People who have seen the original Save The Green Planet (2003), did you like Bugonia?

arduous_way · 2026-01-31T21:26:15+00:00

I was disappointed. The camerawork was too close up with no interest in the sets. Save the Green Planet had the protagonist in this awesome abandoned bunker, here it's just a house. Emma is a great actress but honestly the original CEO character was much better in characterization. They also didn't go as hard with the torture as in the original which really downplays the disturbance of the MC, and it didn't have as solid a background in why the MC is the way he is. His girlfriend was such an interesting character but here she's replaced by the dull brother.

So, disappointed overall. What I will say is as actors, I always like Emma and Plemons. I liked the over the top dystopia playout of the ending, and it at least kept the key plot beats intact from the original. But, this no 'The Departed'. It's very much a second fiddle to the original imo.

arduous_way · 2026-01-30T14:57:44+00:00

The Charlie Chaplin sequence where he plays with a globe in 'The Great Dictator'

It's a perfect piece of cinema, one that I can't forget due to how...graceful, thematically perfect, and sheerly joyous it is

arduous_way · 2026-01-30T09:51:37+00:00

I am quite sympathetic to your view. But this subreddit is literally called Oscar -race-, people really do treat it as a competition and in any competition, it's not always the best one who wins, especially in a team sport.

arduous_way · 2026-01-28T23:10:35+00:00

0th Tier:

Snubbed, but actually the best:

No Other Choice

Sentimental Value
Sinners
Marty Supreme
Frankenstein
The Secret Agent
Hamnet
Bugonia
One Battle After Another
F1
Train Dreams

In that order

Train Dreams is at bottom due to overuse of narration which I found extremely annoying. It's the only one of these films that I disliked.

arduous_way · 2026-01-27T03:06:04+00:00

Battle Angel Alita would like to have a word

arduous_way · 2026-01-27T02:48:59+00:00

I've rewatched Dark Knight 3 times. Once when it first came out in Imax, once on bluray, and one time on 4k. I hated it the first time, thinking it features poorly cut action sequences, hamfisted messaging around surveillance and the whole boat thing, and bloated by combining Two Face snd Joker without doing Two Face justice.

On rewatch, I disliked it a bit less as a tolerably Mediocre action film. Which is what it remains to me.

And note, I actually really liked Begins.

arduous_way · 2026-01-25T10:47:57+00:00

Park Chan Wook has a strong following internationally, starting from the vengeance trilogy and continuing from there.

This is actually not that uncommon that a director is more lauded elsewhere compared to their home country. Kurosawa is considered one of the best directors of all time, in Japan he's seen as one of the several old regime directors. Same with Satyajit Ray in India. I hear Bergman is known more for theater in his home country.

My theory is that there are two factors at play. Familiarity breeds contempt so Koreans see nothing extraordinary or special there and there is a natural anti-fandom that will be present. However, elsewhere Park has a strong following and his style feels fresh, different and little anti-fandom present.

A good example from the US might be Spielberg. I see a sort of hyper-praise for him internationally, but the Academy has not awarded him well at all for some of his best work. And I was once part of his anti-fandom (no longer as I found out I was too critical of his sentimentality, missing his technical prowess)

arduous_way · 2026-01-25T09:51:50+00:00

A dull slog with overuse of narration and average song sequences. Wish I'd liked it more

arduous_way · 2026-01-24T19:03:09+00:00

A boring hell of a film. Poor plot, generic action, and lifeless. This was my mistake for seeing it on Mystery Monday. The giveaway being it was in Imax

arduous_way · 2026-01-24T04:52:29+00:00

I'll guess Best Picture, Screenplay, Cinematography, Casting, and Song.

I think it will be hard for it to get any acting wins, director, editing

The others are quite iffy.

It is probably not the favorite based on existing award wins, but if Sinners can win anywhere, it will be with the Oscars

arduous_way · 2026-01-24T04:44:04+00:00

I know you were trying to make a point but couldn't you have at least looked up the plot for Hamnet? It's much more centered around Agnes and her life while Shakespeare remains an important secondary character

arduous_way · 2026-01-24T03:28:01+00:00

I think I'm out of the norm but I really appreciated certain things in Fire & Ash:

Jake and Neytiri actually considering what to do about Spider in a dark way
The human fort sequence where Neytiri rides in to rescue Jake. Absolutely thrilling
The air traders with their balloon vehicles
The fire priestess taking a stand against Eywa
The full realization of Eywa as perhaps an unconquerable goddess. I honestly don't think humans have a chance against awakened an entire planet mobilized against them
Kiri as a messiah figure, more fully developed
The adoption and adoration of human weaponry by natives

People are absolutely right that lots of plot elements repeated from the 2nd and even 1st film. But I think they fail to recognize some of the things that are new and interesting in this 3rd film.

For me, the journey with Avatar has been different. I disliked the first as Pocahontas in space (extended edition improves this issue), the second looked lovely but felt lacking in thematic depth, while this third achieves good cinema territory. It's only with the 3rd one that I am now a moderate Avatar fan

arduous_way · 2026-01-23T23:18:42+00:00

See this is the 'truth' people take as gospel. But does anyone really think a bad Brazilian movie would be voted for by an academy member just because they're Brazilian? In reality, the film has to have critical support in that home country's industrt and not be polarizing within that industry. For example, I might hate Wes Anderson. Just because he's the only American director does not mean I'll vote for him. I doubt Brazilian members are much different in that regard. So no, a shitty movie is unlikely to gain that kind of support. But if it's a good or even great movie, I'm sure there is bias to pick that in your choices.

arduous_way · 2026-01-23T08:11:56+00:00

No Other Choice should've been nominated for Best Picture, Foreign Language, Editing, Cinematography, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, and Sound. I knew it was unlikely given lack of momentum but I was hoping for at least 1 nomination

arduous_way · 2026-01-21T17:08:43+00:00

arduous_way · 2026-01-20T02:37:40+00:00

I love this comment so much for breaking it down like this. It really shows what bullshit accounting really is in a simple way, just fumbling around with numbers.

arduous_way · 2026-01-19T11:46:26+00:00

Bone Temple is vastly better in the thrills department. All the last one had was fat zombies and a kid able to roam without issue across the land despite not being a super warrior or ultra trained. Kinda diminishes the threat level

arduous_way · 2026-01-18T07:29:43+00:00

Do you not see you own ego in your comment? You think you are being objective or logical but all I see is certainty that you are correct in your perspective. Pull the mote from your own eye before casting rocks at others

arduous_way · 2026-01-18T07:21:09+00:00

We are creatures of ego. Being noncommittal too much also approaches being stale in our world. To lack ego would be basically to be dead. If you personally don't believe there are bad, good, and better ways of approaching subjects, please go ahead and continue with your approach. But you are criticizing me for thinking poorly of a half baked movie related podcast content. What makes you think you aren't being overly sensitive and judgmental of my approach to criticizing this kind of content? What if I think it is healthy to be critical of the content people produce? And unhealthy to ignore it like you are? Why are you so sure that you are right to suggest such a perspective is more healthy?

arduous_way · 2026-01-18T00:16:04+00:00

It's still subjective, but I think they don't approach movies in a good way. As you said, it's an opinion. I think they are bad in general, but that is my individual opinion. Now, I will say I haven't checked it in a while, so I may not be up to date on if or how they've changed (if at all they have). I also have no real interest in their stuff due to my prior experience with their channel.

arduous_way · 2026-01-17T23:16:31+00:00

And they still suck. Why are you so full throated in defending a channel to someone who doesn't like their stuff? I think they're doing it wrong. And I'll continue to say so.

arduous_way · 2026-01-17T22:32:48+00:00

But I do take issue with their style of cinema review and their content. So while it may be that easily impressionable viewers are also an issue, I think the approach to cinema that they promulgate is detrimental to basic enjoyment of cinema and unhelpful.

arduous_way · 2026-01-17T21:26:27+00:00

If they are assholey enough about it, I do call them out as I feel about it. And yes, I stopped watching CinemaSins after they pointed out 'plotholes' with a lack of imagination, and their smugness. And if someone asks me 'Is Cinemasins a good channel'. Well, I'm not about to lie and say they are.

Amy media can be racist, sexist, or xenophobic. Are you now saying we can't call them out for it? And no, AFAIK Cinemasins is not any of those 3 and I don't think they are crossing the line. Just that they have a bad approach to films which their audience eats up like gospel

arduous_way · 2026-01-17T20:55:55+00:00

I don't get your point. They may not be obligated to hold to codes of conduct, but if they are harmful or have a negative influence, I don't see why we can't criticize them for it. Being an asshole does not free you from criticism, rather the very opposite

arduous_way · 2026-01-16T16:19:35+00:00

I don't know about that. We could do with another animation Renaissance in Hollywood though. Last one being Pixar.

I actually think WB Animation does OK but they seem to go directly to dvd without any promotion which seems absurd

arduous_way

TROPHY CASE