He’s getting worse not better. If I ranked his movies it’s almost like chronologically accurate.
1. dawn of the dead 2. 300 3. Watchman 4. superman 5. Batman v superman 6. justice league 7. AOD
I feel like if 300 came out today it would be way more ridiculous than AotD but other than that that's about how I would rank them too. I kinda always had it in my mind that the dropoff on my enjoyment of Snyder was not being 18 anymore but they do seem to be legitimately worse movies as he goes.
300 had a simple plot that progressed rapidly and epically.
AOD acted like a zombie body with no head. It was all over the place.
I watched 300 during the pandemic and it holds up for what it is. A beefcake spectacle of white male saviors killing evil dark people trying to take their land and jobs.
Weirdly I was super into Army of the Dead, but I can't think of any reasons I disagree with any of the critcisms I hear of it. I think maybe it just had a strong start for me. The opening sequence felt really fun and most of the characters were set up in a way that I found interesting (though it rarely paid off). I guess it just won me over early and I didn't think too hard about it later.
I think there's a great zombie movie that has an identical first half hour and then gets written by somebody else. I think I've been convinced that Snyder has a knack for creating the movie equivalent of cool action-y "splash pages" in comic books. Whatever else was wrong with Watchmen, JL, and Man of Steel, they have some visual moments and action direction that were truly great to me. But he needs to let someone else write his movies and please god someone get that man a cinematographer.
I think there's a great zombie movie that has an identical first half hour and then gets written by somebody else. I think I've been convinced that Snyder has a knack for creating the movie equivalent of cool action-y "splash pages" in comic books. Whatever else was wrong with Watchmen, JL, and Man of Steel, they have some visual moments and action direction that were truly great to me. But he needs to let someone else write his movies and please god someone get that man a cinematographer.
I think there's a great zombie movie even with Snyder at the helm but with some people to reign in some of his worst impulses and provide some fresh ideas. Giving him total control produces questionable results and trying to take something he made with free reign and cut it up into something else produces disasters, he just needs a good number 2 (or 3 and 4 and 5 and 6). Someone to tell him that they do not need to make everything in the shot blurry except the exact place they want the audience to look and cut 45 minutes would have made a big difference. If he had someone to tell him the alpha zombies were dumb and that whole concept needed to be fleshed out more if not completely excluded or replaced with some other threat and this could have been really good.
The Battle of Algiers - a classic I've been meaning to see for a long time, was very watchable for a black and white foreign film made in the 60's, had a very interesting and unique style to it. Very affecting and relevant today, especially with what's been going on on Gaza.
Downton Abbey - Finally caught up on this - not sure why we waited so long! Very much so a comfort watch for me, super enjoyable. Now I get to listen ARon and Cecily's podcast about it!
Saint Maud : Great stuff here. But if you aren't a fan of A24's brand of horror, then it might not be for you. It is a slow boil, but at 80 minutes, it doesn't take long to get there. It also is much less horror'y than I anticipated and more psychological, which is totally fine by me. But again, some people are particular about that stuff. (Hulu & Amazon Prime)
Hunter Hunter : This is a brutal survivalist thriller with a gut-wrenching ending. It does shy away from violence prior, but the ending really goes places. Another quick watch at 90 minutes. But the squeamish should beware. (Hulu)
Riders of Justice - I don't really even know where to start with this one. Judging by the name, poster and the trailer I thought this would be a Danish John Wick/Nobody type movie with Mads beating up random gangsters. It definitely has that occasionally but mostly this is a very strange character study about four weirdos who don't feel like they get enough respect. I think I liked it but it was not at all what I was expecting.
Surprisingly good for what it is. It's basically a kids movie for teenagers/adults. Would have been a blast to see it in the theaters on some mild hallucinogens.
Bo's new special on Netflix is an absolute masterpiece. I feel like I just relived the last year in 90 minutes. It's equal parts humorous and soul-crushing. Just phenomenal.
Bo's new special on Netflix is an absolute masterpiece. I feel like I just relived the last year in 90 minutes. It's equal parts humorous and soul-crushing. Just phenomenal.
At this point I think I can say that he’s my favorite comedian working right now. Everyone is throwing around the word masterpiece and I don’t know how you can’t.
This was the perfect encapsulation of the shitfuck insanity that was 2020, and maybe THE definitive art piece of the pandemic.
I’m 30 minutes in to Inside and it’s really really good. He’s a comedian. I expected a way more serious actor who could handle the funny parts of the movie. So maybe my bad on expectations or bad casting.
The Conjuring - The Devil Made Me Do It 9/10 If the Conjuring cinematic universe is your thing like it is mine, then jump on this one! It was great. I forgot how much I love how the conjuring movies are shot. They’re just beautiful. Spooky fun good times!
Lincoln My thought on this movie is “Holy fuck. Every Hollywood actor EVER is in this movie!” Everyone! I couldn’t believe it. So our cable was acting buggy this morning so I put it on On Demand to see if that was working and I saw Lincoln. Sure why not, just wanting something on as I do my lil Saturday morning couch sesh just chilling. I always avoided this movie cause it seemed a little stuffy like it would have that annoying solemn solo bugle horn playing all the time (and it did). But it wasn’t bad. But the constant pop-ins of who’s who was driving the entertainment for me more than the actual film. A fun watch just cause of the stacked cast.
watched Raya and The Last Dragon with my kiddo. we loved it! great voice acting, and visually awesome. when my daughter turned to me and said 'dad.. i'm pretty sure that's the girl from Jamanji 2 (Awkwafina, who was really good)!' i had a a bit of a #prouddad moment she connected those dots.
Spider-Man: Far From Home. It was all right. Entertaining, though being spoiled on some of the bigger twists probably affected some of my enjoyment. I may just be fatigued with the MCU at this point.
The Father: Man, this movie destroyed me. Anthony Hopkins earned every bit of his Academy Award. Really fantastic, but very upsetting.
So good! Maybe my favorite movie from the last year. What a flex for Hopkins to just keep turning in stellar performances in his 80's.
My last movie was Mandy, and boy did I hate it! Something about my brain just cannot appreciate abstract movies that lean heavily into creating an atmosphere. This is why I must never watch a David Lynch movie.
Greenland - This was way better than I was expecting. It's an actual decent movie, not in the same realm as Children of Men but it's a lot less schlocky than 2012 or any of those other disaster movies I was expecting it to be like.
Greenland - This was way better than I was expecting. It's an actual decent movie, not in the same realm as Children of Men but it's a lot less schlocky than 2012 or any of those other disaster movies I was expecting it to be like.
Greenland - This was way better than I was expecting. It's an actual decent movie, not in the same realm as Children of Men but it's a lot less schlocky than 2012 or any of those other disaster movies I was expecting it to be like.
So good! It's like somebody finally decided to write a disaster movie where the characters don't make unnecessarily stupid or evil decisions!
Greenland - This was way better than I was expecting. It's an actual decent movie, not in the same realm as Children of Men but it's a lot less schlocky than 2012 or any of those other disaster movies I was expecting it to be like.
So good! It's like somebody finally decided to write a disaster movie where the characters don't make unnecessarily stupid or evil decisions!
I think it’s because they just focused on small intimate interactions going on at the end of the world instead of big spectacle action pieces. I was on the edge of my seat for all of it.
I think it’s because they just focused on small intimate interactions going on at the end of the world instead of big spectacle action pieces. I was on the edge of my seat for all of it.
Totally. I also think it helps that they were mostly covering the reaction of humanity before the disaster struck instead of making the movie concurrent with the disaster. I'm not sure if the helpfulness and competence of everybody was totally realistic, but the aspirational part of my brain that loves TNG appreciated it.
Some Kind of Heaven: This is a slice-of-life documentary (Darren Aronofsky produced this, so that's what particularly caught my eye) about a retirement community in Central Florida. This is not investigative journalism or even really telling a story, per se. It is mostly just depicting some of the interesting people that live in the community. I liked it quite a bit, and it is only 80 minutes or so. If it sounds like it might be up your alley, it probably is. It is on Hulu.
Went and saw The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard last night. Pretty meh movie with a few laugh out loud moments. Pretty much what I expected, a lesser sequel to a decently funny 1st movie.
The Father: Man, this movie destroyed me. Anthony Hopkins earned every bit of his Academy Award. Really fantastic, but very upsetting.
So good! Maybe my favorite movie from the last year. What a flex for Hopkins to just keep turning in stellar performances in his 80's.
My last movie was Mandy, and boy did I hate it! Something about my brain just cannot appreciate abstract movies that lean heavily into creating an atmosphere. This is why I must never watch a David Lynch movie.
Comments
I think there's a great zombie movie that has an identical first half hour and then gets written by somebody else. I think I've been convinced that Snyder has a knack for creating the movie equivalent of cool action-y "splash pages" in comic books. Whatever else was wrong with Watchmen, JL, and Man of Steel, they have some visual moments and action direction that were truly great to me. But he needs to let someone else write his movies and please god someone get that man a cinematographer.
Hunter Hunter : This is a brutal survivalist thriller with a gut-wrenching ending. It does shy away from violence prior, but the ending really goes places. Another quick watch at 90 minutes. But the squeamish should beware. (Hulu)
90 minutes of pretty good fun. Frank Grillo is turning into a pretty damn good actor
Surprisingly good for what it is. It's basically a kids movie for teenagers/adults. Would have been a blast to see it in the theaters on some mild hallucinogens.
Bo's new special on Netflix is an absolute masterpiece. I feel like I just relived the last year in 90 minutes. It's equal parts humorous and soul-crushing. Just phenomenal.
9/10
If the Conjuring cinematic universe is your thing like it is mine, then jump on this one! It was great. I forgot how much I love how the conjuring movies are shot. They’re just beautiful. Spooky fun good times!
Lincoln
My thought on this movie is “Holy fuck. Every Hollywood actor EVER is in this movie!” Everyone! I couldn’t believe it. So our cable was acting buggy this morning so I put it on On Demand to see if that was working and I saw Lincoln. Sure why not, just wanting something on as I do my lil Saturday morning couch sesh just chilling. I always avoided this movie cause it seemed a little stuffy like it would have that annoying solemn solo bugle horn playing all the time (and it did). But it wasn’t bad. But the constant pop-ins of who’s who was driving the entertainment for me more than the actual film. A fun watch just cause of the stacked cast.
My last movie was Mandy, and boy did I hate it! Something about my brain just cannot appreciate abstract movies that lean heavily into creating an atmosphere. This is why I must never watch a David Lynch movie.