Posts: 17,305
Threads: 1,063
Joined: Jan 2016
Reputation:
1
It took four sessions, but I finally finished this. I was thinking there were going to be revelations or something important to say but no. All the characters pretty much had one note with no arcs for any of them. I can't imagine why Benicio del Toro received an Academy Award nod. The supposedly great chase scene was pretty meh. Sean Penn dove into his character and made me think a lot of Greg Bovino, but this came long before Bovino was part of our consciousness. There was a lot of reflection of what is going on in today's society but I don't need a movie to show that to me, I can just watch the news.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
Posts: 3,702
Threads: 405
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
0
03-14-2026, 10:27 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-14-2026, 10:28 AM by King Bob.)
I thought this was crap. DiCaprio, Penn and Taylor were all hamming it up like Shatner. I found it pretty much pointless. The attraction between Penn and Taylor was absurd and silly. And the "revolutionaries" were really just playing - nothing they were doing changed anything. Total waste of my time. I thought Magnolia and Boogie Nights were very good and expected more from this.
To me, not Oscar worthy at all for any of the nominations. Train Dreams should win best picture, but it won't.
the hands that guide me are invisible
Posts: 36,777
Threads: 2,722
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
Youse guys talkn bout the Academy Award winning Best Picture 2026?
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 17,305
Threads: 1,063
Joined: Jan 2016
Reputation:
1
Ugh.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
Posts: 36,777
Threads: 2,722
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
Biggest winner of the night
Now I want to see this
If I dislike it, I can join you two in my disdain of the academy
If I like it, I can preach to you two about how DM understands film on a far deeper level.
Either way, it’s another win for DM. Gonna be, gonna be golden…
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 17,305
Threads: 1,063
Joined: Jan 2016
Reputation:
1
I thought you were a trend setter rather than a sweep up after?
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
Posts: 36,777
Threads: 2,722
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
Nah, DM is just a pest, trying to make a living as a specialized writing hack.
That being said, I like having professional movie reviewer as a title. Means I know stuff about movies. Or at least readers think I do…
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
Posts: 36,777
Threads: 2,722
Joined: Oct 2005
Reputation:
3
Yesterday, 12:03 AM
(This post was last modified: Yesterday, 12:06 AM by Drunk Monk.)
Yep another win for DM.
I rather enjoyed this. Although had you two not lowered my expectations, I might’ve not liked it. I don’t think it deserved all the Oscar accolades and only kinda get why the academy liked it so much. There was this allusion that it was making some grand statement, but it really wasn’t, it was just done in such a way that audiences might project into it, which they did.
It came off as more of a black comedy to me. The hammy performances and caricatures were the point. I didn’t take it seriously (honestly I seldom take any movie seriously - it’s fundamentally just entertainment) and viewed it as quirky satire.
It was way longer than it needed to be and the soundtrack was grating. That was tiresome, but I was looking at my liephone.
What worked for me was Del Toro’s sensei character because it was such a novel take on what a sensei is. Not Asian. Never fights. But ready. I also liked the ridiculousness of the underground - it poked fun at revolutionaries which was the only way to make DiCaprio’s character redeemable as a terrorist bomber.
It didn’t blow me away like a Best Picture should, but I was entertained through most of it.
So yay! DM wins again.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
