The Things I've Seen

25, a record of movies or shows I've watched and other things related, recomendations welcome.

[must-watch-it-all]

Icon: Rubber (2010)

Banner: Orinda Theatre, Orinda, CA

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[gmax-centiskorch]

trying to preach the good word of time loops as a storytelling device to my friends and family on Instagram

[bethoftheblvd]

jordanlgonzalez:

Walk with us a while? Friends on film pt 2

[must-watch-it-all]

Just saw The Toxic Avenger in theaters after waiting two years for it's release.

I loved it. I understand why it remained unreleased for so long but I'm glad that they waited until they could show it uncensored on the big screen.

It is most definitely gory with some great practical effects, but it forgoes the shock value and tastelessness of the original '84 film (probably for the better).

It's also funnier than I thought it would be and it actually got quite a few laughs out of me.

If this movie interests you at all, make every effort possible to support it while it's in theaters.

Buy it on VOD, buy the novelty popcorn bucket, and to borrow their new marketing tagline...

SHOW THE F*** UP!!!

[saposters]

welcome to twin peaks!

[must-watch-it-all]

Been busy with my final semester, and now that I've finally graduated I can begin posting about all the films I've seen in the last few months.

I saw Superman twice in theaters and I loved it. I've been anticipating this movie for years and it was everything I wanted in a Superman movie.

I feel this is a great introduction to the new DC film universe, leaving a lot of space to grow and characters to explore.

There's not a single weak performance that I can point to. Of course David Corenswet plays a great Superman/Clark, but I think Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor is a standout for playing him as an unhinged, megalomaniacal, hater.

This film captures the feeling of jumping into a story on issue six of a twelve issue comic run in a way no other comic movie has.

Everything we need to know about this Superman is here in the narrative, boiling down numerous common storylines to their necessary components to lay down the groundwork for this version of the character.

I can go on and on, but all I can say is you should definitely watch it and I can't wait to see what comes next.

[freshmoviequotes]

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

[atomiccollectionanchorme]

Blade Runner (1982)

Syd Mead's gorgeous Blade Runner's interiors

[must-watch-it-all]

Saw Elio in theaters.

I remember that the initial promotional material and trailers for this movie didn't really sell me on the premise. It was only when I found out that the grub alien wasn't a generic dog-like sidekick, but an actual character, that I became more interested.

And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this movie. I definitely think it's worth a watch, at the theater or at home.

Spoilers:

The friendship between Elio and Glordon is the best part of this movie and probably should have been focused on more.

Other than that, there's not much else to say about the story. It's fairly straightforward for the plot of "misunderstood kid is abducted by aliens and is mistaken for Earth's leader."

I will say that Olga figuring out Elio was replaced with a clone on her own was refreshing to see.

On the other hand, there's a plot line relating to "bullies" that never really goes anywhere. Honestly, the camp could have been cut from the movie entirely with only minor rewrites while still keeping the character of Bryce to come in at the end.

It seems like the production of this movie lacked a unified vision judging by the number of directors and writers that worked on it.

Overall, I like the world this movie created and Elio and Glordon make this worth a watch.

[must-watch-it-all]

Saw The Phoenician Scheme in theaters.

I think this is a great entry into Wes Anderson's filmography and I would recommend going to see it in theaters if you can.

I've really only watched Anderson's two animated features and Astroid City which I understand to be on the deeper end of his directorial style. So I'm very curious to see how this film compares to the majority of his existing work.

Otherwise; the ensemble cast, the set design, the staging, and all else come together for a very entertaining film that I plan on seeing again.

If there's any of Anderson's movies that stand out above the rest I'd love a recommendation.

[must-watch-it-all]

Saw Bring Her Back with a free AAA24 ticket.

This is a fantastic follow up to Talk to Me. The Philippou brothers have taken everything they've learned from their first film and used it to make this one even more effective.

If you're a horror fan I would make the effort to see it while it's still in theaters.

Spoilers:

I love the mix of psychological, supernatural, and body horror. It builds up the suspense in such an uncomfortable way until it all comes crashing in.

It's a really interesting depiction of the cycles of abuse and grief. It also presents a horrifying reality of outwardly "trustworthy" people being able to get away the most heinous things imaginable. Vulnerable kids are taken advantage of by the adults they should be able to trust and struggle to be believed. I also think there's strong criticism of "rebirthing" and people who foster/adopt for self gratification.

Laura is terrifying in the lengths she goes to bring her daughter back by manipulating these children with skills she learned as a counselor to help troubled kids. The moment where she reads Andy's messages is completely recontextualized with the revelation of who Ollie is.

Just like in Talk to Me we are given just enough information on the supernatural force to understand the awful reality underneath the surface. Since we see the demon mimicking the voices of people whose flesh (and hair) it consumes, I think that Cathy was never actually going to come back and Piper would have been some kind of permanent host.

The practical effects on Ollie really sell the skincrawling transformation his body goes through over the course of the movie. Also, great performances by all the actors.

The ending is an absolute downer, with only the slightest of ray of hope for Piper with an airplane flying overhead. None of the characters get a happy ending, some suffer much more than the characters that die.

There's a handful of nitpicks I have, but nothing that actually took me out of the movie.

I'll definitely be looking forward to whatever this team makes next.

[must-watch-it-all]

Saw Friendship in theaters, using a free AAA24 ticket, with my best friend.

This movie is hilarious in an "I'm so glad I'm not personally experiencing this in real life" sort of way.

I would highly recommend seeing this if you have a high tolerance for the type of comedy Tim Robinson is known for.

From now on we should all refer to any new Marvel movies as "a Marvel."

Light Spoilers:

I was genuinely rooting for the film to end with no resolution to the driving conflict. I wanted it to leave me hanging so bad. And yet it kept going.

Craig all parts oddly charming and absolutely infuriating and expertly straddles that line up until the end.

This film has so many memorable moments due to the sheer mismatch of emotions that flow through you when you're watching. That soap scene is going to stick with me for a long time.

And to top it all off, the key to understanding the entire movie takes place in a Subway.

Watch it with a friend to elevate the experience.

[submersero]

[boboboboty]

this is one of the most important moments in the history of cinema and no im not exaggerating. people are overlooking how this is on the same level as the "Welcome to Jurassic Park" scene or the first act transition in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[meezer]

I Saw The Money Grow

[slunch]

[thecyndimistuff]

my eye is twitching

[kstarlitchaotics]

Between this with Jumba and Pleakley I get to why some parts of the internet is freaking out because how lately Disney have been with letting us down with remakes but also I mean I'm very skeptical myself but also I kind of want to give it a try but then again I don't want to be disappointed

[thecyndimistuff]

Don’t watch this movie, I’m begging. This is more than just complaining about how disney doesn’t need to do live action remakes. This movie in particular has already exploited the lands of Hawai‘i by filming there and will continue to do so by promoting tourism there, which is destroying the islands and harms locals and indigenous natives who are already getting pushed out of their homes by foreigners due to tourism and gentrification.

This movie also promotes whitewashing. They casted a lightskinned wasian woman to play Nani instead of an actual indigenous Hawaiian woman. This movie is promoting the erasure of Hawaiian people getting to tell stories about themselves, there’s not a single Hawaiian person behind the writing or directing for the production of this movie and its clear that unlike the original cartoon, it’s made with a clear lack of respect for its people.

Do not watch this movie.

[steviewashere]

I am spoiling the live action Lilo & Stitch. And I am doing it up front and plainly.

Do not fucking see this movie. Do not waste your money on this. Period.

They made Nani give Lilo up to the American government. They made Nani LEAVE Hawaii and pursue being a marine biologist. They made a native Hawaiian character give up her sibling to pursue a dream that she originally did not have. This is imperialist propaganda at its FINEST.

The original fucking movie is about family staying together. It's about indigenous people being able to stay with each other and stay in their home and be together! That's the whole fucking point! Nani is Lilo's last living relative on her homeland—it is jarring, it is disgusting and disturbing that Nani would not only leave her last blood relative alone, give her up to the very government that is harming native Hawaiians TODAY, but also travel to the "mainland" for her dream!

Not to mention, Nani's actress isn't fucking Hawaiian. She's much paler in photos and real life. They fucking darkened her for this movie.

Don't even get me started on the transgender subtext of Pleakley's "human" disguise from the original movie being completely erased in favor of him being played by a regular ass white man. Jumba doesn't have his accent, they made him more villainous, and his "human" disguise is a non-fat white man—which part of his original joke, I know, is that he was bigger and was more clumsy in the movie because of his size, but to have the main shape of his character completely removed is also fucking weird.

This live action movie is a desecration to the original. I encourage you to not see it, please. Don't give Disney any of your money on this one. Just watch the original. Please just watch the original.

The new message in the live action movie is disturbing and gross.

This is one of the most disrespectful live actions I've seen and heard of. I implore you to not watch it.

[shoujo-wizard]

I have not seen this movie nor will i see this movie, I was born & raised in Hawaii & was fortunate enough to grow up around native Hawaiian culture. So let me explain how casting a white actress as Nani then putting her in brown face is not the only thing they did wrong w her character, it is definitely the worst thing they did but it isn't the only thing they did

To have Nani pursue marine science... isn't necessarily a bad thing if it was what she wanted in the original but her actual dream in the original movie was to b a professional surfer. She has surfing trophies in her room in the original movie!

surfing holds an extremely important role in Hawaiian culture its not simply a sport or past time. Surfing has roots of hundreds of years in Polynesia as a whole & in Hawaii specifically. In tht tradition u don't simply buy a board: u make it. You have to find a tree tht u feel is ur board & u make ur board yourself, that's without even mentioning tht these boards were often made from a tree considered sacred in Hawaiian cosmology

It was a native Hawaiian man, Duke Kahanamoku, who brought surfing to the world & dreamed of it becoming an Olympic sport. He's the reason Australians even know what surfing is much less how to surf. Tht board tht life guards have at beaches exists because Duke once saved every man from a sinking vessel with his surf board alone when the actual life guards had no way of getting out to the wreck bc of waves. The most prestigious surfing event is an invitation only event named for & honoring another native Hawaiian man, Eddie Aikau, who was both a phenomenal surfer & legendary life guard. There's a saying in Hawaii "Eddie would go" bc he would go out in the worst & most extreme conditions in his duty as a life guard when his fellow life guards wouldn't. To remove Nani from tht heritage not just by casting a white woman in brown face but abandoning her connection to surfing compounds the disrespect native Hawaii is put thru in this remake especially when the original movie was so respectful & caring of the native Hawaiian culture

A movie abt fucking surfing penguins is more respectful of surfing than this movie, don't give this movie money by going to see it & don't give it money by streaming it

EDIT: also going to study marine science on the continent just shows how little actual research was done bc one of the most sought after marine science schools is IN HAWAII

[must-watch-it-all]

I went to see the Lilo & Stitch remake to make my mom happy. I purchased tickets for a different movie so I didn't give it money for all that it's worth.

It's bad. Don't watch it if you have any love for the original. If you haven't seen the original, watch that instead of the remake.

Spoilers for stuff I hated:

The second their next door neighbor was introduced alongside Nani wanting to go to college I knew exactly how this was going to end.

This movie is twenty minutes longer than the original and it still rushes to get to new awkward human Jumba and Pleakly funnies and an out of place Bruno Mars song drop.

Lilo is stripped of any real character.

Lilo is actually infuriating during the job hunting montage. Like actively working against Nani instead of having Stitch accidentally being destructive.

Pleakly doesn't do drag.

Zach Galifianakis is just bad for the roll of Jumba. It didn't help that they wrote the character to be like Sheldon Big Bang Theory and for some reason is also the villain.

There are moments where the movie is written and filmed like hallmark.

Cobra Bubbles does nothing of note and probably shouldn't have been included.

David is just...there.

CapriSun.

No Ugly Duckling story.

Stitch never talks to Nani about ohana.

They slip Hawaiian words into dialogue and then say the English word immediately after so no one gets confused.

Not even a sniff of criticism towards the tourism industry or Hawaiian annexation.

The only bright spot is that CGI Stitch actually looked pretty good. He is more marketable than ever.

The original was one of me and my mom's favorite films to watch when I was younger and watching this just made me sad. Even my mom thought the remake sucked.