Movie opinions thread (what have you seen, what did you think?)

[SC-ULTRA]

Sorcerer- Four desperate convicts take on a high risk job hauling crates of unstable dynamite through the jungle. Directed by William Friedkin (Exorcist, French Connection) For such a simple plot the set up really does take awhile. Think (The Wedding in Deer Hunter), STILL after you make it through the four separate backstories of how each man ended up hiding out in the jungle you'll find a pretty damn good movie!

The film's strength is in the plots simplicity, I only wish they would have spent more time in it and shortened all the set up. You’re watching two tired ancient trucks that could explode at any second drive around through beautiful jungle and it’s somehow riveting. Practical effects to the max and (although its explained) who really cares why they need to deliver this dynamite anyway, that shit could blow any second baby! Towards the end Roy Scheider as the driver becomes the focus, Bruno Cremer’s performance as a spotter/driver are also great but no one does a a bad job really and most of the cinematography is stunning. It also has a pretty great soundtrack by Tangerine Dream.

 

[terry.330]

Sorcerer is one of the best remakes of all time. The original Wages Of Fear is also fantastic.

 

[jro]

Who Killed Cooper Dunn? - oddly effective kind of very low budget slasher. Cast sticks to the bit even when the script lacks. Good twist.

What You Wish For - nasty and unbelievable premise somehow made watchable I think. The entire plot is the twist basically but it's really well done. Everyone just takes their bizarre new reality in stride and proceeds accordingly.

The First Omen - takes about an hour to get anywhere then it's really good. Nell Tiger Free carries it well and it's a really good script regardless.

 

[Taiso]

So I watched Deathstalker II last night and it was fucking horrible but in that 'so bad it's good' way.

I wouldn't call the plot incoherent as much as it's irrelevant. These characters could be doing anything or nothing and it would be the exact same movie.

Monique Gabrielle is very much aware of the territory she's in with this film and she's so bad in it that it has to be intentional. I know she's a B movie starlet and a scream queen or whatever but it's like she is playing a bad actress in a movie in this film. Somehow, this meta performance gels almost perfectly with John Terlesky's turn in the titular role as an almost 'too charismatic to be in this drek' sort of way. I don't know if he comes off as charming because of natural ability or because everyone else is intentionally planking in their performances. Toni Naples (Sultana) and Maria Socas (Amazon Queen) are perfectly cast as barely capable eye candy who are really only there for one reason.

The plot is elaborate even though it doesn't need to be. Evil wizard Jarek ('played' by John La Zar) makes an imperfect clone of the princess Evie (Gabrielle) in a diabolical plot to replace her so that he he can rule beside her since the real one would never be his wife (gosh, I couldn't even begin to tell you why). While begging for help from some slothful guards in a town, the real Evie is helped by Deathstalker (Terlesky) in a bog standard meet cute that somehow is the least insane part of this film. It all culminates in a battle between Jarek's army and a bunch of bouncy, voluptuous Amazons while Deathstalker and Jarek face off in a swordfight that is far better than it has any right to be. While my roomie and I were watching the flick, she noted 'oh wow, there's a second music track in this movie?' She's a musician, so she picks up on this stuff.

This makes Xena: Warrior Princess look like high art by comparison but for some reason, the film has an endearing aspect to it that makes it memorable. Normally, I don't intentionally slum it when it comes to cinema but I think every once in a while, you have to get down in the mud and wallow. It can be enjoyable with the right material.

Objective Rating: 0/5 stars. It's terrible.
Value Rating: 3/5 stars. It's a good fun 90 minutes. I don't drink but I think maybe I should have before watching this film.

 

[Lagduf]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - I won’t call this one bad but you can definitely wait until it’s on streaming.

It has been awhile since I’ve seen the original or even the animated series (anyone remember that?) but this one just seems to lack the magic and charm of the original film.

There are like three different storylines that eventually all merge in to one successful, simultaneous resolution but it’s still eh.

Again it’s not bad, just not great. William Dafoe is completely wasted in this film though lol. His character is pointless in terms of the plot.

 

[SouthtownKid]

This makes Xena: Warrior Princess look like high art by comparison but for some reason,

Xena: Warrior Princess IS high art, you heathen.

Anyway, I watched new netflix movie Revenge Ridge, which starred some new guy I never heard of as an ex-Marine who gets robbed by corrupt local cops as he tries to deliver bail money to get his cousin out of lock up. Don Johnson co-stars as Shit-Kicking Southern Old White Guy Villain, a role he has now reprised more times than Connery played Bond. But they toned down Shit-Kicking Old Southern White Guy Villain's racism this time round, and as usual, Johnson brings more to the role than the role required.

Despite the fact you could be forgiven for momentarily thinking you were watching another Reacher reboot, this was actually a pretty fun movie. The new guy made a great lead character whose side you're instantly on. And even though this kind of story is basically its own sub-genre at this point, it was well executed in all aspects.

 

[Lagduf]

Lucy Lawless is art.

 

[Average Joe]

Lucy Lawless is art.

And Kevin Sorbo is a piece of shit.

 

[Lagduf]

And Kevin Sorbo is a piece of shit.

“Piece of shit” does not even begin to describe how terrible Kevin Sorbo is.

Imagine being a millionaire and still being fucking miserable. Dude is probably mentally ill to some degree.

 

[Ralfakick]

The Blob (1988)- One of the best horror remakes and one of the most underrated 80's horror movies. It's started to get a little more recognition in the last few years though. While obviously not up there with The Thing or The Fly it's a very solid movie in it's own right, it's incredibly well paced with a tight script, nice setups that pay off later in the movie and some really impressive practical effects. Making the blob acidic was a great idea and allows for some really incredible melting/gore sequences.

It's also one of those movies where there's always something new that you notice every time you watch it. I just realized tonight that Erica Elaniak is the drunk girl in the car that the one dude creeps on.

I like the 80s Blob a lot and prefer it over the first one but the OG Blob was filmed not that far from me. Every July they have Blobfest at the Colonial Theater which includes running out of the theater like the OG movie

 

[Average Joe]

“Piece of shit” does not even begin to describe how terrible Kevin Sorbo is.

Imagine being a millionaire and still being fucking miserable. Dude is probably mentally ill to some degree.

It is a damn shame because Hercules is honestly one of my favorite shows and his toxic personality ruins it a bit for me.

I can handle someone being kind of shitty and still being able to enjoy their work, but he crosses that line.

Just glad Lucy Lawless is cool as hell.

 

[SouthtownKid]

It is a damn shame because Hercules is honestly one of my favorite shows and his toxic personality ruins it a bit for me.

Yeah, it's fucking disheartening for sure.

 

[Average Joe]

Yeah, it's fucking disheartening for sure.

 

[Teddy KGB]

Side tangent: I got a free trial of Apple TV+ and man does it suck. I've heard Severance is very good and a couple of the documentaries look interesting but man for the most part it's a bunch calculatedly bland middle of the road content. Everything is just so Apple I can smell the beige smugness through the screen.

It's really a shame as their streaming quality is better than most -- Amazon, Hulu... D+ and Netflix are marginally better than those two. In short, not all 1080P / 4K is created equal. Apple's streaming bitrate is about twice or more as much as the competition (yes, I've measured on our network = dork) equating to less artifacting and overall better PQ.

Love Severance but they've been taking a long ass time in the writing process getting season 2 done, which will result in a 3ish year gap b/w season 1 & 2. Hopefully there aren't any further delays to the Jan 2025 release. There are other shows that I thought were decent -- Masters of the Air, Hijack, For all Mankind, Foundation, Silo and a few others -- but nothing kept my interest long enough to stay current.

 

[fake]

Obsession (1976)
Guy's wife and daughter are kidnapped and killed. 16 years later, he runs into a woman that looks just like his wife in the same place where he first met his wife. Who could she be?

I didn't like this one. You could see the twist from a mile away. You'd think DePalma and Schrader together would be gold, but nope.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Guy's wife and daughter are kidnapped and killed. 16 years later, he runs into a woman that looks just like his wife in the same place where he first met his wife. Who could she be?

Sounds silly, when you say it.

What sounds siily to me is that DePalma -- AGAIN -- decides to again use a classic Hitchcock movie as a jumping off point for his "new" movie. Again.

And if you don't like this movie now, there was originally supposed to be an entire act after the current ending, where the two characters meet again 16 years in the future and the cycle is repeated a third time. Luckily for humanity, someone on the crew talked DePalma into chopping that out of the movie. But it caused a rift between DePalma and the writer.

 

[Taiso]

Xena: Warrior Princess IS high art, you heathen.

 

[terry.330]

Snack Shack- The new movie from the writer/director of Dinner In America. This is a coming of age teen comedy but as you would expect from the guy behind DIA it's got a little more going on for it than say Superbad.

Set in Nebraska in 1991 two best friends that fancy themselves "entrepreneurs" decide to run the titular Snack Shack at the local public pool for the summer. Their get rich quick scheme is complicated by the arrival of a hot girl that causes a love triangle. The friendship is tested, the lead starts to think about his future outside of quick money schemes and his best friend, there's some teen love etc. It's all pretty standard stuff but it's done well with more emotional weight and relatability than the usual genre fare while still being funny and smart. It's definitely doesn't have the "fuck you" punk attitude of DIA but it's still pretty aggressive at times and there's a lot of energy.

It's not as good as DIA but it's also different enough that you don't really ever feel the need to compare it to that. Recommended.

 

[SouthtownKid]

 

[Taiso]

 

[HornheaDD]

Beetlejuice the animated series (anyone remember that?)

Got every episode.


The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

For being a 2002 release its not bad but even at 2:11 run time, it cut so much out of the Dumas book, obviously. I forgot how slimy Guy Pierce (Pearce?) plays Mondego this movie. Cool to see little teeny baby 18 year old Henry Cavill in it as Albert.

I remember liking it at the movies before I'd read the book, and liking it less afterward. But all considered it's still a fun revenge flick, even if they got Luis Guzman in it for whatever godforsaken reason.

There's a 2024 version that came out... this.. year.. that is supposed to be 3 hours long and much more faithful to the source. I haven't been able to find it even as a download. But I want to check it out.

 

[Average Joe]

Alien: Romulus

Mixed feelings on this one.

Overall, it is fun, but perhaps a bit too dumb for its own good. There's a bit of tonal whiplash from the fairly depressing/oppressive atmosphere of the first half and then action sequences that felt like Fast and Furious in space during the second half.

I really liked the lead actress and her special needs robot friend, but everyone else didn't do much for me and they definitely felt like Alien fodder more than real characters.

I think it looked amazing and the ship/tech designs fit in super well with the look of the first and second films, so it does place itself nicely into the Alien universe due to that better than all the other sequels do.

There was a groan-inducing callback line and one scene in particular that irked me enough to the point where I had to reddit check to see if I was alone in my thoughts about it (and I was not.)

Definitely an odd one for me... I'm a bit easier on Alien 3 and 4 compared to most, but I'm inclined to say that this is a fair bit better than those and as aforementioned, fits in a better too. Overall? Some fun to be had, but ultimately fairly pointless.

 

[terry.330]

Edge Of Tomorrow- I'm not calling Live. Die. Repeat., that's a stupid title. Not quite as good as I remember but it's still pretty enjoyable. I will say it's extremely well paced, the movie just flies by. Tom Cruise doing his Tom Cruise thing, Emily Blunt is adequately badass and hot plus Brendan Gleeson and Bill Paxton. The last act of the movie kind of coasts on a jumble of nighttime CG heavy action and the need to just get Cruise and Blunt to the final showdown and it kind of feels rushed and half baked. That's my only real gripe with it though, it's fun and even though it's not really very original as it's pretty much just Groundhog Day meets Gears Of War but it works well enough.

 

[Tarma]

Edge Of Tomorrow- I'm not calling Live. Die. Repeat., that's a stupid title. Not quite as good as I remember but it's still pretty enjoyable. I will say it's extremely well paced, the movie just flies by. Tom Cruise doing his Tom Cruise thing, Emily Blunt is adequately badass and hot plus Brendan Gleeson and Bill Paxton. The last act of the movie kind of coasts on a jumble of nighttime CG heavy action and the need to just get Cruise and Blunt to the final showdown and it kind of feels rushed and half baked. That's my only real gripe with it though, it's fun and even though it's not really very original as it's pretty much just Groundhog Day meets Gears Of War but it works well enough.

I keep meaning to watch this, but it keeps dropping off my radar. Is it streaming anywhere at the moment?

 

[terry.330]

I keep meaning to watch this, but it keeps dropping off my radar. Is it streaming anywhere at the moment?

Netflix, at least in the US.