story.

[teenalphabro]

The King's Speech: Pretty entertaining. Mostly just used it as background noise, but it's still really good. 

Films Watched: 142

[Donomark]

Batman: Under the Red Hood: For the most part, it holds up very well indeed. Red Hood is one of the strongest anti-heroes ever presented in comic book media, while Bruce Greenwood's Batman and John DiMaggio's Joker are probably the second-best depictions of their respective characters in animation. Nightwing's fun too. The only major thing I dislike about the film is that it treats the Joker's sympathetic origin from The Killing Joke as canon, rather than one of multiple choices of origin, but that's purely down to personal taste.

Batman: Year One: Loyal to the source material to the point of being slavish and voiceless. Mazzucchelli's style doesn't lend itself to melding with that of the animators behind Young Justice and other DC animated properties (at least at this point). McKenzie, Dushku, and even Cranston did nothing for me as Bruce, Selina, and Gordon.

Son of Batman: Fifty shades of unimpressive. Voices all-around are either unspectacular or miscast (especially the al Ghuls). The opening fight is beyond ridiculous and Deathstroke is supremely jobbed out. Never have I pined so much for Poison Ivy to appear as when Damian started attacking the Wayne Manor topiary.

The Dark Knight Returns, Parts 1 and 2: I gave up on DC's animated, straight-to-DVD films by the time this originall came out, but I'm glad I saw each film and I enjoyed them overall. Part 1 is definitely stronger than Part 2 (namely because Superman: Agent of the President borders on character assassination), but the voice-acting is mostly quite strong and the animation benefits from not being too faithful to Miller's original artwork. Plus, Batman isn't nearly as much of a fascist as I had remembered or expected to be. Even so, the six-minute, Michael-Ironside-cast adaptation in "Legends of the Dark Knight" is probably adaptation we're ever gonna get of this story.

I remember being "meh" on Under the Red Hood when it first came out in 2010, but it quickly grew on me. It's in my top three favorite DTV's they ever did.

Agree with Year One. The character designs are neatly Mazzucchelli-esque, but "slavish and voiceless" are the perfect descriptions for it.

Son of Batman annoyed me because Damian was entirely one dimensional, whereas even with Morrison in the beginning he had a lot more personality than being a humorless dick. The Damian movies get progressively better tho, to the point where I recommend Justice League vs. Teen Titans.

I think the last great DTV they've done is their Dark Knight Returns adaptations. There are touches i don't care for, like the shaky cam. Bruce really isn't how he's like at the start of the story at all, he's still Batman 100% to the point where he acts standoffish towards Gordon, which goes against how Miller wrote him in the comic. But part 2 is excellent, and the entire adaptation of the "Hunt for the Dark Knight" chapter was perfectly done IMO.

 

THE ACCOUNTANT: Pretty much exactly what it looked like from the trailers, albiet much more confusing. The basic plot involving the bad guys I could not follow worth a damn. It's a solidly entertaining actioner with a smidgen of heart, and feels like the beginning of a new series. Like a Bourne-esque franchise.

[Dread]

Jules D./Synesthesia: shorts for the festival

Features: 189

Shorts: 92

Documentaries: 14

[teenalphabro]

What We Do In The Shadows: Overall, pretty enjoyable. Not super amazing, but enjoyable.

Films Watched: 143

[Dread]

Suicide Squad: my first rewatch of the year! Holds up. Still has the villain problem but it has a leg up on basically every other comic movie as it has a secondary villain in the Joker who provides a lot of great conflict. I'm sold on Leto's Joker in this viewing. Really enjoyed this a second time.

Demon Hunter: feature for the festival

Infirmity/Betty/Looker/Flies in May/Mirror: shorts for the festival

Features: 190

Shorts: 97

Documentaries: 14

Rewatches: 1

 

[Richard Paterson]

We watched Superman Returns over the weekend, partly because my partner had only seen Brandon Routh in Chuck and was curious.  FWIW, I think he plays the part(s) really well, and the film doesn't really suffer as a result of being set after Superman II.  The main issue I have is that Superman takes a back seat to Lois (didn't have a problem with Kate Bosworth) and Lex (lots of fun).

Definitely rate this above Man of Steel.  Still haven't seen BvS.

[You Know Who]

Still haven't seen BvS.

Perfect timing! Don't.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice: Skipped it's theatrical run because I didn't like what I saw in the trailers or what I heard from fans who had seen it. It really is as terrible as critics would have you believe, if not more so. Again, I'm not sure if I can add anything new to the discussion, so I'm just gonna rattle off a few random thoughts:

-What's the matter with these movies? They homage all these big comic book story lines, yet they don't have balls to call their main characters Batman and Superman half the time?

-I hate that this film thinks that it's relevant, what with Cosplay Boko Haram and Cosplay Blackwater.

-All this lofty political rhetoric leveled at Superman because he had the audacity to save one person? Shouldn't they be grilling him for NOT saving all those people at that shoot-up?

-I don't care how badass Diana is later in this movie. She's not a femme fatale. Her character was created to transcend stereotypes like that.

-Seriously -- most of Mr. Freeze's lines in Batman & Robin are better-conceived than "the red capes are coming".

-A jar of piss? REALLY?

-When Batman gases Superman and says "Breathe it in. That's fear", was he exposing him to the Scarecrow gas? If so, why does this film give both Bruce AND Clark fever dreams, yet doesn't show us what Superman sees under the influence of that gas? (Side question: What would he see?) If not, then it makes no sense. It's either rejected a trailer line or they forgot to get rid of it in the script's final draft.

-"It's okay. I'm a friend of your son's." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA--fuck you.

-Did Batman really think that Wonder Woman was with Superman? Lame trailer line or Batman's an even greater dumbass than prior to now. Take your pick.

-This is a Saw film.

-I so wanted Martha to notice that Bruce snuck into the funeral and shot-gun him in the face.

-"Distributed by Cruel and Unusual Films". No shit.

All that said, I am intrigued enough not to totally write off the next few DCEU films. Suicide Squad also got a heap of critical loathing, but I can't see it being worse than this. Even if they do ruin both Harley and the Joker, it can't be worse than ruining Superman, Batman, and Lex Luthor. Wonder Woman and Justice League might work, but my hopes aren't high.

And no, I'm not gonna see the R-rated, 3-hour long Ultimate Cut. This alone was already half an hour too long.

The film doesn't really suffer as a result of being set after Superman II.

It might not if a mind-wiped Lois hadn't had Superman's love child between that film and this one. Too each their own, though.

[Dread]

Ghost,Misunderstood/Pandemic/Vexed/Penelope/I Am The Doorway: shorts for the festival

Features: 190

Shorts: 102

Documentaries: 14

Rewatches: 1

[Richard Paterson]

 

The film doesn't really suffer as a result of being set after Superman II.

It might not if a mind-wiped Lois hadn't had Superman's love child between that film and this one. Too each their own, though.

Ah, it's been forever since I actually saw the Reeve films.  I was more thinking about people coming into this film not really having to have seen them at all, despite them making a bit of a big deal about where it was set.

[Dread]

Blessed Are The Children: feature for the festival

Features: 191

Shorts: 102

Documentaries: 14

Rewatches: 1

[Dread]

Monster Pool: Chapter 2-feature for the festival

Features: 192

Shorts: 102

Documentaries: 14

Rewatches: 1

 

[teenalphabro]

Sisters: That was a huge bag of weird and fucked up. 

Films Watched: 144

[Koete]

Love it. 

[teenalphabro]

I love it the same way I love Eraserhead. I know there's a good film, and a lot of symbolism, but man. That was a fucking trip.

[teenalphabro]

Dark City: Still really fantastic. 

Films Watched: 145

[Donomark]

^I've had that DVD in my room for months. Need to watch it one of these days.

Batman (1989): I change my mind on this movie every time I watch it. ("Fun Fact"- I was actually present at the theatrical screening of it back in '89, as a newborn. My parents hadda leave because apparently I started wailing the moment gunshots started firing) I go through periods where I don't like it, like it, like some of it and so on.

This time around what jumped out at me was the campy parts. Like, stuff that would be right at home in the '66 tv show, like Joker's weird crush on Vale (and Vale trying to kiss up to him to distract him), the electric hand gag's visuals, the townspeople in Gotham and the Prince Art sequence.

But there's a lot that still holds up 27 years later. It cannot be overstated, Michael Keaton is arguably the best live-action Bruce Wayne. He should've been nominated for an Oscar for this performance. Christian Bale is way more like the comic book's version, but Keaton's Wayne feels like the character if he actually existed. He's somewhat unhinged 24/7, but endlessly charming 24/7. He just has that frowny look about him that's natural and not a put-on. The infamous "UWANNAGETNUTS?!" scene is perfect from start to finish once the Joker arrives (keep an eye out for Vicki eating popcorn during Bruce's monologue), and watches like it was written just to show off what Keaton can do. When he's remembering his parents' deaths, the look on his face is all that needs to be said. No painful "MY PARENTS ARE DEAD" dialogue from Ben Affleck, or really anything from the comics in the past decade. Keaton's sorrowful pondering tells the tale more than anything done with that origin since. The origin sequence itself is really well shot, despite some cheesy over-the-top bits like the walking in step and Jack Napier killing the Waynes out of mania instead of money.

Jack Nicholson btw is an incredibly spot-on Joker. Some of his lines are gratuitously nonsensical and are only done because he's Jack Nicholson ("I'm of a mind, makes a moogey" what???), but 95% of his dialogue I'm watching and thinking "Damn, that is exactly what the Joker should sound and talk like" ("I make art until somebody dies").

When Burton keeps the zaniness out of the film, the dark parts are pretty gruesome. The whole scene with the smoking skeleton and Joker talking and laughing over him is sheer macabre brilliance. The news anchor laughing to death on air, Joker's commercials, the bloody chattering teeth, it's all pretty fucking cool.

Stuff that's not so good is the cheesy, ill-considered plot and writing overall. There's not much talk of police corruption besides Eckhart, so why aren't the cops moving in on Grissom if all anyone talks about him is that he's a mob boss? Why does the press care, and are incredibly chummy, with the doings of another crime boss in Vinny? WTF don't the cops arrest Joker on sight during that entire parade sequence? Why is Batman running from henchmen, fleeing in his car, and down an alley? What's with Alfred being an insufferable shipper? Why is Vicki's dialogue in the Bat-cave the most insipid bullshit ever?

Additionally, the effects have all aged pathetically. Despite the eleven year time difference, this movie looks to be going on the same time as Chris Reeve Superman. Regarding the costume, the first time you see him raise his arm the suit's clearly ripping. Bat-Stuntmen are right in front of the camera Star Trek style. The sound effects sound off all over, including ADR. The mat paintings stick out a lot. I thought Dick Tracy did that better the following year.

Finally Vicki Vale famously sucks. She's the only woman in the whole movie who's any sort of character but, and I remember this was pointed out on the podcast, she's incredibly dumb, self-centered, and played by a lightweight in Kim Basinger, I think she's more of a writing problem than acting problem, but she really isn't performed well at all. Michelle Pfeiffer puts her to shame in Returns.

IDK, I mean I think I liked it more'n disliked it this time 'round. You don't really notice Batman killing anyone until the third act when it just gets goofy. I come back to this movie for Keaton's Bruce Wayne. It's a fascinating performance, and one that I'm sorry didn't translate elsewhere but I suppose it would be hard to copy in other media since it's so unique to him.

 

[You Know Who]

But there's a lot that still holds up 27 years later. It cannot be overstated, Michael Keaton is arguably the best live-action Bruce Wayne. He should've been nominated for an Oscar for this performance. Christian Bale is way more like the comic book's version, but Keaton's Wayne feels like the character if he actually existed. He's somewhat unhinged 24/7, but endlessly charming 24/7. He just has that frowny look about him that's natural and not a put-on. The infamous "UWANNAGETNUTS?!" scene is perfect from start to finish once the Joker arrives (keep an eye out for Vicki eating popcorn during Bruce's monologue), and watches like it was written just to show off what Keaton can do. When he's remembering his parents' deaths, the look on his face is all that needs to be said. No painful "MY PARENTS ARE DEAD" dialogue from Ben Affleck, or really anything from the comics in the past decade. Keaton's sorrowful pondering tells the tale more than anything done with that origin since. The origin sequence itself is really well shot, despite some cheesy over-the-top bits like the walking in step and Jack Napier killing the Waynes out of mania instead of money.

 

Having rewatched the film recently, I have to disagree with you on this point. Keaton's Wayne feels more like one of Tim Burton's other reclusive weirdo protagonists (e.g. Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka, Victor from Corpse Bride) to me than a charming millionaire or a grown-up child still angry about the death of his parents. Also, the film never even attempts to answer "why bats, Master Wayne?" Keaton's a good actor, as demonstrated by the "Wanna get nuts" scene, but I think that scene also shows that he probably would have been better as the Joker. 

To each their own, though, and good points overall. I wish I had caught the goofs you pointed out last time saw the film.

[Donomark]

In most of the weaknesses in character, I blame the writing. We only see Bruce with either Vicki or Alfred, so with Vicki he's made out to be hypnotically attracted to her. But with Alfred the two have great back and forth. One of the strangest scenes is when Knox and Vale are in his armory room and he's following them getting a kick out of what their saying, but I liked that. Seeing all of the international armor said more about his character than Keaton's dialogue in that scene, and the fact that he plays it off so casually ("It's Japanese. I bought it in Japan.") I think is a pretty cool take on the character.

But again I think his weakest points, like hanging upside down like a bat which is campy as all fuck, is down to the writing. We don't know why he's "BAT"man, but as a character I think Keaton makes him incredibly believable.

[You Know Who]

Agreed. To date, I'm not sure there's been a badly performed live-action Batman/Bruce Wayne other than Clooney's (who wore a deer-in-the-headlights look throughout a lot of the film).

Wonder Woman (2009): Held up pretty nicely. It should have been longer to flesh out the Diana and Steve relationship and Alexa's a rather one-note character, but otherwise it's pretty well-written and the violence isn't gratuitous like some of the recent post-DCAU films. Along with Under the Red Hood, it's also one of the few with a strong, memorable score.

Justice League: War: Not very good. Captain Marvel's fun and Batman, Cyborg, and the Flash are decent, but Superman and Wonder Woman are barbaric and Hal Jordan's an utter jerk-off. Normally, Steve Blum voicing your villain is a blessing, but they completely misuse him here. If this is a close adaptation of the first New 52 Justice League arc (aside from Aquaman being replaced) and Snyder's basing his Justice League film on that story, then the DCEU is in serious trouble.

[dc20willsave]

I've been slacking.

A Very Brady Christmas: See my thoughts on The Show.

Home Alone: Still one of my favorite Christmas films. My new game when watching it is to try to figure out which kid belongs to what parent.

Magical Christmas Tree: Odd little film that I watched with Rifftrax commentary. Strange as all heck.

Ernest Saves Christmas: Because we all need a little Ernest now.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: This is probably the most successful of the adaptations of the C.S. Lewis novel. Tilda Swinton is excellent and probably the highlight.

Films: 139
Documentaries: 1
Rewatches: 4
Rifftrax Assisted: 3
Made For TV: 6

[Donomark]

I own the '09 Wonder Woman film but haven't watched it in a few years. But I re-watched some clips online and was kind of horrified in hindsight. There's a lot of crass humor like Steve Trevor trying to get Diana drunk and complementing her boobs, but what really threw me was the whole man-splaining scene in the hospital. Oh my God, that was awful. I'll have to watch the whole thing for a fresher perspective, but considering how the character's come back into popularity in recent times, the scenes I saw seemed like they were from something that would get shouted off the stage if it came out today. That might just be me tho.

[Missy]

I may need to rewatch it, because, if I recall, I loved it when James and I covered it on The Show.