that list is full of inaccuracies and it makes me upset
-Vader
-Vader
Roma (2018)
Basically this. I've voiced this before - the problem is that the current theatrical model can't sustain a movie that's not a major tentpole or Nolan or Cameron opening on most screens globally the same week. Hence streaming coming in to fill that gap. We would have all legally seen Sorry To Bother You, Eighth Grade or Sisters Brothers (the year's biggest culprits of the failures of traditional theatrical) had Annapurna and A24 sold international at least to Netflix.Ruth wrote: ↑December 15th, 2018, 6:11 pmThe answer should be obviousMaster Virgo wrote: ↑December 15th, 2018, 5:50 pmWhich one is better? Some people getting to watch this at home and help the film earn money or those people not seeing it at all, and the film ends up struggling at the box office?£
People treat this as some kind of tragedy for ~real film~ and it’s true if the only way to see films like this in the future will be on streaming services, but the truth is less mainstream stuff has been put on the back burner for years, and a lot of people wouldn’t even get the chance to see stuff for months at all
it’s not netflix or amazon prime’s (or whatever) fault, it’s us. It’s pretty much just us, we just don’t want to see any of these films enough to go out and pay for the theatrical experience. It’s not a complete black and white issue, there are lots of variables that have accumulated over the years that worsen the issue for everybody, but at the end of the day, the industry gives us what we want.
But really when it comes to Roma, the truth is that the people bemoaning that it went to Netflix seem to forget that it's not like this film is gonna get 1k screens in the U.S.. And not to mention the rollout on an international scale - Mexico might get this first, US sometime over Christmas, UK and Europe somewhere in between or even middle of the following year like Handmaiden....and what for, maybe like 100 extra screens in the US and a few more golden statues? (And again, the US - because take the UK for instance, the big chains still wouldn't touch this film with a ten foot pole. It will still be mostly the same arthouse and independent venues playing Roma right now as a Netflix film playing it if it went through a traditional distributor. That's their/Cuaron's shenanigans when it comes to format requirements and four walling aside) I would even go so far as to argue that this film wouldn't be a cultural event it is right now had it not been for Netflix and the associated controversieis. And having all 600 screens it's playing on globally as well as online launch happening in the same 2-3 week period globally, like your usual blockbuster, helps a ton.
And thank you for reminding me Vader to actually watch it again haha (god, 4 months fly by fast). Probably gonna book another big screen showing tomorrow or something while playing it on Netflix at home whole I'm out for that data.
Beautiful looking movie. Great story from start to finish. I know I've seen people say it was dull but I was never board. Completely captivated by this film.
so where are all your takes on this movie guys
-Vader
-Vader
I posted an analysis 2 pages back but no one cared. 
I literally just saw the film
I thought it was incredibly beautiful. Not only from a technical point of view, the use of sound, the jaw dropping cinematography, but even more so from a story point of view. Cuarón takes you into the life of Cleo (Aparicio delivers one of the very best performances of the year) and he shows us her humanity. I loved the way the story progressed. Even some scenes which are reminiscent of previous scenes not only make you feel this is day-to-day business (Cleo cleaning the apartment) but it immediately gives us a view of how often this happens, not just in a day. I loved the way shots were structured when the family arrives somewhere, and Cleo is so often in focus and all the action happens way back or at least out of focus. This is her story and it's powerful. There were several moments in which the film just made me teary eyed as fuck.
I think this is Cuarón's masterpiece.
I thought it was incredibly beautiful. Not only from a technical point of view, the use of sound, the jaw dropping cinematography, but even more so from a story point of view. Cuarón takes you into the life of Cleo (Aparicio delivers one of the very best performances of the year) and he shows us her humanity. I loved the way the story progressed. Even some scenes which are reminiscent of previous scenes not only make you feel this is day-to-day business (Cleo cleaning the apartment) but it immediately gives us a view of how often this happens, not just in a day. I loved the way shots were structured when the family arrives somewhere, and Cleo is so often in focus and all the action happens way back or at least out of focus. This is her story and it's powerful. There were several moments in which the film just made me teary eyed as fuck.
I think this is Cuarón's masterpiece.
I'm torn on the film and where to place it on my last year's list. I'm pretty sure it will end up in my top 20 for cinematography alone. But other than that I'm not so sure. It could have used tighter editing and be a half an hour shorter, that's for starters. I don't see myself revisiting this movie in the near future.
The acting is good, not flashy, just like the story, but I'm not fascinated by it. The way it's shot and how it is lit in these wide shots that constantly pan is really beautiful. Although there's really nothing extraordinary in how they stage or block the film, it is still impressive.
I like the crib shopping scene, the forest fire and the beach scenes the most. The ending was a bit of a letdown.
Overall, it's good but I wasn't blown away by it. As a whole, it definitely has little replay value but a lot of still images and scenes I can see being used for many years to come.
It is also not surprising tat the two most beautiful-looking movies of the year, Roma and Cold War (I haven't seen The Favourite yet) are both black and white. It's a phenomenal way to produce contrast and work with shadows. My dream is that Nolan would do a black and white horror next... but that won't happen.
The acting is good, not flashy, just like the story, but I'm not fascinated by it. The way it's shot and how it is lit in these wide shots that constantly pan is really beautiful. Although there's really nothing extraordinary in how they stage or block the film, it is still impressive.
I like the crib shopping scene, the forest fire and the beach scenes the most. The ending was a bit of a letdown.
Overall, it's good but I wasn't blown away by it. As a whole, it definitely has little replay value but a lot of still images and scenes I can see being used for many years to come.
It is also not surprising tat the two most beautiful-looking movies of the year, Roma and Cold War (I haven't seen The Favourite yet) are both black and white. It's a phenomenal way to produce contrast and work with shadows. My dream is that Nolan would do a black and white horror next... but that won't happen.
masterpiece, obviously
i almost don't want to watch it on netflix so soon after seeing it in theaters, because every shot seems so composed for the big screen
will it win best picture? i don't know, probably not, but it's the best movie i've seen this year
Definitely top 3 for the year. The monochromatic cinematography was everything here, absolutely flawless. Every frame could become a poster. But the rawness of the film's storytelling is absolutely bonkers, practically the star (which against the cinematography is saying something). As someone who absolutely loved visiting Mexico City, to see the culture and life through the eyes of Cuaron almost 40 years ago is surreal to me. Very few times have I been that engrossed in a world like this.
Can't wait to watch it again soon.
Can't wait to watch it again soon.
Some thoughts on seeing this again in Dolby Atmos, rewatch made me appreciate it a whole lot more, not least as I didn't have to squint to see the damn subtitles.
As I said the first time, remarkable how Cuaron manages to make such an intimate story so big and epic without losing heart. The Corpus Christi/birth and the waves sequences are some of the most intense movie moments of the year. Even as the camera and the pace is so slow and measured and naturalistic, you're still sensing the dread and grabbing the edge of your seat.
The sound was already something at Venice (7.1) but a lot of detail is lost in as huge a space as that public screening popup was. Seeing it in a smaller venue in Atmos really make you notice how much detail and care was put into this and that makes it more immersive. I legit thought, during the scene when the family is watching TV, there were people sitting behind me laughing during this scene, Atmos was that spot on. As I said before, if anything this film needs big sound (which you can replicate at home with great system) rather than huge screen (which you can't really)
Which brings me onto the "big screen" point. If anything, this film really shines on a HUGE screen. I mean, IMAX-level field of view. The cinematography and compositions I feel were much more suited to that sort of screen. And that's not to mention how much it aids Atmos sound - when you get directional dialogue and sound effects from the front it legit feels as if it's coming from the character mouths on screen, literally from those points, or when you have a car ahead of you to the left etc. On a smaller screen these effects would either just feel either coming entirely from the front screen, no left/right/up/down differentiation, or beyond the screen. (This is actually why the sole central London Atmos venue screening it, the Curzon Bloomsbury, is so perfect for this film. Small room but massive field of view). So if the screen Roma is showing at locally isn't a huge FOV one (Cinerama or IMAX level) and if you've got a great surround system at home, you might as well stay tbh. But that's just me.
It comes back to the debate of distribution - in theory, if Cuaron and Participant went for a traditional distributor, it would open doors to more PLF screens showing it, even IMAX maybe. But that's *in theory*. Because would PLFs/IMAX want to book a b&w subtitled film globally? That's the question.
As I said the first time, remarkable how Cuaron manages to make such an intimate story so big and epic without losing heart. The Corpus Christi/birth and the waves sequences are some of the most intense movie moments of the year. Even as the camera and the pace is so slow and measured and naturalistic, you're still sensing the dread and grabbing the edge of your seat.
The sound was already something at Venice (7.1) but a lot of detail is lost in as huge a space as that public screening popup was. Seeing it in a smaller venue in Atmos really make you notice how much detail and care was put into this and that makes it more immersive. I legit thought, during the scene when the family is watching TV, there were people sitting behind me laughing during this scene, Atmos was that spot on. As I said before, if anything this film needs big sound (which you can replicate at home with great system) rather than huge screen (which you can't really)
Which brings me onto the "big screen" point. If anything, this film really shines on a HUGE screen. I mean, IMAX-level field of view. The cinematography and compositions I feel were much more suited to that sort of screen. And that's not to mention how much it aids Atmos sound - when you get directional dialogue and sound effects from the front it legit feels as if it's coming from the character mouths on screen, literally from those points, or when you have a car ahead of you to the left etc. On a smaller screen these effects would either just feel either coming entirely from the front screen, no left/right/up/down differentiation, or beyond the screen. (This is actually why the sole central London Atmos venue screening it, the Curzon Bloomsbury, is so perfect for this film. Small room but massive field of view). So if the screen Roma is showing at locally isn't a huge FOV one (Cinerama or IMAX level) and if you've got a great surround system at home, you might as well stay tbh. But that's just me.
It comes back to the debate of distribution - in theory, if Cuaron and Participant went for a traditional distributor, it would open doors to more PLF screens showing it, even IMAX maybe. But that's *in theory*. Because would PLFs/IMAX want to book a b&w subtitled film globally? That's the question.
