FilmNight: Movies you watched recently

[proserpina65]

On 2/20/2022 at 5:02 AM, Rushmoras said:

The Truman Show (1998). Movie about dystopian alternate reality where TV studios can adopt a fetus and film his/hers life from beginning to an end for all the world to see, while spending billions upon billions of dollars in order to create infrastructure just for the main character. 7/10. If not for car radio going haywire, Jim Carrey's character might never have figured anything out.

You mean this wasn't a documentary on the Kardashians?

[Spartan Girl]

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: If you guys want a GOOD Cinderella-like movie musical to watch on Amazon Prime, watch this movie. It was so much fun.

[festivus]

I just watched it. I love the relationship he and his mom have. 

[Spartan Girl]

59 minutes ago, festivus said:

I just watched it. I love the relationship he and his mom have. 

Me too. But I fucking hated his dad with a passion.

[Bastet]

I watched Margin Call (basically a fictionalized version of Goldman Sachs's role in the 2008 financial catastrophe) last night, a film I'd always meant to get around to because of the cast, then didn't want to see once I learned what a disgusting person Kevin Spacey is.  It popped up as a Netflix recommendation, and I figured I'd go ahead and watch.

It is every bit as well acted as expected, and it's overall impressive given how low the budget and short the time frame.  But I just couldn't sympathize with any of the characters, even Stanley Tucci's - they made shit tons of money knowingly participating in a rigged system.  And the traders?  Boo hoo, this is probably going to tank their careers - they're getting TWO MILLION DOLLARS each in exchange for saving the company.  That buys time to come up with something else to do.

[Spartan Girl]

The Adam Project (2022): Ryan Reynolds’s plays a kid’s future self! It’s not as good as Free Guy, but it’s cute and fun.

[Shannon L.]

Last night, I watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye. I didn't particularly care for the movie (it had it's moments, but overall it was just ok), but my God, was Jessica Chastain good. Obviously, the make up, hair and wardrobe helped, but her performance was fantastic. I'd recommend it just for that alone. Andrew Garfield was very good, but given how larger than life her character was, she was definitely the star here.

[Yogisbooboo64]

On 2/23/2021 at 12:17 PM, Razzberry said:

Johnny Guitar, 1954                                                                                                        6/10

Starring Joan Crawford as Vienna, a gun totin' pants wearing saloon owner with perfect makeup.
Sterling Hayden as her love interest Johnny
Mercedes McCambridge as arch-enemy (on and off-screen) Emma

Not a typical western, and knowing the behind-the-scenes stuff made it more amusing to me.

According to Nicholas Ray, the tension on set was so bad that he puked every morning on his way to work. Crawford went ape-shit with jealousy over Mercedes powerful scenes.  He had to shoot Mercedes in the morning before Crawford got there, but got busted.  Crawford flew into a rage, broke into McCambridge's dressing room and slashed her clothes to shreds.  McCambridge claimed that Crawford attempted to blacklist her for years afterward.

Sterling Hayden was quoted as saying: "There is not enough money in Hollywood to lure me into making another picture with Joan Crawford. And I like money."

Free with Amazon Prime    Johnny Guitar

Love this movie, this and a James Cagney western named Tribute to a Bad Man are the only westerns I've ever liked.

Anywho....

Just finished watching Hysterical Blindness (2002) with Uma Thurman, Juliette Lewis, Gena Rowlands and Justin Chambers

I remember when this came on HBO twenty years ago.

Uma played Debby Miller, a kind hearted but desperate woman who tried too hard (think Shirley MacLaine in Sweet Charity) to get a man against an 1987 Bayonne, New Jersey backdrop....Juliette played her friend Beth and Gena played Debby's mother Ginny.

Justin Chambers played a guy named Rick, who wanted nothing more than to get laid; unfortunately for Debby, she thought he was her Mr. Right.

Uma deservedly won a Golden Globe for her performance, I can't hear Pat Benatar's Invincible ever since without getting teary.  This used to be hard to find, but I purchased the DVD from Walmart weeks ago and finally got to watch it again.  Great movie.

Tonight will be Welcome to the Dollhouse, another classic.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Yogisbooboo64

[Spartan Girl]

Foul Play (1978): Despite my distaste for Chevy Chase, this is still a fun movie, if only for Dudley Moore’s memorable “Stayin’ Alive” sequence. Also Burgess Meredith was a hoot as that unexpectedly badass landlord!

[Bastet]

On 3/22/2022 at 4:48 AM, Spartan Girl said:

if only for Dudley Moore’s memorable “Stayin’ Alive” sequence.

"Are you into [binoculars], too?"

[EtheltoTillie]

On 7/25/2021 at 6:34 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Mississippi Masala (1991): Discovered this thanks to the AV Club’s When Romance Met Comedy Column. Not only is it a great romantic dramedy, it also takes a good look at colorism and how it affects everyone.

I love this movie.  I saw it when it came out then waited many years for Denzel to be named People's Sexiest Man Alive. 

[kiddo82]

I saw Everything Everywhere All at Once today.  I really enjoyed it and thought it was super fun.  Now that there is "elevated horror" (a term I use for better or worse) this felt like an "elevated" superhero/fantasy/sci-fi offering and I'm down with it.  Funny, charming, clever, and my cold, black heart may have grown an 1/8 of a size.  Michelle Yeoh is a star, Stephanie Hsu deserves to be an even bigger star than she is right now,  and it was fun to see Ke Huy Quan all grown up.  His character gets to be the heart of the movie.  And Jamie Lee Curtis has a nice assist.  The ending felt inevitable but that doesn't downgrade the overall experience.  My only real complaint, and this is a common one of late, is that the run time was just too long and the climax does crumble under its own weight a little bit.  Hollywood needs some stubborn editors, man.  It's am impossible movie to describe so I'd say if the trailer looks like something you'd be interested in, it's a big recommend.  

[Rushmoras]

Finally got the time for some movies, and yesterday decided to watch Pan's Labyrinth (2006), since I only seen bits and pieces of it on TV. Overall, I liked it. The monsters seemed very Hellboyish, though, it still begs the question - was it all in her imagination or real in order to escape grim reality? 8/10

[Rushmoras]

Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). Film based on don't remember how many short stories in a book about wild west. If not for the two stories (the old gold digger and caravan of settlers), I'd give it 5/10 as some sort of parody of old westerns, but those two stories saved the entire film in my opinion. So, 7/10.

[JimmyJabloon]

Death becomes her- I was expecting this to be completely ladies’ show but was genuinely surprised that Bruce Willis was the star of the movie for me. Fun movie overall.

[Shannon L.]

I watched Fresh, a Hulu original thriller about a cannibal, which is supposedly an allegory about the modern dating scene.  I was too creeped out to get all of the metaphors (although, I appreciated a scene at the end where one woman was saying, angrily, to another "It's bitches like you that are part of the problem!"). It wasn't bad--there were some great artistic moments--and the acting was pretty good (Sebastian Stan was the biggest name in it), but it was a bit slow. I wouldn't recommend it if it doesn't take much to make you queasy because the whole concept is really gross, even if you don't see too much of the gore (the worst comes from a brutal fight scene).  I think my biggest issue is that it's billed as a "dark comedy", but I saw nothing funny in it at all. 

[festivus]

I just watched that one a couple of weeks ago. I didn't see much comedy either. I did love how her friend did not give up on her. Also the guy that was like, fuck this shit I'm getting out of here. That was funny. I squealed when I heard a certain voice. Janet from Kim's Convenience. I love the actress, I hope I see her in many more things. 

[Rushmoras]

Meet Joe Black (1998). Movie about Death, who was fascinated with a man's, who is about to die, life, and wanted to experience as much as possible out of human life in exchange for extending the man's lease on life. Never saw it, actually, and, if I had seen it when it first came out or a couple of years later even, teenager me would not have liked it, because the past version of me would have thought: "But nothing is happening, this sucks". Well, it's a drama most and foremost. Most of supernatural elements are just barely there in the background, if you squint long enough. I guess, the driving force of this movie was the awkwardness of Brad Pitt, to which every movie character in their heads probably responded: "Why is this autistic person with Bill? What the hell"? (sorry for comparison), while to the watcher it would have been funny. That being said, would not give a movie more than a 7, because it did not keep my attention. I was coming back and forth with reading the news on my smartphone and watching it on the TV screen.

Also, it left some questions. First one, so Death was not socially awkward and just pretended to be? Because in the end it actually lied and helped Bill to overthrow the Board's ruling? Whaaaa? Secondly, so, if Death returned the former hosts body back to the living so Bill's daughter could date him, um, they would have an awkward conversation: "Oh, yeah, I just forgot, you know, down that little bridge where I emerged? Yeah, well, there's some old guy's body. Someone should check it out".

7/10

[JustHereForFood]

10 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

Meet Joe Black (1998).

I loved that movie. I remember crying so much during several scenes. I guess now I would find it maybe a bit overdramatic, but still great.

[proserpina65]

I was bored on Sunday, so I ended up watching Vertical Limit.  (Here is where I confess that I do not climb mountains but I do read lots of books about mountain climbing - thanks, Jon Krakauer.)

OMG, what a terrible movie.  Never mind the cardboard characters, the ridiculous plot points and the mostly terrible acting, the actual climbing sequences were obviously created by someone who'd never set foot on a tall mountain in their entire life.  Every single scene contradicted how professionals behave while climbing lesser peaks, never mind how they would act on K2.

It might be an okay action flick if you know absolutely nothing about mountain climbing, but otherwise do not waste your time like I did.

[Spartan Girl]

The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990): Let it never be said that Tom Hanks never played a slimeball, although apparently the filmmakers watered his character down a lot from the movie. But God this movie was…I do not have adequate words. I know it was meant to be a satire, but as bad as it was back then, it really doesn’t look good in the harsh light of today.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[Crashcourse]

The Piano (1993):  I rewatched this a couple of days ago and I remembered that I didn't like the three main characters.  I didn't like Harvey Keitel because he maneuvered himself into a relationship with a married woman.  I didn't like Holly Hunter because she was cold to her new husband (Sam Neill), even though he tried to be patient with her.  At first, I felt kind of sorry for him because he had a cold, unfeeling wife, and he caught her and Harvey Keitel having sex.  I know that was painful for him to watch, but then he tried to rape her.  Chopping her finger off was the last straw though.   

So, the only character I would up liking was Anna Paquin as Holly Hunter's daughter.

[kiddo82]

The Book of Life (2014):  I kind of vaguely remember this when it came out but it never registered with me.  It's basically Coco before Coco was Coco, except with a lot less Disney/Pixar and more Guillermo del Toro.  I liked it a lot.  And although it didn't make me snot cry like Coco does, I did genuinely laugh of loud a bunch of times.  I also really liked the animation style.

 

Dark Horse (2011):  A satire of rom-com/loveable loser/arrested development tropes that doesn't pull its punches but also has some guarded optimism.  It's a little trippy and I actually rewatched it (at under 90 minutes it's not a tall task) but I really enjoyed it.  I alluded to this in a different thread recently but I'm such a Donna Murphy fan.  She's a criminally underrated talent and gets to flex a little here.  I also dug the roles portrayed by Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow.  Welcome to the Dollhouse is probably the better known Todd Solondz film, but if that is your thing then I think this is worth your time.       

Edited May 13, 2022 by kiddo82

[festivus]

8 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

And although it didn't make me snot cry like Coco does

Oh ain't that the truth. I was a sobbing mess.

I watched The Tender Bar last week. I didn't know anything about it going in but it turned out to be a memoir slice of life type movie. I really enjoy movies like that when I'm in the right mood for it. The movie was set in the 70's and 80's and had a great soundtrack. Ben Affleck was in it and he was really good. I generally enjoy him in anything which may need to be in the UO thread.

[proserpina65]

22 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

The Piano (1993):  I rewatched this a couple of days ago and I remembered that I didn't like the three main characters.  I didn't like Harvey Keitel because he maneuvered himself into a relationship with a married woman.  I didn't like Holly Hunter because she was cold to her new husband (Sam Neill), even though he tried to be patient with her.  At first, I felt kind of sorry for him because he had a cold, unfeeling wife, and he caught her and Harvey Keitel having sex.  I know that was painful for him to watch, but then he tried to rape her.  Chopping her finger off was the last straw though.   

So, the only character I would up liking was Anna Paquin as Holly Hunter's daughter.

It is definitely one of those films where it's easier to find the characters intriguing and complex than likeable.  Plus, it made me look at Harvey Keitel naked, which is something I didn't really need to do.  I remember enjoying it when I saw it in the theater but I'm not sure I'd ever want to see it again.  The musical score is terrific, though.

[Spartan Girl]

I watched the new Firestarter remake with Zac Efron on Peacock. How was it possible to take a Stephen King movie that actually could have been improved by a remake but instead make it worse?! They didn’t even try to follow the book!

Spoiler

Have her kill everyone EXCEPT the guy who killed her mother, then go off with him at the end as her new mentor?! Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?! 

 

[Rushmoras]

Yesterday I watched Legends of the Fall (1994), main roles by Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Julia Ormond and Aidan Quinn. I think I seen glimpses of it on TV a long time ago, but, no, to me it was a fresh watch. While the cast was really top notch and the script was also good, but, no, this is one of those movies for me when you can watch it once and only once. At first I thought it was going to be about your standard love triangle where the good looking guy gets eventually the good looking girl, but, nope, somewhere in the middle it turned out to be a god damn Greek tragedy. And for this reason it left a bitter taste in my mouth so to speak (but I guess that's why the movie is good; it's just I wouldn't watch it again). Overall, it was a sad movie with glimpses of joy during miniscule parts of it.

7/10

[Shannon L.]

8 minutes ago, Rushmoras said:

Yesterday I watched Legends of the Fall (1994), main roles by Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Julia Ormond and Aidan Quinn. I think I seen glimpses of it on TV a long time ago, but, no, to me it was a fresh watch. While the cast was really top notch and the script was also good, but, no, this is one of those movies for me when you can watch it once and only once. At first I thought it was going to be about your standard love triangle where the good looking guy gets eventually the good looking girl, but, nope, somewhere in the middle it turned out to be a god damn Greek tragedy. And for this reason it left a bitter taste in my mouth so to speak (but I guess that's why the movie is good; it's just I wouldn't watch it again). Overall, it was a sad movie with glimpses of joy during miniscule parts of it.

7/10

I have a weird relationship with this movie.  I liked parts of it, but overall, I didn't care for it. Susannah drove me up the wall.  I swear, for the life of me, I couldn't understand why she didn't find a way to leave and why Samuel's two brothers were so crazy about her.  However, I loved Isabelle 2 and that story, so this movie has become a guilty pleasure for me.  I'm not crazy about it, but if it's on and there's nothing else on that I want to watch, I'll tune in.  I just won't watch any scenes after the two brothers meet up at the spring fair.  

[JustHereForFood]

4 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

Yesterday I watched Legends of the Fall (1994), main roles by Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Julia Ormond and Aidan Quinn. I think I seen glimpses of it on TV a long time ago, but, no, to me it was a fresh watch. While the cast was really top notch and the script was also good, but, no, this is one of those movies for me when you can watch it once and only once. At first I thought it was going to be about your standard love triangle where the good looking guy gets eventually the good looking girl, but, nope, somewhere in the middle it turned out to be a god damn Greek tragedy. And for this reason it left a bitter taste in my mouth so to speak (but I guess that's why the movie is good; it's just I wouldn't watch it again). Overall, it was a sad movie with glimpses of joy during miniscule parts of it.

7/10

There's something about movies like this one, that cover decades of the life of one family that fascinates me, but they often turn into too much of melodrama by the end, which was the case here as well. I remember liking it the first time I watched, then liking it less and now I think I would probably roll my eyes too much. Taste changes, I guess. But I wonder if the beautiful scenery and music that I remember might be worth a rewatch sometime.

[Shannon L.]

One of my favorite movie theater memories came from Legends of the Fall:  When Brad Pitt's character made his first entrance, when he dismounted and took off his hat, there was audible sigh by many people in the theater. 

[andromeda331]

Finally got around to watching Encanto. I held off in case I ended up crying like Coco. It was such a good movie. Family dynamics are always one of my favorite things to watch. It was definitely relatable. What family doesn't have issues. I liked that each family ended up having issues.  I really liked Mirabel and related to her.  I liked Mirabel being surprised that perfect Isabela had issues. I remember being surprised when my brother who always seemed to have it together and a real go-getter had moments when he wasn't. I liked all the characters. 

Little Mirabel was so adorable. So was Antonio. Poor Bruno was so messed up. I can see how Abuela got the way she did. Although she was definitely terrible to everyone especially Bruno and Mirabel.

On 5/13/2022 at 6:42 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I watched the new Firestarter remake with Zac Efron on Peacock. How was it possible to take a Stephen King movie that actually could have been improved by a remake but instead make it worse?! They didn’t even try to follow the book!

  Reveal spoiler

Have her kill everyone EXCEPT the guy who killed her mother, then go off with him at the end as her new mentor?! Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?! 

 

I don't know if you watch Cinema Snob on Youtube but he agreed with how terrible the new one is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ON7WP7ZfA4

You might like seeing his review.

[Spartan Girl]

10 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I don't know if you watch Cinema Snob on Youtube but he agreed with how terrible the new one is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ON7WP7ZfA4

You might like seeing his review.

Already watched both videos and he was right on the money. Though I will nitpick one part of his review of the original: despite the fact that Rainbird was so obviously creepy and evil, Charlie isn’t an idiot for falling for it. She was a child, isolated and scared, and predators know how to manipulate children. She knew better than to trust the government agents holding her captive and keeping her from her father, but a janitor offering her seemingly genuine kindness? Not to mention playing on her sympathies with PTSD war stories? I get that Cinema Snob was just being snarky for humor, but still.

[proserpina65]

Just saw the Kenneth Branagh version of Death on the Nile over the weekend.  I enjoyed it for what it was, although I did figure out very early on who the killer was/killers were, even if I didn't know exactly how it was managed.  But I will say that all the action man stuff just prior to the resolution of the mystery was very much NOT Poirot, who was all about the cerebral, not the physical.

Still, I didn't feel like it was a wasted evening.

[Rushmoras]

So, I'm currently watching Uncharted (2022), about half an hour left till the end and... it's not engaging at all. I rather rewatch Indiana Jones and Kingdom of Crystal Skull. I mean, one thing when it is a video-game and you have player agency (you control your character), but its another thing when you are watching a video-game made in to a live feature movie with all the video-gamey elements, just in live action. I'm rating it a 6, but I'm kinda generous with it. Even Tomb Rider (2020, I think?) was more engaging and interesting than this...

[kiddo82]

I watched The Truman Show for the first time today.  It stands up impeccably and is even more relevant now than it was 25 years ago.  And Laura Linney is someone we as a society need to appreciate more.  She's simply good in everything.  My only gripe is the very end felt hollow.  It should have ended with Truman saying "Good afternoon, good evening, and good night", shutting the door, and then black screen.  I didn't like the reaction shots of the people watching the show.  Other than Sylvia, the people watching were complicit and we should not have given them that triumphant moment.  If you want to put a button on things maybe a  short sequence of the two security guards changing the channel as the end credits were rolling.  That's a minor nitpick though.  The movie itself is really well done.

Edited May 28, 2022 by kiddo82

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, kiddo82 said:

I watched The Truman Show for the first time today.  It stands up impeccably and is even more relevant now than it was 25 years ago.  And Laura Linney is someone we as a society need to appreciate more.  She's simply good in everything.  My only gripe is the very end felt hollow.  It should have ended with Truman saying "Good afternoon, good evening, and good night", shutting the door, and then black screen.  I didn't like the reaction shots of the people watching the show.  Other than Sylvia, the people watching were complicit and we should not have given them that triumphant moment.  If you want to put a button on things maybe a  short sequence of the two security guards changing the channel as the end credits were rolling.  That's a minor nitpick though.  The movie itself is really well done.

I think that bit with the ending reactions was the point: they were all complicit and the fact that they wound up rooting for Truman to break free doesn’t change that. 

[kiddo82]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I think that bit with the ending reactions was the point: they were all complicit and the fact that they wound up rooting for Truman to break free doesn’t change that. 

I don't disagree but I feel like it lets them off the hook a little bit.  You literally had people at the bar taking bets whether Truman would live or die five minutes prior.  

[kiddo82]

The Savages (2007) (not to be confused with Savages 2012):  a brother and sister (Phillip Seymore Hoffman and Laura Linney) have to take responsibility for their estranged, aging, father as his health fails.  Now, I haven't dealt with this situation personally (knock wood) but I've worked in nursing homes for years and this movie gets it.  Everything from the father's behaviors to the impersonal living conditions (there's even a shout out to the harsh, fluorescent lighting) to Wendy Savage's guilt and misplaced anger.  I imagine this isn't an easy to movie to watch if this is a situation that hits close to home but it gets massive points for its realist portrayal.  How has writer/director Tamara Jenkins only been allowed to make 3 feature films?  I think the answer is obvious and it's a shame because between this and Slums of Beverly Hills (I haven't seen her third movie although I guess I should put it on this list) this woman should be getting more green lights.

[Rushmoras]

So, I watched Inception (2010) yesterday and it was an okey movie, if at times teeny tiny bit too long. The whole premise that someone can get in to your own dream or force you to be in someone else's dream, because some military guys cooked up some new drugs and wires, was total BS, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Also, the ending was not shocking at all, at leas to me, if you actually listen to what people are talking about in the movie.

Spoiler

Even before the ending was shown, when Cobb was talking to his dead wife's father or some other scene, can't remember where was that conversation, but I kept thinking: "Oh, so in the end they will show that all of this what's happening is in Cobb's head/dream?" And what do you know, it was (because the beyblade kept spinning).

8/10.

[Rushmoras]

I'm sorry, but I'm gonna cuss now:

Deathproof (2007). Don't know what Quentin Tarantino was fucking smoking while making that one, but I want a name of his fucking dealer. I would categorize the movie as pure bullshit and, if not for the second act, I would have written it off as first-time fucking student project. The whole movie was saved by the second act, which was high octane car chase action, which was super cool, I'll give it that. But, oh my fucking god, the whole movie is total bullshit. But you know who was the real victims in all of this? Not the serial-killer's-stuntman's victims. Oh, no. It was the redneck dude, who let the chicks test out his car. RIP car. :(

Was gonna score it 5/10 out of generosity, because, Russel, Dadario and... forgot that chick from Bones, but the second act was goood. So, 6/10. But if not for that... um... barely a 4/10.

[kiddo82]

Speaking of Tarantino (and Robert Rodriguez by extension):  I watched Four Rooms (1995) yesterday.  Four separate vignettes by 4 different auteurs each take place in a hotel on one New Year's Eve.  They are only interconnected by a harried bellhop played by Tim Roth.  I had read where the sections written/directed by Roriguez and Tarantino were the best parts and I have to agree.  Although Rodriguez' section (The Misbehavers) starts out as a slow burn (almost painfully so) the resolution and especially the button are well worth it.  And Tarantino, say what you want about him as I know he can be divisive, crafts a story (The Man from Hollywood) that has you sure it's going one way only to pull the rug out from under you in a darkly comedic and abrupt way.  The other two (The Missing Ingredient and The Wrong Man) never rise above the level of fine with the latter meandering way too much for my taste.  We were talking about Hail Caesar in another forum and about how that movie gives you some great individual moments and performances that never quite come together as a cohesive.  That would almost be my exact critique of this movie as well.  Some really funny stuff by Antonio Banderas, Marisa Tomei, Bruce Wilis, and Lana McKissack (the little girl in the Misbehavers section) but it never gives you that moment that puts it over the top.  I thought Tim Roth started out as great as the twitchy bellhop but it became too much as the movie progressed.  Perhaps this performance was undone by being overseen by 4 different directors.  There are worse ways to spend 90 minutes, but it's also not a solid recommendation.  

Edited June 15, 2022 by kiddo82

[Spartan Girl]

Beauty and the Beast (2014): This was a French/German film, and while the costumes and visual effects were lovely…oh, I’m just gonna say it, it was the worst version I’ve ever seen. There was hardly any romance at all, the two of them barely bond. It just follows the original version of the fairy tale where he basically just gives her dresses and makes her have dinner with them, then tells her he’ll die if she won’t come back after visiting her fa,ily. They don’t even connect or bond! And yet we ‘re supposed to be,I eve that they’ve somehow fallen in love at the end?! Oh, and in this version, he was cursed into a beast because he married a wood nymph that he accidentally-on-purpose killed while she was in the form of a deer. Like WTAF?!

[Rushmoras]

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). A movie about a mother, who was fed up with inactivity of local police department, and decided to set up some advertisement stands reflecting it in regards to the rape and murder of her daughter. It was a pretty confident movie, but as was with the case of The Girl In the Train, which I saw a while back, it lacked some sort of zinc to make it more interesting. I heard that it won (or was nominated for) an Oscar that year, but, I don't know. Competent drama, but outside of that not much going on for it.

Thinking about the whole premise, I don't think that, in Lithuania (my country), for example, people would condemn her for exposing the laziness of authorities, if anything, we would be: "Yeah, show those imbeciles". 

Spoiler

Only two things in the movie felt out of place for me. The sheriff's wife after handing-over the letter to Mildred starts kinda insinuating that it was Mildred's fault that sheriff Willoughby committed suicided, even though not couple of minutes ago we hear the sheriff's narration (presuming that the wife is reading the letter addressed to her) indicating that he took his own life, because he did not want to become a burden for Anne. And when that (not) a rapist came to Mildred's shop and started threathening her and trashing the place, and when later we find out that he lives in Idaho (another state entirely). And I'm left thinking, so, you travelled thousand of miles just to antagonize her? You don't even live here? What the hell is wrong with you.

Also, the whole town... eh... it kinda gave me some Derry vibes (from Steven King's books) where everyone is just so apathetic to everything. It was just strange...

Anyways, 7/10.

Edited June 19, 2022 by Rushmoras

[JustHereForFood]

On 6/19/2022 at 2:54 AM, Spartan Girl said:

Beauty and the Beast (2014): This was a French/German film, and while the costumes and visual effects were lovely…oh, I’m just gonna say it, it was the worst version I’ve ever seen. There was hardly any romance at all, the two of them barely bond. It just follows the original version of the fairy tale where he basically just gives her dresses and makes her have dinner with them, then tells her he’ll die if she won’t come back after visiting her fa,ily. They don’t even connect or bond! And yet we ‘re supposed to be,I eve that they’ve somehow fallen in love at the end?! Oh, and in this version, he was cursed into a beast because he married a wood nymph that he accidentally-on-purpose killed while she was in the form of a deer. Like WTAF?!

I've seen that one in cinema. I was amazed by the trailer, how magical and scary at the same time it looked, but yeah, I think I was a bit let down by the actual movie. Visually stunning, but the story was weak. But I think Vincent Cassel was a great choice for the Beast.

[Spartan Girl]

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent: This. Was. HILARIOUS. Every bit as ridiculously fun as the trailers promised. I don’t even like Nic Cage that much, but even I have to respect his self-awareness to just embrace his crazy over-the-top image. Also, I loved him and Pedro Pascal playing off each other. 

[jah1986]

Watched The Silence on Netflix the other day. Oh my goodness, what a mess and an absolute rip-off of A Quiet Place, complete with a deaf daughter. It was gorier than a Quiet Place and there was a completely unnecessary plot line with a group that deliberately cut their tongues out so they were mute. Said group also wanted to kidnap the deaf daughter because she was "fertile".  A had a headache the next day from all the eye rolling I did while watching. What was Stanley Tucci doing in this movie?

It did manage to give my mom nightmares, so mission accomplished as a horror film.

[Rushmoras]

Alita: Battle Angel (2019). Movie's premise: 300 years after the war against Mars Federation and Earth Sky Cities, only one sky city has been left floating, wherein (presumably) nobility lives and the rest are forced to scounge for morsels down below. At a scrap heap pile, cybernetics doctor finds an intact peace of cyborg and restores it, giving it the body, which he originally built for his deceased daughter to walk-on. The cyborg awakens without any memories of who she was before, but gradually, through exploration of the surrounding world, remembers her past life.

This was... the most enjoyable movie that I've seen in quite a while. I liked everything about it: the CGI, the world-building, the story. Everything top notch. I admit, never saw the original anime or read the manga, so maybe, again, as Hollywood does, they changed things up drastically, but in general... wow, that was very high-octane-action pack blockbuster from Robert Rodriguez and the screenplay from James Cameron. *Sends chef's kiss*

I know that no movie is perfect ten out of ten, but this... yeah, I'm just gonna say this - 10/10. Can't wait for Part 2.

[Rushmoras]

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) starring Seth McFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Nail Patrick Harris, Amanda Seyfried and other actors that I recognize, but don't know the names of. Um, it's a parody of every western ever made from the same guy that created Family Guy, with the same kind of humour. And, if you like Family Guy, you'll like this as well. Personally, either I'm dead inside from all the 'serious' movies I've watched or it wasn't THAT funny, but it made me smile in a couple of places, but not when I would go: HA HAHAHAHAHA. Nah, it was more like your extended Family Guy wild west theme episode with all of cameos. Probably, the most funny/interesting part was when Seth's character was talking to the indians in their language and in the end said Mila Kunis (voices Meg in Family Guy) :D

P.S. I wonder how much money did Ryan Rainilds made for his two seconds cameo of being shot.

7/10

Edited July 2, 2022 by Rushmoras

[Spartan Girl]

Dangerous Liaisons (1988): Well, other than the costumes and Glenn Close’s performance, I can say I enjoyed this movie. Not that I ever liked Cruel Intentions that much to begin, but at least Cecile and Annette ended in a better place than their counterparts: Cecile is ruined and goes to a convent while Tourvel freaking DIES?! And no, sorry, I don’t give a crap about Valmont, he was an asshole!

[proserpina65]

21 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Not that I ever liked Cruel Intentions that much to begin, but at least Cecile and Annette ended in a better place than their counterparts: Cecile is ruined and goes to a convent while Tourvel freaking DIES?!

Their endings reflect the society in which they lived.  And it was indeed sucky.

I watched Priscilla, Queen of the Desert over the weekend.  I was expecting something more like a traditional comedy but it really wasn't.  More of a dramedy sort of thing.  Not that it was bad, in fact, it was a better film because it gave almost every character layers.  It was just rather unexpected.