ayumidah
Wade Wilson
Don't bother pretending I seem fine, I like that I'm a mess
Posts: 27,316
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Post by ayumidah on Dec 14, 2023 13:38:05 GMT -5
42. Bad Blood One of Billy Miller's last films
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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 Dec 14, 2023 16:24:11 GMT -5
166. Silent Night (2023) - Saw this in theaters. When I saw the trailer for this attached to The Marsh King's Daughter, it drew my attention for a number of reasons. One, it was advertised as another Christmas action movie. Two, it was directed by John Woo. Three, of course the trailers are going to show a lot of things that may differ from the final product. I also read that this film had very little-to-no dialogue.
Despite having read some negative feedback towards this film, being the person who I am, I decided to see it for myself.
The film had an interesting concept with it having no dialogue. Aside from hearing some talking on a radio, as well as hearing some words come from characters, there are no lines of dialogue at all. Some of it worked when you pay attention to how some perspectives worked with the emotions being displayed. You would have an idea of what would be said in some scenes. However, there was more focus on drama surrounding what kicked off the plot, and the action doesn't kick off until the third act.
However, some of the execution didn't work because some scenes showed some plot elements that could have been helped with some dialogue.
Also, when watching it, I was reminded of other revenge films such as 2007's Death Sentence (with Kevin Bacon) and 2018's Peppermint (with Jennifer Garner), which I know were inspired by Death Wish. The funny thing about Peppermint was that that film had a Christmas setting like this one did. I must revisit that one, though.
Anyway, when the action comes, Woo doesn't disappoint with his style, but with its gritty nature (and the dark lighting to add to the aesthetic), I could see that some stuff worked, especially with the type of gore Woo is known for. I have seen my share of his movies, too, whether it's his Hong Kong films like The Killer, Hard Boiled, or both Better Tomorrow movies (the ones he directed, I mean). I have also seen some of his American films like Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off, and Mission: Impossible II. I haven't seen his other films like Windtalkers or Paycheck.
There are some things that could have been done better with this film, though. The silent approach worked at some points, but there were problems with it as well. It shined more on the mayhem in the climax, however. I also think some bits could have been taken out if Woo tried to go for a simple narrative with his direction as the screenwriter really tried to go for more of a gritty crime drama.
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Futureraven: Beelzebruv
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
The Ultimate Arbiter of Right And Wrong
Spent half my life here, God help me
Posts: 15,078
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Dec 14, 2023 17:17:33 GMT -5
56. Nightmare Before Christmas
Filling in some biiig holes in my filmography this week.
Thus is just a masterpiece, the design, the animation, the songs this completely blew me away on a technical level and is a super charming story.
Couldn't love it more.
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Post by Rise on Dec 14, 2023 19:14:00 GMT -5
Since I'm approaching 250 films for the year, I thought I'd do Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth saga.
Whilst I've seen these films countless times before, watching them in 4K for the first time was something else and I'd recommend them to anyone. I know a lot of people don't like Jackson's second trilogy but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
247: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 248: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 249: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Now onto The Lord of the Rings.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 15, 2023 0:34:08 GMT -5
#510 - Leave The World Behind (Netflix)
*1st Viewing
I don't think it quite sticks the landing but this had me HOOKED for nearly the entire runtime. That's shocking given it doesn't need to be 2.5 hours. [***½]
#511 - Home Alone (Disney+)
*So many viewings
This never gets old and is a quintessential Christmas film. [****]
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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 Dec 15, 2023 1:36:38 GMT -5
167. Peppermint (2018) - Watched this on Blu-ray. I got this in the mail recently. It is Christmas time, and I recalled that this film was set around that time when I saw it in theaters back in 2018. Plus, after watching "Silent Night," I thought it would be a good idea to revisit this film.
Despite noticing that the movie was panned back then, it didn't stop me from watching it, as well as enjoying it. I do recall some people giving me grief for it at the time, but I didn't let them sway my opinion. Now is it a great film? No, not really. I do see some ridiculous things with it, but I am a sucker for revenge flicks, especially when comparing them to not only the "Death Wish" series (especially when things got more ridiculous, but that didn't make them less entertaining). Anyway, back to some elements, I don't just mean the action, but also some plot devices that just make you go "huh?" For example, a computer displaying a pattern of criminal activity, news coverage of the main protagonist's rampage and what she had been up to from the events of early in the film to the present day, to also some scenes involving a corrupt DA trying to intimidate and bribe the protagonist. I think some people expected it to be dark and gritty, which would make things more plausible (keyword is "plausible," which isn't the same as being realistic), yet you also had scenes where Jennifer Garner is still a one-man (or is it "one-woman"?) army going up against cartel members. I did like how she showed signs of fatigue and pain, which made you wonder if she would live from the events.
Oh, and another thing that I found kind of funny was how late in the film, there had to be some resolution with a snobby rich woman who was seen early in the film and just had to be brought back, but I didn't think it was too out of place.
With some criticisms I have seen, I cannot argue with them, but I still had fun with it. Jennifer Garner has shown that she could be a badass, especially when looking at her old TV series, "Alias." If only there were scenes when she went after the corrupt DA and lawyer. Maybe they were filmed but just didn't make the final cut.
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ayumidah
Wade Wilson
Don't bother pretending I seem fine, I like that I'm a mess
Posts: 27,316
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Post by ayumidah on Dec 15, 2023 16:00:50 GMT -5
43. The Lost City
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 15, 2023 23:19:44 GMT -5
#512 - In The Heights (4K Blu-Ray)
*5th Viewing
As a Puerto Rican from New York who loves musicals, this was tailor-made for me. [****½]
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Dec 16, 2023 11:39:41 GMT -5
121. The Naughty Nine (2023) 122. Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm (2022) 123. Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)You know, I've always said the only Ernest movie really worth watching is Ernest Goes to Camp, but I came across this on YouTube and figured "eh, 'tis the season" and all that. Honestly I found this surprisingly enjoyable. It's genuinely heartfelt and touching at times, the three leads have good chemistry with each other, and the more obnoxious Ernest bits are kept to a minimum. I still rank Ernest Goes to Camp higher, but this is a fun enough Christmas movie. 124. Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)Finally getting around to watching this on Peacock. I liked Monk back in the day, but I really feel the show had ran its course when it called it quits and ended in a good place, so I wasn't all that interested in a reunion movie. Especially with Psych having drilled these Peacock reunion movies into the ground. The first third of this is pretty slow. Your enjoyment of it will largely depend on how much you enjoy just watching Monk be neurotic. And his stepdaughter. Personally I can take or leave either. It picks up once the mystery starts and, much like Good Burger 2, turns into a solidly entertaining nostalgic reunion. And, also like Good Burger 2, I really hope they don't do it again. 125. Woody Woodpecker (2017)For some reason I've always been curious about this movie. No entirely sure why. So after I found it on Netflix I figured now was my chance to check it out. After watching it, still not entirely sure why. Just a lazy and cliched-riddled mess.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,467
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Dec 17, 2023 23:23:25 GMT -5
Gorgeous-Tri Star DVD-Jackie Chan and Shu Qi rom com. Yea Chan Rom Com where he is 29 years older than the lead female. Has 2 great fight scenes. And way better than I expected.
7.8 shoehorned in fight scenes out of 10.
The Five Deadly Venoms-Dragon Dynasty DVD-Saw this as a kid on the Kung Fu Theatre that aired after cartoons on Saturdays and Sunday. A classic and yea i am sure the Weinsteins altered this or didn't give us the best they could. More than worth the buck I paid for it.
8.5 "oh is that where Wu Tang got that line from" put of 10
Richard Pryor Live in concert 1979-Time Life Ultimate Richard Pryor Collection DVD-She wanted comedy. I wanted to try to finish off this 6 disc set. Learned she has never seen any of Pryor's stand up.
8.3 creative uses of the word f*** out of 10
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 17, 2023 23:23:42 GMT -5
#513 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Freeform)
*So Many Viewing
The best Grinch. [****]
#514 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Max)
*2nd Viewing
Still the only Vacation movie I've ever seen and it holds up pretty well. [***½]
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ayumidah
Wade Wilson
Don't bother pretending I seem fine, I like that I'm a mess
Posts: 27,316
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Post by ayumidah on Dec 18, 2023 17:25:37 GMT -5
44. The Boy and the Heron
Started this day off having another dream about my own father, so of course a movie about a child grieving their parent was the perfect thing to see, eh.
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Dec 18, 2023 18:46:56 GMT -5
122. Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm (2022) 123. Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)124. Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)125. Woody Woodpecker (2017) 126. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)Once again taking advantage of my Max subscription with another DC animated movie. For those not familiar, an early 1900's Batman get involved in a Lovecraftian style adventure loosely based on an Elseworld's mini-series written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. These DC animated movies over the last decade or so have always been hit or miss with me. This one does feature Cass Cain (or a variation of her anways) which is always a plus, but she has almost nothing in common with her comic book counterpart and I get the impression the part was originally meant to be Tim Drake or Damian Wayne and they just transferred the dialogue over as is. Otherwise, it's a mostly enjoyable but disjointed story. There are just a lot of plot tangents that feel unnecessary or not completely fleshed out and the ending is just too esoteric for my tastes.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 18, 2023 23:54:56 GMT -5
#515 - WALL-E (Disney+)
*10th Viewing
This movie is legitimately perfect. [*****]
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Futureraven: Beelzebruv
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
The Ultimate Arbiter of Right And Wrong
Spent half my life here, God help me
Posts: 15,078
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Dec 19, 2023 7:37:50 GMT -5
57. The Snowman and the Snowdog
The original is a classic, this one has the amazing art style, looks fantastic but it's a bit of a mess.
It's in modern times, they fly past modern buildings in London, then they have a propeller plane with the old WW2 style goggles.
The other one was magical, yet ambiguous, with a sad ending, here the dog turns real is around.
Not to mention, 2012, how do they show an Asian Snowman? The stereotypical rice paddy hat and actual slits for eyes.
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Dec 19, 2023 10:08:37 GMT -5
123. Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)124. Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)125. Woody Woodpecker (2017) 126. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023) 127. El Vampiro y El Sexo (1969)I'm not sure if the title I'm using is the best name for this movie, but it's what I'm going with. For those not familiar, this is an old El Santo movie with a strange production history. A family friendly version, called Santo en el tesoro de Dracula (or Santo in the Treasure of Dracula), was originally released to theaters back in the day, but a longer "adult" version was also produced. Long since thought lost, this longer version was re-discovered and released in 2011 under the name El Vampiro y El Sexo. It features a surprisingly large amount of naked boobies from very disinterested looking lady vampires. In addition to all of that, I get the distinction that this was originally two separate movies frankensteined together. The first third features very little of Santo and plays more like a dollar store Hammer Horror movie, the tone completely at odds with the rest of it. It's also where the bulk of the boobies come in. From there you get the kind of goofy, super low-budget movie you'd probably expect from this, but there is absolutely no direct interaction between Santo and Dracula which is just incredibly disappointing. Also, why don't luchadors build time machines anymore? This is something Triple H should really address.
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Post by Rise on Dec 19, 2023 11:35:04 GMT -5
I started off the 250 with the fellowship but haven't got round to finishing the trilogy which I think I'll save for Christmas day.
Wonka from what I can remember was fantastic (drinking all day and cinema afterwards was never a good idea but I don't usually do good idea ha!!
Then my son gave me a challenge to watch 15 Christmas films before 2024 comes but was sparse on the requirements (which is good as I'm not a fan of Christmas) so I thought I'd do it anyway
Overall I enjoyed them, especially the John Candy cameo and his story in home alone.
First time viewing on Elf and Gremlins for me but I enjoyed both
250: Lord of the Rings, The: Fellowship of the Ring, The 251: Wonka 252: Uncharted 253: Bucket List, The 254: Scrooge: A Christmas Carol 255: The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday 256: Klaus 257: Home Alone 258: Christmas Chronicles, The 259: Home Alone 2 260: Batman Returns 261: Elf 262: Muppet Christmas Carol, The 263: Gremlins
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Post by bibboid on Dec 19, 2023 19:39:24 GMT -5
51. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
An interesting twist on the early days of the Hunger Games. The first two thirds are really good but then the whole thing just gets bogged down in the third act. The ending felt more like a setup for a sequel than an actual conclusion.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 19, 2023 23:02:56 GMT -5
#516 - Bad Santa (Paramount+)
*6th Viewing
This is one that I quote pretty often even when it isn't the holiday season. [***]
#517 - Bad Santa 2 (Paramount+)
*1st Viewing
Adult Thurman Merman working at a sandwich shop is perfect. The stuff with him and Willie works but nothing else does. [**]
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Post by Rise on Dec 20, 2023 13:47:41 GMT -5
51. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes An interesting twist on the early days of the Hunger Games. The first two thirds are really good but then the whole thing just gets bogged down in the third act. The ending felt more like a setup for a sequel than an actual conclusion. Is it worth a trip to the cinema?. The end of the original films kind soured me on the series as it felt like they had ran out of steam
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