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Birds of Prey

This is about the 4th time I have seen it, as my daughter loves this movie more than she should. I don't know why, but if a teenage girl wants to watch a movie with her Dad, I will allow it.

Harley is of course the star of the show, and they really do the work to make her a character and not just a walking and talking gimmick. I also like the unconventional story structure and the girl power undertones. I had forgot what misogynistic jerks all the villains were in this.

I would love to see a Margrot Robbie led remake of RollerBall now as well.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Under the Stadium Lights

An acquaintance of mine made this movie about five years ago, and now it is being released on DVD by Paramount. Parts were filmed in the small town I owned a business in. Due to this Lawrence Fishburne has eaten waffles from my coffeeshop. However, none of my businesses feature in the movie.

That said, this is a low-budget, Christian themed, football/sport movie, with a dash of gang-banger film thrown in. For a low budget affair, it managed to get Milo Gibson (Mel's 6th son) and Lawrence Fishburne in the cast, so that is something! Some parts you can really see the budget limitations, some of the story beats need a re-work to make it flow better, and there are some cringeworthy performances by some of the "extras". Overall, for a low-budget affair I have seen much, much worse.

I saw this film for sale at my local Wal-mart and a grocery store, so that Paramount distribution is really paying off.

I do not think it is Ridley Scott, but the director is now escaping me!

Green Lantern

This has aged better than when I first saw it. The effects are not great, and the CGI suit looks very bright and not real. Ryan Reynolds is a bit annoying, but he usually is to me.

There is some attempt at character between the three; hero, girl, and henchman. This time, I started to think that Hector's "Mind reading" was not a power at all, but just his fear induced self-talk coming to the fore.

Criminal misuse of Amanda Waller, and the final fight is kind of lame. Also, a very tantalizing end credits sequence, that never gets to go anywhere. Kind of like the Jem movie.

Not as bad as I recall, but just not that compelling. It is somehow missing the secret sauce to put it above workmanlike and by-the-numbers.

47 Ronin

This movie is also by-the-numbers. There are good elements to it, but it does not seem to be able to put it all together into a compelling whole. The Keanu character is a pointless "western" add-on as a half-breed child of mystical origins. However, he never really does much to make me care about him. The main Samurai character (who is played by a familiar face but I sadly do not know his name) is a much better and more interesting character as he reflects the key ideas we need to understand for the premise of this movie to work.... at all.

Plus, what is with movies feeling so insecure about their ability to show and not tell that they feel the needs for a narrator all the time? It is a plague of movies that want to be big, tentpole movies. Opening and closing narration is pointless, as it tells us stuff that we end up seeing in the film most of the time anyway. The studios think we are all idiots, and therefore need narrators.

Overall, and ambitious failure as it lacks rooting interest or a compelling character arc for the main protagonist.

The Midnight Sky

This is a George Clooney vehicle and it does really highlight his skills. That said, the movie is pretty depressing from the word go, and the "big reveal" isn't much of a reveal. The pace is also a bit slow for a lot of viewers.

Samurai Marathon
Interesting set-up, that gets less interesting as the movie goes along. The "climax" is a very poorly paced. However, the fight choreography seems more realistic and less OTT than most samurai films I have seen. I am probably wrong though.

Mystery Men
Not as funny as it should be.

William H. Macy is great as the straight man, The Shoveller. Ganine Garofillow (sp) is also interesting as The Bowler. The character of the Blue Raja is good. However, everything else is ..... meh.

I really do not get why Ben Stiller was so popular in the 90's.

Battle Royale

Yeah, that one where school kids have to kill each other off.

I do not recall the ludicrous reason the BR Act was passed, but whatever the reason; I don't think it is working.

I was actually a bit disappointed with this one. I expected a little something.... more? Different? Better? I am not sure, but it sort of bored me, and with that premise! How did that happen?

The Highwaymen

Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson are two aging, former Texas Rangers who are tracking down Bonnie and Clyde.

This movie frequently shows Bonnie and Clyde ambushing cops and machine gunning them down. It also has a clear sub-text about shooting first and asking questions later. It seems to lean heavily into the "wild west" policing mythos, and poo-poo's more modern methods.

In this day and age, the subtext of this film felt very disturbing. Plus, it was kind of slow moving.

They also keep Bonnie and Clyde as background characters. However, the movie explores the "celebrity" of being a gangster/folk hero of the time. It also shows the mobility of the early days of automobiles compared to previous generations. Some good nods to the period in the film that I enjoyed.

 Azreal13 wrote:
Not sure if you're aware it's, as far as any movie ever is, a true story?

https://time.com/5549362/the-highwaymen-true-story-bonnie-clyde/

Yup, but that doesn't mean the sub-text can't be changed, or be given a critical eye by the film and film maker.

I was thinking about Woody Harrelson last night, and it is amazing to me that the fresh-faced actor from Cheers who was brought in to replace the then iconic character of Coach, would be the biggest break out success from that show.

I mean, Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rea Pearlman, and Kelsey Grammer all had non-Cheers careers, but I Woody ended up being the most successful and arguably Best actor from the bunch.

His Hollywood journey is pretty amazing when you think about it.

David Lynch's Dune

Since the new Dennis Villaneuve (sp) version is coming out in a few days, I figured I would go back and re-watch this one.

I, of course; love it more than it should be loved. However, the main sin of this film is the editing. Due to the editing, there are few if any transitions, and scenes just abruptly end. Many scenes are only a few minutes here and then <boom> jump to an entirely new scene. No scene overstays its welcome, but it is easy for the importance of a scene to get lost in it all. As a result, the whole thing is rushed.

Overall though, still a great film watching experience. I wish they would release a Director's Cut or even just the TV long edit version. I recall it had some significant differences and more time to breathe than the film cut.

Must Watch


I also saw No Time to Die

To be a mini-review I will saw this. It follows the "every other Bond movie is good!" sequence. This one was fun to watch, and I recommend it.

I love Austin Powers.

I will always remember it's marketing, as there was a preview with a shot of the emperor's empty throne room, star wars-esque music, and a movie narrator guy saying, "If you see one movie this year, make sure it is Star Wars. If you see two movies make sure it is Austin Powers!"

It then cuts to Austin prancing and dancing around with the psychedelic band in the background.

So good.

I enjoyed it, but could see how the pacing could turn off modern audiences.

The Man from UNCLE

A "modern" re-make of an old 60's spy show I always liked. This one was written and directed by Guy Ritchie, and you can tell when you watch it!

Henry Cavil and Armie Hammer are really strong as Solo and Ilya respectively. Viklander as Gabby is also good. The Italian villainess is great. Hugh Grant is fun.

Don't look too closely at the plot, just squint at it and look sideways. There are some head scratchers in there. Instead, just absorb the cool stylings and directorial flourishes.

I liked it! Too bad they did not make any more.

KIng Richard

This is the Will Smith movie about the Williams sisters of Tennis fame.

This was a solid, character driven sports movie of the "uplifting" variety. Richard is not a hero, or a villain.... he just is. The film let's you decide what you want to think about him.

Solid, but no need to rush to the cinema to see it. It would be perfectly serviceable on a small screen. However, if you want to prove that non-super movies can make money..... you better run to see it!

It is that time of year for me to start watching a lot of Christmas movies......

California Christmas

In an inversion of the usual trope, this time a city Himbo goes tot he country to find love and that it is the simple life that matters! Plot twist!

Overall, a perfectly enjoyable, well-executed, and cheesy little romantic Christmas movie. Pretty inoffensive if you recognize it for what it is*.



*Note- to me the whole genre is typically inherently offensive by its very nature. For the "Holiday Movie Formula" to work, you have to make a lot of icky genre tropes fit into your movie. Most of those are offensive, broad, and stereotypical by nature. This one is no different.


Then, not Christmas related.....

Self/Less

Ben Kingsley takes over the body of Ryan Reynolds and hijinks ensue.

Ryan as at his least Reynolds-ish, which actually helps the film. He does not spend the whole time smirking at the camera, and instead does a good job seeming like a man over his head most of the time.

The violence is pretty straight forward, and brutal. The conspiracy is fine, but they could have played up the "who can you trust" aspect a bit further.

Pot-boiler thriller which is workmanlike and solid.

The Holiday

So, Cameron Diaz gets to get coupled with Jude Law; but Kate Winslet gets coupled with Elli Wallach or Jack Black after ditching Rufus Sewell? Odd for a romantic Holiday movie.

As you can see, this movie has a lot of big names and was released into the theatres at the time. This was before streaming was a thing and mid-budget, character driven, ensemble cast movies were a thing.

That said, it is a bit long, meandering, and over-stuffed. It kind of dragged, but I can think of worse things to watch around Christmas time while snuggled up by the fire.


A Castle of Christmas

This has Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes, yes; the Dread Pirate Roberts himself.

This is much more traditional, Hallmark style Christmas movie writing. The "dramatic conflict" in this flick is paper thin, and when it is used it seems super forced and artificial. It would have been better if they would have skipped it, and just left it a courting/wooing story instead of trying to add a weak "will they/won't they" element.

I think I would rather watch a California Christmas instead of this one.

News Flash, I had two big revelations last night.

First the minor one. California Christmas was popular enough to get a sequel coming on December 16th. I can't wait...... maybe.....

Second revelation involves the Christmas Prince{/b] and the [Princess Switch{/b] trilogies. In the [b]Princess Switch 2 there is a small cut away, where the Christmas Prince{/b] characters are at the titular princesses wedding, and pregnant which foreshadows/teases the {b]Christmas Prince III.

Therefore, there are now 3 successful* shared movie universes out there:

1. MCU
2. Godzilla Monsterverse
3. Christmas Royalverse!

Contemplate that on the tree of woe!



* Some are more successful than others......

The 13th Warrior

I like it for what it is.

 Sigur wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
The 13th Warrior

I like it for what it is.

I don't remember much of that film, except the hilarious scene in which Banderas learns the Viking language.

Otherwise - it's alright, innit.

Yeah, the scene takes a minute or two, but it is clear that it is suppose to represent weeks to months of travel. I mean, they travel from down by Byzantium up into Norway over that course of time.

300: Rise of an Empire

This makes 300 look like a documentary. They just turn the Snyder/Miller-isms up to 11 and let it rip.

About as faithful to Herodotus as Herodotus is to the truth.


Record of Ragnarok

Historical humans face Gods of Myth in an arena battle.

Most Animes are 4 episodes of set-up for a 30 second battle. This is the opposite. Too bad the battles are really boring.



On a related note. I have started and not finished a number of animes recently. Some of the tropes made me really wonder about what is going on in Japan. Then, I thought about a number of Western and Chinese movies I have seen, and started to wonder what the Feth is going on in the world!

A Harold and Kumar 3-D Christmas

You get what it says on the tin.

I enjoyed how they made fun of 3D and of course Neal Patrick Harris is evil/hilarious.

Not fun for the whole family and incredibly low-brow.

You should watch Harold and Kumar go to Guantanamo Bay

The scene with Harold's dad and the Korean translator is worth the price of admission alone.

Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas

I guess this is a special based on an existing TV series; Zoey's Extraordinary Play List. I did not know that before we started watching it.

The main conceit is that the main character can experience other people's emotions via song and dance numbers. It is a "unique" form of empathy/mind reading.

In addition, this character's father recently died after a long bout with a debilitating illness. Her song and dance mind reading allowed them to still have a relationship up to his death.

All sorts of shenanigan's ensue, but it is just an extra long, Christmas themed episode of the TV show. If you all ready like the show.... great, you will like this. For everyone else? I think you could do a lot worse, but it is skippable.

I have watched a lot of flicks recently....

Streets of Fire
I know this is a Sigur fave. However, I think the movie just misses the bulls-eye. However, the set design is awesome.

The Truth about Christmas
This is Liar, Liar only without Jim Carrey and with a Christmas theme. Harmless for what it is and it has a few moments.

Competent.

Ghosting: A Christmas Spirit Story
A Gen Z lady meets up with a Gen Z guy, but dies after the date thanks to texting and driving. She returns as a ghost and the gang must figure out how to help her ascend.

Pretty slick little, low budget movie. The rules of being a ghost are all over the place, but the dialogue is cracking and well delivered.

The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)
I was expecting a lot more swash and a lot more buckle. However, it is mostly just intrigue and .... kind of boring.

Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas and The Farmer's Llamas
It is Shaun the Sheep so it is amusing and fun enough. It is amazing how much they get across with 0 dialogue. The Farmer's Llamas is a bit questionable though.

White Christmas
Watch it every year, and still awesome.

Santa Baby 2

The villain is really good, but the end of the movie is deeply unsatisfying.

Seeing Paul Sorvino play Santa is also a hoot. I kept expecting him to resolve the issue with some sort of Mob tactic. He did not.

Spider-Man- No Way Home

This leaned into the nostalgia for those who have been long time Spider-Man movie goers. Great to see Doc Ock and Green Gobbo back on the screen. I have not felt that geeked out by a flick since Thor hit Cap's Shield in Avengers.

That said, I am not convinced this is actually a "good" film.

Christmas movies are dropping off platforms faster than teen extras in a Jason movie. However, I did get to squeeze in one last one.....

Klaus
A CGI animated movie about a postman, sent into exile on a remote island, where he meets a recluse toy-maker and a fishmonger teacher and they all learn to love again..... in short.

It was actually a pretty fun movie.


I also say the new Matrix, but I put all that stuff in the other thread for it.

After watching Matrix 4, I went back and watched all three of the other Matrix films.

I know Reloaded and Revolutions get a lot of flak, but I think as a trilogy they hold together fine. The music, action, and psuedo-philosophy are all fine by me. Sure, there are a couple scenes and production choices that are "meh", but overall all three together deliver.

I put it up there with most of the big geek trilogy/film series and would feel like it can hold its own up against any of them.

I vaguely recall the Brannagh version.

This sounds like the worst sorts of horrifying.

I always mix up Flesh + Blood and Ladyhawke in my deeply flawed UHF station memory from the 80 and early 90s.