Posts by Joshua Smith5

I noticed it too—you're definitely one of the biggest haters on here. 😁

Man, you're boring me to death. Seriously. 🙏

When the credits rolled, I couldn't believe the runtime was only 140 minutes. It felt more like 440. Honestly, I would have preferred a slightly offbeat family drama. If they had to tackle themes of acceptance—self, sexuality, whatever—that would have been better. You've got guys like those two directors pulling influences from everywhere, managing to mimic In the Mood for Love in one of the universes. I'll admit there are some charming, funny moments scattered in there. But ultimately, this just isn't my kind of movie. At a certain point, the whole thing becomes exhausting, stupid, and worst of all, unoriginal.

Let's not get carried away; this is definitely NOT the worst detective movie ever made. It’s significantly worse than the first one, mostly because Johnson—who's become such a polarizing figure after that Star Wars disaster—went full idiot mode, knowing damn well half the audience would hate him and the other half would blindly praise whatever he puts out. In WWE terms, he took a heel turn.

Regarding those links above, YouTubers being YouTubers—they both just say whatever their specific fanbases want to hear.

Other people's opinions on things that have nothing to do with you shouldn't bother you in an ideal world.

I am not the subject here, Grace Sanchez50. The subject is a movie I didn't particularly care for. It’s fine—a decent holiday flick if you just want to zone out. But after Brick, I expected much more from Rian Johnson. For me, this one didn't hit those heights. I'll still watch his stuff in the future because, aside from messing around with SW, none of his work is a total disaster.

I honestly don't see what's pretentious about using the term "cringe-inducing." I wasn't aware there was some age limit on which slang you're allowed to use.

Looper also had an interesting premise, but ultimately it was pretty mediocre. I rewatched it a few months ago, nearly ten years after my first viewing. It hasn't aged well at all.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Rian Johnson hasn't made a decent movie since Brick. Both of these works—basically budget Agatha Christie—have a few clever tricks up their sleeve, but that’s where they end. They're easy enough to watch, but you'll forget them immediately. The cameos from Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke are just silly and unnecessary. The attempt at satirizing tech moguls, influencers, and MR activists is pure cringe.

Paddy’s defensive game is a complete disaster. Someone is going to end up putting him to sleep. I can't even fathom what kind of state he'd be in if Gaethje actually connects. He lost this fight before it even started.

Topuria throws heavy hands, but he doesn't stand a chance against anyone in the top 5 at FW.

northerncobra31 said:You missed the point. Both parents are passive in every sense. They allowed the most basic things to happen, and when the actual crisis hit, they just froze because they were terrified. This isn't some Liam Neeson action flick.

Some people would react, sure. But there are plenty of passive types who wouldn't. In a moment like that, your legs are cut out from under you and you're paralyzed.

That’s why the key line in the movie is: We’re doing this because you let us.

I think the director is addressing the audience with that line, not the parents.

northerncrane4 once made an interesting, completely valid point: You should stop watching Haneke's Funny Games the exact moment the villain 'rewinds' the plot. At that point, the rules no longer apply—it's a clear audio-visual cue. This film doesn't have that, unless you count the protagonists making impossibly stupid decisions. If the movie ended after about 45 or 50 minutes, right when they first try to flee those creepy hosts, it would be a top-tier short film. Everything after that is just torture porn for both the characters and the audience.

Watch out, the interpretation police have arrived on this thread. 🥱

Dennis Martin6 said:The whole point of letting him drive is all about shifting the perspective—throwing a totally different light on his complaining. It’s basically those tiny little steps that kick off a turnaround leading to some personal catharsis by the end.

For some reason, I feel like the dynamic between the couple isn't hitting home for everyone. It’s actually pretty straightforward: she wants him to show some actual desire for her, but he thinks doing that would make him too exposed and vulnerable. They're both right. So instead, he builds this perfect, pure image of her in his head—and that kind of idealism just leads straight to alienation. Looking at it through the lens of Japanese culture, you could argue it's that classic theme of *uchi* (inside) vs. *soto* (outside)—basically the private self versus the public persona. In Japan, the "self" is contextual; it's shaped by the group rather than just the individual.

Give me a break, that would have been beyond cringe. 😁 Luckily, Hamaguchi isn't Chabrol.

It's not an erotic thriller; it's more like Scheherazade and *One Thousand and One Nights*. 😉

Is that 'classic theme' exclusive to Japan?

Kevin Chavez3 said:Definition of 'edgelord'
edgelord
in British English
(ˈɛdʒˌlɔːd)
NOUN
informal, derogatory
a person who delights in making provocative comments, esp on an internet forum

I think the guy above is a poser, and it gets on my nerves, but I also think boycotting a band over this is absolute overkill. We used to listen to bands with albums titled "thank heaven for little girls," and now every rocker has to be our soulmate and best friend...

Boris is an idiot, not an edgelord.

Look at his description of the situation when he clashed with the members of Artan Lili. I don't know who's right or wrong in that dispute, but I do know he completely embarrassed himself by claiming someone was a "loser."

Matt is right, btw. On the way to Grandovac beach in the islands, one of the houses carries the Aristocratic surname.

I think Boris has gone so far left in his self-described Marxist-Leninist way that he’s actually circled back to the right. 😁 Maybe that’s why he hasn't performed with the band on Kesić's show yet—and honestly, it doesn't look like he ever will.

William Hughes40 said:I knew exactly what was going on the moment I saw that post blow up on the Tutor forum.🤣

@zednouhi
Good answer 👍

Just another band I won't be seeing live anymore.

It's surprising Matt didn't see Vlastelić's Facebook status where he calls out Dežulović—of all people—for some "cultist rant." As if Dežulović wouldn't trash New York City just like he does today.

I heard this singer has been stuck on these fixed ideas for ages, seeing CIA plots everywhere. Now he’s actually gone and confirmed it with this Facebook status. 😁

Without checking, was that trilogy actually co-written with Simon Pegg? You could tell by The World's End that the chemistry just wasn't there anymore, though he still had a certain charm. Pilgrim was great, but they basically just lifted every good joke straight from the comic. Baby Driver was mediocre, and this latest one is even worse. Edgar Wright is clearly a massive film buff, but without Pegg, the wit is gone. To be honest, the actors in his last two films have been pretty uncharismatic. Hopefully, he finds his groove again. He’s such a likable guy that all those loudmouthed American and British critics seem too heartless to tell him that this stuff actually sucks. 🕺

northerncrane4 said:I think "Grand Budapest" is his weakest work simply because it’s the one most embraced by both critics and the general public.

There, fixed that for ya. 😁

Look at this wave of glowing reviews on IMDb, comparing it to Braindead and whatnot. Seriously, were we even watching the same movie? The first two-thirds are an absolute disaster, made even worse by atrocious acting, only to hit you with a twist that feels like a mild stroke. If I read one more person claim this was "intentional," I’m going to lose it. Even if it was, it’s painfully bad.

Maybe my standards are off, or maybe it’s just because I waited a few months to catch this in theaters, but this was a completely solid action flick.

Mediocre, at best. If someone had actually convinced me that Jared Leto would be the saving grace of any movie... I wouldn't have believed them.

A few brutally stupid script choices and an impossibly bad performance by Rami Malek prevent this film from escaping the clutches of being just okay. Denzel Washington looks a bit too soft here.

A few decent moments. That’s about it. Mank, or rather Herman Mankiewicz, is basically a stand-in for Jep Gambardell from Sorrentino's The Great Beauty. He watches the world around him with this sense of disgust, acting like he's above it all while still being stuck in the middle of the circus. Oldman does what he always does—he's good. The movie itself pushes the narrative that Mank was practically the sole architect behind Kane, which isn't even true. Fincher also made a habit of dropping some pretty mindless, inaccurate comments about Welles during the film's press tour.