Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | {Insert Appropriate Seasonal Greeting Here}

[Tkachuk4MVP]

Killers of the Flower Moon - 9.5/10

Phenomenal, best Marty movie since at least Wolf of Wall Street, maybe even Casino. Crazy to see Marty, at 80 years old, in complete command of the story he wants to tell and still getting great performances from his lead actors. I’ve read that some people had issues with Lily Gladstone taking a bit of a backseat to DiCaprio and DeNiro, but I thought it worked for reasons I won’t get into because of spoilers.

And for those who might be dissuaded by another very long Marty/Deniro movie, this is nothing like The Irishman. I liked that film but acknowledge that it was not always compelling and a bit tedious in parts. KOTFM is different. There’s not a wasted scene and the runtime flies by.

 

[shadow1]

Devil's advocate, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of my favorite movies. I have issues with the plot and agree some of the dialogue is cringy/problematic (particularly during the torture scene).

I don't find the Val Kilmer/Gay Perry character to be homophobic though. The film rams his sexuality down the audience's throat and it's the main source of the character's comedy, but Perry isn't just a punchline. He's the smartest character in the movie along with being the toughest, as well as having some off-type character traits, like a penchant for high end custom firearms.

Perry is one of the only gay characters I can think of in a leading role in this type of movie. He's far from the best representation of someone from his community, but that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to Shane Black penned characters.

 

[The Macho King]

Devil's advocate, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of my favorite movies. I have issues with the plot and agree some of the dialogue is cringy/problematic (particularly during the torture scene).

I don't find the Val Kilmer/Gay Perry character to be homophobic though. The film rams his sexuality down the audience's throat and it's the main source of the character's comedy, but Perry isn't just a punchline. He's the smartest character in the movie along with being the toughest, as well as having some off-type character traits, like a penchant for high end custom firearms.

Perry is one of the only gay characters I can think of in a leading role in this type of movie. He's far from the best representation of someone from his community, but that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to Shane Black penned characters.

Perry is fine - I like Kilmers performance. It's more of how every character treats Perry - as if to them his only quality is his sexuality. Kilmer isn't playing it like that which is part of why the dialog is so offputting.

 

[End of Line]

I agree. Best part of that movie is the score. The stuff with Kevin Bacon and his estranged wife is kind of just thrown in as well.

It added nothing to the story at all.

 

[Osprey]

Action Jackson (1988) - 5/10

I wasn't sure if I'd seen this, but wanted to check it out after Carl Weathers' passing. It turns out that I watched it over 30 years ago, forgot all about it and was reminded why, but also ended up being a little entertained, anyways. The movie is full of 80s action movie clichés, such that it feels like Last Action Hero may've had this movie partially in mind when it parodied them. Weathers plays a Detroit cop who has a reputation for crossing the line, a name that precedes him and a boss who yells at him. It worked for Beverly Hills Cop, so why not copy it? He goes up against a rich tycoon who owns a mansion, employees henchmen and is an expert at martial arts, because all self-respecting late-80s villains were into that. Here, we're treated to the absurdity of Craig T. Nelson, the dad from Poltergeist and Coach, delivering roundhouse kicks. Nelson is actually a highlight, though, and the rest of the cast includes a lot of recognizable names and faces, like Sharon Stone, Robert Davi, Thomas F. Wilson, Bill Duke and Sonny Landham (the last two being in Predator with Weathers). Honestly, despite a good effort, Weathers struggles to carry the movie, so all of the familiar faces made it more watchable than it should've been. The movie doesn't start off well, with the entire first half being devoted to overselling the mythical stature of "Action Jackson" instead of actually showing him doing anything remotely interesting. Maybe the writer should've actually copied more of Beverly Hills Cop, which introduces Axel Foley with an action scene instead of just telling us what kind of cop he is.

Fortunately, it picks up in the second half and has some entertaining action sequences, like Jackson riding on the roof of a speeding taxi and driving a sports car into and up the stairs of the villain's mansion. It gets ridiculous in a good way. I found myself enjoying it more as it went along. It's certainly not a good movie. It's horribly cliched and unoriginal, it's less than the sum of its parts and it has a low budget feel to it. I can see why I wasn't impressed 35 years ago and forgot all about it. That said, it has its moments and is almost so bad it's good. Even though Weathers seemed a little in over his head as the star, I think that he could've maybe become a decent B movie star if this one big opportunity hadn't killed his chances entirely. Interestingly, the movie did OK in theaters and made a killing on VHS. It's likely just the scathing critic reviews that were to blame for us never getting to see that glistening physique again.

 

[kihei]

American Fiction (2023) Directed by Gord Jefferson 8A

American Fiction is the best black satire to come out of the States since Putney Swope in 1969. Thelonius (Monk) Ellison (a lot going on in that name) is a writer of serious fiction. His books seldom sell well and he is angry because of the American audience's, primarily the white American audience's, taste for and willingness to readily accept black stereotypes to the exclusion of everything else about black culture. Just for the hell of it, as a sort of "screw you," he writes a parody of the kind of fiction he hates, one that exclusively uses familiar black tropes in the broadest possible way. His agent passes it on to publishers who Monk assumes will reject it and get his point about the ludicrous, racist nature of the portrayals of black people in contemporary fiction. In a twist reminiscent of The Producers and the play Springtime for Hitler that is supposed to fail but doesn't, the publishers love the novel that Monk has written under the pseudonym of Stagg R. Lee, an escaped black con. The novel becomes a best seller and complicates Monk's life immensely.

The targets here--the publishing industry, academia and, most importantly, the white public's taste for black stereotypes--are big fat ones and the script is up to the task of brilliantly nailing them--most of the time. The venom is a little diluted by the fact that about half the movie is devoted to Monk's somewhat messy middle-class family life. I am of two minds about these sequences. On the one hand, the family stuff is well done and helps provide a broader context for Monk's edgy misanthropy--they allow Monk to become a more complex, fully drawn character. On the other hand, while good, these sequences are not on the same incisive level as the rest of the movie. But it is not a big quibble. Other elements of this film stand out. Jeffrey Wright, an actor I usually dislike, is excellent as Monk, perfectly cast, in fact. Many viewers don't like the meta-ending, but I thought it was extremely clever. American Fiction is a work of humour, insight and intelligence. The movie received the People's Choice Award at TIFF, and it earned it.

Best of '23 so far

1) Riceboy Sleeps, Shim, Canada
2) Anatomy of a Fall, Triet, France
3) Oppenheimer, Nolan, US
4) Poor Things, Lanthimos, US
5) The Zone of Interest, Glazer, UK
6) El Conde, Larrain, Chile
7) Close Your Eyes, Erice, Spain
8) Barbie, Gerwig, US
9) American Fiction, Jefferson, US
10) The Promised Land, Arcel, Denmark

 

[Osprey]

Interesting juxtaposition of reviews. I watched one of the last attempts at "Blaxploitation," a genre of fiction that traditionally leans on black stereotypes to the point of parody and partly for consumption by white audiences, and you watched a film about an author who, seemingly out of frustration with the popularity of that sort of thing, writes his own "Blaxploitation" fiction to satirize it. The main difference seems to be that one has gratuitous violence and nudity, fast cars, sweaty muscles and corny one liners... and the other has "insight and intelligence," if, for whatever reason, you prefer that.

 

[Puck]

The Beekeeper, Directed by David Ayer, 6.5

John Wick style films are the new fad I suppose, now that people are tired of Marvel/DC superhero movies. Beekeeper is a good B-grade action movie that doesn't take itself seriously and does not expect you to either. A naive grandma that is loved by everyone including our hero (Jason Statham) gets hooked on the net in a high-tech phishing scam and she loses all her savings and ends her life in desperation. That sets the ball in motion for The Beekeeper, a retired super-agent to go after the baddies engaged in this financial fraud. There isn't much grieving for naive Grandma in this movie. She is just the instrument needed to set the film off on its road of fighting mayhem, and guns blazing. Her daughter is an FBI agent and is back on the job just one day later, trying to stop....Jason Statham. Why she doesn't just let him blast away the people who are responsible for her Mother's tragic death, unimpeded, she says... she has an oath to upkeep..... Ok. While being hampered by the FBI, The Beekeeper works his way up the criminal food chain to get the top-honcho bad-guys. Kudos to the Director for hiring these evil-doers, they are delightfully hateful and evil in their roles. Can't tell you what happens in the end, we don't want spoilers but there will be sequels, of that I am sure. This is probably Statham's new fight franchise.

The Beekeeper (2024) ⭐ 6.4 | Action, Crime, Thriller

1h 45m | 18

www.imdb.com

 

[Osprey]

I want that to become a franchise if only so that Nicolas Cage can be the main villain in the sequel.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Argylle is a huge disappointment. It started well then went completely off the rails in the 2nd half. Don't waste your money seeing it.

 

[Bahama Mama]

This movie was suggested but can not recommended it as it was brutal for the sake of being brutal,did not like it at all,felt offended.

Django Unchained (2012) ⭐ 8.5 | Drama, Western

2h 45m | 16

www.imdb.com

 

[The Macho King]

Blank Check is getting ready to do a McTiernan series so I revisited for the first time in probably 20 years The Hunt for Red October.

Dad movie central with about 20 actors who would end up as "above the title" types. I completely forgot Stellan Skarsgard was in this! Anyway this movie is the definition of they don't make them like this anymore. Very tense throughout, maybe the best acting Connery has ever done (fairly low bar to clear but still), and just a famn good time. Biggest criticism is Baldwin is pretty meh for me. 7.5/10

 

[Babe Ruth]

Life (2015)

I know there have been a couple movies titled 'Life', this is one about James Dean.
True story about the (Life magazine) photo spread Dennis Stock did, on the cusp of Dean's fame.
An interesting time capsule, and they did a good job casting an actor as Dean.
Streamed on Prime..

 

[Bahama Mama]

Stupid silly but has it's share of laughs.

Top Secret (1984) ⭐ 7.2 | Comedy, Crime, Music

1h 30m | 12

www.imdb.com

 

[The Macho King]

So I found out my wife had never seen Jurassic Park, so we fixed that.

Watching this made me hate every blockbuster of the past 10 years outside of like Maverick. Amazing special effects that have aged incredibly well with a couple of exceptions (mostly daytime stuff). Story is very tight, it clearly sets up sequels (that suck but whatever) but doesn't let that bog down the story its telling (ahem MARVEL).

Goldblum was wonderful. The kids were only mildly annoying. 8/10

 

[Osprey]

So I found out my wife had never seen Jurassic Park, so we fixed that.

Wow. You think that you know a person and then come to find out years into the marriage that she's been keeping secrets from you.

 

[Unholy Diver]

Turning Red 7.5/10

my daughter liked the red panda pars, I enjoyed the early 2000's setting, cute movie

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Saw Shin Kamen Rider on Prime not to long ago, if your a fan of crazy Japanese tokusatsu shit you'll dig it, story is kinda janky since they crammed the entire first run of the show into one movie, but let's face it you aren't really watching a movie like this for story your here to see a dude in a bug mask and motorcycle gear flipping around and kick the f***ing shit out of everything in his path, I will say I was surprised how much practical effects were in it and how little CGI it was.

 

[The Macho King]

Wow. You think that you know a person and then come to find out years into the marriage that she's been keeping secrets from you.

She's in the right age range too. It's one of those things you don't even think to ask because of course she saw it.

Was just flipping through Netflix looking for something to watch and I said "This is always good" - she said she never saw it and yeah our decision was made.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

So I found out my wife had never seen Jurassic Park, so we fixed that.

Watching this made me hate every blockbuster of the past 10 years outside of like Maverick. Amazing special effects that have aged incredibly well with a couple of exceptions (mostly daytime stuff). Story is very tight, it clearly sets up sequels (that suck but whatever) but doesn't let that bog down the story its telling (ahem MARVEL).

Goldblum was wonderful. The kids were only mildly annoying. 8/10

Just did the same with my wife not long ago and had a similar feeling to you. Felt like a really special film unlike a lot of the blockbuster crap that's released.

Still trying to talk her into a Star Wars film, as she's not seen any of them lol.

 

[Nakatomi]

Blown Away (1993) - 2/10 Starring the two Coreys and Nicole Eggert, this is the worst movie I have watched all the way through in some time.

 

[Osprey]

Blown Away (1993) - 2/10 Starring the two Coreys and Nicole Eggert, this is the worst movie I have watched all the way through in some time.

I re-watched that a year ago. It was worse than I remembered, but I got through it because of Eggert. The two Coreys really were insufferable.

The better Blown Away from that era was the 1994 one with Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones. It also lives up to its title better.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

On the heels of seeing The Zone of Interest I went back to Jonathan Glazer's other three features. On Zone, for as much of a visual stylist Glazer can be, it's his sound work that's truly haunting. This applies to at least two of his first three movies too, but really does in this latest case. The droning, industrial soundscape that hangs over much of this film conveys more horror than a lot of direct visualizations can.

Under the Skin. Still one of my favorite movies of the past two-plus decades. Brilliant use of Scarlett Johansson. Another heavy soundscaped movie. Spends much of its time as cool/creepy scifi-horror, but sneaks up on you with a brutal act of violence and an unexpectedly emotional punch.

Birth. That this batshit concept of a movie works is a major testament to everyone involved, especially Glazer and leads Nicole Kidman and Cameron Bright who sell the living hell out of something that has no business working. Again, sound and music. Glazer doesn't do "needle drops" like a Scorsese or Tarantino but he does use music to huge effect with long stretches with loud score or classical pieces (this opens with one).

Sexy Beast. The most straightforward and conventionaly entertaining of his movies. The most memorable thing is Ben Kingsley planet devouring performance, of course, but there's a lot of the style and the dreaminess vibes that would become more prounced in later films.

Glazer's drawn more than a few Kubrick comparisons. I understand some of it. The genre hoping fits. Though there is some style overlap (again, use of sound) and a general dreaminess his four movies aren't really alike. I don't think he's as "detached" as some argue in that comparison. Skin and Birth in partcular have some real emotion in them.

Is there a unifying theme here? Man's inhumanity to man, perhaps (though that's a stretch in Birth). I can't pin this guy down and I wouldn't know what to expect next from him. That's part of what makes him riveting.

Still thinking about his work. Feels like there's something there, but it's just out of my grasp ... perhaps that's why folks jump to Kubrick?

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The War of the Worlds (1953) - 6.5/10

Doesn't hit the sci-fi spot that films with better build-up and dialogue from the 50s like Invasion of The Body Snatchers or Day The Earth Stood Still do. There are some good effects here and it doesn't veer into B-film territory but the wooden lead and the lack of real tension throughout most of it makes for a boring film. Good sci-fi has an element of mystery and this film is a bit too eager to reveal everything and have the aliens start blasting.

The War of the Roses (1989) - 6.5/10

Very much a 1990ish slightly dated Danny DeVito directed feature where he tries to do a bit of black comedy but keeps it too farcical to take seriously and alternates between some decent comedy and tension-horror elements. Kathleen Turner might've been a bit miscast as Michael Douglas has more charisma as the male lead. There's a narration interspersed with DeVito monologuing with some sort of attempt at a moral conclusion which doesn't land at the end.

 

[Bahama Mama]

The War of the Worlds (1953) - 6.5/10

Doesn't hit the sci-fi spot that films with better build-up and dialogue from the 50s like Invasion of The Body Snatchers or Day The Earth Stood Still do. There are some good effects here and it doesn't veer into B-film territory but the wooden lead and the lack of real tension throughout most of it makes for a boring film. Good sci-fi has an element of mystery and this film is a bit too eager to reveal everything and have the aliens start blasting.

The War of the Roses (1989) - 6.5/10

Very much a 1990ish slightly dated Danny DeVito directed feature where he tries to do a bit of black comedy but keeps it too farcical to take seriously and alternates between some decent comedy and tension-horror elements. Kathleen Turner might've been a bit miscast as Michael Douglas has more charisma as the male lead. There's a narration interspersed with DeVito monologuing with some sort of attempt at a moral conclusion which doesn't land at the end.

Devito,Turner and Douglas are together in another 2 movies that are much more enjoyable,Romancing the stone and the Jewel of the Nile.