Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[Casual Shinji]

Ghost in the Shell and Ninja Scroll be like: are we a joke to you?

Those were popular within anime circles, but Akira broke out beyond that, and Spirited Away proved anime could be a lucrative awards contender. I will say GitS was somewhat visible at the time in poster form, but no more then Street Fighter 2: The Movie. It was still largely ignored.

Although the whole distinction is probably meaningless, since Sailor Moon was popular enough in the 90's for America to try and produce their own crappy American version, and every kid knew about Dragon Ball Z, so...

 

[BrawlMan]

Those were popular within anime circles, but Akira broke out beyond that, and Spirited Away proved anime could be a lucrative awards contender. I will say GitS was somewhat visible at the time in poster form, but no more then Street Fighter 2: The Movie. It was still largely ignored.

Although the whole distinction is probably meaningless, since Sailor Moon was popular enough in the 90's for America to try and produce their own crappy American version, and every kid knew about Dragon Ball Z, so...

Funny thing with Ghost in the Shell '95, is that the movie did better in the West, than it's home country. All the more ironic, because the Japanese actually prefer the live-action 2017 version over the 1995 original. Back on point, GitS'95 still made a huge impact and huge influence in America. Without it, there would be no The Matrix.

All these movies mentioned are major corner stones or turning points for the genre getting more mainstream appeal in the West and States.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★½ review of Antz (1998)

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

letterboxd.com

 

[gorfias]

The Iron Claw in theater.

Based on a true story, an A24 film starring a bulked up unrecognizable Zac Efron as one of a gang of brothers whose dad was a famous wrestler with a signature move, the titular Iron Claw. Kinda a one handed Vulcan Mind Meld. Americana that is not your typical sports movie. It gives one a pretty good look behind the scenes of a very fake, yet very hard on the body wrestling entertainment industry. But it is mostly a sort of character study. Who are these people and what is their life like?

Spoiler

Most of the film covers the efforts of the sons to make it big in this entertainment industry. Then tragedy strikes. And the film wraps up letting us know that family can help one survive tragedy. With different pacing, we might lose out on the wonderful behind the scenes look at this industry. But it ends so abruptly. The tragedies should have occurred in the middle with an entire 3rd act to deal with the recovery rather than pretty much telling us things went ok in letter boxes at the end of the movie.

7/10: It is good. Worth seeing.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Lift: A'ight / Great

Kevin Hart and his group of thievery specialists are conscripted by law enforcement to heist a half billion in gold from an airplane while it's in flight.

Basically a poor man's Ocean's 11. It wasn't bad, but not good when compared to better heist films. I enjoyed it well enough, but had to gloss over a lot of the contrivances it puts itself through to come across as clever. I'd recommend it if you've a couple of hours to burn, but I wouldn't suggest you to plan "movie night" around it. It was fun; I've seen worse; I've seen better.

 

[Gordon_4]

Lift: A'ight / Great

Kevin Hart and his group of thievery specialists are conscripted by law enforcement to heist a half billion in gold from an airplane while it's in flight.

Basically a poor man's Ocean's 11. It wasn't bad, but not good when compared to better heist films. I enjoyed it well enough, but had to gloss over a lot of the contrivances it puts itself through to come across as clever. I'd recommend it if you've a couple of hours to burn, but I wouldn't suggest you to plan "movie night" around it. It was fun; I've seen worse; I've seen better.

I think I checked out at the start when they ‘steal’ an NFT.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★ review of Galaxy of Terror (1981)

"Aren't you afraid?" "Too scared to be." The plot of this film follows a crew investigating a disappearance on the planet of Morganthus, consisting of veteran Cabren (Edward Albert), empath Alluma (Erin Moran), cook Kore (Ray Walston), technical officer Dameia (Taaffe O'Connell), commander Ilvar...

letterboxd.com

 

[Xprimentyl]

I think I checked out at the start when they ‘steal’ an NFT.

In fairness, which is more ridiculous: a plot revolving around stealing an NFT in a film, or the fact that NFTs exist in real life? I give a lot of leeway when it comes to fantasy, but I have no such luxury when it comes to reality, and reality of late has proven to be exhaustingly more incredulous than fantasy. The [inexorable] next president of the United States seeking his second term is currently facing +90 criminal charges; of course a script writer can mock up a story about someone stealing something intangible. I'd personally rather live in the latter world, but, whatch'a gonna do?

 

[Piscian]

I check out at Kevin Hart. I hate his commercials so much Ive declared him persona non grata.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

In fairness, which is more ridiculous: a plot revolving around stealing an NFT in a film, or the fact that NFTs exist in real life? I give a lot of leeway when it comes to fantasy, but I have no such luxury when it comes to reality, and reality of late has proven to be exhaustingly more incredulous than fantasy. The [inexorable] next president of the United States seeking his second term is currently facing +90 criminal charges; of course a script writer can mock up a story about someone stealing something intangible. I'd personally rather live in the latter world, but, whatch'a gonna do?

The fact they made a movie plot around this is just sad to begin with. NFTs should simply be buried in cyberspace as yet another blight on pop culture, but only after downing some laxatives and having a big ol’ blowout on them.

 

[Xprimentyl]

The fact they made a movie plot around this is just sad to begin with. NFTs should simply be buried in cyberspace as yet another blight on pop culture, but only after downing some laxatives and having a big ol’ blowout on them.

Well, the whole movie doesn't revolve around the NFT plot; it just serves as the initial premise to establish Hart's group's criminal aptitude. The whole NFT thing goes away fairly quickly, and the absurdity latches on to the broader plot.

But yes, NFTs really should go away for humanity's sake. In a world where so many people go unhoused, hungry, with no access to proper medical care, and world powers willingly wage war against each other, that anyone finds the time to place value on/claim ownership of literally nothing boggles the sensible mind.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Eye In The Sky: Decent / Great

After tracking some "most wanted" terrorists plotting suicide bombing attacks to a village in Kenya, joint operations between the UK, USA, and Kenya have the opportunity eliminate the targets with a drone strike. The problem? Potential collateral damages in the form of innocent lives create a moral pause as the governments hem and haw over whether or not to go through with it.

Really frustrating film. The back and forth as the government/military bodies constantly find reasons to "we should/we shouldn't" protracted a razor thin, hyper-focused premise of sentimentality that eventually just got exhausting. It was an alright movie, but projected on the real world, it would have been over in minutes. If Benjamin Netanyahu is to be believed, moral dilemmas are few when it comes to war against terror. The takeaway for me? If I ever see an impoverished child selling bread, I'm buying it all, then asking the child to go at least a couple blocks away from the immediate location.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

There's a reason why I consider Bourne Identity the best of the franchise.

That's my favorite one as well (own the steelbook blu-ray). The action is quick cut but it's always clear what is happening. I hate the Greengrass sequels.

I watched Sisu twice on Starz.

I compare this movie to Equalizer 3.

Spoiler

Equalizer 3 establishes that Denzel is a bad ass who can kill entire armies. We then spend another 2/3s of the movie establishing some bad guys that need killing. Then without so much as getting a scratch, Denzel kills them all. The End. Not really something I could call a story.

The boy told me he is tired of seeing unstoppable one man armies that dispatch a bunch of people in colorful ways so I was worried he wouldn't enjoy this. Well, it is very different and he did. We get interesting characters and situations. More like an NC17 rated Raiders of the Lost Arc than Equalizer 3. There is a journey to be had here with goals, objectives and a hero's journey including a nadir from which he must rise.

I watched it a 2nd time with my buddy and he like it so much he's buying it on bluray. I will see it again some day.

Don't watch the trailer if you don't want to see a few things that do happen in the movie.

Deleting trailer: shows more than I'd want anyone seeing before seeing the movie.

A-

Sisu to me has more in common with a western than an action movie; it's rather deliberately paced with long landscape shots. The only thing I didn't like about Sisu was the dog scene where they put a bomb with a timer on the dog, that literally made no sense.

 

[gorfias]

That's my favorite one as well (own the steelbook blu-ray). The action is quick cut but it's always clear what is happening. I hate the Greengrass sequels.


Sisu to me has more in common with a western than an action movie; it's rather deliberately paced with long landscape shots. The only thing I didn't like about Sisu was the dog scene where they put a bomb with a timer on the dog, that literally made no sense.

It was a lit stick of dynamite. I liked that this guy who had been so unstoppable up to now? He'd had a weakness exposed: his love for his pooch. Like kidnapping Lois Lane to get a drop on Superman.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Nefarious: Good / Great

A psychiatrist is summoned to a prison in Oklahoma to make a final pronouncement on an inmate's sanity and whether or not he is of sound mind to be subjected to the death penalty. The kicker is the inmate claims to be a demon merely in possession of the man's body, and actually WANTS to be executed.

An odd film. Most of it takes place at the table where the inmate is restrained while talking to the doctor, so it's mostly just a bunch of talking. The inmate slips in and out of the personality of the titular demon, loquaciousness and well-spoken with clearly malicious intent, and "Edward," the stuttering, blubbering man who is afraid and does not want to die. If nothing else, it is well acted; Sean Patrick Flanery is brilliant as both "the demon" and "Edward." It takes some rather sad and disturbing turns at points towards the end. I'd recommend it.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

It was a lit stick of dynamite. I liked that this guy who had been so unstoppable up to now? He'd had a weakness exposed: his love for his pooch. Like kidnapping Lois Lane to get a drop on Superman.

I had no issue that they used the dog to lure him out. I had a problem with the logic of it. I rewatched the scene, and yeah they lit a stick of dynamite (so the timer is the wick) and they just sent the dog out with lit dynamite and they had no clue where he was. So, there was so little chance of that actually working because chances are super fucking high the dynamite goes off well before the dog finds him obviously.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The Society of the Snow

I only have a dim recollection of the 1993 movie about the Uruguayan plane crash in the Andes: it was the gringo take, with gringo actors, and it was typically sappy but good enough.

The new version stars all Argentine and Uruguayan actors and is a Spanish-USA production for Netflix, helmed by the Spanish J.A. Bayona, who made The Impossible and is good with disaster movies. The harrowing parts are even more harrowing, the spectacular parts are even more spectacular. I didn't detect the Netflix cheapness.

The movie makes the decision to have one of the dead rugbiers do the narration, in a move that I'm not quite sure is either bold or tasteless. Regardless this is probably as good a movie as we're ever going to get about that tragedy.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★★★★★ review of The Menu (2022)

"You told them it was my birthday?" "It seemed funny about three hours ago." Let's head on down to the lab, and see what's on the slab... The plot of this film focuses on a woman named Margot (Anya-Taylor Joy), who is being taken somewhat apathetically by her much more obsessed boyfriend Tyler...

letterboxd.com

 

[Piscian]

Next Goals Wins 2023

Next Goals Wins was only every capable of being one if two things, generic offensive sports comedy or bananas subversive black comedy. Im genuinely sad to report its the former. Its "fine". Theres a bare minimum self-aware cheekiness here that lives in opposition to Thor: L&T, WWDITS, and jojo rabbit. Instead whats here harkins back to Where The Wilder People Are, as seen through the filter of " don't offend anybody". The wholesome charm is there, but it never "Slaps".

On the whole its just very bland light chuckle sports comedy drama. I couldn't help but feel like TW dialed back his frenetic film making style in order to not offend the samoan american culture he aimed to celebrate. At the same time he never quite succeeds at celebrating it either. Im genuinely curious if this was actually a TW project or just work he signed on to.

More problematically Michael Fassbinder never quite embraces the role, hes never comedic when he needs to be and never chews scenery the way Sam Neill did.

If Where The Wilder People Are is one if your favorite films and is a 10/10, Then Next Goal Wins is a solid 6.5. If you've never seen WTWPA and you don't care for TWs brand of comedy its a pretty middling 5/10. Never bad but an easy skip.

 

[Cheetodust]

The Iron Claw in theater.

Based on a true story, an A24 film starring a bulked up unrecognizable Zac Efron as one of a gang of brothers whose dad was a famous wrestler with a signature move, the titular Iron Claw. Kinda a one handed Vulcan Mind Meld. Americana that is not your typical sports movie. It gives one a pretty good look behind the scenes of a very fake, yet very hard on the body wrestling entertainment industry. But it is mostly a sort of character study. Who are these people and what is their life like?

Spoiler

Most of the film covers the efforts of the sons to make it big in this entertainment industry. Then tragedy strikes. And the film wraps up letting us know that family can help one survive tragedy. With different pacing, we might lose out on the wonderful behind the scenes look at this industry. But it ends so abruptly. The tragedies should have occurred in the middle with an entire 3rd act to deal with the recovery rather than pretty much telling us things went ok in letter boxes at the end of the movie.

7/10: It is good. Worth seeing.

The Von Erichs are a particularly tragic tale and an extreme case study in how fucked the industry was and can be. A lot of really good people had their lives totally fucked by the industry. I would definitely like to see more stories like this one told. The Harts and their extended family amd Roddy Piper are two others I think deserve a good look. As a huge wrestling fan I think it's pretty fucked up how an industry as inherently silly as pro wrestling is so damaging to the performers. As a kid I used to love the more extreme side of wrestling, Mick Foley was a hero of mine growing up. Now as an adult I watch that kind of stuff and it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I hate seeing wrestlers do things that are legitimately dangerous and really hurt them.