What was the last movie you've seen?

[Gunstar Green]

I just felt like it was a whole lot of nothing that went nowhere. It was a long movie that still managed to feel mostly like filler. While I didn't love The Force Awakens it at least left me wanting to see what came next. This movie didn't really leave me with that feeling. It left me wondering how it would be possible to make the third film interesting at all.

Plot points that The Force Awakens set up seemed kind of forgotten here. It's a really awkward movie both in pacing and tone, especially when you add the really odd attempts at Marvel-esque humor that are often poorly timed and executed.

I don't want to get into a big rant about it so I'll just leave it at I really didn't like it and I'm not looking forward to the conclusion.

I really don't get all the dislike for TLJ, though. I've seen some long takedown articles in some places I frequent, and it feels like some folks are just being contrarian just to be contrarian.!

I think that's a bit of a dismissive attitude. There are plenty of valid reasons for people being disappointed in this film. I don't think most people pay to watch movies hoping to dislike them. Sure there are loads of websites trying to get clicks but I don't think they're responsible for coloring fan sentiment.

My biggest piece of advice to folks that enjoy Star Wars, though: These are basically movies about space wizards with laser swords. Turn off your brain for a bit, suspend your disbelief, and just enjoy it.

Come on man, a movie being a fantasy is no excuse for its quality otherwise we'd all just watch Transformers films.

Make no mistake I'm happy for everyone who loves this film but it didn't work for me.

[Xeogred]

THE LAST JEDI -

Rian Johnson, Kathleen Kennedy, and the machine Gungans over at Disney have created what could potentially be looked back on as the catalyst for the destruction of a once great franchise. JJ Abrams set a full table worth of characters, story arcs, and plot points for this trilogy to expand upon and thrive with. The blueprint should have been easy to fill. In one stroke Rian Johnson destroyed all of it, while disgracing the Original Trilogy, and sabotages 30 plus years of a series' mythos. You strip out the iconic movie name and you just have a plainly bad movie in general, chalk full of "gotcha" moments, frequent out of place humor, horrible pacing, lazy conveniences (R2) and plot devices to push the dry plot forward (we were told at least 10 times they were low on fuel?). The creative visual and artistic stretch of machine Disney gives us an uninteresting vanilla boring looking casino planet and a grumpy old man drinking blue milk from the tits of an alien.

Now, articles emerge with JJ pitching his ideas for Episode 9, proof that there is no clear vision or direction for the future of the series whatsoever and they're making it up by the movie on the fly (Rian clearly didn't watch Episode 7). George Lucas for all his faults had a vision and creative mind with great ideas and wanted to tell stories. Disney is here to fill the Stormtrooper and Millenium Falcon checkboxes and graphs to sell tickets and drain your soul. The Last Jedi leaves you with nothing in the end, there will be the conclusion to Rey and Kylo's (I hate both now) rivalry but beyond that, this movie gave us absolutely nothing more to work with. What else are you looking forward to in Episode 9? Nothing comes to mind. It's hard to still care and I am clueless as to how JJ or anyone can fix such a mess, the damage is done. Perhaps I will just check out the books and look into the old EU from here on, I imagine any random story from that pool will be better than a hack job about a rag tag resistance group running out of gas with a main character that never actually develops. Also, I still don't know how Rose's sister stood there looking down into space as the bombs dropped out without her getting sucked into the vacuum. What about the door for Leia. Whoops? Hey "It's salt!" DON'T WORRY IT'S NOT HOTH IT'S ORIGINAL #NotMyStarWars

[isiolia]

I dunno, I thought that the Rey/Luke half of the movie was pretty good - maybe not exactly what people went in expecting, but a pretty interesting thing to build on going forward.
The other half felt really unnecessary in a lot of ways. I mean, as a whole, TLJ serves as a deconstruction of Star Wars, and the end result of all the plot threads serves to support that...but even in the middle of the movie the plan(s) didn't make logical sense.

Being fair, of course, if you get too nitpicky with any film in the series, and it won't really hold up.

[prfsnl_gmr]

The Void
Another surrealist-type of film, though this one is much more clearly in the Lovecraftian Horror genre. I thought the final act left more than a little to be desired, but it is a great looking film and delivers plenty of the kind of audience uneasiness that can be tough to do without seeming too heavy handed (or farcical).

I know there have been some others I've caught up with lately...will update this again soon...

Thanks for the recommendation. I have been curious about that one.

I very pleasant(?) surprise for me recently was The Wailing (2016):

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wailing_(film)

It is a Korean horror/thriller film that reminded me, at times, of Twin Peaks. It is nonetheless unique, thrilling, and incredibly unpredictable. Also, and while it is by no means a”Christian” film, it presents from smart, challenging questions of faith and spirituality that have kept me turning the film’s (shocking) conclusion over in my head since I watched it a few days ago. It is available for streaming on Netflix, and I really can’t recommend it enough.

[dsheinem]

THE LAST JEDI -

Rian Johnson, Kathleen Kennedy, and the machine Gungans over at Disney have created what could potentially be looked back on as the catalyst for the destruction of a once great franchise. JJ Abrams set a full table worth of characters, story arcs, and plot points for this trilogy to expand upon and thrive with. The blueprint should have been easy to fill. In one stroke Rian Johnson destroyed all of it, while disgracing the Original Trilogy, and sabotages 30 plus years of a series' mythos. You strip out the iconic movie name and you just have a plainly bad movie in general, chalk full of "gotcha" moments, frequent out of place humor, horrible pacing, lazy conveniences (R2) and plot devices to push the dry plot forward (we were told at least 10 times they were low on fuel?). The creative visual and artistic stretch of machine Disney gives us an uninteresting vanilla boring looking casino planet and a grumpy old man drinking blue milk from the tits of an alien.

Now, articles emerge with JJ pitching his ideas for Episode 9, proof that there is no clear vision or direction for the future of the series whatsoever and they're making it up by the movie on the fly (Rian clearly didn't watch Episode 7). George Lucas for all his faults had a vision and creative mind with great ideas and wanted to tell stories. Disney is here to fill the Stormtrooper and Millenium Falcon checkboxes and graphs to sell tickets and drain your soul. The Last Jedi leaves you with nothing in the end, there will be the conclusion to Rey and Kylo's (I hate both now) rivalry but beyond that, this movie gave us absolutely nothing more to work with. What else are you looking forward to in Episode 9? Nothing comes to mind. It's hard to still care and I am clueless as to how JJ or anyone can fix such a mess, the damage is done. Perhaps I will just check out the books and look into the old EU from here on, I imagine any random story from that pool will be better than a hack job about a rag tag resistance group running out of gas with a main character that never actually develops. Also, I still don't know how Rose's sister stood there looking down into space as the bombs dropped out without her getting sucked into the vacuum. What about the door for Leia. Whoops? Hey "It's salt!" DON'T WORRY IT'S NOT HOTH IT'S ORIGINAL #NotMyStarWars

http://babylonbee.com/news/man-complain ... er-sticks/

[Gunstar Green]

words

I don't think it will be destroyed by this single film but I do think the franchise is in danger of running out of gas sooner than Disney is hoping it will especially if they stick to this yearly schedule and don't get more creative with it.

I'm not on the same level of nerd rage as you are (my girlfriend is but she has been since the EU perished years ago as those books were the stories she grew up with even more than the films) but I also don't think I'll be seeing the conclusion of this trilogy in theaters. I just don't care about the story they've written thus far and wasn't thrilled with the meta narrative of TLJ. I'm having trouble even imagining an ending that would be personally satisfying unless they do something really crazy.

[MrPopo]

Also, I still don't know how Rose's sister stood there looking down into space as the bombs dropped out without her getting sucked into the vacuum.

Magcon field. Well established as part of the universe, and can be seen as part of every "hey, how come this area is open to space" thing in the universe, such as every docking bay they've shown.

What about the door for Leia.

On my second watching I was looking and it's an airlock; you can see the structure just as she flies in before it cuts to Poe and the rest in the hallway.

[Stark]

To address the Rogue One talk up there, my biggest problem is Tarkin. It really takes me out of the movie. I would've preferred another actor reprise the role. Otherwise I thought it was enjoyable and I love the scene with Jyn hearing the message from her father. Super powerful.

I've now seen Last Jedi twice. I came out of the first viewing pretty disappointed and most of that dissipated on my second viewing. I'm still pretty bummed by Luke's arc and I just don't find the Hux\Ben Solo duo to be particularly threatening.

[REPO Man]

* A Christmas Carol, the 2004 made-for-TV adaptation starring Kelsey Grammer and featuring Jesse L. Martin, Jane Krakowski (sic?) and Jason Alexander. My favorite direct adaptation of the Dickens classic.

* Scrooged. Still one of my fave adaptations of A Christmas Carol.

* Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol. Loved it! Wonder if the specials are on standalone and/or compilation Blu-rays or if they're part of the series box sets.

[samsonlonghair]

* Scrooged. Still one of my fave adaptations of A Christmas Carol.

Well, I'm sure Charles Dickens would have wanted to see her nipples.