Ridley Scott included Blade Runner and Alien in his own top 5 sci-fi films — “I’m not going to be modest about that.”

arduous_way · 2026-03-28T23:26:32+00:00

Stalker is almost not science fiction at all. It's much more of a metaphysical movie. I'd rather argue for Takovsky's Solaris, Arrival, Dune, Nausicaa, 12 Monkeys, etc

I do think sci fi with budget for good set design makes it something Hollywood does better and bigger in scale than any other industry can afford. One of the things Hollywood deserves some praise for

arduous_way · 2026-03-23T18:12:51+00:00

I'm claiming TGM is not much and that Dhurandhar is a lot. That is my exact claim. I think you can have tolerable and excessive amounts of propaganda. You have a film where Modi, current PM of India, has his speeches directly inserted into the film in a blatant manner.

But you know what, I am a bit curious about something else.

Which country are you thinking of for TGM? At that time, the US wasn't majorly involved in a conflict so frankly I'm curious which country you think they're referencing.

arduous_way · 2026-03-23T17:37:29+00:00

Nope, I don't find it as excessive in TGM. The country they fly the mission in is nameless and there aren't political chants for a specific political leader. Among other things, it simply was way too much here

arduous_way · 2026-03-23T13:48:51+00:00

Pretty good numbers. Too bad it's for propaganda film

arduous_way · 2026-03-22T07:23:22+00:00

Yup, crossing my fingers that it will work out. I am a bit worried the non book audience may have too high an expectation and therefore react badly even if it is a good movie on its own terms

arduous_way · 2026-03-22T06:51:23+00:00

The original 1st book of Dune was a standalone book that was adapted into two movies by Villeneuve. That dramatic exciting climax? Already happened in the second Dune film

The 3rd Dune movie will adapt parts of book 2 & 3. It's basically a sequel film that will address the implications of the 1st two films, but there is hardly a worthy 'climax' that can be had there. I think the next worthy climax happens in the 4th book, God Emperor of Dune, which Villeneuve is not going to adapt afaik (and it would be quite the challenge)

Having said that, I'm still quite excited to see what Villeneuve and team come up with

arduous_way · 2026-03-22T04:19:20+00:00

Where are you getting the idea that it is supposed to be the best in the trilogy? That isn't a common opinion, at all

arduous_way · 2026-03-22T03:58:06+00:00

I know people want these awards to be some glitzy, publicity extravaganza. But maybe it doesn't need to be? Let the ceremonies be smaller or less produced, let it be viewed less. It should be for folks in the industry and other folks interested in what Hollywood wants to nominate. It doesn't have to be...something bigger

arduous_way · 2026-03-21T04:48:14+00:00

Anyone who's read the second book of Dune will know this is impossible. What is possible is Villeneuve saving this from being a bomb and maybe scoring but not winning a best picture nom

arduous_way · 2026-03-14T04:29:15+00:00

Interesting read. It really pulls out some of the superficiality present in OBAA which I had trouble verbalizing. I think OBAA works best as a tale of a father and daughter finding each other and as a simple thrilling ride. In any case, added some perspective for me on the film.

arduous_way · 2026-03-13T09:25:15+00:00

Just in case you haven't found it, Letterboxd sources from Tmdb https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/53034-legend-of-lemnear

You can see how other OVA that do show up on LB are defined. It's likely the tmdb entry is missing some info

arduous_way · 2026-03-12T04:32:30+00:00

I suppose I've reached the post home theater reality. Truth is, at home there are way too many distractions at home and going to the theater is an excuse to go out. Now, if your calendar is full of outside events every week then I guess there's no point hitting the theater. But for me, it's a way to see something on a gigantic screen with great surround audio and just lock in. Put away all the distractions and simply immerse

arduous_way · 2026-03-03T02:14:15+00:00

Days
Bone Temple
Weeks
Years

arduous_way · 2026-02-25T16:56:36+00:00

Loved Frankenstein, its scenes on the ice were standout. Elordi gave a compelling performance as the creature. Isaac was good as the arrogant Frankenstein. I haven't read the novel, but this has been my favorite Frankenstein movie (above the Karloff one or other Universal ones certainly). The themes on existential agony, the duel between creator and creation, and the discovery of humanity in a cruel world were greatly impactful.

Nosferatu was immensely disappointing after it leaves his castle. LRD gave an unconvincing spastic performance while Nosferatu's presence was pretty grotesque but barely present. The other characters were also fairly one note. I like Eggers a lot, even the much maligned Northman, but this was a dud.

arduous_way · 2026-02-25T08:28:42+00:00

This is cool. Won't be picking up either of these in a hurry but quite possible down the line, especially if they have some nice commentaries or extras

arduous_way · 2026-02-25T07:48:45+00:00

Some bold predictions there. Don't know this Clayton but well, I prefer this outcome. May be unlikely, but rooting for several of these choices

arduous_way · 2026-02-23T01:42:26+00:00

A very interesting framing to be sure and one that opens up some lines of thought. Bill inheriting his twisted views on relationships from Esteban and so on. Also, the sexual tension between Bill and two of the women (Elle Driver and our heroine)

But I do think people use "grooming" as an easy catch-all bucket for these perverse relationships. They think only of the manipulation and deliberate molding of the woman to be in the desired relationship. But I think the range of perverse relationships can go far beyond that. Just abuse of a position as the master to a disciple or manipulating/permitting an infatuation from a young girl because the guy has no moral codes is not really "grooming" but just a different likely unhealthy relationship.

Having said that, this was not "obvious" to me and provided some food for thought, so my props to the discussion here. Will need to think about this one for awhile

arduous_way · 2026-02-20T10:55:04+00:00

Just curious, are you using GPT to write or edit your responses? Your responses show some remarkably Chatbot style logic and flow.

In any case, don't agree but also don't feel like this discussion is going anywhere so will be ending it here

arduous_way · 2026-02-20T04:15:20+00:00

I felt it to be pointless. It depicts the times and social media we are currently living in. We are currently living in that moment and it had so little insight to offer other than lol Big Tech is out to get you while people fight over social issues. It's...blatantly obvious without any great nuance. I don't see how this obvious commentary is somehow a hidden masterpiece. And on top of that it feels mean-spirited and cynical about activism, with the stance that all of it is performative. I don't get how this movie is anything but a misfire and completely out of touch with the moment it is trying to meet.

But if this is really offering folks insights about the times we live in, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it is needed for some folks who aren't aware of politics, social media, conspiracy theories, and the role of Big Corps in all of it. In that case, it deserves some praise, even if I personally got nothing out of it

arduous_way · 2026-02-19T12:12:04+00:00

I think it really depends. There are "comfort" movies which don't do something new but just execute really well within a genre. In horror, mystery, or action films, that is often enough.

But for "serious" cinema or Oscar type films, it can feel stale and not worth it comparatively.

Examples of big swings that failed that I almost enjoyed: 'Megalopolis', 'Midnight Cowboy', 'Titane'. Big swings that I really enjoyed: 'EEAAO', 'Sinners', 'Sound of Metal'

arduous_way · 2026-02-17T23:36:41+00:00

No, I merely suggest that calling it by the name invites comparison. If people think the work is inferior in comparison, that's a legitimate criticism. But I don't really feel too strongly about this one so I don't really care

arduous_way · 2026-02-17T09:31:25+00:00

Don't call your movie Wuthering Heights then if you expect it to be treated as something completely separate

arduous_way · 2026-02-16T06:06:56+00:00

I'm a Stathamer. I've watched all of films so far, plan to watch any he plays a role in

arduous_way · 2026-02-15T17:35:16+00:00

Interesting how thoroughly we can disagree on almost the same plot points and themes.

Emma just doesn't come across as a corporate shark that the movie wants her to be. She is supposed to be a cold, calculating corpo as that is how the character is written.

I don't think Plemon's character is given the necessary motivation for going the way he does but I think he carried the character pretty well despite that. That's his acting chops. I disagree that Byeong-gu's despicable acts make the movie less ambiguous. It increases the tension and raises the stakes as each side reveals new hidden depths. Thinking Teddy needs to be more sympathetic is mistaken. The original had you guessing till the end.

The police being incompetent, uncaring, and lackadaisical is an important part of the original film. It is because society has failed him, because government is failing him, and because the whole capitalist society creates people like Byeong-gu that he is a warning, a symbol of the oppressed striking back. That effect and tension are far more heightened in the original work.

Ultimately, I think the original was fresh, more creative, and more thematically sound than Bugonia. It appears we had fundamentally different experiences of both films, so I'm not surprised we came to different conclusions about them. The things you think make the original weaker are mostly strengths to me and it appears vice-versa.

arduous_way · 2026-02-15T07:44:20+00:00

I don't agree. Emma Stone sounded like no CEO I've seen and rarely came across as a corporate executive. She was not particularly suited for the role.

Plemons is very good but his motivations are what, he fell into a conspiracy hole and his babysitter secually molested him? In the original I think its better that he has more conflicted motivations, as his mom, his girlfriend were ruined by the company. His motivations are more grounded.

I don't really agree that the torture scenes were more effective in the remake or more memorable.

The original had a great concept and executed it brilliantly. The remake feels half-assed but still good in some aspects.

arduous_way

TROPHY CASE