1962 is The Man From Liberty Valance, so mixed up where I put it in the post
Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched
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Emancipation
I was convinced that this was one of those mea culpa movies stars make to escape controversy and look for sympathy by victimizing themselves in vanity projects. Mel Gibson in The Beaver. Johnny Depp in The Professor. And now Will Smith in Emancipation, which turns out was made BEFORE The Slap. Frankly, if anything, delaying the movie because of The Slap only makes it seem like it was made AFTER The Slap.
On top of my complete lack of sympathy for Willard, Emancipation just isn't very good. It is loosely based on the horrifying 'Whipped Peter' photo, and is ostensibly about the horrors of slavery. But it's also a Rambo-esque chase across the Louisiana swamps that has Will Smith misleading a vicious posse of trackers and wrestling alligators to death (uh huh) while being guided/cheered on by what I'm assuming is divine intervention. Rambo meets Schindler's List would've been the kind of joke movie Jay Sherman reviews in The Critic.
I'm torn about the photography. The colors are desaturated to the point of being practically monochrome, but not quite. While some images look stark and impressive on their own I think ultimately it's a disservice to the movie they're trying to make. I can't quite put it in words but it's the equivalent of when a score tells you how to feel.
I was convinced that this was one of those mea culpa movies stars make to escape controversy and look for sympathy by victimizing themselves in vanity projects. Mel Gibson in The Beaver. Johnny Depp in The Professor. And now Will Smith in Emancipation, which turns out was made BEFORE The Slap. Frankly, if anything, delaying the movie because of The Slap only makes it seem like it was made AFTER The Slap.
On top of my complete lack of sympathy for Willard, Emancipation just isn't very good. It is loosely based on the horrifying 'Whipped Peter' photo, and is ostensibly about the horrors of slavery. But it's also a Rambo-esque chase across the Louisiana swamps that has Will Smith misleading a vicious posse of trackers and wrestling alligators to death (uh huh) while being guided/cheered on by what I'm assuming is divine intervention. Rambo meets Schindler's List would've been the kind of joke movie Jay Sherman reviews in The Critic.
I'm torn about the photography. The colors are desaturated to the point of being practically monochrome, but not quite. While some images look stark and impressive on their own I think ultimately it's a disservice to the movie they're trying to make. I can't quite put it in words but it's the equivalent of when a score tells you how to feel.
Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1
Eugh. What a title.
Yeah, I was enjoying it for quite a bit. Right until Venice. Then it kept going, and going. It's still a good movie, but it was just far too long and I did not think Peggy Carter was a suitable replacement for Rebecca Ferguson. They already faked her death once in the movie, to just kill her off again felt silly.
Eugh. What a title.
Yeah, I was enjoying it for quite a bit. Right until Venice. Then it kept going, and going. It's still a good movie, but it was just far too long and I did not think Peggy Carter was a suitable replacement for Rebecca Ferguson. They already faked her death once in the movie, to just kill her off again felt silly.
Ooh this is my next movie to watch. Though I was taken aback at its length... so I dunno. Also didn't realize they replaced Ferguson.. damn. Now I dunno..
Did you hear though they delated part 2 a whole year and also it's not gonna be called that.
I imagine they're changing the name because 1 didn't do as hot as they expected and naming the next one 2 instead of something like The Final Chapter isn't going to help sales either.
If they had been titled Dune - Part 1 and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse - Part 1 they wouldn't have done so hot either.
A ★★★★ review of A Sickness (2021)
Great short, but a lot of what made it great wasn't so much the content, which was honestly a bit dull outside of the ending, but the way it was made. The lack of dialogue and the way it was filmed made this short about a man with a dark secret feel a lot stronger than the sum of its parts.
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C'mon, c'mon. C'mon get down with A Sickness!A ★★★★ review of A Sickness (2021)
Great short, but a lot of what made it great wasn't so much the content, which was honestly a bit dull outside of the ending, but the way it was made. The lack of dialogue and the way it was filmed made this short about a man with a dark secret feel a lot stronger than the sum of its parts.
Barbarian
Starts off as a quiet, ominous thriller: young woman double-books a house in a scary Detroit neighborhood with a creepy dude. I don't quite believe that she would stay or that ALL of Detroit would be booked "for a convention", but once I accepted that into my heart I enjoyed Hang the DJ and Pennywise the Clown being flatmates.
Without going into spoilers, the movie has a bewildering way of reinventing itself with every act. New characters suddenly appearing, new timelines suddenly butting in, the tone swerves dramatically past a certain point. And thematically it boils down to the relationship of trust and betrayal between men and women.
I really enjoyed it. I have nitpicks ("Why would X do Y?") but evidently they didn't matter since we were having fun talking to the TV. There's also the plot hole of how the hell are Lisa Trevor and her dad still alive down there, but again, the situation is such a left field thing to begin with that I didn't really concern myself with it.
Starts off as a quiet, ominous thriller: young woman double-books a house in a scary Detroit neighborhood with a creepy dude. I don't quite believe that she would stay or that ALL of Detroit would be booked "for a convention", but once I accepted that into my heart I enjoyed Hang the DJ and Pennywise the Clown being flatmates.
Without going into spoilers, the movie has a bewildering way of reinventing itself with every act. New characters suddenly appearing, new timelines suddenly butting in, the tone swerves dramatically past a certain point. And thematically it boils down to the relationship of trust and betrayal between men and women.
I really enjoyed it. I have nitpicks ("Why would X do Y?") but evidently they didn't matter since we were having fun talking to the TV. There's also the plot hole of how the hell are Lisa Trevor and her dad still alive down there, but again, the situation is such a left field thing to begin with that I didn't really concern myself with it.
Pretty random that my friends and I watched this last night. Solid little movie overall. The only thing that felt the oddest plot-wise was how committed Tess was to I guess "making things right". I think I would've preferred the movie just staying small work Tess and Keith the whole time (I think that stuff felt the most surreal actually). I'm also not generally not into the "basement stuff". However, it was nice getting complete breaks and changes in the movie with the new characters dropping in and out.
Went to see Taylor Swift Eras Tour in a Dolby Atmos theater with the missus and her sis. I’m no Swifty and have generally been annoyed when her songs are on but this show was impressive; at least in a theater setting. So I’d imagine more-so in person. I can see why she’s basically the latest phenomenon in the music industry. To say the sets were elaborate is a bit of an understatement. It was an impressive showing and even as a non fan I enjoyed it overall. Good sound. She’s built up a nice variety of musical styles over her career thus far, and it was entertaining to see her transition through them all. I liked the lower key stuff the most.
Pearl
Prequel to X. Mia Goth plays a young version of Pearl, the old hag from X (also Goth), a farmhand who dreams of leaving behind a miserable existence in rural Texas to be a dancer in the movies. We know from X she's not going anywhere so the movie is about watching her hopes and dreams crash and burn as she descends into murderous psychotic rage.
X was a pretty straightforward slasher movie about a XXX film crew getting axed by the elderly Pearl & Howard. Pearl veers into psychological thriller territory. You can barely call it a horror movie despite the body count. More than anything else it's a study on Pearl's shaky hold of reality, her schizophrenic self-awareness and how her delusions fuel an underlying viciousness.
And it's a great, great performance by Mia Goth. She has scenes where she's playing pain, desperation, denial and excitement all in one. She has a long, intense, vulnerable monologue that goes on forever and she sells it. And she has a rather memorable breakdown during the credits.
Prequel to X. Mia Goth plays a young version of Pearl, the old hag from X (also Goth), a farmhand who dreams of leaving behind a miserable existence in rural Texas to be a dancer in the movies. We know from X she's not going anywhere so the movie is about watching her hopes and dreams crash and burn as she descends into murderous psychotic rage.
X was a pretty straightforward slasher movie about a XXX film crew getting axed by the elderly Pearl & Howard. Pearl veers into psychological thriller territory. You can barely call it a horror movie despite the body count. More than anything else it's a study on Pearl's shaky hold of reality, her schizophrenic self-awareness and how her delusions fuel an underlying viciousness.
And it's a great, great performance by Mia Goth. She has scenes where she's playing pain, desperation, denial and excitement all in one. She has a long, intense, vulnerable monologue that goes on forever and she sells it. And she has a rather memorable breakdown during the credits.
A ★★★★½ review of Lights Out (2013)
Possibly the most well-executed reverse jump scare I've seen in a film. I have no idea what the full length film is like, but if it hadn't been for the (IMO) ridiculous look of the ghost/creature at the end, easy 5 stars.
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A ★★★★ review of Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
This review may contain spoilers. Visit the page to bypass this warning and read the review.
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After watching clips and hearing so much about it, I finally saw Schindler’s List in full movie format.
And oh my god, i am in a weeping mess. That part where Schindler wails over all the Jews he couldn’t save was heartbreaking. I am also really happy that the Jews were more than willing to support him after the war.
MVP actor goes to Ralph Fiennes and his portrayal of Amon Goeth. The twisted, psychotic, sadistic portrayal was terrifying to watch and the actor did a phenomenal job
And oh my god, i am in a weeping mess. That part where Schindler wails over all the Jews he couldn’t save was heartbreaking. I am also really happy that the Jews were more than willing to support him after the war.
MVP actor goes to Ralph Fiennes and his portrayal of Amon Goeth. The twisted, psychotic, sadistic portrayal was terrifying to watch and the actor did a phenomenal job
Cursed (2005), 3/10
I had another bad movie double bill night with friends, and this is the first one we watched. It's a forgotten werewolf movie starring Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg with your typical werewolf plot: people get bitten, body and identity changes, humans are the real monsters blah blah. It's quite bad, and not really worthy of a good bad movie recommendation either. For the most part it's just competent enough to fall more on the side of boring than hilariously awful, and most of its entertainment value was derived from it being one of the most aggressively mid-00s movies I've ever seen: the haircuts, soundtrack, cinematography and fashion just scream 2005. There were a few genuinely entertaining moments, but I just zoned out for most of it. It was fascinating to see that even years before his acclaim from The Social Network, Eisenberg was pretty much already playing that exact same type of character.
Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, 4/10
This was the other movie we watched. This is often forgotten when talking about the NoES franchise, but it has a reputation as one of the most homoerotic films ever made. And it certainly delivers in that regard: there is so much sweaty male toplessness and homoerotic tension that it almost carries the movie by itself. Beyond that though it's not actually that bad. It's obviously screamingly 80s, but it has some neat ideas about messing with the main character's identity and perception of reality starting to break down, and Freddy Krueger himself isn't even that much in this movie, which is probably why this movie is so often ignored. It's directed competently enough and the acting's not too bad for what was the standard back then, so there's not really that much to even laugh at really.
All in all a pretty underwhelming combo as far as good bad movies go.
I had another bad movie double bill night with friends, and this is the first one we watched. It's a forgotten werewolf movie starring Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg with your typical werewolf plot: people get bitten, body and identity changes, humans are the real monsters blah blah. It's quite bad, and not really worthy of a good bad movie recommendation either. For the most part it's just competent enough to fall more on the side of boring than hilariously awful, and most of its entertainment value was derived from it being one of the most aggressively mid-00s movies I've ever seen: the haircuts, soundtrack, cinematography and fashion just scream 2005. There were a few genuinely entertaining moments, but I just zoned out for most of it. It was fascinating to see that even years before his acclaim from The Social Network, Eisenberg was pretty much already playing that exact same type of character.
Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, 4/10
This was the other movie we watched. This is often forgotten when talking about the NoES franchise, but it has a reputation as one of the most homoerotic films ever made. And it certainly delivers in that regard: there is so much sweaty male toplessness and homoerotic tension that it almost carries the movie by itself. Beyond that though it's not actually that bad. It's obviously screamingly 80s, but it has some neat ideas about messing with the main character's identity and perception of reality starting to break down, and Freddy Krueger himself isn't even that much in this movie, which is probably why this movie is so often ignored. It's directed competently enough and the acting's not too bad for what was the standard back then, so there's not really that much to even laugh at really.
All in all a pretty underwhelming combo as far as good bad movies go.
I've seen the movie but it's been years, and I saw a brief moment of it a couple years back on TV. It really is a tough movie to watch. The moment that most stayed with me was when the forced laborers are building the barracks in the camp, and one of them warns that the foundations are unstable, and the building will collapse unless they do something. Goeth thanks her, and then just shoots her dead, on the spot without missing a beat. What makes it so upsetting is how matter of fact and nonchalant the movie is about it: the camera doesn't cut or even move between their conversation starting and her lying dead in the snow. There's no music cue or background score, no pan to the corpse, nothing. It truly conveys how utterly uncaring the nazis were about the lives they were destroying.
I think the 2016 movie is on Netflix. I've always thought it a dumb idea, trying to stretch a 3 min. short into a full feature film. 6.3/10 on IMDB. May give it a shot as I thought the short a hoot.A ★★★★½ review of Lights Out (2013)
Possibly the most well-executed reverse jump scare I've seen in a film. I have no idea what the full length film is like, but if it hadn't been for the (IMO) ridiculous look of the ghost/creature at the end, easy 5 stars.
The Exorcist: Believer: Waste of time / Great
A couple of girls go missing, and are later found to be in medical distress which is even later found to be demonic possession.
Never in my 43 years (yes, I'm being hyperbolic) have I seen such a waste of film. It does absolutely nothing to set itself apart as a paranormal exploration, much less add anything to the "universe" of the iconic Exorcist name. And the shameless double-callback at the end felt so ham-fisted, it almost made me angry that they even tried.
To put my disappointment in perspective (I had absolutely no expectations going in, so the fact that it disappointed should be telling,) I re-watched The Exorcist right after, and realized that it isn't even that great a film. Blaire acts her ass off, but the rest of the film feels like a footnote insofar as how substantive it is.
Watch the trailer for the best bits of the whole movie and spare yourself the near two hours it tries to drag you along. A horror movie should make you wonder what happens next, not wonder how much longer it's going to take.
A couple of girls go missing, and are later found to be in medical distress which is even later found to be demonic possession.
Never in my 43 years (yes, I'm being hyperbolic) have I seen such a waste of film. It does absolutely nothing to set itself apart as a paranormal exploration, much less add anything to the "universe" of the iconic Exorcist name. And the shameless double-callback at the end felt so ham-fisted, it almost made me angry that they even tried.
To put my disappointment in perspective (I had absolutely no expectations going in, so the fact that it disappointed should be telling,) I re-watched The Exorcist right after, and realized that it isn't even that great a film. Blaire acts her ass off, but the rest of the film feels like a footnote insofar as how substantive it is.
Watch the trailer for the best bits of the whole movie and spare yourself the near two hours it tries to drag you along. A horror movie should make you wonder what happens next, not wonder how much longer it's going to take.
One of the interesting things about Oskar Schindler was, he was basically a fuck up his entire life. Like he died in poverty largely surviving on care packages from the families of the people he saved. Even when he was arguably in his prime he was apparently a boozing womaniser with little to socially redeem him. But fuck me of all the things he chose to do right, he chose well.