John Wick (2014) - 7/10 has a lot going for it. Where it excells the most is in the world building. The characters already have a history. Its a lived in place with a rich baskstory and mythology and the best part is we dont get to know the details. Its implied. That makes for a good watch.

Thats easily the best thing the script offers. After that its a standard Gentleman Theif set up but in an assasin setting. Which im all for mind you. We take the Gentleman Theif and plop us into a world of Gentleman Thieves and top it off with our Hero being a hero in the Greek sense. Wick is without flaw. Never errs. But this is my first gripe. I like a greek hero. But Wick is only one until plot contrivances demand he isnt.

He never misses a shot. Until the plot needs him to. It makes these moments almost feel absurd. He's been completely perfect for 90 min but now he misses the one time we care if he hits or not. Doesnt ruin the picture but it is lazy writing.

As far as the action itself good action, or atleast action done well, demands expert cinematography. Im a cinematography fanatic so i always enjoy the chance to see good action. Wick is a mixed bag. Some of it is outstanding. Well framed well considered shots. Limited edits allowed the audience to understand space. The Gun-Fu specifically is fairly good.

However Wick does something that on paper is super interesting. it melds Gun-Fu with grappling. Gun-Jitsu if you will.This is where it falters. Its interesting and cool but since there's no way principle cast can do these things in 1 wide take itts filled with constant edits at every contact point so we can hide the stunt team.

This keeps the action from every being exceptional. And i think thats my primary take on the film.

Just south of exceptional.

Which still lands it in "quite good." It has tons of interesting ideas, especially in the minutia of the action but the execution juuuuuuust misses...like Wick missing a central character when the plot demands.

The second one is the best in the series

I watched the 2nd one. The action was much improved. Wider and longer shots. Plot was solid but weaker. There's a novelty about a man seeking vengeance for his dog



Still 7/10


But it was better than the 1st

I went in blind when I saw the first one, just hit the theatre on a random Tuesday (cheap night) and looked at what was available. Hadn't seen any trailers or anything for it so had no idea what to expect. Movie blew me away, it was so much fun.

2nd was good, by the time the 3rd and 4th movies came out they were getting a bit high on their own farts, but still cool action scenes

Something in the Air: 7/10


French film. Coming of age story using revolutionaries in their own minds in the 60s to illustrate the naivety of youth. I really enjoy this. Id go more into but im worried the forum will die before i hit post

Destor how did you feel about the inciting incident in John Wick? I remember you saying you wouldn’t watch it if a dog got hurt but that may have been years ago.

No Country for Old Men - 7.5/10

Gave it 8 out of 10 on the other boards but have decided to knock it another half point. Was a masterpiece of suspense and tension until suddenly it wasn't and the climax they were building to never comes. Probably supposed to be something "poignant" about the "senslessness" of violence or whatever.

@Seanny

Most is off camera so its not abrasive. Beyond that the film is fairly upfront about the dog being an emotional facsimile for the wife. Wick isnt shown to particularly care about the dog as such. The film doesnt try to emotionally manipulate the audience into grieving for the dog like Marley and Me for example.

Had it been this long time companion that he was bonded with and Wick went ona murderous rampage of cathartic grief in the name of the nameless dead dog...it would have been a rough watch. But as it is the dog is a prop. So its fairly ineffective as a plot device but it isnt designed to be either. The dog is the wife. Thats the emotional hook. And it makes it go down pretty easy.

Tarantino had a similar take to yours but I'll counter by saying if there's a big climax as you anticipate then there *is* fundamentally country for old men.

The Badlands (1973) 6/10

Interesting watching this now. Scott was clearly heavily inspired by this when he made True Romance even repurposing some of the score.

Very solid film. Its primarily carried by Sheen's raw charisma.

I think what wouldve put it over the top for me is if it captured some of the more horrific acts from the killing spree that inspired this film. From clubbing babies to death to failed rape attempts.

What we get instead is almost a folk hero version of a senseless killing spree. Doesnt make it not compelling. Its how it felt to them not how it was. But i think you couldve juxtaposed those realities for a more interesting film.

John Wick 3 (2019) - 6/10


Action was pretty good but the growing cgi use hold it back. The story heaviest of the 3 films. I liked it.

Longlegs - Terrific cinematography and the acting was great. Creepy but I wouldn't say scary. Narrative issues here and there for me. 7.8/10

The more I think about it the more plotholes I am coming up with...

Hundreds of Beavers - 8/10

Like watching a close to two hour live action Looney Tunes cartoon

Twisters - 8/10

Just got back from it... didn't really want to see it, and my expectations were low.... but ended up really enjoying it. Real decent flick.

La Samouraï (1967) - 9/10


Watch it. Its great

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - 7.5/10

Was entertaining, and I loved the use of practical effects. I wish the various plotlines/stories would have "converged" more than they did.

The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) 7/10

A French adaptation from the same team that produced the recent Three Musketeers films with Vincent Cassel and Eva Green.

A serviceable, good-looking adaptation. However, I feel the story deserves a series rather than being crammed into a 3-hour film.

They are re-releasing The Mummy (1999) for its 25th anniversary this weekend, so I'll be going to see that this Saturday. I've always enjoyed that film.

The 2002 adaptation of “The Count Of Monte Cristo” is great.

I will check it out.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was fun

Very zany

Zany out of ten

Grosse Pointe Blank 7/10
High Fidelity 7/10

I found myself having a John Cusack weekend.

I liked both films, though I found my attention wandering with both by the beginning of their third acts.

Minnie Driver looked so good back then. She probably doesn’t look bad now but man alive was she something else in the late 90’s.

John Cusack is better now than he ever was back then too. He plays a great villain, never liked him because of his nasal voice but it works for a shit heel.

I won't lie. She was the reason why I chose to watch Grosse Pointe Blank in the first place.

That’s one of the things that really bugs me about you mate. We get so close to being on the same page and then I remember your weak stances on the Tory party and your absurd adoration of insufferable foreign pap music.

You need a good kick up your cock boy.

Also that time you were thirty minutes away from me and didn’t tell me until you were safely hours away from me. That annoyed me.

I’m a centrist too so you are basically a wildly left leaning loon at this juncture in time. Would your parents be receptive to a queer son?

I have Grosse Point Blank in my wishlist on amazon. I'll get around to it... i dont intend to suck any dick while i watch it unlike some posters who have since deleted their post. I see you though.

I didn’t suck any dicks when I saw it. I didn’t suck any boobs either though.

One day I’ll start to live life the way that it should be lived.

I'm here to confound and disappoint in equal measure.

Anything Else (2003) - 9/10

Off the top of my head it might be the best romcom ive ever seen. Though i hesitate to call it a romcom since the rom is fundamentally a set up for a punchline. Ive watched a lot of Allen over the last year or more and i think this is my favorite of his films ive seen. Aleast on par with Annie Hall and Midnight in Paris or Manhattan.

Biggs gives a solid performance. Ricci is sex personified. The dialogue is A+ and the characters keep you on your toes. It doesnt unravel in a hollywold way because the characters are so neurotic that being typical would never occur to them.

Highly recommend it.