NOW CLOSED ; List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV... and give a */10

[MtnMan]

Warrior Nun (Netflix series). Not what I was expecting, but I don't know what I was expecting... anywho 7/10ish

 

[SMOGZINN]

Rent-A-Pal - 6/10 - Let's get this out of the way right quick. This movie has been mislabeled. It is labeled as a horror/thriller and it is more of a psychological drama. There is a bit of a horror element in there, mostly at the very end, but honestly this movie is mostly about the mental and emotional toll that isolation and caregiving can have on a person. Instead of thrilling or horrifying I found this movie intensely sad. Having said that I felt that both Wil Wheaton and Brian Landis Folkins put forth great performances, and I was able to empathize with both of their characters at different times.

Don't expect any real action or thrills out of this movie. Overall it is a very slow burn, very indy, character driven movie. It is set in the late 80s early 90s but does not lean heavly on the nostalgia, more like it needed to be set in that time period for the plot to work.

Because they mislabeled this movie as a horror movie it lost a full point by me. I was expecting something and got something completely different. I liked what I got, but I still felt let down in the end because of the expectations that were set. Maybe that is my fault but ratings are subjective. Mess with my subjectivity and it affects the rating.

 

[K1052]

Challenger: The Final Flight (Netflix) 8.5/10

I really liked how much time it spent tracking the crew, where the came from, and all their personal stories much of which I was not aware of as I was too young when it happened. I was already familiar with a lot of the technical and historical details of what when wrong, why, and who did what. Its heart wrenching though in spots especially in the interviews with the families and even the engineers at Thiokol. I also had no idea about the intrigue on the presidential investigation committee after the disaster to get the truth to come out which was really interesting. I admit to uttering something ultra unkind when they closed out the interview with William Lucas (head of Marshall at the time) when he says what he says.

 

[feralkid]

Those early 3-D sets really were the best.

 

[feralkid]

let's do a pre-review;
i'm about to watch Dead Man - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112817/
the 1995 film by Jim Jaramush, with Johnny Depp back when Johnny Depp was still a good actor. I have previous watched this entirely-B&W film back in 1995 (obviously) when it had a very limited theatrical release, and recall not being terribly happy about it - the novelty of the B&W wear off pretty quickly, and the rest if just a collection of human caricatures of which Fellini would be proud - oh, i'm *sure* some of you would love this film.

But, it's been many years, and maybe i'll have a more mature approach. But, my guess is that this is a 6/10 film. Johnny Depp plays a character that is literally at death's door for 70% of the film, so don't expect too much.

Needs mushrooms.

 

[soulcougher73]

Today I'm watching Long Way Up, a documentary (more like a badly planned infomercial turned disaster comedy) on Apple+ of two guys driving from the tip of South America to the US using prototype electric vehicles.

Unfortunately, it seems that nobody on their production team bothered to learn how electric vehicles worked before leaving, so they left in the middle of South American winter and spent most of their time in the first three episodes running out of electricity WAY ahead of schedule and getting charged by a rescue truck with a big diesel generator.

ExxonMobil should show clips of this show during their next annual meeting. It would probably make their stock go up 20% overnight.

The show looks pretty, anyway. I'll give it a 4 out 10. I'm hoping that Elon Musk watches this insanity and feels inspired to do this trip in a Cybertruck correctly and with proper planning next year.

If you like this, there are 2 previous ones with Ewan McGregor and his friend. Long Way Round, and Long Way Down. Both were on netflix when i watched them.

 

[ultimatebob]

If you like this, there are 2 previous ones with Ewan McGregor and his friend. Long Way Round, and Long Way Down. Both were on netflix when i watched them.

My hunch is that the first 2 were better. Once Apple took over the series, they went down this misguided environmentalist slant and screwed it up.

 

[mikeymikec]

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

This film surprised me: A Disney movie that doesn't break into song (at all IIRC, let alone the standard 'every 5 minutes'), no stupid comic-relief creatures (though the miner could be a vague variation on the theme). The only particularly weird thing about it was the sound mixing: loud action scenes were much quieter than dialogue scenes (at least on the UK DVD).

I'd regard it as a bit less childish and saccharine than the average Disney movie.

Hercules (1997)

Disney by the numbers, though and through. The artwork seemed worse than usual.

 

[mikeymikec]

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

Good action flick. Yup, as Jedi said there is a case of stormtrooper shooting skills, but who the hell cares. There's one very decent car chase scene in it and some decent action and it's pretty funny.

 

[UsandThem]

Ratched 7/10

It's pretty much American Horror Story without the supernatural. The final episode kind was a big letdown/disappointment, but overall the season was pretty good.

 

[DigDog]

..sometimes this thread unwatches itself. maybe when we get to page 999 we can start a new one, yes? @ every mod in AT ?

 

[DigDog]

Family Guy season 19 ep 1 - good stuff, Seth must have done a bunch of coke during his holidays. 7/10

Bobs Burgers S11E1 - last year's finale was excellent, this episode had a good script but not terribly funny. 6.5/10

Simpsons season 32 !! ep 1- meh. same stuff in a different sauce. 6/10 from a season opener is sad.

do you remember when the simpsons used to be edgy? How is it now the lamest show on tv? Stuff like Big Bang is hardcore compared to this.

 

[PlanetJosh]

Misbehaviour, giving it a 6/10. Activism and humor.

 

[DigDog]

Young Sherlock Holmes AKA "Pyramid of Fear" - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090357/

didn't enjoy it as much as i thought i would have, but that is likely due to my having watched this no fewer than 4 times prior.
I've always loved this film, when it came out it wasn't terribly popular, being overshadowed by other 1985 films (pretty good year for film: back to the future, mad max, commando, enemy mine, goonies, etc) and i always thought myself fortunate to have caught it.
Despite being a film with children in it (weird casting; watson is 15yo, sherlock is 19yo, elizabeth - the love interest - is 21yo), vaguely reminiscent of the Little Rascals, it has a reasonably adult plotline. The "visions" were good at the time, not great today - you would struggle to think such "horrors" could lead a man to suicide - but the film has some pretty solid pacing, good direction, o.k. acting, and a very interesting story, albeit with a not-so-interesting villain. The soundtrack is adequate.
The sets are beautiful, although i always questioned why they chose to film during snow season.
None of the actors did much after this film.

I'm curious as to how kids would react to a first viewing of this film. My vote: 7/10

The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066249/

A more "modern" interpretation of S.H., although it does have a bit more comedy, as usually in the character of Watson, the film still plays it straight. Holmes is arrogant and obnoxious, but still within the acceptable boundaries of the character - far more Basil Rathbone than RDJ - and an original story, even if not terribly interesting. Decent acting (Watson over Holmes), nice sets, good direction, two hours long, it's a great way to tune out and become one with the couch. My vote: 7/10

 

[kn51]

Challenger: The Final Flight (Netflix) 8.5/10

I admit to uttering something ultra unkind when they closed out the interview with William Lucas (head of Marshall at the time) when he says what he says.

You talking about the "And I signed off on it knowing all the dangers etc." (bad paraphrasing on my part)?

 

[K1052]

You talking about the "And I signed off on it knowing all the dangers etc." (bad paraphrasing on my part)?

There is a bit of that from a few people in the latter half of the last episode. I was more specifically referring that last comments from Lucas about how he didn't think he did anything wrong then and still doesn't. Basically tough luck space is "risky business" to use his words. His reckless management style was undeniably a major contributor to the accident.

 

[DigDog]

looks like someone's uploaded to youtube - i'm sure, totally legit 100% - the entire Without A Clue - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096454/

the absolutely brilliant comedy / mystery where Sir Michael Caine plays a drunken and incompetent Holmes, and Ben Kingsley plays the real genius behind the investigations, Dr Watson. A bit long, but beautifully done. My vote: 7.5/10
This concludes my Sherlock Holmes trifecta, no more for a couple 'years.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

There is a bit of that from a few people in the latter half of the last episode. I was more specifically referring that last comments from Lucas about how he didn't think he did anything wrong then and still doesn't. Basically tough luck space is "risky business" to use his words. His reckless management style was undeniably a major contributor to the accident.

That guy is an award class a-hole.

 

[Exterous]

I'm up to E6. I kinda like it although not the best space movie. I don't remember the "sound" in outer space. Will have to go back to space walk. A little overused cliché interactions. I chuckled a little at the stereotype joke overbearing Asian parents. Mother from ship talking to son and father back home. Kid tells mother he got 98 on math exam. Father next to him annoyed and says next time you get 100. Family Guy had same bit but funnier. My favorite character is the Russian.

So far I give it a 6.5-7/10

I want to like it more but I don't get all the love it's getting. Too many cliches and the solutions to their problems make no sense.

Spoiler

Like NASA couldn't figure out how to MacGyver a guide for a drill? Nah just have him wing it. And just put the bag over the nozzel for the water. No need to waste it and have a bunch shooting off into space

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Hercules (1997)

Disney by the numbers, though and through. The artwork seemed worse than usual.

- Say what you will about the movie, but Megara always made my willy feel funny.

 

[mikeymikec]

The Gentlemen (2019)

I wanted to like it (I like 'lock stock', 'snatch', 'rocknrolla'). There were enjoyable bits in it, but the ending didn't make sense.

Spoiler

I think Guy Ritchie wanted to avoid endings like with other gangster movies and 'Get Carter' whereby the protagonist was clever but not quite clever enough and along comes karma / the unfactored element, but there simply was no connection for how the fight club lads could have got the drop on the Russians, let alone the firearms usage there, and Colin Farrell's character wanting to get out then suddenly wanting to go all in, put his life on the line and save gangsters, it just made for too much of a happy ending for the protagonist.

 

[DigDog]

Backdraft (1991) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101393/

this was a film that people raved about when it came out, but i never got to see until now. And once again i have to remind myself that the popular opinion is always shit.
Kurt Russel supposedly in the lead, but William Baldwin gets all the lead dialogue, so ..
Also Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert DeNiro, but the film is really only worth watching for those 5 minutes of screentime that Donald Sutherland gets. Sutherland plays an old pyromaniac, now incarcerated, acting as a sort of Hannibal Hector to Baldwin's Jodie Foster. Kurt Russel does not fit the part, as an actor he's really only good in showoff parts (not too far from Keanu Reeves, so) while here he is supposed to be a wise old mentor. Baldwin is screeching and annoying, and Ron "Happy Days" Howard's idea of direction is to fill every scene with obviously fake smoke.

uh .. not really impressive. Dull story and almost 1980s slow development, i'd vote: 6/10

 

[DigDog]

i'm halfway through Ridley Scott's "The Counselor" and it's absolutely awful.

 

[kn51]

Backdraft (1991) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101393/

this was a film that people raved about when it came out, but i never got to see until now.

At the time, the flame effects were pretty cool back in the day. But yeah, the scene with DeNiro and Sutherland is great.

 

[DigDog]

i skipped through most of The Counselor because it was infuriatingly slow. There is one particular scene where the titual character is buying a diamond, and a exhausting speech on the nature of diamond quality, that goes on for .. uh, 5 full minutes?
I got the impression that ..
wait. It's more important that i say first that this is a Ridley Scott film. How can this man make films so shit, but also films so good. And, it's not just Blade Runner from 40 years ago; American Gangster is absolutely fantastic (8.5/10), Body Of Lies was ok, i suppose, Black Hawk Down is a really good film. The whole "Prometheus" problem is that he went full auteur, to much head up own ass kinda problem.

Anyway, while watching The Counselor i had the impression that he wanted to do something like Sicario - show the characters in their natural environment without pointing too obviously to what should take the focus of your attention - but instead of the gritty, down to earth characters of Sicario, he has a bunch of unrealistically douchebaggy rich criminals.
And, to play them, he went full casting overkill. For someone with the experience of Scott, he should know that if you have too many known faces, it takes you out of the suspension of disbelief. It's ok to see Brad Pitt as the scientist battling a zombie invasion, it's not ok to see Brad Pitt as Brad Pitt.

Speaking of which, Pitt was the only one i liked in the film. Alongside him, you have:
Penelope Cruz
Cameron Diaz
Michael Fassbender
Rosie Perez (the "hispanic policewoman")
Natalie Dormer
John Leguizamo ("bad hispanic guy")
Dean Norris (breaking bad cop)
.. and nearly everyone else cast in this film is someone you will recognize.

The story is mediocre, but that's not even the problem. A guy with money ("the counselor") wants to get in the coca business because i_love_money.jpg
He is warned that "if you deal with the cartels, you will pay a dear price"
He plans a deal, but despite him being methodical, the deal goes bad
His wife is killed by the cartels, and he cries in hubris.

It's the writing quality of some Twilight Zone episode that didn't make the cut.

But the real problem is how slow, tedious, and unfocused everything is. The vast majority of what happens is unnecessary and does not contribute to the plot advancement. You'll have things like two characters talking nonsense about their personal life for 3 minutes and then a single phrase that's plot-relevant, and then cut scene. It's like they started filming at the wrong time.

I was expecting to vote LOWER than the IMDb average but hey, won't you know it: 5.3/10 official score. And, i will second that.