08-26-2021, 02:42 PM | #13241 |
Posts: 58,595
|
The Suicide Squad - 7/10
|
08-27-2021, 06:48 PM | #13242 |
Sisukas Mies
Posts: 15,625
|
Falling Down 8/10
Starring Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall and Barbara Hershey Douglas plays a recently fired defence worker who snaps whilst stuck in a traffic jam, and decides to make his way on foot to see his estranged family on his daughter's birthday, leaving death and destruction along the way. Duvall is the cop that hunts him down before the inevitable showdown. I don't think I've seen Douglas in such a dark role before and he pulls it off; he pretty much carries the film. |
08-27-2021, 07:41 PM | #13243 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
Falling Down is a great character piece for Michael Douglas.
Ironically if you want to see him at his most unsettling you really want to chase Falling Down with Behind The Candelabra. |
08-27-2021, 08:00 PM | #13244 |
Posts: 10,642
|
The burger restaurant scene always pops up on my social media feed and I agree about the pathetic looking burgers
|
08-28-2021, 04:40 PM | #13245 |
Best Poster
Posts: 56,950
|
Turned on my TV and caught the start of a Documentary on the Go-Go's. Didn't know much about them but ended up watching the whole thing. It was really interesting
8/10 |
08-28-2021, 06:01 PM | #13246 |
Sisukas Mies
Posts: 15,625
|
Medicine Man 7.5/10
Starring Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco Connery plays a field scientist, living in the Amazon forest, who has discovered the cure to cancer, but is unable to replicate his initial success. Bracco arrives from the institute, which is funding his research, to evaluate his work, and ends up working with him to replicate the cure before that area of the forest is destroyed by bulldozers coming in to build a road. A good story-driven film, with some nice Amazon scenery porn. |
08-28-2021, 07:13 PM | #13247 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
Watch the one where Hopkins thinks he’s a baboon while you’re at it
|
08-28-2021, 07:41 PM | #13248 |
Sisukas Mies
Posts: 15,625
|
Its been years since I watched that film; I'll add it to my Prime watchlist.
|
08-29-2021, 02:43 AM | #13249 |
Fire up Chips!
Posts: 27,456
|
Greenland- not great, not terrible 4/7
|
08-30-2021, 07:54 AM | #13250 |
Posts: 58,595
|
Chungking Express - 9/10
|
08-30-2021, 03:04 PM | #13251 |
Sisukas Mies
Posts: 15,625
|
Mad Max 7/10
It is dated and the first 45 mins or so are a bit sketchy, but the second half saves it and the film ends up being pretty good. Mad Max 2: Road Warrior 7.5/10 An improvement on the first film, even if it does have Vernon Wells camping up the place (as always). Mad Max 3: Beyond the Thunderdome 6/10 Jesus, man, the only thing that saves this film is the final 30 mins or so. |
08-30-2021, 03:24 PM | #13252 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
Out of interest which audio did you listen to Mad Max in - the original or the American dub?
The dub is funny but totally pointless so you should always go original. For some reason I can’t remember the end of Thunderdome but I remember the first 45mins to an hour being far superior to the second half. It all goes wrong when you hear the nonsense the kids call language. |
08-30-2021, 03:25 PM | #13253 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
The Road Warrior is a damned fine action film though so you’re right in your rankings.
|
08-30-2021, 03:51 PM | #13254 |
Sisukas Mies
Posts: 15,625
|
The original audio.
Yeah, the colony of children section was annoying, but the obligatory chase at the end was pretty good. I did like that they brought Bruce Spence back for Thunderdome, as a slightly different character to the one he played in Road Warrior. |
08-30-2021, 06:12 PM | #13255 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
Watching “Vacation Friends”.
Good mindless fun, some big laughs early on. Always a good sign. |
08-30-2021, 06:14 PM | #13256 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
John Cena and Lil Rel are a good combo. John Cena really is a likeable comic actor.
|
08-31-2021, 05:15 PM | #13257 |
Sisukas Mies
Posts: 15,625
|
The 13th Warrior 7/10
A solid action/adventure film. |
08-31-2021, 05:26 PM | #13258 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
It certainly isn’t as bad as it’s numbers would suggest.
|
08-31-2021, 08:06 PM | #13259 |
Posts: 58,595
|
Watching "Come As You Are" on Netflix. It's about three disabled men who embark on a road trip to go to a brothel in Montreal.
|
08-31-2021, 10:39 PM | #13260 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms - 7/10
If i gave half ratings this would prob be a fuzz lower but ill round up cause it is good fun. like the first MK legends its a super busy movie. theres basically 3 films of plot here and because of that everything just happens. and constantly. the action is good even if just like the 1st one it likes gore for the sake of gore. in both films i would have prefered if it took its time both in plot and gore and let things mean more. give them more weight. but again the movie is a good time. the characters are themselves. they arent bastardized version a studio exec slapped a stamp on and said this'll sell. they let the characters be themselves and they get out of their way and i appreciate that. they also hit on lore elements from the 3d era (5, 6 and 7) and i really appreciate that. despite the mechanical issues of the games i enjoyed the mytbos immensely at that time. tl;dr theres 3 seperate movies happening at once but its still fun |
09-01-2021, 07:27 AM | #13261 | |
Posts: 58,595
|
Quote:
It was wholesome and inoffensive. I wish such movies weren't categorized as comedies with respect to some of the heart wrenching scenes. |
|
09-01-2021, 06:21 PM | #13262 |
Sisukas Mies
Posts: 15,625
|
Flatliners (1990) 7.5/10
One of Joel Schumacher's better films, along with Falling Down, before he gave us the abomination that was Batman & Robin. |
09-03-2021, 04:29 PM | #13263 |
Higher. Further. Faster.
Posts: 20,921
|
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: 3 1/4 stars out of 4.
First trip back to the movies in over a year and it was quite the film to make that return. The action is top notch, the cinematography is gorgeous in a lot of the scenes, and the interactions between the characters help sell what is a pretty ridiculous premise. Xialing is pretty awesome and the relationship between Shang-Chi and Wen Wu keeps things grounded. Removing all of the fantastical elements, it's a relatable situation. It's worth putting up with Akwafina doing her Darcy schtick for 2 hours. I had my doubts but it's a welcome addition to this universe. It has its own identity. There is a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene, the former being legit funny as it brings a bit of a gag full circle. I'm not keen on recommending people go to the movies under the circumstances but if you think things are safe enough, it's worth a look. |
09-03-2021, 08:33 PM | #13264 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
I’m not watching anything with Akwafina in it.
Such an easy decision to make. |
09-03-2021, 11:44 PM | #13265 |
Higher. Further. Faster.
Posts: 20,921
|
Smart, I suppose. Had to deal with her in Raya and the Last Dragon but there I didn't have to look at her and the world was gripping and beautiful enough to distract me.
|
09-05-2021, 08:48 PM | #13266 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
Shang-Chi- 7/10
There's a lot to like here but there's enough thats pretty poor that keeps it from being as good as it could be. The action is mostly excellent. theres a good attention to keeping the shots wide and long. lots of practical kung fu action and some really great wire work. effects are also pretty great. the mostly though is while you will get an action sequence thats a ton of long shots that are shot wide theyll randomly fall back to heavily editing sequences almost randomly. its jarring visually and i have to wonder if they just ran out of time to get the shots perfect so they decided to "fix" it in post. unfortunately whatever the case it keeps the action from being exceptional and leaves it mostly good. which isnt bad mind you. it could have easily been all bad. the characters are also mostly good. shang-chi is pretty great an he'll be a great addition to the line up in time. Mandarin is a very well fleshed out villain and the complexities of his interations with the protagonist are strong. however his side kick, despite having good material on the page, is woefully exectued in the action sequences. the actress is great in the smaller scenes but cant turn it up to hold the screen when it counts. Xialing isnt fleshed out at all is simply "dad no like girls. me angry." some hits some misses. the films greatest flaw however comes in a massive 20 min exposition scene in the 2nd act. this was truly painful. im not exaggerating when i say no fewer than 8 people got up to go to the bathroom during this and at least 2 didnt come back. the guy i went with fell asleep. its brutal. the problem is thw information in this scene is completely nessicary to set up the 3rd act its just a shame they couldnt find a way to make it evem remotely interesting. but barring this horrendous rough patch the pacing is mostly good. and thats the movie in a nutshell: its mostly good. but the bad is PRETTY BAD. which is a shame because if you fix its flaws you have a movie you could really hang your hat on. |
09-05-2021, 10:03 PM | #13268 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
So you went with a guy, there were long side shots and you both stayed for the climax.
Lovely stuff. |
09-05-2021, 10:08 PM | #13269 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
10/10. would expirience a climax with him again
|
09-05-2021, 11:32 PM | #13270 |
Higher. Further. Faster.
Posts: 20,921
|
It's always great when you experience the climax simultaneously. No one gets accused of being selfish.
|
09-05-2021, 11:36 PM | #13271 |
Higher. Further. Faster.
Posts: 20,921
|
But to add on to your take, I'd also point out a nitpick I had where the film never really spells out what the rings can or cannot do. I mean, you see them in action, sure, but you see them doing what the character requires them to do at a given moment. In the comics, you know what each ring is capable of and what limits they may have. Also the final battle, neat as it is, after a while felt like it overstayed its welcome, at least for me. Still a good flick.
|
09-05-2021, 11:56 PM | #13272 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
i think, and hope, the rings were deliberately left underdeveloped because if whats done in the film is all they do then theyve left a lot on the table. but i def think we'll get deeper into them over time. magic is clearly going to expand in the coming phase and id imagine the 10 rings will be a part of that.
and i do agree about the climax. i touched on it briefly in my 2nd post but I'll go more into it: SPOILER: show |
09-06-2021, 12:00 AM | #13273 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
but yes the "2nd climax" wasnt needed. i agree.
|
09-06-2021, 12:01 AM | #13274 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
but i do think it will play very well in china.
|
09-06-2021, 12:11 AM | #13275 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
Crumb -10/10
i wont give this a big review because ill need to chew on this for a few weeks to really give anything that resembles coherent. what i will say is its easily top 1 or 2 documentaries ever made. fascinating work. amazing. |
09-06-2021, 01:47 AM | #13276 | |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
Venom- 5/10
A film with as talented of a cast as you could hope to find with nothing interesting to do. rushed with a complete lack of vision. one of the major conflict resolutions is venom deciding to save humanity and form a partnership with eddie. how do they do this? Quote:
|
|
09-06-2021, 07:03 PM | #13277 |
2 Dicks out for Trips
Posts: 17,196
|
Superhost on Shudder. decent
|
09-06-2021, 11:12 PM | #13278 |
World Class References
Posts: 30,773
|
Crumb is a good documentary on a transgressive subject. I'm not a fan of the artist or his work but getting a good look at the family he was raised in tells you everything you need to know about why he's such a weirdo.
It's one of those documentaries where you'll look online for things afterwards and it will only really lead you to a dead end. The stuff about his brother is poignant, not the one who sits on nails but the one who thinks he's a paedophile because he was obsessed with a child actor who is actually older than him... That kind of breaks your heart in a way, but it's easy to look past if you just think "look at that sweaty paedo" and leave it at that. It's a lot like a documentary about the Heavens Gate cult or G.G Allin in that it gives you as much as the people themselves know about the subject but which ultimately still feels like it isn't enough to fill in the void that you're left with by watching it. The why isn't really important. It's the what that counts even if the what is very superficial. I'm still curious about Crumb's dead brother. He was a tortured soul if ever there was one. A man too afraid of himself to ever do anything. The whole film should have been about him to be honest. |
09-06-2021, 11:49 PM | #13279 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
my thoughts are still too scattered to have a decent conversation about it but i view all 3 brothers as completely integral.
they all have this same compulsion to create and its similarly interwoven into their sexuality. Robert is the only one of the 3 who manages to integrate himself in way that he can both accept his shadow and function in society. Max, convicted sex offender, is completely unable to exists socially becauss he has the very same violent sexual urges but unlike robert cannot integrate them into himself and fails to exist in society. Charles, the elder brother, is also enveloped by his urges but he's worse off because unlike his brothers who have severe inferiority complexs he has a superiority complex. and this is much more destructive because he's smart enoguh to know that if he is as great as he thinks then he shouldnt be the failure he is. sexually or otherwise. and this leaves him as a man who sees his shadow but not only cant integrate it he cant face his persona either ultimately killing him. the only reason he made it as long as he did was due to the tranquilizers. but all 3 have an intense need to create only rivaled by their sexual desire and its endlessly interesting. highly creative people are extremely rare let alone compulsively creative people so this trio seems...improbable to say the least. but here they are. authentic as anyone can be. again my thoughts arent fleshed out very well yet. not been able to really chew on this and get deep with it yet. still very low resolution with what ive taken away from this. |
09-06-2021, 11:54 PM | #13280 |
I am the cheese
Posts: 51,215
|
but there's a lot here to take away and thats what makes it so good. i think my favorite aspect of it is it doesnt moralize. it would be very easy for the film to take a stance and tell you what it thinks. it doesnt. it never tries. it just digs as deep as it can go and explores the subject as far as its able to. the rest is up to you. judge them. dont. whatever. thats not what its here to do. this is what is. take what you find.
|