Velvet Buzzsaw. The latest Netflix original that everyone’s talking about for the wrong reasons and I have to go with the consensus. It’s bloody awful . Labelled as a horror / Thriller it’s actually neither. What it is is a group of talented actors ( Jake Gyllenhaal , Rene Ruso etc) paid handsomely to act out a terrible movie . The dialogue is embarrassing and characters are so ridiculous you’re never actually sure if it’s meant to be a comedy . The director should never be given work again ! Avoid 2 out of 10
Did you see Nightcrawler, by any chance? And if so, how does it compare? Because that was mismarketed as a horror/thriller But was actually a great dark comedy.
Velvet Buzzsaw. The latest Netflix original that everyone’s talking about for the wrong reasons and I have to go with the consensus. It’s bloody awful . Labelled as a horror / Thriller it’s actually neither. What it is is a group of talented actors ( Jake Gyllenhaal , Rene Ruso etc) paid handsomely to act out a terrible movie . The dialogue is embarrassing and characters are so ridiculous you’re never actually sure if it’s meant to be a comedy . The director should never be given work again ! Avoid 2 out of 10
Did you see Nightcrawler, by any chance? And if so, how does it compare? Because that was mismarketed as a horror/thriller But was actually a great dark comedy.
Nightcrawler was great . This is the complete opposite . A total mess of a film .
Velvet Buzzsaw. The latest Netflix original that everyone’s talking about for the wrong reasons and I have to go with the consensus. It’s bloody awful . Labelled as a horror / Thriller it’s actually neither. What it is is a group of talented actors ( Jake Gyllenhaal , Rene Ruso etc) paid handsomely to act out a terrible movie . The dialogue is embarrassing and characters are so ridiculous you’re never actually sure if it’s meant to be a comedy . The director should never be given work again ! Avoid 2 out of 10
Did you see Nightcrawler, by any chance? And if so, how does it compare? Because that was mismarketed as a horror/thriller But was actually a great dark comedy.
Nightcrawler was great . This is the complete opposite . A total mess of a film .
A pretty silly mockumentary from a couple of the blokes in Flight of the Conchords, it's about some house sharing vampires in New Zealand. Some proper belly laugh moments, it's not going to win any prizes but it did make me laugh and for a comedy that is all I can ask for.
8/10
I really enjoyed one, it's often very silly but never stupid and did get me laughing more than I thought it would.
My son was pressing me the other day for my favourite film. I hate that question because great films move you in different ways and over time some get better, some get worse. Stan and Ollie had a real magic to it thanks to the main performances, and I think Bohemian Rhapsody likewise although neither are my favourite ever films despite being excellent. I think what elevates a film for me is the acting performances - when you get jaw dropping ones - Django Unchained had three genius performances from Christoph Waltz, Samuel L Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. They take the film onto another level.
I couldn't answer straight away, but on reflection, nothing can beat 'Life is Beautiful' for me. Roberto Benigni put in the performance of a lifetime and carried that film into greatness. A sure test of that is my teen son saw it, a bit under protest because it was subtitled, and then he ordered the DVD to watch with his girlfriend. If you haven't seen it, give it a go. It changes mood dramatically from one half to the other so stay with it. The last scene made me cry and that isn't easy for a film.
A few of the Netflix "Originals" of late have been stinkers despite the budgets. They need to get their act together....especially here with the limited titles available.
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
A few of the Netflix "Originals" of late have been stinkers despite the budgets. They need to get their act together....especially here with the limited titles available.
They don’t make all of those films. Some are being made and not getting distribution deals, so Netflix snap them up on the cheap. It doesn’t seem to matter if they’re no good, at least in terms of customer retention.
And for the movies, they get to make a solid bit of cash without the ignominy of flopping publicly when released at the cinema.
Basically they’re straight-to-video titles with a Netflix Originals badge, and that’s convincing us they’re worth watching!
At least that’s how I understand it. @supaclive is the expert here.
A few of the Netflix "Originals" of late have been stinkers despite the budgets. They need to get their act together....especially here with the limited titles available.
They don’t make all of those films. Some are being made and not getting distribution deals, so Netflix snap them up on the cheap. It doesn’t seem to matter if they’re no good, at least in terms of customer retention.
And for the movies, they get to make a solid bit of cash without the ignominy of flopping publicly when released at the cinema.
Basically they’re straight-to-video titles with a Netflix Originals badge, and that’s convincing us they’re worth watching!
At least that’s how I understand it. @supaclive is the expert here.
Full Sundance review tomorrow.
@JiMMy 85 is correct. Netflix acquire films now that Studios (Paramount mostly) don't consider good enough for theatrical. They do buy some very good films at festivals but this is less and less their modus operandi.
They are financing films at script stage and believe that's the way forward.
They are $billions in debt, their subscriber base will dwindle when Disney SVOD launches, followed by other Studios.
They need to buy more great films from independent studios. But they believe differently.
My opinion is they'll never beart Amazon, Facebook, Google, Sky or ITunes in the long term streaming race.....
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
A few of the Netflix "Originals" of late have been stinkers despite the budgets. They need to get their act together....especially here with the limited titles available.
They don’t make all of those films. Some are being made and not getting distribution deals, so Netflix snap them up on the cheap. It doesn’t seem to matter if they’re no good, at least in terms of customer retention.
And for the movies, they get to make a solid bit of cash without the ignominy of flopping publicly when released at the cinema.
Basically they’re straight-to-video titles with a Netflix Originals badge, and that’s convincing us they’re worth watching!
At least that’s how I understand it. @supaclive is the expert here.
Full Sundance review tomorrow.
@JiMMy 85 is correct. Netflix acquire films now that Studios (Paramount mostly) don't consider good enough for theatrical. They do buy some very good films at festivals but this is less and less their modus operandi.
They are financing films at script stage and believe that's the way forward.
They are $billions in debt, their subscriber base will dwindle when Disney SVOD launches, followed by other Studios.
They need to buy more great films from independent studios. But they believe differently.
My opinion is they'll never beart Amazon, Facebook, Google, Sky or ITunes in the long term streaming race.....
I’m really interested to see what happens with Disney content on Sky in the near future. If, as I’m assuming, Disney end their output deals with Netflix and Sky, then Sky will lose a major chunk of their top rating movies. And their Disney channel. I’d wager that Sky Cinema is taking a hit from Netflix being on SkyQ too.
On another note, this studio-specific apps trend smacks of the studio system early years to me. It can’t be good for the consumer to have to pay each studio directly for their content! There’s a reason the Paramoint Case came about!! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Paramount_Pictures,_Inc.
People can pick holes is Bohemian Rhapsody all they like but all I know is , is that it was the most enjoyable film I’ve seen in a long time and easily the most affecting of the 8 films nominated and any movie that has an emotional affect on a miserable git like me ,deserves all the plaudits it can get even if , as I keep getting told , it’s got a million and one flaws . That’s for me is what movie going is all about. Hitting that nerve or creating that emotional reaction. I loved it and nobody will change my mind .
I would never deny someone’s enjoyment of a film, the way I see it, if you like a film more than me then you win.
But a film with scenes edited as badly as that shouldn’t be winning awards for editing (and I’d argue can’t possibly be ‘best film’). Some sequences are slickly cut (the title song being recorded for example) but that scene alone is so insanely bad I can’t honestly believe it was edited by a professional.
But I guess that’s all by the by. Cos regardless of how much that stuff can be overlooked in favour of its emotional punch, it is extremely unlikely to win best film with its director being accused of a litany of deeply sordid acts.
People can pick holes is Bohemian Rhapsody all they like but all I know is , is that it was the most enjoyable film I’ve seen in a long time and easily the most affecting of the 8 films nominated and any movie that has an emotional affect on a miserable git like me ,deserves all the plaudits it can get even if , as I keep getting told , it’s got a million and one flaws . That’s for me is what movie going is all about. Hitting that nerve or creating that emotional reaction. I loved it and nobody will change my mind .
Liked it too, and had a similar emotional effect. I just doubt it’s the sort of film the judges are looking for when they award best picture. It might have been the people’s choice though, certainly amongst those of us of a certain age.
I would never deny someone’s enjoyment of a film, the way I see it, if you like a film more than me then you win.
But a film with scenes edited as badly as that shouldn’t be winning awards for editing (and I’d argue can’t possibly be ‘best film’). Some sequences are slickly cut (the title song being recorded for example) but that scene alone is so insanely bad I can’t honestly believe it was edited by a professional.
But I guess that’s all by the by. Cos regardless of how much that stuff can be overlooked in favour of its emotional punch, it is extremely unlikely to win best film with its director being accused of a litany of deeply sordid acts.
Yes . The Bryan Singer thing is a big issue and for that reason alone it won’t win best picture but I can easily see Rami Malek winning best actor and deservedly so .
Looks awful and looks like you've soon the whole film just by watching the trailer so I won't be going to see this.
Re the trailer showing a précis of the film rather than hooking you on the concept, I find this to have been a common problem over the last few years. It annoys me but it has saved me a small fortune in cinema tickets.
A few of the Netflix "Originals" of late have been stinkers despite the budgets. They need to get their act together....especially here with the limited titles available.
They don’t make all of those films. Some are being made and not getting distribution deals, so Netflix snap them up on the cheap. It doesn’t seem to matter if they’re no good, at least in terms of customer retention.
And for the movies, they get to make a solid bit of cash without the ignominy of flopping publicly when released at the cinema.
Basically they’re straight-to-video titles with a Netflix Originals badge, and that’s convincing us they’re worth watching!
At least that’s how I understand it. @supaclive is the expert here.
Full Sundance review tomorrow.
@JiMMy 85 is correct. Netflix acquire films now that Studios (Paramount mostly) don't consider good enough for theatrical. They do buy some very good films at festivals but this is less and less their modus operandi.
They are financing films at script stage and believe that's the way forward.
They are $billions in debt, their subscriber base will dwindle when Disney SVOD launches, followed by other Studios.
They need to buy more great films from independent studios. But they believe differently.
My opinion is they'll never beart Amazon, Facebook, Google, Sky or ITunes in the long term streaming race.....
Thank you both for the insight.
Here in Australia Foxtel have a complete strangle hold on the streaming/ pay per view market, so much so that a lot of programs, series and movies you see in the UK and the states don’t get shown on Netflix here. I’ve just subscribed to Amazon Prime. Some interesting series but the films are very poor. I refuse to pay for Foxtel after getting ripped off to the tune of $140 per month for many years.
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
A pretty silly mockumentary from a couple of the blokes in Flight of the Conchords, it's about some house sharing vampires in New Zealand. Some proper belly laugh moments, it's not going to win any prizes but it did make me laugh and for a comedy that is all I can ask for.
8/10
I really enjoyed one, it's often very silly but never stupid and did get me laughing more than I thought it would.
If you liked 'What We Do In The Shadows' then you you should watch 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' - same Directors, similar comedy, lovely story, some great acting. Won a lot of the film of the years when it came out.
Watched this on Friday night, another Netflix special which had been recommended to me by a few mates, based on a graphic novel I believe and you could tell with a number of larger than life characters. The storyline is similar to the John Wick storylines in a way - an ex-hitman trying to retire and chaos ensues (No dogs were harmed thankfully). The scenes are pretty wacky and it took a bit of getting used to, if you aren't enjoying it within the first 15 minutes you may as well turn it off because it doesn't calm down. It has a pretty strong cast with Mads Mikkelson, Matt Lucas, and Katheryn Winnick. Overall found it pretty enjoyable although didn't leave a particularly lasting impact. 7/10
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
Give up! Have watched this 3 times now and cannot see the problem(s). What am i missing please?
52 cuts in 82 seconds. Did it not give you a headache? Its 5 people sitting round a table talking. Not sure why there was the need for it and as the tweet says, i don't have the first clue about editing.
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
I just can’t believe the Oscar hype for anything apart from Malek’s performance.
I thought the same, but then we watched a couple of interviews with FM and it's not even THAT on point, but probably because the script only allowed him to speak in profound one-liners.
Green Book . A wonderful film ( and a true story ) about a unique relationship between two very different people . Superb performance from Mahershala Ali and Vigi Mortensen and Quite rightly nominated for best picture . 9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
I don’t think Bohemian Rhopsody has the weight or depth to be a best picture winner. Could be wrong. Really liked the film btw.
Give up! Have watched this 3 times now and cannot see the problem(s). What am i missing please?
52 cuts in 82 seconds. Did it not give you a headache? Its 5 people sitting round a table talking. Not sure why there was the need for it and as the tweet says, i don't have the first clue about editing.
Exactly. It's actually a really good example of how NOT to cut a scene.
There's an art to editing, and if it's done correctly, the audience shouldn't notice any of it.
There are some really basic rules to adhere to - the most important is that the viewer's eye shouldn't move around the screen much. The focal point should roughly be in the same spot of the screen from one shot to another.
Then there's the framing. If you are cutting from one person to another in a conversation like this, they should be about the same size within the frame. And generally speaking, the shots should get tighter (closer to the subject) as the scene progresses. You start wide, you get closer and closer to the subject as the tension increases.
Reaction shots are as important as the person speaking, and in this scene they tram to cram in literally dozens of quick reactions, but none of them remain on screen long enough to register.
The arrival of Littlefinger is really odd. There's no wide shot of him arriving and the amount of reaction shots they cut in to punctuate his arrival is really weird.
I'd also say this is a prime example of Brian May's influence on the film. Roger and John are largely positioned in a two shot (sometimes with Freddy in a three), and Freddy in a one shot. This implies Roger and John are less important than Freddy, and certainly for this film, they are.
But then we have Brian, who also has his own frame all to himself. In a tighter close up than anyone else in the scene. Why? He's not that important in the scene, which is all about Freddy having the balls to 'go bigger'. So why do we keep seeing Brian in a one shot? This happens throughout the film. When Freddy says or does something clever, we get a Brian May reaction shot of approval. As if he's Freddy's master or mentor.
Later on in the movie I had to figure out who Paul Prenter was, and I think it's because his intro is so botched here. He's not even on screen when he says his one and only word "pleasure". He doesn't get a close up, we're too busy seeing those repetitive reaction shots.
I believe that whoever edited this scene was not in synch with whoever directed it, and they were trying to make the most of the footage they had. Which fits with the narrative that Bryan Singer had gone off the rails!
Just watched Bohemian Rhapsody. Didn't notice any problem with the table scene. Watching it on the mobile now I can see what some of you were talking about.
Anyway, I'm not a Queen fan in particular but quite enjoyed this film. I only know a few songs of theirs so maybe people like me are the target audience. Not sure about the Oscar Best Picture nomination though. (But a nomination for Black Panther is much more surprising.)
Comments
I couldn't answer straight away, but on reflection, nothing can beat 'Life is Beautiful' for me. Roberto Benigni put in the performance of a lifetime and carried that film into greatness. A sure test of that is my teen son saw it, a bit under protest because it was subtitled, and then he ordered the DVD to watch with his girlfriend. If you haven't seen it, give it a go. It changes mood dramatically from one half to the other so stay with it. The last scene made me cry and that isn't easy for a film.
9 out of 10
I’ve seen all the films nominated now and for me it’s between Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody that should win best picture.
And for the movies, they get to make a solid bit of cash without the ignominy of flopping publicly when released at the cinema.
Basically they’re straight-to-video titles with a Netflix Originals badge, and that’s convincing us they’re worth watching!
At least that’s how I understand it. @supaclive is the expert here.
@JiMMy 85 is correct. Netflix acquire films now that Studios (Paramount mostly) don't consider good enough for theatrical. They do buy some very good films at festivals but this is less and less their modus operandi.
They are financing films at script stage and believe that's the way forward.
They are $billions in debt, their subscriber base will dwindle when Disney SVOD launches, followed by other Studios.
They need to buy more great films from independent studios. But they believe differently.
My opinion is they'll never beart Amazon, Facebook, Google, Sky or ITunes in the long term streaming race.....
On another note, this studio-specific apps trend smacks of the studio system early years to me. It can’t be good for the consumer to have to pay each studio directly for their content! There’s a reason the Paramoint Case came about!! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Paramount_Pictures,_Inc.
But a film with scenes edited as badly as that shouldn’t be winning awards for editing (and I’d argue can’t possibly be ‘best film’). Some sequences are slickly cut (the title song being recorded for example) but that scene alone is so insanely bad I can’t honestly believe it was edited by a professional.
But I guess that’s all by the by. Cos regardless of how much that stuff can be overlooked in favour of its emotional punch, it is extremely unlikely to win best film with its director being accused of a litany of deeply sordid acts.
Re the trailer showing a précis of the film rather than hooking you on the concept, I find this to have been a common problem over the last few years. It annoys me but it has saved me a small fortune in cinema tickets.
The rest are a level below.
Here in Australia Foxtel have a complete strangle hold on the streaming/ pay per view market, so much so that a lot of programs, series and movies you see in the UK and the states don’t get shown on Netflix here. I’ve just subscribed to Amazon Prime. Some interesting series but the films are very poor. I refuse to pay for Foxtel after getting ripped off to the tune of $140 per month for many years.
Watched this on Friday night, another Netflix special which had been recommended to me by a few mates, based on a graphic novel I believe and you could tell with a number of larger than life characters. The storyline is similar to the John Wick storylines in a way - an ex-hitman trying to retire and chaos ensues (No dogs were harmed thankfully). The scenes are pretty wacky and it took a bit of getting used to, if you aren't enjoying it within the first 15 minutes you may as well turn it off because it doesn't calm down. It has a pretty strong cast with Mads Mikkelson, Matt Lucas, and Katheryn Winnick. Overall found it pretty enjoyable although didn't leave a particularly lasting impact. 7/10
There's an art to editing, and if it's done correctly, the audience shouldn't notice any of it.
There are some really basic rules to adhere to - the most important is that the viewer's eye shouldn't move around the screen much. The focal point should roughly be in the same spot of the screen from one shot to another.
Then there's the framing. If you are cutting from one person to another in a conversation like this, they should be about the same size within the frame. And generally speaking, the shots should get tighter (closer to the subject) as the scene progresses. You start wide, you get closer and closer to the subject as the tension increases.
Reaction shots are as important as the person speaking, and in this scene they tram to cram in literally dozens of quick reactions, but none of them remain on screen long enough to register.
The arrival of Littlefinger is really odd. There's no wide shot of him arriving and the amount of reaction shots they cut in to punctuate his arrival is really weird.
I'd also say this is a prime example of Brian May's influence on the film. Roger and John are largely positioned in a two shot (sometimes with Freddy in a three), and Freddy in a one shot. This implies Roger and John are less important than Freddy, and certainly for this film, they are.
But then we have Brian, who also has his own frame all to himself. In a tighter close up than anyone else in the scene. Why? He's not that important in the scene, which is all about Freddy having the balls to 'go bigger'. So why do we keep seeing Brian in a one shot? This happens throughout the film. When Freddy says or does something clever, we get a Brian May reaction shot of approval. As if he's Freddy's master or mentor.
Later on in the movie I had to figure out who Paul Prenter was, and I think it's because his intro is so botched here. He's not even on screen when he says his one and only word "pleasure". He doesn't get a close up, we're too busy seeing those repetitive reaction shots.
I believe that whoever edited this scene was not in synch with whoever directed it, and they were trying to make the most of the footage they had. Which fits with the narrative that Bryan Singer had gone off the rails!
Anyway, I'm not a Queen fan in particular but quite enjoyed this film. I only know a few songs of theirs so maybe people like me are the target audience. Not sure about the Oscar Best Picture nomination though. (But a nomination for Black Panther is much more surprising.)
I really liked this, it had some pretty amusing moments amazing special effects. Very light storyline but this isn't Christopher Nolans Batman.
I'm not a massive officionado of marvel material but I liked guardians of the galaxy and I like this too.
7/10