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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Feb 13, 2021 19:16:11 GMT
so this is out online and a lot of people have already seen it. The reception so far has been absolutely glowing (97 on RT, 86 on Metacritic, 4.2 on letterboxd) making its general absence from the award circuit so far even more perplexing, but with reviews this good I think there's plenty of time for a narrative and momentum to build for this to be a strong last-minute contender.
Discuss the movie here! (I won't be seeing it for awhile because I'm only watching 2020 movies atm but this feedback is super encouraging)
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Post by thomasjerome on Feb 13, 2021 19:51:28 GMT
Enjoyed it a lot. Sure, it's straightforward biopic but the story itself is fascinating enough and the lead characters are both interesting. Have to admit there are moments where writing could have been better but I like that it took mostly a subtle approach, let the story speak for itself and didn't shy away from portraying Panthers as class activists. The performances are the real highlights here though. Kaluuya has a lot of powerful moments and probably would make a worthy Oscar winner but Lakeith Stanfield is the star. I took notice of him ever since "Short Term 12" and he kept impressing me with his range since then. Here he creates a complex character who is so confused about everything, so lost, so uncertain. Stanfield is capable of acting with his expressive eyes to let us know his character's feelings and he pulls off an effective job here. Jesse Plemons and Martin Sheen (even in a make up that made him look like Rudy Giuliani) are both amazing also. I can see other actor playing Plemons character as one-note villain but Jesse's performance makes him more ambiguous and intriguing. 2021 has just started but I can see Lakeith, Daniel, score, cinematography and the original song staying in my line-ups for the rest of the year.
Also a very high Cinemascore ("A") and 7.9 IMDb with over 2200 votes already.
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Post by mhynson27 on Feb 14, 2021 0:15:55 GMT
so this is out online and a lot of people have already seen it. The reception so far has been absolutely glowing (97 on RT, 86 on Metacritic, 4.2 on letterboxd) making its general absence from the award circuit so far even more perplexing, but with reviews this good I think there's plenty of time for a narrative and momentum to build for this to be a strong last-minute contender. Discuss the movie here! (I won't be seeing it for awhile because I'm only watching 2020 movies atm but this feedback is super encouraging) Not that perplexing, people are only just now seeing it.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Feb 14, 2021 0:22:07 GMT
so this is out online and a lot of people have already seen it. The reception so far has been absolutely glowing (97 on RT, 86 on Metacritic, 4.2 on letterboxd) making its general absence from the award circuit so far even more perplexing, but with reviews this good I think there's plenty of time for a narrative and momentum to build for this to be a strong last-minute contender. Discuss the movie here! (I won't be seeing it for awhile because I'm only watching 2020 movies atm but this feedback is super encouraging) Not that perplexing, people are only just now seeing it. There were screeners though. I'm not thinking about the critics awards so much as the televised ones. Globes and SAG viewers had that screener but only nominated Kaluuya.
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Post by sterlingarcher86 on Feb 14, 2021 4:31:03 GMT
Not that perplexing, people are only just now seeing it. There were screeners though. I'm not thinking about the critics awards so much as the televised ones. Globes and SAG viewers had that screener but only nominated Kaluuya. That’s not uncommon for late releases even if they got screeners out in time. Possible some didn’t didn’t get a chance to watch it. Many of these are busy working people who can’t just watch a movie the minute it comes in the mail. Super late releases like True Grit, Wolf of Wall Street, Django Unchained and Phantom Thread have picked up steam later after too.
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Post by stephen on Feb 14, 2021 14:46:38 GMT
Powerfully directed and incredibly immersive in the period, it actually felt like a lost American cousin to McQueen's Small Axe series. Stanfield is excellent and would be more than worthy for a spot in this year's Best Actor lineup (although I would have him in 2021). Kaluuya's predictably terrific but after seeing it, I don't think he's as bulletproof for a win as I initially thought. He's consistently strong but there's something missing in the film's depiction of Hampton, something that I can't quite articulate. Maybe the best way to phrase it is, we don't really get to see anything from his perspective, and he's kept at arm's length for the entirety of the movie. Even his most emotional moments are seen from others' perspective (particularly Fishback, who was also very good). Plemons was compelling as usual and continues to prove that he's probably the best actor working when it comes to portraying the banality of evil. All in all, a very strong film that makes Sorkin's treatise of the same era look like a kid's book report.
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Post by RiverleavesElmius on Feb 14, 2021 17:09:19 GMT
so this is out online and a lot of people have already seen it. The reception so far has been absolutely glowing (97 on RT, 86 on Metacritic, 4.2 on letterboxd) making its general absence from the award circuit so far even more perplexing, but with reviews this good I think there's plenty of time for a narrative and momentum to build for this to be a strong last-minute contender. Discuss the movie here! (I won't be seeing it for awhile because I'm only watching 2020 movies atm but this feedback is super encouraging) Um, Kaluuya is gonna likely win the Supporting Actor award for 2020 films this year, so how is it not 2020???
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Post by RiverleavesElmius on Feb 14, 2021 17:15:36 GMT
Good film, almost as depressing as watching a documentary from that period (which makes for an authentic film but quite an unpleasant moviegoing experience). Kaluuya is very strong, but (just as I expected) Stanfield is the REAL MVP here with a brilliant virtuoso performance that is sure to be one of the most shameful Oscar snubs next month.
Overall, I think TOTC7 is the more entertaining, engaging, better written, and overall better film, but this is undeniably more authentic and less sugarcoated version of the real events.
I recommend it, but doesn't deserve to be an Oscar player outside of its superb performances.
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Post by stephen on Feb 14, 2021 17:43:25 GMT
so this is out online and a lot of people have already seen it. The reception so far has been absolutely glowing (97 on RT, 86 on Metacritic, 4.2 on letterboxd) making its general absence from the award circuit so far even more perplexing, but with reviews this good I think there's plenty of time for a narrative and momentum to build for this to be a strong last-minute contender. Discuss the movie here! (I won't be seeing it for awhile because I'm only watching 2020 movies atm but this feedback is super encouraging) Um, Kaluuya is gonna likely win the Supporting Actor award for 2020 films this year, so how is it not 2020??? Not everyone is abiding by the Academy's (frankly asinine) decision to extend their eligibility window. Judas and the Black Messiah is a 2021 release by every conceivable metric, even if it's competing against 2020 films.
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Post by RiverleavesElmius on Feb 14, 2021 19:17:19 GMT
Um, Kaluuya is gonna likely win the Supporting Actor award for 2020 films this year, so how is it not 2020??? Not everyone is abiding by the Academy's (frankly asinine) decision to extend their eligibility window. Judas and the Black Messiah is a 2021 release by every conceivable metric, even if it's competing against 2020 films. Eh, that's gonna confuse the fuck outta movie historians in the future. But, MARK MY WORDS, if Kaluuya wins the Oscar this year, the film will be remembered as a 2020 film.
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Post by JangoB on Feb 14, 2021 21:02:46 GMT
Excellent movie. Handsomely mounted, powerfully performed, steadily paced. Kaluuya is simply on fire here - what a performance. The whole ensemble is great actually. I loved that the film was simultaneously able to engross me in Steinfeld's character's plight, show Fred Hampton as a symbol and as a human being, and present the everyday inner goings-on of the Black Panther party. All within a two-hour running time while never feeling choppy or cut-down. Very strong stuff.
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Post by mikediastavrone96 on Feb 15, 2021 1:13:13 GMT
Loved this. Vibrant and perceptive in a way lesser prestige period films always fail (see The Trial of the Chicago 7). Never fails to lean away from the bloody details or lessen the immediacy of what the characters are experiencing, the decisions they make under unsure circumstances. Not just the titular characters, but that respect is paid on down to Dominique Fishback's lovely portrayal of Deborah Johnson and Jessie Plemons depiction of the banally evil Roy Mitchell.
But of course this show is most about Daniel Kaluuya's Fred Hampton and Lakeith Stanfield's Bill O'Neal. Kaluuya is absolutely electrifying in every capacity as a revolutionary public face of the Black Panthers while maintaining genuine warmth and deftness as a friend, partner, and soon-to-be father. Meanwhile Stanfield continues to use the gift of his remarkably expressive eyes to their fullest potential, always smack in the middle of the necessity of fulfilling his obligation to the FBI and his growing brotherhood within the Black Panther Party.
My biggest criticism would simply be a matter of time. I believe that Fred Hampton and this story deserve the expansive epic treatment given by Spike Lee to Malcolm X, with an additional hour to highlight more of Hampton's perspective and the initiatives of the Black Panther Party. Still, this is a hell of a movie that earns every bit of the importance afforded to it by its subject and I thank Shaka King for his exceptional work bringing this story to life.
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 15, 2021 9:27:25 GMT
7.5+/10Loved it right up until the end with that real footage ending - I hate that shit, not as much as Blackkklansman and its "I'm going to stick this CNN clip of unrelated events into my movie!" BS, but still write an ending to your movie - do the hard work and write it for Godsakes Kaluuya is greatish here, but Stanfield is better than that even - he creates a genuine tragic character something modern movies avoid almost altogether actually. A guy who is a con man who cons himself .......who believes in nothing and soon finds himself in over his head for nothing and how that amounts to......... everything. The scene where he's forced to hotwire a car is one the years best acted scenes - where he is scared, pretending to be cocky, realizing he got away with it, and deluding himself and that he can keep it up......right? Stanfield here sets a disarming tone of almost laughing at the absurdity of his situation, or is he almost laughing that he can do this: juggle all these plates in the air and think that fast on his feet........and how that feeling - nervous exhilaration mixed with dread - overlaps with his fear of being revealed. Some of the middle of the movie is lumpy with exposition, much of it is fascinating though too .......and even though I only rated this a little higher than Trial of The Chicago 7, it felt much more satisfying to me - come to think of it, that movie ended worse actually
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Post by JangoB on Feb 15, 2021 9:36:24 GMT
7.5+/10 Loved it right up until the end with that real footage ending - I hate that shit, not as much as Blackkklansman and its "I'm going to stick this CNN clip of unrelated events into my movie!" BS, but still write an ending to your movie - do the hard work and write it for Godsakes Kaluuya is greatish here, but Stanfield is better than that even - he creates a genuine tragic character something modern movies avoid almost altogether actually. A guy who is a con man who cons himself .......who believes in nothing and soon finds himself in over his head for nothing and how that amounts to......... everything. The scene where he's forced to hotwire a car is one the years best acted scenes - where he is scared, pretending to be cocky, realizing he got away with it, and deluding himself and that he can keep it up......right? Stanfield here sets a disarming tone of almost laughing at the absurdity of his situation, or is he almost laughing that he can do this: juggle all these plates in the air and think that fast on his feet........and how that feeling - nervous exhilaration mixed with dread - overlaps with his fear of being revealed. Some of the middle of the movie is lumpy with exposition, much of it is fascinating though too .......and even though I only rated this a little higher than Trial of The Chicago 7, it felt much more satisfying to me - come to think of it, that movie ended worse actually That's one of my very favorite things about Stanfield's performance - those little moments where he was laughing in kid-like exhiliration or nervousness (up to us to decide which was where). The cocky bravado underneath which are layers of fear and gradually building guilt.
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speeders
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Post by speeders on Feb 15, 2021 17:56:09 GMT
I loved it! It may have jumped to the top as my favorite film of the Oscar season. More or less every aspect was stellar. The use of music was brilliant. Cinematography was great and transported me to that time.It reminded me of 1970s classics like Taxi Driver and Dog Day Afternoon and isn't afraid to be raw, confrontational and really getting into the nitty gritty of the time period than the typical glossy issue Oscar baits of the last decades (looking at you Trial of the Chicago 7!)
LaKeith Stanfield was fantastic in the lead and I feel getting unfairly overlooked. Jesse Plemons made a very good villain. I would have liked to have seen just one or two more scenes with Stanfield and Plemons together to fully develop their relationship. Dominique Fishback was tremendous too, what a star making turn. Daniel Kaluuya, I went from admiring him to absolutely forgetting it was him. It's one of those extremely big performances that don't feel like an actor showing off but simply a larger-than-life real character being depicted. He truly dominated the film when he was on but never at the expense of his co-stars or the films around him. Absolutely brilliant and convinced me he really is one of the very best of his generation.
I can't sing Shaka King's direction enough praises. He really is the real deal and I can't wait to see what he does next. He should have a very bright future ahead of him.
My main issue would be the inserting the clips of Stanfield as O'Neal in the '89 interview as a framing device only to go abandon that in favor of the real O'Neal interview in the end and stick the coda about his suicide. I think they should've have either developed that framing device as a subplot and ended it with O'Neal committing suicide after the interview (thought it's a high wire act to pull off) to give closure to his story or just skip that framing device and coda altogether. It was like Spike Lee's codas as of late, going on and on, and doing the film no favor and not rubbing it off an actual ending. This supposed to be storytelling, not a history lesson. It's lazy and robs the movie of its agency.
Apart from that, I am really hoping this will surprise at the Oscars. It deserves to sweep.
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Post by Mattsby on Feb 15, 2021 20:02:14 GMT
7/10 or more. Very well made... I like the way Shaka King covers scenes. He keeps this thrilling and atmospheric. It doesn't lose traction either even as the pace slows in the second half. Script could've used another go, I didn't feel the relationship between Hampton and O'Neal much.... it holds back on O'Neal maybe bc he's a little-known real life guy they didn't wanna suggest too much? Having said that, lotta critics are being weirdly harsh on the writers, as two of them came from the comedy world but so what? Does this feel like comedians wrote it? Not at all.
Castwise. I gotta say, I don't think LaKeith is a very good actor, he always seems uncomfortable on screen, which should be an asset in this role but isn't. His perf felt overly telegraphed and clumsy to me. Kaluuya compared to him is a star - he gives off great presence, patience, intelligence. I think they're co-leads btw. And I did vote for this in our Feb Best Pic poll before seeing it and um I ain't changing my vote. If Blackkklansman could get six nods this should get the same, and more.
Highly recommend the essential, eye-opening doc The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) to anyone who liked this or interested in Hampton.
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Post by Viced on Feb 18, 2021 5:40:13 GMT
Fred Hampton deserves a much better movie. There are a lot of people who know much more about Hampton’s life and views (and the Black Panthers in general) than I do who are trashing this for being a total fuck-up. I thought it was alright, I guess. The characters are paper-thin and hardly developed, and it was hard to keep track of who was who outside of the main players. And for a movie about betrayal, there was hardly any semblance of a relationship portrayed between O’Neal and Hampton to give that betrayal any power. I feel like they hardly even talked to each other in the second half of the movie... maybe that’s why it got more dull as it went along.
Stanfield had some good moments but didn’t really carry it too well (though I’d blame the lame way his character was written more than him). Kaluuya I loved in his more quiet moments than the try-hard speeches. Martin Sheen in his Hoover get-up will haunt my nightmares for weeks.
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Post by DeepArcher on Feb 21, 2021 5:35:44 GMT
As much as I have gripes with the script, the performances in this are astonishing.
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Post by wilcinema on Mar 13, 2021 23:00:05 GMT
The really flawed aspect of this movie is the script. Fred and Bill are not written as integral parts of this picture but rather as two separate elements sharing that picture, so the result feels like two movies that would very well work on their own, merged together, but not with a satisfying end result, because they don't gel. At least this is my reaction to it, because I loved the scenes between Bill and Roy, and between Fred and Deborah, but the ensemble scenes are not as powerful as they should be because the context just isn't there.
Other than that, the direction was vibrant and full of energy, and the casting was *chef's kiss*. Kaluuya is the charismatic movie star and the obvious awards magnet, but I agree that Stanfield anchors the movie emotionally. He has the eyes of a tortured soul and he was the best choice for the role. Dominique Fishback would have had a better chance with awards, had the movie been released earlier. The late release didn't help, because after watching it I realized that this is not a movie that can break into the race and get awards, it needed a better awards treatment from the studio.
I quite liked this overall, but with a better and more expansive script, it would have probably been one of the movies of the year.
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Post by quetee on Mar 15, 2021 6:11:42 GMT
Finally saw it today (last day) and there's no way Daniel loses this. The movie is okay but I do agree the script could have been better. The story itself though is heartbreaking. He would only be in his early 70's today. Wonder how different things would be today had prominent black leaders weren't assassinated.
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Post by Martin Stett on Feb 11, 2022 0:42:09 GMT
A truly terrible movie that could have been truly great. Lakeith Stanfield stands out as being utterly perfect in a movie that doesn't deserve him. Kaluuya is... there, I guess. The direction is... well, it's fine. Everything that's really wrong with this comes down to the piece of shit script. You can't just say "this is based on a true story" and expect that to carry the load: you need characters that aren't 100% paper-thin in each and every scene. There is no inner conflict to anyone that isn't named Bill, and that is taken so broadly that not even Stanfield's Oscar-worthy achievement can make a dent. This thing is simultaneously hopelessly rushed and waaaay too long as every scene that isn't focused on Stanfield's face is so damn preachy and one-note.
A truly frustrating misfire, and one of the worst films of the year. Infuriating.
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