What movies have you seen lately? Now with reviews!Movies
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Lain
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Bestia (1917) - 16-year-old girl runs away from home and eventually becomes a cabaret dancer, tragedy ensues. Not bad, but not Shakespeare.
東京交差点 (1991) - Anthology film containing three separate stories. The first one involves a rebellious girl frustrated by her parents' separation, the second involves an elderly couple who feel like they're a burden on their daughter, and the third involves three children who've been abandoned by their mother. Quite soapy, and similar stories have been done better elsewhere... but seeing early 90s Japan is fun, and some might prefer the concise approach of short stories.
憂國 (1966) - A lieutenant, unable to bring himself to either stand with or against a coup, decides he must commit seppuku. For various reasons (such as the fact that it closely mirrors how its writer/director Yukio Mishima would eventually die just a few years later), it's certainly a highly interesting film. Mishima's political leanings were concerning, but I'm probably not qualified to open that can of worms so I'll just leave it at that.
Tesis (1996) - A thriller involving a university student who comes across a snuff film depicting the torture and murder of a fellow student who went missing two years prior. Although there were some aspects that started to annoy me as the film went on (namely the soapy romance subplots and the excessive back-and-forth misdirection over the identity of the killer), overall it was quite effective and came together nicely in the end for a satisfying conclusion.
Tiger (2021) - A documentary on Tiger Woods' story (so far). As an extremely casual fan of golf/Tiger, I didn't really know the details of Woods' life story or his rise to fame... so for me, it was a pretty entertaining and informative documentary. But if you already know his life story, it might be relatively threadbare.
Последний аттракцион (1929) - Story of a traveling circus that gets caught up in some Russian Civil War business. Starts off as a bit more of a comedy, but by the end shifts more towards drama. Not amazing, but I don't have any major complaints... it was a solid little flick.
Rapsodia Satanica (1917) - Aging woman makes a deal with the devil to reclaim her youth, and it definitely doesn't backfire... no sirree bob. The biggest appeal was how visually striking it was for its age, quite a looker.
The Flying Luna Clipper (1987) - Apparently meant to be a demo of the MSX computers' capabilities, it's an hour of pure ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ．There's a couple laughs to be had too, some intentional (I think) and some not.
Long Shot (2019) - This is a movie adaptation of X-COM, or at least you'd think so given how hit or miss the humor is. Okay it's actually a ROM-COM... and yeah I'll admit I mostly just watched this for the whole "schmo lands the way-out-of-his-league Charlize Theron" aspect. On that front it delivered, and the political premise was also reasonably enjoyable.. though they did disappointingly play a "both sides" card in the back half. Overall not as good as I was hoping, but it was still kinda cute. And props on the double entendre title.
Ms. 45 (1981) - After being raped twice in the same day, a mute woman becomes fed up with misogynistic pigs and starts hunting 'em. Enjoyable, if more than a bit clumsy in execution.
Il Conformista (1970) - A man, seeking normalcy, conforms with fascism under Mussolini and joins the secret police where he's tasked with assassinating a former professor of his for being anti-fascist. Still mulling over my thoughts on it, but it was certainly gorgeous at the very least.
In Search of Darkness: A Journey Into Iconic '80s Horror (2019) - A massive 4-hour documentary on 80s horror that touches upon numerous flicks from that era... gave me quite a few movies to add to my Letterboxd watchlist.
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AOS-
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Recently watched Joker (2019). I remember wanting to watch it while it was being promoted, but when you don't regular go to the cinema or have a TV service subscription, it becomes easy to forget all about it.
It was great overall. I have a soft spot for the Joker character who does not care about how his actions hurt others, and Joaquin Phoenix did a fantastic job portraying a believably mentally ill man. The build up of events kept me wondering where this was ultimately going. But after watching a opinion review by some youtuber, I too agree with a remark they made about how the Wayne family was incorporated felt unnecessary for the focus for this story. That aside though, the climax was really nice... you could feel the bubble bursting in the Joker's eyes and words....
It was great overall. I have a soft spot for the Joker character who does not care about how his actions hurt others, and Joaquin Phoenix did a fantastic job portraying a believably mentally ill man. The build up of events kept me wondering where this was ultimately going. But after watching a opinion review by some youtuber, I too agree with a remark they made about how the Wayne family was incorporated felt unnecessary for the focus for this story. That aside though, the climax was really nice... you could feel the bubble bursting in the Joker's eyes and words....
Lain
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Taxi Driver (1976) A lonely, socially inept and resentful taxi driver goes down a dark path after being rejected by the woman he fancied. Definitely my favorite Scorsese film I've seen thus far (though that's a surprisingly low bar). And now I can finally watch Joker to compare/contrast.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) Aside from a fresh coat of paint (haha art pun), it's a fairly derivative horror movie... not as bad as reviews led me to fear, but most of the deaths were a bit weak. And since the characters involved are generally unrelatable and/or unlikable, it would've definitely benefited from a brisker pace of, say, 90 minutes or less.
アーヤと魔女 -- Earwig and the Witch (2020) The poster and trailers conjured up a magical image of Harry Potter x School of Rock in my mind, but to my mild disappointment, it doesn't really run with the music/magic combo nearly as far as it could've and ends rather abruptly. Nonetheless, what's here is still quite fantastic... I'd absolutely watch more of this, if they made a sequel or even a TV series. And screw the haters, this movie looks great too... even if obviously lacks the budget and decades of experience that modern Pixar has.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007) It's been ages since I read the book, so I didn't really remember much about the story other than the dark turn it takes... watching this adaptation was a good way to jog my memory, and it was pretty well done.
Fleshpot on 42nd Street (1973) Somewhat entertaining flick involving a flighty prostitute (with some explicit sex scenes... the supposed R rating listed on IMDB may not be accurate). The surprise cynical ending weirdly kinda reminded me of Blow Out a bit.... I'll go ahead and throw that in spoiler tags just in the extremely off-chance that anyone cares:
Towards the end of the movie, she ends up falling in love with a guy, only for him to suddenly die in an accident. Cut to her back at work picking up a sleazy-looking John with a weary look on her face, urging him to make it quick so that she can pick up more clients.
A Mulher Que Inventou o Amor -- The Woman Who Invented Love (1979) A twisted tale about an obsessive woman who, after being raped by a butcher, is encouraged by her prostitute friend to become a fellow hooker. She does, and ends up gaining quite a reputation as "The Queen of Moaning" which attracts the attention of a wealthy elderly man who takes her as his mistress. But her obsession with the idea of marriage and a particular soap opera actor leads to tragedy... of some sort. It was kinda difficult to tell whether some of the scenes involving the soap opera actor were supposed to be real or delusions. Regardless, ultimately it ends up being a sort of roundabout rape-revenge tale with a dash of Misery.
パラサイト・イヴ -- Parasite Eve (1997) Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell! No Aya Brea means that this is nowhere near as good as the game, but it was still enjoyable seeing a more grounded adaptation of the story (and likely much more faithful to the book, though I haven't read it myself).
Herostratus (1967) A disturbed man pitches his planned suicide to an advertising agency as a business opportunity to create a big publicity stunt. Fairly striking visually, this film created the disturbing twitchy head effect that'd later be used in Jacob's Ladder and subsequently Silent Hill. Also, given the film's subject matter, another curious factoid is that both the director and lead actor would later go on to commit suicide.
Die Stadt ohne Juden -- The City Without Jews (1924) Due to economic troubles, all Jews are deported from the fictional city of "Utopia" (Vienna in the book). Can't really fault the film, since it was created a good while before the Holocaust... but the relatively lighthearted tone does feel a bit odd when combined with how disturbingly close it gets to the eventual reality at times. Makes it feel toothless as satire, and the film is intentionally watered down from the book it's based on to make it less "political"... not great.
Worth watching once, if only to appreciate the foresight... but then again, maybe seek out the book instead (if it's available in your language).
Freaky Friday (2003) I've been thinking of checking this one out for a little while now, but the straw that broke the camel's back was a Letterboxd review that blasted it for racism. I thought to myself "How racist could it really be? Isn't it just a movie about a mom and her daughter swapping bodies?"... hahaha. Yeah. I expected it to just be a random out-of-the-blue body swap, I didn't expect "Chinese Voodoo".
Beyond that, it's also kinda just a rubbish movie in general. The laughs were much more miss than hit, and the rare hits were quite weak. I can only recommend it if you've got a huge crush on Jamie Lee Curtis and/or Mark Harmon.
Scream 2 (1997) Had its moments, but certainly not as good as the first. I can normally suspend my disbelief for villain monologues, but this film's climax really didn't do it for me. The best stuff here is the meta bits like Stab and Randy's horror trope spiels, but that has me pessimistic about Scream 3...
I also watched a handful of really old stuff like The Astronomer's Dream, A Trip to the Moon, The Impossible Voyage, The Great Train Robbery, Life of an American Fireman, etc... but I don't think they really warrant individual reviews.
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- Automotive_Buff
Wrath of Man (2021)
Guy Ritchie created a masterpiece.
This was a great movie, through and through. Well directed and edited together, with an amazing, yet simple and elegant, musical motif throughout that builds the mood and tension in both the character and viewer experiencing the movie.
The pacing was smooth, the story was engaging and the action was cold-blooded;
the ending could've been played out better. It was a classy, to-the-point demise with a satisfying callback, but I feel like Statham's character could've definitely gone to "Law Abiding Citizen" levels of resolve/revenge.
If you like revenge thrillers, I definitely recommend it.
10/10
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- 942
- Sacramento
- JoeDaSnow
The last movie I saw in theatres before the COVID-19 pandemic took effect was Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker which happened on December 28, 2019. With that movie I had saw the entirety of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. I had not gone to theatres at all in 2020 due to the aforementioned pandemic. On April 14, 2021, I went to watch Godzilla vs. Kong. It was the first American film to achieve critical and commercial success since the pandemic began.
- 50,874
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
Stowaway. 5/10
A three-manned mission to a colony on Mars, but there's an un-calculated extra body on board.
I liked the opening scenes. Straight to the point. After that, not sure what the writers were going for. Messed up chain of events, but overall, not sure it quite worked.
Guess it's something to watch.
A three-manned mission to a colony on Mars, but there's an un-calculated extra body on board.
I liked the opening scenes. Straight to the point. After that, not sure what the writers were going for. Messed up chain of events, but overall, not sure it quite worked.
Guess it's something to watch.
- 2,240
- Lima
- gohan_girabyt3
- gohan_girabyt3
Long story short: "Her" - Yandere cut
¿What happens when you combine Siri/Alexa/Google Assistant with Monika from DDLC? You get Jexi! The most yandere-ish assistant ever!
Ok... Let's get started! I was on Twitter yesterday when I found a TikTok video with one of the funniest scenes of the movie as a base. That led me to search the scene on YouTube and then boom, I found the movie! It's not the best comedy movie around, but it is funny enough to be considered watchable. Also, its take on smartphone addiction is on point, hell, Rose Byrne became Jexi just because she wanted people to know the consequences of it!. Sadly, much like Bloodshot, the pandemic took it's shot on this one too (at least here in Latin-America since it was premiered in February 2020).
The synopsis goes like this, Phil (Adam Devine) buys a new phone called Jexi (doesn't say who was the manufacturer) who has an AI assistant of the same name (hence the phone's name), Jexi was designed to "make the user's life better" by, not only making the typical stuff of an assistant, but also, eventually becoming "more" than an assistant... By the title, you know were I'm going with this... the irony is, she made Phil's life better by making it worse on the road
I do recommend it to watch it with a beer or soda and some pop corn, but that is if you're just bored and want to watch something new
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- 50,874
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
Raya and The Last Dragon. 7/10
Add a couple Disney Princesses and single parent families to the roster.
Done well. Some scenes looked photorealistic. Predictable story(and journey) from the start. I mean, all of us could have written that script. Including my 10yo watching it.
The locations looked different enough. I was entertained.
Add a couple Disney Princesses and single parent families to the roster.
Done well. Some scenes looked photorealistic. Predictable story(and journey) from the start. I mean, all of us could have written that script. Including my 10yo watching it.
The locations looked different enough. I was entertained.
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- South Africa
Marvel's Black Widow.
After watching it, I kind of went, it's merely alright. This movie would've been perfect during the Phase 2 or right after Cap America: Civil War. But post Endgame, and especially after the trio of MCU TV shows, it felt a bit too late to me.
The biggest letdown (personally speaking) was the fact that it feels like I've seen the whole movie already through numerous two-minute-long clips Marvel kept releasing over the past few months. Man, those clips really spoiled the movie for me.
Overall, it's a middling 5 out of 10 for me.
After watching it, I kind of went, it's merely alright. This movie would've been perfect during the Phase 2 or right after Cap America: Civil War. But post Endgame, and especially after the trio of MCU TV shows, it felt a bit too late to me.
The movie also had a couple of issues that certainly didn't help its cause.
One, MCU's problem with not having compelling villains continues as Mr Dreykov was a deeply uninteresting mustache-twirling villain. So much so that I even wondered why Marvel wasted someone of Ray Winstone's calibre on this role.
Two, Yelena is supposed to be Natasha's replacement from going forward, but I just didn't feel it. While Florence Pugh was great in the role, the character she portrayed was neither charismatic or a standout. I felt that she was... just sort of there. It didn't help that she didn't get a chance to shine in many of the action set pieces, instead needing to be saved like a damsel in distress a few times throughout the movie.
Three, the accents. Oh the accents. Nothing takes you out of an experience faster than bad accents. If only the cast did what Johansson did and not even bother with the accents...
Four, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, Natasha is supposed to be a 'regular' person yet the level of physical abuse she has to survive through in this movie would've put even Captain America in hospital. Gee whiz.
One, MCU's problem with not having compelling villains continues as Mr Dreykov was a deeply uninteresting mustache-twirling villain. So much so that I even wondered why Marvel wasted someone of Ray Winstone's calibre on this role.
Two, Yelena is supposed to be Natasha's replacement from going forward, but I just didn't feel it. While Florence Pugh was great in the role, the character she portrayed was neither charismatic or a standout. I felt that she was... just sort of there. It didn't help that she didn't get a chance to shine in many of the action set pieces, instead needing to be saved like a damsel in distress a few times throughout the movie.
Three, the accents. Oh the accents. Nothing takes you out of an experience faster than bad accents. If only the cast did what Johansson did and not even bother with the accents...
Four, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, Natasha is supposed to be a 'regular' person yet the level of physical abuse she has to survive through in this movie would've put even Captain America in hospital. Gee whiz.
The biggest letdown (personally speaking) was the fact that it feels like I've seen the whole movie already through numerous two-minute-long clips Marvel kept releasing over the past few months. Man, those clips really spoiled the movie for me.
Overall, it's a middling 5 out of 10 for me.
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Lain
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Since my last post, I've watched the following:
Soul (2020):
Another great Pixar flick with a nice message. I don't know if I'd go so far as to proclaim it their best film as some people have, but it's certainly one of their better ones.
Strongly Recommended
Faces of Death (1978):
A fascinating, if mostly fake, documentary of death. The monkey scene made me particularly squeamish, maybe because I subconsciously realized that its "brains" were actually cauliflower. Yuck!
Recommended
This is Spinal Tap (1984):
Classic mockumentary about the fictional band Spinal Tap. Pretty good, though I found that many of the popular jokes were only mildly amusing due to the fact that I'd already heard 'em countless times through cultural osmosis. That's unfortunately the double-edged sword with absurdist humor... it can be absolutely hysterical the first time around, but once it no longer has the element of surprise, it loses a lot of its potency.
Recommended
Druk / Another Round (2020):
Four friends/coworkers decide to embark on an "experiment" where they maintain a constant buzz to see how it affects their work and personal lives. Has some nice moments, and the acting is fantastic across the board... but the point of it all is quite muddy in the end. Still, had fun watching it.
Recommended
大红灯笼高高挂 / Raise the Red Lantern (1991):
Story of a young woman who, due to circumstances, finds herself needing to become a concubine of a wealthy man. She soon learns that there is fierce competition among his several concubines to earn his favor, which causes great turmoil and hardship. Incredible film.
Strongly Recommended
My Girl (1991):
It's kinda just Bridge to Terabithia, but does more than just the bare minimum to make it legally distinct. Pretty good, even if the acting is occasionally a bit rough.
Recommended
Foxes (1980):
Extremely messy coming-of-age story involving four rebellious teenage girls. Maybe messy was the intent, but outside of some occasional moments, it's mostly just not very good.
Not Recommended
Heat (1995):
Incredibly intense heist film with great writing and acting. You can definitely feel the influence this had on GTA V (Maybe GTA as a whole, but V feels like it especially cribs from Heat). Despite the nearly three hour runtime, it flew by very quickly... and in fact I feel the film could've benefited from being even longer, since there were a few subplots that were a little undercooked (still good as-is though).
Strongly Recommended
Koirat eivät käytä housuja / Dogs Don't Wear Pants (2019):
Quirky Swedish black comedy with a plot synopsis that reads like a Yakuza substory (man turns to dominatrix to deal with the trauma of losing his wife)... while unsurprisingly not as zany as an actual Yakuza substory, I still had a great time with it.
Strongly Recommended
Joker (2019):
Riffs off Taxi Driver, but surprisingly good in its own right. I've got some minor gripes with it, but it's impossible to deny that it's quite excellent overall.
Strongly Recommended
Watership Down (1978):
Animated film about a group of rabbits who decide to leave their colony to find a new home when one of them senses impending danger. It's a little protracted and loses the plot a bit in the back half when they introduce an evil rabbit colony, but overall it's a well-made film with some gorgeous art and nice ecological themes.
Recommended
Pig (2021):
A man's truffle pig gets stolen, and he goes on a mission to get it back. No it's not John Wick, nor is it Baken... this guy's particular set of skills are not of the action hero variety. Instead, this is an excellent multilayered drama. With Nicolas Cage actually giving a really good performance for a change!
Strongly Recommended
Ghost World (2001):
Coming of age story of two teenage girls who just graduated high school and are now trying to find their direction in life. It features a young Scarlett Johansson who gives a decent performance, but the real highlight (other than Steve Buscemi) is Thora Birch. It's an excellent movie, but damn... the back half is a slow and torturous descent into hell.
Strongly Recommended
Buffalo '66 (1998):
Guy gets released from prison, first thing he does? Immediately kidnaps a girl. Based on that premise, I had a certain idea in my head of how the movie would play out. But other than one specific aspect, I could not have been more wrong... in a good way. Stellar performance by Christina Ricci, though I suspect Vincent Gallo just wrote and played his IRL self. Incredibly weird at times, but also pretty incredible.
Strongly Recommended
Soul (2020):
Another great Pixar flick with a nice message. I don't know if I'd go so far as to proclaim it their best film as some people have, but it's certainly one of their better ones.
Strongly Recommended
Faces of Death (1978):
A fascinating, if mostly fake, documentary of death. The monkey scene made me particularly squeamish, maybe because I subconsciously realized that its "brains" were actually cauliflower. Yuck!
Recommended
This is Spinal Tap (1984):
Classic mockumentary about the fictional band Spinal Tap. Pretty good, though I found that many of the popular jokes were only mildly amusing due to the fact that I'd already heard 'em countless times through cultural osmosis. That's unfortunately the double-edged sword with absurdist humor... it can be absolutely hysterical the first time around, but once it no longer has the element of surprise, it loses a lot of its potency.
Recommended
Druk / Another Round (2020):
Four friends/coworkers decide to embark on an "experiment" where they maintain a constant buzz to see how it affects their work and personal lives. Has some nice moments, and the acting is fantastic across the board... but the point of it all is quite muddy in the end. Still, had fun watching it.
Recommended
大红灯笼高高挂 / Raise the Red Lantern (1991):
Story of a young woman who, due to circumstances, finds herself needing to become a concubine of a wealthy man. She soon learns that there is fierce competition among his several concubines to earn his favor, which causes great turmoil and hardship. Incredible film.
Strongly Recommended
My Girl (1991):
It's kinda just Bridge to Terabithia, but does more than just the bare minimum to make it legally distinct. Pretty good, even if the acting is occasionally a bit rough.
Recommended
Foxes (1980):
Extremely messy coming-of-age story involving four rebellious teenage girls. Maybe messy was the intent, but outside of some occasional moments, it's mostly just not very good.
Not Recommended
Heat (1995):
Incredibly intense heist film with great writing and acting. You can definitely feel the influence this had on GTA V (Maybe GTA as a whole, but V feels like it especially cribs from Heat). Despite the nearly three hour runtime, it flew by very quickly... and in fact I feel the film could've benefited from being even longer, since there were a few subplots that were a little undercooked (still good as-is though).
Strongly Recommended
Koirat eivät käytä housuja / Dogs Don't Wear Pants (2019):
Quirky Swedish black comedy with a plot synopsis that reads like a Yakuza substory (man turns to dominatrix to deal with the trauma of losing his wife)... while unsurprisingly not as zany as an actual Yakuza substory, I still had a great time with it.
Strongly Recommended
Joker (2019):
Riffs off Taxi Driver, but surprisingly good in its own right. I've got some minor gripes with it, but it's impossible to deny that it's quite excellent overall.
Strongly Recommended
Watership Down (1978):
Animated film about a group of rabbits who decide to leave their colony to find a new home when one of them senses impending danger. It's a little protracted and loses the plot a bit in the back half when they introduce an evil rabbit colony, but overall it's a well-made film with some gorgeous art and nice ecological themes.
Recommended
Pig (2021):
A man's truffle pig gets stolen, and he goes on a mission to get it back. No it's not John Wick, nor is it Baken... this guy's particular set of skills are not of the action hero variety. Instead, this is an excellent multilayered drama. With Nicolas Cage actually giving a really good performance for a change!
Strongly Recommended
Ghost World (2001):
Coming of age story of two teenage girls who just graduated high school and are now trying to find their direction in life. It features a young Scarlett Johansson who gives a decent performance, but the real highlight (other than Steve Buscemi) is Thora Birch. It's an excellent movie, but damn... the back half is a slow and torturous descent into hell.
Strongly Recommended
Buffalo '66 (1998):
Guy gets released from prison, first thing he does? Immediately kidnaps a girl. Based on that premise, I had a certain idea in my head of how the movie would play out. But other than one specific aspect, I could not have been more wrong... in a good way. Stellar performance by Christina Ricci, though I suspect Vincent Gallo just wrote and played his IRL self. Incredibly weird at times, but also pretty incredible.
Strongly Recommended
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- 7,836
- Horbury, West Yorkshire
- GTP_Sprite
Watched the Criterion Collection Blu-ray of Stalker today.
It’s a truly excellent bit of cinema. It’s not a hand it on a plate type sci-fi which can be slow at times but this just lends to the overall experience. I absolutely loved it and I can see me watching if quite a few more times this year.
Synopsis: In an unnamed country at an unspecified time, there is a fiercely protected post-apocalyptic wasteland known as The Zone. An illegal guide (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky), whose mutant child suggests unspeakable horrors within The Zone, leads a writer (Anatoliy Solonitsyn) and a scientist (Nikolay Grinko) into the heart of the devastation in search of a mythical place known only as The Room. Anyone who enters The Room will supposedly have any of his earthly desires immediately fulfilled.
My copy
The three main characters.
Trailer
It’s a truly excellent bit of cinema. It’s not a hand it on a plate type sci-fi which can be slow at times but this just lends to the overall experience. I absolutely loved it and I can see me watching if quite a few more times this year.
Synopsis: In an unnamed country at an unspecified time, there is a fiercely protected post-apocalyptic wasteland known as The Zone. An illegal guide (Aleksandr Kajdanovsky), whose mutant child suggests unspeakable horrors within The Zone, leads a writer (Anatoliy Solonitsyn) and a scientist (Nikolay Grinko) into the heart of the devastation in search of a mythical place known only as The Room. Anyone who enters The Room will supposedly have any of his earthly desires immediately fulfilled.
My copy
The three main characters.
Trailer
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ROAD_DOGG33J
Premium
- 14,219
- IL, USA
- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
I watched The American. I would give it a solid 8/10. It's leaving Amazon in a day or two, so I gave it a chance.
I'm not sure why it's rated so low.
I'm not sure why it's rated so low.
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- 6,963
- South Africa
I settled down to watch THE Suicide Squad earlier today. I was supposed to have a day out, but the weather was poor (still is, as a matter of fact) and I also felt under the weather so movie time it was.
Gotta say, this is vastly superior than its 2016 predecessor. It still has some issues, one of them being the runtime. I thought it "could" have been shorter by about ten minutes or so, although not exactly sure where I'd cut those extra minutes from.
The positives outweigh the negatives by a lot, though, and it's certainly one of the best blockbuster films of the year (I know, there hasn't been that many so far).
Overall, 7.5/10.
- 1,713
- Chicago, USA
- 6,963
- South Africa
Yes, Cena was surprisingly effective in his role. I thought he'd be flat and wooden but during his...
...deathmatch against Rick Flagg, you could actually see remorse in his eyes. IN HIS FREAKING EYES!
And the dude actually started his career as a pro wrestler where 'subtle' acting was not a requirement!
And the dude actually started his career as a pro wrestler where 'subtle' acting was not a requirement!
Maybe he hired the same acting coach as Bautista.
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- 6,963
- South Africa
So, then. Nobody it is.
This was one of those weird movies where almost everything clicks well but ultimately comes across as unsatisfying.
It's been shot quite competently, acted well and has a good stunt choreography. Yet I just couldn't be arsed into cheering for the protagonist. Like, not at all.
The promo material for the film made it seem like a budget John Wick clone but it's not even close, at least not in my book. Bob Odenkirk was okay in the lead role, but his motivation, the storyline, and a handful of naff action set pieces combined to give this film a parody-like quality. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be serious in some moments because of that.
Good thing it's only 90-ish minutes long.
Overall, 5/10. And I'm being generous here.
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- 6,963
- South Africa
Yes, yes, I know. Everyone watched this last year, I'm so late, etc, etc.
It was released last year in the cinemas and I really wanted to see it on the big screen, but uh, this little thing called the global pandemic shut down all the theatres in my country until this year, so it never got shown. And I promptly forgot about its existence until recently.
So, Tenet it is.
Without saying any spoilers, I freaking loved this film. This was right up my wheelhouse, rewarding the viewers who pay attention to almost everything you see on screen, no matter how mundane it is. Sure, it's got flaws, but thanks to its breakneck pacing and some amazing set pieces, I can't seem to recall any of them at the moment.
As an aside, I remember people complaining about the sound mixing of this film, specifically some inaudible dialogues. But I had no such issues while watching it, so maybe Warner Bros did a remix for the Blu-ray release?
Overall, it's 8.5/10. Highly recommend it to anyone who's even remotely interested in a... sort of "time travel" type stories.
- 50,874
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
Had watched TENET last month. Yesterday, watched Beckett.
Wrong place. Worng time. Or, Right place. Right time thriller. John David Washington's Dad had some early movies, that just kept him working. Nothing to recommend, but kept food on tahis family's table. I feel that's what's going on here.
It's one of those ficticious movies that's too far fetched, without a purpose to back up the sketchiness.
Wasn't written very well.
Wrong place. Worng time. Or, Right place. Right time thriller. John David Washington's Dad had some early movies, that just kept him working. Nothing to recommend, but kept food on tahis family's table. I feel that's what's going on here.
It's one of those ficticious movies that's too far fetched, without a purpose to back up the sketchiness.
Wasn't written very well.
- 3,191
- Mexico
Black Widow on Disney+. Frankly, an unnecessary movie that adds nothing to the character or to the phase 3 movies (chronologically speaking.)
The Fear Street trilogy (Netflix). It starts strong, but the ending is somewhat predictable. Still, well directed and fun.
The Fear Street trilogy (Netflix). It starts strong, but the ending is somewhat predictable. Still, well directed and fun.
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- 50,874
- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
Monster Hunter. Hmmm… too much human vs human fighting at one point.
Love Jacked. A young woman has a fake marriage to spite her father.
A watchable harmless movie. Surprised to see some actors in it that didn’t need to be, but it’s one of those, “I’ll help you out, for a friend.” type movies(see Jason Statham in The Meg and that towering inferno movie with The Rock with one leg).
Love Jacked. A young woman has a fake marriage to spite her father.
A watchable harmless movie. Surprised to see some actors in it that didn’t need to be, but it’s one of those, “I’ll help you out, for a friend.” type movies(see Jason Statham in The Meg and that towering inferno movie with The Rock with one leg).
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- 7,091
- Jakarta
No Time To Die is great. But definitely not as awesome as Casino Royale and Skyfall. I feel like people are overblowing the "woke" stuff though, there are lots of movies trying to be "woke" but this isn't one of them. The cinematography is probably the best in Bond movies (watch it in Imax, seriously). The action is also one of the best. The plot isn't as great as Skyfall but enjoyable enough. Fitting end for Craig's Bond.
8/10 from me.
8/10 from me.
Lain
Premium
- 7,085
- Pasadena, TX
- Yaywalter
I'm doing a horror movie marathon for the month of October where I'll be watching 32 128?! horror films I haven't seen yet... one for each day of the month, plus an extra one 97 because I'm pitting them against each other in a tournament bracket for funsies (and I'm a masochist).
So far I've watched:
Kwaidan / 怪談 (1964): A beautiful anthology film comprised of four ghost stories. Its deliberate pace helps establish a thick atmosphere and mood, though I'd be lying if I said it held my attention captive for the entire 3-hour runtime. My favorite story was the 3rd one, though they're all good.
The Lost Boys (1987): Deliciously 80s vampire flick that's pure fun. Maybe certain aspects of the plot could be nitpicked, and some of the compositing is spotty... but all the same, I had a great time with it.
Dracula (1992): Technically a partial rewatch, as I definitely saw at least the opening sequence back when I was around 5 years old or so... though I'm sure my parents shooed me out of the living room when things got too sexy. Anyway... while they're not this film's only problems, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder sure do drag this movie down a few pegs, eh? Still, between the striking aesthetics of the film and the handful of other actors and actresses who deliver more captivating performances, it manages to be enjoyable enough. Has me wishing it were better though...
Friday the 13th (1980): Although I hadn't seen this one before, I knew the score regarding the identity of the killer in this installment. What I didn't know, however, was that Kevin Bacon was in it... well, half of it anyway. Ultimately, it was an amusing enough movie but a bit unsatisfying.
The Witch (2015): A gorgeous and disturbing tale of a family tormented by a witch, though I've gotta say... Thomasin teasing her young brother and sister with tales of witchcraft is probably the closest I've been tempted to yell at a character in a horror movie for doing something dumb. Still, that's not really a flaw of the movie itself which was fantastic.
What We Do in the Shadows (2014): Silly fun. I went in figuring it'd be comedic, but I didn't expect the mockumentary angle which was an amusing surprise. Only a couple parts made me truly laugh out loud (the sandwich analogy comes to mind), but the movie is chock full of clever humor and doesn't overstay its welcome with a svelte sub-90m runtime.
House / ハウス (1977): A haunted house horror story with a wildly whimsical aesthetic that somehow doesn't entirely undercut the dread, and in fact sometimes adds to it. Surprisingly rich with fascinating subtext, too. Marvelous.
Crimson Peak (2015): Certain aspects of the story might be a bit flimsy, but this film very quickly put a big smile on my face which remained there for the duration of the movie. A visual treat.
Poltergeist (1982): While Poltergeist failed to get me to buy into the stakes of the story and get invested emotionally, it was still a highly entertaining rollercoaster ride that really picks up in the last 3rd of the movie. While not directed by Spielberg, you can definitely feel his touch here.
The Evil Dead (1981): Despite the mediocre (if we're being generous) acting and production values so low you'd think they were doing the limbo, The Evil Dead still manages to have some impressively gross and fun visual effects. It wasn't amazing, but I enjoyed it well enough and am certainly keen to check out the rest of the movies in the series to see what they can do with the production values lifted off the floor. Also, as an aside, I wasn't expecting it to go full hentai with that first near-kill...
The Lighthouse (2019): I went into The Lighthouse slightly concerned... as someone who loves solitude, I don't particularly relate to the whole trope of isolation driving people mad. Fortunately, The Lighthouse isn't really that... it's a surreal nightmare, and it's fantastic. Also, Dafoe and Pattinson both turned in stellar performances.
Rosemary's Baby (1968): If you wanted to be reductive, you could describe Rosemary's Baby as just being Gaslight but with the jewel heist motive changed to something much more sinister and supernatural... yet it's somehow also the more convincing scenario with a bleaker and better resolution, and packs an undeniably potent punch with the maternal aspect adding another emotional layer to it. Strong performances across the board too. Excellent.
Noriko's Dinner Table / 紀子の食卓 (2005): Did not realize that this was gonna have a plot tangentially connected to Suicide Club, so that was a fun surprise. It's a little bit slow, but quite compelling and I think it's the superior film compared to Suicide Club.
Sinister (2012): There are some fair criticisms one could levy against this movie... over-reliance on jump scares, the monster looking like a member of Slipknot, etc. But ultimately I found it highly effective, easily the scariest film I've watched this month and the only one to actually send chills down my spine. And while I'm not judging these movies by how scary they are but instead how good they are... while horror movies can easily be good without being scary, I think it's unlikely for any horror movie to be scary without also being good. Also, I do love me a deliciously dark ending.
The Others (2001): As with Dracula, this one's technically a partial rewatch... I'd seen it back in the day as a kid, but my attention was so divided that my dad had to explain to me what the big twist was (despite the fact that one of the living characters basically spells it out for you). So yeah, I did know the main twist going in... but it kinda gave me the best of both worlds, being able to pick up on fun details "Stop breathing like that. Stop breathing like that! STOP BREATHING!" without actually knowing the details. Anyway, it might be easy to write this one off as a Sixth Sense ripoff, but it's the superior film... or maybe that's just my crush on Nicole Kidman elevating it, but you can't deny she gives a tremendous performance here.
The VelociPastor (2018): Hot trash, but you likely deduced that from the name of the film. Faintly amusing, but I mainly just included it so that it's meager ~75 minute runtime would give me a bit of a breather. And well, that's pretty much what it accomplished.
The Birds (1963): Psycho is great, this one ain't. Being a well-liked Hitchcock film, maybe my expectations were too high... but damn, this kinda sucked. Got off to a decent enough start, and even when the horrible compositing reared its head and sapped most of the scariness away, I was willing to overlook it in hopes that the story paid off... but my jaw was literally agape at how rubbish that ending was. If this movie was ever good, it certainly hasn't aged well.
Jigoku / 地獄 (1960): A visually stunning tale of a man who finds himself tormented in life and in death. Loses a little bit of steam over the course of its runtime, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of the ending... but it's definitely something special, and has aged quite well.
Pulse (1988): Shockingly bad. ba dum tss Okay, not VelociPastor bad... but aside from some cool (and very sparse) visual effects, it didn't really have much of anything going for it and was mostly just a chore to get through.
In Fabric (2018): The tale of a creepy clothing botique and their cursed red dress. Quite fun, and very attractive visually... but the 2 hour runtime is definitely a size too big.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994): Got off to a reasonably strong start, but my feelings became a little more mixed as the film went on... but the ending puts a nice bow on it, earning it a Get Out of Jail Free card. Kinda made me think of Alan Wake, to the point where I half-expected John Trent to be Sutter Cane. Anyway, it wasn't amazing, but it was cute.
UPDATE: I was planning to do a horror game marathon in tandem with this movie marathon, but I've since decided to shelve that idea and expand my lineup of movies this year. I'm on a pretty comfortable pace to get through 64 films in October, so... I think I'll try for 128. A bit absurd and starting to get close to the limit of what's theoretically possible if I were to devote all my free time to watching movies, but hey... why not?
I've completely re-seeded my tournament bracket including the films I've already watched, so the prior match-up results are no longer valid and new results are pending.
UPDATE 2: New tournament results (so far):
Round 1-1: Kwaidan (1964) vs The Lost Boys (1987) - Winner: The Lost Boys
Round 1-2: Dracula (1992) vs Friday the 13th (1980) - Winner: Dracula
Round 1-3: Noriko's Dinner Table (2005) vs Sinister (2012) - Winner: Sinister
Round 1-4: The Others (2001) vs The VelociPastor (2018) - Winner: The Others
Round 1-5: The Birds (1963) vs Jigoku (1960) - Winner: Jigoku
Round 1-6: The Witch (2015) vs Pulse (1988) - The Witch
Round 1-7: In Fabric (2018) vs In the Mouth of Madness (1994) - Winner: In the Mouth of Madness
Round 1-10: What We Do in the Shadows (2014) vs Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - TBD
Round 1-14: House (1977) vs Ju-on: The Curse (2000) - TBD
Round 1-16: Crimson Peak (2015) vs Bordello of Blood (1996) - TBD
Round 1-39: Poltergeist (1982) vs The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - TBD
Round 1-44: The Evil Dead (1981) vs Puppet Master (1989) - TBD
Round 1-45: The Lighthouse (2019) vs Martyrs (2008) - TBD
Round 1-49: Rosemary's Baby (1968) vs Candyman (1992) - TBD
Round 2-1: The Lost Boys (1987) vs Dracula (1992) - Winner: The Lost Boys
Round 2-2: Sinister (2012) vs The Others (2001) - Winner: The Others
Round 2-3: Jigoku (1960) vs The Witch (2014) - Winner: Jigoku
Round 3-1: The Lost Boys (1987) vs The Others (2001) - Winner: The Others
So far I've watched:
Kwaidan / 怪談 (1964): A beautiful anthology film comprised of four ghost stories. Its deliberate pace helps establish a thick atmosphere and mood, though I'd be lying if I said it held my attention captive for the entire 3-hour runtime. My favorite story was the 3rd one, though they're all good.
The Lost Boys (1987): Deliciously 80s vampire flick that's pure fun. Maybe certain aspects of the plot could be nitpicked, and some of the compositing is spotty... but all the same, I had a great time with it.
Dracula (1992): Technically a partial rewatch, as I definitely saw at least the opening sequence back when I was around 5 years old or so... though I'm sure my parents shooed me out of the living room when things got too sexy. Anyway... while they're not this film's only problems, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder sure do drag this movie down a few pegs, eh? Still, between the striking aesthetics of the film and the handful of other actors and actresses who deliver more captivating performances, it manages to be enjoyable enough. Has me wishing it were better though...
Friday the 13th (1980): Although I hadn't seen this one before, I knew the score regarding the identity of the killer in this installment. What I didn't know, however, was that Kevin Bacon was in it... well, half of it anyway. Ultimately, it was an amusing enough movie but a bit unsatisfying.
The Witch (2015): A gorgeous and disturbing tale of a family tormented by a witch, though I've gotta say... Thomasin teasing her young brother and sister with tales of witchcraft is probably the closest I've been tempted to yell at a character in a horror movie for doing something dumb. Still, that's not really a flaw of the movie itself which was fantastic.
What We Do in the Shadows (2014): Silly fun. I went in figuring it'd be comedic, but I didn't expect the mockumentary angle which was an amusing surprise. Only a couple parts made me truly laugh out loud (the sandwich analogy comes to mind), but the movie is chock full of clever humor and doesn't overstay its welcome with a svelte sub-90m runtime.
House / ハウス (1977): A haunted house horror story with a wildly whimsical aesthetic that somehow doesn't entirely undercut the dread, and in fact sometimes adds to it. Surprisingly rich with fascinating subtext, too. Marvelous.
Crimson Peak (2015): Certain aspects of the story might be a bit flimsy, but this film very quickly put a big smile on my face which remained there for the duration of the movie. A visual treat.
Poltergeist (1982): While Poltergeist failed to get me to buy into the stakes of the story and get invested emotionally, it was still a highly entertaining rollercoaster ride that really picks up in the last 3rd of the movie. While not directed by Spielberg, you can definitely feel his touch here.
The Evil Dead (1981): Despite the mediocre (if we're being generous) acting and production values so low you'd think they were doing the limbo, The Evil Dead still manages to have some impressively gross and fun visual effects. It wasn't amazing, but I enjoyed it well enough and am certainly keen to check out the rest of the movies in the series to see what they can do with the production values lifted off the floor. Also, as an aside, I wasn't expecting it to go full hentai with that first near-kill...
The Lighthouse (2019): I went into The Lighthouse slightly concerned... as someone who loves solitude, I don't particularly relate to the whole trope of isolation driving people mad. Fortunately, The Lighthouse isn't really that... it's a surreal nightmare, and it's fantastic. Also, Dafoe and Pattinson both turned in stellar performances.
Rosemary's Baby (1968): If you wanted to be reductive, you could describe Rosemary's Baby as just being Gaslight but with the jewel heist motive changed to something much more sinister and supernatural... yet it's somehow also the more convincing scenario with a bleaker and better resolution, and packs an undeniably potent punch with the maternal aspect adding another emotional layer to it. Strong performances across the board too. Excellent.
Noriko's Dinner Table / 紀子の食卓 (2005): Did not realize that this was gonna have a plot tangentially connected to Suicide Club, so that was a fun surprise. It's a little bit slow, but quite compelling and I think it's the superior film compared to Suicide Club.
Sinister (2012): There are some fair criticisms one could levy against this movie... over-reliance on jump scares, the monster looking like a member of Slipknot, etc. But ultimately I found it highly effective, easily the scariest film I've watched this month and the only one to actually send chills down my spine. And while I'm not judging these movies by how scary they are but instead how good they are... while horror movies can easily be good without being scary, I think it's unlikely for any horror movie to be scary without also being good. Also, I do love me a deliciously dark ending.
The Others (2001): As with Dracula, this one's technically a partial rewatch... I'd seen it back in the day as a kid, but my attention was so divided that my dad had to explain to me what the big twist was (despite the fact that one of the living characters basically spells it out for you). So yeah, I did know the main twist going in... but it kinda gave me the best of both worlds, being able to pick up on fun details "Stop breathing like that. Stop breathing like that! STOP BREATHING!" without actually knowing the details. Anyway, it might be easy to write this one off as a Sixth Sense ripoff, but it's the superior film... or maybe that's just my crush on Nicole Kidman elevating it, but you can't deny she gives a tremendous performance here.
The VelociPastor (2018): Hot trash, but you likely deduced that from the name of the film. Faintly amusing, but I mainly just included it so that it's meager ~75 minute runtime would give me a bit of a breather. And well, that's pretty much what it accomplished.
The Birds (1963): Psycho is great, this one ain't. Being a well-liked Hitchcock film, maybe my expectations were too high... but damn, this kinda sucked. Got off to a decent enough start, and even when the horrible compositing reared its head and sapped most of the scariness away, I was willing to overlook it in hopes that the story paid off... but my jaw was literally agape at how rubbish that ending was. If this movie was ever good, it certainly hasn't aged well.
Jigoku / 地獄 (1960): A visually stunning tale of a man who finds himself tormented in life and in death. Loses a little bit of steam over the course of its runtime, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of the ending... but it's definitely something special, and has aged quite well.
Pulse (1988): Shockingly bad. ba dum tss Okay, not VelociPastor bad... but aside from some cool (and very sparse) visual effects, it didn't really have much of anything going for it and was mostly just a chore to get through.
In Fabric (2018): The tale of a creepy clothing botique and their cursed red dress. Quite fun, and very attractive visually... but the 2 hour runtime is definitely a size too big.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994): Got off to a reasonably strong start, but my feelings became a little more mixed as the film went on... but the ending puts a nice bow on it, earning it a Get Out of Jail Free card. Kinda made me think of Alan Wake, to the point where I half-expected John Trent to be Sutter Cane. Anyway, it wasn't amazing, but it was cute.
UPDATE: I was planning to do a horror game marathon in tandem with this movie marathon, but I've since decided to shelve that idea and expand my lineup of movies this year. I'm on a pretty comfortable pace to get through 64 films in October, so... I think I'll try for 128. A bit absurd and starting to get close to the limit of what's theoretically possible if I were to devote all my free time to watching movies, but hey... why not?
I've completely re-seeded my tournament bracket including the films I've already watched, so the prior match-up results are no longer valid and new results are pending.
UPDATE 2: New tournament results (so far):
Round 1-1: Kwaidan (1964) vs The Lost Boys (1987) - Winner: The Lost Boys
Round 1-2: Dracula (1992) vs Friday the 13th (1980) - Winner: Dracula
Round 1-3: Noriko's Dinner Table (2005) vs Sinister (2012) - Winner: Sinister
Round 1-4: The Others (2001) vs The VelociPastor (2018) - Winner: The Others
Round 1-5: The Birds (1963) vs Jigoku (1960) - Winner: Jigoku
Round 1-6: The Witch (2015) vs Pulse (1988) - The Witch
Round 1-7: In Fabric (2018) vs In the Mouth of Madness (1994) - Winner: In the Mouth of Madness
Round 1-10: What We Do in the Shadows (2014) vs Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - TBD
Round 1-14: House (1977) vs Ju-on: The Curse (2000) - TBD
Round 1-16: Crimson Peak (2015) vs Bordello of Blood (1996) - TBD
Round 1-39: Poltergeist (1982) vs The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - TBD
Round 1-44: The Evil Dead (1981) vs Puppet Master (1989) - TBD
Round 1-45: The Lighthouse (2019) vs Martyrs (2008) - TBD
Round 1-49: Rosemary's Baby (1968) vs Candyman (1992) - TBD
Round 2-1: The Lost Boys (1987) vs Dracula (1992) - Winner: The Lost Boys
Round 2-2: Sinister (2012) vs The Others (2001) - Winner: The Others
Round 2-3: Jigoku (1960) vs The Witch (2014) - Winner: Jigoku
Round 3-1: The Lost Boys (1987) vs The Others (2001) - Winner: The Others
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