2020 Movies

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 1/31/20 at 9:59am

Since 2019 is over, time for the 2020 movies thread! While big films likely deserve their own threads, I think having this as a general recommendation/brief review thread will be great for us frequent movie goers. Now that I'm getting back in my stride I've slowly begun to see movies again. 

- Bad Boys For Life: Okay I'm sorry, I... kinda loved it? Maybe it was the edibles, but I seriously had wayyyy more fun that I ever thought I would. Theatre was having a blast with it as well. This is the dumb fun I look for. Took itself serious enough to be a decent film but also knew when it was being ridiculous and owned it. I recommend it for a fun afternoon or evening out. 

- The Turning: Do not bother or waste your money, its truly awful and I regret going. I have AMC A-List and this was free and I regret going. 

Haven't seen any other 2020 movies yet, however I'm planning to catch The Gentlemen this upcoming week. Have heard its quite fun so looking forward to it. Then on Thursday, Birds of Prey!!!! Looks sooooo bad ass and pure fun I cannot wait. 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 1/31/20 at 7:20pm

The Gentleman was enjoyable but not a must-see.

I’m in the minority who really liked The Turning.

Bad Boys For Life was a chore for me to sit through. I considered leaving early but stuck it out in hopes of some sort of redemption. A redemption never came.

The Rhythm Section was nothing special. Blake Lively gave a decent enough performance, but the film did nothing for me.

Underwater was disappointing for me as a massive fan of sci-fi and horror. It missed all the marks that would’ve made it work.

Like A Boss - I could’ve lived a very happy and healthy life never having seen that.

I know 1917 technically came out at the end of 2019, but it wasn’t released in my city until January, so I’m in including it here. I loved it. The screenplay has issues, but it’s a cinematic marvel.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 2/1/20 at 3:31am

The Gentleman: what a cracking story, enjoyed every single thing about it .

Bombshell : was only released in Australia in January, three stunning actors at the top of there game, liked it a lot.

Underwater : what a soggy waste of time 

1917 : Hated nearly everything about it , didn’t care 

Dolittle : it’s not great, it’s not bad , it just didn’t need to exist 

 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 2/2/20 at 1:44pm

Saw Gretel and Hansel last night. I hated it. The dialogue came off like a high schooler BSing an essay to reach the word count. Nothing about it was remotely scary. I liked Sophia Lillis in It, but she was really phoning it in here. I hope that it’s a case of her being directed badly because she really showed some potential in It and I don’t think she’s a bad actress.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/3/20 at 8:57am

Friend did not want to see The Gentlemen so we went for The Rhythm Section ( I think he just wanted to go for Lively), couldn't agree more that the film offered nothing for me. The action sequences were well done but everything other thing in this film just fell totally flat for me personally. Can't say much more than that to be honest. 

Really hoping to catch The Gentlemen this week, seems fun. 

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/3/20 at 9:12am

I'm really disappointed in myself that I haven't seen any movies yet this year. 

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/3/20 at 9:25am

spiderdj82 said: "I'm really disappointed in myself that I haven't seen any movies yet this year."

I wouldn't be, January is usually a dumping ground minus late nationwide release like 1917 and Just Mercy. Other than that I wouldn't say you've missed much. If you thought the Bad Boys trailer was fun it translates well to the film itself. The Turning and The Rhythm Section id say are worth skipping, even if you're like me and have AMC A-list. The Gentlemen seems fun however and I'm excited for that one this week. Other than that, Birds of Prey comes out on Friday which should be fun. February doesn't have a ton that interest me either past The Assistant, Downhill, The Photograph, and Portrait Of A Lady On Fire. Hoping films like Buffaloed and After Midnight get decent wit releases as well. 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 2/3/20 at 10:41am

I saw this year’s Oscar nominated live action short films last night. I loved Nefta Football Club - that’s definitely my pick. Saria and The Neighbor’s Window both moved me a lot. I didn’t care much for Brotherhood or The Sister.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/9/20 at 1:25am

Did a pre-Oscars triple feature today. Parasite, 1917, Joker.

I still haven’t seen JoJo Rabbit, Little Women, or Ford v Ferrari (that one doesn’t really interest me).

I really liked all three movies I saw today, but surprisingly I probably liked Joker the most. Partially because I like movies that are character studies. Partially because I went in with the lowest expectations for it and it surpassed them. Partially because I worked as a mental health professional in a adult make prison for almost 24 years. But mostly for two reasons: it’s the first superhero (well, in this case, anti-hero) movie in forever that wasn’t as if it was assembled on an assembly line with more care to CGI than the script and it played for the most part true to the rules of the reality it was set in. Joaquin definitely deserves that Oscar Sunday night.

With Parasite, there were a couple moments towards the end that I thought broke the rules of the reality it was set in. Just not totally believable. I do think it explores the ways society treats the marginalized in a more nuanced way than Joker does.

1917 is stunning in many ways, but I found it pretty unbelievable that one character could survive all that.

Watching Judy on On Demand now.

I’m pulling for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Quentin Tarantino to win big tomorrow night. I do wish Toy Story 4 had gotten a nomination for Best Picture.

All movies I’ve seen that are nominated for best picture would be part of my top 10 movies released last year.

Today did remind me that how much I miss seeing movies in the theater as opposed to on a plane.

Updated On: 2/9/20 at 01:25 AM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 2/9/20 at 1:53am

Birds of Prey , while Harley Quinn was the most interesting character in the purely awful Suicide Squad. Sadly in her own feature film nothing works, it’s not bad , it’s not awful.  It’s just nothing, a story that’s all over the place , a mess of a film , that’s just well......

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 2/14/20 at 5:24am

Sonic :  nothing groundbreaking, nothing too special , but it was what it was , slightly enjoyable 

Downhill :  if someone could please explain why this movie needed to exist, awful , dull and pointless 

The Rhythm Section: yet another pointless dull movie , that starts off stupid and gets dumber every minute it’s on screen 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 2/14/20 at 8:09am

The Lodge: I didn’t hate it, but I can’t recommend it to anyone unless you’re a glutton for punishment. It’s humorless and oppressive to the point of tedium. Saw the real twist coming the minute they started telegraphing the first twist. Didn’t care about any of the characters except that poor dog. It’s basically Diet Hereditary.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 2/14/20 at 10:14am

I’m actually really excited for The Lodge. Disappointed to hear it isn’t great.

I saw a good horror/comedy yesterday called Come to Daddy. It had Elijah Wood and was a lot of fun.

I also saw Underwater, which was dumb but entertaining. I hated The Gentlemen and the less said about The Grudge the better.

I’m super behind on movies at the moment but going to catch up in the next couple days.

[John Adams]

Posted: 2/14/20 at 11:19am

RE: The Gentlemen:

I don't know why putting a pair of glasses on a gangster changes how I think about the character, but it does. I can't even really put my finger on what it is that changes (more "well-read"? more "refined"/less "ghetto"?, more "father/grandfatherly"? more ironically "vulnerable"?). For some reason, if you costume a gangster with a pair of glasses, I'm more drawn to the character...

I think maybe Guy Ritchie is also aware. When I watched the trailer, I couldn't help but notice how many of the characters wear glasses. The publicity shot shows more than half the characters wear glasses. I don't know why that effects me/draws me in...

[hork]

Posted: 2/14/20 at 4:49pm

TheGingerBreadMan said: "I saw this year’s Oscar nominated live action short films last night. I loved Nefta Football Club - that’s definitely my pick. Saria and The Neighbor’s Window both moved me a lot. I didn’t care much for Brotherhood or The Sister. "

I didn’t think any of them were very good. A Sister was my favorite just because I found it the most moving but there wasn’t much to it and it was very similar to a feature length film that came out a couple years ago. Nefta was basically just a long set-up for a cute sight gag. Last year’s crop of short films was much stronger, I thought. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 2/17/20 at 10:27am

I've been looking forward to Disney/Pixar's Onward for a very long time. I'm getting happier knowing that it's finally just around the corner...

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/18/20 at 10:07am

Sadly The Gentlemen showtimes have become rather limited, so its looking like I may end up missing that one. We shall see though. Birds of Prey is on my list for later this week or this weekend. Im tempted to watch Call Of The Wild, I love the mountains and the scenery looks simply relaxing to look at it, and its Han Solo. Early RT score is 71%. 

Any recommendations for Downhill or The Photograph? Doesn't seem like Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is going to play near me . I like the actors in both films, typically prefer a dark comedy or a straight up romance movie unless the romance and chemistry between the actors just WORKS. Rare I find that though so while The Photograph looks good, I'm just unsure haha. Downhill has 2 of my favorite actors of all time in it. So, we'll see haha. Curious if anyone who has seen both has a recommendation. I know Downhill is more of a drama and not a fun comedy as well so I think my expectations are relatively in check here. 

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/18/20 at 10:23am

I have zero interest in seeing The Gentlemen after learning who directed it. I will admit he did a serviceable job on the Aladdin remake, but I feel like he’s a hack after showing some promise in his early movies. I believe Downhill got pummeled in reviews. Its average score on Metacritic is 49. Ditto for The Call of the Wild (average score: 52). I can’t believe they CGI’d the dog. I remember reading this in junior high and while it may not be high literature I think it is considered a classic by many and it just feels like having a CGI dog that looks so obviously fake just ruins it. I get that it would be hard to do the movie with a real dog. In fact, probably impossible but this is a big miss for me.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 2/18/20 at 11:12am

Downhill had worthwhile moments but overall isn't anything to write home about. Ferrell is very one-note. Louis-Dreyfus does more heavy lifting but even still, the characters aren't incredibly interesting. Not a total waste of time or money IMO, but skippable.

Birds of Prey for me was a lot of style over substance. I got bored as the movie went on. It felt repetitive and uninspired.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/18/20 at 12:36pm

This is random but ill do some free advertising for them, if you have an AMC in your area I could not recommend A-List more. 3 movies a week. If you go to the movies 3-4 times a month even, it is sooooo worth it. Ive gotten lots and lots of free movies in the past year, saving myself over $580 and saw some films I likely wouldn't have ever seen (Pain and Glory, The Art of Self Defense, Wild Rose, Waves, etc) without A-list. I honestly highly, highly recommend it to any movie goer who has an AMC near them. Its a game changer. Also free tickets to premium showings like IMAX and Dolby (although my theatre doesn't have these). Just thought I'd add that in as the movie going season starts picking up a bit more. 

Downhill, for example, is a perfect movie to take a "risk" on for me based on A-list but I'm just hoping its not a total downer. We shall see, expectations are quite low for me. Hoping to see it this week. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 2/18/20 at 4:15pm

Downhill was a terrible, nasty little movie. Unlikable characters and just boring. Was hoping another avalanche would pop up and take them out.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/18/20 at 6:33pm

n2nbaby said: "Downhill was a terrible, nasty little movie. Unlikable characters and just boring. Was hoping another avalanche would pop up and take them out."

I’m going with The Photograph I guess. 

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/23/20 at 5:40am

Birds Of Prey was a great time, just a pure joy to watch. Could easily see that one again and recommend to certainly any comic book fan but really any fan of action/comedy in general, hits all the beats!

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 2/23/20 at 1:49pm

As a fan of Lock Stock... and Snatch, I liked The Gentlemen, it was a fun romp. Calling it now, Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Hugh Grant.

Updated On: 2/23/20 at 01:49 PM

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/24/20 at 10:43am

If you enjoy the Impractical Jokers, their movie was quite fun. I love them as they sorta remind me of some of my friends and they just seem like fun dudes. With AMC A-List, was well worth my time. 

A friend saw The Photograph and seemed to find it boring as hell, so since I have more of a connection to JLD and Ferrell than I do Lakeith and Issa, who I also love, I think my next choice is going to be Downhill. Not super into horror so this month doesn't have a lot of options for me. Call Of The Wild looks okay, but the CGI Dog is distracting.

So, meh. Just waiting for Emma and Onward at this point. February I find tends to be the weakest movie going month for me. January is usually filled with a few silly comedies and left overs from 2020, but February I tend to just never find a ton of interesting stuff to watch in. Ah well, March should be a bit better hopefully. If not, luckily we have April. No Time To Die, The Lovebirds, Promising Young Woman, plenty of options that month. 

Also, does anyone know if First Cow is getting a wide release? Id love to see that one.