Movie reviews

[mate stubb]

On 9/27/2022 at 4:42 PM, TommyRude said:

Forgot to mention why I love Roadhouse.  Mainly, it's for the fantastic dialog, quotable bits and pieces strewn throughout.   For example, "Pain don't hurt!"

 

[Bill H.]

Avid consumer of movies for the masses here  Best of the year so far (actually going back to last December): Spider-Man No Way Home. Took what could have been just a superficial gimmick, and made it surprisingly emotional and heartfelt. 

 

Hopefully Black Panther Wakanda Forever (out in November) will be at least somewhat the equal of it's predecessor (considered my many to be the best Marvel movie ever made). Was somewhat disappointed in both Multiverse Of Madness and Love And Thunder earlier this summer. Neither approached the heights of their MCU predecessors (Doctor Strange, Wandavision, and Thor:Ragnarok) IMO. 

[bill5]

  

13 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

I am saddened that you do not like my film choice. Oh well. I think it is wonderful and appreciate many things about it especially that it was a fitting extension respecting the original.  To each his own.

First let me point out my comment was replying to biggles' post - I did not see that you had also mentioned it and tend to avoid ripping on movies people say they like as I'm not into creating any conflict or tension or whatever (unless I know someone well enough that it's OK). And as you say, to each their own...my opinion has no more or less inherent value than yours. We all have things we like that others don't; it's life, it's no big deal. We are the world and all that.

 

That aside, about Blade Runner: I did like the premise, and Rutger Hauer (esp that ending). The rest I simply didn't, but watched the new one hoping they would address its faults, but they didn't. C'est la vie!

 

[Old No7]

On 9/25/2022 at 9:45 PM, Old No7 said:

Top Gun * Maverick

 

In IMAX!!!

 

BEST movie sequel I've ever seen!

 

(Well, they had 20+ years to get it right...)

 

Old No7

 

I just went to see TG*M again last night!

 

Not in IMAX -- but still a great movie!

 

And I'm even more convinced -- it's THE BEST sequel movie ever.

 

(Your mileage/opinion may vary...)

 

Old No7

[ksoper]

I watched "Blonde" last night on Netflix. Ana de Armas will undoubtedly be recognized for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe.  It has an NC-17 rating and earned it.  Watch at your own risk.  That said, the movie emphasized that Marilyn was a character that Norma Jeane played and watching de Armas transition back and forth between the two was nothing short of stunning. 

[CowboyNQ]

On 9/27/2022 at 3:29 PM, Biggles said:

The last movie we went to a cinema to see.

 

Blade Runner 2049

 

Bad script, bad acting, overly long, disjointed.

 

A waste of our time and cash.

I loved this film and have rewatched it twice - funnily enough, one on a plane like Dave D. On each rewatch I’ve loved it more - there’s plenty going on there, particularly in Joe’s relationship with JOI.

 

I am aware it is polarising as this thread attests.

[bill5]

Hondo - an old John Wayne western. It's hardly great, certainly lacking/flawed in various ways, though I think one has to take into account when it was made as well. when movies generally weren't nearly as polished or sophisticated or even realistic. It was OK enough to watch through to the end, as even mediocre John Wayne films can be.  

[o0Ampy0o]

On 9/30/2022 at 3:06 PM, ksoper said:

I watched "Blonde" last night on Netflix. Ana de Armas will undoubtedly be recognized for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe.  It has an NC-17 rating and earned it.  Watch at your own risk.  That said, the movie emphasized that Marilyn was a character that Norma Jeane played and watching de Armas transition back and forth between the two was nothing short of stunning. 

Ana de Armas is special. She is beautiful but her beauty has depth like her acting. She can be very sensuous and nuanced yet she can pull off plausible karate kicks (No Time To Die) fighting alongside James Bond like Jennifer Garner in Alias. I hope Hollywood does not wreck this diamond sending her off into action flick oblivion like Bruce Willis. He has so much more in him. I have read he is very bitter over it. Action films are brutal on the body and I am sure he would like to do more quality acting than athletics. 

[o0Ampy0o]

I watched the Top Gun sequel tonight. It was good to see that they succeeded at creating something of such high quality. Val Kilmer’s role was handled well. He asked to be in the film and was not part of the original greenlighted script. Not criticizing their romantic chemistry but the Kilmer / Cruise exchange was more sensitive than any between Jennifer Connelly and Tom Cruise. The romance was just obligatory. Including Kilmer elevated the film IMO. I recall Jane Fonda was written into On Golden Pond at her request so she could appear in a film with her father before he died. The original story and meat of the film was the dynamic between Hepburn, Fonda and the kid, Doug McKeon. The film would have been fine if Jane’s part was not included. In contrast, Kilmer and Cruise shined and maybe even illustrated how the whole Top Gun thing was deeper than jet-fueled testosterone. 
 

I have enjoyed most of Tom Cruise’s films throughout my life.  He has been one of the greatest contributors to entertaining film in history. He manages to be prolific while having his hands in multiple areas of production. He deserves credit for making this film better than it easily could have been. I was pleasantly surprised that there was more when it might have been over. He deserves recognition for continually striving for and frequently achieving a goal for quality at his craft while taking risks venturing outside his established popularity in a genre. 

[octa]

Most recently watched "Bullet Train" and Cronenberg's newest, "Crimes of the Future". 🔫🚄👍👍 -- Cronenberg 👍👎

[o0Ampy0o]

On 9/30/2022 at 8:03 PM, bill5 said:

Hondo - an old John Wayne western. It's hardly great, certainly lacking/flawed in various ways, though I think one has to take into account when it was made as well. when movies generally weren't nearly as polished or sophisticated or even realistic. It was OK enough to watch through to the end, as even mediocre John Wayne films can be.  

It took Hollywood a long time to figure out how to effectively depict and convey deep philosophical perspective. The Western was a popular genre in the USA while the mystique of heading West to start a new life still existed. Some examples of the biggest failures can be found in Westerns where they attempted to stir up this mystique with a deeper perspective usually coming from a narrator.
 

John Wayne was very politically opinionated. He was not well-informed. His depiction of the Vietnam war in a film he produced, co-directed and starred in, The Green Berets, was extremely ignorant. He basically made a John Wayne WWII film and called the Japanese the Viet Cong. It did well at the box office and delivered with all the John Wayne Movie boxes checked. 

[Floyd Tatum]

I just discovered a movie that might be of interest here:  a British black comedy about a pop music A&R guy in 1997 London who offs a few of his rivals to get ahead.  Pretty good (and funny), if you like the dark stuff.   I enjoy finding a hidden gem like this in an unlikely place - the free Roku channel on my Roku.   Doesn't seem to be on Netflix.

 

I'm currently about halfway through Top Gun 2.  Pretty good so far.

 

In my opinion, the movie business is in a sorry state at the moment.  I got used to having some pretty great movies around from approximately 1970 to 2010.  Now we have the rise of comic books and propaganda.  You can still find the occasional gem, but man, it's slim pickens.  Some very disturbing societal trends at the moment.   I'm kinda glad I'm getting old and won't have to watch it all go down the sh*tter for too much longer.

 

Oh,  and any Brit who doesn't love the late Queen is f*****g wanker.  😁 😉

 

[bill5]

8 hours ago, Floyd Tatum said:

In my opinion, the movie business is in a sorry state at the moment.  I got used to having some pretty great movies around from approximately 1970 to 2010.  Now we have the rise of comic books and propaganda.  You can still find the occasional gem, but man, it's slim pickens.  Some very disturbing societal trends at the moment.   I'm kinda glad I'm getting old and won't have to watch it all go down the sh*tter for too much longer.

 

Agreed. Really I don't want any political agendas from either side shoved in my face under the guise of "entertainment." Some of the comic book movies were good (or at least a fun action romp), but we've been bludgeoned to death with them. I keep hoping they will slow down to a trickle. I think they just went to them so much because people are running out of ideas for movies and there is this huge cache of colorful stories and characters all ready to go in the comics. As a kid who read his share though, I was often annoyed by the lack of faith to the source material (which is a major blunder for any movie genre, generally speaking). 

[Anderton]

5 hours ago, bill5 said:

Agreed. Really I don't want any political agendas from either side shoved in my face under the guise of "entertainment." 

 

It's so much better when movies provide data, and let the audience draw its own conclusion.

[CowboyNQ]

On 10/3/2022 at 3:22 AM, o0Ampy0o said:

It took Hollywood a long time to figure out how to effectively depict and convey deep philosophical perspective. The Western was a popular genre in the USA while the mystique of heading West to start a new life still existed. Some examples of the biggest failures can be found in Westerns where they attempted to stir up this mystique with a deeper perspective usually coming from a narrator.
 

John Wayne was very politically opinionated. He was not well-informed. His depiction of the Vietnam war in a film he produced, co-directed and starred in, The Green Berets, was extremely ignorant. He basically made a John Wayne WWII film and called the Japanese the Viet Cong. It did well at the box office and delivered with all the John Wayne Movie boxes checked. 

On the flip side, there are some old westerns that really succeed at saying something meaningful.

 

For those keen, I’d recommend “The Gunfighter” starring Gregory Peck and “Hombre” starring Paul Newman.  

[bill5]

6 hours ago, CowboyNQ said:

On the flip side, there are some old westerns that really succeed at saying something meaningful.

Josey Wales was great that way.

[Docbop]

Does The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai count as a Western I like that one.   Jeff Goldblum had the whole outfit. 

 

[ksoper]

8 minutes ago, Docbop said:

Does The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai count as a Western I like that one.   Jeff Goldblum had the whole outfit. 

 

 

 Yes, it does. It's partially set in western New Jersey.

[bill5]

One of the quirkiest movies ever. 

[o0Ampy0o]

4 hours ago, bill5 said:

Josey Wales was great that way.

Will Penny was authentic. 
 

As was Brokeback Mountain……cowboys though not a Western……love story……..gay and sad at same time (does anyone think of gay as a synonym for happy anymore?).
 

Heath Ledger was such a great actor. People thought he was so good as The Joker. To me he seemed to walk through the role hardly in character. I wish I had seen the film before hearing the buzz. I didn’t know what but I expected more than that. 
 

Very dark and sad but he was great in Candy with Abbie Cornish.

 

[Floyd Tatum]

On 10/5/2022 at 11:22 PM, o0Ampy0o said:

As was Brokeback Mountain……cowboys though not a Western……love story……..gay and sad at same time (does anyone think of gay as a synonym for happy anymore?).

 

Gay used to mean happy/carefree to 99.9% of people until somewhere between 1960 and 1975 or so.  I know, I was there.

 

Prime example: the Flintstones theme:

"When you're with the Flintstones, Have a yabba-dabba-doo time, a dabba-do time, You'll have a gay old time"

 

I know some people like to claim the word had sexual connotations much earlier than the late 20th century, and that may be true, but 99.9% (approx) of people thought it meant "happy, carefree" up until the sixties.   I mean, come on, do you think ABC would have ok'd the Flintsones theme song if they thought there was even a hint of inappropiate (back then) sexuality in the lyrics?  No way.

 

For a long time now, it means homosexual to 99.9% of people, no one uses it to mean happy/carefree anymore.   I don't particularly care about the loss of a word meaning, it's just interesting to me, as an etymology buff.

 

[Outkaster]

Maverick and just went to Wakanda which was OK.  Maverick was the best thing in years.  It really didn't have an agenda and transported me back to the 80's. 

[Stokely]

I still haven't seen a movie since Dune, although I have checked out a few series on Prime and Netflix.  I really enjoyed The Sandman (so far) though surprisingly I hadn't read the source material despite reading a lot of Neil Gaiman.   1899 is the new series from the makers of "Dark" (a moody German sci-fi series) and it's...even slower than I expected   Dark was a slow burn with fantastic film-level quality, this one needs to pick up quickly (I finished two episodes).  There's "slow burn" and then "plodding".

[bill5]

1 hour ago, Outkaster said:

Maverick 

Good movie IMO, worthy of the original series. You know they had to include Garner.  

 

I haven't seen a movie for some time. I never go to theaters anymore (as there are always people who don't know how to act in public) and am lazy about going out to get one...and cancelled Netflix as I was hardly ever watching it lately. 

[Outkaster]

Netflix movies really always seem to be cheaply done.  Same with Amazon.

[timwat]

As I've gotten older, I've realized more and more how what I allow in my 'eye gate' can really affect me. I can't "unsee" what has been seen.

 

As a result, I've tended to be more selective in what I watch, and spend a lot less time watching, well, all sorts of things (TV, YouTube, streaming, theatrical movies). I'm not going to watch "Blonde". While I agree that Ana De Armas is an actress with talent, beauty, and a real possible future, I'm not diving into a gritty movie with depictions of violence against women that I can't unsee. I think I've gotten more sensitive to all sorts of depictions of violence as well, and I've been kidding myself that it doesn't affect me.

 

I think I'm also reconsidering the depth that great cinema often has - Kubrick films with so much detail, careful placement of visual and narrative elements and the like. Maybe because I'm simply overthinking everything these days. 

 

I haven't yet seen Maverick, but probably will get persuaded to soon by my wife or friends. At the far-other end of the spectrum, I just watched Spirited Away for the first time and found that so well executed and a story well-told in so many ways - no wonder it won all those awards. I also find myself becoming more impatient with badly flawed or pedestrian movies for having wasted my time.

 

 

[Outkaster]

25 minutes ago, timwat said:

As I've gotten older, I've realized more and more how what I allow in my 'eye gate' can really affect me. I can't "unsee" what has been seen.

 

As a result, I've tended to be more selective in what I watch, and spend a lot less time watching, well, all sorts of things (TV, YouTube, streaming, theatrical movies). I'm not going to watch "Blonde". While I agree that Ana De Armas is an actress with talent, beauty, and a real possible future, I'm not diving into a gritty movie with depictions of violence against women that I can't unsee. I think I've gotten more sensitive to all sorts of depictions of violence as well, and I've been kidding myself that it doesn't affect me.

 

I think I'm also reconsidering the depth that great cinema often has - Kubrick films with so much detail, careful placement of visual and narrative elements and the like. Maybe because I'm simply overthinking everything these days. 

 

I haven't yet seen Maverick, but probably will get persuaded to soon by my wife or friends. At the far-other end of the spectrum, I just watched Spirited Away for the first time and found that so well executed and a story well-told in so many ways - no wonder it won all those awards. I also find myself becoming more impatient with badly flawed or pedestrian movies for having wasted my time.

25 minutes ago, timwat said:

 

 

 

 

It's a sign of aging and knowing the different between quality than all the BS out there.  The French Connection was on the other night and it was great. I never had seen it.

 

 

[Dave Bryce]

Anyone with access to Apple TV’s programming, I can’t recommend the Ryan Reynolds/Will Ferrell Christmas Carol themed musical comedy “Spirited” enough.  Can’t tell you how much my wife and I enjoyed this flick…and we are both really tough to impress.

 

One of the best descriptions I heard of it was that it’s basically a Broadway show masquerading as a movie - many of the production numbers are waaaay to big to be pulled off onstage.

 

Even if you’re typically not impressed by scene-stopping musical numbers with killer choreography - both of which are all over this flick - give it a shot anyway.  Seriously…

 

 

 

dB

[David Emm]

"Three Thousand Years of Longing," starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Alba. Its a very Euro-flavored fantasy, with elegant everything. Swinton is an academic who stumbles across a trapped genie (djinn) and then ponders her three wishes VERY hard. While she does so, he tells the story of his own history and how he came to be trapped. Its a lot of Middle Eastern art direction fun. Its also a "chick flick" from a weird angle. Her wishes don't fit the usual simple patterns of the trope. I found it entertaining, being far removed from the superhero or sitcom realms. Its refreshingly adult & low-key without sacrificing the quality of the story. Rated R for teats. 🙄

[bill5]

7 hours ago, timwat said:

I haven't yet seen Maverick

Why do I suspect we're talking about a different movie? The one I mentioned came out a long time ago...