Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Part#: Some High Number +1

[ORRFForever]

Us (dir. Jordan Peele)

A bit let down by this one, to be honest. It's an effective enough high concept slasher thriller, but it's tonally messy and I never really got a sense of what Peele was exactly going for here, theme wise. Definitely doesn't reach the heights of Get Out, which I loved. Lupita N'yongo is fantastic, I liked the music and the film is overall slickly directed. But the narrative and it's execution let me down.

6/10

Sorry to hear that. Agree, it is a bit of a mess but I found it so effective, I was willing to look past its faults.

Also agree, it is not as good as Get Out, but I thought it was close.

 

[Puck]

I admit I did not like Get Out at first viewing (did not finish it actually). I could not see what people saw in it. I admit horror is not my favorite genre in the first place. Later I read an article explaining the film (all the symbolism), and I went 'Ahh, now I get it'. Sometimes it helps to read the Cliffs Notes (although I usually dislike reading about a film before going in). Watched it a second time to the end and I liked it better. I'll give most films a second chance. I'll watch Us now that I know Jordan Peele and his thought process a bit better.

Director Noah Baumbach on the other hand is still on probation with me (I hear he has another project coming out this year).

 

[ORRFForever]

A friend wanted me to watch the 8 episode series - she's fascinated with "bad boys". I wasn't interested but watched the documentary as some sort of compromise.

Dirty John : The Dirty Truth [2019] :

(* Oxygen Documentary *)

An evil Svengali leaves pain and destruction in his wake.

Perhaps I've seen too many Dateline Murder Mysteries, but I found the whole thing boring.

3/10

Movie Trailer :

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

A Boy and His Dog. Waaaay back in mid-1990s (probably about 1994) I got a book of lists from Entertainment Weekly. It had top 100 lists of movies organized by genre. This movie was on the sci-fi list. It was a bit hard to find back then and I never tracked it down. Stayed in my mind though and would pop up on occasion with me thinking, "I really should track that down." Well, today I did just that, finally picking up off the shelf of the local library.

Enjoyed it quite a bit. Young Don Johnson (and the dog he shares a telepathic link to) wander a bombed out, barren, post WW5 landscape. Earns its culty status. It riffs on Westworld a little while also preceding stuff like Logan's Run and Mad Max, both of which retain whiffs of this. Even M. Night Shamalan's The Village to some degree. Interesting world building and story. Memorable ending.

 

[Shareefruck]

Giving up on a movie altogether and walking out/turning it off or half-paying attention to it in the background, I can understand. But the idea of actively fast-forwarding through and continuing to watch/enjoy parts of a movie you've set aside time to watch for the first time sounds kind of bizarre to me.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Giving up on a movie altogether and walking out/turning it off or half-paying attention to it in the background, I can understand. But the idea of actively fast-forwarding through and continuing to watch/enjoy parts of a movie you've set aside time to watch for the first time sounds kind of bizarre to me.

I sort of get it as measure of tracking engagement with a movie. i.e. more fast forwards for more time maybe equal a less good/engaging movie while a movie where the viewer isn't tempted to fast forward equates to a better movie? Not sure if that's how the poster uses it and it's not a method I would use, but if I squint a bit, I think I see the logic.
Maybe.

Young people! (I assume, stereotyping)

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Dark Star. Wrapping an impulsive 70s cult sci-fi double feature of flicks I haven't seen before. John Carpenter is one of my favorite filmmakers, but this is one of two features of his I've never seen. (Village of the Damned also remains unwatched by me). There's a charming cheapness about this. It was a student film expanded out to feature length and it feels exactly like that. Mildly amusing story/dialogue if the rough edges don't bother you. More of an intriguing artifact than essential viewing.

 

[Shareefruck]

I sort of get it as measure of tracking engagement with a movie. i.e. more fast forwards for more time maybe equal a less good/engaging movie while a movie where the viewer isn't tempted to fast forward equates to a better movie? Not sure if that's how the poster uses it and it's not a method I would use, but if I squint a bit, I think I see the logic.
Maybe.

Young people! (I assume, stereotyping)

I see the logic in it, but I've always been bugged by that whole "the purpose/merit of a movie is to cater to my attention span" attitude, personally.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Also caught up on a couple of 2018 releases that if I had scene them months ago, probably would have been in my top 10 (which I never quite managed to assemble this year anyway...)

Shoplifters. A ragtag family on the fringes of Tokyo life skirts by with petty theft and other crimes. They take in a young girl and the life they built slowly comes undone revealing some unexpected truths. I was completely taken with this, both the characters and the mystery which is slowly, expertly drawn out through the film.

Thunder Road. Jim is a small town cop coming unraveled quickly (though it’s a fair question how together he ever was). His mother has died, his wife wants a divorce and to take full custody of their child. Written and directed by its star, Jim Cummings, it’s a marvel of tone and balance. Dialed up a few notches and it’s a Danny McBride/Will Ferrell comedic man-child of a character, dialed down a few and this is probably a dour, depressing mess. But this occupies some odd middle ground where Jim’s deadpan, volatile, somewhat dim witted earnestness manages to be both painfully funny and, in moments, deeply sad. It’s an impressive character study and a great performance. There’s a bravura opening scene at a funeral (which Cummings first made as a short film a few years ago) that perfectly captures the tone and will pretty much make or break whether or not you’re going to dig the movie.

 

[ORRFForever]

Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase [2019]:

Sophia Lillis is perfect as Nancy Drew. The mystery is silly but fun. I wanted to like this harmless family movie and I did.

My only reservation : I could have done without the annoying Linda Lavin.

7.5/10

Movie Trailer :

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Mirage (2018): 7.3/10 good Netflix movie

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Man, I don't know what it was about the last week, but I've managed to plow through more movies than usual. Maybe I just feel like writing more than usual? Anyway...

After watching Dark Star I was moved to take in another 1st effort from a now famed genre director — Christopher Nolan. Following is the tale of a writer who, seeking inspiration, follows random people and observes their lives. He crosses paths with a thief who then teaches him the trade ... I'll just leave it there. The fascinating thing about this is how fully formed Nolan is from the jump. Jumbled timelines, a mystery that has twists to its twists, assumed identities and disguises. It is grounded enough that you really feel the Hitchcock of it all too (right down to the blonde who is literally credited as The Blonde). Quite entertaining. Though it wasn't successful in its small release, you clearly see why he'd find financial support and future success.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Yeah well, as for me I watched The Meg... 1/10

 

[93gilmour93]

The Dirt 9/10

Really liked this movie taking a look at the crazy years of Motley Crue

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

The Whiskey Bandit: 7/10 It's the biopic of a bank robber.

 

[nameless1]

Forgive me, Kihei, but Loveless is an overrated film. There is NO way people would react the way ALL the characters reacted - cold and indifferent to a missing child. Even the grandmother didn't care!!! It was all done to illicit a reaction from the audience.

I didn't buy it.

Some people cared in the movie. The volunteers really tried the best to help find the child, but even they are a bit cold. Based on the many Russian movies I have seen, I think it is just a cultural aspect. Russians can be passionate, but most of the time they are rather cold and distant. They just like to mind their own business.

Also, even in Western society, if a divorce gets very bitter, not every parent wants the custody of the child. Thus, I am fine with how the main characters are portrayed, because that is exactly the point the director wants to make about the Russian middle class. They are rather selfish, to be frank.

 

[PullHard]

I loved Us

It wasn't perfect but I was entertained the entire time

Also it had Tim Heidecker in it, I mean what more can a guy ask for?

 

[Raging Bull]

Paris, Texas

Harry Dean Stanton was a national treasure. His roadmap of a face tells stories without much dialogue. Beautiful looking movie with one of the better uses of a two-way mirror I've seen in film. Surprised I hadn't even heard of this one before.

 

[ORRFForever]

Some people cared in the movie. The volunteers really tried the best to help find the child, but even they are a bit cold. Based on the many Russian movies I have seen, I think it is just a cultural aspect. Russians can be passionate, but most of the time they are rather cold and distant. They just mind their own business most of the time.

Also, even in Western society, if a divorce gets very bitter, not every parent wants the custody of the child. Thus, I am fine with how the main characters are portrayed, because that is exactly the point the director wants to make about the Russian middle class. They are rather selfish, to be frank.

Fair enough. If I remember correctly, I gave it a 7. No bad, by any means, but I didn't feel the love so many do.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Thus, I am fine with how the main characters are portrayed, because that is exactly the point the director wants to make about the Russian middle class. They are rather selfish, to be frank.

Can you blame them? I mean...I wont go there.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

The Mummy (the one with Tom Cruise) - 3/10
The Shape of Water - some cute visuals that don't compensate for the lack of substance (even if the intentions are good) - 5/10

 

[ORRFForever]

Can you blame them? I mean...I wont go there.

I think there is good in all (99.9999%) people. That is why I didn't buy Loveless. Maybe I'm naïve.

 

[kihei]

I think Loveless is a movie with both a micro- (personal) and macro-(social) meaning, and I love how the two fit together, complement one another. I have no trouble believing the behaviour of the characters, their petty motivations, and their selfishness. Plus, the movie got even better the second time that I saw it. Loveless is one of about a dozen "10"s that I've given this century, and I can't think of anything that I would change about it.

 

[ORRFForever]

I think Loveless is a movie with both a micro- (personal) and macro-(social) meaning, and I love how the two fit together, complement one another. I have no trouble believing the behaviour of the characters, their petty motivations, and their selfishness. Plus, the movie got even better the second time that I saw it. Loveless is one of about a dozen "10"s that I've given this century, and I can't think of anything that I would change about it.

You have a wonderful knowledge of film, so I won't argue with what you saw/felt.

For me, I felt manipulated.

 

[Shareefruck]

I think there is good in all (99.9999%) people. That is why I didn't buy Loveless. Maybe I'm naïve.

There being good in everyone doesn't require that a missing child would be treated any differently by people going on about their day than the way they did, IMO. I certainly didn't watch the movie thinking everyone involved was devoid of goodness or pure evil simply because they were cold and self centered.

It felt infuriating, yes, but came across as pretty organic to me, personally.