Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Sock Monkey]

I watched AMERICAN FICTION on Amazon the other night...what a great film! Thought-provoking, hilarious, great cast...Geoffrey Wright was amazing, as always. Highly recommended.

I just finished reading THE DEVIL'S CANDY: THE ANATOMY OF A HOLLYWOOD FIASCO, about Brian De Palma's film adaptation of THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, so I decided to watch A24's documentary DE PALMA, which was very interesting. I haven't seen all of his films, and this made me want to go seek out some of the ones that I've missed. Fascinating stuff.

I'm glad you liked AMERICAN FICTION! It's just a funnier, smarter, and even more fun of a movie than what I thought it was going to be.

I hadn't heard of THE DEVIL'S CANDY, but have always been fascinated about the issues surrounding THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES. How was it?

[dannyboy121070]

I'm glad you liked AMERICAN FICTION! It's just a funnier, smarter, and even more fun of a movie than what I thought it was going to be.

I hadn't heard of THE DEVIL'S CANDY, but have always been fascinated about the issues surrounding THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES. How was it?

It started out strong. I read about 25% of it in bed one night, I just could not put it down. The author was given permission to follow the film from pre-production though release, so she made a lot of friends on the set. By the end, it seemed as if she was including things about crew members that we didn't need to know, just to include them, and the book dragged mercilessly. Did I need to read about the costume fittings of extras, and the goings-on of Bruce Willis' stand-in...? No. So...I guess it depends on how Inside Baseball you want the book to be. To me, there was just too much extraneous information for the book to be considered enjoyable.

[Sock Monkey]

It started out strong. I read about 25% of it in bed one night, I just could not put it down. The author was given permission to follow the film from pre-production though release, so she made a lot of friends on the set. By the end, it seemed as if she was including things about crew members that we didn't need to know, just to include them, and the book dragged mercilessly. Did I need to read about the costume fittings of extras, and the goings-on of Bruce Willis' stand-in...? No. So...I guess it depends on how Inside Baseball you want the book to be. To me, there was just too much extraneous information for the book to be considered enjoyable.

That kinda makes it sound like it'll be a pass for me. I love some Inside Baseball stuff, but there is a tipping point. Maybe if I find it used somewhere cheap...

[dannyboy121070]

I watched a new doc about The Beach Boys last night on Disney+, which was excellent. Highly recommended if you're a fan.

[dannyboy121070]

Last night was OUT OF DARKNESS, a film that I was frantic to see when it played in theaters last fall. My wife refused to go, because "Cavemen and monsters? And subtitles? No.", and no one else was interested in subtitles either, so.....

Thank God I was too cheap to pay the $5.99 rental, and waited until it hit Paramount+ yesterday, because wow, I was ready to put my fist through the TV by the time it ended. The clean-shaven face of the tribal leader was bad enough, but the reveal of what they were on the run from actually made me squirm with anger. No spoilers, but...fuck you for marketing the film the way you did. I can't really blame the filmmaker for making the film he wanted to make, but this was totally marketed in a misleading way. Enough said. Just don't waste your time.

[TacomaDiver]

Watched the new Dev Patel film Monkey Man on Friday night. Even with all of the comparisons to John Wick (they even mention John Wick in the dialogue, and I do like how one of the IMDB reviewers calls it John Weak) it was a decent action flick. I'm starting to get back into films (and all of the technical aspects of them) so I appreciated that this film even got made, and then released theatrically. I wasn't able to catch it in the theaters, but did buy the 4k UHD of it.

Great tale of revenge, and I enjoyed how the story tapped into some Indian folklore (something I don't know very much of.) Plus, it wasn't a super hero movie, and the hero got his butt kicked quite a bit.

[Ben Staad]

Twisters 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Summer flick. Not bad and not very good. Casting was a bit off for me on this one and I felt the characters were a bit childish.

[TacomaDiver]

Been on a movie kick after work recently (which is good because I miss watching movies, and it's been too damn hot to do anything, so sitting in the basement is a nice reprieve.)

To cross-reference the Netflix thread, we did watch the latest Beverly Hills Copy movie - Axel F - BUT first we had to watch BHC II and III. The second one wasn't bad, didn't capture the magic of the first (so few sequels do), but compared to the third, it was a masterpiece. The third one just wasn't very good, but oddly enough my wife had seen it before but assumed it was a "Die Hard movie . . ."

The Axel one was better than the third, not as good as the second. Completely unnecessary to make the movie other than to cash in on nostalgia (like so much of our media today.) As far as nostalgic movies goes, it was better than the latest Ghostbusters movie. I was so bored.

Other movies we've watched recently:

• Civil War - I appreciate the vagueness as to who the good guys and bad guys were. After all, it was about war journalists. My wife was very uncomfortable with a bit of the subject matter because it hits close to reality at times.
• Girlfight - I saw this AGES ago and really wanted to revisit it, so it was fortuitous that Criterion was releasing it. Holds up well and still enjoyable.
• Anatomy of a Fall - we tried watching this on Hulu but the subtitles didn't work right for me (the movie is in English and French, but I couldn't get subs just for French, I could either have none or descriptive hearing). Not sure if it was me, Hulu or what. So I bought the Criterion bluray. Once I figured out those subs (no clue why I struggled with this!). Very dramatic. And I completely understand the praise thrown on Snoop (Messi) the dog. Did she do it?
• The Beekeeper - Jason Statham. Retired "something outside the law". Beekeeper. You know exactly what you're getting and it doesn't disappoint. It was a nice change of pace from some of the more dramatic movies we've been watching.
• Lone Star - another recent Criterion acquisition. I literally bought this because I know of the artist that did the cover. Really enjoyed this even though I have questions about the ending. Quite the slow burn. Felt like a play at times with some of the transitions. Also had a serialized feel to it.

No movies tonight - we have soccer!

[brlesh]

Saw Long Legs the other night.

I liked it, though I don’t think it lives up to the hype as the scariest movie since Hereditary.

The beginning was genuinely creepy, though the creepiness wore off in the second half as the story became more convoluted.

On the plus side, Nicholas Cage was excellent as the lead villain. He played it over the top and hammy, and pulled it off wonderfully.

B

 

[Ben Staad]

That is one I want to watch. Worth going to the theater for this one?

Saw Long Legs the other night.

I liked it, though I don’t think it lives up to the hype as the scariest movie since Hereditary.

The beginning was genuinely creepy, though the creepiness wore off in the second half as the story became more convoluted.

On the plus side, Nicholas Cage was excellent as the lead villain. He played it over the top and hammy, and pulled it off wonderfully.

B

 

 

[brlesh]

That is one I want to watch. Worth going to the theater for this one?



 

I think so, but then, when given the opportunity, I prefer to see movies in a theater.

Emily at readjumpscares.com provides a much more in depth analysis of the film that may help your decision.

B

[Sock Monkey]

Saw Long Legs the other night.

I liked it, though I don’t think it lives up to the hype as the scariest movie since Hereditary.

The beginning was genuinely creepy, though the creepiness wore off in the second half as the story became more convoluted.

On the plus side, Nicholas Cage was excellent as the lead villain. He played it over the top and hammy, and pulled it off wonderfully.

B

Â

I'll be honest, I don't think any movie can ever live up to the hype as the "scariest movie since" whenever. I think giving a movie that label instantly sets it up to fail at reaching that benchmark. What is and is not scary is so specific to the individual watching and oftentimes, in my opinion, how scary you find something as so many external factors to it beyond the film itself, including the viewer's mood going into the film, their personal receptivity to the themes evoking the fear, the viewing atmosphere, and their own expectations of the film itself. I almost tend to like going in cold to a film. I go with an open mind and try to meet the film on its own terms.

As far as this film itself, I'm excited to see it as I really like Oz Perkins's other films--though I've yet to see the Hansel and Gretel retelling--even though I find Nicholas Cage to be incredibly hit or miss.

[Sock Monkey]

Been on a movie kick after work recently (which is good because I miss watching movies, and it's been too damn hot to do anything, so sitting in the basement is a nice reprieve.)

To cross-reference the Netflix thread, we did watch the latest Beverly Hills Copy movie - Axel F - BUT first we had to watch BHC II and III. The second one wasn't bad, didn't capture the magic of the first (so few sequels do), but compared to the third, it was a masterpiece. The third one just wasn't very good, but oddly enough my wife had seen it before but assumed it was a "Die Hard movie . . ."

The Axel one was better than the third, not as good as the second. Completely unnecessary to make the movie other than to cash in on nostalgia (like so much of our media today.) As far as nostalgic movies goes, it was better than the latest Ghostbusters movie. I was so bored.

Other movies we've watched recently:

• Civil War - I appreciate the vagueness as to who the good guys and bad guys were. After all, it was about war journalists. My wife was very uncomfortable with a bit of the subject matter because it hits close to reality at times.
• Girlfight - I saw this AGES ago and really wanted to revisit it, so it was fortuitous that Criterion was releasing it. Holds up well and still enjoyable.
• Anatomy of a Fall - we tried watching this on Hulu but the subtitles didn't work right for me (the movie is in English and French, but I couldn't get subs just for French, I could either have none or descriptive hearing). Not sure if it was me, Hulu or what. So I bought the Criterion bluray. Once I figured out those subs (no clue why I struggled with this!). Very dramatic. And I completely understand the praise thrown on Snoop (Messi) the dog. Did she do it?
• The Beekeeper - Jason Statham. Retired "something outside the law". Beekeeper. You know exactly what you're getting and it doesn't disappoint. It was a nice change of pace from some of the more dramatic movies we've been watching.
• Lone Star - another recent Criterion acquisition. I literally bought this because I know of the artist that did the cover. Really enjoyed this even though I have questions about the ending. Quite the slow burn. Felt like a play at times with some of the transitions. Also had a serialized feel to it.

No movies tonight - we have soccer!

Man, Beverly Hills Cop III is mess. I believe that John Landis has complained that Murphy was difficult on the film and that Murphy wanted Axel to be more mature in the film, which is pretty much what audiences don't want. I did catch part of Axel F and I just couldn't finish it. All the jokes seemed to fall flat for me and I kinda got tired of Axel's daughter constantly yelling at him. I very rarely quit a film, but this one I had to tap out on.

I really need to pull the trigger on that Lonestar Criterion disc before the sale ends. Probably will be picking up One False Move as well and make it a 90s double feature. Maybe I'll get ambitious and pick up Red Rock West and make a tripe feature!

[dannyboy121070]

I've been on a TCM jag lately. I watched Scorsese's NEW YORK, NEW YORK last week, and I made it though 90 agonizing minutes before fast-forwarding the last hour and watching the end. This seemed to have been intended as some sort of romantic comedy, but De Niro plays what just may be the most insufferable prick in cinematic history, and the plodding, leisurely pace certainly didn't help any.

Next was Corman's THE RAVEN, which was fun just because of the actors involved: Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and Jack Nicholson. Corman really made the most of his budget, with gorgeous sets and matte paintings. I had a good time.

I finally got around to watching HAROLD & MAUDE, which wasn't nearly as funny as I had been led to believe. Great performances by Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort, and the end was really heartfelt, but the 90 minutes dragged.

[dannyboy121070]

I watched the Nic Cage movie ARCADIAN on Shudder the other night, and realized hours afterward that I still had no idea why it was called "Arcadian". Good film, though...strong performances, interesting creature design and effects, and a strong ending. Good stuff.

Despite fucking HATING Ryan Reynolds and disliking the first two films intensely, I took my family to see DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, mainly because of Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine. We all loved it. Jackman was phenomenal, the in-jokes were great, and the cameos were off the hook. A good time at the movies, despite the people on my left side constantly turning on their phone flashlights and the family on my right each having A FUCKING RABBIT WITH THEM. This kind of shit is why I have nipped my former habit of going to the movies every week and now going a few times a year. People don't know how to act, and the theaters don't care to teach them.