Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | New Year New thread

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Attended another all-night horror movie marathon. This one was sci-fi horror themed*. The organizer, like myself, is a child of the 80s so the lineup was very much to my tastes. Five movies announced beforehand three revealed as surprises through the night.

Night of the Creeps, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Blob (1988), Slither, Critters and Tremors. Six true crowd pleasers. Creeps and Klowns are my favorite of the bunch. The humor in Creeps (particularly via Tom Atkins) is what most remember -- "Good news ladies, your dates are here. Bad news. They're dead." but I'm always really taken with the portrayal of the relationship between the two friends. It's real and sensitive in ways movies of this time and ilk often aren't. I don't know why Steven Marshall didn't have a career but he's excellent. Klowns is just commitment to the bit to an extreme. Clever. Absurd. Incredible design. Every single gag in it makes me laugh. Critters is a little slower than I remember but it's been decades since I've seen it so it was a welcome revisit.

What was really funny when watching these all in close proximity is that it highlights the similiarities. All six are in small towns. The first five all open with a meteor/object crash (Critters is maybe about 20 minutes in). Five of the six have a love triangle and/or a snob-slob romantic pairing. Local authorities all are mostly unhelpful, often obnoxiously so. Slither notably reverses this. Everyone accidentally figures out the alien weakness. And five of the six all end on a stinger implying that the danger hasn't been vanquished. There's some nuance between all the movies but the similarities were amusing. It's a sturdy formula.

The * is for two of the surprise movie titles. One was Howard the Duck, which though it does contain a monster, is certainly not horror. The organizer fully admitted this, but said he couldn't resist the chance to both surprise people with it and screen it on a big screen. Still a bad movie but a memorable experience. The other surprise was Leprechaun, which while horror, is obviously not sci-fi. It was the final movie in the lineup though and the next day was St. Patrick's Day so again, he said he couldn't resist. Also still a bad movie. Less of a memorable experience.

 

[The Macho King]

Busy movie day.

Started with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

What does God need with a starship? What do we need with Shatner directing? Look, the movie doesn't work. Its a worse version of the plot from Motion Picture. The effects are bad (rough production and all doesn't help), and overall there just isn't much juice there. I'm sorry Row Row Row Your Boat is your favorite song? That being said it isn't all terrible. First 30 minutes is enjoyable. It just didn't work.

4/10

Then I transitioned to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Such a good movie. Christopher Plummer is fantastic in this - menacing, comes off as competent, and just fits the vibe of a Klingon warlord. Having the mirrored investigation with prison escape makes this feel - in the best way - like a Star Trek two parter. The crew was definitely on their last legs but this is a great send off.

A lot of nice little color, too. Discussing Hamlet and having the Klingons say "You should hear it in the original Klingon," is just a nice chuckle. Having Kirk have to address his personal issues with them versus what is best for the Federation was also great.

That being said - some clunkiness. They were too heavy handed with the "they stink" and criticizing the table manners to make a racism allegory. Just felt like a hat on a hat, especially since there is already so many cultural differences to play off of.

Overall, a great send off to the original cast. 8/10

 

[NyQuil]

Busy movie day.

Started with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

What does God need with a starship? What do we need with Shatner directing? Look, the movie doesn't work. Its a worse version of the plot from Motion Picture. The effects are bad (rough production and all doesn't help), and overall there just isn't much juice there. I'm sorry Row Row Row Your Boat is your favorite song? That being said it isn't all terrible. First 30 minutes is enjoyable. It just didn't work.

4/10

Then I transitioned to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Such a good movie. Christopher Plummer is fantastic in this - menacing, comes off as competent, and just fits the vibe of a Klingon warlord. Having the mirrored investigation with prison escape makes this feel - in the best way - like a Star Trek two parter. The crew was definitely on their last legs but this is a great send off.

A lot of nice little color, too. Discussing Hamlet and having the Klingons say "You should hear it in the original Klingon," is just a nice chuckle. Having Kirk have to address his personal issues with them versus what is best for the Federation was also great.

That being said - some clunkiness. They were too heavy handed with the "they stink" and criticizing the table manners to make a racism allegory. Just felt like a hat on a hat, especially since there is already so many cultural differences to play off of.

Overall, a great send off to the original cast. 8/10

It's funny because V is considered the absolute worst and VI the best, and they came along back to back.

Wrath of Khan is up there.

 

[The Macho King]

Wife and I watched Do the Right Thing.

I don't know what to say about maybe one of the most discussed films of the last 30 years. Its good? Driving Miss Daisy winning and this not being nominated is cruel irony? Idk, 10/10 justice for Raheem.

 

[Osprey]

It's funny because V is considered the absolute worst and VI the best, and they came along back to back.

V is no longer considered the absolute worst Star Trek movie.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Wife and I watched Do the Right Thing.

I don't know what to say about maybe one of the most discussed films of the last 30 years. Its good? Driving Miss Daisy winning and this not being nominated is cruel irony? Idk, 10/10 justice for Raheem.

It’s been maybe 20 years since I watched Do The Right Thing - I looked the film up after seeing your post and never knew Buggin’ was Giancarlo Esposito.

Pretty wild.

I read an article several years back how Esposito wasn’t having success in his younger days, went through bankruptcy and divorce, then was considering hiring someone to kill him - it was pretty dark stuff.

His resilience paid off and I’m happy he powered through and made a name for himself.

 

[The Macho King]

It’s been maybe 20 years since I watched Do The Right Thing - I looked the film up after seeing your post and never knew Buggin’ was Giancarlo Esposito.

Pretty wild.

I read an article several years back how Esposito wasn’t having success in his younger days, went through bankruptcy and divorce, then was considering hiring someone to kill him - it was pretty dark stuff.

His resilience paid off and I’m happy he powered through and made a name for himself.

Yeah I totally forgot he was Buggin.

I mean the film is full of "oh hey it's that guy." But considering it's success and frankly Esposito being pretty high on the call sheet, his career didn't take off for another 20 years.

 

[NyQuil]

Yeah I totally forgot he was Buggin.

I mean the film is full of "oh hey it's that guy." But considering it's success and frankly Esposito being pretty high on the call sheet, his career didn't take off for another 20 years.

Another one like that was when he was Detective Jack Baer in The Usual Suspects.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Another one like that was when he was Detective Jack Baer in The Usual Suspects.

I rewatched TAPS in the past year. Great lead performance by Timothy Dalton but mostly notable for really early career performances from Tom Cruise and Sean Penn (who interestingly are cast opposite from where their careers would go) but also among that group of friends is a young Giancarlo Esposito. He's been at it for a LOOOOOONG time.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Yeah I totally forgot he was Buggin.

I mean the film is full of "oh hey it's that guy." But considering it's success and frankly Esposito being pretty high on the call sheet, his career didn't take off for another 20 years.

I wouldn’t even know it was him even on a rewatch today.

I just saw the cast names and did a double take.

I rewatched his scene before the riot, ranting about “only Italians on the wall”, and he’s the complete opposite from the actor I have come to enjoy.

Not only taking 35 years away from his face, but he’s so animated and angry in this scene.

A far cry from the composed, stoic actor I know today.

I rewatched TAPS in the past year. Great lead performance by Timothy Dalton but mostly notable for really early career performances from Tom Cruise and Sean Penn (who interestingly are cast opposite from where their careers would go) but also among that group of friends is a young Giancarlo Esposito. He's been at it for a LOOOOOONG time.

He was in Taps? Wow.

I have watched this movie at least 10-15x during my life and most recently about a year ago.

Trying to think who he is in the movie…

The guy in the truck with Sean Penn when they get supplies?

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I wouldn’t even know it was him even on a rewatch today.

I just saw the cast names and did a double take.

I rewatched his scene before the riot, ranting about “only Italians on the wall”, and he’s the complete opposite from the actor I have come to enjoy.

Not only taking 35 years away from his face, but he’s so animated and angry in this scene.

A far cry from the composed, stoic actor I know today.



He was in Taps? Wow.

I have watched this movie at least 10-15x during my life and most recently about a year ago.

Trying to think who he is in the movie…

The guy in the truck with Sean Penn when they get supplies?

Yep.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Yep.

So he was acting when I was a toddler - puts things into perspective about his mindset when he was suicidal before his breakout roles.

 

[The Macho King]

It's funny because V is considered the absolute worst and VI the best, and they came along back to back.

Wrath of Khan is up there.

Nemesis and Into Darkness give it a run if I recall. In another week I'll be able to confirm.

 

[NyQuil]

Nemesis and Into Darkness give it a run if I recall. In another week I'll be able to confirm.

I was thinking more of the original cast films.

I didn’t mind Into Darkness myself.

 

[The Macho King]

Alright so I'm a big Wong Kar Wai fan, and I had heard a major influence him was Godard. I have a massive blindspot when it comes to French New Wave, so I decided I would broaden my horizon and watched Breathless.

Wow - yeah the influence is pretty damn clear. I feel like I can see a lot of this in kind of tone, attitude, and style in Days of Being Wild. If anything, I'd say WKW may be a bit more... melancholy, but IDK it feels like the DNA is there.

I really enjoyed it. For a movie with very little plot, it moves pretty well. The leads had some real chemistry, and I found myself liking them both, even if I hope my kids don't grow up to be anything like them. There's just a certain charm to them, but with the beginning there is an air of imminent destruction coming on Michel, and the ending... damn it's good.

IDK - this movie f***ing rules. I don't know if this is indicative of Godard's later work, but I am going to have to check out more.

9/10

 

[Pink Mist]

My Thoughts Are Silent / Мої думки тихі (dir. Antonio Lukich, 2019)

My Thoughts Are Silent is a film that sneaks up on you. What starts as a deadpan road trip comedy gradually unfolds into something far more introspective—a meditation on ambition, family, and the quiet sadness of outgrowing home.

Vadym, a lanky, socially awkward sound engineer, dreams of escaping Ukraine for Canada (the Toronto Maple Leafs make a very brief cameo), where a video game company has promised him a potential future. All he has to do is record the sound of a rare Carpathian bird. Simple enough, except his mother insists on tagging along. What follows is a journey both physical and emotional, as mother and son navigate old wounds, unspoken expectations, and the painful humor of their mismatched personalities.

Director Antonio Lukich has an incredible sense of comedic timing. The film is packed with small, absurd details—like Vadym struggling to record animal sounds while locals interrupt with their unsolicited opinions. Yet, beneath the humor, there's a deep melancholy. The dynamic between Vadym and his mother (Irma Vitovska is fantastic) is so painfully real—she dotes on him, meddles in his life, yet ultimately just wants him to stay. He, meanwhile, is caught between frustration and love, unable to fully break away or fully commit.

Visually, My Thoughts Are Silent has a stark, overcast beauty, mirroring Vadym’s detached, uncertain existence. The electronic-heavy score further isolates him, emphasizing his desire to be elsewhere.

The ending is bittersweet, maybe even a little cruel, but fitting for a film about the impossibility of clean breaks. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the people who frustrate us most are also the ones who understand us best. Not perfect, but uniquely heartfelt—like a long sigh after a difficult conversation.

 

[Pink Mist]

Rushmore (dir. Wes Anderson, 1998)

Few films capture the awkward charm of misplaced ambition quite like Rushmore. Wes Anderson’s sophomore feature is a bittersweet ode to adolescence, structured around one of cinema’s most eccentric teenage protagonists: Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman, in a career-defining debut). Max is a scholarship kid at the prestigious Rushmore Academy, more invested in extracurriculars than academics—playwright, beekeeper, fencing team captain, and founder of every club imaginable. But when he develops a crush on the refined and melancholic Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), and finds an unlikely ally in disillusioned millionaire Herman Blume (Bill Murray), his world starts unraveling.

Like many Anderson films, Rushmore is a symphony of deadpan humor, meticulous framing, and melancholic undercurrents. His style is here in embryonic form—less ornamental than later efforts, but still bursting with visual wit. The film's soundtrack, packed with British Invasion hits, lends Max’s misadventures a romanticized, almost mythic quality. And yet, beneath the symmetrical compositions and snappy dialogue, Rushmore is a film about failure—about realizing you’re not the prodigy you thought you were, and figuring out where to go from there.

Bill Murray steals every scene as Blume, a man-child who sees a kindred spirit in Max but slowly realizes he’s just as lost. Their absurd rivalry over Miss Cross is equal parts hilarious and sad, a battle neither can truly win. Schwartzman, meanwhile, perfectly balances Max’s arrogance with vulnerability, making him endearing even at his most insufferable.

While Rushmore doesn’t quite hit the emotional highs it reaches for, it’s a defining moment in Anderson’s career—a film that feels both personal and meticulously crafted. A charming, offbeat coming-of-age tale about growing up, letting go, and learning that the world won’t always bend to your vision.

 

[Pink Mist]

I Am Curious (Yellow) / Jag är nyfiken - en film i gult (dir. Vilgot Sjöman, 1967)

A strange relic of its time, I Am Curious (Yellow) straddles the line between documentary and fiction, political manifesto and erotic provocation. Vilgot Sjöman’s experimental film follows Lena, a young, idealistic woman questioning class inequality, pacifism, and Sweden’s social structure, all while navigating her own sexual awakening. But for all its boldness, it’s an uneven experience—equal parts fascinating and frustrating.

There’s no denying its historical significance. The film’s controversial sexual content landed it in U.S. courts on obscenity charges, but its influence on freedom of expression in cinema is undeniable. The meta-narrative, where Sjöman himself appears directing Lena’s story, was ahead of its time, breaking the fourth wall before it was fashionable. But what felt radical in the ’60s now comes across as didactic and meandering.

Lena Nyman carries the film with a fearless, raw performance, her youthful curiosity and political fervor making her an engaging presence. She throws herself into everything—philosophical debates, guerilla-style interviews, experimental relationships—with a conviction that feels genuine. Yet, the film struggles to balance its political ambitions with its personal drama. The pacing drags, the structure is unfocused, and its intellectualism sometimes feels like an excuse for self-indulgence.

The eroticism, once shocking, is now almost quaint, though it still raises questions about exploitation versus liberation. Some moments feel voyeuristic in a way that undercuts the film’s feminist leanings, making it difficult to gauge its intentions.

Ultimately, I Am Curious (Yellow) is more interesting as a cultural artifact than a compelling film. Its ambition is commendable, and its impact on censorship battles and sexual politics is undeniable. But as a viewing experience? It’s messy, occasionally engaging, but mostly a curiosity—appropriate, given the title.

 

[Pink Mist]

The Rover (dir. David Michôd, 2014)

David Michôd’s The Rover has all the makings of a great modern western—bleak landscapes, moral ambiguity, and menacing silence—but it never quite justifies its own existence. It’s a film that confuses stillness for depth, leaning too heavily on aesthetic nihilism without much of a pulse beneath the surface.

Set in a near-future Australian wasteland after an unspecified economic collapse, the film follows Eric (Guy Pearce), a grizzled loner whose car is stolen by a gang of thieves. He teams up—if you can call it that—with Rey (Robert Pattinson), a simple-minded drifter who happens to be the brother of one of the thieves. What unfolds is less of a gripping revenge story and more of a slow, aimless trudge through dust and violence.

Pearce delivers the kind of brooding intensity he can do in his sleep, but his character is so thinly written that there’s little to latch onto emotionally. Pattinson, on the other hand, is fascinating in his twitchy awkwardness, offering a much-needed injection of humanity into an otherwise joyless film. Unfortunately, their dynamic never fully develops into something meaningful, as the script seems more interested in lingering on long, wordless shots than actually exploring their relationship.

The cinematography is gorgeous, and the sound design is unsettling, but it all feels empty. The film’s world is convincingly desolate, yet it lacks the mythic weight of something like Mad Max or The Road. By the time the film reaches its final, absurd revelation, it’s hard not to wonder: was all this bloodshed really about a car?

For a film that desperately wants to be profound, The Rover ultimately feels like a mirage—attractive from a distance, but evaporating upon closer inspection.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Every now and then I like to take a dive into a director. Sometimes it's revisiting someone I've always loved like a Carpenter or Cronenberg or Aki Kaurismaki. Sometimes I'm learning more about someone I generally like but had never gone deep on like Walter Hill. I'm still chipping away at Ingmar Bergman. I'll never get around to all of Sidney Lumet, but did pick out about seven or eight deeper cut movies of his I wanted to watch. Heck, once I accidentally watched about 10 J. Lee Thompson movies.

Albert Pyun is perhaps my weirdest little mini-mission. Like, Lumet, I'm not going to watch them all. I selectively sought out several. Pyun, to some is a underrated master of fun action. To others, he's an almost Ed Wood-level hack. He directed almost 50 movies in a roughly 40 year career. Do the math there and you can sense part of the problem. His Wood-ness stems a little from his enthusiasm (by many accounts, a good, loyal, fun dude) but also because he had no qualms making due with whatever resources he had on hand, regardless of quality. More than once he made full movies on a weekend between when his bigger budget project wrapped and he had to turn equipment back in.

He's a small footnote in Marvel film history. He directed the reviled 1990 Captain America (unseen by me) and was at one point attached to make Spider-Man when Cannon still owned the rights. Sets and costumes intended for his Spider-Man as well as an abandoned Masters of the Universe sequel were repurposed for the JCVD Cyborg.

Of the 50 or so, I've seen 12, seven of which I intentionally sat down with in the last two weeks. There's a few more I might watch but probably not much beyond that.

Of the 12, two are legit among the worst movies I have ever seen. Arcade is not only horribly acted, but also has maybe the worst computer FX you will ever see. Road to Hell is a sorta-sequel to Walter Hill's wonderful Streets of Fire. In 2008. It's a bold idea but fully does not work. Not only is it embarassingly cheap it's so dour I don't understand why Pyun and his co-writter took this tack. At least the covers of original Streets of Fire songs are ok.

By all accounts his filmography (especially in the last 20 years) is a lot of bad cheapies and even I don't have the stomach for that.

But the other 10 I have seen range from genuinely pretty good to at least kinda interesting. His ceiling is a three star movie (out of five), but three stars is still fun.

His two most famous movies probably are the JCVD Cyborg and his first movie the 80s fantasy The Sword and the Sorcerer. Both entertaining genre movies with solid action and good production design. I really became Pyun-curious last year when I caught a pair of Cannon films he directed -- Dangerously Close and Down Twisted -- one a high-school set thriller where the preppies also might be killers the other a Charade riff. Both entertaining!

Radioactive Dreams and Vicious Lips are his 2nd and 3rd movies. Both very 80s and probably represent Pyun at his most free. I wouldn't call either movie good, but both are at least interesting. Pyun's a creator who doesn't have one idea. He has seven. And he puts them all there. Lips, for example, is basically like what if the Go-Go's crash landed on a Mad Max planet and got chased by a monkey monster. It's not as entertaining as that sounds. Both of these have a little cult cred. I won't be in the cult but I get why they have their fans. (Dollman is another Pyun movie with cult following, but I haven't seen it).

I did watch another four movies that I'd put in that entertaining bucket -- Knights, Nemesis, Mean Guns, and Brain Smasher: A Love Story.

Knights is cheapie post-apocalyptic action staring Kris Kirstoferson and Lance Henrickson. It's nothing special, but solidly done and has a visual style that at least sets it apart from similar low-budget fare.

Nemesis has grown to four or five movies I believe. Most if not all directed by Pyun. Cyborg kicky punchy action. I only watched the first. It's well made. Good fights. Fun supporting cast. It's major detriment is the star. If you think JCVD is a bad actor you haven't seen a movie with a sub-JCVD replacement.

Mean Guns. It's ugly early days of digital video, but it's a fun premise. A bunch of bad folks are locked down in a prison with a load of guns and a promise of millions to the last baddie standing. Thought this was a really good time. Decent character work. One of the few Ice-T performances I've ever liked.

Brain Smasher. Stars Andrew Dice Clay back when that still sorta meant something. Clearly inspired by Big Trouble in Little China (probably part of why I liked it). A model in trouble runs across a big dumb lug (the Diceman) who has to protect her over the course of a wild night from Chinese monks (not ninjas). I was STUNNED with how likable and charming I thought Dice Clay was. Fun interplay with Teri Hatcher (the model). Again pretty good action and a solid running line of humor through it.

If you're the sort who occasionally wants a fun, mindless 90 minutes with a movie. You could do a lot worse than some of these.

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Mickey 17. First half 8/10. Second half 4/10. Captain America 0/10.