Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[Thaluikhain]

Apparently it was successful enough that someone is making a cocaine shark movie. Though, people are always making shark movies.

 

[CriticalGaming]

On a whim I decided to look up old Jean Claude Van Damme films on Amazon and watched Lionheart over the weekend. It was interested while I watched the movie because it was incredibly refreshing to watch something that didn't have a message or pandering nonsense that takes over the story. It was just a dumb fun action movie. The only naked person is JCVD so it doesn't even have the tropes of titties for no reason.

I couldn't help but just admire how much better movies used to be. When they were just entertainment and didn't have to make sure there was a checklist of things that had to be included in the film to try and avoid public backlash for the lack of this, that, and the other thing.

Shoutout to CriticalRole's Ashley Johnson who plays the little girl in the film. Shout out to Van Damme who is 10000X better than Steven Segal. Shout out to underground fight clubs which are only featured in 17 other JCVD movies as well.

 

[BrawlMan]

On a whim I decided to look up old Jean Claude Van Damme films on Amazon and watched Lionheart over the weekend. It was interested while I watched the movie because it was incredibly refreshing to watch something that didn't have a message or pandering nonsense that takes over the story.

There's always pandering in movies (and a majority of entertainment products) even back then. It was just a case of what they were panning to who and for. Sure, some was done more subtly, but it was just as obvious back then as it is now who is being pandered to, who isn't, and who was left in the dust for various reasons. We've already had a discussion similar to this in a different thread 2 years ago. Plus, internet wasn't a big thing yet and in its infancy.

couldn't help but just admire how much better movies used to be. When they were just entertainment and didn't have to make sure there was a checklist of things that had to be included in the film to try and avoid public backlash for the lack of this, that, and the other thing.

Try to take off the nostalgia goggles, will ya? Sturgeon's law: 90% of everything is crap. There's a lot of crap back in the 90s as well, you just don't remember it cuz most of it either fell to obscurity, or became bad later on due to poor aging and stuck in the decade they came out. Now I will say '90s filmmaking and techniques, are better than the whole. "let's shake the camera and do quick cuts like crazy!" from the 2000s and early 2010s. You can blame Michael Bay's imitators for the quick cutting thing. Don't even get me started on Paul Greengrass and his imitators. You all ruined action movies for a good decade. Thank you for that. You pricks.

Shout out to Van Damme who is 10000X better than Steven Segal. Shout out to underground fight clubs which are only featured in 17 other JCVD movies as well.

Agreed. Van Damme can act. He had a little trouble starting out, but most movie critics were just being mean, and would do anything to make it seem like he couldn't do anything, but do action scenes. Double Impact was proof that the man can act, he did improve, and kept improving. Seagal I just find depressing to watch. I'll still watch a couple of his really early movies, but I won't go anything past Under Siege 2.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Try to take off the nostalgia goggles, will ya? Sturgeon's law: 90% of everything is crap. There's a lot of crap back in the 90s as well, you just don't remember it cuz most of it either fell to obscurity, or became bad later on due to poor aging and stuck in the decade to came out. Now I will say '90s filmmaking and techniques, are better than the whole let's shake the camera and do quick quits like crazy from the 2000s and early 2010s. You can blame Michael Bay's imitators for the quick cutting thing. Don't even get me started on Paul Greengrass and his imitators. You all ruined action movies for a good decade. Thank you for that. You pricks.

Here is the thing about bad movies from the 80's and 90's though. If you go back and watch them they have this hillariously bad quality about them. Like for the most part, they are bad because the story is bad, or the acting is bad, or the special effects are bad, or whatever....but because they exist in this golden age of film, most of the bad movies are still watchable and even enjoyable from a "So bad it's Good" standpoint.

Which is something I don't think you could say about movies made post 2000. Bad movies from that point (maybe 2005ish) are just bad, and there is no redeeming quality of enjoyment you can get out of them, at least none that I've ever heard. Though there are exceptions like The Room (2003).

I dunno but there is a magic to watching Killer Clowns from Outer Space, where the movie is terrible but it's still a fun and enjoyable watch. Honestly I think it might simply be creativity.

Movies this days cost soooo much money that they really can't afford to be creative or take a lot of risk, so they find the safest stuff to make and try to make it to cater to whatever they feel the "modern audience" is. Which just isn't working.

 

[BrawlMan]

Here is the thing about bad movies from the 80's and 90's though. If you go back and watch them they have this hillariously bad quality about them. Like for the most part, they are bad because the story is bad, or the acting is bad, or the special effects are bad, or whatever....but because they exist in this golden age of film, most of the bad movies are still watchable and even enjoyable from a "So bad it's Good" standpoint.

That depends and varies on what you're talking about and which film. I kind of hate the whole, so bad it's good excuse or defense. Hates not the right word, but it does get annoying after a while. There are some movies from those times that are just straight up bad, or I don't find that entertaining, even on a so bad it's good level.

Which is something I don't think you could say about movies made post 2000. Bad movies from that point (maybe 2005ish) are just bad, and there is no redeeming quality of enjoyment you can get out of them, at least none that I've ever heard. Though there are exceptions like The Room (2003).

Because that was the era where everything had to be serious, grim and gritty, or "dark/mature". To be as edgy as possible and believe in your own bullcrap, that there's either nothing enjoyable, too boring, or just unfun the watch. Don't even give me started on a lot of the comedies from the mid-2000s either. A lot of their crap was just extremely juvenile humor trying to be edgy, or just plain boring. The Room I hate and I find really boring. I don't consider it, so bad it's good. Give me Freddy versus Jason any day of the week over that.

dunno but there is a magic to watching Killer Clowns from Outer Space, where the movie is terrible but it's still a fun and enjoyable watch. Honestly I think it might simply be creativity.

That's because people put actual effort and passion into it. Killer Clowns From Outer Space I just considered a good and fun movie. It knows exactly what it wants to be.

Movies this days cost soooo much money that they really can't afford to be creative or take a lot of risk, so they find the safest stuff to make and try to make it to cater to whatever they feel the "modern audience" is. Which just isn't working.

Depends on where you're looking. The Hollywood hype machine lying to people and even themselves. I noticed that a lot of lower budget, straight to DVD or digital, action movies since the early 2010s, have been doing better than most Hollywood action movies in terms of filming and design. Netflix for all its problems, is more than willing to lease risk of doing stuff on a lower budget. Don't forget about Blumhouse. That's a movie studio known for doing low budget movies or at least trying something new. Granted, most of it's horror or suspense, but at least try. Though they sometimes have the problem of trying to start a franchise as well. Some of the make it through, while most others are stuck on that one entry that ends with a sequel hook.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Don't even give me started on a lot of the comedies from the mid-2000s either.

I'm sad about comedies too. I can't remember the last time I heard of or saw a comedy release in a theater. What happened to Ace Ventura type movies? Nutty Professor? 40-year-old virgin? Bad santa? Why are they not making anything like that anymore?

Must be afraid of making comedies because someone might get offended by a joke.

 

[BrawlMan]

I'm sad about comedies too. I can't remember the last time I heard of or saw a comedy release in a theater. What happened to Ace Ventura type movies? Nutty Professor? 40-year-old virgin? Bad santa? Why are they not making anything like that anymore?

Must be afraid of making comedies because someone might get offended by a joke.

No.

1. The internet. There are a lot of comedy skits that came out in the 2000s on either dedicated sites or youtube. Most of those were either for free or cheap to buy and download. They had either better writing, or more understanding of comedy than the recent outputs of that time and later on.
2. Throughout the late 2000s you had too many people trying to either be airplane or the early Scary Movie films. A majority of them failures and not funny at all. Diminishing returns and all that.
3. Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey are lightnings in a bottle. You can't recreate that same success. Constantly trying that only leads to big failure. Even both of them have their slopes or bad movies. Especially Eddie Murphy unfortunately. By the mid-2000s, he kind of got off track and was just taking whatever was good at the time. Jim Carrey was doing more serious acting around that same time line. But they both have proven they still got it. At the same time, nobody can replicate what they brought to the table.
4. There's so much humor on the internet now, that making a straight-up comedy movie is almost pointless. You can get the same amount of laughs in either a shorter time frame, a TV show, or can just stay at home and watch it on your computer. I do miss that era to an extent, but as I said before, sturgeon's law still applies. We only remember the good ones and forget about either the really bad or mediocre comedies that came out.
5. Whatever comedies do show up now, are just thrown straight to digital and are done with such low effort and low hanging fruit. See almost any of Netflix's comedy catalog made and distributed by them.

 

[CriticalGaming]

No.

1. The internet. There are a lot of comedy skits that came out in the 2000s on either dedicated sites or youtube. Most of those were either for free or cheap to buy and download. They had either better riding, or more understanding of comedy than the recent outputs of that time and later on.
2. Throughout the late 2000s you had too many people trying to either be airplane or the early Scary Movie films. A majority of them failures and not funny at all. Diminishing returns and all that.
3. Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey are lightnings in a bottle. You can't recreate that same success. Constantly trying that only leads to big failure. Even both of them have their slopes or bad movies. Especially Eddie Murphy unfortunately. By the mid-2000s, he kind of got off track and was just taking whatever was good at the time. Jim Carrey was doing more serious acting around that same time line. But they both have proven they still got it. At the same time, nobody can replicate what they brought to the table.
4. There's so much humor on the internet now, that making a straight-up comedy movie is almost pointless. You can get the same amount of laughs in either a shorter time frame, a TV show, or can just stay at home and watch it on your computer. I do miss that era to an extent, but as I said before, sturgeon's law still applies. We only remember the good ones and forget about either the really bad or mediocre comedies that came out.
5. Whatever comedies do show up now, are just thrown straight to digital and are done with such low effort and low hanging fruit. See almost any of Netflix's comedy catalog made and distributed by them.

As if i needed another reason to dislike the internet.

 

[BrawlMan]

As if i needed another reason to dislike the internet.

That's really not the internet's fault. Hollywood has no one to blame, but themselves for the bad turnout. I'm not blaming the internet for this one. The internet opened up a lot of avenues for better or worse. But it also exposed the problem with the legacy and traditional media, along with their hypocrisy. It showed that you don't have to go through their bull crap to get somewhere. Especially for the music industry.

 

[XsjadoBlaydette]

Comedy movies in cinemas this year (including one I posted trailer of recently here)

Comedy Movies 2023 List - Movie Insider

Comedy Movies 2023 List: Anyone But You • Migration • Love Again • The Re-Education of Molly Singer • Barbie • The Holdovers • Freelance

www.movieinsider.com

Coming Out Friday, December 22, 2023

Migration
An animated comedy about a family of ducks who convince their over-protective father to go on the vacation of… more »
Benjamin Renner, Chris Meledandri, Mike White

In Theaters
More Info

Coming Out Friday, November 10, 2023

The Holdovers
In The Holdovers, Paul Hunham, a universally disliked professor at a prep school called Barton Academy. With n… more »
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Giamatti, Alexander Payne, Mark Johnson, David Hemingson, Carrie Preston

Limited

Coming Out Friday, October 20, 2023

Dumb Money
Tells the story of fortunes won and lost overnight in the GameStop short squeeze that may have ended up changi… more »
Shailene Woodley, Paul Dano, Sebastian Stan… more »

In Theaters
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The Underdoggs
The story of Jaycen Jenning, “2J’s” (played by Snoop Dogg), a former NFL superstar who, after a run in with th… more »
Mike Epps, Jonigan Booth, Tika Sumpter… more »

In Theaters
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Coming Out Friday, September 8, 2023

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Continued adventures of Fotoula “Toula” Portokalos (Vardalos) and the family.
Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris

In Theaters
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Coming Out Friday, September 22, 2023

Next Goal Wins PG-13
Tells the story of the American Samoa soccer team, who suffered the worst loss in World Cup history, losing to… more »
Taika Waititi, Andy Serkis, Uli Latukefu… more »

In Theaters
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Coming Out Friday, August 18, 2023

Please Don't Destroy R
The story of three childhood friends who live and work together. The trio decides they don’t like where their… more »
Martin Herlihy, Paul Briganti, Ben Marshall, John Higgins

In Theaters
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Coming Out July TBA, 2023

The Perfect Find
Will a forty-year-old woman with everything on the line — her high-stakes career, ticking biological clock, ba… more »
Gabrielle Union, Gina Torres, Numa Perrier… more »

Coming Out Friday, July 7, 2023

Joy Ride
The story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime i… more »
Desmond Chiam, Adele Lim, Seth Rogen… more »

In Theaters
Play Trailer

Coming Out Friday, July 14, 2023

Theater Camp
Follows the eccentric staff running a scrappy theater camp in upstate New York. After its indomitable and belo… more »
Ayo Edebiri, Nathan Lee Graham, Owen Thiele… more »

In Theaters
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Coming Out Friday, July 21, 2023

Barbie
A Barbie doll living in Barbieland is expelled from the world for not being perfect enough, too eccentric and… more »
Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, Noah Baumbach… more »

In Theaters
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They Cloned Tyrone R
A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (Boyega, Foxx and Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious gove… more »
Teyonah Parris, Tony Rettenmaier, Jamie Foxx… more »

Netflix
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Coming Out Friday, June 9, 2023

Strays R
When Reggie (Will Ferrell), a naïve, relentlessly optimistic Border Terrier, is abandoned on the mean city str… more »
Will Ferrell, Phil Lord, Randall Park… more »

In Theaters
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Coming Out Friday, June 16, 2023

The Blackening
Seven black friends go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a… more »
Tim Story, Antoinette Robertson, Jay Pharoah… more »

In Theaters
Play Trailer

Asteroid City
Asteroid City is a poetic meditation on the meaning of life. It tells the story of a fictional American desert… more »
Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston… more »

Johansson, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston… more »

Limited
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Coming Out Friday, June 23, 2023

No Hard Feelings
On the brink of losing her childhood home, Maddie (Lawrence) discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy heli… more »
Gene Stupnitsky, Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew Broderick… more »

In Theaters
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Asteroid City
Asteroid City is a poetic meditation on the meaning of life. It tells the story of a fictional American desert… more »
Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston… more »

In Theaters
More Info

Through My Window: Across the Sea
Based on the second chapter of the hit young adult romance novel by Ariana Godoy.
Marcal Fores, Clara Galle, Julio Peña, Hugo… more »

Netflix
Play Trailer

Coming Out Friday, May 5, 2023

What’s Love Got To Do With It?
How do you find lasting love in today’s world? For documentary filmmaker Zoe (Lily James), swiping right to fi… more »
Emma Thompson, Shekhar Kapur, Lily James… more »

Limited
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Coming Out Friday, May 12, 2023

Love Again
What if a random text message led to the love of your life? In this romantic comedy, dealing with the loss of… more »
Basil Iwanyk, Céline Dion, Celia Imrie, Jim S… more »

In Theaters
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Book Club: The Next Chapter
The four best friends take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off… more »
Diane Keaton, Andrew Duncan, Jane Fonda… more »

In Theaters
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Coming Out Friday, May 19, 2023

White Men Can't Jump R
Two street basketball hustlers first try to hustle each other, then team up for a bigger score.
Jack Harlow, Teyana Taylor, Laura Harrier… more »

Hulu
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Coming Out Friday, May 26, 2023

The Machine R
Set 23 years after the original story which inspired it, The Machine finds Bert Kreischer facing familial cris… more »
Mark Hamill, Peter Atencio, Cale Boyter… more »

In Theaters
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About My Father
The film centers around Sebastian (Maniscalco) who is encouraged by his fiancée (Leslie Bibb) to bring his imm… more »
Robert De Niro, Sebastian Maniscalco, David Rasche… more »

In Theaters
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Coming Out Friday, April 7, 2023

Paint PG-13
Carl Nargle (Wilson) has hosted a Vermont station’s #1 painting show for nearly three decades. The station eve… more »
Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Stephen Root… more »

In Theaters
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Oh Belinda
A young actor's perfect life takes a madcap turn when she agrees to star in a commercial — and suddenly gets t… more »
Hakan Bonomo, Neslihan Atagül, Serkan Çayoglu, Necip Memili, Meral Çetinkaya

Netflix
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The Doom Generation
Headed home after a wild night at a Los Angeles club, young lovers Jordan White (James Duval) and Amy Blue (Ro… more »
Greg Araki, James Duval, Rose McGowan, Johnathan Schaech

Limited
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Praise This
Follows aspiring musical superstar Sam (Chlöe Bailey), a young woman driven, at almost any cost, to break into… more »
Tina Gordon, Will Packer, Chloe Bailey… more »

Peacock
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Coming Out Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Sick of Myself
Signe and Thomas are in an unhealthy, competitive relationship that takes a vicious turn when Thomas suddenly… more »
Kristoffer Borgli, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Eirik Sæther, Fann… more »

Limited
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Coming Out Friday, April 14, 2023

Back on the Strip
After losing the woman of his dreams, Merlin moves to Las Vegas to pursue work as a magician, only to get hire… more »
Kevin Hart, Wesley Snipes, Chris Spencer, Tiffany Haddish, Eric Daniel, Colleen Camp

Limited
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Coming Out Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Andy Somebody
Andy, a depressed accountant, steals money from his corrupt boss, and runs off to LA to start a new life. But… more »
Jacob Bruce, Jonathon Buckley, Jesse David Ing… more »

VOD / Digital
Play TrailerBuy / Rent

Coming Out Thursday, April 20, 2023

Quasi R
A hapless hunchback yearns for love, but finds himself in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and… more »
Erik Stolhanske, Adrianne Palicki, Paul Soter, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar

Hulu
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Kodachrome
In the final days before Kodak retires the Kodachrome photo development system and concedes to digital cameras… more »
Dan Levine, Mark Raso, Shawn Levy… more »

Netflix
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Coming Out Friday, April 21, 2023

Ghosted PG-13
Salt-of-the-earth Cole (Evans) falls head over heels for enigmatic Sadie (de Armas)—but then makes the shockin… more »
Chris Evans, Mike Moh, Tim Blake Nelson… more »

Apple TV+
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Gringa
Marge Bickford (Jess Gabor) navigates the halls of her high school and the chalked lines of its soccer field w… more »
Jorge A. Jimenez, E.J. Foerster, Valentina Buzzurro… more »

Limited
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Coming Out Tuesday, April 25, 2023

My Happy Ending R
Andie MacDowell stars as a famous actor who goes incognito to seek treatment for a medical issue. While at the… more »
Tal Granit, Tamsin Greig, Sharon Maymon… more »

VOD / Digital
Play TrailerBuy / Rent

Coming Out Thursday, April 27, 2023

A Tourist’s Guide to Love
After an unexpected break up, a travel executive (Rachael Leigh Cook) accepts an assignment to go undercover a… more »
Ben Feldman, Rachael Leigh Cook, Missi Pyle… more »

Netflix
More InfoAdd to Watch

Coming Out Friday, April 28, 2023

Polite Society PG-13
Follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan who believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impendin… more »
Nida Manzoor, Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya… more »

Limited
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Released Friday, March 3, 2023

The Donor Party
Follows recently single Jaclyn (Malin Akerman), who desperately wants to become a mom - by any means necessary… more »
Rob Corddry, Bria Samone Henderson, Meadow Williams… more »

Limited
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Love at First Kiss
Love at first kiss, tells the story of Javier (Álvaro Cervantes), who at the age of 16 kissed a girl for the f… more »
Álvaro Cervantes, Silvia Alonso, Susana Abaitua

Netflix
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A Little White Lie R
A depressed often inebriated loner is mistaken for a renowned but reclusive author with whom he shares a name… more »
Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Aja… more »

Limited
VOD / Digital
4 / 5
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Released Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Faraway
Zeynep Altin is at the end of her rope: she's overworked and underappreciated by her husband, daughter and agi… more »
Goran Bogdan, Vanessa Jopp, Naomi Krauss, Bahar Balci

Coffee Wars
Coffee aficionado Jo (Kate Nash) is doing her best to keep her plant-based, independent, coffee shop afloat al… more »
Kate Nash, Toby Sebastian, Saoirse-Monica Jackson… more »

VOD / Digital
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Released Friday, March 10, 2023

Champions PG-13
Woody Harrelson stars in the hilarious and heartwarming story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, a… more »
Madison Tevlin, James Day Keith, Ashton Gunning… more »

In Theaters
4 / 5
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Future TX NR
When a couple of tweens get their first cell phones, the phones ring at the same time. A Mystery Man (caller d… more »
Tim Clague, Danny Stack, Griff Rhys Jones… more »

Limited
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Released Saturday, March 11, 2023

Bottoms R
Two unpopular queer girls start a fight club to have sex before their high school graduation.
Elizabeth Banks, Dagmara Dominczyk, Ruby Cruz… more »

Limited
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Released Friday, March 17, 2023

Wildflower R
Growing up is hard, especially when you’re raising your parents. A coming-of-age comedy that follows Bea Johns… more »
Kiernan Shipka, Dash Mihok, Alexandra Daddario… more »

Limited
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A Snowy Day in Oakland PG-13
Dr. Latrice Monroe (Nicole Ari Parker) tries to reconnect to her roots by opening her new office in a neighbor… more »
Nicole Ari Parker, Kim Bass, Michael Jai White… more »

In Theaters
5 / 5
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Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
Based on true events, the film centers on the captivating story of Roger Sharpe, a GQ journalist and real-life… more »
Crystal Reed, Mike Doyle, Austin Bragg… more »

Limited
VOD / Digital
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Released Monday, March 20, 2023

Wildflower R
Growing up is hard, especially when you’re raising your parents. A coming-of-age comedy that follows Bea Johns… more »
Kiernan Shipka, Dash Mihok, Alexandra Daddario… more »

VOD / Digital
Play TrailerBuy / Rent

Released Tuesday, March 21, 2023

The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu
Aware that her time is running short, irascible Wu family matriarch Lily (Lisa Lu) is eager to repair the stra… more »
Anna Chi, Lisa Lu, Michelle Krusiec… more »

Krusiec… more »

VOD / Digital
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Released Friday, March 24, 2023

The Lost King PG-13
In this inspiring true story, amateur historian Philippa Langley believes she has made the archeological find… more »
Steve Coogan, Sally Hawkins, Stephen Frears, Jeff Pope

Limited
1 / 5
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My Happy Ending R
Andie MacDowell stars as a famous actor who goes incognito to seek treatment for a medical issue. While at the… more »
Tal Granit, Tamsin Greig, Sharon Maymon… more »

Limited
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The Worst Ones NR
Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, The Worst Ones captures a film within a film as it… more »
Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret

New York
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Coming Out Friday, March 31, 2023

Róise & Frank
Róise is still grieving the loss of her husband, Frank, when a mysterious dog shows up at her door. Mildly ann… more »
Peter Murphy, Bríd Ní Neachtain, Cillian O'Gairbhi, Rachael Moriarty, Lorcan Cranitch

Limited
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Smoking Causes Coughing NR
Concerns the misadventures of a team of five superheroes known as the Tobacco Force – Benzene, Nicotine, Metha… more »
Gilles Lellouche, Quentin Dupieux, Hugo Sélignac, Anais… more »

Scope TBA
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The Worst Ones NR
Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, The Worst Ones captures a film within a film as it… more »
Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret

Los Angeles
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Released Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Sam & Kate R
When Sam returns to his small town to care for his ailing father, he soon finds himself falling for a local wo… more »
Jake Hoffman, Schuyler Fisk, Darren Le Gallo, Dustin Hoffman, Sissy Spacek

Peacock
5 / 5
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Unexpected
Follows music critic Bob, who is struggling with a demotion, addicted to Zoloft and trying to wrangle the mena… more »
David Hunt, Patricia Heaton, Rodney Patrick Vaccaro… more »

Limited
VOD / Digital
2 / 5
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Released Friday, February 3, 2023

Stars Fell Again NR
Bryce is ready to propose to Madison while they visit her family for Christmas. However, the spontaneous weddi… more »
James Maslow, VW Scheich, Robert Windom… more »

Limited
5 / 5
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Spoiler Alert PG-13
Based on Michael Ausiello’s best-selling memoir “Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies,” the film is a heartwarming, fu… more »
Jim Parsons, Michael Showalter, Bill Irwin… more »

Peacock
4 / 5
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She Is Love NR
A divorced couple unexpectedly cross paths at a country inn. What starts as an awkward encounter leads them to… more »
Jamie Adams, Haley Bennett, Sam Riley, Marisa Abela

Limited
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Who Invited Charlie?
Phil Schreiber, a self-involved hedge fund manager, and his wife Rosie take refuge in the Hamptons with their… more »

It keeps going on and on, I'm just bored of all the phone restricted copy-pasting already (also dates are reversed chronology, not sure why but ain't fixing it for all you "forward time" type people )

 

[Gordon_4]

On a whim I decided to look up old Jean Claude Van Damme films on Amazon and watched Lionheart over the weekend. It was interested while I watched the movie because it was incredibly refreshing to watch something that didn't have a message or pandering nonsense that takes over the story. It was just a dumb fun action movie. The only naked person is JCVD so it doesn't even have the tropes of titties for no reason.

I couldn't help but just admire how much better movies used to be. When they were just entertainment and didn't have to make sure there was a checklist of things that had to be included in the film to try and avoid public backlash for the lack of this, that, and the other thing.

Shoutout to CriticalRole's Ashley Johnson who plays the little girl in the film. Shout out to Van Damme who is 10000X better than Steven Segal. Shout out to underground fight clubs which are only featured in 17 other JCVD movies as well.

If you can find it, I recommend ‘Legionnaire’ from Van Damm’s straight to video affairs. It’s actually a pretty good flick and different to his usual output.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★½ review of From Russia with Love (1963)

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

letterboxd.com

 

[Hawki]

Apparently it was successful enough that someone is making a cocaine shark movie. Though, people are always making shark movies.

So they've jumped the shark already? Seems a bit fishy. Dunno if I can bear it.

 

[Hawki]

A ★★½ review of From Russia with Love (1963)

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

letterboxd.com

So are you going through all the Bond movies?

Anyway, I haven't seen all of "To Love," but I was bored out of my mind in what I did see. It seems like we're on a similar page there. As you point out, Dr. No at least kept moving forward.

 

[thebobmaster]

Yes, I am. All of them except for the 1967 Casino Royale, because that one is a ***** to find, and really not worth the effort of doing so. I will, however, be covering Never Say Never Again, even if that's not an official Bond movie.

 

[Absent]

A ★★½ review of From Russia with Love (1963)

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

letterboxd.com

I love "From Russia" for being one of the most faithful adaptations, and thus feeling like a cold war hitchcockian movie more than an explosive indiana jones (I wish they had kept it a smersh thing instead of using the more apolitical spectre). Also the end fight didn't really seem goofy too me, but maybe I'm infuenced by the novel, in which Klebb

Spoiler

murders Bond with her poisonous shoe (he gets unmurdered, Holmes-like, at the start of the following book)

. In fact I had never noticed the irony of the "From Russia" and "Dr No" stories being chronologically inverted on film (in the books, the imposed gun switch at the start of "Dr No" is a consequence of the ending of "From Russia"). By the way, it's also odd to start the "Dr No" film with Bond clinging to a gun we had never seen him use.

Also, Sylvia Trench was supposed to be a stupid recurring joke, Bond leaving her at the start of each new mission. They ditched the idea to not give the impression that Bond had a sentimental anchor at home, and Moneypenny became a bit of that running gag, in a way. But still, it's odd to see these two first movies start with a same girlfriend.

And yes, gender dynamics are hilariously creepy in these films. The smug ridicule of Connery's discreet bum slaps always made me laugh at his expense, as a kid, even when I wasn't fully aware of the problematic nature of the other manifestations of sexism. There's a wonderfully stupid one in Goldfinger, full with its let-the-men-discuss-serious-business sendaway, it's so fantastically 60s. So black-and-white french gangster movie. To me, it's the OSS117est component of these films (and the competition is tough).

Anyway. Hot take : trains are just the best settings. They may even beat ships. "From Russia" is an awesome Orient Express caper.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, From Russia with Love is, IMHO, the best spy movies of the early Bond films, if not the best action film of the early Bonds. And Robert Shaw is really good. In particular, that scene where he's in the train watching Bond outside of the platform.

That bit with the Roma was awful (though, never though Kerim Bay was supposed to be Roma himself). OTOH, the way Bond treats Tatiana...I saw that as him being basically a thug in a spy movie, and he'll crush anyone who gets in the way of his mission. The two ending up in love in the end undermines that, however.

 

[thebobmaster]

I just assumed Kerim Bey was a Roma as well, given how he was the one to introduce Bond to the culture and explain things. I could be completely off, though. And yes, Robert Shaw basically stole the show whenever he was on-screen.

 

[Gordon_4]

Yeah, From Russia with Love is, IMHO, the best spy movies of the early Bond films, if not the best action film of the early Bonds. And Robert Shaw is really good. In particular, that scene where he's in the train watching Bond outside of the platform.

That bit with the Roma was awful (though, never though Kerim Bay was supposed to be Roma himself). OTOH, the way Bond treats Tatiana...I saw that as him being basically a thug in a spy movie, and he'll crush anyone who gets in the way of his mission. The two ending up in love in the end undermines that, however.

And then you remember that the film already had some it’s rougher bits sanded off compared to the novel.

And no, Kerim Bey is either the SIS Head of Station in Turkey, or is himself a high ranked and trustworthy contact with the Turkish security services. That’s why he knows the Roma; in fact I think he says when they arrive that they do work for him from time to time.

 

[Thaluikhain]

And no, Kerim Bey is either the SIS Head of Station in Turkey, or is himself a high ranked and trustworthy contact with the Turkish security services. That’s why he knows the Roma; in fact I think he says when they arrive that they do work for him from time to time.

In retrospect, he does say that he started out in a circus, though, but I'd never really took notice of that until I read the above review.