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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Apr 19, 2024 17:15:27 GMT
REWATCHES:
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
The worst entry, which feels like a cashgrab. After the previous 2 visually stunning entries, this one looks really bland in both cinematography and CGI. It just feels really cheap. There are little to no sea battles as well. I was surprised the score was still composed by Zimmer, because even that didn't sound as good this time around. Ian McShane makes for a great Blackbeard, but after his introduction he's not all that intimidating or interesting for the rest of the movie. Penelope Cruz was a nice addition but I never really understood the purpose of her character. One thing I did really like about this movie though was that it had less of the weirdness that the Verbinski movies had and brought back the adventure and treasure hunting aspect I much prefer. It's just a shame the movie was not well made.
4/10
FIRST TIME WATCHES:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) A much more enjoyable and visually appealing than Tides, but a movie that appears to suffer from too much studio meddling. Jack feels kind of like a caricature of himself though, yet I still found him very funny in this one. But the MVP's for me were Javier Bardem and Kaya Scodelario who both do a great job. The movie loses me a bit in it's rushed final act, with some questionable action sequences and CGI, which made it hard to tell what was going on. It kind of felt like they ran out of budget and had to rush the finish. It's the shortest installment so it could definitely have used a longer runtime. Overall it is one of the better movies in the series and I wish I could like it more.
5/10
Wind River (2017) Solid suspenseful murder mystery thriller based on a true story. Very well acted and shot, in a very interesting setting with a very intense and satisfying conclusion and a good message.
7/10
Road House (2024) Started out very promising but loses it's way in the second half with some badly photographed fight scenes and some absolutely atrocious CGI. It was hard to care about anything in the final act because everything just looked so phony. Even 2 people fist fighting in a building looked incredibly fake. I don't understand why they chose to use CGI that instead of doing it for real. There's still a lot to like though, like Jake Gyllenhaal who does great, and some of the other cast as well. This probably could have been a 6 or higher easily had it been given more time/budget.
4.5/10
Ricky Stanicky (2024) Really good performance by John Cena who is very funny, but there's not much else of worth here. The plot is dumb, the runtime is excessive for this type of movie, and it's really not all that funny or interesting when Cena is not on screen. It's worth watching for Cena but that's about it.
4/10
I haven't seen any of those. I have seen the first PotC films and have decided to stop there. Have seen the original Road House and it was more mundane kind of bad than so-bad-it's-good, so have zero interest in the remake.
You have any thoughts to share on my post?
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Apr 19, 2024 17:19:34 GMT
Desire (1936) - 7/10 A fine and quick moving romantic comedy, which Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper star together and shine with their chemistry. Also the film looks great. Nickelodeon (1976) - 6/10 Bright and scattered-shot comedy with a strong cast… though felt overlong. While the love triangle sub-plot (between Burt Reynolds, Ryan O’Neil & Jane Hitchcock) was never as interesting, as when it focused on the maverick film-making process of the story. The Killing (1955) - 8/10 Efficiently elaborate crime film by Stanley Kubrick. Really like how this one plays out, right down to the downer anticlimactic end. At the Earth’s Core (1976) - 5/10 Repeat Really had some weird ideas and imagery, but mostly a dull and repetitive adventurer like most of the Kevin Connor/Doug McClure collaborations. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2002) - 8/10 Repeat Sequel that easily outdoes the original film. Creative set-ups and moving story beats propel this one. Of yours; Jumpin’ Jack Flash - 5/10 A watchable Goldberg vehicle. Though it felt like she was miscast here, and the film was darker in tone and her less than serious approach just didn’t mix for me. Maybe would have been better off, going silly comedy. I think it starts stronger when it’s filled with mystery, but once everything starts coming together it becomes dry and predictable. Haven't seen Desire but it reminds me that the time is overdue for me for one of the 30s screwball comedies. I do have Libeled Lady in my possession, might watch it soon.
Have seen a lot of Peter Bogdanovich's filmography but his two with Burt Reynolds have escaped me so far. Might give them a go one of these days.
The Killing is a well-oiled piece of clockwork. Great entertainment but I feel a little low on the emotional quotient. That's why I prefer The Asphalt Jungle over it.
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Apr 19, 2024 17:21:23 GMT
None of yours this week.
Mine:
First Time Viewing:
The Great Gatsby (1974; Jack Clayton) – Lavish but shallow and rather tedious adaptation of the classic novel. The book can be read in a single afternoon, but watching this movie felt like struggling through a thousand-page tome. Bruce Dern and Karen Black are quite good in supporting roles, but I found the central trio of Robert Redford, Mia Farrow and Sam Waterston to be miscast and dull.
5/10
The King’s Man (2021; Matthew Vaughn) – This turned out to be every bit as messy and disappointing as the mostly negative reviews had indicated. Making a more serious prequel to Kingsman wouldn’t have been a problem, but the tone here is all over the place. One moment you’re supposed to feel sad about a soldier’s tragic death, the next you watch Ralph Fiennes being headbutted by a goat. The new characters are boring and poorly written. They should’ve made Rhys Ifans the main villain, since his Rasputin is the clear highlight of the film.
4.5/10
Repeat Viewing:
Below (2002; David Twohy) – Sort of flawed but atmospheric WWII ghost movie set on a haunted submarine. Not particularly scary, but with good production values and rather compelling.
6.5/10
and Below are in my watchlist. I am waiting to read Fitzgerald's novel first. |
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Apr 19, 2024 17:26:43 GMT
Napoleon (2023) (5/10) - An epic that details the chequered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). The film has its moments but it is quite slow and draggy at times. Worthwhile for great battle scenes, beautiful sets and costumes and a strong performance by Kirby. Road House (2024) (6/10) - A suicidal former UFC fighter named Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) gets a gig as a bouncer at a club in Florida. Pointless remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze classic features a very solid performance by Gyllenhaal. Connor McGregor is over-the-top but amusing as Gyllenhaal's main adversary Knox. Comedienne Jessica Williams also gives good support as the road house's owner. Fast moving, but overlong and forgettable. The First Omen (5/10) - Unnecessary prequel to the Gregory Peck / Lee Remick horror classic has some good scares and a fine supporting cast including Bill Nighy, Sonia Braga and an underused Charles Dance. The film is downright boring at times and is way plottier than the previous Omen films from the 1970's and 1980's. Worth a one-time watch but yet another lazy attempt at filmmaking from Hollywood. Good 1970's period atmosphere is also an asset. Wait Until Dark (6.5/10) - A recently blinded woman (Audrey Hepburn) is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment. Good but not great thriller has a very strong performance by Hepburn in the final Oscar-nominated role of her career. The real scene-stealer though is a very menacing Alan Arkin as the leader of the bad guys. Richard Crenna and Jack Weston also provide fine supporting performances. Best part of the movie is the very suspenseful climax between Arkin and Hepburn. Civil War (6/10) - A team of journalists (led by Kirsten Dunst, in possibly the best performance of her career) head to Washington DC before rebel factions descend on the White House. Not bad thriller was improperly marketed as an action film, which it is not. Interesting dramatic thriller is slow moving at first but has a very gripping second half. Well staged battle scenes near the end of the film too. Dunst's real-life husband Jesse Plemons also has a terrific cameo appearance as a menacing soldier who harasses the journalists during their trip. Nick Offerman is also good in a very small role as the President. Rarely does Offerman appear in serious dramatic films and he does very well with minimal screen time. Not the 4-star masterpiece everyone is calling it, but not a bad film either. Wait Until Dark is pretty good and that jump scare towards the end is incredible. Somehow I think there had to be some way the bad guys could have obtained their quarry a lot more easily than the super elaborate psychological plan they went with, but forget it.
Have seen the original Road House and it was more mundane kind of bad than so-bad-it's-good, so have zero interest in the remake. Or that The Omen prequel.
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Apr 19, 2024 23:19:52 GMT
Hey, I am pleasantly surprised that you have seen Suddenly. I mean no offense but I get a feeling that you steer clear of pre-80s cinema. I try to see a little bit of everything but generally most of the films I watch are 1980s-present. |
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Post by lostinlimbo on Apr 20, 2024 5:28:25 GMT
Desire (1936) - 7/10 A fine and quick moving romantic comedy, which Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper star together and shine with their chemistry. Also the film looks great. Nickelodeon (1976) - 6/10 Bright and scattered-shot comedy with a strong cast… though felt overlong. While the love triangle sub-plot (between Burt Reynolds, Ryan O’Neil & Jane Hitchcock) was never as interesting, as when it focused on the maverick film-making process of the story. The Killing (1955) - 8/10 Efficiently elaborate crime film by Stanley Kubrick. Really like how this one plays out, right down to the downer anticlimactic end. At the Earth’s Core (1976) - 5/10 Repeat Really had some weird ideas and imagery, but mostly a dull and repetitive adventurer like most of the Kevin Connor/Doug McClure collaborations. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2002) - 8/10 Repeat Sequel that easily outdoes the original film. Creative set-ups and moving story beats propel this one. Of yours; Jumpin’ Jack Flash - 5/10 A watchable Goldberg vehicle. Though it felt like she was miscast here, and the film was darker in tone and her less than serious approach just didn’t mix for me. Maybe would have been better off, going silly comedy. I think it starts stronger when it’s filled with mystery, but once everything starts coming together it becomes dry and predictable. Haven't seen Desire but it reminds me that the time is overdue for me for one of the 30s screwball comedies. I do have Libeled Lady in my possession, might watch it soon.
Have seen a lot of Peter Bogdanovich's filmography but his two with Burt Reynolds have escaped me so far. Might give them a go one of these days.
The Killing is a well-oiled piece of clockwork. Great entertainment but I feel a little low on the emotional quotient. That's why I prefer The Asphalt Jungle over it.
Always find those 30s/40s screwball comedies comfortable viewings. Even if the humour doesn’t work, or the laughs are too few. I do feel like going through the Marx Brothers filmography again. Still need to see ‘A Day at the Races’. From Peter Bogdanovich's filmography, the only other one I’ve watched is ‘Targets’. I tried ‘The Last Picture Show’, but just couldn’t get into it. Never seen ‘The Asphalt Jungle’. Does the plot/style play out very similar? |
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Apr 20, 2024 11:52:53 GMT
Haven't seen Desire but it reminds me that the time is overdue for me for one of the 30s screwball comedies. I do have Libeled Lady in my possession, might watch it soon.
Have seen a lot of Peter Bogdanovich's filmography but his two with Burt Reynolds have escaped me so far. Might give them a go one of these days.
The Killing is a well-oiled piece of clockwork. Great entertainment but I feel a little low on the emotional quotient. That's why I prefer The Asphalt Jungle over it.
Always find those 30s/40s screwball comedies comfortable viewings. Even if the humour doesn’t work, or the laughs are too few. I do feel like going through the Marx Brothers filmography again. Still need to see ‘A Day at the Races’. From Peter Bogdanovich's filmography, the only other one I’ve watched is ‘Targets’. I tried ‘The Last Picture Show’, but just couldn’t get into it. Never seen ‘The Asphalt Jungle’. Does the plot/style play out very similar? Targets is pretty good.
It took me a while to get into The Last Picture Show but once I got into it, it sucked me in. I think it's good mainly for its acting performances and the authentic small-town Americana it evokes even though I am not an American.
My favourite film of his is Paper Moon, a terrific feel-good film with an outstanding performance by young Tatum O'Neal.
John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle is a heist film like The Killing and the plot structure is similar but whereas Kubrick's film is concerned more about the intricacies of the planning and the progress of the heist, Huston's film is concerned more with the characters, their individual weaknesses and how their downfall is a direct result of those.
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Post by Roberto on Apr 21, 2024 4:29:08 GMT
REWATCHES:
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
The worst entry, which feels like a cashgrab. After the previous 2 visually stunning entries, this one looks really bland in both cinematography and CGI. It just feels really cheap. There are little to no sea battles as well. I was surprised the score was still composed by Zimmer, because even that didn't sound as good this time around. Ian McShane makes for a great Blackbeard, but after his introduction he's not all that intimidating or interesting for the rest of the movie. Penelope Cruz was a nice addition but I never really understood the purpose of her character. One thing I did really like about this movie though was that it had less of the weirdness that the Verbinski movies had and brought back the adventure and treasure hunting aspect I much prefer. It's just a shame the movie was not well made.
4/10
FIRST TIME WATCHES:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) A much more enjoyable and visually appealing than Tides, but a movie that appears to suffer from too much studio meddling. Jack feels kind of like a caricature of himself though, yet I still found him very funny in this one. But the MVP's for me were Javier Bardem and Kaya Scodelario who both do a great job. The movie loses me a bit in it's rushed final act, with some questionable action sequences and CGI, which made it hard to tell what was going on. It kind of felt like they ran out of budget and had to rush the finish. It's the shortest installment so it could definitely have used a longer runtime. Overall it is one of the better movies in the series and I wish I could like it more.
5/10
Wind River (2017) Solid suspenseful murder mystery thriller based on a true story. Very well acted and shot, in a very interesting setting with a very intense and satisfying conclusion and a good message.
7/10
Road House (2024) Started out very promising but loses it's way in the second half with some badly photographed fight scenes and some absolutely atrocious CGI. It was hard to care about anything in the final act because everything just looked so phony. Even 2 people fist fighting in a building looked incredibly fake. I don't understand why they chose to use CGI that instead of doing it for real. There's still a lot to like though, like Jake Gyllenhaal who does great, and some of the other cast as well. This probably could have been a 6 or higher easily had it been given more time/budget.
4.5/10
Ricky Stanicky (2024) Really good performance by John Cena who is very funny, but there's not much else of worth here. The plot is dumb, the runtime is excessive for this type of movie, and it's really not all that funny or interesting when Cena is not on screen. It's worth watching for Cena but that's about it.
4/10
I haven't seen any of those. I have seen the first PotC films and have decided to stop there. Have seen the original Road House and it was more mundane kind of bad than so-bad-it's-good, so have zero interest in the remake.
You have any thoughts to share on my post?
Not seen any of them  |
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