Movies

[gopherhim]

So does anyone use any apps/websites to keep track of what they have watched or want to watch?

TLDR:
-Everyone knows about IMDb but do you have an account?
-Taste is ok
-Letterboxd isn't new but I recently discovered it and it's great
-Movie choice for tonight = The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972, German) on Max




I have had an IMDb account for almost 20 years. I have never written a review but have rated over 2400 titles (movies, series, episodes, etc.). I also use the "add to watchlist" button a lot (1400 titles). Ratings are out of 10 stars. I have gone through long stretches of not rating stuff I watch and there are lots of shows where I haven't rated individual episodes, but it's always been my go-to when I watch something and have the thought "Wait what else was this actor in?" Good source for checking award history for people too.

For 5+ years I've used an app called Taste. Based on your ratings (out of 4 stars—"awful/meh/good/amazing") it has a match feature that tries recommending stuff. I've rated 820 movies and shows, so you'd think Taste's AI has a decent sense of my taste, but I don't really use that feature because you have to subscribe to see more than 10 or so of your "matches". Of the 820 movies/shows I've rated on Taste, I've given the most ratings (53) to titles released in 2017. The oldest title I've rated is Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" (1921). I've rated 19 2024 titles so far. Based on my ratings, it has decided Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton, and Wes Anderson are among my favorite directors, which I'd agree with. I have only reviewed 310 titles, and more regularly in the last year after finishing something. It limits reviews to about a tweet's length of characters which has encouraged me to rattle off a quick blurb more than an IMDb write-up. It's honestly not really an app I'd necessarily recommend, but it's kind of habit for me to open it after finishing watching something now. I enjoy it for what it is and can't abandon all my ratings at this point!

In the last year I discovered Letterboxd. Ratings out of 5 stars (can do half stars so basically out of 10) and only has feature length and short films but also some random tv shows that all seem to fall under the mini or limited series category. I do wish it had tv shows, and I think eventually they'll add those titles too. The app is designed much better than Taste and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any features behind a paywall. Casuals are present and welcome but it definitely has some serious cinephiles and film history nerds leaving detailed and interesting reviews and analyses that I enjoy reading after watching something. People are good about flagging their reviews as having spoilers, but I generally like watching something without going into it with preconceived ideas of what to expect based on a review. You can make lists of movies and some users have compiled some very good lists that have made my watchlist grow. One of the the popular lists has 2000 films and is called "Psychosexual dramas, nihilistic fever dreams & surrealism with a touch of humour" and the description is "to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable" lol. If a movie inspires me to write a longer review, I will. But for now I just leave a slightly longer version of the review I write for Taste. I also comment on reviews sometimes, which is a feature I like. You feel like you're part of a community of people that like watching movies. It's kind of like Goodreads in that sense if you're a reader.

I picked a 1972 German psychosexual drama called "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" for tonight. Streaming on Max. I'm excited for the cinematography, costumes, and lesbian love triangle!

[ironhammer]

For any gamers here, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer is out:

[ironhammer]

And Warner has a trailer for a documentary on the late Christopher Reeve, famous for his Superman role:



Looks like a tear-jerker...in a good way?

[ironhammer]

Saw an early screening for "Transformers One" and I am surprised...in a good way.

Granted, I had very low expectations coming in, after the Michael Bay era that was almost total trash...I had some trepidation it will be another waste of my time. Now I wasn't expecting some Oscar caliber film that will have me in tears and praising it highly, I just wanted to have a good time watching it. And you know what? I actually did enjoyed Transformers One. Me enjoying a Transformers movie for the first time in a long time....wow, I never thought I will say that.

What did I liked? The characterization. All the transformers have clear and memorable personalities. It helps that there are no annoying humans in the way that forces the transformers into the background. No, here the transformers are front and center the main characters. The animation and visual effects were also pretty good. Nothing really remarkable, but it just seem to work on screen. I like that the transformer designs harkens back to the G1 look (which is still the best design in my opinion). The design just felt right, I think transformers is better suited to full animation than live action personally, but that's just my personal bias.

I guess if you are a transformers fan, you know how the story will end, but still, watching how the Autobots and Decepticons became what they are was interesting. I particularly liked how they didn't made Megatron just a simple two-dimensional villain but you understand how he became that way, you don't agree with his methods of course, but you can see why he turned out that way. Finally, I also like how the movie balances humor and tragedy. Not all the jokes landed for me, but I did laugh quite a few times or at least had a smile on my face. And I was impressed the director didn't shy away from the dark tragic break-up you know will occur and I thought director Josh Cooley handled that really well.

So all-in-all, I had a good time. Its not some incredible Oscar quality film, but for what is essentially a film design to sell Hasbro toys, I thought they did it good enough. Cooley brought from his Pixar days, an emphasis on storytelling and strong heartfelt characterization which made the film work for me.

[usdfan2.0]

Aug 26, 2024 10:19:08 GMT -5 gopherhim said:

So does anyone use any apps/websites to keep track of what they have watched or want to watch?


Well I use google sheets. Ha. Really, I keep track on sheets and rate out of 10. For no particular reason. It’s just a log. In a notebook, I keep a list of films I want to see and directors that catch my eye. Way more than I have time for. Between Kanopy, the library, tcm app, and amazon prime there is always something on my list available to stream or borrow.

You could checkout www.stevehoffman.tv/ It’s a great community primarily started for music, but it has a robust tv and movie board. None of the bs that litters vt offnet is tolerated.

[ironhammer]

Squid Games season 2 teaser trailer is out:

[gopherhim]

Sept 21, 2024 16:40:35 GMT -5 usdfan2.0 said:

Aug 26, 2024 10:19:08 GMT -5 gopherhim said:

So does anyone use any apps/websites to keep track of what they have watched or want to watch?

Well I use google sheets. Ha. Really, I keep track on sheets and rate out of 10. For no particular reason. It’s just a log. In a notebook, I keep a list of films I want to see and directors that catch my eye. Way more than I have time for. Between Kanopy, the library, tcm app, and amazon prime there is always something on my list available to stream or borrow.

You could checkout www.stevehoffman.tv/ It’s a great community primarily started for music, but it has a robust tv and movie board. None of the bs that litters vt offnet is tolerated.

Thanks! I’ll check that out. That last sentence in particular sounds appealing.

What’s the last movie you watched? Or next up?

I’ve entered spooky season now that nights are getting cooler and leaves starting to turn in Minnesota. Today’s watch was Session 9. Good-ish not great. A 6/10 maybe. This moment made me burst out laughing which kind of ruined the tension that was being built in the abandoned psychiatric hospital setting. Kind of reminds me of some of the conversations on off the net actually lol

Oh I guess you can only watch it on YouTube. Probably because the title of the clip is “Hey, F*** You” lol

[usdfan2.0]

Sept 22, 2024 0:43:17 GMT -5 gopherhim said:

Sept 21, 2024 16:40:35 GMT -5 usdfan2.0 said:

Thanks! I’ll check that out. That last sentence in particular sounds appealing.

What’s the last movie you watched? Or next up?

I’ve entered spooky season now that nights are getting cooler and leaves starting to turn in Minnesota. Today’s watch was Session 9. Good-ish not great. A 6/10 maybe. This moment made me burst out laughing which kind of ruined the tension that was being built in the abandoned psychiatric hospital setting. Kind of reminds me of some of the conversations on off the net actually lol

Oh I guess you can only watch it on YouTube. Probably because the title of the clip is “Hey, F*** You” lol

Yeah, no context for the clip, but I chuckled at the "punch line."  

TCM app is flush with the sort of life-list movies that I never seem to get around to watching.  Last week I watched Battle of Algiers -The documentary-style cinematography and fast pacing are as immediate today as they were in it's time—definitely one of the best political thrillers I've ever seen. A little stumble at the end.  Feels like an unnecessary epilogue that doesn't match the rest of the film in tone.  8/10. This weekend I watched Touch of Evil which does not seem like my kind of thing at all, but I was entranced (and a little annoyed by Charleton Heston). 9/10.  Others on the TCM docket are 2001 Space Odyssey, which I'm expecting to be one of those films that I put off watching for a long time but like immensely.  And Tokyo Story, which IS my kind of film and I'm really looking forward to.  But I took a little detour and started In the Mood for Love last night (borrowed from the library).  I am a third of the way through and it is exquisitely shot, and that's all I've got for now.  

[mln59]

this looks intriguing

[cindra]

Aug 26, 2024 10:19:08 GMT -5 gopherhim said:

So does anyone use any apps/websites to keep track of what they have watched or want to watch?

TLDR:
-Everyone knows about IMDb but do you have an account?
-Taste is ok
-Letterboxd isn't new but I recently discovered it and it's great
-Movie choice for tonight = The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972, German) on Max




I have had an IMDb account for almost 20 years. I have never written a review but have rated over 2400 titles (movies, series, episodes, etc.). I also use the "add to watchlist" button a lot (1400 titles). Ratings are out of 10 stars. I have gone through long stretches of not rating stuff I watch and there are lots of shows where I haven't rated individual episodes, but it's always been my go-to when I watch something and have the thought "Wait what else was this actor in?" Good source for checking award history for people too.

For 5+ years I've used an app called Taste. Based on your ratings (out of 4 stars—"awful/meh/good/amazing") it has a match feature that tries recommending stuff. I've rated 820 movies and shows, so you'd think Taste's AI has a decent sense of my taste, but I don't really use that feature because you have to subscribe to see more than 10 or so of your "matches". Of the 820 movies/shows I've rated on Taste, I've given the most ratings (53) to titles released in 2017. The oldest title I've rated is Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid" (1921). I've rated 19 2024 titles so far. Based on my ratings, it has decided Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton, and Wes Anderson are among my favorite directors, which I'd agree with. I have only reviewed 310 titles, and more regularly in the last year after finishing something. It limits reviews to about a tweet's length of characters which has encouraged me to rattle off a quick blurb more than an IMDb write-up. It's honestly not really an app I'd necessarily recommend, but it's kind of habit for me to open it after finishing watching something now. I enjoy it for what it is and can't abandon all my ratings at this point!

In the last year I discovered Letterboxd. Ratings out of 5 stars (can do half stars so basically out of 10) and only has feature length and short films but also some random tv shows that all seem to fall under the mini or limited series category. I do wish it had tv shows, and I think eventually they'll add those titles too. The app is designed much better than Taste and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any features behind a paywall. Casuals are present and welcome but it definitely has some serious cinephiles and film history nerds leaving detailed and interesting reviews and analyses that I enjoy reading after watching something. People are good about flagging their reviews as having spoilers, but I generally like watching something without going into it with preconceived ideas of what to expect based on a review. You can make lists of movies and some users have compiled some very good lists that have made my watchlist grow. One of the the popular lists has 2000 films and is called "Psychosexual dramas, nihilistic fever dreams & surrealism with a touch of humour" and the description is "to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable" lol. If a movie inspires me to write a longer review, I will. But for now I just leave a slightly longer version of the review I write for Taste. I also comment on reviews sometimes, which is a feature I like. You feel like you're part of a community of people that like watching movies. It's kind of like Goodreads in that sense if you're a reader.

I picked a 1972 German psychosexual drama called "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" for tonight. Streaming on Max. I'm excited for the cinematography, costumes, and lesbian love triangle!

I have letterboxd. Huge fan. Also AMC A list, i've seen 10 movies in theaters in the last 2 months so a pretty good value for me. 

Recent good new movies I've seen: 
Sing Sing
The Substance
Trap
Romulus
National Anthem

Favorite new movie this year is probably I saw the TV glow.

[gopherhim]

Sept 25, 2024 18:55:26 GMT -5 cindra said:

I have letterboxd. Huge fan. Also AMC A list, i've seen 10 movies in theaters in the last 2 months so a pretty good value for me. 

Recent good new movies I've seen: 
Sing Sing
The Substance
Trap
Romulus
National Anthem

Favorite new movie this year is probably I saw the TV glow.

I Saw the TV Glow was an instant 10/10 review for me. Great soundtrack too.

I had mixed feelings about Trap. Ended up deciding I thought it was bad to the point of being good. I just couldn't get past the first half being a concert for Shyamalan's daughter Ishana lol. The end did intrigue me and save the movie a bit for me. Ishana's directorial debut The Watchers (2024) was just awful and left a bad taste in my mouth I think. Haven't seen the others you mentioned yet.

Other 2024s I've seen...
-I quite liked Love Lies Bleeding. The A24 vibes were strong
-Monkey Man was pretty fun and a much better directorial debut for Dev Patel than Ishana Shyamalan had
-The kaiju battles in Godzilla x Kong were good but just so many human subplots that were unwatchable
-The latest Planet of the Apes was meh but the ending had me interested in what's next
-I was pleasantly surprised by Civil War
-The Bikeriders was very mid
-Horizon Chapter 1 was a mess
-Ultraman: Rising was pretty cute, good animation
-Greedy People was like Wal-Mart brand Coen brothers dark comedy
-Miller's Girl was a big cringe fest
-Space Cadet was even worse than Madame Web which was somehow an accomplishment

[daredevil808]

Anyone seen Transformers One? I was going to watch it this weekend.

[cindra]

Sept 27, 2024 12:06:06 GMT -5 gopherhim said:

Sept 25, 2024 18:55:26 GMT -5 cindra said:

I have letterboxd. Huge fan. Also AMC A list, i've seen 10 movies in theaters in the last 2 months so a pretty good value for me. 

Recent good new movies I've seen: 
Sing Sing
The Substance
Trap
Romulus
National Anthem

Favorite new movie this year is probably I saw the TV glow.

I Saw the TV Glow was an instant 10/10 review for me. Great soundtrack too.

I had mixed feelings about Trap. Ended up deciding I thought it was bad to the point of being good. I just couldn't get past the first half being a concert for Shyamalan's daughter Ishana lol. The end did intrigue me and save the movie a bit for me. Ishana's directorial debut The Watchers (2024) was just awful and left a bad taste in my mouth I think. Haven't seen the others you mentioned yet.

Other 2024s I've seen...
-I quite liked Love Lies Bleeding. The A24 vibes were strong
-Monkey Man was pretty fun and a much better directorial debut for Dev Patel than Ishana Shyamalan had
-The kaiju battles in Godzilla x Kong were good but just so many human subplots that were unwatchable
-The latest Planet of the Apes was meh but the ending had me interested in what's next
-I was pleasantly surprised by Civil War
-The Bikeriders was very mid
-Horizon Chapter 1 was a mess
-Ultraman: Rising was pretty cute, good animation
-Greedy People was like Wal-Mart brand Coen brothers dark comedy
-Miller's Girl was a big cringe fest
-Space Cadet was even worse than Madame Web which was somehow an accomplishment

Agree on the TV glow soundtrack, it's still in my recent tab on spotify.

I had the opposite reaction to trap. I think the scenes in the stadium with Josh Hartnett trying to escape are the best in the movie, and then it falls apart when they leave. Agree the watchers was really bad.

I'm seeing Megalopolis tonight in IMAX with the in person actor thing. Should be fun but weird.

[daredevil808]

Watched Deadpool & Wolverine again since it just came out on Disney Plus recently. All the cameos were awesome.

[vbman100]

Sept 27, 2024 12:47:02 GMT -5 daredevil808 said:

Anyone seen Transformers One? I was going to watch it this weekend.

Yes, we went as a family to see it a few weeks ago. I am not a sci-fi or comic fan, but I thought it was good. It had a good story, not completely predictable, some funny moments and lines.
There were a few foul words in it, so maybe not great for young kids. Our 5 year old son still repeats Bumblebee's nickname for himself. And now our 3 year old daughter does too - not great parenting, but they know to keep it in the house.
I didn't feel like it was a waste of time or money.
Would I watch it again? At home on a streaming service, sure.