I Just Watched... (Movies/TV/DVD)

[HarleyQuinn]

Even though I was always all-in on the USA Network shows, I never watched Suits when it first ran. I’ve been tearing it up on Netflix though, and I am hooked. I’m in the second half of Season 5. Looked for a thread/season threads on here to try and go back and read everyone’s thoughts as it aired, but didn’t locate any.

I watched through Season 7 in real time. I still loathe Season 6 but the casting of everybody was pitch perfect especially Louis and Harvey.

 

[Dandy]

I am actually on the second half of Season 6 and not 5 as I had thought. Even though I’m not finished with that season yet, I understand why you said that, @HarleyQuinn.

 

[muzzington]

Watched the entire Bourne series, most of the Mission Impossible series and about 3/4's of the Bond movies. Hoping it's a cure for depression. MI:2 was a bit of a setback though.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

M:I2 still has the best version of the theme, though. It's the only one that figures out why people want to hate Fred Durst.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Wonka 6/10

It was fine... Timothee Chalamet was entertaining but lacked a darker edge to the character that Wilder and Depp portrayed. It was also a lot more whimsical and uplifting and bright, generally than most of Roald Dahl's works so I felt like it hewed a little too much towards the 1971 film version (nevermind the doubling down on Pure Imagination as a song because the lyrics/music of the other songs were completely forgettable).

Hugh Grant steals the movie as the Oompa Loompa in the few scenes he's in. Paterson Joseph as Slugworth is also a highlight, standing out amongst the "bad guy chocolatier trio" with Matt Lucas (Prodnose) and Mathew Baynton (Fickelgruber).

The side characters were okay and I wanted to like Olivia Colman & Tom Davis more than I did. They also relied on a running gag with Keegan-Michael Key's Chief of Police who felt tired by the end as a character. Calah Lane as Noodle was solid (could not sing a lick though to the point I was almost cringing) but this movie was largely on Chalamet's shoulders to carry it and he almost did?

Some great costuming and solid set design but there was a notable reliance on CGI that I think hampered the movie itself. There was a lot of talk about the magic & wonder but outside of one specific scene really, there just wasn't much shown in that regard. In both the '71 and Burton versions, the infamous unveiling of the Chocolate River room looks genuine and there. In this movie, there's a very similar moment and the place never struck me with the same vibe although it did look visually gorgeous as expected. It felt too much like it was trying to recreate those moments instead of standing on its own.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I decided to track every movie I watched this year. Mainly for the first time since I rarely rewatch anymore. This is the order I liked them best in.

First time Movies in 2023

1. The Nice Guys (2016)
2. Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3 (2023)
3. Bloody Hell (2020)
4. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)
5. John Wick Chapter 4 (2023)
6. Pearl (2022)
7. Rare Exports (2010)
8. The Innkeepers (2012)
9. The Witch (2015)
10. The Holdovers (2023)
11. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
12. Deadly Games (1989)
13. The Ritual (2017)
14. Pumpkinhead (1988)
15. Nightcrawler (2014)
16. Near Dark (1987)
17. X (2022)
18. The Fog (1980)
19. Black Christmas (1974)
20. Creed III (2023)
21. Mayhem (2017)
22. House of the Devil (2006)
23. Saw X (2023)
24. The Menu (2022)
25. Videodrome (1983)
26. Violent Night (2022)
27. What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
28. Annihilation (2018)
29. The Deep House (2021)
30. My Bloody Valentine (1981)
31. Turning Red (2022)
32. Pontypool (2008)
33. The Marvels (2023)
34. Creep (2014)
35. It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)
36. Maniac Cop (1988)
37. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
38. No One Will Save You (2023)
39. Knock at the Cabin (2023)
40. Better Watch Out (2016)
41. The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023)
42. M3GAN (2023)
43. Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
44. Smile (2022)
45. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
46. Soft & Quiet (2022)
47. Sick (2022)
48. Clerks III (2022)
49. Crimes of the Future (2022)
50. Deadstream (2022)
51. Uncharted (2022)
52. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
53. The Merry In-Laws (2012)
54. Moonfall (2022)
55. A Very Nutty Christmas (2018)
56. Jack Frost (1997)

2023 rewatches
-Friday the 13th II
-Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
-Up
-The Muppet Christmas Carol

Surprise Gem of the year was Bloody Hell. Rare Exports, Deadly Games, The Ritual, and The Innkeepers were also there for me.

Some of the bottom of the list stuff was only watched so I could follow along with the We Hate Movies podcast.

I know my list is probably trash. You can tell me Crimes of the Future was amazing; it just wasn’t for me.

Pumpkinhead was mostly a new watch. I saw it a lifetime ago on a sleepover, and think I slept through half of it. So I’m counting it.

I was told for years that Tucker & Dale was right up my alley. I got the joke right away, and got way tired of it. Also adding Sick, Better Watch Out, and Deadstream to movies that were not near as enjoyable as I was lead to believe they would be.

Clerks 3 was my biggest bummer. My bar was low, but Kevin Smith is completely done for me as a film maker. I feel like his older self would have shat all over this one.

Every year I try, and get my daughter into A Muppet Christmas Carol, and every year I end up watching it solo.

Only theater viewings were; Guardians, Mario Bros, and The Marvels.

First movie of the year was Moonfall. The last was The Holdovers.

 

[Brocklock]

M:I2 still has the best version of the theme, though. It's the only one that figures out why people want to hate Fred Durst.

That song almost always tricks me. The beginning is legit good and Wes Borland is killing it. Then Fred starts to do his thing, and my god it goes downhill.

 

[Brocklock]

I was told for years that Tucker & Dale was right up my alley. I got the joke right away, and got way tired of it. Also adding Sick, Better Watch Out, and Deadstream to movies that were not near as enjoyable as I was lead to believe they would be.

Count me in on Better Watch Out and Deadstream. I've tried Deadstream like 4 times and I just can't with that main character. I get he's supposed to be annoying and a parody of an annoying Youtuber, but the constant high pitched screaming was not funny at all. I also dislike Freaky, Little Monsters, and Werewolves Within, so I guess a lot of modern Scream esque horror comedies aren't for me.

But, Tucker and Dale hit different for me. Maybe because of Tyler Labine's really lovable and sweet performance. I find it funny, although I get the problems with the villains in particular. It lacks the cynical and smarmy vibe that most modern horror comedies have. I really don't care for a lot of meta horror. I'm not even a big fan of Cabin In The Woods, but I love Tucker And Dale. The main two performances are so charming and I liked the love interest character as well.

Also, Clerks 3 has replaced Click as the movie I'm most embarrassed to have teared up during.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I understood the character in Deadstream being as annoying as he is. It made no sense to keep him that way the entire movie. Once stuff started going sideways there should have been a major change, and it just never happened. I didn’t get why.

I wanted to like Clerks 3. The comedy fell flat, and Brian isn’t a good enough actor to do what was needed of him in my opinion.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

@Youth N Asia
Glad you liked Pontypool. That was a pleasant surprise when I saw it years ago, and its premise works better today than it even did back then.

 

[Youth N Asia]

@Youth N Asia
Glad you liked Pontypool. That was a pleasant surprise when I saw it years ago, and its premise works better today than it even did back then.

Liked it. Didn’t quite get to love it.

Performances were all good (except the doctor), but I found I liked it more when you were just getting an idea of what was going on vs when the bad stuff was happening on film. Like it a lot for what it did with so little.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Aye to that. It isn't a classic, but it's on a tier of must-watch for doing something original with the "zombie horde" trope.

 

[strummer]

I think I mentioned over the summer that I rewatched most of the Friday the 13th movies. Say it again the more I see of 2 the more I love it. Probably has surpassed 4 as my favorite

 

[RedJed]

Wonka 6/10

It was fine... Timothee Chalamet was entertaining but lacked a darker edge to the character that Wilder and Depp portrayed. It was also a lot more whimsical and uplifting and bright, generally than most of Roald Dahl's works so I felt like it hewed a little too much towards the 1971 film version (nevermind the doubling down on Pure Imagination as a song because the lyrics/music of the other songs were completely forgettable).

Hugh Grant steals the movie as the Oompa Loompa in the few scenes he's in. Paterson Joseph as Slugworth is also a highlight, standing out amongst the "bad guy chocolatier trio" with Matt Lucas (Prodnose) and Mathew Baynton (Fickelgruber).

The side characters were okay and I wanted to like Olivia Colman & Tom Davis more than I did. They also relied on a running gag with Keegan-Michael Key's Chief of Police who felt tired by the end as a character. Calah Lane as Noodle was solid (could not sing a lick though to the point I was almost cringing) but this movie was largely on Chalamet's shoulders to carry it and he almost did?

Some great costuming and solid set design but there was a notable reliance on CGI that I think hampered the movie itself. There was a lot of talk about the magic & wonder but outside of one specific scene really, there just wasn't much shown in that regard. In both the '71 and Burton versions, the infamous unveiling of the Chocolate River room looks genuine and there. In this movie, there's a very similar moment and the place never struck me with the same vibe although it did look visually gorgeous as expected. It felt too much like it was trying to recreate those moments instead of standing on its own.

I really did not care for this version/prequel/heavier musical than the original at all. I guess I was expecting the narrative to drive this film more, but instead it was just one really unimpressive musical number after the next and in a heavy handed manner. Once they got to Noodle's song, I actually stepped out and took a long bathroom break as that particular number was getting to me.

Just didn't have that same wacky and fun Wonka vibe as the other two films had.

 

[Fall of Epic]

I watched quite a bit of BBC programming in the early 2010s (IT Crowd, Black Books, etc.) but haven't watched consistently in years. I checked out the A24-produced Such Brave Girls on Hulu about a dysfunctional family consisting of a single mom and her two daughters and really enjoyed it. Super easy watch with only 6 episodes. This really is a show tailored to @HarleyQuinn .

 

[Brocklock]

Finally got around to Black Bird on Apple TV Plus. Show was great at times and the acting from Egerton/Hauser/Liotta was incredible, but I did have some qualms with some of the goofy side stories like the cop and therapist. The lady detective felt like she was from a different show, and a lot of her lines didn't feel natural.

Hauser is bone chilling and Egerton sells his offness so well. I'm glad Liotta got this nice performance in a late period project. I think it's a shame his final two theatrical movies are Cocaine Bear and Fool's Paradise. Hauser's voice reminded me of Paul Bearer and I want to see that role for him now.

Not as great as hyped and it falls a bit behind similar crime shows like True Detective, Sharp Objects, or Mare Of Easttown, but the acting from Hauser and Egerton is some of the best I've seen in a tv series in a long time. Their conversations were disturbing and captivating.

7.5/10

 

[TheSSNintendo]

The Psycho Cinema film group at my local Alamo was showing Weird Science today.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Finally watched Oppenheimer and it was fantastic. 9/10

Cillian Murphy was a standout. RDJ was fantastic. A bunch of recognizable faces to me littered throughout in small parts (yay for the guy who played Peter in White Collar getting a part to ask questions at the confirmation hearing).

Great cinematography as expected and the movie did feel like it flew by. The women characters felt a little underwritten at times, a flaw of Nolan's IMO, and the sex scenes that had a lot of hype/drama were what they were for sex scenes. I do think it's interesting seeing the nudity here and in Poor Things and how both movies received R ratings.

My Nolan movie rankings...
#1: Inception
#2: Oppenheimer (Objectively his best but I just love re-watching #1 so much)
#3: The Prestige
#4: The Dark Knight
#5: Dunkirk (Still an underrated movie IMO compared to most of his films)
#6: Memento
#7: Batman Begins
#8: The Dark Knight Rises
#9: Insomnia
#10: Interstellar
#11: Tenet

 

[Brocklock]

I have to give Batman Begins a rewatch, but my list would probably be very different. I remember finding BB a little dry and actually preferring The Dark Knight Rises (warts and all) the last time I watched the trilogy which was like 8 years ago.

Tenet also keeps rising for me. Plot is a mess, but I love the spectacle and grandiose feeling. There are like five action sequences I'd say are among the best in recent memory. I'd probably have Insomnia at the bottom and I still like it a lot. Nolan hasn't made a clunker yet imo. I get the storyline complaints about Tenet, but it just works as a big huge insane spectacle.

Tentative Nolan ranking for me is

1. Memento (I love everything about this. I love the gimmick and I think it's executed perfectly. There's still some great reveals and big moments that hit hard. Cast is phenomenal from Pearce, Joey Pants, and Carrie Anne Moss to the smaller roles like Dodd, Mark Boone Junior, and Stephen Tobolowsky. Just a perfect movie for me.)
2. Oppenheimer
3. The Dark Knight
4. Interstellar (Keeps getting better on every rewatch. Easily Nolan's most emotional movie and I just get sucked into the movie every time)
5. Inception
6. The Prestige
7. Tenet (I've explained my case and I think this film's reputation will only continue to rise as it ages. Similar to how maligned Interstellar was when it came out and how reception has changed on that)
8. The Dark Knight Rises (I still think the first 75 percent of the movie is a near masterpiece and they botch the last half hour. I also love the final shot and it still makes me emotional. I don't care.)
9. Dunkirk (Seems low, but I still really like this movie)
10. Batman Begins (Definitely need to rewatch)
11. Insomnia (Great Pacino and Williams performances, but lacks the edge and grittiness of the original film starring Stellan Skarsgard. They make Pacino's character into more of a typical good guy, and he was much more immoral and shady in the original, which worked more for me.)

Maybe Batman Begins finally hits for me and can crack the top five on next viewing. I see a lot of people saying that it's the best of the trilogy and it never really landed for me.

 

[909]

Babylon comes REALLY close to making a three hour movie worth that runtime, but the subplot with Sidney doesn't stick the landing at all and I feel like I wasted a lot of time watching his scenes. 6/10

 

[Brocklock]

Yeah Sidney and Lady Fay felt a little underdeveloped. I'm still going 8/10 on it. I love these grandiose messy spectacles and there's a lot of great stuff in Babylon. I love this scene and PJ Byrne kills it

I understand why the ending has a mixed reception and it's totally pretentious and all that, but I still found it moving. I think it was Manny's reaction that sold it for me. I loved the three central performances by Robbie, Pitt, and Diego Calva as Manny.

 

[Fall of Epic]

I watched Priscilla last night. The two leads are great and does a masterful job showing the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla while showing Elvis' genius as a performer.

Since we're ranking, here is my ranking of Sofia Coppola films.

Lost in Translation
Virgin Suicides
Beguiled
Priscilla
Bling Ring
On the Rocks
Somewhere
Marie Antoinette (the only real "miss" in her filmography. I really don't like this one)

 

[Brocklock]

I need to rewatch a lot of those, but I remember enjoying Somewhere. I'm a Stephen Dorff superfan though. The Beguiled I remember being solid. Really like LIT and Virgin Suicides.

Never saw Bling Ring and Marie Antoinette. I watched On The Rocks and have zero memory or recollection of it. Didn't make any sort of impact at all.

Priscilla was decent, but my mind was wandering a lot. I just don't have much interest in anything Elvis related.

 

[Brocklock]

The Passenger on Amazon Prime should get more hype. It's nice to see a character actor finally get a shot at a leading role, and Kyle Gallner knocks it out the park as Benson. He hams it up when he needs to, brings a ton of menace/intensity, and really nails the unhinged character. He's mostly known for horror films and I've always liked him whether it's Smile, Scream 5, or Jennifer's Body. He even comes out of that A Nightmare On Elm Street remake unscathed.

Film really reminded me of The Hitcher with Gallner's Benson, and the meek Randy played excellently by Johnny Berchtold, having similar vibes to Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell. Film did kind of peter out towards the end, but the relationship between the main two characters kept me interested throughout. I'm gonna leave it at that and be vague, because it's good to go in not knowing much.

7/10

 

[Gary]

"Eyes Without a Face" remains my favorite horror film to come from France. Haunting and poetic in equal doses, with some of the most gorgeous visuals in genre history.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Been watching that American Nightmare true crime doc on Netflix. Bonkers stuff.

 

[Youth N Asia]

Enjoyed Jury Duty. It’s on Prime. (with commercials) It’s pretty much The Joe Schmo Show but set in a court trial. I don’t laugh out loud much with comedy anymore, but this probably got me for four or so really good ones. Although I would have recognized Kirk Fox. So maybe it wouldn’t have entirely worked if I were there; however they did have alt moves to make if the show went in unexpected directions, so who knows.

Finished up Billions. I had Showtime when the show took its COVID break, and figured I’d eventually wrap it up down the line once I heard it was ending. It might be my favorite show, that’s not as good as it thinks it is. People IMDB bombed the scores a little bit when Damien Lewis left for a season, but I thought it was actually good for the series to change course. Plus Corey Stoll is pretty damn good in what he does.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Fast X is one of the weakest entries in the franchise after Justin Lin took hold and ran with it, but it's still a fun goddamn ride. Momoa is gorging himself on the scenery whenever the camera is on him, and it was a blast seeing Cena add some pure lame goofiness to the character.

I loved it, for sure, but I'll be glad when FAF 11 closes it all out.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Although I would have recognized Kirk Fox. So maybe it wouldn’t have entirely worked if I were there; however they did have alt moves to make if the show went in unexpected directions, so who knows.

I read that his part got cut significantly when they found out Ronald was a huge Parks & Rec fan and they were afraid he’d recognize Sewage Joe.

I just watched it myself and loved it. That soaking scene was hilarious. Had no idea that was a real thing and not something written for the show. Thank goodness I grew up in a blue state.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I read that his part got cut significantly when they found out Ronald was a huge Parks & Rec fan and they were afraid he’d recognize Sewage Joe.

I just watched it myself and loved it. That soaking scene was hilarious. Had no idea that was a real thing and not something written for the show. Thank goodness I grew up in a blue state.

I’ve seen Fox’s standup, and also saw him on Parks and Recs (which is weird because I’ve seen so little of it)

There was another actor on the jury that I don’t think I heard speak until the last episode or so.

My best laughs were (non spoiler)

The cut to Ronald when the judge asked Noah “who told you to say that?” In regards to the family guy joke.

The dump.

The line delivered to Ronald about… gonna go to try bathroom. Early on.

Marsden’s killer line about the director of Lonesome Pine getting cancelled. He was terrific.