muzzington
Donald Dump or whatever
Signed up for BritBox on Amazon Prime mainly to finally check out Line of Duty and I loved it.
River with Stellan Skarsgård is next, also a winner.
River with Stellan Skarsgård is next, also a winner.
Chat! culturecrossfire.slack.com
I Just Watched... (Movies/TV/DVD)
- Thread starter HarleyQuinn
- Start date
Big Papa Paegan
L. A. Z.
Kevin Can F**k Himself is such a glorious concept that finally realizes its potential just as the series ends. Annie Murphy is incredible throughout, even as her character becomes less and less likeable, but the real show stealer by the finale is Kevin himself, Eric Petersen, for finely walking that line between generic sitcom husband (equal parts Kevin James, Jim Belushi, and Peter Griffin) and overbearing abusive monster. I wish there were more than two seasons, because the whole cast shines so much brighter in the second half of S2 and it's a goddamn shame we don't get to see more of this format. 8/10
21 Bridges (2019) is an underrated action/thriller that could have been the late Chadwick Boseman's crowning achievement if it had an extra 20-30 minutes of runtime to flesh things out more, but that may have also been a detriment. This is a lean, mean crime flick about a good cop brought in to investigate the murder of 8 police officers in a drug theft gone awry. The scenes between Chadwick and JK Simmons are perfect, as each man tells more with their eyes than they need to with their words. By the halfway point you'll know where the plot is going, but the journey there is what matters, and it's one filled with conspiracies, shootouts, and moral dilemmas. 7/10
21 Bridges (2019) is an underrated action/thriller that could have been the late Chadwick Boseman's crowning achievement if it had an extra 20-30 minutes of runtime to flesh things out more, but that may have also been a detriment. This is a lean, mean crime flick about a good cop brought in to investigate the murder of 8 police officers in a drug theft gone awry. The scenes between Chadwick and JK Simmons are perfect, as each man tells more with their eyes than they need to with their words. By the halfway point you'll know where the plot is going, but the journey there is what matters, and it's one filled with conspiracies, shootouts, and moral dilemmas. 7/10
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
Some recent horror watches
-"Knock at the Cabin" has a few hiccups IMO (I prefer the books more ambiguous ending) but this is one of M. Night's better movies. Also has Bautista's best performance so far"
-1988's "The Blob" is one of those rare remakes that's better than the original. Just a marvel of practical effects that takes turns you wouldn't expect if you've never seen it before.
-Another movie that holds up really well is "From Beyond". One of the better Lovecraft adaptations which, while not completely faithful, at least understands there's more to his fiction than Cthulhu (or the unfortunate racism). Even the ending feels like his work in that it ends with
-I remember "Return of the Living Dead 2" being bad, and revisiting it on YouTube was a reminder of that.
-"Children of the Corn III" is a bad movie, but it's also probably the only movie from the franchise I enjoy because it's such an goofy experience with some great "Screaming Mad" George effects work.
-"Rawhead Rex" is a fun, cheesy monster movie that I still can't help but wish was more faithful to the Clive Barker story.
. It's also known as the movie Barker was so disappointed in that he ended up making "Hellraiser", as well as the movie where
-"Knock at the Cabin" has a few hiccups IMO (I prefer the books more ambiguous ending) but this is one of M. Night's better movies. Also has Bautista's best performance so far"
-1988's "The Blob" is one of those rare remakes that's better than the original. Just a marvel of practical effects that takes turns you wouldn't expect if you've never seen it before.
-Another movie that holds up really well is "From Beyond". One of the better Lovecraft adaptations which, while not completely faithful, at least understands there's more to his fiction than Cthulhu (or the unfortunate racism). Even the ending feels like his work in that it ends with
the lone survivor being driven to madness by cosmic horrors beyond comprehension.
-I remember "Return of the Living Dead 2" being bad, and revisiting it on YouTube was a reminder of that.
-"Children of the Corn III" is a bad movie, but it's also probably the only movie from the franchise I enjoy because it's such an goofy experience with some great "Screaming Mad" George effects work.
-"Rawhead Rex" is a fun, cheesy monster movie that I still can't help but wish was more faithful to the Clive Barker story.
Particularly the fact that the original creature was a phallic shaped Pagan god that represented the male sexual id at it's worst
the creature literally pisses all over a priest, whose more than willing.
Big Papa Paegan
L. A. Z.
ROTLD 2 is such a shame because it has some of the best zombie makeup I've ever seen.
- Messages
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- Points
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This is one of those movies that I feel like I should watch the original then the remake back to back... benn forever since I've seen either
Physical 100 on Netflix is my new reality tv obsession. It's a korean show where they gathered together 100 different body types/athletes to compete in crazy ass shit. Yoshihiro Akiyama, Dustin Nippert, a bunch of top olympians and national level athletes and celebs are all in this and it's a lot of fun.
"The Blob" was co written by Frank Darabont so not surprising it's a legit good movie. It bombed at the box office but I would put that due to lack of star power. Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith were not opening a weekend in 1988 when big stars meant everything for ticket sales.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Decided to go back and rewatch Short Circuit and the sequel over the weekend, after finding out the first one particularly was filmed in Astoria, Oregon (same town as Goonies) as I follow a YouTube channel that the dude (Adam the Woo) goes to alot of physical filming locations. The house in the first one is avaliable as an Airbnb and he stayed overnight in it, did a tour of it, and the house is full of memorbilia from the first film as well. I hadn't seen these films in eons so it was a fun look back, especially the first one. The second one is kinda a mess to say the least, really didn't enjoy it that much.
The real wtf of these films that I didn't realize back when I was a kid was that Fisher Stevens played a VERY stereotyped dude from India in these films, and it didn't hold up well at all in a kinda blackface role. This would never happen in this day and age, and its kinda shocking it happened even then as the dude basically played a live action version of Apu from the Simpsons in some ways. Kinda shocking stuff....it took me awhile to realize the actor was a white dude in disguise.
The real wtf of these films that I didn't realize back when I was a kid was that Fisher Stevens played a VERY stereotyped dude from India in these films, and it didn't hold up well at all in a kinda blackface role. This would never happen in this day and age, and its kinda shocking it happened even then as the dude basically played a live action version of Apu from the Simpsons in some ways. Kinda shocking stuff....it took me awhile to realize the actor was a white dude in disguise.
Watched "Ran" the other night which I really should have seen before. I don't think it's Kurosawa's best movie but some of the shots are just breathtaking. I read that they spent 3 years making all the costumes.
I have several more of his movies to watch (I'm not watching literally all of them but of the ones I am), Dersu Uzala, High and Low, Red Beard, Kagemusha (I've seen parts of this several times), The Bad Sleep Well.
I have several more of his movies to watch (I'm not watching literally all of them but of the ones I am), Dersu Uzala, High and Low, Red Beard, Kagemusha (I've seen parts of this several times), The Bad Sleep Well.
- Messages
- 22,667
- Reaction score
- 2,150
- Points
- 313
The Physical: 100 was a great series if you're into Strong Man/Muscular People competing in events to prove they have the best physique and most mental willpower. Some of the events are straight-up brutal and the effort they all put in is inspiring in a true "holy shit" way.
The Killing of Two Lovers: David is married to Nikki and they have four kids. They split up, Nikki starts seeing someone else, and David wants to kill the guy. This film is great at making you feel things without feeling like you're being emotionally manipulated. 9/10.
- Messages
- 22,667
- Reaction score
- 2,150
- Points
- 313
Murder In the First (1995)
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, William H. Macey, R. Lee Ermey
Really great legal drama movie in an era of them. Set in the early 1940s, it covers the story of Henri Young (Bacon) who gets thrown into solitary confinement for 3 years (after attempting to escape Alcatraz) before murdering another inmate. James Stamphill (Slater) defends him and puts Alcatraz's conditions and Warden Milton Glenn (Oldman) on trial for making Henri into a killer due to the deplorable conditions.
A lot of great performances (Macey, Slater, and Ermey doing their usual) but Kevin Bacon puts in a legitimate Oscar-worthy performance and Oldman also puts forth a memorable role not unlike Bob Gunton's Warden Norton in The Shawshank Redemption which came out the year before.
7.5/10
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Jesus Revolution: Pops and I caught this the other night, and for what it was.......it was a pretty well put together film, especially on the cinemotography end. Almost had an Almost Famous vibe to it for sure as well. Not too terribly heavy handed on the religious aspect for the most part. In fact this probably was the most grounded and unpretenrious faith-based film I've ever seen. Kelsey Grammar really shined in this, performance wise.
Apparently that scumbag sold them The Family Channel which is now Freeform...and I guess they are literally never allowed to take that shit off the air. Just saw this information in something and remembered this post.
- Messages
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- Reaction score
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RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
House of No Men: This apparently is the biggest grossing vietnamese film of all time. I gave it a shot and it was kinda charming at times, but this story about matriarchal dominance was a bit too much for my liking in terms of how it was presented. It became a generational story of how the generation before us may shape us either positively or negatively. Whatever the case, it just didnt connect with me although I think this was more a cultural story of vietnamese family structure showcased in a pretty wild form that would be hard for other cultures to understand.
Cat Daddies: This was a fun doc on the rising trend of guys taking in at least one cat in their home, and in some cases, multiples. Nice showcase of different places in the U.S. where various cat dads are profiled in how their parentage happened.
65: There's been a lot of back and forth about this one online, but I thought it was a perfectly enjoyable popcorn flick. Yes there was plot holes a plenty, and yes this was tonally a bit strange at times, but I thought it wasn't nearly the mess other critics have said about it. I also thought this should have really been a 3d presentation for this one. It felt ready made for it. Frankly, enjoyed this tons more than the last Jurassic World film.
Cat Daddies: This was a fun doc on the rising trend of guys taking in at least one cat in their home, and in some cases, multiples. Nice showcase of different places in the U.S. where various cat dads are profiled in how their parentage happened.
65: There's been a lot of back and forth about this one online, but I thought it was a perfectly enjoyable popcorn flick. Yes there was plot holes a plenty, and yes this was tonally a bit strange at times, but I thought it wasn't nearly the mess other critics have said about it. I also thought this should have really been a 3d presentation for this one. It felt ready made for it. Frankly, enjoyed this tons more than the last Jurassic World film.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Caught a quad of flicks in the theaters over the weekend....
Shazam 2: I actually enjoyed this far more than the first film (which isnt a knock on the first one as I thought that was one hell of a fun flick too). Saw it in a Dolby Atmos theater and I think I have that format as the go-to, even over IMAX. Anyhow, a few nice surprises in this film that didn't get leaked online. The gal who played Mary character ended up doing double duty in this film, which didnt happen in the first one. It made sense though in the context of her growing up now a bit more.
Operation Fortune: Probably one of the more underwhelming Guy Ritchie film maybe ever. The casting was just weird and didn't click generally, just as much as the mundane story. Particularly, Aubrey Plaza just did not fit at all in this. I think I fell asleep three seperate times during this one.
Inside: Probably the best of the bunch of the weekend. Willem Dafoe tries to steal some high end stuff from a high end apartment and gets trapped within the complex, and there is many odd happenings within the apartment. As things unravel, more info on how and why this happened becomes apparent. This turns into a really tripped out look at what happens when you lose yourself, kinda in a rat in a cage type sitiuation. Dafoe did a bang up job here.
Pinball - The Man Who Saved The Game: This was so bizzare. It started as what I thought was going to be a doc on the guy who was able to establish regulation within the pinball industry. But it turned into an actual scripted film with an actor playing the role of this guy, but the actual real person constantly throughout the film showed up as the narrator....not just speaking on things, but he was actually in the scenes on the side. A fact I was unaware of was that for quite some time back in the 70s, pinball was actually illegal in many areas of the U.S. Most pinball machines were in adult book stores, etc. So there was some interesting facts within this, but for some reason the movie became more on the life of this guy and his significant other's love rollercoaster. Totally confusing why they went in that direction.
Shazam 2: I actually enjoyed this far more than the first film (which isnt a knock on the first one as I thought that was one hell of a fun flick too). Saw it in a Dolby Atmos theater and I think I have that format as the go-to, even over IMAX. Anyhow, a few nice surprises in this film that didn't get leaked online. The gal who played Mary character ended up doing double duty in this film, which didnt happen in the first one. It made sense though in the context of her growing up now a bit more.
Operation Fortune: Probably one of the more underwhelming Guy Ritchie film maybe ever. The casting was just weird and didn't click generally, just as much as the mundane story. Particularly, Aubrey Plaza just did not fit at all in this. I think I fell asleep three seperate times during this one.
Inside: Probably the best of the bunch of the weekend. Willem Dafoe tries to steal some high end stuff from a high end apartment and gets trapped within the complex, and there is many odd happenings within the apartment. As things unravel, more info on how and why this happened becomes apparent. This turns into a really tripped out look at what happens when you lose yourself, kinda in a rat in a cage type sitiuation. Dafoe did a bang up job here.
Pinball - The Man Who Saved The Game: This was so bizzare. It started as what I thought was going to be a doc on the guy who was able to establish regulation within the pinball industry. But it turned into an actual scripted film with an actor playing the role of this guy, but the actual real person constantly throughout the film showed up as the narrator....not just speaking on things, but he was actually in the scenes on the side. A fact I was unaware of was that for quite some time back in the 70s, pinball was actually illegal in many areas of the U.S. Most pinball machines were in adult book stores, etc. So there was some interesting facts within this, but for some reason the movie became more on the life of this guy and his significant other's love rollercoaster. Totally confusing why they went in that direction.
Youth N Asia
Boners, and farts.
Currently 3 episodes into Shrinking on Apple TV. The trailer didn’t do anything for me, but I’m enjoying it. Solid performances all around, and damn it’s nice seeing Ted McGinley again after so long.
alkeiper
Welcoming our new insect overlords
Really solid show, IMO.
We tried watching Everything, Everywhere All At Once. I made it 54 minutes before bailing. Maybe it is brilliant, but it's not for me.
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
Been watching "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and I'm really enjoying it. I remember it getting a remake starring Stuart Townsend in the 00s, but I can't imagine anyone other than Darren McGavin in the role.
Youth N Asia
Boners, and farts.
One episode later I change my opinion from “damn it’s nice seeing Ted McGinley again” to TED MCGINLEY IS A FUCKING DELIGHT!!!!
Knock at the Cabin is currently streaming on Peacock. I either have it at a 6, or a 7. Doing my own ratings this year for first time watches, and I’m not giving half scores. So I’m going to sit with it for a few before settling on it.
I mostly liked it. Big Dave was great. Doesn’t seem like a movie I’ll ever need to rewatch though.
I liked it. Big Dave carried it. I'm really excited to see him continue to do more dramatic work. The dialogue and writing seemed a little better than usual for M. Night although the girl member of the group had some annoying and quirky lines.
Probably would go around 7/10. It might creep into my top 5 M. Night films on a rewatch.
Probably would go around 7/10. It might creep into my top 5 M. Night films on a rewatch.
- Messages
- 22,667
- Reaction score
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Re-watched The Incredibles last night. Still holds up really well with solid emotional scenes, great action, and Edna is still a gem of a character.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Saw a few pretty obscure flicks over the weekend in the theaters....
Ape vs Mecha Ape: This was the first (and probably will be the only) Asylum film I've ever seen in the theater. And of course I was the only one there. Whew, this was nothing like a kaiju film whatsoever, but I wasn't shocked....after all this is the Asylum we are talking about here. Not even the most thrown together Godzilla or Gamera film could touch the sheer awfulness of this. What got me is that the majority of the scenes/verbiage of the film was far too serious and tedious. Hardly any real effects shots of the apes fighting. No homage to Mechagodzilla, etc. This should have been like a Sharknado-type....more in your face, wonky as fuck, and just plain fun. Instead this was so long in the tooth and boring to get to the end point. Basically, the (acceptable effects) scenes of the robot ape fighting the regular ape didn't hit until around ten minutes before the end. There was brief shots before that, barely. Tom Arnold played a totally serious president role which was a mess. Another actress had her best Emma Stone impersonation going on, and really oversold and overextended pretentious emotions to an extreme level.
The Tutor: Wooo boy, was this a messy film. It started out ok....Garrett Hedlund plays an adult tutor who is called upon to help a student who has some issues, kinda creepy....kinda stalkery.....just kinda all around weird (played by Noah Schnapp of Stranger Things). I'd say the first third of the movie has something for it, but it kinda degrades itself and the narrative scene from scene after that. Tons of plotholes-a-plenty and a weird twist at the end that really falls flat on its face. This was a film that certainly needed some script tweaking. Instead it felt like there was never revisions to an initial draft and it was just left at that.
Ape vs Mecha Ape: This was the first (and probably will be the only) Asylum film I've ever seen in the theater. And of course I was the only one there. Whew, this was nothing like a kaiju film whatsoever, but I wasn't shocked....after all this is the Asylum we are talking about here. Not even the most thrown together Godzilla or Gamera film could touch the sheer awfulness of this. What got me is that the majority of the scenes/verbiage of the film was far too serious and tedious. Hardly any real effects shots of the apes fighting. No homage to Mechagodzilla, etc. This should have been like a Sharknado-type....more in your face, wonky as fuck, and just plain fun. Instead this was so long in the tooth and boring to get to the end point. Basically, the (acceptable effects) scenes of the robot ape fighting the regular ape didn't hit until around ten minutes before the end. There was brief shots before that, barely. Tom Arnold played a totally serious president role which was a mess. Another actress had her best Emma Stone impersonation going on, and really oversold and overextended pretentious emotions to an extreme level.
The Tutor: Wooo boy, was this a messy film. It started out ok....Garrett Hedlund plays an adult tutor who is called upon to help a student who has some issues, kinda creepy....kinda stalkery.....just kinda all around weird (played by Noah Schnapp of Stranger Things). I'd say the first third of the movie has something for it, but it kinda degrades itself and the narrative scene from scene after that. Tons of plotholes-a-plenty and a weird twist at the end that really falls flat on its face. This was a film that certainly needed some script tweaking. Instead it felt like there was never revisions to an initial draft and it was just left at that.
I watched the first 2 eps of this and I'm really enjoying it. No judgement on Lewis so far. Ricci is a god damn treasure though.
I watched Boston Strangler the other night. About 30 seconds in I could tell that it wanted to be Zodiac and there are at least 2 scenes that they completely ripped from it pretty blatantly. It's nowhere near as good a movie, obviously, and the comparison doesn't help it.
Keira Knightley is fine, but it seems like some actors are trying to do a Boston accent and some didn't feel like it so its kind of disjointing going back and forth. And there isn't enough Carrie Coon. It probably would have been better if her and Knightley switched characters, but then the movie probably doesn't get made.
The movie thinks it has something to say about sexism in that era, but Coon's character can do basically anything she wants and Knightley has only a little bit of pushback at work to start with and then its her husband who is annoyed that she's spending too much time at work.
Its not bad, but the only things I'll remember about it in a few months are the things it tried to rip-off from Zodiac.
Keira Knightley is fine, but it seems like some actors are trying to do a Boston accent and some didn't feel like it so its kind of disjointing going back and forth. And there isn't enough Carrie Coon. It probably would have been better if her and Knightley switched characters, but then the movie probably doesn't get made.
The movie thinks it has something to say about sexism in that era, but Coon's character can do basically anything she wants and Knightley has only a little bit of pushback at work to start with and then its her husband who is annoyed that she's spending too much time at work.
Its not bad, but the only things I'll remember about it in a few months are the things it tried to rip-off from Zodiac.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
More random theater trips from the last week and weekend....
Dungeons and Dragons: Eons better than the one mainstream D&D film from 15 or so years ago. Seemed like an investment on future installments as well. I didn't think Chris Pine's characterization would fit in this dynamic, but it worked.
Air: A much more robust and interesting story than I figured it would be as I never thought this would fill a two hour narrative. Lots of stuff about Nike and the shoe industry in that era that I had no idea about. The Damon/Affleck factor once again delivers.
Paint: This was a weird one. Owen WIlson plays a Bob Ross-like character, kind of stuck in some time warp in his mind of his past success. The story more focuses around the office dynamic of the PBS station he works for, specifically the ladies he womanized within the organization. This was more successfully comedic than I expected, with lots of dead-pan humor.
A Good Person: This was pretty much trash I just couldn't get into. The main theme of this film was addiction and grief from trauma, and specifically a focus on opiod addiction. I feel like Zach Braff did not hit the mark at all on this subject and in fact, took me out of it soon into this to where I ended up leaving around a third into the film. This was heavy handed as fuck and if it wasn't for Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman trying their damdest to make the source material work, this would have been far worse.
Dungeons and Dragons: Eons better than the one mainstream D&D film from 15 or so years ago. Seemed like an investment on future installments as well. I didn't think Chris Pine's characterization would fit in this dynamic, but it worked.
Air: A much more robust and interesting story than I figured it would be as I never thought this would fill a two hour narrative. Lots of stuff about Nike and the shoe industry in that era that I had no idea about. The Damon/Affleck factor once again delivers.
Paint: This was a weird one. Owen WIlson plays a Bob Ross-like character, kind of stuck in some time warp in his mind of his past success. The story more focuses around the office dynamic of the PBS station he works for, specifically the ladies he womanized within the organization. This was more successfully comedic than I expected, with lots of dead-pan humor.
A Good Person: This was pretty much trash I just couldn't get into. The main theme of this film was addiction and grief from trauma, and specifically a focus on opiod addiction. I feel like Zach Braff did not hit the mark at all on this subject and in fact, took me out of it soon into this to where I ended up leaving around a third into the film. This was heavy handed as fuck and if it wasn't for Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman trying their damdest to make the source material work, this would have been far worse.
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
"Renfield" is great whenever Nicolas Cage is in it. When he isn't, it kinda suffers.
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
I thought Air was real real fun. One of best sports movies I have seen in years.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Yeah, this one was weird. I felt like the only redeeming value of this film was the scenes with Cage, and the action/gore scenes. The actual story and flow of the film was terribly weak though, and some other aspects such as a subtle romance storyline and whatnot was stuff that just didn't fit in what they were trying here.