Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[Johnny Novgorod]

Happy Gilmore 2

So Happy Gilmore isn't such a high standard for a legacy sequel to clear, but I'm at the point where I'd rather a legacy sequel not ruin a good ending for the sake of a 6/10 comedy elevated by nostalgia bait.

They do a Zoolander 2 by killing off the love interest (Happy murders her) and undoing the big material win (Happy loses Grandma's house and pulls a Rocky V by losing all his money too). I kinda hate it when a comedy sequel fridges the love interest. It's as if the writers can't envision a wife as anything other than a ball and chain.

Rest of the movie is cameos, product placement and golfball slapstick. Some of these cameos are so random that the movie will play a clip from OG just in case you don't know or appreciate who the fuck is that.

It's funnier than Beverly Hills Cop 4, but I'm gonna rate it lower just because of all the sour retcons. On the plus side it's miles ahead of Zoolander 2 and Coming 2 America.

 

[Gordon_4]

Happy Gilmore 2

So Happy Gilmore isn't such a high standard for a legacy sequel to clear, but I'm at the point where I'd rather a legacy sequel not ruin a good ending for the sake of a 6/10 comedy elevated by nostalgia bait.

They do a Zoolander 2 by killing off the love interest (Happy murders her)

Hold up, what?

 

[BrawlMan]

funnier than Beverly Hills Cop 4

I'd rather just watch that again, then touch a Happy Gilmore sequel. BHC4 I actually like.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Happy Gilmore 2

So Happy Gilmore isn't such a high standard for a legacy sequel to clear, but I'm at the point where I'd rather a legacy sequel not ruin a good ending for the sake of a 6/10 comedy elevated by nostalgia bait.

They do a Zoolander 2 by killing off the love interest (Happy murders her) and undoing the big material win (Happy loses Grandma's house and pulls a Rocky V by losing all his money too). I kinda hate it when a comedy sequel fridges the love interest. It's as if the writers can't envision a wife as anything other than a ball and chain.

Rest of the movie is cameos, product placement and golfball slapstick. Some of these cameos are so random that the movie will play a clip from OG just in case you don't know or appreciate who the fuck is that.

It's funnier than Beverly Hills Cop 4, but I'm gonna rate it lower just because of all the sour retcons. On the plus side it's miles ahead of Zoolander 2 and Coming 2 America.

Smells a bit of 'the actor got too big to wanna return to this shlock'. Not that Julie Bowen is doing too much currenly, but I'd wager that Modern Family money has her sitting rather pretty right now.

Also, fuck when comedies do that as a joke. When Austin Powers did this shit in its sequel I was immediately turned off - Congrats on retroactively fucking up the emotional core of your previous movie, idiots!

 

[BrawlMan]

Smells a bit of 'the actor got too big to wanna return to this shlock'. Not that Julie Bowen is doing too much currenly, but I'd wager that Modern Family money has her sitting rather pretty right now.

Also, fuck when comedies do that as a joke. When Austin Powers did this shit in its sequel I was immediately turned off - Congrats on retroactively fucking up the emotional core of your previous movie, idiots!

Exactly why I hate it when sequels do that. It makes the previous film pointless. It's why I don't enjoy Ninja II: Shadow of Tear as much as the first film, despite having better action. Namiko gets killed off, making the ending of the first film pointless. At least Namiko's actress was able to show up for about 10-15 minutes in the actual sequel

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Smells a bit of 'the actor got too big to wanna return to this shlock'. Not that Julie Bowen is doing too much currenly, but I'd wager that Modern Family money has her sitting rather pretty right now.

Also, fuck when comedies do that as a joke. When Austin Powers did this shit in its sequel I was immediately turned off - Congrats on retroactively fucking up the emotional core of your previous movie, idiots!

What makes it especially annoying is that Julie Bowen *is* in the movie a fair bit (flashbacks and afterlife hallucinations). So it's not even that she got too big for Happy Gilmore 2, it's Sandler and his writers not being able to think of anything useful for the character to do but die and set up Happy's journey of getting over it.

Soured the rest of the movie for me.

Hold up, what?

Happy accidentally kills her with a tee shot.
Yeah, hilarious.

I'd rather just watch that again, then touch a Happy Gilmore sequel. BHC4 I actually like.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 has been the only one of these legacy sequels that didn't ruin anything about the original movie/s for me. I wish there was more Axel/Billy/Taggart but it's nice enough that's the scene they end with.

 

[Bedinsis]

Rest of the movie is cameos, product placement and golfball slapstick.

Like the first movie then?

Happy accidentally kills her with a tee shot.

Oh, accidentally. Then it wasn't murder. And a rather important distinction; it might just be a silly slapstick comedy but even in those circumstances it would be asking us to root for a bad guy. Adam Sandler comedies tend to feature manchildren, people you want to see mature, not outright monsters.

 

[thebobmaster]

Like the first movie then?

Oh, accidentally. Then it wasn't murder. And a rather important distinction; it might just be a silly slapstick comedy but even in those circumstances it would be asking us to root for a bad guy. Adam Sandler comedies tend to feature manchildren, people you want to see mature, not outright monsters.

And then you have Uncut Gems, where he possibly ironically turns in one of his best acting performances as one of his most unlikable protagonists.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Like the first movie then?

Well, yes and no.
I realize most of Adam Sandler's filmography is just a money laundering scheme doubling as a big paid holiday for his friends and family, but you can make the argument that some of his comedies, for whatever reason, have a bit of heart to it, and it's disheartening he's entering his era of mining their good will.

Oh, accidentally. Then it wasn't murder. And a rather important distinction; it might just be a silly slapstick comedy but even in those circumstances it would be asking us to root for a bad guy. Adam Sandler comedies tend to feature manchildren, people you want to see mature, not outright monsters.

Homicidal manslaughter if you like.
I think giving Julie Bowen second billing just to fridge her 5 minutes in is a waste of her character and a good comic actress. Besides the movie keeps making up ways for Happy to be an underdog. He's already trying to put five kids through college, battling alcoholism, having a career comeback and getting one over some bullyish clown league that's trying to reinvent the sport for the worse. "And his wife is dead" is just one more item in a checklist.

 

[thebobmaster]

Well, yes and no.
I realize most of Adam Sandler's filmography is just a money laundering scheme doubling as a big paid holiday for his friends and family, but you can make the argument that some of his comedies, for whatever reason, have a bit of heart to it, and it's disheartening he's entering his era of mining their good will.

I think one way I've noticed to tell when he really started going into vacation mode is how his characters are treated in-universe. Specifically, yes, he pretty much plays manchildren in his comedies. But in his early comedies like Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, being a manchild is treated as a flaw that he needs to overcome, while in later films it's an "endearing" trait.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I think one way I've noticed to tell when he really started going into vacation mode is how his characters are treated in-universe. Specifically, yes, he pretty much plays manchildren in his comedies. But in his early comedies like Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, being a manchild is treated as a flaw that he needs to overcome, while in later films it's an "endearing" trait.

I think Sandler's manchild persona hit a brick wall with Big Daddy. I always go back to Roger Ebert's review:

“Big Daddy” is a film about a seriously disturbed slacker who adopts a 5-year-old and tutors him in cynicism, cruel practical jokes and antisocial behavior. It is supposed to be funny that [Sandler] has a pathological hostility against society (...) although I don’t know what a [love interest] would see in this closed-off, angry creep. Even when [Sandler] tries to be nice, you can see the passive aggression peeking around his smile.

At some point, ca. Funny People, he pulled a Bill Murray and turned his obnoxious womanizer/boozehound persona into a bitter grouch stewing in thinly-veiled contempt, with only the occasional antisocial outburst.

There's a way of making anger and frustration funny but Sandler always seems to be coming from a place of spite and hypocrisy. Like the bad guys in this movie would be the same people financing Happy Gilmore 2 and lathering it up with sponsors and product placement.

 

[CriticalGaming]

I saw Fantastic Four this morning, and it's easily the best film out this month for sure. At least of the comicbook films. Which doesn't mean much, but it's far better than Marvel's recent releases and it's better than Superman although it's far less exciting of a film overall.

The F4 are the most boring team on Marvel's roster, their powers are just kind of dumb or simply boring. So making this team interesting is difficult, and making a movie exciting to watch is also tricky. Fortunately the movie is interesting, if not terribly exciting.

The film starts several years after the F4 have gone their powers, so thankfully for the 3rd fucking time they aren't trying to tell this team's origins. Which leads us into a good chunk into the F4's career and the movie is clever about showing some of the previous enemies and crazy things they've fought or done to win the hearts of not only America but the world itself.

Instead the real meat of the film starts when Sue Storm reveals to Reed that she's finally pregnant. Things are looking up and Reed has solved all the cities crime potentially bringing an era of complete peace at least in the "new York" they live in. However the Silver Surfer lady arrives in time's square and announces the world is fucked, Galactus is coming to eat us, enjoy dying. Then peaces out.

The team chases her, confronts Galactus who is done rather well in the film. He's big and menacing and the guy who plays Cid in FF16 voices him and it's very cool. However the problem of the F4 being boring and having really shitty powers comes into play. How can this team of lame ass characters fight fucking Galactus. The answer is....

They can't.

So Reed comes up with another solution. And the end action sequence is kind of cool but really highlights how ineffective the team really is against something like this. However the power of love allows them to sort of "handle" him.

Overall the movie is far more of a character exploration than your typical superhero film, there is remarkable little actual action in the movie as a whole. Galactus demands something great from the team in exchange for sparing the Earth, and the movie explores Reed's super intelligence and the practical reality of keeping your family together. It's really well done, and none of the characters are annoying. Namely Johnny Storm is usually a fucking frat douchebag in these movies, but he isn't like that at all this time. Instead he is a loving brother who is determined to help in anyway that he can.

I hate to say it but Ben Grimms or The Thing is the most useless character in this movie, as his sole ability of being strong doesn't end up being helpful in any real way. His purpose in the film is his skills as a pilot and some small assistance during the final fight. But where the other characters get a sort of intellectual exploration into their motivations and determination to handle their situation, Ben gets nothing of the sort and ends of feeling just....there. Even the Silver Surfer has more overall story than him.

All told the movie is well put together and well thought out for the most part. The typical Marvel humor is kept to a minimum throughout the movie and that allows the pace and the tension to stay constant. So yeah if you like Marvel movies then this is a surprising recommendation from me considering i've never liked these characters. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[BrawlMan]

Which doesn't mean much

It actually means a lot, actually.

I consider this a great movie, low bar or not.Superman (2025) I know you didn't enjoy, but both movies are exciting. The only difference being, FF4: FS goes a more semi-introspective and slower pace in the middle portion. It works to the film's benefit. As far as ratings go: both films get an S-Rank for me.

I hate to say it but Ben Grimms or The Thing is the most useless character in this movie, as his sole ability of being strong doesn't end up being helpful in any real way. His purpose in the film is his skills as a pilot and some small assistance during the final fight. But where the other characters get a sort of intellectual exploration into their motivations and determination to handle their situation, Ben gets nothing of the sort and ends of feeling just....there. Even the Silver Surfer has more overall story than him.

This sorta makes sense, as Ben already got back in the Fox films, and those were done so much worse. Especially in the 2015 "reboot". Ben is still given some subtle depth if you're really paying attention. Not the most development, but that doesn't make him useless in either direction.

i've never liked these characters. I was pleasantly surprised.

That's because they were adapted poorly in live-action, up until this point. The Fantastic Four Animated Series from the 90s, and F4 Anime (2007) are much closer to how the family acts in the comics. The Fox movies made them selfish and annoying assholes, depending on which film you're talking about.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ½ review of Snow White (2025)

“I am bound only by what’s true. The fairest lives, and she is not you.” This film's production was certainly not the fairest one of all. Initially reported in 2016, with Marc Platt signed on to produce and Erin Cressida Wilson writing the script, it was only in 2019 that Marc Webb was announced...

letterboxd.com

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Until Dawn

This was fun! And gory for Gen Z horror. Though I guess the timeloop framework allows for it. "Rest your pitchforks, no characters were permanently hurt in the making of this movie". But yeah, Cabin in the Woods meets Happy Death Day.

Haven't played the game.

 

[thebobmaster]

A ★½ review of Happy Gilmore 2 (2025)

“He looks like he got a divorce four seconds ago.” Apparently, the idea for this sequel has been on Adam Sandler's mind since 2022, but it wasn't until 2024 that Christopher McDonald revealed the sequel was in development, with Sandler showing him a script. Since the film's release, or at least...

letterboxd.com

Yeah, this is the worst kind of legacy sequel.

 

[thebobmaster]

Happy Gilmore 2

So Happy Gilmore isn't such a high standard for a legacy sequel to clear, but I'm at the point where I'd rather a legacy sequel not ruin a good ending for the sake of a 6/10 comedy elevated by nostalgia bait.

They do a Zoolander 2 by killing off the love interest (Happy murders her) and undoing the big material win (Happy loses Grandma's house and pulls a Rocky V by losing all his money too). I kinda hate it when a comedy sequel fridges the love interest. It's as if the writers can't envision a wife as anything other than a ball and chain.

Rest of the movie is cameos, product placement and golfball slapstick. Some of these cameos are so random that the movie will play a clip from OG just in case you don't know or appreciate who the fuck is that.

It's funnier than Beverly Hills Cop 4, but I'm gonna rate it lower just because of all the sour retcons. On the plus side it's miles ahead of Zoolander 2 and Coming 2 America.

Don't forget the fact that at least 75% of the jokes are not just references to the original movie, but flat-out copying jokes from the original movie for no reason other than "They found it funny the first time, they'll love it a second time!"

ETA: Which often ties into the random cameos. Why was Eminem there as the son of Joe Flaherty's character? Because "jackass" was funny the first time, so we need it this time!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Don't forget the fact that at least 75% of the jokes are not just references to the original movie, but flat-out copying jokes from the original movie for no reason other than "They found it funny the first time, they'll love it a second time!"

ETA: Which often ties into the random cameos. Why was Eminem there as the son of Joe Flaherty's character? Because "jackass" was funny the first time, so we need it this time!

Yeah, again, it's the Zoolander 2 playbook.
Mugatu spilling a latte on his aide and then having a weird wordless sub/dom exchange is funny.
Mugatu spilling a latte on his aide and then having a weird wordless sub/dom exchange again isn't.
A lot of the humor in these comedies comes from how spontaneuous, random and specific the thing is. You try and replicate that and the effect is gone. You try and replicate that and throw in a clip of when it used to be funny, and the whole thing becomes really fucking desperate.

 

[thebobmaster]

What was really irritating to me with it for Happy Gilmore 2 is that the running gag original to Happy Gilmore 2, with Happy finding various objects to use as secret flasks for his alcohol, was actually pretty funny. Which just made it irritating that they gave up at that and just used the first movie for the rest of the running jokes.

 

[Gordon_4]

Babylon 5: The Road Home - 7/10

Not the story I'd personally have chosen to tell in an animated feature about Babylon 5, especially with the effort of getting as much of the band back together as still exists, since its kind of just Spider-Verse but not as fluid BUT given the recent discussion around Happy Gilmore 2 and how it treats the wife character as a literal disposable joke, its kind of nice that a major theme of the movie is how strong love is.

But anyway, broadly speaking this takes places between Season 5's two final episodes. It opens with Sheridan attending an opening ceremony and blessing of a new power station on Tuzanor (Minbar's capital city) that uses the same technobabble that started shifting him across time and space in the War Without End two parter in Season 4 and he starts doing it again. One particularly memorable sequence involves him on Earth in a time where the Shadow War was lost and the Vorlons intend to destroy Earth to remove as much of the Shadow's influence as they can and involves Ivanova and Londo sitting on top of a building drinking red wine and being just so deeply philisophical about the fact they're gonna die in like two minutes.

I'm not unhappy I spent $15 on it, and in fairness a lot of the stuff in B5 the show and other movies don't cover like the Telepath War would need more than a 75 minute special to tell.

Also shit, that In Memorium list at the end though, it was almost as long as the actual credits.