Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

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Old_Hunter_77

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You should have seen the backblast when some chump reviewed it and was all bent out of shape that the September 11 attacks weren’t a more prominent bit of background. Oh man was that shit hilarious.
Certainly it was a sad day when planes crashed into Toronton on 9/11/2001 in the 1990s.
I wonder if it's the same guy who blamed Obama for Hurrican Katrina or credited the U.S. for defeating the Russian in World War 2.
 

Old_Hunter_77

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Top Gun: Maverick, 7/10


There is one unfortunate effect real life has had on this movie though, and that's the villains. They're kind of weirdly never specified or characterized or even told where they're located, but it's clearly supposed to be Russia. It's just that when we've now seen the mighty Russian military turn out to be the wettest paper tiger in history, it's kind of hard to take them seriously as having some kind of high-tech superjets and ultra-skilled pilots. It's not the movie's fault, this was shot mostly pre-Covid after all, and I suppose them being unspecified also helps, because you can always tell yourself it's not Russia, it's the Republic of Russkograd or something.
Even if accidental, this would just add to the '80's nostalgia. Those movies all bought into and fed into the general American paranoia that the Soviet Union was on par with the U.S. militarily and it never was even close. They were scary 'cause of nukes, just like Russia now, and of course that's scary but the scale of military economy and capability was never even close. So if the new Top Gun's plot uses Scary Russia as the backdrop, then it is simply continuing from the original.

Personally even though I'm the target age and audience for this stuff- white male American older than millennial- I have grown rather resentful of that whole thing and I'm a little annoyed that we're like, oh look how cool the '80s were and those movies and whatever. Like... no, it was ridiculous military agitprop. So that's why personally I won't be watching this. I'm not mad, mind you, I just think it's funny, how nostalgia become "good" regardless, it's too much. Similar to Star Wars prequel nostalgia- fam, in my day, we thought those movies were bad lol.

I am curious how much of a rah-rah America Fuck Yea tone was in the movie- was it a lot, or subtle, or did you just accept that it would be there and whatever.
 

Bartholen

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I am curious how much of a rah-rah America Fuck Yea tone was in the movie- was it a lot, or subtle, or did you just accept that it would be there and whatever.
I didn't register much of a "'murica fuck yeah" tone from the movie, though not having seen the original I don't know how it compares in that regard. The military stuff is kept mostly in the background, and the focus is much more on the character dynamics. While there is the classic cliché of military commanders scolding Maverick, he's not presented as some sort of cool renegade underdog, but more ambiguously. While he is undoubtedly an unmatched talent, he's also kind of coasting off past success, and maybe clinging on to the past too much. It also helps that he's forced out of his comfort zone in an unprecedented situation, so he's kind of winging it (ba dum tshh) with mixed results.
 

Gordon_4

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Certainly it was a sad day when planes crashed into Toronton on 9/11/2001 in the 1990s.
I wonder if it's the same guy who blamed Obama for Hurrican Katrina or credited the U.S. for defeating the Russian in World War 2.
Turning Red takes place in 2002, but even so, I don't think it hit Canada the way it did the U.S. for a million obvious reasons.
 

BrawlMan

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You should have seen the backblast when some chump reviewed it and was all bent out of shape that the September 11 attacks weren’t a more prominent bit of background. Oh man was that shit hilarious.
Turning Red

A recent Pixar flick about a 13 yr old Asian-Canadian girl in the '90's who turns into a big red panda when she feels strong emotions, onset by puberty and getting her first period.
A cute clever tribute to the experiences of the female teenage experience that uses light anime and video game art style touches. Of course it's Pixar so it's well-crafted.
The one thing that struck me as a bit odd was how specific the confluence of references and touchpoints are in there- 90's era pop culture especially the boy band craze; the fact that protagonist is exceptionally energetic and brilliant; and the east-Asian pop culture trappings. Clearly this must be the writer or whatever adding her personal touches which makes it so fully realized but also I wonder if it limited that audience and that's why I kind of never heard about it after it came out. Which is fine as far as art goes I'm just surprised Pixar went there.

Either way, if you need to kill a couple hours while babysitting or need your fill of goofy cartoon wholesome goodness, this one fits the bill.
You are both referring to that colossal, no nothing know it all imbecile, The "Mysterious" Mr. Enter. Ain't nothing mysterious about him. He's just another dumbass, loudmouth critic that fell into the alt-right trap. He believes and intentionally misinformed masks do nothing for the preventing COVID.
 

XsjadoBlayde

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NOPE! - (Prime, rental)
Apart from some moments of questionable CGI, it's an off-kilter enjoyable experience with some pleasant cross-stitching connective tissue. I don't know what else to say outside of spoilers, and anything said would just be some dumbass attempts at jokes anyway. It may not appeal to mainstream audiences as much, but who the fuck cares about them? They vote Tory and for brexit. Probably. Look, I got one half of a Venn diagram here and it's gotta go somewhere.
 

Old_Hunter_77

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NOPE! - (Prime, rental)
Apart from some moments of questionable CGI, it's an off-kilter enjoyable experience with some pleasant cross-stitching connective tissue. I don't know what else to say outside of spoilers, and anything said would just be some dumbass attempts at jokes anyway. It may not appeal to mainstream audiences as much, but who the fuck cares about them? They vote Tory and for brexit. Probably. Look, I got one half of a Venn diagram here and it's gotta go somewhere.
This movie reminded me of Signs- you know that one by Mel Gibson. Just the whole pacing and vibe of the horror/mystery element, the family dynamic, the sense of place.

And also because both of those movies... are ok? They have great elements, ideas, and casts, but the way they all come together... well, they don't. Like the director or writer or whoever's in charge certainly had a vision, but damned if I know what it was or if it was worth the bother.
 

twistedmic

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Well, if you ever want to be impressed by practical movie magic again and it makes another return to your theater, we suggest rather imploringly to check out.

Anyways, finished The Batman, and really enjoyed it. Even kinda got me in the mood to play a new Batman game (Arkham Knight would be next for me). One thing that made this one feel fresher than most is the characters were more grounded and believable as actual people vs people merely playing comic book characters. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it has long been done to death. Having said that, they did nicely retain the characters’ spirits.

It also managed to put a new twist on some tired old themes, and while not all that original the way they were presented made up for it. Not sure if they plan to expand upon this new direction but I’d love to see where else it could go. This is some of the most retreaded ground in pop culture history, but even as a casual fan it’s gotten another shot in the arm at least.
Do you have a decent sound system (any thing with better than standard tv speakers and a subwoofer)? Because having that makes some scenes so much better. The Batmobile reveal is amazing if you can feel that rumbling in the floor.
 

hanselthecaretaker

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Do you have a decent sound system (any thing with better than standard tv speakers and a subwoofer)? Because having that makes some scenes so much better. The Batmobile reveal is amazing if you can feel that rumbling in the floor.
I have a movie/game room with a 7.2 setup but really haven’t utilized it much lately since I mostly watch/play with headphones ever since we’ve had a kid. It’s in the basement but still can be, well, disruptive if used as intended. I don’t really have time during the day, and the rare occurrence I’ve got the house to myself I’m usually busy with something else.

*sigh* such is life. I do want to pick up the Blu-ray for it though whenever it’s on sale, and give it a whirl whenever the opportunity arises.
 

Johnny Novgorod

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Candyman

Well, it's better than the other sequels, and at least it's trying to do its own thing rather than follow the trendy sequel-but-also-reboot template. I just don't think it's a very scary movie. The original has a fucked up Jacob's Ladder/Exorcist III nightmarish atmosphere; this version is more jokey and gets an ironic treatment with comedic cuts, meta Wes Craven humor and a slew of cartoony characters. I'm also not a fan of modern horror movie retreads where the monster is explained to death, losing its mystique and ends up being essentially weaponized against the "real monster" that are the ills of society (see Rob Zombie's Halloweens and last couple of Texas Chainsaw Massacre flicks).

Edit: It's supposed to be a cheapo send-up of The Crow but Candyman 4 reminded me a bit of Cleaver, the movie Chris makes in Sopranos.

 
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SckizoBoy

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Thor: Love & Thunder - it was... OK... too much mood whiplash for me to really enjoy it. Gorr was good... so was the handling of Jane's [insert spoiler here] situation, but pretty much everything else? Nnnnnnn...
 

XsjadoBlayde

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Reno 911: The Hunt for Qanon - (Prime, paramount, free trial)
Tbh I don't have much experience with the TV show beyond catching a couple of episodes on telly many years back at someone else's flat, while likely high, and thinking "oh, America has their own version of Operation Good Guys too. Neat." So this is a mostly blind jump into their brand of mockumentary humour. Will it be a well-researched biting satire of the modern conspiracy network eroding what's left of democracy as we speak? Or will it be a cheap window dressing for some dumb jokes about rubber ducks and flamboyant flannels? Of course it's latter...of course, you damn fool xsjadoblayde, you came here with hope??
Patton Oswald makes an appearance tho. So it could be worse. And there are still some laughs to be had. But that's it. That's all you get and it's you're own fault for expecting more. It's my own fault for expecting, hoping for more.
 
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Asita

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King of Thieves (2018):

Getting it out of the way, this is not about Robin Hood or Ali Baba. It's a heist film based on the 2015 Hatton Garden Safety Deposit Box Burglary in London, supposedly "the largest burglary in English history". And it brings together a pretty impressive cast for this purpose, including the likes of Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, and Michael Gambon. We start off with Caine's character melting a bunch of gold before going out on the town with his wife, who towards the end of the outing is implied to be in failing health and prepping for a hospital visit the next day. She excuses herself for a moment...and the scene cuts to the reception at her funeral service wherein we meet the rest of the cast, mostly elderly crooks reminiscing about their old heists, to Caine's mild frustration (his wife having warned him against falling back into old habits during her brief screentime, and him feeling that bragging about crime at her funeral was disrespectful).

Shortly after the funeral, a younger bloke visits Caine and tells him about how he has the means to rob Hatton Garden and is hoping that Caine can help him with a crew. Caine - evidently having, between scenes, gotten over his reluctance to disrespect his wife's memory by returning to crime - helps him case the joint before reaching out to the rest of the main cast.

To spare you the details, the first half of the film consists of them prepping for and perpetrating the crime, and the second half consists of a few members trying to muscle and cheat the rest of the crew out of their share of the score, ignorant to the fact that the cops have IDed the lot of them as the perps and are both following them and collecting evidence to prove it.

Now for the bad news: The film is poorly paced, not especially well written, and tonally confused. It's too dramatized to feel like it's supposed to be based in reality. There are moments early on that suggest that they might have wanted to be more comedic (a guy's hearing aid being so bad that they needed a walkie talkie to get his attention when he was sitting one chair over, the lookout repeatedly falling asleep on the job...), but the moments aren't funny they're just...there. The latter half of the film feels like it's trying to be more of a thriller, but frankly it's not tense enough to make that work. The characters are neither compelling nor particularly likeable, and a lot of the elements that feel like they should be important to the themes or characters end up going absolutely nowhere. Eg, considering the build up with Caine's late wife, you expect Caine's grief to play a major role for his character, much like as it was with Carl in Pixar's Up. But it never goes anywhere outside of a very rare comment that she'd be upset. You could literally have cut out the prologue and lose nothing because the build up is completely unnecessary for how "Caine's wife is dead" is employed. From the setup you presume that there is supposed to be either some tragic or transformational arc for him, but it just never happens. And that's pretty emblematic of how the film is written.

So my advice is to pass on this one. If you want to see something in a similar vein, watch Going in Style instead. While that's certainly no masterpiece either, it still had a tighter narrative, better pacing, a more endearing cast, and a more engaging heist.
 
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gorfias

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Thor: Love and Thunder: Disney +
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What a confused movie. Parts had me excited or vaklempt. Others? The writing was so bad.
This is a super hero movie. We should really admire the hero. There is a scene when new Asgard is aflame in emotion and tantrum and Thor shouts, "Asgardians!" calling them to attention. You wait for him to be inspiring. Instead, they try and fail to write something humorous and it is just embarrassing. These guys made it into a blockbuster Hollywood movie and they cannot write better?

But the bones of this movie, especially Christian Bale's part in it have real emotional power. Why the poorly written comedy?

When Thor is shown to be a caring and powerful being? Something terrific is happening. Jane? They got me to care about her plight.

Great enough that I want someone else to helm another Thor movie, but this time? Skip your lame attempts at humor.
 

Drathnoxis

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My mom was trying to get me to watch Free Guy with her but I called it quits after around 3 minutes on the basis that I detest Ryan Reynolds. I understand that the movie is some sort of Video Game movie, so I'm curious whether anybody here has seen it. What did you guys think?
 
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BrawlMan

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My mom was trying to get me to watch Free Guy with her but I called it quits after around 3 minutes on the basis that I detest Ryan Reynolds. I understand that the movie is some sort of Video Game movie, so I'm curious whether anybody here has seen it. What did you guys think?
Most of the guys and gals on the forum don't like the movie. I have not seen it, aside from a few clips on YT, but I have 0 interests in watching. I like Ryan Reynolds, but this another by-the-numbers movie, that aged a few months after release, with a bunch of then popular streamers that will fall into obscurity or be forgotten about in a year or two. Also, it's another of those movies where they only have a black character, so the white character can have a shoulder to cry on. Thanks again, Double Toasted for the heads up on that.
 

Drathnoxis

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Most of the guys and gals on the forum don't like the movie. I have not seen it, aside from a few clips on YT, but I have 0 interests in watching. I like Ryan Reynolds, but this another by-the-numbers movie, that aged a few months after release, with a bunch of then popular streamers that will fall into obscurity or be forgotten about in a year or two. Also, it's another of those movies where they only have a black character, so the white character can have a shoulder to cry on. Thanks again, Double Toasted for the heads up on that.
Yeah, I'm sure it's been discussed before, and if the search function on the forum worked, at all, I would go looking for those original posts.
 

Bob_McMillan

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My mom was trying to get me to watch Free Guy with her but I called it quits after around 3 minutes on the basis that I detest Ryan Reynolds. I understand that the movie is some sort of Video Game movie, so I'm curious whether anybody here has seen it. What did you guys think?
As far as Reynolds movies go, it's not the most egregious. He's being Nice Guy Reynolds instead of Snarky Reynolds, which I find more tolerable. Just like Jumanji or Ready Player One though, all the video game references are weak as piss. It's like when cartoons do a video game episode, except four times as long and probably hundreds of times more expensive.

I wasn't mad at it while watching it like i was at Red Notice, but it really is something to just watch with the family or while drunk/high.
 

BrawlMan

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I wasn't mad at it while watching it like i was at Red Notice, but it really is something to just watch with the family or while drunk/high.
I like Red Notice better than Free Guy. Red Notice did not waste my time and I had genuine fun with it. Free Guy is way too tedious for me to sit through. I rather go through Read Player One three times over, than touch FG.
 
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McElroy

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Yeah, I'm sure it's been discussed before, and if the search function on the forum worked, at all, I would go looking for those original posts.
I reviewed it back in August 2021. Coincidentally it's almost exactly half a thread away on page 114. Reynolds is the best part of the movie imo. Unless you're a fan of Stranger Things.
 
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