I’m a huge fan of Leigh, honestly. He just has this knack for characters—top-tier writer, and he always picks the perfect cast. Plus, he actually knows how to frame a shot; he isn't one of those script geniuses who can only direct cheap TV movies. The directing here isn't over-the-top, but his style fits the vibe perfectly. You guys have already said plenty about the script, and I mostly agree with Amanda Nguyen5, though I wouldn't be quite as harsh on Tom and Jerry (😁). That said, those moments where they clearly aren't having a blast were definitely intentional. Comparing the woman at the start to Mary was a brilliant move. If I had to nitpick, maybe they focused a bit too much on Mary, making her the de facto lead. I wish they'd spread the screen time out more between Mary, Ronnie, the son, and Ken. BTW, Ken was absolute gold... wish we had more of him.
Hmm, feels like they might ditch that semi-realistic vibe for the sequel and just dive headfirst into pure comic book fantasy. Not necessarily a bad thing, I guess, but it’s gonna take some getting used to...
Really hit the spot. Honestly, out of all the 'Oscar' contenders I've sat through lately, this one is definitely the highest quality. The directing and editing are just smooth... they flow perfectly with the scenes. It’s textbook stuff, really—just solid, expert craftsmanship. The acting across the board was great, and the chemistry between the characters felt totally natural. Script-wise, it feels grounded and serious; even the humor (which there's plenty of) feels real and life-like, rather than being forced like in those typical "pure comedies." Characterization is spot on too. Just one quick scene (with Clooney's character and his neighbor) says everything you need to know about him.
That script 'twist' was totally earned. Looking back, almost everything in the movie was pointing toward that exact outcome. If it had ended any other way, it would've been a worse film. Right at the end, the script gives Clooney's character one last chance to take the "feel-good" route, but once again, it doesn't. And that’s exactly why it’s better.
Solid 4 out of 5. It just lacks those transcendent moments that would push it from "expertly crafted" to my top tier. Plus, planes and airports? I'm a sucker for those. I was already leaning toward a positive rating just for that. Loved the opening credits, too... pretty cool.
Look, you can always find a side hustle on top of your main 40-hour grind. Sure, if nobody’s buying what you’re selling, you’ll probably end up doing some mindless grunt work for peanuts, but hey, even peanuts help... If you can pull in an extra $333 a month on top of the day job (which is always possible, even if your boss is a total slave driver), you're winning. Plus, when you're pulling 60-80 hour weeks, you won't have much time to blow cash anyway, so maybe you'll even save a little. And yeah, I'm totally with you on talking to the ex about child support...
Seriously, don't just obsess over the screen lighting (it's gotta be totally even), but watch the lighting on the subjects in front of it too. Plan your shots ahead of time if you're gonna stitch them together later. My advice? Film the background first, check out how the light is hitting it, then try to mimic that exact vibe on the subject in front of the screen.
Is it actually possible that our distributors are this brainless, cheap, or just straight-up incompetent? They can't even manage to get a single 3D copy of this movie?? I mean, let's be real, the movie is total trash, but since it was shot specifically for 3D in the first place, isn't it pathetic that these guys can't even show it in 3D? I don't get them... 😢
Anyone know if there's some kind of database for American movie title translations? Like, if I stumble upon some random flick from the 40s, how am I supposed to figure out what it was called here in the States? Right now, I'm specifically looking for the title of that Houseboat movie with Sophia Loren and Cary Grant... but it’d be cool to find a spot for all these translations for next time. Thanks. 🙂
I lost it laughing when I saw the DVD cover for that Diane Arbus movie—labeled as "a Steven Shainberg film"—using the exact same font they used for Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg. I was just sitting there like, "Who does this guy think he is? What a loser," until I realized the dude actually worked as an assistant to her. Not so funny anymore... 😁 So yeah, decent movie, probably an okay director (if you judge him just by his boss), but the way they handled his name and the whole presentation was just clumsy.
Does everything really need some deep, obvious purpose? Like a specific meaning or whatever? To me, it’s plenty just knowing that the book—and his kid rambling about it, and him, and that crazy lawyer—saved his life. It pushed him to get out of the car and see that horse scene, just like the one in the book...
The aliens thing isn't even part of the movie. It’s just some separate little end credit bit from Juhu-h 😛 Pixar does this all the time, pairing shorts with their big features. Usually those shorts end up in the Oscar race for best animated short... but I don't know about this alien one, feels a bit thin compared to their other stuff. That's why Juhu-h is actually solid 🙂
Maybe nobody’s actually bothered to code something like this yet because there wasn't much demand, but honestly, it shouldn't be that hard to whip up a script that takes three 2D images—each showing a square—and turns them into a cube. I mean, that's usually what people want when they're modeling, right? Unless they have some other weird idea, then you could just program those options too. Sure, getting complex shapes or anything with internal geometry is a nightmare... but I'm only looking for basic stuff... just need to map out the outer shell of an object.
I mean, come on—is there seriously nothing more basic or straightforward than Autodesk SketchUp? 😢
When I say simple, I mean dead simple. For context, I tried Autodesk SketchUp, which everyone says is basically built for dummies—but honestly? Even that feels way too complicated for me. I just mess around with basic shapes. Ideally, I’d love a program where I could just draw up a floor plan or some elevations and have it automatically generate a 3D model.
Am I asking for too much, or does something like that actually exist?
They’re designing a successor to the Space Shuttle - Orion Kinda wild that they're using tech from the Saturn era just to get back into orbit instead of building something even more insane than the Shuttle...
crimsonsailor7 said:Look, you can't just say every single physical attack should be punished the exact same way, so that "regardless of the circumstances" part of your argument doesn't really hold water with me...
That's not even what I said. My point was that any kind of physical attack should carry a penalty way harsher than the current minimum. Obviously, different attacks would still be classified differently and get their own specific punishments. It's just that the current laws in this country have such an insanely high tolerance for violence...
It’s honestly pathetic how the current laws and legal precedents handle this stuff. But hey, I doubt I’ll even live long enough to see actual physical assaults get punished properly...
Missed opportunity right there. I mean, I was low-key hoping to actually see some robots in action. On the bright side, the movie doesn't take itself seriously, which is fine. It’s got decent jokes, it’s fun, and the lighting is pretty slick 😁, which works since the whole thing feels like one giant commercial for cars, the military, or hot women.
Though, sometimes the product placement gets ridiculous (not that it's a bad thing, hey, at least you're laughing 🙂). Those shots of the new Chevrolet Camaro tearing through the desert feel like they were ripped straight out of a car commercial. Whatever. And it's like the producers went to the U.S. military asking to collab, and the military just handed them a list: "Sure, but you gotta include this, that, and this, and film it exactly like this." There's tons of military tech on screen, and they make sure to label everything. Don't even get me started on that "these guys don't know how to lose" line—talking about our glorious American soldiers.
But again, like I said, all that stuff is kind of cute and funny in its own way. What isn't funny at all is how the action scenes and those robot transformations are shot. I don't think there are more than two or three wide shots in the whole thing. It's ALL close-ups and tiny details where you can't even see the full robot, let alone the transformation (which sucks, because instead of seeing a cool transformation, you're just watching a pile of moving parts making loud noises). Plus, I guess because they wanted to "pull you into the action," they used a shaky cam for everything. It’s SO shaky that combined with the close-ups, you can't tell what the hell is happening.
And for the finale? Zero big motherfucking robot action. Even Megatron and Optimus Prime, the heavy hitters, don't really wreck anything during their fights. They aren't grabbing cars to toss at enemies or leveling entire blocks. They mess up a few streets, leave a couple of craters, poke a hole in two buildings—and that’s it. No actual city destruction. Okay, I know people will say I totally missed the point, but I don't give a damn about Transformers like that. I want robots that actually tear a city apart.
Oh well, it was still a good time. Since these are the only robots we're getting for now, I'll just hope the sequel is a bit more megalomaniacal and actually focuses on some massive destruction.