FilmFincher

I will say on my second viewing of The Northman a dude walked out and said "Mate those Scottish accents were well off" That is all.

I think it's too much of an Eggers film for general audiences to accept it wholeheartedly, lots of dreamlike imagery and dives headfirst into Viking lore. The second act does slow things down, I had a couple of walkouts in my screening. But at the same time it's action packed the rest of the time, the plot and characters are straightforward, ending is satisfying. I will optimistically say a B, it's hard to judge these things. I don't think it asks much more from an audience than Dune which got an A- but I suspect the audience going to see The Northman are expecting something closer to Gladiator which will let them down somewhat.

I think the marketing succeeded somewhat. My showing was still only about 1/2 full but lots of dates and a few groups of lads coming to see a Viking action movie. Better than I expected and certainly more than The Last Duel ever got. Though two couples did leave before the third act and never came back.

Go see The Northman btw, it’s a Robert Egger’s film through and through. A thrilling tale of revenge mixed with a reverence to Viking mythology, lying somewhere between Gladiator and The Green Knight. Impeccably staged sequences often filmed to look like a single take are absolutely awe inspiring. Coupled with Eggers usual stylistic choices, the beautiful scenery and surreal imagery, this is one of my favourite looking and sounding movies of the year. I thought it ruled. They literally put the film on the dingiest screen in local my theatre with a huge scratch down the middle and dirt all over it and I was completely immersed.

The Northman is a Robert Egger’s film through and through. A thrilling tale of revenge mixed with a reverence to Viking mythology, lying somewhere between Gladiator and The Green Knight. Perhaps too strange and alienating for some as a number of moments elicited unintended laughter from the audience I saw it with tonight. Was just a little less action packed and big scale than the trailers made out. With a large chunk of the second act letting the action take a backseat and focusing instead on deception which was a welcome surprise as it allowed the film to feel more like Eggers smaller works. But make no mistake, Eggers absolutely proves himself as an action director, impeccably staged sequences often filmed to look like a single take are absolutely awe inspiring and brutal. Coupled with Eggers usual stylistic choices and the beautiful scenery, this is one of my favourite looking and sounding movies of the year. Sound design and score were top notch, really pulse pounding and actually stood out. The plot and characters are all relatively straightforward and simple with this being based on a tale as old as time. Kidman and Skarsgard were definitely the standouts, with Kidman bringing complexity to her character and Skarsgard absolutely disappearing into this beast like man with a little boy trapped inside. You do occasionally feel as though they are means to end, letting Eggers dive headfirst into Viking lore, relishing in the customs and culture. I mean this film was right up my alley, I thought it ruled. Go see it. They literally put the film on the dingiest screen in local my theatre with a huge scratch down the middle and dirt all over it and the film completely immersed me.

What are we all thinking about the Northman? Just looked at my local Odeon and it's only getting 3/40 screenings this weekend and immediately dropping to 2 showings on the Sunday. Fantastic Beasts and Sonic are holding on to most of the screens and The Lost City/Operation Mincemeat also release this weekend in the UK. Feels like it will struggle to find an audience with those odds but I've seen a fair amount of advertising around, a few TV spots and a lot more bus ads than I expected.

This is only getting 3/40 screenings at my local this weekend and immediately dropping to 2 showings on the Sunday. Fantastic Beasts and Sonic are holding on to most of the screens and The Lost City/Operation Mincemeat also release this weekend in the UK. Feels like it will struggle to find an audience with those odds but there's been a respectable amount of advertising, seen a lot more bus ads than I expected around.

I completely forgot about Team America, would have definitely made my list. Also The Edge of Night and Moon River missing top 100 It's gonna be 90% Disney songs isn't it?

Yeah there was no rush to book tickets for this in the UK, similar to The Batman. Was able to just get the usual seats despite tickets being on sale all day. I also concur with seeing the first 3D showings pop up since Rise of Skywalker. They're splitting the IMAX showings 50/50 between 2D and 3D, with a handful of regular screen 3D showings scattered about at my local.

Only the Brave also showed an incredible improvement in Joseph Kosinski's dramatic directing, which is where he was lacking. That film genuinely got me. Tron Legacy and Oblivion were both overly adept in the visual and sound departments. As long as the script is solid enough for Maverick we're in good hands.

January Scream Parallel Mothers Nightmare Alley Belfast Licorice Pizza February Jackass Forever Death on the Nile Uncharted Belle Dog March The Godfather - 50th Anniversary The Batman - IMAX The Batman - IMAX X Ambulance The Lost City Total: 16

MARCH Movies Current Releases The Batman - 9/10 - I’ve aired some nitpicks but ultimately this is the meatiest, most worthwhile superhero movie in a while. A nice reminder of how distinct and authorial something in the genre can feel while also being an exciting blockbuster. X - 8/10 - What surprised me the most is the craftsmanship on display. Some scenes are forever burned into my brain. And the discussions around sexuality were well handled. Turning Red - 8/10 - Solid Pixar outing, was successfully brought to tears. Fresh - 7/10 - When the opening credits hit, I thought ‘wow this is going to be one of the best surprises of the year’. And the film is largely great until the third act which stumbles and isn’t as clever as you want it to be. I’m fully on board the Daisy Edgar Jones hype train. The Lost City - 7/10 - Suitably charming and funny throughout. More adventurous than Uncharted. The Adam Project - 7/10 - Harmless, fairly funny, light entertainment. Has better hand-to-hand action than your average blockbuster. Kid does a killer Ryan Reynolds impression. Ambulance - 7/10 - At it’s worst when it’s being sincere, at it’s best when it’s Jake Gyllenhaal turning it up to 11. Nobody does practical effects like Bay. No Exit - 5/10 - Some gnarly moments but feels like a TV movie. Older Releases Vertigo - 9/10 - God, Hitchcock just knew how to take you for a ride didn’t he. Injustice - 6/10 - Passable superhero animated content. TV The Boys Presents Diabolical - 6/10 - Like a lot of anthology shows this is pretty hit or miss.

If you read the full interview, there's a bit more to it. He was constantly getting notes from the studio because of the budget ballooning due to COVID. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/04/robert-eggerss-historical-visions-go-mainstream/amp

Also watched this tonight. Was funny and entertaining throughout. All the leads absolutely killing it with their comedic timing and has just the right amount of earnestness. A few shaky green screens but also a solid amount of actual locations. Manages to feel more adventurous than Uncharted did. It wont blow your mind, but it's a guaranteed good time at the theatres.

At it’s worst when it’s being sincere, at it’s best when it’s Jake Gyllenhaal turning it up to 11 and kicking you in the face. Nobody does practical effects like Bay. There's two VFX shots in the film that absolutely stand out because they're so out of place among the plethora of in camera footage. MORE HELICOPTERS IN MOVIES I thought Bay's filmmaking took a hit with his initial switch to digital, felt like he was getting sloppy and careless. I don't know if I've succumbed to Stockholm syndrome but this feels like a step back in the right direction. It's simple, it's shallow, it's dumb, it's obnoxious, it's dynamic, it's longer than it needs to be, it's Bay. And I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.

I actually think it's a pretty decent scene but agree with everyone that it was right to cut it. It's too visually similar to the later Batman prison scene and it really spells out the Riddler/Batman connection for the mums in the back row who aren't getting it. Not entirely sold on Kheogan's performance, especially the laugh. It's actually quite a creepy look when it's blurred through the glass but when you see it at the end it comes off as too grotesque. I think he's a fantastic actor so let's see if they can fine-tune it.

This has great in-depth insights, they did one for Dune which is also fantastic. Would highly recommend to everyone. Part 2 will be on cinematography with Greg Fraiser.

The Riddler opening was a horror movie. Unbelievably tense in the lead up to the killing and then the yell he lets out. But the creepiest part is when he just sits on the Mayors body, legs on either side, reaches under the front of his jacket to hold onto the duct tape, then lets out this exhale of gratification. There was something disturbingly intimate about the whole process.

The structure worked for me in a film noir type way. There's always some kind of minor reference at the start, wether to a previous case, a new set of condos being built, a protest against air pollution, a water drought. Seemingly unimportant at first, but I like arriving at the story when Batman gets enveloped in it and we have to uncover this backstory when he does. There's a few things I felt could have been driven home or emphasised, especially to make everything click better. Like the impact of Riddler's uncovering of corruption on Gotham citizens (We get one brief shot of protestors), Riddler's impending day of judgement, a couple more references to the sea wall. Stuff like that. But for the most part it worked.

I love all the parallels between Riddler and Batman. Especially the voyeuristic nature of both of them, you basically get the same binoculars POV shot.

Watched it a second time last night. I think the film is pretty great overall. 3rd act definitely has some issues, if anything that part came off as messy. Riddlers motivations feel less personal, I know the reasoning comes down to 'Gotham will never change' and it's a passable explanation but everything before that was so meaty and intimate in comparison. The stakes feel unclear and always shifting. At first you think it's a stop the bombs situation but that's dispelled quickly. The flood is seemingly killing a large amount of people in some of the overhead shots so it feels like Batman's already lost. The stakes then shift to everyone's being corralled into the square and Riddler goons are gonna take a shot at the mayor. Which feels strangely minor and insignificant compared to everything that's happening but sure lets roll with it. She then gets shot. While she doesn't die, it does takes away from some of the impact of Batman coming in before the trigger is even pulled. There's an implication the other Riddler goons are there to shoot the crowd but this isn't emphasised enough, you don't get a POV of them aiming at the crowd like you do with the Mayor. I think if they drove that home that stakes would feel big and clear enough for the whole thing to work. Everything from Batman cutting the wire onwards really works.

I assume we were all kids who grew up watching and revelling violent movies and I agree the BBFC have made some strange decisions both ways between the 12A/15, but I think 15 was probably a safe bet for this. Some little kid definitely would have been begging for their Mum to take them to see this and then walked out traumatised after seeing. While the Nolan films feature similar things, i felt like they went by quicker. Here I think it's the fact these things are featured in extended sequences of which they're the focus and the people in the situations are also in high levels of distress which I think would be hard for some kids to handle. At the very least I reckon this would have got double the complaints The Dark Knight got if it ended up being a 12A. I do feel bad for the 12/13/14 range because it would have been fine for them I think.

I also thought this was great. The 3 hour run-time flew by, completely engrossing. There's only one scene I'd lose from the film which others have pointed out. I did also find the third act weaker, narratively it worked but I was less impressed by some of the action set-ups. The film looks stunning. Every frame bleeds the grungy, seedy, suffocating aesthetic. The printing onto film technique Fraiser used for Dune works even better here. Sound design also top notch, especially on the Batmobile. I think what surprised me most is how much like a comic book it felt (especially the way Batman traverses through the central mystery), while also wholly committing to being a pulpy genre film (Which many films claim, but few live up to); I mean that opening shot is straight out of something like The Conversation. Like Liiviig pointed out there's also a good amount of levity in the film. Some of it darkly humorous, not too dissimilar from what you'd find in a Fincher film. CG is a bit wonky when used, definitely not fond of CG doubles in hand-to-hand combat scenes. I'd equate following up Nolans trilogy to following Craigs tenure as Bond. It's the version of the character that we're most empathetic towards and the most universally loved by nearly everyone. It's a tough act to follow but I think Matt Reeves has managed it. He found a unique avenue into the Batman mythos that completely earns it place. One that's maybe a little bit alienating, colder, detached and darker. But feels like a director taking a firm grasp on a property and largely nailing it.

Things were pretty packed last night. Definitely a lot of walk ups as well. Audience also seemed happy with the film despite the length, so hopefully good legs are ahead.