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

[Spring in Fialta]

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022) - Pretty cute flick, though I'd imagine it's pretty low in terms of quality on A24's roster. The poking fun at the vapidity of the young (which every generation has gone through, btw) and how that can manifest itself today in 'woke' ideology sometimes gives way to a smirk and sometime falls flat (for example, one that worked was a nod to how many people don't hesitate to use heavy words such as gaslighting casually without really understanding what they're saying, let alone the weight of the word). The movie does feel longer than it's short run-time, mostly because for parts of it, it's neither scary nor funny but the reveal was endearing and neatly fit the thematic of the film into a good plot punchline. The most tolerable I've ever seen Pete Davison be as an actor-comic as well. The performances were all serviceable, which is really all the movie needed.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

First two landed on my IMDB watchlist when I was going through the giallo films (films by directors who made gialli, but that are not part of the genre). Next two are the usual crap I end up watching at night.

May Morning (Liberatore, 1970) – Weird film. It starts with an introductory note stating that the film both represents with absolute truth the complex and contradictory nature of Oxford life, and is naturally devoid of any connections with existing persons or facts. I mean, the film is quite heavy on political undertones (and for some reason, it seems to hold a hateful agenda against Oxford itself), but is this post-truth avant l'heure? Maybe Liberatore is a visionary after all. The film is quite boring, but kind of interesting. I think the self-proclaimed complexity isn't that far off. I won't pretend I can make a valid reading of the tensions related to the hippy undergarments of the gown wearing Oxford population, but there is clearly something there. The absolute truth about Oxford goes to pretty dark ends (with rape and murder), but as if it was pure banality. George Crowther seems to be the only non-Italian involved in the making of the movie, but I can't find anything about him – he was a retired actor and I'll never know why he hated Oxford that much. On merit I guess it should be higher, but it's really quite boring. 4.5/10

IMDB Trivia: The Tremoloes, a British beat band who got a little success with some fun cover songs in the 60s, recorded the soundtrack, which was only released in 2000.




Il medaglione insanguinato (Perche?!) (Together Forever, aka The Night Child, aka The Cursed Medallion, Dallamano, 1975) – I don't know how else to say it, but I guess I'm a big fan of Cathy's Curse (Une si gentille petite fille). The movie itself is really bad, but it always creeped me out, in part because there's something weird in doing things so blatantly wrong. Dallamano's film comes two years prior, and is from the same formula: kid finds some haunted object and gets possessed by the prior (now dead) kid owner, then does terrible things to their close ones. This one is a cleaner, sometimes even nice looking version (it does have similarities to the gialli in its postcard aesthetics), and it stars Nicoletta Elmi as the possessed child. At 11 years old, she was already somewhat of a scream queen, having been in a handful of horror films that would acquire cult status. Normally, I think she's pretty efficient, but she is absolutely terrible here. Blame the director, whose work is abysmal and neglects every potentially positive elements of the film and makes it completely inefficient as a horror film (you even have a ridiculous pan from the fireplace to the lovers, the guy is working hard to make everything look dumb). What Have You Done to Solange? had a few weird directorial choices, but it was overall a pretty efficient (even if formulaic) giallo, enough to make me curious about Dallamano's other films. This one is a miss. 2.5/10


Young Adult (Reitman, 2011) – I started this on Netflix thinking I'd fall asleep after 10 minutes, but ended up watching it to the end. It's from the same pair that did Juno, which I don't remember much, and it's not my type of films at all, but it's not completely devoid of interest. I mean, it creates genre expectations, and then f***s them up – it's far from the self-reflexive irony of The Last Jedi (it tries, with the young adult fiction stuff), but it still kind of works. I wonder if geeks went all “not my rom-com” over this. I'm probably rating it too low, but it's not something I'd watch again. 3.5/10


Copshop (Carnahan, 2021) – Tries to be very cool, ends up very dumb, but some fun action and characters. 3.5/10

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Edge of the Axe (1988) - 3/10

A small California town is terrorized by an axe murderer; a computer whizz new to the area romances a local college student; a young man and his older wife - who he openly married for her wealth - are facing marital troubles.

What happens when you mix War Games (1983), Dario Argento's Sleepless (2001), and say... Overboard (1987)? I guess I know now.

The Amazon Prime description claims the plot to be about computer whizz and his girlfriend seeking to unmask a killer, but that is absolutely not true. Though this film is technically a slasher-mystery, most of the run time focuses on the two romance plots, with scenes peppered in of the axe murderer killing people. The characters from both of the romance storylines personally discover some of the bodies, yet they barely seem to care that a killer is running loose. It almost feels like you're watching three different movies, and none of them are very good.

As far as the scenes with the killer, a couple of them were pretty cool; they definitely had a giallo feel to them. A couple of the kill scenes were also cheesy though, as the killer hits their victim with what is clearly a rubber axe. Visually the killer looks decent enough; basically a bald Michael Myers.

The ending? My god, is it bad. The computer whizz seems to be the killer. There is even a scene earlier in the movie in which the killer is unmasked in the shadows, and you can clearly tell it's him. Except it's not him! Apparently his girlfriend is crazy and was in a mental hospital for a few years, and all of the victims are people somehow connected to that experience. When computer whizz confronts her with this knowledge - thanks to deus ex machina computer - she claims he's gaslighting her and runs away; he chases and is gunned down by police. As girlfriend hugs the sheriff, an evil grin appears on her face. Roll credits. Plug nose. Pee-ew!

IMDB has this movie at a 5.3, but the first trivia item is how director Jose Ramon Larraz considers this his worst feature film. So if you don't make my word for it, you can take the director's.

I hope you keep all these comments and that you'll eventually post a slasher thread (or merge it with my giallo one).

 

[shadow1]

I hope you keep all these comments and that you'll eventually post a slasher thread (or merge it with my giallo one).

I would but I fear it would be as popular as the Halloween Ends thread.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Blue Collar (1978) - 7.5/10

This is the first/only Richard Pryor film I've seen.....and I'm glad cos he's annoying AF. You can just tell through the performance that this guy is proabably difficult to work with, in fact I'm not sure how much of the film was him acting and how much of it was just himself coming through.

Anyways, movie is fine, usual 70s grittiness and shitty sound mixing with men yelling and being "men". Commendable topic of unions and really getting down to action on the factory floor, not seeing much of that in 2022 so another 70s gem you can appreciate for the topic. It's not a suspense film but leans into it at enough points to keep it interesting.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I would but I fear it would be as popular as the Halloween Ends thread.

Still more popular than my threads!!

 

[Osprey]

I would but I fear it would be as popular as the Halloween Ends thread.

We've had a horror movie thread for the last 8 years that's as popular as Jason Voorhees at Crystal Lake for 11 months of the year. I have to bump it every October, knowing that, once the clock strikes midnight on Halloween, it'll be dead again until next Fall.

 

[Osprey]

I'm visiting my parents and my dad hadn't seen most of the more recent M:I films, so I re-watched them with him.

Mission: Impossible III (2006) - 6/10
A quintessential J.J. Abrams movie, which I don't mean as a compliment. The MacGuffin-centered plot (about something called "the rabbit's foot" that everyone wants and we almost never see or know the purpose of) seems like little more than an excuse for nearly non-stop, chaotic action. The editing really irritated me because it was hard to get a sense of the action with all of the cuts and the scenes were either really loud or really quiet, so I was adjusting the volume all movie long. That said, it was still entertaining, has a fine performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman and introduces the wife subplot, which becomes a recurring emotional element in every movie to follow.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - 7/10
It has a more forgettable villain (in fact, I don't even remember who the villain was), but the plot (about the IMF being blamed for a bombing and shut down) is stronger, the editing is much better and the team really shines. The action isn't as non-stop, but it's impressive (especially the memorable Dubai sequences) and I found it almost as enjoyable just to watch the team figure out what to do before the action even starts. I love seeing the team coordinate, rather than the plot mostly being Hunt vs the villain (as in M:I III). It reminded me a little of the first M:I. Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton don't add much, IMO, but don't really hurt. Interestingly, it was directed by Brad Bird, who's known for animated movies like The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - 7/10
It's similar to the last one, which is great because the last one was solid all around. The plot (about the IMF facing rogue operatives) is interesting, Rebecca Ferguson's mysterious and duplicitous character is a very good addition and there's a cool motorcycle chase. I really enjoyed it. Christopher McQuarrie directed it and would go on to direct the next one and the upcoming two.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) - 8/10
How does this franchise keep getting better? At nearly 2.5 hours, this one is the longest, yet never once dragged. Even though I'd seen it before and remembered every scene and twist, I was still greatly entertained. The plot is a continuation of the last one, with the villain of that one returning, but he's literally restrained for most of the movie while another villain works behind the scenes. It felt relatively fresh as plots for these kinds of movies go. The action scenes were amazing to behold because of the cinematography and Cruise's commitment to doing stunts, to the point that he reportedly learned to fly a helicopter for this movie. Respect. Finally, it's really nice how this movie closes the book on the wife subplot that was introduced in M:I III.

I'd seen all of these before, but it was neat to watch them in succession because it helped me to better understand them. When I saw them for the first time, it had been years since seeing the earlier ones, so I was confused about some of the recurring characters and plot lines. Also, several things stood out to me. For one, Cruise really likes to show off his running. He does it 2 or 3 times in each movie. It got to be funny and I started saying to my dad, "there he goes again." I have nothing but respect for it, though, because it's evident that he's really running as fast as he possibly can and doesn't need editing to make him look faster. Also, every single car in these movies is a BMW. I kid you not. The product placement is real. It, too, got to be amusing and my dad and I both started calling out, "another bimmer." Finally, it's funny how M:I III is the last to have a strong villain, yet the movies since have arguably gotten better, anyways. I guess that the villain isn't that important if you nail the rest of the formula.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I'm visiting my parents and my dad hadn't seen most of the more recent M:I films, so I re-watched them with him.

Mission: Impossible III (2006) - 6/10
Quintessential J.J. Abrams movie, which isn't a compliment. The MacGuffin-centered plot (about a "rabbit's foot" that everyone wants and we almost never see or know the purpose of) seems just like an excuse for nearly non-stop, chaotic action. The editing really irritated me because it was hard to get a sense of the action with all of the cuts and the scenes were either really loud or really quiet, so I was adjusting the volume all movie long. That said, it was still entertaining, has a fine performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman and introduces the best plot element in the series (Hunt's wife), which becomes a recurring emotional element in every movie to follow.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - 7/10
It has a more forgettable villain (in fact, I don't even remember who the villain was), but the plot (about the IMF being blamed for a bombing and shut down) is a lot stronger, the editing is much better and the team really shines. There isn't as much action, but it's impressive (especially the memorable Dubai sequences) and it's almost as fun just to watch the team figure out what they're going to do before the action even starts. I love seeing the team coordinate, rather than it mostly being Hunt vs the villain (as in M:I III). It reminded me a little of the first M:I. Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton don't add much, but don't really hurt. Interestingly, Brad Bird, who's known for animated movies (like The Incredibles and Ratatouille), directed this.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - 7/10
It's about on par with the last one, which is great because the last one was solid all around. The plot (about the IMF facing rogue operatives) is interesting, Rebecca Ferguson's mysterious and untrustworthy character is a good addition and there's a cool motorcycle chase. It's a lot of fun. Christopher McQuarrie directed it and would go on to direct the next one and the upcoming two.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) - 7.5/10
How do these sequels keep getting better? It's also the longest, at nearly 2.5 hours, and yet never once dragged. I've even seen it before, remembered every twist and every upcoming scene, and still was very entertained. The plot is a continuation of the last one, with the villain of that one returning, but pretty ineffective for most the movie while another villain works behind the scenes. It's a pretty fresh as plots for these kinds of movies go. The action scenes are amazing to behold because of the cinematography and Cruise's commitment to doing stunts, to the point that he reportedly learned to fly a helicopter for this movie. Respect. Finally, it's really nice how this movie closes the book on the wife subplot that was introduced 3 films earlier.

I'd seen all of these before, but it was neat to watch them in succession because it helped me to better understand how they go together. When I saw them for the first time, it had been years since seeing the earlier ones, so I was confused about who some of the recurring characters were. Also, some things stood out to me. For one, Cruise really likes to show off his running. He does it 2 or 3 times in each movie. It got to be funny and I started saying to my dad, "there he goes again." I have nothing but respect for it, though, because it's evident that he's really running as fast as he can and doesn't need editing to make him look faster. Also, every single car in these movies is a BMW. I kid you not. It's product placement taken to a rather noticeable degree. It, too, got to be funny and I started saying to my dad, "another beamer." Finally, outside of M:I III, these movies don't have very memorable villains, yet the movies are still as good as they are. I guess that the rest of the formula works so well that strong villains aren't crucial.

I'd really have to do the same. These films tend to blur together real quick (and I feel I've seen a few not so long ago). For some reason, I remember liking part 3, maybe for daring being darker, but I'm really not sure anymore. 1st one remained my favorite throughout and really is the one I remember the most, even though it's the one I've seen the longest ago (don't know if I can say that but you understand) and that I've seen part 2 recently.

 

[Pink Mist]

Good list. I flirted with the Hansen-Love, but the malcontent that lives inside my head went "Hey, do you really need another Hansen-Love movie?" And I thought "You know, that's a good point."

You obviously go to more interesting parties than I ever did.

Getting around censorship (and fines): After a botched line call in a heated match, Daniil Medvedev hilariously called the Chair Umpire "a little cat." His first language may be Russian, but he knew what he was doing.

Lol good point on the Hansen-Løve film. This one also seems to be a film about an affair, which for every French filmmaker is a requirement to do at some point in their career

Yeah really invested in that film doing well or their career to take off so I can one day tell people I used to party with them

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I'd really have to do the same. These films tend to blur together real quick (and I feel I've seen a few not so long ago). For some reason, I remember liking part 3, maybe for daring being darker, but I'm really not sure anymore. 1st one remained my favorite throughout and really is the one I remember the most, even though it's the one I've seen the longest ago (don't know if I can say that but you understand) and that I've seen part 2 recently.

One of the things I've always enjoyed about the M:I movies is that it's the rare series, like Alien, that's actually more director driven than anything else, at least through the first several movies. For the most part, the directors have been able to take the parts and pieces and do their own thing with it, which I've enjoyed. They've gotten away from that with the last two and next two (all Christopher McQuarrie joints) so I guess it's actually become more of a Harry Potter trajectory, which had three directors for the first four films before finding a consistent "steward" in David Yates.

I just find there's a tad more personality in the series than there often is in other series.

 

[shadow1]

The Burning (1981) - 7/10

Five years after a cruel prank gone wrong, a horribly burned former caretaker goes on a killing spree at a nearby summer camp.

I'd only seen The Burning once before, and I have no earthly idea why I waited so long to watch it again. This movie was an extremely solid slasher movie and I can see why it's a cult classic.

The killer, Cropsy, is pretty cool. He uses a unique weapon (garden shears) and though he's certifiably insane, you can at least understand the source of his anger. Apparently, Cropsy is based off a New York-area urban legend of the same name. Another movie I watched recently, Madman (1981), was also originally about the Cropsy legend. When Madman filmmakers got wind of The Burning being made (from an actress whose boyfriend was working on the latter film), they had to re-write parts of their story and delay production.

Tom Savini does the special effects here, having turned down Friday the 13th Part 2 due to the fact he couldn't understand how Jason was suddenly fully grown. Savini does a good job here again, though the kills in Friday were more memorable (he re-uses one of them in this movie).

The Burning strangely features several notable actors and actresses, such as Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Ned Eisenberg (Law & Order: SVU), Holly Hunter (Broadcast News), and Fisher Stevens (Succession). Jason Alexander, though actually younger than most of the actors at age 21, looks older thanks to a more muscular/stocky physique; I thought he was supposed to be a counselor at first.

Then movie's score is great. The soundtrack was done by Rick Wakeman, most famous as the former keyboardist of rock band Yes. How the heck did this random slasher movie assemble so much talent?

I do have one nitpick/problem with the movie, which is the characters. The Burning is more of an ensemble, as the camp easily has 30-40 people in it, though we only focus on about 10 of them. The main characters were get are Todd, the head counselor, and Alfred, one of the campers. Todd is fine, but Alfred is a horrible character. He's awkward as hell and is a Peeping Tom; multiple times in the movie, he commits acts of voyeurism against campers in various states of undress. Did the writers really expect us to sympathize with this pervert? Well, knowing what we know now, I'm going to have to say yes: the story treatment was written by (convicted creep!) Harvey Weinstein, in his first ever movie production.

It has to be said that this movie wouldn't exist without Friday the 13th. Friday's massive success spawned a plethora of copycats, and most of them are forgettable. I think The Burning stands out above the rest for the reasons I mentioned. Unfortunately, it did not stand out commercially amongst the rest; the movie was a bomb, lost in a sea of other slasher movies debuting in 1981, including Friday the 13th Part 2.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

The northman: 7.8/10 good movie. The lighthouse was one of the worse movie i have ever seen thankfully the northman was much better.

illusions perdues: 7.5/10 good french movie.

the gray man: 7.3/10 great set locations with good fight scenes.

C'mon C'mon: 7/10 average movie with Joaquin Phoenix.

 

[Puck]

Some buzz articles on TIFF

10 movies getting the biggest advance buzz at TIFF 2022

After several years of a reduced festival experience, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returns this September with a splash. Hundreds o…

www.blogto.com

Entertainment Tonight

Entertainment Tonight (ET) is the authoritative source on entertainment and celebrity news with unprecedented access to Hollywood's biggest stars, upcoming movies, and TV shows.

etcanada.com

Our 12 Most Anticipated TIFF 2022 Movies - SlashFilm

It's almost time for TIFF!

www.slashfilm.com

There are others. McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin seems to make all the lists. I looked for the flick US Open but could not find

 

[Pink Mist]

Bless Their Little Hearts (Billy Woodberry, 1983)

If Killer of Sheep is the cinematic equivalent of a blues song, Bless Their Little Hearts is the more sorrowful next song on the b side. The spiritual sequel to Killer of Sheep (directed by Woodberry, but Charles Burnett is cinematographer, wrote the script, and his children star in it), Bless Their Little Hearts follows Charlie Banks (Nate Hardman) who is a chronically unemployed father unable to find a job and bring food to the table. However, when an old flame moves to the neighbourhood he neglects trying to find a job and creates a rift with his wife (played by Kaycee Moore, who was also the wife in Killer of Sheep). Beautiful and raw neorealist film about two parents struggling to make ends meet with the stress of poverty spilling into their relationships with each other and their children. Whereas Killer of Sheep was a lot more hopeful about its protagonist, Bless Their Little Hearts shows how the struggle of poverty creates fragments in the family. Powerfully done. I don’t think it reaches the heights of the other film but for fans of Killer of Sheep it is more than worth checking out.

 

[kihei]

looked for the flick US Open but could not find

Through no double fault of your own, let me assure you.

 

[kihei]

Official Competition (2022) Directed by Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat 7B

Official Competition is a deliciously venomous addition to the movies-about-making-movies subgenre. On his 80th birthday a businessman with more ego than brains opts to create a vanity project that will make him more famous. After briefly considering building a bridge, he decides to finance a movie, first class all the way. He enlists one of Spain's most critically renowned directors Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz--give her the Oscar right now), and its two leading, though diametrically opposed, actors, Felix Riviero (Antonio Banderas) and Ivan Torres (Oscar Martinez) None of these three can see eye-to-eye on anything. First off, Lola has some eccentric methods that baffle or even shock the two veteran actors--at one point, for instance, she wraps them together tightly in cellophane and physically pulverizes some of their most cherished trophies. Meanwhile Riviero, the aging matinee idol, and Torres, a serious actor who thumbs his nose at popularity, spend most of their time at each other's throats. The brilliantly acidic and satirical humour, often tinged with surrealism, takes place in wide open, post-modern spaces where the actors are dwarfed by their cold but stylish surroundings, thus creating a very distinctive look that somehow fits the movie's loose narrative to a tee. All three actors are great, too professional to let us know how much fun they are undoubtedly having, but Cruz is absolutely wonderful. With her hair a dense thicket of frizz, it is hard to tell whether she is bat-shit crazy or just crazy like a fox. She keeps her colleagues guessing and the audience, too.

subtitles


Best of '22

1) Hit the Road, P. Panahi, Iran
2) Official Competition, Cohn and Duprat, France
3) Everything Everywhere All at Once, Kwan and Scheinert, US
4) Mad God, Tippett, US
5) Apples, Nikou, Greece
6) Everything Went Fine, Ozun, France
7) Navalny, Roher, US (documentary)
8) Mr Kaufmann and His Class, Speth, Germany (documentary)
9) Turning Red, Shi, US

 

[OzzyFan]

Jaws (1975)
3.70 out of 4stars

“When a killer great white shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off of Cape Cod, it’s up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to stop the beast.”
An excellent horror adventure action thriller that is deservedly iconic on numerous levels. Where to start? The genre-mashing/working across many genres, Hitchcockian mystery suspense/horror/fear and build-up/reaction in realistically dreadful ways, the direction, the editing, the score, the visuals/cinematography, the storytelling, the heavily likable and fully developed 3 main characters (who all have different personalities, and can be relatable), the acting, the shark, the “duel”, the bonding, the headbutting, the hunt, the humor bits, the fact dropping and realism bits thrown in, the summer blockbuster/film industry impact, near universal non-child appeal, the quotable lines, the pacing, the fun, and even the behind the scenes stories/creativity/innovation. It forever turns beaches and open waters into nightmare fodder. Not to mention there’s a couple nice metaphors thrown in I took from it. One, the act of media manipulation and control/overriding by governments and wealthy individuals through the example of the Mayor in the film. Humanity and/or people in control/positions of power have historically made mistakes of acting out of selfish needs/wants in this regard over the general population’s best interest, and consequently harmed many people indirectly and/or directly in doing so. Continuing to the fact that humanity/powerful people historically don’t take action on major problems until it’s too late, “making necessity the mother of invention” or intervention here. 2nd, there is a nice ode, purposely or not, about how people from all backgrounds need each other with the triangle of the police chief, the marine biologist, and the old seafarer. A sort of kumbaya. Every person brings something to the table, every person butts heads but also bonds, and all learn or are able to do things for and from each other in the pursuit of their one common main goal, survival (and hunting the shark). Similar to how a society functions.

The Hunt (2012) (subtitles)
3.35 out of 4stars

“A kindergarten teacher’s recently revitalized world collapses around him after one of his students, who has a crush on him, implies that committed a lewd act in front of her.”
An excellent psychological drama surprisingly anti-hunting, how a deer just living out their own natural life and minding their own business can be targeted by outsiders and destroyed in a second’s notice. I’m joking, but it’s not extremely far from the truth either. This thought provoking film is about the terrifying concepts of child sexual abuse, false accusation of child sexual abuse, the court of public opinion, and the power of lies/deception. As for the final concept in that sentence, whoever created “the sticks and stones…words can never hurt me” saying couldn’t be farther from the truth, words are arguably the most powerful tool (or weapon) in the world. Mass belief in lies (and even the expansion of them) historically has and can have devastating consequences on a personal and broad scale. The court of public opinion believes and decides on whatever they want, irregardless of one’s actual innocence, legal innocence, and wronged party’s forgiveness and/or retraction of accusations. Sadly, one generally is thought to be guilty of something the second their accused or rumored to have done something, right or wrong. A mob mentality in this regard, especially when dealing with serious or strong subject matter, can lead to shunning, verbal abuse, violence, and other forms of vigilante aggression. Child sex abuse is unforgivably the worst thing that can happen to a child next to murder. It’s life long traumatizing for those immediate to the situation and can even haunt a neighborhood or town. All of the above is why being falsely accused of child sex abuse is life destroying. Young children are important but altogether a complicated combination of fragility, impressionability, impulsivity, and incomprehension. This movie is full of real life horrors. And last but surely not least, Mads Mikkelsen’s strong, subdued, and affecting award winning performance alone may be reason enough to watch this film.

The Entity (1982)
3.00 out of 4stars

“A single mother of 3 is tormented, molested, and raped by an invisible demon and seeks professional help to resolve the issue, based on a true story.”
A great supernatural horror drama that is an effective, albeit obvious feminist movie and metaphor for rape and misogyny amongst women, headed by an excellent Barbara Hershey performance. The rape scenes are effectively unsettling. It’s quite funny and likely why the film has good but mixed views, I find the concept of an invisible supernatural rapist as a tool here both smart/clever and over the top/daunting. The parallels and usage is great, but the believability and target audience of something like this on paper shoots itself in the foot from the get go for many and may create some “different” expectations. Sadly, those who evade this or refuse to buy into the story are at a loss. The film does a good job expressing the belittling and objectifying of women, while also showing some negative tendencies women express that are accepting and enabling of this behavior. Societal, interpersonal, psychological, and patriarchal aspects are explored thoroughly. I am also oddly undecided and mixed on what to think of the music score though.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

The Samaritan (2022) -

I call this flick, ‘Unbreakable 2: Sly and His Hammer’

Schut must be a big M Night fan and this was his love letter penned with paint by the numbers strokes.

Even the big double blind super secret no ways you can ever figure it out ‘twist’ was so obvious, I saw it coming after the first 20 minutes.

This is one of those movies that by the time the end comes, you are already playing on your phone.

At least we get the Rambo Sly angry face that makes the bad guys all killed dead.

Alright Rocko!

 

[Pink Mist]

Sankofa (Haile Gerima)

While on a photoshoot in Ghana, an African-American model time travels back to the era of slavery and her ancestral past as a slave on a plantation. Sankofa is a tough film for me to judge. On one hand the film starts out pretty clumsily with this interaction between the model and a Divine Drummer (played by afro-jazz musician Kofi Ghanaba) kind of as excuse to introduce the time travel storyline, and I found a lot of the story in general to be clumsily written and as a result the film is uneven. But on the other hand, the depiction of the brutality of slavery is raw and evocative, the cinematography is beautiful and engaging, and I enjoyed the weaving of African myth and storytelling into the film. Its by no means a subtle film in its message, but that’s okay as it is intentionally provocative. I did find that over two hours the brutality of the film began to wear on me, but rapes and whippings shouldn’t be easy things to sit through. A bit of a mixed bag to me, but I do think it is important film and understand why people hold it in high regard.

 

[shadow1]

Prey (2022) - 6/10

In 1719, the Comanche Native American tribe are stalked by cloaked extraterrestrial, The Predator.

I'm probably the last person in this thread to watch Prey. I went back and looked at the rest of the groups reviews, and I'm definitely lower on it than most; more in line with @Pranzo Oltranzista.

The film has stunning cinematography, especially in the slower paced first half of the movie. The Predator creature only makes brief appearances during this time, and you almost forget you're watching a science fiction movie.

The second half of the movie went downhill a bit for me. I preferred the slower, more tension based beginning of the movie rather than the all out action of the end. For example, I thought the the trapper characters were a generic addition and they weren't on screen long at all; their only purpose was to up the body count and introduce the muzzleloading handgun that appears in Predator 2.

I wasn't a big fan of the main character, Naru. We're supposed to sympathize with her; she's in a hunter-gatherer tribe, and wants to be a hunter. In her pursuit of this goal, everyone around her tells her she's not cut out for it; the feedback ranges from constructive criticism from her brother, to flat out bullying from some other men in the tribe.

The issue is that there's a lot of truth in what they're saying. Naru is no doubt a talented fighter and she is a smart person in general, but she is not the cream of the crop on the battlefield. She should've been killed several times; probably by the mountain lion, for sure by the bear, a few times by the Predator, and even once by nature itself (a bog).

Fortunately for her, she has some of the strongest plot armor I've ever seen, and always manages to survive by a stroke of luck. Unfortunately for everyone else, Naru is basically a narcissist who does whatever she wants, and her strong headedness puts members of her tribe in situations that lead to their deaths.

The ending was just okay for me. Though Naru comes up with a clever trick to kill the Predator, she should've been killed - again - but was saved by her dog in the nick of time. I also thought by Predator standards, this creature was pretty dumb. It was difficult for Arnold to outsmart the big bad in the first movie, which added tension; the Predator here falls for Naru's trap pretty easily. As a result, the movie ends with Naru being named the new War Chief of her tribe. No lessons were learned by her; she received the gratification she desired but it didn't feel earned, as she pretty much lucked her way into surviving the movie.

Not a bad movie, but I was hoping it was going to be the clear #2 in the series, and I can't say that. Maybe my opinion will change over time, but for now I'm lower than IMDB's 7.2 rating.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Prey (2022) - 6/10

[...]
Not a bad movie, but I was hoping it was going to be the clear #2 in the series, and I can't say that. Maybe my opinion will change over time, but for now I'm lower than IMDB's 7.2 rating.

Curious, what's your #2 in the series? I'm guessing part 2, but when I watched them all recently it really was a lot worse than I remembered. Predators was my second favorite, but I think Prey's first half puts it slightly ahead of it.

 

[Chili]

Wag the Dog-1997

'You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war'.-William Randolph Hearst

How to deal with a political scandal? Create a story that knocks the scandal off the front page news. Interesting look at manipulation of opinions and how far things could go to cover 'assets'. Awesome cast, cool for me to see Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro together in a film. Watching Anne Heche was thinking about the recent crash, she's good here. Had to be well written to come off, was for the most part. And has Mark Knopfler and Willie Nelson music.

The Mule-2018

Earl (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran and older Willy Lomanish type who spent his life on the road working which had eventually left him estranged from his family. He's given the chance to make some easy money and sees an opportunity to maybe get back in the good graces. Good story and Clint knows how to make a film. Enjoyed the pacing and subtle use of music. Good film based on a true story.

Dave-1993

The US president has taken seriously ill after a stroke. Those around him cannot bear the thought of the Vice President replacing him and begin a search for a doppelganger. They find him in Dave (Kevin Kline). This film could easily go off the rails and become silly but I bought Kevin Kline as he really plays himself. I contrast that with Sean Penn in the remake of All the King's Men which didn't work. Could see Sigourney Weaver as a first lady for real, she's very good here. Good supporting cast, good film.

Bohemian Rhapsody-2018

A song that I can remember exactly where I heard it the first time. About six of us were squeezed into a car, headed to get our first drivers license when Bohemian Rhapsody came on the radio. Just remember virtual silence as we all listened to the incredible song for the first time. Rami Malek is impressive, a reminder of the dynamic role he is playing. Cool that he did some of his own singing. Even with the lengthy list of historical inaccuracies, thoroughly enjoyed listening to the medley of hits over the years and the re-creation of the Live Aid performance.

Bonnie & Clyde-1967

Re-watched the tale of the (in)famous duo. One of those legends that seems to have a life of it's own. Was trying to think of a gangster film I've seen from the 1930's that topped this one. Two Bogart films were memorable High Sierra and The Petrified Forest. This film may be the best, really captures the period without over glamorizing the life they were living. Faye Dunaway is awesome as Bonnie and Warren Beatty is pretty good too. Strong supporting cast, most before they were well known. Classic.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Prey (2022) - 6/10

In 1719, the Comanche Native American tribe are stalked by cloaked extraterrestrial, The Predator.

I'm probably the last person in this thread to watch Prey. I went back and looked at the rest of the groups reviews, and I'm definitely lower on it than most; more in line with @Pranzo Oltranzista.

The film has stunning cinematography, especially in the slower paced first half of the movie. The Predator creature only makes brief appearances during this time, and you almost forget you're watching a science fiction movie.

The second half of the movie went downhill a bit for me. I preferred the slower, more tension based beginning of the movie rather than the all out action of the end. For example, I thought the the trapper characters were a generic addition and they weren't on screen long at all; their only purpose was to up the body count and introduce the muzzleloading handgun that appears in Predator 2.

I wasn't a big fan of the main character, Naru. We're supposed to sympathize with her; she's in a hunter-gatherer tribe, and wants to be a hunter. In her pursuit of this goal, everyone around her tells her she's not cut out for it; the feedback ranges from constructive criticism from her brother, to flat out bullying from some other men in the tribe.

The issue is that there's a lot of truth in what they're saying. Naru is no doubt a talented fighter and she is a smart person in general, but she is not the cream of the crop on the battlefield. She should've been killed several times; probably by the mountain lion, for sure by the bear, a few times by the Predator, and even once by nature itself (a bog).

Fortunately for her, she has some of the strongest plot armor I've ever seen, and always manages to survive by a stroke of luck. Unfortunately for everyone else, Naru is basically a narcissist who does whatever she wants, and her strong headedness puts members of her tribe in situations that lead to their deaths.

The ending was just okay for me. Though Naru comes up with a clever trick to kill the Predator, she should've been killed - again - but was saved by her dog in the nick of time. I also thought by Predator standards, this creature was pretty dumb. It was difficult for Arnold to outsmart the big bad in the first movie, which added tension; the Predator here falls for Naru's trap pretty easily. As a result, the movie ends with Naru being named the new War Chief of her tribe. No lessons were learned by her; she received the gratification she desired but it didn't feel earned, as she pretty much lucked her way into surviving the movie.

Not a bad movie, but I was hoping it was going to be the clear #2 in the series, and I can't say that. Maybe my opinion will change over time, but for now I'm lower than IMDB's 7.2 rating.

I thought it was ok as well - didn’t feel like reviewing it though.

Same plot always plays out in these movies, which is fine I suppose. Maybe they should have a space traveler like Buzz Lightyear land on Yautja Prime and hijinks ensue.

 

[shadow1]

Curious, what's your #2 in the series? I'm guessing part 2, but when I watched them all recently it really was a lot worse than I remembered. Predators was my second favorite, but I think Prey's first half puts it slightly ahead of it.

I think Predators in my second favorite, but I'd like to re-watch Predator 2 one of these days to see where it lands.

Predator 2 tried something a lot different and is somewhat divisive, but it's definitely the sequel most responsible for expanding the Predator's lore. The smart discs, net gun, spear (combistick), and other weapons make their first appearances and have become synonymous with the character.