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

[terry.330]

The Hidden- One of the most underrated 80s sci-fi/action flicks. Balls to the wall action from the opening scene, exotic sports cars in epic chases, gunfights, weird The Thing body horror, a great soundtrack and Kyle MacLachlan. It's basically The Thing meets Terminator and it's fucking awesome.

 

[fake]

RIP William Friedkin

 

[famicommander]

New Turtles movie is rad. Just because both it and Spiderverse have roto-scoping, doesn’t mean one is aping the other…just like neither of these films are aping Bakshi flicks.

TMNT is well acted, the few things retconned are less offensive than movie X-Men wearing all black (and actually fit the story), and it was fun to see in a movie theatre.

I went with my 13 year old daughter…from someone who has read the comics since they were new on stands in the 80s, to someone who only had ever seen the Nictoons reboot a few years ago-there’s something for everyone.

tl;dr

TMNT is not just GreatValue Spiderverse. Is good stand alone flick.

How does it stack up to the other Turtles films?

Better than the '90 original, Secret of the Ooze, and TMNT?

It pretty much has to be better than the Bay films or III.

 

[wataru330]

It’s its own thing. We just liked it for what it was, irrespective of the other movies.

 

[famicommander]

It’s its own thing. We just liked it for what it was, irrespective of the other movies.

That's not allowed. I'm gonna need you to put it in a definitive ranking with the others and then get irrationally angry when someone else has them in a different order.

 

[Burning Fight!!]

Dynamo (1978): hehe poon...



Holy shit the ole VHS edit of this movie was the superior one all along. The movie follows along the only half decent Bruce Lee clone, Bruce Li, in a fairly respectful movie that isn't about pretending Lee is on screen kicking ass again (they can't resist shoehorning clips of his funeral into the plot however). It's barely "bruceploitation" in the usual sense I suppose. Li is a cab driver that gets spotted by an advertising agency manager trying to one up her rival agency, and him looking like lee and being good at martial arts is enough to make her shitty agency good again and steal the customers of her rival? Look, just work with it alright. Of course the rival agency gets mad and tries to kill Lee. Yeah the plot is dumb, which brings me to the Blu-Ray version.

The full version (a great 35mm scan) from this bluray I bought has 10+ more minutes that establish how much of a bitch the lady Bruce Li ends up working with is, which is a problem because they're all a bore and go nowhere. There's no comeuppance to her asshole underhanded actions at all, and it bears no weight in the actual plot of the movie. The usual truncated version removes all of those scenes and the movie doesn't lose anything out of it, in fact the plot becomes much more focused, the ending makes a bit more sense and the boredom you'd get off those "drama" scenes don't propagate to the rest of the movie. Good thing there's also a 16mm scan of the usual cut version on the same bluray, but of course the transfer quality is lower so if anyone else actually wants to watch this, I'd just play the 35mm version and skip 04:21 - 07:00, 10:25 - 20:15 and the horse race stock footage. I hope you can see my point of the 35mm version with those timestamps lol. The plot is already unconvincing and those don't help much.

The rantings aside, this movie isn't a hidden gem of kung-fu cinema or anything but the fights are cool and well choreographed, and the training scenes with Feng Ku as Li's instructor are a standout. It's an enjoyable movie if you can get through the lame attempt at making this a real serious movie. Shoutouts to the fun intro with (great) stolen music from Isaac Hayes, it's a miracle these are getting re-releases with all the copyright violations these Hong Kong movies have lol

 

[terry.330]

Triangle of Sadness- Well that was interesting. I had no idea what to expect aside from it having some comedic elements which it does but it's a whole lot more than that.

A male model and his influencer girlfriend end up on a luxury cruise for the uber wealthy and lets just say things do not go well. The boat sinks and a handful of survivors end up shipwrecked on a small island where they have to fend for themselves and the tables are turned as money and power in the real world no longer matter when it comes to actual survival.

I don't want to spoil anything but I will say that this is a very smart and unique social commentary with a side of black comedy. It's an odd, sometimes slow and seemingly meandering movie at times but it's worth the investment. The best way I can describe it is The White Lotus meets Lord of the Flies. Recommended.

 

[HDRchampion]

My First Slam Dunk movie - Haven't been in the theaters since Endgame. That's 4years ago but i had to watch one of my fav anime in the big screen. Was surprise Sakuragi POV was shifted to Ryota Miyagi. Movie was great and so was the animation. Should have added little more closure for the rest of the players & if they added the song from the original anime Sekai ga owaru made wa would have been perfect. Kind of like Rambo 4 not playing Long Road at the end, missed opportunity.

Hidden Strike - I find Jackie Chan & John Cena funny in their filmography but it was pretty bad in this one. Lots of force comedy andthe action was average but for Jackie Chan film its quite disappointing. Actually really disappointing after watching his other new film Ride On which was one of Jackie Chan's best film in a long time.

Joy Ride - This one seem to try too hard and force a lot of the "comedy". I think the tattoo scene was the only part. I think it also has to do more about female comedians just dont really make me laugh. Still im glad to see more asian representation in US films.

Master Gardener - I saw the trailer & had Edgerton in it, so i had to watch it. Not exactly what i was expecting. A bit slow pace and nothing really happens. Its about a ex-Nazi lover who is now a gardener who entered a witness protection plan. He ends up teaching a biracial woman about gardening for a couple weeks. At least in American History X Edward Norton got anally raped and then befriends a black guy in prison to change his racist ways...This one, no explanation on his changes. Just does gardening for a decade an all of sudden he is into dark meat. Felt like watching grass grow.

 

[terry.330]

Dead End- A relatively unknown little horror movie from 2003. Ray Wise and his terrible family are on their way to the mother in-laws for Christmas eve. While everyone in the car is asleep Ray decides to get off the interstate and take a back road shortcut. They get stuck/lost on a seemingly unending stretch of road, pick up a creepy woman and things get increasingly more bizarre and crazy. It's extremely low budget with only a handful of actors and a single location which in the right hands could have worked in the movie's favor but it doesn't.

This was recommended to me by a buddy as a "hidden gem". It's not. While I can see what they were going for it's just so cheap looking and ametureish that it completely negates any sense of tension or atmosphere they were trying to build. I was hold ing out hope that the ending would at least make up for how crappy the rest of the movie was but nope. In fact the ending was possibly the laziest, most stupid thing they possibly could have done.

 

[terry.330]

The King of New York- Christopher Walken is Frank White the head of a multi ethnic gang, released from prision he re-joins his organization and proceeds to eliminate all of his competition and take over the drug trade. A group of very pissed off cops are tired of seeing him hide behind his lawyers and take matters into their own hands. With an impressive cast including Lawrence Fishborne, Steve Buscemi, David Carusoe, Giancarlo Esposito and a ton of familiar character actors.

It's an Abel Ferrera movie so it's pretty gritty and brutal, very New York. It's kind of an odd one though, there's just a very strange feel to the whole movie. The performances are strong, there's some great shots of NYC and quite a bit of action. A little too indulgent and weird to be a classic but it's a solid movie overall. It's almost an artsy companion to New Jack City.

 

[HornheaDD]

Tetris:

Not what I expected. I thought it was going to be more about the game itself rather than the whole Russian espionage angle. It was enjoyable enough but for some weird reason it really reminded me of Argo, even though the movies are completely different in every single aspect.

 

[Heinz]

Jacob's Ladder (1990):
Didn't know what to expect but it did a good job of representing PTSD which didn't really end up being that at all. Bleak, just gonna say it's bleak but it's a good film.

 

[LoneSage]

I don't want to alarm anyone but the day before I wiki'd The King of New York and then the next day Terry watched it. And yesterday I wiki'd Jacob's Ladder and then lach watched it.

 

[fake]

Talk to Me
Low-ish tear A24-distributed movie about teens that get too deep into an occult ritual. Not actual believable and not particularly scary, but it does have a good escalation and a sense of "oh boy how are then gonna get out of this mess?"

I don't want to alarm anyone but the day before I wiki'd The King of New York and then the next day Terry watched it. And yesterday I wiki'd Jacob's Ladder and then lach watched it.

What is this is all a Jacob's Ladder Scenario?

 

[SouthtownKid]

Jacob's Ladder (1990):
Didn't know what to expect but it did a good job of representing PTSD which didn't really end up being that at all. Bleak, just gonna say it's bleak but it's a good film.

Bleak? It's a happy ending.

 

[terry.330]

Mallrats- Yeah, I guess I still have a bit of a soft spot for this (and Clerks). Honestly it's just so quintessentially 90s and dumb, 13 year old me loved it. Does it hold up well? No. Even with a budget and studio resources Smith still can barely string together scenes and his insistence on cramming bad relationship drama into everything is lazy and awkward. But it's fun and Jason Lee's performance is enjoyable. It's also nice that most of the cast were relative unknowns at the time, his later movies feel like a showcase for his celebrity friends to spout his cringe dialogue and mug. These early movie still feel genuine, not well made but they definitely have heart. Worth a watch for a bit of embarrassing nostalgia.

 

[fake]

Bleak? It's a happy ending.

Regardless of the ending, that movie can put you in a mood, IMO.

 

[terry.330]

The Man Who Saved Pinball- I thought this was going to be a documentary but it turns out it's actually a romantic comedy. It's about the guy who was instrumental in helping get pinball legalized in New York in the 1970s. In case you were unaware pinball was classified as gambling in some states due to laws that dated back to the 1930s. Politicians claimed the pinball industry was run by the mob to swindle money from children and get them addicted to gambling. Thus pinball machines were classified as games of chance same as slot machines.

Anyways the guy helps prove that the machines are in fact skill based. The movie focuses equally on pinball and the guys relationship with a woman and her son. It's all fairly lighthearted and a bit schmaltzy but still enjoyable. Worth a watch.

 

[BlackaneseNiNjA]

Enter the Dragon
Warner Bros. put the film back in the theater to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release. It was really cool to finally have the opportunity to see this one on the big screen with the fam.
A fun and amazing action movie classic that I think held up well all these years.

 

[Tarma]

The King of New York- Christopher Walken is Frank White the head of a multi ethnic gang, released from prision he re-joins his organization and proceeds to eliminate all of his competition and take over the drug trade. A group of very pissed off cops are tired of seeing him hide behind his lawyers and take matters into their own hands. With an impressive cast including Lawrence Fishborne, Steve Buscemi, David Carusoe, Giancarlo Esposito and a ton of familiar character actors.

It's an Abel Ferrera movie so it's pretty gritty and brutal, very New York. It's kind of an odd one though, there's just a very strange feel to the whole movie. The performances are strong, there's some great shots of NYC and quite a bit of action. A little too indulgent and weird to be a classic but it's a solid movie overall. It's almost an artsy companion to New Jack City.

I keep meaning to watch this... and McBain...

This weekend we've been going full on 80s action in full SD glory via LD:

Commando - gloriously entertaining, far more so than it has any right to be, so many quotable lines... love it.

Tango & Cash - Stallone and Russell work really well together, but I can't help but pine for Konchalovsky's original vision, and lose all the stupid shit Jon Peters insisted on. That guy should have stuck to cutting hair... because he's knows nothing about making films. Still, Tango & Cash is still very entertaining, with plenty of nods to other action films, notably Police Story, but it could have been so much better.

 

[terry.330]

I keep meaning to watch this... and McBain...

It's worth watching just to see David Carusoe get shot in the face.

 

[Tarma]

It's worth watching just to see David Carusoe get shot in the face.

SOLD

 

[lithy]

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

Serviceable but overall mediocre I think.

I'm not a fan of things like TMNT that don't exist in their own universe. Did I need turtles referencing Beyonce and Drake? Did I need to see them watch 15 seconds of Ferris Bueller? Did I need to hear a joke about Mikey's head being shaped like the love child of Stewie and Hey Arnold!? I did not. This feels like a complaint that I can specifically put at the feet of Seth Rogen. There were moments where it swung violently between being a movie made for children and a movie made for manchildren.

Then there was the overall plot resolution. Without spoilers, I'll just say that I thought it was weak, not very believable.

On the plus side it was 1h40m. More of that please, knock it off with the 2+ hour shit. The flow was very good from beginning to end, I never felt bored or had thoughts of "ok, I get the point, let's move on" for sequences like I did in Across Spiderverse.

On the not sure if it was good or not side, I liked the inclusion of some of the characters that I only know from action figures, but it did feel a bit like a kitchen sink thing, probably too many.

I admittedly have a personal soft spot for Secret of the Ooze, saw that before the first movie and had it on VHS which we wore out. With that said, I think that 1 and even maybe 2 are better than this movie. Never saw the Bay stuff and only saw 3 once as a kid, but I'll assume it is better than those.

 

[jro]

The King of New York- Christopher Walken is Frank White the head of a multi ethnic gang, released from prision he re-joins his organization and proceeds to eliminate all of his competition and take over the drug trade. A group of very pissed off cops are tired of seeing him hide behind his lawyers and take matters into their own hands. With an impressive cast including Lawrence Fishborne, Steve Buscemi, David Carusoe, Giancarlo Esposito and a ton of familiar character actors.

It's an Abel Ferrera movie so it's pretty gritty and brutal, very New York. It's kind of an odd one though, there's just a very strange feel to the whole movie. The performances are strong, there's some great shots of NYC and quite a bit of action. A little too indulgent and weird to be a classic but it's a solid movie overall. It's almost an artsy companion to New Jack City.

I vaguely remember hearing the "whip out my dick and take a piss on the floor" rap lyric first, then watching KoNY and going, yeah, now that makes sense.

Also, I think it's apropos, as basically aforementioned: "Ike, do your impression of David Caruso's career!" "IT'S MY TURN!!!!!!"

Anyway:

The Descent 2 (re-watch)- I know Marshall didn't make this but I remembered sort of liking it a bit the first time I watched it. THAT was incorrect. It's terrible, with the micro-budget on full display. I also strongly dislike how it retcons the dumb North American ending of the first one into canon instead of the proper, far superior, international ending.

 

[terry.330]

Hahaha yeah, The Descent 2 is fucking awful. A real disservice to the original.

Fright Night: Part 2- The real one, not the direct to video sequel to the remake. I finally broke down and bought the Spanish blu-ray and it's a revelation. The old rip I had was from the horrible DVD. The movie itself is awesome but kind of weird. I mean it's a weird movie to make a sequel to but they did and it mostly works. Charlie is in college, instead of Jerry we get Regine along with her very 80s gang and Roddy McDowell returns. It's not as well paced as the first and Regine is no Jerry but it's still a lot of fun and there are some great effects.