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

mnkykungfu

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A couple animated bits and bobs:

Short Peace (2013)
Makes my top 5 animated anthology films of all time. Four shorts, a bit over an hour, range from very good to awesome. Full thoughts here.

Ani*Kuri15 (2007)
Less good, but free on Youtube. Fifteen 60-second shorts that span a wild variety of tones and styles. A couple real standouts from Kon, Shinkai, Kawamori. Details here.

Robotix: The Movie (1987)
Originally on TV in the US as 6-minute shorts, this cartoon doesn't have the legacy that its partner, Jem and the Holograms, has. It lives in the shadow of Transformers and GI Joe, but was noteworthy for always being intended as a whole narrative, so I was happy to finally see the ending. Details here.
 

DigModiFicaTion

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The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
A good ensamble of actors, but it just never makes e really care about what is happening. I don't mind not being explicitly told what or who The Adjustment Bureau is/are, but for a movie that spends most of its time asking this question thorugh the actions of the main character, it lacks a resolution that would make me care or think this was anythign unique. This is basically a Twilight Zone made-for-tv-movie that actually might make a good TZ fanedit. Anyone up for the challenge? I'd give the movie a 6/10
 

asterixsmeagol

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Adjustment Team is a good short story because you don't expect anything to be developed completely, and what's left to the reader's imagination really works. The Adjustment Bureau fails as an adaptation because they somehow stretched out that short story to feature length without developing the story to match. It's much longer, but no more filled-in.
 

mnkykungfu

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^Aw, I actually liked The Adjustment Bureau. I've read a lot of Dick <laughs in 12-year old> but don't remember the original short story. However, as a film I thought it had strong performances which anchored my desire for the characters to find a way to 'beat God's plan'. The ending really paid off the film for me.

Frenzy (1972)

Finishing up my 1+ years Hitchcock marathon with this film that some people say is an overlooked classic. It wasn't quite there for me, but following the killer for much of the film (including a pretty graphic rape scene) was a bold choice for Hitch, really helping develop the slasher genre. More details here.

The Tale (2018)
Speaking of trauma.... this film is based on the director's own life in the '70s as a 'tween. It's a HARD watch at points. I also had a really hard time connecting with the lead character (portrayed wonderfully by Laura Dern). But this film was clearly not targeted at me, and some other people are going to identify with it hard. More here.

The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
Less of a biopic than a concert doc almost, this film is a toe-tapping jaunt through Holly's rise to fame (as portrayed by an Oscar-winning Gary Busey...yes, you heard me!) Holly's life wasn't really all that dramatic in comparison to his impact on the music world, so this doesn't hit typical biopic tropes and instead focuses on the song performances. The actors all actually sing and play, and much of the footage is live mic'ed with the camera just moving around the players. I loved it.
 

TM2YC

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^ I rewatched 'Frenzy' yesterday. Excellent review. The dinner scenes with the inspector might have been my favourite bits though.
 

mnkykungfu

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^Cheers. I felt like the dinner bits would've been right at home in a Monty Python sketch. They were excellently performed, but seemed out of place in the film. To me, a lot of Hitch's British films are like that, so comes down to preference I suppose.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day was September 19th! I take this time every year to catch up with the film industry's long history of pirate movies that don't age well, if they were even good in the first place.

Nate and Hayes (1983 - known by the horrible title "Savage Islands" internationally)
I dug up this little cult classic primarily because I couldn't resist the idea of young Tommy Lee Jones as a swashbuckler, but miscasting the grumpy old man stuck in a young man's body is not the barrel of laughs I'd hoped. By the end, it has a template not dissimilar from what Pirates of the Caribbean later did, but the first half of the movie is rather dreary setup.

Yellowbeard (1983)
The stories behind this film are almost certainly more entertaining than the comedy itself. Comprised of essentially comedic actors from three separate groups (Pythons, Mel Brooks' people, and Cheech & Chong), you would think there'd at least be a wild anarchic energy of ideas. But it comes off as often rather uninspired, with a heavy reliance on rape jokes. No, this didn't play well even back in '83.

The Goonies (1985)
Aww, now here's the real deal. The '80s were apparently crazy for pirates, but this one managed to be better than the rest by assembling a fantastic cast, both young and old. It's the model Stranger Things was built around, and that rare Kids movie that shows kids as they really were, grossness and swearing and goofy energy all together.
 

DigModiFicaTion

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Nate and Hayes (1983 - known by the horrible title "Savage Islands" internationally)
I dug up this little cult classic primarily because I couldn't resist the idea of young Tommy Lee Jones as a swashbuckler, but miscasting the grumpy old man stuck in a young man's body is not the barrel of laughs I'd hoped. By the end, it has a template not dissimilar from what Pirates of the Caribbean later did, but the first half of the movie is rather dreary setup.
When you talk to your significant other about a completely obscure movie that you saw as a kid and then it shows up in conversation on a message board that you read, it really makes you wonder if you're in the Truman show 👀
 

DigModiFicaTion

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Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Spielberg, Williams, Hanks and DiCaprio = a winning combination. Everyone in this whitty cat & mouse retelling of Frank Abagnale Jr.'s life of fraud is on their A game. A couple of over the top moments for me personally, but otherwise a top notch film. That score by Williams is just perfect. 8.85/10
 

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Safe House (2012)
Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in a CIA action thriller. This film does absolutely nothing wrong. It has a great cast and acceptable plot, but the script utterly fails to take advantage of the talent on hand. Everyone does well, but they can do only so much with the script. a generous 7/10

American Ultra (2015)
Absolutely bonkers take on "What if Jason Bourne was a stoner slacker?". While this movie absolutely bombed, I found it to be a very fun and entertaining romp with great casting. 8/10
 

L8wrtr

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Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Spielberg, Williams, Hanks and DiCaprio = a winning combination. Everyone in this whitty cat & mouse retelling of Frank Abagnale Jr.'s life of fraud is on their A game. A couple of over the top moments for me personally, but otherwise a top notch film. That score by Williams is just perfect. 8.85/10
I love this charming movie. Very re-watchable. One of my favorite John Williams scores for just how outside of his normal orchestral lane that he usually stays in, and spectacular opening credits sequence. On a side note however, I don't know how many more times my wife can tolerate me bitching about the Hollywood compromises they make for how Carl catches Frank based on the press that prints his checks. My first go at life was in Graphic Communications/printing, so the absolute bullshit they spew about Heidelberg presses and then when hundreds of checks fly into the air when Frank hits the stop button... it's like a scientist having to watch the last act of the Black Hole.
 

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Moneyball (2011)
One of my favorite movies. There acting is superb and presentation is superb. I love the idea and truth that you can build a winning team if you find complimentary parts. Its true to life and I've been fortunate to apply it in every day life. The movie isn't the most exciting or enthralling, but that's what makes it work and feel authentic. 9/10
 

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Luca (2021)
So, I watched this this summer but just now rated it. It's the most impressive Pixar film I've seen in a long time. Manages to feel breezy and fun while having a fully-realized deeper story beneath. Doesn't have to aim itself at adults in order to come in with that sneaky hit-you-in-the-feels moment that you thought you'd escaped.

Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Just saw this recently (perfect Labor Day watch) and it's shockingly my 2nd-fav film of 2018 (Ready Player One is first, don't @ me.) A surrealist satire that constantly ups the ante right up to the last frame, this is a wildly creative ride that deserves so much more attention than it got.

Salvador (1986)
Kicking off my "Oliver Stone, 20 years of greatness" marathon, or something of the sort. Stone's early films are well-worn for me, so I've been watching behind-the-scenes docs to freshen these up. Salvador has a fantastic hour-long one that reveals the insane guerilla filmmaking (literally) that went into this stirring, underseen gem.
 

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The Courier (2020)
Fantastic acting by all members of the cast. It's not the most engaging or harrowing movie, but that's what makes it feel all the more authentic in its portrayal of this based on a true story movie of espionage during the Cuban Missle Crisis. While it's not one I'll probably return to, it's a powerful movie that I would highly recommend. It's streaming free on Amazon Prime in the US. 8.5/10
 

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While I’ve been marathoning Bond this past month in preparation for NTTD (and since I’d never seen any of the ones pre-Craig), I’ve had the urge to rewatch one of my favorite films. Hero, by Zhang Yimou. I’ve only seen it once before, about 5 years ago or so. It’s still my favorite use of color in any film. It’s a magnificent wuxia epic in the style of Rashomon, and now I want to revisit Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and get around to watching Ashes of Time (although not sure if I should watch the original and then Redux or just Redux).
 

mnkykungfu

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3 auteurs:

Celebrity (1998)
Even among diehard Woody Allen film fans, this one doesn't have the greatest reputation, but the cast list was just too insane to pass up. There's not a bad performance to be had, but the film never really embraces its concept. It's another movie with an unlikeable sex-crazed lead that the audience is supposed to forgive and have sympathy for... pass.

The Trouble With Harry (1955)
The lone clunker in the nearly 10 year "Golden Age" of Hitchcock, I was hoping this one was misunderstood. Nope. It's honestly one of the worst films I've ever seen, a wild misfire. Hitchcock doing comedy has never worked for me beyond a line here or there, and this was the rare film I couldn't finish.

Platoon (1986)
Oliver Stone went to the Philippines thinking Salvador had been dumped in the box office and failed. While he was trying to make up for it filming Platoon, it picked up Oscar nominations. He would've come back to a pleasant vindication if he hadn't anyway just made the best war movie of all time.
 

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Speed Racer (2008)
The Wachowskis (mostly) brilliant but under-performing adaptation of the Speed Racer cartoons. Perfectly cast, with a wonderfully family-oriented core, it also benefited from a visual story-telling style that was ahead of its time. It is not without its flaws; the plot is a tad overly-complex, and the Mach 5 is featured in only one of the numerous high-octane races, but for me, this was a wonderful channeling of a cartoon I grew up adoring, GO! SPEED! GO!
 

mnkykungfu

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Bombshell (2019)
I liked this movie far more than I expected. Follows the mold of The Big Short, Vice, and I, Tonya of presenting the details of real-world tragedies with a dose of dark comedy that I found really engaging. Controversial (?) thoughts here.

The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Twenty years earlier, Sofia Coppola's directorial debut talked (in part) about young women having ownership of their bodies, too. I still need to check out more of her work, but Sofia makes a whole vibe here. More thoughts on why this was meant for manic pixie dream girls (more so than for me).

Twilight Q (1987)

A somewhat obscure two-part anime anthology film, probably remembered mostly because it's early Mamoru Oshii directing. Personally, I responded better to the other story though, which is a kind of Twilight Zone/Amazing Stories riff on collegebound teens facing an uncertain future. More thoughts here.
 

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Speed Racer (2008)
The Wachowskis (mostly) brilliant but under-performing adaptation of the Speed Racer cartoons. Perfectly cast, with a wonderfully family-oriented core, it also benefited from a visual story-telling style that was ahead of its time. It is not without its flaws; the plot is a tad overly-complex, and the Mach 5 is featured in only one of the numerous high-octane races, but for me, this was a wonderful channeling of a cartoon I grew up adoring, GO! SPEED! GO!
Well...I *may* have opinions on that movie. 😝

I can't argue with that brief review. For me it landed somewhere between meh and ok. I was hoping for wow. But animation (cartoon/anime) is notoriously hard to shift to live action. Which makes me nervous about the upcoming Cowboy Bebop.
 

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1917 (2019) This one was ok, but not one I'll go looking for again. They had a decent premise up front and definitely bludgeoned the audience with the horrors of the WW I battlefield. So the first half was good to ok. Then it kind of lost its way and sputtered to an unsatisfying end where the movie kind of went out with a whimper.
 

Moe_Syzlak

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I felt this one could’ve been great if it wasn’t so slavishly devoted to its single take gimmick.
1917 (2019) This one was ok, but not one I'll go looking for again. They had a decent premise up front and definitely bludgeoned the audience with the horrors of the WW I battlefield. So the first half was good to ok. Then it kind of lost its way and sputtered to an unsatisfying end where the movie kind of went out with a whimper
 
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