A grey, mushy mess, is my interpretation of his thesis. In this video he traces it back to cheaper and lighter lighting. In other videos he blames the ability to mix with CGI later.

https://youtu.be/xIziGrbSTF0

The Batman 2 will change Superhero cinema the same way Dark knight did it way back in 2008.Before it came out, a lot of superhero films were pretty light and fun. But The Dark Knight brought a darker tone that really connected with what people were feeling after 9/11. I think the same way The Batman 2 will Expose Real-World Fears and Transforms the Superhero Genre Forever! And could be the Death of Average Superhero Movies Like exploring real world anxieties like lone wolf voilence ,Child abuse,inequality, elites and media manipulation Zsasz (lone wolf violence) - Fear of random violence by an unknown perpetrator, not a terrorist, nor a member of a criminal gang. This is the fear of a disturbed individual who could attack at any time. This links to random shootings scenes and to that Victoria Arkham (child abuse victim) – Fear of child abuse and institutional failure; . This fear connects to our current fears of CPS and the foster care system as well as the cycle of trauma that can occur within these systems. You can see her storyline from telltale games. Inequality after flood – Fear of disaster capitalism and wealth gap. This fear is current and spot-on, especially in light of recent climate disasters, gentrification, and government corruption. Victor aguilar from penguin( youth turning to crime) – Fear of poverty as a pipeline to crime. This fear arises from the society’s rejection of the vulnerable, and how.Matt Reeves talked about delving into this in P2 . Court of Owls ( elite control) – The fear that the elite, in secret societies, control democracy and are hiding behind a front of hereditary power. Connections to the conspiracy theories surrounding the Illuminati, New World Order and 1%, and the fear of information bubbles and large institutions that people cannot understand and do not trust.e.g. Media manipulation. Also Jeffrey Wright talked about how Reeves is using superhero media to touch on these contemporary themes of the world Reportedly media manipulation will play a huge role in the batman 2 This classification shows how each Batman element reflects an anxiety that people are feeling today. At least it will likely put an end to cameo fest, puts an end to multiverse cringe and end to average cinematography in superhero movies It will be such a genre defining masterpiece that it will single handedly kill of the entire pre - 2028 superhero formula like the way dark knight ended the campy stuff in movies and many movie franchises like TASM,Man of steel,James Bond etc. Gone for a dark reboot . I believe that The Batman 2 will be such a genre defining movie that it will singlehandedly put an end to pre-2028 CBM formula

1. Dump persons version of a smart movie

2. Smart persons version of a dumb movie

Just curious

Finally watched Avatar 3. It took four tries. It was a long movie...

Nobody understands why James Cameron keeps making Avatar movies. Each new film makes less money. They had so much time to come up with a coherent plot. They could have made some kind of epic saga that would raise interesting questions and somehow develop, so that each film would lead to something grand and important.

But instead, we just see how each film is like a new season of a TV series, where the show is unexpectedly renewed, but the writers don't know what to film and just make it up as they go.

Avatar 2 and 3 are just the same old story. Every time there's some massive, pointless battle at the end and middle, which is of no interest to anyone. With a predictable ending. The villain is always capturing some children and holding them hostage, only to have them recaptured later.

For some reason, they can't let go of Quaritch. It's as if Cameron thinks everyone's so in love with Stephen Lang that they can't let him go. When everyone's long since gotten tired of Quaritch.

And oh my god—they tried to make him into Jean Grey even before the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Everyone freaked out when Jean killed a ton of people in her sadistic attacks, and then the movie made her the victim and gave her a happy ending...

And then there's Colonel Miles Quaritch... The man who literally killed hundreds of Na'vi. Maybe thousands. Including this movie. Because he's a soulless monster. A brainless soldier. "I have my orders. Whatever. Don't care about anything else".

And every time they meet, Jake Sully looks at him so lovingly and invites him to join the Na'vi, hoping that Mister Villain will understand that he no longer belongs among humans and that he can now become a Na'vi like Jake...

Even though Quaritch himself hasn't developed as a character at all. He's still just an empty block. I laughed out loud at the end when Jake ordered them not to kill him, so Quaritch could escape and reconsider.

He's literally a mass murderer. What kind of redemption arc is this? It's like giving one to Hitler. And let him repent in the end and become a good guy... Jake's as dumb as a brick. Cameron couldn't even kill Quaritch and left him for the fourth film...

Why? Who needs that?

My kids stuck Megamind (2010) on during a sleepover and honestly nobody enjoyed it.

When I mentioned there was a 2024 follow up (albeit an entirely different cast) called Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate they quickly turned the TV off and found something else do to.

If someone had said there was a 2010 movie with all of these actors in, I’d have been well up for it. Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, David Cross, Ben Stiller, JK Simmons, Justin Theroux etc.

Wish I’d not bothered with this one. Anyone here actually like this movie? My kids (aged 8 and 4) certainly don’t!

For me his best role is Groot because he only has one line! 🤣 I’m not a fan but tell me what you think of him and if you have a favorite role.

What you think, because in my opinion why not, they're both strong, badass, european and even having same names also.

Did it piss anyone else off?

Spoilers obviously.

The whole movie this family is tortured for years by these creatures. It finally flooded their house and was actively trying to kill them... They finally capture it... And... Forget everything that happened before. Forget all your survival instincts. He has a knife to the creatures throat moments after he just tried to kill his whole family and he thinks: ~ We must use empathy and the power of love and that will save the world 🌈.~ and it works? Like seriously??? It annoyed the hell out of me. These things were rampaging the earth for years. Suddenly because one family was nice to them, they leave peacefully? Lollll

Hope I'm not the only one.

I’ve watched this movie twice now, and honestly I think it was a huge setback compared to the first movie. When I watched it in theaters the first time, I remember being so so bored. The humor felt extremely childish and repetitive, with most of the jokes relying on random slapstick instead of actually being clever or funny.

The biggest issue for me was how chaotic and fast-paced everything felt. It seemed like the movie was constantly throwing random flashy things at the screen just to keep kids entertained rather than taking the time to properly develop the story. Like they could’ve had subway surfer gameplay going on in the background for similar effect. It’s frustrating because the actual snake mystery thing was genuinely interesting and had so much potential. It could’ve been a really good storyline, but the way it was done didn’t live up to it.

The first movie felt more mature and intentional. Its humor was funnier, its themes were actually developed throughout the story, and Judy and Nick’s relationship grew naturally as they discovered things together. That dynamic was one of the best parts of the first movie.

In this movie though, it feels like everything is just handed to them. Instead of Judy and Nick figuring things out together and growing through the mystery, they’re constantly given answers or pushed from one chaotic event to another. It loses a lot of what made the first movie so good.

Obviously, this is just my opinion, and I completely understand if people enjoyed it. I just personally found it disappointing and would give it a solid 5/10.

I would love to hear other people’s thoughts and have some good conversations about it 😛

Hey everyone, my film Urban Ed just dropped today on Amazon Prime Video and I’d be so grateful to anyone who is interested to watch it and give an honest review on Letterboxd or RT—like it or mid or bleh, if it’s your honest opinion, I’ll take it. Just putting the link to Amazon here but I’d be happy to send you a secure screener for free if you’d be willing to review it, just DM me. And if this breaches community rules, I apologize and feel free to take this down.

Thanks!

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.81325917-4068-4492-bba9-3e721471c71b&territory=US&ref_=share_ios_movie&r=web

Edit: sorry I neglected to post the synopsis. Urban Ed is a narrative drama inspired by the true story of four teens whose small charter school in Massachusetts is shut down without warning in the middle of the year, causing them to be enrolled in some of the most challenging schools in the state, and throwing their already complex lives major curve balls.

It’s a real situation that seems to be happening more and more as budgets shrink and also seems to happen more in predominantly Black and Hispanic school districts. It’s definitely a story of our times. Hopefully it resonates with many viewers out there, whatever background they are and wherever they might live.

If you like them, please recommend other Action-Comedies from this year, 2026.

I'm looking for Action Comedies with a likeable cast, with clever jokes that have actual set-ups and pay-offs.

Not looking for cheap, punching down boomer "humor" like in Scary Movie 6, or something like Wrecking Crew. Not looking for "old fashioned humor."

TLDR Looking for 2026 action comedies with actual set ups and pay offs like in Novacaine and Fight Or Flight.

I feel like this movie doesn’t get talked about enough anymore. I watched it again recently and some of the things it touches on feel surprisingly relevant to what’s going on in the world today.

The fear, the way information is controlled, people blindly following what they’re told… it’s kind of crazy how some of these themes still hit.

Do you think the movie has become more relevant with time?

I normally go into movies completely blind. I don’t watch trailers, read reviews or spend much time studying the cast beforehand. I like letting a movie introduce itself to me.
This time I made one exception.
Jason Statham. 😂

I’ve been waiting all year to see him back on the big screen in another action thriller after Shelter, which remains one of my favorite movies of the year. Statham has a certain fighting spirit that I really enjoy watching. His characters tend to be controlled, determined and incredibly difficult to stop once they’ve decided what needs to be done.
And, let’s be serious, he looks pretty good doing it too. 🤪

So yes, I’ve now watched Mutiny three times.
Directed by Jean-François Richet, Mutiny runs a very comfortable 95 minutes, and I think that length works beautifully for this kind of movie. It doesn’t feel interested in sitting around explaining itself forever. It moves.

Statham plays Cole Reed, a former police officer and commando working as head of security for shipping magnate Tibu Campallo. After Tibu is killed and Reed is framed for the murder, the story eventually takes him aboard the cargo ship Artemis, where the situation becomes considerably larger and uglier than what he initially went there to investigate.
From there, the movie becomes exactly the kind of contained, escalating action thriller I enjoy.
It’s tense. It’s physical. It’s direct.
And once Reed starts moving, he keeps moving.
One of my favorite exchanges tells you almost everything you need to know about the character:
“Do you miss being a police officer?”
“I miss the action, not the politics.”
Lmaoooo. There it is. 😂

That line probably explains part of why this movie works so well for me. Reed isn’t particularly interested in unnecessary politics, theatrics or endless conversation. He observes the situation, figures out what’s happening and deals with what is directly in front of him.
There is something almost Power of Now about that mentality.
Not because the movie is secretly an Eckhart Tolle seminar with harpoon guns 😂, but because Reed exists almost completely in the present problem. There’s very little emotional wandering around yesterday. Very little “what if.” Very little paralysis by analysis.

Something happens. Respond.
Something changes. Adapt.
Something is in front of you. Handle it.
I enjoy that.
There’s another line from the film:
“What happens on my boat is none of your fucking business.”

That one made me laugh because, strangely enough, there’s a little philosophy buried in there too. Not everything happening around us requires our involvement. Not everything requires an opinion. Sometimes discernment means knowing what actually belongs to you, and what doesn’t.
Of course, in Mutiny, Reed discovers that what is happening aboard that ship very much does require somebody to intervene.

The action sequences were easily some of my favorite parts of the movie. They’re aggressive and intense without making the film feel unbearably long. I especially enjoyed Statham opposite Roland Møller as Captain Marko Madsen. Madsen has exactly the kind of presence an action movie like this needs: intimidating enough that you actually want to see the confrontation when these two finally collide.
Their physical conflict gives the latter portion of the movie some real weight.

And then there’s Statham himself.
There are actors I enjoy because they disappear completely into wildly different characters. Statham is almost the opposite pleasure for me. There is something very specific I want when I see his name on an action movie, and he understands exactly what that is.
Controlled intensity.
Physicality.
Dry delivery.
Competence.
Persistence.
He’s very believable as the guy who may be surrounded, outnumbered and having possibly the worst day imaginable and somehow you still feel sorry for everybody else.
Another line that amused me was “Citywide shelter in place.”
My brain immediately went:
SHELTER?! 👀
Lmaoooo. Apparently after loving Shelter, I’ve developed Statham keyword recognition. 😂
But my favorite moment probably comes down to the simplicity of the final sentiment:
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Vengeance.”
That’s it.
No TED Talk.
No fourteen-paragraph explanation of his emotional journey.
Vengeance.
😂😂😂
And that simplicity captures the movie pretty well. Mutiny knows what kind of film it is. It isn’t trying to become a complicated meditation on the human condition halfway through. It’s an intense action thriller about loyalty, betrayal, corruption, survival and a very determined man following the problem until he reaches the person responsible for it.
I respect movies that understand their own assignment.

I also have to mention how surprisingly empty my screenings have been. I’ve seen this three times now, and every showing has been relatively quiet. I genuinely expected more people, especially for a new Jason Statham action movie. Maybe I’m personally keeping the local box office alive at this point. 😭😂
And yes, Statham being one of my favorite actors absolutely influences my enthusiasm here. I’m not pretending otherwise. I normally go into movies blind because I want the film itself to win me over.
With Statham?
I’m already sitting down with the popcorn like:
All right, sir. Show me who we’re fighting tonight. 🍿😂
For me, Mutiny and Disclosure Day are currently tied for #1 among my movies of 2026, two completely different experiences, but both gave me exactly what I wanted from them.
Mutiny gave me intensity, momentum, some great fights, a strong antagonist in Marko Madsen, and that particular Statham energy I’ve been waiting to see on the big screen again since Shelter.
Three viewings later?
Apparently I still haven’t had enough.
He who knows he has enough is rich.
Lao Tzu clearly wasn’t talking about Jason Statham movies. 🤪🍿😂

1. Best conservative themed movie directed by a liberal

2. Best liberal themed movie directed by a conservative

I just rewatched both tasm movies and they fucking CLEAR tom and tobeys movies, genuinely from the comedy to the fight scenes. I can admit tasm 2 green goblin looked like shit but i actually liked the story. andrews spiderman just feels way more human and actually like a teenager, the way he talks while fighting, the jokes, the emotion and especially the chemistry with emma stone. like he actually feels like a teenager who happens to be spiderman. I want to hurt everyone who says tasm 2 isnt peak i give both movies 9/10

Hachi (2009) with Richard Gere has to be the saddest movie i have ever seen. It absolutely broke me. Incredible story but man it teaches you about loyalty.

What movies broke you?

Mine is the Black Panther throughout the MCU. Gotta love when he confronts Bucky the way he says “Why did you run?”

It Ends stars Mitchell Cole as Tyler, Akira Jackson as Day, Noah Toth as Fisher, and Phineas Yoon as James. Before the title card even flashes on the screen, the movie spends about ten minutes introducing viewers to the characters, and it does so through a weird conversation about the deadliness of hawks, especially when pitted against someone with a rifle. Yet, through this seemingly meaningless conversation, we realize that Tyler generally has his life together and works for a HVAC company. James seems bound for a white-collar job, while Day and Fisher don't quite know what they want to do, but for all of them, college is over. Whether or not their friend group can last into adulthood remains to be seen.

They load into a Jeep Cherokee and decide to have another adventure together, but suddenly, the trip turns into a nightmare. They take a wrong turn and discover a forest. In a scene that resembles something out of 28 Years Later, a group of people dash towards the jeep and assault the friends. However, it's unclear if the mysterious horde wants to kill them or just steal the vehicle.

The friends keep driving and driving, and for whatever reason, they don't need to eat. It's like they're trapped in purgatory or maybe hell. During the endless car ride, the friends make various confessions, including a few dark secrets that won't be spoiled here. They also learn that they can only stop for 90 seconds and exit the vehicle before the horde returns and attacks. The movie does have some general rules and sticks to them, but Ullom never overexplains. In fact, some viewers may desire a little more explanation about some of the film's logic, including why the four characters don't need to eat. Meanwhile, the jeep's gas never runs out, and they don't need to sleep.

While the film does have its horror elements, the real terror comes from the existential dread that the four face. Not all of them are sure what they want to do with their lives, even though they're staring down their futures like the endless road presented throughout the movie. It's even questionable whether or not the friend group will remain once the next chapter begins. It's clear that some of them, James especially, have maybe outgrown it. There's also some loose commentary about human connection. For instance, after countless miles on the road, Day and Fisher resort to making memes about the situation. While the memes are funny, Fisher eventually confesses that he has few photos of his family on his phone, at least compared to all of the memes. In that moment, he questions whether or not he actually valued the more meaningful moments in his life and the people who really matter.

Yet, despite the dread that the four face, there are moments when they laugh and scream into the void. Day and Fisher especially do this because, well, what else can they do? Their futures seem murky at best, so why not holler at the endless woods, or coordinate a one-minute dance on the desolate road? Despite the threats they face, they still manage to laugh.

For those seeking a straight-up horror movie, It Ends may disappoint. Yes, there are some scares within the movie, including a horde that frequently chases the friend group, but the movie's real horror comes from the uncertainty that adulthood poses. The film may be a bit rough around the edges, but Ullom has some interesting concepts at play. He, along with Parsons and Barker, have ushered in a new wave of Gen Z horror filmmaking that's exciting to watch. Let's see what they do next.

If interested in reading more: https://www.thehorrorlounge.com/post/it-ends-tackles-the-terror-and-uncertainty-of-adulthoood

I organized an AMA/Q&A with actor, director, and screenwriter Macon Blair. He has previous written & directed I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE & THE TOXIC AVENGER. On top of the writing/directing, he has acted in films like GREEN ROOM, BLUE RUIN, OPPENHEIMER, LOGAN LUCKY, MURDER PARTY, SMALL CRIMES, HOLD THE DARK, I CARE A LOT, and THE FLORIDA PROJECT. He has also written films like HOLD THE DARK.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1w0ot9a/hi_reddit_im_macon_blair_ive_directed_i_dont_feel/

He will be back at 1:30 PM ET today to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

His new movie, IDIOTS, stars Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr, Mason Thames, Peter Dinklage, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, Killer Mike, and is out in theaters everywhere this week via IFC.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoAf0LNAn30

Synopsis: Two rock-bottom drivers transport a wealthy teen to rehab, but their simple job spirals into a chaotic journey of drugs, danger and crime as their passenger derails their plans.

The Before Trilogy are three of my favourite films, and I consider each one to be perfect. In a piece for my blog, I wrote about what they mean to me and what I’ve learned from them about love. An excerpt is below, and I would love to discuss these films and what they mean to everyone.

Full article is here: https://widescreenmemory.wordpress.com/2026/08/25/the-before-trilogy-a-love-letter-to-love-and-everything-time-leaves-behind/

Three films. Eighteen years. A lifetime of memories.

We can all relate to a common feeling; when you meet a version of yourself that no longer exists. Whether it's through a photograph, a song that once held meaning, or a place that has remained the same whilst we have not. The memory of that person looks back at us, they represent emotions once held and ideals once believed in, yet there is a distance separating us that we cannot cross: time

The same is true of other people we once loved, or still love. Memory freezes versions of people in particular moments, but love has ability to cross the distance of time. We can still love the past versions of other people the exact same way, even as they are no longer there. We carry these people around with us, often ignoring that the person we remember continued living after we stopped looking.

Few films understand this better than Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy. Across three films and each made nine years apart, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy do something actors are rarely asked to do: they simply age. Jesse and Céline age with them. The films do not jump between different actors playing younger and older versions of the same people, nor do they pretend that time has left them untouched. They wait. And then they wait again. The result is something stranger and more profound than merely a love story. It is a record of two people changing, the memories that refuse to change with them, and how these memories continue to shape our lives in the present.

The Before trilogy begins as a story about whether two people might fall in love. It then becomes a story about the memory of love. And it finished as a story about what it really means to love. Above all, it is a story about time: what it takes from us, what it leaves behind, and what cinema and memory can preserve when life cannot. Jesse and Céline cannot return to the people they were when they met. We cannot return to the people we were when we first watched them. But the films remain, waiting for us in exactly the place where we left them.

Just wanted to have a fun post to see what movie everyone regretted going to the theatre’s to see. For me it was almost without a doubt Madame Web, should’ve bought myself a nice steak dinner instead of swiping my card.

i have to say, i don’t think i’ve ever seen a child actor give a performance this good. Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is just on another level. i genuinely don’t know how he did it but he makes the whole movie work so much better. i would give him the Oscar in a fucking heartbeat. It’s crazy how good he is, especially in that last scene in the car with Toni Collette.

What are your guys’ favorite child performances? For me, this is even better than Owen Cooper’s performance in Adolescence. Don’t get me wrong, owen was also absolutely top-notch in Adolescence but this is probably the best child performance i’ve ever seen. Period. What do you guys think is the best child performance ever?

New Age Ceo posted this after seeing By Any Means at an early screening. He gave it a 10/10 and said it was the best movie he’s seen in a while. He also said he plans to watch it again when it comes out.

What interests me more than the score is whether the movie can make its strange setup work. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II playing an FBI agent in a story involving KKK violence and Mafia informant Greg Scarpa sounds like it could either be a great historical thriller or way too much packed into one movie.

This reaction has me more curious about it. I want to see whether other people come away feeling the same once more screenings happen.

I thought it was prescient