Movies you're watching

[SleepingDog]

i don't watch many movies, but i guess i'll voice a few opinions from now on.

The last 2 movie i watched was Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi and star wars episode IX: the rise of skywalker. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi i thought was pretty good, good set pieces, story whilst simple was fine. The rise of skywalker I found it ok, it wasn't terrible. but there were one or 2 things in both movies that made me go "wait a sec, why couldn't..." or "that's a bit stupid don't you think?" or "BS!, this is piss poor story telling!" I won't go into the story as its too spoilerific but would i recommend it? Not a film/stars wars buff so i can't really comment.

Star Wars is an odd beast. I agree that the last two movies in the latest trilogy were not at their best but acceptable. I did think that "The Force Awakens" and "Rogue One" were excellent and it is a shame that the following films did not live up to the expectations generated by the first two. It is interesting that the general public seem to prefer TRoS to TLJ while the critics thought otherwise (see Rotten Tomatoes).

I am a big fan of the first 3 Star War films but back in those days I was a young man and believed that we could change the world for the better. Know better now. I could never get into the middle trilogy and have given up on them.

PS On Disney+ I have managed to see the first 5 episodes of "Andor" which is a prequel to "Rogue One" - very good. It is an origin story for Andor. Also watched the mini-series " Obi Wan-Kenobi" which is about how he lost his faith and regained it. A sort of origin story told well and good action sequences using light sabres!

 

[Johnway]

Star Wars is an odd beast. I agree that the last two movies in the latest trilogy were not at their best but acceptable. I did think that "The Force Awakens" and "Rogue One" were excellent and it is a shame that the following films did not live up to the expectations generated by the first two. It is interesting that the general public seem to prefer TRoS to TLJ while the critics thought otherwise (see Rotten Tomatoes).

I am a big fan of the first 3 Star War films but back in those days I was a young man and believed that we could change the world for the better. Know better now. I could never get into the middle trilogy and have given up on them.

PS On Disney+ I have managed to see the first 5 episodes of "Andor" which is a prequel to "Rogue One" - very good. It is an origin story for Andor. Also watched the mini-series " Obi Wan-Kenobi" which is about how he lost his faith and regained it. A sort of origin story told well and good action sequences using light sabres!

yeah Rogue one was excellent. i think the more gritty take on the star war universe, the plot made sense, wasn't tainted with Force BS and a bitter sweet ending did it wonders. I would be surprised if there was anyone cynical enough to call rogue one a star wars version of the dirty dozen and therefore wasn't good. Not watched the other spins off like Solo though.

I'm starting to wonder whether the story/concepts were dumbed down for a younger audience as it did some overly simplistic/plot holes in some of the movies. baddies that verged on saturday morning cartoon villains etc. Personally the rise of skywalker might have been a more interesting ending if the jedi/sith were completely wiped out leaving just the republic to pick up the pieces and given true hope to forge their future without force/jedi/sith influence or something, but then it wouldn't make sense calling it the rise of skywalker. then again the link was tenuous at best in the movie.

 

[SleepingDog]

The Good Nurse [2022]

Jessica Chastain
Eddie Redmayne

The film is "based" on a true story. It is set mainly in an American hospital with two themes running through it. The first is the friendship between Amy and Charles who are nurses. The other theme is the murder mystery but this not an Agatha Christie and you get an inkling of who is the killer early on. It is, imo, more of how will they catch the killer rather than who is the killer. Finally there are comments on the American health system and it's culpability in the killings.

The time went quickly, the acting by the two main characters was excellent and the camera work gave it a feel of a drama-documentary rather than watching a piece of fiction.

I would score it 70 to 80 while for my wife it would be 80+.

PS Saw it at the cinema yesterday but suspect it would be just as good on the small screen. Also available on Netflix.

 

[Brian Boru]

Mr. Harrigan's Phone 2022, 1h 44m
Donald Sutherland
Jaeden Martell
Joe Tippett
This is a great movie based on a Stephen King short story. Don't take the IMDb score of 6 as an indication, that's likely from SK fans expecting gore and horror—similar to what happened to The Langoliers' ratings. Huh, even worse on R Tomatoes, where its only listed genre is Horror—that's just not right, this is drama with a light touch of paranormal.

My first time seeing Jaeden, and boy is he one to watch—if Daniel Radcliffe ever does a twin movie, this is the other guy! Superb job here, not outshone by another stellar Donald performance.

Watching the two leads at the top of their game is the main draw, but it's very well made and paced too, with a nice undercurrent of unrushed tension. We're in @mainer country, which is beautifully shot.

9/10

 

[Brian Boru]

Uncharted 2022, 1h 56m
Tom Holland
Mark Wahlberg
Antonio Banderas
Based on the game franchise, which I haven't played—I hope the games are better than this. It's a comedy with loads of action and CGI, and the plot is standard fare like Indiana Jones, National Treasure, Romancing the Stone etc etc.

It's ok to kill time, but just a very bland monotone.

5/10

 

[Frindis]

My Pirates of the Caribbean marathon:

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Good effects, sound&music, and a bunch of excellent pirates. Jack Sparrow played by Johnny Deep and Hector Barbossa played by Geoffrey Rush as the best ones. Also a decent story and one that unfolds for the most part perfectly. 9/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
As with the other movie, this one is also pretty high up there. Johnny Depp is doing another great job but in the movie, I want to give the gold star to Bill Nighy who plays Davy Jones. Excellent CGI and animation and he looks like somebody you don't mess with! Another great character in this movie is Tia Dalma aka Calypso, played by Naomie Harris. Honorable mention to Bootstrap Bill played by Stellan Skarsgård. Overall a pretty good movie, almost as good as the first one. 8/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Not as good as the others. The story is not up to par and it feels a bit rushed. The acting is overall pretty good and I have to bring up the ranting between Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa as the best part. Tia Dalma gets a larger role in this movie and while I found her Calypso version to be pretty bad, she does what she does best as Tia Dalma with her rotten teeth smile and excellent "What Can You Tell Me About Voodoo?" acting. 7/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
I tried watching this movie but managed to fall asleep at least two times. It's not horrible, but the story and dialogues are boring. Not much really happened in this movie, just a long struggle to get to the fountain of youth and can't say any of the actors stood out in this one. 5/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
We are so far at the end of the series. The plot is better than Stranger Tides (but not by much) and the whole Trident of Poseidon story and the diary with the gem is a bit farfetched for me. It felt like it was put in there juuust so you could have a happy ending, which is not very piraty in my eyes. One thing that was really cool in this movie is the first escape scene with the safe. Well made and fun to watch. Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar does a good job and his costume/visual effects are well done. The most creepy-looking pirate in the series by a long shot. The CGI of Captain Salazar's ship also stands out as being quite maleficent. 6/10

Overall, the best movie is The Curse of The Black Pearl. The story, plot, music, and acting just hit the spot. As shown with the rest of the movies, it is not easy to reproduce the magic from the first one, and often as it is with movie series, the first one is the best.

 

[Brian Boru]

Pirates of the Caribbean marathon

Damn, that's a lot of rum in one go—I bet your ears are still flappin'

I didn't realize the support was so good, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy and Stellan Skarsgård are high on my list. Maybe I must watch the first 2 sometime.

 

[Zloth]

Stranger Tides was a little harder to follow, but it was a good one when I watched it again. It would be REALLY hard to follow if you're nodding off!

 

[Brian Boru]

REALLY hard to follow if you're nodding off

Give the guy a break, he was on 4th flagon of rum by then. It's no coincidence his ratings decrease with each increase in ear flap rate

 

[Brian Boru]

Man on a Ledge 2012 1h 42m
Sam Worthington
Elizabeth Banks
Jamie Bell
Ed Harris
Kyra Sedgwick

Good caper-heist movie, moves along nicely, fun.
Cast are fine, Ed and Kyra ham it up while Sam & Elizabeth pull off double duty as the leads and pretty ones. Gunfights and car chases, but not dominant. Plot is decent and twisty without any major flaws that I saw.

Worth a watch for entertainment.
7/10

 

[Brian Boru]

Captain Phillips 2013 2h 14m
Tom Hanks
Barkhad Abdi
Barkhad Abdirahman
Superb suspense action thriller based on the hijacking of a container ship off Somalia in 2009. I couldn't believe the IMDb trivia that "None of the Somali actors in the film had ever acted before", that's incredible!

Tom Hanks has done a De Niro too much for my liking—ie phoned it in too often in later years—but he's in top form for this one. Kudos to whoever decided to cut the homefront drama in editing, thereby keeping the focus on the hijack. Everything is good in this one.

9/10

 

[Frindis]

Krampus (2015)
No idea why it has only 6,2 on IMBD because this movie is good. Emjay Anthony as Max does a good job and the rest of the cast is overall enjoyable without getting any Oscars any time soon. The story is great and the special effects are spot on. Not much to put my finger on, as it does the job quite well of bringing some Christmasy horror to our chimneys. 8/10

 

[ipman]

I've always enjoyed sci fi and rewatched Ex Machina(YT) again last night. There's an intriguing relationship between the three main protagonists and of course it examines the relationship between humans and a AI humanoid.
But also it references the idea of mega rich individuals playing at being gods, there's even a reference to the Bluebeard folktale where Nathan has multiple humanoid women stashed in cupboards.

It's another glimpse into a near dystopian future, like Bladerunner, Black Mirror or WD's Legion.

 

[marshwell1]

Currently, i am watching Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). It's a fantastic spectacle, but it doesn't provide fans a reason to watch it again for truly significant reasons like compelling characters or relatable struggles... It's a shame, since the show is amazing. Cameron's early films resembled John Carpenter's in that they had a relentless drive and a sleek, shark-like appearance.

 

[Sarafan]

Finished Archive a few minutes ago and wow! I just need to share this! What an ending! It's clearly influenced by one of the most notable writers, but I won't spoil which one. Great and very deep movie. It raises the same themes and problems as Ex Machina mentioned above, but is even better! The IMDB rating is way too low. Worth watching even solely to experience the finish. If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch it there until January 9th:

Watch Archive online – Prime Video

2049. A roboticist, George Almore is on the verge of a breakthrough. Stationed at a remote, secret facility, he has been working on a model that is a true, human equivalent android. His latest prototype, J3, is almost complete. Development of J3 has been achieved through two earlier prototypes...

www.primevideo.com

I had my jaw on the ground once the movie came to an end.

 

[Brian Boru]

As there are a few results for "Archive", here's a link.

Thanks @Sarafan, sounds right up my alley

PS it's also available on Tubi, if you don't mind ads.

 

[mark-o_]

I like films on different topics, but I will highlight the film Pirates of the Caribbean, especially I advise you to watch the second part even if you have already watched it, this is a masterpiece !!!!

 

[SHaines]

Krampus (2015)
No idea why it has only 6,2 on IMBD because this movie is good. Emjay Anthony as Max does a good job and the rest of the cast is overall enjoyable without getting any Oscars any time soon. The story is great and the special effects are spot on. Not much to put my finger on, as it does the job quite well of bringing some Christmasy horror to our chimneys. 8/10

I remember the reviews for this being pretty glowing (the few I'd seen). I decided to check it out a few years back and couldn't make it to the 30 minute mark. I think the issue is that I can't enjoy a movie where every character is a broadly drawn parody of a human being. If no one feels like a person I'd be willing to sit in a room with for five minutes, I sure as hell won't watch a movie featuring them.

 

[Frindis]

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Somehow this got over 7,3 on IMBD (remind me to never care for an IMBD score ever again) I'm not even sure if it is trying to be a parody (there is another movie, sooo perhaps it is living up to the theme) of the detective genre or if the script was written by some teenagers who thought Poirot meant Butler. The first few minutes of the movie had potential, but then angry hero woman decides to bash in a wooden box and suddenly more and more annoying characters emerges in front of the camera and I understand that this is not going to be a pleasant journey. Is it Crime? Is it comedy? Is it horror? Well it is not Oscar material.

3/10 because Daniel Craig suit was the best thing with the movie and he somehow managed to make this movie....something.


Smile (2022)
The plot: Woman get cursed by an evil spirit and must find a way to survive. Sounds familiar? It is not bad though, it was for the most parts a pleasant journey. The gore well made, not overly disgusting, but just enough to make you a little uncomfortable in the chair. The main character Rose played by Sosie Bacon does a good job at slowly loosing her mind and I think she portrays being utterly terrified by the evil entity spot on, just how I would be if I found out I missed a free AAA game from Epic Games Christmas calendar.

The one thing that makes this movie drop some scores is that it does not do a good job at keeping up the momentum and there is some cheap jump scares that was not needed at all. There is some well played creepiness in the movie, but it could have been so much more! It always irritates me when a movie have potential, but decided to go the cheap way out, not to mention an ending that you knew were coming a mile away. I keep thinking about Hereditary and how that movie never really makes you put your guard down. There is always something lurking in the corner or in the shadows or in the soundtrack. If only Smile borrowed some of that delicious suspense, I think Smile would have been one of the scariest movies in a long time. 6/10

 

[Brian Boru]

being utterly terrified by the evil entity spot on, just how I would be if I found out I missed a free AAA game from Epic Games Christmas calendar

Let's all hope @WoodenSaucer recovers in time for next year.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Let's all hope @WoodenSaucer recovers in time for next year.

Haha. I think I'll be ok. I don't have a shortage of games to play.

 

[Johnway]

Well over Christmas i managed to watch a couple of movies. mostly because it was Christmas and nothing else to do. Especially true when i had a migraine, a blocked sinus and toothaches:



The secret life of pets 2 - meh its basically a hodgepodge of stories combined into a film. sort of like a whole load of side stories they had cut from original movie and spliced into something coherent and made a movie from it. Not terrible, but not exactly great. Watched it as there was nothing else on.


ghost busters 2 - Again nothing else was on and i didn't remember the details of the first time i watched it. I liked it enough but all said and done i don't care for it that much.


shaun the sheep: farmageddon - An Ardman production that i haven't seen. For the most part i liked it, had some funny moments and the production was top notch. I pretty much watched it because it was an ardman production tbh.

The Mitchells vs The Machines - Wasn't sure what i was going to get with this animated movie. A story of a dysfunctional family who becomes humanities last hope when an AI decides to take over the world by capturing and killing all the humans. I found it interesting enough to watch, it was stylish had some funny moments and heart felt moments. That said there were some cringy or cliched moments that didn't sit well with me and felt like it cheapened the movie. Still, wasn't bad.

1917 - The real highlight of my Christmas viewing. I thought it was very good. The story is simple, but what makes it brilliant was the production values. The feeling that the whole thing was filmed in one take as it flowed from one scene/setting to the next almost seamlessly was brilliant. Top notch acting, well made set pieces (crossing no mans land was good), some tense moments like trekking through a destroyed village occupied by German forces and not knowing who's friend or foe in the dark. Well worth a watch.

 

[Johnway]

New years i decided to watch another movie this time it was No time to die. The latest James bond movie and Daniel Craig's final outing. I enjoyed this one, the story/plot was intriguing and tense, all the acting was good and it walked the tightrope of being deadly serious and humorous that many of the 007 movies fall into. A great blend of action, drama and tension throughout and a great send off for Daniel Craig and i suppose the James bond franchise itself unless they want to reboot the whole thing again. Well worth a watch.

 

[Frindis]

Watched the documentary movie River [2021] directed by Jennifer Peedom & Joseph Nizeti(co-director). Narrated by Willem Dafoe and music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra. The visuals are very good and the music fits perfectly. Dafoe got a pleasant voice throughout the movie and the movie is about the majestic rivers and how they are connected to us humans in both good and bad ways. Humans often come out as the evil culprit of course and the movie got a lot of: "Save the world, be nice to nature, and think of the poor people and your ancestors mumbo jumbo", but I do think it manages to get a message out about how wonderful nature is and how we should respect it more. Overall, it is a good movie if you want to watch beautiful nature and soothing narration. 7/10

 

[Brian Boru]

Forever Strong 2008 1h 52m
Sean Faris
Penn Badgley
Gary Cole
Standard feelgood redemption-thru-sports movie, which isn't well done. Based on the phenomenal career of Larry Gelwix who coached a high school rugby team for 35 years in Salt Lake City and amassed a 419-10 record, incl 20 national titles.

The rugby scenes are weird—some are good, and some are terrible. The sport plot has a huge hole in it, of taking a kid from one position and playing him in another highly specialized position—that should NEVER happen, recipe for serious injury. The foul plays shown would've had players sent off every time.

If you don't know rugby and like feelgood material, then is could work for you.

4/10.