Posts by Rebecca Peterson3

The local guy is clearly just playing a part, while that Italian actor... he’s easily the weakest link in the whole production, just completely unconvincing.

mellowsurfer9 said:I don't quite grasp the obsession with this movie. For a subject like this, it feels far too bloated and drawn out, just a tired story we've seen a million times before... 🤷 sure, it’s visually stunning, but beyond the aesthetics, I fail to see what makes it anything special.

If I compare it to other releases from 2015, this one—as mediocre as it actually is—manages to scrape its way to the top. That doesn't necessarily speak to the film's actual quality, but rather to how underwhelming the rest of the 2015 cinematic landscape turned out to be...

Sandra Harris2 said:The way he was rushing things before she even made it back home really rubbed me the wrong way... I never quite warmed to him, honestly; I always found myself rooting for Jim instead.

I agree, there's just much better chemistry between them.

Eric Hayes61 said:I honestly feel like Redmayne is overrated. Just because he snagged an Oscar for playing someone with a chronic illness doesn't automatically make him a top-tier actor. Honestly, aiming for an Oscar this year by playing a transgender character feels like a really cheap move on his part.

Let him play someone who isn't sick, disabled, or gay, and then we can actually judge what kind of actor he is.

Low? Good grief, even Leo has been chasing Oscars for years by playing essentially the same archetype over and over again, so what of it?...

The film itself is poorly executed, shallowly written, and the actors did about as well as they could given the circumstances...

This marks Saoirse Ronan's first real, substantial female lead... she’s spent most of her career playing these little ingenues and wide-eyed girls. She actually handled this one quite well 👍

And you couldn't even bother to include Domhnall Gleeson in the cast list? He was the whole reason I sat down to watch this...

It’s a solid film—straightforward, steady, and quite easy on the eyes if you're looking for something light and pleasant...

electriccanyon26 said:Watched it just yesterday. It's good.

I just finished watching it myself, and I have to agree... it's good.

Daniel Kelly57 said:This takes me back to the king of The Great Depression. There are two films here, but you’re missing the third one—the one that almost had me checking myself into an asylum just to recover from watching such a massive downer. A Pigeon sitting on a branch, contemplating existence. The title alone tells you it's a must-watch. Good luck!🍿

For me, that Pigeon hit like a ton of bricks... I absolutely adore those unhinged projects where you know exactly what kind of misery is waiting for you before the opening credits even roll.🤣

Badlands is definitely one of the better ones.

Barton Fink, Forrest Gump, Stalker, Nostalghia... you can find them everywhere if you know where to look (just stay away from the action flicks), but I honestly find it a bit reductive to slap an "existentialist" label on an entire movie just because it features those specific segments...

If you're looking for that specific vibe, Živojin Pavlović's *Awakening of the Rats* is pretty much exactly what you're after.
And honestly, if you pair that with anything by Terrence Malick—which is actually why I eventually had to stop watching him altogether...
Then you've got the essence of Antonioni: *L'Avventura*, *Zabriskie Point*, *Il Grido*, *L'Eclisse*, even *Blow-Up*.
That particular atmosphere permeates everything he does, though with Malick, it feels like that’s all there is to it...

Grace Sanders24 said:The only redeeming quality here was the lead actress's performance. Personally, I found the camerawork a bit too aggressive, and while the plot had its moments, the pacing felt somewhat sluggish in places... It’s an incredibly overrated film, quite frankly. I'm actually relieved it didn't end up with an Oscar nomination.🍿

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I found the narrative progression completely uninspiring; I had to actively fight the urge to turn it off entirely, and that's saying something, considering how much I actually appreciated the lead actress...

Nobody can claim they haven't, we've all sat through them...

bluenomad2 said:Amanda Garcia57 is basically the architect here 😁 they were obsessed with The Imitation Game, and the writing style is practically identical. It seems they’ve just swapped genders, which I suppose is quite the trend lately... ☕

Well, looking at their posting history, I am now even more convinced. They even left comments on The Warriors, which is apparently their absolute favorite 😁 honestly, the trolling is masterful 🤣

Good grief, for heaven's sake... it turns out so.creator wasn't bluffing quite as much as I thought. They actually had a different handle—masculine—and back then, they were relatively normal, if perhaps a bit overly sentimental...

So, listen, creator, if that really is you, please consider returning to your former level of discourse; you used to have moments of genuine lucidity every now and then...

Returning to the topic at hand:

What are your thoughts on Nightcrawler?
And why exactly do you harbor such a dislike for Romanian cinema as a whole? Is it because they lack the sense of gritty reality that you seem to crave so desperately...?

Amanda Garcia57 said:Enough is enough. I always seem to run into some frozen-brained troll, so why don't you do us all a massive favor and go find a life... honestly, the standards for interaction here have plummeted quite drastically. If you decide to troll someone else in the future, consider yourself permanently ignored by me...

You asked for gripping dramas, thrillers, and crime stories, and you certainly received them (though perhaps not all at once)...
In the future, maybe just give up before you decide to pick a fight with a fellow user...
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Hey Edward Price6, there is absolutely nothing Real about this movie. I mean, the whole premise where Meg Ryan is just looking for a husband and happens to stumble right into some lonely, ripped guy who's also searching for a woman... it’s completely unrealistic, not to mention everything else about it.

May I proceed?
I shall simply list a few exceptionally fine pieces.

everyone in my family
force majeure
ptit quinquin
la chambre bleue
anime nere
foxcatcher
it follows
***what we do in the shadows
Coherence
enemy
bad deals
blue ruin
hwayi a monster boy
magical girl
the one i love
youth...

***a horror comedy, though I experienced it more as a drama...

Amanda Garcia57 said:Everything seems to be labeled as "art" these days. Even blatant lies, deception, and pure fantasy. Personally, I can't wrap my head around those three being categorized as art, nor would I ever classify them as such. For me, this kind of "art" acts as a barrier—one I intend to maintain for as long as possible. After all, everything we consume eventually becomes a part of us, and falsehood, deceit, and fantasy are nothing more than toxic substances poisoning our very souls. Though, I suppose there are plenty of people who actually enjoy the high...

Pretty much every single film out there—with the exception of a documentary—is built on lies, deception, and fantasy (just like any good work of fiction). You can either embrace it or reject it. As for me, I quite enjoy that toxicity; it’s been successfully poisoning my soul for years now...

Michael Harris20 said:Why does it feel like we haven't seen anything like the mid-90s lately? Back then, you actually had a steady stream of gritty thrillers, heavy dramas, and police procedurals... but now, every single year is just a revolving door of Avatars, Avengers, Spider-Man, Batman, Maze Runner, or Planet of the Apes, and suddenly those are treated like the only hits worth mentioning...

I suppose nobody is really hurting anyone else by watching them, though...

jadedrifter17 said:It’s certainly fine, I suppose, but it doesn't quite reach those heights of grandeur we saw when Clinton descended with the grace of Jesus Christ to rescue those one-eyed immigrants...😁

Honestly, he was quite a bit better than Clinton during that era, though I suspect his final project—before he eventually meets his Maker—will be nothing short of an all-encompassing, cosmic performance... 🙏

jadedrifter17 said:I’d personally write it so the President possesses the power to heal a little girl just by looking at her. Then we cut to a close-up of the overjoyed father, the mother, the doctor, and finally the President, who gives this wry, knowing smile and simply says, "Forgive me, but I really must be going. There are still so many children out there waiting to be saved." Then, cue the national anthem, the fluttering of the flag, and a long, sweeping shot of the President walking off into the distance...

Well, that’s a bit too perfect for reality, though certainly a lovely daydream...
In classic Soviet cinema, however, we used to see those heavy-hitting films where the audience doesn't even have to lift a finger to feel the impact. I can't quite recall the specific title or director—it wasn't exactly something by a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster maker, but rather an obscure masterpiece—but the plot usually went something like this:

A farmer is plowing his field, the tractor breaks down, and he's standing there cursing and pulling his hair out in frustration. A drifter wanders by and asks what happened, and the man explains how his equipment is failing him despite his best efforts...
Except, in these stories, it isn't some drifter; it’s the greatest leader of our people, Comrade Stalin himself. With a single glance from him, the tractor suddenly roars back to life, while "Danube" plays softly in the background. The farmer begins swearing blessings upon his benefactor, asking for his name, but Stalin just offers that subtle, enigmatic smile and says, "It doesn't matter; I'm just glad the tractor is running so you can march toward new victories!"