Raul's Film Thoughts

I didn't see it either.

Nocturnal Animals



Didn't dig it. For whatever reason, the story didn't appeal to me and I didn't really connect with any of the characters. On the surface a cast of Gyllenhaal, Adams, and Michael Shannon is something that should really appeal to me, but the characters seemed a bit too superficial to me and their emotions were conveyed the greatest in my opinion. Most of the reasons why it didn't I would point to the script, which I just wasn't a big fan of. Hopefully they don't nominate Aaron Taylor-Johnson for an Oscar either because in all honesty I don't get the acclaim. I don't have a lot to say other than I was disappointed because initially I thought this could have been a great film.

That's disappointing

The more I hear people talk about Nocturnal Animals, even those that love it, the more I think it probably won't appeal to me. I will see it on Blu-ray though.

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Letterboxd

I read about Nocturnal Animals, I can't see myself liking it.

Did you see it?

No but it's on my watchlist. The preview looked so good and I love the cast.

Some quick hitters:

The Jungle Book


It wasn't bad. The CGI was very well done in my opinion. Some of the characters just weren't as lovable as in the animated one, so that was a downgrade for me. And hardly any Kaa in the film disappointed me. Sher Khan was an excellent villain though.


Paprika


Really stunning animation and I think the story was good. It was the lack of characters that interested me that held me back. Still a pretty decent watch, but nothing close to how I would enjoy something like say a Miyazaki film. I still need to see Millennium Actress and perfect Blue. I could enjoy those more.


Lilo and Stitch


A big surprise for me. I really like the Stitch character and there were a lot of heartfelt moments that made the movie really great. It was pretty funny too. Love seeing the bond grow between Stitch and Lilo.
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I'm definitely planning to watch Perfect Blue for the Animated Film Tournament. I've seen parts of it, but not the entire thing. Given how much more I liked Paprika when I rewatched it, and how much I thoroughly enjoyed Tokyo Godfathers when I watched it for the HoF, I feel like I should give Millennium Actress a second chance, especially if I also end up liking Perfect Blue.

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I've only now just seen your post on The Martian (if you couldn't tell from the rep haha).
What was it that intrigued you about the ending? After I saw The Martian in theatres, I went out and bought a copy of the book. The biggest difference between the novel and the film is the ending, and I still haven't figured out which version I prefer.

Just the whole way they got Watney back. It was tense and exciting sequences for me,

I liked that (as well as the entire rest of the movie haha) too. The film actually follows the book really closely, just cutting a few subplots and roadblocks for time. It does the opposite with the very end though.

Jackie



An absolute excellent performance from Natalie Portman. She played Jackie Kennedy beautifully. She also saved the film in a lot of parts. Kind of reminds me of the similarity to how I feel about Monster with Charlize Theron, in that the performance drives an otherwise normal film. But it's a performance so good that it nearly elevates it to something great. I would say this is good rather than great. The flashback scenes are haunting but they are well done. Sometimes I grew tiresome of the back and forth but that's the agenda this sort of film had. The score I often thought was rather good. And the costume design, including that brilliant pink suit was definitely a strength to the film. I would be happy with Portman bringing home the Oscar, if that's what happens. And lastly, I particularly liked the scenes that led up to Jack's funeral march. Those were some bold acting scenes from Portman.

Rauldc wearing those theater seats out lately.

Got this one just in the nick of time. One theater playing it and this was about the last day.

It's probably no surprise to those who know my film taste, but I really want to see Jackie. Glad to here you liked it Raul. I can see Natalie Portman doing a great acting job as Jackie Kennedy.

Think you would really like it Citizen!

It's on my Netflix Queue, so I'm hot to see it, but I have to wait a while for it to be released

I was going to put that on my watchlist after seeing Sean's great review, figuring my wife would want to see it. She ended up having no interest so I'll probably never watch it.

I don't think Sean has seen it. I think you mean Swan?