Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[gorfias]

When posting what film you liked, please post where you saw it, thanks.
So, way back in the early 2000s, with small kids, cartoons had a huge importance to me. They were what I was watching. 2002 was Lilo & Stitch.


On Disney + to this day, I cannot believe how good the writing is. (Stitch steals a space cop car and someone on the bridge notes that it is the red one... unnecessary but awesome attention to detail in the writing). 9/10

 

[BrawlMan]

Guyver: Dark Hero (1994) - Based on the long running manga that has been on hiatus since 2013. The sequel to that awful live action first film, with a sequel that is sooooo much better in every way. Better actor for the main lead (David Hayter. Yes, the very same.), better action and fight scenes, and better acting. Though there's still come cheesiness and very comic book type lines peppered through the last 20 minutes of film. Despite the more consistent and darker tone that matched the manga.

Picking up a year after the first film, Sean Barker is stuck in a rut trying to find out more about the suit that gives him power. The titular Guyver. After destroying Chronos (only the LA division, they're a worldwide company), he sets out to find some answers. He keeps getting visions/nightmares and wants to know why. He finds out about archeological dig that might help the answers he seeks. I won't spoil those who are interested, but I have to say, this is one of the better anime/manga super hero adaptions done in America. I put it up there with Battle Angel Alita. The movie does have its own flaws. The budget is lower and some the acting is a little stiff with some of the extra or side characters, but it is fine overall. The movie more than makes up for the flaws with its fights, monster suit designs, and just better camera work. The movie won't change your life, but you'll find yourself a hidden gem that is better than most superhero movies from the 90s and some of the early 2000s. Hell, it at least stands out from the usual Marvel or DC fair in that you don't get movies like this anymore, unless you like the usual Toku affair. But even then, most of the modern Toku superhero movies are nowhere near this gory nor dark.

What works is that while the film is dark, it never goes in to overly, edge-lord, territory. There is some minor self awareness, but respect for the source material. The director, Steven Yang, really is a big fan of the manga series and it shows. Another bonus to this movie, is that you don't even need to see the first movie to enjoy it, thank Christ! It's sad that third movie was never made, but at least the movie ends on story that is mostly self contained. The ending is bittersweet, yet fitting.

​

 

[Baffle]

The Green Knight. I feel it did well with the Arthurian weird magic stuff, like castles just appearing in weird places and the characters accepting very strange things as though they're normal, but that also meant I couldn't tell what the hell was going on for most of it.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Guyver: Dark Hero (1994) - Another bonus to this movie, is that you don't even need to see the first movie to enjoy it,

Can confirm, never saw the first, but saw this one once or twice and it was decent, if a bit all over the place.

 

[gorfias]

The Green Knight. I feel it did well with the Arthurian weird magic stuff, like castles just appearing in weird places and the characters accepting very strange things as though they're normal, but that also meant I couldn't tell what the hell was going on for most of it.

Lots of explanation videos out there. I hope to catch it streaming sometime.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+green+knight+explained

 

[Gordon_4]

Guyver: Dark Hero (1994) - Based on the long running manga that has been on hiatus since 2013. The sequel to that awful live action first film, with a sequel that is sooooo much better in every way. Better actor for the main lead (David Hayter. Yes, the very same.), better action and fight scenes, and better acting. Though there's still come cheesiness and very comic book type lines peppered through the last 20 minutes of film. Despite the more consistent and darker tone that matched the manga.

Picking up a year after the first film, Sean Barker is stuck in a rut trying to find out more about the suit that gives him power. The titular Guyver. After destroying Chronos (only the LA division, they're a worldwide company), he sets out to find some answers. He keeps getting visions/nightmares and wants to know why. He finds out about archeological dig that might help the answers he seeks. I won't spoil those who are interested, but I have to say, this is one of the better anime/manga super hero adaptions done in America. I put it up there with Battle Angel Alita. The movie does have its own flaws. The budget is lower and some the acting is a little stiff with some of the extra or side characters, but is fine overall. The movie more than makes up for it with its fight, monster suits and designs, just better camera work. The movie won't change your life, you'll find yourself a hidden gem that is better than most superhero movies from the 90s and some of the early 2000s. Hell, it at least stands out from the usual Marvel or DC fair in that you don't get movies like this anymore, unless you like the usual Toku affair. But even then, most of the modern Toku superhero movies are nowhere near this gory nor dark.

What works is that while the film is dark, it never goes in to overly, edge-lord, territory. There is some minor self awareness, but respect for the source material. The director, Steven Yang, really is a big fan of the manga series and it shows. Another bonus to this movie, is that you don't even need to see the first movie to enjoy it, thank Christ! It's sad that third movie was never made, but at least the movie ends on story that is mostly self contained. The ending is bittersweet, yet fitting.

​

I remember renting that sucker. I remember liking it a lot but wishing the Guyver suit was in it more. But budgets are a thing.

 

[laggyteabag]

Spectre, aka the 4th Craig James Bond movie.

My TV was already set to night mode and as such the picture was warmer, but Jesus Christ, these people really wanna make foreign countries come off as dusty and faded huh? Mexico and Tangiers look fucking ridiculous.

Anyway, boring movie. Blofeld is such a fucking dumb villain. He has absolutely NO motivation to be a villain on the scale that he is, instead of just a personal one to Bond. And even that just boils down to daddy issues. The "it was me along!" twist does not work at all and just feels super out of place. The action scenes all seem way too vehicle focused, which I find really uninteresting. Bond's love for Madeleine feels forced when he fucked some random chick whose husband he'd just murdered in the same movie.

Probably should have just watched any of the previous three movies. Definitely won't be paying to see No Time to Die, if it ever comes out.

I do remember Spectre being a bit shit.

The Craig Bond movies so far have been Good/Bad/Good/Bad - so following this pattern, No Time To Die should be a good one.

Incidentally, I also watched Casino Royale a couple of nights ago, which is Craig's first Bond movie, and I really do like that movie.

Im curious to watch Skyfall again, though. I haven't seen it in years, and im curious to see how I feel about it.

 

[BrawlMan]

I remember renting that sucker. I remember liking it a lot but wishing the Guyver suit was in it more. But budgets are a thing.

I did not mind. I'm glad they didn't overuse the suit too much. While I would have liked it seen it more of myself, David Hayter's performance more than makes up for it. Plus, all the action in the last half pleases me greatly.

 

[BrawlMan]

I'd say prequel. The name change can be explained away easily.

There are many fans that like to connect Commando, Predator, Aliens, and Terminator this way. Explaining that either Dutch or John Matrix are just aliases. And that the T-800 models are based off of him. Though according to actual Terminator lore, those models are built on an assembly line; based on a soldier that served in the US, that looks like Arnold. I don't remember the name of the soldier for that specific in-universe, but most fans theorize it's just another alias.

 

[Xprimentyl]

The Father Who Moves Mountains: Ok / Great

Romanian film about a father whose son goes missing on mountain during a routine hiking expedition, and he tasks himself with finding him. A very pointless film; it never goes beyond its premise. If you read that first sentence, you've seen the movie.

The Starling: Good / Great

Film about a married couple who lost their child, and the husband ends up in a psychiatric hospital while the wife tries to maintain their life in the outside world. I'm not much for dramas, but this one is pretty good. It's a decent mixture of drama and comedy that keeps you engaged. Doesn't hurt that it stars Mellissa McCarthy and a territorial bird that refuses to allow her the catharsis of tending her own garden.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I do remember Spectre being a bit shit.

The Craig Bond movies so far have been Good/Bad/Good/Bad - so following this pattern, No Time To Die should be a good one.

Incidentally, I also watched Casino Royale a couple of nights ago, which is Craig's first Bond movie, and I really do like that movie.

Im curious to watch Skyfall again, though. I haven't seen it in years, and im curious to see how I feel about it.

Casino Royale is quite great indeed, and I honestly don't even mind Quantum of Solace. It was poorly written and weirdly paced, but writer's strike and all that. At least it's exciting, unlike Spectre.

Skyfall I watched quite a few times. It went through this weird period of everyone saying it was the greatest ever, then totally overrated, and back again, etc. I think it was quite good. All I ask from a Bond movie is decent action and Skyfall more than delivers. It does suffer though from feeling like the last movie in a trilogy despite being the third in a pentalogy(?)

 

[BrawlMan]

Casino Royale is quite great indeed, and I honestly don't even mind Quantum of Solace. It was poorly written and weirdly paced, but writer's strike and all that. At least it's exciting, unlike Spectre.

I could forgive all that, but the action is just bad. It try so hard to take from The Bourne Identity. It's a Bond film that doesn't want to be a Bond film. Ironic, because fans of the original novel say that this movie has Bond act more like his novel incarnation then then most of his movies. That's really not much of a win.

Skyfall I watched quite a few times. It went through this weird period of everyone saying it was the greatest ever, then totally overrated, and back again, etc. I think it was quite good. All I ask from a Bond movie is decent action and Skyfall more than delivers. It does suffer though from feeling like the last movie in a trilogy

Skyfall I found just as great as Casino Royale. It's just a great Bond movie. I don't know what caused your multiple shifts in attitude. Everyone's different though. I've had my own moments as well, but not to that extent. My thoughts on that movie are the same as it was back then.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I watched Kate, and just like with Birds of Prey I implore the powers that be to please put Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a good action movie, she deserves it. She makes for a badass action hero, and I was getting major Sigourney Weaver vibes from her in Kate.

The movie itself is very forgettable, with one or two pretty cool moments here and there. Kate cutting her hair off along with the fingers of the guy who was holding it was a particular delight.

Setting it in Japan, but having no japanese character play a significant role came across a little iffy to me. It just feels like wanting to use Japan, or more precisely Tokyo, as a backdrop because it's seen as cool, crazy, and colorful, but still wanting white people to play the main characters. Even that one guy Kate has a one-night stand with the filmmakers apparently couldn't effort to be japanese. And the teenaged girl side-kick you could also tell was not really from Japan. I know there's sort of a little moment were the yakuza boss talks about cultural appropriation, but this rings a bit hollow when only the minor characters are allowed to be japanese in this movie set in Japan.

But anyway, get Mary Elizabeth Winstead in better action movies.

 

[Dwarvenhobble]

When posting what film you liked, please post where you saw it, thanks.
So, way back in the early 2000s, with small kids, cartoons had a huge importance to me. They were what I was watching. 2002 was Lilo & Stitch.


On Disney + to this day, I cannot believe how good the writing is. (Stitch steals a space cop car and someone on the bridge notes that it is the red one... unnecessary but awesome attention to detail in the writing). 9/10

Sorry should have said for my one that it was Amazon Prime in the UK

 

[Gordon_4]

I do remember Spectre being a bit shit.

The Craig Bond movies so far have been Good/Bad/Good/Bad - so following this pattern, No Time To Die should be a good one.

Incidentally, I also watched Casino Royale a couple of nights ago, which is Craig's first Bond movie, and I really do like that movie.

Im curious to watch Skyfall again, though. I haven't seen it in years, and im curious to see how I feel about it.

I actually really like Quantum of Solace. It’s not as good as Casino Royale or Skyfall - though it’s theme tune is pretty groovy - but I feel in the grand pantheon of Bond movies it’s in the middle of the pack.

Spectre was okay but made two major missteps.

 

[Piscian]

Candyman 2021

Needed a break from my current anxiety filled reality so I went and checked out the new Candyman today. It was pretty solid if very depressing contextually speaking. It turns out this is a direct sequel to the original. I hadn't seen the original in at least 30 years. The movie works fine on its own but is apparently religiously faithful to the original so it's a big bonus for fans.

The film is more focused this time around on defining Candyman as the racial injustice version of The Crow or Ghostriders. He's not a singular villain so much as individuals inhabiting his form to cause havoc after an unjust death. That's where it gets a little depressing. We live in an era where technology is revealing systematic racism at an exponential rate. It feels like a week can't go by without some non-white kid getting killed simply for being outside after dark and even if that weren't happening the movie obliquely references indisputable atrocities like George Stinneys electrocution at the age of 14 (youngest American ever) because some white kids wrongly accused him of rape. The movie doesn't lecture you. This is all told through very abstract vignettes because the protagonist is an artist but I got all the references and it really put a damper on my afternoon.

The film isn't a slasher flick it resolves around a painter focused on the black experience seeking inspiration from a low-income housing complex being torn down and replaced with high-rises, only to unwittingly revive a connection to Candyman.

The crew does a good job of using disturbing imagery to provide the horror aspects over slasher gore, sadly this then kind of let down when Candyman is on screen because for me guy with a hook covered in bees just isn't that nail-biting. They still do a decent job of making Candyman himself creepy, but I would have liked them to make him a little more otherworldly.

Overall solid 8/10. Would recommend, as long as you can handle being told racism exists.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Porco Russo, the Italian seaplane Ghibli Movie.

Gorgeous animation and great sound effects as usual, but also the creepiest Ghibli movie I've seen yet. Just wayyyy too many dudes, from pretty old to fucking ancient, being enamored with a 17 year old girl. Eugh. Its hilarious that the main character is just a man turned into a pig, which is never explained and almost no one comments on it. It was a fairly funny movie, but I wish they had taken a few things more seriously. It's thankfully short at 1.5 hours, so I'd say its worth a watch if you're willing the stomach all of the creep.

 

[Hawki]

There are many fans that like to connect Commando, Predator, Aliens, and Terminator this way. Explaining that either Dutch or John Matrix are just aliases. And that the T-800 models are based off of him. Though according to actual Terminator lore, those models are built on an assembly line; based on a soldier that served in the US, that looks like Arnold. I don't remember the name of the soldier for that specific in-universe, but most fans theorize it's just another alias.

William Candy

Chief Master Sergeant William Candy is a member of the United States Air Force's Combat Control career field, a special operations career tasked with Air Traffic Control duties in austere and non-permissive environments as well as Close Air Support for other SOF teams. Sgt. Candy was selected by...

terminator.fandom.com

Though how Terminator can connect with Aliens and Predator given the whole nuclear apocalypse thing is something I'll leave to (usually bad) crossover comics.

 

[BrawlMan]

William Candy

Chief Master Sergeant William Candy is a member of the United States Air Force's Combat Control career field, a special operations career tasked with Air Traffic Control duties in austere and non-permissive environments as well as Close Air Support for other SOF teams. Sgt. Candy was selected by...

terminator.fandom.com

Though how Terminator can connect with Aliens and Predator given the whole nuclear apocalypse thing is something I'll leave to (usually bad) crossover comics.

Thank you.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Kate: Ok / Great

Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Kate, an ostensible assassin trained from childhood by Varrick who's portrayed by Woody Harrelson. 10 months her most recent, nearly botched job leaves her questioning her life (or lack thereof,) she decides she wants to retire once her next job is completed. A one-night stand finds her lethally poisoned, and with her one day left, she seeks to find those responsible for her fate.

It's basically another John Wick clone, and I am shameless when it comes to my appreciation of them. The fight scenes are gruesome and incredulous; she takes way more physical damage than most people could on their best day let alone their worst. My one gripe is how telegraphed the "reveal" is. You don't even have to be that clever; the story adheres to so many tropes, if you don't see it coming, you weren't watching.

Well, a second gripe would be the overreliance on Japanese Pop and Rock music (the film is set in Japan; ) ugh, it was grating at points. One scene finds her in a sports car literally deck out in bright neon lights, inside and out, and the radio is playing obnoxiously loud, I dunno, "music" that the writers even acknowledges is obnoxious by showing her frantically trying to turn the radio off while negotiating traffic at high speeds.

All in all, I was entertained.