The Last Movie(s) You Watched... (quick one or two sentence reviews)

[Jrzag42]

Finally watched Studio 666, the Foo Fighters horror movie. It's been tempting me for months everytime I go to Walmart, but I've had trouble justifying spending over 10 dollars on a dvd. I decided to give in today, justifying it as celebrating my first paycheck of my new job. Also grabbed Doctor Sleep and Rocky Horror Picture Show while I was at it.
Anyways, Studio 666, generally fun movie, everything that I wanted it to be. Dave Grohl is such a bad actor here and I love it. Unfortunately the movie feels too long despite being a reasonable length in actuality. I kept checking how much was left, and everytime I was horrified by just how much was left. In any case, a lot of it is fun, and I would recommend it to fans of dumb fun slashers and/or the Foo Fighters.

 

[Ender]

With a younger generation getting around to this, I imagine it basically becomes a period piece. I sometimes have these same issues which anything that takes place in Victorian England, what with the wigs and frilly coats and nonsensical names...

I don't think age is the problem. I've enjoyed watching things far older than Tron. It was specific creative decisions made for the film. Plus I do like the "period piece" feel you're referring to when watching old sci-fi. It's neat to see the future through the eyes of the past.

 

[Jrzag42]

Watched Doctor Sleep, it was pretty decent. Anytime they tried to recreate The Shining, be it the characters or the sets, it just looked bad and cheap. I do applaud getting new actors to play old characters as opposed to using cgi to bring back the old actors...but the actors they got just feel off.
Is this supposed to be a horror movie? I see it as a supernatural adventure thing, maybe call it a 'thriller', but I just can't point to any scene and say "That was supposed to be scary"
It probably had me more engaged than The Shining did, but The Shining is just so much better made.
Really dug the RWBY easter eggs. Is it an easter egg if it's the focus of a shot? Can't even do easter eggs right, smh my head.
Why was the movie so long? And why do I have the desire to watch the extended cut now? I don't know. Movies suck. I'm too tired to be typing.

 

[Ender]

Me watching a movie in class: Wow, this is really fun! It's a shame we're only watching the first half hour or so. I should watch the rest some time!

Me watching the full movie five years later: Wow, the movie stopped being good at exactly the point we stopped watching! I can't even be bothered finishing!

The movie is Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, for those of you wondering. The point where it stops being good is after the costume party.

 

[Jrzag42]

Me watching a movie in class: Wow, this is really fun! It's a shame we're only watching the first half hour or so. I should watch the rest some time!

Me watching the full movie five years later: Wow, the movie stopped being good at exactly the point we stopped watching! I can't even be bothered finishing!

The movie is Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, for those of you wondering. The point where it stops being good is after the costume party.

I also watched that in class a few years ago. We did watch the whole thing, but now that I think about it I can't remember anything after that point...

 

[Eyepainter]

After so much positive word-of-mouth, I finally decided to head on over to the multiplex and see Top Gun: Maverick. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, but I'm happy to say that I did. It was a lot of fun, and I was surprised by how optimistic and positive it was given that the plot is about bombing some uranium enrichment facility in (insert anti-american country here). The group dynamic between the young pilots and Maverick was a much-needed breath of fresh air (compare this with the antagonistic and cynical dynamic of the rebels in Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and the relationship between Maverick and Rooster was played to perfection. And yes, the Iceman scene was as wonderful as it was tearjerking. All in all, this truly is a rare sequel that is a worthy improvement over the original. Highly recommended, even for those who may not consider themselves fans of Top Gun.

 

[mnkykungfu]

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)
The doc based on the (in)famous book has its premise stated right there in the sub-heading. After watching, I'd have to say the film has a very cherry-picked and simplistic reading of events, one that most of the people it's profiling disagree with (archival interviews are mostly relied on because they disavowed the book). Still, it's a good primer for understanding "The New Hollywood" movement.

Wilde (1997)
I did not realize that this film would basically be all about Oscar Wilde's gay lovelife rather than a full biopic or a portrayal of his art. That said, the script works in tons of famous quotes from him or nods to the origins of them in a kind of Solo: A Star Wars Story easter egg hunt for Victorian literature lovers. Also, stacked cast of beautiful young men...I mean, Orlando Bloom doesn't even rank high enough to get credited as more than "Rent Boy"!

 

[TM2YC]

Wilde (1997)
I did not realize that this film would basically be all about Oscar Wilde's gay lovelife rather than a full biopic or a portrayal of his art. That said, the script works in tons of famous quotes from him or nods to the origins of them in a kind of Solo: A Star Wars Story easter egg hunt for Victorian literature lovers. Also, stacked cast of beautiful young men...I mean, Orlando Bloom doesn't even rank high enough to get credited as more than "Rent Boy"!

The 2018 Rupert Everett film 'The Happy Prince' (which he stars in, writes and directs) is an excellent companion piece. It starts pretty much just where 'Wilde' ends:

 

[mnkykungfu]

^As I wrote in my full review in the link, that's been my plan.

 

[DigModiFicaTion]

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
I didn't care for this movie. I'm not a Elizabeth Olsen fan, and thought her character and dialogue were pretty poor in this film. I also didn't care for the humor that was interjected in to scenes that were approaching seriousness and then dashed with juvenile jokes. I fell asleep a few times. Wasn't really worth finishing. 5/10

 

[mnkykungfu]

Blonde (2022)
Misguided at best, misogynistic at worst, this is a film that uses all the names and a couple real events of Marilyn Monroe's life to turn in an indulgent, pretentious misfire of a biopic. It uses her iconography and trades on her sexuality in a way that cheapens her legacy rather than adding anything to it. If you're enticed by the NC-17 rating, just look up Armas' breasts online, don't sit through this spiteful 3 hours.

The Illusionist (2006)
The only reason people don't talk about The Prestige more is because of the other, more stunning (or divisive) films that Nolan has done. It's an outstanding film that holds up to rewatches and has a tight script that earns its ending and doesn't talk down to the audience. This one is none of those things.

Ted (2012)
You know I've watched some pretty weak movies lately when I'm recommending this instead of the others. It might be the best thing Seth MacFarlane has done? There are actually some really good performances in it? I can't believe I'm saying this but it might be worth watching for Giovanni Ribisi's creepy dance alone?

 

[Jrzag42]

Just watched Rob Zombie's The Munsters. Oof.

 

[Jrzag42]

The Wedding Singer - Took me too long to watch this. Is this the best Adam Sandler movie?

 

[mnkykungfu]

The Wedding Singer - Took me too long to watch this. Is this the best Adam Sandler movie?

For a Rom-Com? Maybe, yeah.
If you like his man-child comedy, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore are the best of the lot; genuinely good.
But his best film imho is Punchdrunk Love.

 

[Jrzag42]

For a Rom-Com? Maybe, yeah.
If you like his man-child comedy, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore are the best of the lot; genuinely good.
But his best film imho is Punchdrunk Love.

Punchdrunk Love is good. My favorite was always Reign Over Me though. In anycase, whenever I bring those up they tend to be dismissed as movies that happen to star Adam Sandler, rather than "Adam Sandler movies". Dumb semantics. In this case I just mean as far as his mainstream comedies.

 

[addiesin]

The Wedding Singer - Took me too long to watch this. Is this the best Adam Sandler movie?

Almost. It's the best with him.

The best Adam Sandler movie doesn't even have an Adam Sandler appearance. It's Grandma's Boy. It stars all his friends who are usually side characters, but as the main characters. Also Linda Cardellini and "that other guy" from Avatar.

 

[Jrzag42]

Almost. It's the best with him.

The best Adam Sandler movie doesn't even have an Adam Sandler appearance. It's Grandma's Boy. It stars all his friends who are usually side characters, but as the main characters. Also Linda Cardellini and "that other guy" from Avatar.

My dad's been mentioning that movie for years, definitely need to get around to it.

 

[Eyepainter]

For a Rom-Com? Maybe, yeah.
If you like his man-child comedy, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore are the best of the lot; genuinely good.
But his best film imho is Punchdrunk Love.

I second Punch-Drunk Love, even though it does have its critics. Uncut Gems is another one that is getting a lot of praise for Sandler's performance, but it's one of the hardest movies I've ever watched (next to Requiem for a Dream and Son of Saul) and it honestly ruined my day. I had to go to the nearest Dairy Queen to pick myself up after that viewing. If all you want is something fun, skip it. But if quality matters more to you, then I highly recommend Uncut Gems.

 

[mnkykungfu]

The Putin Interviews (2017)
If you count this 4 hour mini-series as one, it's the 15th film in my Oliver Stone marathon. I really appreciated his earlier documentaries with notable anti-USA leaders, but this one: less so. The longer time didn't really add more depth, and in my opinion Putin really outmaneuvers Stone and uses the piece to keep propagandizing rather than revealing anything insightful or new.

Alambrista! (1977)
I watched the restored Criterion version with the added music; it still felt very raw, very indie, very much like a documentary. Kind of blurs the lines between narrative and direct cinema, as many of the people involved were non-actors who didn't know they were interacting with actors. Some of the portrayals of the illegal immigrant experience are problematic, but this made for a solid Labor Day watch.

The Buccaneer (1958)
As a movie for International Talk Like A Pirate Day, this left a bit to be desired because it was more about The War of 1812 than pirating. Two strong performances elevate this above other adaptations of the Lafitte brothers, but I can't say as it's Must-See pirate entertainment.

 

[Jrzag42]

Finally watched Star Trek Nemesis. I don't care what everyone says, I really enjoyed it. And damn, Data's sacrifice really hit me. Then Picard talking to B-4... Also Tom Hardy, Shinzon is a really interesting character. Not the best Trek, but definitely not the worst imo. Not sure what my least favorite is, might honestly be Generations.

I really need to get around to actually watching Next Generation...