Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Sock Monkey]

Pet Sematary (2019). What a waste of a remake. The first half was ok, but the second half just went off the rails. I don't care that it was different from the first. That's fine. I don't like what they did with the story period. I thought the second half was pretty stupid.

I was rather torn on this one myself, but in the exact opposite that you were. I found myself just checking off the boxes during the first half, but was a little more amused with the second half. I can't say that I really liked it because I don't think that even with the rather bold deviations the movie made, it just kept missing the mark and, after a lot of thought, it boiled down to one thing: I never felt the grief. Since the movie didn't take me there emotionally, I couldn't rationalize the characters' decisions. The ending didn't work for me either, but at least it didn't cop out. Grade: C-

I would still whole-heartedly recommend the directors' previous effort, Starry Eyes. It's a low budget indie, but where Pet Sematary missed the mark, Starry Eyes stuck the landing.

[Sock Monkey]

The Quake: Sequel to The Wave, this follows the aftermath of that movie's events and catches up with the Elkjord family as they try to cope in varying ways. Patriarch Kristian Elkjord seeks safety in isolation from both society and his family, but the death of an old coworker sends Kristian to Oslo to find out what the coworker was researching and, hopefully, piece his family back together. Then the titular quake hits and things fall to pieces, literally. There is a great first two acts of a movie here, but after a very suspenseful set piece involving a skyscraper, the movie just abruptly ends. Loose plot threads are left dangling and you have to wonder why they even bothered following the son and introducing his girlfriend if they played no part in the movie at all. A fun ride that ends before it truly gets started, though that sequence in the skyscraper is pretty amazing. Grade: C


The Verdict: Sidney Lumet's classic legal thriller about a washed up alcoholic lawyer--played by Paul Newman--who takes on the wrongful death suit of a young mother. The performances by Newman and Jack Warden elevate this underdog story, though the direction by Lumet plays this more like a character drama. It's solid, but when the final verdict is read it doesn't quite feel earned. Grade: B-

[Sock Monkey]

M. Night Shyamalan’s EastRail 177 Trilogy:

With Glass being released on Blu-Ray, I took the time to revisit M. Night’s trilogy in its entirety and while the “series” is all over the map in regards to mood and tone, I liked it quite a bit.

Unbreakable has been a favorite of mine since it first came out. It’s hard to remember a time when superhero movies didn’t dominate the box office, but when M. Night followed up his massive hit The Sixth Sense with this grounded superhero drama it wasn’t posting Avengers numbers. If it was released today, I don’t think it would do much better.

Essentially the first act of a traditional superhero movie stretched out to feature length, Unbreakable follows down-on-his-luck David Dunn (Bruce Willis) as the sole survivor of a massive train wreck. Not only does he survive, but Dunn is completely unharmed. This leads to the mysterious Elijah Price prodding Dunn into realizing his true purpose.
While this all sounds like traditional superhero movie fodder, M. Night takes a decidedly different route. This isn’t an action movie. Even the “climactic battle” isn’t more than what you would have seen on network TV at the time. In fact, the movie is more of a character study about a man who has lost his way—lost his purpose—by denying to himself about who he really is, ultimately resulting in him isolating himself from his family.

While very deliberately paced and the “twist” not being as ground-shaking as The Sixth Sense’s, I felt this is probably one of M. Night’s most mature movies and still really liked it for what it was. Grade: B+

Split was M. Night’s stealth sequel to Unbreakable and it is by far the most rewatchable of the trilogy. This is a lean mean machine of a story about three girls kidnapped by a man with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the straight-man to James McAvoy’s decidedly insane cadre of characters, but it’s her performance that grounds the movie and keeps it from spinning into silliness. Taylor-Joy’s reaction to her first interaction with McAvoy’s character in the car completely sells the audience on the danger and fear.
And the movie simply works, but it’s simple. Not only does the tension ratchet up scene after scene, but the movie doesn’t pull any punches. While not completely satisfying on its own due to its lack of closure, the reveal linking it to Unbreakable is pretty stinking awesome, especially if you don’t see it coming. Grade: B+

I wasn’t expecting much going into Glass as reviews were pretty split (pardon the pun) and after watching the movie I can see why. This is much more a sequel to Unbreakable than it is to Split and relies heavily on the viewer’s knowledge of that movie to be emotionally resonant. M. Night does some mighty heavy lifting trying to get everyone up to speed, but the movie stumbles a bit once the central conceit of the movie kicks in: Dunn, Elijah Price and McAvoy’s Kevin Crumb are all beating treated in a mental institution for a disorder where they believe they are superheroes.

The main fault with the movie lies in its structure and I could never buy into the emotional journey of self-doubt that we are supposed to go on with the characters. That being said, there are some fantastic ideas in the movie and the main trio’s relationships with their loved ones delivers some great moments, including a laugh-out-loud moment between Taylor-Joy’s and McAvoy’s characters. It’s too bad that there is so much plot to be worked out that these moments sometimes feel underdeveloped and don’t quite hit the way I’m sure the director wanted.

A flawed conclusion to the trilogy, but one that admirably stays true to not just the recent hit, but to the first movie that started it all. I’d have a hard time recommending it to someone, but I liked it, warts and all. Grade: C+

Overall Grade: B-

[brlesh]

Pet Sematary (2019). What a waste of a remake. The first half was ok, but the second half just went off the rails. I don't care that it was different from the first. That's fine. I don't like what they did with the story period. I thought the second half was pretty stupid.

I agree.

The first half of the movie was pretty interesting, but by the last third it had just degenerated into a typical slasher movie.

B

[Brian861]

Saw John Wick 3 yesterday and enjoyed it. Managed to lose my debit card somewhere in the theater as well

[Sock Monkey]

Saw John Wick 3 yesterday and enjoyed it. Managed to lose my debit card somewhere in the theater as well

I'm looking forward to this one. Loved the first, liked the second. Hoping the third holds strong.

[Sock Monkey]

Follow (2015): It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie go so completely off the rails. Quinn (Noah Segan) is a young artist waiting to hear back about Columbia University that would prompt a move to New York. While the anxiety of the overdue response is weighing him down, his life isn’t too bad. He creates art when he can and though he doesn’t drink, he works at the local bar to pay the bills. He’s also stuck between to women: Thana, his slightly off girlfriend who might be a little more off than Quinn thinks and the sweet co-worker, Viv. Everything is going relatively well until Thana gives Quinn and early Christmas gift that sets off a chain reaction that sends not only Quinn’s life into chaos, but the movie as well. But not in an interesting way. The plot progression hinges on the main character continuing to make bad decision after bad decision as he tries to figure out his predicament, but this type of movie has to sell the viewer on the reasons why the character would make those decisions and there is only the flimsiest of ideas offered, leaving one to shake their head as the suspension of disbelief stretches ever more thin.

If that was the only problem the movie had, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad, but unfortunately, the movie is a tonal mess as it wants to swing between thriller, horror and dark comedy, but never sticks any of those. And once the movie reaches the logical ending that the script has been leading towards, it decides to add a weird coda to the film that undermines what the basic foundation of the movie is about.

Writer/director Owen Egerton shows more chops as a director than a writer which helps some of the bumpier aspects of the script, but it’s the performances keep the movie going, though. Noah Segan does a solid job with what the script gives him and is able to show more charm than most of his roles have allowed him, while Oliva Grace Applegate and Haley Lu Richardson both play their roles perfectly as Thana and Viv, respectively.
There’s a kernel of an interesting story here, but it never quite gels. Grade: D

The Hole in the Ground (2019): Shades of The Babadook haunt this Irish horror thriller about a newly single mother who fears there might be something wrong with her son after he gets lost in the woods one day. It eventually shakes off the Babadook comparisons as it moves into the second act, but one’s enjoyment for the most part will rest on whether you like this particular subgenre and are willing to travel down very familiar tracks, especially as the movie tips its hand pretty early on. Thankfully the third act shifts gears and moves more towards a different subgenre and subverts expectations.
While the plot not be the most original, Director Lee Cronin shoots this film with a steady hand and a firm vision and has populated his cast with solid actors that elevate this film beyond its well-worn plot. It might not break new ground, but it has some delightfully creepy moments and I’ll be more than happy to check out Mr. Cronin’s next flick. Grade: B-

[Sock Monkey]

The Perfection: I missed this one at last year's Fantastic Fest (and I was bummed because I really like Steven Weber) and was pretty happy to see it pop up on Netflix. I settled down yesterday and watched it. I had a rollercoaster ride of emotions with this one. About a third of the way through I had the thought that if I had seen this at the festival, it would be in my top three films. By the end, I was torn on if it completely worked for me or not. It wasn't until I read an interview with the director where he went stated that Korean cinema like Oldboy was an influence. Listen, the best way to approach this movie is going in without any information. If you don't like your movies dark and messed up, this won't be for you. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then check it out. Grade: B-


Upgrade: I slept on this movie for WAY. TOO. LONG. Simple plot breakdown: Set in the near future, Grey Trace is an old-fashioned kinda guy, but when a brutal attack by a group of criminals leave his wife dead and him a quadriplegic, Grey accepts an offer for a new technology to be implanted in him that will allow him to walk again. The basic premise has been done to death, but what writer/director Leigh Wannell brings to the table injects this movie with a vitality that will make this one of my favorite movies watched this year. Funny, clever, violent, and dark, this was my jam all the way through. I loved the movie so much that I had to stop it after one sequence and call me wife in to watch it. She was not interested at first, but by the end of the scene she was laughing and gasping and was like "That was awesome". Grade: A

[tyree]

Watched Jordan Peele's Us and had a freeking ball with it. Fun, creepy, funny, violent and feel it is just as good as the brilliant Get Out !.


Cast was pitch perfect, I bet they had a wonderful time working duel parts cuz they all rocked it. Hard. Hand Across America !

See it.

A

[Sock Monkey]

Watched Jordan Peele's Us and had a freeking ball with it. Fun, creepy, funny, violent and feel it is just as good as the brilliant Get Out !.


Cast was pitch perfect, I bet they had a wonderful time working duel parts cuz they all rocked it. Hard. Hand Across America !

See it.

A

I need to revisit this as my opinion seems in direct opposition to the majority. I'm glad we have new horror directors with distinct visions even if they don't always land with me. I'm glad you liked it!

[Sock Monkey]

Logan Lucky: There is nothing new here that breaks the mold and this is exactly the type of film that you'd expect the director of the Clooney-led "Ocean's" trilogy to make, but that does not diminish that this is fun--and funny--heist film filled with charismatic actors playing fun roles. Redneck Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig is not something I knew I needed in my life, but I'm glad Mr. Soderbergh knew better than I. Sometimes reinvention is overrated and all you need is solid execution. Grade: A

[dannyboy121070]

I took my son to see the new GODZILLA, and found it very disappointing. Waaaaay too many humans, and not enough monsters. They advertise 17 monsters, and you get 4, with the rest making small cameos. Feh. My son, however LOVED it. My wife told me that I'm an old crank.

[tyree]

Waaaaay too many humans

Antisocial bastid. Hey Danny, sup brothamanloveisok. I think watching movies at 3am makes my opinion differ if, say, I was, god forbid, in a whatcha call it...theatre. Last time I was in one a flipped an iphone like a wing ding at the screen then got punched. Gal had a wicked right.
But yeah, something about the study, compfy chair, a movie, iced tea or Becks, makes me possibly like a film better than I would otherwise. But here's the thing. I liked
US so much I am giving it The Wife test. I think she'll dig it. I usually don't do this as she doesn't deserve to enjoy anything. If she likes it, it be a winner.
But I promised we'd watch 8 Million Ways To Die first.

[Martin]

Waaaaay too many humans

Antisocial bastid. Hey Danny, sup brothamanloveisok. I think watching movies at 3am makes my opinion differ if, say, I was, god forbid, in a whatcha call it...theatre. Last time I was in one a flipped an iphone like a wing ding at the screen then got punched. Gal had a wicked right.
But yeah, something about the study, compfy chair, a movie, iced tea or Becks, makes me possibly like a film better than I would otherwise. But here's the thing. I liked
US so much I am giving it The Wife test. I think she'll dig it. I usually don't do this as she doesn't deserve to enjoy anything. If she likes it, it be a winner.
But I promised we'd watch 8 Million Ways To Die first.

I have the opposite. My wife watched US without me and loved it. She had me watch it with her and think it is just ok, not great.

[dannyboy121070]

Waaaaay too many humans

Antisocial bastid. Hey Danny, sup brothamanloveisok. I think watching movies at 3am makes my opinion differ if, say, I was, god forbid, in a whatcha call it...theatre. Last time I was in one a flipped an iphone like a wing ding at the screen then got punched. Gal had a wicked right.
But yeah, something about the study, compfy chair, a movie, iced tea or Becks, makes me possibly like a film better than I would otherwise. But here's the thing. I liked
US so much I am giving it The Wife test. I think she'll dig it. I usually don't do this as she doesn't deserve to enjoy anything. If she likes it, it be a winner.
But I promised we'd watch 8 Million Ways To Die first.

Hey, my brother!!!! How's it hangin'?
For what it's worth, I loved US, and my wife thought it was very well done.