/plaza/ - General/Random

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anybody else here seen skinamarink? i remember there was a lot of buzz about it, it really does seem like most people either loved or hated it, in general i think it's a nice adaptation of newer horror trends coming from the internet and it is genuinely pretty scary, but i guess i can see why people would dislike it because it's so different from the average horror movie

>>8454
I'll watch it in a minute and report back

>>8454
yeah I agree on the later part as to why people might've disliked it. It doesn't really have the usual narrative perspective nor pacing, but I'd say I personally liked it. Ironically enough I was busy enough that I had to watch it on a second monitor which, funnily felt like the closest I'd get to playing a FNAF game in this lifetime (lol).

From a personal perspective I'd say it really scratched an itch I had for a certain kind of writing type I never really cared to fully flesh out, and, to my expectations, it did have the exact weak points I was expecting this kind of writing to have (though that is NOT to say "the movie was bad" obviously) I think the runtime would've benefited from being some 30 minutes shorter, but I also do feel like (I think I might've yapped about this before) the general "issue" with horror is that its a genre that has historically suffered from audience reception due to a few factors;
>earlier adaptations were gorey and violent in an era where gore and violence was looked down upon due to the artistic elites' stagnation leftover from the renaissance eras
>this led to "avant-garde"/"high art" horror explicitly trying to avoid such content
>which created a stark divide in the horror genre in itself, in combination with the lack of funding and communal support leading way to B grade milkers (i.e. that exact quasi cozy motel horror film you watched in the earlier 2000s) moving into a neglected genre
>cue 20 years of building up from not-so-grass-roots
>the horror genre suffers from its malinception to this day (low backing + low receptivity + low support + its considered a "meme genre" amongst the creatives (underwater basket weaving of the cinema industry basically) + audiences already have a problem understanding the "the thing about horror that's about horror is that you're meant to feel scared" = "I felt scared instead of orgasmic therefore the film was bad" tier reviews, etc.)

The latent jumpscares were pretty effective since the movie did unironically set me up not to expect any. It was definitely good tho. Maybe I'd snip off a point or so from the cultural fatigue of "horror stuff with children, a house (you may not use a house in a horror film sorry), some spooky creatures, vague skin eaters, mom and dad, OOoOOO le song from the findfties???! + film grain + (basically the entirety of the horror genre that I just claimed I didn't dislike whatsoever)"

>>8463
thanks for taking the time to watch it!

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something I do want to talk about is, personally, into the spiderverse I'd say. NOW I know a lot of the media I talk about tends to be "yo thats mainstream trash!!" but nonetheless;

some of the main reasons that I liked this film was;
>I also approached it with the "isn't this just blackwashing spidey?" (its not actually tbh miles apparently was a long-existing character that was always a B tier ghetto bootleg spiderman (which, in practice, is fairly underdeveloped as a protagonist of its own))
>heard it exists at all because of the postie soundtrack
and most importantly
>their specific approach to the medium
I was like 16 when they first released this (more or less) and my biggest insecurity over art back then was much often "man isn't this stuff supposed to look extremely cohesive and continuous in itself?"
and then I watched this thing and I was like "dam wait up. you can do it like that???? wtf?" and that was kinda formative for me ever since besides some other artists I absorbed growing up.

The film itself is okay though. The plot is as much as you'd expect from a corporate project that focuses on being visually avant-garde, another one that comes to my mind is TMNT:Mayhem as a modern take on the "yo we can break rulez!?!!!" which is also fairly shallow in its story.

I think my overall contributions to this thread will be from a cinematography-analysis perspective (or stuff like this) since most films simply just don't land with me emotionally and I end up treating them as some kind of a means to study different eras/times/cultures/cinematographic technique and whatnot tbh. idk? was that a good read? IDK. 🤷‍♀ did I SAY it would be a good read tho??? smh

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Today's film is;
Pleasantville. 

A film that would by most metrics be considered a classic, and simultaneously fail at being accessible in terms of it simply not coming up underneath (just about) any genre that people don't really even talk about it.

Now WHAT is pleasantville about?
Pleasantville (I said the title three times now sue me) embodies a visual-trope-that-doesn't-really-exist (think spaghetti western/cyberpunk/samurais/noir detective. things that mentally feel like "isn't this an overdone genre?" until you try getting into it and realize there's like one or two good films that actually managed to utilize the tropes AND the cliches)
It's nothing about superheroes or anything theatrical, in fact it's pretty grounded in its stakes. Pleasantville is a film mostly about growing up, growing apart, that feeling of "why did I suddenly become an adult and it feels like the training wheels are off with no warning?", it's about the messiness of social life, it's about the beauties of social life.

It's about responsibilites, about being present when you need to be, where you need to be, for the people that need you. It's nowhere near as preachy as that may make it sound, although it is, to some extents, an emotional film. Aesthetically, it's almost one of a kind in how it effectively embodies the "1950s retronostalgia" vibes (again. that's one of those things that *feel* like you can find it around every corner easily, you can't)

so WHY am I recommending this to you?
Two reasons; 
1 - it's the earliest film I ever remember being recommended and 
2 - It's getting too late for me to recommend something with more action.
Give it a watch.
OR!
come back tomorrow if you're allergic to... human emotions.
I GUESS. films-review-man OUT.

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today's FILM is CITY of LOST chilDREN!

now let us beGIN with imMEDIATEly WHY you SHOULD watch this film NOW;
>pre matrix-matrix schizophrenia (we will continue this specific kind of genre in the future recommendations trust)
>french quasi art-deco film
>solid plot
>cinematography that keeps up with YOUR modern-day ADHD
>plot so solid you might struggle to get it the first two watches
>barely any cg whatsoever
>timeless theatrical acting that makes it feel like it could be from the 80s/90s/2000s/2010/2020/2030s
>a sprinkle of christmas touch
>goofy characters that feel un-serious yet serve to present very interesting archetypes and social situations and hierarchies that feel (especially in the 95 context) they serve some overarching philosophical purpose
>a bald, over-the-top, self-serious villain who suffers from amnesia
>weirdpunk
>astonishing architectural aesthetics
>a world that feels like it definitely lets on far less than it has to it and trusts you to care to decode the layers of social commentary
>goofy slapstick and characters being saved by cosmical coincidences so shamelessly it loops back to being pretty cool

now why should you NOT watch it?
>you're a loser (lame)
>you hate the 90s (fair (the 90s were lame))
>you HATE good cinema (kinda based?)
>you HATE yourSELF (also lame)

and THAT. is my recommendation to the citizens of marzipolis on this BEAUTIFUL-𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳- TUESDAY.
up NEXT we will have;

>MORE pre-matrix shenanigans
>MORE oldies
>MORE films (popcorn not included)

and thank YOU for coming to my tedtalk

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Today's film recommendation is...;
DARK CITY! as per promised on the pre-matrix-matrix-schizophrenia series. Why? This film;
>Was released BEFORE the matrix (this is a prerequisite to make it into the pre-matrix-matrix-schizophrenia list believe it or not)
>has that 90s shoddy CGI all around it
>Ends on a beautifully corny note of identity, places, relations and agency
It's good. It feels like a comic book trying to take itself seriously while failing at it in a beautiful way. The film's attempts at being melodramatic and deep fall very flat on its face, and instead does loop back to feeling like an overworked comic book film that accidentally peaked its long-term theatricality instead. If we were to ascribe The Matrix as "this one almost sells you in on the "there's a much bigger world of conspiracy and awakening out there!" (if we ignore the 90s artifacted tech everywhere)" then this would be the antithesis of that. The absurdity of the plot does a great job hammering in the idea of "THIS IS A METAPHOR! zingzingzingzingzing THIS IS A METAPHOR!!" and that is... pleasant (hahaa is that a callback to the pleasantv- stfu)

Now WHAT is dark city about, after some 1200 characters?
>A noir detective!!! (a WELL executed noir detective. rare. that's gx that's worth a $1.63 on ebay)
>A Lady Killer (...heh)
>The cronenberg council of the evil bald aging men who secretly control YOUR life
>The search for a place that barely exists in the memories of the person looking for it
>The search for... identity (literally. my man has amnesia related memory issues. lol.)
>BELIEF
>CHANGE
>FORGIVENESS
>CREATION
>(also a very strong color palette and aesthetic/architectural structure but I'm only listing that at the end to undercut the philosophical subtones now)
>a protagonist who's last name is ""Murdoch""
>A protagonist with... black, short, curly mullet hair
>Solid cinematography and soundtrack

This is one of the films I would generally consider to be errorless for most purposes. If we had to be nitpicky, I could say that the cinematography could be touched up a bit more, for modern audiences, but even then it can be argued that the scenes that drag do so to build tension more than not.

The atmosphere feels very "Are we in 2007 playing gta 4 on the lowest render distance" combined with the feeling of "90s media that makes NY feel like an abstract haunting idea rather than an actually inhabitable environment" and a lot more I'd keep writing about but simply don't want to spoil the film any further. Ultimately, this is the exact kind of film you SHOULD add to your "stuff  I re-watch when I feel bummed out for the day." folder. Extract 12 panning loops from it and use them as live wallpapers. etc.

TODAY I will be granting myself the luxury of a double post. You are MOST welcome. First I will do (a bit more of) a serious take on The Batman (as I finished re-watching it), and then today's recommendation. Starting up, quick patch notes on The Batman TM (2022) starring bobert datingdurger;

>The film asks decent-interesting enough questions about class divides
>Does its best to not disagree with modernly common identity politic narratives too much
>Ultimately doesn't really answer many of the questions it asked (which, fair. typical in cinema, whatever)
Though, this does however lead to an otherwise hollow conclusion. As for which? let me quickly drag you through those big questions as we drop our film-grain tinted glasses for a minute;
>the riddler is posed as the low-income version of batman
>this doesn't change the fact that he still had agency as to what he did with his life nonetheless
>Which begs the question; "Do harsh circumstances justify, excuse or guarantee poor decision-making?"
Which, if I was 17 right now, I'd nod and go "mmm yes. he was raised to be-" but I'm not. I've spent some 3-4 months (casually. out of boredom. in my free time) looking into class divisions and how circumstances shape environments and people and their life choices. I still don't disagree that, yeah, circumstances do shape people. But the film, especially on closer inspection, feels like it delivers a rather cynical story about agency than a hero story whatsoever, maybe at the overglance of a director too buried underneath the smaller details that they failed to realize what the big picture is saying; which is?
>"Broke lonely people end up being discord incel school shooters"
More or less. Now I get that a film naturally requires conflict and resolve, but from the larger perspective, the reality was;
>Riddler is an annoying, self justified villain that does do not-so-much to fix his petty nature or his living conditions
>creates a discord server (basically.) for the likewise minded
>starts acting out (though I'll give it credit that they did touch on the lack of social governing and institutions)
>batman gets to be batman because he's... rich
>and ultimately wraps it up in a very "and that's life for you, kids!"
Which, feels unnecessarily cynical. I don't know, if I had to make a personalized comment, I'd probably bring up how I have met orphans in the past, and have met orphans that "went bad" in the past, and ultimately couldn't conclude anything other than "the narratives they tell themselves and others is ultimately just an excuse for their behavior and it only coasts because they've come to get used to the story being accepted as an excuse for the way they are" if I had to be brutally honest. I'd argue that the film, in its desire to be "grim-realistic" might've lost the sight of "and here are the 982 life opportunities edward refused to take a risk on (as we all do) before he became za riddlah"

but, yeah yes. That would be the critique of the film. UP NEXT; Today's recommendation...

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TODAY in store we have; SCARFACE. NINETEEN eighty three. 
BOLD choice given this exact space. I HAVE come prepared.
This film for my intents of all sorts is nuclear;
>It's far too popular
>Far too "everyone probably saw this at least once"
>A trope of masculinity unto itself
>Far too recognized as a classic
So I hear thee ask; "Why doth thee dare pollute our air with this film on this beautiful [timezone of your choice]?"
GOOD. Right questions. Here's why;
>If you've seen scarface at 15 you know exactly where I'm gonna go with this
>If you HAVEN'T seen scarface you SHOULD
why? let me try a different format here...
>There is an idea of a Tony Montana...
>Some kind of abstraction...
>And although you may shake his hand...
>And feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense that your lifestyles are probably comparable...
>He simply is... not there.
Yes. that was the format. Now in plain, no-word-salad english;
>Tony Montana is (or has become) functionally an archetype of a persona that a fair amount of people might've looked up to
>Tony Montana, behind the now-cliched tropes and the overkill-levels of being a macho-man, is, very functionally, a good deep-dive into "what it takes, where it leads, where it comes from"
The film is, despite (in parts) overlooking the real-life logistics (though not by much. a "life of crime" really is generally as close as the film depicts it at most times);
>a good display of harsh circumstances, coping mechanisms, relations, relationships, what real-life costs can look like, how survival can at times require choices that really aren't as easy as some other films make it seem, what positive traits to take examples of and what improper decisions to treat as cautionary tales, what to be, what to avoid, good aesthetics, astonishing soundtrack, solid acting, good action, good sentimental angles, beautiful panning shots, characters that don't feel all the lot detached from people we maybe come across in our lives
And for those reasons and some more; I'd recommend you do watch scarface (my apologies if you have seen it, however) now the film is, once again, a bit of a drag. A bit too long. But I feel like if you think of scarface more as a high-stakes cautionary tale than a "guy with cigar in his mouth and hair on his chest" I do feel like it can be a joyful viewing experience.

UP NEXT (later.) we WILL have; the list of ""tough-guy" archetype stereotypes that were so poorly misrepresented by their caustic cancerous fandoms that they were falsely indicted by YOU, your honor"

and thank YOU for taking the time to READ this post :)

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Now after having received some of the most embellishing love letters (in the form of icloud files with death threat filenames) WE as the MarziChan Film Reviews LLC. group decided to take a break on our "tough-guy" archetype stereotypes that were so poorly misrepresented by their caustic cancerous fandoms that they were falsely indicted by YOU, your honor" series.

For which, today we have; Near Dark. A genuine cult classic. Now without any fürtherer due, what IS near dark? Near Dark is a bold creation that dares answer the following questions;
>"Why don't we have cowboy vampires?"
>"What happens when a crew confuses dramatic panning shots with "we have two scenes that are infamously TOO long and nobody really knows why" ?
>"How would it feel to have a seeming high-stakes film take place NOT in the isolated wilds, nor in the suffocating metropolis, but very simple, basic, and otherwise calm mid-western locations?"
>"Can I introduce my vampire girlfriend into cottagecore and what will happen if I do?"

Now, jokes aside, really, WHY should you watch near dark?
>It's an interesting, B-List take on the concept of vampires that truly did not have the budget for its ambitions
>Definitely sells you the ambiance and atmosphere of the mid-west world with the kinds of cheap roadside motels and bars that convincingly look irrelevant enough to not have any regular customers
>has a humble runtime (that anyhow feels like a drag due to the poor cinematography)
but most importantly;
>the plot knows that it's not rich nor well-written enough to be everything everywhere all at once, so it simply doesn't
>one of the greatest bar fights in the film history
and that, truthfully, is what makes near dark. It's NOT a great film, it definitely doesn't ask questions that are too deep, it doesn't have layered iconography and symbolism and lore that stops existing where the underpaid (and most certainly underqualified) screenwriter ran out of whiskey to drown his "man I wish I didn't become a film student" thoughts. Though that's... the aesthetic. This is a campy 1980s film that had more ambitions than it had funding, 

Do excuse my formatting that seems very all-over the place as I'm barely awake and late for the recommendation, though it's ironically on theme given that the film echoes that pretty well in itself too. Well-meaning, fun, and all-over the place while barely holding a thread of coherence. Truly, cinemasdkldkgjglerk okay sorry. Up next we'll have; MORE 1980s quasi-horror camp. Allegedly.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV54wy_IBVg

Today's film is... indeed... 🚨🚨🚨NOT A FILM!!!!!! 🚨🚨🚨

now WAIT. I hear you. I HEAR YOU.
>WHY is there a non-film on the film thread?
SIMPLE. 
this thing is;
>tehnically chan-roots
>no deep lore
>no expectations
>no strings attached
>short episodic format
>sporadic uploads fueled by nothing more than the depressive bouts of the creator
>just a guy
>with a mask (no bane reference)
>trying to stay positive in a relatably hostile world while the robots try to depress him down
>he also has a funny voice in thanks to the mask
>also like. post apocalypse is a pleasant watch when its all cold and late and dark and you're shivering in front of your monitor

despite not being something too new to be posted on a chan-space, I figured that the things I recognize as classics might not be known by everyone out there.

When I first saw staying positive in the apocalypse I was;
>16
>a depressed lil bum
>sat in my room talking to other 16 years old depressed lil bums through my monitor
and seeing this was one of those things that helped lighten me up at times. Something strange about life is that, seeing other people struggle as well, makes it easier to feel like you're not the only one struggling. And then you get all giggly and go "hey at least I'm not that loser, lol." and feel better. 

This was a SPECIAL episode for a SPECIAL non-film. I felt like a cozy recommendation would serve everyone around to feel better some bit, especially as how the political tensions do make life some more worrisome as of late.

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FILM... A Film... How does one DEFINE "A film" ? difficult, trying questions of these trying times indeed... No less... A FILM!

today's "film" (if we may put it so) is "Robot Dreams"! and now without furtherer adieu; what is "Robot Dreams" the many-awards winning 2023 animation film about?

Well, from what I've researched, the spanish producer wanted to make an animated film for the kids out there to emphasize the fragility of connection. It's a heartbreaking story about a lonely dog getting a robot friend. Trying. Failing! Trying with others. Failing again! A most shakespearean tragedy of two lovers who simply do not make it. Why does it have a bad ending? according to an interview I watched, the directive intent was (and I quote) "we wanted to depict the characters moving on without each other because Pablo believed it would be a better gut-wringer for the audiences to learn the value of connection better." which was, understandable, yet lame.

Short, full of beautiful songs, somewhat emotional for sure, and an oddly fun film for being an animated animal-world film. It takes place in a beautifully depicted 1980s NY, and although I couldn't necessarily tell if it was accurate to the era, the environment (that accompanies an otherwise (intentionally) painfully paced story (they also did this intentionally)) really provides an interesting perspective of different kinds of people (depicted as different species) trying to share a space together. The humor is often dry and deadpan, mostly rewarding your attention to the minute details so you can go "hey wait! I recognize that silly knock-off brand of that thing I know in real life! hey wait! I recognize that cop stereotype character persona! he's black, I think!" and as such.

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Film... a film... When does one watch a film? Best late at night. When the thoughts feel like they're drowning your head. When you want to turn off the heating and sit on the balcony to see if you can tolerate the cold. That's when it's best to watch a film. Instead of doing that. SO!!!!!!!!!

A FILM?!?!! You're saying I brought YOU a film?

I did. Now where was it... Oh well, okay. You may have one of my personal favorites.

Alain Delon's Le Samourai. It's a most brooding film, and considered to be the genre-setter for what we now consider neo-noirs. But not the ryan gosling boring kind. Le samourai is a mostly mute film both in its feelings and its speech, in a world drowning in gray concrete. Our protagonist, Jef, is a man of duty. A hitman. A tool, but, rather, very literally. Devoid of connections and emotions, jef goes through life. A hitman, in paris. No friends, no family, no relationships, no contacts. He makes even the life of a hitman look most mundane to great success. Albeit, jef, however detached as a killer, slips on duty. His world starts cascading around him, as work is as work does, world waits for no one and truly, loose ends always get tied. Although, some do attempt to give jef the room to budge and come out clean. For some reasons unclean, be that pride, or codes of honor, or love, jef refuses to take them. This leads to his much tragic demise, and the creation of a nagging genre of bastardized "cool guy who doesn't talk a lot and stares into the corner until something happens" we have at hand today.

Moving beyond that, the film has amazing scenery. The soundtrack however mute, is still great for a certain kind of feeling, something I used to listen to by itself. The pacing is odd though, this film doesn't really do pacing. It speaks fast if it wants to, then slows down to make the moments linger, albeit sometimes to the extent of the viewer discretion's discomfort, that's the point. You're in a desolate land, and the director seems to want you to feel that feeling.

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>>8808
Film... A film... A film you would NOT expect today... Okay...

The Suicide Shop! I bet you haven't heard of this thing, ever.
I watched it first when I was in second grade, and then I re-watched it many, many years later. 
As per with french cinematography, I find it that it's good, though without dragging, I should get into why;
The Suicide Shop takes place in a world where people are all-mostly depressed, and suicidal. Our protagonist mishima, is in the family business.. of... running a suicide shop. They sell strangeties for people to take their own lives with. His dad is, quite literally, a death merchant! The world is all gray and musical, deaths happening all over the place, deaths that feel so obscene to be delivered through what looks like a children's film, I was so shocked when I was left to watch this with "hey here's a little animation for you :)" but truthfully it really is a beautiful film. Our protagonist alan, is, a most annoying, upbeat little shithead! His family profits from the depressed people, people chase people with slippers and shoes (at hand, no less) when they start getting cheerful. And yet the more this kid is told not to be cheerful, the more he does. Which is pretty funny, but even still, heartwarming too. 

Well, no less, that's all I can spare at hand for the film's plot and characters, although I'd love to keep talking about it, it'd ruin the fun for anyone that watches it. Beyond the topic of the plot, the film also contains a beautifully crafted world from an era that's just as close as yesterday yet simultaneously something that already feels ages ago and you can indulge yourself to a sense of nostalgia through it. The scenes are dynamic, the music is good even if at times annoying, the characters feel oddly specific rather than anything that could be recognized as a universal archetype. Everything (in my opinion) feels like it has some extent of personality embedded into it. I'd definitely recommend it, even though the musical-portions can be a bit annoying (which, is kind of ironic if you will).

Well, okay. That was the film. You may leave now. Ta-ta.

>>8840
>Our protagonist mishima
IDIOT. the proganist is ALAN not mishima. proofread your garbage reviews before sending them!! BOOO!!!!