#I love the look Pedro gives Denzels character

[tlou-obsessed]

why is this giving me the same vibe

[tightjeansjavi]

How did Ridley Scott and the entire team that worked on writing, editing and producing gladiator 2 sit there and go “ah, yeah, boys! This is the one” whatever drugs they were on, I want to be on them too so that I can live in de lu lu land too

[max--phillips]

Okay here goes

First, the spoiler free stuff:

Ridley Scott knows how to make a fucking film.

If I don’t see fics of Acacius x reader x Lucilla I will begin biting

If you are going in it for Pedro, I will warn you his character is very important but kind of… idk, shallow is too strong of a word, but not very fleshed out. I don’t think that’s an issue in the greater scheme of the movie though, it makes sense in the plot and doesn’t feel out of place or bad in the universe.

If you are going in it for Paul Mescal, you will not be disappointed.

Please watch the first movie first. The story will not make any fucking sense if you don’t.

Just the right amount of flashbacks and footage from the first movie . Chefs kiss

Ridley Scott really said “all emperors and tyrants are nasty little freaks with terrible vibes”

Oh also if you’re squeamish about gore and stuff like. It’s a movie about gladiators so set your expectations accordingly. There is an instance of a disembodied head used as a prop. So y’know

Okay, spoilery stuff below the cut

Arishat was hot :( rip

Monkeys at the beginning? Terrible. 0/10 did not enjoy that. Also did not enjoy seeing and hearing Mr. Mescal BITING ONE

I love Ravi I would watch a whole movie just about him tending to gladiators’ wounds quite frankly. Give me that story

We love to see bisexuality on screen (even though that wasn’t a social identity at the time but we’re not here to talk about that) what with the concubines and drunk as fuck Macrinus

Speaking of drunk as fuck Macrinus: that whole scene was so fucking funny. They’re like that meme about people getting high. You know the one

Speaking of Macrinus—Denzel Washington stole the show. When TIME magazine pushed a story to me today headlined “Gladiator II Belongs to Denzel Washington,” I was like, pshhhh, nah. But it really does. It’s not about him? But it’s his fucking show.

The politics . THE POLITICS

It feels a little heavy handed right now but that wasn’t probably how it was intended, given it was made before. Y’know. The election. But the whole dream of Rome being a place where everyone is equal and cared for but you can only whisper it or it’ll shatter? Yeah.

Oh, right, Acacius: that dude is so tired he does NOT want to be there. Let him go home to his hot wife. Alas, his hot wife is the way she is and like… no good deed goes unpunished.

And I fucking called it with my text post a few months ago. Two (2) movies now where Denzel Washington (either directly or indirectly) kills Pedro Pascal. Brilliant

Admittedly selfishly I would’ve liked to see more of him. But it felt like the correct thing in the context of the story. If he didn’t die then, if he wasn’t the inciting event for the uprising of the people of Rome, it wouldn’t have made sense and it would’ve just been fan service and “look, we got Pedro Pascal!” at that point.

I would’ve liked to see a more in-depth exploration of the change in relationship between Lucius and Lucilla—it seems like they went from Lucius screaming at her to get out to them hugging it out without any real development between the two of them specifically. Obviously a lot had happened in the world of the movie at that point but nonetheless

Macrinus shooting Lucilla was his Icarus moment. There was no coming back from that. “But what about Geta” “but what about Caracalla” no. It was Lucilla. If she’d gotten got by the praetorian guards or something else, it would’ve been fine. But because it was Macrinus there was nowhere he could go from there other than [checks notes] getting his hand chopped off and then gutted in a dirty irrigation ditch.

Remember kids, the people in power who are causing all of the things going wrong in the world have names and addresses and are mortal <3

Also another takeaway from the movie: imperialism, religious extremism, ableism, and authoritarianism will be the end of us all <3

Anyway. Good movie. Can’t wait to watch it again in my own home with subtitles so I can actually like… process everything everyone was saying LMAO and take better reaction notes.

I’m still sitting in the theater parking lot it’s been like 30 minutes LMAO okay thanks for coming to my tedtalk or whatever

[swiftiedaisies]

just saw gladiator ii!!! thoughts and spoilers below!!!⬇️

• am i the only one who always thought lucius was maximus’ son?? like that reveal was the least shocking twist

• paul mescal in this film is the opposite of iphone face! if you showed me a pic of him and told me he was an actual gladiator, id believe you!! he was such good casting!!

• acacius deserved better. why must pedro pascal keep playing characters that die all the time?? don’t get me wrong, he was giving doomed character from the start but still…i had hope :(

• whilst we’re on the topic of unfair deaths… LUCILLA??? thought girlie was gonna survive :(

• the sharks in the colosseum was…a choice. im choosing to ignore that scene happened bc it was so bizzare

• denzel washington definitely should get a supporting actor oscar nom for this!! so good!!

• the emperors were so fun to watch!! both joseph and fred did amazing!!! the scene where geta stopped caracella from attacking acacius and lucilla was so good. wish they had a bit more screentime

• so disappointed that they cut may’s scenes. she deserved better

• am i the only one who thought that lucius and ravi were gonna kiss at some point? the way lucius was looking at him??? love

• all hail citizen dundus!! 👑

[indierokkerss]

This is my review of gladiator 2 that nobody asked for (my qualifications I’ve seen the original at least 30 times)

Straightaway something off with the score and the colour grading(?) it just looks worse. It’s too direct of a sequel half of it is more a remake, the references are too heavy handed. Feel like there are so many obvious ways it could’ve been made better. If they had been more original and spent less time giving paul mescal the same unnecessary tragic backstory (he already has a tragic backstory in the first place). Classic killing off the wife immediately who nobody gives a fuck about and then it’s meant to be a ‘thing’ throughout nobody cares about that bitch. The script really lets it down they directly reused so much dialogue which maybe wouldn’t have been as noticeable to someone who hasn’t seen the first one as many times but it was very noticeable to me and felt soooo stupid. Him being maximus’ son is also SO fucking STUPID it was so unneeded I guess fuck his wife and actual kid who was the whole point of the first one?? Something about like he only loved lucilla because it was his son feels so reductive. I don’t necessarily think paul mescal is miscast like some people are saying but he is clearly not russell crowe (in the sense of like charisma? screen presence? I’m not really sure what to call it) so it doesn’t make sense trying to give him the exact same role they should’ve worked with him more because it doesn’t end up being this kind of epic revenge story. I did not find it as compelling and emotional and high stakes as the first, didn’t care about the characters as much, if they’d spent less time setting up the backstory and more developing the characters especially the emperors it would’ve been better (also in the backstory definitely has a tell not show problem and doesn’t trust the audience to infer). Even when they killed lucilla who you already care about from the first one I didn’t have that much of a reaction (although genuinely gasped when they killed derek jacobi). I liked pedro pascal I wished he’d been in it more and I didn’t hate the emperors I got what they were going for, however is crazy that they were syrian and north african and the film gives you gingers literally painted white (and joseph quinn pulling out his joaquin phoenix impression). Also they caligulaed him caligulas everywhere for those with eyes to see. Wish they’d spent more time on them and their dynamic and that their mother julia domna had been included especially given that in that in dio he stabs geta while he’s in their mother’s arms but you know can only have one major female character. However saying all this it was still better than I expected it definitely picks up in the second half because it sets up like it’s going to be him getting revenge on acacius but then that goes out and denzel washington is the real villain. He is amazing obviously (shocking when people are famous for a reason) and really brings the charisma which is lacking in other parts. I was also kind of impressed by how realistic this storyline was very sejanus, and there were lots of other examples of freedmen becoming very influential. My only criticism would be he doesn’t feel nearly as sinister as commodus in the first film which again makes lower stakes which wouldn’t be a problem if they had tried to do a more different storyline and you weren’t constantly comparing. The battle scenes are obviously good fan of the naval battle although I did explode in the middle of the cinema and go how the fuck would they get a shark in there. Also saying that the battle of salamis was between the persians and the trojans ridley scott open wikipedia challenge. I really liked the doctor character he was probably my fav which was good because there are strong ‘friend’ side characters like juba and cicero in the first and I feel like he held up against them. Denzel washington’s costumes were beeutiful he was slaying the house down boots etc lucilla had great jewellery everyone was fit sexy as fuck. Overall I think it was funnn they should’ve put me on it I would’ve made it better but also been engaged in a sexual harassment scandal (and the allegations would be true)

[courtneysmovieblog]

Trailers: Gladiator and Captain America Return

And now we have this month's blockbuster trailers!

The Front Room: Brandy, where have you been?! Not counting that Descendants Disney+ movie, of course.

Flight Risk: I'm sorry, I'm just too distracted by Mark Walhberg's hair in this movie. Did they do it that bad on purpose?!

Heretic: Hugh Grant is definitely in his villain era, and it looks like he is killing it! I have never been so unnerved by a scented candle before...

Nosferatu: Vampires are making a post-Twilight comeback, reminding us all that they are scary.

Here: Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite in Robert Zemeckis' film centering on a single space spot of land. Already there are jokes about the de-aged Tom and Robin, and I don't care. This still looks promising.

We Live in Time: Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh fall in love and she gets cancer. This too looks promising!

Best Christmas Pageant Ever!: This looks like it could have gone directly to Hallmark. But maybe it'll be better than that.

Red One: Look, even if the reports about Dwayne Johnson showing up late (among other things) are true, this still looks funny. Chris Evans is another actor that seems to be in a villain era: he literally takes candy from a baby in this!

Gladiator II: Didn't think it needed a sequel. Nevertheless, I will give it a chance for the plot. And by "plot," I mean the man candy of Pedro and Denzel.

F1: It's a racer movie. That's all I know, and I'm pretty sure I won't be interested.

Captain America: Brave New World: I want to support Sam Wilson as new the Cap, but Sharon probably won't be in it. The MCU doesn't even have the guts to continue with her after they destroyed her character. I'll just look at the spoilers if I'm curious.

[hellostarrynightblr]

highlights of January

There will be two sections this time: the new films and the re-watched ones as I have seen a lot of films for the second time this month. This actually brought me to choose the theme of this year’s challenge (albeit a bit too late): second chances. Turns out I enjoy most of the films I used to hate. Go figure.

New in 2022

1. Favourite movies: Good News (1947), 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956), Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

2. Decent films I liked / appreciated but not loved: Nightmare Alley (2021), Sitting Pretty (1948)

3. Best scenes: eavesdropping in Sitting Pretty (1948); the cafeteria number and the library flirting / song (Good News, 1947); Benedick vs the chair / the ‘balcony’ confession / the chapel confession (Much Ado About Nothing, 1993).

4. Favourite genres: romance, comedy, noir, musical.

5. Favourite directors: Kenneth Branagh (Much Ado About Nothing, 1993); Guillermo del Toro (Nightmare Alley, 2021); Walter Lang (Sitting Pretty, 1948); Henry Hathaway (23 Paces to Baker Street, 1956); Charles Walters (Good News, 1947).

6. Favourite actors: this is a lot.

Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Michael Keaton, Denzel Washington (Much Ado About Nothing, 1933); Willem Dafoe (Nightmare Alley, 2021); Basil Rathbone (The Woman in Green, 1945); Minnie Dupree / Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (The Young in Heart, 1938); Clifton Webb (Sitting Pretty, 1948); Van Johnson (Easy to Love, 1953 / 23 Paces to Baker Street, 1956); Joan McCracken, June Allyson, Peter Lawford (Good News, 1947).

7. Least favourite performances: I couldn’t warm up to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in The Music Box (1932) but maybe I just don’t like this kind of humour. But also, Keanu Reeves in Much Ado About Nothing (1993). That’s it. I have nothing else to say. What a trainwreck.

8. The most wasted cast: Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn (George Washington Slept Here, 1942). I attribute it to slow, practically comatose direction. There were a few moments but overall it was just a drag.

9. The best premise: Sitting Pretty (1948). Lynn Belvedere is my new hero.

9. The best wasted premise: The Woman in Green (1945). Did you have to make it about hypnosis?? Really?

11. Favourite cast: Kate Beckinsale, Imelda Staunton, Jimmy Yuill, Brian Blessed, Phyllida Law, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Kenneth Branagh, Patrick Doyle, Michael Keaton, Ben Elton (Much Ado About Nothing, 1993). I’m excluding Keanu Reeves from the list because that was excruciating. I still like the guy but man was that bad!

Also, just look at Nightmare Alley’s cast! What a powerhouse: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn, Tim Blake Nelson.

12. Favourite on-screen duos: Kenneth Branagh + Emma Thompson (Much Ado About Nothing, 1993); Maureen O'Hara + Clifton Webb (Sitting Pretty, 1948); Claudette Colbert + Fredric March (Honor Among Lovers, 1931) (I’m choosing to ignore how absolutely disturbing the plot is and just enjoy the rapport between the characters); Esther Williams + Van Johnson (Easy to Love, 1953) (another idiot male but still an enjoyable film); Van Johnson + Vera Miles (23 Paces to Baker Street, 1956); June Allyson + Peter Lawford (Good News, 1947).

13. Favourite on-screen relationships: Connie Lane + Tommy Marlowe (Good News, 1947); Benedick + Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing, 1993).

14. Favourite characters: Connie Lane / Tommy Marlowe / Babe Doolittle (Good News, 1947); Benedick / Beatrice / Don Pedro (Much Ado About Nothing, 1993); Phillip Hannon (23 Paces to Baker Street, 1956); Lynn Belvedere (Sitting Pretty, 1948).

15. Favourite quote: If it proves so, then loving goes by haps; some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps (William Shakespeare curtesy of Much Ado About Nothing, 1993).

16. Favourite fact discovered in 2022: Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson used to be married. I love this fact so much, it gives me so much life! But I hate that he cheated on her with Helena Bonham Carter. That breaks my heart... But at least I understand why their chemistry is so palpable in Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

17. The most overrated film: The Music Box (1932). 8.0 imdb rating is a bit much.

18. The most disappointing film: The Woman in Green (1945) disappointed me because I loved pretty much all the films from Basil’s Sherlock collection up to this point and this one turned out to be really underwhelming. George Washington Slept Here (1942) is another one, but I already mentioned why I dislike this film above. It’s not worth repeating myself.

19. The most overrated / overlooked film: Good News (1947) is too pure for this world!

20. The biggest surprise: Much Ado About Nothing (1993). It’s so stupid and cheesy and hilarious! I adore this film!

As far as the actors go, Van Johnson is a revelation. I’ve liked him before but watching him now is like stepping into a bubble, nothing else matters and it’s just so very comforting.

I was also smitten by Minnie Dupree in The Young in Heart (1938). What a sweet, sweet lady…

21. Best cinematography: Dan Laustsen (Nightmare Alley, 2021). No competition whatsoever.

But also, a guick shoutot to the gloomy, mysterious and attractive 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956) curtesy Milton R. Krasner.

22. Best set design: Nightmare Alley (2021). It’s unsurpassable as far as I’m concerned.

24. Best costume design: I have no idea who to personally credit, so I’ll just credit the film overall: Nightmare Alley (2021).

24. Best music: Good News (1947)

25. Best production choice: casting Clifton Webb in Sitting Pretty (1948).

26. Worst production choice: casting Keanu Reeves (Much Ado About Nothing, 1993); glorifying workplace harassment (Honor Among Lovers, 1931); the hypnosis scenes (The Woman in Green, 1945).

27. The film of the month: overall quality-wise, Good News (1947). Enjoyment-wise, Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

[hellolittleogre]

Fic Title Meme

I was tagged by @fontainebleau22  @northstarfan and @inkformyblood

Thank you guys!

Look at the most recent 20 fanwork titles on your AO3 account and answer the questions below.

My Virtues Uncounted                                                                                              Drunk Texts                                                                                                      Dead Man Banging                                                                                            Billy x Goody College AU                                                                                  Give me a thousand kisses                                                                               With a Smile and a Song                                                                                Send Nudes                                                                                                Dangers of Bedtime Reading                                                                         Cupid is No Longer an Archer                                                                              In Vino Veritas                                                                                                   Five Times Eddie and Richie Kissed                                                                The once and future king                                                                                  What Dreams May Come                                                                                Babel Fish                                                                                                    Promise you the stars and the moon too?                                                        Care

1. How many are you happy with?

Roughly about half of them, I’m happy with Send Nudes, Cupid is no longer an Archer, The once and future king. I’m also happy that my in-the-tags joke Dead Man Banging was promoted to a title. My virtues uncounted was a happy accident, I pulled it from a title generator and only later found out that it was from a song called Shrike, which is very fitting for Billy Rocks and has the first line “ I couldn't utter my love when it counted...” which, yeah.

2. How many are…not great?

Ouff, about the other half? Somebody told me that calling a fic Billy x Goody College AU was the Untitled Goose game approach to naming things. I either seem to go for very functional names or cheesy quotes. I’m unhappy with Drunk Texts but couldn’t think of anything that would thematically go with Send Nudes.

3. How many did you scramble for at the last minute?

Most of them, the title is usually the last thing.

4. How many did you know before you started writing/creating, or near the beginning? 

In Vino Veritas and Cupid is no longer an Archer. For CiNLaA I knew I wanted the Don Pedro quote from Much Ado About Nothing because of the connection of characters played by Denzel Washington getting into matchmaking

5. How many are quotes from songs or poems?

Most of them I think.

6. How many are other quotes?

Maybe Babel Fish can qualify as it is a concept from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

7. Which best reflects the plot of the story/content of the fanwork?

I mean, Five Times Eddie and Richie Kissed?

8. Which best reflects the theme of the story?

The once and future king, reflecting the theme of falling in love again with somebody who you thought you or hoped you’d gotten over.

9. Which best reflects the character voice of the story/pov of the fanwork?

Uhhh Send Nudes? Its stupid and horny?

10. Which is your favourite title?

Cupid is no longer an archer

I’m tagging @lazaefair @poemsingreenink  @villa-kulla @harvestingred and anybody else who feels the spirit move them

[sfdfmoviereviews]

Upcoming Flicks February 2017

Coming to Australian cinemas February 2017.

February 2

Patriots Day

Patriots Day is based on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the manhunt for the terrorists that followed. Genre: Drama Director: Peter Berg Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman Recommendation: See it. It has been getting stellar reviews in the US and looks to be a gripping and intense retelling of a traumatic event in our recent history.

Manchester by the Sea

After the death of his father, Patrick’s uncle struggles to accept and be the guardian that he needs during the difficult time. Genre: Drama Director: Kenneth Lonergan Stars: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler Recommendation: Nominated for six Academy Awards, Manchester by the Sea has been leaving very few disappointed. See it.

Gold

A desperate prospector, Kenny Wells, attempts to find gold in the uncharted Indonesian jungle. Genre: Adventure/Drama/Thriller Director: Stephen Gaghan Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramírez, Bryce Dallas Howard Recommendation: McConaughey is up to his usual tricks with this quirky character that seems to be one that you’ll love to hate. It has not had a great response from the U.S. but I think it looks interesting.

  February 9

Fifty Shades Darker

Christian and Anastasia go at it again. Genre: Romance Director: James Foley Stars: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan Recommendation: No. The books are terrible. The first film was terrible. The second film will be terrible. However, presales are already selling fast, so if you are interested, maybe look at tickets sooner rather than later. I shall not be though.

Fences

Based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Fences is about Troy Maxson, an African-American garbage collector in the 1950s. He provides dutifully for his family out of obligation and takes out his frustrations for his lack of achievement on them also. Genre: Drama Director: Denzel Washington Stars: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis Recommendation: Nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Washington), Best Supporting Actress (Davis) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Wilson), Fences is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster that is worth your money.

A Street Cat Named Bob

Based on a true story, a drug addicted busker turns his life around after adopting a stray cat. Genre: Biography/Comedy Director: Roger Spottiswoode Stars: Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat Recommendation: Skip it. There is so much better out at the cinema this month.  

February 16

Hidden Figures

Crossing gender and race lines, three African-American woman working at NASA provided the mathematical data to ensure the program’s first successful space missions in 1957. Genre: Biography/Drama Director: Theodore Melfi Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe Recommendation: Also an Oscar contender (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Spencer), and Best Adapted Screenplay), this untold story super interesting and a powerful statement for woman. See it.

The Great Wall

European mercenaries in China become entangled in the defence of the country from hordes of monsters on the Great Wall. Genre: Adventure/Fantasy Director: Yimou Zhang Stars: Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Pedro Pascal Recommendation: Here is a fantastic popcorn flick to give you a break from all the Oscar dramas. This looks great, in a fun, stupid way and creative take on the reason for building one of the world’s greatest structures.

Silence

Two Christian missionaries travel to Japan, at a time when Christianity was outlawed, to find their missing mentor and spread the word of the Lord. Genre: Drama Director: Martin Scorsese Stars: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson Recommendation: The trailer looks very good and the cast and director are proven A-list film-makers. See it.

Trespass Against Us

Chad Cutler is trying to escape his father and the criminal family that he built to create a better life for his children. Genre: Crime/Drama Director: Adam Smith Stars: Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson Recommendation: See it. The cast and the fact it is a Brit film is enough to sell me on it.

 February 23

T2: Trainspotting

20 years on from the first film, Mark Renton returns to Scotland to catch up with his old mates, whilst trying to avoid Franco who has recently been released from prison. Genre: Crime/Drama Director: Danny Boyle Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle. Recommendation: See it if you’re a fan of the first film. I haven’t seen the first film so I cannot recommend either way.

Rings

Rings is the third film in the Ring franchise, where if you watch a certain VHS tape you will die 7 days later. Well, apparently there is a movie within the movie (…within the movie?) that hasn’t been seen before. Genre: Horror Director: F. Javier Gutiérrez Stars: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan, Vincent D'Onofrio Recommendation: The horror movie to get pushed back from a Halloween release for…. February? Rings has had many false starts with several release dates announced but we finally get it and does it sound bad?! There seems to be no one supporting the movie at the studio and hopefully the fans follow suit. Skip it.

Fist Fight

One teacher, Mr Campbell, gets another teacher fired, Mr Strickland. Strickland challenges Campbell to a fight, after school, so everyone can see. Genre: Comedy Director: Richie Keen Stars: Christina Hendricks, Ice Cube, Charlie Day Recommendation: The trailer is very epic and is fully aware of itself. It looks a nice easy way to finish off the month. Sure, why not?!

 My two picks for the month are Patriots Day and the Great Wall. Tell me what you are checking out this month on Facebook, Tumblr & Twitter

 -Terry

[picturepowderinabottle]

tbh? pedro's look in the great wall when he's already cut his hair and washed is hot and needs more recognition. he's so handsome what the fuck that's a man (he's gonna play the villain in the equalizer 2!! I love a king!! I was just waiting for him to play a villain omg he's gonna kill it)

I wanna kms but i haven’t actually seen The Great Wall yet… 😬 mostly because of the lack of time during release date, and then those reviews… but from the posters, trailers and all the materials i’ve watched i think he looks just so different from other characters that he has ever played?? like his appearance is much darker, the look he gives with his facial expressions gives me goosebumps honestly.. (well his existence always gives me goosebumps so 💁💁)But does it stop me? Will it ever??

AND YES!! It’s gonna be the first sequel Denzel Washington has ever done which is pretty impressive, i mean Pedro co-staring him as a villain. A VILLAIN!Well we all know what that means… (another production where in the end his character dies)

On the other hand i was rooting from him to play along Tom Hardy in that Venom movie though 😕 so i was a bit disappointed when Riz Ahmed got the part (anyway, he’s great too so i’m trying not to think negatively).But if not comic book adaptation, then co-staring an icon!Either way he always wins!

[joereid]

Top 10 Movies of 2016

I wrote about my favorites in movies and TV over at Decider last week, but here’s my straight-up Top 10 movies of the year. With apologies to movies I haven’t gotten to yet, most prominently Toni Erdmann, Fire at Sea, Aquarius, and The Love Witch. Also I ranked O.J.: Made in America as my #1 TV show of the year, so it felt redundant to put it here too. No judgments if you ranked it as a movie. Obviously. 

Runners-Up: I thought this turned out to be a GREAT year for movies, best exemplified by the fact that I had a bitch of a time keeping these 15 movies out of my top 10:

#25 The Lobster (director: Yorgos Lanthimos) #24 The Witch (director: Robert Eggers) #23 Kubo and the Two Strings (director: Travis Knight) #22 Everybody Wants Some!! (director: Richard Linklater) #21 La La Land (director: Damien Chazelle) #20 Hunt for the Wilderpeople (director: Taika Waititi) #19 Love & Friendship (director: Whit Stillman) #18 Sing Street (director: John Carney) #17 Lion (director: Garth Davis) #16 Other People (director: Chris Kelly) #15 Fences (director: Denzel Washington) #14 Julieta (director: Pedro Almodovar) #13 Certain Women (director: Kelly Reichardt) #12 Cameraperson (director: Kirsten Johnson) #11 Mountains May Depart (director: Zhangke Jia)

My Top 10 Movies of 2016

10. Jackie (director: Pablo Larrain) It took me a while to get into the headspace of Jackie, and what a strange little animal it seemed then. Natalie Portman's accent seemed insane, the scenes felt overly gauzy and frustratingly vague, the score felt overworked. But the more time I spent with Jackie, the more intoxicated I was by whatever fog the movie exists in. Portman's performance clicked, the specificity of Larrain's focus felt more and more revolutionary, and the whole enterprise felt an exhilarating experiment on memory, idolatry, and the spaces at which our politics and our myth-making converge. 9. The Invitation (director: Karyn Kusama) I write a lot about movies on Netflix for my job, but by FAR my favorite discovery of the year was the meticulously built suspense of The Invitation. From the opening credits winding ominously through the Hollywood Hills to the slowly dawning terror of the final moments, I haven't felt this tense through the entire run of a horror movie since The Strangers. Featuring some great performances (in particular Tammy Blanchard, Logan Marshall Green, and John Carroll Lynch), and a premise that draws upon every time someone at a party told you they just started seeing a new yoga instructor.

8. Silence (director: Martin Scorsese) A nearly three-hour, racially dubious meditation on faith from a director who's provided me with more peer-pressure guilt trips from film critics than actual movies I've enjoyed over the last decade was not adding up to something I figured I'd enjoy. But Silence is more than just the best Scorsese movie since ... The Aviator? Goodfellas? It's a committed, rigorous, and deceptively complex story about faith and imperialism, anchored by an Andrew Garfield performance of such thoughtful vulnerability that it makes you incredibly grateful that Marty took a break from Leonardo DiCaprio. Also Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is breathtaking.

7. Hail, Casear! (director: Joel and Ethan Coen) I like when the Coens are having fun. I know the knock on them is that they're supposed to be looking down their noses on their audience and having a laugh at their expense, but all I found in Hail Caesar! was an affection for people who dedicate their lives to something as silly and often contradictory as the movie business. Josh Brolin is probably doing better work than I give him credit for at the center, but I won't apologize for all of my attention going to Channing Tatum's dancing and Alden Ehrenreich's rope tricks. 

6. Manchester by the Sea (director: Kenneth Lonergan) When the narrative about this one got boiled down to a) it's unspeakably sad, and b) it's white-male feeeeeelings pornography, I was confused. Well, maybe not confused; I know how Twitter works. More dismayed. To me, Manchester by the Sea is Kenneth Lonergan at his finest, and that means so much more than simple grief or patriarchy or for Pete's sake "Oscar bait." Lonergan infuses his movie with so much more humor, so much more complexity, so much more recognizable feeling than you're expecting by the description. The relationship between Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges's characters defies any kind of prescribed arc, instead presenting two characters who fit at impossibly odd angles.

5. Little Men (director: Ira Sachs) Ira Sachs has become so good at making movies about how the Big Things in life — love, family, fellowship, generosity, power, resentment — are inextricable from the small things. In the movies, we tend to gloss over things like rent or income or expense. Making it work is a matter of will or serendipity, usually both. In Little Men, Greg Kinnear and Paulina Garcia are good people whose resentments would usually be overcome in a movie by a grand act of love or charity or luck. Sachs knows better, but he also knows that the sum of life and the beauty of lives isn't about it all working out. And that's only the groundwork in this lovely movie featuring a central friendship of boys that is as beautiful, sweet, and gently painful as anything this year.  

4. Moonlight (director: Barry Jenkins) Moonlight features such strong, simple storytelling, and that economy of language is all Barry Jenkins, and he deserves all the praise he's getting for it. But that's not the reason we're talking about this movie. There's something truly remarkable when strong filmmaking meets revelatory acting meets the kinds of stories and lives that we are STARVING for. There's sadness here, yes, and tragedy, but I can't help but feel an undercurrent of celebration just for the radical act of making poetry out of lives that are usually not even afforded prose. 

3. 20th Century Women (director: Mike Mills) What a difference it makes listening to Annette Bening narrate about the universe and mortality versus listening to Ewan McGregor talk about same. I could never latch onto Beginners, despite the fact that its subject matter was targeted right in my general direction. But in his follow-up, Mike Mills had me cast under a spell from moment one. Bening is superb, playing a woman who's both incredibly wise and incredibly aware of how much she doesn't know. Any shot of her silently reacting to another character is to be treasured forever. And my darling Greta Gerwig does such wonderful, beautiful work as a scene partner here, taking her moments when they come but also as supportive an ensemble player as she's ever been. But it's those moments of narration, where the plot of the movie gives way to the longview, and we get to ponder a bit about the long arcs of time, and it was so beautiful, I nearly melted into my seat.

2. American Honey (director: Andrea Arnold) Andrea Arnold's great big American road trip is sprawling and sweet, dangerous and and desirous. It doesn't work for everyone, and I think I get that. But even if Arnold isn't seeing America through a photorealistic lens, the version of America she's showing us feels true in its emotions and textures and jealousies and desperations and explorations. Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, and Riley Keough are standouts in the cast, but the movie truly comes alive in the group scenes, where the energy of a whole generation explodes into something visceral and charged.

1. Arrival (director: Denis Villeneuve) I first saw Arrival at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and I was blown away by its emotion and intelligence in service of a sci-fi story that became a story about language and bridging unbridgeable gaps. I next saw Arrival a few days after the election, when the film's ideas about facing fearsome and unknown futures and seeing the end from the beginning were all the more moving. What's beautiful about Arrival — besides the photography and the music and Amy Adams — is how our only salvation grows out of achieving complete and total empathy and nothing less. Thats what unlocks everything. It's a beautiful message in a movie that might normally have merely been an exquisitely crafted, deeply emotional sci-fi tale. I didn't see anything else that year that blew me away so thoroughly.