What Films Did You Watch Last Week? (15/01-21/01) closed

Coco - good stuff 7.5/10


First Time Viewings:

Stone (2010, John Curran)

Any interest in any of the others? I seem to remember last year when I watched Ravenous you didn't seem to interested, but I'd definitely recommend it. 

Hello,

Iron Man 2 (2010) 7/10

Berlin Syndrome (2017) 9/10 - What is this psychological thriller about? Teresa Palmer's character travels alone to Berlin from Australia, meets a stranger, having sex with him at his apartment, after morning she is unable to leave realizing that she is captured. First of all, I really liked this one. It's like "In his apartment, no one can hear your scream.". Beautifully filmed and acted. The production is very well done and visually interesting. Very nice cinematography that it feels cold. I always think Teresa Palmer is one of the most beautiful women, she absolutely looked gorgeous in it, and gave likeable performance. I also loved how she showed us her nude scenes. Damn! 🔥I think those scenes has to be one of the hottest nude movie scenes I've ever seen. The male lead was chilling as her sociopath captor. I've heard some people found the ending disappointing, but I thought it was good. Watch it if you haven't seen because anyone can't refuse to watch where is starring Teresa Palmer in.

Next of Kin 6.5/10 - It's a pretty solid Australian unknown horror film and kind of odd what it looks. It was sppoky, but yet, it was somehow well done. Some death scenes are creepy! In the fact, it's one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite Australian films.

Legally Blonde (2001) 8.5/10 - Reese Witherspoon was great in it!

Yours: None this week.

Mine - All first time views.

The Last Starfighter (1984) - 5/10 - VHS
An 80s cult classic. Just thought it was OK.

The Good Fight (1992) - 4/10 - DVD
Made for TV drama. Forgettable.

A Fatal Obsession (2015) - 3/10 - DVD
Eric Roberts stars in a very poorly made thriller. Almost every shot ends showing a waterfall!

Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story (2011) - 7/10 - DVD
Good made for TV thriller. Very entertaining.

Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (2006) - 3/10 - DVD
Really did not care to see this but it was a bonus film on the Taken from Me DVD. Just a generic bio pic.

The Bill Collector (2010) - 2/10 - DVD
A Christian comedy disguised as an action/thriller. I got ripped off. What is Danny Trejo doing here?

Boost (2016) - 2/10 - DVD
Danny Trejo again stars in a lame thriller.

Devil's Partner (1961) - 5/10 - DVD
OK horror flick.

First Viewings

nothing this week

Re-watches...

nothing this week


NOTE: I finished my re-watch of Breaking Bad (2008-2013) which started Jan 1st and finished today on Jan 21st, which is basically 3 weeks. it remains a 10/10 as it don't get any better than this (basically this is my first re-watch of it since it finished airing in 2013 and it remains top spec of which prior to viewing I was not totally sure if that 10/10 was going to remain or not and was wondering whether The Sopranos would overtake it for my #1 spot but as of now I am still calling it a tie overall). Game of Thrones can't hold a candle to it. also, I plan on re-watching The Sopranos (1999-2007) sometime this year to which is my only other 10/10 level TV show as I have not re-watched that since 2013 and when I do get around to seeing it this year it will be my first viewing in HD. I expect that to remain top notch.

but now that I am finished re-watching Breaking Bad ill likely get back into seeing some movies as I have not seen a movie since Dec 31st 2017. but only bad thing about me re-watching Breaking Bad, with it's greatness for basically 3 weeks, it might take a little while to re-adjust back to more regular standards of quality instead of living on the top watching it all unfold for 3 weeks now.

but a bit more comments on Breaking Bad... I would say for the most part that this time around the show generally gets better as it moves forward even though based on my initial viewing of it in the past, the shows peak tension/suspense was in Season 3 and in terms of the peak is the last episode of Season 3 which is the most recent case of that solid tension/elevated heart rate stuff which was back in June 2010 when it aired. but another thing ill say is the overall pacing of the show is quite good to and finishes strong. provokes solid emotional responses in the series. a true gem/rarity.

-Breaking Bad (2008-2013) (re-watch(2nd viewing)) (Jan 1st 2018 to Jan 21st 2018)
---Season 1 (Episodes 1/2) (Jan 1st 2018)
---Season 1 (Episodes 3/4/5) (Jan 2nd 2018)
---Season 1 (Episodes 6/7) (Jan 3rd 2018)
---Season 2 (Episode 1) (Jan 4th 2018)
---Season 2 (Episodes 2/3/4/5/6) (Jan 5th 2018)
---Season 2 (Episode 7) (Jan 7th 2018)
---Season 2 (Episode 8/9/10) (Jan 8th 2018)
---Season 2 (Episodes 11/12/13) (Jan 9th 2018)
---Season 3 (Episodes 1/2) (Jan 10th 2018)
---Season 3 (Episodes 3/4/5/6) (Jan 11th 2018)
---Season 3 (Episodes 7/8/9) (Jan 12th 2018)
---Season 3 (Episodes 10/11/12/13) (Jan 13th 2018)
---Season 4 (Episodes 1/2/3/4) (Jan 14th 2018)
---Season 4 (Episodes 5/6/7/8) (Jan 15th 2018)
---Season 4 (Episodes 9/10/11/12) (Jan 16th 2018)
---Season 4 (Episode 13) (Jan 17th 2018)
---Season 5a (Episodes 1/2/3/4) (Jan 17th 2018)
---Season 5a (Episodes 5/6) (Jan 18th 2018)
---Season 5a (Episodes 7/8) (Jan 19th 2018)
---Season 5b (Episodes 9/10/11) (Jan 19th 2018)
---Season 5b (Episodes 12/13/14) (Jan 20th 2018)
---Season 5b (Episodes 15/16) (Jan 21st 2018)

some trivia...



ill have to agree with that as while they might have been able to stretch things a bit longer I can't complain with the final product as ending it a bit early ain't really a bad thing either as it keeps the pacing a bit quicker etc.

so while I don't have anything concrete, I would imagine most TV shows should be no more than about 6 seasons in length as if things go too far beyond that it's going to start dragging things out. but then again Dexter was 8 seasons and that was a solid show but I think generally speaking 5-6 seasons should be the limit of the vast majority of shows to help ensure quality don't drop off too much.


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OP's...

nothing this week.

First Time Viewings:



Stone (2010, John Curran)

In this one a convict has his wife seduce his parole officer in order to get out early. The film has a pretty poor reputation, which is why I didn't watch until now, but I ended up liking it. Robert De Niro is good as the lead and Edward Norton and Milla Jovovich are even better. I liked story, it's well paced, and the score was pretty good.

7/10



7/10
Very underrated


Darkest Hour (2017, Joe Wright)

Gary Oldman gives a damn good performance in this one and it has good sets, costumes, makeup, and score, but I just didn't find it that engaging a lot of the time. The last act was pretty good though.

6/10



6.5/10 The screenplay is the problem here



I Love You Phillip Morris (2009, Glenn Ficarra & John Requa)

This one is based on the true story of a cop turned con man who once imprisoned meets the love of his life, who he'll stop at nothing to be with. Jim Carrey puts in one of his finest performances and Ewan McGregor is quite good as well. The film is both funny and sad and I enjoyed it throughout.

7/10



6.5/10 Doesn't quite work for me but the acting is good



Molly's Game (2017, Aaron Sorkin)

Acclaimed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin tried his hand at directing with this one that's based on the true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) that went from being a skier to running the world's most exclusive high stakes poker game. Chastain is really good here and the film has some good dialogue and I was engaged by the story. It probably could have been shorter though.

7/10



5.5/10 Sorkin's directing is just boring, the screenplay is unfocused and the dialogue is cringe-inducing too much of the time imo



The Grass Is Greener (1960, Stanley Donen)

A couple allows tourists to take guided tours through their castle, but a millionaire oil tycoon visits and takes a liking to the woman who owns it. The reason I was interested in this one was for the cast which includes Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. All four of them (along with Moray Watson) put in strong work (especially Simmons) and they all work really well together. The film is quite entertaining throughout, has good dialogue, and I enjoyed the directions the story went. Under seen and underrated if you ask me.

7.5/10



6.5/10 I wasn't into the story enough but the acting is very good. It's one of my favorite Robert Mitchum performances.



The Crying Game (1992, Niel Jordan)

I've been interested in this one for a while, but never got around to it until now. I quite liked it though and the way the story played out was unexpected, but that was a large part of why I liked it as much as I did. The cast is good and it's well made, but it was the story and the way it played out that made it work as well as it did.

7.5/10



8/10 Very good writing and performances



Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010, Eli Craig)

This one is pretty well liked, so I decided to give it a shot. I ended up really enjoying it. The cast is good, it has likeable leads, some great gore, and lots of laughs.

7.5/10



6/10 Just not entertaining or funny enough to work



LBJ (2017, Rob Reiner)

Woody Harrelson stars in this biopic about Lyndon B. Johnson. Harrleson is really good, but the film just feels a bit flat. I don't really think the nonlinear structure worked very well either.

6/10



6.5/10 I like the non-linear structure but the screenplay is just too basic too much of the time





Repeat Viewings:



Full Metal Jacket (1987, Stanley Kubrick)

I know many people like the first half of this one a lot better than the second half, but I love both halves pretty equally. A terrific war movie.

9/10



8.5/10 The second half (with the exception of the last 10 min.) just doesn't live up to the first half imo but it's still good enough that it doesn't hurt the film in a big way



Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002, Kelly Asbury & Lorna Cook)

I hadn't seen this one probably since around when it came out. The animation is really good most of the time, I liked the score a lot, and the film is nice and short. The story isn't anything too unique, but I like it enough for the film to work overall.

7/10



5.5/10



Hoodwinked! (2005, Cory Edwards)

This is another animated movie that I hadn't seen since probably around when it came out. I remember liking it a lot, but I had no clue if I'd still enjoy it now. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. It has a great voice cast, fun characters, a cool story with an interesting structure, and plenty of laughs. The animation isn't the greatest, but the movie makes up for it in other departments and is just a lot of fun overall.

7.5/10



5.5/10 Stupid movie but it has it's moments



The Wolf of Wall Street (2013, Martin Scorsese)

This biopic from Scorsese is one of the funniest and most entertaining films ever made. The three hour running time does't feel too long and it's lead by a brilliant performance from Leonardo DiCaprio.

9.5/10



8/10 Scorsese's directing is a bit messy here and the film is about 20 min. too long but it's still very entertaining and quite funny.



Ravenous (1999, Antonia Bird)

I watched this one last year and quite enjoyed it, but liked it even more this time. It has a good cast, a cool story, it's well made and well paced and has one of the best scores of all time as far as I'm concerned.

8/10



8/10 Glad it went up for you



Mean Streets (1973, Martin Scorsese)

This early Scorsese film marked his first collaboration with Robert De Niro, who gives a fantastic performance here. Harvey Keitel is also very good, the soundtrack is great and the camerawork is good too. It's not as polished as Scorsese's other rime films that have come sine, but it has some great moments.

7.5/10



8/10 I like his directing a lot here. The problem is that Keitel's character just isn't very interesting, especially compared to DeNiro's character. I love the use of music in the film (another disappointing thing about The Wolf of Wall Street for me) and the camerawork is great.



The Last Detail (1973, Hal Ashby)

This one is about two navy men who are ordered to bring a young offender to jail, but decide to show him one last good time along the way. The main trio all give good performances, especially Jack Nicholson, and they work well together.

7/10



7/10





Movie Awards:



BEST FILM - The Wolf of Wall Street Full Metal Jacket

BEST ACTOR - Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street) Stephen Rea (The Crying Game)

BEST ACTRESS - Deborah Kerr (The Grass is Greener) Yup

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Robert De Niro (Mean Streets) Yup

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Jean Simmons (The Grass is Greener) Yup

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Douglas Milsome (Full Metal Jacket) Yup

BEST SCORE - Damon Albarn & Michael Nyman (Ravenous) Yup

BEST SCRIPT - Terence Winter (The Wolf of Wall Street) The Crying Game

BEST DIRECTOR - Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street) Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket)

Yours: None seen, though I am looking forward to checking out Coco.

Mine:

First Time Viewings:

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) - Netflix
So I finished my POTC fracnhise marathon and got into this one for the first time. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It isn't great, but a nice return-to-form for this series. It's an improvement over the fourth one, but still isn't as good as the first 3.
7/10

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Netflix
Finally, I got to see the film that has the highest rating on IMDb and has beenconsidered one of the best films of all time. Well, I wouldn't say it's the best but it is still good. It only loses points for being a bit slow, but other than that it's a solid prison movie.
8/10

Repeat Viewings:

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) - DVD
I don't really care what anyone says about this one. I think it is one of the better entries. Yeah it's a bit too long and there are some really goofy moments here and there, but overall this is a satisfying what-could-have-been conclusion of a solid series. Davy Jones FTW!
7.5/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - DVD
This one is like the Rocky V or Indiana Jones 4 of the franchise. It's a pretty dull movie and quite forgettable, but to be honest it ain't that bad. The acting is still strong and they did try something different. Still, I wish they had done better, especially considering how this is not only the most expensive film of the franchise, but the most expensive movie EVER. It also is kind of a shame that this is the only Pirates movie that I saw in theatres.
6/10

Mean Girls (2004) - Netflix
Very fun comedy. I'm not embarassed to say I like it.
8/10

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - DVD
A good remake, even if it doesn't hold a candle to the original. I love the overall vibe and griminess of this movie and R. Lee Ermy was intimidating.
7/10

Shaun of the Dead (2004) - DVD
Wanted to check this out again. Like I said before, great horror comedy.
8/10

Haven't seen any of yours this week but back in 2016 I was intending to make room on my schedule for "A Hologram for the King." Then, I forgot all about it. I'm putting it back on my watch list. I know you rated it fairly low but, if I remember correctly, it was a love it or hate it title. Thanks.

Here is my weekly viewing:

Psycho / Alfred Hitchcock (1960). Watched my new Christmas Blu-ray disc with the commentary by Stephen Rebello, author of “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho” (1990). I learned some things that I hadn’t known before but Rebello doesn’t mention some things I would have. The Blu-ray picture, by the way, is more than lovely. Clean, crisp and clear. The only brief strange things were the distortion caused by the herringbone weave pattern on the sport coat worn by Frank Albertson who played the rich oil man who chats up Janet Leigh and on John Gavin’s sport coat will he is sitting on the bed at the Bates Motel. These scenes only last a few seconds, otherwise I loved the experience.



The Time Machine / George Pal (1960). One of my absolute favorite films from the same year as “Psycho.” Another bright and lively George Pal sci-fi adaptation, full of bright colors (by Metrocolor), the action and surprises don’t slow down for a second. And speaking of falling in love with actresses (were we?), I guess I don’t have to tell you the effect Yvette Mimieux had on adolescent boys. “I’ll protect you, Weena.” Rod Taylor does very well as the TM inventor. Four delightful character actor faces make up his dinner companions who hear the story of his time adventures. Alan Young, fine Scots actor now famous for acting opposite a talking horse, is the viewer surrogate and has the famous line at the very end. Sebastian Cabot is most well-known for the TV series “Checkmate” and “Family Affair.” Tom Helmore, who played Gavin Elster in “Vertigo,” plays his character with a slightly sloshed ironic detachment. He comes close to actually believing his friend’s wild tale. Last, two words: Whit Bissell. Has he been in every movie ever made? His biography says that he died in 1996 but sometimes I think I can catch a glimpse of him in new movies. I can’t get away, though, without talking about the stop-motion special effects. What a kick we got out of the changing fashions of the mannequin in the window. The mountain growing up around and then weathering away from the Time Machine. The changing seasons. The decaying corpse of the Morlock. Spectacular. Wonderful. A beautiful film worthy of love and devotion.

Yvette Mimieux in The Time Machine


Cosa Voglio Di Più (Come Undone) / Silvio Soldini (2010). This is a tale we have seen many, many times in movies (one example from the Classic Era being “Brief Encounter”). Unfortunately, “Come Undone” doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Anna (Alba Rohrwacher) is an indispensable aide to the CEO of a prosperous insurance company. She is in a relationship with Alessio (Giuseppe Battiston), a handyman around their apartment house. He is overweight but there doesn’t seem to be any tension between them. Then, at an office party, she clicks with a man on the staff of the caterers. He is Domenico (Pierfrancesco Favino), married with two small daughters. His family is struggling to keep afloat. They embark on a passionate affair and, finally, have to make some tough personal decisions. I never felt much heat from their professed love for each other or their clandestine couplings at a by-the-hour motel every Wednesday. I kept wondering when they would suddenly snap out of it. I had. Not recommended.

I, Tonya / Craig Gillespie (2017). The story of the Olympics’ most outlandish scandal is given an appropriately outlandish telling in this rollicking semi-comical version of events, a movie that speeds down the highway at 120 miles per hour. The film is narrated in interviews with the story’s characters in 2017: Tonya Harding (Margo Robbie), her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan), Tonya’s mother, LaVona (Allison Janney), and Martin Maddox (Bobby Cannavale) of the tabloid news show Hard Copy (“CBS looked down on us,” Maddox laughingly says, “because of the stories we did. Now, they have become us”). All of these narrators are unreliable to a certain extent (“It wasn’t my fault” is a frequent refrain of Tonya). Tonya Harding, you probably already know, was a major player in U.S. figure skating in the early 1990s. She became the first woman to complete a triple axel and land cleanly. Yet her background from the working poor and her life of abuse at the hands of first her mother and then her husband made her unsuitable as the leading symbol of this country’s skating community – at least in the eyes of judges and sports associations. Leading up to the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Tonya’s #1 rival, Nancy Kerrigan, was kneecapped by an unknown assailant. When it turned out that Tonya’s husband, Gillooly, and his friend Shawn Eckhardt (Paul Walter Hauser) may have something to do with it, her life and career goes off a cliff. Robbie is fine as Tonya. She trained hard for the part and does a lot – maybe most - of her own skating (she is helped out in the triple axel with a little CGI tweaking). Sebastian Stan is a find as Gillooly. But you will leave laughing at and infuriated with the people played enormously well by Janney and Hauser. Allison Janney as LaVona Harding is a wonder. Foul mouthed. Chain smoking. Never passing a chance to denigrate and insult her daughter. Never showing a moment of warmth even when explaining that every penny she ever earned as a waitress went to Tonya’s training. Shawn, played by Paul Walter Hauser, is an obese single man still living with his parents, who fancies himself an espionage and counter-terrorism expert who knows dark secrets and dangerous people. It is he who hires two thugy numbskulls to attack Kerrigan. He gives a marvelous comedy performance. As I said, all the acting is in, mostly, a comedy mode – except for Robbie. Tonya Harding is always treated seriously. Highly recommended (although, in the Historical Woman Sports movie cage match, I give the edge to Emma Stone, Steve Carrell, and “Battle Of The Sexes”).

Tonya Harding and Margot Robbie


…Continuing a watch straight through the 10 seasons of Doctor Who: New Series in anticipation of next year’s introduction of the 13th Doctor.

S. 7, Ep. 7 “The Rings Of Akhaten” April 6, 2013. The Doctor and Clara visit a planet about to celebrate a solemn ceremony to their god. The “god” however is waking up from a millennial long sleep and is hungry. We learn more about Clara’s empathy, especially with children, and her courage and resourcefulness.

S. 7, Ep. 8 “Cold War” April 13, 2013. Doctor Who has always thrived on stories of people trapped in a confined space while battling a menace and nothing says “confined” like a Soviet submarine under the ice at the north pole in 1983. An old enemy from the Classic Series (1963-1989) – the Ice Warriors – make their first appearance in New Who. And not just Ice Warriors in general but Grand Marshal Skaldak, Sovereign of the Tharseesian Caste and Vanquisher of the Phobos Heresy in particular. David Warner guests as a Soviet scientist.

S.7, Ep. 9 “Hide” April 20, 2013. The Doctor brings Clara to a haunted house in the English countryside in the late 1940s to rescue a future astronaut trapped in a shrinking bubble of the universe. A psychic researcher (Dougray Scott, My Week With Marilyn) and an Empath (Jessica Raine, Call The Midwife) trying to communicate with the ghost that haunts the house are needed to help.

S.7, Ep. 10 “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS” April 27, 2013. When space scavengers try to capture the TARDIS for scrap, the living machine fights back and almost destroys itself. The Doctor has to descend into the heart of the engine room and fight inside a virtual reality.

Doctor Who: Cold War