But as for Indies: At least there was a really fucking great animated short by vewn called Twins In Paradise

Granted, it's also a bleak glimpse into the abyss that is real life, but executed in a really artsy way and with a kickass original soundtrack. Don't know if shorts qualify for this thread. But this probably the most blown away I was by anything resembling a movie that came out this year. The final season of BoJack too of course, but that's something for another thread.

film dates are not 100% translatable because the usual dates are the festivals first and then limited release then general release then repertorie/online.

e.g. i think in march when the lockdown happened i was getting ready to go see 1917 at the movies. maybe memory deceives me.

eg little women general release listed as dec 25. so in practice a january 2020 movie for most. now it’s on a paid channel.

and oh yeah 1917 opened here january, see:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8579674...ref_=tt_ov_inf

I watched The Old Guard on Netflix which is a new movie but wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
Another new movie on Netflix is The Trial of the Chicago 7. I haven't watched it yet, but it's getting decent to good reviews,I'll give it a try in the weekend

Finished a new rewatch of Lord of the Rings Extended edition.

really great movie about serbians and their king in the first world war... i wonder how i wasn't crying while watching it

Hail Caesar!

Beautifully made with some great moments, but ultimately one of the Coen films of least consequence.

A Christmas Carol from 1984, with George C. Scott

I agree with you on this.

Also, Sam Rockwell's portrayal of the the main character is top notch. Not an easy role I imagine.

A peach of a movie. Highly recommended. I don't want to summarise the plot for those who have not seen it. The less you know the better...

Bombshell, the dramatization of the Roger Ailes Fox News harassment scandal. Quite enjoyed it, a critique of Donald Trump as much as Ailes. The scene between him and Margot Robbie's character is really chilling, and nothing explicit even happens.

not watched but watching, and not a movie but an anime. Neon Genesis Evangelion to be more exact. man this show is a real emotional stress test

This movie seemed to fly under the radar. Daniel Radcliffe is a damn good actor and more often than not chooses pretty interesting movies. This is no exception, and just watching the behind the scenes of this movie. Yes, its just a movie but how many actors would go to such lengths for a performance? Very much recommend.

Finally saw Moonlight. It really was excellent. I can’t believe it won best picture, and for once I’m saying that in a positive way, meaning it seemed an unlikely winner, but it was a truly deserving one.

Some heartbreaking moments, but all in all, it’s a film that runs almost entirely on the measured performances of its actors. There’s little in the way of traditional climax. It’s told through facial expressions, emotion, tension, tone, and the selection of musical interludes.

Really a remarkable movie.

The best 2020 movie I've seen. Also the only 2020 movie I've seen. It's solid, alright. The visuals are even stellar. A respectable achievement, overall. It's just not always as engaging as it wants to be.

Titanic, a classic and I'll fight anyone on any dispute.


Especially interesting, from my perspective, for Kate Winslet who went from a bit of a proverbial nobody to international star in a short time.

Saw two movies that I wouldn't recommend:

The Andromeda Strain
It's actually a mini series of 3 hours. It's gets more and more uncredible by the minute. But you still want to see how it finishes, and I have already forgotten how it ended

Green Lantern
It stars Ryan Reynolds which is the plus, but the movie and especially the script is very poorly done

Has anyone been watching: 60 Days In?

Season 5 is on Netflix. I’m five episodes in and so far it hasn’t been very realistic. However, I have a buddy gearing up to go inside for a stretch and he’s been watching more so as a training/survival video.

Scrooged

Trust, by Hal Hartley
 

Hadn't watched it in about 20 years. Highly recommended.

I’m in the process of watching Tenet.
I’m so thankful for subtitles because the dialogue is extremely hard to make out.
Otherwise, it’s great so far.

But are you watching Tenet on your phone, the way it was intended?

I don’t even get the this reference.

Nolan is a total weapon about this whole thing. HBO announced that they'd be showing all Warner (the studio his films come out from) films to be released on their streaming service at the same time as they come out in the cinema. Nolan flipped about it saying the films won't be seen as intended. As if everyone is watching films on tiny phone screens and not the 55" swish TV's everyone has nowadays.

Someone mentioned something about him flipping out about HBO Max but I didn’t get context.

He’s a big imax guy, big immersive film experience dude. I get why he’d be upset.
Theaters are going to die forever if people don’t support them, even though supporting them *RIGHT NOW* is HIGHLY UNADVISABLE.

Anyway, I’m watching on my computer. It has subtitles, thank god, because the audio — despite being great effects-wise — is borderline inaudible when it comes to actual dialogue.

Genarally, I like Nolan's movies, but yeah, he made a big stink about HBOMax but he also pretty much insisted that WB don't postpone the release of Tenet right when medical advisors were suggesting(it was not yet mandated)that people stay home to avoid potential getting Covid, which meant theaters would either close or operate at half capacity and Nolan pretty much insisted Tenet come out when it was scheduled to, rather than wait.

Anyways I watched Peppermint tonight.


Its basically Jennifer Garner doing Alias like 20 years later. Not sure why she didn't star in a ton of action movies post Alias, unless it was by choice. Thought it was a solid action movie.

Yeah that was weird, I didn’t love that.

Anyway, Tenet was good. The best James Bond movie in a long time, with a cooler plot and minus the sexually predatory stuff.

Now this went on to become my favorite 2020 movie. Gorgeous animation - it seemlessly blends so many styles. From framing taken out of a medieval painting to dynamically visible pencil lines in kinetic motions, MC Escher-esque impossible architecture to even a few elements inspired by anime - there's so much variety in there. Hell, you'll even see some damn fine triptyches in it. And all the action is perfectly frantic and actually quite intense. In a way, it sort of feels like the blending of different techniques in Into The Spider-Verse two years ago, only with its own spin.


The story is quite simple, but effective. It also works well as a parable to the historical events unfolding in Ireland in the mid 17th Century.


Some fine acting in there too, you can feel some of that emotional oomph. It starts out really adorable, but actually gets increasingly tense. You can certainly feel all the pressure of very oppressive times getting to the characters. That feeling is palpable.


All im all: Enjoyed it a lot. Great for kids and adults alike. All-round good entertainment with stellar visuals.

is this the original andromeda strain or some remake? havent checked the interwebs but the original was epic!

that is how i learned to prepare for covid :D

The single best Christmas movie.

Hardest agree ever.

I'd put this one on top of my list. ;)




I have fond memories of watching the Muppets one often as a child though. Back when I still liked this season and didn't just see it as a gaudy display of capitalist excess and aggressive attention-grabbing dogma. Probably still holds up though. It's been ages.

Watching Muppet Christmas Carol again because of our friend choc e-Claire and because I had it handy for a rewatch anyway.

I like it because the message "it's good when capitalists die" appeals to my lefty nature :D

In all seriousness, it's great. Very touching, a few great lines (literally right from the beginning - "I am here to tell the story." "And I am here for the food."), excellent songs, faithful retelling.

"Our assets are frozen!"


"How would the rats like to be suddenly UNEMPLOYED!"


"Heatwave! This is my island in the sun! Oy Oy!"


So much classic muppet charm.

My mother pinpoints that exact line as the one that made her love the movie the first time she saw it.

"But my friends, you were not unfeeling towards your fellow men."
"True, there was something about mankind we loved."
"I think it was their money."

We too watched this one. The Mrs' 10 year old had never seen it (I know. The kid has been deprived) so it was high-time we changed that. Gotta agree with all the sentiments above. The balance between using the exact same lines as in the book and the lines that make it the Muppets was perfectly done.

Michael Caine is just great in it too. The decision for him to play it straight was absolutely bang on. A film that'll still be watched by people when we're all old and decrepit.

Best Christmas movie ever made :D
Not
Started watching the sequel too, but I fell asleep....

I remember every single line here so clearly

I heard tell that the horrible song Scrooge sings with the young version of whatshername in that flashback was cut out of the movie for digital release and is now being put back in for Disney+.

If I’d known that song was gone, I would have watched the movie more. I hate that thing.

If you like any of the characters that are featured in this movie, do not watch this movie !!!!
blah, cheapo Nickolodean animated crap. And it's even available in 4K Ultra HD, what's the point in that? Just watch it on Netflix if you really want to see how bad it is.