Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Ben Staad]

The Platform:

This is a Spanish film which I watched on Netflix. It's an allegory with very few twists to it however it had some interesting dialogue, drama, and more than enough gore. Essentially this story follows a character in a prison which is multi leveled. Each level holds two people with a hole in the center of the floor. Each day a platform of food lowers to each level allowing the prisoners a chance to eat for two minutes. The quality and quantity of food obviously degrades as the platform goes to each lower level. Each month the prisoners are drugged and moved to another level with no discernible pattern. The lead is confronted with the ugliness of the place, the atrocity of other people, and tries to come to grips with humanity.

I liked it. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Sock Monkey]

I've had a run of bad luck recently. I've been watching movies that have been generally well-received and they are just not clicking with me, though near the end my luck did change a bit.

NIGHTMARE ALLEY: Del Toro tackling a pitch-black noir with a cast stacked with phenomenal actors seemed like a shoe-in to be one of my favorite movies. Forget the headliners, you put Richard Jenkins in a movie and I'm there. You give him a side of David Strathairn, Toni Collette, and Willem Dafoe and I'm wondering what I've done to be so lucky. And while I thought that A Star is Born was no where as successful a film as others did, I do like that Bradley Cooper has continued to choose projects that push him out of traditional Hollywood leading man roles. Unfortunately, the stew that was concocted out of all of these ingredients was less than satisfying. The movie relies too much on the cardinal sin of telling rather than showing. Why does Cooper's Stan and Rooney Mara's Mary Cahill fall in love? Because you are told they do. Not because there's any chemistry between the two and definitely not because there anything of particular interest of Mara's portrayal of Cahill. I haven't been overwhelmed with Mara's performances in the past and this one feels just as flat. Why would Stan trust Blanchett's Dr. Lillith Ritter? Because the script says that needs to happen in lieu of developing relationships that make those decisions understood however misguided they might be. The final scene of the film spells out the entirety of the script replacing any nuance and subtlety with a clear spelling out to the audience of the what is going on. I can't give this a full failing mark as the cinematography is great and almost all of the acting is fantastic, if a little too on-the-nose. Grade: C-

THE POWER OF THE DOG: Director Jane Campion's film about one brother's anger and toxicity that leeches into the lives of those around him contains beautiful shots of cinematography containing such beautifully realized characters with consummate performances that's it's a shame that the first hour of the film feels like prologue. While one could argue that it sets the tone and builds the relationships necessary for what comes later, one would also have to wonder if they had to do it at such a glacial pace. There is a reward to be gained for those that make it through those first forty minutes or so, the question is how many actually do make it? For those with the patience, I do recommend it, though I'm not sure I'd ever feel the need to see it again. Grade: B-

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS: I like superhero movies. I don't think they're the death of cinema as some have touted, but I also don't fall in the camp that feel that the best of these movies should be contenders for Best Picture awards. They're comedy-action fantasy films that are the modern equivalent of the buddy-cop film in the '80s. Lots of fun, though maybe not that smart, and bouyed by the charisma of the actors themselves. This one, though. This one is the example that the superhero movie detractors could latch on to as an example of their complaints.

First, the things I loved: I loved the integration of Chinese myth, including the mystically parting forests and flying dragons that live in the water and all of those amazing little touches that abound in the movie's best parts. These things showed the potential of the movie, of what it might have been, which leads me to the things that hindered the movie for me. For the first time in a long time, I just didn't find the main characters that likeable. As mentioned before, these movies are really elevated by the charisma of the actors in them and in SHANG-CHI...not so much of that was working for me. The jokes felt forced and the CGI, especially in the big scene on the bus, just looked bad. Overall, I found the movie rather dull and it had me thinking that maybe these types of movies had run their course for me. Grade: D

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME: And then I watched the last of the new Spider-Man trilogy and my faith was restored as this movie just flat-out worked for me. I felt there might be a tipping point where too many characters were being introduced and there wouldn't be enough time to do anything with them, but besides the lack of use of one of the villains, the movie did a good job balancing out all the various characters and giving a couple of really great moments of closure for others. Is this a movie that makes you reevaluate your life and the world you live in? Absolutely not. Does it allow fans a lot of great fist-pumping moments of pure fun? Definitely. Grade: A

I also rewatched SEVEN which still absolutely holds up. I don't revisit it too often as I don't want it to lose its luster, but I still think that even over 25 years later there is still power in the movie to not just shock, but also to discuss the plight of the protagonists, all whom, whether they want to admit it or not, desperately want to believe in a world that is better than what they see on the streets around them. Fantastic movie. Grade: A

And finally, also rewatched EDEN LAKE. If you haven't had a chance to catch this underrated gem from 2008, I highly recommend you track it down. A tense and brutal story of a young couple's encounter with a group of youths during a weekend trip transcends the genre trappings but not allowing for easy answers or cheap catharsis. Highly recommended. Grade: A

[Ben Staad]

That is a movie I really wanted to see. Sadly the local theater didn't offer any showings for it. Sounds like it is decent so looking forward to catching this one at a later date.

Saw three movies in the theater recently.

The Cursed - an old school, Gypsy curse werewolf movie, just without the werewolves.

One of the better theatrical run horror movies of recent memory.



B

[brlesh]

Saw three movies in the theater recently.

The Cursed - an old school, Gypsy curse werewolf movie, just without the werewolves.

One of the better theatrical run horror movies of recent memory.

The Batman - I liked it, but they didn’t really do anything new with the character that wasn’t already in the Nolan movies, other than changing Bruce Wayne from a philanthropist playboy to a brooding emo (playing to Robert Pattinson’s strength??).

They could also have easily shaved a half hour off the 3 hour run time. ( A friend of mine disagreed with my assessment, saying they could have easily shaved about an hour & a half & not lost any of the story!!)

On the plus side, Paul Dano was excellent as the Riddler, even if he was somewhat reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s Joker.

Liked it enough I’m in for part 2.

’X’ - billed as a homage to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the movie lacked context for it to really work for me.

B

[dannyboy121070]

Thanks, Martin! At least one of us loves their job, lol.

[Martin]

It was a rough few months, but she just started a new job last week, and she loves it. Thanks for the good thoughts, Sock Monkey! Somehow we managed to keep the lights on with just my salary, lol. (Can you tell that she makes more money than me?)
What you said was another reason I don't feel too bad about skipping the box set.....I have so many movies/box sets that I just never get around to watching. I have a twelve-year-old, and between dinner, dishwashing, homework, showers, and getting him squared away and in bed.....I'm usually ready to crash. I'm lucky if I can squeeze in a movie on the weekend, and then I usually try to find something my wife would enjoy watching with me. (She sure ain't gonna enjoy anything that I have in my chest of DVDs and Blu-rays, lol.)

Glad she was able to start a job she loves!

[dannyboy121070]

Sorry to hear about your wife losing her job. Hopefully, she finds another one with ease.

i noticed the additions to Shudder as well. That’s part of the reason I’ve held off on getting the set, as well. The completist in me wants all the extras and the shorts and whatnot. Frankly, though, I’ve been so busy that it would just sit in the pile with about forty other movies.

It was a rough few months, but she just started a new job last week, and she loves it. Thanks for the good thoughts, Sock Monkey! Somehow we managed to keep the lights on with just my salary, lol. (Can you tell that she makes more money than me?)
What you said was another reason I don't feel too bad about skipping the box set.....I have so many movies/box sets that I just never get around to watching. I have a twelve-year-old, and between dinner, dishwashing, homework, showers, and getting him squared away and in bed.....I'm usually ready to crash. I'm lucky if I can squeeze in a movie on the weekend, and then I usually try to find something my wife would enjoy watching with me. (She sure ain't gonna enjoy anything that I have in my chest of DVDs and Blu-rays, lol.)

[Sock Monkey]

I REALLY wanted that box set, but after my wife lost her job, that went right out the window, lol. They actually have a lot of the box's content on Shudder, which eased the pain of missing out a little.

Sorry to hear about your wife losing her job. Hopefully, she finds another one with ease.

i noticed the additions to Shudder as well. That’s part of the reason I’ve held off on getting the set, as well. The completist in me wants all the extras and the shorts and whatnot. Frankly, though, I’ve been so busy that it would just sit in the pile with about forty other movies.

[dannyboy121070]

I just saw this post and wanted to chime in on the Al Adamson documentary. I also watched this a little bit ago and thought it was really interesting. It's an interesting look at not only the life and tragedies of Mr. Adamson, but it also an fascinating look at low-budget regional filmmaking.

I've been chomping at the bit to watch WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED as I've only heard good things about this exhaustive look into cinematic folk horror. Severin put this documentary out in a box set of 19 (!) other folk horror movies called ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS, which I desperately want to pick up, but it is rather pricey at around $179.

I REALLY wanted that box set, but after my wife lost her job, that went right out the window, lol. They actually have a lot of the box's content on Shudder, which eased the pain of missing out a little.

[dannyboy121070]

My wife and I took our son to see THE BATMAN on opening day. We used to go to the movies every week pre-pandemic. We've been to the theater 4 times since Covid hit.

I did not like this film at all. I thought Pattinson was a whiny dud, The Riddler was a generic serial killer, the cameo at the end should have been exciting, but just fizzled. I have no desire to see any more from this Director and cast. Also, it did not need to be as long as Lawrence of Arabia, lol.

As much as I love going to the movies, between the ticket price, gas prices, and the way that people act like assholes during movies (We had a TERRIBLE experience during The Batman, which I am better off not getting into here...), I think I'll do the majority of my movie-watching at home from now on. We're planning on seeing Dr. Strange and Thor this year, but the assholes have won. I'm beat. They can have the theaters. Which makes me very sad.

[TacomaDiver]

I used my anniversary time off from work and we caught The Batman on Wednesday.

Tangent - I used to belong to Cinemark's Movie Club - $10 a month, "free" ticket and canceled because we aren't going to the movies like we used to (pandemic for one, lack of content for another) so I had 13 credits available to me. Hated the fact I was still charged on-line fees to "buy" a ticket with my credits. Total scam IMHO.

Anyways, we saw The Batman.

I've always been a Marvel fan - even when I started reading comics in 1985/1986, Marvel was where I was at (Make Mine Marvel!) and have enjoyed the Marvel movies much more than the DC ones.

Still trying to figure out my thoughts on this. I"m not sure it needed to be three hours long, but I did enjoy the focus more on Batman being a detective (hello Detective Comics!) My wife said it felt like a long TV show but maybe that's because TV shows have gotten better the last 10 years or so.

[Sock Monkey]

I've been frantically watching everything that I can on our streaming channels before we have to ditch them all and cancel our cable at the end of the month. I watched an excellent documentary about Folk-Horror on Shudder called WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED, which I highly recommend, another documentary about the films and life of Al Adamson called BLOOD AND FLESH, which was both hilariously funny and terribly disturbing, also highly recommended. I have never seen an Al Adamson film, and this documentary didn't make me want to change that, but, wow...what a life, and what a death.

Last night my wife and I watched THE KING'S MAN, which I was really looking forward to, but it just didn't connect with me. My wife, oddly enough, loved it.

I just saw this post and wanted to chime in on the Al Adamson documentary. I also watched this a little bit ago and thought it was really interesting. It's an interesting look at not only the life and tragedies of Mr. Adamson, but it also an fascinating look at low-budget regional filmmaking.

I've been chomping at the bit to watch WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED as I've only heard good things about this exhaustive look into cinematic folk horror. Severin put this documentary out in a box set of 19 (!) other folk horror movies called ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS, which I desperately want to pick up, but it is rather pricey at around $179.

[Sock Monkey]

Recently re-watched The Ritual. I remember liking it a lot, but this time it really knocked me back in my seat. It pares down the novel--which I thought was kind of a slog--and makes it a lean and mean horror movie. The horror starts fairly early in the runtime and never lets up, but it all feels so well-paced and brooding. Just a great movie.

Also, re-watched Christopher Nolan's Memento. I've seen this movie probably close to a dozen times, but every time I walk away with how well-crafted it is. At it's heart, it's a very simple narrative and could be viewed as nothing more than a gimmick, but that "gimmick" of a film that plays each scene in reverse-chronological order is so important to the disorienting narrative of the film. Just a masterpiece.

[Sock Monkey]

Went to the theater last night and saw "X". Totally loved it. By far my favorite Ti West movie. The first half does build slowly; however, the payoff in the 2nd half is more than worth it. That slow first half is also very intentional in my opinion as it thoroughly builds the characters and creates a very creepy and dreadful atmosphere for when everything finally does go batshit crazy. Also, there was a bunch of humor in this one. Normally, I'm not a big fan of that; however, this time around, it seemed to land perfectly and felt very realistic to the situations the characters were facing. Overall, if you enjoy horror movies, you have to see this one!

I can't wait to see this. I'm a big fan of Ti West. House of the Devil is a classic. My wife and I recently re-watched The Innkeepers and I think I liked it better the second time around. I also like The Sacrament for what it was, but wasn't necessary blown away by it. In The Valley Of Violence...I just don't know what that movie was supposed to be. It didn't quite work for me, though I might need to revisit it. This new film has been getting a lot of buzz and I'm hoping we'll continue to see West dig into the horror genre.

[Sock Monkey]

I started watching King's Man and then stopped...just didn't catch me.

I plan on watching Death on the Nile this weekend or next. It has hit HBO.

My latest film watched is the latest Scream. Always enjoyed that series and felt it represented a seminal turning point in horror films aimed at the mainstream (and I would include myself in the latter). After the original, it seemed like filmmaking in general got better, especially in terms of the way the camera moves. I enjoyed this 2022 version; the original cast members weren't in it that much, and I'd suspect that has to do with budgetary considerations. Nothing complex, just a fun film...

My wife and I recently re-watched the first three films. She had only seen the original and none of the sequels. The original still holds up and I liked Scream 2 quite a bit. The third one, though...man, I didn't like it that much since I saw it in the theater, and I just can't get into now. It has some great moments but it struggles to keep itself on the the rails. We still need to watch Scream 4 (which I remember liking, though it wasn't groundbreaking as the advertising suggested: "New Decade. New Rules." Yeah, not so much) and will probably do a part 4 and 5 double-feature.