Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +2

[ORRFForever]

Finally saw Midsommar.

I hate to charge in here so hot, but boy was that a laughable overrated piece of garbage. Ari Aster has a good eye. I’ll give him that. I was all-in on Hereditary, which was an unsettling, evocative and disturbing experience. One of the best horror movies of the past decade with an awards worthy performance from Toni Collette. He goes back to the exact same personal guilt + cults well here and it’s just silly. Not even remotely as effective as his last movie. Wicker Man cosplay. Too long. Too predictable. Self-indulgent. Tedious. Absolutely laughable climax. Ooooh naked old people are SOOOO scary. Wrinkles and fat rolls and groans oh my!!

This is poised to take the crown from It Follows as the thoughtful movie goer’s “I don’t watch horror, but, like, wow, man” way of acting like they’re well rounded. They’re not. It’s a **** movie aiming to appeal to people who don’t know better.

Wow! I know it's not great but you're too harsh, my friend.

Give it 24 hours.

 

[ORRFForever]

Picnic at Hanging Rock remains my favorite Aussie export.

Not my fave but a quality flick, indeed. This movie helps me forgive Peter Weir for Dead Poet Society.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Wow! I know it's not great but you're too harsh, my friend.

Give it 24 hours.

I thought about sitting on my thoughts for day but thought ... nah I’m going to let it rip

I am sure I’ll calm a little ... but not too much.

Went in legit excited/interested. Deeply, deeply disappointed.

 

[Osprey]

I thought about sitting on my thoughts for day but thought ... nah I’m going to let it rip

I am sure I’ll calm a little ... but not too much.

Went in legit excited/interested. Deeply, deeply disappointed.

I almost watched it tonight, after putting it off for a month and a half. I'm liable to not have the interest to put it on for another month and a half now. Thanks a lot .

 

[ORRFForever]

Man From Reno [2014] :

I'm going to steal the plot synopsis from wiki because, to be honest, I'm not sure I could summarize the complicated story line...

"A small-town sheriff, Paul Del Moral accidentally runs into and knocks down a man late at night on an isolated road. A best-selling Japanese crime novelist, Aki Akahori, has a one-night stand with a mysterious man who suddenly disappears. The two stories eventually dovetail. Furthermore, endangered turtles, cold blooded murders, a night of heated passion, deceit, paparazzi, secrets, a professional impostor, and a rich Brit and his burly henchmen are involved in this baffling mystery plot."

I loved everything about his movie - from the acting to the writing to the direction. Maybe, after a second viewing, I'll better understand this engrossing film noir.

7.5/10

 

[Osprey]

The Equalizer 2 (2018) - 6/10 (Liked it)

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has taken up work as a Lyft driver, occasionally helping passengers with their problems, until he suddenly has a more personal reason to go on a revenge spree. It's your standard Denzel Washington action movie, except for the surprising fact that it's the first sequel of his career, apparently. Without giving anything away, the plot is very familiar and cliche. It also suffers a little from the implausibility that a man in his 60s could be such an effective fighter and killer and from the fact that his stunt work is limited and relies on some creative editing. Finally, it has a subplot that feels a little forced so that it can suddenly become important at the very end. That said, it's still Denzel Washington kicking butt, it's enjoyable seeing bad people get what's coming to them, it has some tender moments, it has a pretty inspired setting for the climax (an evacuated Galveston-like island in pre-hurricane winds) and it's just a moderately fun movie. It's nothing more or less than you expect from your run-of-the-mill Denzel Washington action movie.

BTW, I have to mention something that I found pretty funny. At one point, a character is being attacked, grabs a small statue, knocks the assailant to the ground with it, immediately drops it, runs into the next room, is pursued, finds a knife, stabs the assailant in the leg and then leaves the knife in the guy's leg. It always cracks me up when characters let go of effective weapons, and this one actually did it twice just seconds apart and in two different variations of the trope. This is one of the things that makes movie killers more successful than movie victims: they're smart enough to realize that most weapons are not single use and can actually be re-used. If movie victims ever finally figure that out, it could be a game changer.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Man From Reno [2014] :

I'm going to steal the plot synopsis from wiki because, to be honest, I'm not sure I could summarize the complicated story line...

"A small-town sheriff, Paul Del Moral accidentally runs into and knocks down a man late at night on an isolated road. A best-selling Japanese crime novelist, Aki Akahori, has a one-night stand with a mysterious man who suddenly disappears. The two stories eventually dovetail. Furthermore, endangered turtles, cold blooded murders, a night of heated passion, deceit, paparazzi, secrets, a professional impostor, and a rich Brit and his burly henchmen are involved in this baffling mystery plot."

I loved everything about his movie - from the acting to the writing to the direction. Maybe, after a second viewing, I'll better understand this engrossing film noir.

8/10

Reading your review my reactions my reactions went like this ... sounds interesting... wait, I think I have seen this ... wait, I not only had, but I really dug it too.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I almost watched it tonight, after putting it off for a month and a half. I'm liable to not have the interest to put it on for another month and a half now. Thanks a lot .

Watch it!

I am clearly in the minority on this one.

 

[ORRFForever]

Reading your review my reactions my reactions went like this ... sounds interesting... wait, I think I have seen this ... wait, I not only had, but I really dug it too.

Thanks for the reminder.

My laugh for the day.

 

[kihei]

I thought about sitting on my thoughts for day but thought ... nah I’m going to let it rip

I am sure I’ll calm a little ... but not too much.

Went in legit excited/interested. Deeply, deeply disappointed.

That movie still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[ORRFForever]

That movie still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Why?

Is it as deep and smart as it thinks? No, but there are far worse movies out there.

 

[Richard]

Bit of an Australian kick lately:

Wake in Fright. A teacher on holiday gets pulled into a bender-from-hell of gambling, drinking, debauchery and ... kangaroo fighting. Probably not embraced by the Australian Tourism Board given the portrayal of its citizens as drunken, brawling louts (wait, or maybe they WOULD). Fairly gripping, though I have to admit the very real kangaroo violence was tough for me to stomach as a softie on animals. There's a great malevolent Donald Pleasance performance here.

Breaker Morant. Top-notch military/legal drama about the real life court martial of three Australian soldiers during the Boer War. It hits all the notes you expect about truth, responsibility, duty and where the buck stops in such a hierarchy. I don't know if he's ever cited it as a direct influence, but it's hard not to imagine Aaron Sorkin having seen this a few times before he sat down to write A Few Good Men.

Long Weekend. It's like The Happening plus Deliverance with the slightest dash of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. That's maybe a more thrilling formula than what's on screen exactly, but I think my math checks out. Sets a tone really well. It's a man vs. nature story where you definitely root for nature. I LOL'ed quite genuinely and hard at the final scene of the film.

Have to say, I once, long ago, saw Breaker Morant and Gallipoli on the same Saturday. I was ill and stayed home from school that Friday, and my Mom's rule was that if I stayed home from school on a Friday I couldn't go out that weekend. I really wanted to go to the mall.

Well, we had gotten encore (mid 90's) and I figured I'd watch it (my parents worked on Saturdays).

Anyway, Breaker Morant was spectacular and so was Gallipoli. I was used to American movies where everything always ends fair and just and war is glorified.

Spectacular 5/5

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Finally saw Midsommar.

I hate to charge in here so hot, but boy was that a laughable overrated piece of garbage. Ari Aster has a good eye. I’ll give him that. I was all-in on Hereditary, which was an unsettling, evocative and disturbing experience. One of the best horror movies of the past decade with an awards worthy performance from Toni Collette. He goes back to the exact same personal guilt + cults well here and it’s just silly. Not even remotely as effective as his last movie. Wicker Man cosplay. Too long. Too predictable. Self-indulgent. Tedious. Absolutely laughable climax. Ooooh naked old people are SOOOO scary. Wrinkles and fat rolls and groans oh my!!

This is poised to take the crown from It Follows as the thoughtful movie goer’s “I don’t watch horror, but, like, wow, man” way of acting like they’re well rounded. They’re not. It’s a **** movie aiming to appeal to people who don’t know better.

I don't think the story was all that interesting but good lord was I shook on a visceral level. The scares certainly worked for me. And like you said, he's got an eye. I liked it.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I don't think the story was all that interesting but good lord was I shook on a visceral level. The scares certainly worked for me. And like you said, he's got an eye. I liked it.

Visceral is a good word. Definitely felt that way with Hereditary.

Not totally sure why this one missed the mark so much for me but boy it did.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Finally saw Midsommar.

I hate to charge in here so hot, but boy was that a laughable overrated piece of garbage. Ari Aster has a good eye. I’ll give him that. I was all-in on Hereditary, which was an unsettling, evocative and disturbing experience. One of the best horror movies of the past decade with an awards worthy performance from Toni Collette. He goes back to the exact same personal guilt + cults well here and it’s just silly. Not even remotely as effective as his last movie. Wicker Man cosplay. Too long. Too predictable. Self-indulgent. Tedious. Absolutely laughable climax. Ooooh naked old people are SOOOO scary. Wrinkles and fat rolls and groans oh my!!

This is poised to take the crown from It Follows as the thoughtful movie goer’s “I don’t watch horror, but, like, wow, man” way of acting like they’re well rounded. They’re not. It’s a **** movie aiming to appeal to people who don’t know better.

Ahah, love the emotion. I liked (approx) the first half, but it went down the pooper afterwards. No need to use it as an excuse to crap on It Follows though! ;-)

 

[ORRFForever]

Visceral is a good word. Definitely felt that way with Hereditary.

Not totally sure why this one missed the mark so much for me but boy it did.

A funny coincidence...

A friend wrote me a few days ago to say that he got half way thru the Hereditary but had to take a break because he felt it was too intense.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Visceral movies are my jam. Midsommar definitely wasn't as good as Hereditary but I still really liked it. They spoil the entire plot in the first 10 seconds and the foreshadowing is very obvious, if you were looking for those shocking moments like Hereditary delivered I think you were bound to be disappointed.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

21 Bridges - 7.5/10

Solidly entertaining film. I enjoyed this more than most of the other shooting/fighting actions films I’ve watched this year. Fairly predictable and you know what you’re going to get from the movie plot wise for the most part, but it was still enjoyable. Really liked the action scenes.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Visceral movies are my jam. Midsommar definitely wasn't as good as Hereditary but I still really liked it. They spoil the entire plot in the first 10 seconds and the foreshadowing is very obvious, if you were looking for those shocking moments like Hereditary delivered I think you were bound to be disappointed.

Being predictable or derivative isn't inherently a sin ... but you have to make the journey worth it in some way and Midsommar just didn't do it for me on that front.

I will revisit in a few years. Might play better with the benefit of time and distance.

 

[OhCaptainMyCaptain]

21 Bridges - 7.5/10

Solidly entertaining film. I enjoyed this more than most of the other shooting/fighting actions films I’ve watched this year. Fairly predictable and you know what you’re going to get from the movie plot wise for the most part, but it was still enjoyable. Really liked the action scenes.

Also would like to add that I think Black Panther couldn’t have handled this situation much more efficiently!

 

[ORRFForever]

Being predictable or derivative isn't inherently a sin ... but you have to make the journey worth it in some way and Midsommar just didn't do it for me on that front.

I will revisit in a few years. Might play better with the benefit of time and distance.

It certainly was over-the-top and it didn't need to be. Less is more.

 

[kihei]

Marriage Story (2019) Directed by Noah Baumbach 7A

Everybody knows breaking up is hard to do. Marriage Story looks at a couple, Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), who have grown apart thanks to weaknesses that were there all along. However they have a young son, who despite understandably conflicting feelings for one another, they want to raise in a way that is as free from trauma and psychological harm as possible. So they try to work things out but it is not easy. At the root of their dilemma and Nicole's dissatisfaction is Charlie's stubborn belief that the family must live in New York City where his theatre company is, and not move to California where Nicole is from and where she has a major acting opportunity. These are irreconcilable differences but they still have a kid to take care of. Director Noah Baumbach sets up the relationship perfectly for the audience, presumably, but not necessarily, intentionally. Men will immediately understand Charlie and wonder why Nicole is so unhappy and women will immediately identify with Nicole and wonder why Charlie can't understand why she is so unhappy. Baumbach has a gift for caricature but with that gift comes the tendency to be glib, a fact that impacts some of the minor characters, the two lawyers and Nicole's mom. It doesn't limit the fact that Ray Liotta and Laura Dern are both brilliant as the divorce lawyers, though. But it brings the realism down a tad. Driver and Johansson are both excellent, as well, though in a couple of scenes the acting seems like they are playing to the back row of a Broadway theatre. Certainly Marriage Story is among the best Hollywood films of the year as well as a film that could spark a lot of healthy debate.


Best of '19 so far

1) Parasite, Bong, South Korea
2) Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Sciamma, France
3) An Elephant Sitting Still, Hu, China
4) Hope, Sodahl, Norway
5) The Irishman, Scorsese, US
6) Pain & Glory, Almodovar, Spain
7) The Lighthouse, Eggers, United States
8) Vitalina Varela, Costa, Portugal
9) Marriage Story, US, Baumbach
10) It Must Be Heaven, Suleiman, Palestine

 

[Trap Jesus]

Driver and Johansson are both excellent, as well, though in a couple of scenes the acting seems like they are playing to the back row of a Broadway theatre.

I've heard so much about Driver for best actor, how do you think his performance compares to a lot of the other big names from this year?

 

[kihei]

I've heard so much about Driver for best actor, how do you think his performance compares to a lot of the other big names from this year?

He's definitely in the mix. But it is a wild year for actors because of so many stellar performances. At the moment my top five would be (in order of preference):

Antonio Banderas--Pain and Glory
Jonathan Pryce--The Two Popes
Robert DeNiro--The Irishman
Joaquin Phoenix--Joker
Adam Driver--Marriage Story

I'd vote for Banderas, but if any of those guys won, I wouldn't complain in the least. Those are all great performances.

DiCaprio is in the mix and some people, not me, rate Matt Damon and Christian Bale as contenders for Ford v Ferrari..Adam Sandler has a lot of buzz for Uncut Gems, too. Incredibly competitive year.

 

[Trap Jesus]

He's definitely in the mix. But it is a wild year for actors because of so many stellar performances. At the moment my top five would be (in order of preference):

Antonio Banderas--Pain and Glory
Jonathan Pryce--The Two Popes
Robert DeNiro--The Irishman
Joaquin Phoenix--Joker
Adam Driver--Marriage Story

I'd vote for Banderas, but if any of those guys won, I wouldn't complain in the least. Those are all great performances.

DiCaprio is in the mix and some people, not me, rate Matt Damon and Christian Bale as contenders for Ford v Ferrari..Adam Sandler has a lot of buzz for Uncut Gems, too. Incredibly competitive year.

Yeah, it's a crazy year. I made a thread about it, I'll bump it when the dust settles a bit.