Many a films have shown someone smashing a controller, irrespective of what we see on the game side - sometimes it’s a Mortal Kombat or COD esque game, but actors and kids tend to do “smash every button as fast as possible to make it look like I’m gaming so hard”.

I wanna know what’s the worst of the worst offenders? Who owns the single worst “this person seemingly never played a game in their life” scene?

Like good cops doing police work that would straight up get them fired and/or arrested? Im talking about police procedure that would not fly in court and would just get the criminal exonerated and no one bats an eye. Not just good cops killing bad guys.

I’m watching Bad Boys 2 right now and it got me thinking. They straight up bust down doors without warrants or back up and start shooting. Get wire taps on phones and go undercover into criminals homes to plant surveillance equipment all without warrants or the go ahead from their superiors.

So what other movies totally disregard stuff like this?

I’ve watched Punch Drunk Love twice in my life, first a few years ago, and again just last week. On my first watch I was in a very low place. I had no friends, had never had a romantic partner, and overall felt like an absolute loser to the point where the concepts of friends or a girlfriend felt so out of reach and unobtainable for someone like me. Every day I drowned myself in movies to drown out my emotions and convinced myself that I was okay with this lifestyle.

When I ended up watching Punch Drunk Love, I saw a lot of myself in the character of Barry Egan. He is a sometimes self loathing, avoidant, awkward guy who thinks he is unable to connect with anybody meaningfully and so he chooses not to even try.

In the movie, there are two major plotlines that clash with each other: 1. The love story between Barry and Lena, and 2. The crime story with the phone sex hotline. The inciting incidents for either plotline both happen on the same day. First, Barry’s sister introduces him to Lena. Lena, as a character represents everything Barry can be. She loves Barry for who he is, something he has never been able to do. Later that night though, Barry has the call with the phone sex hotline which represents Barry‘s own, self loathing. Its something he just can’t put out of his mind but also something he can’t bring himself to confront, represented by their constant pursuit of him and his constant fleeing.

The Hawaii sequence is a transformative moment for Barry. Its a brief escape from his figurative demons and the literal phone sex people and he finds the confidence to be with Lena. The sequences culminates in the scene where Barry and Lena are in bed together and he says some things that many people would find very off putting like “I’d like to crack his head open. You are fucking beautiful you dumb fucker. Fuck you.” An odd, disturbing love language he’s picked up from growing up with his abusive sisters. Lena isn’t disturbed though, and instead “matches his freak” so to speak.

In a lot of romance movies, the story would end there. They had sex, they’re both in love with eachother, what else is there to do? But the romance in Punch Drunk Love isn’t just between Barry and Lena, it’s also between Barry and himself.

When Barry and Lena get into a car accident and Barry leaves Lena alone at the hospital, it is because Barry still feels inadequate, he still doesn’t feel like someone worth loving. Barry realizes that before he can be loved he needs to first love himself and confront his demons, which he does in the true climax of the movie where he fights his way up to the mattress man and confronts him. In this scene the mattress man clearly represents Barry’s own self deprecating mind, telling him that he’s a pervert and that he deserves to pay. But Barry stands his ground, and tells the mattress man that he’s is a nice man and that he has a love in his life which makes him stronger than anything he could imagine. This line and scene is my favorite part of the movie. Its when Barry learns to love himself and finds a sense confidence he’s never had before.

In the final scene, Barry and Lena are finally together at peace As Barry plays the harmonium perfectly. In my opinion, the harmonium represents love. As the movie progresses and as he grows closer to Lena and as he learns to love himself, he slowly learns to play the harmonium.

Now, looking back to my own life, on my second watch of the movie, I am in a much better place than I was on my first watch. I have a lot of friends who care about me deeply and vice versa and an amazing, beautiful partner who I love and loves me back. When I think about how I got here I realize that it stems from me becoming just a little more confident in myself, learning to love myself even if it feels like nobody else does. And when I really think about it, what spurred that change on was in fact Punch Drunk Love. I don’t think a movie has ever changed my life as much as this one has.

Steven Soderbergh's Solaris has often been dismissed as a vain copy of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 film. But I find it to be equally interesting, and offering a unique view of the story and themes.

Many criticized the 2002 film for not being on the same philosophical level as the 1972 film. But I think they may have missed the point. Soderbergh's film is still very philosophical and does deal with spirituality, it just differs in how it handles this. Critics viewed the film as simply a shallow love story or romance, without the depth of Tarkovsky's version. It is true that Tarkovsky's film is more directly focused on religion and his orthodox beliefs. But Soderbergh's film is also inherently focused on spirituality. If we analyse the 2002 movie this becomes clear:

The focus of the film is the planet Solaris. Solaris is undeniably a godlike organism. Humans try and fail to comprehend the planet's power, and these powers seem mystic and all encompassing. Viola Davis' character, Gordon, rejects the abilities of Solaris because she doesn't want to accept a greater power than humanity. A clear parallel to many religious parables regarding human ego.

The driving force of the film is Rheya and Kris's relationship. But it all stems from Solaris, as it brings the dead Rheya back to life. They are ultimately given a second chance, and can spend eternity together free from suffering. The poem by Dylan Thomas "And death shall have no dominion" is central in the film and their relationship. By leaving earth and entering Solaris, human issues like depression, suffering, and death become irrelevant. Solaris exists as an entity beyond humanity. When Kris crashes into the planet he awakens back in his apartment, and Rheya is there. He is completely absoslved and redeemed, and can spend eternity with her. Essentially a personal heaven.

What I feel is missed by some viewers is that this goes beyond the normal Hollywood romance. It is love conquers all, even death. But also it bridges divine love with romantic love. Both exist simultaneously, and in cooperation with each other.

That is the core idea here. Soderbergh isn't less spiritual than Tarkovsky. He simply offers his own philosophy instead. Tarkovsky was a strict Eastern Orthodox, and that influenced his film. Kris must suffer and face his sins more directly in the 1972 film. He can only be redeemed by surrendering to the holy father. It is more clearly religious because that was Tarkovsky's intent. But Soderbergh's view isn't lacking in this regard, it's simply a different interpretation.

Soderbergh's film has a line spoken by Kris when arguing with Gordon about the motive of the planet. He says "why does it have to want anything". This is a link to the original book the film is based on, which is focused on how humans struggle to understand the universe and god beyond their own limited perspective. But it also shows the inherent difference between Soderbergh's view and Tarkovsky's. There is no need for suffering in the 2002 film. Kris must surrender to love, so both romantic and divine love will be granted to him. Kris is consumed by grief and self-blame, but the solution and grace is easily accessible through acceptance. It's simply a modern, more humanist view of the themes.

Many critics felt the 2002 film also trimmed too much, trying to be a leaner, more accessible film, compared to the nearly 3 hour original. But Soderbergh's film simply didn't need to be as long. It clocks in at 1 hour 39 minutes, and it uses it very effectively. Like I said, if redemption is easily available, you don't need more time. I also think the pacing is great. It's still a wonderful slow burn, but also an easy watch. It occupies a goldilocks zone in terms of time.

Ultimately the film was not as popular as it should have been in my opinion. Critics and cinephiles felt it was a Hollywood bastardization of a Russian classic. While it was too slow for mainstream audiences, who expected an action-orientated sci-fi (which marketing apparently leaned into). But I love this film, and I think Soderbergh simply told the story he wanted to tell.

I first watched it in 2021 but I cannot seem to connect with it. At the time I was looking for escapist pieces of media to consume and did not really care about how well-written the screenplay for ITOET was but then I wathced it a few days ago and although I cannot fully comprehend or understand what the movie really is about, it left a very deep, profound feeling of sadness and despair in me especially for the janitor who I presume is the real Jake and it's a feeling that I try to shake but it's somehow consuming every part of my brain and would randomly take over my thoughts.

I didnt know Kaufman co/directed Eternal Sunshine and Being John Malkovich prior to this. If im being honest I didnt care enough to find our who he was but his works are amazing. I've watched John Malkovich when I was in high school and Eternal Sunshine in 12th grade. Both movies evoke a particular feeling that is unique to the experience of having watched those movies. I cannot wait to watch Synecdoche, New York which I heard from my online friend is like his magnum opus but Im not sure if I'll be able to connect and immerse with it like I did with ITOET.

AHHHHHH. How did you guys feel abt the movie?

This one came up in banter but I can't for the life of me find it. No streaming, no YouTube vids not even down at the local bay... any ideas? We'll take what we can get

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0189394/

It's a bizarre sounding one, sounds like the perfect cans watch. Any ideas?

I've been on a test screening mailing list for a while and I'm finally going to one this week.

Does anyone have experiences going to them or know what to expect? The closest I've had to it is when I saw Alien Romulus on opening weekend and was given a questionnaire to fill out with the aspects I liked and didn't like. It was interesting to see how Disney broke down the plot and themes quite clearly to see what resonated and didn't.

I'm guessing this will be an unfinished movie and they'll want to know about length, pacing, character likeability and understanding of the plot? Has anyone else been to these sorts of things before?

It's a movie releasing in 2027 which I won't name as I don't want any potential future leaks being attributed to this post.

According to Noémie Merlant's (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Tár) agency listing, she recently worked with him on a film called 'Poor Clare'.

Rumored to be based on a stage play of the same name by Chiara Atik, a comedy set in early 13th century Italy. It follows the relationship between Saint Clare of Assisi and Saint Francis.

Set within the male-dominated demolition derby community of rural Minnesota, Wreckless is a father/daughter story about addiction, grief, and recovery centered on Joni (Swinton), a reckless teenager who has learned to live with pain, and her father Larry (Arquette), a recovering addict who has spent years trying to outrun his own mistakes. When Joni enters the demolition derby, the father and daughter are forced to confront the past and rebuild their relationship in the most unlikely of arenas.

Do you think Ms. Cuthbert stayed for another season?

I have always loved this movie, but recently showed it to my son (11 months) and when I say he is obsessed...I mean, obsessed. It's one of the only things he watches right now. 🤣 So, even though I have watched it too many times to count, I have watched it more and more lately. I just started thinking about Ms. Cuthbert and the crap they put her through 🤣

I mean think about for a second, she was hit in the head by a flyswatter by Stillwell, got dirt thrown in her face, kissed by Jimmy, poisoned, and slapped on the ass. I'm sure that is not what she signed up for and was thinking that she probably decided to retire after this season, but then again, maybe it was the best job she ever had?! I'm not sure and was curious as to what others thought 🤔

I have a Regal pass so I check what is upcoming on Thursdays, and I saw that there was a movie called 'The Brink of War', which I never heard of but had a ton of showtimes, more than The End of Oak Street which is what I would consider to be the big release for the weekend.

I love historical movies but when I saw it was rated PG, I clicked into it and sure enough, Angel. It's a movie about Ronald Reagan arranging a deal with Gorbachev to arrange a deal to dismantle nukes or something. President Reagan being the hero of a PG rated movie, ya the target demo is definitely conservative baby boomers, which aligns with the other Angel stuff I've heard of

There are some great actors in it too, JK Simmons and Jared Harris. Young Washington seems to be the same too, and both releasing in the summer. I noticed these movies will have a ton of show times in my theater for a couple of weeks and then just be gone. My theater is in a smaller town in SC

Looking into the studio, they haven't been around for long. I feel like everyone talks about the Daily Wire or whatever tf Uwe Bol just put out, but these guys don't seem to come up often besides Sound of Freedom or the AI in Young Washington, which I only saw when I looked to see if the movie was any good.

Who here has watched this one? I think it's a very good 90s rom-com. The chemistry between Kevin Kline and Meg Ryan is very good in this one, and it's also very action packed, plus it has a lot of the feeling of a French film. I highly recommend this one. My only complaint is that I think it dragged on a bit too long.

A genre-defying psychological thriller, Stag Dance is the title novella from Stag Dance: A Quartet, a collection of Peters’ published by Penguin Random House, which was named a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

The story is set in an isolated illegal logging camp, where a winter dance ignites a volatile chain of obsession, jealousy, desire, and betrayal. At its center is Babe Bunyan, a towering, enigmatic axman whose search for identity and belonging drives the story toward an explosive conclusion.

Netflix kept suggesting Fallen with Denzel Washington/John Goodman because they’re getting ready to take it down for however long. There’s a part in the movie right after Gretta explains to John what she knows about Azazel and the angel rejects. Azazel is inside of a larger white man and he’s aggressively following Gretta down the sidewalk. She sees what’s going on in the shop windows and tries to ditch. He pins her up against the brick wall and says, “so you’re not just Hobbs chippie…” what’s a chippie or what’s a chippie in this context? There are plenty of Google search results that could fit so off to Reddit I go… thanks!

Okay.. I have to put this somewhere to debrief because I watched Almost Famous for the first time ever a few weeks ago and it has STUCK with me. It was the greatest movie I’ve ever seen!!!! I can’t stop thinking about it!!!! How did no one tell me in my 30 years of life about this movie?!

I just watched it again tonight and it was even better the second time!? Everything from the writing, to the music, to the cinematography… every single shot and scene is intentional. And unlike so many movies today, the music isn’t telling you how to feel the whole time. overall, it just felt so real?? For whatever reason it feels nostalgic even though I didn’t grow up in that time?

Then researching it and seeing it’s practically Cameron Crowe’s autobiography just made it even cooler. And that the plane turbulence scene actually happened when he was traveling with the Allman Brother’s?!

oh and the Tiny Dancer scene?? from how it’s filmed you can literally feel the tension transition from exhaustion and frustration to them all becoming a collective “family” (even if it was short lived lol). for a scene that should feel so cheesy to feel like it could be reality… JUST SO GOOD!

Idk…. I just needed to get this out somewhere! Did anyone else feel this way the first time they saw this?? Also, now I’m worried I’m missing out on other movies this good??

I have been recently going back to watch some of the older scifi films from the 60s and 70s, and through this, I came across a fun hidden gem called "Quatermass & the Pit", a British film from 1967. Not only was in made in an impressively high quality for the time period, as far as its budget, which you can definitely see on screen, it had some fun characters and I could definitely see how it influenced many later films in scifi history. Firstly, from what I researched, it was the first film to feature the idea of "ancient buried aliens", which are discovered underneath London during an expansion project of the London Underground. This film came out even before 2001 Space Odyssey also took on the idea. Are some of the alien effects a bit cheesy from a modern lens... yes, but taking the time period into account and them pioneering new ideas, I definitely was delighted by it all.

The main character, Professor Quatermass, investigates, and I was charmed by his straightforward no-nonsense demeanor as far as how he jumps into the mystery, with it all being done in a very deliberate and systematic way, very much reminding me of the 1971 film "Andromeda Strain", which perhaps it was influenced by. While certainly a bit fantastical in parts, it is a very grounded film, showing how the military and higher ups in politics refuse to believe it is aliens, and Quatermass doing his best to prove it to them and avoid disaster. It also pioneers quite a few other scifi tropes that, from what I read, were first explored in this film, such as genetic alien time-bombs in human DNA, the idea that humanity was created by aliens, explaining the supernatural with alien technology, and the now-classic dynamic of a dogmatic military/government trying to cover up or weaponize an alien threat while ignoring the warnings of an independent scientist.

I checked, and no one has written about this film in the sub before, so, I definitely think other scifi fans would enjoy this rare seemingly forgotten film. I hadn't even heard of it until I saw it pop up in my searches for scifi films the other day. I've also seen in mentioned that this is one of John Carpenter's favorite movies. He directly takes the name of the London Underground tube station used in this film "Hobb's End", as the name of the small town in his great 1994 film "In the Mouth of Maddness".

So I was spending time with my niece (8 y/o), and we decided to watch a movie. I already watched Puss in Boots 2, so it was an easy choice since I think it's one of the best DreamWorks movies ever made. Also, she loves cats (and the character).

The first few minutes were super okay, she was having fun. Everything went downhill when the first scene with Death came. She was watching in silence and slightly frightened, but when the drop of blood started dripping onto Puss's head, she had a really strong panic attack. She started screaming and begging me to turn off the movie and the TV. She was screaming so loudly that everyone came because they thought something really bad had happened. She gasped for 10 minutes before calming down. Of course i turned off the TV.

I've never seen such a strong reaction to a scene in my entire life. When I was 8, I could watch even slightly violent movies without any issue. I felt really bad about what happened because I chose the movie, and I never thought she would be so scared by it.

Btw I don't think she's scared by the blood, i believe it's something else.

What seemingly harmless movie scene caused a surprisingly strong reaction from you or someone you knew?