Posts by James Stewart9
19 posts shown.
It’s definitely a step down from the first one...
I guess the original had the upper hand because the setting and the setup were just perfect for building that classic murder mystery vibe, whereas Glass Onion feels more like a social commentary about how money can basically rot your soul...
The characters were great, and the cast was stellar too, but the plot felt a bit over the top toward the end... plus, that whole bit with the Mona Lisa felt kind of underwhelming given how much hype was built up leading up to it. Honestly, there's surprisingly little in the movie that actually focuses on the murder itself or the investigation; the first death—which was just a side character anyway—doesn't even happen until halfway through, and the reveal regarding the main crime feels a little clunky and rushed... ☕
Also, while I get why everyone is raving about the production design and how visually stunning everything looks, I personally felt like it distracted me from the actual story. It looked less like a gritty detective mystery and more like something straight out of a Too Hot to Handle reality show 🤷
All in all, I really loved the first film and I think I gave it a solid 9/10 on IMDb, so by my own logic, this one would probably land at a decent 7/10 😉
That being said, I totally agree that I wouldn't mind seeing this turn into a proper film series, though...
The starting price is honestly such a steal, it’s straightforward enough, yet you still have no real clue what’s actually going on under the hood... I mean, sure, it ends up being a little "cheaper" in the end, but it really doesn't let you down 👍
What a pleasant surprise!👍
The pacing was spot on, really engaging and dynamic to follow, and at times it gets quite deep and psychedelic... there are moments where it feels scary, though I wouldn't strictly label it a horror movie—it felt more like a thriller, or perhaps even better, a psychological drama..
I honestly think women might connect with this one especially, since it does such a visceral job of portraying the harsh reality of being objectified, how women can be reduced to just their bodies, the world of prostitution, and all those shallow, fake values... plus, it has some great detective-style beats and some genuinely strong plot twists.. overall, I’m more than satisfied and just really glad I ended up at the theater on a whim and caught this... 8/10👍
ps. It is a little bit kitschy, and the ending leans a bit too hard into the melodrama, almost like it's trying too hard to shock you, but that first act? The setup and the slow unfolding of the actual plot... truly great stuff!
Look, don't be cheap and just shell out those $13 a month for unlimited music access... it’s honestly the least we can do to support the artists we love, especially nowadays when streaming is pretty much everything we have left, since nobody's really buying physical albums anymore anyway☕
goldenhound32 said:Hold on a second, what theaters are you talking about? I was under the impression that all the movie houses were still shut down because of the pandemic...
Actually, AMC Theatres have been back in business for about five months now...🤣
I caught this yesterday, and man, what a beautiful story... I think it would really resonate with those more introspective types—people who tend to drift away from reality and get lost in their own heads—because, honestly, this isn't your typical family adventure. The plot itself isn't overly complex or even particularly straightforward (it’s actually a little messy in parts), so you can't just sit there and watch it passively; you really have to let it hit you emotionally...😍
I honestly don't see how kids are supposed to wrap their heads around it🤷. Sure, there's some humor and the animation is absolutely brilliant, which probably keeps the little ones engaged enough, but at its core, this is a movie for adults. I actually witnessed a pretty funny situation while watching it; there was a young mom and her son sitting right near me. Just as the film was hitting its climax, the kid started begging to go to the restroom because he was clearly bored out of his mind, but the mom just completely ignored him for about ten minutes because she was too captivated by the screen... not until he started throwing a full-blown tantrum did they finally have to get up and leave. 🤣
Anyway, as someone who is incredibly easy to win over with these kinds of philosophical themes, this film totally won me over! There weren't any big tears or that heavy lump in my throat, but I watched the whole thing without blinking once, and I walked out of the theater feeling deeply spiritually fulfilled...😍
a solid 9.5/10 from me
quietbison86 said:I really should go back and listen to their older albums
Oh, absolutely... if you’re really into that indie folk vibe, you definitely have to start right at the beginning with the first album, because it’s just so much more intimate and stripped-back without all those heavy production layers (which makes sense, considering they recorded it out in a cabin deep in the woods, far away from everything else)😁
Here are a few tracks I currently have on repeat:
I’ve been listening to him on repeat lately, and honestly, his music just really speaks to my soul during this period of loneliness and isolation...😢
Unfortunately, I just can't seem to get into the vibe of his last two albums (22 a Million and I,I)... I feel like I lose that atmospheric indie folk essence that made me fall in love with for Emm and the Bon Iver album
in the first place...
If I had to rank them, it would go something like this:
1. Forever aga (it’s hard to imagine anything topping this one; it’s true indie folk at its core, recorded while Justinov was totally isolated in a cabin up in the mountains, resulting in such a raw, stripped-back sound that’s still emotionally heavy and complex...🙏)
2. Bon Iver (a wonderful successor, featuring richer melodies and more experimentation both sonically and lyrically... Holocene is easily one of the most intricate and beautiful songs I've ever heard, and it definitely deserves to be right up there with Skinny Love as his biggest hit)
>>
3. I,I (in a way, it feels like a return to the right path, which I appreciate, though it's still something I find myself listening to less often...)
4. 22, a Million (I just didn't experience that deep connection with it🤷... I believe the album is high quality and quite complex, so maybe I'll grow to love it more in the future)
-------------------------------------------
Over the last five months, he’s actually collaborated with Taylor Swift on her two most recent albums (folklore and evermore), which really show Taylor's shift away from mainstream pop toward an indie folk/rock sound... He helped craft several tracks, including two duets:
They are absolutely fantastic!🙏 The first one even earned a Grammy nomination, and I truly think these collaborations have brought him so many new listeners (myself included)
I'm currently using Apple Music, having made the jump over from Pandora thanks to that six-month free trial offer I'm still enjoying... honestly, it was such a killer welcome deal🙏. I’m actually thinking about sticking with it because, at the end of the day, the monthly subscription seems to be by far the most budget-friendly option out there
.
For me, price is really the deciding factor since most services are pretty much more or less the same, but Apple Music recently did a major overhaul and the interface looks fantastic now. It’s super smooth and makes pulling up lyrics so quick and easy, so I’m actually feeling a lot happier with it than I ever did with Pandora👍
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The only thing making me second-guess things is considering a move over to Spotify for two main reasons;
1. Apple Music doesn't have the option to sync with Last.fm like I had back when I was on Pandora, and Spotify does support it (and I'm a bit obsessed with tracking what I listen to and how often, so that's a pretty big hurdle for me)
2. Spotify is basically the global heavyweight of streaming services, and it shows you those total play counts for songs—kind of like how YouTube shows view counts. Since I'm someone who follows the music scene pretty closely and likes to stay in the loop, having access to that kind of data is pretty interesting to me
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If anyone here has experience using both Apple Music and Spotify, would you say making the switch is actually worth it or should I just stay put?😁
fadedbear43 said:I just caught this at the AMC theater. It’s actually quite nice if you just want to head to the cinema to relax and zone out, but honestly, the movie itself isn't anything groundbreaking. It’s pretty predictable, and you can see exactly where the plot is headed from a mile away... I feel like I might even struggle to sit through the whole thing once I get home.👍
The acting was genuinely great—they really nailed their parts—but I don't think this is one of those movies that stays with you after the credits roll. It’s fine for some mindless entertainment and just chilling, I guess. It makes total sense that kids would be much more into it than adults...😁
I'm with you on everything
It's perfectly okay for a theater trip, though I'm not sure if I'd bother picking it up for a home viewing later...
There have been much better Disney remakes (like > or >) and definitely worse ones (like >), so I'd say this one sits somewhere right in the middle...
It’s funny how that one track from the soundtrack just suddenly blew up and became such a massive hit... it feels a little late, though, because if it had caught fire while the movie was still in theaters, I really think it could have given the box office numbers a much needed boost
I can't help but feel like this movie missed its full potential, mostly because Harley Quinn is such an iconic character and everyone loves her so much, but I've been hearing that it's actually doing pretty well now over on the various streaming and Video on Demand services...
analogwolf10 said:What an absolute, epic piece of LGBTQ+ trash this movie turned out to be... honestly, I’m just glad I grabbed it via a torrent so I didn't waste a single cent on this disaster.
It’s just the same old formula: a Black woman, an Asian woman, and some crazy girl. Apparently, if you want to be part of this crowd, you have to have short hair, identify as a lesbian, and then everything is just rainbows and sunshine, right?
I remember someone on the last thread saying the film was actually pretty decent, but did they really think that? Because from where I'm sitting, this thing was a massive financial flop. It pulled in maybe 200 million after spending 100 million on production, and that's without even touching the marketing budget.
As long as having Black women, Asian women, and lesbians in a cast is enough reason for you to label a movie trash, then I really hope we see more of them in films moving forward...👍
Just watched it, and I have to say, I’m more than happy with how it turned out!
It’s just a straightforward superhero flick packed with action and plenty of laughs, honestly carrying a pretty similar vibe to Suicide Squad, which I think was exactly what they were aiming for—and despite what the critics might say, the movie actually did quite well at the box office...
There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but it’s solid popcorn entertainment and a nice way to unwind after all those heavy Academy Awards contenders we’ve been discussing over the last few weeks... 😁
And yeah, it definitely ranks among my favorites from DC Comics, even though I feel like their movies aren't nearly as bad as the critics make them out to be, especially when you consider how much people tend to overhype Wonder Woman and Shazam...
People say the movie is an absolute blast if you're feeling a little high... I'm definitely going to give it a shot eventually.🙏
Rachel Young3 said:that song from the movie
That song is just phenomenal...🙏it honestly feels like it belongs in a Broadway musical
Even with all the massive backlash regarding the CGI, I really feel like this could be such a lovely watch during the holiday season when it finally drops, so I'm definitely looking forward to it...🍿
This might honestly be my favorite movie franchise of all time. I know I’m probably being biased since I grew up watching the whole thing during my teenage years, and it brings back such incredible memories, but I truly believe the story behind The Hunger Games is special and the films themselves have some absolutely phenomenal elements...
What really drew me in throughout the entire series was that specific atmosphere—that sense of a cold, totalitarian dystopian future, the tension of a brewing revolution, and finally, the victory. All those massive shifts were set in motion by Katniss Everdeen, who is just such a phenomenally written character, and Jennifer Lawrence played her with absolute mastery. Katniss feels like a genuine hero; her courage isn't forced just because she's a woman—which is something you see way too often nowadays—but rather it's a true reflection of her strength as an individual, even though she's essentially an antisocial, emotionally broken teenager at heart...
If I had to pick, the first film is my favorite. There’s a certain vibe that Gary Ross captured that the later movies, despite having different directors, just couldn't quite replicate, even if they became bigger blockbusters and looked even more stunning on the big screen (especially that highly acclaimed second installment).
Of course, we can all agree that it was a huge mistake to split the third book into two separate movies. Instead of wrapping up the series with one massive, epic finale that could have easily cleared a billion dollars at the box office, they stretched the plot out, which left us with Mockingjay – Part 1... which is honestly pretty tough to sit through if you aren't a die-hard fan of the series (personally, even I find it a bit heavy because the atmosphere is just so dark and depressing)
I don't know, when you compare them to other teen franchises like Twilight, Harry Potter, or The Maze Runner... to me, The Hunger Games films feel far superior, mostly because of how serious the themes are, the overall mood, and the deep psychological characterization...
Also, the soundtracks are fantastic and do such a great job of mirroring the progression of the story and the growth of our lead character. Just look at the theme song from the first film compared to the one from the third film
Honestly, after being totally let down by the absolute trash they served up in those first few images and trailers, I have to say I came away from watching this feeling surprisingly positive...👍
The movie is packed with great humor, and there's even some romance mixed in too—the love story and the chemistry between the leads actually work surprisingly well! It stays true to the original tale while still introducing some fresh tweaks (like Jasmine becoming a Sultaness), and Will Smith is just fantastic👍
What a pleasant surprise! Honestly, I wasn't sure if this particular animation style could actually capture that true Christmas spirit, but I was totally wrong... it really pulls you right into that holiday feeling👍
On top of that, the humor is spot on, and even the voice acting feels perfectly tailored for an American audience, like they included a little nod to a goat from California🤣
That’s awesome! It’s definitely great, though I still don't think it quite reaches the heights of the first one, which I honestly consider to be the best animated movie ever made...
It seems like they really dove deep into the private messages and tackled a lot of what's going on in the USA right now—things like feminism, family dynamics, capitalism, and how commercialism takes over everything... They really managed to weave all those themes into the story...
Even that ambassador character has this unmistakable vibe that reminds me so much of Hillary Clinton...
It looks like the movie is well on its way to chasing that title of being the highest-grossing animated film of all time...🎉