r/flicks • • 7d ago

General Discussion What’s a movie where the first 10 minutes are pure genius, but the rest completely crashes and burns?

339 Upvotes

We have all been there. You put something on, the opening hook is an absolute masterclass in filmmaking, and you’re sitting there thinking you’re about to witness a straight-up classic. Then the second act hits, the plot flies off the rails, and by the credits you’re just angry you wasted two hours.For me, it’s Ghost Ship (2002). That opening wire scene on the cruise ship deck is legendary. Cold, shocking, and brilliant. After that? Standard, forgettable bargain-bin horror that completely throws away its best idea.What’s your ultimate example of an opening that wrote checks the rest of the film couldn't cash? Drop it below.


r/flicks • • 13d ago

Weekly Discussion Weekly Discussion: Which Movie Hooks You From the First 10 Minutes?

19 Upvotes

Welcome to this week’s discussion on r/flicks.

Some movies grab you immediately. Maybe it is the opening scene, the music, the atmosphere, or a moment that makes you need to know what happens next.

What movie had you hooked within its first 10 minutes?

Tell us the title and what made the opening work so well. It could be a slow-burn thriller, a horror movie that sets the mood perfectly, or a film that throws you straight into the story.

Let us know if the rest of the movie lives up to that opening, too. Keep it civil and use spoiler warnings when needed.


r/flicks • • 6h ago

Best special effects on a movie before CGI?

28 Upvotes

I'd say American Werefolf In London's transformation scene is most iconic (I just wish they'd used the distant shot of the full werewolf post-transformation.. It's awesome! It can be seen on the DVDs 'Extras')

Terminator, Alien, King Kong, Jason & The Argonaughts, Childplay are also in my top ten. What are the most impressive practical SFX you've ever seen? I despise CGI.. We need a new generation of legends like Rick Baker, Stan Winston & Ray Harryhausen.


r/flicks • • 2h ago

Movie Discussion Whiplash: the 'rushing or dragging' scene doesn't require you to hear the mistake Spoiler

3 Upvotes

You can follow that scene without knowing whether Fletcher's criticism is musically fair. He stops Andrew, starts him again, says he's rushing, then dragging. Soon even answering a question looks dangerous.

I like how much of the tension lives in those tiny gaps before Andrew answers. If you can't hear the difference yourself, you're stuck looking to Fletcher for a verdict, which is a horrible position to be in. The man making everyone panic is also the person deciding whether they're doing it right.

I'd be interested in a musician's take on that scene, especially what you notice in Andrew's playing before the confrontation takes over.


r/flicks • • 16h ago

General Discussion What movie has the most realistic sibling relationship?

14 Upvotes

Not the perfect movie siblings who always get along. I mean the ones who roast each other, argue over nothing, but still show up when it matters.Which movie got that relationship right?


r/flicks • • 2h ago

General Discussion any young latinos like docs here?

1 Upvotes

hello! i’m a researcher working with a documentary production company based in la. we’re currently looking to interview latino participants between the ages of 16-25 for a study to see how young people choose to watch films online/via streaming. if you know of anybody who would be interested, please let me know so i can add them to our list! thanks so much!


r/flicks • • 13h ago

Movie Discussion Question about Clayface (minor spoilers) Spoiler

3 Upvotes

Matt gets disfigured by Szabo after Matt sleeps with Szabo's girlfriend Mia. Szabo and his crew then go about destroying Matt's reputation and part of this includes Mia giving an interview where she cries crocodile tears and implies that Matt roofied her, which we the audience know to be a lie.

I've seen some people on X arguing about whether it is ethically sound to include such a plot point in the movie and whether or not it was executed well. I'm curious to see what everyone here thinks about it.


r/flicks • • 1d ago

General Discussion The Remains Of The Day is incredible

132 Upvotes

I watched this film for the first time last night and I've been thinking about it all day today. So devastatingly heartbreaking but in a brilliantly understated way. I really appreciate that it treats us the viewer with respect and trusts us to be able to read between the lines and see the real story thats happening and not spoonfeed it to us - the story that's not being told in any explicit words. Yes there is a "plot" so to speak about Lord Darlington trying to get Britain to side with Hitler that makes for a blurb but thats really almost a sideshow to the real story of the film which is what is going on between Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson and the tragedy of living life in servitude to somebody else and being effectively institutionalised. All this could only have been pulled off with the most phenomenally talented actors who could convey this with the tiniest, mostle subtle facial expressions and mannerisms and Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson give two of the most incredible, nuanced performances you could ever hope to see. The supporting cast all brought their A game too. 10/10 in my eyes and I'm already looking forward to watching it again


r/flicks • • 15h ago

Question Movies that nail the ending but feel rushed getting there?

4 Upvotes

I've noticed a pattern where a film will have this perfect final act that makes everything click into place, but the middle section feels like it's just trudging through plot to get there. Like the ending retroactively makes you appreciate what came before, but in the moment you're kind of just waiting. Does that happen to anyone else, or am I just impatient?


r/flicks • • 1d ago

Opinion Clayface is good!

28 Upvotes

This movie is definitely what we need more of in regards to big franchise type comic book based movies. This one in particular is really good!

And I'm just glad it actually gives us a villain instead of some anti-hero when originally he's always been villainous in some way, and while his story is tragic and all, he still is a villain.

There's lots to praise! The cast, acting from everyone, the story, the utter badassery in certain spots, the body horror effects, definitely a damn good movie that I hope succeeds at the box office


r/flicks • • 1d ago

General Discussion Did anybody notice the references to Vertigo in the film You Can See Everything? Spoiler

21 Upvotes

Just watched You Can See Everything last night. I'm familiar with the Elizabeth Holmes story, and it blew me away. Definitely the best documentary I've ever watched.

What struck me as so unbelievable is the very cinematic shots Nathan Fielder achieved in Holmes' home. I hardly ever see that in a documentary. It is definitely one-of-a-kind in that way. I felt like I was watching a recreation of a documentary. The slow zoom in/zoom out, the shots where a character would be darkly lit against a bright, monochromatic background, the eerie music, etc. all reminded me of watching Vertigo.


r/flicks • • 2d ago

New Release Wildwood looks absolutely unreal and nobody is tracking it yet

80 Upvotes

I just saw the previews for Laika's upcoming stop motion animation Wildwood and it is insane! Their animation is insane. They are creating insane sets and puppets and I am honestly mind blown by how good it looks. It is like Laika is throwing everything they have into this movie. The world building and character detail is insane and it has that same vibe of Coraline. It takes years to make a stop motion animation, so I think when Laika drops this out of nowhere, it deserves to be way more hyped up than it is getting right now.Who else is hyped for this movie? I think it has a chance to top Coraline and Kubo.


r/flicks • • 1d ago

Recommendation What movies should I watch this Halloween?

9 Upvotes

I’m looking for some good Halloween movies to watch! Horror, psychological thrillers, supernatural movies, or anything that will keep me up at night. 💀


r/flicks • • 22h ago

Question Is Dead poet's society Worth it or not???

0 Upvotes

I don't have much time rn as I have my preboards going on but I am really really bored so should I watch "Dead poet's society" Or not???


r/flicks • • 2d ago

Michael (2026) was just so awful. Felt like a live-action reenactment of a Behind the Music episode.

53 Upvotes

I don't really understand those who loved this movie. It's well produced, it's a reenactment of how the music videos and the performances were shot but the movie is so sanitized that I couldn't take most of it seriously.

Michael Jackson is made out to be a effeminate man-child who daydreams about being Peter Pan. People who met MJ said that the Whispery Femme personal was all a act, that he wasn't like that in private.

The movie doesn't address the disturbing stuff and tones down the physical abuse committed by the dad. Bubbles was CGI. The monkey from Primate looked more realistic.

This belonged on the TV One Channel. And a better Michael Jackson biopic was made in the early 90s with Angela Bassett.


r/flicks • • 2d ago

Movie Discussion Catch Me If You Can: even the opening titles were made with stamps

6 Upvotes

The little figures in the opening weren't just drawn to look handmade. Kuntzel + Deygas made them with hand-carved rubber stamps, animated them on paper, then combined them with computer-made backgrounds.

That's such a neat choice for a film about forged paperwork. The designers were working with something that could belong in Frank's toolkit. The title sequence is already in on the con.

They explain the process, with photos of the stamps, in this Art of the Title interview.


r/flicks • • 2d ago

What do you think is the most overrated acting performance?

26 Upvotes

I know this is an unpopular opinion but for me, it would be Austin Butler as Elvis

I thought he did an okay job in an okay movie and will never understand why the media obsessed over him for like a year. What I thought was ridiculous was when he claimed he needed a dialect coach to go back to using his regular speaking voice.

First of all, no you didn't, Austin. Second of all, you look ridiculous saying that when countless British actors do flawless American accents all the time and don't say that. Butler got so high on his own fumes that he convinced himself that he and Elvis' souls fused together or something.

Thirdly....he sounded more like a Vegas Elvis impersonator/Johnny Bravo than the real guy. Elvis' voice wasn't that exaggerated 24/7, even in private conversations behind closed doors.


r/flicks • • 1d ago

What are your thoughts on DC’s Clayface?

1 Upvotes

As someone who feels the Marvel formula has gotten stale, I admire the ambition of DC releasing a comic book movie that felt less like a comic book movie, and more like a body horror film with barely any ties to the mythology. However, the execution left a lot to be desired, and it got me thinking of a quote Christopher Nolan said about The Odyssey.

According to Nolan, it was important for him to use practical effects for the supernatural elements, because he wanted those moments to feel totally consistent with the practical-based effects of screens like the ship scenes. It’s an approach that worked incredibly well. The thing that frustrated me about Clayface is that it spends 90% of it’s runtime immersing us in a grounded, gritty version of Gotham, and then loses all of that grit during it’s transformation scenes, which are CGI heavy and are evocative of PS3 cutscenes. Here is my review of the movie if you’re curious about more.

For those who watched it, what did you think about the movie?


r/flicks • • 1d ago

Recommendation Servant (Spoilers) Spoiler

1 Upvotes

I’m 9 episodes into the first season of Servant and its fucking juicy. To be frank it isn’t my kind of show. But fuck is it good. The writing is very interesting. The end of every episode leaves you with questions and wanting for more. The show is extremely aesthetic, and the shots are noticeable and distinct. What I’m trying to say is that the screen looks good.

Fuck is the acting good. The scene where Julian(Rupert Grint) is down stairs smashing the pot with a rolling pin screaming “Baby! Where are you baby!” What an actor. Ron Weasley is a fucking actor. And his comedy is spot on. When he comes into the gaf, with Natalie chirping about her promise to never go to a church again. Only to end up at Jericho’s baptism on her knees, pretending to pray and he quips back "There's a special place in hell for the both of us” or something along those lines. The laughs were devastating. Servant is a fucking show mate.

I think my favourite scene acting wise is in the first episode where for the first time we get a proper close up of Dorothy, Sean, and Leanne’s faces and off the jump something about Dorothy’s expressions was jarring to me. It was disturbing in a good way, from her expressions alone I could tell that there was something wrong with the woman. The question being what?

When Sean goes to the crib, drapes Jericho from his crib by the foot! Bashes the baby's head against the rail, and sits in the hallway cradling his son crying. I had to run that shit back three times before I clocked it. Rahhh, this baby is a DOLL! WTF?

What was brilliant to me was the revelation that Dorothy is under the delusion that this doll is her actual son. Because it explains why I found Dorothy so jarring. Something is wrong with her. Simple. The yat had lost her mind. So, while this was a shocking reveal, the shock was softened by the fact that as a viewer, you already know there’s something crazy about her.

Leanne, acting like the doll’s a real baby, while Dorothy’s out and about, and not around? I would hate to be Sean in this situation because my wife is obviously a lost cause. And now I have this weirdo in my house looking after my fake son so that my real wife can fall further into her delusion??? What is going on in my house!? Episode 10 better come with the fire because I need to watch it and immediately jump into season 2 because it's too juicy. And I can't help myself.


r/flicks • • 2d ago

Review Menace II Society vs Boyz in the Hood

0 Upvotes

I just recently watches these both classics again back to back. After 20 years and about watching both these movies for about of 20 - 30 times each. I got to say that my perspective has finally changed.

When I first watched these movies in the 90's I was just a teenage going through this era and real life phases, I related more to Boyz in the Hood back then as Menace II Society, I was more dark but real.

After all these years I final have changed my perspective and now think that Menace II Society is actually the better movie, although it was as rushed plot and movie sequence, the reality of what rhe movie portrayed is what makes it standout. Boyz in rhe Hood is more slow paced movie and has a more in depth role play of the main character Ricky's life however when it comes down to reality Menace II Society will always be the winner.

What amazes me is that now at 40 years old living free and happy these movies guided me and taught me not to make stupid decisions by taking people ls lives. I had many valid reasons to end many peoples lives over the years of my life, but I chose restraint and tolerance although it make me appear weak, but I always thought about my decision and the consequences of my actions. Now 20 years later I am happy to be alive and have made it out the hood and lived a successful life as a free man my entire life. Sometimes I do think how it would feel if I acted on impulse like and deleted people from this world, I often feel it would make me feel so much better if I had done this or that, and sometimes I do wish i did stand my ground and make a bold statement, but I do not regret my decisions thus far although it made me seem weak in the eyes of uneducated ignorant peers. While I was out, they where locked up, while I was alive they were dead, so that is a soft cushion for my mind to lean on knowing that I ddo the right thing and made my parents and God proud of who I am and have become. I am now a man of God and it is only through God's love, mercy and guidance I am where I am and who I am today.

What are your thoughts on these movies and did it have an impact on your life in anyway growing up?


r/flicks • • 2d ago

Hot Take Freddy The Chicken

0 Upvotes

Freddy dancing like a chicken for Tommy Dixion is hands down one of the funniest, most disturbing scenes on the silver screen. It starts off wildly, addictively entertaining, like a drug that I couldn’t get enough of. And I fucking love to laugh so the scene was doing bits for me. But it didn’t stop. The absurdity becomes more and more demanding until the balance between comedy and humiliation is broken. It’s one of the only scenes of a movie or show that made me feel like I was in the room watching Freddy being absolutely humiliated, relishing in it, and enjoying his pain because he deserved it. Until he didn’t and I felt disgusted. At what I was watching and at myself. And I was fucking hooked like a stripper turned hooker. I loved every part of that entire experience. The Gentleman is a fucking show.


r/flicks • • 3d ago

What is a great film you’ve seen on a flight that you otherwise would have never chosen to watch?

66 Upvotes

These do not have to masterpieces or even critically acclaimed. I’m talking about movies that actually made your flight go by quicker and surprised you because you would have never given them the time of day in any other situation.


r/flicks • • 3d ago

General Discussion What movie gets better when you stop rooting for the main character?

126 Upvotes

Some movies become way more interesting when you stop treating the main character as someone you are supposed to root for and start seeing them as the problem.Which movie changed for you once you looked at the main character differently? Tell us the movie and what made you see it in a new light.


r/flicks • • 2d ago

Dark franchises

0 Upvotes

This is real based on film 1000565 huntley films archives bikinis on the beach margret leigh was a actress who starred in that film who played in the windmill girls as well as dark 1930


r/flicks • • 3d ago

General Discussion Subtitles that get to the punchline before the actor

14 Upvotes

A long subtitle can make a comedian's dramatic pause feel very strange. You've read the punchline, but they're still getting there.

I'd happily read two shorter captions if it kept the reveal in the right place. Curious if anyone has a good example of subtitles preserving a joke's timing, especially when the translated word order makes that difficult.