Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Hail, Caesar!

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 02-05-2016, 11:19 AM:

If you love the movies, this is the movie for you. A hilarious take on a day in the life of running a movie studio during the golden age. Expertly written and cast, I had a terrific time.

And the cinematography is mesmerizing. Roger Deakins is at the top of his game here.

AJG

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 02-05-2016, 01:20 PM:

and it's going out in 4K DCP - AMC Mazza here I come! the movie looks like a hoot...

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 02-05-2016, 04:40 PM:

CINEMA: AMC Council Bluffs 17, Council Bluffs, IA
AUDITORIUM: 6
PRESENTATION: AMC Recline-O-Vision, Something Something Digital
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: None [Cool]

RATING: Three stars (out of four)

THE PLOT: An actor is kidnapped, America's Sweetheart is unmarried and pregnant, and a cowboy is miscast. Wackiness ensues.

As loaded as this movie is, there is a clear standout star, and it's Josh Brolin. His Eddie Mannix is the guy tasked with keeping his actors in check and keeping the studio running. Everyone else is part of the paintbrush, even if Clooney steals every scene he's in (as absurd as that sounds).

The sets and cinematography are a wonder. Easter eggs are everywhere. Standout scenes include a religious discussion, Scarlett Johansson's water sequence (which looks like something straight out of a Wes Anderson feature), and the Navy musical scene, the funniest thing in the movie.

And yet...I wouldn't put this on the list of the Coen Brother's best efforts. And I'm not sure why.

Still, well worth the bother. I would even encourage multiple viewings. You're certain to catch little nuances you missed the first time.

Posted by Frank B. McLaughlin (Member # 6683) on 02-06-2016, 06:56 AM:

Yes, it is not the best from the Cohens - BUT well worth watching.

The only problem - could find but one 4K presentation: Alamo Drafthouse.

Finding 4K in anywhere in Denver is a challenge.

Posted by Matt Russell (Member # 8989) on 02-06-2016, 04:33 PM:

Although I'm not a huge fan of the Coen brothers, I already knew that they could pull off a good comedy so I was glad that Hail, Caesar! was lots of fun to watch. The plot basically revolves around an "everyman" studio fixer having to juggle between looking over multiple film productions, publicity, bad habits, and now his biggest star, who gets kidnapped by a group of classy gents named "The Future" (and there's a lot of funny stuff that the Coen's use with this group). Josh Brolin (who plays the studio fixer, Eddie Mannix) does a wonderful job and so does George Clooney as the moronic star of the "film" Hail, Caesar!, but I thought the real breakout was Alden Ehrenreich, as a star who's known for his stereotypical roles as a cowboy, and the film does a great job showing how the character struggles with adapting to making films of other genres. For actors who got such promotion in the marketing, Scarlett Johansson and Jonah Hill go heavily underused in a side story, and while I understand that there's already so much going on in the film, I wish they took more time to developed these characters. Channing Tatum has a delightful scene as an actor preforming in a musical, but until the end, he doesn't do very much as well. Tilda Swinton, however, was very good (albeit brief) role as a pair of twin gossip writers. So overall, Hail, Caesar! is more of Eddie Mannix's movie, and that ain't a bad thing at all, but I wish the film also focused more on the actors' stories as well, but overall, I thought it was a very well-made film with lots to enjoy about (and the cinematography did a really good job at showcasing that 50s Hollywood feeling).
Film: 3 out of 4 stars
Presentation: 4 out of 4 stars

Posted by Carol May (Member # 4068) on 02-06-2016, 05:08 PM:

I saw a noon show at The Grove (Pacific Theaters). There were maybe 40 people there. Or 30.

It was the usual Coen brothers absurdity, I couldn't really tell you what it was about, but I liked it. It's definitely aimed at movie buffs, lots of inside jokes. The costumes and set decoration are beautiful, the color is very saturated. It all feels post-war, except at the screening of the cowboy movie, would it have been 1.66? Small detail.

I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who posts to this site.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 02-08-2016, 04:41 PM:

The Cowboy Movie (whatever they called it) starts out with a VistaVision title card, so yes, it would be in 1:66 or a ratio close to that.

The movie plays fast and loose with dates, so you just have to think of it as Generic Fifties.

The actual movie screams to be shot in 3-strip Technicolor. I don't know how it looked in 4k, but 2k is just not saturated enough. The Cohen's gave up on film one film too soon.

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 02-24-2016, 07:31 PM:

I saw the movie in 4K on a Sony projector and colors & sharpness were astounding - and it was shot in Kodak 35mm film stock to boot!

as to the movie itself, it was bit too patchworky and not really sure what the point was, but enjoyable - I loved the dance sequence.

Posted by Terry Monohan (Member # 8285) on 02-26-2016, 10:45 AM:

I enjoyed this new film and It looked great on the huge curved XD screen at the Cinemark 9 in downtown SF. The movie was a little slow in spots but the different use of screen sizes played out well on the huge curved screen. The stereo surround sound was a little disappointing as the movie was shown in a Dolby Atmos house with a ton of double set surround speakers and ceiling speakers that did not come on much. I guess It was not shot with the Dolby Atmos system. Still a great film with some great background actors you don't see in movies these days.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 03-15-2016, 04:54 PM:

quote: Martin McCaffery
The actual movie screams to be shot in 3-strip Technicolor. I don't know how it looked in 4k, but 2k is just not saturated enough.

Since it's exactly the same DCP, the colors ought not to look any different between a 2K and 4K presentation.

quote: Martin McCaffery
The Cohen's gave up on film one film too soon.

AFAIK, the movie was shot in Super 35 and did have a limited 35mm release, using film as intermediate. So, apparently the Coen broters haven't entirely given up film just yet.

quote: Terry Monohan
The stereo surround sound was a little disappointing as the movie was shown in a Dolby Atmos house with a ton of double set surround speakers and ceiling speakers that did not come on much. I guess It was not shot with the Dolby Atmos system.

This was no Atmos release and it limited the use of the surround speakers. I guess it wouldn't really have fitted the style of the movie anyway.