Last Movie You Watched Part II, Electric Bugaloo

[kcekada]

I liked most of 'Leave the World Behind'. I didn't find the characters as annoying as others did. They were realistic -- annoying at times, likeable at others -- just like real people.

I was kinda disappointed with the apocalyptic ending. Would have preferred that everything was a temporary glitch instead of an actual attack -- especially for a movie release at Christmas. The movie really fell apart at the ending with the little girl just happening to find a place with a bunker (where was the family that built it?). I appreciated the Friends tie-in, but the ending was very, very sloppy.

[ed2962]

Klute ( 1971) starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. Sutherland is a detective investigating the disappearance of an old family friend. Fonda is a high class call-girl who may have some connection to the man. At first Klute needs Bree's help in cracking the case, but eventually their relationship turns into something more than just business. The mystery part is just ok but the acting especially by Fonda is really good. In fact it's Bree that gets most of the character development, the movie really should have been named after her rather than Sutherland's character.

Without going into spoiler territory...the way the bad guy gets his comeuppance is kind of silly. So much so I wonder if it was due to some last minute change in the script.

[XandertheWise]

watching some movies tonight and the rest of this week on Tubi before Tubi gets rid of them in the next 4 days

Copycat
1980s Beast Within
classic 1980s comedy 9 to 5

[James Cameron]

I watched Beau is Afraid. I was so curious after hearing the reviews and reactions from friends who told me it was both the best and worst movie they had ever seen. Overall, I thought it was a masterpiece. Not quite like any movie I'd ever seen before though I'd compare it to a Jodorowsky or Tati film made through a contemporary and more cynical lens. For Joaquin Phoenix to give such a dedicated and impactful performance to something like this made it all the better. There were parts that I felt were there to deliberately punish or make fun of certain audiences, and I usually like that stuff if it's done tastefully. Doesn't have the triumph of Homer's Odyssey but it was an odyssey nonetheless, really enjoyable, poignant, and funny at times, even though it's completely miserable. I would watch it again in a heartbeat.

[DanMad1977]

Indiana Jones Dial of Destiny

Where to start? With the crappy cgi? Yes, in the old movies we had exceptional stuntman work with practical effects or real world tanks and motor cycles, now we have a train that Indy used to run on that's made out of pixels instead of a real train. The action scenes looked awful.

I think people like that today, because we got used to shitty but expensive computer animations and no one cares.

The movie itself was boring.

Transformers Rise of the Beasts.

The cgi was better than in indy, but sometimes it still failed hard. Another movie for generations after me, that cheer when a film looks out of a playstation 3 game.

Optimus Prime was out of character most of the time, the dialog was cringe worthy sometimes. Better spend time and money are the new TF comic book series over at image comics. That's how you do it. Why can't Hollywood...ah never mind.

The Report

Slow political thriller. Wow, our world is so fu*** up and unfair. If what you see in that movie is true...

[Deathstroke]

The 1991 version of Cape Fear.

[Ramsay Snow]

I watched The Iron Claw several days ago (Von Erich biopic). Zac Efron gave a good performance, but I thought it was an average film.

Kind of a disappointment because people were hyping it up. I had someone telling me it's as good as The Wrestler (The only pro wrestling film that's worth watching, IMO).....I vehemently disagree with him on that. The Wrestler is 100x better.

The film's also somewhat peculiar because it's a biopic that should be fairly straightforward, yet they took liberties with a lot of historical inaccuracies. That's not what made me dislike the film, I just thought it was kind of boring. And General Value Ric Flair was god-awful casting.

Klute ( 1971) starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. Sutherland is a detective investigating the disappearance of an old family friend. Fonda is a high class call-girl who may have some connection to the man. At first Klute needs Bree's help in cracking the case, but eventually their relationship turns into something more than just business. The mystery part is just ok but the acting especially by Fonda is really good. In fact it's Bree that gets most of the character development, the movie really should have been named after her rather than Sutherland's character.

Without going into spoiler territory...the way the bad guy gets his comeuppance is kind of silly. So much so I wonder if it was due to some last minute change in the script.

I watched that a couple weeks ago after buying the Criterion blu-ray restoration. It's a solid film, albeit with somewhat of a hokey ending like you said (Reminds me of Marathon Man, in that regard).

Although Fonda was great in her role, I was more impressed with Sutherland's performance. I've been on a bit of a 70s kick, lately, checking out films from that decade I never watched as a kid (I missed a lot, as I was born in the 70s but am a child of the 80s).....One thing I've noticed is whether the film's good or bad, two actors who are stellar in literally every 70s film I see them in are Donald Sutherland and Dustin Hoffman.

One Sutherland movie that had me perplexed is the 1980 film, Ordinary People. Another solid Sutherland performance, but that movie won a bunch of awards and I'm flabbergasted as to how. It's a film that lives up to its title, it just feels completely ordinary. What's with all the accolades on this movie? Was 1980 really such a weak year? I'd say Raging Bull and The Shining both trump Ordinary People in almost every category. I'd even say 1980 films like Cruising and Dressed To Kill, despite their flaws, are superior movies.....Ordinary People just feels like a poor man's Goodwill Hunting.

[ed2962]

I watched The Iron Claw several days ago (Von Erich biopic). Zac Efron gave a good performance, but I thought it was an average film.

Kind of a disappointment because people were hyping it up. I had someone telling me it's as good as The Wrestler (The only pro wrestling film that's worth watching, IMO).....I vehemently disagree with him on that. The Wrestler is 100x better.

The film's also somewhat peculiar because it's a biopic that should be fairly straightforward, yet they took liberties with a lot of historical inaccuracies. That's not what made me dislike the film, I just thought it was kind of boring. And General Value Ric Flair was god-awful casting.






I watched that a couple weeks ago after buying the Criterion blu-ray restoration. It's a solid film, albeit with somewhat of a hokey ending like you said (Reminds me of Marathon Man, in that regard).

Although Fonda was great in her role, I was more impressed with Sutherland's performance. I've been on a bit of a 70s kick, lately, checking out films from that decade I never watched as a kid (I missed a lot, as I was born in the 70s but am a child of the 80s).....One thing I've noticed is whether the film's good or bad, two actors who are stellar in literally every 70s film I see them in are Donald Sutherland and Dustin Hoffman.

One Sutherland movie that had me perplexed is the 1980 film, Ordinary People. Another solid Sutherland performance, but that movie won a bunch of awards and I'm flabbergasted as to how. It's a film that lives up to its title, it just feels completely ordinary. What's with all the accolades on this movie? Was 1980 really such a weak year? I'd say Raging Bull and The Shining both trump Ordinary People in almost every category. I'd even say 1980 films like Cruising and Dressed To Kill, despite their flaws, are superior movies.....Ordinary People just feels like a poor man's Goodwill Hunting.

The end of Marathon Man is a good comparison...spoilers:

Reportedly, Dustin Hoffman didn't want his character to kill anyone, so they rewrote the ending so that Lawerence Olivier slips on the diamonds and accidently stabs himself with his own knife. But in Klute, Charles Cioffi is about to kill Fonda but then Sutherland comes in the room and doesn't even touch him, but Cioffi is so startled that he falls backwards through a window?

end of spoilers

I haven't seen Ordinary People but I have seen the other movies you mentioned. I was always under the impression that Ordinary People was one of those "rich people being sad" movies. And seeing as the academy is made up of no short number of rich people, perhaps that's part of the reason it got such acclaim?

[DanMad1977]

Rebel Moon

Star Wars is still better, but this has potential. I really liked the first 25 minutes or so, then it went downhill a bit. The characters weren't really fleshed out, so I didnt care for either of them, and that's very important to like a movie.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Digimon Adventure Tri "Reunion".

It's fun and charming.

[Captain Craig]

Saw two films, new to me, over the Christmas Break.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Grade: B+

I now have two kids, age 6 and 3, so my wife suggested this. As a school teacher she had seen it before and was surprised I never had. I did intend to watch it, the film just never rose to the top of my "to watch list", till now. It is a fun movie and as an 80s raised kid it was nice to hear Mr. Ts voice as that of the local cop Earl! I suppose I will move up the sequel on list of movies to watch in the near future now.

Flash (2023)
Grade: A-

I had some down time for just me, wife and kids were out of the house for a stint so I got to watch this in one sitting. Setting aside Ezra Millers personal affairs and some wonky cgi in a few places this really was an enjoyable film. Now, for any Flash fan or passive comic fan that has watched the Flash TV show or animated features using the time travel gimmick we might could agree, let it go for a spell. Let this film cap off Flashpoint type story telling. I enjoyed that we got 3 Batman actors in this film. That 80s kid in me was loving Michael Keaton. I found this alt Kara/Supergirl to be interesting and could be more but now we will never know as James Gunn isn't going to explore any of that. Loved the Gal Gadot cameo. The closing hug at the grocery with Barry and his mom worked really good. I caught the glimpses of Adam West Batman and the Reeves/Slater versions of Superman/Supergirl. The Nic Cage cgi Superman was I feel the worst cgi moment but kind of fun to see a "what could've been" version on our way out the door into a new cinematic DCU.

What didn't work for me.
The time travel bubble gimmick with collapsing concentric circles.
Iris West
Drunk Aquaman in the closing moment, not that it impacted the story. I just don't like Arthur portrayed that way.

[ed2962]

Let The Right One In ( 2008) directed by Tomas Alfredson. A lonely boy develops a friendship with a strange girl who's just moved in to the apt next door. Turns out she's a vampire. Dark, moody and oddly bittersweet. I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

[Frobisher]

Last thing I saw was the new Dungeons & Dragons movie, and I think I’ve joined the team of people who are tiring of every recent blockbuster feeling the same because it was just fine. Weirdly the feel of the movie isn’t that different from the last attempt in 2001 or whatever, with the team of tenuously allied heroes snarking at each other and fucking up all the time, though the actual execution is obviously a million times better because it wasn’t directed by some kid who conned people into giving him money. That movie sank without trace as it basically came out against the Lord Of The Rings, so it didn’t help this one that I had just finished my traditional annual viewing of the Extended Editions.

It was fine though.

[krazijoe]

Iron Claw---GRADE: A. Zac deserves a lot of recognition for his role in this. He showed acting chops and what he did to his body to get ready for the role is crazy. I already knew the story but doesn't mean it won't tug at the heart strings, and it does...Go see it!!!

The Holdovers---GRADE: A. Paul Giamatti was extraordinary in this movie. The movie was a little predictable but overall a solidly acted movie. Go see it!

[Jack Dracula]

Vivarium. An interesting sci-fi movie about a couple who find themselves trapped in a situation they can’t escape from. I don’t want to spoil the plot by giving too many details. It raises a lot of interesting thoughts about nature, parenting, and contemporary life. I’d recommend it.