Rate the last movie that you saw for the first time.

[Destor]

That seems to be a trend with netflix films too. I dunno.

[Destor]

And the more i reflect on it im taking my 7 back. The ending meses it up too much. 6.

[Fignuts]

I stopped watching when the escape scene started because of all the reasons you listed.

[Destor]

Yeah and the worst part is the climax has alreayd happened so the audience has all but checked out any way

[Destor]

Wild Tales - 7/10



Really good comedy. Collection of (7?) short stories with the central theme being vengeance and the secondary theme socioeconomic power dynamics. Dark sense of humor. Really enjoyed it.

[teamXtremist]

Ryan Gossling is a CIA hitman and the CIA wants him gone. Chris Evans is the guy who's going after him. Ana de Armas is also heavily featured and plays an action roll.
There are some pretty ridiculous action scenes but it's clear the directors knew what they were doing. It's pretty fantastic. It's almost a super hero movie without super heroes.
Lots of funny lines and the action scenes are f'ing amazing. They basically did a more charismatic version of John Wick and added better action scenes.

It's crazy for me to say, but for 2 hours of entertainment, it's 9.5/10.

[OssMan]

Notting Hill

Oh waa waa i'm charming british english man Hue Grant and women dont love me waaaaaaaaaaaaaa ,,,,,,,,,,, waaaaaaaaaa

Gimme a break

[Seanny One Ball]

I thought you’d be more upset that there are apparently no black folks in it.
I remember that being a big deal when it came out.

Richard Curtis is very much a mediocre comic writer but he does know how to frame a story for an audience in a way that appears humorous but with which the least inspection becomes quite terrifying.

That one speech with John Hannah in Four Weddings is pretty great though, even for a nightmarishly manipulative bastard.

[Destor]

The Devil All the Time - 8/10


Really good script. Robert Pattison is probably the best actor working today and this role he really gets some miles out of. Bill Skarsgård is really good here yoo. Tom Holland a bit less so but he isnt bad. There's just some really strong performances here and i cant help but think they out class himby more than a bit. He doesnt hurt the film though.


Narrative has a lot of depth and im still chewing on it but its a testament to it that a few hours later imstill thinking about it. The film is bleak though and i suppose thats what leaves me thinking.


there is a call to optimism in the final moments and i dont really understand why exactly. I think there's a greater point in that optimism but i havent found it yet. I hesitated to rate it since i think on some level ive missed the point.


Also the dogs crucifixion hurt me.

[teamXtremist]

Elvis - 8/10
Baz Luhrmann's direction (and Tom Hanks doing a Dutch accent in a fat suit) took a while to get used, to but Austin Butler was really good throughout and I liked the musical choices. Taken as a representation more than a literal retelling of Elvis' career and life, it's one of my favorite biopics I've seen in a while.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - 7/10
Never heard of this before yesterday. I figured it would be more of a Pixar-ish kids movie, but it's definitely a more introspective adult movie and I think kids would be bored by it. Doesn't necessarily go anywhere, at times feels like a 90-minute therapy assignment for the director, but it's enjoyable and original and I'm glad movies like this can still be made.

[Destor]

How did they handle the music in Elvis? Mostly cutaways and montages or is central to the drama?

[teamXtremist]

How did they handle the music in Elvis? Mostly cutaways and montages or is central to the drama?


Oh its central! I believe youll enjoy it.And much like the colonel hogged Elvis and his fortune, I thought Tom Hanks hogged too much of the movie.

[Destor]

Trailer looked good but i was hesitant. Still might pass on in theater but I'll watch it at home for sure

[Destor]

The Devil All the Time - 8/10


Really good script. Robert Pattison is probably the best actor working today and this role he really gets some miles out of. Bill Skarsgård is really good here yoo. Tom Holland a bit less so but he isnt bad. There's just some really strong performances here and i cant help but think they out class himby more than a bit. He doesnt hurt the film though.


Narrative has a lot of depth and im still chewing on it but its a testament to it that a few hours later imstill thinking about it. The film is bleak though and i suppose thats what leaves me thinking.




there is a call to optimism in the final moments and i dont really understand why exactly. I think there's a greater point in that optimism but i havent found it yet. I hesitated to rate it since i think on some level ive missed the point.


Also the dogs crucifixion hurt meIt took me a bit but i see what it was driving at.

[teamXtremist]

Menace II Society (1993) - 7/10

This movie is intense as shit but it's a bit over the top. It's a classic hood drama film though if that's your thing.

[Destor]

Ford v Farrari - 7/10


Its a testament that i couldnt give a shit less about racing or cars in general but this is pretty damn good. All real cars too. Bale and Barenthal are both really good in this.

[teamXtremist]

Wind River - 8/10

Finally got around to seeing this one. Fantastic. I guess the Taylor Sheridan hype is real, although honestly everything Yellowstone-related looks super lame.

[OssMan]

About A Boy

Oh waa waa i'm hue grant and im so rich and sexy but life isnt fulfilling,,,, waaaaaaaaaaa,,,,, this is Big Daddy for british people

[Seanny One Ball]

I’ve never made the “Big Daddy” connection before but I like it. Adam Sandler is like taking the quaint out of Nick Hornsby and replacing it with more ass and drool.
I prefer Sandler’s take.

[OssMan]

Death To Smoochy

Really funny... "holds up well". Robin Williams so good. was not allowed to watch this as a kid. Seems really funny that they used the tactic of framing someone as a nazi in 2002 to publicly ostracize them... so funny...

[OssMan]

Not Okay

funny... person who wrote it spends a lot of time online obviously. kinda similar to "dont look up" insofar as how they depict people/social media reacting to stuff and the effect that has... interesting trend

[OssMan]

Bob Roberts

This was really fucking good... was a random pick from the hundreds of laserdiscs I have

Cant tell if it was very prescient or if american politics were just always like that... electoral politics just very stupid in general... sooo funny

[Seanny One Ball]

I’ve actually been tempted to watch that for a while so I will get on it tomorrow night.
Tim Robbins was amazing in the 90’s.

[Seanny One Ball]

Arlington Road was good Tim Robbins… I remember being freaked out by that film when my mates parents rented it for us to watch as kids.
They also let me see The Exorcist when I was 12 though so they were pretty laid back. I remember my buddies 7 year old cousin telling his mum we let him watch Freddy Krueger and she accused the responsible adult of child abuse. Pretty funny at the time… fucked up in retrospect.

[drave]

Oh man, think I saw all the "classic" horror character movies when I was waaaaaaaaay too young.


Remember being fucking terrified of my "My Buddy" doll after being allowed to watch "Child's Play".

[Seanny One Ball]

Are you one of those bad bastard Bulger boys?

[Seanny One Ball]

Venables the chippy child murderer, employee of the month

[drave]

Are you one of those bad bastard Bulger boys?


No, they got caught....

[Blonde Moment]

Prey 4/5
Best Predator film in 30 years

[Destor]

So the first good predator film in 30 years

[Simple Fan]

Prey 4/5
Best Predator film in 30 years

It'd been better if they didn't speak English.

[Blonde Moment]

It'd been better if they didn't speak English.

Check Hulu, they have a Comanche dub

[Seanny One Ball]

Watching it now. They sure are laying the Native American crap on real thick.
Mel Gibson should have done it for them, he knows how to get the most out of his indigenous actors without making it look like a white guy told them how to do it.

[Seanny One Ball]

Hmmm, that is one of the more impressively bad films in the Predator franchise. I suppose after the last one where Shane Black hired his pervert mate and got in trouble this new Predator film was going to have to go female and ethnic in a big way. Sadly I think in doing so the film cheapens the culture in a familiar Western style and actually casts Native American men as the supplemental bad guys alongside some fur trappers and the Predator himself. Oh and Predator uses arrows instead of plasma blasts now, because Predator might have cracked interstellar space travel millennia ago but it would take it a few more years to discover shoulder cannons. He can still turn invisible though, that’s easy peasy.

They fucked up big time not just going with “Predators were female all along” if they wanted to get woke fast.

I didn’t like this film, it annoyed me with feminism.

[Seanny One Ball]

The worst aspect is this notion that a woman can only be empowering if she is unrealistically superior in physical contest with men and above all else a truly insufferable, stuck up bint in any moment of opportunity for acquiescence…like agreeing with or even just being civil to anybody would show her up for the weakling she surely is…

Infuriating.

This was the exact problem I had with Brie Larson in Captain Marvel.
They just turned her into a cunt.

[Seanny One Ball]

Admittedly it is quite realistic in that Predator essentially ignores her for the whole film so he can fuck up every bloke in sight because they are a real threat but she acts like she’s the one who had a hard time.

Women though…unbelievable.

[drave]

You miss Nark too eh?

[Destor]

@seanny "alls you need is a kickboxing women." I always see it as they only see validity in women being men. By their own portrayals if women are shown being strong in traditionally feminine ways its shown as weak or undesirable.

Same thing we see when they race swap a character. By their own actions theyre saying the only credibility is found in white characters. Everytime i see it i think...yeah a white person wrote this/demanded this. Its the great white hope insidiously burrowing its way in via tokenism. Its beyond condescending.

The kickboxing woman trope is exactly the same. Women are only valid if they fullfill male roles. Dominance through force etc. There's a sexism baked into the fabric of their feminist ambitions that should be insulting to anyone actually thinking these things through.

Its lazy, hacky and borish... and people fucking love it.

[Seanny One Ball]

I hope it doesn’t annoy you as much as it annoyed me but it almost certainly will.

Joan Wick or Preycahontas

[Seanny One Ball]

Aside from the wokeness it was just Predator again but instead of a hit squad made up of impossibly large men, this time it’s a group of native Americans with bodies straight out of the trail of tears.
Seriously I have a better body than some of those guys.

[M-A-G]

Prey: 2 1/2 stars out of 4.

I mean, extra points for a lot of new things they want to try out, even with the "new" look for the Predator but it relies on the formula without putting enough of a unique spin on it. There's more humanity to it as opposed to just pure macho all the time but they could've handled the female lead angle better. The effects are a bit wonky at times. Also, it doesn't really end so much as it just stops. I don't know, for every positive thing there's an awkward thing that stops it from gaining a lot of traction. I think it's going to be one of those films that's divisive.

[Seanny One Ball]

It made Native American men look pretty awful, both physically and by virtue of their atrocious actions.
Also here’s a niggle…flint tools would not survive repeated use, especially the way in which the lead uses them. Flinging a flint axe around is only going to break it.

[Seanny One Ball]

I’ve decided to start a low budget franchise review only I’m starting from the last film and going backwards. Whatever I miss in continuity will be made up for in lack of continuity because as far as I can see the only constant is the lead, and he jumps from support to starring role once these bad boys go straight to VHS.
I chose “Relentless” a series of detective/police thrillers starring Leo Rossi in what must be his only shot at leading a film. He’s commonly known as the most enthusiastic bar patron in the bar scene in Jodie Foster’s semenal classic “The Accused”. He really gave that role an identity beyond “Guy that cheers on rapists”.

Let’s see how he does with a serial killer. He’s fat now but no less enthusiastic hopefully.

[Seanny One Ball]

https://www6.f2movies.to/movie/chiefs-68291

For Triple A, Ossman, Slik and anyone else that finds abject history amusing in a gross sort of way.

It’s a 19 minute long documentary on a police convention in Hawaii.
Lots of interesting looking middle aged men in 1968. Men who lived through multiple wars and came home disappointed that they can’t just blow all of their problems to bits like they used to.
Did u no in 1968 all cops were white and looked like our fathers do now.

[Seanny One Ball]

I want to know what I’d look like if I was 35 in 1968… I look pretty young, I can’t imagine a diet of boiled meats, liquor and cigarettes set to a backdrop of almost perpetual war would do me any good.
Hopefully I wouldn’t be one of them with an eyepatch, they were thick on the ground for a couple of decades. The ones with stumps were probably just industrial accidents. No respect.

[Frank Drebin]

Prey was....fine. Some good stuff in there but there was almost no depth to any of the characters. Really just wanted to see cool shit happen since I didn't care about anyone. Cool shit does indeed happen at least.

Lol @ her beating up multiple large men in hand to hand combat. Lol @ after all that, the Predators likely come in, destroy everyone and "reclaim" that stupid gun.

[Seanny One Ball]

Did you at any point get grossed out by the bodies of the men?

There was no muscle anywhere…

I felt victimised.

[Frank Drebin]

Nah. Didn't even notice. Maybe because I was spacing out whenever the Predator wasn't there.

[Seanny One Ball]

Watch it again and body shame the natives, it is what we exist for.

[Destor]

The Gray Man - 7/10

I put off watching this thinking Ryan Gosling, who's a great actor mind you, just didnt work as a lead in an action flick. Most times that would probably be right but the Russo Brothers put together a very good action film here.

Its not just Gosling thats good here though Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thorton and Julia Butters all have a pretty good showing here despite this not being an "actors movie." This film doesnt rely on characters or dialog as its an action film and its not ashamed of that.

That is of course with the exception of Chris Evans. His character is the only character in the film really but even still he's really excellent and his villian is up there with a lot of classic action villains. It should prove to be a very memorable role.

The action is very solid to good thoughout and the scenes are largely practical save a few key moments (one ill touch on in a bit.) The do a realy good job not over cutting and still keeping the pace up.

The plane scene however is a visual mess both from the CG and the cinematography. Really poor sequence. But the film makes up for it in big ways. The climactic fight is legitimately one of the best climaxes to an action film in at least 20 years.

All in all if you're in the mood for an action flick and youve got 2 hours give it a watch. It leans into tropes and it doesnt apologize for it.

[ClockShot]

Bullet Train - 3.25/5

Fun comedy action flick. Cameos galore. Some unnecessary.

[Destor]

Molly's Game - 9/10

Im struggling not giving this a 10. I tend to feel that a 10 is either a film that fundamentally changes the way you think or dramatically influences in a permanent way or it pushes a genre so far forward that everything that follows will have to take it into account in perpetuity and this i dont think reaches that height...but its as close to a 10 as a 9 could hope to be.

Aaron Sorkin has always been a writer the writes how i think. Fast and as precise as he can muster. As a director he's just as lean. There's not a second of this film that I'd say needed to be edited down.

Also Kevin Costner and Iris Elba give unforgettable performances. Outstanding film.

[Destor]

The Northman - 7/10

Fine revenge film. I had a good time. I find Anya-Taylor Joy mesmerizing. The film falters in the action. Particularly the larger scale scenes. Its well shot. Tons of great oners. The issue is the choreography itself. Stunt men waiting on their marks to be hit. Not put together very well.

Its solid though. Id watch it again after a few years for sure.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

I think that’s the most spot on review of the Northman I’ve read.

[OssMan]

Slumdog Millionaire

Good storytelling. Clever framing around the game show... the bollywood dance at the end was really stupid

[Lock Jaw]

No besmirching the musical number at the end please

[OssMan]

Palm Springs

Pretty good for a romm comm... Lonely Island guys have matured slightly. Very much a hulu movie

[rez]

Palm Springs

Pretty good for a romm comm... Lonely Island guys have matured slightly. Very much a hulu movie

It's a good go to drunk movie. I've probably watched it at least 10 times. Cast is ace

[Helmsphere]

Made my girlfriend watch Inside Out for the first time. I know all the sad parts are coming but I still got teary eye as fuck.

[Blonde Moment]

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
3.5/5

[Destor]

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission -7/10

The first 2 MHA films were generic and soulless. This marks the first good MHA film. The series is an easy 10 but the films have 5s at best. Its because of one central failure: the films have been typical shonen and MHA goes far far beyond Shonen.

Standard Shonen is most typically represented in franchises like Dragon Ball and One Piece. They portray heroism as power. Goku becomes a better hero, and saves the day, by finding new skills that allow him to overcome his adversaries by force.

MHA challenges the Shonen tropes at their core and instead says power is not what heroism is. It is instead more akin to reciprocity. Selflessness. Sacrifice. Determination. Compassion. Relentless desire to achieve a goal not for yourself or your loved ones but for all. Because. Simply because. Because right and wrong exist and so does good and evil and I've chosen a side.

This is illustrated in many ways throughout the run of the series but no more clearly than the iconic chracter All Might, the single best representation of a hero since Superman.

All Might is, like the name suggest, mighty. And beyond all. His powers are all brawn all the time. But that has nothing to do with what makes him the greatest Hero in over 7 decades. His herodom comes in the form of inspiration. Through his will and endless fighting spirit he inspires others to be better.

The previous films were Shonen. This film finally taps in the soul of what a MHA story is made of and for the first time delivers something that resembles the high notes of what is the best ongoing anime today and what will hopefully end up being the best "shonen" ever made.

Is it as good as the shows highs? No. Not at all. But it holds it's head high all the same.

The animation deserves criticism here though. Its an industry standard now by mapping traditionally animated 2D characters onto digital 3d background and it is excessively done here; several sequences are very ugly to look at. 2 scenes they digital camera work is particularly awful. The 2 in particular being some of the most difficult to follow sequences ive ever seen.

The action in these films always seems pointless because theyre noncanon and we know everyone established is safe leaving the fight scenes that arent integral to the climax feeling pointless at best.

All in all though i think this film has a ton of heart and the new character really had an outstanding arc, im very happy it finally released physically after nearly a year of waiting.

This feels like a perfect time to post my sig

[Helmsphere]

I was actually under the impression the mha movies were canon.

[Destor]

I was actually under the impression the mha movies were canon.they are but they arent. The 1st film is straight cannon and resolves a set up ep mid-season. The subsequent 2 films are self contained so it basically never happened.

In the 2nd film Baukkugo and Deku lose all memory of the events so the joining with one another so it has 0 value. The 3rd film happens mostly out of Japan and nothing about it adds to any greater arc or is left unresolved. So effectively it never happened.

And thats the deal. Even the 1st film beyond getting set up mid season, inside a single self contained ep that could easily be called filler and simply not watched, the films dont add anything.

They "happened" but since what happens doesnt matter they essentially never happened at all. Its cannon in name only.

[Destor]

And once we the audience recognize this we then know that at the end of the film everything will be left as we entered like a procedural anthology series so there's no tension in anything beyond the new characters. No characters are going to die for example. So the fights have no drama.

[Destor]

And tbh id prefer the films not be canonical. Just focus on where the drama does exist instead of "well we gotta shine up our main trio so lets get a B and C fight going to give them something to do."

[Destor]

Just give Todoroki and Baukkugo something interesting to do inside the central conflict instead of out of it. Even if its inside the central theming and not the central fight. Run your B and C fights but use them to explore the main theme as a juxtaposition. What they've repeatedly done is literally just throwaway fights void of any narrative. Fights for fights sake.

[Seanny One Ball]

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
3.5/5


My favourite box set

[drave]

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission -7/10

The first 2 MHA films were generic and soulless. This marks the first good MHA film. The series is an easy 10 but the films have 5s at best. Its because of one central failure: the films have been typical shonen and MHA goes far far beyond Shonen.

Standard Shonen is most typically represented in franchises like Dragon Ball and One Piece. They portray heroism as power. Goku becomes a better hero, and saves the day, by finding new skills that allow him to overcome his adversaries by force.

MHA challenges the Shonen tropes at their core and instead says power is not what heroism is. It is instead more akin to reciprocity. Selflessness. Sacrifice. Determination. Compassion. Relentless desire to achieve a goal not for yourself or your loved ones but for all. Because. Simply because. Because right and wrong exist and so does good and evil and I've chosen a side.

This is illustrated in many ways throughout the run of the series but no more clearly than the iconic chracter All Might, the single best representation of a hero since Superman.

All Might is, like the name suggest, mighty. And beyond all. His powers are all brawn all the time. But that has nothing to do with what makes him the greatest Hero in over 7 decades. His herodom comes in the form of inspiration. Through his will and endless fighting spirit he inspires others to be better.

The previous films were Shonen. This film finally taps in the soul of what a MHA story is made of and for the first time delivers something that resembles the high notes of what is the best ongoing anime today and what will hopefully end up being the best "shonen" ever made.

Is it as good as the shows highs? No. Not at all. But it holds it's head high all the same.

The animation deserves criticism here though. Its an industry standard now by mapping traditionally animated 2D characters onto digital 3d background and it is excessively done here; several sequences are very ugly to look at. 2 scenes they digital camera work is particularly awful. The 2 in particular being some of the most difficult to follow sequences ive ever seen.

The action in these films always seems pointless because theyre noncanon and we know everyone established is safe leaving the fight scenes that arent integral to the climax feeling pointless at best.

All in all though i think this film has a ton of heart and the new character really had an outstanding arc, im very happy it finally released physically after nearly a year of waiting.

This feels like a perfect time to post my sig




I definitely don't get into shows/movies to this level, but often enjoy reading your in-depth reviews.


This one is spot freakin on. I didn't understand the hype around "another anime show" until I started watching with my son. This is one of the best series I've watched in AGES. I've finished the series before my son did, hehe.



I was big into Ghost In The Shell and Stand Alone Complex (I know, low bar of entry, blah blah blah). Enjoyed the series MUCH more than the movies. The Laughing Man, The Individual Eleven and Hideo Kuze..... god damn those are some great stories.




Got sidetracked...... kinda wanna go watch SAC or 2nd Gig now.

[Destor]

I definitely don't get into shows/movies to this level, but often enjoy reading your in-depth reviews.


This one is spot freakin on. I didn't understand the hype around "another anime show" until I started watching with my son. This is one of the best series I've watched in AGES. I've finished the series before my son did, hehe.



I was big into Ghost In The Shell and Stand Alone Complex (I know, low bar of entry, blah blah blah). Enjoyed the series MUCH more than the movies. The Laughing Man, The Individual Eleven and Hideo Kuze..... god damn those are some great stories.




Got sidetracked...... kinda wanna go watch SAC or 2nd Gig now.its an amazing show. Its everything mythology is supposed to be.


And the low barrier shows are the place to start imo. Theyre popular for a reason.GitS is a classic.

[Blonde Moment]

My favourite box set

Looking to start the second one sometime today

[drave]

its an amazing show. Its everything mythology is supposed to be.


And the low barrier shows are the place to start imo. Theyre popular for a reason.GitS is a classic.


My senior year in high school a friend brought in a VHS of Ninja Scroll. I had never watched it nor knew anything about it.


My Econ teacher was truly a moron, and I'm not trying to be disparaging at all, she really was not "all there". FFS, we played a "stock market" game and she called Boeing, Boing. Like the god damn cartoon noise....




Anyway, she had no plans, so I popped that movie in and the whole class watched. The scrambling when the nudity hit was hilarious. The teacher tried to get to the tv, but of course we were all yelling and cheering and being teenage twats, so she couldn't.


I was lucky I didn't get suspended for showing "porn" to the entire class. If that shit happened in a class today, I don't wanna think about it...

[drave]

FUck yeah, memory unlocked!!




Violence Jack. I remember my local Blockbuster (lmfao) started getting a small anime section. I rented all of the Violence Jack ones they had and holy shit batman.......




Vampire Hunter D - I remember that one too, now.

[Seanny One Ball]

You are an odd wee fella

[drave]

A'thank you.


Took me a while to get here, and I'm not interested in having a shrink undo all my hard work.

[Destor]

Last Night in Soho - 7/10

I always struggle to rate films im mixed on. I'll start with praise cause there's a fair amount to appreciate

Immediately this film is visually striking. It has a clear voice and it grabs you in the first few frames. You're able to feel like youre in good hands and it really lets relax and go on this journey. and the 1st act has some great visual effects and some wildly complex practical effects thats are just super interesting to look at.

Casting is excellent. Thomasin McKenzie id had only seen in JoJo Rabbit but she was outstanding there and she is here too. Anya-Taylor Joy is sex personified and leans into it in a way that allows her to command every scene she has.

I'll try and be vague about the plot here because this does live and die on the plot and the less you know the better. I'll say that it unravels its mystery in a way thats very satisfying.

Unfortunately the plot is incredibly discordant. Tonally its 3 films and they blend pretty poorly where they butt up against one another. That said once the "new" film gets momentum they do manage to get you back but id be lying if i said it didnt take me out of the film multiple times with these hard pivots.

at its core this is a #metoo horror film. But its for the most part feminism done correctly. The film doesnt stop, stare into the camera, and lecture the audience. It does it through a fair ammount of subtext.

The film, in my opinion, bravely acknowledges the culpability in the heroin. It doesnt pretend that she wasnt trading on dreams but it also doesnt excuse the benefactors of the transaction either. Thats a tight rope to walk.

Where i think it fails is does excuse our villain at the end and goes as far as to approve and thats just a bridge too far. However it does get some things right. Not every woman in this picture is a saint. Some are out right monsters. And not every man is a predator. Some have genuine and honest intentions. This messaging is paramount.

You also have some brilliant moments where the protagonist is being haunted by these male spectors. But we the audience see that these are normal people and in some cases men we know to be good. This is important. Its her paranoia that "all men are evil" that blinds her to the truth. Its not all men. Its specific men. There are monsters but it shouldnt damn us all.

Its moments like that that separates this film from what has become bog standard hollywood lecturing. The film addresses the complexity and danger present by going too far in BOTH directions and that makes for a film that feels like its taking the topic seriously.

But as stated in the end theres a value judgement cast that goes too far when the plot is taken on the surface level. The reality could have been a horrible person born from the actions of horrible people and i think that would have rang more true.
Ultimately i think the film is a visual treat and should probably been seen just for the sake of SEEING it. These mirror effects are mostly practical and theyre wild technically and the rest is just icing on the cake.

[Destor]

Ikiru (1952) -10/10

I've always enjoyed Akira Kurosawa and was falsely under the impression that he only made samurai films. I come to find out he made contemporary dramas as well. This was the highest recommended one so I watched it first...and it's one of the best films I've ever seen.

A scathing critique of bureaucracy and a deep look at the meaning of life. A man stares forward toward his death and looks back at his life and sees nothing in both directions. There is a millennia of wisdom baked into this film and I think the world would be better if everyone had seen this film. Beautifully acted and well written. Easily a masterwork.

[Destor]

Lolita (1962) - 9/10

Very racey film for the peroid. It remains visually striking like all of Kubricks work. He frames his shots like theyre paintings making even the dullest scene interesting, not that any of these scenes are dull.

In a lot of ways this film is echoed later with Eyes Wide Shut but in obviously very different ways. The subject matter is more taboo today than then and it was way very taboo then. Kubrick is fearless though and goes headlong into a tale about sexual obsession with a minor and in this film there are no winners save the audience.

[Destor]

Best quote from the film:

Wife: "Oh honey when you touch me i go as limp as a noddle"

Husband: "...yes dear i know the feeling"

[Seanny One Ball]

I prefer the sexy 90’s version

[Destor]

I might check it out someday but i cant imagine Adrian Lyne making a better picture

[drave]

All this talk about Kubrick makes me wanna go re-watch A Clockwork Orange again.


Love that film. Didn't quite get it all when I first watched it (was young, really young) but watched it many MANY times again.


Favorite scene is when they break into the house with the exercise obsessed lady and Alex (Malcom McDowell) starts hitting the giant cock. That entire scenario is fantastic. I really shouldn't laugh, but it was too funny.

[Destor]

There's a bit of misdirection in that film i really appreciate. Near the top of the film the gang comes on another gang about to rape a girl and they run them off. There's this moment where the audience can think "these guys are thugs but have a moral code." Only within 30 min to have them show that no there is no line. It makes the home invasion scene have a a sense of betrayal on top of the violent horror.

[drave]

I'm a bad person :(

[Destor]

Oh for sure. The worst.

[Destor]

:lol:

[Destor]

Saving Private Ryan - 8/10

The storming of Omaha would be the best war sequence ever filmed to this day if theyd never made 1917. Of course i wouldnt judge a film against what was made after it im simply saying its really a cut above. At that point there's nothing put to film thats better.

Like that opening battle the film takes all the romance out of the picture and replaces it with sorrow and fear but it manages not to lose heroism which would have been very easy to do. Fear is a theme throughout the film even in a character who's central arc is hus own cowardice and boldly he doesnt overcome it at all. Instead it costs him his humanity in some ways; the war leaving him less honorable than it found him.

The thing that impressed me the most with the picture is the casting though. The secondary and tertiary roles are littered with talent but they arent what youd expect to find in a war film. This cast seems like the people you would find in any neighborhood anywhere in America. Theyre normal people who've been burdened with mountainous task. There are tough guys about but they remain human and not charactature.

Where does it rank among Spielberg's best work? Hard to say. Close Encounters, Jaws, Indiana Jones, ET, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List. These films are known to basically everyone. Saving Private Ryan belongs in their tier i think without question. Whati think i can say is was his last truly great film up to this point. He's made good films since. Catch Me if You Can for instance but nothing thats on this level of excellence.

Will he ever again? Time will tell.

[Lock Jaw]

Bullet Train - 9/10

Ridiculously fun and entertaining...

[Destor]

Im looking forward to that coming out on bluray

[drave]

Saving Private Ryan - 8/10

The storming of Omaha would be the best war sequence ever filmed to this day if theyd never made 1917. Of course i wouldnt judge a film against what was made after it im simply saying its really a cut above. At that point there's nothing put to film thats better.

Like that opening battle the film takes all the romance out of the picture and replaces it with sorrow and fear but it manages not to lose heroism which would have been very easy to do. Fear is a theme throughout the film even in a character who's central arc is hus own cowardice and boldly he doesnt overcome it at all. Instead it costs him his humanity in some ways; the war leaving him less honorable than it found him.

The thing that impressed me the most with the picture is the casting though. The secondary and tertiary roles are littered with talent but they arent what youd expect to find in a war film. This cast seems like the people you would find in any neighborhood anywhere in America. Theyre normal people who've been burdened with mountainous task. There are tough guys about but they remain human and not charactature.

Where does it rank among Spielberg's best work? Hard to say. Close Encounters, Jaws, Indiana Jones, ET, Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List. These films are known to basically everyone. Saving Private Ryan belongs in their tier i think without question. Whati think i can say is was his last truly great film up to this point. He's made good films since. Catch Me if You Can for instance but nothing thats on this level of excellence.

Will he ever again? Time will tell.




I will watch this film every single chance I get. Amazing. This is the first film I played when I got my Atmos system and FOOOOOOOOOOOK.

[Helmsphere]

Wreck it Ralph: 8/10

Took off one whole point because while tolorable in this, I could still tell it was Sarah Silverman.

[OssMan]

Nope

Good... very "visually striking"... didnt totally understand everything that was going on... lots of little funny stuff... good...

[OssMan]

Lolita (1962) - 9/10

Very racey film for the peroid. It remains visually striking like all of Kubricks work. He frames his shots like theyre paintings making even the dullest scene interesting, not that any of these scenes are dull.

In a lot of ways this film is echoed later with Eyes Wide Shut but in obviously very different ways. The subject matter is more taboo today than then and it was way very taboo then. Kubrick is fearless though and goes headlong into a tale about sexual obsession with a minor and in this film there are no winners save the audience.

Cant imagine watching this, I read the book and despite it being fantastically written and engrossing it was thoroughly disgusting and i feel like what made the book so good was all the little details that get stripped away in film adaptations. I just watched Anna Karenina after reading it and the same thing happened there, these russian guys specialize in that stuff and the hollywood treatment just changes the focus of the work as a whole. I get that if you go into a film adaptation of the book looking for the same experience or w/e youre gonna be disappointed but that combined with the subject matter just yeah don't want to go near that

[Destor]

I think avoiding that is what makes the Kubrick film work. Its all very understated but clearly there and if you've read the book it adds a richness to what goes unsaid

[Lock Jaw]

Elvis - 8.5/10

Enjoyed it.... sad

[drave]

if it doesn't end with him on the shitter, then 0/10.

[Destor]

Being the Ricardos - 7/10

I expected to hate this. Ive never found Kidman particularly convincing and with her as the lead i didnt have much to rest my hat on. She doesnt light up the stage but she doesnt get in the way of the picture.

Kidman aside i love Sorkins writing so i watching this was inevitable i suppose. Its good. Not his best but its good. Communism is at the core of the plot and knowing Sorkins politics i expected a very different picture than the one i got.

The 1st 2 acts i was getting what i expected. Subtly telling us communism isnt so bad. Lucy repeatedly justifying it with "i support workers." But the film wasnt lecturing me. The focus was on how the accusations affected them not the politics itself. I can respect that.

The 3rd act however surprised me. Desi, American military veteran and communist survivor, set her straight. Unapologetically and with no rebuttal there or later in the film. In 2021 in a Hollywood picture he openly and unequivocally condemns communism. I didnt know Sorkin had it in him. Its a brief exchange, it doesnt grand stand or brow beat the audience, but its there. I appreciated that.

Sorkin does have a knack in his dialog to organically weave conversation with politics in human way and thats present here in the A plot.

The B plot is odd and a bit disjointed. All the tension is in the A plot. Cutting away to the B plot, which is focused on the couples young love in the form of flash backs, often sees the films pace come to a hault. These scenes arent bad and theyre integral to the climax but it does feel out of place, even though savy movie goers know this will boomerang around.

There's also the issue with the timeline of the climax of the film not matching the inquisition..but whatever.

Still i think the film works even with the glaring issue. Largely thanks to how good the cast is. Jarvier Bardem, while not a career high, is excellent here and his singing voice is alarmingly good. JK Simmons steals every single scene he's in. I could go on.

All in all its not a bad picture or a bad script. Its solid. If you're interested in the premise i think give it a watch. Its the freshest take on McCarthyism since the 60s...mostly because its been the exact same take from Hollywood since the 60s but still. If you like Sorkin give it a go. If not give it a pass.

[Lock Jaw]

Top Gun: 6.5/10

Was ok I guess.

[Destor]

Trying to watch morbius for the 2nd night in a row. Bet i fall asleep again

[Destor]

Well there's always tonight i guess

[Destor]

Welli finally managed it


Morbius - 3/10

Talk about a shit show. I leave the film feeling very bad for its actors. Its not their fault. This script has nothing for them to do. How they didnt know that going into this is beyond me but here we are all the same. Matt Smith and Jared Harris have the only decent scene in the film but sticking two A+ actors alone in a room and theyre bound to get something interesting out of it. Fortunately for them no ones seen them in this film so their shame should go largely unnoticed.

The film is rushed. There's a saying, for decades, that American films dont have a 3rd act. Generally i think this is pretty true. Especially with popcorn films. Act 1 set up the characters. Act 2 peak the conflict. Act 3 reverse everything we did in act 2. Credits.

By that logic this film doesnt have acts. Its an exercise in reaching an end state. There isnt a narrative developing instead its a race to a finish line where this character can exist in a larger pool.

Our hero's journey is purely to defeat the villain. The villains motivation is crush kill destroy. A better A plot would have been dealing withhis hunger and searching for a sustainable solution. It would give us something to rally along side Morbius and would make his actions herioc. Saving people from himself. The villain can be the B plot. A foil in his efforts.

Instead its visually uninteresting action with powers randomly occuring with no set up so the audience doesnt feel anything when these McGuffins fortuitously arrive.

It's writing at its laziest. That's so because this film was never seriously contemplated. Instead they focused on a finish line they were never going to cross.

[Destor]

Apocalypse Now (Theatrical Cut) - 9/10

I'd seen Redux...and hated it. This however is a film the deserves the reputation. That said its hard to write a review for it since ive seen a version of it. No clue why edited the film again to make that truly terrible Redux version but...they did. Ive spent decades thinking that it was me and i just didnt click with the film. Nope. Its that cut.

I dont think, even with this superior version, in the final analysis that this is the definitive Vietnam picture. I think that's Full Metal Jacket. I say that having not seen Platoon though (I did purchase Platoon and ill be watching it in the next week or so. I want to give some air between these two.)

Watching this film i was thinking on the American War Film Oeuvre in a broad sense while watching this though. The WW2 pictures of the 40s-60s were hero flicks. Good vs bad. Essentially cowboy films.

Juxtapose them with Nam films. There's no hero.no morality. This is the American psyche struggling to admit something. Something darker than the films even allow for. The films want to have a post moralist tilt. I find that dishonest on some level. We were the villain.

The nam films never go that far of course. They cant. The customers fought there, their loved ones died there. There isnt an audience for that film...if the filmmaker even allows themselves to consider the thought let alone accept it.

But it is there underneath it all. Struggle its way to the surface of their minds. These films trend dark, this one literally devolves into a horror picture at the top of the third act. Theyre dark reflections we're struggling to cope with.

Id like to see an honest film on the modern wars. I envision an impressionist film showing them as procedural and disassociated. Wars conducted with automaton like actions. Lifeless and sterile. Gone is the passionate sound track of nam. The roaring heroism of ww2. A transactional presentation. Like a bloody walgreens receipt.

In any event this film definitely has a role in the great American film catalog without question. Im glad i finally gave it a go. After seeing Redux and now seeing this isa great testament, retroactively, to how paramount editors truly are.

[Seanny One Ball]

Platoon is a quality Vietnam war film, possibly the best. It is undeniably the best thing Oliver Stone ever did.

[Destor]

I have a big hard on for Natural Born Killers

[Seanny One Ball]

I don’t.

[drave]

Apocalypse Now (Theatrical Cut) - 9/10

I'd seen Redux...and hated it. This however is a film the deserves the reputation. That said its hard to write a review for it since ive seen a version of it. No clue why edited the film again to make that truly terrible Redux version but...they did. Ive spent decades thinking that it was me and i just didnt click with the film. Nope. Its that cut.

I dont think, even with this superior version, in the final analysis that this is the definitive Vietnam picture. I think that's Full Metal Jacket. I say that having not seen Platoon though (I did purchase Platoon and ill be watching it in the next week or so. I want to give some air between these two.)

Watching this film i was thinking on the American War Film Oeuvre in a broad sense while watching this though. The WW2 pictures of the 40s-60s were hero flicks. Good vs bad. Essentially cowboy films.

Juxtapose them with Nam films. There's no hero.no morality. This is the American psyche struggling to admit something. Something darker than the films even allow for. The films want to have a post moralist tilt. I find that dishonest on some level. We were the villain.

The nam films never go that far of course. They cant. The customers fought there, their loved ones died there. There isnt an audience for that film...if the filmmaker even allows themselves to consider the thought let alone accept it.

But it is there underneath it all. Struggle its way to the surface of their minds. These films trend dark, this one literally devolves into a horror picture at the top of the third act. Theyre dark reflections we're struggling to cope with.

Id like to see an honest film on the modern wars. I envision an impressionist film showing them as procedural and disassociated. Wars conducted with automaton like actions. Lifeless and sterile. Gone is the passionate sound track of nam. The roaring heroism of ww2. A transactional presentation. Like a bloody walgreens receipt.

In any event this film definitely has a role in the great American film catalog without question. Im glad i finally gave it a go. After seeing Redux and now seeing this isa great testament, retroactively, to how paramount editors truly are.




This really is a fucking masterpiece. Freshman year of college, we watched this, and also read Heart of Darkness. We did a "deep dive" on comparing and contrasting, as well as the shit Conrad took for the way he wrote the book. Helluva story, very interesting take on the mental effects horror and atrocities can have on man.


The book is good too, if you've not read it.

[drave]

Platoon is also very good, but is a different type of movie than this one. Personal ranking would be:


1) FMJ
2) Apocalypse Now
3) Good Morning Vietnam

4) Platoon

[Destor]

I do love GMV. Different kind of film obviously

[Seanny One Ball]

Casualties Of War is underrated, Hamburger Hill too. Brian De Palma once was a good director as well as an angry raconteur…now it’s just all anger. Redacted was a real nasty piece of work, even though it was supposed to be, it still went too far and had almost no artistic value.

Somebody should do a film about any of the numerous massacres in Vietnam, no single film shows that farce up quite as fully as it should be.
So many rapes and murders…

[Destor]

It comes down to who would finance that picture and how would they make their money back. War films are rarely cheap. They basically an action period piece. And now most of the antiwar people are dead...but i do strongly agree with you.

[Destor]

In the Company of Men (1997) - 8/10

Film takes the romcom trope of 2 guys bet on a girl and twists it. Here they both intend to woo her simultaneously and then break her heart as a vengeance on the female race. As an added bonus theyre both bastards. Chiefly Aaron Eckharts character. They pick a lonely deaf girl and the plot goes from there.

Good script with a lot of clever lines and a complete lack of fear allowing for our co-leads to unspeakably horrid people and letting us explore that space.

One of the things i found particularly intriguing is the lack of female characters. There are only 2 female roles and 1 is a minor chracter. Effectively for the films runtime there's 1. So the film is purely from the perspective of these vile men.

Which it should be noted that Stacy Edwards in incredibly effective and this film wouldn't work without her.

Smart premise, well crafted dialogue, and well acted. This is a very good film with a razor sharp edge.

[Destor]

And id like to point out that at no point does anyone turn to the audience and start moralizing.

[Destor]

Rashomon (1950) - 10/10

I think im a believer i Kurwasawa. I watched Seven Samuri last night/this morning (went to bed at intermission.) Great film but i wanted to see how it stacked up against his non action films. Seven Samuri is a great action. Its the kind of film ive seen from Kurwasawa in the past. Rashomon, while set in the same period, is a psychological thriller about truth and perspective.

These more serious films, even though Seven Samuri does have a serious point to make, are much much better.

This film centers around a man who finds a body in the woods and the trial that follows. Turns out a bandit came across a man and wife in the woods, fell upon them and raped the woman. The film plays out through flash backs of 4 first hand accounts of the same crime.

What's so good is all 4 accounts weigh emotional truth vs factual truth. And while all 4 accounts are lies they paint the hearts and egos of the tellers. In the end we dont have a clear picture of the truth. We have a clear picture of how each person felt and sometimes thats all we get.

Outstanding film.

[Destor]

Biutiful (2011) - 7/10

Death is a topic that haunts me to some degree. Maybe as much as it does everyone and maybe more. Who's to say. When i read the description of this film i was drawn to it immediately.

Javier Bardem is the lead here. Street criminal who sells knock off merchandise. His life is a shit show. Estranged drug addict possibly prostitute wife. No family save a brother who is fucking said possible whore wife. Javier has custody of the kids. And he just found out he has cancer with months left to live.

Its serendipitous timing that i watch this having just watched (the masterpiece) Ikiru as there are some interesting parallels. The film ultimately deals with the struggles of death at an existential level but it does it while never talking about it. Instead we get a performance by Bardem that is told often silently. And it is very much an actors film. His film.

If you like Bardems work and this kind of macabre exploration is up your alley its worth a watch. It has a lot to say with out saying it and i very much think its worth hearing. Though i would say its worth watching the superior Ikiru first as this serves as a continuation of the topic in many ways and I'd wager that was intentional.

[Destor]

The Man Who Wasn't There - 8/10

About to do a double feature and for "the diaries" sake i wanted to joty thoughts while they were fresh but dont, sadly, have time to go into detail.

Possibly a top 3 film for the Coen Brothers. No country for old men, imo, is above contestation as their best picture. After that would be, in some order, Fargo, O Brother Where Art Thou or this.

Juggernaut casting. Amazing visuals. Superb writing. If i didnt have someone waiting on me id write an essay on how good this picture is.

[Destor]

Platoon- 5/10

There are somethings this film does very very well. Theres an eye for details that truly come from first hand experiences. Ants crawling up their clothes, heat strokes, snakes, leeches. These mundane parts of life in this foreign land. These moments the film feels genuine and authentic. These moments, however, are superficial. Very little else feels genuine or authentic. For a film thats a first hand account, dramatized of course, this film rarely rings true.

This feels as authentic as Predator or any of the Rambo sequels. And i think for that reason its not remembered in the same breathe as the great war film of this or any era.

Willam Dafoe is superb. There's many roles i could point to that established him as a top 50 actor and while this wouldnt rank among his very best he's still far and away the apex of the film.

Compare his performance to the lead, Charlie Sheen, who is as vapid here as he is in Major Leagues. Inauthentic. Uninspired. His lifeless voice overs wax poetic but are void of any real insights.

And thats the film as a whole. Insipid.

And how this won best editing is beyong me. Its completely disjointed.

Its not a terrible film, few major Hollywood films are less than 4s for example. Watch some truly bad art films and your standards for what a bad film is will quickly change... but it isnt a good one either.

It ranks nearly at the absolute bottom of all "classic" war films and I'll say, off the top of my head, its the worst film to win best picture that ive seen. It's a high budget B list 80s action film with an over-inflated sense of artistry.

[drave]

Feel like Platoon was just "Big Hollywood" jumping on the trend of war movies and fucking it up, kinda like today's MAJOR ACTION MOVIE START CONGLOMERATE MOVIE FILM!!!

[Destor]

I think it was critically acclaimed because since Stone was a veteran and since Stones film said everything the critics said about the war from the outside looking in that it validated their opinions. So instead of judging on the merits of the film they judged by the merits of their own egos.

[drave]

Well said.

[drave]

It got the whole "video game" treatment too. The game was worse than the film.

[Seanny One Ball]

Charlie Sheen is out of his league between Dafoe and Berenger in Platoon. Even the supporting actors regularly lead him as performers, but that’s the whole point really. Charlie Sheen is supposed to look out of his depth and outclassed at every turn. Sadly he literally is in terms of acting quality and that’s where Destor gets it spot on.
That was an excellent review but I disagree with the rating, though I fully understand your position on it.

[Seanny One Ball]

Tried to watch the Rob Zombie “Munsters” and it made me feel ill.
Seasick specifically.

It’s totally bad.
It is not The Munsters.

[Seanny One Ball]

The colours are insane…the set design and outfits are fucking bonkers too but at least in black and white they would have looked fantastic.

Rob Zombie is a franchise destroyer.
He cannot be trusted with beloved old media.
He ruins it.

[Seanny One Ball]

Rashomon (1950) - 10/10

I think im a believer i Kurwasawa. I watched Seven Samuri last night/this morning (went to bed at intermission.) Great film but i wanted to see how it stacked up against his non action films. Seven Samuri is a great action. Its the kind of film ive seen from Kurwasawa in the past. Rashomon, while set in the same period, is a psychological thriller about truth and perspective.

These more serious films, even though Seven Samuri does have a serious point to make, are much much better.

This film centers around a man who finds a body in the woods and the trial that follows. Turns out a bandit came across a man and wife in the woods, fell upon them and raped the woman. The film plays out through flash backs of 4 first hand accounts of the same crime.

What's so good is all 4 accounts weigh emotional truth vs factual truth. And while all 4 accounts are lies they paint the hearts and egos of the tellers. In the end we dont have a clear picture of the truth. We have a clear picture of how each person felt and sometimes thats all we get.

Outstanding film.


Watch the Paul Newman version please.
It’s obviously not as good but the performance is arguably better.
It’s the darkest Paul Newman film besides Hombre.

[Destor]

Charlie Sheen is out of his league between Dafoe and Berenger in Platoon. Even the supporting actors regularly lead him as performers, but that’s the whole point really. Charlie Sheen is supposed to look out of his depth and outclassed at every turn. Sadly he literally is in terms of acting quality and that’s where Destor gets it spot on.
That was an excellent review but I disagree with the rating, though I fully understand your position on it.
The i think on it the less credible i find it. Sheenis the stand in for Stone himself. The sheen character finds his CO to be a scum bag of the highest order and kills him for it. How much of that is Stone thought his CO was a dick so he wrote a script where his CO was a monster of the highest order and then finally gets his win by killing him on the page? The whole thing feels weirdly dishonest and that was the opposite of what i expected from it.

[Destor]

Same title?

[Helmsphere]

Orphan: First Kill: 7.5/10

The first one hit us with a huge plot twist, second one hits because they they put her with a family just as eff up as her.

I haven't hated Julia Stiles this much since cheating on Bradley Cooper in Silver Lining Playbook, I mean Jesus I'm straight and I would polish prime Bradley Cooper off.

[Lock Jaw]

RRR - 9/10

Pretty epic.... pretty long but didn't feel it.

[Lock Jaw]

Top Gun: Maverick - 8.5/10

If it had more singing/dancing interludes it could have been 9/10 like RRR.

[Destor]

You have my attention

[Destor]

Hidden Fortress (1958) - 8/10

The film doesnt have as much to say as the deeper films in the Kurwasawa catalog but its not voiceless. Visually its very interesting. The framing is perfect nearly always. Thats been a big treat for me watching his films the last month or so is this lost art of wide shots not overly edited.

Another common strand is his use of perspective. Most of his films toys with it in some fashion. With Rashomon its the central narrative and with Ikiru its through multiple perspectives that the third act is laid out. Yojimbo and Sanjuro both use it in similar ways. Yojimbo allows you to piece together the towns politics through infiltration of both sides. Sanjuro twists that slightly but its very similar in concept. With Hidden Fortress we have a zeppo story that has us follow characters that the story isnt about.

That said this is up there for me with Seven Samurai and Yojimbo/Sanjuro. It doesnt break through the bar set by his more serious pictures but its still outstanding and worth seeing for anyone who loves the medium of film.

[rez]

Sissy on Shudder. I'm probably the only one with a sub for it but I'll give it a 6.5/10

Very trippy movie... very different to see the social commentary it brought.

Mental health, murder, and LGBT can be bullies, too.

etc.

[rez]

Sissy on Shudder. I'm probably the only one with a sub for it but I'll give it a 6.5/10

Very trippy movie... very different to see the social commentary it brought.

Mental health, murder, and LGBT can be bullies, too.

etc.

It isn't a conservative movie if that's what I'm describing it as. It's just what a modern movie should be like with out all the politics. Horror is always pretty progressive.

[Lock Jaw]

DC League of Superpets - 4/10

Not sure why/how this exists.... but it could have been a lot of fun. It was not.

[Destor]

Saló Or: 120 Days of Sodom (1975) - NR

A different kind of horror film. A film that uses a paper thin allegory to paint a truly hideous vision of fascism. Reasonably considered pornographic the film pushes every boundary possible to illustrate its rage against the social order in a way that only a post ww2 Italy could. The film essentially is the famous Aristocrats joke but played with out the laugh track.

What leaves me unable to rate the film is i truly dont know how to fee about it. Its message is illuminated clearly for anyone with a brain in their heads but its so incredibly difficult to view. To that end there was an entire sequence i literally couldnt watch and nearly got sick with just the implication of it. I cant fault the film because it's doing exactly what it aimed to do. To make me uncomfortable. The film unquestionably highlights how the writer was made to feel using the most profane metaphors possible. But i cant view it. And since i cant i cant rate it.

It is excellent. It is horrific. It will stick with me.

[Seanny One Ball]

It’s definitely not excellent. If you want excellence you skip to the wedding night rape-fisting scene in Caligula.

[Destor]

Strongly disagree but i wont debate it. I can see the contention.

[Seanny One Ball]

I dislike it for aesthetic, not moral reasons.

Where was the joy?

[Destor]

There is none and if thats the metric you're seeking you wont find it in Salo. And i respect that desire. Im a seeker of truth and i think there's a lot here.

[Seanny One Ball]

All of that debauchery and not one sadist matched up with a masochist?

They ate shit together!

[Seanny One Ball]

I think we can both agree that it’s an impossible wank

[Destor]

A Serious Man (2009)- 6/10

Im rating this lower because thats my grasp on a first viewing. I think the film is much better but its so deliberately steeped in jewish culture that there's a complete aspect of the film i dont have a handle on. I dont think it makes the film bad it makes my take on the film bad. It isnt intended for me, presently at least.

Ultimately this is a Job story. And on that level i get it fairly plainly. As i type this im still working out things so this might get very convoluted. The symbolism is where i think a lot of the depth is. The protagonist is a mathematician. Which is a person who understands things and minutiae of them.

The first time we meet him he's doing a lecture explaining Schrodinger's equation. A student fails the midderm on the topic and says to the extent "i understood the cat its the math i dont get." To which the protag replies "its about the math no one understands the cat." He understands the how but the metaphysical is lost on him. This scene is the film laid bare i think. Inside this scene he also lays out his moral paradigm which he will later betray.

There's also the trips to the Rabbis and i think both of them give us the morals truth as well. The protag is flummoxed by their responses. Finds them completely useless and the audience does too. The first tells him to look for God in the mundane. To appreciate it him through the eyes of an alien. The second tells a, long winded and highly entertaining, story about a dentist. At the end the protag asks what was the point of the story. The rabbi is befuddled by the inquiry and shruggingly says "doing good couldnt hurt?" As if he'd genuinely never considered there was a point in the first place.

So when we arrive at the climax and the protag, in an attempt to climb out the ever deepening hole life is digging for him, betrays his morals it brings the truest wrath. The point is the same here as it is in Job. Do good for goodness sake; not for reward. This film then says and dont do evil; or else.

And in that:

A Serious Man (2009) - 7/10

[drave]

Haven't seen it, but apparently one of the lead actors is upset that Bro's didn't do so well.


Naturally, it's because "straight people didn't show up."




Question though......


With the gay community being "one of the marginalized" communities, do said communities automagically expect those "on the outside" to give them attention because they yell for it or???


I don't mean this in a bad spirited kinda way..... but like, maybe if the movie was humorous in a funny way and not just "stereotypical gay jokes" it would be better??


Also heard poo poo'ing on the side of the dude trying to say it was 'historic" for a gay movie...... but like....


The Birdcage?
To Wong Fu: Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar?




there's more, but both of those movies are fucking outstanding.


The "outrage" from the dude and saying "the straight people didn't come to see" just....



YOU'RE NOT FUCKING FUNNY K?

[Seanny One Ball]

I’m not watching films about men ass fucking

[drave]

mmhmm. apparently we're part of the problem?

[Seanny One Ball]

I’d watch two women doing it, I’m broad minded like that.

I just think if you watch a couple of gay guys for too long you start to smell cum everywhere. Like when you walk your dog through an area with linden trees.

[rez]

I’m not watching films about men ass fucking

When life imitates art

[Blonde Moment]

Temptation perhaps?

[Destor]

Ed Wood - 4/10


Fine? As far as achieving an aesthetic vision the film meets its goals both visually and in the performances but it just doesnt do anything. None of the characters achieve a meaningful arc and most dont have any arc to speak of. Its not bad its just... a bread sandwich. Looks nice enough at a glance until you realize there's nothing in it.

[Sepholio]

Sissy on Shudder. I'm probably the only one with a sub for it but I'll give it a 6.5/10

Very trippy movie... very different to see the social commentary it brought.

Mental health, murder, and LGBT can be bullies, too.

etc.

Man I've been thinking about at least getting a sub to shudder for a little while for like 3 years just to see Blood Machines lol

[Sepholio]

I think the same guy upset over Bros (I might be wrong cuz I suddenly cannot remember the name, but he was a main role in Bros) not doing well went off about how it's not right for Brendan Fraser to be in The Whale because he's straight and not fat and they could have gotten a fat gay guy to play the role better.....

I think he just walked into a trap of backlash he isn't ready for with that one.

[Sepholio]

Guy Branum is the dude I'm talking about upset at Brendan. Think he's the same one drave referenced.

[Sepholio]

Screw it, starting a new tradition of signing up for Shudder in October every year. Blood Machines it is.

[Destor]

The Master (2012) - 8/10

This film is incredibly deep and is a film I'll inevitably peel layers off over repeated viewings over my lifetime. In one viewing I'm completely incapable of sussing out its deeper meaning. There is one there but its out of my grasp. As that process goes on this could easily, and likely, be much better than an 8.

Ill focus on what its obtainable. There are few finer films for actors to act. Jaiquin Pheonix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Rami Malek and Jesse Plemmons. Really talent all. Pheonix Hoffman and Adams all have the most room to move around in and they all deliver in big ways.

The film is beautifully shot. One scene i found particularly striking was a scene in a jail cell. Shot is slightly angled in just a way we cant see as much as we want and just far enough away creating this voyeuristic visual tension where we feel like we're eavesdropping all the while eagerly wanting to overhear more. The film is full of these kinds of moments where the camera is used in a way that adds a lot to the scenes.

The surface level plot is very interesting with L Ron Hubbard derivative and in that role Haffman is as compelling as it gets. The relationship between Pheonix and Haffmans characters is dynamic and compelling and think on a metaphorical level they might be the same person, but again im no where near able to really analyze it deeply at all.

Strong film. I wish i could go deeper with it but i dont think its meant to be digested in one sitting, and at the very least i wasnt able to do it.

[Destor]

I think the same guy upset over Bros (I might be wrong cuz I suddenly cannot remember the name, but he was a main role in Bros) not doing well went off about how it's not right for Brendan Fraser to be in The Whale because he's straight and not fat and they could have gotten a fat gay guy to play the role better.....

I think he just walked into a trap of backlash he isn't ready for with that one.
Actors acting like things they arent??? HATE CRIME

[Destor]

wonderwoman taught me women can rape and its ok

Only if they are hot though

There isn't rape in WW84, that'a dumb argument I keep seeing pop up.

Two characters slept next to each other in a bed, there wasn't a sex scene.

if you actually think that youre an idiot

if two characters kiss and the camera pans up and the next scene theyre naked in bed thats what we called an implied sex scene and has existed in film for about 100 years
I think about this string of posts sometimes

[Lock Jaw]

slik demands to see the penetration

[Destor]

I would watch that movie

[poopfromweiner dude]

My orientation is ambiguous but I intend on seeing Bros in theater next week,,,love that guy,,bill from the street. Y’all ever watch

[poopfromweiner dude]

I saw Barbarian also a few week ago and it was bad???

Okay I guess it was “okayish”, horror is my 2nd least favorite genre only ahead of “stupid ass comic book movies”

I guess there were some parts I liked though

If I were that chick I would have totally hooked up with Keith after he waited to open the wine bottle

[drave]

I kinda wanna see Amsterdam

[Seanny One Ball]

I’ll fuck a guy for the hot spot on Netflix two weeks running.

Final Offer.

[Fignuts]

Hellraiser (2022) - 8/10

What a great return to form for the series. This is OG hellraiser through and through, and they don't shy away from any of the gore the series is known for.

First act is a little slow to get in, but once it picked up I was all in. Theres no replacing Doug Bradley's Pinhead, so it's good that they don't really try, and instead offer a different take on the character. The actress lacks the presence and gravitas of Bradley, but she's creepy and disturbing, and still has her own unique aura of hellish nobility.

Mind you I have a very heavy bias towards horror dealing with hell, demons, and cosmic horror, so a more meticulous veiwer might find more issue with it. But I would put this second only to the original 87 film.

[Seanny One Ball]

Bullet Train was solid as fuck, a great comedy.

Slik have you seen “Deadstream” yet?
Get on it if you have not.

[Destor]

The Bidges of Madison County - 8/10


Ive spent a large portion of my life as drifter you could say. This film brought a lot of memories to light. The particulars struck me in a way thats probably pretty unique. In the abstract though this idea that there was one moment we have and once that moment is gone its gone forever really rings true. Outside of Eastwoods famously weird kissing its phenomenal and Streep is just as great.

[Fignuts]

X- 7/10

Great homage to 70's style slashers. Some really great shots, and fun foreshadowing.

Probably would rate it higher if I was really into slashers, but I've always preferred supernatural horror.

[Seanny One Ball]

Psychological horror is the best

[Destor]

High and Low (1963) - 9/10


Kurwasawa man. The insight into the human condition. Timeless. Film explores classes and how status effects perspective. If i werent so tired id say more but its a must see for anyone who loves film.

[Splaya]

Not really a movie but a documentary

Trainwreck: The story of Woodstock 99.

Just floored by the story and everything that happened during it.

[Seanny One Ball]

I’m holding off on that one. It feels like that should be a Dark Side Of The 90’s episode.

[Lock Jaw]

Dumbo (Tim Burton) - 8/10

Was an enjoyable kids movie.... a lot more plot and story than the original Dumbo. Dumbo doesn't get blackout drunk and hallucinate though, so loses some points.

[Fignuts]

Psychological horror is the best

Based how well a lot of the best ones are put together, I'd say you're right from a purely objective standpoint.

Ghosts and demons are still my personal favorites, though.

[Seanny One Ball]

Solaris is the scariest film.

Drebin gets it.

[Seanny One Ball]

Fignuts if you have a spare 90 minutes please watch Deadstream(I can link you if you can’t find it) and tell me what you think.
I like a good horror comedy and I found that one by looking for a film in which I recognised nobody.

It is good.

[ron the dial]

it was way better than i thought it would be. the lead annoyed the piss out of me but that was the idea so well done on that. i have enjoyed most of these social media/influencer inspired movies. superhost was a lot of fun, too.

[Savio]

Raya and the last dragon - 6.5/10

Really wanted to like this more but the messaging of "Trust people who intend to hurt you" brings it way down.

[Savio]

Raya and the Last Dragon - 4 out of 4 stars. Fun, gorgeously animated, very well told, and a pretty neat world. Anything bad is just little nit-picky stuff but I got through it just fine. It's a conundrum because you wouldn't expect this to demand a sequel or any kind of continuation, and it doesn't need one, but the world they created is really something to the point that I would want to see more. Yeah, it's a steep fee of 30 bucks but I usually pay that much when I go to the movies anyway.
There really should be a prequel game adaptation

[Seanny One Ball]

it was way better than i thought it would be. the lead annoyed the piss out of me but that was the idea so well done on that. i have enjoyed most of these social media/influencer inspired movies. superhost was a lot of fun, too.

The lead was pretty great, he reminded me of an AEW wrestler.
Any of them really.

[ron the dial]

when they revealed his downfall was fighting a homeless man on his channel i almost died right there. it was the perfect decision for his character.

[Seanny One Ball]

Haha yeah, that took me back to BUMFIGHTS: A CAUSE FOR CONCERN.

Admit you had the pirate dvd, we all did!

[ron the dial]

RUFUS

[Fignuts]

Fignuts if you have a spare 90 minutes please watch Deadstream(I can link you if you can’t find it) and tell me what you think.
I like a good horror comedy and I found that one by looking for a film in which I recognised nobody.

It is good.

I actually just saw this mentioned in the horror subreddit in a thread about found footage.

Found Footage is a guilty pleasure for me. They get shit on a lot, but I love the POV experience.

[Seanny One Ball]

I watched a horror comedy with Mark Proksch(Colin Robinson) called “Another Evil” that was basically “Creep” with a really weird atmosphere. I liked it though.

[Fignuts]

Deadstream was tremendous. Very reminiscent of Evil Dead with how it balances silly humor with genuine terror, as well the claustrophobic setting.

Prepare your anus, Seanny, cause you're getting that long awaited fignuts rep.

[Seanny One Ball]

I’ve had better

[Fignuts]

Oh you little slut.

[Fignuts]

The lead was pretty great, he reminded me of an AEW wrestler.
Any of them really.

He was excellent. The way he captured the cringey overreactions of actual streamers, and then transitions seamlessly in legit fear when shit goes down was brilliant.

[Seanny One Ball]

The way it shaped up to be an obvious comedy then threw it sideways was nice. I think it was so well made because it was the lead that wrote it. I do enjoy a good auteur film, especially since the independent scene is so strong right now.

Gotta look up what Linas Phillips is up to later. Ain’t seen him much lately…

[Lock Jaw]

Black Adam - 6/10

Pretty damn poor..... had the potential to be great if they really leaned into the comics and tried to do a more faithful comics adaptation of the JSA "Black Reign" storyline.... sucks that the Justice Society had to get introduced like this.... hopefully not the last we see of them... Gonna read the "Black Reign" storyline right now to was the bad taste outta my mouth...

[drave]

So The Rock being The Rock with powers was no bueno?!

[Lock Jaw]

Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have been expecting anything too "deep" with The Rock....

[Lock Jaw]

But come on, it is like suuuuuuch a tease to choose to include the JSA and those characters in particular and not even TRY to do a half decent Black Reign adaptation.....

[drave]

I don't disagree.


From the trailers, I got the vibe that he was just the dude from Fast & Furious with superpowers.

[Lock Jaw]

Dude from Fast & Furious has more character/personality

[Destor]

Bullet Train (2022) - 7/10


Real fun time. Im not sure if i should praise the screen writer or the author of the novel. Likely both. The film has outstanding rhythm. The dialogue is sharp and flows at a beautiful pace. The action has that same consistency. The plot itself is clever and the whodunnit nature of how information is revealed to the audience is very satisfying. Its very clever visually. All the characters are really well conceptualized. It has a ton going for it. If you're in a good mood and want some action comedy you wont go wrong with this.

[Seanny One Ball]

Perfect escapism and finally ATJ actually looks like an adult.
That took far too long.

[Destor]

The Deer Hunter (1979) - 4/10

Fuck subtext i guess you kids want some overt propaganda? Im the most antiwar person ive ever met and i found this forced and contrived. There is nothing honest in this script. Its just Hollywood lecturing for a painful 3hrs. This is the kind of writng we get today, abliet less elegant not nearly as well acted.

Thats the real tragedy of this picture. Fuck the war. These performances are so fucking good. And this film just isnt. Here they sit trapped in a 3hr bumper sticker.

I hate war. I hate the vietnam war more than most wars as far as rank ordering such things goes. I hate being told what to think more. This script is basically a writer lazily going down a checklist.

And that fucking ending. Fuck you. There's nothing honest about it. Its so forced everyone who watches this picture should press charges for rape.

[drave]

Was it no good then?

[Destor]

Lol

[Seanny One Ball]

Cimino spent an hour on the prelude which was mostly wedding footage and then raced through important sections of storyline because so much time was spent just looking at things…Then when it comes time to find out what happened to John Savage they just show him suddenly missing limbs!

The plot is really just an outline, nothing in the story is well conceived or particularly well planned out. The entire thing seems to be an excuse for Michael Cimino to be a cinematographer but get called a director.

I gave it 3/10 and I was mad when I finished watching it.

[Seanny One Ball]

There’s a tremendously enjoyable documentary about “Heaven’s Gate” the doomed frontier epic Cimino chose to direct next. It’s important to understand exactly why this idiot sucks balls, and this documentary gets right into it.

I think it stands alongside the great production disaster documentaries, there are a lot of them now…

[Seanny One Ball]

XnG-KZwrCxs

[Destor]

I couldn't go lower than 4 based on the acting. It may not resonate properly due to writing/editing but the performances are top class

[Seanny One Ball]

It was all so boring that I can only disagree. There are a couple of moments where Christopher Walken was pretty decent but everything else is pure ass. They barely do anything, they barely say anything and they take three hours to get bored enough to stop.

The only acting done in that film was by the Vietnamese extras.

What a dreadful film.

[Sepholio]

Nope 6/10

Feel like I'm being generous with this score. It started off good but then it just got...I dunno if I wanna say weird or outright dumb. Probably some combination of both. Seemed like they were going for scary with added humor at first, but then that all gets tossed to the side for a big ole spoonful of "wtf" or something. If it wasn't for the first half or so of the movie I'd probably rate it a 4. Maybe a 3.

the fucking ufo/alien/whatever bullshit it is turns out to be like a super fancy parachute looking thing that you saw that one time when you were high on shrooms and salvia. Straight wtf type shit.

[Destor]

It was all so boring that I can only disagree. There are a couple of moments where Christopher Walken was pretty decent but everything else is pure ass. They barely do anything, they barely say anything and they take three hours to get bored enough to stop.

The only acting done in that film was by the Vietnamese extras.

What a dreadful film.what an actor says and what an actor does dont fall into the relm of acting. Walken and De Niro get every ounce of emotion that could possibly be gotten out of this really awful script. They sell these scenes with total conviction. It may be uninteresting but it not on them.

[Destor]

Nope 6/10

Feel like I'm being generous with this score. It started off good but then it just got...I dunno if I wanna say weird or outright dumb. Probably some combination of both. Seemed like they were going for scary with added humor at first, but then that all gets tossed to the side for a big ole spoonful of "wtf" or something. If it wasn't for the first half or so of the movie I'd probably rate it a 4. Maybe a 3.

the fucking ufo/alien/whatever bullshit it is turns out to be like a super fancy parachute looking thing that you saw that one time when you were high on shrooms and salvia. Straight wtf type shit.
Key is the modern day Shamalan and i mean that as an insult

[Seanny One Ball]

what an actor says and what an actor does dont fall into the relm of acting. Walken and De Niro get every ounce of emotion that could possibly be gotten out of this really awful script. They sell these scenes with total conviction. It may be uninteresting but it not on them.



It is partially on them, they chose to be in it and agreed to be directed by a moron.
John Savage does a Curly “Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk!” at one point.

Terrible!

I’m not into defending anything about it besides the cinematography. That really is good work, but that and Walken don’t make for much of a picture. De Niro only had one good scene, the bit where he doesn’t shoot the deer.

3/10

[Destor]

The 1st russian roulette scene was good for De Niro. Very good.

[Sepholio]

Key is the modern day Shamalan and i mean that as an insult

I'm not ready to go there yet.

But he is def trending that direction. The next movie will definitely be a good indicator.

[xrodmuc316]

Fall - 7/10

Really fun little movie, pretty much what you would expect, but still fun.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/Fall_%282022_film%29.jpg

FNk7Cu4sJOs

[Seanny One Ball]

I'm not ready to go there yet.

But he is def trending that direction. The next movie will definitely be a good indicator.


It’s Peele not Key and none of his films bear any relation in style or substance to an M Night Shyamalan film.

Peele is about subtext, Shyamalan is about context.

It’s as simple as that.

[Seanny One Ball]

Also “Fall” sucked big balls, it’s just 90 minutes of cleavage on a pole.
If I was fifteen it would have been pretty great.

[Seanny One Ball]

The 1st russian roulette scene was good for De Niro. Very good.

Michael Shannon in Bullet Train was better than everything in TDH and he streamlined the entire concept of Russian Roulette.

Michael Cimino died an old lady.

[Destor]

Keys subtext and I'm going to double down on getting his name wrong, subtext is non-existent. There is no subtext whatsoever. It's all text masquerading as subtext.

[Seanny One Ball]

There is pretty massive subtext in both of his previous films, subtext made obvious by the twists in each film.
Admittedly “Nope” is a different animal and it doesn’t appear to fit the formula but that’s likely so Peele can’t be pigeonholed.

Hate the guy and his films for the right reasons at least.

[Destor]

If its made obvious its, categorically, not subtext. Its pretext at best

[Destor]

There is, by definition, no subtext in his films

[xrodmuc316]

Also “Fall” sucked big balls, it’s just 90 minutes of cleavage on a pole.
If I was fifteen it would have been pretty great.

Forget the cleavage for a moment, the movie was fun because of the stomach dropping moments. Plus, it's got freaking Negan.

[Seanny One Ball]

If its made obvious its, categorically, not subtext. Its pretext at best

It’s subtext, subtext that becomes obvious by the end of the film(if you have a brain in your nut).

You don’t get to invent requirements for subtext based on your own misunderstanding of it.

[Seanny One Ball]

Irrational hatred is fine too if you want to just admit it?

There’s no point dressing it up.

[Destor]

Subtext is by definition implicit. His themes are explicit. This is not subtext. This is a hacks idea of subtext. Its literally in the definition. You can be wrong about this i dont mind.

[Seanny One Ball]

It’s not explicit.

You’re just angry because all of the subtext is common knowledge now.

Retrospect is a bitch, but if you think you can redefine subtext you are having a laugh.

[Seanny One Ball]

You’re going to be really mad when you find out Night Of The Living Dead is essentially pure subtext.

It’s not just about zombies!

[Seanny One Ball]

Jesus man :lol:

[Seanny One Ball]

Mother!-s religious allegory isnt subtext. Its the overt plot


False!

It’s just fairly obvious. A lot of people missed it though, which is how you know it wasn’t spelled out quite as explicitly as say…The Bible.

I wondered if you were really misunderstanding the word there but a quick search tells me you’ve just weaponised it to be a dick.

I’m totally fine with that.
I just had to know.

[Lock Jaw]

See How They Run - 8/10

Was pleasantly surprised to see this newly available on Disney+, thought it looked neat and fun. After watching it I can confirm it is neat and fun.

[ClockShot]

The 355 - 2.5/5

Concept was good. A bit predictable.

[ClockShot]

The Gray Man - 3/5

[Seanny One Ball]

That the new John Major biopic?

[ClockShot]

That the new John Major biopic?

Nah. This is the one on Netflix with Ryan Gossling and Chris Evans directed by the Russo Bros.

[ClockShot]

Heat - 4.75/5

[Seanny One Ball]

Heat was so good it inspired a real life nutty robbery with crazy body armour and shit.
Heat taught me that one scene really can define a whole film for certain cinema viewers. It should be remembered for the strength of the performances, but even I cannot get enough of that robbery scene. It’s the best thing Tom Sizemore ever got anywhere near.

[M-A-G]

Pinocchio (2022): 1 1/4 stars out of 4.

Good fucking Lzzy, this thing has almost no soul to it. Everything seems like it's hitting points out of obligation more than anything else. I don't get the inclusion of the performer that befriends Pinocchio in Stromboli's show or why they made Monstro an actual fucking sea monster, either. What was wrong with just a whale? Plus, outside of a couple of good performances, Keegan-Michael Key as 'Honest' Jon in particular, no one is really bringing anything with a lot of weight to the story. Tom Hanks is trying, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a fair job with his impersonations but the whole package just comes across as awkward. I have a TON of questions about Pleasure Island, too. Like, do the people just replace all of the glass the kids smash after every venture? How lucrative is this donkey-selling business if they can maintain this kind of upkeep? Yeah, I know, it's a story about a fucking puppet coming to life, but come on. These live-action films just keep striking out and I have almost no confidence in The Little Mermaid.

Thankfully, I was able to cleanse my palette with Toy Story 4 afterwards. I mean, I'd already seen it but it was still a welcome viewing.

[Destor]

Mulholland Drive (2001) - 7/10


This is the kind of film that defies reviewing. The plot is impossible to summarize and its not meant to be digested linearly. This is the kind of film that improves with repeated viewings. What i can say is its an abstract film that tackles hollywood and the industry. There's a lot going on and it has more depth than i imagine 10 viewings could sift through. The journey and the performances were captivating but if you're not into abstract film making give this a hard pass.

[ron the dial]

have you seen inland empire?

[Destor]

When i picked this up it was between Mulholland and Inland. I went with Mulholland because it was earlier in the filmography. I tend to like seeing the conversation the writer/director is having over the course of the career.

Should i pick it up too?

[M-A-G]

Mulholland Drive (2001) - 7/10


This is the kind of film that defies reviewing. The plot is impossible to summarize and its not meant to be digested linearly. This is the kind of film that improves with repeated viewings. What i can say is its an abstract film that tackles hollywood and the industry. There's a lot going on and it has more depth than i imagine 10 viewings could sift through. The journey and the performances were captivating but if you're not into abstract film making give this a hard pass.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OiCfHW3N3vo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Destor]

Watching a video like that, even if its right in its conclusions, defeats the point of watching of it

[ron the dial]

When i picked this up it was between Mulholland and Inland. I went with Mulholland because it was earlier in the filmography. I tend to like seeing the conversation the writer/director is having over the course of the career.

Should i pick it up too?

I always watch chronologically if I can help it.

if you were into Mulholland, absolutely grab inland. it is a mindfuck of the grandest order. truly an experience unlike anything else.

[Destor]

The film, and abstract films in general, wants you to engage with it. To think deeply about the visual imagery to your fullest ability. To discuss it with others. Draw, perhaps (and perhaps only technically,) wrong conclusions.

[Destor]

I always watch chronologically if I can help it.

if you were into Mulholland, absolutely grab inland. it is a mindfuck of the grandest order. truly an experience unlike anything else.ordering it now

[ron the dial]

if you let me know around the time you watch it, I'll watch it, too. it's been a long time.

[Destor]

ordering it nowturns out this is super rare physically. I got a copy off ebay though. Still moves for $20 in region 1 dvd format. Crazy.

[ron the dial]

i didn't walk away thinking it bared a repeat anytime soon. it's very unsettling and sits with you for a while.

[ron the dial]

turns out this is super rare physically. I got a copy off ebay though. Still moves for $20 in region 1 dvd format. Crazy.

I had to order a Chinese copy at the time i picked it up. bless a region free player.

[Destor]

if you let me know around the time you watch it, I'll watch it, too. it's been a long time.k. Itll be a bit. My tv time is pretty structured. I pick 1 thing a group of friends and i watch and then the next day we talk it over. Like a movie club i guess. If not a film we watch an ep of a series. Itll be atleast 11 days before i work it in at the soonest. Assuming i have a copy by then.

If its not streaming anywhere ill watch it sooner though since theyd have no means of watching it.

[Destor]

I had to order a Chinese copy at the time i picked it up. bless a region free player.
I have a region free but i always try to buy region 1 if i can help it. That way it plays off any player i have. More versatile

[ron the dial]

no rush at all. i have a list of my own that never ends these days.

[Lock Jaw]

Pinocchio (2022): 1 1/4 stars out of 4.

Good fucking Lzzy, this thing has almost no soul to it. Everything seems like it's hitting points out of obligation more than anything else. I don't get the inclusion of the performer that befriends Pinocchio in Stromboli's show or why they made Monstro an actual fucking sea monster, either. What was wrong with just a whale? Plus, outside of a couple of good performances, Keegan-Michael Key as 'Honest' Jon in particular, no one is really bringing anything with a lot of weight to the story. Tom Hanks is trying, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a fair job with his impersonations but the whole package just comes across as awkward. I have a TON of questions about Pleasure Island, too. Like, do the people just replace all of the glass the kids smash after every venture? How lucrative is this donkey-selling business if they can maintain this kind of upkeep? Yeah, I know, it's a story about a fucking puppet coming to life, but come on. These live-action films just keep striking out and I have almost no confidence in The Little Mermaid.

Thankfully, I was able to cleanse my palette with Toy Story 4 afterwards. I mean, I'd already seen it but it was still a welcome viewing.

You couldn't have it be a whale in this day and age and get away with it. People would be crying out about racism against whales, portraying one as a "monster". If they made Moby Dick these days, he would be a sea monster too.

[ron the dial]

"The Terrible Dogfish is a dogfish-like sea monster, which appears in Carlo Collodi's 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio as one of the main antagonists and the final one."

was it a dogfish? it sounds like it's a dogfish in guillermo del toro's but i can't confirm that. obviously haven't seen this one either.