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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Jul 8, 2024 7:39:22 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 :
The Mission (1886, Roland Joffé) : Joffé's follow-up to the masterwork The Killing Fields was an old-fashioned religious epic about selfless Jesuit missionaries in 18th-century South America versus slave-trading government capitalists. It's even written by Robert Bolt who wrote three of David Lean's most beloved epic films.
Bolt's writing, Chris Menges's lust cinematography and Ennio Morricone's divine score went a long way in my giving this one such a high score. Although I recognize its problems and shortcomings. Robert de Niro is somewhat miscast, the missionaries are portrayed as too good without any selfish ideals (which as a non-Christian I find difficult to buy) and the battle in the third act is not as interesting to watch as it ought to be.
8/10
Trailer :
A film adaptation of a popular comic strip originating in the 1940s abut the eponymous lady who is a crime-fighting newspaper reporter. It was the first comic strip created by a woman.
The film, unfortunately does not hold up to the lofty standards set by its source material. Its screenplay is a mess. The main story is about the invention of a new experimental fuel by an ex-Nazi scientist in Brazil and Starr must get her hands on the story before her rival as well as the Russian agents. this story should have been enough for the film but the writers got the idea that there should also be an element of metafiction in order to look cool and progressive. So, they inserted another plot about a real-world cartoonist entering the cartoon world to join Starr in the adventure. However, this subplot is not half as clever as the writers think it is.
Brooke Shields has enthusiasm but little else to justify being cast in such a demanding part of an early feminist role model. The supporting cast includes some talented players but they either overact to the skies (Diana Scarwid) or hardly act at all (Timothy Dalton, Charles Durning, Jeffrey Tambor).
3/10
Trailer :
A very irritating musical-comedy which was Sylvester Stallone's first attempt at a comedic film.
Its original screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson was altered significantly by Stallone once he got involved, which pissed Robinson off so much that he attempted to have his credit as a screenwriter removed but was dissuaded against it. When the film was about to release, he mounted his own negative publicity campaign against the film, aiming to make it clear to everyone that the final travesty onscreen was not how he had envisioned it originally.
Stallone was all wrong for the part. He cannot sing to save his life, to begin with. Even though that is sort-of supposed to be the point - Dolly Parton has to pick a nobody and turn him into a country music star - Stallone's voice quality is so low on the totem pole that he won't qualify for even amateur singing contests, let alone be a star. The least he could, and should, have done is let his brother Frank overdub his singing voice.
Aside from the singing, Stallone does give comedy the good ol' fashioned college try and his one-liners manage to get a chuckle or two. Dolly Parton has a beautiful voice but in all honesty, I can't say she can act. Or maybe the director was not instructing her properly - in the scenes where Stallone is singing disastrously and she is supposed to be exasperated, she looks like she can't contain her laughter instead.
It's not Stallone's worst comedy, though... that ignominious achievement still belongs to Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, so there's that.
3/10
Trailer :
Before this, I had seen Judd Nelson only in two films: his star turn as Bender in The Breakfast Club and his villain in the massive misfire Steel. Since I am not really a fan of The Breakfast Club - I think it is too dialogue-heavy and keeps hammering the same points over and over again till it becomes nauseous - I was not expecting much from this.
Therefore, I was surprised by the acting muscles flexed by Nelson as an upcoming lawyer. A lawyer who thinks he is a moral and ethical man, wants to do the right thing - yet cannot resist the lure of cheap, showy courtroom shenanigans and the resulting media limelight.
Nelson's is only the second best performance in the film, however - the best spot belongs to John Hurt as a narcissistic, sociopathic professor accused of murder. Hurt doesn't have a lot of screen time, yet he makes every scene of his instantly memorable.
The film, on the whole, is a ridiculous affair - but undeniably engaging and entertaining. Watch it for one of Judd Nelson's rare star turns and to ruminate on what might have been had he made the right choices and been given the right breaks.
7/10
Trailer :
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Post by jcush on Jul 8, 2024 7:47:34 GMT
The Mission - Very well shot and with an incredible Ennio Morricone score. 7/10
First Time Viewings:
When a Stranger Calls (2006, Simon West) - 5/10
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024, George Miller) - 7/10
Out of Darkness (2022, Andrew Cumming) - 7/10
In a Violent Nature (2024, Chris Nash) - 7/10
Repeat Viewings:
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas) - 8.5/10
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) - 8.5/10
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas) - 9.5/10
Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - 10/10
The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) - 10/10
Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) - 10/10
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Martin Scorsese) - 9/10
Titanic (1997, James Cameron) - 9/10
Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) - 10/10
Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10
The Hateful Eight (2015, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10
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Post by theravenking on Jul 8, 2024 9:14:34 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 :
The Mission (1886, Roland Joffé) : Joffé's follow-up to the masterwork The Killing Fields was an old-fashioned religious epic about selfless Jesuit missionaries in 18th-century South America versus slave-trading government capitalists. It's even written by Robert Bolt who wrote three of David Lean's most beloved epic films.
Bolt's writing, Chris Menges's lust cinematography and Ennio Morricone's divine score went a long way in my giving this one such a high score. Although I recognize its problems and shortcomings. Robert de Niro is somewhat miscast, the missionaries are portrayed as too good without any selfish ideals (which as a non-Christian I find difficult to buy) and the battle in the third act is not as interesting to watch as it ought to be.
8/10
Trailer :
A film adaptation of a popular comic strip originating in the 1940s abut the eponymous lady who is a crime-fighting newspaper reporter. It was the first comic strip created by a woman.
The film, unfortunately does not hold up to the lofty standards set by its source material. Its screenplay is a mess. The main story is about the invention of a new experimental fuel by an ex-Nazi scientist in Brazil and Starr must get her hands on the story before her rival as well as the Russian agents. this story should have been enough for the film but the writers got the idea that there should also be an element of metafiction in order to look cool and progressive. So, they inserted another plot about a real-world cartoonist entering the cartoon world to join Starr in the adventure. However, this subplot is not half as clever as the writers think it is.
Brooke Shields has enthusiasm but little else to justify being cast in such a demanding part of an early feminist role model. The supporting cast includes some talented players but they either overact to the skies (Diana Scarwid) or hardly act at all (Timothy Dalton, Charles Durning, Jeffrey Tambor).
3/10
Trailer :
A very irritating musical-comedy which was Sylvester Stallone's first attempt at a comedic film.
Its original screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson was altered significantly by Stallone once he got involved, which pissed Robinson off so much that he attempted to have his credit as a screenwriter removed but was dissuaded against it. When the film was about to release, he mounted his own negative publicity campaign against the film, aiming to make it clear to everyone that the final travesty onscreen was not how he had envisioned it originally.
Stallone was all wrong for the part. He cannot sing to save his life, to begin with. Even though that is sort-of supposed to be the point - Dolly Parton has to pick a nobody and turn him into a country music star - Stallone's voice quality is so low on the totem pole that he won't qualify for even amateur singing contests, let alone be a star. The least he could, and should, have done is let his brother Frank overdub his singing voice.
Aside from the singing, Stallone does give comedy the good ol' fashioned college try and his one-liners manage to get a chuckle or two. Dolly Parton has a beautiful voice but in all honesty, I can't say she can act. Or maybe the director was not instructing her properly - in the scenes where Stallone is singing disastrously and she is supposed to be exasperated, she looks like she can't contain her laughter instead.
It's not Stallone's worst comedy, though... that ignominious achievement still belongs to Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, so there's that.
3/10
Trailer :
Before this, I had seen Judd Nelson only in two films: his star turn as Bender in The Breakfast Club and his villain in the massive misfire Steel. Since I am not really a fan of The Breakfast Club - I think it is too dialogue-heavy and keeps hammering the same points over and over again till it becomes nauseous - I was not expecting much from this.
Therefore, I was surprised by the acting muscles flexed by Nelson as an upcoming lawyer. A lawyer who thinks he is a moral and ethical man, wants to do the right thing - yet cannot resist the lure of cheap, showy courtroom shenanigans and the resulting media limelight.
Nelson's is only the second best performance in the film, however - the best spot belongs to John Hurt as a narcissistic, sociopathic professor accused of murder. Hurt doesn't have a lot of screen time, yet he makes every scene of his instantly memorable.
The film, on the whole, is a ridiculous affair - but undeniably engaging and entertaining. Watch it for one of Judd Nelson's rare star turns and to ruminate on what might have been had he made the right choices and been given the right breaks.
7/10
Trailer :
None of yours. I'm only familiar with the marvellous Morricone score for The Mission, but have somehow never seen the movie.
Mine:
First Time Viewing:
Fright (1971; Peter Collinson) – This largely forgotten movie originated the by now familiar trope of the young babysitter terrorised by a psychopath. However it makes the mistake of revealing the baddie far too early, who in this case is also a rather ordinary mortal being, turning the movie from a horror-thriller into a a dark psychodrama. It might be of some historical interest to cineasts, but sadly not much more. 5/10
I … For Icarus (1979; Henri Verneuil) – When the president of a fictional country is assassinated on inauguration day an attorney general (Yves Montand) suspects foul play uncovering a vast government conspiracy. Clearly modelled after the murder of JFK this has some interesting elements but soon gets bogged down by long talky scenes with the outcome being fairly obvious from the beginning. Oliver Stone did this stuff much better and a lot more excitingly in JFK. 5.5/10
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982; Taylor Hackford) – Why was this such a big hit again? The title song and Luis Gossett Jr’s performance deservedly won Oscars but the story has turned incredibly stale by now, almost coming over as an uncritical, mainstream version of Kubrick’s later Full Metal Jacket. I also found Gere miscast. 5/10
A Stranger In Town (1967; Luigi Vanzi) – Cheap Sergio Leone rip-off starts off with a nicely atmospheric sequence of a stranger riding into a seemingly deserted town before turning into a middling Fistful of Dollars clone. 5.5/10
Repeat Viewing
The Gift (2015; Joel Edgerton) – Gripping low-key thriller. One of the most effective and realistic films about bullying and its effects on the victims. The somewhat average plot is also elevated by an excellent cast.
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Post by James on Jul 8, 2024 12:10:16 GMT
None of yours.
All first viewings for me.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024, Zelda Williams) – 7/10
Silent Hill (2006, Christophe Gans) – 7/10
Silent Hill: Revelation (2012, M.J. Bassett) – 4/10
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024, Mark Molloy) – 7/10
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soggy
Sophomore
@soggy
Posts: 811
Likes: 1,356
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Post by soggy on Jul 8, 2024 23:15:50 GMT
None of yours this week. Need to check out The Mission at some point.
Mine:
First time views:
Jack Frost (Michael Cooney, 1997)
I remember seeing this movie in video stores all the time as a kid. I know realistically I only saw the box a few times, but frankly in my child mind it was always there. It made that much of an impact on me. It was a VHS holographic cover, with a snowman that when you moved he grew teeth and looked ready to attack. I remember playing with the cover, knowing it was forbidden to actually watch it and wondering the entire time what horrors that snowman was going to cause. Now over 20 years later I’ve finally found out... The snowman moves more on the cover of the movie than he does in the entire film. It's clear this was extremely low budget and they work with what the can. It fortunately does not take itself seriously at all. It's never "scary" but often extremely goofy... and yes, we do get snowman puns, which is very important. Is it good by any "proper" standards? No. Did I enjoy it? Oh hell yes. I cannot honestly say that I love this one, but there was a sense of nostalgia for me, despite never having seen it, finally watching a movie that lived rent free in childhood SOG's brain. 6/10
Light Sleeper (Paul Schrader, 1992)
Oh, look, it's a guy feeling guilt, writing in a journal and wondering if he's going to have redemption or a downward spiral... that's right, it's week fifteen in my Paul Schrader examination! Light Sleeper follows many of Schrader's favorite tropes (as mentioned above) and feels like it sits nicely with Taxi Driver his other "New York" films. This time our character is a drug dealer though who would like to get out, but can't seem to quite save up enough. He seems to be hoping that his main contact who claims she is going straight will invite him into the new business, but can't quite bring himself to ask. While this is all familiar territory, Schrader is frankly good with these types of stories. What makes in one of the better ones is the lead performance by Willem Dafoe who manages to bring a heightened sense of hopelessness that Schrader seems to always want from his leads but does not always get across. Every time Dafoe looks towards the light, it seemingly hurts his eyes. It's a wonderful performance and makes a good film much better. 8/10
The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961)
Classic film with good reason. I don’t love it as much as some do, but I did enjoy it and think it has some great performances. 8/10
Abashiri Prison 2 (Teruo Ishii, 1965)
You may notice if you look at Ishii’s first Abashiri Prison film and this one that they both came out the same year. To say this was a rushed production would one of the biggest understatements I could make about the film. Apparently Ishii somehow managed to write the script for this one in just seven days and then shoot the film in two weeks so that they could get it out as fast as possible after the massive success of the first film. As impressive of a feat as that sounds, it no doubt was made easier by throwing out pretty much everything that made the first film unique and just doing something completely different. Gone is the entire prison element and the black and white gritty atmosphere. Instead, we have a diamond heist and comedic moments. Disappointing. 4/10
The Playgirls and the Vampire (Piero Regnoli, 1960)
Five showgirls are trapped by a storm and find refuge in your standard creepy old castle in this Italian horror movie. There’s some fun to be had here, with some nice gothic atmosphere, but it’s a bit too goofy and doesn’t really work that well. 5/10
Love's Labour's Lost (Kenneth Branagh, 2000)
Kenneth Branagh’s less than Stellar take on one of Shakespeare’s funnier (in my opinion) plays in which he decides to remove about 2/3s of the dialogue in favorite of turning it into a musical. The play is still funny, but the movie is a mess. 4/10
Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson, 1996)
Anderson's first film is very much a Wes Anderson-lite. He had not yet found his trademark visual style and his pacing here definitely feels a bit off. It feels like he's very much in the learning process; that said we do get his trademark music choices and characters certainly dress like they are in a Wes Anderson movie. His deadpan sense of humor is also there. Overall I liked the movie. It's more interesting to see the director's start than an actual "good" movie, but I confess I did laugh several times during it. Honestly, Its a funnier movie than some of his later films, just not as skillfully made. After watching this, I'd like to see him do another crime comedy with his current abilities. 7/10
Shanghai Triad (Yimou Zhang, 1995)
I’m not as enamored with it as some people are (I know a lot of my friends think this is Zhang’s best, and I have to strongly disagree) but I liked it. It was actually a movie I like better though after I finished it than I enjoyed actually watching it. It’s an interesting film to think about and appreciate details of, but there were moments that are better I think in concept than execution. 7/10
Babylon (Damien Chazelle, 2022)
I love movies about Hollywood. I truly love seeing fictional behind the scenes. I delight seeing the excess... and man this movie pretty much gave me everything I could have asked for and more. I get why some people have issues with the runtime and some of the humor, but frankly it could have been longer and I still would have been all about it. I confess that the humor was hit or miss (when we started the movie with elephant crap I really figured I was not in for a good time) but much to my delight it did hit more often for me than not. Also, never thought I would say this, but Tobey Maguire can be genuinely terrifying. 9/10
Cry-Baby (John Waters, 1990)
Been a while since I’ve seen a John Waters movie. This is probably his biggest attempt at making a mainstream film, made by a large studio and keeping his trademark weird characters and shocking moments down, though still not removing them because, well, it’s a John Waters film damn it. He pretty much does a Grease style film here, but with tongue firmly in cheek, knowing full well how ridiculous the nostalgia he’s presenting here is. It’s a film he clearly is having a lot of fun with and is exactly the sort of thing would expect from a “toned down” John Waters. It has some amusing moments, but it’s a bit too cartoony in its humor. Frankly I find Waters works better when he’s allowed to not only go crazy on screen, but is making it guerrilla style. 6/10
The Whole Town's Talking (John Ford, 1935)
An okay comedy, though it really only has one joke. Edward G. Robinson plays an accountant who is mistaken for a gangster. Given Robinson’s reputation, it’s a pretty good joke, but the film just keeps repeating it as that’s all it really has. Interesting to see John Ford of all people direct a comedy though. 5/10
Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
Not one of my favorite Hitchcock films. Felt very by the book for him without as many truly memorable scenes. Wasn’t bad at all, and the final few minutes really are spectacular, but I expect more standout moments from him and was a bit disappointed in the regard. Still a solid film. 7/10
Abashiri Prison 3 (Teruo Ishii, 1965)
Other than the continuity issue that they seemed to forget that our lead had a sister, and the rather uncomfortable kid in black face because apparently there were no black kid actors they could locate, I enjoyed this film. It’s not as good as the first, but it is way better than the second. While the prison is again left behind, this one feels more like the story of a man who just got out, thus making it feel more like a proper sequel than the second (it also has flashbacks to his time there as well). 7/10
The Last Wave (Peter Weir, 1977)
I know some people really like this one, but I found it a tedious slog. I “get” the film, I just don’t care for it in execution. 3/10
Endless Desire (Shôhei Imamura, 1958)
Five people meet up at a train station. They know each other in theory, but they are not exactly who each one is expecting. Years ago during the war, they stashed something and know they can make a huge profit now, but times have changed and the landscape with it. Their loot is under a butcher's shop. They rent another building to make a tunnel. The film operates as an extremely dark comedy about what happens when these criminals with very different perspectives are stuck working together. Each has their own methods and each is looking out only for themselves. It is a pretty good little movie and shows Imamura's skill during his early career with some claustrophobic sets. Worth a look. 7/10
Rewatch:
X (Ti West, 2022) Pearl (Ti West, 2022)
Watched this both in preparation of seeing Maxxxine Sunday. I enjoyed both a great deal the first time and just as much on a rewatch. Of the two I prefer Pearl with its more serious tone, whereas X's grindhouse aesthetic and plot make it more of a "fun" film, but not quite as good. Both still get an 8/10
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Jul 8, 2024 23:26:49 GMT
Rhinestone - 4/10 From the Hip - 5/10
Mine:
Octopussy (1983) - 9/10 Really fun Bond film.
In a Violent Nature (2024) - 4/10 I also saw this one. I really wanted to like it. I enjoyed some things in it like the cool kills but as a whole it didnt work for me. Pretty surprising since I usually dig slasher films
Faceless After Dark (2024) - 4/10 OK at best horror film has a young horror star turning the tables on her obsessed fans.
History of Evil (2024) - 1/10 Terrible thriller. Nothing remotely redeemable.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jul 9, 2024 0:17:18 GMT
Lady In Cement (1968) - 5/10 Hello Again (1987) - 5/10 Of yours; From the Hip - 8/10 Brenda Starr - 5/10 Previous Week; Ghost Fever (1987) - 4/10 Repeat Destry Rides Again (1939) - 7/10 Romancing the Stone (1984) - 7/10 Of yours; Just Before Dawn - 8/10 This film has really grown on me over the years. I think I built up my expectations a little too high when I first saw it. But now, after a few repeat viewings. It just clicks. While it doesn’t break the standard slasher mould of those backwoods horror. Well, possibly the final girl transformation being the exception. Still it’s very well-made, and acted. Great use of locations, and alienating atmospherics. And Brad Fiedel’s understated, yet unsettling music score is so on key. I did type reviews (for the first four titles) but for some reason the screen refreshed on me, and everything was wiped. And I wasn’t in mood to do it all again
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Post by Roberto on Jul 9, 2024 8:23:25 GMT
Summer Rental (1985) A very unoriginal and unfunny movie, made watchable thanks to John Candy who rises above the weak material. Without his scenes this would be an absolute bore. 3/10
Better Off Dead... (1985) A bit too goofy for me but it undeniably has a lot of charm and creativity, with some occasional big laughs. 5/10
Valley Girl (1983) Generic rom com, nothing special, but Nicolas Cage makes it watchable. 3/10
Bowfinger (1999) A great idea and fun satire on Hollywood, but it doesn't really go with it far enough for me, and is not as funny as it should be considering all the talent involved. 5/10
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Post by Roberto on Jul 10, 2024 14:01:24 GMT
Repeat Viewings:Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas) - 8.5/10Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) - 8.5/10Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas) - 9.5/10Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - 10/10The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) - 10/10Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) - 10/10Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Martin Scorsese) - 9/10Titanic (1997, James Cameron) - 9/10Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) - 10/10Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10The Hateful Eight (2015, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10 I recently rewatched Star Wars as well, so these are all quite fresh for me. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas) - 7.5/10 I love a lot about this movie. It has great world building and I really love Qui-Gon Jinn, he's such a cool character and one of my favourites in the saga. But there's a few things holding it back from being as good as the others. Like ROTJ I feel this one was a bit too goofy at times for it's own good, and kind of feels out of place next to the two more serious films that follow. I'm also not too sure about little Ani going into space at the end and destroying the Trade Federation ship. I think I get what George was trying to do (have it mirror Luke and the Death Star) and can appreciate it but I think he was just too young, and it was too much. If it was to show how gifted he was, the pod race was more than enough to showcase that, and made much more sense. Still a very enjoyable movie but it's my 2nd least favourite.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) - 9/10 This might be the most Star Warsy out of them all if that makes sense. There's just so many cool things packed into this movie. The world building is insane, and getting to see the Jedi order in their prime was cool. It doesn't quite reach the heights of ROTS for me but it's close. I wasn't too sure about the Yoda duel, but boy is it an epic moment when he first takes out his lightsaber. I wasn't a big fan of the C-3PO/Battle Droid humour and find it kind of gross honestly.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas) - 9.5/10 A near perfect movie. Just an absolute thrill ride from start to finish as it's always been. Probably in my top 10 films of all time. There's not much I'd really complain about or change. At least none that I can think of at the moment. The CGI still holds up well too.
Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - 9/10 A perfect introduction to Star Wars. It may be pretty simple and dated compared to the rest but there's something really special about this one.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) - 9/10 May be my second favourite, or at least it was for a long time. I used to have it as 9.5 but it dropped a little on the rewatch. I find it hard to rank II, IV and V as they're all pretty neck and neck. But since this one introduces so many iconic things to the saga like Yoda and Imperial March, I may have to give it the edge.
Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) - 7.5/10My least favourite. It has some of my absolute favourite scenes/moments in the whole saga though, like everything with Luke, Vader and the Emperor, the space battle over Endor (the effects there are seriously impressive to this day), Luke getting his sexy new green saber, and the ending. The ending is great and a perfect end to the saga. But I am not a big fan of the rest of the movie. I enjoy it, but there's too many goofy moments, and the action sequences on Tatooine and Endor look poorly staged and unconvincing. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Martin Scorsese) - 2/10 Titanic (1997, James Cameron) - 9.5/10
This is my 4th favourite movie of all time. I am overdue for a rewatch of it as well.
Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) - 8/10 Another movie I'm long overdue to rewatch.
Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino) - 8/10The last QT movie that I really enjoyed. The shootout scene towards the end is one of my favourite shootouts in all of cinema. The Hateful Eight (2015, Quentin Tarantino) - 6/10 Only saw this once back at release and the experience was not great. I was lucky enough to see it in 70mm, so the picture was great, but the audio quality/acoustics at the venue I watched it as was terrible, and very hard on the ears. So that may have negatively affected my thoughts on my movie. I was meaning to watch it again for years but just never got around to it, and have since sort of moved on from QT and no longer revisit his stuff. But maybe I should at least revisit this one to give it a proper try.
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Post by Roberto on Jul 10, 2024 14:07:53 GMT
Repeat Viewing The Gift (2015; Joel Edgerton) – Gripping low-key thriller. One of the most effective and realistic films about bullying and its effects on the victims. The somewhat average plot is also elevated by an excellent cast. I really liked it. Very suspenseful with great acting. I think I recall maybe not being the biggest fan of the ending though, not sure. I kind of want to rewatch it now. 7/10
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Post by Roberto on Jul 10, 2024 14:10:03 GMT
Silent Hill (2006, Christophe Gans) – 7/10Silent Hill: Revelation (2012, M.J. Bassett) – 4/10Silent Hill (2006, Christophe Gans) - 5/10 I don't remember much about it honestly, other than Sean Bean being in it and there being a lot of fog/mist. I never played any of the games though so maybe I just didn't understand it.
Silent Hill: Revelation (2012, M.J. Bassett) - 4/10 as well I don't remember much about this one either and mainly watched it because I used to have a crush on Adelaide Clemens.
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Post by Roberto on Jul 10, 2024 14:21:02 GMT
First time views: Jack Frost (Michael Cooney, 1997) I remember seeing this movie in video stores all the time as a kid. I know realistically I only saw the box a few times, but frankly in my child mind it was always there. It made that much of an impact on me. It was a VHS holographic cover, with a snowman that when you moved he grew teeth and looked ready to attack. I remember playing with the cover, knowing it was forbidden to actually watch it and wondering the entire time what horrors that snowman was going to cause. Now over 20 years later I’ve finally found out... The snowman moves more on the cover of the movie than he does in the entire film. It's clear this was extremely low budget and they work with what the can. It fortunately does not take itself seriously at all. It's never "scary" but often extremely goofy... and yes, we do get snowman puns, which is very important. Is it good by any "proper" standards? No. Did I enjoy it? Oh hell yes. I cannot honestly say that I love this one, but there was a sense of nostalgia for me, despite never having seen it, finally watching a movie that lived rent free in childhood SOG's brain. 6/10 It's funny you mention being fascinated by the cover as a kid, because the same thing happened to me! Although for me it wasn't a lenticular cover but the one with the skeleton snowman (which for some reason looks nothing like his actual appearance in the movie. Weird.) So yeah I saw the DVD cover in a video rental store and always found it interesting, but I didn't watch it until years later. I also must have at least known of the family friendly Michael Keaton version and found it interesting that it shared the same name as this R rated movie. I eventually googled the movie at some point when a little older and saw that it had a nude scene and I guess that was enough for my simple kid brain to finally seek out the film. I recall not liking it, but other than that I don't remember much about the movie itself. I quite liked the Michael Keaton one though. I've only seen X which I gave a 3/10. It had a lot of potential, and I really enjoyed the first half and found it very unique and the characters interesting, but it really lost me once it turned into a typical generic slasher in the second half. Despite not liking it I'm honestly still kind of interested in checking out the sequels for some reason.
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Post by jcush on Jul 10, 2024 18:19:49 GMT
Repeat Viewings:Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas) - 8.5/10Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) - 8.5/10Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas) - 9.5/10Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - 10/10The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) - 10/10Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) - 10/10Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Martin Scorsese) - 9/10Titanic (1997, James Cameron) - 9/10Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) - 10/10Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10The Hateful Eight (2015, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10 I recently rewatched Star Wars as well, so these are all quite fresh for me. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas) - 7.5/10 I love a lot about this movie. It has great world building and I really love Qui-Gon Jinn, he's such a cool character and one of my favourites in the saga. But there's a few things holding it back from being as good as the others. Like ROTJ I feel this one was a bit too goofy at times for it's own good, and kind of feels out of place next to the two more serious films that follow. I'm also not too sure about little Ani going into space at the end and destroying the Trade Federation ship. I think I get what George was trying to do (have it mirror Luke and the Death Star) and can appreciate it but I think he was just too young, and it was too much. If it was to show how gifted he was, the pod race was more than enough to showcase that, and made much more sense. Still a very enjoyable movie but it's my 2nd least favourite.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) - 9/10 This might be the most Star Warsy out of them all if that makes sense. There's just so many cool things packed into this movie. The world building is insane, and getting to see the Jedi order in their prime was cool. It doesn't quite reach the heights of ROTS for me but it's close. I wasn't too sure about the Yoda duel, but boy is it an epic moment when he first takes out his lightsaber. I wasn't a big fan of the C-3PO/Battle Droid humour and find it kind of gross honestly.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas) - 9.5/10 A near perfect movie. Just an absolute thrill ride from start to finish as it's always been. Probably in my top 10 films of all time. There's not much I'd really complain about or change. At least none that I can think of at the moment. The CGI still holds up well too.
Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - 9/10 A perfect introduction to Star Wars. It may be pretty simple and dated compared to the rest but there's something really special about this one.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) - 9/10 May be my second favourite, or at least it was for a long time. I used to have it as 9.5 but it dropped a little on the rewatch. I find it hard to rank II, IV and V as they're all pretty neck and neck. But since this one introduces so many iconic things to the saga like Yoda and Imperial March, I may have to give it the edge.
Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) - 7.5/10My least favourite. It has some of my absolute favourite scenes/moments in the whole saga though, like everything with Luke, Vader and the Emperor, the space battle over Endor (the effects there are seriously impressive to this day), Luke getting his sexy new green saber, and the ending. The ending is great and a perfect end to the saga. But I am not a big fan of the rest of the movie. I enjoy it, but there's too many goofy moments, and the action sequences on Tatooine and Endor look poorly staged and unconvincing. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Martin Scorsese) - 2/10 Titanic (1997, James Cameron) - 9.5/10
This is my 4th favourite movie of all time. I am overdue for a rewatch of it as well.
Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) - 8/10 Another movie I'm long overdue to rewatch.
Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino) - 8/10The last QT movie that I really enjoyed. The shootout scene towards the end is one of my favourite shootouts in all of cinema. The Hateful Eight (2015, Quentin Tarantino) - 6/10 Only saw this once back at release and the experience was not great. I was lucky enough to see it in 70mm, so the picture was great, but the audio quality/acoustics at the venue I watched it as was terrible, and very hard on the ears. So that may have negatively affected my thoughts on my movie. I was meaning to watch it again for years but just never got around to it, and have since sort of moved on from QT and no longer revisit his stuff. But maybe I should at least revisit this one to give it a proper try.
As you can see from my ratings, the original trilogy are all pretty much even for me, but Return of the Jedi has actually always been my favorite. I love the whole thing obviously, but the stuff with Luke, Vader, and the Emperor are what pushes it past the first two for me. Just curious, do you not rate anything 10/10? You said Titanic and Revenge of the Sith are both in your top 10, but rate them 9.5/10
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Post by jcush on Jul 10, 2024 18:21:23 GMT
Summer Rental (1985)A very unoriginal and unfunny movie, made watchable thanks to John Candy who rises above the weak material. Without his scenes this would be an absolute bore. 3/10 Better Off Dead... (1985)A bit too goofy for me but it undeniably has a lot of charm and creativity, with some occasional big laughs. 5/10 Valley Girl (1983)Generic rom com, nothing special, but Nicolas Cage makes it watchable. 3/10 Bowfinger (1999)A great idea and fun satire on Hollywood, but it doesn't really go with it far enough for me, and is not as funny as it should be considering all the talent involved. 5/10 From yours I've seen Valley Girl and Bowfinger. I thought both were pretty good and I rate them 7/10.
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Post by James on Jul 10, 2024 18:31:56 GMT
Summer Rental (1985)A very unoriginal and unfunny movie, made watchable thanks to John Candy who rises above the weak material. Without his scenes this would be an absolute bore. 3/10 Better Off Dead... (1985)A bit too goofy for me but it undeniably has a lot of charm and creativity, with some occasional big laughs. 5/10 Valley Girl (1983)Generic rom com, nothing special, but Nicolas Cage makes it watchable. 3/10 Bowfinger (1999)A great idea and fun satire on Hollywood, but it doesn't really go with it far enough for me, and is not as funny as it should be considering all the talent involved. 5/10 Haven't watched any of those.
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Post by brandomarlon2003 on Jul 10, 2024 20:14:46 GMT
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F - 6.5/10 (Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills to help out his estranged daughter).
Kill - 7.5/10 (Indian action film. A pair of off-duty soldiers contend with a mob of bandits highjacking a train. The film starts off kind of iffy as a romantic comedy but quickly turns into a very dark and brutal action film. Highly recommended).
Inside Out 2 - 6/10
Despicable Me 4 - 7.5/10
Horizon: An America Saga - Chapter 1 - 6/10
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Post by Roberto on Jul 11, 2024 2:45:14 GMT
I recently rewatched Star Wars as well, so these are all quite fresh for me. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas) - 7.5/10 I love a lot about this movie. It has great world building and I really love Qui-Gon Jinn, he's such a cool character and one of my favourites in the saga. But there's a few things holding it back from being as good as the others. Like ROTJ I feel this one was a bit too goofy at times for it's own good, and kind of feels out of place next to the two more serious films that follow. I'm also not too sure about little Ani going into space at the end and destroying the Trade Federation ship. I think I get what George was trying to do (have it mirror Luke and the Death Star) and can appreciate it but I think he was just too young, and it was too much. If it was to show how gifted he was, the pod race was more than enough to showcase that, and made much more sense. Still a very enjoyable movie but it's my 2nd least favourite.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) - 9/10 This might be the most Star Warsy out of them all if that makes sense. There's just so many cool things packed into this movie. The world building is insane, and getting to see the Jedi order in their prime was cool. It doesn't quite reach the heights of ROTS for me but it's close. I wasn't too sure about the Yoda duel, but boy is it an epic moment when he first takes out his lightsaber. I wasn't a big fan of the C-3PO/Battle Droid humour and find it kind of gross honestly.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas) - 9.5/10 A near perfect movie. Just an absolute thrill ride from start to finish as it's always been. Probably in my top 10 films of all time. There's not much I'd really complain about or change. At least none that I can think of at the moment. The CGI still holds up well too.
Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - 9/10 A perfect introduction to Star Wars. It may be pretty simple and dated compared to the rest but there's something really special about this one.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) - 9/10 May be my second favourite, or at least it was for a long time. I used to have it as 9.5 but it dropped a little on the rewatch. I find it hard to rank II, IV and V as they're all pretty neck and neck. But since this one introduces so many iconic things to the saga like Yoda and Imperial March, I may have to give it the edge.
Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) - 7.5/10My least favourite. It has some of my absolute favourite scenes/moments in the whole saga though, like everything with Luke, Vader and the Emperor, the space battle over Endor (the effects there are seriously impressive to this day), Luke getting his sexy new green saber, and the ending. The ending is great and a perfect end to the saga. But I am not a big fan of the rest of the movie. I enjoy it, but there's too many goofy moments, and the action sequences on Tatooine and Endor look poorly staged and unconvincing. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Martin Scorsese) - 2/10 Titanic (1997, James Cameron) - 9.5/10
This is my 4th favourite movie of all time. I am overdue for a rewatch of it as well.
Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) - 8/10 Another movie I'm long overdue to rewatch.
Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino) - 8/10The last QT movie that I really enjoyed. The shootout scene towards the end is one of my favourite shootouts in all of cinema. The Hateful Eight (2015, Quentin Tarantino) - 6/10 Only saw this once back at release and the experience was not great. I was lucky enough to see it in 70mm, so the picture was great, but the audio quality/acoustics at the venue I watched it as was terrible, and very hard on the ears. So that may have negatively affected my thoughts on my movie. I was meaning to watch it again for years but just never got around to it, and have since sort of moved on from QT and no longer revisit his stuff. But maybe I should at least revisit this one to give it a proper try.
As you can see from my ratings, the original trilogy are all pretty much even for me, but Return of the Jedi has actually always been my favorite. I love the whole thing obviously, but the stuff with Luke, Vader, and the Emperor are what pushes it past the first two for me. Just curious, do you not rate anything 10/10? You said Titanic and Revenge of the Sith are both in your top 10, but rate them 9.5/10 I think it used to be my favourite but has dropped over the years. I can't stress how much I love the Luke, Vader and Emperor scenes and then the ending. Maybe the best scenes in all of Star Wars. I also forgot to mention I really like the forest speeder chase on Endor as well and the Ewoks are funny and cute, and of course the Dagobah scenes. I'm just not big on the Jabba sequences and really don't like the Tatooine stuff with Boba Fett or the stormtroopers vs Ewoks, which is a good chunk of the movie. But I still love it, it's just that's where it falls with my criteria, maybe I'm a strict rater but 7.5 is still very high for me.
Well I've got a good amount of 10/10s on IMDb, but yeah generally 9.5 is as high as it goes for me. Maybe if I really think about it some could be 9.6 9.7 etc, but even my top 3, the LOTR trilogy have quite a few flaws. But it's been years since Titanic so who knows maybe that could be a perfect 10 this time.
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Post by jcush on Jul 11, 2024 3:33:42 GMT
As you can see from my ratings, the original trilogy are all pretty much even for me, but Return of the Jedi has actually always been my favorite. I love the whole thing obviously, but the stuff with Luke, Vader, and the Emperor are what pushes it past the first two for me. Just curious, do you not rate anything 10/10? You said Titanic and Revenge of the Sith are both in your top 10, but rate them 9.5/10 I think it used to be my favourite but has dropped over the years. I can't stress how much I love the Luke, Vader and Emperor scenes and then the ending. Maybe the best scenes in all of Star Wars. I also forgot to mention I really like the forest speeder chase on Endor as well and the Ewoks are funny and cute, and of course the Dagobah scenes. I'm just not big on the Jabba sequences and really don't like the Tatooine stuff with Boba Fett or the stormtroopers vs Ewoks, which is a good chunk of the movie. But I still love it, it's just that's where it falls with my criteria, maybe I'm a strict rater but 7.5 is still very high for me.
Well I've got a good amount of 10/10s on IMDb, but yeah generally 9.5 is as high as it goes for me. Maybe if I really think about it some could be 9.6 9.7 etc, but even my top 3, the LOTR trilogy have quite a few flaws. But it's been years since Titanic so who knows maybe that could be a perfect 10 this time.
I'm probably considered a fairly strict rater too. I've seen over 5000 movies and there's only around 30 that I'd give 10/10. (The Lord of the Rings trilogy are also among those 10/10's.)
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Jul 13, 2024 11:46:08 GMT
The Mission - Very well shot and with an incredible Ennio Morricone score. 7/10 First Time Viewings:When a Stranger Calls (2006, Simon West) - 5/10Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024, George Miller) - 7/10Out of Darkness (2022, Andrew Cumming) - 7/10In a Violent Nature (2024, Chris Nash) - 7/10Repeat Viewings:Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas) - 8.5/10Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas) - 8.5/10Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas) - 9.5/10Star Wars (1977, George Lucas) - 10/10The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner) - 10/10Return of the Jedi (1983, Richard Marquand) - 10/10Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, Martin Scorsese) - 9/10Titanic (1997, James Cameron) - 9/10Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) - 10/10Django Unchained (2012, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10The Hateful Eight (2015, Quentin Tarantino) - 9/10Haven't seen the remake of When a Stranger Calls but the original is in my watchlist.
Maybe I have written this before but whatever... The Empire Strikes Back is the only good Star wars film for me. Rest range from average to poor.
Scarface: Not a fan. It tells the same story as the Howard Hawks original but in a bloated and graphic way.
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Jul 13, 2024 11:49:27 GMT
None of yours. I'm only familiar with the marvellous Morricone score for The Mission, but have somehow never seen the movie.
Mine:
First Time Viewing:
Fright (1971; Peter Collinson) – This largely forgotten movie originated the by now familiar trope of the young babysitter terrorised by a psychopath. However it makes the mistake of revealing the baddie far too early, who in this case is also a rather ordinary mortal being, turning the movie from a horror-thriller into a a dark psychodrama. It might be of some historical interest to cineasts, but sadly not much more. 5/10
I … For Icarus (1979; Henri Verneuil) – When the president of a fictional country is assassinated on inauguration day an attorney general (Yves Montand) suspects foul play uncovering a vast government conspiracy. Clearly modelled after the murder of JFK this has some interesting elements but soon gets bogged down by long talky scenes with the outcome being fairly obvious from the beginning. Oliver Stone did this stuff much better and a lot more excitingly in JFK. 5.5/10
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982; Taylor Hackford) – Why was this such a big hit again? The title song and Luis Gossett Jr’s performance deservedly won Oscars but the story has turned incredibly stale by now, almost coming over as an uncritical, mainstream version of Kubrick’s later Full Metal Jacket. I also found Gere miscast. 5/10
A Stranger In Town (1967; Luigi Vanzi) – Cheap Sergio Leone rip-off starts off with a nicely atmospheric sequence of a stranger riding into a seemingly deserted town before turning into a middling Fistful of Dollars clone. 5.5/10
Repeat Viewing
The Gift (2015; Joel Edgerton) – Gripping low-key thriller. One of the most effective and realistic films about bullying and its effects on the victims. The somewhat average plot is also elevated by an excellent cast.
Haven't seen any of yours but The Officer and a Gentleman is in my watchlist. Will look out for Fright as well. Collinson's The Italian Job is an all-time classic but his version of And Then There Were None was a bore.
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