Octopus Overlords

Everything Everywhere All At Once definitely deserves its own thread. Ambitious, ridiculous, heartfelt. I don't want to say too much about the premise/plot, because it's spoilers all the way down. I'lll just say that it's about a family of Chinese immigrants who are dealing with an IRS audit, and also some weird sci-fi stuff happens. Some stuff I liked:

• The actors are fantastic. Michelle Yeoh stretches her dramatic chops more than I've ever seen before. Ke Huy Quan (a.k.a. Short Round and Data) is a revelation as her husband. Stephanie Hsu absolutely crushes the role of the daughter--put her in everything. And a couple of legends--James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis--are pitch-perfect.

• The sci-fi technology in the film gives off a strong 80s vibe that I appreciated.

• Fantastic costuming, especially on one of the characters.

• Really good martial arts sequences.

• It's so emotional and heartfelt. Reminded me a bit of Magnolia in how it combined intense, sincere emotion with weird scenes (it is nothing like Magnolia).

• A surprising number of laugh-out-loud moments.

And now some spoiler-y reflections:

I replied in the movie trailer thread, but we saw it Sunday and I had to dry my eyes a couple of times because it was...so dusty in that theater....yeah...dusty.

It's rare to encounter a movie that can have me laughing out loud one minute, then reflecting on the meaning of family in this day and age, before jumping into full blown action....albeit action with a real purpose and real gravity.

I completely agree Yeoh and Quan are amazing...but man, Stephanie Hsu is a goddamn revelation in this movie. I think we're going to be seeing a lot of her in the future. At least, I really hope so.

And Hong? There's a reason that man's imdb resume reads like a freakin' novel. Talk about a great, great actor.

Near the end, blink and you'll miss
I also love the fake outs. Just when you think the movie has told the story it wants to tell and it's about to take its leave, it decides that the conclusion it just drew is too simple and it comes back full force to make yet another point.

I said it in the other thread, but it will be a monumental injustice if this isn't up for best film at the end of the year. Movies about a "multiverse" are flying around a lot these days, but it would be a shame to miss this one if you're tired of that subject matter. It approaches it in a really unique and fun manner.

Also, if you see one thing this year in a film, it HAS to be

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Apr 19, 2022 1:15 pmit will be a goddamn injustice if this isn't up for best film at the end of the year.

I was thinking that as well, but I have to wonder about their release time strategy. It’s way too early for awards season, and I think it might have been smarter to have it come out after Dr Strange so that a wider audience will be mentally prepared for the concept of “multiverse.” But my partner thought they might have released it purposely to avoid seeming like a multiverse copycat…. I suspect it got delayed by Covid and was maybe meant to come out last winter. I just hope it reaches a larger audience, whatever it takes. Seems like the buzz is really good so far. The guy next to me immediately said it was possibly the best movie he’d seen in the last few years, and this is not the first time I’ve heard that.

Anyway, have to agree with what’s already been said, it’s a really fantastic movie. Not sure if any of you are also Chinese, but on top of everything you mentioned, I think there may be an additional layer of nuance and texture that comes from the cultural and language aspects. I noticed I was laughing at some of the dialog that no one else was, but maybe I’m just a bigger laugher in general

https://ew.com/movies/everything-everyw ... d-journey/

Two early backers of the project were Anthony and Joseph Russo, the Avengers: Endgame directors. "Early, early days, they were the people who fronted us some money while we wrote the first draft," says Scheinert.

"They were mostly helpful in the scripting stage, where we would do table reads and things like that," says Kwan. "Then they were a little bit less involved, but we are grateful to have had that time at the beginning to develop it."
...
Finally, the filmmakers were looking for a much larger budget than they had on Swiss Army Man.

I noticed the Russo name in the credits. I think it's great they're helping other filmmakers who are working outside the mainstream to create things like this.

I've read nothing but positive reviews. Hope it comes to a streaming service I get.

Just got out of the theater and this movie is so good. Really funny and really poignant and trippy and different and fun. I want to see it again soon.


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And James Hong just became the oldest actor to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. About damn time.

This quote stood out for me, as I wasn't aware just HOW illustrious his career has been.

He has shared the screen with Clark Gable, Lauren Bacall, and Jack Nicholson, and been directed by John Ford and Roman Polanski, to name just a few.

450 movies under his belt...but he'll always be Lo Pan to me.

Now streaming on Prime Video.

An absolute gem of a film you shouldn’t miss.

it really did a good job of capturing the feel of HK cinema. excellent audio production, as well. absolutely one of the better new films i've seen in the past number of years, and will probably be adding it to the DVD library.

Max Peck wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 12:04 am Now streaming on Prime Video.

I'm only seeing it available as a paid movie there. Is that correct, or were you able to stream it free somehow?

pr0ner wrote: ↑Sat Dec 10, 2022 9:37 am

Max Peck wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 12:04 am Now streaming on Prime Video.

I'm only seeing it available as a paid movie there. Is that correct, or were you able to stream it free somehow?

It's included with Prime Video here in Canada, i.e. "free" if you have an Amazon Prime account.

Looks like you have to have showtime to watch it. But it’s also on sale for 9.99. Absolutely worth it. I’m going to buy it now.

My daughter brought this to my attention as her favorite movie ever. But she’s a film student, and film students typically like weird shit. But I watched it.

I have no idea how to process what I watched. I don’t know if I loved it or hated it. But I will say this - I think it was the most visually stunning movie I’ve ever seen, and at times it was completely overwhelming.

I think I probably like it.

So I watched this (it's available to stream on the Showtime channel on Prime). It has a very Douglas Adams/Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy feel to it.

Now, I tend to prefer less absurd SF, and I'm not a fan of martial arts, so I probably didn't appreciate it as much as others. It's a nice story (though it felt overlong, especially with the more absurd and martial artsy stuff that builds up over the course of the movie).

There were a bunch of times I laughed out loud, while other times I rolled my eyes at the humor

I'm 20 minutes in, and this is not what I was expecting. WTF is going on. Is this what it feels like being on shrooms?

naednek wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 2:40 pm I'm 20 minutes in, and this is not what I was expecting. WTF is going on. Is this what it feels like being on shrooms?

My wife felt the same way. I loved it, but she doesn't really like that type of stuff.

Defiant wrote: ↑Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:18 pm

Spoiler:

... although not at the parts with the rolly eye googly eyes - I was rolling my eyes at the whole doing dumb stuff they did before going to a new universe. In fact, when I went to put that I watched it on letterboxd, I laughed when the normal eye to indicate it was watched was a googly eye instead.

Oh, and with regards to absurd SF, as an example of where my mind goes in the movie, I was like "How could they even exist in universes with hot dog fingers or rock universes, since those universes branched out well before the characters ever existed - shouldn't they only be able to exist in universes created when they made a choice?

I think they actually covered that when she first

Hyena wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:31 pm

naednek wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 2:40 pm I'm 20 minutes in, and this is not what I was expecting. WTF is going on. Is this what it feels like being on shrooms?

My wife felt the same way. I loved it, but she doesn't really like that type of stuff.

Same with mine. I literally burst out laughing at the but she was far less amused.

Her reaction at the end was “that was way too weird for me”.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:39 pm

Same with mine. I literally burst out laughing at the

Spoiler:

butt plug and dildo fight scenes and the hot dog fingers

but she was far less amused.

Wait, this is Saint's Row IV: The Movie?

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 5:16 pm Wait, this is Saint's Row IV: The Movie?

No, no, they are trying to use it on themselves. Totally different situation.

finished it last night. Ya, my opinion didn't change. Not sure how it won so many oscars. I wasn't impressed.

I didn't like this movie either. It's such a confusing, ridiculous, annoying mess. There are moments that are funny and poignant, and the plot is built on good concepts, but I rarely felt entertained. And this movie won seven Oscars?! Shoot, I even liked Avatar 2 more, and I hated that one.

That being said, unlike Avatar 2, EEAAO is a movie I'd be willing to watch again. Since I now know what it's about and what to expect, I can just relax and take it in. I'd probably enjoy it more.

I remember loving Parasite when I saw it, but I encountered some people who absolutely hated it a short while after it won its Oscar. They couldn’t believe it won an award. But it all comes down to personal taste.

If you didn’t enjoy EEAaO the first time, I wouldn’t bother going back to try and make yourself like it.

We all agree Mark Wahlberg is a shitty actor, and isn’t that really the only important thing?

hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:06 pm I remember loving Parasite when I saw it, but I encountered some people who absolutely hated it a short while after it won its Oscar. They couldn’t believe it won an award. But it all comes down to personal taste.

Yeah, count me as one of those who didn't care for it. As for this movie, I don't really feel like I have any desire to see it and the more I hear about it, the more I feel convinced about my decision.

To me it is like Kungfu Hustle. A lot praise for that but to me it is not something special. Same with this movie. Don't hate it but don't think it is a great movie. It is kinda the 2023 version of a Stephen Chow 90s HK comedy.

Victoria Raverna wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:36 am It is kinda the 2023 version of a Stephen Chow 90s HK comedy.

which was more or less my same opinion (above)

WTF did I just watch?

Live, Asian version of Rick & Morty with less humor....

It was too out there for me.

Someone with ADHD described it as being exactly what ADHD feels like. I'll let you know when I see it.

While I love the idea that the Academy is willing to consider films like this for it's top prize, I watched it with friends and all of us thought it was OK but had no idea what all the hype was about.

hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:06 pm I remember loving Parasite when I saw it, but I encountered some people who absolutely hated it a short while after it won its Oscar. They couldn’t believe it won an award. But it all comes down to personal taste.

If you didn’t enjoy EEAaO the first time, I wouldn’t bother going back to try and make yourself like it.

We all agree Mark Wahlberg is a shitty actor, and isn’t that really the only important thing?

I loved Parasite. It's the only Best Picture Winner in years that I agreed with. But, as you say, it's all about personal taste. For example, Mark Wahlberg may not be a Top Tier actor but he has been really good in the last few movies I saw him in, much better than, say, Keanu Reaves.

No one is claiming Keanu Reeves is a great actor. Not even Keanu Reeves. But he is charming and sincere in everything he does.

Everything Everywhere is a wonderfully hyperactive venture into family dynamics and the generational changes that unavoidably occur within immigrant families (although it's universal, I would say) that I think fully deserves the numerous accolades and awards it's received from so many.

That it has zero Wahlberg is just a bonus.

hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 6:26 pm That it has zero Wahlberg is just a bonus.

Are you sure? There were a number of potted plants in the background. And some furniture...

Nah, I would have noticed a plant yelling “Say hi to your mother for me” at people walking by.