Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[thebobmaster]

Look, I just had to know.

A ★½ review of The Mouse Trap (2024)

“I am way too high for this.” This film takes place in an arcade, where a last minute party is being held. Two of the employees, Alex (Sophie McIntosh) and Jayna (Madeline Kelman) are made to supervise the party by their manager, Tim Collins (Simon Phillips). It soon turns out that this party is...

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[gorfias]

Scum (1979) full movie on Youtube.

Ray Winston and Mick Ford in movie that may have been too brutal for British TV back in the day. De-humanizing institutions take young petty criminals and turn them into hardened ones while the over seers enforce a system of corruption. I think they made an update in 1991. Not a pleasant watch but very well done.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★ review of Skinamarink (2022)

"Dad?" In case you are wondering, the origin of the title came when Ball heard the song "Skidamarink", or "Skinnamarink" depending on which version you are listening to, from the musical Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and he found the title catchy, as well as an earlier version of that song reminding...

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[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★ review of Sleepaway Camp (1983)

“Eat shit and die, Ricky!” “Eat shit and live, Bill.” This film had a fairly straightforward production, as far as low budget films are concerned, but there are a couple of things I wanted to mention. Firstly, the role of Judy almost went to future 30 Rock co-star Jane Krakowski, but she turned...

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[Xprimentyl]

Horrible Bosses: Really Funny / Great

Three friends, each dealing with their own uniquely insufferable boss, decide the only way to better their work lives is to rid those bosses of their actual lives. And because plotting murders is a terrible idea, terrible things happen as their best laid plans unravel around them.

Mostly I’m surprised I hadn’t seen this until yesterday because it’s right up my comedy alley. Reminded me a lot of The Hangover which is one of my favorite comedies. I'll be watching the sequel tonight.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★ review of Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

“Yeah, well, the map says we’re fucked!” This is another case of a film that didn't have a troubled production once it actually began, but getting there had more than a few bumps. The first person approached for a script was none other than Peter Jackson, but he had disagreements with New Line...

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[BrawlMan]

Rebel Ridge - An excellent suspense and action thriller on Netflix.

​

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Descansar en paz (Rest in Peace)

My favorite Argentine movie this year. It has a claustrophobic, funereal atmosphere and is overwhelmingly glum but it's simply too riveting and unpredictable to be as depressing as is should feel. The movie has a gripping way of reinventing itself with every act. I'd describe it as not quite a thriller but dramatically suspenseful.

A man is overridden with debt - to the point his family is being threatened - and he decides to fake his own death (taking advantage of the 1994 AMIA bombing) so his wife will cash out the life insurance. He crosses over to Paraguay and begins living in hiding. A variety of twists of fate ensue, ranging from convenient to ridiculous to amply cruel.

I don't necessarily dislike the ending itself but the last part is maybe a little too heavy on symmetry and symbolism, to the point it stifles the story. It's based on a novel and I can imagine how the accumulation of dramatic ironies plays out better (more naturally, discretely) in literary form.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.

Still holds up nicely and I enjoyed it as much as I did around two decades ago upon a first watch. Tim typically doesn’t go for an R rating, but here it adds just enough umph. It was filmed entirely in England but sets were built for both the forest and town itself. Funny thing being the former was so authentic that local birds and bugs took up residence during production.

For me the keyword on this one is “ample”. The set designs, the performances (Depp and Ricci rock the awkward sorta romance, Michael Gough came out of retirement for his role, and where else can Christopher Walken be such a presence with nary a word spoken), the violence, the score, the cleavage, etc. It was a fun rewatch that sits perfectly well given the time of year.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★★ review of Noroi: The Curse (2005)

"I want the truth. No matter how terrifying, I want the truth." This film, shot in the style of a documentary, focuses on a paranormal investigator named Masafumi Kobayashi (Jun Maraki). After his house burns down, leaving the corpse of his wife inside and Kobayashi missing, a videotape of a...

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[Johnny Novgorod]

Lonely Planet is the third MILF romcom (MILFcom?) to come out this year, after The Idea of You and A Family Affair. I don't think it's as sexy as the first one or as funny as the latter one, but of the three it's the cutest one. It's Laura Dern + Liam Hemsworth, playing to their sunny girlboss and sensitive himbo personas.

The movie takes place at a swanky writer's retreat in Morocco. Dern is a famous writer struggling with her latest novel, Hemsworth is a finance bro with zero literacy who's +1 to another up-and-coming writer. They slowly bond together over their shared ennui. It's the more pedestrian version of Lost in Translation, although you never believe the location here. Tokyo is confusing, overwhelming and claustrophobic? Yup. But the locals at Morocco don't take kindly to women who're 1) unaccompanied or 2) "expose" themselves. The idea that a feminist writer looking for peace and quiet would go to a Muslim den in order to finish her book unnocited and unmolested is like going to Mordor for the shrimp cocktails.

But anyway, it's a slow burn. We watch Dern and the lesser Hemsworth grow close for the majority of the movie before anything actually happens. There's not much going on between them beyond that particular chemistry of watching attractive people be attracted to each other. I guess the movie's more dramatic than outright comedic, but again, the plot is too thin to matter. When they must fight to close Act Two they barely have anything to work with. She snaps at him because she lost the corny novel she was writing, her MacBook apparently not once in two years having saved anything to the cloud, not even by accident.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★★ review of Audition (1999)

This review may contain spoilers. Visit the page to bypass this warning and read the review.

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If you ever intend to watch this movie, don't read my review. This is the kind of movie you get the most out of by going in as blind as possible.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Started watching A Quiet Place: Day One

It’s one of those movies with enough plot armor patchwork to dismiss a good chunk of the gaps in its logic that I’m not going to waste time questioning it. This mainly pertains to when, where and how these creatures are conveniently triggered by a broad spectrum of sounds. I’m just going along for the ride so hopefully it entertains. While my home theater setup is a couple speakers shy for ATMOS this might be one of those must have’s on Blu-ray for the audio in general.

A Quiet Place: Day One 4K Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD + Digital)

A Quiet Place: Day One 4K Blu-ray Release Date October 8, 2024. Blu-ray reviews, news, specs, ratings, screenshots. Cheap Blu-ray movies and deals.

www.blu-ray.com

 

[Xprimentyl]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Alright / Great

Lydia is an adult now, also a popular spiritual medium, and her angsty daughter doesn't believe in her mother's abilities. Lydia's father passes away, and she finds herself back in the infamous Connecticut home from the first film where the ghosts (most specifically the titular ghost) are riled back up.

I love the first film, and this one survives mostly on that nostalgia. Nothing stands out, and the major plot point established in the opening minutes gets pretty much benched in lieu of Beetlejuice's screen time.

Horrible Bosses 2: Fun / Great

Same guys from the first film find themselves trying to start their own business, and get screwed over by, you guessed it, a "horrible" person, and decide kidnapping his son for a recouping ransom is the best solution. Of course, that's a horrible idea...

Just as fun as the first film. Also, I'm recognizing now that Jason Bateman might be one of the most type-casted individuals in the past decade. I can't think of a single film where he's not the straight man found surrounded by crazy/stupid people in absurd situations. Don't get me wrong; I like it.

The Heat: Fun / Great

Sandra Bullock plays an unlikeable FBI agent seeking a promotion who's sent to Boston following up on leads to a major drug operation. She meets local police officer Melissa McCarthy who is very territorial, and all but refuses to cede jurisdictional rights to Bullock. Situation mandates that the two begrudgingly cooperate, and personalities collide while a bond forms beneath the surface.

This one was funny. Despite neither outwardly looking the part, that fact only adds to the ridiculousness and humor. Very charming, lots of fun.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Uglies

I would've bet money that this YA dystopia was based off a recent bestseller - otherwise why are we still getting these in 2024 - but go figure, it's adapting a 2005 book that precedes Hunger Games and Divergent and Maze Runner and all that other garbage. Talk about missing the boat.

In Uglies, world peace has been achieved by enforcing mandatory cosmetic surgery on teenagers as soon as they turn 16, turning them into vapid bimbos with jassified faces. Point to the book, it predicted the 'gram.

There's not much to the story beyond a ridiculous premise. The heroine is an "Ugly" who wants to be a "Pretty" who is forced by the "Pretties" to go looking for an escaped "Ugly" who banded with the "Smokes" who're resisting the "Pretties" by living in a hippie commune in the woods. Once you stop laughing at the kindergarten nomenclature you realize there's not much more to the movie.

I know it's custom to have your plucky YA heroine think little of her looks and be average enough to work as a self-insert, but give me a break. All of the "Uglies" look like conventionally handsome Hollywood actors to me. The workaround here would've been to have the kids sporting cool scars or missing eyes or something to that effect that would've ruined the mandatory "perfection".

The two funniest moments in the movie:

The heroine runs across the top of a skyscraper. Cornered near the edge, she turns to see a big ass sign over a stand - "Free Bungee Jackets"! Phew.

And at the end, again at the top of another skyscraper, the heroine lets herself get captured and screams at the approaching drone MAKE ME PRETTY with the same intensity and defiance as William Wallace shouting FREEDOM.

I'm not like the other girls/10

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Uglies

I would've bet money that this YA dystopia was based off a recent bestseller - otherwise why are we still getting these in 2024 - but go figure, it's adapting a 2005 book that precedes Hunger Games and Divergent and Maze Runner and all that other garbage. Talk about missing the boat.

In Uglies, world peace has been achieved by enforcing mandatory cosmetic surgery on teenagers as soon as they turn 16, turning them into vapid bimbos with jassified faces. Point to the book, it predicted the 'gram.

There's not much to the story beyond a ridiculous premise. The heroine is an "Ugly" who wants to be a "Pretty" who is forced by the "Pretties" to go looking for an escaped "Ugly" who banded with the "Smokes" who're resisting the "Pretties" by living in a hippie commune in the woods. Once you stop laughing at the kindergarten nomenclature you realize there's not much more to the movie.

I know it's custom to have your plucky YA heroine think little of her looks and be average enough to work as a self-insert, but give me a break. All of the "Uglies" look like conventionally handsome Hollywood actors to me. The workaround here would've been to have the kids sporting cool scars or missing eyes or something to that effect that would've ruined the mandatory "perfection".

The two funniest moments in the movie:

The heroine runs across the top of a skyscraper. Cornered near the edge, she turns to see a big ass sign over a stand - "Free Bungee Jackets"! Phew.

And at the end, again at the top of another skyscraper, the heroine lets herself get captured and screams at the approaching drone MAKE ME PRETTY with the same intensity and defiance as William Wallace shouting FREEDOM.

I'm not like the other girls/10

My sister had this book more than a decade ago and I read it one bored summer. I was just barely a teenager, and even then I was so confused at how dystopian and sci fi the setting was, and at the same time using terms like "Pretties" and "Uglies" unironically. I did finish it though, so maybe it wasn't that bad. Although it wasn't good enough for me to remember.

 

[Piscian]

I watched about 20 minutes of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and it immediately stuck out to me, in comparison to the original, how "mudane" the dialog was. It just didn't have that "wacky" feel of the original where all the characters are almost hyper realized in that art deco andy Warhol, jon waters way.

Of course I go and look, sure enough the original wasn't "written" by Tim Burton. I always bugs me how in hollywood one guy scoops up all the credits for films. A steven Spielbergh picture, George Lucas, Zack Snyder, etc. The writers? Never mentioned again.

I wonder if I were to go back through Tim Burton's catalog how often would the bangers be attributed to writers he no longer works with in his long running stagnation.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

My sister had this book more than a decade ago and I read it one bored summer. I was just barely a teenager, and even then I was so confused at how dystopian and sci fi the setting was, and at the same time using terms like "Pretties" and "Uglies" unironically. I did finish it though, so maybe it wasn't that bad. Although it wasn't good enough for me to remember.

I watched the movie with my girlfriend and only after we're done she recognizes the book cover from Wikipedia, realizing she had it and read part of it as a teen. The only reason she didn't put the book and the movie together was because the book had a different title in Spanish, which should tell you just how generic and forgettable the story is.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I watched about 20 minutes of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and it immediately stuck out to me, in comparison to the original, how "mudane" the dialog was. It just didn't have that "wacky" feel of the original where all the characters are almost hyper realized in that art deco andy Warhol, jon waters way.

Of course I go and look, sure enough the original wasn't "written" by Tim Burton. I always bugs me how in hollywood one guy scoops up all the credits for films. A steven Spielbergh picture, George Lucas, Zack Snyder, etc. The writers? Never mentioned again.

I wonder if I were to go back through Tim Burton's catalog how often would the bangers be attributed to writers he no longer works with in his long running stagnation.

As annoying as it is, I once won a bet that Tim Burton hadn't actually directed The Nightmare Before Christmas. In fact he didn't even write it. He "conceived" it.

His only writing credits appear to be an (uncredited) rewrite on Mars Attacks and a story credit for Frankenweenie, since it adapts his short from the 80s.

I don't want to knock him down too much because I do think he's a talented director, or at least used to be, and his greatest hits don't work without his specific vision of the world. The problems started when he became aware of himself as a brand and sold out.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★½ review of Possession (1981)

“You know, when I'm away from you, I think of you as a monster or a woman possessed, and then I see you again and all this disappears.” While it didn't factor into my rating in any way, I do have to side-eye the director on this movie. He basically used it as a way to handle his divorce, which...

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