What Films did You Watch Last Week (01/10 - 07/10) CLOSED

First Time Viewings:

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018, Gus Van Sant)

This one is based on the true story of John Callahan, who discovered the healing power of art after a life altering accident. Joaquin Phoenix is really good here and Jonah Hill also chips in nicely. I knew nothing about the real life story, but it held my interest. 

7/10

Stir of Echoes (1999, David Koepp)

After being hypnotized by his sister in law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a missing girl and a mystery begins to unfold. Kevin bacon is good in the lead role and the supporting cast is pretty good too. I really liked the story and the different places it went and on the whole I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

7.5/10

Maniac (1980, William Lustig)

A psychotic man kills young women in New York City and takes there scalps as trophies, but he may have found the perfect woman, that will end his killing spree. This one has its moments, but I found it pretty dull for the most part.

5/10

Maniac (2012, Franck Khalfoun)

This one is a remake of the 1980 film, which I actually didn't know going in. It's definitely an improvement over the original in my opinion, but it's still just okay. Elijah Wood is good and the film has some strong moments, but it never fully pulled me in and I thought the POV stuff was way over used.

6/10

The Cell (2000, Tarsem Singh)

In this one an FBI agent convinces a social worker to enter into the mind of a comatose serial killer to find where he has hidden his last victim. The film is visually impressive and I thought the story was pretty cool. Sure, it probably should have been better given the premise, but I liked it.

7/10

The Reflecting Skin (1990, Philip Ridley)

In the 1950's a young boy believes that a widow in the area is actually a vampire, responsible for a number of disappearances in the area. I didn't the main kid was that great, but the supporting cast was pretty good, the film has some striking cinematography, a pretty good score, and the story kept me engaged. 

7/10

The Hills Have Eyes (2006, Alexandre Aja)

I thought Wes Craven's original 1977 film was pretty bad to be honest, but this one is a vast improvement and actually pretty good overall. I actually cared about the characters in this one, it's pretty intense and disturbing at times and is just an effective horror film overall.

7/10

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, Jack Arnold)

A group of scientists try to capture a prehistoric beast that lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. This one is nice and short, has some memorable sequences, good performances, and the creature was cool.

7/10

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006, Scott Glosserman)

This one is a clever satire of the slasher genre that I found to be really entertaining and funny. It also has some fun surprises along the way. Under seen and underrated.

7.5/10

Cube (1997, Vincenzo Natali)

In this one six strangers wake up in a seemingly endless maze, with deadly traps. The cast is pretty good, the characters are pretty memorable, and I thought the concept was pretty cool and well executed. Some great tension in this one.

7/10

Oculus (2013, Mike Flanagan)

This one weaves two different time lines, both about the same brother and sister. I found the parts where they were kids to be more interesting most of the time and the film wasn't nearly as intense or scary as it could have been. Still, it's solid enough and I did like the ending a lot, which bumped my rating up half a point. It wasn't quite enough though.

6.5/10


Repeat Viewings:

Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino)

Very entertaining and rewatchable, like all of Tarantino's movies. Great soundtrack, very good cinematography, and tons of great dialogue. The whole cast is good, but the trio of Waltz, DiCaprio, and Jackson are great. It's also probably Tarantino's most emotional movie.

9/10

The Evil Dead (1981, Sam Raimi)

I don't enjoy this one as much as I used to, but it's still quite good. It is pretty creepy and unsettling and the cast is good. The makeup is good, the camerawork is pretty cool, and the sound work is excellent.

7.5/10

Evil Dead II (1987, Sam Raimi)

Just like the first film, I don't enjoy this one as much as I used to. Bruce Campbell is awesome though and it's still a fun sequel with some great moments.

7.5/10

Army of Darkness (1992, Sam Raimi)

In the past this was pretty easily my least favorite of the three. After this viewing however, I'd put it about on par with the first two. I didn't mind some of the parts that I did before as much this time around and it's a very funny and entertaining movie, with another awesome Bruce Campbell performance.

7.5/10

Reservoir Dogs (1992, Quentin Tarantino)

Tarantino's debut remains one of his best, full of brilliant dialogue, fun characters, and great nonlinear storytelling. Great soundtrack and strong performances too of course.

9.5/10

Gone Girl (2014, David Fincher)

Fincher's latest is a wonderfully crafted thriller with strong performances, a great score, and a great twisty storyline.

8.5/10

Nightcrawler (2014, Dan Gilroy)

This one is well made and written and features some great intensity. Rene Russo and Riz Ahmed are really good, and Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is among my top 5 of the decade. 

8.5/10

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982, Tommy Lee Wallace)

A lot of people don't like this because it's not actually connected to the other Halloween movies, but I think it has a cool story, solid performances, a kick ass score, and plenty of memorable sequences.

7/10


First Time TV Viewing:

Maniac: Season One (2018)

This Netflix limited series caught my interest and I'm very glad I watched it, because I thought it was great. Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective Season 1) did a terrific job directing the series and the writing was great too. Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, and Justin Theroux all put in some strong work, the show looks great, has good music, and I really enjoyed the story and the ideas it explored. It's funny, it's emotional, and overall I really enjoyed it.

8.5/10


Movie Awards:

BEST FILM - Reservoir Dogs
BEST ACTOR - Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
BEST ACTRESS - Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Rene Russo (Nightcrawler)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Dick Pope (The Reflecting Skin)
BEST SCORE - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (Gone Girl)
BEST SCRIPT - Quentin Tarantino &Roger Avary (Reservoir Dogs)
BEST DIRECTOR - Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)