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

The Northman. I was quite surprised with how much I enjoyed Eggers’ previous film The Lighthouse, but I was disappointed with this Hamlet adaptation. Despite fully committed performances from a stellar cast, it often came across as unintentionally comedic. Also I found the direction uneven, at times stunning and at others feeling like the director was in over his head. And easy comparison is The Green Knight, which I found superior in almost every way.
 
Host (2020)
Probably the quintessential pandemic lockdown film, this indie was made as a living Zoom product placement. A group of aspiring actresses/filmmakers put together this sub-one-hour Horror flick on the thinnest of premises, with really zero depth or development or story. Probably enough here to entertain Horror-whores though.

The Invisible Man (2020)
On the other hand, this thoughtful update to the classic H.G. Wells story is so packed with ideas that it doesn't even have room to explore. It essentially ties in modern #believewomen sentiments to gaslighting, stalkers, and bias in policing and mental health, using the titular character as the perfect lever. Make sure to see this one. ;)

Creep (2014)
I'm kind of bewildered that so many people were won over by this, yet another indie found-footage Horror film. It's essentially a two-hander, with one hand tied behind its back. Relies heavily on a pretty strong cringe-humor performance by Mark Duplass to make you feel creeped out. I increasingly found myself just laughing or rolling my eyes though, right up to the ridiculous end.
 
M4 the hobbit Edit
A movie that I watched with my girlfriend who had never seen the original and I didnt tell her it was a fanedit and she actually said: 'That was surprisingly good I thought everyone said the Hobbit was bad.'
 
Rewatched Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind yesterday. I don't love this movie. Jim Carrey does a great job though, I want to see him in more serious roles. I just like comedy actors doing serious roles in general.
 
M (1931)
Standing at the crossroads between German Expressionism and Film Noir, this is a movie I more appreciated for its influence than actually enjoyed watching. Some aspects are still very interesting, but as a whole... I've just seen too many movies that have built on this in the past 90+ years.

The Interpreter (2005)
Sydney Pollack's last film, this has been on my watchlist for a long time. Despite excellent performances from Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman, they often feel like they're in two different movies...even that they're different characters depending on the scene. Pollack doesn't manage to balance the meandering and unwieldy script.

Doomsday (2008)
Another film that I've been meaning to watch for forever (even before I saw The Descent), Neil Marshall's action-horror movie tries to be a pastiche of Mad Max, Escape From New York, 28 Weeks Later, and Excalibur, but really just ends up as a Frankenstein monster. It is badly-sown-together parts that almost mock their original source with their brainlessness and incoherence. It's honestly like when someone does a really poorly-considered, slapdash fanedit.
 
Poltergeist (1982)
Had the chance to rewatch this in 4DX the other night at the theater. I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had. Even though I watch this film every year for Halloween season, I will say that the 4DX experience created a few jump scares that I wasn't expecting. And the supernatural portals were definitely fun to "experience". A classic horror film that has Spielberg elements throughout including the everyday family in suburbia experiencing something otherworldly. If you have the chance to catch it in a 4DX theater I recommend it.
 
The Escape from the Shining Alien Thing from Beyond the Stars (2022 fanedit)
I wanted to give some love to this very cheeky fanedit that essentially turns The Thing (1982) into an absurdist comedy. I feel guilty because the way the rating system on IFDB works, giving this a low Enjoyment score tanked the overall score. While it really wasn't for me, I think there will be some people with a wacky sense of humor who will really dig this.

Blue Ruin (2013)
The breakout indie film from Jeremy Saulnier that's a grounded, stripped-down portrayal of crime and 'justice'. It's a modern telling of the old colloquial Japanese, something like "When one sets out on a journey of revenge, be sure to dig two graves."

She-Hulk (2022)
Waited until the full series dropped because I figured from the trailer that this wouldn't be for me and I'd have to plow through it or not watch at all. Thankfully, Charlie Cox is allowed to still do a credible portrayal of Daredevil, lighter but the highlight of the series. The rest is Legally Blonde by way of Community, an ourobouros of writers cannibalizing their own process, calling it humor, abandoning scriptwriting duties, and coasting on the charisma of the cast.
 
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
I honestly struggled to even get through the opening scene. For me, movies start with the script...if you've got a horrible script, and then you've got horrible acting of that script, no amount of style is going to get me back on board with your movie. Sorry, Rob, I like the song at least!

Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)
This is a supremely weird little mini-series that fans of Lynch and Cronenberg might dig. Great performances and a lot of interesting style, but the characters become increasingly unlikeable and the script is better in the start when you don't know what the answers are or where the plot is going.

Scream 4 (2011)
Finally got around to this one...I've got to say the returning cast is all pretty game, and even most of the new cast is solid (except I still think Emma Roberts is coasting on nepotism). The script has some good concepts about updating Scream's patented meta-commentary on Horror, but I think the ending goes off the rails in the execution.
 
His House (2020)
What seems at first pass like a modern British haunted house film reveals itself to be more about dealing with trauma and the horror that we inflict on others, and ourselves. Great visuals and performances, though I preferred the subtle beginning to where the script ends up.

From Hell (2001)
I was shocked to find that few big budget films have been made directly about the Jack The Ripper murders, and certainly there hasn't been a definitive one. From Hell tries to be, but the result is somewhat muddled and unsatsifying. @TM2YC 's fanedit "Engraved In Stone" is definitely a more-clarified vision of it.

Something Evil (1972)
One of Spielberg's few films that's never had a physical or theatrical release, I used to think I'd never be able to complete his filmography but there is a decent copy of this floating around online. For his second TV movie (with a much reduced budget) it's actually pretty impressive what he pulls off, and this predates all the similar films like The Omen, The Exorcist, and The Amityville Horror.
 
Since it's Halloween, and I now have all 6 collections, I decided to watch all the Universal Monster movies this year! I've already seen what is unofficially the Frankenstein trilogy (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and Son of Frankenstein, respectively), and skipped ahead to Ghost of Frankenstein.

This is often said to be the worst of the four Frankenstein movies, and I'm inclined to agree. I'll give credit to Lon Chaney, Jr. for trying to fill Boris Karloff's gigantic shoes, but there's no way to top Karloff, and it shows. There are some interesting ideas with this one, and I like the idea of finally giving the monster a more civilized brain (One of the only things I didn't like about the first film), but by the end of Ghost, that idea STILL doesn't get explored for reasons I can't spoil. Bela Lugosi is Ygor once again, and his storyline is one that made no sense to me. Especially when he manages to convince a doctor to transfer his brain. Overall, it isn't boring, but Ghost of Frankenstein would not be my first choice if you're looking for a good place to start with Universal's cinematic universe.
 
Continuing with my Universal monster movie collection, I decided to watch House of Frankenstein. This is often said to be the first crossover film in the collection to feature the big three (Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, and the Wolf Man). If you haven't seen this movie, you might be thinking this is the Avengers of monster movies, but you'd be wrong.

The execution for this film is odd. The whole thing is united around a hunchback named Daniel and his friendship with a mad scientist played by Boris Karloff (Yeah. Karloff doesn't play the Monster in this movie either. Instead, Glenn Strange plays the creature. Also odd), and the three monsters never really appear together. It's like they put the film into a three-act story by putting a monster in each act (Dracula for Act I, The Wolf Man for Act II, and Frankenstein's monster for Act III), and decided to string 'em up with this plot about a hunchback. I suppose the love triangle between the hunchback, the Wolf Man and a gypsy was effective in making me feel sad for the characters, but I'm not sure how I feel about this one overall. It's better than Ghost of Frankenstein, but it's such a strangely put-together film that I'm not sure it'll be as impressive as one might hope. Also, John Carradine plays Dracula instead of the famed Bela Lugosi, and needless to say, it's as disappointing as it sounds. At least we got Lon Chaney, Jr. playing the Wolf Man here, and his performance of the three monsters is the best of the lot.
 
Escape From Tomorrow (2013)
This is the Horror movie that was filmed guerilla style on Disney property over a couple years (most notably EPCOT in Florida). The sheer fact of them getting a good-looking, Lynchian, black and white film out of this is more impressive than the movie itself. Honestly not as bad as its reputation, it has as half-baked of a story and as inconsistent acting as the majority of Horror films on Netflix, but it's the constant leering at a young teenager that does the film in.

Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
An antidote for the previous film, this documentary on the "Disney Renaissance" in animation is a pretty great behind-the-scenes tell-all made entirely with contemporary footage and interviews. I wanted a bit more depth on the main directors and a couple films from this period, but all the power struggles and ups and downs make for a great dramatic narrative.

TAU (2018)
I'd heard that this Sci-Fi Horror film was a cut above the normal Netflix fare, and boy was it! If scripts full of plot holes and bad dialogue and humor turn you off of most Horror movies, then this is a great counter to that. So much Show-Not-Tell, this lean film has striking visuals and an unconventional script, plus one of the greatest AI's in film (an almost-unrecognizable Gary Oldman).
 
So happy to finally have three movies I can recommend this month!

Eyes Without A Face (1960)
Almost as lonely as the classic 1983 song by Billy Idol, this early French New Wave film was far from the stodgy, inacessible cinephile exercise I thought it would be. A tight script with some exquisitely poetic images and genuine early body horror, this fully deserves its iconic status.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
I mean, I was kind of sold with "Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston are timeless bohemian vampires in a modern day love story", but the film also oozes slinky underground cool and is a love letter to art and passion. Impossibly romantic in a post-hipster way.

Aya and the Witch (2020)
I think adult fans of Studio Ghibli films have come to expect that they be well-served by the films and sometimes forget that it's okay to aim these squarely at kids, too. Such is the case with Goro Miyazaki's adaptation of the kids' book "Earwig and the Witch" by Diana Wynne Jones. Made as a TV movie for Japanese kids on a Japanese network, Western adults have been shocked - shocked I tell you! - to find that they don't connect with the CG style, exagerrated dialogue, and rock soundtrack. I'd certainly recommend this over Boss Baby, Rumble, Vivo, The Loud House Movie, or any of the litany of "product" aimed at kids last year.

Oops - bit more than a two sentence review on that last one, but it seems to have really gotten a raw deal from cinephiles who expected it to live up to, let's face it, some of the greatest animated movies ever made!
 
My Universal Monster movie marathon continues with the sequels to Dracula.

The second movie is Dracula's Daughter, and while I think Dracula is the better film, I have a lot of respect for this sequel for taking a lot of risks and mostly paying them off. Gloria Holden stars as the daughter, and she does a great job taking on replacement duties for Bela Lugosi. The atmosphere is as memorable as ever, and the new assortment of characters are mostly well-written, except for the main character, Jeffrey Garth, who is arguably the only bad thing in this otherwise underrated sequel. Give this one a viewing if you're in the mood for something completely different.

Son of Dracula is the third movie and follows his son, Alucard, instead. Often described as the weakest of the three, and rightfully so, this one was mostly boring to me. And the change in scenery was an odd choice. Who would think to film a Dracula movie in the swamps of Louisiana? I suppose the sad ending was a welcome surprise, but the rest of the film isn't all that interesting enough to justify the wait, even at 81 minutes. Stick with the first two. You're not missing much from this one.
 
I continue on my Universal monster movie watch with House of Dracula. This is the second movie to bring the big three monsters together again (The first being House of Frankenstein). The previous film had flaws that kept it from being great. You'd hope this entry would fix up what went wrong last time, right? If so, prepare for disappointment. Not only did this movie learn nothing from House of Frankenstein, it commits the same problems, and in some cases, makes even more of them.

John Carradine plays Dracula again, and he's still a far cry from Bela Lugosi (although strangely enough, he's the first monster to get killed off again. All this despite being in the title). The three monsters STILL don't fight each other. Not even once! And I feel bad for Glenn Strange, because the only footage of him as the monster is all recycled footage from House of Frankenstein. It's like he was never in the movie at all. The only positives I can come up with are that Lon Chaney, Jr. does a good job as the Wolf Man again, and I liked Dr. Edelman's change from good-natured scientist to crazed Dr. Jekyll-esque villain. But overall, this was just an even worse version of House of Frankenstein. Not recommended unless you're a hardcore Universal monster movie fan.
 
Sinbad said:
Thread intended as quick one or two sentence reviews of the last few movies you have watched. Be they old/new/fanedits etc would be cool to get an idea of forum members tastes and viewing habits etc

Watched a few this week

Good Time - Robert Pattison is great in this, it has the most gripping first act I've seen in any film this year 8/10

1922 - Always liked Thomas Jane as an actor, not a bad King adaptation but it struggled to keep me engaged towatds the end 6/10

Wheelman - modern update of Walter Hill's The Driver not bad/not great 6/10

and finally a fanedit

DSM2337's Titanic Maiden Voyage- streamlined 1912 only version of Titanic,all the cuts worked really well and one of my favourites anyway 9/10
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Goosebumps 2
It was okay. The dummy slappy was hilarious I actually liked the three main charecters. Would love to see them crossover with the ones from the first film.

The French Connection
It was interesting

Philadelphia
Great. Loved Hanks and Washington. Great actors
 
Got deep into my Halloween films with 3 more really solid classics!

Se7en (1995)
One of my favorite films from one of my favorite directors, the only slight sour note to this is the last few seconds, which always seemed forced-in by the studio. I watched a fanedit that I was hoping used the alternate ending and then just cut to black, the only possible improvement on this creeptastic thriller. But it didn't; ah well, still great.

Kuro Neko ("Black Cat" - 1968)
A classic Japanese ghost story filmed in the style of a kabuki play for long stretches, the gorgous imagery and sparsely-tense soundtrack here were a sure inspiration on the best parts of Under the Skin. I was surprised by how well this held up for how traditional it was.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This was a shoestring indie back when it was made, and so no surprise that parts of it are really rough, even with the restoration I watched. Some choppy editing, bad continuity, rough sound, weak acting, and weaker stunts... but that doesn't change how iconic this is. Still holds up for setting so many of the conventions of modern Horror films (not only the zombie sub-genre) and doing it better than most of them.
 
This was a weird order of films I watched back to back.

The Stuff {1985}

A really fun film, not scary or anything even though it’s marketed as horror. It’s just a good fun time and actually a great horror film for kids. Good stuff.

Phantasm {1979}

One of the weirdest franchises there is. It’s very slow in places but I just love the whole idea of this one. It’s actually bonkers that four more films were made after it.

Naked Gun {1988}

Leslie Nielson is simply put the greatest comedic actor off all time in my humble opinion. His deadpan line delivery is just unmatched.
 
Samael Lynch said:
Phantasm {1979}
It’s actually bonkers that four more films were made after it.
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I just stuck my toe in the water with this series last October, too. What's bizarre is that apparently the films feel quite different from one another, especially the first three. I'd been meaning to try the second one this Halloween, but had too many other films to watch. Next year.
 
mnkykungfu said:
I just stuck my toe in the water with this series last October, too. What's bizarre is that apparently the films feel quite different from one another, especially the first three. I'd been meaning to try the second one this Halloween, but had too many other films to watch. Next year.
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I've seen the second one as well and it's not that diffrent but like kinda diffrent? If that makes sense?
 
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