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

[Osprey]

Tomb Raider (2018) - 4/10 (Didn't like it)

I didn't have high expectations for this, but I did expect something a little better than your average video game adaptation and it couldn't even meet that. The plot is the worst offender, being straight up bad. Lara, who'd rather live in poverty than accept the family fortune as inheritance, goes searching in the Pacific for her missing father who was trying to save the world from some supernatural curse. Not helping matters is that none of the characters are interesting. Several are two dimensional and even Lara is a little boring.

Another recent video game adaptation with a plot that might've been written on a napkin and not the best characters is this year's Rampage, but I liked that because it didn't take itself seriously, had a charismatic lead and was somewhat fun. This movie, on the other hand, takes itself seriously and tries to be touching, suspenseful and smart, but fails badly at all of them. Much of that is on the script, but I also have to blame the unknown director who doesn't seem up to the challenge of delivering on any of them.

As the movie went along, I got the impression more and more that this was a B movie trying to be propped up by a $100M budget and an Oscar-winning actress. It probably should've been a $10M movie with a B actress in the lead that went straight to streaming, instead. Even for a video game adaptation, it isn't good. At best, it's watchable, but it's none of the things that it tries to be--fun, smart, moving, suspenseful, etc.--and is just bland and boring because of it.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - 8.5/10

I've been on a good run of films lately since resubscribing to Netflix for a few months then cancelling a month ago. This is a classic to me but I can completely understand why it's got polar reviews....it's slow paced. A throwback to older 60s and 70s drama-thrillers in terms of pacing, acting, and cinematography. Strangely despite being a spy film, I prefer the mystery element to this and found the suspense to be harder to watch. The plot is the perfect balance of not being laid completely and having some layers to it but still making sense. I don't generally bother to rewatch film but this film was made for a rewatch.

Also, the cast is loaded.....Sherlock, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, two guys from Kingsmen (not that annoying chav), Toby Jones, John Hurt.

 

[ORRFForever]

Aquaman [2018] :

While watching Aquaman, I was reminded of the Family Guy episode where a woman is being assaulted on the beach and all Aquaman can do is threaten the guy from the water...



Aquaman is the H2O version of Superman but, instead of having Marlon Brando as his father, he has Nicole Kidman as his mother. Unfortunately, mom's not too bright because, while hiding from the underwater bad guys, instead of moving somewhere dry like Nebraska, she chooses to live in a lighthouse overlooking the ocean.

Aquaman is "swimming" with good/bad guys with good hair that always looks "wavey", lasers, monsters, LOTS of explosions, and a plot/back story that is recycled silliness from other super hero movies. And, since this is 2018, there is (of course) an environmental message.

I'm too old for this stuff. If you're over the age of 12, you are too.

3/10

Movie Trailer :

 

[kihei]

Mandy (2018) Directed by Panos Cosmatos 5B (mixed bag; lots of violence and gore)

Well, this baby sure ain't my cup of tea, but I can see its appeal. Mandy is a movie that sends its hero Red (Nicholas Cage) to a metaphorical circle of hell that is virtually indistinguishable from a bad acid trip. Like, really, really bad. Red has good reason to have serious revenge on his mind thanks to a super evil cult and a couple of demon(-ish) bikers who are responsible for doing unspeakable things to his nearest and dearest. This outrageous piece of story telling has a certain vision--a druggy, apocalyptic narrative arc that stretches from a cabin in the woods to wherever it is that vengeance and madness eventually takes one. If it is not hell exactly, it certainly is not a good spot to be in. This vision is communicated in a grind house style that seems born of heavy metal and relies greatly on slow takes, dark visuals, sometimes frustratingly so, grizzly violence, and the kind of mythic structure that probably has Midnight Madness fans up all night trying to figure out the meaning and significance of what is basically a stylistic exercise that likes to push things to extremes. Logic and coherence are not the movie's strong suits, though I doubt that this will be of much concern to people who like the movie. It's not that there are a lot of lose ends--it's not that kind of a story. But different elements seem to be thrown in--the forging of a battle scythe, for instance, or the introduction of a seemingly pivotal character who we never learn much about--because they seem like a good idea at the time, not because they make narrative sense. Some people may find hidden meaning in these bits, but to me they are just examples of sloppy, self-indulgent story telling. Cage, however, is very much fun to watch in a role that lets him display his gift for virtuoso craziness to the fullest. It is hard to imagine Mandy working as well as it does without him.

 

[ORRFForever]

Mandy (2018)…

...I can see its appeal...

That's not possible. You can't. I turned it off at the 30 minute mark.

Mandy (2018)…

Cage, however, is very much fun to watch in a role that lets him display his gift for virtuoso craziness to the fullest.

​

Worst actor alive. Fast forward to 1:00...

 

[NyQuil]

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - 8.5/10

I've been on a good run of films lately since resubscribing to Netflix for a few months then cancelling a month ago. This is a classic to me but I can completely understand why it's got polar reviews....it's slow paced. A throwback to older 60s and 70s drama-thrillers in terms of pacing, acting, and cinematography. Strangely despite being a spy film, I prefer the mystery element to this and found the suspense to be harder to watch. The plot is the perfect balance of not being laid completely and having some layers to it but still making sense. I don't generally bother to rewatch film but this film was made for a rewatch.

Also, the cast is loaded.....Sherlock, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, two guys from Kingsmen (not that annoying chav), Toby Jones, John Hurt.

I really liked this film - the performances were subtle yet with a strong undercurrent of emotion and the lack of foot chases and car crashes was liberating.

I've seen in numerous times.

I was holding out hope that they would do the sequel(s) (e.g. the Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People).

 

[kihei]

I don't believe you. You can't. I turned it off at the 30 minute mark.

Acknowledging the appeal is not an endorsement of the product, but that such films have an appeal is quite easy to concede. Mandy has a similar appeal to that of Cold Fish and I Saw the Devil and Enter the Void. In other words, Mandy will be a staple of the Midnight Madness crowd for years, a crowd with whom the vast majority of my experience comes during TIFF. This is a crowd of young people, heavily male, and as far as I can tell not knuckle draggers at all but seemingly quite normal. They are not concerned with aesthetic issues or even just plain entertainment. What they are looking for are "experiences," the more extreme the better, and there are a host of directors who are willing to push the cinematic envelope in a way that suits their taste. Why such appeal exists is a sociological question, but I have little doubt that Mandy will find a welcome home with this audience.

 

[ORRFForever]

Acknowledging the appeal is not an endorsement of the product, but that such films have an appeal is quite easy to concede. Mandy has a similar appeal to that of Cold Fish and I Saw the Devil and Enter the Void. In other words, Mandy will be a staple of the Midnight Madness crowd for years, a crowd with whom the vast majority of my experience comes during TIFF. This is a crowd of young people, heavily male, and as far as I can tell not knuckle draggers at all but seemingly quite normal. They are not concerned with aesthetic issues or even just plain entertainment. What they are looking for are "experiences," the more extreme the better, and there are a host of directors who are willing to push the cinematic envelope in a way that suits their taste. Why such appeal exists is a sociological question, but I have little doubt that Mandy will find a welcome home with this audience.

Your knowledge of film is second to none, kihei, so I'm shocked you gave it a 5. Mandy's just awful.

I've noticed you have a small (but not small enough ) place in your heart for "artsy" movies. Maybe that's why.

 

[kihei]

Your knowledge of film is second to none, kihei, so I'm shocked you gave it a 5. Mandy's just awful.

I've noticed you have a small (but not small enough ) place in your heart for "artsy" looking movies. Maybe that's why.

Oh, I'd say it's rather a big place in my heart for artsy movies, though I would certainly consider Mandy bad art. The film may end up getting a lower ranking from me eventually, but there are a couple of Nick Cage scenes in there that were worth an added point in my opinion.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

You Were Never Really Here - Joaquin Phoenix in a grittier, grimier, more grounded riff on Taken. He’s a man of certain skills who gets wrapped up in a conspiracy far above his standing. Haunting and hard and unpleasant — a hammer is a BOLD choice of weapon, my dude. I liked it. Phoenix doesn’t have to stretch to play haunted and damaged at this point, but he does it well. Lynne Ramsey continues to be an interesting director on her own wavelength.

Beirut - A serviceable dip into the spy/international intrigue genre. Script by Tony Guilroy, directed by Brad Anderson — two very solid hands at their craft. But felt a little pedestrian. Jon Hamm is an actor I like, but he’s almost a little too cool and flip in this role. I mean being both a depressed drunk and, oftentimes, the smartest, slickest man in the room is pretty much what he did on Mad Men, but given the circumstances in the film, he sheds his flop sweat pretty quick. Some rockin’ hairdos here though.

Minding the Gap - Just yesterday I put Annihilation down as the best movie of 2018. This documentary is making me reconsider. Skateboarder Bing Liu documents the lives of a couple of friends (and a little of himself) in Rockford, Ill. They’re all lost boys to varying degrees. Damaged by abuse and neglect. Skateboarding is a refuge that brings them together. I’m not sure how old Liu is now, but the doc covers years and he proves to be a remarkably sensitive and astute filmmaker from an early age (not to mention handy — the numerous tracking skateboarding shots are A+). His friends are open and broken and open about that brokenness. They seem careless and carefree, but prove to be way more self-aware and reflective than they first seem. It touches on race and class, but mostly masculinity. Fathers and sons. Will these abused boys grow up to become abusers themselves? Are they doomed to repeat the past? It feels like tragedy lurks over the whole ordeal. There’s a remarkable stretch near the end cutting between a painful confessional by one friend, another struggling to find the grave of his father, and the filmmaker himself processing an absolutely heart-breaking apology from his mother — it is as affecting as anything I’ve seen in a movie this year and will stick with me for a long time.

 

[kihei]

You Were Never Really Here - Joaquin Phoenix in a grittier, grimier, more grounded riff on Taken. He’s a man of certain skills who gets wrapped up in a conspiracy far above his standing. Haunting and hard and unpleasant — a hammer is a BOLD choice of weapon, my dude. I liked it. Phoenix doesn’t have to stretch to play haunted and damaged at this point, but he does it well. Lynne Ramsey continues to be an interesting director on her own wavelength.

I really liked this film. I thought it was a perfect blend of style and content, in fact, a very underrated piece of direction by Lynne Ramsay. I also thought Phoenix was great, maybe my favourite performance by an actor this year, (Steven Yeun in Burning comes really close, though).

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I really liked this film. I thought it was a perfect blend of style and content, in fact, a very underrated piece of direction by Lynne Ramsay. I also thought Phoenix was great, maybe my favourite performance by an actor this year, (Steven Yeun in Burning comes really close, though).

I appreciate how it doesn't exactly explain things, but it also does. If that makes sense.

Also, a classic example of a movie with a script that could have been handled a number of ways. But only Phoenix and Ramsey would make it this way. And it's better for it.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Movies I've watched in the past couple of weeks. Some are re-watches.

Baby Boy (2001) - Easily John Singleton's best film although that isn't saying much considering he's a pretty poor director overall. With that said, I find Baby Boy a lot less contrived than something like Boyz in the Hood for example. While the latter makes valid (if not obvious and easy) points, I like the approach in Baby Boy. Singleton makes no excuse for his protagonist's predicament. There is no higher entity to blame and his problems are solely of his own doing. In that sense, I find the film to very responsible. I liked the vivid colors of the Los Angeles setting too, along with the humour in the movie, as all the actors show pretty great comedic timing despite the movie's serious themes and they all do a very good job, particularly Taraji P. Henson.

Lolita (1962) - Flawless. Top 5 favorite movie. Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty is my favorite acting performance of all-time, closely followed by Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant. Kubrick was a master.

Isle of Dogs (2018) - I'll commend Wes Anderson for being incredibly imaginative in regards to his own aesthetic, which he always executes brilliantly. I wish I could say the same for his writing. While he avoids his usual '' Look at me and how clever and charming I am '' style of writing that is extremely grating, it still doesn't hold up here and one gets the sense that if the story wasn't about dogs but about humans, the banality of the story would probably have been pointed out more (although the '' I can hear you '' scene is perfect and a nice example of how the most simple language can deliver incredible heights). Still, I found myself a bit bored and disengaged by moments in this one. Cute is about all I can say for it. Extra points for the dog Chief looking a lot like my own scruffy pal.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) - I loved it. The only story I didn't care for was The Ballad of Buster Scruggs which felt derivative of the Coen's more silly works but without any of the charm and cleverness. Felt stupidly cartoonish and juvenile. I also thought the production value felt a bit too lush and polished as compared to the spirit of the stories and I felt a little grittier look might have fit better and not felt like a distraction. Definitely felt netflix-y. But damn if the writing and the stories haven't stuck with me since I watched it. The movie's littered with funny and intelligent writing and stories that were unpredictable in the best of ways. It truly felt like I was reading a most satisfying short-story collection, which is some of the highest praise I can give something. Pan-shot! Pan-shot! Pan-shot!

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I also just remembered that I re-watched Blood Simple and Miller's Crossing after watching The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. I'll add something about them soon enough. Damn the Coen Brothers have a strong filmography. They're not always in top form but they've got some crazy hits and consistency through the decades.

Edit: Also re-watched The Sunset Limited by Tommy Lee Jones based on a Cormac McCarthy play. What the hell is wrong with my memory?

 

[ORRFForever]

Oh, I'd say it's rather a big place in my heart for artsy movies, though I would certainly consider Mandy bad art. The film may end up getting a lower ranking from me eventually, but there are a couple of Nick Cage scenes in there that were worth an added point in my opinion.

While I give movies points for being original / different (Buster Scruggs), I'm NOT an artsy movie kinda guy. I often find it distracting / off putting / amateurish.

I prefer a simple story, told well, with no excesses.

 

[ORRFForever]

I really liked this film. I thought it was a perfect blend of style and content, in fact, a very underrated piece of direction by Lynne Ramsay. I also thought Phoenix was great, maybe my favourite performance by an actor this year...

^^ Me, too. ^^

Steven Yeun in Burning comes really close, though...

Anyone know where I can find "Burning" online?

I found Aquaman but I still can't find Burning. Just my luck. The junky movie I find 2 weeks before release, but a quality film is unavailable.

 

[OzzyFan]

Creed 2
2.60 out of 4stars

A well crafted/well acted/well made boxing soap opera film, albeit a bit cliched/predictable. I don't know if this genre has become old to me, the action soap opera genre, but at numerous times throughout the film it just felt like a going through the motions thing for me. I understand most of the films in the Rocky/Creed franchise are audience favorites, but to me after you've seen 2 or 3 of them, they all just feel like WWE/wrestling theater "one offs" to me. AKA, so over the top and played out that realism and enjoyment for me diminishes rather quickly.

 

[sr edler]

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - 8.5/10

I've been on a good run of films lately since resubscribing to Netflix for a few months then cancelling a month ago. This is a classic to me but I can completely understand why it's got polar reviews....it's slow paced. A throwback to older 60s and 70s drama-thrillers in terms of pacing, acting, and cinematography. Strangely despite being a spy film, I prefer the mystery element to this and found the suspense to be harder to watch. The plot is the perfect balance of not being laid completely and having some layers to it but still making sense. I don't generally bother to rewatch film but this film was made for a rewatch.

Also, the cast is loaded.....Sherlock, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, two guys from Kingsmen (not that annoying chav), Toby Jones, John Hurt.

Great music too, from the score to the final song in the end.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

Watched Inception again. Finally got the subtle ending. This movie is even better than I thought it was.

 

[Gumbercules]

Wrong thread

 

[Arizonan God]

Christine (2017)

Great performance from Rebecca Hall, but this didn't do much for me. Kinda aimless, dull, uninspired. Not sure why I even watched it, because I already knew the story of Christine Chubbuck.

4/10

You Were Never Really Here (2018)

Spectacular, and definitely in my top films of the year. Brilliant acting from Jouqain Phoenix, like usual. Lynne Ramsey's directing is spectacular, and disturbingly stylish. I'm still not sure how much of the film is meant to be literal, and I'm okay with that. Either way, it's one of the best portrayals of PTSD I've seen in some time, and if it were up to me, Lynne Ramsey would be a lock for a best director nom for this. I should really go back and watch some of her older films now.

8/10

 

[Baby Punisher]

Bumblebee 7/10

 

[Baby Punisher]

Watched Inception again. Finally got the subtle ending. This movie is even better than I thought it was.

Do explain in more detail. I have a love-hate relationship with that film.

 

[nameless1]

I am on the other side of You Were Never Really There. It is a good experiment, but that very concept is an oxymoron, and I never want to see a slow burn thriller again.

 

[Supermassive]

Peppermint gets one star from me. It’s like Death Wish and #metoo had a stillborn child. I was hoping for The Brave One but got Alias for Idiots.