Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Ben Staad]

I am late to the party but finally watched "Pig".

I enjoyed this movie a lot. Nic Cage was very good and the entire cast worked well with the story. A seemingly simple story, made strong with excellent writing, acting, scenery, and music.

4.5 out of 5.

[Sock Monkey]

Broadcast News (1987): Have you ever had the feeling while watching a film that you might not been on film's wavelength at that precise moment, something just isn't clicking for you, but you know on a rewatch you're gonna love it? Well, that exact feeling encapsulates my experience with James L. Brooks's multiple Oscar-winning film, Broadcast News. Centered around an overlapping love/work triangle between Holly Hunter's news producer, her friend and pillar of journalistic integrity (Albert Brooks) and the up-and-coming news anchor (William Hurt), who might not have as much integrity as Hunter's character wants to believe, the film, like a lot of the director's films, straddles the line between comedy and drama, while also critiquing the erosion of television journalism. This last aspect, unfortunately, winds up lacking some teeth, feeling rather quaint in regards to the big revelation that occurs in the third act, in light of just how far we've fallen as a nation in this regard, but it's still compelling in how well the story is told.

While this is a film I've been meaning to get around to watching for a long time, I just kept putting it off. I finally pulled the trigger in preparation for attending "An Evening with Albert Brooks" (I posted about this in the Random Thoughts thread), and while I liked the film a lot, I also felt like I was a half-step out of sync with it, settling too much into the drama and being left behind as it moves into the comedy and vice versa. Upon the film's ending, it wasn't that I didn't like the film, I just wanted to like so much more than I did and, going back to my initial statement at the start of this review, I feel like I will on subsequent viewings.

I will also note that while I expected to enjoy William Hurt and Albert Brooks as I'm already fans of them, and James L. Brooks's As Good as It Gets and Spanglish are favorites in this household, I've never really understood the appeal of Holly Hunter. Now, I'm not saying she's not a good actress, but nothing she's done has really drawn me in. However, I really enjoyed her in this film and her portrayal of Jane's feisty innocence as she torn between these two men and their conflicting values, having to choose which side she's going to land on. Maybe I need to give some of her other films another shot.

Grade: B

[Sock Monkey]

Too funny! I have had this in my to-watch pile (yay, physical media!) for a while but have been putting it off as well. I think I may try to finally get to this over the weekend after reading your review!

Physical media is the best! And, yes, check the movie out. I'm curious as to what your thoughts will be.

[sholloman81]

The Substance (2024): I've had this on disc for a few months now and kept putting off watching it because (a) my wife noped the heck out of this one, therefore limiting me to watching it when she wasn't home, and (b) the hype around it kinda turned me off a bit. I'm glad that I waited to watch it on my own terms separate from the awards clamor because it really allowed me to approach the film on its own terms and not with some high and lofty expectations. Overall, the story of an aging star (Demi Moore) turning to a strange substance to unleash a "better version" of her (played by Margaret Qualley) is a Cronenbergian nightmare that doesn't shy away from the body horror or the use of practical effects. Though Demi Moore deserves the praise for her portrayal, I really need to give some love to Margaret Qualley whose performance as a purposefully oversexualized and objectified character is just as brave as her more esteemed co-star. It doesn't hurt that I've been a fan of Qualley's since The Leftovers, but she really does a great job as a counterbalance to Moore's performance. Dennis Quad's over-the-top performance could make or break some people's enjoyment of the film, but I thought he nailed it and it was great to see him back on the screen. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Grade: B+

Too funny! I have had this in my to-watch pile (yay, physical media!) for a while but have been putting it off as well. I think I may try to finally get to this over the weekend after reading your review!

[Sock Monkey]

Sock Monkey Nice reviews. In particular The Damned sounds interesting enough to me. At the short run time I may give that one a guy regardless of the let down.

Thanks. And I'd be curious as to your thoughts if you do get around to watching The Damned. I wouldn't necessarily steer someone away from it--though my review surely states otherwise--because there are some very interesting elements to it, especially if you like a slower burn. Maybe with lowered expectations and a heads up about the ending, it might work better.

[Ben Staad]

Sock Monkey Nice reviews. In particular The Damned sounds interesting enough to me. At the short run time I may give that one a guy regardless of the let down.

[Sock Monkey]

The Damned (2024): Thordur Palsson's folk horror tale about a widow running her deceased husband's crew at a remote fishing outpost only to find themselves haunted by a potentially supernatural entity after failing to rescue a crew of Basque sailors from their sinking ship starts out incredibly strong and then stumbles along before one of the worst endings I've seen in a long time. First things first, though, and Palsson does a great job building an oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere in the fishing camp, allowing the cruelty of the hostile natural environment to become a formidable foe in its own right before even introducing any supernatural elements. The cast is solid, if underdeveloped, led by a strong but mournful Odessa Young and an interesting Joe Cole (who happens to be in one of my favorite films, Green Room), but there is little given to their arcs beyond "mournful widow" and "youthful, potential love interest." Palsson takes advantage of the austere setting and amps up the slow creeping dread as a form of madness begins to infect the crew. However, in its final revelations, the film's ending undercuts just about everything interesting about the film.

I'm tagging the rest in spoilers to be safe, but I will say, for those that avoid the spoilers, the film continues a trend I find rather disheartening in modern horror cinema, which is the lack of subtext, in that it isn't the monster represents nothing in the film, but rather the film makes it blatantly known the monster is absolutely a metaphor for whatever theme they want to tackle. For example, the monster in Smile being "trauma" is broadcasted with the subtlety of an air horn. There is nothing to unpack in this narrative because it is laid out for simple consumption like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Compare this to something like The Ring (more so, the American remake), which is also very much touches on the rippling effects of trauma, along with familial guilt, but does so in a way that doesn't beat you over the head with the metaphor.

Spoiler!

So more specifically, I was recently reading somewhere there has been this trend in horror where, in the book's conclusion, it will be revealed that the source of evil or creature/killer has actually been the characters own trauma or grief or whatever. While I personally had not stumbled across this in a work, the general complaint regarding this type of twist is that it isn't nearly as clever, interesting, or profound as the writer thinks it is. Unfortunately, this is the route Palsson's movie takes when its ending is "Scooby-doo'd" away and the "real horror" is revealed to be their guilt and not some ancient evil. It's a decision that takes away any element of the movie that was compelling and really ruins the good will built up prior to the last three minutes of the film.

Ultimately, prior to the ending, the movie would have rated around a B-, but at the film's conclusion, I can't give this anything higher than a D.

[Sock Monkey]

The Substance (2024): I've had this on disc for a few months now and kept putting off watching it because (a) my wife noped the heck out of this one, therefore limiting me to watching it when she wasn't home, and (b) the hype around it kinda turned me off a bit. I'm glad that I waited to watch it on my own terms separate from the awards clamor because it really allowed me to approach the film on its own terms and not with some high and lofty expectations. Overall, the story of an aging star (Demi Moore) turning to a strange substance to unleash a "better version" of her (played by Margaret Qualley) is a Cronenbergian nightmare that doesn't shy away from the body horror or the use of practical effects. Though Demi Moore deserves the praise for her portrayal, I really need to give some love to Margaret Qualley whose performance as a purposefully oversexualized and objectified character is just as brave as her more esteemed co-star. It doesn't hurt that I've been a fan of Qualley's since The Leftovers, but she really does a great job as a counterbalance to Moore's performance. Dennis Quad's over-the-top performance could make or break some people's enjoyment of the film, but I thought he nailed it and it was great to see him back on the screen. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Grade: B+

[Ben Staad]

Spaceman with Adam Sandler. A strong 4 out of 5 stars.

This measured story about the human condition, relationships, and a heavy focus on the importance of connections with others. I found this movie visually stunning with some fantastic dialogue heavy on phrases to make the viewer explore emotions.

I found this film leaving me with a lot to think about.

[Ben Staad]

Atlas on Netflix. Decent sci-fi flick and was good for a blazing hot Saturday afternoon. AI, robots, action, and a passable story. I didn't think about it very hard and it was okay. 2.5 out of 5.

Not a Jennifer Lopez fan but there were enough explosions and mindlessness going on that it didn't matter.

[Ben Staad]

Tried watching a few horror movies on TUBI. First one I couldn't finish is called Cold Skin. I liked the look of it, concept, and setting however the movie wasn't getting anywhere. No rating due to the DNF.Isolated island and monsters usually keeps me around longer than this.

Second one is called Double Blind. I managed to watch the entirety of this one but it didn't offer much. Isolated human lab rats, become trapped, and fight for their survival. Pretty standard stuff with very little story or character development. 2 out of 5.

[dannyboy121070]

My wife surprised me and my son with tickets, and her chauffeuring skills, to the new Captain America film. (We're having some heavy snow this weekend, and my favorite theater is about 30 minutes away, so I was resigned to just waiting until next week, but she has a tank with 4-wheel drive, and is afraid of nothing, so she volunteered to do the driving. I drive a 2010 deathtrap, and I've been in some bad accidents in the snow, so my default is to stay home, lol.)

She spent a good deal of the film napping under a blanket in her reclining seat...she's a take-it-or-leave-it Marvel filmgoer. My son loved it, and I was somewhere in the middle, maybe a 7 out of 10. It was great to see Marvel finally pick up some of the threads of two of their most-hated films (THE INCREDIBLE HULK and THE ETERNALS, both of which I loved.), Anthony Mackie and Giancarlo Esposito were both great, and Harrison Ford seemed to be having fun filling the late William Hurt's shoes. Not one of the GREAT Marvel films, unfortunately, but it was a good time. REALLY looking forward to the rest of the Marvel slate for the year, THUNDERBOLTS and FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, and hoping they will be a return to form for the franchise.

[dannyboy121070]

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Checked out The Gorge last night on Apple+ and while it didn't really do anything new, I had a good time with the film. I'm rather ambivalent towards Miles Teller, but I could watch Anya Taylor Joy vacuum for two hours and be transfixed. I don't know what it is, but I find her very charismatic. The chemistry between the two is fantastic and the film leans into this for its first half before descending into horror-action shenanigans. The short pitch would be Vandermeer's Area X meets Call of Duty with a love story. Yeah, the ending doesn't quite live up to the promise of its first half, but I enjoyed it enough that I just couldn't be mad at it. If people told me they loved it, I'd understand. If people told me they hated it, I'd get that, too. I fall somewhere in between. Grade: B-

We watched this last night, and I thought the first half was fantastic. I could have done with a whole film of them just getting to know each other and patrolling the gorge. Once we got to the second half, and the explanation of just what is going on, I stopped caring, and found it very hard to keep watching and stay awake. My wife, who hates films like this, loved it. Go figure. I enjoyed her screaming in terror more than I enjoyed the last half of the film, lol.

[Sock Monkey]

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Checked out The Gorge last night on Apple+ and while it didn't really do anything new, I had a good time with the film. I'm rather ambivalent towards Miles Teller, but I could watch Anya Taylor Joy vacuum for two hours and be transfixed. I don't know what it is, but I find her very charismatic. The chemistry between the two is fantastic and the film leans into this for its first half before descending into horror-action shenanigans. The short pitch would be Vandermeer's Area X meets Call of Duty with a love story. Yeah, the ending doesn't quite live up to the promise of its first half, but I enjoyed it enough that I just couldn't be mad at it. If people told me they loved it, I'd understand. If people told me they hated it, I'd get that, too. I fall somewhere in between. Grade: B-

[Sock Monkey]

Pickup on South Street (1953):

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After my very positive experience catching Seven at the local revival theater, I decided to treat myself the following week by catching the first in their series showcasing films by Samuel Fuller. Fuller's work is a blind spot for me, so this seemed a good chance to catch one of his films on the big screen. Man, it did not disappoint. I love a good noir, but I wasn't prepared for just how charming the cast is. Richard Widmark as an ex-con pickpocket who gets caught up in espionage when he steals a purse on the subway plays it to his cocky best and Thelma Ritter as Moe, a low-level information hawker just trying to get enough money to buy a nice grave and headstone before she dies, provides both humor and gravitas to a role that could have been forgettable. The true MVP for me was Jean Peters as Candy, a prostitute whose purse is stolen by Widmark's character only to find out, unbeknownst to her, she was delivering U.S. info to communists. Not only is she beautiful, but she switches from doe-eyed sweetness to cheeky cynicism without batting an eye or feeling out of character. While I came for the noir, I really fell for just how darn delightful the movie could be. Maybe my perception is tainted due to not expecting this aspect at all, but, honestly, it really would be a perfect date night movie with that combination of charming romance and super-dark spy noir. Fantastic film! Grade: A