Octopus Overlords

Saw this today.

An amazing movie. Sat in my chair at the end and let the experience sink in because it really gets inside you and stays there.

Highly recommended. All award buzz well deserved.

Taking my kids (both of them history nerds) to this as soon as we get some time.

We'll move fast, as it's not the kind of movie that stays around.

I enjoyed this as well, it really holds the tension. A couple of minor nitpicks:

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:06 pm Taking my kids (both of them history nerds) to this as soon as we get some time.

We'll move fast, as it's not the kind of movie that stays around.

It's likely going to be #1 at the box office and get nominated for all the Oscars (if Roger Deakins doesn't win it's a crime) so it should have some staying power.

I really, really need to see this.

Is it more than Saving Private Ryan set in WWI?

mori wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:42 pm Is it more than Saving Private Ryan set in WWI?

A bit less. Actually quite a bit less.

That's like saying The Godfather was a lot less than Once Upon a Time in America.

The scope may be more focused but that doesn't mean it's any "less" of a film.

I thought that’s what Jaymann was saying

mori wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:42 pm Is it more than Saving Private Ryan set in WWI?

If you're looking for the set pieces to be big battles, then no, you're not going to find that here.

Is it a tighter, less bloated, more focused movie than Saving Private Ryan? Absolutely.

It's like Saving Private Ryan without the sticky bombs.

I guess I just don't understand what "less" means in this context then.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:11 am

mori wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:42 pm Is it more than Saving Private Ryan set in WWI?

A bit less. Actually quite a bit less.

I would say that are almost different genres. One is paean to The Greatest Generation and one is depicting the utter devastation and futility of war while still exalting that individuals can be heroic though reality is much more ugly than the after action report.

We just got back.

Definitely liked it. But I wouldn't compare it to Saving Private Ryan at all. It didn't remotely feel the same to me. /shrug

It was definitely a pretty slow burn. I happen to like movies like that.

just got back. I liked it, but i think if it's going to win an oscar it should be on how it was filmed. I felt everything else was just ok, not bad not great. Not Oscar worthy.

Saw it last night and enjoyed it. I agree with Jaymann's spoilered nitpicks. I think it's an excellent film added to the genre, better than, say, Hacksaw Ridge, but I don't see Best Picture material there.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2020 12:57 am

This seen right here was frustrating for me. If memory serves he was all of 20-30 feet from the trucks. Why didn't the dozens of soldiers offer any covering fire?

What I enjoyed most about this movie was the direction and set pieces. Did you notice the juxtaposition at the start from the opening scene? I say scene because it looked to me like the 1st 10-15 mins was one complete shot.
juxtaposition = serene setting to dirt/mud and death all within 10 minutes.

Oscar winner? No.

I just saw this today. I thought it was good. Didn't like the ending, though.

Can anyone explain why they used the flare when they did? I thought they were supposed to use it if they needed help.

The flare was to tell the trench guys if they made it so that they could advance.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:24 pm I enjoyed this as well, it really holds the tension. A couple of minor nitpicks:

Spoiler:

I thought they killed off Blake too soon, I enjoyed the camaraderie.

They set up Chekhov's grenades, but never used them. A perfect opportunity would have been behind that door in the tower.

I wondered why the guy didn't use grenades when they made a point of telling us he had them.

mori wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:42 pm Is it more than Saving Private Ryan set in WWI?

Yes and no. But I liked it. Interesting camera work, good acting and it was nice seeing something other than WW2 as a setting.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 6:54 pm The flare was to tell the trench guys if they made it so that they could advance.

Ah, must have missed that. Thanks.

Roman wrote: ↑Mon Jan 27, 2020 11:33 am This seen right here was frustrating for me. If memory serves he was all of 20-30 feet from the trucks. Why didn't the dozens of soldiers offer any covering fire?

So I was thinking about this because it happened at the farm house too when the entire company just appeared out of nowhere. This story came from his father and the others who were there and saw the events. I think those moments in the movie are an interesting way to convey that. For example, at the river, the person telling the story says "The convoy had to go down the road so I got out and made my way to this bridge that had been knocked down. Then I started taking fire." The convoy is gone at that point, but he didn't make a point of saying it, it's just the narrative is following him and so, then, does the camera.

At least that's my interpretation. At any rate, I prefer that to believing Mendes forgot he had an entire convoy there to cover the guy.

The convoy was headed along the river to find the next bridge.

Yes, the convoy had already started moving. Not sure if they would have heard or cared about the pot shots one German was taking at the main character.

Overall I found 1917 to be more of a long theme park ride than a proper movie. There was really no story to speak of and the movie relied 100% on the long shot gimmick. That long shot might be designed to make the viewer feel part of the action, but for me it kept taking me out of the movie. All I would think about was "how are they going to get the camera over that river?" While I enjoyed the movie, I would never watch it a second time.

I was discussing nominated films this morning with an older coworker. When I mentioned my surprise that 1917 didn't win (my surprise being more that Parasite won...something I'm perfectly fine with as Parasite is amazing. But definitely not something I expected to win because foreign language films seem to have an uphill struggle at the Oscars), she blurts out "I heard it's awful!". When I pointed out it had almost universal acclaim, her retort was, "That's what my friends told me. I don't listen to critics.".