The Last Movie You Saw?

[TheDarkKratos]

Sound of Freedom (2023).

 

A well made true film based on very disturbing child trafficking events. If this movie doesn't bring you to tears by the end, then nothing will.

[Crzy Minus]

[Slava]

Robot Dreams

 

 

A cute story about people without a single human that says a lot without a single spoken word.

 

It's hard to find friends and harder to keep them. It feels bad to be alone and feels worse to be separated from your friend. Should you move on and treasure your memories or do anything to try to reconnect? Robot Dreams explores all of the above and more. 

 

The movie does a great job of portraying New York's different cultures as well. These little moments fill the setting with life. It also uses the dream sequences well. Some of the most creative moments find their place in them.

 

It also makes you gain a new level of appreciation for Earth, Wind & Fire's September. What a brilliant timeless song. 🎶Ba de ya, say do you remember?🎶

[Redgrave]

 

I guess this was one of the few movies Arnold did when he started going back into acting though this one is more dramatic than action oriented. I sort of knew what it was about before watching it but I didn't know what fully happened. I was kind of expecting a sort of generic zombie story but this one kind of has a twist in which it takes place in a setting where a virus they call Necroambulism (I had to look that up to make sure I spelled it right) has gone around which makes people into zombies but unlike some zombie settings the world isn't in complete collapse and there is something in the way of law and order. They don't show too much but cities seem to be under curfew and you can go visit the doctor and call the police still. Pretty sure there is even talk of going back to school too although they mention how teachers and students are missing.

 

So yeah, I like that it felt like a different zombie setting. Otherwise it's about how Arnold's daughter is infected with the zombie virus and the slow transformation she goes through. They did pretty well showing how painful and stressful it would be. Like there's a part where Maggie breaks her finger and it doesn't seem to really hurt her though she winds up cutting it off herself. Then there's the conflict of how Arnold is supposed to handle her. It feels like the disease could have been anything really and the movie wouldn't change much but it being a zombie thing gave it a different perspective from other zombie media since it shows how a father would react and would be conflicted since it's his own daughter.

 

It wasn't until after watching it I had the thought of that assuming it wasn't already done, with the title of the movie I'm sure it's a matter of time until The Simpsons does a Treehouse of Horror skit on this. Also the color palette made me think of The Road but the setting isn't as bleak as The Road.

 

 

More like Nothing in Particular Comes at Night. It is another movie where there is a disease however unlike Maggie it's not entirely clear what it is or what it does apart from apparently give someone boils and puke black blood as shown at the beginning with one of the main character's granddad. You're not told or shown very much outside of an isolated house in the middle of the woods with the main family who wind up taking another family. The main character Travis has nightmares about his granddad and seeing himself outside of the house at night which they aren't supposed to do.

 

To be honest I was disappointed with this. I think the mystery and set up is fine but it feels like there isn't much in the way of a payoff. You do get to see the two families conflict which I think was done really well but the mysteries don't really get resolved and there is a lot that is left up in the air. I read something about how the director gave some vague non-answer to everything and I'm quite tired of that because it feels like the directors way of saying "I couldn't think of a proper explanation but if I act like it was intentionally vague then that means it will appear to be deeper than it really is" and I just get tired of seeing it in any kind of story.

 

It's ironic since this came from A24 which did The Lighthouse that I really liked but I think the difference between the two is that the insanity of The Lighthouse came from the isolation and things are built up nicely whereas It Comes at Night feels like things are set up but then the movie moves on to the next thing before really doing anything with it. Also The Lighthouse has Willem Dafoe do the sailors version of the Marine copypasta when Robert Pattinson doesn't say he's fond of his lobster.

[wolvieware]

Watched another couple this week:

 

The Greatest Beer Run Ever - a supposedly true story of a guy who went to the Vietnam war just to drop off beer to his friends fighting there. It was actually really good, balanced light hearted fun and darker war themes well. It was interesting and kept my attention. I did think the main guy was a bit of an idiot though, how accurate that is to real life who knows! 
 

Transformer: Rise of the Beasts - I was quite looking forward to this one as I really like the first Transformers movie and the Bumblebee one, and I liked the idea of robot animals in this. Unfortunately I think the series had fallen back into its bad habits - poor story, not that great CGI, and although some good action just overall a bit bland. 

[xEl_Cidx]

 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

[sk_lp_him]

The Beekeeper

[ChilledBrandon]

 

Dark Waters (2019)

 

Great legal thriller. Mark Ruffalo was excellent.

[eduartpxx]

[Caquis_1]

[Shaowsintzu]

No Hard Feelings (2023)

Role Play (2024)

Boogie (2021)

[Redgrave]

 

This was certainly a strange one that I found while looking up something else. Admittedly I was grabbed by the poster since creatures and things that look like that I find creepy. It's a found footage movie that goes back and forth between found footage and what I am assuming is the camera perspective of the evil lurking about. It's about two kids that are left home alone while their parents are in the hospital because of some kind of virus going around. There is something in the way of world building because it shows them looking at news segments and it's some kind of virus that apparently children are immune to and adults seem to drop dead from it. Despite this, the kids are rather nonchalant about the whole situation to where they decide to just film themselves doing stuff throughout the day.

 

However things get strange and ominous when they are both getting footage of things happening in their house and other haunting things. I know it's an old complaint in horror movies to think "Why don't they just call the police?" but I was wondering why they didn't especially since they are told by the CDC that in case of emergencies they can call 9-1-1. It also somehow seemed like the world outside didn't become an anarchic nightmare while also managing to keep food and electricity. Admittedly I found a lot of moments to be creepy or tense despite it feeling mid-budget.

 

Spoilers for the ending.

 

Spoiler

It's eventually revealed that the thing watching them is some kind of demon called a Wanderer or something like that and apparently their parents made a deal with it to sacrifice their children for fame and fortune. In the credits sequence there's a part that I guess is a message from the director saying that everyone around them dying was an illusion made by the demon to influence the kids' decision on making a deal with it or not. To be honest I didn't really understand the ending. The implication I got was that they beat the demon somehow and things went back to normal with them seeing their parents again. Although if their parents really did make a deal with the demon they would probably be pretty pissed and grow up to be mistrustful of their parents and other authority figures.

 

 

Since I watched the other Harry Potter movies I figured I may as well try these too despite hearing they weren't good. I had hoped that it was a Hobbit trilogy situation where it turned out they really weren't that bad and that mainly holds true for the first one however the sequels I totally understand. To be honest my main motivation for wanting to see them also was seeing Mads Mikkelsen do Dark Wizard stuff in the third one and I completely forgot that he was cast in Johnny Depp's place because of the Amber Heard stuff so I thought he was going to be a completely different character.

 

Anyway, the first one I thought was fine since it lives up to the name. I liked the character of Newt and the side characters he was with and how he would go around finding the magical critters of the Wizarding World. Some of them were in the Hogwarts Legacy game too which was nice to see and I figured at least some of the ones I saw in the game were from this or mentioned in the books. But yeah, there was some charm to it which is why I was confused and let down by the sequels.

 

I'm not one to ask how accurate the lore is from Fantastic Beasts to the main Harry Potter series but I know the sequels wind up retconning stuff for no real reason. On top of that the main threat, Grindelwald, feels like he's supposed to be a Voldemort figure but he just doesn't really feel all that effective especially since I'm not entirely sure what his motives were. I guess at one point he talks about how he wants to go to war with those filthy Muggles because he saw World War II in the future which on paper is cool but the way it was executed felt weird. It's also a shame that Mads Mikkelsen only plays him for one movie and he feels like it was wasted since Mads is perfect for that Dark Wizard kind of character but the plot just felt really disjointed and hard to follow.

 

For some positives I think the parts with Newt were alright still, and of course it was cool seeing Mads even if I feel like he didn't do very much but he certainly did his best. The magic fights were also alright for the most part. I also liked the part where Newt has to do a crab dance to get out of that giant scorpion lair. I just feel like this would have worked better as a series since there could have been more room for overarching plots while also having Newt find whatever magical critter of the week and how to solve the different problems around them.

Edited February 5 by Redgrave

[Slava]

Perfect Days

 

 

I love slice of life movies like this for some reason. I don't think I'll put Paterson or Perfect Days in my top 10. But when I watch one of them at the right time, they resonate very strongly. On one hand, Perfect Days doesn't really tell a story. On the other, it tells every story. It's about life in all its aspects.

 

The film portrays the life of Hirayama, a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. His days are copies of one another, simple, quiet, monotonous. His daily and weekly routines, hobbies, small rituals, and unusual habits, that Wim Wenders focuses on, build his character better than words would. You recognise a pattern, and then as a result, when there's something out of the ordinary, it captures your attention, and rare emotional scenes cut twice as deep.

 

Perfect Days is my first Wenders movie, so I'm not familiar with his style. I liked what I saw, though. He does a great job at showing the world through Hirayama's eyes. I also liked Wenders' visual language in the movie. One specific part of each day has a disctinct look and becomes recognisable, while parts of the city are matched to colour and time of the day.

 

The movie obviously gives a lot to think about, so I may rewatch it one day. Saw it after work, and it felt uplifting. And I'm definitely interested in more works by Wenders, namely Paris, Texas.

 

P.S. Tokyo is the most beautiful city, I don't even know if it can be matched at this point.

 

P.P.S. The soundtrack slaps.

Edited February 5 by Slava

[LastMinuteSavior]

 

Works well both as a satire and as a family drama, but the narrative does falter a couple of times, especially towards the end. Still, there are some great pieces of dialogue, and the cast's impeccable work definitely elevates the material.

 

Jeffrey Wright is great as always (his supporting character Winston in Broken Flowers is a personal favorite), but I gotta admit Sterling K. Brown steals the show in every scene he's in, and he'll make you tear up as easily as he'll make you laugh out loud.

 

[ 7/10 ]

 

 

 

Talk about "the wrong stuff".

 

A very cool premise wasted on an extremely basic plot with little to no tension, the most uninteresting and unrelatable protagonist possible, and Earth's finest behaving like unruly morons.

 

What a bunch of impostors.

 

[ 5/10 ]

 

 

 

An interesting and nuanced depiction of a world devastated by natural catastrophe that doesn't solely portray it engulfed in misery and horror but rather focuses on hope, human resilience, and the struggle to salvage what was most important in the old world.

 

It suffers a bit from pacing issues, but the cinematography is gorgeous, and Jodie Comer's work is outstanding as usual.

 

[ 7/10 ]

[ChilledBrandon]

 

Inside Man (2006)

 

I've seen this before but it's been years, I honestly couldn't really remember much about it outside of the main cast who's in it. Very good Heist movie.

 

I'm a big fan of Denzel Washington but I had forgotten how good Clive Owen's performance was in this. He steals the show.

[EDGES]

The Beekeeper 2024 - another good Statham movie, really liked the action, it's close to some John Wick moments

Rebel Moon Part One A Child of Fire 2023 - one of the weaker Snyder movies, but it's still ok overall, great visuals and camera work, the main character is as likeable as a brick, but at least she's not the worst thing to look at

 

Justice League Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One 2024 - this was garbage, apparently by the time the other parts come out this is supposed to be the finale of this new DC Animated Universe, thank God, so far it has been a cheap cash grab compared to the older DC Animated Movies, almost fell asleep watching it, not looking forward to the other parts, it's also a bad adaptation of the original comicbook story

 

some older movies

 

Scott Pilgrim vs the World 2010 - wow, what a surprise, one of the best executions of a comicbook style movie adaptation and one of the most unique movies period, it's a must watch imo

bonus, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off 2023 - this Netflix animated/anime style show (fake adaptation) is trash when compared to the original story and the movie, watch the movie instead, it's a million times better, I wanted this show first and was disappointment

 

The Prestige 2006 - didn't know what to expect from this as a story, watched it because of Nolan and the actors, turned out to be a great movie, it holds up perfectly, another easy recommendation

[TheDarkKratos]

 

[Juzota]

 

Reservoir Dogs

- I've seen this probably over 10 times. 5 stars out of 5.

[ElektrickRage]

[Juzota]

 

Pulp Fiction

- One of my all time favorite movies. Like Reservoir Dogs, I've seen this multiple times. Easy 5 stars.

Edited February 9 by Juzota

[heavyrockerfin]

Gotta say Footloose (2011)

[ChilledBrandon]

 

Still at the top of my list of Vampire films. it's the absolute perfect blend between horror and comedy. It has that peak 80's cheesiness that I love so much.

 

[Caquis_1]

[Redgrave]

 

I have seen this a few times before and it's one of those movies that's interesting on re-watches in the same way you see a mass car crash happening because of the way things escalate and you know that if things were handled better it could have been prevented or at least gone a lot better. Instead hardly anyone really does the right thing. The only character that tries to is Da Mayor but there was only so much he could do. The only other characters that didn't do anything wrong and were rational were Mookie's sister and the radio DJ played by Samuel L Jackson.

 

As the poster shows it takes place during a hot summer day reaching 98 degrees Farenheit or "I'm burning up and I can't stand this shit" weather for all the non-Americans. I guess in some way the summer heat is the hidden force behind everyone acting the way they do since I imagine because of it everyone was irritated and short-tempered to begin with and other characters like Buggin' Out screaming in their faces made it worse. The movie does pretty well portraying the heat too and during some scenes I can almost feel it with them showing the characters being constantly sweaty and the many closeup shots that feel claustrophobic certainly don't help. I guarantee if this movie took place in the Fall or Winter everyone would be calm and collected.

 

It's also funny seeing Giancarlo Esposito in one of his earlier roles since now that I know it's him I just see a younger and more energetic Gus Fring.

 

"Sal if you don't do the right thing, me and Radio Raheem are going to start breaking bad!"

 

I also like how Frank Vincent is in this scene where he gets his antique car watered down. I guess this was before Phil Leotardo developed his ability to turn into a house so he couldn't shield the car from the water. But I guess at the very least the weather was hot enough to where he wouldn't have to grill cheese on a radiator that day.

 

Overall I enjoy watching this even if it's kind of difficult to watch knowing the escalation could have been prevented. Admittedly I don't think I have seen much else of Spike Lee's works but I know in recent years he made the story to that NBA game but it wound up taking itself too seriously and the ending has a 10 minute monologue from the Force ghost of your custom character's best friend that dies near the end of the story, so that definitely wouldn't be his best.

 

 

If you've seen a meme with this format then now you know the movie it's from and it certainly wasn't the main reason I wanted to watch it haha no way.

 

I actually didn't know what else to expect going into this other than it was about Vincent Van Gogh. I also don't know very much about him other than I know he was troubled to say the least because of him cutting his hear off but the other circumstances like him being in asylums and his mental state I didn't know much about but man this movie showcased it pretty well and it was pretty sad to see. The scene where the meme comes from is from a moment where he's having like a panic attack because he's worried his friend is leaving him. And yes despite that context I still laughed because my mind has been completely shattered.

 

There were a couple other moments where I felt bad for him too, like when the group of students and the teacher crowd around him when he's trying to paint and then the teacher basically says he's not a good artist because he's painting roots and is uninspiring unlike older artists. I assume this was based on something that happened that Gogh could have mentioned and if so I wonder what her problem was. Just let the man paint roots and trees in peace.

 

I also never really thought about how Van Gogh died which this movie touches on. For some reason I just assumed it was a heart attack or disease but I guess there has been something of a mystery behind it. I suppose the most accepted one is that he shot himself in the stomach but the movie and apparently a book from a while back goes along with the notion that he was accidentally shot by two teenagers playing cowboys and he just accepted it. Although at the same time I think the implication from the movie is that it was a hallucination since they mention that he often hallucinates things and apparently does things that he doesn't remember doing.

 

Either way I thought it was very good with a lot of really good and colorful visuals. One of the things the movie does is there will be conversations between Gogh and a couple characters where it's from his point of view and these point of view shots will linger for several minutes or switch back and forth between Gogh and whoever he is talking to. I also had no idea Mads Mikkelsen was in this too but he plays a Priest that's at the asylum Gogh stays at and so there is this scene that goes on for several minutes of it cutting to Van Gogh and Mads Mikkelsen looking at the screen like this.

 

 

So yeah, it's a funny coincidence seeing him in this after watching The Secrets of Dumbledore There is also another moment where it shows Van Gogh's point of view and it has a yellow filter on the screen which looked nice. I think the reason for this was because Van Gogh's favorite color was yellow but it made me think that maybe I should go out and buy yellow tinted sunglasses so I can walk around seeing the PS3/Xbox 360 era piss filter everywhere I go. But yeah, there's a lot of moments that have nice visuals and near the end has things be a bit hectic showing Van Gogh's mental state. It's definitely worth the watch.

[sk_lp_him]

The Boogeyman

Slender Man