Movies you're watching

[Frindis]

Soooooo, Cocaine Bear. Directed by Elizabeth Banks and with stars like Keri Russell, Aldan Ehrenreich, Kristofer Hivju, Margo Martindale, and most importantly: Ray Liotta's last performance before his death. Wonderful actor and if you have not seen him before, go watch Goodfellas ASAP!

The movie had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it was waaaaaaaaay overhyped and I fell for it because come on, it's about a BEAR on Cocaine! and that is quite rare to see at the cinemas. What I enjoyed about the movie was the scenes with the bear. The bear was the best actor by a long shot and the way it reacted to drugs and maimed the people around was a work of art. Too bad there were not that many scenes with it.

Instead of focusing on more cool bear scenes, they made the movie quite unbearable at times by having so damn many different side stories to fill. There is one about the kids, one about the different bad guys, one about the Scandinavians and one about some love between park rangers, and then one about a cop and his new dog, and.....get the picture? It is so stupid, so mindbogglingly poorly written, that I almost got angry at times. Thankfully the bear saved the day and helped me keep my sanity intact. 6/10 and that is ONLY because of the bear and for Ray Liotta, may he rest in peace.

 

[Zloth]

That reminds me of the old Airport movies, @Frindis. Or at least how I remember them when trying to watch them as a kid. They were movies about an airplane crashing, except they spend FOR EVER (warning: 8 year old's definition) covering all the passengers' back stories. They won't even get on the airplane until the movie is half done!

Even Airplane!, while spoofing the series, was smart enough not to do that.

P.S. If you or someone in your life is looking to repeat the iconic scene in Wonder Woman where she sneaks a sword into a fancy dress party, this video will help:

View: https://youtu.be/hJ5Z6awBSb8

 

[Johnway]

Finally gotten round to watching Spiderman: No way home. Truth be told i had watched about half of it earlier and then didn't find the time nor had the feeling to watch the rest of it. But yeah i enjoyed it. i think it was a pretty good finish to the Spiderman Homecoming trilogy and sets it up quite nicely for the multiverse arc for marvel movies. I don't want to be spoil anything but i thought it had some good ideas and great to see various actors make a return etc.

 

[Zloth]

No Way Home is the only Spiderman movie (of any era) that I bought. It was a good'n, even though I didn't even see the movie that came before it.

 

[Johnway]

No Way Home is the only Spiderman movie (of any era) that I bought. It was a good'n, even though I didn't even see the movie that came before it.

Far from home wasn't a bad one either. How mysterio actually functioned in the movie made a lot more sense and was more plausible compared to the cartoon iteration. its a good thing that no way home does a sort of 10 minute recap as to the previous movie but yeah not as shocking as seeing it at the end of the movie compared to the start. But far from home certainly got my fired up and eager to catch no way home.

Now i need to decide what to watch next. Presumably its going to be doctor strange or might try and catch some of the other marvel movies and cross them off.

 

[Zloth]

Now i need to decide what to watch next. Presumably its going to be doctor strange or might try and catch some of the other marvel movies and cross them off.

The "What If" TV series is fun. Loki's series is even better.

 

[Johnway]

I had a bit of time to spare this morning so i decided to watch a movie. In this case it was The curse of the golden flower (2006)

A Wuxia drama, the movie revolves the imperial family and the tragedy leading up to The Double Ninth Festival. Like game of thrones, the royal family is varying degrees of messed up; scheming, incest, betrayal and tragedy are to be expected. The movie itself was adequate i guess, the locales, choregraphy and the epic scale are a real highlight. Everything else, i'm not so sure. The story is interesting and is engrossing to see how everything just falls apart and there's some good acting, i think the delivery of the story is bit flakey in places, monotone and just didn't feel like it was building up tension.

The finale when the rebel soldiers dressed in gold do battle in the courtyard was exciting, but was over too soon and didn't have any of the tempo you would find in a good war/battle movie. Typically they would have a mix zigzag of disastrous lows followed by morale boosting highs as the battle is pushed and pulled from victory/defeat. In truth it reaches a peak (the imperial courtyard with the banner) and then it just slowly goes downwards from there.

So... its an adequate movie. wouldn't consider a must see movie though. So maybe 6/10.

 

[Brian Boru]

Short Movies

I recently found a YT resource with hundreds of indie shorts in the 10-20m range. Watched 5-6 of 'em so far, and quality looks quite good.

https://www.youtube.com/@Omeleto/playlists

 

[Brian Boru]

The Mauritanian 2021 2h 9m
Tahar Rahim
Jodie Foster
Benedict Cumberbatch
Intense and compelling, based on a true story of one of the Guantanamo detainees. Amazing it didn't get a single Oscar nomination, while getting 5 significant nominations at the BAFTAs.

Tahar is outstanding, Jodie is excellent, and Benedict is fine in a limited role. Direction, editing, cinematography—all top notch.

It's a low-key movie, eg there isn't much violence shown—the real-life subject has stated that "his treatment in Guantanamo was much more brutal and inhumane than portrayed in this movie." That probably fits with the book—"Many reviewers were surprised at how lacking in bitterness Slahi was…"

10/10

 

[Brian Boru]

Charlie Wilson's War 2007 1h 42m
Tom Hanks
Julia Roberts
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director Mike Nichols, Writers Aaron Sorkin

Strong team for this, and they deliver. While it's based on real people and events, history takes a back seat and we get a good entertaining comedy and drama.

I'm a big Hoffman fan and he delivers in spades, at least as good as Tom who also gives a fine performance while making an apparently crass horse trader into a likeable flawed character. Julia is ok, not going to change me into a fan with this.

The script is the highlight, Sorkin at his superb best, and Nichols does it justice.

8/10

 

[ipman]

^Yes that is a good film. I was doing some research into the funding of the Mujahideen by Charlie Wilson and his fundraisers. How many terrorists were released from Egyptian jails and formed Al Qaeda in Afghanistan(CIA involved) . I couldn't believe they'd made a film about it.

And yes big Philip Seymour Hoffman fan(hard to believe he's gone), Capote, Synecdouche New York, and supporting in films like 25th Hour and The Big Lebowski.

 

[Brian Boru]

Couple of mildly entertaining romps, both 5/10—you won't waste your time with them, but they're nowhere near the watch again category:

R.I.P.D. 2013 1h 36m
Kevin Bacon
Ryan Reynolds
Jeff Bridges
Mary-Louise Parker
Limbo's celestial police force, sent back to Earth to catch 'Deados'. Men In Black lite—very lite.
5/10

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2003 1h 50m
Sean Connery
Stuart Townsend
Peta Wilson
1899, a bunch of fictional characters are gotten together to foil a warmonger's dastardly scheme—Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Dr Jekyll, etc.
5/10

 

[ipman]

(Just found a free film channel so expect some reviews).

Just watched Scorsese's The Aviator, the biopic of Howard Hughes; inventor, film maker and individual who took on America's corporate monolpoly of aviation travel. He also made some daring films and as an individual took on Hollywood's corporate domination of the film industry.

He also designed with Richard Palmer the H-1 which he flew at 352 MPH breaking the US speed record. In 1938 he flew around the world in 3 days/19hours a new record at that time.

It contrasts many things; the underhand tactics of corporations, incredible developments in aviation design, Hughes's personal life and mental decline.

And what a cast.

 

[Brian Boru]

what a cast

Hah, I don't remember Data being in it! But yeah, quite a cast.

I saw it a long time ago and see my IMDB rating is 5/10—I don't recall why, but strongly suspect it's due to Scorsese's occasional weakness for drawing stuff out… nearly 3 hours may have been overcooked.

 

[Frindis]

Mother (2009) directed by Bong Joon Ho.

The story is about a mother (big shocker there) and her mentally challenged son who gets imprisoned for killing a woman. That is quite unmotherly of him, so mother starts her own investigation to find out what really happened. Ok movie, nothing special from what plot is concerned. Mother plays well but the son I got some Sam Dawson (I Am Sam) vibes from him. You never go full R, as Kirk Lazarus aka Hot LZ from Trophic Thunder gallantly put it. 6/10

 

[ipman]

Hah, I don't remember Data being in it! But yeah, quite a cast.

I saw it a long time ago and see my IMDB rating is 5/10—I don't recall why, but strongly suspect it's due to Scorsese's occasional weakness for drawing stuff out… nearly 3 hours may have been overcooked.

Had to look that up because he looked so much older in the film. He was the one where Howard gets upset by a piece of fluff on his collar, but liked the plane design.

Yes it was long, but just like gaming I go off have a break, lunch whatever, and enjoyed it. I have some OCD problems and always found HH a fascinating character. He certainly knew how to charm beautiful women.

Just glad to be getting interested in films again.

 

[Brian Boru]

A League of Their Own 1992, 2h 8m
Tom Hanks
Geena Davis
Lori Petty
Rosie O'Donnell
Madonna
Fictionalized account of the start of the women's pro baseball league in the US during WW2. There's some feelgood, some feelbad, and some comedy. Geena is excellent and Lori and Tom are good. It's 30-40 minutes too long—a lot of the beginning wouldn't have been missed, and some of the middle too. But it's ok.

6/10

 

[Brian Boru]

Where the Crawdads Sing 2022, 2h 5m
Daisy Edgar-Jones
Taylor John Smith
Harris Dickinson
Close to a perfect movie of its type. Based on a best-selling book which I haven't read, it reminds me a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird which I read many decades ago. Similar setting and social commentary.

Daisy is outstanding, and the supporting cast are all fine. You could knock it as a bit long, but it's so mesmerizing I sure didn't realize it'd been over 2 hours when it ended. Direction is excellent and the cinematography is truly beautiful.

95/100

 

[ra334]

"Godzilla vs. Kong" is a 2021 monster film directed by Adam Wingard, and it is the fourth installment in the "MonsterVerse" film series. The film features two iconic movie monsters, Godzilla and King Kong, as they battle each other in an epic showdown.
The plot revolves around a team of humans who embark on a journey to find a new home for Kong, while Godzilla begins to attack cities seemingly at random. As the two monsters cross paths, a battle for the ages ensues, with humanity caught in the middle.
The film boasts impressive visual effects and action sequences, with the battles between Godzilla and Kong being the highlights of the movie. The film also features a talented cast, including Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, and Rebecca Hall, who deliver solid performances.
However, the plot and character development in the movie are lacking, with the human characters feeling underdeveloped and the story feeling somewhat predictable. Despite this, the movie is an enjoyable watch for fans of the "MonsterVerse" series and for those who appreciate action-packed films.
Overall, "Godzilla vs. Kong" is a visually impressive film with exciting monster battles, but it falls short in terms of plot and character development.

 

[Brian Boru]

Lou 2022, 1h 47m
Allison Janney
Jurnee Smollett
Logan Marshall-Green
Set on the same Orcas Island as What Remains of Edith Finch, this is a fine movie. I like these wild outdoors suspense settings, and Allison plays a stormer in this one as an older bad-ass lead, very impressive.
Jurnee and Logan are fine too, and of course the scenery is brilliant—apparently the director was a top cinematographer, and it shows. Well done all round.

8/10

 

[ipman]

Talking of 'Orcas', came across this really obscure American film that I can guarantee you won't forget.

It is really about a 'boat trip' made by three unlikely friends; an old navy guy with long finger nails, a cop and a likeable rich kid.
The whole film is basically the set up, how the three friends meet, what brings them together, their common quest. (Spoiler: it doesn't end well for one of them).

But it does contain one of my favourite scenes from film history, just the three friends chatting over a drink on their boat the Orca.

Orca tales.

 

[Brian Boru]

A Knight's Tale 2001, 2h 12m
Heath Ledger
Mark Addy
Rufus Sewell
Fun little romp thru Chaucer's time, with many bucks swashled and bosoms heaved—action, romance, comedy. The comedy is chuckly and the music choices are very good.

5/10

 

[Zloth]

?? That sounds like a good review. Why the 5/10 score?

 

[Brian Boru]

Why the 5/10 score?

Without the humor and music, you're looking at maybe 3/10. Quality all round is quite low, Saturday morning level. Part of the humor is the eyeroll bits

 

[Frindis]

Bullet Train (2022)

Directed by David Leitch and stars Brad Pitt (Ladybug), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Tangerine), Brian Tyree Henry (Lemon), Joey King (Prince) and others.

I thought the characters Ladybug, Tangerine, and Lemon were played well. Especially T & P had a good dynamic and they take me back to the Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels/Snatch days with the socially awkward but deadly relationship that manages to make most situations for the worse. Ladybug was an interesting character and one I thought would evolve differently in the movie. Ladybug is just insanely lucky/unlucky ALL the time and at times it is quite funny. Still not sure how the hell Ladybug is a veteran assassin, because the cleanup crew on aisle seven would have quit their job eons ago.

The bad thing about the movie is that it could have been better welded together in the seams. Some of the humor is not working to the point of being awkward and several characters got a tough guy/gal attitude that just does not work. One of the gals is obviously a big reference to Daryl Hanna's role as Elle Driver in Kill Bill, but while Elle Driver had all the right traits for the job, this gal seemed misplaced, especially considering she is the one who makes most of the people in the movie look like Joffrey Baratheon after Tyrion Lannister serves him right.

I think the problem is that the director puts in way too many tropes and fails at making that really good omelet. So it still tastes good, but you know you have eaten better. The movie is basically Happy Gilmore trying to put while also trying to be Roy Hobbs from The Natural but not managing to hit that homerun. It is Neo from Matrix trying to grab both the red and blue pill at the same time but ends up looking like the Lawnmower Man before he is hooked up to the juice machine. It is Raymond Rabbit from Rain Man trying to count all the matches from the ground, but then he comes to the realization he is actually Sam Dawson from I Am Sam.

See what I did there at the end? This is why the movie did not work.


6/10