Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2019 14:44:25 GMT -5
13. The Lego Movie 2 (2019) - 8/10
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 25, 2019 22:30:20 GMT -5
#54 Ex Machina4/10/15 | Director: Alex Garland | Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | Runtime: 108 minutes | Platform: NetflixThe Plot: A programmer is invited to the home of his CEO to test an intelligent humanoid robot. Strengths: This movie does a ton with a little. It’s a sci-fi film that doesn’t overly rely on effects. The effects that we do get are done very well. Alicia Vikander (Ava) is stellar as the main AI. She nails all the little mannerisms and manages to deliver an emotional performance from a character who isn’t entirely human. It’s a difficult to thing to pull off and she deserves all the praise. I also liked the work of Domhnall Gleeson (Caleb Smith) and Oscar Isaac (Nathan Bateman). The story tackles some intriguing concepts and is really though provoking. Alex Garland builds tension so well. He does it through things as basic as conversations and most of them are interesting. The script is great, providing viewers with all sorts of plot twists. There third act is just filled with unexpected moments. And it’s not just done for the sake of it. They all make sense and only add to the story. Characters feel smarter with each and it keeps you guessing. The ending is a masterpiece that feels incredibly earned after everything you’ve seen. Weaknesses: There are a few points where you feel that there may be a bit too many conversations between Caleb and Nathan. I appreciated what they did, building the relationship and making you uneasy about Nathan. However, it happens a lot when you’d be more interested in seeing more of Ava and that part of the story. Overall: One of the best sci-fi movies of the past decade or so. It features great performances, brilliant visuals, and thought provoking themes. [****½]
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Post by burdette25159 on Feb 26, 2019 13:49:52 GMT -5
25: Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989) ****9/10
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 26, 2019 21:22:30 GMT -5
#55 and #56 Fighting With My Family2/14/19 | Director: Stephen Merchant | Rotten Tomatoes: 91% | Runtime: 108 minutes | Platform: TheaterThe Plot: From a family of wrestlers, a young British woman makes it to the WWE and becomes a star. Strengths: Florence Pugh (Saraya “Paige” Bevis) does a great job as the lead. She gets a fair amount of the little things right to make her feel like the Paige all wrestling fans know. While she’s good, the show stealer is certainly Vince Vaughn (Hutch Morgan), who gives one of the best performances of his career. He comes across very well as the tough coach who believes in Paige but is tough on her. I also liked Nick Frost (Patrick Bevis) and Lena Headey (Julia Bevis). The story is built around the relationship between Paige and her brother, played by Jack Lowden (Zak Bevis). It allows the movie to have a meaningful relationship at its heart without going the cheap romantic route. It’s a funny film, but one filled with emotion and heart. They do well with inspiration and showing the growth of a character. You can’t help but cheer when you see Paige succeed at what she wanted in life. Even her brother gets a happy ending despite not making it to the WWE. I appreciated the fact that the story isn’t 100% accurate. This isn’t a documentary and what was changed serves the purpose of a movie to tell a better and more linear story. Thea Trinidad (AJ Lee) was another scene stealer in a smaller role. Weaknesses: I 100% understand why the cameos from Dwayne Johnson (Himself) were in the movie. He helps to sell it and is a charismatic presence. His scenes are fun. However, they’re also kind of distracting. When he’s around, he feels like the most important thing around and it takes away from everyone else. There are plenty of clichés pulled from similar sports films. Near the end of the movie, there’s a speech given by Paige that is way too heavy handed. It just comes across as forced and too over the top to hit. Overall: Much better than I expected. Even with the clichés, there’s enough heart, laughs, and strong performances to make this a recommended movie. [***½] Crazy, Stupid, Love7/19/11 | Director: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa | Rotten Tomatoes: 78% | Runtime: 118 minutes | Platform: Blu-RayThe Plot: When a middle-aged man’s wife wants a divorce, he looks to rediscover his manhood by learning under a smooth womanizer. Strengths: The story to this film is clearly well thought out. Everything that happens matters and pays off later on. When Cal (Steve Carrell) gets his first successful hookup at the bar, it turns out to be his son’s teacher (Marisa Tomei), which leads to a great scene. There are little details sprinkled in throughout that add so much when you realize what they’re there for. The entire cast is splendid. This marked the first time Ryan Gosling (Jacob) and Emma Stone (Hannah) shared the screen. Their chemistry is wonderful here and it’s probably why they went on to make several other films together. It’s the best chemistry in Hollywood right now. Carell is great, bringing the perfect blend of comedy and heart to the lead role. Julianne Moore (Emily) is so good, you can’t help but feel for her, despite her character’s questionable actions to start the film. Tomei and Kevin Bacon (David) were both great in small roles. There are so many great, memorable scenes here. Everything involving Gosling and Stone is electric, especially their first night together. In fact, all the pairings were top notch. Gosling and Carell, as well as Carrell and Moore, never fail to deliver the goods together. The big scene where everything comes to ahead at Emily’s house is one of my favorite ever. It’s loaded with hilarious acts and great character moments. I’ve seen this movie several times and it holds up, never getting old. Weaknesses: It’s hard to really find any. The stuff beyond the big scene at Emily’s house does feel like it might go on a bit long. The stuff involving Jessica (Analeigh Tipton) isn’t great, though it adds a lot of fun in the later stages. Overall: Not many movies can perfectly combine the laughs and the emotion. This one does it perfectly. The cast is terrific and all give very good to great performances. The writing is sharp and the story goes through some great twists and turns that keep you on your toes. One of the best romantic comedies ever. [*****]
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2019 11:28:39 GMT -5
14. Fighting With My Family (2019) - 8/10
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 27, 2019 15:54:33 GMT -5
#57 Life After Beth8/15/14 | Director: Jeff Baena | Rotten Tomatoes: 44% | Runtime: 89 minutes | Platform: NetflixThe Plot: A young woman comes back from the dead but doesn’t know that she ever died. Strengths: For this movie to succeed, the lead needs to deliver. Aubrey Plaza (Beth Siocum) does just that. She completely commits to the wild premise. Each time we see her on screen, she gets a little more zombie like and she nails all the little mannerisms without ever going overboard. It’s a delicate act to pull off. In their smaller roles, Anna Kendrick (Erica Wexler) and Molly Shannon (Geenie Siocum) are very good, while Matthew Gray Gubler (Kyle Orfman) steals the show as the protagonist’s brother. The protagonist is given a solid arc to grow over the course of the film. I liked the little quirks given to the zombies, like how they enjoy being in attics and how they aren’t aware of what they are. I also appreciated how the zombie outbreak became bigger and bigger as the movie progressed without having to show it a ton. The effects on the zombies came off very well despite this movie not having a big budget. They looked convincing. Weaknesses: Dane DeHaan (Zach Orfman) just doesn’t work as the leading man. The character is relatively fine but his performance is unconvincing. He hasn’t impressed me outside of Chronicle. John C. Reilly (Maury Siocum) is also someone who usually does well in supporting roles. He just doesn’t work for me here and the character is incredibly unlikable. He even gets a nice little moment in the end that feels unearned because there’s no reason to like him. Also, despite being about an hour and a half, the movie feels stretched out with several scenes feeling like they were padded out. Overall: Thanks to the great work from Aubrey Plaza and a solid premise, this movie mostly works. It’s enjoyable even with the flaws it has. [***]
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,168
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Post by agent817 on Feb 27, 2019 19:55:13 GMT -5
21. The Italian Job (2003)
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Post by The Spelunker! on Feb 27, 2019 20:11:38 GMT -5
Went on a movie watching streak and watched Alita: Battle Angel, Happy Death Day 2U, Burn After Reading, Fighting With My Family, Lego Movie 2, Monster Party, and Lords of Chaos in about a week.
Lords of Chaos is the film about the Norwegian black metal scene in the early 90s and all the insanity contained within, centered around the band Mayhem. Definitely interesting to see all of that on screen.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 28, 2019 12:44:56 GMT -5
#58 Planes, Trains and Automobiles11/25/87 | Director: John Hughes | Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | Runtime: 92 minutes | Platform: DVDThe Plot: A high strung marketing executive gets stuck with a chatty salesman on a tree day trip home for Thanksgiving. Strengths: This is like, the epitome of 1980s comedy. Steve Martin (Neal Page) is at his very best as our protagonist. He goes through a great change throughout this feel and becomes someone fans can really root for and like. Though John Candy (Del Griffith) is meant to be the funnyman, and he does well in that role, Martin gets some of the best lines and moments of the whole movie. He’s hilarious. There’s a good story of growth throughout, with a touching ending showing how the relationship between the two characters has worked despite everything they go through. And yes, the movie throws a lot at them. There are all sorts of wacky incidents on every form of transportation they use. Weaknesses: While most of the film is fun, it does kind of peak in their first night together. They never quite reach that level of funny again. Comedies are at their best to me when the best joke comes late or at least in the middle. The antics can get a bit repetitive. There’s only so much that can happen in the same vein that would be funny. By the time their car blows up on the side of the road, you’re not even really laughing anymore and just waiting for the finish to come. Overall: A great buddy movie with some solid performances and a lot of heart. The gags get too repetitive to be a true classic, but it’s still a good time. [***½]
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Post by burdette25159 on Feb 28, 2019 14:47:41 GMT -5
26: The U (30 for 30) ****1/2
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Post by Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie on Feb 28, 2019 21:45:13 GMT -5
and since it's march here's the whole of the moon ..... i mean febuarys' movies ballerina - 7 (rough with smooth edges but with a heart) deep impact - 9 (a more intelligent and sentimental blockbuster about a big rock gonna flatten us, like it's brasher and more uncouth little brother) jason bourne - 6 (procedural) fantastic beasts and where to find them - 5 (an utter mess from start to finish) magnificent seven 2016 - 7 (pretty decent) the pink panther strikes again - 9 (recorded it off the tv in the nineties and watched it a LOT, bloody hilarious from start to finish) mulan - 8 (not yer typical disney and has something to it) jupiter ascending - 8 (deserves to be longer and was exciting, still think SHAKIRA's EMPIRE would make a great theme for this) whiskey tango foxtrot - 9 (definite surprise as tina fey plays straight and plays it damn well) ex machina - 7 (still sure the effects are lovely but that bland end ruins it for me, DEMON SEED did it better) creepshow - 7 (still a classic but is showing it's age) john wick - 8 (liked it better second time around) williams formula 1 in the blood - 9 (docs are always never bad, this one is not too) tangerine - 8 (made on an iphone and very funny, psychedelic california sunshine really makes this a treat for the eyes too, and barking mad throughout) thunderbirds - 7 (fun and flawed rebounce of the stringed quintet, like the busted song too) la la land - 8 (light and fluffy but should never be near best picture status) the neon demon - 8 (not nice and fluffy, a psycho-nightmare that might be "difficult to swallow") monster trucks - 7 (idiosyncratic and a bit weird character-wise, but the monsters were quite nice ..... and the effects were clean ..... MONSTER SUBS anyone?) the transported refueled - 7 (half watched but still enjoyed the ladies in their white haired wigs i'm being shallow as i thought the series was really fun, this being no exception too) my dinner with herve - 9 (not yer typical biography and was certainly great, the smallest people can be giants after all)
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Post by G✇JI☈A on Mar 1, 2019 1:18:11 GMT -5
OK I’ll play... ratings are out of 5 (*’s) February: 13. Rampage (2018) ** 14. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) ***** 15. Lady Bird (2017) ***1/2 16. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2017) *** 17. Ghost In The Shell (2017) *1/2 18. Darkest Hour (2017) ***1/2 19. Sunset Boulevard (1950) ***** February Stars
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,721
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Mar 1, 2019 2:31:07 GMT -5
My list so far {Spoiler}
1) 2019-01-06 "Laser Mission" - 1989 2) 2019-01-13 "Kung Fu For Sale" (Gong Fu Da Pai Mai) - 1979 3) 2019-01-13 "Kung Fu: The Punch of Death" (Fang Shi Yu) - 1972 4) 2019-01-20 "Halloween" - 2018 5) 2019-01-27 "Missing In Action" - 1984 6) 2019-01-27 "Missing In Action 2: The Beginning" - 1985 7) 2019-02-03 "Braddock: Missing In Action 3" - 1988 8) 2019-02-10 "The Born Losers" - 1967 9) 2019-02-10 "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" - 1988 10) 2019-02-17 "Suspiria" - 2018
11) 2019-02-24 "The Night Stalker" - 1972 Review {Spoiler}Made-for-TV movie based on the novel by Jeff Rice, would eventually become the television series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker".
Story: Carl Kolchak is a hard-working newspaper reporter, the kind that does everything he can to uncover the truth to a story, including pissing off everyone around him. So when Kolchak starts digging into a strange series of murders in Las Vegas, the truth that he has uncovered, the truth that no one wants to hear, that it may be an actual vampire that is the killer... the truth just might kill him.
Story is narrated by Kolchak as a "this is the story they don't want you to hear"-type audio tape that Kolchak is writing, chronicling the case. The movie plays not like a horror film but a reporter procedural, because it was based on Rice's own experiences as a reporter and the problems he had dealing with Vegas authorities. There are brief action pieces where the vampire manages to escape the police, but more of the story is about Kolchak trying to publish the truth and the authorities trying to stop him.
Have to say that Darren McGavin is amazing as Kolchak, abrasive yet charming. It's impossible to picture any other actor in this role.
Suffers a bit from "70's TV-itis"... it doesn't have the production values of a big-screen movie but the story (adapted to screen by Richard Matheson, no less) is fantastic. It was a major hit on TV and it's still great. 12) 2019-02-24 "The Night Strangler" - 1973 Review {Spoiler}
The second Carl Kolchak movie made for television, an original screenplay by Richard Matheson.
Story: while trying to sell his book (detailing the events of the first movie "The Night Stalker"), Kolchak gets a job as a reporter in Seattle, and uncovers a string of bizarre murders which echo unsolved cases 21 years earlier... and 21 years before that... and 21 years before that...
Another 'reporter procedural', this focuses again on Kolchak's refusal to take "GO AWAY" as an answer as he digs for the truth. This time there is a longer and damn creepy ending, where Kolchak finds the 'lair' of the killer in the Seattle Underground.
Again, 70's-TV but damn good. No wonder they made a TV series out of this character.
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adamclark52
El Dandy
I'm one with the Force; the Force is with me
Posts: 8,139
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Post by adamclark52 on Mar 1, 2019 9:36:21 GMT -5
30. Demons 2. THE PIMP FROM THE FIRST MOVIE RETURNS...IN AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ROLE!!!! (The actors name is Bobby Rhodes). He doesn’t even play a pimp in this one...but he’s still a f***ing pimp. This is much cheesier than the first one. Bad special effects and makeup. The demons aren’t even scary in this one. Just stupid looking. People just turn for no reason. I need more logic in my early-1980’s Italian horror movies. And later on in the movie there’s a dumb muppet thing that’s just annoying. But the possessed dog is pretty cool and the muscle men are hilarious. THE FINAL SCENE IS SO FUNNY!!! WAY TO GO, GEORGE!!!
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Mar 1, 2019 19:46:47 GMT -5
#59 High Flying Bird2/8/19 | Director: Steven Soderbergh | Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | Runtime: 90 minutes | Platform: NetflixThe Plot: A desperate sports agent maneuvers his basketball players and the league to end a lockout. Strengths: Steven Soderbergh has been really hit or miss for me throughout his career. This is one of his more solid films. Like with Unsane, I appreciated the way he utilized the iPhone camera. Filming an entire movie in that format makes for a very interesting looking 90 minutes. It’s unique and feels up close and personal. He also gets good work from his actors. Andre Holland (Ray Burke) is very good, Zazie Beetz (Sam) is once again great, and I liked what we got from Melvin Gregg (Erick Scott). There are points where the movie includes snippets from real NBA players (Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Reggie Jackson), which helped give this an authentic feel. This is a smart movie with a compelling story and intelligent characters. The scene at the charity event was a highlight and it was simple enough to just be players talking trash to each other. Weaknesses: Considering how much I liked of the players talking smack, I wanted more basketball. I understand that wasn’t the main point of the movie, but I’d like a bit more of the sport the movie is focused on. Some actors feel underutilized. Zachary Quinto (David Starr) gets almost nothing to do. As much as I liked seeing the real NBA players, the way it was done feels out of place. Like it’s not from the same movie. I’d father they have framed it as if these guys were talking about the lockout on a sports show, rather than to the camera. Speaking of the camera, as much as I think the iPhone look is cool, I don’t think it adds to the movie here. It did for Unsane, but not here. The story here is solid but is laid out in a way that can be a bit tough to follow or pay attention to. Overall: An intriguing sports movie that is light on the sports. The acting and script are mostly strong, but it needed another jolt or two of excitement to make it stand out. [***]
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Post by burdette25159 on Mar 1, 2019 20:10:44 GMT -5
27: Casino (1995) ***** 28: The Two Escobars (30 for 30) ****
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Post by Ishmeal Loves Kaseyhausen on Mar 2, 2019 1:10:33 GMT -5
Fyre: the Greatest Party That Never Happened Fyre Fraud Jigsaw American Pie American Pie 2 The Departed American Wedding Abducted in Plain Sight How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World Office Space
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,168
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Post by agent817 on Mar 2, 2019 17:38:28 GMT -5
22. The Big Hit 23. Black Dog 24. Breakdown (1997)
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Post by bibboid on Mar 2, 2019 20:10:12 GMT -5
I'm pretty late to this game but my list is still quite short. I don't usually get to see more than one or two movies a month.
My list so far for the year:
1. Kingpin - Not as funny as I expected. 2. The Flintstones - Funny because I used to watch the cartoons. The kids didn't get it at all. 3. Green Lantern - Better than I expected. Not a great movie, but definitely watchable.
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Mar 2, 2019 22:45:01 GMT -5
13. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) 14. Wayne's World 2 (1993)
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