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

tardigrade81

Registered User
Jun 12, 2019
16,530
21,131
Saskatchewan
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) - 3/10 (Really didn't like it)

Godzilla and seemingly every monster to ever be in a Godzilla movie are awakened and battle each other while humans run around and act like they matter. This features some of the worst writing that I've seen in a major, modern Hollywood movie. I felt like I was watching the 1998 Godzilla again; it's that awful. One example is that a main character acts like an expert on monster behavior because he happens to be an amateur hunter. Another is that a couple of parents drive around a destroyed city for a while before suspecting that their daughter probably isn't just wandering through the destruction and might've just gone home. The characters are also completely uninteresting and I didn't care if any of them lived or died. The movie has way too much CGI, and I don't mean the monster battles. So many of the human scenes are CGIed up with flying debris, dark clouds, explosions and so on. If that's what you want--a 2-hour CGI spectacle--you'll get it, but it was way too much for my tastes. The monster battles are actually pretty good, but interrupted too much by cuts to the humans. In the end, the movie ends up being 15 minutes of exciting monster battles and a whole lot of cliched filler. Expectations for Godzilla movies are really low (just have good monster battles and people are happy), but I don't think that that's an excuse for movie makers to aim really low. I could give this a 2/10 and say that I hated it, but I did laugh a lot (not with it... at it), and that earns a plus, even if the humor was unintentional.
Wow. That’s a shame.... trailer looked awesome.
 

tardigrade81

Registered User
Jun 12, 2019
16,530
21,131
Saskatchewan
Spider man far from home. 5/10

Was ok but one of the least faves from the spider man brand for me. I thought it got off to a slow start and I don’t like Gyllenhaal as Mysterio at all. The last hour was pretty entertaining though and I do like Holland as Parker! Take the good with the bad.
 

Osprey

Registered User
Feb 18, 2005
27,306
9,792
Wow. That’s a shame.... trailer looked awesome.

Well, don't take my word for it. My impression is one of the more negative that you'll find and I tend to not like these sorts of movies. I wasn't trying to warn anyone away from watching it, just expressing myself. There's a dedicated thread for the movie here and lots of people loved it in spite of its flaws. If you loved the trailer, then you might like or even love the movie.
 
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tardigrade81

Registered User
Jun 12, 2019
16,530
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Saskatchewan
Well, don't take my word for it. There's a dedicated thread for the movie here and lots of people loved it in spite of its flaws. My impression is one of the more negative that you'll find and I don't expect anyone to take my word for it. I was just expressing my thoughts, not trying to warn anyone away from watching it. If you liked the trailer, then you might still like or even love the movie.
I’ll give it a watch and report back!!
 

Osprey

Registered User
Feb 18, 2005
27,306
9,792
Angel Has Fallen (2019) - 6/10 (Liked it)

Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is accused of trying to kill the President (Morgan Freeman) and must clear his name. Unlike the first two films ('Olympus' and 'London'), which featured Mike as the hero against terrorist plots in grand locations, this one plays more like The Fugitive for much of its length, which is a fresh change for the franchise, even if it's still unoriginal. Further distinguishing it is the addition of Nick Nolte as Mike's crazy Vietnam vet father, who steals the middle act and is almost reason enough to watch the movie. The best scene in the whole movie belongs to him. At several points, I half expected him to finish his sentences with "I have spoken" (a reference to "The Mandalorian"). Unfortunately, the villains are predictable, their motives are unconvincing and their actions just get more far-fetched as the movie goes on, culminating in a third and final act that makes no sense because they've already been exposed. Despite that, I still enjoyed the film enough. It's a rather implausible and unoriginal yet moderately enjoyable action movie that satisfies if you enjoyed the first two. BTW, don't turn it off as soon as the credits roll because, about 20 seconds in, quite a long "post-credits" scene starts that's worth watching.
 
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe

Hey! We won!
May 30, 2003
15,535
3,387
Us
For the second time in a week I find myself sitting down to watch a successful, well reviewed, widely liked (if not loved) sophomore movie effort from a promising horror writer-director. And for the second time I come away wanting. While I outright disliked Midsommar I was more indifferent to this. Like Ari Aster, I think Jordan Peele's eye is great and talent is evident. The end product here didn't do much for me though. Good needle drops. Looks good. But there's a Hall of Fame level dope of a husband (in a genre known for dopey characters) that was a constant distraction for me. Story itself didn't do much for me. Twist is meant to be a real whoa moment, but if you stop to think about it, it doesn't feel very meaningful.
 

Tkachuk4MVP

32 Years of Fail
Apr 15, 2006
14,801
2,684
San Diego, CA
Us
For the second time in a week I find myself sitting down to watch a successful, well reviewed, widely liked (if not loved) sophomore movie effort from a promising horror writer-director. And for the second time I come away wanting. While I outright disliked Midsommar I was more indifferent to this. Like Ari Aster, I think Jordan Peele's eye is great and talent is evident. The end product here didn't do much for me though. Good needle drops. Looks good. But there's a Hall of Fame level dope of a husband (in a genre known for dopey characters) that was a constant distraction for me. Story itself didn't do much for me. Twist is meant to be a real whoa moment, but if you stop to think about it, it doesn't feel very meaningful.

Are you talking about Winston Duke? I didn't get that vibe from him at all. When analyzing the horror genre, he's not even close to HOF level.
 

KallioWeHardlyKnewYe

Hey! We won!
May 30, 2003
15,535
3,387
Are you talking about Winston Duke? I didn't get that vibe from him at all. When analyzing the horror genre, he's not even close to HOF level.

I am. I just thought he was a complete moron. He comes around when forced into action, but his first hour or so, oooof, I thought it was a bad character.
 

KallioWeHardlyKnewYe

Hey! We won!
May 30, 2003
15,535
3,387
Gotcha. I got the "corny, goofy dad who loves his family" vibe from him during that first hour and thought he was really likable. But, to each his own.

That didn't really bother me, but he seemed extremely, painfully slow on the uptake when it comes to the weird stuff...

Like you said, to each their own.
 

ORRFForever

Registered User
Oct 29, 2018
18,243
9,640
What Lies Upstream [2018] :

Meh documentary from start to finish.

5/10

 
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OzzyFan

Registered User
Sep 17, 2012
3,653
960
Frozen 2
2.70 out of 4stars

Obviously not as catchy or "good" as the first movie. If you like musical Disney dramas though, it should hit the spot. And I am a big Olaf guy, hope he gets his own spin off movie. And without Olaf in this or the first movie, you have some pretty dark child drama movies, the stuff early Disney movies were known for.

Gotcha. I got the "corny, goofy dad who loves his family" vibe from him during that first hour and thought he was really likable. But, to each his own.

This. I saw him as mostly the comic relief part of the movie, and they tried to make him the "everyman dad that's silly goofy and puts his family first".
 

Pranzo Oltranzista

Registered User
Oct 18, 2017
3,844
2,704
Who Works is Lost (Chi lavora è perduto / Il capo al mondo) - Tinto Brass, 1963

Netflix (Canada at least) never has any surprise for me. Prime on the other hand sometimes suggests a film that I really wouldn't have thought of looking for - and so it appears they have 2 Tinto Brass films in their collection - amazing.

Tinto Brass is one of the most fascinating directors. Forget what you think you know about Brass. Most people just don't know him, or think they know him for half a film they've seen and (somewhat rightfully) associate him with sleaze, or know him only for Caligula, but this guy should be recognized as one of the most interesting directors of the 60s and 70s, and never will be.

The guy's filmography is cut in half, and after La Chiave (also on Prime), he just stopped fighting to make the films he wanted to make, and (kind of) started doing the films producers expected him to make. But man did he gave it his all. His softies retain a very strong signature (in visual composition and in tone, but you can also recognize the anarchist guerilla filmmaker he once was in his conception of love and relationships).

Brass first signed an experimental short documenting the visual work of Nicolas Schoffer that you can find on YouTube:



Who Works is Lost (Whoever Works is Lost would be a more comprehensible title) is Brass's first fiction film. At the same time, he was working on a documentary (Thermidor / Tell It Like It Is - a film I saddly haven't seen) about the violence of mankind while researching the French Cinémathèque for an assistant job with Rosselini. WWIL shines a very interesting light on the later Brass films, it's oddly experimental in nature, and deeply cynical in tone, it lost a few minutes to censorship (two semi-nudes scenes of which only the glimpse of a breast remain), but was still banned for a few months, and not only for moral reasons, but for its political opposition to Italy's constitutional position on labor. The film presents a man who doesn't want to work and who thinks about turning down a job offered to him. It is constructed on flashbacks and fantasies, with Jesus himself coming to support his position. Tinto Brass was part of the Godard and Rivette crowd, and this first film is somewhat associated to the French New Wave. It is certainly more chaotic, more pessimistic, than its French cousins. I'll give it 7/10 (which to me is a pretty good rating), but it's a must-see.
 
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ORRFForever

Registered User
Oct 29, 2018
18,243
9,640
Knives Out [2019] :

An old man with a fortune and a family who wants their share. Each member proclaims their love for the patriarch, but each has a motive to cut his throat, keeping in mind that the only thing this family hates more than the man controlling the purse strings, is each other.

In comes a brilliant eccentric detective. He's smarter than everyone else and that's saying a lot because everyone in this story is smart. He adopts a kind hearted nurse to act as Watson to his Holmes, and together they solve this Agatha Christie-esk mystery.

The acting is terrific, the writing is first rate, and the movie looks cool. And while the 2 hour run time seems excessive, I can't think of anything I'd cut - the film gets better as it goes on. It's also really funny.

Before watching Knives Out, I hadn't seen a movie that stood out as the best of 2019. Now I have.

9/10

 
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Pranzo Oltranzista

Registered User
Oct 18, 2017
3,844
2,704
La Chiave (The Key) - Tinto Brass - 1983

Don't know how to rate this one. Pivotal film for Brass, its unexpected success put its director in a box, and pretty much every film he's made after that has been a variation on elements from this one. Lots of weaknesses, ironically (and even though it brings a certain distanciation), Tinto Brass's overacted cameo might be the worst thing in here, but the sound design is particularly atrocious too. What would become Brass's common themes are all there in this story of an aging couple who try to build a different kind of intimacy. And of course, the mirrors, the frames built in the frame, and the embryo of a reflexion on the nature of images (here with fake paintings that need authenticizing, and photographies that portray 'the real' - "You've seen me like that"). Not a film I'd recommand to anybody not being a fan of Brass, but still can't go lower than 6/10.
 

Pranzo Oltranzista

Registered User
Oct 18, 2017
3,844
2,704
Whiplash - Chazelle - 2014

I was sick as a dog last night, launched that thinking I'd quickly fall asleep on it, but it actually was quite entertaining. Real fun performances by the two leads as likable assholes. Not a film that brings much to the table, or that I would revisit, but a cool watch. 5/10
 

Pranzo Oltranzista

Registered User
Oct 18, 2017
3,844
2,704
La Chiave (The Key) - Tinto Brass - 1983

Don't know how to rate this one. Pivotal film for Brass, its unexpected success put its director in a box, and pretty much every film he's made after that has been a variation on elements from this one. Lots of weaknesses, ironically (and even though it brings a certain distanciation), Tinto Brass's overacted cameo might be the worst thing in here, but the sound design is particularly atrocious too. What would become Brass's common themes are all there in this story of an aging couple who try to build a different kind of intimacy. And of course, the mirrors, the frames built in the frame, and the embryo of a reflexion on the nature of images (here with fake paintings that need authenticizing, and photographies that portray 'the real' - "You've seen me like that"). Not a film I'd recommand to anybody not being a fan of Brass, but still can't go lower than 6/10.


Interesting side note because it's probably my last Brass comment in a while: he almost directed A Clockwork Orange, now that would have been something (I'm glad the Kubrick version exist, but I'd like to visit that other dimension where Brass made that film).
 

kihei

McEnroe: The older I get, the better I used to be.
Jun 14, 2006
42,733
10,282
Toronto
Screen-Shot-2019-07-02-at-11.16.17-AM-e1562080677704-700x299.jpg


Knives Out
(2019) Directed by Rian Johnson 6A

'Tis the season when we usually get one big glitzy Agatha Christie-type murder mystery, and this season's entry Knives Out comes with good reviews for a change. When the patriarch (Christopher Plummer) of afamily, a famous mystery writer himself, is found dead in his attic, the initial guess is that he was a suicide. However, private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) suspects foul play.He interviews the members of the patriarch's dysfunctional family. Oddly enough the only likable suspect among the whole lot looks like she may have been the culprit. Complications ensue. While the movie is totally empty calories, Craig has fun with his detective with the KFC accent. The first two acts are snappily directed, but the inevitable long-winded explanation makes the usual error of confusing complication with cleverness. Still I was entertained enough to recommend Knives Out as a nice, seasonal diversion. Parent and grandparent friendly if you are looking for that kind of movie this time of the year.
 

Burnoutboi

Registered User
Jul 3, 2006
2,111
1,776
Grande Prairie, Alberta
The Irishman 6.5/10

There's some fantastic de-aging CGI , and DeNiro shines like he hasn't in a while. But to me, this one dragged on a little too long, and it felt like a little bit of Forrest Gump meets Goodfellas.

This is a good film, just nothing new or exceptional. Break it into two parts to make it easier.
 

ORRFForever

Registered User
Oct 29, 2018
18,243
9,640
The Irishman 6.5/10

There's some fantastic de-aging CGI , and DeNiro shines like he hasn't in a while. But to me, this one dragged on a little too long, and it felt like a little bit of Forrest Gump meets Goodfellas.

This is a good film, just nothing new or exceptional. Break it into two parts to make it easier.
May save it until Christmas.
 

ORRFForever

Registered User
Oct 29, 2018
18,243
9,640
Screen-Shot-2019-07-02-at-11.16.17-AM-e1562080677704-700x299.jpg


Knives Out
(2019) Directed by Rian Johnson 6A

'Tis the season when we usually get one big glitzy Agatha Christie-type murder mystery, and this season's entry Knives Out comes with good reviews for a change. When the patriarch (Christopher Plummer) of afamily, a famous mystery writer himself, is found dead in his attic, the initial guess is that he was a suicide. However, private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) suspects foul play.He interviews the members of the patriarch's dysfunctional family. Oddly enough the only likable suspect among the whole lot looks like she may have been the culprit. Complications ensue. While the movie is totally empty calories, Craig has fun with his detective with the KFC accent. The first two acts are snappily directed, but the inevitable long-winded explanation makes the usual error of confusing complication with cleverness. Still I was entertained enough to recommend Knives Out as a nice, seasonal diversion. Parent and grandparent friendly if you are looking for that kind of movie this time of the year.
I'm disappointed you didn't like it more.

What I liked best... the ending.
Most writers/directors would force a crazy twist down our throats. Knives Out took the Occam's razor approach and I appreciate that.
 

Mario Lemieux fan 66

Registered User
Nov 2, 2012
1,927
406
The Irishman: 8/10 maybe the best movie of the year based only on the acting performances: Pesci is great and Keitel, Pacino and De Niro are also very good.
 

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