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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 12, 2024 17:36:26 GMT
Hello, good folks of FG. The weekly film discussion thread is back. The topic under discussion is made clear in the title. Made-for-TV, direct-to-video, streaming, TV series/episodes, documentaries, short films can also be listed. The minimum requirement is that a numerical rating out of 5 or 10 be provided - whichever the poster wishes to choose - and it'll be even more helpful if he/she also writes a few thoughts regarding his/her experience with the feature/documentary/short/TV series' season. This will help in starting discussions, which is one of the main intentions of this thread. I also request all those who reply here to go through the whole thread once and see if you can see some common topic to discuss with other posters. All first viewings for me in the last week :
An old-fashioned love triangle set in a small Australian town. Johnny (Russell Crowe) and Meg (Danielle Spencer) are in love and want to marry. Then Meg's former boyfriend Sam (Robert Mammone) comes back to town for Anzac Day celebrations and Meg finds herself torn between her feelings for both men.
I was quite bored with this. Not the kind of film I normally enjoy. The story is wafer-thin and predictable in every way. There is some nice outdoor cinematography... but that's it. I guess today this film is important only because this is where Crowe and Spencer first met before they would marry many years later.
3/10
Trailer :
Full Movie :
The title "Romper Stomper" has an extremely correct vibe for a title. This is a fast-paced, disturbing, nihilistic romp.
A lot of people develop a bad opinion about it because it has got not a single character who is sympathetic or likeable. The male protagonists are a group of immoral bigoted skinheads, the leading female is bipolar with a self-destructive streak and even the immigrants - who in a different kind of film would be portrayed as poor dears and hence sympathized with - are as frenzied and murderous in their actions that even though they are in the right, I still found it hard to get in their corner.
Russell Crowe projects an incandescent screen presence, obsessively true to his ideology and full of seething rage against the changing world and its perceived injustices against him and his kind.
9/10
Trailer :
Tatum O'Neal delivers and excellent, instantly adorable performance which most directors strive to get out of child actors and only a few succeed. The film is a delightful feel-good adventure through Depression era midwest (Kentucky and Missouri), strikingly shot in black-and-white by László Kovács. The feel-good vibe is enhanced by the feeling that the two lead characters are never in any real danger despite situation getting hairy in the last act.
8/10
Trailer :
This was the Audrey Hepburn's final leading role in a theatrical film as she retired for good after this. It was also the final screen appearance of the ill-fated actress Playmate and actress Dorothy Stratten as she was murdered shortly after the production wrapped.
The performances of John Ritter and Colleen Camp were good, though both were overdone.
My main problem with the story is that it is too thin for a 115 minute film and not as witty as it thinks it is. The second problem is that I refuse to buy Ben Gazzara as a ladykilling lothario and he has zero chemistry with Hepburn despite (allegedly) being involved in an affair.
4/10
Trailer :
A decent feel-good film based on a true story about Rocky Dennis, a boy born born with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a condition that causes calcium to build up in the skull, disfiguring the facial features excessively.
I liked that the film did not dwell upon the bullying and ostracism that the protagonist must have faced throughout his life but instead emphasized his intelligence, sense of humour and overall affability that would (eventually) win people over.
Eric Stoltz was excellent in the central role. Cher received a lot of accolades for her acting but I found her to be just decent. Sam Elliott, as usual, is only halfway intelligible.
7/10
Trailer :
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Post by James on Feb 12, 2024 18:07:02 GMT
Not watched any of yours.
First Time Viewings:
Easy A (2010, Will Gluck) - 8/10
The Color Purple (1985, Steven Spielberg) - 8/10
Repeat Viewings:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont) - 8/10
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Post by Xcalatë on Feb 12, 2024 18:35:52 GMT
04/02
Street Kings (2008) 8/10
Dream Scenario (2023) 7/10
05/02
Smallfoot (2018) 7/10
Boundaries (2018) 6/10
06/02
The Family (2021) 5/10
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2003) 5/10
07/02
The Man Without a Body (1957) 4/10
Trance (2013) 5/10
08/02
The United States of Horror: Chapter 2 (2022) 3/10
Grey Gardens (2009) 6/10
09/02
Tack och förlåt (2023) 6/10
Silber und das Buch der Träume (2023) 5/10
10/02
Splitting Heirs (1993) 4/10
The Neptune Factor (1973) 5/10
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Feb 12, 2024 18:49:35 GMT
Mask - 6/10
Mine:
Saw (2004) - 10/10
Excellent horror/thriller that gets even better with multiple watches.
The Dark Knight (2008) - 9/10
Great Batman film with solid action and a excellent performance by Heath Ledger. Never liked the ending though. Still dont.
Land of the Dead (2005) - 8/10
Underrated zombie film with really cool effects.
American Pie (1999) - 6/10
I always liked raunchy comedies yet I have never seen this film (or the sequels) til now. Amusing dirty comedy that made me smile but no real big laughs or anything.
Pillow Party Massacre (2023) - 2/10
Lame and dull slasher film.
Action Point (2018) - 5/10
OK stunt based comedy. Pretty much a premise film to do crazy slapstick stunts. Not that funny but still watchable.
The Secret Village (2013) - 1/10
One of the most boring horror films I have ever seen. Hardly watchable.
June (2015) - 4/10
A couple adopts a girl with dark powers. Chaos ensues. The Omen did this better but its not awful.
Barbarian (2022) - 3/10
Massively disappointing horror film that starts out really suspenseful but goes down hill very fast. Justin Long really ruins the film.
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Post by jcush on Feb 12, 2024 20:41:40 GMT
Paper Moon - Seen it twice and really enjoyed it both times. 8/10
First Time Viewings:
Focus (2015, Glenn Ficarra & John Requa) - 6.5/10
Ferrari (2023, Michael Mann) - 6/10
All of Us Strangers (2023, Andrew Haigh) - 8.5/10
Alexander (2004, Oliver Stone) - 6/10
Seizure (1974, Oliver Stone) - 5.5/10
Heaven & Earth (1993, Oliver Stone) - 7/10
American Fiction (2023, Cord Jefferson) - 8/10
Stuart: A Life Backwards (2007, David Attwood) - 7/10
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008, Eric Brevig) - 6.5/10
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012, Brad Peyton) - 5.5/10
The Marvels (2023, Nia DaCosta) - 6/10
Repeat Viewings:
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013, Coen Brothers) - 8.5/10
Natural Born Killers (1994, Oliver Stone) - 8/10
Blazing Saddles (1974, Mel Brooks) - 7.5/10
Arrival (2016, Denis Villeneuve) - 8.5/10
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Post by moviemouth on Feb 12, 2024 22:57:03 GMT
Ranked from favorite to least favorite. Rope (1948 Alfred Hitchcock) - 8/10Two young men (John Dall & Farley Granger) attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death. Also starring James Stewart.  The Boy and the Heron (2023 Hayao Miyazaki) - 7.5/10A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72943395/HERON_img_7.0.jpeg) Four Days in September (1997 Bruno Barreto) - 7.5/10Brazillian urban guerrilla fighters kidnap the American Ambassador (Alan Arkin). Now, the diplomat's life hangs in the balance - helplessly caught between a government unwilling to cooperate - and his fear of the captors themselves.  Young Man with a Horn (1950 Michael Curtiz) - 7.5/10A trumpet player (Kirk Douglas) is torn between an honest singer (Doris Day) and a manipulative heiress (Lauren Bacall).  Monica (2022 Andrea Pallaoro) - 7.5/10The intimate portrait of a woman (Trace Lysette) who returns home to care for her estranged dying mother (Patricia Clarkson).  Love Crazy (1941 Jack Conway) - 7.5/10A wife (Myrna Loy) suspecting infidelity starts divorce proceedings, so the husband (William Powell) pretends to be insane in order to delay the divorce and clear up the misunderstanding.  Counsellor at Law (1933 William Wyler) - 7/10A successful attorney's (John Barrymore) practice comes into question when it is revealed he lied to protect one of his clients.  Vacation from Marriage (1945 Alexander Korda) - 7/10A dull married couple (Robert Donat & Deborah Kerr), separated by their enlistment during World War II, reunite after three years to find that they have become very different people. Also starring Glynis Johns.  Heartbeats (2010 Xavier Dolan) - 6.5/10Two friends (Xavier Dolan & Monia Chokri) fall in love with the same man (Niels Schneider), which causes tension among all three of them.  The Human Comedy (1943 Clarence Brown) - 6.5/10
Teenager Homer Macauley (Mickey Rooney) stays at home in small-town Ithaca to support his family while his older brother Marcus goes off to war. Also starring Frank Morgan, James Craig, Marsha Hunt, Van Johnson, Donna Reed and Fay Bainter.  Horse Girl (2020 Jeff Baena) - 6.5/10Sarah, a socially isolated woman (Alison Brie) with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life. Also starring Molly Shannon, John Reynolds, John Ortiz, Robin Tunney and Paul Reiser.  Midnight Lace (1960 David Miller) - 6.5/10In London, a recently-wed American woman's (Doris Day) sanity comes into question after she claims to be the victim of a stalker. Also starring Rex Harrison, John Gavin, Roddy McDowall and Myrna Loy.  Too Big to Fail (2011 Curtis Hanson) - 6.5/10Chronicles the financial meltdown of 2008 and centers on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson (William Hurt). Also starring James Woods, Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Topher Grace, Cynthia Nixon, Kathy Baker, Bill Pullman, Matthew Modine, Tony Shalhoub and Edward Asner.  Suncoast (2024 Laura Chinn) - 4.5/10While caring for her dying brother along with her audacious mother (Laura Linney), a teenager (Nico Parker) strikes up friendships with kids at her school and an eccentric activist (Woody Harrelson) who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time.  |
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Post by moviemouth on Feb 12, 2024 23:38:39 GMT
5.5/10
Russell Crowe is good as usual, but the movie failed to keep my attention. I remember liking some parts quite a bit, but a lot of the movie left me indifferent.
7/10
Good story and good performances, especially from Tatum O' Neal.
7/10
I really like the characters here and Cher and an unrecognizable Eric Stoltz are very good.
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Post by theravenking on Feb 13, 2024 9:42:58 GMT
Hello, good folks of FG. The weekly film discussion thread is back. The topic under discussion is made clear in the title. Made-for-TV, direct-to-video, streaming, TV series/episodes, documentaries, short films can also be listed. The minimum requirement is that a numerical rating out of 5 or 10 be provided - whichever the poster wishes to choose - and it'll be even more helpful if he/she also writes a few thoughts regarding his/her experience with the feature/documentary/short/TV series' season. This will help in starting discussions, which is one of the main intentions of this thread. I also request all those who reply here to go through the whole thread once and see if you can see some common topic to discuss with other posters. All first viewings for me in the last week :
3/10
Trailer :
Full Movie :
9/10
Trailer :
8/10
Trailer :
4/10
Trailer :
7/10
Trailer :
Not seen any of yours this week, although I've been wanting to watch Romper Stomper for a long time. From what I've heard it's a very violent and downbeat movie though and I'm rarely in the mood for those anymore. |
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Post by theravenking on Feb 13, 2024 9:47:44 GMT
First Time Viewing:
Babylon (2022; Damian Chazelle) – I'm a fan of La La Land, but still haven't seen any of the director's other films. His latest turned out to be quite polarising, so, although I did approach it with caution, I didn't expect to hate it this much. I switched this off after thirty minutes. A complete mess of a movie that’s not even lovely to look at.
2/10
Hunter Hunter (2020; Shawn Linden) – I had heard good things about this Canadian wilderness-set horror thriller, but Jesus, what a pathetic waste it turned out to be! The beginning is promising with a wolf threatening the existence of hunter-trapper Devon Sawa and his family, who live in the deep woods, far away from civilisation. But sadly Sawa exits the picture very early, at which time any trace of logic or plausibility is long gone too with the characters acting like complete idiots. I also found the brutal climax unintentionally funny.
2.5/10
Inferno (1980; Dario Argento) – The second entry in the director’s mothers trilogy is an atmospheric supernatural horror with a nonsensical plot and some rather silly moments. None of the characters are particularly interesting with the male lead turning in a rather uninspired performance. The plot also keeps jumping from one character and location to the next, insetad of telling a coherent story.
6.5/10
Orphan: First Kill (2022; William Brent Bell) – I wasn’t a fan of the first Orphan, the twist was good but I found it overlong and a bit boring. This prequel takes a different way and might’ve worked, but is not only too ludicrous and implausible but lacking in the scares department too.
5/10
TV
Sleepwalkers (1997) – Short-lived series about a team of sleep researchers who have developed a technology allowing them to enter their patients’ dreams. This might’ve had potential, but I found these early episodes – only nine were shot, from which only six are available on DVD with the rest seemingly lost - rather mediocre. The cast is good though with Bruce Greenwood as the leader of the team and Naomi Watts in one of her first roles.
6/10
Repeat Viewing:
Dead in a Week or Your Money Back (2018; Tom Edmunds) – Likeable little tragi-comedy which is fun as long as you’re willing to accept, that the plot is completely unrealistic. The late Tom Wilkinson plays an ageing hitman who is hired by a suicidal young writer to kill him. But when the young man falls in love, he wants to call the assignment off leading to all kinds of complications.
7/10
Riders Of Justice (2020; Anders Thomas Jensen) – I thought I would give this another try, since I found it underwhelming the first time around, but sadly this second viewing failed to change my mind. The movie does have a unique idea, but the execution is rather uneven and not half as much fun as it should’ve been. Mads Mikkelsen (an actor I susually like) also gives a rather one-note performance in the lead.
6/10
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Post by Roberto on Feb 13, 2024 23:31:31 GMT
Good Time (2017)First half is pretty great. Very engrossing and suspenseful with a great performance by Pattinson. It's also well shot and has some good music. The movie starts losing steam towards the end though, and ends rather anticlimactically. The movie also abandons a character about 3/4 in as well, which is a shame as that dynamic was very interesting. Overall I'd still say it's a good movie due to the very strong first half, but the weak ending really lets the film down in what I think could have been a modern classic. 6/10 Emergency (2022)This one was a bit tricky to rate. For the most part I think it was enjoyable, but tonally it's all over the place. It starts out as a dark comedy, with the final act being more of an emotional drama, along with some heavy handed social commentary. I think there's some good messages in this, but perhaps not implemented as well as they could have been. The movie has some good ideas, some good performances and is surprisingly quite moving at times, but overall I don't think this movie really works as a cohesive piece. 5/10 Black Friday (2021)A fun premise but one wasted on a really amateurish movie and weak script. It's full of stuff other movies have done better. It has a great cast but fails to do much with them. It also fails to really provide any meaningful commentary you would expect in a movie about zombie black friday shoppers. The special effects were really bad as well, particularly the big monster at the end which just stands still barely doing anything yet is meant to be a huge threat. Laughable. It's watchable and has a few funny parts and Devon Sawa's character is quite fun but that's about it. 3/10 Run Hide Fight (2020)Another one a bit tricky to rate. I think it's pretty well made and engrossing, but it can be quite upsetting to watch due to the subject matter. I'm not familiar with the lead actress but I was impressed. She's very good in this. The villain I felt was a bit lacking, but I guess he did well with what he had to work with. I didn't recognise the dad to be Thomas Jane until the credits. One issue I have is the scene at the end which was so incredibly cheezy. Once the scene started I pretty much knew where it would likely go but was hoping they wouldn't. Very predictable and eye roll worthy. Otherwise, it's worth a look but can be hard to watch at times. 5/10
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Post by jcush on Feb 13, 2024 23:34:48 GMT
Good Time (2017)First half is pretty great. Very engrossing and suspenseful with a great performance by Pattinson. It's also well shot and has some good music. The movie starts losing steam towards the end though, and ends rather anticlimactically. The movie also abandons a character about 3/4 in as well, which is a shame as that dynamic was very interesting. Overall I'd still say it's a good movie due to the very strong first half, but the weak ending really lets the film down in what I think could have been a modern classic. 6/10 Emergency (2022)This one was a bit tricky to rate. For the most part I think it was enjoyable, but tonally it's all over the place. It starts out as a dark comedy, with the final act being more of an emotional drama, along with some heavy handed social commentary. I think there's some good messages in this, but perhaps not implemented as well as they could have been. The movie has some good ideas, some good performances and is surprisingly quite moving at times, but overall I don't think this movie really works as a cohesive piece. 5/10 Black Friday (2021)A fun premise but one wasted on a really amateurish movie and weak script. It's full of stuff other movies have done better. It has a great cast but fails to do much with them. It also fails to really provide any meaningful commentary you would expect in a movie about zombie black friday shoppers. The special effects were really bad as well, particularly the big monster at the end which just stands still barely doing anything yet is meant to be a huge threat. Laughable. It's watchable and has a few funny parts and Devon Sawa's character is quite fun but that's about it. 3/10 Run Hide Fight (2020)Another one a bit tricky to rate. I think it's pretty well made and engrossing, but it can be quite upsetting to watch due to the subject matter. I'm not familiar with the lead actress but I was impressed. She's very good in this. The villain I felt was a bit lacking, but I guess he did well with what he had to work with. I didn't recognise the dad to be Thomas Jane until the credits. One issue I have is the scene at the end which was so incredibly cheezy. Once the scene started I pretty much knew where it would likely go but was hoping they wouldn't. Very predictable and eye roll worthy. Otherwise, it's worth a look but can be hard to watch at times. 5/10 Only seen Good Time from yours, which I thought was consistent the whole way through. 8 or maybe 8.5/10 for me. |
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 18, 2024 7:07:49 GMT
Not watched any of yours. First Time Viewings: Easy A (2010, Will Gluck) - 8/10The Color Purple (1985, Steven Spielberg) - 8/10Repeat Viewings: The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont) - 8/10I recommend Paper Moon highly.
The Shawshank Redemption: My rating is same as yours.
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 18, 2024 8:31:38 GMT
04/02Street Kings (2008) 8/10 Dream Scenario (2023) 7/10 05/02Smallfoot (2018) 7/10 Boundaries (2018) 6/10 06/02The Family (2021) 5/10 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2003) 5/10 07/02The Man Without a Body (1957) 4/10 Trance (2013) 5/10 08/02The United States of Horror: Chapter 2 (2022) 3/10 Grey Gardens (2009) 6/10 09/02Tack och förlåt (2023) 6/10 Silber und das Buch der Träume (2023) 5/10 10/02Splitting Heirs (1993) 4/10 The Neptune Factor (1973) 5/10 I haven't seen any of yours yet.
What are your thoughts on my post?
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 18, 2024 8:35:14 GMT
Mask - 6/10 Mine: Saw (2004) - 10/10
Excellent horror/thriller that gets even better with multiple watches. The Dark Knight (2008) - 9/10
Great Batman film with solid action and a excellent performance by Heath Ledger. Never liked the ending though. Still dont. Land of the Dead (2005) - 8/10
Underrated zombie film with really cool effects. American Pie (1999) - 6/10
I always liked raunchy comedies yet I have never seen this film (or the sequels) til now. Amusing dirty comedy that made me smile but no real big laughs or anything. Pillow Party Massacre (2023) - 2/10
Lame and dull slasher film. Action Point (2018) - 5/10
OK stunt based comedy. Pretty much a premise film to do crazy slapstick stunts. Not that funny but still watchable. The Secret Village (2013) - 1/10
One of the most boring horror films I have ever seen. Hardly watchable. June (2015) - 4/10
A couple adopts a girl with dark powers. Chaos ensues. The Omen did this better but its not awful. Barbarian (2022) - 3/10
Massively disappointing horror film that starts out really suspenseful but goes down hill very fast. Justin Long really ruins the film. I think you will like Romper Stomper.
Saw: It is alright. The sequels get progressively stupider.
The Dark Knight: It's good.
Land of the Dead: Somewhere between average and decent. Romero made it with an eye towards moneymaking instead of creating art.
American Pie: Iconic now but never did much for me. The two sequels are worse. |
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 18, 2024 8:38:11 GMT
Paper Moon - Seen it twice and really enjoyed it both times. 8/10 First Time Viewings:Focus (2015, Glenn Ficarra & John Requa) - 6.5/10Ferrari (2023, Michael Mann) - 6/10All of Us Strangers (2023, Andrew Haigh) - 8.5/10Alexander (2004, Oliver Stone) - 6/10Seizure (1974, Oliver Stone) - 5.5/10Heaven & Earth (1993, Oliver Stone) - 7/10American Fiction (2023, Cord Jefferson) - 8/10Stuart: A Life Backwards (2007, David Attwood) - 7/10Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008, Eric Brevig) - 6.5/10Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012, Brad Peyton) - 5.5/10The Marvels (2023, Nia DaCosta) - 6/10Repeat Viewings:Inside Llewyn Davis (2013, Coen Brothers) - 8.5/10Natural Born Killers (1994, Oliver Stone) - 8/10Blazing Saddles (1974, Mel Brooks) - 7.5/10Arrival (2016, Denis Villeneuve) - 8.5/10I have only seen Natural Born Killers and I have forgotten most of it. I remember Aiwaz from old FG used to vocally disparage it every time it was brought up and pointed out that Wild at Heart was much better. I never asked him what he thought was common between these two titles because I certainly cannot see it. |
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Post by Xcalatë on Feb 18, 2024 8:40:14 GMT
04/02Street Kings (2008) 8/10 Dream Scenario (2023) 7/10 05/02Smallfoot (2018) 7/10 Boundaries (2018) 6/10 06/02The Family (2021) 5/10 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2003) 5/10 07/02The Man Without a Body (1957) 4/10 Trance (2013) 5/10 08/02The United States of Horror: Chapter 2 (2022) 3/10 Grey Gardens (2009) 6/10 09/02Tack och förlåt (2023) 6/10 Silber und das Buch der Träume (2023) 5/10 10/02Splitting Heirs (1993) 4/10 The Neptune Factor (1973) 5/10 I haven't seen any of yours yet.
What are your thoughts on my post?
Of yours I have only seen Paper Moon (1973) and i agree with your review, specially about the great black & white cinematography |
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 18, 2024 8:48:49 GMT
Ranked from favorite to least favorite. I watched Rope last year with high expectations and came away disappointed. I thought that Hitchcock was too occupied with the camera tricks and to rein in the actors' hammy theatrical acting. I also did not accept the sudden change in the professor's attitude.
Want to watch Love Crazy.
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 18, 2024 9:04:31 GMT
First Time Viewing: Babylon (2022; Damian Chazelle) – I'm a fan of La La Land, but still haven't seen any of the director's other films. His latest turned out to be quite polarising, so, although I did approach it with caution, I didn't expect to hate it this much. I switched this off after thirty minutes. A complete mess of a movie that’s not even lovely to look at. 2/10
Hunter Hunter (2020; Shawn Linden) – I had heard good things about this Canadian wilderness-set horror thriller, but Jesus, what a pathetic waste it turned out to be! The beginning is promising with a wolf threatening the existence of hunter-trapper Devon Sawa and his family, who live in the deep woods, far away from civilisation. But sadly Sawa exits the picture very early, at which time any trace of logic or plausibility is long gone too with the characters acting like complete idiots. I also found the brutal climax unintentionally funny. 2.5/10
Inferno (1980; Dario Argento) – The second entry in the director’s mothers trilogy is an atmospheric supernatural horror with a nonsensical plot and some rather silly moments. None of the characters are particularly interesting with the male lead turning in a rather uninspired performance. The plot also keeps jumping from one character and location to the next, insetad of telling a coherent story. 6.5/10 Orphan: First Kill (2022; William Brent Bell) – I wasn’t a fan of the first Orphan, the twist was good but I found it overlong and a bit boring. This prequel takes a different way and might’ve worked, but is not only too ludicrous and implausible but lacking in the scares department too. 5/10 TV Sleepwalkers (1997) – Short-lived series about a team of sleep researchers who have developed a technology allowing them to enter their patients’ dreams. This might’ve had potential, but I found these early episodes – only nine were shot, from which only six are available on DVD with the rest seemingly lost - rather mediocre. The cast is good though with Bruce Greenwood as the leader of the team and Naomi Watts in one of her first roles. 6/10 Repeat Viewing:
Dead in a Week or Your Money Back (2018; Tom Edmunds) – Likeable little tragi-comedy which is fun as long as you’re willing to accept, that the plot is completely unrealistic. The late Tom Wilkinson plays an ageing hitman who is hired by a suicidal young writer to kill him. But when the young man falls in love, he wants to call the assignment off leading to all kinds of complications. 7/10 Riders Of Justice (2020; Anders Thomas Jensen) – I thought I would give this another try, since I found it underwhelming the first time around, but sadly this second viewing failed to change my mind. The movie does have a unique idea, but the execution is rather uneven and not half as much fun as it should’ve been. Mads Mikkelsen (an actor I susually like) also gives a rather one-note performance in the lead. 6/10 I thought Inferno had two excellent sequences, the opening underwater sequence and the scene in the conservatory where the woman with the cat hypnotizes the hero. But aside from those, it was a bore and even laughable during the rat attack scene (which may have been good on paper but terrible in execution). It was nowhere near the calibre of Suspiria and even The Third Mother I liked more. |
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Feb 18, 2024 9:07:51 GMT
Good Time (2017)First half is pretty great. Very engrossing and suspenseful with a great performance by Pattinson. It's also well shot and has some good music. The movie starts losing steam towards the end though, and ends rather anticlimactically. The movie also abandons a character about 3/4 in as well, which is a shame as that dynamic was very interesting. Overall I'd still say it's a good movie due to the very strong first half, but the weak ending really lets the film down in what I think could have been a modern classic. 6/10 Emergency (2022)This one was a bit tricky to rate. For the most part I think it was enjoyable, but tonally it's all over the place. It starts out as a dark comedy, with the final act being more of an emotional drama, along with some heavy handed social commentary. I think there's some good messages in this, but perhaps not implemented as well as they could have been. The movie has some good ideas, some good performances and is surprisingly quite moving at times, but overall I don't think this movie really works as a cohesive piece. 5/10 Black Friday (2021)A fun premise but one wasted on a really amateurish movie and weak script. It's full of stuff other movies have done better. It has a great cast but fails to do much with them. It also fails to really provide any meaningful commentary you would expect in a movie about zombie black friday shoppers. The special effects were really bad as well, particularly the big monster at the end which just stands still barely doing anything yet is meant to be a huge threat. Laughable. It's watchable and has a few funny parts and Devon Sawa's character is quite fun but that's about it. 3/10 Run Hide Fight (2020)Another one a bit tricky to rate. I think it's pretty well made and engrossing, but it can be quite upsetting to watch due to the subject matter. I'm not familiar with the lead actress but I was impressed. She's very good in this. The villain I felt was a bit lacking, but I guess he did well with what he had to work with. I didn't recognise the dad to be Thomas Jane until the credits. One issue I have is the scene at the end which was so incredibly cheezy. Once the scene started I pretty much knew where it would likely go but was hoping they wouldn't. Very predictable and eye roll worthy. Otherwise, it's worth a look but can be hard to watch at times. 5/10 I don't know anything about those titles to be honest.
Do you have any thoughts to share about my OP?
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Post by brandomarlon2003 on Feb 18, 2024 13:08:24 GMT
Silent Night (7/10) - John Woo's first American film in 20 years. A grieving father seeks vengeance against a street gang responsible for the death of his child. I really was disappointed the first time I saw the film in theaters, feeling it lacked the style of Woo's previous films. I rewatched it on blu-ray and enjoyed it much more. Good car chases and gun fights. I do feel the gimmick of all the characters in the film barely saying a word is kind of stupid but Que Sera.
Lisa Frankenstein (6/10) - A misunderstood teenage loner (Kathryn Newton) resurrects a Victorian era corpse and a bizarre romantic relationship starts. The movie is set in the 1980's and does a great job of creating the look and feel of a weird 1980's film like "Heathers". Newton is an excellent actress and handles dark and macabre like roles just as effectively as Chloe Grace Moretz. The movie is far from great but is still enjoyable because of its strong performances.
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