Movie News, Reviews, and Discussion Super-Thread

[Tasty]

HBO Max's death may be exaggerated — Discovery Plus merger coming summer 2023

Whoah, it's like everyone else has been a total fucking idiot about this whole thing.

Who'd have thought? Oh wait, me.

#drunkpost

[james]

HBO Max's death may be exaggerated — Discovery Plus merger coming summer 2023

Whoah, it's like everyone else has been a total fucking idiot about this whole thing.

Who'd have thought? Oh wait, me.

#drunkpost

Nah, removing already finished movies is top tier boomer trash

[Skullfuckers Anonymous]

I’m just hoping the Venture Bros movie gets finished before Discovery finds out about it.

[Madrun Badrun]

Prey is still at 92%.  Kinda hyped now.  Could this be a third good Predator movie?

[HaughtyFrank]

People seem to be really upset by this slide 

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1555310224134721536

I'm not really sure why. I assume it's based on the data they have collected and no one says "only men watch this and only women watch this" just that it skews that way.


And speaking of data, it's also pretty funny how they're butchering HBO max despite it having the highest customer satisfaction



https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/netflix-lowest-value-must-have-service-survey-1235301080/

[Tasty]

they're butchering HBO max

The leadership team doubled down on the importance of high content spend, explaining that reducing churn remains the number one factor amid increased competition.

CEO David Zaslav maintained that content spend will go up each year in the years to come.

Zaslav provided a bit more clarity on the future of HBO Max during the company's earnings call. He confirmed that the streaming service will combine with Discovery+ to be one platform, set to launch next summer.

In the interim, the two services will share content.

they're butchering HBO max

[Bebpo]

Still seems HBO Max is ded and HBO Originals live on like predicted.

Lotta cancellations already. When is the next HBO Max release? Oh wait...there is none because they've cancelled everything that was about to come out.

[Skullfuckers Anonymous]

HBO now has access to the greatest cinematic universe of all time!

https://mobile.twitter.com/SweatieAngle/status/1555318442063953920

[Nintex]

I wonder what they will call the new streaming service that will replace HBO Max and Discovery+.

Couldn't they just copy the Discovery+ content folder into HBO Max.

[HaughtyFrank]

they're butchering HBO max

The leadership team doubled down on the importance of high content spend, explaining that reducing churn remains the number one factor amid increased competition.

CEO David Zaslav maintained that content spend will go up each year in the years to come.

Zaslav provided a bit more clarity on the future of HBO Max during the company's earnings call. He confirmed that the streaming service will combine with Discovery+ to be one platform, set to launch next summer.

In the interim, the two services will share content.

they're butchering HBO max

(Image removed from quote.)

Didn't they literally remove some of their original movies from the service? If it ends up being fine then I'm happy. I'll guess we'll see what kind of content he's talking about

[james]

I dont know what 90 Day Fiance is and at this point Im too afraid to ask

[benjipwns]

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1555616963082260485

[Nintex]

Hollywood is about 2 failed reboots away from Obama being played by Chris Pratt.

[Transhuman]

Prey is still at 92%.  Kinda hyped now.  Could this be a third good Predator movie?

Nah it's pretty bland tbh. I went in with medium hopes and it nearly met my expectations. Not as good as Predator or Predators, probably better than Predator 2, definitely better than AVP.

Moves a bit too fast, script a bit too wooden, Midthunder very cute, 2/4 stars

[Polident Hive]

I liked Prey. Going back to the dub talk, filming it in comanche with the English dub as an option would’ve been preferable. Having it in English with code switching has it feeling like it’s set in modern day. Can’t elaborate why.

I’m of the option that all Predator movie are good, excluding AvPs. Appreciate each trying their own thing. It’s not the Terminator just trying to remake T2.

[Tasty]

https://twitter.com/ladygaga/status/1555222357882458114

I'm really gonna go see Joker 2 I guess

[Nintex]

https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1555962911859904517

[Joe Molotov]

I'm really gonna go see Joker 2 I guess

Or as they call it in the French arthouses, Le Jokair.

[Polident Hive]

Looking up the production of Prey, they intended for it to be a surprise. Like Split’s connection to Unbreakable? Then Disney just announced it as a Predator movie and the director went “well, shit.” They should roll with the idea. You’re watching Enola Holmes 2 and suddenly there’s green blood and the cloak hiss clicking. Secret Predator movie in old London.

[chronovore]

Crazy, filming had already wrapped. $90 million budget.

Yeah, this is ...odd.

Either it's really terrible and they're worried about its effects on the DCU reputation (lolz).
Or it's got some really heavy political vibes they were afraid to put out there and put a target on WB.

Or after Ezra they're just canning every DC film and ending the DCU after Aquaman 2 and Shazam 2.

Either the Hollywood Reporter or Variety article mentioned that the film is the product of a previoius regime. We know new executives will torpedo anything which makes their predecessor look good. It's common. IIRC that was part of what happened with Firefly. I don't think Keaton would have signed up if he thought it was garbage.

[Tasty]

It's not spite for previous regimes, it's business. The benefits of taking a tax writedown on unreleased projects vs. spending additional capital on marketing and talent payouts can very easily come down on the side of "it makes more sense not to release this film."

What did change is the new regime has no faith in original made-for-streaming feature-length films, and I'm not sure I'd blame them. The biggest streaming hits were all simul-theater releases last year under Project Popcorn. No, ZSJL doesn't count.

Netflix is chasing that market with Free Guy and Bird Box and Grey Man or whatever. I guess that's working out for them?

[chronovore]

Well, I defer to you; you know the business better than I do.

[Tasty]

Mostly what I do is just read the trades, and read in between the lines because every article has a spin. Not a coincidence there wasn't a shred of positive Netflix coverage for like 8 weeks earlier this year across THR, Variety, Deadline, etc. Gossy headlines get clicks. When Netflix was in a tailspin, suddenly everyone couldn't wait to weigh-in with their armchair Wall Street takes.

Same is happening with WBD right now.

They cancelled Batgirl and took 6 movies off HBO Max. And I guess there was a PowerPoint slide breaking down gender cohorts that everyone is suddenly an expert on?

That's pretty much it for objectively bad press. If you look at the direction being taken, I think it's actually very sensible.

Use theaters to hype big movies. Make more movies for theaters. Preserve HBO. Merge HBO Max and Discovery+. Use the best tech between the two. Spend more on content. Milk linear TV for all its worth. Restore CNN's brand. Restore DC's theatrical reputation.

It's dumb but sometimes I imagine myself in these guys' shoes. I don't think I would have had a problem cancelling Batgirl personally, especially being privy to the internal deals and machinations involved. But even if I could have explained my reasoning, I still would be eaten alive by the Twitterati. The idea of that does kinda rankle me, most hot takes are so bad on their face but they still seem to keep getting traction.

Social media is a scourge. Independent thought is very close to being dead.

[Polident Hive]

Costs and pay for streaming vs theatrical releases are very different. Nobody is aware or questions why Batgirl, Black Canary, and Blue Beetle were chosen to go straight to streaming. New administration will suck, too, but these moves are a consequence of the previous administration sucking ass.

Reports on the quality of Batgirl? Not reading any of that. There’s always a duplicitous angle to those stories. But to ashamedly throw Keaton under the bus, he was just in Morbius. Pay is pay!

[Bebpo]

Prey was solid.

Some good action, good fight scenes, gorgeous scenery and cool shots, decent story. A bit of a throwback to the first movie too with the setting.
Honestly the only thing I thought was a bit weak (besides a thin story) was the

spoiler (click to show/hide)

big french battalion battle scene. It's just...too silly and CG heavy. The movie would've worked better with all the other action death scenes that were serious and badass only I think.

[close]

For fights, the

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Bear fight and final fight were great

[close]

I think if I were writing this story I'd have changed it a bit so

spoiler (click to show/hide)

the predator was a young rookie predator on their first hunt to juxtapose with her on her first real hunt which would put them on more even ground. Like I'd have the predator making rookie mistakes and stuff.

It honestly felt like this one was a little too OP and cheating beyond what should be doing if they were honorable. It really took a ridiculous amount of bodies to wear it down enough for her to have a chance.

[close]

[benjipwns]

Costs and pay for streaming vs theatrical releases are very different. Nobody is aware or questions why Batgirl, Black Canary, and Blue Beetle were chosen to go straight to streaming. New administration will suck, too, but these moves are a consequence of the previous administration sucking ass.

They fucked Batgirl specifically by trying to bump it up to theatrical, they can't just cut it back down to HBO Max now like everyone wants when the tax benefit is sitting there. Black Canary being only HBO Max and Blue Beetle being bumped up to theatrical before it shot are in slightly better positions because of this. BC will probably be doomed because they're cutting out all those films, but BB at least has the chance of surviving because it's already been on the theatrical track for most of the entire production and will be for the entire post-production. When BB finishes if they go "eh, not going to work in theaters" it's still viable for dumping on HBO Max, especially since there's no tax benefit attached. (The Batgirl and Scooby cancellations were made because the benefits had to be taken this August.)

Mostly what I do is just read the trades, and read in between the lines because every article has a spin. Not a coincidence there wasn't a shred of positive Netflix coverage for like 8 weeks earlier this year across THR, Variety, Deadline, etc. Gossy headlines get clicks. When Netflix was in a tailspin, suddenly everyone couldn't wait to weigh-in with their armchair Wall Street takes.

Same is happening with WBD right now.

They cancelled Batgirl and took 6 movies off HBO Max. And I guess there was a PowerPoint slide breaking down gender cohorts that everyone is suddenly an expert on?

That's pretty much it for objectively bad press. If you look at the direction being taken, I think it's actually very sensible.

Use theaters to hype big movies. Make more movies for theaters. Preserve HBO. Merge HBO Max and Discovery+. Use the best tech between the two. Spend more on content. Milk linear TV for all its worth. Restore CNN's brand. Restore DC's theatrical reputation.

It's dumb but sometimes I imagine myself in these guys' shoes. I don't think I would have had a problem cancelling Batgirl personally, especially being privy to the internal deals and machinations involved. But even if I could have explained my reasoning, I still would be eaten alive by the Twitterati. The idea of that does kinda rankle me, most hot takes are so bad on their face but they still seem to keep getting traction.

Social media is a scourge. Independent thought is very close to being dead.

I love how many of the self-declared film industry experts on the internet seem to be completely ignorant about the basics of how the film industry works, its history, etc. I don't claim to be an expert about it but, I've read like books and Wikipedia and shit, so I know box office numbers and review scores aren't all you need to know. All these people are screaming about the "injustice" of a studio shelving a film when there's probably at minimum hundred, maybe thousands of films, this happens to every year. Nobody seems to realize that Netflix and Amazon's massive counts of films nobody has ever heard of is because they went around to everybody and said "we'll take what you've got" and bought the streaming rights in bulk, sight unseen, because these companies were sitting on hundreds and thousands of productions that were sitting in a vault with no value to the companies until streaming.

[Potato]

Prey was solid.

Some good action, good fight scenes, gorgeous scenery and cool shots, decent story. A bit of a throwback to the first movie too with the setting.
Honestly the only thing I thought was a bit weak (besides a thin story) was the

spoiler (click to show/hide)

big french battalion battle scene. It's just...too silly and CG heavy. The movie would've worked better with all the other action death scenes that were serious and badass only I think.

[close]

For fights, the

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Bear fight and final fight were great

[close]

I think if I were writing this story I'd have changed it a bit so

spoiler (click to show/hide)

the predator was a young rookie predator on their first hunt to juxtapose with her on her first real hunt which would put them on more even ground. Like I'd have the predator making rookie mistakes and stuff.

It honestly felt like this one was a little too OP and cheating beyond what should be doing if they were honorable. It really took a ridiculous amount of bodies to wear it down enough for her to have a chance.

[close]

Prey was a lot of fun and I agree with you on all those points.

[Transhuman]

Call me old fashioned or a snob or whatever but I don't think I can lower my standards enough that i'd call Prey good.

[Nintex]

I think it falls victim to the trend to call a moderately good thing 'the best of all time' and a mediocre thing 'literally the worst movie ever'.

[ToxicAdam]

https://twitter.com/MichaelMann/status/1554602237799849986



Tokyo Vice pilot was great so I guess he's still got it

I blame Bill Simmons. I feel like he has single handedly given the movie a second life, which encouraged Mann to pursue it.

[VomKriege]

Not to be a snob about it but most people don't really know about any specifics of filmmaking in general (and that's fine, I don't need to be a cook to enjoy or have an opinion on food etc).
The machinations of film financing in general & the bureaucratic and corporate internal power struggle skullfuckery of mega corps spending mega money on mega volatile projects in particular is several layers more inscrutable than already complex questions like "what did the filmmaker wanted to say ?" and possibly just out of reach for any outside observers.

I think the only certitude is that they believe (rightly or wrongly) they would be throwing good money after bad on that Batgirl film. They wouldn't sit on a dollar of profit unless returns are too uncertain.

[Phoenix Dark]

I can certainly see why throwing major theatrical films onto a streaming service a month and a half after release isn't a good idea financially but surely there's some type of good middle between 45 days and "we're never doing anything like this again." 60 days? 90 days?

The wild thing is that the summer should have been about HBO Max further expanding its lead about premiering it's biggest show - House Of The Dragon - to major success and new subs. Instead people are confused or upset about a new direction that boils down to a reality TV CEO doubling down on the only thing he knows. Seems like Netflix already demonstrated that people aren't purchasing streaming subs to watch reality television.

[GreatSageEqualOfHeaven]

Seems like Netflix already demonstrated that people aren't purchasing streaming subs to watch reality television.

I mean... you say that, but my countries Netflix Top 10 consistently has low budget reality TV shit taking up half the entries...

[Nintex]

The netflix recommendations aren't real anyway except for the weekends. If it was real all you would see on weekdays is what kids on their iPad watch.
Sometimes they mess up filtering those out if they're new releases and their big saturday number 1 spot is a Bob the Builder or Dora the Explorer or whatever even if they just launched a big Netflix original. 

The real story no one is talking is about, is that Netflix is losing subs to Disney because that's the better option for parents to keep the kids busy while they WFH.

[Nintex]

Now this looks like a decent motion picture

[HaughtyFrank]

Really liked Prey. After some many bad predator sequels it was nice to have something so solid again. The predator design was also pretty fantastic

[Tasty]

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/8/8/23296010/hbo-max-streaming-freak-out-warner-bros-discovery-earnings

In light of what happened on Thursday, though, some of the rumors that flew ahead of the event look borderline histrionic: that HBO Max would be folded into Discovery+, reduced to a subsection within a much less popular app; that HBO Max would shed up to 70 percent of its development staff; that HBO Max might jettison its scripted originals altogether, putting even beloved, Emmy-winning shows like Hacks at risk. Instead, Zaslav and his lieutenants largely confirmed what we already knew—HBO Max and Discovery+ will combine into a single platform. A projected launch date, around summer 2023, was new information, but the blended service’s price point and even name have yet to be announced.

[Madrun Badrun]

They are just going to have like the Brazzers' aggregate site that treats HBO Max like MILFs Like It Big. 

[Madrun Badrun]

An hour into Jurrasic park 6.  This is terrible and I'm having a good time. 

[Madrun Badrun]

This is actually a good blend of creature feature horror and old-timy action adventure.  They even got like Malta as a location and an WW2-era plane, that crashes because of a pterodactyl.  I'm pretty sure this movie's biggest crime is trying to cash in on the nostalgia of past characters that have always been paper thin instead of just using new cool characters like the one DeWanda Wise plays.  Like I'm pretty sure this movie would have been great if it came out in 2003 and was stripped of all the previous baggage from movies 3-5.     

[Madrun Badrun]

OMG the scene where chris pratt chokes a dilophosaurus.    

This is like 8/10 stuff.

[Madrun Badrun]

Now they are recreating JP1 scenes but because they have 5 legacy actors they now have 7 people hiding behind a rotating upsidedown car 

[Madrun Badrun]

Half these dinosaur CGI look like 60's claymation, and I think that adds to the movie.

[Madrun Badrun]

This movie was better than you'd expect from the 6th movie in a franchise set up to be 1 movie.  7/10. 

[Tasty]

This movie was better than you'd expect from the 6th movie in a franchise set up to be 1 movie.  7/10. 

Just wait until Jurassic World Episode IX: The Rise of Neilwaker.

[Bebpo]

Shaft in Africa was enjoyable. Kind of middle of the road old Bond flick meets some Indiana Jones meets Shaft. It's pretty crazy how the series in a few years went from like tight close up grainy shots in Harlem mafia/gangster to globetrotting spy adventures in Europe.

I think I liked Shaft's Big Score better for like 2/3rds of it with the mafia story stuff, but the climax for Big Score is zzzzzzz and the music kinda sucks, Shaft in Africa is more consistent and pretty comfort food outside when they kill a dog which is fucked up!

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Rewatched Last Night for the thousandths time.

I think people find this movie trite. But that's usually how infidelity happens.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

"In my dreams I kiss your cunt, your sweet wet cunt. "

-a romantic professor x

[HaughtyFrank]

https://twitter.com/duddersj/status/1557030727367045120

[Tasty]

Even in context that scene comes off a bit weird.

[HaughtyFrank]

Marvel is crazy

https://gizmodo.com/disney-marvel-movies-vfx-industry-nightmare-1849385834

“Even up until the last week or so they still weren’t sure what they wanted this gigantic set piece to look like. We were still doing concept art.” Hector said. Concept art is supposed to be the first thing you nail down before you start working on the pieces that will eventually be composited together to make up the shot. “And various parts of this sequence had already gone through the entire pipeline. You’ve got lighting renders, effects simulations, matte paintings, and animation.” All of this, ready to go, and Marvel still hasn’t approved concept art.

Talk about a movie coming in hot.

Not really sure why Marvel is so insistent on last minute changes. Is that really preferable over planning stuff out first?

[Nintex]

It's just what clients do unless they feel the pain of doing the work over and over again. It reminds me a lot of the web business I'm in and the videogame industry too.

And most of the managers are spineless cowards who screw themselves over with low fixed-price bids just to get work to make it to next month.
The sales people only care about making the sale since that's what they get paid for.

I'm sort of surprised none of these VFX shops had the balls to tell the client 3 months before their deadline: "All these reworks? It's not in the contract so that's gonna cost you some more money bud or we keep it as is".
Ask money for your reworks and quantify things, that's all it takes. For every shot you get 2 reviews, otherwise its more money for each review.
The best talent will automatically flock to the studio that does that. Instead of competing on price, you can compete on quality, experience and not having to reinvent the wheel for each project because everyone left or killed themselves.

[Tasty]

It's more that they get directors from the indie circuit that aren't used to rough prerenders (plus Marvel isolates them from the action units and non-dialogue scenes anyways), so VFX houses are forced to produce near-final renders multiple times throughout production. Plus Marvel doesn't push back on directors that request a lot of changes, because they know they have the weight to throw around.

Feige's production style also has no room for delays or interruptions short of a global cataclysm like a pandemic. If he wants a movie out two years from now on November 6th or whatever, everyone involved has too much financial incentive to even try pushing back on timeframes.

And really, what's the downside? Mean comments about CG in nerdy YouTube videos. I'm sure Disney's used to those by now.

[Polident Hive]

Think it was a VFX artist reacts episode where they showed a location changed in post production. The set has tree props as it was set in a forest. Got changed to a mud pit and the trees were replaced with rocks. Could be easier to retain continuity when a big sequence is set on a flat surface. Inevitably it’ll be like Bleach where every fight is in a white void.

[VomKriege]

Marvel is crazy

https://gizmodo.com/disney-marvel-movies-vfx-industry-nightmare-1849385834

“Even up until the last week or so they still weren’t sure what they wanted this gigantic set piece to look like. We were still doing concept art.” Hector said. Concept art is supposed to be the first thing you nail down before you start working on the pieces that will eventually be composited together to make up the shot. “And various parts of this sequence had already gone through the entire pipeline. You’ve got lighting renders, effects simulations, matte paintings, and animation.” All of this, ready to go, and Marvel still hasn’t approved concept art.

Talk about a movie coming in hot.

Not really sure why Marvel is so insistent on last minute changes. Is that really preferable over planning stuff out first?

Preferable ? Better for the movie ?
I don't want to say it never can be. But it's certainly harder on everyone and not best standard practice. Imagine building your own home with contractors and being able to have them redo the whole kitchen or second floor even when they're almost finished because you realize you now want the stairs 1m closer or you want all electrical outputs somewhere different.

[VomKriege]

It's just what clients do unless they feel the pain of doing the work over and over again. It reminds me a lot of the web business I'm in and the videogame industry too.

And most of the managers are spineless cowards who screw themselves over with low fixed-price bids just to get work to make it to next month.
The sales people only care about making the sale since that's what they get paid for.

I'm sort of surprised none of these VFX shops had the balls to tell the client 3 months before their deadline: "All these reworks? It's not in the contract so that's gonna cost you some more money bud or we keep it as is".
Ask money for your reworks and quantify things, that's all it takes. For every shot you get 2 reviews, otherwise its more money for each review.
The best talent will automatically flock to the studio that does that. Instead of competing on price, you can compete on quality, experience and not having to reinvent the wheel for each project because everyone left or killed themselves.

There's (several) dozens of somewhat significant VFX houses all over the world that can do some amount of work on those films even if there's only a handful of really big ones and by the very nature of their work their only revenue making is being a contractor.
There's only maybe... 5-7 clients that have jobs that big (remaining majors, Netflix and Amazon, I want to say) and Disney-Fox-Marvel is probably the one that have the most.

It's probably not realistic or feasible to fight back on prices in a systematic way no matter how justified it should be short of some sort of organized international effort which would be incredibly costly for them and every VFX technician.

I suppose you can run a VFX house that try to avoid taking those sorts of jobs and that's fine but size and growth will be capped accordingly.

[D3RANG3D]

https://fortune.com/2022/08/09/top-gun-maverick-sails-past-titanic-at-the-all-time-domestic-box-office-raking-in-662-million/

[Potato]

https://fortune.com/2022/08/09/top-gun-maverick-sails-past-titanic-at-the-all-time-domestic-box-office-raking-in-662-million/

(Image removed from quote.)

It's amazing what releasing a film into a vacuum can do for your bottom line. Maverick was a pretty shit film, but just got at the right time to soak up the cash from cinema-starved audiences.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

I was at dinner and someone brough up the grey man.

and everyone was like "yea we all fell asleep".

fuck netflix for making my man ryan gosling a snorefest.

[Bebpo]

Incredibly disappointing. The first two acts are good, well paced, lots of intrigue leaving you on the edge of your seat...and then the finale just shits the bed. Which is frustrating as fuck because it really nailed what it was trying to do/say about different forms of misogyny without feeling preachy, and then the ending just kinda hits you with a shovel in the face in the weirdest way imaginable lol.

Ok, so I just watched Men.
I went in completely blind. Never seen a trailer, hadn't read anything on it. Just new it was Alex Garland's latest flick and reviews were mixed.

Uhhhh, this movie is too weird/ambiguous for even my tastes. Jessie Buckley was good, but like even though I get the concepts of the movie (though probably too blunt) I also feel like I have no idea what actually literally happened in the movie's logic/universe.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Like her husband James isn't REAL, because he's DEAD. But there's blood streaks to the door when her friend comes in the morning. So either the movie is supernatural, or while she was processing her feelings she like...murdered the owner of the B&B or something? I feel like it'd have made more sense if her friend comes and there's no blood streaks and it was all in her head.

Throughout the film it felt like it was going for a Jacob's Ladder kind of thing. Wasn't sure if she was in hell or something.

[close]

I really liked Ex Machina, loved Devs, but I didn't like Annihilation (which tbf Garland didn't write since it was a book adaptation) and I didn't like Annihilation for pretty much the same reasons by the end of just too vague and conceptually and not concrete of what actually is going on in the ending.

It's like there's two types of Garland films/shows. You have the weird but structurally grounded and coherent films (Ex Machina/Devs) and then the conceptual films that aren't particularly grounded or coherent and are "up to the audience". I really like when Garland does the former, but don't really enjoy the latter.

Also I'm really dense and for like 2/3rds of the movie I thought this was a Leprechaun film 


*edit* reading critic takes on the ending and this quote is something I found relatable:

Yeah, this is one of those movies that’s ambiguous at its own expense. This ambiguous ending could mean so many things, it kind of means nothing at all.