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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67153
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Us
Quote: Us is a 2019 American psychological horror-thriller written and directed by Jordan Peele. The film stars Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker, and follows a family who are confronted by a group of doppelgängers.
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Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:14 am |
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Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
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Re: Us
Peele up's the horror/thriller aspect but the story this time (specially the final act) is tedious. Though overall I think this is more watchable than Get Out. I didn't get the whole red line aspect so it feels forced as social agenda. When someone sees this can they explain the whole red line thing?
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Thu Mar 21, 2019 2:53 am |
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lilmac
Veteran
Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 12:07 am Posts: 3140
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Re: Us
B
Pros
- loved the reveal at the end
- I'll watch anything by Jordan Peele - because of his originality - it's like a breath of fresh air
- love Lupita! She was great. Both of her characters
Cons
- Too much symbolism for me to keep track of. I definitely need to find a primer on Youtube. Pretty sure I missed a ton.
- Film lacked suspense and horror which is what I was looking forward to
- MeToo Infiltration Factor - 6/10 - annoying but not overly so. Examples, "You don't make the decisions anymore!" , Winston Duke and other male character being dumb doofuses and caricatures
_________________ I believe in God as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
I was blind, but now I see.
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Fri Mar 22, 2019 8:50 pm |
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Jiffy
Forum General
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:27 pm Posts: 6145 Location: New York
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Re: Us
Jack Sparrow wrote: Peele up's the horror/thriller aspect but the story this time (specially the final act) is tedious. Though overall I think this is more watchable than Get Out. I didn't get the whole red line aspect so it feels forced as social agenda. When someone sees this can they explain the whole red line thing? You mean the Hands Across America re-enactment at the end?
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Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:11 pm |
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Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
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Re: Us
^ Yes. I know the movie started with that but I couldn't understand "real" meaning behind it and its relevance to the story.
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Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:55 pm |
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Dil
Forum General
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:48 pm Posts: 8942 Location: Houston, Texas
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Re: Us
Saw this earlier and yeah I thought it was just fine overall which is definitely somewhat disappointing considering how awesome and promising the trailers looked. Get Out is far superior to this IMO, and I wasn't even a huge fan of that movie. Not nearly as scary or tense as I wanted it to be, but for the most part its pretty entertaining at least. Lupita gives a great dual performance, and I loved some of the use of music in this movie. The Fuck The Police bit, and that orchestral version of I Got Five On It that played towards the end were really nice, clever touches, but other than that this movie was way too predictable, especially that final reveal. I honestly predicted it 5 minutes in, and as much as I still like Winston Duke I really disliked how his character was written as kind of a idiot in this. The guy is already super charismatic and funny, but here he's a complete wimp most of the time and that annoyed the hell out of me. I think Peele let this one slip away from him somewhat, because while it is extremely well made and directed it never lives up to its high concept potential.
B-
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Sat Mar 23, 2019 12:38 am |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: Us
It is a sensational horror film and an enthralling ride: the fluidly composed and enormously suspenseful set pieces, with potent dashes of humor; the macabre and majestic original score; Lupita Nyong'o's high-wire, scenery-devouring dual performance; etc. It is a blast to absorb, to admire, to be surprised by and, in my opinion, significantly more entertaining than Get Out, which I found simultaneously decent and overpraised. To a certain degree, a meat-and-potatoes part of me couldn't help but pause and wonder, say...cool story, but who fed the rabbits and left the abandoned clones a lifetime supply of menacing shears? But I was dazzled enough to afford it a certain fairy-tale suspension of disbelief and consider it one of the most impressively staged and imaginatively conceived mainstream horror films of the last several years.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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Sat Mar 23, 2019 2:46 am |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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Re: Us
Pretty fantastic, and sitting on it I love it more and more. Lupita delivers a tour de force performance but everyone is really brilliant. I loved Elisabeth Moss - that makeup scene is fucking amazing. The movie is also entertaining, hilarious and above all original - really didn't see a lot of the twists and turns coming. That finale dance sequence is so cool - I was getting chills. A blast.
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Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:04 pm |
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Jmart
Superman: The Movie
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:47 am Posts: 21165 Location: Massachusetts
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Re: Us
Jordan Peele is going to feel right at home on CBS All Access, because this feels like a rejected episode of The Twilight Zone, but not one from the Serling era. More like an episode from the Forest Whitaker era that no one remembers. It’s a shame because the first two thirds are good and Lupita Nyong’o is pretty damn good. But then we get Jordan Peele’s take on C.H.U.D and the most inconsequential “twist” (did anyone not see that coming?) in recent memory.
C
_________________My DVD Collection Marty McGee (1989-2005)
If I’m not here, I’m on Letterboxd.
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Sat Mar 23, 2019 7:04 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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Re: Us
I can't wait to see this again. I can't stop thinking about it. Also will never listen to "Good Vibrations" the same way again
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Sun Mar 24, 2019 5:39 pm |
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zwackerm
Hold the door!
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm Posts: 20445 Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
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Re: Us
I have to watch this again. The end was so confusing. I went home and looked up what happened. I liked the first two thirds definitely though. And the last third was at least entertaining.
A- for now.
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Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:30 pm |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23921 Location: Classified
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Re: Us
Us was so good. The first half of the movie is an easy A+. It has some of the best production I've ever seen in a horror movie. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up as my top choice for Direction, Score and Cinematography at the 2020 WOKJ Movie Awards. In Get Out, Peele showed he had a unique vision of horror/satire for Hollywood and the audiences embraced it as much as the critics. With Us, he is signaling his intention of stealing Nolan's throne as the greatest modern director. He combines the social comedy of Get Out with a survival adventure like A Quiet Place and while the story may have gotten out of control near the end, it works better than I could have ever thought.
Now, on to the ending. Going in I had assume the twist would be similar to Get Out, where the clones were made by the white people to give themselves "cool black friends" and the evil family would turn out to be real ones, abandoned by society. The nature v nurture theme is still here, but Peele does not let black people off the hook this time. This movie is a warning for anyone who lives a comfortable lifestyle, that there are people who do not know any comforts and they are close to their breaking point. It doesn't have to way this way though, Clone Lupita seems to do just fine for herself once she is given the opportunity for anything but suffering. The one thing that drags it down is the lack of resolution in the form of Hands Across America. I thought they were carving out some land of their own after they had carved out their surface world counterpart's necks, but it seems like the only point of HAA was to show that this was happening worldwide, not just in this isolated community. I'll have to think more on this before I can give the movie a perfect grade. For now it is just a bit short.
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Tue Mar 26, 2019 12:24 pm |
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Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
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Re: Us
Anyone who has seen this explain the Hands across America thing?
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Sat Mar 30, 2019 5:43 pm |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23921 Location: Classified
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Re: Us
Jack Sparrow wrote: Anyone who has seen this explain the Hands across America thing? The best explanation I’ve read is about how revolutions are often heavy on violence, but light on ideas on what to do when the violence is over. It also shows that the Tethered murdering people is a country wide problem rather than just being in this isolated community. But its not well explained in the movie. The weakest part of the whole film in my opinion.
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Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:56 pm |
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Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
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Re: Us
So it is a deep-rooted reference and confusing ending to the movie overall. Thanks Flava
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Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:35 pm |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23921 Location: Classified
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Re: Us
Jack Sparrow wrote: So it is a deep-rooted reference and confusing ending to the movie overall. Thanks Flava Yes and the confusion is hurting the reception. Get Out had a rousing and uplifting finale after slow burning through the rest. Us is kind of the opposite, with most of the best scenes coming in the middle third of the film.
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Sun Apr 07, 2019 2:20 pm |
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ballsack
Newbie
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2019 2:10 pm Posts: 7
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Re: Us
What a film. The political symbolism is maybe too forced on occasion for it to be a complete masterpiece, but it's pretty damn close. A smoothly filmed commentary it is, locking horns with liberal America's dismissiveness and arrogance towards the Trump movement; very clearly a bitch-slap to the educated elite, flawlessly executed.
American society, Peele's clever title imposes, is made of duel-state strata, each level just as ignorant of their neighbour, yet each equally united - economically tethered - to one another in the production (or fallacy) of America.
The title of the film - ala United States - acknowledges all that with one sardonic syllable. 'Us' reminds the audience who the mess belongs to, who's responsible in spite of whatever righteousness and finger wagging you so often see.
As we've all been told by now, Obama's America was pregnant with legions of the Trump-eligible voter - the conservative, fiscally neglected wellspring of the lower class - but here Peele has a more nuanced view, seeing the social structure more as a fat-headed snake eating its own tail - and so the point of the film, on one level, is to remind the head - the educated liberal - of the economic tail they're eating: that they have been too busy in their political superiority to notice how dependant on their gun-toting, Mexican-hating counterparts they truly are; how arrogant to the whole nature of the American identity they've become.
That Peele managed to convey such observation through a horror piece defies a Hollywood precedent. His filmmaking grip has tightened and he's gone more auteur since Get Out. He's establishing himself, only two strokes in, as a masterly filmmaker.
The ending - which for the broadening of scope in the final scene alludes a keen Stephen King influence - is linked to the beginning: when the boy saw the first clone on the beach covered in blood, he barely noticed him - had nothing to say to his parents when he got back in the car. By the end, however, the triumphant Red States were numerous enough to connect, showing how nation-spanning, how aligned and significant and Don't-fuck-with-us they truly are.
They, like you, Sir NYC cravat-wearing caramel latté sipper, are as much as you American - so, off your high horse, show them some fair respect. Ignorant red staters might be stupid to a blue state worldview, but they paid enough of the social bill, to have fair say in the political tip - which, of course, they finally did.
That's tip in the restaurant sense, by the way, and not, as Trump would have you believe, in the sense of penises. Which is precisely why Peele's next film should be titled The Restaurant, wherein black America's plight is given the metaphorical vessel of pepper... and say the chef is Italian, and so uses way too much fucking salt - white salt, as in, white people - pouring shitloads of the stuff in the Thai yellow curry, and then a black customer wearing a white suit brings in a black cyprus salt grinder, triggering a massive gas explosion - with strictly Mexican vampires being the waiters, the chef being a French Canadian android, most patrons being RSL members from Glen Huntley - so on and so forth; and his next project after that should be called 'American Peele', wherein it's Jordan Peele sitting on a stool in a bright all-white room peeling a painted-black orange with a Donald Trump signed Jewish-coloured vegetable peel for 2 hours; and after that it's a talking shit giving birth to a baby shit - that won't stop whinging - while itself shitting out white people.
Also, the montage where the tethered-clone thing is explained, was dazzling in its dreaminess. 'Us' would've been next level even without the metaphor, which I'm guessing will be the case for audiences who don't share Jordan Peele's apparent passion/humanism when it comes to social issues. The fact he managed to succeed on both fronts is a high watermark for the genre. Could perhaps do with some more Wan-style visual suspense, but the interlace of two wildly divorced artistic dimensions in horror and contemporary American politics is mesmerisingly envisioned. An extremely ambitious near-masterpiece.
A or 4.5/5
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Tue Apr 23, 2019 9:18 am |
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Mau
100% That Bitch
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:42 pm Posts: 16901 Location: Monterrey, Mexico
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Re: Us
A+
Best horror movie in ages Lupita has to be nominated for her flawless double duty here
_________________ Tongue Pop!
I kneel with Magnus.
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Sat May 04, 2019 12:21 am |
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Chippy
KJ's Leading Pundit
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:45 pm Posts: 63026 Location: Tonight... YOU!
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Re: Us
Really enjoyed this. And I was so pleased with myself that I guessed the ending almost right away. Though I kinda think it wanted us to know?
A-
_________________trixster wrote: shut the fuck up zwackerm, you're out of your fucking element trixster wrote: chippy is correct
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Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:54 pm |
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Steve
Indiana Jones IV
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 12:09 pm Posts: 1815
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Re: Us
David wrote: It is a sensational horror film and an enthralling ride: the fluidly composed and enormously suspenseful set pieces, with potent dashes of humor; the macabre and majestic original score; Lupita Nyong'o's high-wire, scenery-devouring dual performance; etc. It is a blast to absorb, to admire, to be surprised by and, in my opinion, significantly more entertaining than Get Out, which I found simultaneously decent and overpraised. To a certain degree, a meat-and-potatoes part of me couldn't help but pause and wonder, say...cool story, but who fed the rabbits and left the abandoned clones a lifetime supply of menacing shears? But I was dazzled enough to afford it a certain fairy-tale suspension of disbelief and consider it one of the most impressively staged and imaginatively conceived mainstream horror films of the last several years. Thumbs up for this review! Agree fully with all of it. (also appreciate ballsack’s insight of the social commentary). Also, I have not been this terrified by a movie in a long time. Like, seriously freaked out! Spooked beyond measure. After the theater viewing, my buddy was nice enough to come check out my empty apartment to make sure *I* wasn’t lurking in a red jumpsuit ready to kill me. I have yet to rewatch this, not super excited to (unless I have a boo to snuggle me), but it left a huge impact on me. Still one of the best films of the year.
_________________ how am I not myself?
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Thu Dec 19, 2019 10:56 pm |
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