Rate the last film you watched out of 5

[NexivRed]

16 minutes ago, SeanR said:

Are you talking about the Morgan Creek ident at the start of some Disney releases? It sounds a lot like the soundtrack.

 

 

Yeah. They both used it. The composer has an impressive library. Died fairly young though. Sad. 

[glb]

Memory: The Origins of Alien - 3/5 (All4)

 

If you've got even an inkling of affection for Ridley Scott's Alien this is pretty much essential viewing. Does veer into noodly film study summation of what filmmakers intended at times, but it does also at least have input from Scott, and some of the cast and crew involved to ground some of the bigger leaps of imagination (and these are far more restrained than the madness of Room 237, also well worth a watch for entirely different reasons)

 

The doc takes an extensive look at the infamous chest bursting scene, which as a fan of the creativity involved in practical VFX and the workarounds involved, I wholly appreciated. As with so many great films Alien was made in a perfect storm of creative single-mindedness, with a fair degree of fortune involved. Walter Hill's Alien would have been something.

 

(#955)

[Garwoofoo]

Monty Python's Life of Brian

 

Few things have aged worse in general than 1970s comedy but this stands up extraordinarily well, given its age and subject matter. It's just such obviously gleeful nonsense from the start that you've got little choice but to go with it, and unless you're one of those easily-offended Christian weirdos then you're likely to find much of it hilarious still.

 

Admittedly there are a couple of bits that haven't stood the test of time - the opening scene features one of the crew in blackface, and it's got more than one rape joke in there - but mostly this is still as funny as anything out there.

 

4/5

[Clipper]

Deathrace 2000 (prime)

 

When you consider the genre that is 1970s dystopian scifi many will point to Silent Running, Soylent Green, Logan's run, Rollerball, A Clockwork Orange and many others - few will quote Deathrace 2000 and with good reason! This film swings between lampooning the genre and trying to be like it. The clumsy social commentary is hilarious when paired up with regular nudity and comedic sped up car footage.

 

It is Roger Corman of course so the budget is low low low hence the sped up footage and pretty shit effects instead of scintillating stunts. The first 2/3rds are great schlock nonsense and pretty funny throughout, genuinely funny not just laughing at how shit it is (although there is a bit of that). The film stumbles on its final 1/3rd as it seems to labour under the misapprehension it is a serious dystopian future film with the rebels subplot taking over. It also leans more on Carradine's acting which is utterly woeful - Stallone is surprisingly good at chewwing the scenery and despite having to remove her top on a regular basis Frankenstein's navigator, Annie (Simone Griffeth) is actually a half decent actress. I looked her up and she did guest appearance spots on pretty much every 80s tv show, 6 million dollar man, Magnum PI, Quincy, Hulk,Hawaii 5 o , Dukes of Hazzard, CHIPS, Hart to Hart, Golden Girls, TJ Hooker etc.

 

Recommended to those with a penchant for schlock B movies, especially those movies that nudge the top end of that pile.

3/5

 

EDIT - a quick mention to the quality of the print and transfer. It is amazing how much effort is put itno preserving/restoring these old shlocky films. Plenty of film grain and variable film stock in general but the reason I can spot that is that the transfer is really good. I recall this from VHs and old tv viewing and it looked like shit, now it looks vibrant with colours popping and (when the film stock allows) nice and sharp. It is not a reference quality transfer but just amazes me the effort expended.

[Capwn]

The woman king

 

This was really good. Probably the closest thing we have this year to an epic Ridley Scott like epic in the vein of gladiator/last duel etc. 

 

3/5

[Steve McQueef]

Did you not know that it was 'The Gladiator of Our Time'?

 

[glb]

1: Life on the Limit - 3/5 (ITVX)

 

I don't really watch Formula 1, but am fascinated by the history of it, and the willingness of men to drive ridiculously fast with apparently scant regard for their own safety while strapped to what were essentially rockets or bombs with four - or briefly six - wheels. This delves primarily into the 1970s era of F1, and looks at a lot of the steps taken, usually as a result of a driver's death, and there were a lot of deaths, to marginally improve the safety of the sport year-on-year. The documentary does skip eras towards the end, when in this instance a longer runtime would have been justified, but it is still incredibly interesting, perhaps ghoulishly so, to revisit some of the most violent crashes seen in the sport, with comments from icons of the time.

 

Not quite Senna levels of brilliance, and for more hardcore fans of F1 it's probably a bit too surface level (James Hunt was a cad!), but a good free doc, if you can get ITVX working and can stomach the folly of people dying in pursuit of something that most of us are not wired in such a way to desire.

 

(#962)

[Mikes]

Blade Trinity (couldn't give a shit what year, that's no excuse)

 

My god this was bad. I kept watching as long as I did out of some morbid fascination to see if it could get worse, and wouldn't you know it was the little flop that could.

 

Worth watching only to see how bad things could truly get.

 

0 terrible castings of out 5

[Capwn]

The Banshees of Innishermen

 

Thought this was great and rather funny. Reminded me a bit of The Lobster.

 

3.5/5

 

 

[Festoon]

On 13/12/2022 at 08:56, NexivRed said:

Yeah. They both used it. The composer has an impressive library. Died fairly young though. Sad. 

 

It was Michael Kamen. Legendary composer of so much stuff, including bits of Highlander (the non-Queen bits), Event Horizon ( the non Orbital bits), the absolutely amazing score for Gilliam's Brazil and the orchestral ending to Pink Floyd's The Wall.

[Mikes]

After Earth (2013)

 

I saw this back when it came out and after seeing the trailer for 65 it made me think of it, so I rewatched it, and I know it received a lot of flak but I liked it then and I like it now. Got its issues, but it's good none thinking fun in the same wasy of The Land That Time Forgot.

 

5 taken knees out of 5

 

 

 

[Clipper]

Barbarian

 

Just a random pick from streaming (Disney+ in this instance). It is pretty damned good just not as clever as it thinks it is with a subtext that is really text

 

Worth a watch and a decent horror film.

 

EDIT - I should point out (not a spoiler) that I think Bill Skarsgard's performance in this is one of the highlights of the film.

 

3/5

 

Don't click unless you have seen it. Rambling thoughts within that are probably way off beam

 

Spoiler

A modern retelling of The People Under the Stairs with a "trust/rape/me too" subtext (text). The first 30 mins is very good and subtly played, pretty cleverly done. Once it switches to Justin Long's character it does a great switch of feel and vibe but it loses all subtlety as well. Him being a star accused of rape is too on the nose. After that it lays on thick the trust subtext/text and it is no longer clever and drifts into a fairly decent conclusion (if unsatisfying given what came before) which is competent enough just doesn't quite have the tension and bite of the first act.

 

To use a ridiculous analogy it is a bit like going for a meal. The starter is rich and complex, full of flavour and subtle. The main course has some lovely surprises whilst being more traditional and the dessert is a magnum ice cream. I love magnums but I was hoping for a more exciting dessert

 

[kempstar]

1 hour ago, Clipper said:

Barbarian

 

Just a random pick from streaming (Disney+ in this instance). It is pretty damned good just not as clever as it thinks it is with a subtext that is really text

 

Worth a watch and a decent horror film.

 

EDIT - I should point out (not a spoiler) that I think Bill Skarsgard's performance in this is one of the highlights of the film.

 

3/5

 

Don't click unless you have seen it. Rambling thoughts within that are probably way off beam

 

  Reveal hidden contents

A modern retelling of The People Under the Stairs with a "trust/rape/me too" subtext (text). The first 30 mins is very good and subtly played, pretty cleverly done. Once it switches to Justin Long's character it does a great switch of feel and vibe but it loses all subtlety as well. Him being a star accused of rape is too on the nose. After that it lays on thick the trust subtext/text and it is no longer clever and drifts into a fairly decent conclusion (if unsatisfying given what came before) which is competent enough just doesn't quite have the tension and bite of the first act.

 

To use a ridiculous analogy it is a bit like going for a meal. The starter is rich and complex, full of flavour and subtle. The main course has some lovely surprises whilst being more traditional and the dessert is a magnum ice cream. I love magnums but I was hoping for a more exciting dessert

 

 

How much of an actual horror is this? I dont really like horror films, but this sounds interesting.

[Clipper]

3 minutes ago, kempstar said:

 

How much of an actual horror is this? I dont really like horror films, but this sounds interesting.

it is a horror film and has the usual horror movie tropes - as a horror film fan I would say its not extreme. The opening 30 mins is a bit different and definitely worth a watch and see how you feel about it and then you can decide whether to continue

 

If you have disney+ already then it is a no brainer to try out the first act.

[Festoon]

1 hour ago, Clipper said:

Barbarian

 

Just a random pick from streaming (Disney+ in this instance). It is pretty damned good just not as clever as it thinks it is with a subtext that is really text

 

Worth a watch and a decent horror film.

 

EDIT - I should point out (not a spoiler) that I think Bill Skarsgard's performance in this is one of the highlights of the film.

 

3/5

 

Don't click unless you have seen it. Rambling thoughts within that are probably way off beam

 

  Hide contents

A modern retelling of The People Under the Stairs with a "trust/rape/me too" subtext (text). The first 30 mins is very good and subtly played, pretty cleverly done. Once it switches to Justin Long's character it does a great switch of feel and vibe but it loses all subtlety as well. Him being a star accused of rape is too on the nose. After that it lays on thick the trust subtext/text and it is no longer clever and drifts into a fairly decent conclusion (if unsatisfying given what came before) which is competent enough just doesn't quite have the tension and bite of the first act.

 

To use a ridiculous analogy it is a bit like going for a meal. The starter is rich and complex, full of flavour and subtle. The main course has some lovely surprises whilst being more traditional and the dessert is a magnum ice cream. I love magnums but I was hoping for a more exciting dessert

 

 

That's a perfect description! 😁

[glb]

Little Dixie - 1/5 (work screener)

 

I haven't posted all the films I've watched this year (understandably given the volume), but do try and mention the films I've enjoyed or that I feel warrant a mention. Occasionally, I also feel compelled to mention those I really couldn't stand and this is one of those. Maybe I've been watching too many Christmas films over the last few weeks but I wasn't ready for this lazy, toxic excuse for a thriller.

 

Frank Grillo stars as Doc, an ex-special forces operative who must save his daughter, kidnapped by a cartel loon. The plot is the usual macho nonsense. The violence is pretty standard for an R-rated thriller, but the characterisations are tired. There's a problematic scene where a drag queen is beaten and strangled by the main villain not long after they've had sex, because, y'know, the villain is "complex". Just a nasty, grubby little film that most of the cast really should have thought twice about signing on for.

 

Sticking The Christmas Chronicles 2 on now because I need something easy and relatively wholesome.

 

(#965)

[Nathan Wind]

Barbarian - Disno +

 

This didn’t really do a lot for me. As Clipper says, the first act was a bit on the nose but certainly well done. After that it descended into mediocre horror. To its credit it’s very nicely shot, edited and well acted, and it definitely goes places I didn’t expect after the opening set up, albeit generic ones. It felt like all that early good work was discarded. Maybe I’m missing something because I know there was a lot of buzz around it. I might rewatch when I’m not so tired. 
 

Not a bad film, but for now, decidedly 2.5/5 

 

Yeah, I think Death Race 2000 is better than Barbarian. Fuggedaboudit.

[Loik V credern]

On 12/12/2022 at 11:35, Silent Runner said:

Vengeance
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11976532/

 

A writer from New York City attempts to solve the murder of a girl he hooked up with and travels down south to investigate the circumstances of her death and discover what happened to her.

 

BJ Novak is a cliched New York millennial - he writes for the New Yorker, has a string of women in his phone and is trying to get a podcast started. After a miscommunication he ends up in rural west-Texas for a funeral. And while there gets involved in what might be a murder investigation but he sees it as an opportunity to get a new podcast off the ground. 

 

This came out a while back and kind-of disappeared but I thought it was really good. It starts out as a cliched city-type in amongst a load of hicks but it flips that early on. As he records his podcast he discovers that there might be something to the story and that maybe he's in danger. Or maybe the whole thing is a shaggy-dog story with nothing under the surface. 

 

I had an absolute blast with this. The cast are excellent - Novak is perfect as the slightly jaded New Yorker and the support cast (Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, J. Smith-Cameron) are all quality. It looks great and the big Texas scenery is always dramatic, the plot is tight and it's really funny in places. It might be recency-bias but this is one of my favourites of the year.

 

Loved it.

4.5/5 

 

I watched this cos of your review, I really liked it as well. I expected something like Nocturnal Animals though...(I don't know who BJ Novak is cos I don't watch the US Office, though obviously I know that now...and the opening scene sets the tone enough...)

 

Having just finished it...

 

Spoiler

ok I didn't expect Novak to shoot Ashton Kutcher, not often you watch a film and there's something that seems so surprising you re think what you've just seen. Maybe I'm just slow and I understand the purpose of it but the film is all about characters so it's pretty shocking how you're meant to reckon with it. 

 

First listed review on rotten says 'It’s mildly amusing stuff that delivers no surprises, but may muster a few laughs'. I'd put surprises as one of its strengths...I just watched The Fabelmans earlier today...they ought to re assess what no surprises means...when Ben brings up Anton Chekhov's theory about guns and one of the sisters says 'well, none of his plays has a gun in it' and he says 'well I'm not familiar with his plays just his theory...' it's perfect.

 

It's really far away from being obvious or clichéd. The first 40 minutes have some very funny lines. 'ok..so as like a personal boundry, like everybody is different, some people don't eat certain foods, you know, everybody, but...I don't avenge deaths, it's just who I am' is very funny and just realised now how the delivery reminds me of Jonah Hill's. He's said jokes in the exact same way, taking something ludicrous and delivering it straight. 'It was a really sad movie'. Very Jonah Hill. 

 

[Loik V credern]

The Fabelmans 2.5/5

 

It's just not very interesting and there is nothing in this I'd recommend that people need to see, a simple thing for me in deciding if a film is worthwhile or not.

 

I thought this would be more grounded given it's based on Spielberg's life, when it turns into scenes that seem straight out of West Side story in their over the top theatricality I started to get that the overall artificiality of the film was fully embraced by Spielberg as what he really wanted to do.

 

He's done a lot of blockbusters in the last 15 years so I was hoping for a tonal shift. It makes sense, a film about the magic of filmmaking isn't going to be dry, it's going to be amped up but there are back and forth arguments in this that are so hammy I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel.

 

Really, to me the first 10 minutes of Armageddon Time are better than anything in this despite it being so long because..I dunno, it felt real? It had conflict, tension? It felt real? It felt..real? The Fabelmans just feels so hollow to me, a contradiction as it's obviously something Spielberg couldn't possibly feel any more passion for. He is more confectioner than artist, that was always the criticism of him when he emerged right, sure he can block and move the camera better than anyone but where's the grit, the soul. I say that even though I think it's unfair, Spielberg is perfect for Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Scorsese is perfect for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.

 

I guess as I get older I just obsess about things being interesting and that's despite being stupid and missing so many themes in films and other stuff others spot. I've watched the Spielberg documentary, I have a vague idea of how his career started, him being unprecedentedly young but directing esteemed actors..that's interesting, how did he, they handle that? That group of wildly different directors who all were mates and watched eachother all revolutionise Hollywood and created classics? Interesting. The parents in this? Not interesting.

 

Spielberg making his short films, interesting if they focus on his ingenuity to solve problems the audience never know about. You see a little bit of it but not enough. Like stepping on planks to flick up dirt in the war film, but there's no trial and error, no thinking, no process. 

 

I mean I do get its themes because they're blunt and obvious and spelled out. It will have fantastic sequences like chasing a tornado just so mum or Blanche reimagined can say 'everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason'. Yeah Spielberg was born to make films, not just anyone has his instinct for directing, but obviously he had thousands of openings that led him to have the career he's had.

 

Spoiler

To sum up the dearth of interest in the film as it bored its way to its end, I did wake up a bit when it emerged Sammy in shaping his beach film for school had portrayed the bully who beat him up as some kind of adonis. To the point where it messed with the head of the bully. It's unexpected. Sammy says he just pointed the camera to make the best film he could, or maybe he just wanted the bully to be nice for him for 5 minutes, who knows.

 

It's just interesting that he felt no bitterness and seems too distracted anyway by his parents separation to care. It shows a commitment to making the best film he could that is admirable.

 

I didn't give the film an extra half star because David Lynch turns up and is cool and despite meant to be an outlandish (or entirely accurate) depiction of John Ford he comes across as more real than anything else in the film because.. it's David Lynch, he's always real.

 

Other reviews have said that you don't see him fail enough for his journey to be more fulfilling and I think that's a big part of why it all feels like not much of a story really. You see him be inspired by one film in the opening then re create it and make more films but his passion for cinema aside from that? You don't see it. Everything is shaped by his parents but it's done in such a melodramatic unbelievable way, there are shouting matches in this film that are so false I just don't really know what to make of them.

 

That's twice I've said that, just films are generally if nothing else mostly real, or try to be, don't they, how else can you engage with them. No one is coming away from this film thinking they know Spielberg's mum, they're just going to think..what was that. 

 

Going through the trivia, Seth Rogan said that Spielberg was crying a lot on set, not surprising but he said every time he asked Spielberg 'did this happen?' 100% of the time Spielberg would say yes, which...watching the film it's hard to get a sense of any realness at all. I don't believe any of it, which is obviously odd because...it is true, it must be cos Seth Rogan just said so. 

 

Also in the trivia is Spielberg saying his parents were nagging him to make a film about them for years. From the little Spielberg has said about his parents, just his father, saying 'well he'd work long hours and come home late' or whatever, you can imagine that being depicted in a film as a man in 50s attire coming home each night like a stranger as Spielberg is transfixed by films on tv. That image in itself is clichéd but god the melodrama in this, what is it, what's happening. why.

 

I guess I'm just missing what the film is meant to be about, Spielberg said he hoped to focus on that moment you stop seeing your parents as parents and more as human beings. Even with him saying that I can't really think that transition for Sammy as Spielberg occurs. 

[Sidewaysbob]

Guardians of the galaxy holiday special

 

If this doesn't kill off the Marvel franchise that absolutely nothing will !!!

The shark is not merely jumped here, but they clear sub orbital space in the first 10 seconds and keep on going right past Pluto to the Heliosphere with no sign of slowing down, the shark long forgotten. 

 

small children will love it

 

-361 Kevin Bacons gurning out of 5

[glb]

Troll (2022) - 2/5 (Netflix)

 

Think Roar Uthaug‘s mythological romp sits somewhere between the better end of Asylum Film’s output and a decent b-movie.

 

It looks lovely, and even when the characters act inconsistently in line with the child’s crayon squiggle of a plot thread, it’s still pretty engaging. Very silly, but it’s plucky and can’t fault it for that.

 

(#967)

[Clipper]

two films in one night, there is only so much mediocrity I can handle

 

Guns Akimbo (Prime)

 

It wants to be John Wick or Running Man or  an Edgar Wright film  or all three at once and sadly it can't quite match any of them. The concept is neat but hackneyed and the direction and camera work is just annoying alot of the time. The Edward Gunhands thing is funny as a concept and the reality of it is handled very well and can be funny at times. However when the action starts it apes John Wick but the camera work/shot choice is messy in the action scenes so it fails. The whole streaming it to the yoof makes it sound all modern and up to date but this stuff has been handled better in the past (Running Man Truman Show etc). Finally given how Nix was introduced she should kill Miles within seconds, she misses way too much.

 

Positives. Samara Weaving and Daniel Radcliffe put in some good work that the film doesn't deserve. Weaving is channelling Harley Quinn a bit too much but I can forgive her when she gives it so much bite and attack. Radcliffe is great and makes his charatcer pretty much unlikeable for the whole film. The comedic cameo from Rhys Darby is fun, obviously a bit shoehorned in and not easily matching tone but FUN. The whole film feels grubby and frimy throughout which is effective. The rest of the performances and plotting are mediocre at best.

 

Overall the main problem I had was that it was too meh and there wasn't a single likeable character in the film.

 

2/5

 

So short films leave me with time on my hands and Amazon Prime, who know how much I like cheap zombie films offered me

 

Brain Freeze(Prime)

 

Subtitled Quebecian(sp?) zombie ish flick. This is a 1/5 for most people but as a zombie film nut I add a mark as it has some interesting things about it.

 

I am often offered zombie films by Prime and they were obviously shot by a few mates in a car park and their apartments for no money and it is amateur hour. BRain Freeze is actually a proper film with a proper (small) budget, professional actors, special effects and the man holding the camera and director do seem to have some talent. The shot composition was interesting at times, a supermarket sequence where water is raining onto fruit was effective and the moisture filled air rolling off the chilled produce was well done. It painted a decent picture. The effects are good in places with nice makeup altho a reliance on cgi does them no favours at times making some effects look cheap that would've looked better with practical makeup.

 

The actors are not going to win any awards (especially the "twins" later on) but they do a workmanlike job. THe main child actor is actually pretty good and carries his role well.

 

So far so positive ish the main issue is that the humour isn't very funny and the zombie action is not well shot. We have sprinting zombies here which is fine (I suppose!) but too many times we see them start running from standstill when a shot cuts which is poor editing. Similarly the zombies sometimes sprint after the living without a blink of thought and other times they stand around gazing into the air before attacking. There is no consistency and so tension is lost. I think that the idea is that the zombies are acting a bit like grass (see plot below) but it's never properly established or communicated.

 

I mention humour as I think it is meant to be a horror comedy but it is really clunky. The plot is never established properly so it isn't a spoiler to say that the plot is that some rich bastards are using a special green fertiliser on the golf course to ensure the residents of the posh gated community can play golf on lush green grass in the depths of icy winter and snow. Obviously the fertiliser gets into the water table and obviously when humans drink it they turn into zombies. So the idea is that it is a satire on rich people in gated communities wasting the earth's resources and poisoning it and mankind for their own golf needs. Which is something that could work but it is poorly explained (noone says the above in the film there is just a lot of whinging about golfers and then mention of a fertiliser) and isn't developed.

 

There is also a shock jock who seems to be an attempt at lampooning right wing arseholes but that falls flat as well.

 

Oh and they were sponsored by Coca-Cola, either that or they wanted the audience to REALLY know tha the kid doesn't drink the water. I don't notice product placement usually at all but this a blatant red can with label facing camera in a shot that liiiiiingers.

 

So a curio for zombie film fans and worthless to anyone else

 

2/5

 

 

 

[Ork1927]

Avatar 2

 

Long review in its own thread.

 

Very short version - looks lovely, I engaged with it and really enjoyed it and didn’t actually find it too long(?!)

 

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars/5

[Fierce Poodle]

Spirited (Apple TV)

 

 I don’t know what this film is. 
 

2/5

[Art Vandelay]

Die Hard – doesn’t need a rating as it’s obvious really. It’s genuinely a perfect movie, I literally couldn’t fault a second of it.  A few things that really stood out this time are the colour treatment which is just so rich and I dunno, filmic? How every kill feels really significant but that doesn’t detract from the amount of action. Finally when John is beating up the long haired baddie at the end how he’s just slogging him around his ribs and torso until he gets a bit tired. That is so much more visually interesting than any choreographed fight. 

[schmojo]

Caveat

 

Another low budget horror from Shudder, but one of the better ones. A guy takes a gig looking after a friend's niece in an isolated house.

 

Nice and tight at 90 mins with some good unease and tension.

 

3/5

[Dark Soldier]

The Stranger (2022)

 

Joel Edgerton plays an undercover cop gaining the trust of a person believed to have abducted and murdered a child 10 years ago.

 

Based on a true case. Australian. Sean Harris, who I think is one of the greatest actors of his generation, plays the suspect and is as ever fucking incredible.

 

Dark,nasty, slowburn of a thriller. Fantastic film.

 

5/5

[Ry]

The Banshees of Inshirin -5/5

 

I honestly can't fault it. Just a wonderfully written, shot and acted film. Oh... and fucking hilarious. Can't think of a better film I have seen this year and it deserves every award that's no doubt coming it's way. 

 

Avatar 2 -2/5

 

Nice looking cartoon. Everything Banshees is not. 

[cassidy]

The Amazing Maurice 

 

Watched this earlier this afternoon and seeing as I've not read this Pratchett book. I loved the entire thing and it's funny and great. 

 

4/5

 

 

 

 

[Stanley]

The Snowman 5/5

 

Gets me every time.