So, the trailers make her seem like Disney tried to make her a sympathetic character, instead of a psycho trying to skin puppies for a coat.
Is this a correct assesment?
Kind of. You feel sympathetic at first but She definitely goes psycho in the movie and you can see where the animated character comes from.
It’s one of the (purposefully) dumbest movies I’ve ever watched. And I loved every minute of it.
Shit, I actually started wondering if the guitarist from Fury Road would make a cameo LMAO.
James Wan somehow managed to pay tribute to old “so bad it’s good” horror movies and Dario Argento at the same time without ever turning anything into cartoonish slapstick.
Even Sam Raimi never managed to pull that off.
Hail to the real King, baby!
Does this have any chance of not being complete horseshit?
Not much. The Matrix is a trilogy made up of a great movie followed by two blaa movies with just enough moving parts (combined with the high expectations set by the first one) to perpetuate the shell game just long enough for you to not realize you’re watching a couple of mediocre movies until they are over.
I imagine a sequel is banking on it having been long enough for people to forget the mediocrity of 2 and 3, but wouldn’t count on them actually doing something to make it worth forgetting.
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It looks like 4 erases 2 and 3, though.
I was worried about spoiling the film but every review out there already spoils that the final act is utterly insane, so I think it’s ok to say that here as well.
I’m being serious- I haven’t had this much fun watching a film in a very, very long time. This film gave me something that I had no idea that I wanted, and it made me very happy while I watched it. Shit, I’m grinning like a little kid just thinking about it.
James Wan truly is a master of film-making.
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I read some reviews and no one is fucking giving him props for his eye for visuals. The fucking movie was GORGEOUS. Every fucking frame.
Just look at the wonderful wide angle lens shot when the lead is first driving to her house similar but way more overt than how he used it in The Conjuring, which I’m pretty sure was taken from a HK Category 3 classic called Naked Killer. It’s like the dude was deconstructing his own movies for a laugh.
That great extended overhead shot that Argento and DePalma loved using when they were still making good movies.
Alright, Hitchcock did all that shit first. But fuck it. The only other contemporary filmmaker who does this shit and takes it seriously is fucking Shyamalan. Look how he turned out.
The reviewers today are really full of shit. They have no fucking idea what they’re talking about. Someone like Roger Ebert would have gotten it.
From the opening scene, I KNEW exactly where he was going with it. The bad dialogue (purposefully) delivered horribly. The change in colors like that scene where the entire frame goes red when the head doctor takes the tranquilizer gun. I just didn’t know HOW FAR he would go LMAO!
“Time to cut out the cancer!” HAHAHAHAHHA.
The second act then became somewhat like a normal film. Like he was trying to convince us it was going to be a standard, above average horror flick.
Then the 3rd act went fucking bonkers! A dude’s arm gets ripped off and used to bludgeon a chick in one fluid motion like a fucking kungfu flick LOL!!!
I don’t even know how to rate this shit. I’ll bet you half the audience won’t get it but that’s ok. They’re not professional film critics. The dude has earned the right to be self-indulgent after making 2 billion dollar earning movies and starting an entire horror movie universe.
It’s definitely not a film for everyone. I was laughing my ass off throughout the entire fucking movie but my wife was just irritated since nothing made any sense to her lol. You wanna see something great that wasn’t an entire “inside joke”? That real fucking horror masterpiece that horror movie fans were waiting for fucking DECADES to arrive? Go watch or re-watch The Conjuring. The first one. Part 2 was an ambitious failure IMHO.
I’d give Malignant an 8.5/10 if you’re a fan of shitty horror movies and Argento’s horror film aesthetics in flicks like Suspiria and Opera.
One more thing. The fucking SOUNDTRACK was a “character” on it’s own LMAO!!! OMG even the fucking musical cues made me laugh! It’s like some weird cross between Argento’s favourite collaborators - the band called “Goblin” whom you guys might recognize from the soundtrack for the original Dawn of the Dead - and the main theme from Saw.
Agree on the visuals. I feel that, when a film is truly and beautifully shot, even average people who don’t watch a lot of films or are film aficionados can feel and appreciate it, even if they don’t really know why.
Summary
Unfortunately this film seems to be the case where the critics appreciate the film more than the audience. I knew that the film wasn’t going to be a standard ghost/demon haunting film simply because James Wan already did that before and he no longer seems interested in repeating his own work, especially after how disappointing The Conjuring 2 was (and I fear that Aquaman 2 will be similar). The opening outright tells you what kind of film this will be. Given what I read on Rotten Tomatoes, I fear a lot of the audience didn’t get it.
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Watched Saint Maud last night. IT WAS EXCELLENT!! Everyone go watch it right now.
Free Guy
Cool concept. Fun as fuck. Laughed my ass off. Ryan Reynolds is great.
8.5/10 only because the main villain is a dipshit and his motivations are stupid; otherwise it’s a solid 9 IMO. Can’t remember the last time I had that much fun watching a movie.
You might like Malignant if you’ve been able to avoid spoilers
Gave black Swan a re-watch after talking about it on here yesterday…
The film creeped me the fuck out a few years ago and it still gives me the creeps today…
Speaking of people going insane… I watched Saint Maud the other day… What a depressing movie…
Currently watching final space (tv show)
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I thought this was directed at me, and found it puzzling…how could me enjoying Free Guy lead you to believe that I’d like Malignant? What the hell, I gave it a shot. Wound up lasting 5 minutes. I might enjoy it under the perfect set of conditions, but generally just not my thing.
Then I come back to this thread and realize you were most likely responding to the guy above me. This is why the reply and quote functions are useful.
Also, I’m an idiot.
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Apologies, I definitely meant to hit the reply button.
I actually think you would like Malignant if you’re up for stupid shit disguised as generic horror.
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No worries bro. I definitely got the flavor for what was to come in the first 5 minutes of Malignant, and I know the mood I need to be in to enjoy a movie like that. Unfortunately I’m rarely in that mood these days, but at least now I know it’s there! 
Here’s a few good shows I’ve watched recently with my wife:
Clickbait
Pretty good show about internet and media culture centered around the disappearance of a husband and father, who later shows up in an online video holding up a few different signs, one of which reads “5 million views and I die.” Lots of nuanced character development for such a short series. Every episode is from a different character’s POV (mostly), which is a pretty awesome way to spin a narrative IMO. 8/10
Startup
Compelling series about a tech startup that gets its seed money from stolen, laundered drug money. Ron Perlman makes an appearance in the last season, which is always awesome. Unfortunately it ends seemingly prematurely, but it’s still a good watch. 7.5/10 (probably and 8 or higher if it hadn’t ended where it did)
Both of these are on Netflix.
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I watched “Fear of Rain” on Hulu because everyone seemed to be recommending it.
TL;DR skip it, not worth it.
Storytelling was predictable and followed essentially the same plot as “Disturbia” (which is a good film). The camera work was weird and the character development even on the principal character was poor.
And neither Harrick Connick Jr or Katherine Heigl can act.
Not the worst I have seen but hardly worth the watch.
4/10
I want to rewatch that film now that I have dealt wi more mental health stuff personally. I have a feeling it will be a lot more impactful and creepy.
I recently rewatched Silver Linings Playbook. I’m bipolar and that movie captures the mood swings and the mania when I wasn’t medicated really well.
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The Guilty
Watch this fucking movie. Holy shit, I was so stressed out throughout the whole thing, and the final pay-off was so emotionally releasing I started tearing up. Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic. Someone with a greater cinematic eye might have critiques, but I can’t think of any. It’s also only 90 minutes, but I don’t think I could’ve handled more.
10/10.