Rate the last movie you watched.

@razzlerazzle: I think it's one of his least Tarantino-ass movies. The characters aren't as cartoony, same with the situations. The fact that it is based on a book probably adds the care shown in the character's place in the world. They struggle with relevance, survival, and respect in more grounded ways than any of his other gangster films.

I would like to see him return to the gangster genre now that he's more mature. I have a personal love for the genre, and he's one of my favorite directors, so seeing one of those films from him now would be exciting.

It's not easy to retell a story in a way that puts the viewer in the mindset of the protagonist, most movies don't even try. As a viewer we can't control what the protagonist does, or we may not always feel what the protagonist feels, so the main thing we can relate to is their state of mind, their uncertainty, their assessment of the situation and their hopes. So as giant robots fight, tankers explode and stunt doubles fly, we look from the sidelines onto the action with but a tired yawn. A classic trick writers use is to involve the reader/viewer, is make the narrator a more or less passive observer to begin with, but not in this case.

Una (2016)

is a carefully crafted movie, regarding a lurid subject matter, but done very cleverly. There are no "show me on the doll" courtroom scenes or raging masked psychopaths. I give it my recommendation and and rate it 5 pedobears out of 'too old'.

While on the subject. There is a great documentary about a stand up comedian, Barry Crimmins - Call me lucky. I kind of thought that all comedy had to garbage by trade (gender, sex, farts, stereotypes, impressions), but this angry guy has his moments especially when he ridicules his fellow comedians. And the documentary has a dramatic arc. *****

@sloppydetective@ybbaaabby:

I'm really enjoying MoviePass though. It's the subscription service Abby mentioned where for $35 a month (price in my area) you get to see one movie a day. I didn't feel bad at all about splitting at the end of this thing.

Word on MoviePass is that it is going to 10$ a month regardless of region. The decrease in price is due to increased intention to use your viewing data for marketing and analytics - and, as someone with some exposure to this space, this will mean a little bit more targeted advertising to you, and a whole lot of aggregate data being sold back to Hollywood marketing.

@mrbene: Ya I got the $10 price change email today. Didn't know that's the reason why the price drop, but I'm not too shocked or upset. I assume pretty much everybody I give my information to at this point is selling it, and the surrounding data, to who knows. And if some of it tells Hollywood to make more movies I like than cool I guess.

Mother 4/5

South Korea is on another level. This is a great thriller, a great family drama, full of so many emotions. I loved it, was glued to the screen throughout it. It's on Netflix so you should go watch it. I had two issues with the story where did she get the money to pay for the friend to to beat up the kids? And why was the old junker guy on the girls phone? Still a really great watch and probably my favorite bong Joon-ho movie so far.

The last movie I watched was Doctor Zhivago and I rate it a conservative 6.5/10 for complicated reasons (that and I'm still too angry at something unrelated to think too clearly).

Spiderman homecoming -

9/10

Laughed throughout, enjoyed all the characters and had very little issue with the movie. Only thing i could say is they needed a little more time spent on some of the secondary characters who were kinda just there at times. Movie didn't take its self too seriously like the past films tended to and that actually helped it out a lot. They also captured the youth of the characters too so it didn't feel like watching 30 year old highschoolers while also not feeling like a made for kids special.

John Wick 2: I remember turning to my friend after seeing John Wick and saying "man I'd love another one of these that went into the weird fucking society they built here." What do you know, I got my wish - it doesn't necessarily work quite as well as you'd hope, but I liked this movie a lot. I really liked the mute assassin girl - pretty sure she did the Revolver Ocelot finger guns after she pats John down at the beginning, which endeared her to me forever (plus I dunno I like women with short hair kicking ass leave me alone).

I think the real treasure of the movie is Peter Stormare in the film's beginning and Laurence Fishburn showing up and chewing some fucking scenery (the way he delivered "WE GOIN' TO APPLEBEE'S AFTER THIS" caused me to laugh real fuckin' hard). The ending actually did me the favor of not having some fucking cop-out for what John does - I kept waiting for there to be some loophole or some shit, which would've been a real bummer. Keanu kind of failed to deliver his final line with any particular force which kind of caused it to fall a bit flat, but hey, it's Keanu and you know what you're getting there. I seem to remember them saying there would be a third movie but I dunno, I think this was a good place to end it (then again I thought the first movie was nice and self-contained, meriting no sequel). I don't know that the fights were better than the ones in the first movie, but they were still real good.

4/5 Finger guns

Resident Evil Vendetta: 7/10

I dunno i have a weakness towards anything resident evil movie related. This is the latest animated movie. It has huge plot holes and the story is bland at best. But, damn the action sections are the best. And its amazing to see how far we have come in 3D animation movies regarding facial expression and details. For me its what i call a good popcorn movie. Lean back and enjoy the happy violence ensue.

Enter the Dragon. 7/10

I'm not huge on martial arts movies but I love Bruce Lee, he and John Saxon really carried the movie for me. Of course the fight scenes were excellent.

King Arthur: Legend if the Sword - way too much hate around for this one. It’s not great and it has a lot of little Guy Ritchie annoyances but it’s a mindless and fun film. 3 our of 5

Annabelle Creation - Not scary, just full of jump scares. Not really bad either but it’s cheap. 2 out of 5

Shin Godzilla - decent Godzilla movie, I just wish there was more Godzilla. 3 out of 5

Boss Baby - great kids film and my kids love it. I laughed quite a bit. 4 out of 5

Fate of the furious - I liked it a lot better than 7. The weakest part is obvious now, it’s Diesel and Rodriguez, I just don’t care about their characters. It would have been an even better movie if there was a lot more Statham and the Rock. 3 out of 5

Killing Them Softy (2012) 4 out of 5 Stars

There is an robbery scene that alone is worth watching the movie for. I kinda get why this movie was reviewed so poorly but I think it's a pretty great film and enjoyed it very much. All the scenes play out about 10 times longer than they usually would in a movie like this one which makes a played out genre feel weird and strange.

Recently watched Girl on the train.... 8.5/10. Nice music background, plot, and creativity of author= well-mixed cocktail!

As I was home all day with a sleepy baby, I thought I'd take the plunge and watch Battle Royale II: Requiem. I know at the end of the Film & 40's podcast the Duders had said it wasn't worth watching, but I had nothing better to do and I was curious.

It's terrible. There's really one one recurring character (which seems obvious I guess considering the plot of Battle Royale), but he's pretty unrecognisable so I didn't see the point of bringing him back.

The new students aren't given enough screen time for you to care about them, with the exception of two (one who seemed to be grinding his teeth the whole time and one that I really didn't understand the motives of).

There's still a count down of how many kids are left alive, but the purpose of this class isn't to kill each other, so the count down doesn't matter at all.

The new "teacher" has a collar, but unless I missed it, it's never explained why.

If you're really bored and curious, find something else to do or read a brief summary, it's not worth it.

1/5

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Heard good things, wanted to see it before it left theaters but it took a bit to coordinate with friends. Starts out really strong with the events of Captain America: Civil War recontextualized in a fun way. It is not really an origin story, there is no Uncle Ben but they find an interesting arc for the character. Tom Holland continues to be fun as Spider-Man. Micheal Keaton is the best version of the Vulture I've ever seen and one of the stronger Marvel Cinematic Universe villains. Robert Downey Jr puts some effort into making his role in this much more than an extended cameo which is cool.

I thought the trailers showed too much but was pleasantly surprised that a lot of the best stuff in the movie was not really spoiled. The movie has a surprising and deliberate John Hughes vibe throughout which really helps give it a unique tone against the other Marvel movies. I would have liked the ensemble cast of the academic decathlon team to have more to do in the movie together, instead they mostly hint at what is to come.

A solid fun movie that sticks out tonally against the other Marvel movies with a strong cast, tons of cameos and a strong start for the Sony / Marvel shared picture deal.

4/5

Shane (1953) - 8/10

I watched this because it was shown and briefly talked about in Logan. Idealized, beautiful western. I wonder if the fist fight was groundbreaking at that time.

The 39 Steps (1935) - 9/10

Highly entertaining early spy thriller by Hitchcock.

For All Mankind (1989) - 9/10

Utterly fascinating footage of the manned missions from 1968-1972 to the Moon, seductively edited and scored.

As a huge Brian Eno fan, it was a bit strange at first to hear the soundtrack that I'd listened to many times in the film. It almost felt forced in the beginning, but then I realized that it was original music recorded for the film. It's a fitting ambient soundtrack.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Starts out really slow I thought, and Tom Holland and his friend were really irritating. Then a strange thing happened. He started to grow on me and the movie overall got better. Not the friend though, he can eat shit for life. I liked Michael Keaton in the role of the Vulture, but going from honest scrappy contractor trying to make ends meet to fuck the government let's harness alien technology for our own ends and sell weapons to street toughs was leap of logic I wasn't able to make. Like if that's where they wanted to go with it, his hardships should have been greater or the wrongs done to him should have been more severe. In the end though, I would say I did like the movie and am interested in where it goes from here. 3/5

I watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Not as fun as the first one, and felt a lot more like a kids movie because of the big focus on family, Baby Groot and some wacky slapstick sections. Still enjoyed it! Was sad when they killed off the coolest character.

I give it 3 licensed music tracks that are nostalgic for people older than me out of 5.

@hippie_genocide: How so? He spend all his money on equipment for a single job that was taken away from him without notice by the government, putting him in bankruptcy practically for life. The crime he then commits is selling illegal weapons, which is far from pure evil. People turn to crime for way less.

La La Land

Never felt like it was clicking with me - couldn't get into the 'young pretty people struggling in Hollywood' story. I thought the jazzy soundtrack was amazing but didn't really like any of the actual songs and it ended up feeling a little bit of a waste of time... perhaps I was in too much of an existential mood for the film when I watched it.

Felt 5/10-y. Looked and sounded very pleasing and wonderfully crafted but felt empty.

Dunkirk

3/4 or 4/5

In this WW2 flick depicting the Dunkirk evacuation, the action and tension is ratcheted up non-stop amidst some character building asides to deliver some different perspectives. It doesn't quite truly reflect the truth of what happened though and subscribes fully to the dubious 'Dunkirk Spirit' that the British media played up to boost morale amidst the backdrop of stunning defeats of the Allied forces in the continent. As a movie that provides thrills and action sequences that put the death defying characters through a gauntlet of ever increasing stakes, it fulfills its objective very very well. Really effective soundtrack and sound effects, beautiful cinematography and ambitious editing.

@zevvion: Like, make it so he wasn't able to afford his wife or his daughter's medical bills and they died tragically. Something to generate some genuine hatred. As it was, it wasn't anything more dramatic than "whelp, guess we have to close our doors and file for bankruptcy". It's pretty mundane and also a typical way in which the government bends over its populace on a daily basis. Also, did you see the guy's house? Dude is ballin', he's just being a criminal out of pure greed at that point.

Gandhi - 7/10

Good movie, but not very interesting, and Ben Kingsley's makeup and fake teeth for Gandhi's older age were pretty unconvincing. He also didn't fast enough for the role. But he played the part well. Still, I don't get the big deal. A bit boring, to be honest. I watched it in three sittings.

Logan Lucky (2017) 4 out of 5 stars

Super solid. Really like Soderbergh, gotta see more of his movies. Great cast, great, pacing, lots of funny moments, lots of terrific talking. Awesome script by a literal unknown. Starting to become a big fan of Riley Keough. She was really good in American Honey, pretty good in this as well and she's got a ton of great movies lined up so can't wait to see more from her.

Netflix's Death Note 1/5

All it made me want to do was watch the anime again. Made it 27 mins in.

Manchester by the Sea - 5/5

I went into this expecting some mawkishly sentimental romance/drama with a dash of tragedy (I'd heard some joke about what happens).

Rather, it's a portrayal of well realized characters stuck in a pretty devastating circumstance. And "devastating" is the right word. There are two scenes in particular that are so inflinchingly honest in their depiction it was almost difficult to watch, but that make for incredibly strong storytelling moments.

Leap or Ballerina in most countries either way. For the USA it is the former. Animated movie as I give it 8/10.

Fantasic Beasts and Where to Find Them - 3/5

This movie was just fine. It didn't wow me. It didn't make me groan. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. It was just sort of on the TV. It doesn't have the magic the other Harry Potter movies have. I'll watch the sequel, but I'm not clamoring for it.

The Driver - 7/10

The movie that inspired (was ripped off by) Drive. I liked it, but it's not much better or worse than Drive.

Dredd - 7/10

Probably one of the best action movies in years. It's good to know a few young directors and their bosses can still make action movies this solid, uncomplicated, quick (only 90 minutes) and violent. I want a sequel. I don't know anything about Judge Dredd. I don't like how his gun works. It's unrealistic. I would have preferred different magazines for different ammo types or for him to find a different solution. Also, it should have been called Judge Dredd. Dredd doesn't say much on its own. The Blu-ray quality is kind of poor, despite having a high bitrate. A lot of interlacing. Shame.

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - 9/10

Really painful and gripping and sad to watch. The drama just feels slightly overdone at times. Between this and Love Streams, John Cassavetes was a great director and Gena Rowlands was an amazing actress.

Contagion 4/5- I remembered loving this film and my memory held true. A tense procedural about a virus spreading that's downright horror at times. Soderbergh displays his usual mastery craftsmanship. The only real negatives are some clunker lines in the script and some of Matt Damon's daughter's delivery. Still, I think this will be looked back on much more fondly than how it has been.

Paranormal Activity/Paranormal Activity 2

I'm a big fan of these movies (the first three especially) and I hadn't seen the first couple in a while so I figured it was time. Still great movies, I prefer the second one to the first one mainly because the multiple camera angles work great at building suspense.

Stoker 5/5-this might be Chan Park-wook's masterpiece. I'll let you know after I rewatch all his other stuff too.

The Hippopotamus, starring Roger Allam, who you might recognize from Contradiction: Spot The Liar!

He's great as a cantankerous poet/journalist, skewering anyone around him within earshot. The story and writing are fairly interesting but there are some ungodly tired tropes at a few points. Some supporting performances are not so great. What is Matthew Modine's accent supposed to be? We'll probably never know.

I give it 3/5. Worth seeing for Allam alone, but be ready for some not so great elements.

The Hitman's Bodyguard 2/5. Just about as meh as a movie can get.

Noctural animals . tense movie 10/10

Wonder Woman - It was fine

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Rad

T2: Trainspotting - A very different film from the original but I enjoyed it a lot

They Live - hadn't watched this in ages, decided to throw on the ol' Film and 40s and give it another watch. I had forgotten how insanely slow this movie is - it's almost novel at how much scenes are allowed to just kind of run on. The Keith David/Roddy Piper fistfight remains awesome. The core idea of the movie is, somehow, still as relevant as it ever was. I still think this is a good movie, but I also think maybe Carpenter could have used an editor to trim some of those scenes down. Or, you know, get rid of them entirely. 3/5 CONSUME CONSUME OBEY REPRODUCCE

Good Time

I did not have a ...

I give it a 4 out of 10.

The NeverEnding Story 3/5

An enjoyable enough 80s fantasy movie - replete with heavy-handed metaphors and crude blue-screening.

Man of Steel (4/5)

The 1st hour and a half of this film is nearly perfect. The last hour gets a little muddled with questionable creative choices with the characters, but I still really enjoyed it. It's a great science fiction first contact story. I just wish they would have followed through with a true sequel instead of jumping into Batman V Superman. Clark is literally Superman for two days in this film. Hopefully Man of Steel II will be made sooner rather than later.

American Made - 2/5

In a world that has Narcos in it why bother making this movie?

I watched the first Spider-Manmovie again for the first time in a long while. That movie is even better than I remember. I was really moved by Peter's confession to MJ.

I give it 5 alliteration names out of 5.

Floating Weeds - 9/10

Ozu does it again! His movies are always beautiful, but realistic. His cinematographer was a master too.

Airplane! 4/5

Full of amusing japes, but a lot of jokes that just wouldn't fly today.

It - 3/5

As someone whose watched or read none of the previous iterations, all I can say is that this is a serviceable horror movie, but looking at the genre in the last decade or two, that's also not really saying much. I wouldn't really say this is as scary as people are saying either. Most of the scenes usually just rely on pure tension of a situation, intense visuals, and of course everyone's favorite... jump scares. I think there have been better films that have done the whole tension thing way better than It like The Witch for example, which felt like non stop tension and also felt genuinely creepy at times (albeit the pay off wasn't that great, but still fun because it had zero jump scares to rely on). To me.. jump scares are not really scary. They're startling for sure, but in that startled moment it breaks up the entire flow of the movie, which this is pretty prevalent throughout this film where at one point, it's basically just a cycle of setups for jump scares instead of just letting the creepy factor set in.

Also in true Hollywood fashion, this movie can't get away without leaving room for a sequel or a potential new series, which was really stupid to see at the end because it just feels like they invalidated a well wrapped up movie only to cram down our throats that this is just the beginning.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013, Japan) - 7/10

A two hour documentary showing Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki through the production of The Wind Rises. A valuable part of my Ghibli collection. When he told the interviewer what's possible with animation at the end by pointing to rooftops outside the window and they showed scenes of his movies, beginning with Lupin jumping from roof to roof, I almost teared up. I'm gonna miss this man when he's done making movies and almost all that's left is cheap digital animation and CG. Interesting things to note... Takahata is a slacker. He almost didn't finish Kaguya. Miyazaki thought Porco Rosso was a foolish movie, because it was made for adults instead of children.