- Joined
- Dec 25, 2002
- Posts
- 49,554
I was going to say I thought her first big film was Drugstore Cowboy but I guess License to Drive came out a year earlier.
Movie opinions thread (what have you seen, what did you think?)
- Thread starter aria
- Start date
I was going to say I thought her first big film was Drugstore Cowboy but I guess License to Drive came out a year earlier.
- Joined
- May 4, 2004
- Posts
- 12,930
Slither- Easily my favorite James Gunn movie. Sure, it’s basically Night of the Creeps, Tremors and a little bit of Society but it’s still enough of its own thing. It’s funny, got a great cast and paced well, just a thoroughly enjoyable little movie. Too bad Gunn will probably never make
anything like this again.
anything like this again.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2016
- Posts
- 4,981
The Artifice Girl
I saw one of those "hurr durr 5 sci-fi movies that are unknown but awesome!!!11q!" videos and one of them mentioned this flick. It seemed interesting, so I checked it out.
The wife and I love true crime stuff and enjoy the hilarity of those "to catch a predator" shows, so this one kinda caught my attention. Basically a guy creates an AI teen girl named Cherry to chat with perverts online to catch them. The AI creates basically a dossier on the creep and reports it to the cops. The cops get wind that this dude created it and - the movie starts. To be clear its not a comedy, if anything its a drama, I guess? But its enjoyable.
The film itself is very minimal. All together there are 5 actors/characters in the film. The 2 cops, the computer guy, the AI girl, and then Lance Henricksen that shows up toward the end (and they make two not so subtle references to his Bishop character). And there are maybe 3 settings in the entire movie. I thought it was well shot, if a teeny overacted by the lady cop. But otherwise a cool flick.
I saw one of those "hurr durr 5 sci-fi movies that are unknown but awesome!!!11q!" videos and one of them mentioned this flick. It seemed interesting, so I checked it out.
The wife and I love true crime stuff and enjoy the hilarity of those "to catch a predator" shows, so this one kinda caught my attention. Basically a guy creates an AI teen girl named Cherry to chat with perverts online to catch them. The AI creates basically a dossier on the creep and reports it to the cops. The cops get wind that this dude created it and - the movie starts. To be clear its not a comedy, if anything its a drama, I guess? But its enjoyable.
The film itself is very minimal. All together there are 5 actors/characters in the film. The 2 cops, the computer guy, the AI girl, and then Lance Henricksen that shows up toward the end (and they make two not so subtle references to his Bishop character). And there are maybe 3 settings in the entire movie. I thought it was well shot, if a teeny overacted by the lady cop. But otherwise a cool flick.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2000
- Posts
- 17,229
I started watching Aguirre, the Wrath of God and just as with Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre, I had a very hard time getting into it. I needed to understand the film a little better before giving it a try. I understand now that the movie isn't really plot driven as much as it is experiential. It's meant to just be absorbed on its own terms. The plot, such as it is, seems secondary to the essence of being stuck in a hopeless situation in the Amazon and just coping with it. Asking for the story to 'move faster' is simultaneously pointless and exactly what those people need in order to maintain their sanity and survive.
I am going to give it another try, probably tomorrow since I have the day off. I believe it is as good as I've been told but I just didn't go in with the right attitude. I was expecting Heart of Darkness or Apocalypse Now and while there are some very similar themes, they are not really meant to be consumed the same way. Aguirre, it seems, is meant to transport you into the film and recruit you into that doomed expedition, whereas I feel like the other two can be read or watched as an observer.
I am going to give it another try, probably tomorrow since I have the day off. I believe it is as good as I've been told but I just didn't go in with the right attitude. I was expecting Heart of Darkness or Apocalypse Now and while there are some very similar themes, they are not really meant to be consumed the same way. Aguirre, it seems, is meant to transport you into the film and recruit you into that doomed expedition, whereas I feel like the other two can be read or watched as an observer.
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2003
- Posts
- 7,827
Nirvana -1997
Italian cyberpunk flick. Not amazing by any stretch. It suffers from some 90's aesthetics for a modest budget. However, the subject matter smacks of The Matrix and eXistenz which is pretty wild considering it predates both by 2 years.
Italian cyberpunk flick. Not amazing by any stretch. It suffers from some 90's aesthetics for a modest budget. However, the subject matter smacks of The Matrix and eXistenz which is pretty wild considering it predates both by 2 years.
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2002
- Posts
- 16,539
You actually pretty much nailed what it's about, but that still doesn't mean it is a fun watch even if you get it. It's just one of those odd films that you're inclined to see if you're into films, but it's also a hard one to suggest since it is basically just a misery fest. You're just strapped in to watch people be miserable in the context of the film and the real life people making the film.
I kind of had the same feelings about it the first time I saw it years ago and honestly had no desire to revisit it until I did a few years back. I ended up going through a fair chunk of Herzog's older works and just said "why not?" and watched this again and I didn't feel that much different about it. I did however put way more thought into the pure awfulness that making the film was and was able to appreciate it on pure level of "art is suffering"--even if that is a bit pretentious.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Posts
- 28,936
Drive-Away Dolls, written and directed by Ethan Coen without his brother for the first time, and wow, is it a pile of crap. Miller's Crossing it is not. A string of tired cliches performed by forgettable characters.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2001
- Posts
- 8,362
The Departed - Martin Scorsese's crime thriller remake of the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs. Scorsese's assembles an awesome cast - from the principles (DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg), through to the supporting actors (Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga), creating a tight film that keeps you entertained from start to finish.
The plots revolves around Damon's cop actually being a plant from Jack Nicholson's gang, and DiCaprio being the exact opposite - a police plant in Nicholson's gang. The tension builds as both sides begin to realize they have moles but neither side can identify who it is.
Jack Nicholson chews the scenery, making the film more or less his in what will probably go down as his last really memorable role before he "retired". Scorsese gets great performances out of everyone, ably assisted by William Monahan's script. Highly recommended.
The plots revolves around Damon's cop actually being a plant from Jack Nicholson's gang, and DiCaprio being the exact opposite - a police plant in Nicholson's gang. The tension builds as both sides begin to realize they have moles but neither side can identify who it is.
Jack Nicholson chews the scenery, making the film more or less his in what will probably go down as his last really memorable role before he "retired". Scorsese gets great performances out of everyone, ably assisted by William Monahan's script. Highly recommended.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Posts
- 28,936
Nicholson famously refused to even attempt a Boston accent, and also refused to read the script or learn his lines. He used latter-day Marlon Brando's technique of wearing an earwig in whatever ear was pointing away from the camera. His first exposure to each line was as someone was feeding it to him by transmitter, and then he'd just repeat it.
Unessential
n00b
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2015
- Posts
- 36
Just watched The Menu, and man, it’s not what I expected. Started like some bougie food movie, but halfway through, it’s a full-on satire about privilege and obsession. Felt like Parasite meets Saw but way classier. Ralph Fiennes was terrifying in that “too calm” way
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2004
- Posts
- 14,735
Couple of smaller horror-ish movies that I liked -
The Righteous - basically felt like a play adapted to a movie, complete with almost no soundtrack and thus 80% of the movie being dialogue only, no other noise. Also shot entirely in black and white, but it all somehow works. Anyway, a former priest with some, um, weaknesses, is presented with a guy who says hey, in order to atone for your past sins, you have to commit a really bad sin or I'll destroy everyone you marginally like at all. I may or may not be bullshitting you and The Four Horsemen may or may not be paying attention.
Two Witches - holy shit, this came out of left field for me. It's basically two sets of generally normal people getting absolutely wrecked by what might be a coven of witches, and then there's a gonzo ending that just sort of basically brazenly says yeah, I, the writer/director, know that this is too good not to get a sequel, thank you for watching, and it somehow actually earns it.
The Righteous - basically felt like a play adapted to a movie, complete with almost no soundtrack and thus 80% of the movie being dialogue only, no other noise. Also shot entirely in black and white, but it all somehow works. Anyway, a former priest with some, um, weaknesses, is presented with a guy who says hey, in order to atone for your past sins, you have to commit a really bad sin or I'll destroy everyone you marginally like at all. I may or may not be bullshitting you and The Four Horsemen may or may not be paying attention.
Two Witches - holy shit, this came out of left field for me. It's basically two sets of generally normal people getting absolutely wrecked by what might be a coven of witches, and then there's a gonzo ending that just sort of basically brazenly says yeah, I, the writer/director, know that this is too good not to get a sequel, thank you for watching, and it somehow actually earns it.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2008
- Posts
- 11,818
Saturday Night Fever
Basically a companion piece to A Clockwork Orange. A 19 year old is frustrated by his overly critical family and unsuccessful work life, but he finds meaning at the disco each Saturday night, where he is the most respected man around. He and his friends share a car where they each have ten minutes to rape the women at the club. One night, he attempts to rape his dance partner. That same night, his friend falls off a bridge and dies. He feels bad, so he goes to the dance partner's house and apologizes. They decide to be friends from now on, with no raping.
This was one of the strangest movies I've seen and I don't understand why it got so much respect in the '70s.
Basically a companion piece to A Clockwork Orange. A 19 year old is frustrated by his overly critical family and unsuccessful work life, but he finds meaning at the disco each Saturday night, where he is the most respected man around. He and his friends share a car where they each have ten minutes to rape the women at the club. One night, he attempts to rape his dance partner. That same night, his friend falls off a bridge and dies. He feels bad, so he goes to the dance partner's house and apologizes. They decide to be friends from now on, with no raping.
This was one of the strangest movies I've seen and I don't understand why it got so much respect in the '70s.
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2018
- Posts
- 4,391
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Posts
- 28,936
Every single time we scroll past the Saturday Night Fever thumbnail in a streaming menu, I say, "He hit my heyah. I wahk a long time on my heyah, and he hit it." My wife is well sick of it.
- Joined
- May 4, 2004
- Posts
- 12,930
This is one I like less and less every time I see it.
Which reminds me I need to watch the IA trilogy again.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2001
- Posts
- 8,362
I think you'll find that photo was taken in London last week.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Posts
- 28,936
Yeah, same.
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2003
- Posts
- 28,936
- Joined
- May 4, 2004
- Posts
- 12,930
Back when cable was still a thing it was on HBO pretty frequently and yeah I’ve also probably seen it 3 times. It doesn’t hold up, not only to the source material but to Scorsese’s earlier films. The performances are a really mixed bag as well.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2001
- Posts
- 8,362
52 Pickup - another entry from the Cannon back catalog, and directed by John Frankenheimer and based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name no less.
Pretty entertaining thriller starring Roy Scheider as a successful businessman who is being blackmailed by a porno movie maker after falling foul of a honey trap. Performances are solid all round and the pacing is good. John Glover gives a great performance as the main bad guy, a slimey but charismatic porno maker who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty if needed.
If you're looking for an 80s take on the French Connection or (his later work) Ronin you'll be disappointed. But if you like 80s thrillers (think No Way Out, or Jagged Edge), this is well worth a watch. Certainly a cut above a lot of the dross Cannon was shoveling out at the time.
Pretty entertaining thriller starring Roy Scheider as a successful businessman who is being blackmailed by a porno movie maker after falling foul of a honey trap. Performances are solid all round and the pacing is good. John Glover gives a great performance as the main bad guy, a slimey but charismatic porno maker who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty if needed.
If you're looking for an 80s take on the French Connection or (his later work) Ronin you'll be disappointed. But if you like 80s thrillers (think No Way Out, or Jagged Edge), this is well worth a watch. Certainly a cut above a lot of the dross Cannon was shoveling out at the time.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2001
- Posts
- 4,501
I accidentally signed up for a free month trial of Prime so I took the opportunity to watch some movies on there I wanted to see
Lisa Frankenstein
A young girl having trouble fitting in becomes fascinated by a grave which turns out to revive a Frankensteins Monster type character who she falls in love with who thy find if they murder people and harvest their body parts can turn the monster back to a human. I found this fun in a Tim Burton dark comedy kind of way
Snack Shack.
Two boys in the 90s overbid on a snack shack at the local pool and experience love and loss. I thought this may have ended up as a teenage stoner type comedy but it had more heart and sadness then I was expecting plus being almost exactly that age at the time I could relate to that time.
The Thicket
I like Peter Dinklage as an actor. This is free on Tubi. After a misunderstanding at a crossing that ended in a death a young girl is kidnapped by Billy the butcher (played by Juliette Lewis no less), and her brother teams up with Dinklage to try and hunt down the gang in a winter Wild West story. I ended up taking the audiobook out on Libby which I just started but is already different than the movie, but I enjoyed this.
Lisa Frankenstein
A young girl having trouble fitting in becomes fascinated by a grave which turns out to revive a Frankensteins Monster type character who she falls in love with who thy find if they murder people and harvest their body parts can turn the monster back to a human. I found this fun in a Tim Burton dark comedy kind of way
Snack Shack.
Two boys in the 90s overbid on a snack shack at the local pool and experience love and loss. I thought this may have ended up as a teenage stoner type comedy but it had more heart and sadness then I was expecting plus being almost exactly that age at the time I could relate to that time.
The Thicket
I like Peter Dinklage as an actor. This is free on Tubi. After a misunderstanding at a crossing that ended in a death a young girl is kidnapped by Billy the butcher (played by Juliette Lewis no less), and her brother teams up with Dinklage to try and hunt down the gang in a winter Wild West story. I ended up taking the audiobook out on Libby which I just started but is already different than the movie, but I enjoyed this.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2001
- Posts
- 4,501
I think Ive gone through almost every Cannon Film.
You do Hero and the Terror yet? For some reason I lump that and 52 pickup together I think I just watched them around the same time.
How about Kinjite? That’s probaly more like 52 Pickup from Cannon.
Another recommendation but more as a guilty pleasure is Dangerously Close
Last edited: