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Samaritan - 2022

Not fantastic but not bad either. Stallone delivered exactly what I expected, the main bad guy dude was at least interesting as well.
The kid not so much, could be the script or the actor. Just found him going from upset to nearly joyful is seconds most irksome. Don't like his face either, something about that kid is irritating to me.

As far as the movie it seemed like there should have been a bit more about the finale showdown between Samaritan and Nemesis but I can't tell for sure. The bit about the power station being a trap seemed to imply there should have been more said about that but wasn't.
Worth a watch I guess and it's better if you can fast forward here and there.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Gangs of New York

That’s….that’s twice DiCaprio has played an Irish character, and just sort of…not bothered with the accent. No. Wait. He’s giving it a try! And……I think he’s just thought better of it.

This film is long.

This film is boring.

For shame, Mr Scorcese. For shame.

I definitely don't think it's Scorsese's best work, but I still think it's pretty good. Daniel Day Lewis turned in an amazing performance as Billy the Butcher. Diaz is definitely miscast.

I personally think all of his films pale in comparison to The Departed, even Goodfellas.

Haven't watched that one in a while. I have fond memories so it may be worth a rewatch with a critical mind. I just remember Daniel Day Lewis owning everything in period costume and massive moustache, and that it wasn't one of DiCaprio's most stand out of performances.

Oh, it's not a bad film.


In an odd double feature I watched last night:

John Wick (2014)

Never seen it before. It's pretty good.

Watch It



The Navigator (1924)

Rich Buster Keaton and his rich girlfriend though some mishaps end up beingthe only crew, dirfting on a large ocean ship.

Watch It. First time i've seen a full Buster Keaton film. It's good stuff. I giggled a few times.

 greatbigtree wrote:
2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick shows model spaceships while making “whoo-oooo-oooo” sounds at ear splitting volume (compared to speech). Random nonsense is interrupted by wooden planks (actors) describing space-mumbo-jumbo to each other. An infallible computer makes a mistake, and tries to kill the crew to cover it up. (?) Captain 2-by-6 sneaks back in through a door not controlled by the infallible computer. He kills the computer by pulling out the memory, resulting in a derpy rendition of a classic folk tune. Rather than abbandoning the mission, 2-by-6 arrives, finds the source of space magic, is teleported through space/time and is shown growing old and dying.

But wait! Space baby was behind it the whole time!

Review: If I wasn’t stuck in an airplane seat, I never would have finished without fast-forwarding through the boring parts, which should condense a future viewing to 25 mins, tops. If Kubrick is still alive, and you have the opportunity, please slap his face as hard as you can. While a cultural touch-stone, watching the film is a genuine pilgrimage filled with high expectations, long waits, much boredom, and no seeming purpose for the journey upon its completion.

Harsh, but almost fair. Stanley Kubricks's agenda for the movie was completely opposite to Arthur C. Clarke's take on the project.

So, as always, the book is better.

I love the movie when I first saw it, age 11, now as a grumpy old woman I see it as a beautiful snorefest showcasing Kubrick's ego.

Prometheus - 2012

Hadn't watched this one in a while and I know it gets dumped on a lot.

This is a move where the plot hardly matters and the characters IQ goes from 100 to 0 in the change of a scene.
It's at best nice to look at some times.

All we could do was face palm after ever plot whole or bad decision based on lack of actual decision making built on having a plan larger than showing up and knocking on the first door they see in the hopes some one is home.

Characters with tools at there disposal decide not to use them to further the plot and for no other reason. The expedition reportedly cost like a trillion dollars, give or take, and yet they have next to no tools available to put in any work for them, like areal drones. I get it you want to land the expensive ship because it is expensive to fly and all that, cool, got it. But good lord. They can easily see at least 3 or 4 more identical structures as they are landing and no one cares.

This ship of fools deserved everything they got it's some form of real time natural selection in action.

I do like David and I think he's the only meaningful bit in the whole movie and the next one as well. I did finally pick up on him deciding a course of action based on the answer to a question he posed to Dr. Holloway. I imagine he would have asked the same question to Dr. Shaw had dr. Holloway given a different answer. I'd never noticed David got his answer in the affirmative before deciding to put the droplet of goo in Dr. Holloway's drink before. Once could wonder what would have happened had he instead received a negative followed by another negative. But where's the fun in that. I'm such a buzz kill.

I remember I had actually liked this entry into the Alien franchise a bit more but I guess it's just a pile of gibberish stitched together and not much more than that.

This could have been a reasonably good movie if they had taken their time with it and thought things through. The concept isn't horrible.

I would watch a third installment if for no other reason than to see what shenanigans David gets up to. He's the best part of this little chunk of films.

Finally saw Bullet Train. Outside of a little overdone CG at the end, it might be in my top 3 Brad Pitt films. Certainly top 5.

The Audition

Low rent, low budget, possibly home made Saw-a-like.

During lockdown, Aspiring Actor has a video audition for a role. We find out they’re a deeply unpleasant person (racist views, COVID denier etc). Only it turns out he’s being used as a Patsy to torture others going for the same role.

I’m half an hour in, and this just…cack. Bad acting. Boring direction. Frankly laughable script.

I’ll give it another 15 minutes, and if there’s not some clever twist I’m out.

Straight Outta Compton

This is a thoroughly engaging piece, even for someone like me who doesn't "get" rap music. The story focuses on the three most prominent members of NWA leaving the remaining cast less developed but it does help to keep things tight and moving. I feel like I've come away with a much clearer picture of why the rap scene was intertwined with violence and what effect it had on the people involved.

Even if you're tired of musical biographies after such hum-drum as Bohemian Raphsody I encourage you to give this a go as is it is far superior.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
The Audition

Low rent, low budget, possibly home made Saw-a-like.

During lockdown, Aspiring Actor has a video audition for a role. We find out they’re a deeply unpleasant person (racist views, COVID denier etc). Only it turns out he’s being used as a Patsy to torture others going for the same role.

I’m half an hour in, and this just…cack. Bad acting. Boring direction. Frankly laughable script.

I’ll give it another 15 minutes, and if there’s not some clever twist I’m out.

Sounds like a bad American remake of Audtion, the classic Japanese horror movie.

Birth of the Dragon - 2017

We were a little skeptical because it looked like a lot of studios were involved but were very surprised. Easy to watch, to the point and enjoyable.

The Unholy

This is what happens when studios make horror films folks.

It's hard to say whether there was ever an interesting or unique idea in this story at any point, because sadly all we get is a formulaic, tired, by-the-numbers Conjuring lite.

The premise is promising enough I suppose. A down on his luck local news reporter witnesses a sequence of miracles, beginning with a young woman. Deaf since birth, she spontaneously begins to hear and speak, claiming to be in contact with the spirit of Mary, the mother of Christ. Needless to say, all isn't as it appears.

The cast is of reasonable quality too, Jeffery Dean Morgan takes the lead, with Cary Elwes in support, alongside a group of lesser known but perfectly competent performers.

But... absolutely nothing works. The creature, while clearly intended to be otherworldly and unnatural, veers close to humourous in places. The overreliance on jump scares rather than earned moments is bordering on contemptible, and largely falls flat thanks to an underlying lack of tension throughout.

There's nothing new here, but, worse, there's nothing good here. Studio money ensures competent production and performances (JDM is solid, but playing completely in his wheelhouse) but this movie isn't just a vanilla as it comes, it's just crushed ice.

Fall

I'd seen this movie referred to (somewhat unfairly it turns out) as 47 Metres Up.

It does succinctly convey the basic idea though. As opposed to two friends being trapped in a cage under the water with sharks patrolling the way back to the boat and air running out, Fall follows two friends trapped 2000 feet in the air with no way down.

Aside from mirroring the already tenuous plot of another film, it also utilises the time honoured "character (usually a woman) goes on trip/activity to somehow recover from a tragedy experienced while performing the same or very similar trip/activity" setup. I was thinking The Descent but as I write, I'm wondering if 47 Metres didn't do the same? Or was that a break up? Never mind, whatever.

The opening sequence doesn't necessarily fill the viewer with confidence either, with some decidedly unconvincing green screen work, which was sufficient to undermine any real sense of tension for me.

So on the face of it, Fall doesn't have much going for it.

But.

It absolutely nails every aspect of what it needs to do to be successful, namely conveying a sense of constant and immediate danger or dramatic tension by turns. The combination of acting and cinematography works brilliantly, I don't consider myself to have a problem with heights particularly, but I was kept in a state swinging from tense to outright anxiety all the way through.

There's things that one can pick at (the lead suffering an injury that would have incapacitated her long before she performs some impressive physical feats for an entirely fit person being the biggest.) But when a film has such a clear objective and nails it so completely, it's easy to cut it some slack.

Also worth mentioning some excellent supporting work from Jeffrey Dean Morgan and the vest tops that the girls are wearing for most of the runtime.

Unless you're terrified of heights, it's difficult not to recommend this movie, and as it's streaming on Netflix, it's an easy one to give a spin for a lot of us.

All I have in my head is Eddie and Richie atop the Ferris Wheel.

That explains most of your posts.

Ouch, right in the factually accurate!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Escape

Was looking for No Escape, found this 1990 flick instead. Only just started watching it. 2 minutes in a gratuitous Lady Lumps already.

But more importantly? Check out this poster. Surely this movie has to be rad??

If you are looking at B-movies, the better the box art the worse the movie.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

Was looking for No Escape, found this 1990 flick instead. Only just started watching it. 2 minutes in a gratuitous Lady Lumps already.

But more importantly? Check out this poster. Surely this movie has to be rad???

I can't take it seriously without at least one pouncing lion/tiger or maybe a bear...

Poster rated 3/5 rads.

Edit: also the protagonist looks like one of these fluid Terminators got stuck somewhere between Chuck Norris, Kevin Bacon and James Woods.

Tsagualsa wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

Was looking for No Escape, found this 1990 flick instead. Only just started watching it. 2 minutes in a gratuitous Lady Lumps already.

But more importantly? Check out this poster. Surely this movie has to be rad???

I can't take it seriously without at least one pouncing lion/tiger or maybe a bear...

Poster rated 3/5 rads.

Edit: also the protagonist looks like one of these fluid Terminators got stuck somewhere between Chuck Norris, Kevin Bacon and James Woods.

My first thought was that he looked like Bruce Willis with a really bad toupee

 ScarletRose wrote:

Tsagualsa wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

Was looking for No Escape, found this 1990 flick instead. Only just started watching it. 2 minutes in a gratuitous Lady Lumps already.

But more importantly? Check out this poster. Surely this movie has to be rad???

I can't take it seriously without at least one pouncing lion/tiger or maybe a bear...

Poster rated 3/5 rads.

Edit: also the protagonist looks like one of these fluid Terminators got stuck somewhere between Chuck Norris, Kevin Bacon and James Woods.

My first thought was that he looked like Bruce Willis with a really bad toupee

Following that artist down his late-80s-cokebinge rabbithole earns you a surprise Spader:

I…I think Bruce Bacon is actually the main villain?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
I…I think Bruce Bacon is actually the main villain?

Nah, the main villain is some D-level extra whose main acting credit before this movie was playing one of Khans henchmen in The Wrath of Khan


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Now, the german poster is what i call rad:



Text says: It is the PLACE of DEATH - and there is only one WAY to SURVIVE! Raising Hell

Now the UK-market cover for the german version - do not ask me why this exists, for i do not know - is just delightful:



Who are these badly-photoshopped people? I'm glad you asked, because they seem to be the people on the cover of the japanese release, and in fact to be completely unrelated to the actual actors:



Other covers are equally outlandish:

I feel like I’ve inadvertently opened Pandora’s Bog, letting a vile stench permeate this thread 😂

OK. Escape was a slog. A joyless, dull, low rent, pointless load of old drivel.

It’s all been done before, and to much greater effect.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Better news though? The whole Kongzillaverse series is up on Prime.

I am of course kicking off with Kong, Skull Island

Man I love this film. As Peter Jackson himself proved, making a decent King Kong film isn’t all that easy. Where Jackson’s effort was overly long and bizarrely boring? I’d say this one nails it.

Serious when needed, but never taking itself overly seriously. And when it’s having some fun, it never veers into the ridiculous. But most importantly? It’s genuinely entertaining, and feels surprisingly fresh.

Kong Skull Island is the best of the Legendary Monster movies. Godzilla vs Kong gets pretty close, but has too much baggage from the previous Godzilla films.

Godzilla watched. Now on to Godzilla : King of the Monsters

I bloody love this series. It is by no means perfect. But, as something angling after a Shared Universe? They’ve blissfully taken their time, and churned out Objectively Good Movies.

They understand their source material and why that worked. They’ve updated it a bit, but kept their feet on the relevant ground.

Sure there is an obvious internal ranking, but even whichever you consider bottom of its pile? Is still a perfectly enjoyable if not superior slice of cinema nonsense.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
OK. Escape was a slog. A joyless, dull, low rent, pointless load of old drivel.

....

Okay, I'll refrain from looking it up then.


I just learned that there are 15 Puppet Master films (including a cross-over). Could it be the longest-running (in terms of number of sequels) horror film series?

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Kong Skull Island is the best of the Legendary Monster movies. Godzilla vs Kong gets pretty close, but has too much baggage from the previous Godzilla films.

I was expecting to be unimpressed by Kong Skull Island, I really enjoyed it though. Admittedly that might be more to do with the music than anything else. Can't go wrong with a bit of Creedance.

 Sigur wrote:



I just learned that there are 15 Puppet Master films (including a cross-over). Could it be the longest-running (in terms of number of sequels) horror film series?

A quick Google says yes, unless you only count movies with an actual cinematic release, in which case it's just a paltry 1 film.

Phantasm

One ticked off the "really should watch list."

Often held up as a prime example of the era, Phantasm really is everything you expect from a late 70s/early 80s horror.

We're a death and a close up on a heaving pair of boobs in before we hit the opening titles, and that more or less sets the tone.

The plot is actually surprisingly coherent, to a point. Young lad spots what he's convinced are weird creatures in the local cemetery. Lad breaks into funeral home to confirm suspicions, lad does indeed encounter weird things, including what are apparently rabid Jawas and the iconic flying sphere (if you're unfamiliar, I highly recommend seeking out some clips of it doing it's thing, "creative" barely seems sufficient) as well as the "Tall Man" which is the series' Freddie, Jason or Michael.

Lad then escapes with enough evidence to convince his (much) older brother that something is afoot, and the pair then resolve to do something about.

The "something" consists largely of hurtling around in a Dodge Charger with firearms, and it's only as we enter the final half hour do things really begin to go bonkers...

This movie is a lot of fun, so totally bonkers it's actually nearly impossible to tell what's a plot hole or bad effect and what's like that on purpose, and there's a bunch more of them! As long as you don't make the mistake of expecting a serious horror, or anything with a budget, then it's hard to see how Phantasm could disappoint.

(I've deliberately skipped some key details here, not only to avoid spoilers but also because I don't think you'd believe me.)

Phantasm is one of those series which, try as I might, I just can’t get in to. And I can’t say why.

Everything about it is right up my street. But somehow, it’s just not for me.