FilmNight: Movies you watched recently

[Anela]

On 10/24/2022 at 2:57 PM, andromeda331 said:

Because of Halloween I have to do my annual Scream marathon. I usually do one through three. Sometimes I do Scream 4 sometimes I don't but this year I decided too. Also, the Addams Family and Addams Family Values. It's always good time for the Addams family. I'll still have marathon of the Addams family TV show from the 60s coming up this week.

I didn't watch them, this year. I'd already watched a couple of them, and wasn't in the mood for them again.

I actually haven't been in the mood for Halloween, at all this year. I got food poisoning on the second day of the month, and watched a few things at the time (Audrey Rose, The Girl Who Lived Down the Lane). I started The Omen 2, on Saturday, but I'm just feeling meh. I watched Barbarian, this evening, and just started The House on the Hill, which I remember as a fun bad movie. I remember the ending. I've started and stopped The Fly, and others like it. 

[andromeda331]

2 hours ago, Anela said:

I didn't watch them, this year. I'd already watched a couple of them, and wasn't in the mood for them again.

I actually haven't been in the mood for Halloween, at all this year. I got food poisoning on the second day of the month, and watched a few things at the time (Audrey Rose, The Girl Who Lived Down the Lane). I started The Omen 2, on Saturday, but I'm just feeling meh. I watched Barbarian, this evening, and just started The House on the Hill, which I remember as a fun bad movie. I remember the ending. I've started and stopped The Fly, and others like it. 

That's okay. Sometimes your just not in the mood. I'm sorry you got food poisoning that stinks. 

[Spartan Girl]

Labyrinth: My friend and I watched this for Halloween because she hadn’t seen it before, and she enjoyed it. Ludo was her favorite character. The ball dream sequence is still my favorite part, but at the same time, I can’t stop thinking: “Dude, she’s UNDERAGE!”

Anyway, I miss David Bowie. And Jim Henson.

[Browncoat]

6 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Ludo was her favorite character.

"Smell bad!"

[BlueSkies]

Body of Evidence with Madonna.  First above R rated movie I ever watched and it’s still to me the sexiest and sultriest performance I’ve watched of anything in my life.  I mean anything.

I watched it um for nostalgia purposes 😊

[Rushmoras]

Watched The Pianist (2002) yesterday for the first time. I think I caught glimpses of it as a child on TV, but only those parts where he was playing the piano, so imagine my surprise that the movie was not really about that, but about plight of Jewish in Warsaw after the Nazis occupied Poland. The whole movie maybe about 2/3 of it's runtime (from the point were the residents have to wear armbands), is very uncomfortable to watch and I was debating on whether I should continue it another day, but right after

Spoiler

almost all of the district is deported to concentration camps,

the movie becomes your straight-forward WW2 movie without any heaviness. Maybe Polanski thought that prior scenes were sufficiently uncomfortable for the viewers. Wouldn't watch it again, but I really recommend it for those that have not yet seen it.

8/10

Edited November 6, 2022 by Rushmoras

[Spartan Girl]

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: Okay, I knew this was going to be a parody, but the third act got so ridiculous. Still, it was pretty funny on the whole. I’d love for Daniel Radcliffe to sing one of the songs for real instead of lip synching.

[proserpina65]

I watched See How They Run this weekend.  It was very entertaining and quite clever.  Plus, it managed to NOT give away the ending of The Mousetrap.  It deserved to do better at the box office.

[Rushmoras]

Watched South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999). Finally understood from were back in primary-middle school someone was singing that Uncle Fu**a song in a class-room. Um, I know I watched a couple of episodes of South Park way back in the day when I was just a pupil (like everyone else in school) and I very much liked it back then, because it was unique and nothing we have seen before, but now, from an adult stand-point, having watched South Park movie, I've got to say that it overstays it's welcome maybe after 40 min. mark, by becoming repetitive and annoying.

6/10

Edited November 14, 2022 by Rushmoras

[kiddo82]

On 11/14/2022 at 4:44 AM, Rushmoras said:

Watched South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999). Finally understood from were back in primary-middle school someone was singing that Uncle Fu**a song in a class-room. Um, I know I watched a couple of episodes of South Park way back in the day when I was just a pupil (like everyone else in school) and I very much liked it back then, because it was unique and nothing we have seen before, but now, from an adult stand-point, having watched South Park movie, I've got to say that it overstays it's welcome maybe after 40 min. mark, by becoming repetitive and annoying.

6/10

I agree.  I like the movie but for one with a very short run time it overstays its welcome relatively quickly.

I rewatched Heathers yesterday.  (It's free on Prime).  It never quite sticks the landing for me but the first 3/4 or so flirts with perfection.  And it's just as relevant today.  What really got me was everyone from the kids to the hippie dippie teacher using the "suicides" to further their own agendas.  So perverse but also such a harbinger of all the clout chasing that goes on on social media today.  I don't know what I would necessarily change about the ending but I just wish it was stronger.  Although, admittedly, Veronica standing there unflinching like she's John McClean is pretty badass.  

[MagnusHex]

On 11/14/2022 at 5:44 PM, Rushmoras said:

Watched South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999). Finally understood from were back in primary-middle school someone was singing that Uncle Fu**a song in a class-room. Um, I know I watched a couple of episodes of South Park way back in the day when I was just a pupil (like everyone else in school) and I very much liked it back then, because it was unique and nothing we have seen before, but now, from an adult stand-point, having watched South Park movie, I've got to say that it overstays it's welcome maybe after 40 min. mark, by becoming repetitive and annoying.

6/10

Eh, I liked it for the way it mocked animated musicals in a time when Disney dominated the market during the Renaissance Era. The musical sequences were fun, especially the Les Mis parody.

I still stand by what I wrote in my last review after my second viewing:

Quote

And the script's pretty brilliant when you think about the time it was released in. Their biggest rival was the House of Mouse itself that would eventually come to obtain the other big-name adult animation, the Simpsons family. In the '90s, however, their big game was the Renaissance Era, filled with musicals of ripped off fairy tales watered down for the family crowd. Trey and Matt, however, pretty much turned their movie into an anti-PC musical full of swear words and musical parodies, with Satan and Saddam Hussein doing musical numbers that were full of heart and finesse. That's a pretty ballsy move even back then, when Disney wasn't the mega-monopoly-maniacal maniac that bought every company today.

The biggest strength of South Park has always been its topical content and its relevancy, so the movie did a great job with that, making fun of those Disney musicals by having Satan and Hussein starring in a musical that's as heartwarming as Disney's "wholesome" material. That's the joke. Helps that I grew out of those Disney films and don't really look back at them fondly, especially with their problematic "wholesome" messages.

Anyway, just finished watching...

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog

I didn't expect much from the crossover film since I wasn't a big fan of Scooby-Doo. I've seen episodes here and there in my youth, but I didn't really grow up with it like many Americans did. I always felt that it's a bit too goofy for my taste, even as a cartoon.

But to my surprise, this was a pretty solid send-off for Courage the Cowardly Dog. Not only were the characters of both shows written well in accordance to their respective franchise (something writers mess up more easily than you'd expect in a crossover), there's also major recurring characters showing up again on the Courage side of the film (Katz, Le Quack, the General and his Lieutenant, and even the Computer is back!), when a lot of crossover films would just use standalone side characters for the story instead, so it was a nice tribute for the old show.

More importantly, we finally get a nice explanation for all the weird things happening in Nowhere AT LAST, which again, is fitting for the series finale for the show. That is, of course, assuming they don't do any more Courage entries in the future, which seems fitting with Thea White's passing after voicing Muriel for ALL entries of the Courage franchise, including this one. Speaking of which, I also enjoyed Jeff Bergman's take on Eustace, certainly more than Wallace Shawn's take in The Fog of Courage (which was decent, but sounded nothing like Eustace compared to even Bergman's performance).

The main plot is functional, but it served its purpose to give Courage fans a good time again with its usual hijinks, and it's a really nice touch that the antagonists turned out to be the recurring antagonists from Courage.

I think the best part of the film is easily Eustace's Outta Nowhere sequence that literally came outta nowhere. I'm glad they gave him the spotlight instead of just making him do his routine grumblings.

Overall, a fun time to be had. I'll miss that purple fluffy pup.

9/10

[GHScorpiosRule]

Only those familiar with “old” Bollywood and those that know of him will appreciate this:

I spent the weekend and will spend the holiday, watching my FAVORITE ❤️ AMITABH BACHCHAN❤️ movies. Yeah, yeah, they’re mostly 30 to 40 years old. So what?

So far:

• Trishul
• Kaala Paarhar
• Suhaag
• Shaan
• Kasme Vaade
• Barsaar Ki Ek Raat
• Mr. Natwarlal
• The Great Gambler
• Dostana
• Don

Tonight, the movie that got him noticed as an action star.  Zanjeer.

I don’t care how it happened.  The man just oozes sexiness, and has chemistry with every single one of his leading ladies, one who is his real life wife, Jaya. And amazing chemistry with all actors who played his brother, friend, father. Hell, the same actors played all.

Some may be clunkers, but it’s his performance that keeps me going back to watching. ❤️🥰😍💗❤️SIGH…❤️🥰😍💗❤️

[jah1986]

Only going with young Amitabh Bachchan? I really enjoy his older roles, particularly Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Baghban.  

Enjoy your weekend!

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, jah1986 said:

Only going with young Amitabh Bachchan? I really enjoy his older roles, particularly Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Baghban.  

Enjoy your weekend!

Right now, yes. And Baghban always makes me have RAGE BLACKOUT and cry at the horrible horrible horrible children and how they treated their parents (Amitabh and Hema Malini).

I always figured they cast unknown and horrible actors to play the ungrateful sons in Baghban, and he got the last laugh. Better known actors probably said "HARD PASS!"🤣

And amazingly, Salman Khan didn't try to make the movie about him. Then again, he was up there with Amitabh! 'nuff said.

And the chemistry with him and Hema? Still there.

Kabhi Kush, Kabhi Gham annoys me because of Kajol's character. And I have a deep-seated dislike for Shah Rukh Khan, because I don't think he's all that, and his

 

death scene in

Baazigar was so CLEARLY a rip off from the much more superior Deewar and Vijay's death scene. Also, that movie was a rip off from Hollywood's A Kiss Before Dying. And something Bollywood did on a regular basis!

I know, it's illogical. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by GHScorpiosRule

[jah1986]

30 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Right now, yes. And Baghban always makes me have RAGE BLACKOUT and cry at the horrible horrible horrible children and how they treated their parents (Amitabh and Hema Malini).

Oh yes, Baghban is infuriating but he does get them in the end and Salman Khan was great in his supporting part.

One of his horrible sons had a small part in another bollywood movie I really enjoyed Vivah. Older brother of the main character.

[Spartan Girl]

SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run: Come for Keanu Reeves as the mystical tumbleweed, stay for SpongeBob and Patrick singing “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

[Scarlett45]

On 11/21/2022 at 7:14 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Only those familiar with “old” Bollywood and those that know of him will appreciate this:

I spent the weekend and will spend the holiday, watching my FAVORITE ❤️ AMITABH BACHCHAN❤️ movies. Yeah, yeah, they’re mostly 30 to 40 years old. So what?

So far:

• Trishul
• Kaala Paarhar
• Suhaag
• Shaan
• Kasme Vaade
• Barsaar Ki Ek Raat
• Mr. Natwarlal
• The Great Gambler
• Dostana
• Don

Tonight, the movie that got him noticed as an action star.  Zanjeer.

I don’t care how it happened.  The man just oozes sexiness, and has chemistry with every single one of his leading ladies, one who is his real life wife, Jaya. And amazing chemistry with all actors who played his brother, friend, father. Hell, the same actors played all.

Some may be clunkers, but it’s his performance that keeps me going back to watching. ❤️🥰😍💗❤️SIGH…❤️🥰😍💗❤️

I’m not familiar with Bollywood films but I would like to be. Would you recommend I start with these?

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, Scarlett45 said:

I’m not familiar with Bollywood films but I would like to be. Would you recommend I start with these?

Absolutely! I would recommend Trishul, Don, and Kaala Pathar to start.

Another good one which is hilarious with family hijinks is Chupke Chupke.

[MagnusHex]

Just finished off the fifth season of Codename: Kids Next Door earlier, and what a season! Among the Cartoon Network shows, this has gotta be one of the few series where its content still felt refreshing after five seasons (unlike The Powerpuff Girls... Craig McCracken left too soon).

And of course, to top it all off, they had a well-written TV movie as well that's aired around the same week as the season finale. I recently wrote a review for the movie that I've watched today, and of course, I'm talking about...

Kids Next Door: Operation Z.E.R.O.

Surprisingly well-written for a TV movie, or perhaps not that surprising, considering Mr. Warburton's effort to expand the lore of KND in interesting and imaginative ways. For this Cartoon Network special, we manage to uncover some pretty neat character development and backstories here, and whenever a movie that's spun off from a TV series contains meaningful character progressions like this, it's often a big solid plus in my book because everyone else would just create a standalone adventure that isn't connected to the TV series.

The world of Kids Next Door is a pretty fun universe where the "war against adult tyranny" has often been explored on the show in colorful ways, and this time, we get a nice origin story of how the KND started - from "Zero", if you will. Wink, wink. It's a fun time that will have the fans appreciate the lore even more.

4.5/5

Edited December 9, 2022 by MagnusHex

[Rushmoras]

Continuing with Quentin Tarantino's filmography, and next on the line was Django Unchained (2012). A Tarantini'ish action-piece set during the slavery period, if you are looking for a deeper delving in to the aspects of this period, this is a wrong movie to delve in to. The commentary is bare minimum and only to support the action-pieces. And, it's just my opinion, but god damn, the movie way too long. Should have been whole lot shorter and started on the Candieland way sooner, and ended it way sooner. At about an hour and a half mark I felt myself nodding off, and then woke up during the Tarantini'ish shoot-outs and blood-baths, because, he has to have those. 7/10, I guess. Still, the most enjoyable flicks from him for me was Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown.

[Shannon L.]

19 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

Continuing with Quentin Tarantino's filmography, and next on the line was Django Unchained (2012). A Tarantini'ish action-piece set during the slavery period, if you are looking for a deeper delving in to the aspects of this period, this is a wrong movie to delve in to. The commentary is bare minimum and only to support the action-pieces. And, it's just my opinion, but god damn, the movie way too long. Should have been whole lot shorter and started on the Candieland way sooner, and ended it way sooner. At about an hour and a half mark I felt myself nodding off, and then woke up during the Tarantini'ish shoot-outs and blood-baths, because, he has to have those. 7/10, I guess. Still, the most enjoyable flicks from him for me was Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown.

Giving it a 7/10 is kinder than what I felt after the movie. I was actually frustrated with myself for wasting my time going to see it.  I liked Pulp Fiction because it was like nothing I'd seen before, but his movies got old for me real fast.  I should have known better than going to see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, another film that made me angry at myself for getting sucked back into the hype enough to give it a try.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Shannon L.

[Scarlett45]

20 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

Continuing with Quentin Tarantino's filmography, and next on the line was Django Unchained (2012). A Tarantini'ish action-piece set during the slavery period, if you are looking for a deeper delving in to the aspects of this period, this is a wrong movie to delve in to. The commentary is bare minimum and only to support the action-pieces. And, it's just my opinion, but god damn, the movie way too long. Should have been whole lot shorter and started on the Candieland way sooner, and ended it way sooner. At about an hour and a half mark I felt myself nodding off, and then woke up during the Tarantini'ish shoot-outs and blood-baths, because, he has to have those. 7/10, I guess. Still, the most enjoyable flicks from him for me was Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown.

Something I’ll never forget about Django Unchained is that Kerry Washington took the part, because it was a chance for a black woman to be rescued by her prince- something she never got to see. There’s a lot to unpack in that, but I loved them riding off into the together. 

[Rushmoras]

Sucker Punch (2011). You know, when I first saw the trailer all the years back, I wanted to watch this movie, because who would, as I remember advertising, not want to see girls dressed in skimpy outfits fighting giant monsters? And, having watched it, let me tell you, boy, this is not the premise of the movie. Sure, it is there, but that's not it entirely. This movie is weird alright? It's about an evil step-parent, who abused his step-daughters, and one of them wanted to fight back against him, but only was capable of injuring him and accidentally murdering her sister. So, the evil step-father does not waste any time and commits her to an insane asylum wherein he has an under-the-table deal with one of the orderlies to falsify the signature of a head doctor and to do a lobotomy on his step-daughter, so she would not be able to tell the police anything.

Spoiler

So, when the time of lobotomy comes, I guess, she enters her own little world, where all of the persons she saw in the mental institution play certain roles. For some reason, she created a world where a priest has dropped her in to a, I don't know, I would call it a whorehouse, but kinda Disneyish whorehouse, where the clients choose their girls as per their singing and dancing (I'm telling you, the movie is weird). So, when the time comes for her to show her skills, every-time she dances, she imagines another scenario (so, a delusion-within-a-delusion), wherein she alone and sometimes with unlikely friends are fighting against giant monsters, nazi zombies etc. (you know, the video-game tropes of finding five items to proceed, e.g. And this is the exact same reason why I would not want a video-game to be transferred in to movie genres 1-on-1; I know that many dislike video-game-transferred-to-movies, but these scenes are so much worse). When she finishes her delusion cycles, everyone in her first delusion is left astounded; "Wow, you danced so sexilly etc.". So, she figures out a plan to escape via using this "new found power of hers". And, well, the movie for the main character does not end well - in the end she is still lobotomized, but she manages, in the real world, to "help" one of her asylum friends escaping. And the movie is weird not only because of that, but some of the characters from her delusions, which (presumably) she never saw in her real-life, are in there (for example, the sensei-swordsmaster (who is also playing that blind martial-artist, who trained Daredevil, in Daredevil Marvel series, BTW) helps that one friend escape. What is that?).

6/10

[MagnusHex]

Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo

While I've said on record how annoyed I am by many movie "specials" adapted from TV series because they're usually unrelated standalone adventures put up on the big screen (a form of narrative more effective for episodic series like The Simpsons), and often featuring generic "the characters are having an adventure in an exciting new location!" gimmicks, to "Trouble in Tokyo's" credit, it did bring closure to Robin and Starfire's relationship for anyone who's shipping them. Plus, for a cartoon series of which its artstyle is clearly inspired by Japanese animation, I guess it's appropriate the its finale takes place in Japan. It's no "Powerpuff Girls Movie" or "Codename: Kids Next Door" that delve into origin stories or exploring a side of the core characters we never knew (AKA character development), but it's a solid enough action adventure for around an hour and a half.

At least I've enjoyed it more than any episode of Teen Titans Go.

6/10

[Bastet]

I've been watching some '70s and '80s horror movies I'd never got around to seeing on the free version of Peacock (2-3 minutes of ads at the top, and then the film with no interruptions).

First up: Prom Night, Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen.  This movie is horrible!  Combining the thoughts of a couple of reviewers:  It's like Carrie, Halloween, Friday the 13th, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Saturday Night Fever all got tossed into a blender; this is the unappetizing smoothie that results.

I knew who the stalker/killer-to-be was within seconds, it's horribly paced, the production values are lacking (and, my gods, the boom operators cannot keep the mics out of frame), and most of the acting is terrible.  Nielsen isn't bad, of course, but a lot of his scenes were deleted in the theatrical version (restored in the TV version, but theatrical is what Peacock has), so the only thing it has going for it is another natural performance from JLC.  She's a really good disco dancer, too.  The music, however, is horrible throughout the prom, because they couldn't afford to license anything they actually had the actors dancing to, so they commissioned knocks off that sound familiar but not they couldn't get sued over.

Next: The Stepfather (based on real-life killer John List, but of course with much dramatic license) and its first sequel.  The original is pretty good.  It has some of the usual ugh, why the hell wouldn't you just do X instead? tropes, but not as bad; the teen girl is overall a good character (and her obligatory nude shower scene is at least balanced with the same from Terry O'Quinn), and the actor is uneven but in some moments she's just wonderfully natural.  Terry O'Quinn is great, of course.  Then there's Shelley Hack, but oh well.

The sequel, ugh.  The psychiatrist at the beginning is every single stereotype that's ever been on film/TV, so you know exactly what's going to happen.  I mean, you would anyway, since it has to in order to get the movie going, but at least try to come up with a less cliché means of escape.  The film isn't terrible on its own, but it's predictable and sophomoric, and there's just no point to it; the first should have just been left to stand alone.  O'Quinn's performance can't elevate this one.

[kiddo82]

56 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I've been watching some '70s and '80s horror movies I'd never got around to seeing on the free version of Peacock (2-3 minutes of ads at the top, and then the film with no interruptions).

First up: Prom Night, Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen.  This movie is horrible!  Combining the thoughts of a couple of reviewers:  It's like Carrie, Halloween, Friday the 13th, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Saturday Night Fever all got tossed into a blender; this is the unappetizing smoothie that results.

I knew who the stalker/killer-to-be was within seconds, it's horribly paced, the production values are lacking (and, my gods, the boom operators cannot keep the mics out of frame), and most of the acting is terrible.  Nielsen isn't bad, of course, but a lot of his scenes were deleted in the theatrical version (restored in the TV version, but theatrical is what Peacock has), so the only thing it has going for it is another natural performance from JLC.  She's a really good disco dancer, too.  The music, however, is horrible throughout the prom, because they couldn't afford to license anything they actually had the actors dancing to, so they commissioned knocks off that sound familiar but not they couldn't get sued over.

I had rented Prom Night years ago because Randy kept mentioning it in Scream and I wanted to be able to fully embrace the reference.  Man. That movie wasn't even cheesy fun bad.  It was just bad bad.  I don't remember a ton other than that painfully long disco dance at the prom and wondering how that killer could physically overpower anyone.  Seriously, that was not a hefty person behind that mask It was only a matter of time before someone put up a good enough fight to turn the tables.  I know it's just a movie but I didn't buy into it.

[proserpina65]

On 12/12/2022 at 5:35 PM, Bastet said:

First up: Prom Night, Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen.  This movie is horrible! 

Awww, I kinda like Prom Night, but in a "it's so ridiculous it's almost entertaining" way.

[Bastet]

On 12/12/2022 at 3:39 PM, kiddo82 said:

I don't remember a ton other than that painfully long disco dance at the prom

OMG, the opening chase sequence goes on even longer, so I knew I was in for a terribly-paced movie, yet I still yelled "Enough already!" at the screen during that fucking dance. 

[Shannon L.]

I needed a break from the Christmas rush, so I went to two movies in a row last night:

Spoiler Alert : I liked this.  It was charming and I loved how the two leads worked together. It's also quite a tear jerker, so I'm glad that I had another movie to watch afterwards. If you want to see it, make sure you're in the right mental/emotional space to handle it-and have tissues handy if you're a crier.

Violent Night : This was fun. It was really violent and, in the first half hour or so, had a fair amount of toilet humor (which I hate, but it tapered off after a while), but it also had some really nice moments and some funny moments. David Harbour (who I love) was really good as Santa, too. He showed his talent with comedy and how well he does with children. His scenes with the young actress playing Trudy (who was great!) were really sweet. If you like dark humor and don't mind explicit violence (I had to close my eyes a couple of times and I can handle a lot), I recommend it.

Last week I decided to finally watch American Gigolo.  I was a little too young for it when it came out, then forgot about it until I saw that Showtime was making a series based on it.  Meh. I don't see what the big deal was aside from Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton being easy on the eyes.  It was slow, which doesn't always bother me, except that this was a story about him being framed for murder and I never really felt the tension or sense of dread that I usually see in movies like this.  I read a couple of good reviews (one from Roger Ebert) and I didn't see what they saw in it.

[Rushmoras]

Hot Fuzz (2007). When a record breaking cop from a big city is transferred to a quite rural town, you'd think that he'd be bored in it, but that's when all the unlikely fun happens - murder sprees! This was like Midsommer Murders on steroids (well, actually, if Midsommer Murders were absurd and had action scenes in them). 8/10. Would watch again.

[proserpina65]

On 12/18/2022 at 2:45 PM, Rushmoras said:

(well, actually, if Midsommer Murders were absurd and had action scenes in them)

If Midsommer Murders was MORE absurd.  Cause it's pretty absurd.  Just not as much as Hot Fuzz.  Which is a really funny movie.

[kiddo82]

I watched The Santa Clause the other night.  Given that I was in the target demo when this movie was originally released you'd think I'd had the warm and fuzzies for it, however, this was only my second time watching it all the way through.  It's a cute movie, and I did laugh out loud at times, but I don't know the next time I'll feel the need to seek it out.  But what is funny watching it as an adult is I have so many questions about the line of succession for Santas.  This can't be the first Santa to ever fall off a roof.  And can Santa die of natural causes?  How many Santas have there been?  Is it like the Slayers on Buffy?  When one dies the next one is immediately called?  What if Scott never put on the coat?  And the whole premise of the movie is predicated on the fact that Santa dies.  That's pretty dark for a kid's movie when you think about it.  I've only seen the second one once and never seen the third so I don't know if any of this is ever answered.  And it's not like it took me out of the movie, just stuff I thought of.  Also not a criticism but an observation is that that main conflict is family drama and not the fantastical.  Again, this seems a little mature for a kid's movie.  I'm sure kids were thrilled about Kramer vs Kramer part two Santa-bugaloo.  But this movie made bank and people still love it so what do I know?  If this movie is your thing or you have kids that enjoy it then rock on.  For me it's a perfectly serviceable Freeform background movie.  I do have to admit that I am now kind of curious about the sequels though.  And I do like Elizabeth Mitchell.  hmmmm....    

[Rushmoras]

Shaun of the Dead (2004). Wow, what a shit-show. While the beginning was sort of funny, but as it more went on, all I thought was - really? Are they for real here? This is second worst movie that I saw this year.  4/10

[Spartan Girl]

On 12/14/2022 at 8:15 PM, Shannon L. said:

Violent Night : This was fun. It was really violent and, in the first half hour or so, had a fair amount of toilet humor (which I hate, but it tapered off after a while), but it also had some really nice moments and some funny moments. David Harbour (who I love) was really good as Santa, too. He showed his talent with comedy and how well he does with children. His scenes with the young actress playing Trudy (who was great!) were really sweet. If you like dark humor and don't mind explicit violence (I had to close my eyes a couple of times and I can handle a lot), I recommend it.

Watched this last night, and it managed to be twisted and heartwarming at the same time! David Harbour playing a hard-drinking, jaded, ass-kicking Santa suited my holiday blues quite nicely. Some of the kills were a little too gratuitous, but they didn’t call it Violent Night for nothing lol.

[Rushmoras]

Some Like It Hot (1959). You know, I found no faults in this movie; it made me smile. That's a good thing. I would give it an 8 out of 10, but... I did find a fault in it... about 20 minutes too long. 7/10

[Rushmoras]

No Regrets of Our Youth (1946). Another one of the earliest Akira Kurosawa movies; a bit better than the previous ones, but plagued by the same symptoms - everything is stiff and unconvincing, plus the same actors throughout four of his movies that I've watched. The story is also boring. At least now there is "no" propaganda in this one. I say "no" in brackets, because it has Allies propaganda, because it was made during the period when the Allies were occupying Japan; so "say no no in a movie to what you did a couple of years prior as opposed to say yes yes to what you did". Anyways, the movie is about government oppressing a university, its students protesting and then about how their lives happened after the war; or something like that. I know I saw it yesterday, but god damn, I already forgot most of it; it was that "interesting". Truth be told, so far, only the Men Who Tread on Tigers Tales was remotely interesting (and that was primarily because of a theatre like play production for it). 5/10 and I'm being generous.

[Scarlett45]

On 12/25/2022 at 2:20 PM, Rushmoras said:

Some Like It Hot (1959). You know, I found no faults in this movie; it made me smile. That's a good thing. I would give it an 8 out of 10, but... I did find a fault in it... about 20 minutes too long. 7/10

I’ve always wanted to see that in color. I wonder if they will ever restore it. It’s a long one for the time period. 

[kiddo82]

Chicago (2002) on HBO Max.  (although I do have the DVD somewhere.)  I can't believe this movie is 20 years old.  And it still holds up.  Stage to screen adaptations can be tricky but this has to be one of the better ones, if not among the very best.  It takes advantage of the fact that it is a movie, so you don't feel like you are simply watching a filmed version of a stage musical, but it is also faithful to the relatively minimalistic staging of the source material.  It's hard to put into words, but they somehow manage to give us enough spectacle so that it stays interesting without feeling extra.  The fact that they resisted the urge to go balls out for a cornerstone like Cell Block Tango and instead let the number speak for itself is pretty neat.  Plus, I love the decision to bounce back and forth between reality and Roxie's fantasies.  Not only does it keep things narratively interesting, but it ironically grounds the musical moments into some kind of reality.  (and this is coming from someone who has no problem with musicals to begin with.)  I was also really hit by the hanging of the Hungarian on this watch.  Presenting it as a side show and seeing the "audience's" reaction was rather chilling.  That was something I don't remember considering prior.  I must be growing as a person.  And the All that Jazz prologue is just fun AF.  Although I hadn't seen this movie in at least ten years I still remembered all the beats of the scene and yet I couldn't take my eyes off it.  So well done.  And while the three principals are all great, I think the casting of Queen Latifah and John C Reilly was inspired.  I was never the biggest fan of When You're Good to Momma but I love Ms. Latifah's version and her burlesque-esque show number.  She is a born performer.  And was there anyone more perfect circa 2002 to play Amos/sing Mr. Cellophane than Mr. Reilly?

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Plus, I love the decision to bounce back and forth between reality and Roxie's fantasies.  Not only does it keep things narratively interesting, but it ironically grounds the musical moments into some kind of reality.  (and this is coming from someone who has no problem with musicals to begin with.) 

I like a lot of musicals on the stage, but not many on the screen.  This seemingly simple decision was huge, and perfect, and how I got several people who hate musicals to see - and like - this film.  They couldn't get distracted by "Why the hell are people randomly bursting into song and dance" if the movie is clear that's not actually happening, it's the imagination of this crazy woman.

19 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

And was there anyone more perfect circa 2002 to play Amos/sing Mr. Cellophane than Mr. Reilly?

No.  No, there wasn't.

I rarely see a film more than once in the theatre, saving my re-watches for when the DVD comes out.  I saw this one three times.

[Rushmoras]

Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings (2021). Yeah, I'm not gonna watch the sequel. The only things that I liked in it were the fight-scenes and that part in the "Enchanted Forest", even though it was kinda full of cliches. And it made me realize that I don't give to cents for the MCU continuity at all now. Next in line will be only Spider-Man movies and (probably) Doctor Strange, since I watched VandaVision... and, possibly, Blade, if it ever comes-out. Oh, right, the score, eh 6/10... but it could very well be 4-5/10.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I finally watched 2019’s Hotel Mumbai last night. I’ve never been able to watch anything about it as I lived through it-not actually being there, but could have been there in the 2008 terrorist attacks. I had just returned to the States from visiting my parents a week before it happened. I remember being grateful that they live in Rajasthan and not in Bombay. My maternal grandparents lived there, but near Dadar, so about a half hour away. But my Grandfather had passed 10 years before and my Grandmother was in the States by this time.

I know a good portion was dramatized, but enough of the actual events were portrayed that I was on the edge of my seat, and fearful till the end. Dev Patel and the Awesome Anupam Kher were definitely the MVPs.

What’s amazing is that The Taj was up and running within three weeks after the attack.

While the subtitles got most of the translations right, they totally got the title of the leader WRONG. 𝘉𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘑𝘩𝘢𝘯 means literally “Brother Dear” and is supposed to be a form of respect and not endearment (the Dear). It does 𝘕𝘖𝘛 mean "𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭"🙄😒

I think the characters played by Armie Hammer and his wife, were fictional? Not sure and I haven’t looked it up.

[GHScorpiosRule]

And I finally got around to watching Slumdog Millionaire. I’ve avoided watching because I can’t STAND Anil Kapoor. So it’s perfect casting that he played a sleazy, jealous ARSEHOLE. And  I double checked to make sure this wasn’t based on real people-movie was based on a novel, so I wasn’t upset that they had a fake host for the show. Because in India, 𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐇 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍 is the host and has been since 2000ish and the show is called Kaun Banega Crorepati, which is the name in Hindi.

Speaking of Amitabh, I have a nit because he’s my numero UNO and I CANNOT believe NO ONE on the Indian cast corrected whoever wrote the lines for the stand in “playing” when wee Jamal was getting his autograph. Yes, Amitabh is a lefty-he uses a gun, knife, holds a glass using his left hand. BUT. He always, ALWAYS writes with his right hand. So that stand-in should have been signing with his right hand.

WHAAAT? WHAAAT??? See my avatar? That be Amitabh from 1975’s Deewar (Wall). 
 

I LOVED that the first question was from the movie Zanjeer, the movie that made him a STAR. And that another movie, Ram Balram was airing when idiot Salim got a pittance for the autograph. Hey, even beggars would know where to get more Rupees for it, instead of what looked like maybe 50 cents (local currency of paisa ) or maybe Rs. 1.

I know my AMITABH movies!

But Dev was a cutie patootie, and you can see that he was going to go places. He’s just awesome.

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[Rushmoras]

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). I very much enjoyed this movie; it was awesome to see Willem Defoe again as the Green Goblin. Probably, it was the most entertaining MCU movie for me to date since Iron Man 1 and Guardians of the Galaxy. That being said, so, no one remembers that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, so it means that Peter no longer magically has access to Stark Tech armor? What's the deal with that. Also, can't help but thinking that Wong was not utilized at all in this; could have helped Strange to seal the portals... well, he or Wanda (but I guess she was busy enslaving the town, so she could not make it). 9/10

Edited January 2, 2023 by Rushmoras

[Wildcard]

Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022). Not sure if it came out in the theatre, but it's currently streaming on Paramount +. A based on a true story movie about a husband and wife who find a way to win consistently in the lottery and forms a group from their town to take advantage of it. A fairly predictable movie, but enjoyable nonetheless. Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening have great chemistry and the plots moves along briskly. The only negative part would be the Harvard subplot - which seemed a little too obvious and over the top.  Bonus points since there is an interview with the actual Jerry and Marge on 60 minutes (and youtube). 8/10 

[GHScorpiosRule]

So I watched (finally!) 2000's Mohabbatein on Sunday. I had gotten the bluray two disc because it had bonus features, which is rare for Bollywood movies.

This was the movie that brought Amitabh Bachchan back to Bollywood-this time playing character roles, leaving the lead/action hero type characters behind. And he said it so eloquently when the igit interviewer kept asking the same stupid question about comparing this role to his previous roles. Which? No COMPARISON, MORON.

Part of the younger set of actors who played the three love stories, just annoyed. One of them, Jugal Hansraj, who I totally fell in love with when he was wee in his first movie, Masoom, which was the Indian version of Man, Woman, Child , just kept  praising Shah Rukh Khan and how great he was as an actor, blah, blah, blah.

I'm sorry. But when you have AMITABH BACHCHAN, in a major role, there is NO COMPARISON.

This movie gave new life to his career, in addition to becoming the host for the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

But the set up of the movie-the reason why Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) shows up at the school where Narayan Shanker (Bachchan) is the head master? Is so beyond STOOPID.

Shanker's daughter Megha (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-she's now married to Bachchan's son, Abishek, also an actor) is in love with Raj and vice versa, and he's a student at the school, but Shanker has never met him. When she tells her dad she loves him, he expels Raj. They never say why he did it. To most, Shanker is an unfeeling, cold, and scary person. But with Megha, he shows the more tender feelings.

So when he tells Megha what he's done and he doesn't want her seeing him again, what does she do? Does she defy her father? Kowtow to him? What? Well, what she does is commit suicide. Because she can't live without Raj. Nothing was stopping her from defying her father to run off with Raj to be with him, etc., etc., something Bollywood movies are famous for doing! And she did this also to open her father's eyes to love. That's right. That's what she said.

Instead, Shanker just doubles down on his autocratic personality-refusing to feel pain at the loss of his daughter. 

So (we don't know how many years have gone by) Raj shows up as a music teacher, to teach Shanker about love. How Megha is the only one he will ever ever love and her ghost is always beside him. Blech. Even for Bollywood movies, blech.

Then you have the three students who find love. Amrish Puri (yes, that guy who was the villain in Temple of Doom), famous for playing villains, has a nice guest role as one of the girls' father-in-law. Yep, married young, but her hubby died in action, but she still waits for when he returns. Like I said: STOOPID. The other girl is a MORON who doesn't know that Rs. 1.50 is LESS/CHEAPER than Rs. 2.50 when we first meet her and she's trying to haggle to buy something her friend got from the same store. Except the thing is now cheaper! But she insists on paying more.

The bright side for me with the supporting characters was seeing that Helen (famous for her dancing and always playing the vamp) as the headmistress of the girls college nearby. And when Raj defied Shanker and held a dance at the boys' college, there was a musical number from Teesri Manzil, where Helen had played the cabaret dancer in love with the hero. I LOVED that! Helen may have put on a few pounds, but she can still MOVE! Better dancer than everyone else.

In the end, love wins, blah, blah, blah. Puri's character finally admits his son his dead (after his other daughter-in-law tried to convince him of that and that she was only 19 and didn't/shouldn't live the rest of her life as a widow in mourning) so what'sherface (see? I can't even recall her name, she was so bland) can be with Karan, I think his name was.

Standout character--naturally for me, was Shanker. Bachchan still has IT. And that voice! Sigh....He has aged like a very, very fiiiiiiiiine wine.

And this was filmed in the U.K. I think I saw some acknowledgments to the school that let them film this in...Oxford, I think.

I'm not totally biased. Some of the movies he's made in the past 20 years look stupid and I haven't watched them. But there are a few good gems.

And I followed up with a couple of his early movies last night. Abhiman, starring both Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri, who got married after this movie was released.

[Rushmoras]

On 1/2/2023 at 9:36 PM, Rushmoras said:

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). I very much enjoyed this movie; it was awesome to see Willem Defoe again as the Green Goblin. Probably, it was the most entertaining MCU movie for me to date since Iron Man 1 and Guardians of the Galaxy. That being said, so, no one remembers that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, so it means that Peter no longer magically has access to Stark Tech armor? What's the deal with that. Also, can't help but thinking that Wong was not utilized at all in this; could have helped Strange to seal the portals... well, he or Wanda (but I guess she was busy enslaving the town, so she could not make it). 9/10

Rewatched it again... nah, I change my score, I can't look past the holes in the plot, also, somehow, was not as fun as it was the first time... 7/10.

[Chaos Theory]

Couldn't find it on the list but I just watched M3gan.  Being a big fan of the Chucky Franchise I knew this would be a movie I enjoyed.  I used to love going to the movies then my eyes went bad (I mean REAL BAD) and need specialty contacts so I got out of the habbit of going to the movies.  I last movie I saw was Lyle Lyle Crocodile mainly because my niece and nephew wanted to see it.  But "M3gan" was the first movie is YEARS that I saw myself at the theaters.    And it was really good.   More or less what I expected with the added benefit of telling a real story of childhood trauma and asking the question of in the age increasing technology who is really is raising our children?    Not quite a pure horror movie but a fun thriller.  

[Bastet]

White Noise.  Holy fuck, did Netflix get that recommendation wrong; I found it a waste of time.  I kept going, thinking it had to get better because of those involved, but nope -- everyone and everything is weird simply for the sake of being weird.  Those making the film think it has something profound to say, but I strongly disagree this film ever had an actual point.  I like black humor, I like absurdity, but this did not work for me on any level. 

The Swimmers.  Now this, I really liked.  It's based on the real story of two Syrian refugees, training to make their country's Olympic swimming team but forced by the increasing violence to try and make their way to Germany and then apply for family reunification to get their parents and little sister to safety as well.  The first part of the film does a great job juxtaposing the ways in which life is the same as for any teenage girl and the ways living in the midst of civil war is very different (like the wonderful Derry Girls series). 

The bulk, telling the refugee journey and experience once landed, is even better.  In the film as in life, during the Greece to Germany boat leg of their journey, the motor on the dinghy carrying 20 asylum seekers - who'd had to hand over big sums of money to a corrupt smuggler to have their best chance of making it - stalled on the Aegean Sea.  The swimming sisters and two other passengers got out to lighten the load, tied ropes to themselves, and swam everyone to safety.  But that's just one part of it.  Plane, boat, foot, taxi, bus, it's all there.  Along with all the paperwork, suspicion, limitations, and camaraderie.

It ends with the first-ever Refugee team at the 2016 Olympics, and whether you registered that at the time or didn't, this tale of getting there is well worth a watch.  (Once you do, here's a "Where Are They Now?" follow up from November.)

[kiddo82]

I had a very productive week in that I saw a bunch of films I had never seen before.  Some are current, some not so much:

The Country Bears:  I'm listening to a Disney movie podcast and I was catching up on some I had never seen.  Only by the most generous of metrics is this movie any good.  That said, Big Al is a hoot and the music does slap. 

Almost Famous:  This one had been on the list for a long time.  It’s more watchable than I thought it would be going in but it also has its head up its own ass about an era that I don’t have a particular attachment to.  In a vacuum there are things about it I appreciate it but it’s not for me.  Although, we as a society need to appreciate Jason Lee more.

Decision to Leave:  This movie definitely drew me in but it seemed to place more importance on the affair as opposed to the murder mystery.  I would have preferred it the other way around.

All Quiet on the Western Front: (2022)  I saw the OG many moons ago and don’t remember much other than the broad strokes.  It’s difficult to call a movie such as this “enjoyable” but I couldn’t take my eyes off the combat scenes the entire time.  I could have done with less of the armistice negotiating.

John Wick:  Wins the efficiency award.  Gets you in, gets you out, and gives you exactly what you paid for.  It knows exactly the type of movie it is trying to be and it succeeds at it.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon:  Shame on me for sleeping on this for so long.  I thought this was as good as advertised.  I don’t have much of a background with martial arts movies at all but I thought the fight scenes still looked cool as hell despite being over 20 years old.

M3GAN:  Another efficiently done/gives you what you paid for movie provided what you paid for is campy, bonkers, horror. I doubt this is a movie I’ll ever have any desire to see again, but I enjoyed the time I spent with it for whatever that’s worth.

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by kiddo82

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon:  Shame on me for sleeping on this for so long.  I thought this was as good as advertised.  I don’t have much of a background with martial arts movies at all but I thought the fight scenes still looked cool as hell despite being over 20 years old.

This was released back when I had negotiated working (from home) a half day on Fridays, and walked down to the theater at 4:00 every week because the ticket was half price; I saw a lot of films I wouldn't normally have paid to see, including this one, and I was so glad I did!  I have zero interest in martial arts, but it was beautiful.  I came across a dubbed version on TV once and couldn't deal.  It's harder now because my eyesight even with glasses is limited, but I insist on seeing films in their original language with English subtitles.

4 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Almost Famous:  This one had been on the list for a long time.  It’s more watchable than I thought it would be going in but it also has its head up its own ass about an era that I don’t have a particular attachment to.  In a vacuum there are things about it I appreciate it but it’s not for me.  Although, we as a society need to appreciate Jason Lee more.

I saw this at a DGA (Director's Guild) screening shortly before it was released and I didn't fawn over it as much as the industry crowd did (this was the tail end of my stint in the music industry, but I worked WAY behind the scenes, so I wasn't truly part of that crowd, let alone the film/TV industry -- I just enjoyed the perks of the whole incestuous network), but I knew it was going to be a sensation and Kate Hudson was going to be the talk of the town.  It's a good film, but, yes, it has its head so far up its ass it's wearing itself as a hat.  It's one of those films men make and then stand around telling each other how fucking brilliant they are, but it's a lot less offensive than most of those films.  I've never re-watched it, but I liked it.

4 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

M3GAN:  Another efficiently done/gives you what you paid for movie provided what you paid for is campy, bonkers, horror. I doubt this is a movie I’ll ever have any desire to see again, but I enjoyed the time I spent with it for whatever that’s worth.

I've never heard of this, but it sounds like something I'd want to check out -- once, and for free.  I'll look it up.