My parents fell asleep after the first 20 minutes, so it was my older brother and I that watched the entire film.
Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched
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I think I was also around your age when I first saw it after renting it from the VHS store! After that horrific first viewing experience Luckily I watched My Neighbor Totoro a few days later, and all was okay again.
Yeah, and the whole parasite-esque curse thing scared the crap out of me, when it BURROWED into the skins of the characters. This and Grave of the fireflies (Nope, not touching that one again) seems to be only Ghibli movies where violence gets turned up to 11. Sure, some of their other films show characters bleeding or getting hurt, but not to this extent.
That's a glorified guilt trip movie meant for Japanese delinquents who group up in the 80s and early 90s, and no one else. Fuck this movie.
Also Barefoot Gen for that horrific atomic bomb scene. Apparently the original author hated the Americans for dropping the bomb, but he also hated the Imperial Japan for keep fighting the losing war and not surrendering before shit went south
A ★★½ review of Tales from Earthsea (2006)
“You must face it, Cob. Everyone fears their own mortality.” You'll never know how much it hurts to give a Studio Ghibli film this low of a score. This film didn't have a troubled production persay, but it took some time from when Ghibli first took interest in Ursula K. Le Guin's series and Le...
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It hurt me so much to give a Ghibli film less than 3 stars.
To be fair nobody seems to have liked this one (haven't seen it).A ★★½ review of Tales from Earthsea (2006)
“You must face it, Cob. Everyone fears their own mortality.” You'll never know how much it hurts to give a Studio Ghibli film this low of a score. This film didn't have a troubled production persay, but it took some time from when Ghibli first took interest in Ursula K. Le Guin's series and Le...
It hurt me so much to give a Ghibli film less than 3 stars.
A ★★★★½ review of Watership Down (1978)
"There is not a day or night that a doe offers her life for her kittens or some honest captain of Owsla his life for his Chief, but there is no bargain. What is is what must be." The film that traumatized a generation of UK youth, this movie follows a rabbit named Hazel (John Hurt). After his...
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A ★★★★½ review of In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
“It’s not real from your point of view, and right now reality shares your point of view. What scares me about Cane’s work is what might happen if reality shared his point of view.” As some casting trivia, Rutger Hauer was considered for the role of Sutter Cane, while James Coburn was considered...
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It's a shame too, because Earthsea is such a good fit for Ghibli; the Fantasy minus the Epic plus the Cottagecore.
I wouldn't mind seeing Cartoon Saloon take a crack at it neither.
Hundreds of Beavers
(Own Copy)
Rating: 8/10
Tagline for my review / thoughts: A spiritual live action version of a cartoon I think most could actually get behind.
Premise:
A cider vendor has most of his stock and Orchard and everything else destroyed by the actions of Beavers, coming round in the ruins and just after the first big snowfall of winter our hero must figure out how to survive the winter and the elements as a whole. Meanwhile hundreds of beavers have descended upon the area and are building......... something.........
Thoughts:
As Moviebob said it's a spiritual live action Loony Tunes cartoon complete with the physics and logic you'd expect from the Loony Tunes world and the kind of visual gags you'd expect with all the animals being either in some cases cartoons in others hand puppets / string puppets and in the case of others just people in mascot style suits. I literally agree with Moviebob on this.
It's quite funny, quite witty and imaginative in it's approach and for an indie films does a lot with no doubt the black and white and film grain effects helping to hide the fact some of the greenscreen and other effects likely aren't so high end. The acting is good considering there's basically no lines and so all has to be in actions and body language / facial expressions.
I'm not going to say it's going to change cinema but it's definitely a good time.
If I had to offer a criticism really I'd say some of the gags maybe repeat 1 time too many early on but as the film goes on the repetition dies off a bit with the jokes evolving at a greater pace.
(Own Copy)
Rating: 8/10
Tagline for my review / thoughts: A spiritual live action version of a cartoon I think most could actually get behind.
Premise:
A cider vendor has most of his stock and Orchard and everything else destroyed by the actions of Beavers, coming round in the ruins and just after the first big snowfall of winter our hero must figure out how to survive the winter and the elements as a whole. Meanwhile hundreds of beavers have descended upon the area and are building......... something.........
Thoughts:
As Moviebob said it's a spiritual live action Loony Tunes cartoon complete with the physics and logic you'd expect from the Loony Tunes world and the kind of visual gags you'd expect with all the animals being either in some cases cartoons in others hand puppets / string puppets and in the case of others just people in mascot style suits. I literally agree with Moviebob on this.
It's quite funny, quite witty and imaginative in it's approach and for an indie films does a lot with no doubt the black and white and film grain effects helping to hide the fact some of the greenscreen and other effects likely aren't so high end. The acting is good considering there's basically no lines and so all has to be in actions and body language / facial expressions.
I'm not going to say it's going to change cinema but it's definitely a good time.
If I had to offer a criticism really I'd say some of the gags maybe repeat 1 time too many early on but as the film goes on the repetition dies off a bit with the jokes evolving at a greater pace.
Comodines (Wild Cards)
A buddy cop flick made in Argentina in 1997, long after Tango & Cash had killed the genre. Remember that scene from Eurotrip (2004) where a Bratislava local calls Miami Vice "number one new show"? It be like that.
The production value isn't half bad, but it's held back by the prevalent TV-mindedness of the staging and the editing. The big opening action set-piece is made up of shots of extras shooting off camera and other shots of other extras reacting. But there're also a couple of shots where they coordinate both a chopper and a car on screen at the same time, which is impressive. Note that none of this significantly features the buddy cops themselves, who sit out most of the action.
The duo is inexplicably made up by Carlos Calvo and Adrián Suar, who have zero chemistry and little in the way of a comedic routine. Calvo plays the older cop who is looking into retirement after his partner gets kileld, Suar plays the younger hotshot who's all about the ladies. Together they're... quite boring. They don't have many scenes together, actually. Halfway into the movie they're both set up as patsies in a drug stint and after surviving a shootout with half of the Buenos Aires PD you'd think this is where they go off grid while trying to clear their names, but the next day it's business as usual and they just get a stern talking-to from their boss. The movie is weirdly allergic to raising the stakes or indeed pretending these two are in any peril, ever.
A buddy cop flick made in Argentina in 1997, long after Tango & Cash had killed the genre. Remember that scene from Eurotrip (2004) where a Bratislava local calls Miami Vice "number one new show"? It be like that.
The production value isn't half bad, but it's held back by the prevalent TV-mindedness of the staging and the editing. The big opening action set-piece is made up of shots of extras shooting off camera and other shots of other extras reacting. But there're also a couple of shots where they coordinate both a chopper and a car on screen at the same time, which is impressive. Note that none of this significantly features the buddy cops themselves, who sit out most of the action.
The duo is inexplicably made up by Carlos Calvo and Adrián Suar, who have zero chemistry and little in the way of a comedic routine. Calvo plays the older cop who is looking into retirement after his partner gets kileld, Suar plays the younger hotshot who's all about the ladies. Together they're... quite boring. They don't have many scenes together, actually. Halfway into the movie they're both set up as patsies in a drug stint and after surviving a shootout with half of the Buenos Aires PD you'd think this is where they go off grid while trying to clear their names, but the next day it's business as usual and they just get a stern talking-to from their boss. The movie is weirdly allergic to raising the stakes or indeed pretending these two are in any peril, ever.
A ★★★ review of Maleficent (2014)
“I call on those who live in the shadows. Fight with me now!” As some casting trivia, Kristen Stewart was considered for the role of Aurora, while Jude Law was considered for the role of Stefan. Judi Dench and Emma Thompson were both considered as members of the fairy trio, while it was also...
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The Watchers
You know M. Night Shyamalan? That freaking hack that goes around just making high concept thrillers with terrible dialogue, stunted acting, convoluted lore and token twist finales? Well, his daughter or whatever wanted a piece of the action, so he set her up as director of a nepo gig. This whole movie — it's a nepo gig.
You know M. Night Shyamalan? That freaking hack that goes around just making high concept thrillers with terrible dialogue, stunted acting, convoluted lore and token twist finales? Well, his daughter or whatever wanted a piece of the action, so he set her up as director of a nepo gig. This whole movie — it's a nepo gig.
Kung Fu Hustle. I vaguely remember seeing maybe 5 minutes of the finale on TV as a child. Nearly two decades later, watching it with my family was such a trip. I knew it wasn't some drama, but I didn't know it would essentially be a parody movie. A parody movie with insanely good fight choreography.
Think I might do Shaolin Soccer next.
Think I might do Shaolin Soccer next.
I liked this, though I don't think I've ever seen the Disney Sleeping Beauty. Those three fairies, though...ugh.A ★★★ review of Maleficent (2014)
“I call on those who live in the shadows. Fight with me now!” As some casting trivia, Kristen Stewart was considered for the role of Aurora, while Jude Law was considered for the role of Stefan. Judi Dench and Emma Thompson were both considered as members of the fairy trio, while it was also...
A ★★★★ review of Batman (1989)
“You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight?” This film didn't have so much of a troubled production as it did a lengthy pre-production. You see, the film rights for a Batman movie were first purchased in 1979, with the intention of making a darker take on the character. Richard...
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Furiosa and Mad Max Fury Road MAX though, Furiosa still had HBO posted at the opening.
Mad Max Fury Road is pretty good. B+ even though there isn't enough Max in it. Somehow, only 9 years older, it isn't as pretty as Furiosa. Has technology really advanced that much in so short a time?
Furiosa, some worried, was a box office disappointment due to "girl boss" fatigue. Some object stating it really isn't a girl boss movie. I think there are parts of it that are but what brings it down to a C- for me? I was bored out of my skull. Adult Furiosa doesn't show up till an hour into this slog. Chris Helmsworth's character, Dementus is very powerful in some scenes, less so in others and I lost the plot as to why that was so in scene to scene. Oh well. It was very, very pretty.
Mad Max Fury Road is pretty good. B+ even though there isn't enough Max in it. Somehow, only 9 years older, it isn't as pretty as Furiosa. Has technology really advanced that much in so short a time?
Furiosa, some worried, was a box office disappointment due to "girl boss" fatigue. Some object stating it really isn't a girl boss movie. I think there are parts of it that are but what brings it down to a C- for me? I was bored out of my skull. Adult Furiosa doesn't show up till an hour into this slog. Chris Helmsworth's character, Dementus is very powerful in some scenes, less so in others and I lost the plot as to why that was so in scene to scene. Oh well. It was very, very pretty.
A ★★★★ review of Ponyo (2008)
“Ponyo want ham!” Apparently, Hayao Miyazaki was partially inspired to make this movie as a way to connect with his son, who he had a strained relationship with at the time. I'm sure that him basically bashing Goro's work on Tales From Earthsea in no way contributed to them being estranged at...
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The Crow (2024) - I saw the new movie....and I like it. The movie can't match the original, but Crow 2024 does its own thing. It is more of a slow burn movie, but it doesn't take long to get going. I do appreciate the movie going into a different direction and not copycatting the original verbatim, nor the the sequels for the matter. I give this film a Matinee rating. This movie will find an audience later down the line, but people should see this movie and judge the Crow '24 on its own merits and not constant comparisons. The action gets pretty creative too. Especially in the last 20 minutes.