Rate the last film you watched out of 5

[Vimster]

Elektra (2005)

Going by the general dislike for this I went in with very low expectations, and whilst it isn't a great film it isn't quite as bad as expected. Yes, the simple tale is messily told, pacing was a real issue, it didn't stir much in me, but the action is okay even if there was nowhere near enough of it.

 

2.5/5

 

When Brendan Met Trudy (2000)

Not really one for romance but seeing this was written by Roddy Doyle I had to give it a watch. I definitely didn't enjoy this as much as the novels, there were a few good jokes and Doyle-esque riffs on pop culture. Old-before-his-years teacher Brendan bumps into free-spirit Trudy and they get up to stuff, basically. There isn't a great deal of plot, more a post-modern take on the ups and downs of a relationship with a dig at middle-class pretensions thrown in. The headmaster stole the show.

 

3.5/5

[Dark Soldier]

The Humans (dir: Stephen Karam, 2021)

A perfect embodiment of the A24 textbook, and as such almost a perfect embodiment of what I want from a film. Slow burning family drama, several generations all meeting at a daughter's new home to share lunch/dinner and to catch up, and as is always the case, things turn sour. Karam's first film as director and it is based off of his own play, which shows in the structure and flow of the film itself. Long lingering shots, out of focus, disorientating. It manages something which I find to be fascinating and I've rarely seen before - it turns the slowburn arthouse drama into a borderline horror film at times. Something which Cache and quite a lot of Haneke's work manages. Primarily done via sound (eerie bumps in the night, heavy footsteps from neighbours upstairs and a couple of 'jumpscare' moments which are really well done) mixed with a use of both light and dark as visual metaphor and mood piece. There is another visual metaphor that runs throughout which I found a bit heavy handed and is used way too often, but that's really the only slight I can give this. If the mood, atmosphere and creepy disjointedness of the whole thing doesn't grip you, you'll no doubt be bored shitless. Great performances by all concerned, especially Richard Jenkins and Amy Schumer. Will be on my list come end of year of topboy films innit. 

 

5/5

[SeanR]

I got Netflix..

 

AKIRA 5/5

The Life of Brian 5/5

[Festoon]

13 hours ago, Vimster said:

When Brendan Met Trudy (2000)

Not really one for romance but seeing this was written by Roddy Doyle I had to give it a watch. I definitely didn't enjoy this as much as the novels, there were a few good jokes and Doyle-esque riffs on pop culture. Old-before-his-years teacher Brendan bumps into free-spirit Trudy and they get up to stuff, basically. There isn't a great deal of plot, more a post-modern take on the ups and downs of a relationship with a dig at middle-class pretensions thrown in. The headmaster stole the show.

 

3.5/5

 

I just saw the other day that 'Trudy' is playing Norma Major in the next series of The Crown.

[glb]

Nowhere Special - 2/5

 

Found this to be an earnest but fairly one dimensional drama. A deft performance from James Norton made it a worthwhile watch though.

 

999 films in 2022 to go!

[Ry]

The Kitchen - 2/5

Labyrinth - 5/5

Whiplash - 5/5

La La Land -5/5

End of Days -3/5 

 

 

[Thor]

The Big Short 

 

This had been in my 'I should really watch that' list for a long time. I love it when Ryan Gosling plays characters like his one in this, but in fairness the whole cast were superb, and made what should have been a bore-fest into a thriller where I hung on every word. Brilliant film.

 

5/5

[Nathan Wind]

The Power of the Dog

 

Dr Strange spends two hours being an absolute prick to Spiderman's girlfriend while Creepy Todd watches on.

 

I absolutely loved it. A tense, beautifully shot and superbly acted tale about the fragility of male ego.

 

5/5

[Festoon]

45 minutes ago, Nathan Wind said:

The Power of the Dog

 

Dr Strange spends two hours being an absolute prick to Spiderman's girlfriend while Creepy Todd watches on.

 

I absolutely loved it. A tense, beautifully shot and superbly acted tale about the fragility of male ego.

 

5/5

 

Only thing I struggled with was the score. It was too heavy-handed early on that 'something is wrong'.

[sandman]

Ad Astra 

 

The first half of this is interesting and at least competently made. The second half though, oh dear. Been awhile since I’ve seen a film fall off a cliff like this one does. I simply couldn’t wait for it to finish and couldn’t give two fucks about how it ended. 
 

1.5/5

[Ry]

Boiling Point - 5/5

 

Watched this after a thread was made, doesn't seem many have heard of it let alone seen it. I hadn't heard of it until that thread.

 

Brilliant.

 

One shot, one take about trials and tribulations working in a kitchen. It's really riveting and just amazing. Not over the top, well written, amazingly paced. It's an hour and a half that flies by and Just amazing acting across the board. 

 

The director and everyone behind it should be awarded for just a brilliant piece of filmmaking. Always stuns me the planning and precise nature that goes into a long one shot/take, let alone a while film using the method. 

 

Said it a million times but Stephen Graham is one of the best actors working today. Guy is incredible in everything. And I think he deserves an Oscar nomination for this. 

 

 

[Fierce Poodle]

The Last Duel

 

Ridley Scott, despite being a miserable old bastard, shows he’s still got it when he has a decent script to work from.

 

4/5

[Fierce Poodle]

Terminator Dark Fate

 

Another completely pointless entry in the franchise, however as I’m feeling generous it gets a point for Linda Hamilton looking like a badass grandma.

 

1/5

[Vimster]

The Chain (1996)

Gun-runner Victor Rivers ends up getting chained up with the cop who has been trying to get him, a past-his-prime Gary Busey, and they have to get over thier differences and stay alive after escaping a prison camp in a war-torn South American country. Spoiler alert: they end up best buds at the end. What a twist! The plot consists of a string of sticky situations, their partnership is put to the test, there's some character development, all the moving parts work, you get a few explosions. The film manages to hang on by its fingernails thanks to the two leads, especially Busey although it's fair to say Busey is very much playing Busey here.

 

2.5/5

[Sidewaysbob]

Gladiator. 

 

"are you not amused!!!!! “

 

Yes, yes I bloody well am. And no need for any bloody jesus shit. Utterly superb. 

 

5 raised thumbs out of 5

[kthxbliz]

Been sick with covid and rewatched a few films while bed bound. Just noting them here but I’ll try and get back and flesh out the reviews. 
 

American Hustle 3.5/5

 

Apollo 13 4/5

 

The Big Short 3.5/5

 

Snatch 4.5/5

 

Platoon 5/5

 

The Gentlemen 3/5

 

Fracture 2.5/5

[Jamie John]

The Power of the Dog (2021)

 

 

I decided to see what all the fuss was about and this didn't disappoint. Tense, moody and beautifully shot. I think it'll invite lots of comparisons with There Will Be Blood, not least because of Jonny Greenwood's similarly faltering, almost queasy score, but, if anything, this was even more contemplative and ambiguous. Cumberbatch is excellent as a the nasty bastard insecure brother, but I thought Jesse Plemons' understated performance as the hesitating, impotent, almost bovine husband was even better - I was almost screaming at the TV at points for him to fucking do something.

 

Very good, overall. Just don't go in expecting an action filled thriller. I can't remember the last time I saw men and masculinity handled so deftly by a female director and screen writer. I immediately bought the novel as soon as the credits rolled (which is currently 99p on Kindle, if anyone's interested).

 

4.5/5

[Jamie John]

4 hours ago, Nathan Wind said:

The Power of the Dog

 

Dr Strange spends two hours being an absolute prick to Spiderman's girlfriend while Creepy Todd watches on.

 

I absolutely loved it. A tense, beautifully shot and superbly acted tale about the fragility of male ego.

 

5/5

 

What was your interpretation about why Phil was such a wanker towards Kirsten Dunst's character?

 

Spoiler

Did his closet homosexuality just make him a massive misogynist? I couldn't work out why he was so horrible to her. I kind of got that he wanted his brother to be more like him and he saw his new wife as drawing him away from the ranch life, but I think there was some stuff at the start that I missed. Where had George been all this time? And why weren't the brothers' parents at the ranch themselves? They almost sounded like they had English accents, so initially I thought they lived there, but they seemed to be around a fair bit. I got the impression they were quite a well to do family. Phil himself was a graduate, apparently, but chose the ranch life.

 

Maybe the novel gives more background information.

 

[Nathan Wind]

19 hours ago, Jamie John said:

 

What was your interpretation about why Phil was such a wanker towards Kirsten Dunst's character?

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Did his closet homosexuality just make him a massive misogynist? I couldn't work out why he was so horrible to her. I kind of got that he wanted his brother to be more like him and he saw his new wife as drawing him away from the ranch life, but I think there was some stuff at the start that I missed. Where had George been all this time? And why weren't the brothers' parents at the ranch themselves? They almost sounded like they had English accents, so initially I thought they lived there, but they seemed to be around a fair bit. I got the impression they were quite a well to do family. Phil himself was a graduate, apparently, but chose the ranch life.

 

Maybe the novel gives more background information.

 

 

Spoiler

He already seemed to feel like he was losing George which the relationship with Rose exacerbated. So for me, simple jealousy plays a big part, fear of losing his brother and of being alone - he didn't seem close to anybody else. Their early dialogue and the fact they shared rooms and beds early on hinted that they used to talk a lot more, and were probably incredibly close siblings in the past. He refers to them as Romulus and Remus at one point so I think that shows how Phil sees their relationship.

 

Possibly even hints later on about sexual abuse in his childhood, or maybe just forbidden love, but that's quite ambiguous.

 

George is already leaving the wild west behind as America becomes more gentrified, and Rose exacerbates that but Phil is losing his brother before she's even in the picture. I think he's also frustrated about time moving forward and feels he's being left behind. That's hinted at a lot - there's several times where Phil tries to talk about tales of the old days and George just shuts him down. Jesse Plemons was an absolute star in this. I dunno man, there's just so much to unpack about Phil alone, before you even start on any of the other characters. He's obviously repressing homosexual feelings in what's considered to be a very manly world. He's highly intelligent, educated, articulate and actually quite sensitive/artistic (sees the barking dog shadow in the hills for example) but he chooses to, or feels he has to hide those things. Instead projecting a front of extreme masculinity. He's clearly incredibly frustrated and constantly on the edge but also very, very sad. Such good acting.

 

That's all barely scratching the surface. It's a wonderful movie with incredibly good performances from everyone involved. It's challenging, there's a lot to think about.

 

All this stuff is very interesting to me having been around MMA gyms for the last decade and despite having done well at school and further education (the expectations that come with that), choosing to work in manual jobs.

 

I fucking loved it.

 

Edit - there's also so much symbology throughout which becomes clearer as the film goes on. Burning the paper flower for example. It seems such a straight forward act of masculine douchebaggery early on but once you reach the tail end of the film it represents so much more than that.

 

 

 

[Vimster]

Blood Rage (1987)

Enjoyable slasher set on the best-lit housing development ever. Got a few good laughs from this even though I'm assuming they weren't intentional. Louise Lasser overdoes it brilliantly, absent-mindedly vacuuming with a glass of wine in the other hand.

 

3/5

[Nathan Wind]

The more I sit and think about The Power of the Dog, the more I love it. There are so many layers to it. I think it's right up there with Cool Hand Luke as one of the best films about 'masculinity'.

[Bazjam]

2 hours ago, Nathan Wind said:

The more I sit and think about The Power of the Dog, the more I love it. There are so many layers to it. I think it's right up there with Cool Hand Luke as one of the best films about 'masculinity'.

Couldn't agree more. Watched it for a second time last night and found it mesmerising. The story telling is so deftly told, the way it twists and turns your expectations of where things are going.

[Benny]

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

 

I need to stop rewatching so many films that make me burst into tears.

 

4.5/5 (even better than I remember)

[Dark Soldier]

 The Conspiracy (2012)

 

A guilty pleasure horror which doesn't really get mentioned anymore. Documentary team follow a local prominent conspiracy mut who goes missing, they take over his research and stumble across a large conspiracy, things go tits up. Primarily based around Bohemian Grove.

 

One of the better examples of found footage horror and largely underrated. [7]

[acidbearboy]

Once Upon a Time In America - 3/5

Feel this one would benefit from a rewatch, allowing the details to slot together better, but with a 4 hour runtime, it’s unlikely that I’ll rewatch it anytime soon. I enjoyed it despite the length. 
 

Apocolypto - 2/5

A lot of intense running, peppered with brutal violence. Seemed to get a bit far fetched towards the end. It was alright, but I can’t see myself watching it again. 

[Ry]

The Power of the Dog - 2.5/5

 

I think if I wasnt hungover and ill as fuck then I would have enjoyed it more as it ticks all my boxes. Instead I found it a boring pile of shite. 

 

Will give it a rewatch in a couple months. 

[neoELITE]

Spiderman Homecoming

It was a bit long but good fun I enjoyed it. 3/5

 

[phresh]

Ron's Gone Wrong - 3/5 - Some good gags and good fun overall, all these animated films start to roll into one amorphous lump though.

 

Sorcerer (1977) - 4/5 - Only watched after some recommendations in this thread. Really fucking great, only marked down because the notion of all the characters ending up in this one location seems a bit of a stretch, even if the setup and the rest of the film are amazing. I feel like this might be a 5/5 after a second watch though. Banging soundtrack.

 

The Wraith (1986) - 4/5 - Enjoyable 80's flick with a suitably ridiculous story.  

 

Heavy Metal (1981) - 5/5 - Watch this at least twice a year, will put a 5/5 in here whenever I do.

[Dark Soldier]

John and the Hole (2021)

 

Rich family and spoiled kid. Kid discovers an abandoned bunker site in the woods out back. Drugs his family and dumps them in the hole left there.

 

Written by Giacobone, who wrote Birdman. Study of a 13yo boy dealing with themes of puberty, loneliness, anger, confusion. Goes to lengths to portray the child as not having, but also having sociopathic tendencies. Clear that due to having all he wants he's been left with a 'hole' (aahh metaphors) where emotion and understanding would be. Also slightly touches on rich white privilege with particular scenes (the boy drives his father's car around the neighbourhood with no consequence etc)

 

Juxtaposed with a mother telling her child of the story of 'John and the Hole', which have a deeper meaning I won't touch on here.

 

Beautifully shot in 4:3 giving family scenes a claustrophobic feel. Dexter is the dad and he is great. Kid is wonderfully hateful. Really liked the ending. Solid all round.

 

[7]

[Boothjan]

Spider-Man: No Way Home

 

Superb - one of the very best MCU films.  I somehow managed to avoid all trailers and spoilers, so aside from one aspect which is spoiled just by looking at posters/bus adverts etc, I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me.  Absolutely loved it.  Took the kids and it was a proper Christmas cinema trip.  

 

4.5/5

 

Christmas Is Cancelled

 

A horrible, horrible film featuring possibly the most objectionable character I have ever seen as a supposed grown woman who can't accept her widowed father is dating a girl she went to school with so goes out of her way to be a dickhead.  Set at Christmas time so crank the dreck levels up a notch.

 

1/5

 

Don't Look Up

 

Fantastic - one of my films of the year.  Unsubtle, but some of the star turns are excellent, particularly Meryl Streep's she-Trump and Mark Rylance's creepy Musk.  A bit too close to reality in places, but sometimes you just have to laugh at the utter stupidity of the human race.

 

4.5/5

 

Old

 

M Night Shyamalan's rather creepy yarn from last year where people stranded on a beach start to prematurely age in a single day.  I didn't think much to the performances, but the idea and execution were pretty cool.

 

3.5/5

 

Sound of Metal

 

Riz Ahmed is OUTSTANDING as a drummer who suddenly loses his hearing - his adjustment to his new surroundings is heartfelt, sad and very well directed.  

 

4/5

 

Ad Astra

 

A muddled film about an astronaut who ventures into the solar system to prevent a strange array of electrical storms which have appeared on earth.  Some great set pieces which are ruined by ridiculously implausible situations (I'm not one of those annoying people who look for any plot hole and moan about them, but FFS, come on!!), but balanced by impactful scenes of vulnerability and loneliness.  Very much a mixed bag.

 

3/5

 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

Oof - when did the MCU get so bloody beautiful?  The last third of this film is stunning to watch.  Action littered throughout in an entertaining way and a bit of redemption for the character of The Mandarin, who was so poorly executed in Iron Man 3.  This seems to have gone under the radar somewhat - not sure if that's due to the pandemic or just MCU burnout but this is a strong showing.  Bring on a sequel!

 

4/5

 

The Lost Daughter

 

Olivia Colman is never bad in anything she's been in, and this is another strong showing in Maggie Gyllenhaall's directorial debut.  The film tailed off a bit in places, but the performances of Colman (and Jessie Buckley who plays a younger version of the same character) make this worth a watch.

 

3/5