Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[srboone]

The Green Inferno: Having gotten over my cannibal film phase around 2002, I was hesitant to watch this film. There were only two people including myself at the showing (the other was a young lady who was excited to see the movie--she had been looking forward to seeing it for almost a year. I asked her if she'd seen any of the Italian cannibal films that inspired Roth to make this film and she said "Yes, most of them!" I suddenly didn't want to know which was her favorite. )

Anyway, the Green Inferno is a grisly, nasty, mean-spirited film that doesn't have much "Mondo" vibe--that exploitative, pseudo-documentary feel. For the most part, it's beautifully photographed and well-acted. It doesn't really work as a satire of (or even homage to) Italian cannibal films, but it does work as a satire of the "Rock the Vote", "Occupy Wall Street" brain-dead-activism-to-be-cool set. Roth is definitely a man uncompromisingly true to his own vision and this film is probably his best (though I'd have to watch Cabin Fever again to be sure.) I must admit to bursting out laughing from an unexpected line that probably was meant to elicit a silent groan-chuckle. The mid-credit tag is disappointing as it takes an unsettling experience and turns it into a plea for a sequel.

For the strong of stomach only. Don't say you weren't warned.

3.5/5

You knew SOMEBODY eventually would admit to seeing it the theater.

[srboone]

Crimson Peak What horrifically lovely nightmares del Toro has running around in his head! And he's right to think that what terrifies him will terrify others. CP is a gothic/horror/romance that plays like a Hammer chiller and is probably what Roger Corman saw in his head when he made his Poe adaptations. While the images sometimes seem TOO pretty to cause revulsion, the emotion behind them is what gets hold of you and doesn't let go. While I was being wowed with the production values of CP, the hairs on the back of my neck were prickling for two hours. And the fact that comparatively little CGI is used in CP makes if all the more real. Add to that a cast that perfectly embodies the moral decay of the Sharpe family and you have a genuinely frightening R-rated experience. Maybe the ending is too expository and perhaps some different story details could have been used to make this tale more morbid, but it doesn't matter.

5/5

The Walk: This is a great film. It is thrilling, moving, and larger-than life--everything I love about movies. The story itself packs a wallop and the 3D is used to superb effect (with a couple of scenes that will have your heart-racing as you squirm in your seat, trying to get out of the way.) Ben Kingsley and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are superb in this film and I expect to see both of them on Oscar nom shortlists. This film is unforgettable. See it in IMAX 3D (or at least 3D) for maximum impact. It's simply amazing!

5/5

[TacomaDiver]

Crimson Peak What horrifically lovely nightmares del Toro has running around in his head! And he's right to think that what terrifies him will terrify others. CP is a gothic/horror/romance that plays like a Hammer chiller and is probably what Roger Corman saw in his head when he made his Poe adaptations. While the images sometimes seem TOO pretty to cause revulsion, the emotion behind them is what gets hold of you and doesn't let go. While I was being wowed with the production values of CP, the hairs on the back of my neck were prickling for two hours. And the fact that comparatively little CGI is used in CP makes if all the more real. Add to that a cast that perfectly embodies the moral decay of the Sharpe family and you have a genuinely frightening R-rated experience. Maybe the ending is too expository and perhaps some different story details could have been used to make this tale more morbid, but it doesn't matter.

5/5

I really want to see Crimson Peak. I mentioned that to the girlfriend when we saw the preview before The Martian, but I don't think she's game for it.

[Brian861]

Looks really cool. Thanks for the review. I plan on seeing it some time this week.

[Martin]

Crimson Peak What horrifically lovely nightmares del Toro has running around in his head! And he's right to think that what terrifies him will terrify others. CP is a gothic/horror/romance that plays like a Hammer chiller and is probably what Roger Corman saw in his head when he made his Poe adaptations. While the images sometimes seem TOO pretty to cause revulsion, the emotion behind them is what gets hold of you and doesn't let go. While I was being wowed with the production values of CP, the hairs on the back of my neck were prickling for two hours. And the fact that comparatively little CGI is used in CP makes if all the more real. Add to that a cast that perfectly embodies the moral decay of the Sharpe family and you have a genuinely frightening R-rated experience. Maybe the ending is too expository and perhaps some different story details could have been used to make this tale more morbid, but it doesn't matter.

5/5

The Walk: This is a great film. It is thrilling, moving, and larger-than life--everything I love about movies. The story itself packs a wallop and the 3D is used to superb effect (with a couple of scenes that will have your heart-racing as you squirm in your seat, trying to get out of the way.) Ben Kingsley and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are superb in this film and I expect to see both of them on Oscar nom shortlists. This film is unforgettable. See it in IMAX 3D (or at least 3D) for maximum impact. It's simply amazing!

5/5

Looking forward to Crimson Peak. Thanks for the review!

[Sock Monkey]

Crimson Peak What horrifically lovely nightmares del Toro has running around in his head! And he's right to think that what terrifies him will terrify others. CP is a gothic/horror/romance that plays like a Hammer chiller and is probably what Roger Corman saw in his head when he made his Poe adaptations. While the images sometimes seem TOO pretty to cause revulsion, the emotion behind them is what gets hold of you and doesn't let go. While I was being wowed with the production values of CP, the hairs on the back of my neck were prickling for two hours. And the fact that comparatively little CGI is used in CP makes if all the more real. Add to that a cast that perfectly embodies the moral decay of the Sharpe family and you have a genuinely frightening R-rated experience. Maybe the ending is too expository and perhaps some different story details could have been used to make this tale more morbid, but it doesn't matter.

5/5

The Walk: This is a great film. It is thrilling, moving, and larger-than life--everything I love about movies. The story itself packs a wallop and the 3D is used to superb effect (with a couple of scenes that will have your heart-racing as you squirm in your seat, trying to get out of the way.) Ben Kingsley and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are superb in this film and I expect to see both of them on Oscar nom shortlists. This film is unforgettable. See it in IMAX 3D (or at least 3D) for maximum impact. It's simply amazing!

5/5

Both of these are on my "To Watch" list. Thanks for reviews!

[Sock Monkey]

Another year, another October to bug my wife by making her watch a new selection of horror movies. I originally started our Halloween movie viewing because when we got married my wife had never even seen some of the classics of the horror genre (The Exorcist, Jaws, Poltergeist, Night of the Living Dead). Over the years it has evolved as I usually pick 9-10 movies within some kind of theme or guideline. One year, each movie picked was from a different country; another year, one movie was picked from each decade. This year, most of the movies fall under the umbrella of "Modern Indie Horror".

Halloween Horror Movie #1:

Maggie: Everybody dies and those who pass leave their loved ones with the task of not only dealing with the remnants of the lives that were left behind, but also trying to fill the suddenly-vacated hole in their lives the deceased person used to fill. But some may say that worse than unexpected death of a loved one, is the death preceded by the knowledge of their imminent passing and the heartbreak felt as you watch a loved one wither before your eyes. This is the horror that Maggie wants to impart, but with an added layer: if infected with the zombie virus plaguing the world, your loved one will slowly turn into one of the hungry undead.

Wade (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a farmer tasked with such a problem. After searching nearby city for two weeks, he finds his daughter (the titular Maggie, played by Abigail Breslin) in one of the quarantine hospitals as she's been bitten by a zombie and has become infected. A couple of strings have been pulled by the local doctor and Wade is able to take Maggie back to their farm to wait for the inevitable to happen.

It's an interesting premise that can be played out on two fronts: the slow corruption of a loved one's body mirrored by the ultimate corruption of their humanity leading to violent cannibalistic behavior and never knowing when and how that transformation will take place and also the metaphor of the zombie virus as any terminal disease and how we as humans deal with the knowing that a loved one is dying. One is steeped in horror, the other in drama. Mixing the two could be a potent cocktail adding layers to what could be a retread of other films. Unfortunately, Maggie can't find the balance needed to be successful in either genre, though it fairs better in the drama category than horror. The film has some beautiful cinematography and the melancholy mood that permeates the film hardly finds any relief and in this respect the film succeeds. And even on a scene-by-scene basis, the film works, its just all together it goes nowhere. The film wants to be taken seriously and wants to be a sharp reflection on the topics it touches on, but barely wants to register the horror genre elements or maximize it, almost to the point of downplaying them. If the horror was developed in sharper contrast, the drama would have worked even better. Instead, the few moments that might give a viewer chills are never given their room to breathe.

Schwarzenegger steals the movie as the solemn Wade who has to decide how he is going to let his daughter die: by turning her over to the government and be put down in a quarantine zone, by giving her the same lethal, and extremely painful, cocktail of meds at home, or, as Maggie's doctor suggests, a quicker, less painful alternative. Less painful for Maggie at least, but more so for Wade. Anybody expecting a traditional Schwarzenegger performance will be surprised by the rather restrained, internal performance he gives. Both Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson (as Maggie's step-mother) both hold their own, but it's Schwarzenegger's (and Wade's) movie and when the movie forgets that, it flounders. Never more so than in the ending that feels more than a little anti-climatic.

This isn't a bad movie, but rather a frustrating one for being merely okay because it had all the pieces to be great. Grade: C

[TJCams]

Finally watched Jurassic World. I loved JP (the original, first one). Second one I thought had a very weak ending, never bothered with the 3rd, as I feared where it was going. I will say, JW is no where near what JP is/was, aside from some pretty awesome dinos. I felt the story was weak, and was basically best described IMO, as a monster romp.

[Sock Monkey]

Halloween Horror Movie #2:

Honeymoon:

Weddings, after the endless months of planning and organizing, wind up being joyous affairs; a celebration with friends and family of the commitment two people have made to each other, a commitment that is always made in the rosy glow of optimism, that the best days are ahead not behind. As amazing and blissful as weddings are, marriage can be as equally as scary. All those doubts and fears that had laid dormant up to, and during, the nuptials can soon rise to the surface. One of the most common fears is that the person whom you’ve just pledged yourself to might change, or, even worse, have never been the person you thought they were to begin with. It’s this fear that Honeymoon wants to exploit to some very creepy results.

Harry Treadaway and Rose Leslie star as Paul and Bea, two newlyweds who have decided to spend their honeymoon in the secluded cabin owned by Bea’s family. At first, the worst thing the couple has to contend with is the disappointment of ruined swimming plans as the nearby lake is too frigid to enjoy, but after an awkward run-in with a friend from Bea’s past, things take a darker turn when Paul finds Bea disoriented in the woods one night. The couple tries to dismiss the incident, but as the days move on and Bea’s behavior becomes more and more bizarre, Paul has to unravel the mystery as to what is happening to his new bride.

Director and co-writer Leigh Janiak crafts a slow burn of a movie, allowing the characters to breathe during the first third of the film’s runtime before slowly applying pressure to both the cast and the audience as the film builds to its climax. It’s a smart move as both Treadaway and Leslie are good actors and carry the weight of the film effortless.
That’s not the say the film isn’t without flaws: the script is a little too heavy-handed in that first third trying to convince the audience that the couple is in love and the acting by the guy playing Bea’s childhood friend is on the weaker end, though that could be due to script or editing issues as the scene is a awkwardly paced. The cause of Bea’s “issues” are also spelled out rather early on and, as I’m not a huge fan of the particular subgenre, it was hard to find the film scary in that respect. Though to the films’ credit, this was the first time that I wasn’t bored by the subgenre and their take on it was rather unnerving and, in one particular scene, pretty disgusting. The last couple of minutes also fell a little flat for me. More exposition was given than was needed and this might have been one of those instances were a little more ambiguity might have been more effective.

If you can’t get past those minor quibbles, as I did, there is a solid little chiller here that has continued to linger with me. Creepy and claustrophobic, I have to say I liked it quite a bit.

Grade: B

[Sock Monkey]

Halloween Horror Movie #3:

The Canal:

A dark, almost angry film, The Canal follows film archivist David, who seemingly has it all: an impressive home, great job (with a doting assistant who might just have a crush on him), a beautiful and successful wife and an adorable young son. All of that is threatened after an old film he’s given to archive reveals the graphic details of turn-of-the-century murders committed in his home and secrets of his own life are revealed.

If the cultivating of atmosphere and maintaining of a consistent tone throughout a film were the only components given to a movie’s success than The Canal would be a resounding one. Dread and barely tamped down rage boil beneath the surface of the movie, giving it an interesting energy that both the cast and director do well to maximize. Unfortunately, what we are given are rehashed scares from more notable films. Even though the set-ups are done well, we still can’t shake the fact that we’ve seen these before. The film then culminates in a manic scene that jumps the movie from one subgenre to another with added gross-outs included that only seem to convolute the plot.

That’s not to say that the movie is all bad, just not as effective as it could be. Director Ivan Kavanagh solidly directs his cast and all the actors are pitch perfect, elevating what could have been boring due to overly familiar scares and familiar plot twists into something a little stronger than a mere retread. Also, in direct contrast to Honeymoon--in which I thought that the last few minutes of the film weakened what had come before--the last five minutes or so that form the epilogue for this film are some of the darkest and boldest that I’ve seen in a movie in a while. If only the rest of the movie that had preceded it had been as original.

Grade: C

[TJCams]

Finally got a chance to watch Europe Report last night - happened to be on one of the channels on my sat. It's not a very exciting movie by any means, but I would certainly classify it as an under-appreciated, fly under the radar, hard sci-fi story/slow paced space adventure in the vein of 2001, or even Prometheus (although with a totally different story line). Basically it is the documentation of a mission to Jupiter's moon Europa to hunt for signs of life. Some of the science is flawed, but what do you expect for a movie. Overall I really enjoyed it, despite it's slower pace. out of 5 stars.... I would say 3.5

[frik51]

I am so sorry del Toro's latest, Crimson Peak, (loved it!) has barely managed to make it to $50.000.000 worldwide so far. He deserves so much better.

Watched Spectre yesterday.
Loooooong movie, but liked it very much. One of my favorite Bonds.
And there's no way Léa Seydoux was 50 (!!) when they filmed this - impossible!

sk

[Joe315]

I am so sorry del Toro's latest, Crimson Peak, (loved it!) has barely managed to make it to $50.000.000 worldwide so far. He deserves so much better.

Watched Spectre yesterday.
Loooooong movie, but liked it very much. One of my favorite Bonds.
And there's no way Léa Seydoux was 50 (!!) when they filmed this - impossible!

sk

Lea is 30, however Monica Bellucci is 51 as of September 30th.

[Sock Monkey]

Halloween Horror Movie #4-6:

Willow Creek: A boyfriend/girlfriend team head into the woods to shoot a documentary on the legendary Sasquatch only to find themselves in over their heads once night falls.

Written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait (yep, that Bobcat), this found footage movie actually surprised me with how solid it was. It follows the found footage plot template too closely, but Goldthwait smartly realizes that what makes this type of movie successful isn’t just plot beats, but likeable characters that the audience cares about and solid build-up of tension. Both are delivered well. It’s too bad that the script didn’t hold more surprises. I’d like to see Goldthwait tackle another horror movie, though. Grade: C+

Housebound: A thief is sentenced to serve house arrest back home with her mother and step-father only to find herself embroiled in a murder mystery from the house’s past.

Like the majority of horror-comedies, Housebound is more successful in the comedy area than the horror as the scares and atmosphere of dread aren’t as plentiful as the jokes. Knowing that going in will make the movie more of success as it is a ton of fun. The humor is great and the murder mystery is actually interesting. The film's success though is in the casting and they nailed it. Morgana O'Reilly is pitch perfect in the lead and the rest of cast are on par. Highly recommended. Grade: A

Spring: After his mother dies and a brief run-in with the law, a young man decides to travel to Italy only to find himself falling in love with the beautiful and exotic Louise, who hides a secret that just might destroy them both.

A follow-up to their very interesting first movie, Resolution, directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead return with this monster movie/love story mash-up. Though its emphasis is more on the latter than the former, I wouldn’t categorize it as a bad thing. Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker play the leads and are fantastic. Unfortunately, the script isn’t as clever as it wants to be making some beats a little awkward along with some sketchy decisions made by the characters in the third act make the movie a little uneven in parts. One of the film's highlights--besides the chemistry between the leads, which is the film needs to at least have a shot at being successful--is the mythology it creates. Instead of just borrowing something from other movies or from myth, screenwriter Benson creates something original and interesting. There are some minor flaws in the film, but its entertaining, charming and funny with a side dose of creepy. Definitely more for those looking for something a little off the beaten path in their horror movie watching as this is pretty close to the fringe as far as genre goes. Grade: B

[Julzz]

I am so sorry del Toro's latest, Crimson Peak, (loved it!) has barely managed to make it to $50.000.000 worldwide so far. He deserves so much better.

Watched Spectre yesterday.
Loooooong movie, but liked it very much. One of my favorite Bonds.
And there's no way Léa Seydoux was 50 (!!) when they filmed this - impossible!

sk

My date chose Crimson Peak as the movie of her choice. We both enjoyed it but surprisingly there were only about 10 people in there lol