Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Cinema at the End of the World Edition

[member 51464]

Mafioso (1962)

Alberto Sordi plays Nino Badalamenti, a Sicilian who went north in the 50s and carved out a nice life for himself in Milano that included a "cold northerner" of a stunning blonde wife and two cute kids.

He takes his family home to visit Sicily for the first time in years for him, and first time ever for the family, in what is a bit of a light-hearted movie poking fun on Italian stereotypes.

A ways into the film, there is a well executed tonal shift and suddenly Nino is having his loyalty put to the test. Morality, family, community, what will win out?

I can highly recommend this seemingly underappreciated old Italian movie to anyone who finds the above the slightest bit interesting. It is available on criterion.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I'd call it a very slow developing year and definitely not vintage. I'm also not writing up a lot of the bad ones, like Being the Ricardos-- going more with the cream of the crop. Unless something really pisses me off.....

Put me in the ring with Aaron Sorkin and I swear I'll whoop his ass on artistic principle alone.

 

[nameless1]

Best of '21 so far

1, The Power of the Dog, Campion, New Zealnad/US
2. Drive My Car, Yamaguchi, Japan
3. Annette, Carax, France/US
4. The Cloud in Her Room, Zheng, China
5. The Hand of God, Sorrentino, Italy
6. Bergman Island, Hansen-Love, France
7. Identifying Features, Valadez, Mexico
8. Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, Jia, China (documentary)
9. Azor, Fontana, Argentina
10. Velvet Underground, Haynes, US (documentary)

I did not realize you have Azor in your top 10. I cannot seem to find the review. If it is not too much trouble, could you post it again?

I saw it at the film festival, and I only thought it was fine, but not great. It is probably around a 6.5/10 for me, and perhaps 6.75 if I am in a generous mood.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Just Mercy (Cretton, 2019) - Not a great film by any means, but a pretty interesting true story, efficiently told (and quite frustrating). I like M.B. Jordan a lot and was expecting an amazing performance (and great performances all around), but I was kind of disappointed (they're all good, just not great - normally I should have cried my eyes out on this stuff). Still better than most of the garbage I normally watch on Netflix. 5/10

 

[peate]

Cry Macho (2021) 5/10

Probably the worst film in Clint Eastwood's career. What was the point? If it wasn't for the rooster saving the day, it would score even lower.

 

[OzzyFan]

Nightmare Alley (2021)
3.10 out of 4stars

"When charming but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena and her has-been mentalist husband Pete at a traveling carnival, he believes he's found his golden ticket to success."
An excellent but imperfect modernized film noir by Del Toro here. Far and away the draw here is Cooper's turn in the main role, he hit a home run with a very intricate character for me. Blanchett is great too, albeit not eating up the screen too much, as the whole cast is solid. The set pieces are memorable and full of symbolism. The story is great, albeit I can understand people complaining it being a bit predictable in the latter half(I agree) and a bit lengthy/slow setting itself up, albeit it's slow burn is full of purpose and allure to me. Personally, I was entranced even knowing those "weaknesses". Looking into the soul of a man that's so dark and coniving internally and behind the scenes, yet on the surface so charismatic hits you so hard. The hate, fear, and desires that breed in one's heart can be so powerful. There is true horror of these types of wolves in sheeps clothing living in the world today. The ending was was pitch perfect. And seeing behind the scenes dark operations of some carnies during this time period was also a nice touch. This is a movie that will stick in my mind. Never saw the original, so can't comment on that.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
3.10 out of 4stars

"With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man."
Definitely a top 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe movie imo. For all the bad Eternals created for Marvel, SMNWH did just as much good. It's way too easy to ruin all the twists and turns in this, so there's not too much I can say and not spoil it. Obviously from the trailer it has a bunch of cameos and brings back villains from past Spiderman franchises, aka very meta. It also brings a good amount of comedy, has more serious drama than the previous 2 Holland Spiderman movies combined, comes full circle on identity, and has endless amounts of popcorn fun. I don't think everything exactly hits like they want it to, but I'll just say they threw the kitchen sink at this one to make it successful monetarily and critically.

Event Horizon (1997)
2.70 out of 4stars

"When the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that vanished years earlier, suddenly reappears, a team is dispatched to investigate the ship. Accompanied by the Event Horizon's creator, the crew of the Lewis and Clark begins to explore the seemingly abandoned vessel. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors."
Very ambitious sci-fi thriller that tries to be both visually and psychologically horrifying. It is definitely more effective in the psychological realm as the visual horror feels too over the top in style at times to me. The visual horror has very similarly borrowed ideas and use to some earlier 'classic' horror films also which hurts it, but it is solid there also. Having a similar plot to Alien hurts too. That said, it does create excellent mood but feels a bit chopped and underdeveloped in parts, alongside some cookie cutter side characters (but Fishburne and Neil were well done). A trip into the other "hell" that was teased would have been something to see for me. Apparently it was cut from 130minutes to 96, which makes me very curious to what could have been (I didn't look if that cut is in existence for public viewing somehow though, that could be interesting). Odd and uneven, yet effective sci fi horror.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

with Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, Ellen Barkin, Robert Ito, Clancy Brown, and Johnathon Banks, Dan Hedaya, Rosalind Cash and others in minor roles. Holy shit!

Weller is the titular hero Buckaroo Banzai, half-American, half-Japanese brain surgeon/particle physicist/rocket truck driver/samurai who tours with his close friends in a rock band in his spare time. Golly! While taking his rocket truck on a mach 1+ jaunt, he activates his new doohickey the overthruster, which enables things to pass through solid matter. But the evil Dr. Lizardo/John Wharfin (Lithgow) sees the news report and realizes it's his ticket to return to planet 10 in the 8th dimension with the exiled Red Lectroids, evil aliens all named John who have been at war with the Black Lectroids, not-quite-so-evil aliens who are so determined to keep their enemies from escaping, they're prepared to nuke a Soviet city to start a nuclear war! *Gasp!* It's up to Banzai and his band the Hong Kong Cavaliers to save the day and also the girl, who Banzai has recognized as the long lost twin sister of his dead wife. 80's music and skinny ties happen.

I remembered this from way, way back and I'd tried to find it for years. I mean, look at that cast and recap. f***ing look at it. How is this thing not a legend, or at least a cult classic? Well, try watching it. You have all these whack ingredients and an amazing cast...but somehow it's just lame, cheesy and boring as hell to sit through. It's trying to be cool, but it only manages to reach high school film project levels of production. Fell asleep twice watching it. It went through various levels of production hell to be made, and the result is just...not good at all. Hilariously, the end teases the viewer to come back for the next movie, Buckarood Banzai versus the World Crime League, or something. I defy any studio to take up the challenge and make that movie.

On Prime, and failing that, on VHS at some random garage sale.

We're all confused too, Jeff.

 

[nameless1]

Azor (Andreas Fontana, 2021)

When the business partner of a Swiss private banker goes missing in Argentina while closing a deal, Yvan De Wiel (Fabrizio Rongione), travels from Geneva to Buenos Aires to replace his partner. This is the 1980s in Argentina when disappearances of inconvenient people to the ultra elite was the norm. As Yvan hears more and more of the whispers of mass disappearances, and the corruption of the elite who serve as his clients in the country, he slowly becomes corrupted by these shadowy forces – or was he already corrupt? Azor is a very slow burn thriller that feels influenced by Conrad’s Heart of Darkness or a John le Carré novel but about Argentina’s Dirty War and the corrupt world of high finance. Beautifully shot and a solid performance by Rongione (who I knew I recognized but couldn’t place where from – later realized he was in a bunch of Dardenne brothers films), it’s hard to believe that this is Fontana’s first film as it is an incredibly composed and confident first feature. I highly recommend it.

I am not that high on this one. Argentina is always good at politically-driven films, especially when the subject matter is The Dirty Wars, and I like that the focus is on the rich and old-money, which is very rarely covered. Unfortunately, the execution is not quite subtle enough, so even though I do like the twist at the end, and the message is on point, I actually somewhat expected it, so the impact is lessened for me.

It is a good movie, but I cannot give it more than 6.5/10. On a more generous day, I might even push it to a 6.75, but that is the most I can give it. It is worth a watch though, with the quality that I have seen thus far.

 

[Osprey]

I remembered this from way, way back and I'd tried to find it for years. I mean, look at that cast and recap. f***ing look at it. How is this thing not a legend, or at least a cult classic? Well, try watching it. You have all these whack ingredients and an amazing cast...but somehow it's just lame, cheesy and boring as hell to sit through. It's trying to be cool, but it only manages to reach high school film project levels of production. Fell asleep twice watching it. It went through various levels of production hell to be made, and the result is just...not good at all. Hilariously, the end teases the viewer to come back for the next movie, Buckarood Banzai versus the World Crime League, or something. I defy any studio to take up the challenge and make that movie.

I watched it for the first time (that I remember) a couple of years ago and had the same reaction. I found it rather boring and lame, which surprised me because a lot of people call it a cult classic. It didn't age like I'd expect one to, though. I was disappointed.

 

[kihei]

I did not realize you have Azor in your top 10. I cannot seem to find the review. If it is not too much trouble, could you post it again?

I saw it at the film festival, and I only thought it was fine, but not great. It is probably around a 6.5/10 for me, and perhaps 6.75 if I am in a generous mood.

I commented on Pink Mist's review and then decided a more detailed review of my own would just be redundant. So here is my comment:

"I really liked it [Azor], mainly because of how it subverted my expectations. In fact I thought it was too slow burn until the ending, and then everything clicked together and made perfect sense. Kind of a monster movie, from one perspective, with our Swiss banker in the Harker role to the Monsignor's ( and his associates) Count Dracula." 7B for me.

 

[The don godfather]

10 cloverfield lane. John Goodman what a performance. Such a underrated actor and mary winstead true beauty and a superb actress. I give it A plus.

 

[Osprey]

8-Bit Christmas (2021) - 6/10 (Liked it)

A father (Neil Patrick Harris) tells his daughter the story of his efforts to get a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas when he was a kid. It's very much an update of A Christmas Story (with a game console replacing a BB gun) and is set mostly in 1988. As someone who remembers trying to talk his parents into buying an NES around that time, it was nostalgic. Also like the main character, I had a younger sister with curly hair who wanted a Cabbage Patch Kids doll. Speaking of her, that actress might've been the highlight of the film for me because she steals every scene that she's in. The rest of the child actors are good, too. In fact, it was Harris' acting that I didn't like so much, but he's mostly a narrator. The film wasn't laugh out loud funny to me very often, but it was regularly amusing and relatable. It was pleasant, charming and never boring. What really surprised me is that it has an unexpectedly strong ending that's emotional and heartwarming and has a great message. The last 7 minutes really elevate the film. Overall, it's a better family Christmas movie than I was expecting. It's not particularly special or original, but those who like A Christmas Story and don't mind a modern update (from the 50s setting all the way to the 80s) might find it worth watching, especially with family. It's on HBO Max.

 

[Chili]

Head-1968

'We hope you like our story...although there isn't one'

After their '60's tv show, The Monkees made a film. As the promo's said it was a musical, comedy, drama, satire, western, love story, war, boxing film. It's like a psychedelic collage of the times. Several cameos from Frank Zappa leading a cow to Sonny Liston facing Davy Jones in the ring to the boys getting in Victor Mature's hair. One scene is over and the director Bob Rafaelson enters along with Jack Nicholson (the co-writer in a very loud shirt) and Dennis Hopper in his Easy Rider duds. Good film for Monkees fans, they were clearly comfortable in front of a camera. Some good music and funny bits (i.e. Mickey Dolenz taking on a Coke machine in the desert, reminded me of a similiar skit years later on Saturday Night Live).

They may not have been a great rock band but this film seems like a fitting sendoff. Some fun stuff, enjoyed it.

A Hatful of Rain-1957

Dark, gripping drama of a man's addiction and the consequences to him and his family. One of the first films to address the issue after content codes were eased. Strong cast (Eva Marie Saint is especially good), well done, convincing.

Metro Manila-2013

A farmer struggling to make a living, decides to move with his young family to the city and look for work. It all looks bright and promising at first but reality soon sets in as they are swindled of their money. The father is able to find a job with an armoured courier service (a very dangerous job) while the mother finds work as a scantily clad hostess at a bar. Just when things appear to be looking up...Sad, violent, riveting, quite the story. Subtitled on YouTube.

Noël-2004

A few different Christmas stories that come together at some points. Susan Sarandon is virtually alone ( by her own choice) as she vists her mother in the hospital Christmas Eve. Anyone who has visited an elderly relative who has Alzheimers and communicates very little can relate. Penelope Cruz's fiancée is a cop who is jealous of anyone who looks at her. Nice film, doesn't get too mushy (i.e. Chazz Palmentieri has a cameo in his film as a bum who will break your hand if you'd like). Robin Williams is very good in a small part. Enjoyed it.

All four films are on YouTube.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

I'm Your Man (2021) - 7/10

2021's been a year of good but not great films, this is another simplistic one with a German take on an AI humanoid which a cynical women has to evaluate as her boyfriend. Obviously she never really gives him a chance then has a n epiphany and somewhat develops predictable feelings at the end but it's all vague enough to leave the viewer with their own interpretation. It's a fairly straightforward drama-free watch which I appreciate with some decent soft comedy in there but there's a monologue at the end which she does as she reports her findings and I felt that what she says in it is unearned as the rest of the film hastens the leadup.

 

[kihei]

Swan Song (2021) Directed by Benjamin Cleary 7A

High-concept science fiction with An Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibe mixed with a shot of Ex Machina, Swan Song is about Cameron (Mahershala Ali), who iis dying of cancer. In an out-of-the-way clinic in the middle of the woods, he is tutoring his clone how to replace him while struggling to accept the idea himself. He deeply loves his wife, who is pregnant, and his young son and must decide what is the best thing for his family--follow through on this project without anyone knowing or calling it off and simply going home for the remainder of his days. The premise is marvelous, one of the best of the year, and while the execution is adequate, I can't help think there was a far better movie to be had here. There are a lot of ethical issues that get touched upon briefly but not explored and a soundtrack that hypes the sentimentality in a totally unnecessary way. But despite these reservations, Swan Song contains two excellent performances by Ali and by Naomi Harris as his wife Poppy. Ali seems to elevate every movie that he is in. He manages to somehow subtly differentiate between Cameron and his clone in ways that are just barely perceptible, a neat acting trick when you think of the degree of difficulty involved in playing absolutely identical characters. His skill and tact takes a third act that could have been problematic and makes it genuinely moving.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Swan Song (2021) Directed by Benjamin Cleary 7A

High-concept science fiction with An Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibe mixed with a shot of Ex Machina, Swan Song is about Cameron (Mahershala Ali), who iis dying of cancer. In an out-of-the-way clinic in the middle of the woods, he is tutoring his clone how to replace him while struggling to accept the idea himself. He deeply loves his wife, who is pregnant, and his young son and must decide what is best thing for his family--follow through on this project without anyone knowing or calling it off and simply going home for the remainder of his days. The premise is marvelous, one of the best of the year, and while the execution is adequate, I can't help think there was a far better movie to be had here. There are a lot of ethical issues that get touched upon briefly but not explored and a soundtrack that hypes the sentimentality in a totally unnecessary way. But despite these reservations, Swan Song contains two excellent performances by Ali and by Naomi Harris as his wife Poppy. Ali seems to elevate every movie that he is in. He manages to somehow subtly differentiate between Cameron and his clone in ways that are just barely perceptible, a neat acting trick when you think of the degree of difficulty involved in playing absolutely identical characters. His skill and tact takes a third act that could have been problematic and makes it genuinely moving.

I stopped reading your review after the first sentence because I now want to see it and don’t want anymore background going in. 7A, Ali, Eternal Sunshine with a little Ex Machina? Sign me up.

Do you remember what you rated Ex Machina off the top of your head?

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Maggie

with Ahhnold, Abby Breslin, and other people.

Zombie apocalypse time yet again. This time, society is only on its way down, and Arnie is a farmer somewhere in Small Town USA who has to collect his rebellious teenage daughter (Breslin) who got bit in the Big City and is now being sent home. This particular zombie virus (the necroambulatory disease) takes somewhere between 6 to 8 weeks to zombify its victims, so there's lots of time for regrets, goodbyes, tears, and coming to terms with the fact you have to either turn your infected loved ones over to a quarantine facility that's several cuts below Squid Game with zombies or blowing their brains out. Bummer. Much sadness and rising tension occur for Arnie; one would think decades of action hero bloodlust would prepare him for this moment. Sadly, it does not.

A quieter, more human zombie apocalypse movie. It's the sort of thing that you have to realize must have occurred in almost every house and apartment as you're going through the ruins in Dawn of the Dead and other such splatter-fests, when you think about it. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin...okay, weird father and daughter combo...but it works. Sorta. Arnie must have wanted to do it, but you can't help but wonder what an actual actor might have made of the premise.

On Prime.

The end of the world seemed like so much more fun in Australia...

 

[Puck]

LA film critics pick ‘Drive My Car’ as year’s best

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

8-Bit Christmas (2021) - 6/10 (Liked it)

A father (Neil Patrick Harris) tells his daughter the story of his efforts to get a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas when he was a kid. It's very much an update of A Christmas Story (with a game console replacing a BB gun) and is set mostly in 1988. As someone who remembers trying to talk his parents into buying an NES around that time, it was nostalgic. Also like the main character, I had a younger sister with curly hair who wanted a Cabbage Patch Kids doll. Speaking of her, that actress might've been the highlight of the film for me because she steals every scene that she's in. The rest of the child actors are good, too. In fact, it was Harris' acting that I didn't like so much, but he's mostly a narrator. The film wasn't laugh out loud funny to me very often, but it was regularly amusing and relatable. It was pleasant, charming and never boring. What really surprised me is that it has an unexpectedly strong ending that's emotional and heartwarming and has a great message. The last 7 minutes really elevate the film. Overall, it's a better family Christmas movie than I was expecting. It's not particularly special or original, but those who like A Christmas Story and don't mind a modern update (from the 50s setting all the way to the 80s) might find it worth watching, especially with family. It's on HBO Max.

Just watched this last night with my daughter and I’d say it’s like A Christmas Story with a twist.

It felt like they stole the script from my life, which was amusing.

Around 1988, I was in the same predicament, the only difference was all my friends had an NES and I was stuck with an Intellivision.

While my friends talked about beating Mario Bros or how they got past Super Macho Man…. I was talking about how I couldn’t beat Kool-Aid man because the damn sink wouldn’t turn on to mix the Kool-Aid because of a glitch.

So I hatched a plan to win a NES for Christmas during this winter fest contest… I of course didn’t win it.. my dad told me all along if I won I wasn’t having an “Intendo” in his house to rot my brain…

My dad was the guy always working on the house who got tools for Christmas and he had the camcorder to record everything on Christmas.

Even the class bully was like the kid in my own class - our real life bully was a big kid who was a couple years older than us (he was driving to school in the 8th grade lol).

So it’s pretty obvious why I enjoyed the film.

However there were things I would have changed to give it more of an 80s feel, but overall it would be nitpicking.

Spoiler

My dad got me an Intendo that year for Christmas

 

[kihei]

I stopped reading your review after the first sentence because I now want to see it and don’t want anymore background going in. 7A, Ali, Eternal Sunshine with a little Ex Machina? Sign me up.

Do you remember what you rated Ex Machina off the top of your head?

I'm not sure. I didn't warm to Ex Machina at first. I think I thought it was too "worked out" and predictable. But then I saw it again and thought I had underrated it badly, that it was a really good piece of science fiction (and a good example of how my scores can sometimes evolve over time [later: or not, lol]). So whatever it was then, a 7A now.

 

[kihei]

LA film critics pick ‘Drive My Car’ as year’s best

...with The Power of the Dog as their runner-up...sure like those picks. As well, the New York Film Critics Circle also picked Drive My Car as best film of the year.

Metacritic has a running scorecard of end of year critics' picks. Kind of fun if one is curious about that sort of thing.

 

[Osprey]

Just watched this last night with my daughter and I’d say it’s like A Christmas Story with a twist.

It felt like they stole the script from my life, which was amusing.

Around 1988, I was in the same predicament, the only difference was all my friends had an NES and I was stuck with an Intellivision.

While my friends talked about beating Mario Bros or how they got past Super Macho Man…. I was talking about how I couldn’t beat Kool-Aid man because the damn sink wouldn’t turn on to mix the Kool-Aid because of a glitch.

So I hatched a plan to win a NES for Christmas during this winter fest contest… I of course didn’t win it.. my dad told me all along if I won I wasn’t having an “Intendo” in his house to rot my brain…

My dad was the guy always working on the house who got tools for Christmas and he had the camcorder to record everything on Christmas.

Even the class bully was like the kid in my own class - our real life bully was a big kid who was a couple years older than us (he was driving to school in the 8th grade lol).

So it’s pretty obvious why I enjoyed the film.

However there were things I would have changed to give it more of an 80s feel, but overall it would be nitpicking.

Spoiler

My dad got me an Intendo that year for Christmas

That's cool, especially that you were able to watch it with your daughter. That must've made it even more surreal.

Spoiler: YouTube video

Was that you that Christmas?

Yeah, I related to more in the movie than I chose to mention. I similarly have a dad who was into woodworking (and even built what the movie dad builds) and bought a camcorder to film us opening presents. In fact, 1988 is the first Christmas of ours that we have on tape. Also, my mom was always making cookies and other baked goods for school and church events that we couldn't touch, so I related with the dad there.

I agree that they could've made it feel more like the 80s, but it's a rather low budget film, so it's partly understandable. One thing that I found kind of funny is that the family looked a lot more 80s than the extras in the mall scene, as if there was wardrobe for only the former while the latter were simply asked to wear their own decade-neutral clothes. Also funny to me was the NES mall kiosk that was never in use when the main character was there. In 1988, that thing would've had a kid on it at all times and several more watching. That was probably the most unrealistic thing about the whole movie for me.

 

[kihei]

I'm not sure. I didn't warm to Ex Machina at first. I think I thought it was too "worked out" and predictable. But then I saw it again and thought I had underrated it badly, that it was a really good piece of science fiction (and a good example of how my scores can sometimes evolve over time [later, or not, lol]). So whatever it was then, a 7A now.

I'll be damned, but Ex Machina was a 7A then, too. I remembered it was in my book, so chased down the review. So much for memory, mine anyway. Here's the relevant quote: "Ex Machina is smart, sleek and well executed; Gleeson and Isaac suit their roles to a tee; the suspense is of the slow-burn variety and quite effective in its way; and the ending fit the material perfectly. In short, the movie accomplishes everything that I think it set out to do. Nonetheless I felt a bit detached from the proceedings as though the movie was more interested in gaining my admiration for its understated efficiency than in actually involving me emotionally in its story. That being said, I was certainly intellectually involved."

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Over the Top (Golan, 1987) - Nothing to say about the film, it's a nice touch of 80s nostalgia, one that I don't think I'd seen since its original run, but it's a very bad movie. On the other hand, there's a lot to say about its director. Menahem Golan was an Israeli producer/director who learned his craft through assistant jobs on Roger Corman productions and went on to produce most of the 80s muscular and/or ninja action stuff (it is said that he's the one who "discovered" Jean-Claude Van Damme). He also produced decent stuff: Cassavetes, Altman, Schroeder, etc. He ended up signing a contract on an hotel's restaurant cloth tablemat with Jean-Luc Godard for a Shakespeare adaptation that became King Lear, a film he later tried to block because Godard used in it private discussions with his producer. I would have prefered to watch a movie about him than about that armwrestling trucker. Over the Top almost has an interesting relation to reality, flirting with the documentary form at some points, with the whole tournament sequence using images from a real tournament that was organised in relation to the movie (if I understood correctly). 3/10 (is generous)

Executive Decision (Baird, 1996) - Oh well, I'd never seen this one. It goes just as you'd think it'd go. 3/10

The Unforgivable (Fingscheidt, 2021) - A very Netflix flick, with a (pretty impressive) Netflix cast. Very good performances, but the film would have been way better had it not try to force so much stuff into what could have been a simple effective story. The added intrigue is not interesting and the twists are very predictable. 4.5/10

 

[NyQuil]

Executive Decision (Baird, 1996) - Oh well, I'd never seen this one. It goes just as you'd think it'd go. 3/10

It deserves an extra point for the hilarity that accompanies Steven Segal's appearance.