Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[sholloman81]

Blue Beetle: There's constant chatter about "superhero fatigue" and if the genre is on the cusp of dying off or, at least, giving up its throne of box office dominance. While I think that it is only inevitable that their place at the top of the box office will give way to something else, I don't think that the genre is necessarily going the way of the dodo. I think instead that people are just tired of the formula and mostly the origin story. Which is a long-winded way of saying that Blue Beetle was perfectly fine. And that's kind of the problem. It's "perfectly fine" translates into a sheen of generic superhero shenanigans that fail to anchor itself in any real emotions. The jokes aren't bad, but they don't land well enough to get more than a chuckle and, frankly, there was just too many characters to properly develop any of them beyond broad sketches, including our lead, who is likeable but the movie is so overstuffed that he gets lost in the plot. I will say that the costume looked pretty darn good in comparison to how it could have been. And, honestly, they did do a good job working in the Ted Kord version of Blue Beetle into the story, even down to a comics accurate costume, a box of his favorite cookies left at his computer (Oreos in the movie, but named "Chocos" in the comics), AND we did get his ship, which was awesome. But once again, completely overstuffing the movie to the detriment of character development.

All that being said, I liked the movie well enough, but it also highlights the need for superhero movies to either innovate more in plot or be able to find a way past the origin story. Grade: C

This review is about what I was expecting for this movie unfortunately. While the "superhero fatigue" thing is real, I also think it is a bit simple and that there are a lot of reasons that these properties aren't doing as well anymore. Personally, one of the biggest recent turnoffs has been the move of properties to streaming services. Especially irksome are the "exclusive" series that then tie-into movies or other shows. I do not stream tv and do not plan to ever do so in the future unless truly forced. I use live tv and physical media primarily. So, instead of prompting me to buy their streaming service, they've basically turned me off of these properties going forward altogether. For example, I actually liked the first Captain Marvel movie and saw it in the theaters, but I have no desire to see the sequel since I have no way of watching Ms. Marvel or Wandavision beforehand. The other main turnoff for me has been that the films have become too cookie-cutter, as you mention above. From their looks, to plot, to the humor, etc., they mostly feel like templates now, which makes sense as that's a very Disney/Corporate thing to do. I'm sure that I'll still see the occasional superhero movie if it looks good enough, but they've definitely lost their luster and are no longer must see for me. 

[Sock Monkey]

Blue Beetle: There's constant chatter about "superhero fatigue" and if the genre is on the cusp of dying off or, at least, giving up its throne of box office dominance. While I think that it is only inevitable that their place at the top of the box office will give way to something else, I don't think that the genre is necessarily going the way of the dodo. I think instead that people are just tired of the formula and mostly the origin story. Which is a long-winded way of saying that Blue Beetle was perfectly fine. And that's kind of the problem. It's "perfectly fine" translates into a sheen of generic superhero shenanigans that fail to anchor itself in any real emotions. The jokes aren't bad, but they don't land well enough to get more than a chuckle and, frankly, there was just too many characters to properly develop any of them beyond broad sketches, including our lead, who is likeable but the movie is so overstuffed that he gets lost in the plot. I will say that the costume looked pretty darn good in comparison to how it could have been. And, honestly, they did do a good job working in the Ted Kord version of Blue Beetle into the story, even down to a comics accurate costume, a box of his favorite cookies left at his computer (Oreos in the movie, but named "Chocos" in the comics), AND we did get his ship, which was awesome. But once again, completely overstuffing the movie to the detriment of character development.

All that being said, I liked the movie well enough, but it also highlights the need for superhero movies to either innovate more in plot or be able to find a way past the origin story. Grade: C

[Sock Monkey]

Finally got around to watching the first season of Yellowjackets. Glad I gave it a try as I thought it was fantastic. Loved the dueling timelines, and all of the actors were fantastic. Definitely haven't seen many shows like this on television. Will probably give season 2 a try soon. Am hoping that there isn't a noticeable decline in quality.

Oh, man. I believe I've posted about this before on the forum, but I have officially tapped out after the second season. I think that the first season was really good, but by the time I finished the second season I felt like the train had gone off the rails. I'd really like to hear your thoughts once you finish the second season.

[Ben Staad]

Hadn't heard of this before. I see it's on a service I don't have but glad to hear it's good.

Finally got around to watching the first season of Yellowjackets. Glad I gave it a try as I thought it was fantastic. Loved the dueling timelines, and all of the actors were fantastic. Definitely haven't seen many shows like this on television. Will probably give season 2 a try soon. Am hoping that there isn't a noticeable decline in quality.

[sholloman81]

Finally got around to watching the first season of Yellowjackets. Glad I gave it a try as I thought it was fantastic. Loved the dueling timelines, and all of the actors were fantastic. Definitely haven't seen many shows like this on television. Will probably give season 2 a try soon. Am hoping that there isn't a noticeable decline in quality.

[Sock Monkey]

Man, I'm behind on posting these two, but I figured better late than never.

Halloween Horror Movie #14: THE BLACKCOAT'S DAUGHTER

This was a re-watch for me and I recalled being really impressed with the film when upon the initial viewing, but I think that the movie plays even better the second time around. Oz Perkins's tale about the creepy events surrounding two girls that are left behind in their boarding school over winter break relies mostly on atmosphere and the slowly building sense of dread. Couple that with a dash of editing time jumps (especially those during a pivotal reveal) can make the viewer focus on trying to figure things out versus let it wash over them, but on a second viewing with all of the guessing of what's going on out of the way (even though that is fun), I was just struck on how well-crafted the film was and how perfectly restrained Kiernan Shipka's performance is. The film is not for everyone (and it wasn't really for my wife), but those that appreciate these slow burns, it is a compelling film.

Grade: B+ (Watched on Blu-Ray, also streaming on Netflix)

Halloween Horror Movie #15: TALK TO ME

I had heard all kinds of buzz surrounding this film, the latest horror offering from A24, and was rather keen to check it out, saving it for the prestigious Halloween night slot (plans went sideways and we didn't get to watch it until November 1st, but I'm still counting it, darn it!). The film follows Mia, a teenage girl whose mother had committed suicide a couple years prior, who joins her friend and her friend's younger brother at a party where a severed, embalmed hand is used as a gateway to allow people to be possessed by the spirits of the dead. Mia allows herself to be possessed and then things go sideways. The first half of this movie is absolutely fantastic. There's an interesting amount of world-building, the effects used when a person is possessed are creepy and the possessions juxtaposed next to the rambunctious teenagers watching all this as if it is just a gag is unsettling. The premise is also an interesting metaphor for drug abuse. And when that violence hits, it really hits. Unfortunately, the second half seemed to muddy the mythology's waters quite a bit leaving me a little confused as to how each haunting element led to the next, taking me out of the film. Since a prequel was purportedly filmed concurrently with this one and a sequel also on the way, I'm sure more of the mythology is going to get ironed out. The first half was so solid that my grade is mostly based off of that.

Grade: B (Watched on Blu-Ray)

[dannyboy121070]

Five Nights at Freddies...

Well it was a movie which was too long. It was okay, a little empty, but decent enough. I think if they trimmed this down by 30 minutes I would have been much happier.

2 out of 5 stars.

There really isn't much to discuss with this one. A lot of head scratchers, assumptions, and lack of info lead to a miss. On a side note I have no idea about the video game this movie was developed from.

 My son has been crazy about the games for years, so we took him to see it last week. He loved it (He's since watched it again on Peacock), and I thought it was a lot better than I was expecting. Sadly, it was a LOT better than any of the Horror films I've seen in theaters this year (The new EXORCIST and INSIDIOUS films, along with a few others I've mercifully forgotten....). If you have Peacock, you can see it for free, so give it a try, if you're interested.

[Ben Staad]

I am on board with you. My frustration with Smile is that it could have been very good. It was there and so very close to being something memorable for a good reason.

Man, I actively hated SMILE. The contrast of my response to the movie versus the general consensus was so marked that I began to think I had been burned out on horror movies.

[Sock Monkey]

Finished up Smile after 2-3 days of watching on and off.

This was a big miss for me. There were ideas, scenes, and cinematic moments which were very good however they were all ruined by how the wrapped this one up. The ending was not ironic, smart, and did not contain an ounce of creativity. It honestly felt like the writer(s) just gave up and mailed it in.

The writer(s) should have at least taken a cue from Fallen.

1 out of 5 stars for me.

Leaving here in a few to go watch Five Nights at Freddies. I have no clue what I'm getting into with that one but will report back. A PG-13 horror movie likely doesn't have much teeth.

Man, I actively hated SMILE. The contrast of my response to the movie versus the general consensus was so marked that I began to think I had been burned out on horror movies.

[Sock Monkey]

Watched Stuart Gordon's "Dolls" for the first-time last night. Enjoyed the heck out of this one and am annoyed that I waited so long to see it. It really does feel like a horror fairytale. It has such a good horror-tonal feel to it from the setting to the sounds, and the look of the characters. You can tell that every last dollar ended up on-screen and that it was a blast to film. This movie really should have been a hit. Perhaps the Child's Play films took the wind out of this one which is a shame as they really are going for different things plot-wise and tonally. The ending also leaves it open for a sequel which I'm surprised never happened, especially as they do that to death now. Gordon really does these sorts of low-budget horror films as well as anyone and should have been a bigger name. Would love to have seen what he could do with a real budget, but perhaps that would have killed the charm/spirit of his productions.

The covers to DOLLS just used to freak me out. I've never seen the movie and, in fact, I think the only film I've seen by Gordon, not counting his two episodes of Masters of Horror, was EDMOND, which I remember liking when I first saw it, but don't know if I could vouch for it now. I have a blu of RE-ANIMATOR on the To Be Watched shelf, but it's been there for years at this point.

[sholloman81]

Watched Stuart Gordon's "Dolls" for the first-time last night. Enjoyed the heck out of this one and am annoyed that I waited so long to see it. It really does feel like a horror fairytale. It has such a good horror-tonal feel to it from the setting to the sounds, and the look of the characters. You can tell that every last dollar ended up on-screen and that it was a blast to film. This movie really should have been a hit. Perhaps the Child's Play films took the wind out of this one which is a shame as they really are going for different things plot-wise and tonally. The ending also leaves it open for a sequel which I'm surprised never happened, especially as they do that to death now. Gordon really does these sorts of low-budget horror films as well as anyone and should have been a bigger name. Would love to have seen what he could do with a real budget, but perhaps that would have killed the charm/spirit of his productions.

[sholloman81]

Five Nights at Freddies...

Well it was a movie which was too long. It was okay, a little empty, but decent enough. I think if they trimmed this down by 30 minutes I would have been much happier.

2 out of 5 stars.

There really isn't much to discuss with this one. A lot of head scratchers, assumptions, and lack of info lead to a miss. On a side note I have no idea about the video game this movie was developed from.

Have no desire to see this movie and had no idea it was based on a videogame which cements it further for me. Just something about the look of the film that turns me off. Glad to see that perhaps my bias is justified!

[Ben Staad]

Five Nights at Freddies...

Well it was a movie which was too long. It was okay, a little empty, but decent enough. I think if they trimmed this down by 30 minutes I would have been much happier.

2 out of 5 stars.

There really isn't much to discuss with this one. A lot of head scratchers, assumptions, and lack of info lead to a miss. On a side note I have no idea about the video game this movie was developed from.

[Ben Staad]

Finished up Smile after 2-3 days of watching on and off.

This was a big miss for me. There were ideas, scenes, and cinematic moments which were very good however they were all ruined by how the wrapped this one up. The ending was not ironic, smart, and did not contain an ounce of creativity. It honestly felt like the writer(s) just gave up and mailed it in.

The writer(s) should have at least taken a cue from Fallen.

1 out of 5 stars for me.

Leaving here in a few to go watch Five Nights at Freddies. I have no clue what I'm getting into with that one but will report back. A PG-13 horror movie likely doesn't have much teeth.

[Ben Staad]

Thank you for all those deep dives into the horror genre. So many interesting sounding films which I had never heard of before.