Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Ben Staad]

Annual re-watch of Die Hard and a few odds and end movies.

• Diehard - This is still a fun movie to watch. After so many viewings it loses some appeal but keeps us entertained enough.
• Emmett Otters Jug Band Christmas - This is something from my wife's childhood. Goofy little Muppet style kids movie. Cute enough, dated, and just sappy.
• The Homecoming: A Christmas Story - The Waltons story on a bleak Christmas and a nice little holiday surprise.

[Sock Monkey]

Annual re-watch of Die Hard and a few odds and end movies.

• Diehard - This is still a fun movie to watch. After so many viewings it loses some appeal but keeps us entertained enough.

There are movies I can watch over and over again with no problem--these are mostly rom-coms or dramedies, like Love Actually and whatnot--and make the viewing circuit almost every year. However, there is also another subset, a select handful of my favorite films, that I don't watch too often, maybe every few years or so, to help maintain its specialness. John Carpenter's The Thing, Fincher's Seven, and The Usual Suspects are all on that list. But the top spot is always Die Hard. I love that movie so much that even though I feel the pull to watch it every Christmas, I hold off. I know it's become commonplace to call Die Hard one's favorite Christmas movie, but it really is just an incredibly well-crafted movie all around. I'm not saying it's super deep or anything, but the storytelling, especially in its details, is so smartly done and so efficient that it's easy to overlook it. Now I want to go watch it again...

[Ben Staad]

Our #1 Christmas movie is It's a Wonderful Life. Looking forward to watching this at some point this week.

Die Hard is likely #2.

There are movies I can watch over and over again with no problem--these are mostly rom-coms or dramedies, like Love Actually and whatnot--and make the viewing circuit almost every year. However, there is also another subset, a select handful of my favorite films, that I don't watch too often, maybe every few years or so, to help maintain its specialness. John Carpenter's The Thing, Fincher's Seven, and The Usual Suspects are all on that list. But the top spot is always Die Hard. I love that movie so much that even though I feel the pull to watch it every Christmas, I hold off. I know it's become commonplace to call Die Hard one's favorite Christmas movie, but it really is just an incredibly well-crafted movie all around. I'm not saying it's super deep or anything, but the storytelling, especially in its details, is so smartly done and so efficient that it's easy to overlook it. Now I want to go watch it again...

[Sock Monkey]

Odd double-feature last night...

First was MATERIALISTS, a rom-com (Which my wife says it definitely was NOT!) about a female matchmaker in Manhattan who must choose between a perfect millionaire and her impoverished ex-boyfriend. Well-done, good performances...I liked it. Pedro Pascal is in EVERYTHING that comes out. Just saying...

Next was GOOD BOY, the dog-in-a-haunted-house film that was in theaters over in October. As I suspected, telling a story, even one as short as this (Barely 70 minutes) from the POV of a dog gets old real fast, and leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I do, however, think this dog should get an Oscar. He was emoting like a canine Meryl Streep.

I thought Materialists was fine. It seemed to want to be a deconstruction of the a rom-com, but couldn't really make it work. I also thought some of the story beats were weird. For example, Dakota Johnson's character has a change of heart before meeting with a client whose been assaulted, but it really seems like this seismic shift should've happened after the emotional confrontation. Also, the actress who played that character killed it!

I really enjoyed Good Boy. It does run a little long, but that dog is the best actor EVER. It also was a huge labor of love. I heard it took three years to film. Ultimately, the film can't rise above the gimmick, but it's a big swing and I always appreciate a big swing.

[Sock Monkey]

Seems like THE LIFE OF CHUCK came out ages ago, but still isn't streaming anywhere...

It's on HULU now. I watched it the other night with the wife and I absolutely loved it. I haven't read the King story it's based on and went in cold and had so much fun with this film. My only complaint is that it ends rather abruptly and I would have loved another ten to fifteen minutes. Flanagan directs the heck out of the film and the cast is stacked.

[dannyboy121070]

It's on HULU now. I watched it the other night with the wife and I absolutely loved it. I haven't read the King story it's based on and went in cold and had so much fun with this film. My only complaint is that it ends rather abruptly and I would have loved another ten to fifteen minutes. Flanagan directs the heck out of the film and the cast is stacked.

Planning on watching it tonight with the family. Really looking forward to finally seeing it. It only played theatrically locally at one theater, and it was only a week's worth of 10 PM shows...the perils or releasing a small film during summer blockbuster season, I guess.

[Sock Monkey]

Planning on watching it tonight with the family. Really looking forward to finally seeing it. It only played theatrically locally at one theater, and it was only a week's worth of 10 PM shows...the perils or releasing a small film during summer blockbuster season, I guess.

I'm curious as to your thoughts. And the roll-out was rough for the film. It definitely shouldn't have been in the summer. Also, I think they really messed up with the trailer. I mean, yes, that is what the film is about, but it isn't compelling enough to get butts into theater seats. There was definitely a more intriguing way to market the film that I think they missed out on.