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Post by I'm Team Bayley and Indi on Feb 13, 2022 4:09:55 GMT -5
Way Out West (1937) - even in there worst movies together, Laurel & Hardy still shine, there is usually something in there even if it's fleeting little moments, I bring that up even though this movie is one of there better ones, a comedy goldmine with some wonderful set pieces (one of the songs is wonderful for example), the plot is just an excuse to get to the funny - which is not a bad thing. Stands up still well today (****1/2)
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Post by burdette25159 on Feb 13, 2022 16:28:04 GMT -5
3: Black Sunday (1976) ***3/4
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Post by I'm Team Bayley and Indi on Feb 13, 2022 16:58:03 GMT -5
Ammonite (2020) - "witness the world's saddest flirting...", I said a couple of years ago that LGBTQ+ romance movies I was way preferring to straight romances, I suggested it was possible it was that way more personal feelings where put into the script and directing, the two films I had seen at this point to suggest this where The Way He Looks and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (both 5* movies in my opinion), so I had expectations for this and it was... bad, like I'm surprised at how bad I found it, I will bring up Portrait because it feels like a poor imitation of that (not sure if this was in production already when that movie came out), the slow pace, the longing looks, the unsaid... while it worked in that movie it doesn't here, it's just really uninteresting, it shocked me that two talented actresses - Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan - didn't have chemistry. An uninteresting movie that will only be remembered for a couple of scenes (you know which). (*)
Eyes of Fire (1983) - visually stunning folk horror that fits in the bit of the underrated gem category. Weird in a good way that doesn't always worked 100 percent of the time. Rob Paulsen is in this, think it might be the first live action thing I've seen with him in. (***)
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 13, 2022 23:52:10 GMT -5
#69 - The Princess and the Frog (Disney+)
*2nd Viewing
I liked this more the second time around. I still don't think it's an all-time Disney classic but I appreciate a protagonist who wants more than just romance and some of the songs are better than I remember. [***½]
#70 - Robocop (Prime)
*1st Viewing
I can't believe it took me so long to finally watch this. I can see why it's beloved. The sci-fi action is gory goodness, there's some quality satire in here, and it's just a kick-ass time all around. [****]
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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: 14,739
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Feb 14, 2022 0:26:37 GMT -5
5) "Maniac", 1963 British Hammer thriller. American travelling through France is drawn into a love triangle with a sultry hotel/bar owner and her step-daughter, and is seduced into helping their husband/father escape from an insane asylum. Of course, not everyone is who they say they are. Very nicely filmed, you do feel the twist coming but it is a good one as it plays out. Solid 7 out of 10. 6) "Die, Die, My Darling", 1965 British Hammer thriller starring legendary stage actress Tallulah Bankhead and Stephanie Powers. American woman visits mother of her former boyfriend (he died) before she marries another, Mother is a religious fanatic who wants to keep the woman 'pure and clean' so she can forever be with her departed son in the afterlife. So Mother holds the woman hostage and tries to 'cleanse her soul', with the help of the house staff. Things eventually fall apart. A young Donald Sutherland plays a handyman with a mind of a child. Felt a bit like a camp comedy until Mother pulls the gun out and starts threatening, then the menacing atmosphere creeps in. Not bad, 7 out of 10. 7) "Never Too Young To Die", 1986 American Action/Adventure film starring John Stamos. For a hot minute in the mid-80's, John Stamos was going to be "the next big thing". Popular run on a soap opera, TV sitcom, handsome, witty, musical, so the next step was the BIG SCREEN. This is the movie he made. This movie is the reason why he was back on TV a year later playing second banana to cute children on a sit-com. Stamos is the son of a secret agent (George Lazenby) who is killed by a terrorist-hermaphrodite (Gene Simmons... yes, THAT Gene Simmons) and with the help of dad's partner ("Vanity" Denise Matthews) has to stop the poisoning of LA's water. Stamos is charming but it's doesn't work in this movie, Vanity is OK but she's got no chemistry with Stamos, and Lazenby is only at the beginning. The only reason to see this is the hilariously terrible over-acting by Simmons. If you ever need to see a bad movie you can laugh at, this is a solid 9 out of 10. If you're looking for a GOOD movie, this is a 4. 8) "Creatures The World Forgot", 1971 British Hammer production about prehistoric man. Twin brothers split the tribe after their father, the tribe leader, dies. One's hatred for the other causes him and his tribe to try and hunt the others down. No dialogue, but not necessary. Not what you'd call an 'upbeat' movie, just a tale of survival, a war against nature and themselves. No fantastical prehistoric creatures (but a terrible 'guy-in-a-bear-suit'). OK but I don't think I'm ever going to want to see it again. 6 outta 10.
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,263
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Post by agent817 on Feb 14, 2022 0:44:23 GMT -5
As part of the challenge going on in this thread, I did a mockumentary. I may update this post sometime soon with a link to a much fuller, more in-depth review on this film.16. Fear of a Black Hat - Watched this on DVD. I have some memories about this movie. I remember my mom having this on the Sundance channel and wondered what movie it was. I found out about it and later watched it. I was only 10 at the time (1996). With that being said, I still enjoy this film. As a long-time hip-hop fan, a lot of the satire and parody works, especially with a lot of the relevant references from that era, which was the early-1990s. It's clear who some of the rappers in the film were supposed to parodies of. This was rap music's answer to "This is Spinal Tap," after all. I know I tend to go in-depth with some of my reviews, but this one calls for a review that has more depth. The DVD I have has features that I may want to cover, including a commentary track. I may watch this again soon with the commentary this time.
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Post by burdette25159 on Feb 14, 2022 0:50:22 GMT -5
4. The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980) ***
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Post by I'm Team Bayley and Indi on Feb 14, 2022 15:11:33 GMT -5
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) - I assume at this point that the Ewok movies have been completely nuked from cannon (not that many people considered them part of it in the first place). This is squarely aimed at kids and nostalgia is always going to be talking because I find it impossible to hate this movie - though the performances of the kids are terrible, which leaves the heavy lifting to guys in teddy bear costumes. Horses and rabbits among other animals appear here too (** probably give it 1.8)
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) - the Alien 3 of the Star Wars franchise because within the first 10 minutes it literally makes the entire plot of the first movie redundant, Wicket talks here (though he started to say some words in the first movie) so I'm guessing this is set after Return of the Jedi or it was a choice not to talk to Leia. I prefer this to Caravan of Courage though it might stray even further from Star Wars then that but we get Wilford Brimley as a proto-Shrek and I have to admit Teek is a fun new creation that he should have got his own spin-off (** probably a 2.2)
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 14, 2022 23:57:31 GMT -5
#71 - Rise of the Planet of the Apes (4K Blu-Ray)
*2nd Viewing
I dug this more this time around. The origin story is well done, especially in terms of building Caesar's relationship with Will. Caesar truly is the protagonist and you grow to care for him. Many of the humans aren't really developed but it's mostly about the apes and that's a good thing. [****]
#72 - 30 for 30: Without Bias (ESPN+)
*1st Viewing
The first half of this documentary is actually very intriguing and well done, covering a terrible tragedy. The second half feels like it's just killing time and doesn't focus as much on what's interesting. [***]
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,263
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Post by agent817 on Feb 15, 2022 1:23:31 GMT -5
17. My Bloody Valentine (1981) - Watched it on Starz on Demand. I had heard that this film is well-regarded as a classic in the slasher subgenre, so I decided to see this. I have to say that I enjoyed it for what it was, even though the kills were sporadic. I had figured that this movie mainly built up the whole slasher bits with the kills for the big climax, and there were some kills before that part of the film. Which reminds me, I had heard that there is a different version of this film that had upped the gore compared to the version that I watched. Maybe down the road I might have to check out that version because the R-rated cut I watched felt kind of tame.
I would say that it lives up to its reputation when it comes to discussing slasher movies. Now I must find a way to watch the unrated cut.
18. My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) - Watched it on HBO Max. The first thing that I want to say about this is that this film has some things in common with the Friday the 13th remake. One, they were both released within a month of each other in early-2009. The other thing is that both films have stars of Supernatural in them playing huge roles. That's just a fun fact that I wanted to point out.
Now with that out of the way, I will give this film a lot of credit for what it went for. Like other horror remakes from that time (the late-2000s), it seemed that they went for a different type of premise, rather than redo the same plotline that the originals did. For example, Rob Zombie's Halloween (the 2007 version), while the second half of the movie was mostly a rehash of the plot from the 1978 original, the film tried to go for a different approach with the plot. What this film had in common with the original were the use of similar characters (at least the main characters) but they didn't have much in common with the versions from the 1981 film. Also, like other films from that era to now, this film didn't hold back on the gore. Also, like other horror films, particular those from the slasher genre, it wasn't without any nudity and sexual content, even if it was in one portion of the film. Hey, not that I minded what I saw.
One thing I must point out is that this film didn't have the 3D part of its title for nothing. I could tell that this film was meant to be seen in 3D, with some of the effects clearly shown on the screen that I wondered what the experience would have been like. Hell, I think this film was playing at the same theater I went to see something else 13 years ago. Oh well. Maybe I might have to get a 3D Blu Ray player and get the 3D Blu Ray to experience it like that one day. However, the effects don't hold up these days because some of those effects look fake by today's standards.
Overall, I would say that this is among the better slasher remakes out there.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 15, 2022 23:45:06 GMT -5
#73 - Murder on the Orient Express (Blu-Ray)
*2nd Viewing
The second time around, I still didn't really like this. The cast is strong and their performances are solid but the whole thing feels like it drags. It becomes a chore to watch even as the mystery is unfolding. Plus, that CGI train is really bad. [**½]
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,263
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Post by agent817 on Feb 16, 2022 1:25:28 GMT -5
19. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - Watched this on Netflix. I wondered if it was best if I watched the original version before this one. Although I do plan to watch the 1974 version at some point, in the meantime, I will talk about this one. I remember watching this, or at least a good portion of it way back in 2005 at my friend's house. Not sure if online vitriol regarding remakes existed in that part of the aughts (the 2000s, or 00s, for those who don't understand), but I think I had heard that this was regarded as a decent, if good horror remake. Hell, this came out months before the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead, another well-regarded remake from those days.
I must say that this was good for what it was. I know that a lot of slasher flicks have the whole concept of most of the cast meeting their end with very few survivors by the film's conclusion. This was no exception, by the way. Some of the actors did a good job with their characters. For example, Jonathan Tucker character was a bit unlikable, but I had a feeling that was the point of his character. Jessica Biel did fine with what she had to work with. But what I thought was a standout was R. Lee Ermey (RIP) as the dirty sheriff, who while being a total psychopath, he did a great job and was almost likable in his role.
I would say this movie did it's job and it's among the better horror remakes out there.
20. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - Watched this on Netflix. Like its predecessor, I enjoyed this film, but that isn't to say that I didn't have gripes with this film. I know that this was a prequel to the 2003 film, so these two are connected to each other, as opposed to the rest of the series. It's like how Rob Zombie's Halloween films are the outliers of the Halloween franchise. Hell, Texas Chainsaw also seemingly has a confusing canon as the 2010s films (and the new one that's coming out) are connected the 1974 film while ignoring the other sequels from the 1980s and 1990s. But I digress.
With this being a prequel, I will say that it has its pros and cons. The pros are that some things are explained in regards to the characters, as well as the origin of Leatherface. R. Lee Ermey was still entertaining as the main villain, even though I hated him more here than I did in the previous film. He was still an entertaining villain, though. I also felt a little more for the main characters this time, especially for Jordana Brewster's character. I also will note that some plot points worked, especially one that I didn't expect.
As for the cons, however, well, with this being a prequel, it was clear what was going to happen to the main antagonists being that they were alive in the 2003 film. You really wanted to see something happen to them, but you know that this took place before its predecessor. That's pretty much all I can say about the cons of this film. On the other hand, I noticed that this film was done by a different director and there was some different camera-work and editing compared to the predecessor. I didn't think it was all that bad, especially with some of the closeups and different camera angles.
I am starting to think that I should have watched this film before its predecessor, but on the other hand, it did explain certain aspects. I could go either way should I revisit these films down the road.
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Post by burdette25159 on Feb 16, 2022 1:57:24 GMT -5
5: Heavy Metal (1981) ****
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Post by I'm Team Bayley and Indi on Feb 16, 2022 13:11:03 GMT -5
Gifted (2017) - Chris Evans in the Uncle and carer of his extremely gifted Niece played my McKenna Grace (who is great here and is the double of Kiernan Shipka), in a film while I liked spending time with the characters I never quite felt the steaks where there and the final third plot line just doesn't grab me enough, I really like Evans, here and great support from Octavia Spencer and a likable turn (in my totally none object opinion) from Jenny Slate. (**1/2 that had potential to be higher).
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Post by burdette25159 on Feb 16, 2022 20:29:47 GMT -5
6: Stripes (1981) *****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 16, 2022 23:51:31 GMT -5
#74 - Fantastic Mr. Fox (Disney+)
*2nd Viewing
Over a decade after first seeing it, this is even better. I've grown to love Wes Anderson's style so much. This is not only a great comedy but there's also some heart in there, it's a high quality heist film, and the animation style is fantastic, pun intended. [****½]
#75 - Kimi (HBO Max)
*1st Viewing
A good modern thriller that uses the technology well for almost every aspect of the tale. Also, I appreciate that the film can mention COVID and take place in a world with it while not having it be what the story is about. Also, Zoë Kravitz is such a star. [***]
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Post by bibboid on Feb 17, 2022 1:10:43 GMT -5
14. One Night in Bangkok
A man flies into Bangkok, hires an Uber, and goes on a killing spree. It is a bit slow paced which makes the bursts of violence that much more shocking. The ending falls apart a little bit but it was still quite enjoyable.
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Post by I'm Team Bayley and Indi on Feb 17, 2022 4:47:09 GMT -5
Movie Struck (aka Pick A Star) (1937) - to give Amazon Prime the full title it has listed Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy in Movie Struck, though I went into this with the knowledge they wasn't the stars of this, you could be forgiven thinking they are front and centre. While they have less than 10 minutes screen time, which they make the most of it. The rest of the film - country girl comes to Hollywood and finds her dreams coming true is not bad, it raises a smile every now and again but I think it would be all but forgotten if not for the duo. (**)
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Post by burdette25159 on Feb 17, 2022 20:42:03 GMT -5
7: Ghostbusters (1984) ***** 8: Ghostbusters 2 (1989) *****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Feb 17, 2022 23:23:47 GMT -5
#76 - Monster (Netflix)
*1st Viewing
Charlize Theron rightfully won Best Actress for this. Her performance is breathtaking and you even forget that it's her sometimes. I liked the relationship at the center and Christina Ricci gives a strong supporting turn. The romance is unconventional and it works for them. The emotional final few minutes will stick with you for a long time. [****]
#77 - Pig (Hulu)
*1st Viewing
Though I had heard good things, I was still surprised by how much I liked this. Nicolas Cage is better than he has been in a while, especially for a role that doesn't call for his usual over-the-top goodness. This hits in terms of focusing on grief and loss, while the slow burn story unfolds in a way that feels rewarding by the end. [****]
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