Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Mid-Spring Edition. Happy Beltane!

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Odds Against Tomorrow. A nice little three-hander noir about a trio of desperate men who think they've lined up an easy score. This is going to shock you but ... it's not as easy as it seems though the biggest hurdle might be Robert Ryan's seething racism toward Harry Belafonte. A better than average script, solid performances (Ryan might be a LITTLE much) and an ending I did not see coming. If you like an efficient, no-frills crime flick, you'd do yourself right watching this.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The Day The Earth Caught Fire and Gregory's Girl both just got added to Kanopy in HD in both my library system and where my brother is in the US so check if your library card is giving you access to these cos they're both fantastic and imo very underrated British classics.

Day The Earth Caught Fire is like a sci-fi thriller twist on Sweet Smell of Success, a better film imo for me at least. Gregory's Girl is more sentimental but held up well despite being an 80s teen film, very charming.

 

[kihei]

Odds Against Tomorrow. A nice little three-hander noir about a trio of desperate men who think they've lined up an easy score. This is going to shock you but ... it's not as easy as it seems though the biggest hurdle might be Robert Ryan's seething racism toward Harry Belafonte. A better than average script, solid performances (Ryan might be a LITTLE much) and an ending I did not see coming. If you like an efficient, no-frills crime flick, you'd do yourself right watching this.

I think Ryan would have made a great King Lear.

 

[Puck]

Cruella: Just a quick drive-by post. I don't think I'm the intended demographic for this film. I think it is aimed more for young women. I watched it in 3 parts over 3 days. Still a good movie though. Good performances by Stone and Thompson. Well written. Not for me but that's ok. I did finish it.

The new Lupin Part 2 is out on Netflix, so I know what I'm doing this weekend.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Stake Land

with Z- movie people

Dreary post-apocalyptic vampire movie that probably started off as a zombie movie and got changed somewhere along the line. Mister and his teenage sidekick roam the wasteland killing vampires that have wiped out society despite being barely a dozen IQ points away from lower-level shamblers out of older, better George Romero movies.

Surprise! It's people who really suck.

Kelly McGillis (once long ago Tom Cruise's love interest in Top Gun) shows up as a nun. Plaintiff pianos and woodwinds flit in the background pointlessly.

On Prime. Doesn't deserve a pic.

Next.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Predestination

with Ethan Hawke and other people. Also one sinister dude with an annoying mustache.

In some alternate timeline, The Fizzle Bomber is terrorizing NYC in the 50's to the 80's with ever more powerful bombs. John (Hawke) is a "Temporal Agent" trying to hunt him down. The whateveriswascalled timecop bureau employing him has done quite a lot of pre-crime busting; they've all prevented bombings, robberies and so on...but John just can't find the Fizzle Bomber (great name, guys...). Much seriousness is made about the Final Destination for temporal agents, many stern looks are exchanged, and it's all clearly very important. One day while John's in 1970 posing as a bartender, a very strange man shows up with a very strange story.

Another non-budget effort with a time travel/paradox gimmick, but it's one of the better ones as you're going along with it. You're involved with the plot and interested enough to keep following along, but the payoff's weak. You'll see the ending coming a mile away, but it's not that bad a ride to get there.

Meh. A notch above the usual dreck, but nothing spectacular.

On Netflix

Not even close to the most invasive surgery this character gets.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Monsieur Hire (1989) - 6.5/10 (streamed on Kanopy)

It isn't as good as its musical score thinks it is. I saw a comparison to one of the Kieslowski Three Colours Trilogy films and thought it was somewhat apt in that style but less artistic and more simple. The lead character is made to be unsympathetic but by the end you're supposed to feel the opposite about him and it didn't work, it was more pathetic than anything. There's a 60s film called Panique based on the same source material which may be better.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I saw a comparison to one of the Kieslowski Three Colours Trilogy films

Just... nope

 

[Osprey]

Wrath of Man (2021) - 6/10 (Liked it)

An armored truck company hires a new security guard (Jason Statham) who immediately impresses during a robbery, but has ulterior motives in taking the job. It's an action-packed heist/revenge movie from Guy Ritchie and a remake of a 2004 French movie called Cash Truck (or Le Convoyeur). As you'd expect from Ritchie, it's very stylish and well paced. I liked the camera angles and movement and loved the soundtrack, with its simple motifs of bass notes that reminded me of the theme to Jaws. My problem with Ritchie, though, is that his films feel heavy on style and a little light on substance, and it's no different here. The plot is a little hard to follow, primarily because it repeatedly jumps backward and forward in time, and because there are so many characters and their allegiances to keep track of. The number of characters is a good thing in this case, though, because Statham is as uncharismatic as ever and his character is so one-note and uninteresting that making the film more of an ensemble cast seems like it was a smart decision. The action, especially near the end, is a highlight of the film and was pretty satisfying, though the conclusion is rather abrupt and was a bit disappointing. Overall, there are some issues, but I'd say that it mostly succeeds as a slick heist movie to munch popcorn during. I'm not a fan of Ritchie or Statham and was still entertained enough by it, so fans of either or both will probably like it even more. It's in theaters and for rent.

 

[Chili]

The Iceman Cometh-1973

Four hour film of a play , so not for all. Interesting group of down and out types, gathered together for the bar owners birthday. Great cast, spot on performances especially from Robert Ryan who was dying at the time (as was Frederic March). Ryan must have brought alot of himself to his character, some of his dialogue is very poignant. Enjoyed it.

 

[OzzyFan]

Near Dark (1987)
2.80 out of 4stars

"A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter."
An interesting genre mashup (Horror/Western/Suspense/and a solid amount of Comedy, Action, and Romance sprinkled in too). Aside from a couple of the visuals used not aging well, this is an excellently directed atmospheric glimpse into nomadic vampires lives and what it truly means to live that lifestyle. It's an interesting accomplishment honestly to balance everything that's going on and make it work so well. And boy, Paxton plays over the top characters so well.

Housebound (2014)
2.60 out of 4stars

"A young woman is forced to return to her childhood home after being placed under house arrest, where she suspects that something evil may be lurking."
Another genre mashup (Comedy/Mystery/Horror/Thriller in that order I would say) that is very amiable in it's delivery. A fun haunted house tale, filled with twists and turns as the story progresses, even though it never feels at all truly heavy or serious.

The Night Watchmen
2.15 out of 4stars

"Three inept night watchmen, aided by a young rookie and a fearless tabloid journalist, fight an epic battle for their lives against a horde of hungry vampires."
It walks it's over the top line of comedy horror very tightly. You will either think this movie is filled with a lot of cheesy humor or you will enjoy it's often times goofy and playful banter and visuals. There is a big kid inside me still and at 80mins, it was entertaining enough and worth the watch for me.

Raya and the Last Dragon
2.60 out of 4stars

"A movie about Raya and Sisu, the last dragon of Kumandra, and their quest of finding all the pieces of a magical gem to restore the land to its previous, peaceful form."
A visually top notch fun adventure Disney animation film, yet paint by numbers in it's story telling. It flies by in an entertaining way, yet is very forgettable. A couple nice touches with Awkwafina voice cast as a zany dragon and a sprinkle of humorous character choices throughout this moral pushing tale.

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Ava

with Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Geena Davis, Common, Colin Farrell, and other people.

Chastain is Ava, former wonderchild with a bright future until she developed substance abuse issues, amassed DUIs and broken personal relationships, then joined the army and became a hitwoman with over 40 confirmed kills. She however continues to have erratic mental issues alarming her handler (Malkovic) and the new boss (Farrell), so she's given time off to decompress back in her childhood home of Boston, where everyone hates her guts and nobody knows what she really does for a living. Are there going to be secrets and lies? You bet! Will you care about them? Almost certainly not. Much martial artistry, betrayal and broken furniture ensue.

I can forgive a lot in a movie with Jessica Chastain in it...but not when it swaddles her in layers of army canvas for most of the time. $#@!! Action scenes aren't terrible, but it was a chuckle watching Chastain beating the snot out of much bigger men with her tiny little fists. Plenty of illogical choices abound at key moments. Mom's a bitch, and the dysfunctional family angle is one I certainly could have done with less of.

On Netflix. No big shock it came and went quickly.

Oh hey! Jessica Chastain's in this...awwwwwwww.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Jungleland (Winkler, 2019) - Put this on thinking it would be a stupid brawl movie, but it turned out pretty decent. Higly uneven, it has a few blissful moments of aesthetic grandeur, but in the end it's just a straightforward simple (and not that original) story with not much depth. Very good actors, good execution, there's just not that other gear. 5/10

IMDB Summary: Two brothers try to escape their circumstances by travelling across the country for a no holds barred boxing match that becomes a fight for their lives.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1961) - 8/10

I stand by saying this is a great British classic underrated sci-fi. The sci-fi is really the background for following around some good newspaper action with a decent love story in the background of a chaotic hot sweaty London. Really just the way they capture some of the potential chaos of something like this while keeping it fairly grounded is my favourite aspect along with the street level camera action.

Might not have the cinematography of Sweet Smell of Success but better characters and a better story.

 

[Osprey]

Wolf Creek (2005) - 3/10 (Really disliked it)

20-something friends take a road trip through the Outback, break down and become victims of Crocodile Dundee's psychotic brother. It's a horror film that's like an Australian version of Tourist Trap or The Hills Have Eyes, but worse. It takes a really long time to get going, nearly an hour just for the kids to get into the desert, break down and meet their antagonist, and that hour isn't even interesting or suspenseful, just boring. The final half hour is a little more interesting, but filled with horror tropes, including stupid decisions. For example, at one point, the girls escape in the psycho's car and, after driving only a few minutes, come to a cliff, get out and push the car over to make it look like they crashed and died. Now, 100 miles from any civilization, the girl whose bright idea it was to push their only transportation over the cliff says to the other, "we need a car!" There's also a point where a girl pulls a pocket knife and the psycho predictably says "that's not a knoyfe... this is a knoyfe!", referencing Crocodile Dundee, and there's even a car chase scene that is an obvious reference to Mad Max. It seems kind of pathetic that a low budget Australian horror film has no ideas except to crib its own country's cultural exports. If this had been a horror comedy, maybe it could've worked, but it's a disturbing, violent and bleak film. It's supposed to be, at least. I found it too derivative and boring to take seriously. The only thing that's a little different is its ending, which is the opposite of what I expected, though that fact doesn't improve the movie any and is no reason to watch it:

Spoiler

The girl who was set up as the protagonist and would be in the "final girl" in 9 out of 10 horror movies is the first to die and the punchable guy who would be the first to die 9 times out of 10 ends up being the only survivor. It's completely backwards and something that I've never seen before. Apparently, it's because this was based on a true story of a guy and two girls who went into the Outback, with only the guy coming back. Hmm. Dude probably killed them, himself, and made up the "psychotic trucker" story, but, sure, let's make a movie out of it and legitimize his phony alibi.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Hadn't seen it in a while so watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Despite being a 70s era film I actually think it ages well and represents an "ideal" of what first contact would look like. I especially liked the depiction of government activities. Interestingly, I really dislike the main protagonist (Roy Neary). He came across as incredibly selfish, at least to me. Overall a very enjoyable film. 8/10.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

The Last Movie. I appreciate the cultural significance of Easy Rider though I think the movie itself is one of the more overrated "great" films. So I wasn't exactly entering this with an open mind. Hopper's follow-up. A stunt man gets wrapped up in assorted shenanigans in Peru (I make it sound way more interesting than what it is). It's a bit of second verse, same as the first. America is like, bad, man. And maybe also so is the movie industry. Others have made these points better but perhaps not quite as tediously. More drugged-out simplicity trying to pass as profundity. Some of the Peruvian vistas do look great though. There's a documentary called The American Dreamer about Hopper at this time in his life that is much more interesting.

Freejack. Been on my list of nostalgic 80s/90s sci-fi flicks for a while. I liked some of the world and set design. There are a few well-pitched supporting performances — Renee Russo, David Johanssen, Anthony Hopkins — but otherwise not a ton to recommend. Emilio Esteves is bad. Mick Jagger is worse. Any attempt at humor (particularly every single "witty" quip) falls flat.

But there is a great sequence of colossally bad writing though that made me howl. Our heroes are taking an elevator to their presumed death. One says the only way out is through the lobby. The lobby is filled with armed me ready to shoot them. They get to the lobby, the doors open and a team of other soldiers (whom our heroes did not know were there) mows down all the bad guys. Ok fine. Whatever. But here's the best part ... the elevator doors close, our heroes are now riding back up and one of them very casually says "Oh there's an escape on the 100th floor." There's another badly choreographed sleight-of-hand at the end where a character keeps an important secret in the penultimate scene only to reveal it in the final scene when there's no reason it couldn't have been shared in the previous scene.

 

[kihei]

Saint Maud is now on Netflix. Excellent, must-see horror movie

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Highway to Hell (Ate de Jong, 1991) - Oh I remember how Fangoria (or was it Gorezone?) had our hopes up about this one. Sgt. Bedlam, played by C.J. Graham (Jason of Friday the 13th 6), a Steve Johnson creation, was the up and coming great horror villain. Fail. It's a horror comedy that's not really horror (more fantasy than anything), and really not a comedy (or a very bad one). The whole Stiller family appears in this no budget production, with Lita Ford, Gilbert Gottfried, and Kevin Peter Hall (the Predator). It's a little crazy and it has somewhat of a "unique" feel, but it's pretty bad. 3.5/10

IMDB Summary (these are fun): An eloping bride is taken into Hell, and her fiancé must pursue.

 

[Thucydides]

Saint Maud is now on Netflix. Excellent, must-see horror movie

just watched this tonight . What a great movie ! Any other recommendations ?

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

Hadn't seen it in a while so watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Despite being a 70s era film I actually think it ages well and represents an "ideal" of what first contact would look like. I especially liked the depiction of government activities. Interestingly, I really dislike the main protagonist (Roy Neary). He came across as incredibly selfish, at least to me. Overall a very enjoyable film. 8/10.

I'm not a fan of Close Encounters, and Neary is a big reason why.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Cyborg (Pyun, 1989) - The year before he directed his infamous Captain America, Albert Pyun commited this other cinematographic atrocity. There's really no worst film genre than heroic fantasy, but mixing it with a little sci-fi and writing/producing a film out of a trashed film project's leftover costumes and sets (Cyborg was written so that the preproduction of Masters of Universe II wouldn't completely go to waste), that's the only right way to come out with a masterpiece of this kind of gravitas. I had seen it before, but only remembered one single shot, and vividly (the girl holding on to the barb wire, a pretty powerful shot for a film that bad). The film doesn't hold back on violence, even has a little gore, but it doesn't compensate for the amazing cheesiness of the whole thing, starting with the overacting voice-over of the non-actor villain who really doesn't disappoint once onscreen. The first cut was reportedly so bad that Van Damme himself entirely re-edited the film. This one truly deserves it's so bad it's more than good 1/10.

IMDB Summary: A martial artist hunts a killer in a plague-infested urban dump of the future.

It's "leaving soon" on TUBI - hurry up!

 

[NyQuil]

My brother and I used to do imitations of Jean-Claude Van Damme from this film. "I must get to Atlanta..."

Actually saw it in the theater as part of a double-matinee.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

My brother and I used to do imitations of Jean-Claude Van Damme from this film. "I must get to Atlanta..."

Actually saw it in the theater as part of a double-matinee.

Not in so many words... At some point he just repeats like a moron "At-lan-ta". But if anything, it's really the villain that'd be fun to imitate. Everything he says is a gem.

"Been there. Pffff!"

 

[Spring in Fialta]

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