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Post by genericusername on Jan 21, 2022 20:47:54 GMT -5
1.The Suicide Squad: Very funny and Entertaining.
2. Justice Society: World War II: pretty fun, nice to see some superhero world war 2 stuff.
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bibboid
Dennis Stamp
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Post by bibboid on Jan 22, 2022 1:24:30 GMT -5
7. The Tender Bar
A teenage boy grows up, goes to college, and becomes a writer. Very well acted and directed. Clooney manages to introduce a bunch of vaguely unlikeable characters and redeem (almost) every last one of them. I was actually a little sad when it ended because I wanted to see more.
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Post by Viking Hall on Jan 22, 2022 10:07:43 GMT -5
January
Recently entered a new relationship, so currently revisiting a lot of previously watched films as well as working our way through one of those 100 Greatest Movies scratch off posters, so apologies if these are a bit basic.
1. Halloween (1978) - Possibly up there with my most viewed films ever, but one I never get bored of. Still one of the standard bearers for horror films and one of the best examples of 'less is more' film making there is. Still a masterpiece nearly 45 years later. *****
2. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - Unbelievably, despite being a fan of Martin Scorsese and the fact that it was everywhere upon its release, I had never seen The Wolf of Wall Street. One of those films that's definitely been damaged by being meme'd to death and misinterpreted but as a first time viewing I really enjoyed it. Totally over the top and excessive, but a beautifully shot wild ride too. ****
3. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - Only watched the first John Wick last year, after years of being told to watch it and regretted not seeing it sooner as it instantly became my favourite modern Action Movie. Went into Chapter 2 with high hopes, but for me it fell well short of the original. Still a good watch, but not a patch on the first. ***
4. Back to the Future (1985) - Another rewatch (obviously), and one that probably doesn't need much saying about it. I like Back to the Future, but I don't love it like a lot of people do. A fun film to revisit nonetheless, and undoubtedly an icon of its era. ***1/2
5. For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Only rewatched this a few weeks ago, but I was setting up a new TV and the disc was still in and I found myself watching it to the end again. In no way, shape or form is it the best Bond film ever made, but it does remember some crucial things that have been lost along the way in the Bond franchise by being first and foremost entertaining and not taking itself too seriously. I think the ultra-serious modern era of Bond films lost a lot of the charm the older films had, which for me, helps overlook some of their shortcomings a lot easier. Also contains my favourite Bond car, the Lotus Esprit Turbo. ***1/2
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Jan 22, 2022 14:16:52 GMT -5
11. Blast from the Past (1999)Found this on YouTube. Honestly I forgot all about this movie, which is a shame considering it is a Brendan Fraser movie and all Brendan Fraser movies should be celebrated and remembered. For those that don't remember, Brendan Fraser plays a 35 year-old man who was born and raised in a bomb shelter because his parents thought civilization was destroyed during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He's finally allowed to leave in the 90's where he meets Alicia Silverstone who teaches him about the modern world. It's a cute, sweet movie. A little clunky at times but nothing really bad to say about it.
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Post by Wolf Hawkfield no1 NZ poster on Jan 22, 2022 19:34:54 GMT -5
1. Eternals (2021) 2. No Time to Die (2021) 3. Dune (2021) 4. The Matrix Resurrection (2021) 5. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) 6. The Sadness (2021) 7 The King's Man (2021) 8 Belle (2021)
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 22, 2022 23:21:39 GMT -5
#35 - Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (Starz)
*1st Viewing
About on par with the first entry. It's nothing spectacular but it's a lot of fun and this installment built on the lore well while setting up a potential third film. [***]
#36 - Encanto (Disney+)
*2nd Viewing
Since my local theater isn't great on visuals or audio (but is cheap as hell to go to) I wanted to rewatch this in 4K. It looks and sounds incredible, while the great songs and the heartwarming story are still great on a second viewing. [****½]
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 23, 2022 23:59:15 GMT -5
#37 - Chicken Little (Disney+)
*1st Viewing
This was a rough era for Disney. However, this movie isn't flat out bad, it's just kind of bland and doesn't do anything special. [**½]
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bibboid
Dennis Stamp
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Post by bibboid on Jan 24, 2022 0:58:05 GMT -5
8. Dark Shadows
Johnny Depp play a strange character in a dark and creepy Tim Burton movie. I never saw the original series so I have nothing to compare it to. It was just sort of silly and frivolous and I will probably forget watching it in three months.
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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.
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Jan 24, 2022 1:29:24 GMT -5
2) "The Snorkel", 1958 British Hammer production. Thriller about a man who murders his wife, his step-daughter suspects him, he tries to kill her as well. ALMOST has a satisfying Hitchcock-ian ending but pulls back at the last minute (I suspect to please the British film censors). 3) "Never Take Candy From A Stranger", 1960 British Hammer production. An odd thriller/court drama about a pedophile. The patriarch of a small Canadian town is old and senile and he's been accused by the 9-year old daughter of the new high school principal of giving her candy for something unseemly. The patriarch's son runs the town and tries to make the charges go away. It ends on a note of "we've let this go too far" for the son and the locals. Panned at the time of release because of the subject, it is quite good (if you like that style of stodgy drama, and I do). 4) "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets", 2017 French science-fiction adaptation from the graphic novel series. Fantastic visually, interesting story, but I didn't really feel any kind of emotional connection with the two main characters because the movie just jumps into it as if you knew them from the series, I guess. It worked for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" but it didn't work here. I'm not really questioning the casting (although I thought they might have been a little young for how competent they were at their jobs, but hey, it's sci-fi), but the mains are supposed to be the structure that the movie is built on, and it's not good when I felt more for the side character Bubble than I did for the 'whether-or-not they kiss' dynamic. Stunning effects aren't enough to make up for a hollow core. 7 out of 10. Bubble was amazing. EDIT: bought the movie three days ago because I found it in the discount bin, found out that the comic artist of the series, Jean-Claude Mézières, passed away yesterday at age 83.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 25, 2022 0:03:18 GMT -5
#38 - Pariah (HBO Max)
*1st Viewing
A coming-of-age drama that is powerful thanks to the subject matter and the performances of the cast. This delivered in spades and I was blown away at points. [****]
#39 - 21 Jump Street (Netflix)
*2nd Viewing
I really liked this the first time around and I loved it even more now that I understand who Brie Larson is. [***½]
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Post by Viking Hall on Jan 25, 2022 6:51:24 GMT -5
6. To the Devil a Daughter (1976) - One of the final films in the famed studio Hammer Horrors original run, To the Devil a Daughter would become notorious for being arguably the film that killed Hammer and also for the ill-advised nude scenes involving the then 14-year-old Nastassja Kinski. Despite this I found it an enjoyable, if somewhat painted by numbers Satanic thriller with more than a hint of 1970s Euro-Horror about it too. Lots of familiar faces for fans of British TV and film to spot while an on form Christopher Lee brings the much needed menace to proceedings. ***1/2
7. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parrabellum (2019) - Rounded up the current trio of John Wick films with the latest entry, 2019's Parrabellum. Pretty much feel the same way about this one that I did about the second, most of the substance of the first film has made way for bombast and admittedly beautifully choreographed action and it does start to wear thin slightly by the time the final credits roll. Who knew that 90% of the population of New York were assassins? ***
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 25, 2022 23:29:20 GMT -5
#40 - The Town (Blu-Ray)
*3rd Viewing
My first time watching this in over a decade and it's still fantastic. A few scenes drag here or there but this is packed with great performances (Renner and Hall stand out), tense scenes, and some great bits of crime storytelling. [****½]
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
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Post by agent817 on Jan 25, 2022 23:34:57 GMT -5
I am back. I had not watched many movies lately. I had been doing other things. I guess I was burned out a bit before the year had ended, and it had been weeks since I last watched something. Anyway, here I am once again.
4. Scream (1996) - Watched it on Peacock. Over the years, I had only seen parts of this movie. I don't think I had given it a full watch until tonight. I was familiar with the opening scene with Drew Barrymore, as well as the climactic showdown. Hell, after watching it, I was able to pinpoint certain scenes that were spoofed in Scary Movie (2000). Hey, it was like that with Don't Be a Menace after seeing movies like Boyz N The Hood, Menace II Society, and so forth (Must watch Don't Be a Menace again, as well as those hood movies). Now I must check out the "Last Summer" movies.
As for the movie itself, I remember that this, along with its sequel, were all of the rage back in the 1990s to early-2000s. I wasn't really into horror movies during that time, but I had later heard that this movie was more or less a satire of slasher films and it shows. Satire, not spoof like Scary Movie was, there is a difference here as I saw that this was filled was typical slasher tropes and such. It's also funny to see how dated this movie is as it screams (no pun intended) 1990s with the fashion and the use of VHS. I also found myself entertained by Henry Winkler with the amount of screen-time he had. He was entertaining in those scenes. I also couldn't help but be entertained by Matthew Lillard, especially in the last 15 minutes of the movie. I can see why this movie is considered iconic in some areas.
EDITED TO ADD*
5. Scream 2 - Watched it on Peacock. Unlike the first film, I think I had only seen very few scenes but not a lot else before. With that being said, I think I found myself enjoying this more than the first film. Given that these films are satirical with its mixture of comedy, mystery, and of course, horror, a lot of the elements worked, especially with its satirical take on sequels in general.
Some of the scenes were well shot and being that Wes Craven returned for this one (as well as the third and fourth films), the man had a knack when it came to filming horror. One thing that I found distracting, however, was the use of the musical score from Broken Arrow (1996), but what's funny is that I want to watch it suddenly.
Two down, three to go.
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
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Post by agent817 on Jan 26, 2022 20:30:10 GMT -5
6. Scream 3 - Watched it on Starz on Demand. Unlike the previous two films, I remember seeing a good amount of this film on Showtime in the past. There were some parts that I don't recall seeing, however, at least until now.
I am aware that there are a couple of films after this, but the way this film feels is that it was really set up as the conclusion. Nobody would have expected fourth a decade later, and a fifth film a decade after that. But that's not important. I will say that the sapphire is still there especially when talking about the third film in a trilogy, and that some elements tied some plot points from the previous films, especially a certain twist. Now I'm not sure if that was the point, because if it was, it worked. If it wasn't, then it was a swerve, and swerves usually aren't good when it comes to twists.
Aside from that, some of the other characters were a mixed bag. I mean the ones who played the actors. Some were interesting, others felt like they were just there. Some considered this to be the weakest of the series (at least up to that point). Personally, although I enjoyed the second one more than this one, I didn't mind this film. Yes, some story elements could have been better, but it could be argued when looking at the violence being toned down because of some real-life events that happened before it started production.
EDITED TO ADD*
7. Scream 4 (aka SCRE4M) - Watched it on Showtime on Demand. Okay, this was definitely the first time I had seen this. I didn't see bits and pieces of it or anything like that. Now that I've seen it, well, I'm a bit lost on where I stand with this one. It's likely that this film satirized remakes/reboots. Sure, they were all the rage during the 2010s (as well as now), but given the timeframe of this film's release, which was early last decade, it wasn't too far off from some remakes that came out in the late-2000s like Rob Zombie's Halloween films, the 2009 version of Friday the 13th, and 2009's My Bloody Valentine. Hell, I could throw in the 2010 version of A Nightmare on Elm Street while I'm at it. Like the previous films, the satire worked with what it was trying to go for, so that's where I stand with its satirical subtext.
What about the film itself? Well, I wasn't bored by it, and some of the twists caught me by surprise this time around. I suppose that I may need to pay closer attention when I watch it again to see the foreshadowing signs. I could see which characters represented whom from the previous films. The cinematography and the effects were good, too. You also can't go wrong with the performances. But there was something that felt missing. Again, I wasn't bored by this film. I think it was better than it had any right to be and the twist in this one was better than the one from Scream 3.
Now to just watch the new film.
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Post by Viking Hall on Jan 27, 2022 9:40:44 GMT -5
Two more late era Hammer films to add to the list, one really good, one... not so.
8. Hands of the Ripper (1971) - Was hoping to a deep dive on some of the Hammer films as Britbox had a load on there, typically the day I decided to they removed most them, however Hands of the Ripper avoided the cull so I chucked it on to see how it fared. Although not one of the better known Hammer films, and one that lacks any of their usual A-Listers, Hands of the Ripper seems have been viewed favourably by retrospective reviewers, who praise the story and the gory practical effects. Unfortunately, it didn't really connect with me, the story and ideas had high potential and the effects are indeed gruesome, especially for the era, but the pace is far too slow and even at a mere 85 minutes it still feels sluggish. The kills are few and far between and since the story is laid out before us in the opening scenes, there's little to no suspense. There's some decent performances though, especially from the supporting cast and the usual great cameos for fans of British TV of the era, but not enough to save it for me. **1/2
9. The Vampire Lovers (1970) - Been meaning to get round to watching this for years, finally sat down to watch it today. This one sort of sits on the cusp of Hammer's golden era and their rapid decline in the seventies and although not quite as luxurious as earlier efforts it still hits all the right notes that you expect from a Hammer production. We get a brief appearance from Hammer favourite Peter Cushing, and Minder star George Cole also lights up the scenes that he's in, but Vampire Lovers is really about the female cast. Ingrid Pitt is hypnotic as the central character of Mircalla Karstein while the ever adorable Madeline Smith plays her role with perfect wide eyed innocence. Nowhere near as saucy as some of the European Vampire movies that were made around the same time, and the pace is very slow and deliberate, but some great performances keep it motoring along nicely and makes it a very enjoyable watch. ****
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
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Post by agent817 on Jan 27, 2022 20:00:09 GMT -5
8. Scream (2022) - Saw it in theaters. Man, am I glad that I watched the other four films in preparation. It's a good thing because I was able to catch on all of the call-backs to the four previous films.
With all of that being said, what are my thoughts on this film? Well, given how these all of these films follow the same formula, the thing about these films is that there is an underlying theme that goes with the plot. For example, the second film tackles on film sequels. The same could be said about the third film, particularly the third film in a franchise. The fourth, remakes. And this one, "re-quels," as said in the film. I could see that this one touches more on soft reboots that are disguised as sequels. For example, the Star Wars sequel series, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the more recent Halloween films, etc.
As for the film's plot, while the backstory of one of the protagonists could feel a little tacked-on on the surface, the idea worked here. Granted, a lot of people go into slasher movies mainly to watch the kills. The mystery aspect worked because a lot of the time the twist comes out of the blue, although there were some signs of foreshadowing.
It was nice to see Neve Campbell return, along with David Arquette and Courteney Cox. They added to the plot, of course, so it didn't feel like they were brought back just because. Now that I think about it, I think I should check out the TV series. If a sixth movie were to come out, I hope we won't have to wait until 2030 or something. I feel that this should cap off the entire franchise if that's the case.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 27, 2022 23:30:17 GMT -5
#41 - Rocky II (HBO Max)
*1st Viewing
Honestly, I found this to be pretty disappointing. I loved the first one but this one was kind of boring. There's too much focus on Rocky's personal life and it doesn't really click, though the fight at the end is sweet. [**½]
#42 - The Secret World of Arrietty (HBO Max)
*1st Viewing
I haven't seen much (if any off the top of my head) from Studio Ghibli that isn't Hayao Miyazaki. This felt right in that wheelhouse though. It's gorgeously animated, features a fantastical concept, and has a heartwarming story at the center. [****]
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 28, 2022 12:43:20 GMT -5
#43 - The Fallout (HBO Max)
*1st Viewing
This movie crushed me emotionally. There are some truly tense and heartbreaking scenes in here and this sticks with you long after it ends. I cried multiple times. The performance by Ziegler is strong, while Ortega is incredible in this. Megan Park delivers an extremely confident and impressive debut as director. [****½]
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bibboid
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Post by bibboid on Jan 29, 2022 2:10:21 GMT -5
9. Nobody
Somehow the wife forgot that we watched this just a few months ago. Not that I had a problem watching it again. Bob Odenkirk has a blast playing a retired assassin who is forced to revisit his old skill set. It is loads of fun and even has a kitten in it.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 30, 2022 0:14:35 GMT -5
#44 - Black Widow (Disney+)
*2nd Viewing
Gave this a second watch (first time in 4K) and it looks pretty cool. The film itself holds up about the same, with fun characters, good action, and a handful of third act issues. Florence Pugh steals the show. [****]
#45 - Scream 5 (Theater)
*1st Viewing
Are there some plot issues here? Absolutely. Did I figure out the twist early? Yes. Did I have a blast watching this? 100%. It does well to continue the franchise trend of being meta, pays homage to the original well, and is just a straight up good time with a cast I really like. [***½]
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