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

[terry.330]

The Batman- I wanted to re-watch this after The Penguin. I saw it once when it hit streaming during the pandemic or whenever and I remember it being just okay and that's still my opinion. There are quite a few things to like: Pattinson is pretty good as Batman, the Batmobile is fucking awesome, Catwoman is smoking hot, Andy Serkis is good as Alfred, Jeffery Wright is good as Gordon and it's got great atmosphere for Gotham. I also really liked that they included a lot of Batman being an actual detective. That's one of the biggest things the movies tend to barely touch on or just leave out.

Unfortunately there's just as many things to dislike. The most obvious issue being it's 3 hour runtime, could easily have been 2 hours. Paul Danno is a good actor but this version of The Riddler fucking sucks. Catwoman working for The Penguin is stupid, her fingernails are stupid, it's also beyond the suspension of disbelief that she could beat up any one. She's like 90 lbs. it's ridiculous but nowhere near as ridiculous as her stupid ass mask. How the fuck did that get approved? Also while Pattinson is good as Batman the emo Bruce Wayne is just not interesting.

So yeah, it's a mixed bag. It would honestly be a lot more enjoyable if it was edited down to a reasonable length.

 

[Taiso]

Is The Batman connected to The Penguin TV series or were you just on a general Batman vibe when you chose to revisit the film?

 

[terry.330]

Is The Batman connected to The Penguin TV series or were you just on a general Batman vibe when you chose to revisit the film?

Yeah, it takes place shortly after the events of The Batman, it's directly connected.

I actually didn't realize just how much it connected to The Batman. I remembered the sea wall blowing up and the city flooding but I didn't remember Penguin being in it at all, let alone Collin Farrell playing him. Basically the Riddler killing Carmine Falcone is what sets in motion Penguin's entire character arc in the series.

I'd say the movie is definitely worth re-watching for anyone who just watched The Penguin and like me didn't remember a lot of the details.

 

[terry.330]

Blind Fury- Rutger Hauer goes full Zatoichi in this shlocky action comedy classic. This is a very strange movie, the whole thing has a bizarre feel to it. I'm not really sure who it was supposed to be made for. On one hand it seems aimed at kids with all the comedy and a lot of the plot centering around a kid but on the other hand it's incredibly violent. I mean it opens with Hauer crawling blind through a war zone strewn with body parts and corpses. Then in the first action scene he cuts a guy's hand clean off and the kid's mom gets a shotgun blast to the abdomen. But then all the bad guys are straight up cartoonish buffoons like they were out of Smokey And The Bandit or something and there's a ton of goofy (mostly lame) humor. I dunno, the movie always feels like it's playing tug of war with itself.

The ending showdown at the ski resort is legit pretty awesome where he slices up all those guys in the dark. It also seems like maybe a lot of scenes were edited down to avoid gore. Despite the unevenness it's still really enjoyable with some nice action, a couple legitimate laughs and a fun performance by Hauer.

 

[SouthtownKid]

who pushed the basement?

 

[Tarma]

Cyborg - the film, director Albert Pyun, allegedly wrote in a weekend so that Cannon Films had an excuse to use the sets and costumes for the cancelled Masters of the Universe II, and, The Amazing Spiderman. Well, it kinda shows. If you cribbed all the dialogue together, I doubt it'd fill a page of A4. There's some decent action sequences, but the editing is choppy, the female actors are all terrible, and that dialogue... yeah, it's pretty naff, made worse by some clumsy delivery. Van Damme is ok, but his subsequent Death Warrant is far better. Still, I could think of worse ways to waste 90 minutes.

 

[Lagduf]

The Gunfighter - A western from 1950 in which Gregory Peck plays infamous gunfighter Johnny Ringo. Ringo is tired of killing and especially at having to look over his shoulder at every young buck trying to shoot him down and be the man who killed the West’s greatest gunfighter.

The movie is like Unforgiven if Unforgiven was about when William Munny gave up fighting. While Ringo does appear to be a changed man unfortunately he can not escape his violent past and the cycle of violence is renewed.

Great ending, Great Western, and an immaculate Mustache from Peck.

Anyway, caught this one on a whim over thanksgiving. Reminded me I need to watch a few more older Westerns.

 

[SouthtownKid]

The Gunfighter - A western from 1950 in which Gregory Peck plays infamous gunfighter Johnny Ringo. Ringo is tired of killing and especially at having to look over his shoulder at every young buck trying to shoot him down and be the man who killed the West’s greatest gunfighter.

The movie is like Unforgiven if Unforgiven was about when William Munny gave up fighting. While Ringo does appear to be a changed man unfortunately he can not escape his violent past and the cycle of violence is renewed.

It's wild you talk Johnny Ringo, then bring up Unforgiven but not Tombstone. I take it Holiday and Earp don't show up in this one.

 

[StevenK]

Scent of a Woman - a self pitying retired army colonel who was blinded playing the ass towards the end of his faltering career enlists a helper for one last trip before, unbeknownst to his helper, he ends himself.

Pacino plays one of his two or three characters, but I'm not sure if this was where this version of Pacino started, in which case fair play. I didn't find his rousing speeches anything like as rousing as I did when I first watched it 20 odd years ago.

The young carer, an early Chris O'Donnell, is portrayed how I probably think a lot of people in that situation would actually be. That for me is the problem with the outcome - he doesn't really say or do anything I could see that would inspire the colonel to change his plans, he's just kind of wet and mute.

The scene with the colonel dancing with the girl was great, it makes you wish you could dance (and find her).

A decent redemption tale, where everyone kind of gets what they deserve.

 

[SouthtownKid]

I'm not sure if this was where this version of Pacino started, in which case fair play.

Yeah, Scent of a Woman is usually sited as the debut of Pacino 2.0, although I think that's mostly due to people repressing the memory of having seen Godfather 3 a couple years earlier. And really, there are even a few movies before that where he kind of tests out the new voice. But Scent of a Woman is when he really started going full bore with it.

 

[wataru330]

In honor of Ninja November coming to a close, I watched New York Ninja.

Tubi currently has it, along with most of the Godfrey Ho classics.

New York Ninja was shot in 1984 (over 8 hrs of footage that never made it to editing and mastering before the studio went bankrupt and shelved it), and never was mastered with the original audio tracks.

With the screenplay *and* the original audio lost, and only a shooting script found…Vinegar Syndrome edited it down to a 2hr movie, with complete voice acting/music/sound effects.

I’m not attempting a synopsis of the movie and plot, because I couldn’t do it justice. It is so bad it’s good-like your favorite kusoge game brought to life.

Highly Recommended!

 

[HornheaDD]

The Count of Monte Cristo (2024 fronch version)

Finally sat down and watched this last night and it was really great. I kept making comparisons to the Jim Caviezel version from a few years ago which I also liked, but this one is definitely great. For sure better than that version, but I still do like that one.

I've only read about half of the original Dumas book, but that was also like 20 years ago so I basically went in blind. I couldn't tell how close of a translation this version was, but for all I know it was. The broad strokes of betrayal/imprisonment/escape/revenge are all there, of course. But in some ways a lot more detailed, and in some ways less so. Either way, it was enjoyable. Its 3 hours long, so maybe watch it on a Saturday evening at home with a nice dinner.

Definitely recommended.

 

[Tarma]

The Long Good Friday - arguably the definitive "modern" British gangster film from director John Mackenzie, starring Bob Hoskins in a powerhouse performance as London gangland boss Harold Shand. The plot centers around a series of bombings across Easter weekend, targeting property controlled by Shand, who initially thinks that a rival is trying to take over his "manor". At the same time, Shand is trying to secure investment from the New York mafia to buy-up and redevelop London's, then, recently closed and redundant docklands, in a bid to appear more legitimate in his business dealings.
Hoskins gives a career defining performance of a character equally charming and loving, as he is ruthlessly vicious. There's also a strong turn from a young Helen Mirren, as Shand's wife.
A must watch for any fan of the genre, and 45 years on gives an interesting insight into a London whose identity was on the cusp of changing beyond all recognition from what had gone before it.

 

[Lagduf]

It's wild you talk Johnny Ringo, then bring up Unforgiven but not Tombstone. I take it Holiday and Earp don't show up in this one.

Earp is mentioned in the film unfavorably.

I only bring up Unforgiven because like the Gunfighter it shows shooting down others isn’t what the mythology purports it to be.

Tombstone is great but it’s all part of the Earp myth. He wasn’t a good guy.

 

[famicommander]

Wynonna Earp is good tho

 

[Lagduf]

Wynonna Earp is good tho

Her great grandfather was an asshole.

 

[famicommander]

Her great grandfather was an asshole.

She finds that out as the show goes along, actually. Starts out with a sense of hero worship about him and discovers later that he was pretty scummy. Pretty good X-Files/Buffy type show if you haven't seen it.

 

[terry.330]

Black Sheep- A somewhat forgotten little gem from New Zealand, back when the success of Shaun Of The Dead ignited a mini resurgence in horror comedy. This is basically a zombie movie but with sheep, there's little bit of werewolf stuff mixed in as well. It's a great B movie, there's a ton of awesome practical effects and gore that are all really fun. That's all equally balanced with the comedy and general goofiness. Plus on top of that we also get some really nice scenery of New Zealand. The acting and direction are a little amateurish and it's apparent that most of the budget went to the effects but the movie is enjoyable enough that it doesn't really matter. I remember watching this way back when Netflix was still just discs by mail and liking it and I think it holds up pretty well. Recommended.

 

[Taiso]

The Count of Monte Cristo (2024 fronch version)

Finally sat down and watched this last night and it was really great. I kept making comparisons to the Jim Caviezel version from a few years ago which I also liked, but this one is definitely great. For sure better than that version, but I still do like that one.

I've only read about half of the original Dumas book, but that was also like 20 years ago so I basically went in blind. I couldn't tell how close of a translation this version was, but for all I know it was. The broad strokes of betrayal/imprisonment/escape/revenge are all there, of course. But in some ways a lot more detailed, and in some ways less so. Either way, it was enjoyable. Its 3 hours long, so maybe watch it on a Saturday evening at home with a nice dinner.

Definitely recommended.

Does the new one remove God and Edmund's love for Christ from the story?

Because if it does, it's a hard pass for me.

If it's all still in there, I'll give it a try.

 

[Tripredacus]

I saw Alien Romulus. It wasn't the PIECE that I was led to believe it would be.

 

[HornheaDD]

Does the new one remove God and Edmund's love for Christ from the story?

Because if it does, it's a hard pass for me.

If it's all still in there, I'll give it a try.

Since that doesn't ring a bell, I'm gonna say its not in there.

 

[Taiso]

Edmund's faith is what not only carries him through his suffering but it also serves to transform the desire for vengeance into the ability to forgive. Christianity is a key tent of the original. Removing it from the story would kill the vibe for me.

I'm gonna have to watch a few more reviews. I love the book and the 2002 film with Caviezel but if they took God out of this remake, I think I'll be too frustrated to sit through it.

 

[terry.330]

DEATHGASM- Another shlock-fest from New Zealand. This is pretty much just Evil Dead but heavy metal. A teen metal head and his buddies stumble upon The Dark Hymn, a piece of ancient music that opens a portal to hell and summons a demon god. Of course they play the music and all hell breaks loose. The movie really pokes fun at metal culture in a loving way and never lets the story get in the way of a dick or fart joke. There's a ton of gore and fun practical effects. Obviously the writing, acting, editing and direction are all pretty sloppy but it gets the job done and has a lot of charm. There are some legitimately funny moments and you can tell everyone involved was having a lot of fun. If you enjoy stuff like Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil, Metalocalypse, Idle Hands etc you'll probably dig this.

 

[Ralfakick]

I watched a couple of new art house type movies the past few days. I have to say it’s refreshing compared to the usual dreck we get nowadays.

Madame Cliquot i was hanging out with my bro on Black Friday we went out to lunch. He’s fluent in French and I was listening to the song cliquot by beruit on my car and said why don’t we watch this. Anyway it’s on Netflix I thought it was in French until I put it on. I enjoyed it is about madame cliquot of veuve cliquot fame and how she runs the vineyard after her husband passes in the time of Napoleon who decreed woman can’t run private businesses

Coupe de chance - everyone has an opinion on woody Allen and it’s understandable. Roman Polanski is a piece of shit too but I really like Ghost Writer. I have to say though stardust memories and match point are two of my favorites by woody Allen . I didn’t know this came out over the summer and it’s completely in French but it’s about a husband and his trophy wife he discovers is having an affair. He starts by paying hit man to knock her lover off. I have to say it held my attention all the way through and I enjoyed it. It made me rewatch Cassandra’s dream I’m watching at the moment I’ve only seen once by him.

 

[terry.330]

Jurassic Park- I probably talked about this one not too long ago but I snagged the 4k in Amazon's BF sale, watched it yesterday and have a few thoughts.

First the 4k looks okay, good but not great. Which I'm fine with, a lot of people complained that it didn't meet their expectations but honestly I'd much rather have this unaltered and a little dull looking than that AI bullshit James Cameron has been doing to his old movies or some revised edition with new CG or other weird changes.

Second it's refreshing to watch a big summer blockbuster from before the days of comic movies, garbage Star Wars, reboots, sequels to reboots etc. It's especially nice to watch such a big movie that isn't completely braindead. Don't get me wrong JP isn't exactly deep by any means but it at least treats the audience with a bit of respect. Everything these days is so dumb and formulaic that you already know everything that's going to happen beat for beat. You can damn near time the quips, action and emotional moments down to the second.

Third I really miss the days of actual sets and practical effects. The worst thing about CG (which JP ironically pioneered) is that once studios figured out how to use it they went hog wild. You can't just have a car chase, it has to be a car chase through a storm while having a shoot out and destroying an entire city. The scene in JP where the T-Rex shows up for the first time and flips over the SUVs is 1000% more effective than anything in any recent action movie. If that was presented to a studio today they would want so much more bombastic bullshit crammed in there to the point that it loses any actual impact or tension. Just sheer spectacle with nothing to back it up. JP is downright quaint compared to any big movie of the last 15 or so years.

All that said yes there are still huge holes in the plot, yes the CG is dated and yes the kids are annoying. It's also full on Spielberg schmaltzy awe and wonder to the point that it tends to feel pretty forced at times. Small issues though, it really has held up remarkably well.