Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It: Part XXIX

[Shareefruck]

The Trip to Spain (2017) Directed by Michael Winterbottom 6A

The Trip to Spain is the third installment in Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's dine-and-whine road movies. By now things feel predictably familiar: we get to see delicious food served to two friends visiting beautiful European locales which only serve as as backdrops for their constant bickering. Each comic, endlessly, tries to one-up the other, often using dueling impersonations of famous British actors as their method of debate. The central theme, the highly competitive nature of male friendships, though fresh in the original film, now seems decidedly old hat. As well, the basic dynamic of Steve being the more successful but also less secure and less happy friend and Rob being the less successful, but ultimately more secure and happier friend is feeling more than a little shopworn. However, there is still much to like here. Though some of the impersonations fall flat and some of the conversations seem not exactly spontaneous, Rob Brydon is in top form. His ability to puncture Steve's self-centred, boastful, hopelessly insecure ego is even more of a delight in this picture than in the other movies (at one point when Steve leaves a table in a huff, Rob tells his companion "Not your fault. Steve hates to be informed of things he thought he already knew"). As well, Spain has never looked more diversely gorgeous. If you liked either of the first two movie, The Trip and The Trip to Italy, you will likely enjoy this one, too. If you haven't seen the other two movies, The Trip to Spain will probably seem a bit hit-and-miss but with a lot of wit.

Would you say that the first one felt fresher because it was legitimately better and more organic/inspired, even in hindsight, or is it the case where all three are pretty much the exact same quality, but you've gotten sick of it? In other words, would all of these criticisms apply to the first one as well?

Basically, I liked the first one, but I'm skeptical of the followups but I'm not sure if I should be.

 

[Led Zappa]

The Trip to Spain (2017) Directed by Michael Winterbottom 6A

The Trip to Spain is the third installment in Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's dine-and-whine road movies. By now things feel predictably familiar: we get to see delicious food served to two friends visiting beautiful European locales which only serve as as backdrops for their constant bickering. Each comic, endlessly, tries to one-up the other, often using dueling impersonations of famous British actors as their method of debate. The central theme, the highly competitive nature of male friendships, though fresh in the original film, now seems decidedly old hat. As well, the basic dynamic of Steve being the more successful but also less secure and less happy friend and Rob being the less successful, but ultimately more secure and happier friend is feeling more than a little shopworn. However, there is still much to like here. Though some of the impersonations fall flat and some of the conversations seem not exactly spontaneous, Rob Brydon is in top form. His ability to puncture Steve's self-centred, boastful, hopelessly insecure ego is even more of a delight in this picture than in the other movies (at one point when Steve leaves a table in a huff, Rob tells his companion "Not your fault. Steve hates to be informed of things he thought he already knew"). As well, Spain has never looked more diversely gorgeous. If you liked either of the first two movie, The Trip and The Trip to Italy, you will likely enjoy this one, too. If you haven't seen the other two movies, The Trip to Spain will probably seem a bit hit-and-miss but with a lot of wit.

People rarely change. If you think watching 6+ hours of those people are shop worn, try living those roles. Or any other for that matter

The Trip is one of the few movies I have ever actually walked out on. I thought it was absolutely dreadful. I may have wasted my money, but I wasn't going to waste my time as well.

I may be wasting my time tonight as it and its successor is available to stream on Netflix.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Anything Steve Coogan related just makes me sadly nostalgic for the 90s or early-00s era Alan Partridge stuff and then I end up watching British related videos on youtube.

Also this might be useful for some, it's a list of 1000 greatest movies some guy made a couple years ago using scores from imdb and a few other sites. Obviously the sources he used are not ideal but either way, it's a nice simple way to have a big list of popular and highly rated movies if you wanna pick something out. You have to copy/paste it into a spreadsheet:

https://pastebin.com/qbMmRq3C

 

[Led Zappa]

Anything Steve Coogan related just makes me sadly nostalgic for the 90s or early-00s era Alan Partridge stuff and then I end up watching British related videos on youtube.

Also this might be useful for some, it's a list of 1000 greatest movies some guy made a couple years ago using scores from imdb and a few other sites. Obviously the sources he used are not ideal but either way, it's a nice simple way to have a big list of popular and highly rated movies if you wanna pick something out. You have to copy/paste it into a spreadsheet:

https://pastebin.com/qbMmRq3C

Thanks for the list.

I had to copy the raw data for the tab delimited, but a great list I can sort on a whim. Gonna start marking ones I've watched and own. Pretty Cool.

 

[aufheben]

Steve Coogan!

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Just watched Incendies. I think "wow" about sums it up.

That's the 3rd Villeneuve that I've seen now, with the other two being Prisoners and Arrival. Prisoners was pretty good and I didn't hate Arrival, but Incendies is just on a completely different level for me. I look forward to watching Polytechnique, Enemy, and Sicario.

 

[Jevo]

Would you say that the first one felt fresher because it was legitimately better and more organic/inspired, even in hindsight, or is it the case where all three are pretty much the exact same quality, but you've gotten sick of it? In other words, would all of these criticisms apply to the first one as well?

Basically, I liked the first one, but I'm skeptical of the followups but I'm not sure if I should be.

I've watched the TV series of all three, and I liked them all. It's hard to answer you question, because they do tread very similar paths in terms of material, and the characters don't really develop that much from series to series. I caught some of The Trip on TV this weekend, and I thought it was better than The Trip to Spain which I watched in the spring. When they are good, they are both equally good, but The Trip to Spain was more hit and miss. Maybe that's because the version I watched this weekend was the film version, where most of the misses probably have been cut. But if you liked The Trip, you can definitely enjoy the follow ups as well. I still find it funny, but if you watch them all back to back, it might end up getting a bit stale as you say.

 

[Thucydides]

Wind River (2017) Directed by Taylor Sheridan 7A

On a search for sheep-killing mountain lions, Corey (Jeremy Renner), a hunter/tracker for the Wyoming forestry service, discovers the dead body of a young native woman who appears to have been raped. Despite the fact that her body is found on a vast native reserve the size of Rhode Island, the FBI in the form of inexperienced Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) gets involved. Corey, who is still dealing with his own family tragedy, is friends with the reserve's Chief of Police (a marvelous performance by Canada's Graham Greene), and is very good at finding clues. Knowing she is in over her head, Jane asks Corey to stay involved in the case, which he does so. The hunt is on to find the girl's killer. Wind River is writer Taylor Sheridan's first shot at direction--his scripts include Sicario and Hell or High Water, so it is no surprise that he gives himself a very good script to work with. The direction is a little clunky, though. Sheridan wants to avoid cliched genre moves and develop the story his own way. But the result is a movie whose rhythm takes some getting used to. In one key scene near the end we get so much unnecessary information, seemingly out of the blue, that the narrative appears derailed for a brief time. But Wind River has many strengths, too, and they outweigh the film's flaws. The story is a moving one, the cinematography of Wyoming in winter is spectacular, and Jeremy Renner gives one of the best performances of his career as a man who has found his own way to cope with tragedy by accepting the pain and living with it. Renner's acting is deeply internalized, tightly controlled and terse. Quietly dominating every scene that he is in, Renner lends the movie a heartfelt intensity that it might otherwise have lacked without him.

Side Note: Classic example of a 6.5, if I did 6.5s, which I don't. I think once people get into Wind River's rhythm they will like it a lot, so the higher score seemed more of an endorsement than the lower one. If Denis Villeneuve had directed this script, though, it might well have been a masterpiece.

Came here to see if this had been reviewed yet. Can't wait to see it. Thanks.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

logan Lucky: 7/10

 

[Shareefruck]

I've watched the TV series of all three, and I liked them all. It's hard to answer you question, because they do tread very similar paths in terms of material, and the characters don't really develop that much from series to series. I caught some of The Trip on TV this weekend, and I thought it was better than The Trip to Spain which I watched in the spring. When they are good, they are both equally good, but The Trip to Spain was more hit and miss. Maybe that's because the version I watched this weekend was the film version, where most of the misses probably have been cut. But if you liked The Trip, you can definitely enjoy the follow ups as well. I still find it funny, but if you watch them all back to back, it might end up getting a bit stale as you say.

Thanks for the info. I don't really mind if they don't deviate from the first one, as long as there isn't a dip in quality. So I guess I'll check them out.

 

[snowden]

The Trip is one of the few movies I have ever actually walked out on. I thought it was absolutely dreadful. I may have wasted my money, but I wasn't going to waste my time as well.

The Trip is one of my favorite recent films. It's absolutely brilliant in every way. The second wasn't quite as good but still very funny and fun to watch. Don't know how people don't like Steve Coogan or Rob Brydon.

 

[member 51464]

The Trip is one of my favorite recent films. It's absolutely brilliant in every way. The second wasn't quite as good but still very funny and fun to watch. Don't know how people don't like Steve Coogan or Rob Brydon.

I think Coogan and Brydon are likeable enough. It just....hmm, I saw it in theaters so it has been, what, six or seven years now? I just remember it seemed to be a bit lazy. A lot of falling into the familiar. A bit too much improv and not much fresh. But glad someone liked it.

I think Led Zappa was going to watch it. I will be curious what he thought.

 

[ChiGuySez]

Went to see Dunkirk. Boring as hell and I want my money back! Best waiting for free viewings.

 

[Shareefruck]

The Trip is one of my favorite recent films. It's absolutely brilliant in every way. The second wasn't quite as good but still very funny and fun to watch. Don't know how people don't like Steve Coogan or Rob Brydon.

I like them, but one obstacle that I did have warming up to Rob Brydon was that I generally find people who specialize in impersonations obnoxious. So I can see that as being a possible hangup.

 

[Led Zappa]

I think Coogan and Brydon are likeable enough. It just....hmm, I saw it in theaters so it has been, what, six or seven years now? I just remember it seemed to be a bit lazy. A lot of falling into the familiar. A bit too much improv and not much fresh. But glad someone liked it.

I think Led Zappa was going to watch it. I will be curious what he thought.

I just finished it and meh...

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Some great scenery, but not much was holding my attention.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Watched Earlier:

6/10

 

[OzzyFan]

Hitman's Bodyguard
2 out of 4stars

A bit predictable and full of stereotypical characters and cliches, but there are some good laughs and fun to be had, even if it's a hit and miss comedy. Action isn't going to blow you away either, albeit it's not consistently laughable or CGI'y either(albeit there is some notable shots of this, and a surprising amount of camera trickery mixed into that part of the movie). Your enjoyment of this film will lie solely on your opinion of Ryan Reynolds whiney over the top schtick and Samuel L's carefree(yet somehwhat dialed back imo, especially for an R movie) charismatic appeal. The former I know bothers a number of people, the latter is good but not near the top of his game.

 

[Desdichado93]

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2. Lots of shiny effects, not so much of a story and more of exaggerated on purpose to mock with "serious" comic-book movies.
I'd give it 6.5-7/10.

 

[kihei]

Would you say that the first one felt fresher because it was legitimately better and more organic/inspired, even in hindsight, or is it the case where all three are pretty much the exact same quality, but you've gotten sick of it? In other words, would all of these criticisms apply to the first one as well?

Basically, I liked the first one, but I'm skeptical of the followups but I'm not sure if I should be.

I liked the first one a lot, thought the second was relatively weak, and would put the present one somewhere in the middle between those two. This one is more Rob Bryson's movies as he has his best putdowns yet, and there are a couple of great voice bits, one dealing with the Spanish Inquisition that I found priceless. However, there is a lot of hit and miss as they overplay the "impressions" card. In other words, Spain is very good when it is good, but it is not consistently good all the way through (the bonus here is Spain shows off the countryside beautifully--the movie has better visuals than either of the first two). On one hand I think the shtick is getting tired; on the other hand, in what other comic films are you going to get this much intelligence and wit? So, yeah, I would go to Germany if that is, say, the next stop. And how can you have a European food series and not do France?

 

[kihei]

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) Directed by Patrick Hughes 4A

The Hitman's Bodyguard possesses the usual implausible plot. Michael (Ryan Reynolds), an ultra-elite protection agent, down on his luck thanks to a botched job that really wasn't his fault, is hired to protect Darius (Samuel L. Jackson), one of the world's deadliest hitmen, in order to insure that said hitman is alive to testify against a ruthless Belarus dictator. For a movie this hackneyed in nature to work, it has to have a decent script with a fair share of laughs, good action sequences and some semblance of chemistry between the leads. Not exactly a high bar, but still beyond this movie's reach. The Hitman's Bodyguard has a dumb, mostly witless script with Darius too often counseling Michael about his love life in lieu of anything more interesting to talk about. So very few points on that score. The movie fares better with its action sequences which at least have a bit of energy and verve though they don't break any new ground. However, even with the lame script that involves Michael laughing uproariously a lot, Reynolds and Jackson have good chemistry together, and it just seems a shame that they couldn't have been given a better script to work with.

 

[kihei]

I like them, but one obstacle that I did have warming up to Rob Brydon was that I generally find people who specialize in impersonations obnoxious. So I can see that as being a possible hangup.

Definitely avoid the new one, then. Way too many impersonations and way too many that don't work very well. On the other hand, if you are planning to visit Spain anytime soon, the movie is worth a look.

 

[Shareefruck]

Thanks. Yeah, it's weird, I'm not a travel guy or a food guy or an impressions guy, but I thought the first one was great. If the latter two are actual steps down, then I probably won't be in a hurry to see them.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Just Watched:

6.5/10

 

[kihei]

Logan Lucky (2017) Directed by Stephen Soderbergh 7A

I guess when director Stephen Soderbergh can't think of anything better to do, he makes heist movies. Unlike the Ocean series which looks like it will go on forever, he chooses a very different milieu for this one. Logan Lucky is a hillbilly heist movie in which a group of good ol' boys plot a very elaborate robbery of the local motor speedway. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver are both good as a pair of brothers who are the brains behind the operation, but Daniel Craig steals the show as a smarter-than-he-acts redneck who happens to be an explosives expert, too. Though Logan Lucky is essentially a comedy, it takes a while to get the feel about whether Soderbergh is laughing at or laughing with the West Virginia white boys. However, the tone ends up way closer to a gentle playfulness toward regional stereotypes than to anything approaching mockery. Just low key fun with nothing much at stake, Logan Lucky is a surprisingly good-natured, amiable movie.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Kwaidan: 8/10