The Manchurian Candidate

I don't know about you all, but it's been pouring rain here in New York City for days on end, and since my bank account is looking a little slim, I decided to just treat myself to a movie this weekend instead.
So, I finally went to see this one today.
It was actually quite a good film... though I have to admit the first thirty minutes were a bit of a drag because they spend so much time rambling on with all this pointless philosophical nonsense, but once they really get into the deep stuff, it becomes genuinely engaging...
And oh my gosh, Meryl Streep is absolutely incredible... she’s just so convincing and captivating that you can't help but want to swoop in and give her a playful little smack on the backside...
Well, yeah... honestly, since the last time I saw her on screen, she has aged beautifully...
The popcorn was delicious too, although I definitely overdid it and ate way more than I should have...

Hey Steven Ruiz, honestly—how can any of the major studios in New York City release such an absolute disaster of a movie? This film is a total catastrophe in every single sense of the word:
- The actors are basically just there to wave hello to the massive production budget (if they didn't repeat at least two scenes during filming, you could cut me thinner than I am!!!), and their overacting is—I kid you not—physically painful to watch. It’s the same old story, really; our champion of overcompensation, Mr. Denzel Washington... man, he's getting old, isn't he? Such a shame...
- The script is so poorly written that even a tireless army of writers working 120-hour shifts couldn't fix it. It’s predictable to a fault; you can practically guess every facial expression Denzel Washington is going to make before it happens, let alone what cheesy line he’ll mutter to a theater full of people who have already fallen asleep... if you don't pass out during this movie, you must be on drugs!!
- The characters aren't even real people; they're just half-baked walking advertisements featuring robotic caricatures of "global power players." We've got the mad scientists, the CEOs of massive corporations, those supposedly "fearless" American veterans (who, in reality, are anything but, though the film portrays them as pure heroes), and of course, officials from the CIA—because, really, did you think they'd leave them out?
- And the ending? Absolute peak nonsense. It’s something a Film Noir wouldn't even dare touch, or maybe something out of an American soap opera—there's just so much pathetic, tacky melodrama here that you won't find in any decent cinema... that's all there is to it...

IF YOU HAVE ANY SELF-RESPECT AT ALL, stay at least three miles away from the theater while this trash is playing, or you might actually get irradiated by depleted uranium—not that the movie even mentions that, despite being based on those "scandalous" events in Kuwait back in '91... I'm speechless. I honestly regret wasting my time on this cinematic disgrace that's being marketed as some "intelligent, well-made thriller." Seriously, how many brain cells do these big-name critics need to lose before they actually go to the movies instead of just regurgitating reviews from official websites for these bloated, megalomaniac projects?

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Honestly, I’m totally fine with it—if anything, I think it actually beats the original.

Honestly, the original was just a decent little flick—nothing fancy, just a solid, low-key watch perfect for those dreary Sunday afternoons when you just want to zone out... but this remake? It’s an exhausting, cliché-ridden attempt at being "big" that isn't even worth the effort of criticizing...

Hey movie, The Manchurian Candidate, just stay hidden... let the theaters focus on something actually subtle, like My Big Fat Greek Wedding 🙂

What was the original version like? I honestly have no idea.

Personally, I thought the movie was alright, though definitely not the best thing I’ve ever seen—it gets a little predictable in certain spots. Meryl Streep is great, obviously, but I feel like Denzel Washington could have been better 🙂

which doesn't even deserve this kind of mudslinging...

I won't dive into an endless debate about subjective taste, but just a quick observation... based on the fact that under the exact same circumstances 😉 😁 considered The Butterfly Effect to be a good movie (not to mention that little dig at 🙄), I'm guessing your dislike for 'The Manchurian Candidate' reveals a specific cinematic sensibility and a certain pattern. For me, the upside is that it confirms my own taste in movies 😉 😁

//ps. the demeaning factor in this post is 3 * of [Maristella69] measuring unit 😁

Douglas Robinson12 said:I'm totally fine with it; honestly, I think it might actually beat the original.

I really, really hope this is just one massive joke...

It’s worth a watch, honestly... especially given how much junk else is out there this year.....

True, considering the competition, this works well as a political thriller—especially since the original wasn't exactly a masterpiece...

I have to come clean here—I haven’t actually sat down to watch the original version... and honestly? I found the movie to be just okay. It’s not that the plot is bad; there isn't really anything missing from the storytelling itself, but it just felt... mediocre to me. 😉 Plus, I’ve gotta say, I am getting pretty tired of Denzel Washington lately...

Kiki said:this movie...

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT FILM!

The original was honestly such a great movie—I haven't checked out the new one yet, but it doesn't feel like I've missed much 🙄

It's a solid movie. It isn't some impossible sci-fi epic, just a slightly stretched-out hypnosis thriller. There is absolutely no reason to trash this. Any film that tells a story like this WITHOUT dragging aliens into it is actually pretty good.

newcomer said:I won't kick off an endless debate about subjective taste, but just a quick observation... based on the fact that under the exact same circumstances, you 😉 😁 found Butterfly Effect to be a good movie (and I'll allow that little Twilight Zone 🙄 heresy), I’ve concluded that your dislike of 'The Manchurian Candidate' reveals a specific cinematic sensibility and pattern—which, for me, serves as a nice validation of my own tastes 😉 😁

//ps. the demeaning factor in this post is 3 * of [Maristella69] measuring unit 😁

Heh... compared to the absolute garbage that is The Manchurian Candidate, Butterfly Effect is actually a decent flick (well, only when you're comparing these two disasters)... obviously, Butterfly isn't some heavyweight, all-time classic masterpiece, and that "Twilight Zone" comparison totally holds water—since BE basically feels like one high-budget TZ episode.

Butterfly Effect isn't some pretentious remake trying to redefine global politics or "teach" us how the world works today... it's just a sci-fi story with a solid premise and a somewhat original script... I mean, what BE offers, we actually get; whereas with MC, we don't even get 5% of what's promised—PLUS, we have to sit through DENZELAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA... that guy could probably ruin a cartoon character if they gave him the chance!!!

What an absolute disaster of a movie! 🙂

Even someone as talented as Streep couldn't save this train wreck from being completely unwatchable! 👎

Taylor Brown61 said:A total disaster of a film. 🙂

Even Streep couldn't have saved that one. 👎

Streep can only make the aesthetic experience worse. I assume you were referring to her acting caliber. Honestly, everyone seems to praise that most overrated actress of all time by default. 🙂Only Pauline Kael had the guts to stand up to it.
Does anyone feel compelled to mention that Lev Schreiber delivered his finest performance in that film?
Is Butterfly Effect actually the superior choice? 😂

Aha, please—Pauline Kael is totally overreaching here. It’s always the same story with her: she acts like she’s the only one with a functioning brain while everyone else is just walking around clueless... 🙂 🥳

Total waste of time!!!

🙂

Nathan Baker71 said:Is *Butterfly Effect* actually the better one? 😂

Funny, isn't it? 🙂?

Honestly, it’s just pathetic—the creators of The Manchurian Candidate actually seem to think they’ve delivered a masterpiece, when in reality, it doesn't even come close to being a real movie. And while Butterfly Effect is decent enough, it’s pretty much forgettable—you won't have any trouble keeping your dinner down once the credits roll.

MC, you really need to watch where you're stepping—keep that washbasin close by so you don't end up splashing my mom's Persian rug, which she picked up at a flea market in Brooklyn. 🙂

A complete disaster. I’m beyond disappointed. 👎