[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

May is, understandably, probably my busiest time of the year except the Christmas period, so I've been slacking on keeping up to date on this thread. Still managed to get in a good few movies though, both at home and at the cinema, which I'll rattle through now.

34. Challengers

I really enjoyed this. I liked the dynamic between the characters, the way it was told across different timelines, how much it seemed to understand tennis, and I particularly enjoyed the music. There was only one scene in which the OTT techno beat didn't work for me, and felt they should have gone with something a little less intrusive (or no music at all) but any other use of it worked perfectly. It's funny in parts, it's tense just about the rest of the time and I was satisfied with what could be perceived as an abrupt ending.

35. Abigail

A lot of fun. Always a sucker for a heist (or in this case, kidnapping) movie in which you get the lowdown of every character in one scene, and this did that well. There's a lot of humour and a lot of cartoonish gore. Horror comedies are a very difficult balance and this slanted towards the comedy aspect a lot more, but I laughed consistently and there was just the right amount of tension. My main (and only) gripe is that it's 20 minutes too long, especially as the ending is pretty crap compared to the rest.

36. Boy Kills World

Similar to Abigail in many ways. Funny and lots of OTT violence, but with some impressive martial arts combat. Telling the story through the mind of the narrator rather than his voice was fun, and H. Jon Benjamin must have one of the best comedy voices in the world. Was also impressed with Bill Skarsgård, who did a lot of fine acting without the ability to talk. The big problem with the film is the balance between the comedy and the back story, which is really, really dark. It worked for me until the last 20 minutes or so, when it completely forgot about the comedy aspect, when then leaves you wondering "so what story were you trying to tell here?" I also saw (half of) the twist coming. All the same, I liked it.

37. The Idea of You

Pretty rubbish but not awful. Presents a good question of why it's OK for older famous men to date much younger women, but when the reversal happens everyone flips out, but it's too much of a bog-standard, cliched rom-com to do anything more than loosely pull at that thread. Also, by making the male love interest mega-famous, and therefore that in itself becoming a huge issue, it kinda loses that thread even further.

38. Brokeback Mountain

Finally got around to watching this. I'm really not into slow-paced movies where there's a lot of stoic brooding and people not really saying much, so I was a bit restless for points of this, which is over two hours long. However, Heath Ledger is absolutely superb. It's one of the best acting performances I've maybe ever seen. It's also, undeniably a very important film, especially for the time. It really shows how much we've moved as a society where the name of this film used to be an homophobic punchline for about a decade. Ahead of its time and an impressive piece of work, even if it moved a little slowly for my tastes.

39. The Fall Guy

I disagree with other commenters, and some reviewers, who say Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have chemistry in this. Comedic chemistry, perhaps, but romantic chemistry absolutely not. There were also a couple of scenes where they kicked the arse out of the joke so much that I started to cringe in my seat. It's also too long and the "twist" is very predictable. And yet, in spite of all those flaws, I had a good time watching it. It's dumb, popcorn fun. The stunts are impressive, especially the manner in which they were able to inject so much comedy into them. Gosling has got serious skills as a comedic actor. Aaron Taylor-Johnson was nailed the part of the A-lister douchebag. And it's got a great performance from a French-speaking dog.

40. Blockers

Essentially, supposedly-smart-but-actually-dumb parents try to interfere in their kids' lives and end up being more immature than the teenagers, especially when they consistently don't listen to reason. It's fairly by the numbers, but it was decent enough. Leslie Mann can do these types of movies in her sleep, John Cena was a pleasant surprise and the redemptive arc of Ike Barinholtz's character was my favourite part of the film. The kids themselves are all pretty likeable and easy to spend time with. It passed the time with a few laughs.

41. Along Came Polly

Never fancied this at the time it came out and I was right to avoid it for so many years. It's a better acted movie than I thought it was going to be, but I barely laughed at all during the runtime (and this is ME we're talking about here) and neither liked Ben Stiller nor Jennifer Aniston in their respected roles.

42. Battle of the Sexes

This was on my list to watch since it came out in 2017, but I wouldn't say it was worth the wait. I liked it, but I was a bit disappointed overall. It's an enjoyable enough watch, I guess I just expected a bit more. It took me a while to put my finger on exactly why and I think it's trying to be too much at once. It's about equality, social injustice, sexism and fighting back against all of that - but it's also a comedy. That tone is down to Steve Carrell's take on the gregarious showman that was Bobby Riggs. I've since said reviews that criticised the film for making him too sympathetic, but I've also seen it written that the portrayal was fairly accurate. Yes, he had outdated views, not uncommon at all for the time, but he was viewed as a decent person and someone Billy Jean King herself liked very much. So we skip between them throughout the run time, but also get King's affair with her secretary (changed to her hairdresser in the film). This, like the portrayal of Riggs, was true to life, but sometimes you need to take more of a creative license in order to make a better movie. The comedic aspect jarred with King's story and what she was fighting for as Emma Stone's portrayal comes across almost adrift in her own film. In the end, the creators tried to fit in too much and ended up making something that was just a bit too vanilla to be memorable.

43. Scoop

I'm a sucker for films about the journalistic process so this was very much in my wheelhouse, but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Rufus Sewell is brilliant as the nonce prince, but I shall reserve some extra praise for Billie Piper who excelled in the main role. I also liked the way Keeley Hawes' character underlined how the royals a) can get away with having a prominent member as a big fat sex offender, and b) why they thought it was in any way a good idea to stick him on television in the first place. Because both have the same reason, the disturbing revery towards them and how some people just don't think they can do any wrong. 

44. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Loved it. Absolutely loved it. At almost 150 minutes runtime I had my reservations going in, but it gripped my attention from the first minute to the last. It's a terrific spectacle. Chris Hemsworth really shines in his role and Anya Taylor-Joy is excellent as she is in everything. The action scenes are incredible and I did appreciate that the story slowed down and revved back up again, unlike Fury Road which was pretty much a chase scene from start to finish. Though it is almost literally hell on earth, I enjoy spending time in The Wasteland. The world-building elements worked for me. I didn't think Fury Road could be topped but, for me, this did it.

45. Hit Man

Writing this not long after coming back from the cinema to see this. As it wasn't reviewed on Kermode and Mayo (have a feeling there was no press screenings as it's a Netflix production) I didn't really know what to expect and only saw a brief summary of the plot. Turns out, it's a very fun but also very well made movie. Glen Powell was last seen assisting Sydney Sweeney and their fellow cast members to stink up the joint in my least favourite film of the year so far, Anyone But You, but he very much makes up for it here. He really gets to show off his charm and have a lot of fun playing different characters within the one role (his American Psycho impression had me giggling away). It was a little difficult to buy him as a geeky, unlovable loner when he still looks like Glen Powell. Also, they brought back the 'ugly duckling' Hollywood cliche of just needing to remove glasses and get a better haircut to truly be your best self (I was half-expecting a Rachael Leigh Cook cameo), but I did believe him as someone putting on ice-cool confidence instead of that being the real him. As an intended comedy, there are several funny moments and some strong supporting performances, but it was also very tense at times and he has some real chemistry with the female love interest (whom I hadn't seen before). I even liked the scenes where it goes back to him teaching his students about psychology and morality, as I found them interesting. 

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

31. Love Lies Bleeding

Not what I expected from the trailer, which made it seem almost like a Thelma & Louise style on-the-run movie but with a lesbian romance at the heart of it. The latter part is accurate, but it's more a film about obsession, the blinding impact of love, trauma, retribution and dysfunctional family dynamics. It's also way more violent than I imagined. At points it drifts across into horror-film territory. I genuinely regarded it as bit of a weird story and then there was a choice near the very end which took me out of it entirely. There were also a few jarring tone shifts. Not the worst but I expected and hoped it would be better.

32. Bros

A hyper-sexualised romantic comedy that's about a gay couple rather than a straight one. Was disappointed to hear this has flopped at the box office but not surprised at all. As my partner and I both remarked to each other after about 20 minutes into the movie, very regrettably, that it was strange to see what was so obviously a Hollywood movie, with the sheen and gloss of a typical US romcom, but with the romance at the heart of it one of a gay, male couple. Even if a lot of society, in the UK at least, is becoming more and more accepting of gay culture and stories, it's still a relatively new thing in mainstream cinema and I hope the studios persist even if this one didn't wash its face. Because after those first 20 minutes I forgot all about the internalised biases and really enjoyed it. I was fully invested in their story and blubbed like a bairn at the end. My one big criticism is that, while I found it consistently funny, there weren't any real big laughs for me. And I watched it while [redacted], so I was primed for that.

33. The Wolf of Snow Hollow

A horror-comedy crossover which doesn't quite nail either. I didn't find it scary or even that tense, and I only laughed out loud a couple of times, but I still really quite liked it. I'm not sure what to make of Jim Cummings overall, having not enjoyed Thunder Road, but his struggling-to-stay-afloat-in-the-world, goofily intense charm worked for me a lot better in this one. I enjoyed how they told the story with time hoping back and forth often in quick cut-cut-cut scenes. It was an fresh way to tell a story that's been done many times and I found the ending pretty satisfying. My favourite of the three above, but Bros comes a close second.

[Kelty Hearts Thread]

Congrats on securing your League One status this season with a couple of weekends to spare. Seems like you had a real shot at the play-offs before injury woes lined up not-so-perfectly with a murderers' row of fixtures.

Reason I'm here is that I'm looking to get a Kelty fan on to the podcast (for a Patreon episode) to discuss the season and the club's long-term standing within the SPFL. I was wondering if anybody here would either be up for it or could recommend a fellow Kelty fan who you think would be decent on a podcast?

Cheers,

CF

[Spartans v Rose derby]

On 21/04/2024 at 17:37, Beachcomber said:

McNulty, Craigen, Booth, Watson are out of reach financially of other League  2 teams.

Spartans have a lot of kids and great community club but lets not  pretend they have a  strong following.  Last home   league game  385.

Every player you've mentioned there is either from Edinburgh (Watson, McNulty), the surrounding areas (Booth) or have roots in the city (Craigen). You can add Danny Denholm to that too. McNulty is also playing for his father-in-law.

[Best/Worst Cinema Experience]

On 19/04/2024 at 15:21, accies1874 said:

I wrote about my Worst Ever Cinema Experience last year. Now that @CraigFowler is One of Us it would be good to know if he remembers this:

I'm tempted to say that the best ever was the second time I saw Past Lives last year as I watched a wonderful film in the cinema with no one else there, but I'm gonna go with when I saw The Lighthouse in 2020. It just seemed to be everything I love about cinema wrapped up in one screening where I forgot where I even was for a couple of hours.

You Were Never Really Here in 2018 was also a brilliant experience, but I think I'll be speaking about that film soon so I'll leave it for another time...

Oh my god, I do remember that! I forgot about the clicking. They were doing my tits in. I should've just moved seats earlier. They kept taking me out of the movie and it really irritates me when that happens.

To contribute to the thread, last year I went to see Teenage Turtles Ninja Mayhem at the Vue in Edinburgh. It was during the festival and I was killing a couple of hours before meeting friends. Now, obviously as it's a family movie, you expect going in that you might not always get the ideal behaviour from your fellow cinema-goers, but this really took the biscuit.

There was a couple who sitting a row behind me to the right. They had a child with them who was clearly too young to be in a cinema. When the lights went dark before the film was about to start she shouted out "is it bed time mommy?" Which was quite sweet and funny, but she continued to speak consistently as the film went on.

Worse still, they just let her roam about the place. Considering there are stairs in the cinema and it would be quite easy for her to fall and hurt herself, I though this was incredibly poor from the parents. And, for further distraction, she had on trainers which lit up every time she took a step. Mercifully, a Vue employee checking in saw what was going on about 2/3rds of the way into the movie and went up towards the couple. He didn't even say anything before the woman got up, retrieved her daughter and got her to stay still for the rest of the screening, which suggested she knew all along that her daughter was distracting for the rest of the cinema but just didn't bother her arse to do anything about it. Thankfully, although she did still speak at times, she was a lot more settled after that and I was able to enjoy the rest of the film, but jesus christ. What a couple of selfish p***ks. I don't blame the wee girl, she was just doing as so many would at that age.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

On 17/04/2024 at 20:02, Theroadlesstravelled said:

Wolfman (2010)
A horror fantasy with Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving.

Should be decent with those actors right?

Nah it's actually pish with horrible CGI for the time.

Went to see that at the cinema. Absolutely rubbish. Thought it was hilarious when they tried to make the Anthony Hopkins reveal at the end a big twist even though they'd showed it happening earlier in the movie.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

27. Monkey Man

John Wick-style revenge action thriller with similarly impressive choreographed fight scenes (especially as Dev Patel broke his hand very early in the filming and they had to change everything to make his other hand the dominant one). These type of movies... saying they're not my thing is maybe too strong as it implies I don't like them, which isn't the case, but it would take something spectacular for me to really say they were incredible pieces of work. The stuff about the Indian class system, sectarianism and trans community was all interesting, but left me wanting to know a bit more about that and less fighting in toilets. Good fun overall and I wasn't bored.

28. Civl War

I came out of the cinema thinking 'good but not great' but I find myself siding with the film a lot more as people take against it for, in my view, fairly absurd reasons. It seems to be getting hammered for not having anything to say about the current American political climate in an election year. Firstly, anything brought out in 2024 that was overtly 'American right-wing is bad' would just end up looking incredibly preachy and self-righteous and would achieve absolutely nothing in stopping that criminal, sexual-assaulting racist getting a second term. Secondly, it ABSOLUTELY DOES say something about the current political landscape. The president in the film has caused the Civil War by becoming a fascist dictator, as evidenced by the scene where it's revealed he gave himself a third term and disbanded the FBI. It's not a right v left story, it's an anti-fascist story, with California and Texas (two states with wildly different political ideologies in recent history) being the alliance to fight against the president. Another strength of it not being right v left is that one of the overriding points is that war is hell and ultimately it doesn't matter when you're on the frontline witnessing the daily atrocities, as our war-photographer protagonists are, because ultimately it just ends up being about one man trying to shoot another man. So I was completely on board with the message and there's terrific tension right throughout the movie. My main gripe was that I found the characters to be too one-dimensional and a bit cliched and didn't particularly care all that much what happened to them. Even with this, it's very good. Maybe not 'great' after all, but very good.

29. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Now this is great. A lot of fun, consistently funny throughout, the animation is terrific as they adopt the Spider-Verse-esque style, and in the red-eyed wolf they have one of the scariest baddies in a family movie that I've ever seen. Thought they borrowed from fairytale mythology particularly well in this one compared to the other films in the Shrek universe. And even though I was initially irritated by Goldilocks and the Three Bears having thick cockney accents, I was charmed by them in the end.

30. Femme

One of the toughest films to watch that I've experienced in recent years. While it didn't quite hit the skin-shedding tension of the final scene in Immaculate, it was a consistently more stressful film throughout. That said, I thought it was a brilliant piece of work with strong messages about the futility of revenge, forgiveness, empathy, understanding, repression and self-hatred. I was a broken man by the end of this and I say that as a good thing. It had a real emotional impact and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. Both of the leads are absolutely brilliant and it's a shame this didn't get more attention because it deserves it. It's on Netflix the now. Watch it.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

21. Good Grief

Was really enjoying this for the first half. It was witty, charming and packed an emotional punch. But all of that ended up wearing off a bit quickly for me by the end of it, which was all a bit predictable. A decent watch but nothing more.

22. Immaculate

Fucking hell! A film that has stayed with me, buried deep into my mind like a malevolent intruder much like the growing baby inside the Sydney Sweeney's main character's uterus. It is shocking, gory and deeply disturbing. The ending give me such a huge reaction that I felt like running from the cinema or covering my eyes to make it all stop. I thought it was great! A horror movie that shows me I'm not yet fully desensitised to horror movies yet.

23. 12 Monkeys

Despite owning the DVD at one point I'd somehow never watched this. Younger Craig was an idiot because this was very good. A clever take on the time-travelling genre, especially the way in which it messes with Bruce Willis' main character's sense of reality and linking that to his interactions with mentally ill patients in the psychiatric hospital. Brad Pitt's nervous energy throughout his scenes is another thoroughly watchable bonus.

24. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

This could have been good. There's a decent enough structure and storyline and more than enough characters and actors that it's easy to spend time with, but that's the problem. There are far too many of them! I counted 11 people in the final scene. That's pretty much every character we're introduced to in the entire film (bar 2, I think) and it 

25. They Cloned Tyrone

This very much reminded me of Sorry To Bother You, which is a better movie, but it was still a good bit of fun all the same. A broody John Boyega excels in the main role which Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Paris are a lot of fun as the supporting leads. A movie about race and racism in America but doesn't take itself too seriously. 

26. Late Night with the Devil

I thought this was great overall. It's a very good idea to contain the horror story within an episode of late night American TV with a single-minded host hell-bent (pun very much intended) on getting a boost in the ratings. There were plenty of creepy moments to keep you going, but it was all building towards a climax and it didn't stick the landing. The ending completely took me out of the story and spoiled the experience to a degree. Though it is still definitely worth a watch.

[Open Goal Podcast]

15 hours ago, Empty It said:

As much as this is an absolute bin fire of a thread my biggest gripe with it is that it's in the Championship sub section, should surely be in the OF section due to the OF being 99% of open goal content and subscribers.

Well seeing as it's in the Championship section, let me do some rare plugging on this forum (AVFTT section wasn't my doing).

Shaughan and Fraser Clarke chatted extensively about Dunfermline and Dundee United on our latest free-to-air show: 

This is also available to watch on YouTube (with a shocking lack of beards): 

And we've got a couple of Championship related Patreon episodes this week.

Farming for hope in the Highland capital: a discussion on the novelty of Duncan Ferguson wearing off in Inverness and the club's complicated off-field issues: https://www.patreon.com/posts/farming-for-hope-100670641

Are Dunfermline Athletic looking up or down?: a chat about one of the most hard to place clubs in a league that's famously full of teams who frequently go from promotion contenders one week to relegation battlers the next: https://www.patreon.com/posts/are-dunfermline-100825577

[Open Goal Podcast]

4 minutes ago, oneteaminglasgow said:

Can you tell us if everyone on the Terrace likes wrestling or not? 

Of course not. I think it's only two of us out of 15. I shall refrain from naming them. It's their burden to carry.

[Open Goal Podcast]

25 minutes ago, Arab_R_us said:

Only Comment i can remember from fowler about open goal was when he said about Kyle "Never meet your heroes" or something like that. dont think he approves.

 

He would want their subscribers thou

 

That was in response to him ripping into us on Twitter as the final show of series 1 aired. He (presumably after being advised by the Open Goal hierarchy) quickly deleted the tweet.

[Open Goal Podcast]

This has been some read 

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

Another rush job as I've been slacking of late...

16 - The Holdovers

The right teacher can change the course of your life. I liked this, and very much at the time, but I've gone a bit colder on it since seeing it at the cinema. It just didn't really stick with me. The performances are great and they've potentially uncovered a gem in Dominic Sessa, while Paul Giamatti is great in anything. Bit surprised by the really strong Oscar buzz for DaVine Joy Randolph, but looking at two of the other four nominations (haven't seen The Color Purple or Nyad) I do now understand why. She was good but it didn't land with me the way I expected. I think that was my biggest disappointment with the film is that it didn't really hit me emotionally, and I'm not sure why.

17 - The Iron Claw

A reversal of the above (I saw these in the cinema on the same day) in that I didn't enjoy The Iron Claw as much in the cinema at the time as I did The Holdovers, but it stuck with me a lot longer. Zac Efron is superb in the main role and you really believe someone that famously handsome, and now absolutely bursting with muscles, would feel uncomfortable in their own skin and struggle to live up to the dreams and demands of their father, again played superbly by Holt McCallany. The downside is that the second half is relentlessly grim. I know that sounds obvious given the story, but it still feels a bit rushed as it goes from one tragedy to another. You don't get much of a sense of their own motivations other than to try and please their dad, which is a shame because they're all played well, especially by Harris Dickinson. The best parts of the movie are when the four brothers interact with each other, so that sense of loss is still there. Can't believe I'm saying this as I rarely ever do, but it could have done with being a bit longer.

18 - Asteroid City

Yeah, I never fully worked out exactly what was going on with a lot of this film either. The black and white stuff? Nah, sorry, don't understand and care even less. The UFO sighting area where everyone converges and meets and you get all the typical (and, as always, delightful) Wes Anderson style of shooting, dialogue and quirky characters? That I did enjoy, and it was the main chunk of the movie. Overall, though, it felt like he was trying too hard to make something a bit different.

19 - Wicked Little Letters

I couldn't figure out if this was colourblind casting (in favour) or the director putting diversity into a period peace where it didn't make much sense historically (less in favour, though still not annoyed about it, as I imagine many twats will be), and this internal debate did take me out of the film at points. But overall it was exactly what I needed after some family-related shit put my mind on a recurring spin: an easy watch, good fun, funny, and superbly cast. I always enjoy Jessie Buckley, especially when she gets to play someone struggling to stay on the rails. Olivia Coleman is superb at playing the 'sweet and smiley on the outside but something lurking below the surface' role, Anjana Vasan shines as the sleuth with her eyes wide open (both figuratively and literally), but the star of the show is Timothy Spall, who is so wonderfully over the top in his detestability. Took me a while to properly warm up to it, but I very much liked it by the end.

20 - Maestro

Trying to fit in every Best Picture nomination before Sunday eve - which, considering my weekend, will have to involve watching Killers of the Flower Moon on what is likely to be a vicious Sunday hangover (so wish me luck with that!) - and it's doubtful I would have bothered to watch this otherwise. But I'm glad I did. There were a good few scenes where I was like "god, this is shot very well" or the director chose an angle which I found interesting. A liked the transition from black and white to colour as the years, presumably, rolled into the age of colour in TV and movies. Compared to Priscilla, I thought they documented the evolution and strains of the core relationship in a more satisfyingly structured way. Both I'm burying the lead here, as the main reason to watch is the performance of the two leads. The enthusiasm which drips out of Bradley Cooper's impression of Leonard Bernstein is infectious, but Carey Mulligan absolutely steals the show as his wife. She can convey such tremendous expression in the slightest of movements, particularly her eyes, and she is truly the heart of the film, which ultimately is a love story, just a very unconventional one.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

Don't have a lot of time this evening so I'm going to do quick reviews of these.

12 - Howl's Moving Castle

This is the third Hayao Miyazaki film I've seen and the one I've probably liked the least. It lacks the cutesy charm of My Neighbour Totoro and, even though it was set at a time of war, I didn't feel the same sense of peril with the main character and those close to her as I did with Spirited Away. I guess it was just a bit too fantastical for my tastes. That being said, I still enjoyed it. The Witch of the Waste going from being a domineering presence to a bug-eyed grandmother was the highlight for me, I laughed just about every time she was on screen after that.

13 - The Apartment

A romantic comedy that was well ahead of its time with a concept that's more original and interesting than 99 per cent of romantic comedies which have been released since. Jack Lemmon is such a likeable and relatable lead, Shirley MacLaine is an enchanting presence and plays the messed-up, love-sick interest of the lead with just the right balance, and Fred MacMurray superbly goes against type as the manipulative Sheldrake. All three of them are perfect in the roles and that's what makes it. The script is funny and while you have a fair idea of where the film is headed, it throws in a few curveballs along the way to keep you on your toes. My only main gripe is that it's about 15 minutes too long. 

14 - Zone of Interest

The best movie released in 2024 so far for me. There is nothing much which happens over the course of 100 minutes and yet I was transfixed on the screen throughout. That's because the attention to detail is astounding. Talking about it with my partner afterwards, there were little moments we each picked up on which, once shared, enhanced our experience of seeing it. It's very much a film which is show, don't tell. I've hastened to use the word "enjoy" so far because it's not an easy watch by any means. Even as the film continued and I began to realise how restrained it was in any sort of dramatic elements, I still had a sense of dread coursing through me, which isn't all that surprising given the subject matter. It's a hugely important and brave movie to make, as well. It's just commonly accepted that Nazi's were monsters, which is what we tell ourselves as a society to bring comfort and banish the idea that something like that could happen again (of course, it already has happened again in some form elsewhere, just not in countries that the UK cares about, but I digress). When in fact they were not monsters, they were people, and people can do things so heinous that we don't have the words to properly describe them.

15 - American Fiction

There was a lot I liked about this. Movies and books only really showing black people living in poverty or being involved in drugs or crime isn't something that had crossed my mind before, so it posed some tough questions amid the well-balanced satire. It was also a lot funnier than I expected the movie to be and, despite just watching it by myself, I laughed out loud on several occasions. Furthermore, it was an interesting character study with regards to Monk and how he struggles to relate to the world around him. However, it's also a film about family and that's where I thought it was a little weak. As a drama it didn't get to me emotionally. I think the best way to describe why was the use of the mother's dementia. It's really just used as a reason to drive the plot. The scenes with Sterling K Brown are all great and I think it would've been better if they'd trimmed that part down and just made it about their dynamic and nobody else. But the biggest problem for me came in the third act. Had it all been tied together nicely then I think I would've liked it a lot more. As it was, I was left feeling a bit like the film was unresolved and narrative decision late on which really didn't work for me.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

10 - All of Us Strangers

Not gonna lie, was a little disappointed by this. It's definitely very good and for the most part beautifully wove together the emotional impact of loss through fantasy and reality. The scenes with the parents are all incredibly well done. But I spent the film wondering about the Paul Mescal character and, I have to say, the payoff just didn't work for me at all. Can't really say too much more about it without getting into spoilers, but the choice detracts from the main plot of him having these conversations with his parents that he never got to have and facing the reality of finally letting go. It took away from its impact and just made it all a little too much in the end. I also found it hard to emotionally connect with Alan. I shed one tear in the entire film and I'm typically a blubber at emotional movies. I'm very lucky to have not had any real devastating fatal losses in my life, yet, so perhaps that's to do with it. But there's other films were I have nothing in common with the lead but still end up really rooting for them. In this I didn't really. That said, like I said at the start, it is good, just not as good as I expected it to be or as the premise promised.

11 - Anyone But You

Oh dear lord, I absolutely HATED this movie. I never walk out of the cinema but I strongly considered doing so. I can forgive a romantic comedy for being cliched and predictable, sometimes that's exactly what you want and need and having went straight to the screen after All of Us Strangers finished, that was precisely what I was in the mood for. I can even forgive romantic comedies that aren't even consistently funny, just so long as the characters act like human beings would and there's a certain degree of charm. There is none of that in this film. It isn't funny, it isn't charming, there is many a dialogue that is absolutely cringe-inducing. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell both feel miscast, there are no likeable side characters (they aren't dislikable either, they are just NOTHING) and it's built on a premise that is so, so tired. 'Couple who really like each other don't get together due to miscommunication'. Jesus wept. Been a while since I properly really disliked a movie, so I'm glad I saw it. It was cathartic. And Sweeney and Powell spent most of the movie with barely any clothes on with Sydney, Australia, as a setting, so at least it was good to look it.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

9 - The Beekeeper

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha [breathes]... hahahaha [sighs]... this is rubbish. It's a Jason Statham movie so that pretty much goes without saying, but it's also got a plot that gets increasingly more preposterous as it motors on, some incredibly hammy or bafflingly weak acting for what is quite a strong cast, a whole bunch of 21st century new-age baddies thrown in, and a main character who spends half the movie mumbling some barely comprehensible nonsense about bees. And I had a very good time watching it. It doesn't take itself too seriously in the slightest, there's a lot of vibrant colour which pops off the screen, the fight sequences are great and pretty well choreographed, and the violence is often morally satisfying. Definitely falls into the 'so bad it's good' category for me. Also, I watched it on Sunday evening after a heavy weekend and it was exactly what I needed at the time: popcorn-munching nonsense.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

8 - Night Swim

This was... fine. Actually, it's quite rubbish but it passed the time and I was never bored. If you're happy enough with the premise going in that it's a swimming pool that kills people then you're going to get exactly what you paid for. I thought the dynamics between the family were quite realistic, especially the son feeling like he's living in the shadow of his famous father, and that father not knowing exactly how to connect with his son because the one thing he's good at his son isn't. Also liked how it asked the audience how far would you be willing to go to chase your dreams, or should you just accept reality. There's also good tension throughout the movie. As soon as someone said "pool party" my heart started beating faster and the dread didn't settle until that scene was done.

On the other hand, I didn't really care enough at the end about whether they made it out alive. Some of the pool spirits are quite creepy but a lot of them looked crap. And that was an issue with the film, it wasn't really that scary. The tension didn't pay off. Also, the ending is weak AF.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

7 - Nimona

Watched this based solely on MSU's recommendation above as I hadn't heard the title before - though when I started watching the story sounded a little familiar so I must've heard it reviewed on Kermode and Mayo and forgot about it. Like MSU, I thought this was great. I would actually disagree slightly about the predictability part. Yes, there were bits that I expected to happen, but it didn't follow the typical structure you find in this kind of story and that kept me on my toes throughout the runtime. So I thought that was actually a strength of the film. Although, I would have preferred if the very final scene would either have not been there or left a little more ambiguous, which would've made for a better ending IMO. That and it not being quite as consistently funny for my tastes as I would've liked stopped this from being a 10/10 for me, but I still very much enjoyed watching it and would recommend it to anyone seeking this type of family-friendly-but-adults-should-enjoy-too film.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

5 - Poor Things

After about 15 minutes I thought to myself "mmmmm, really not sure about this" but by the time they got to Lisbon and the screen started exploding with colour at regular intervals I had very much done a 180. I'm pleased I watched it on the big screen because many of the shots leave you gaping at the screen in wonder. This is an absolute feast for the eyes - and not least because a fully nude Emma Stone goes for it in just about any sexual position you could imagine!

But while I say that in jest, the sex is a strength of the film and is played as much for comedy, arguably more so, than to titillate the audience. It's a movie about someone learning how the world works, piece by piece, so sex is obviously a huge part of that. It's about questioning social norms, structures and hypocrisies. So it's very fitting the film takes such a broad and liberal view of the human race's oldest pastime. It's seen it described as a sex-comedy. I don't disagree with that, but the comedic aspects of those moments play on our in-built discomfort with what has traditionally been a taboo subject outside of closed doors.

Emma Stone, after she gets out of her tantrum-throwing toddler stage of the performance, is incredibly charming as she always is. William Defoe plays his part to a tee. But, and kinda similar to Barbie in this regard, it's a supporting male costar in a production which revolves around a female lead who (almost) steals the show. Without wishing to give away too much, Mark Ruffalo runs the gambit from pompous to pathetic and is going for it 100 per cent every time he's on screen. He's just brilliant.

It is over two hours long and shouldn't necessarily be. It does drag in the middle with the chapter aboard the boat, which isn't entirely necessary in itself and certainly goes on for too long, but the shots at sea were those which I marvelled at the most, so I can forgive the movie for taking its time here.

I don't tend to rewatch many movies these days, but when I do I end up sticking them on 5, 6, 7, 8 times in the span of a few months. I can see Poor Things being one of those when it comes to streaming.

 

6 - One Life

I knew I would like this film when, in the very early stages, the younger Nicky Winton makes a series of phone calls. It's cuts to two or three times where he's trying to get his point across but the unseen character on the other end hangs up - and it wasn't followed by a dial tone! There are so many Hollywood and TV directors who should take note of that and dispense with one of the oddest cliches there is on screen.

While I'm kidding (to an extent, it does irrationally annoy me), I think that attention to small detail is what helps make the movie as good as it is. It packs so much story into its tighter-than-tight one hour and 40 minutes, but at no point do you feel lost or not fully given the information to grasp the severity of the situation or the motivations/emotions of the leading characters. It could so easily have slipped into melodrama but, much like its main character, it remained restrained and didn't unnecessarily draw attention to itself. And speaking of which, props to Johnny Flynn for quickly allowing me to fully believe that he and Anthony Hopkins were playing the same man.

I was also really impressed with the structure of the film, which very much helped its pacing. It follows two timelines but didn't go with the common usage of doing five minutes here and then five minutes there and then back again. It cut it into chunks of varying sizes which made perfect sense for the story to flow seamlessly until you get to the emotional wave of an ending. (Needless to say, tears poured out of me in the cinema.)

It's an incredible real-life story and congratulations to James Hawes and the rest of the filmmakers for doing it justice.

 

Not even into February yet and I've got two films that I'll be hugely surprised if they aren't in my top 10 at the end of the year. Adding to that, I saw Godzilla Minus One as the last film at the cinema before Poor Things, so it's a helluva run I'm on right now.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

4 - Godzilla Minus One

How to Have Sex was my favourite movie released in 2023, but this might eclipse it. I'm a sucker for blockbuster movies done well and this fits that to a tee. Not only does it nail the action set-pieces, with every scene featuring Godzilla being just brilliant, including one right off the bat, but it also gets the emotional element just right. It's as much a war film as it is a disaster movie, with themes of PTSD, nationalism and family dynamics woven into the fabric of the story. The side characters were distinct and added their own charm. I was never bored when the giant dinosaur-like creature wasn't destroying cities or smashing through boats and I really cared about the fate of the protagonists as the movie reached its climax. If I see a more entertaining film in 2024 I'll be surprised.

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

Had no idea this thread existed until now, but having looked back over the last couple of pages at the lengthy, knowledgeable and excellent reviews, I'm going to dive right in.

1 - Priscilla

As outlined in my above post, there was a lot to like about this film. It drew you in very quickly and kept hold of your attention for 2/3rds of the running time. But I felt the pacing was a bit off. The last act, in particular, felt very rushed and it's rare that I complain a movie should be 10-15 minutes longer, but I felt it needed a bit of time to let us care a bit more about the conclusion. I also don't know if it felt a little out of time with the reality and the message competing against each other. Through a 2024 lens, it's easy to see the patters of emotional abuse, the alienation, the fact that it just isn't worth it to be married to the most famous man in the world if he's going to treat you that way. But the film did a great job of pulling you into the time it was set, with perhaps the exception of exactly why Priscilla felt the way she did other than the initial infatuation. I also felt it just didn't quite fully work as a piece of drama, as it was light on the drama.

2 - The Squid and the Whale

Eventually got around to watching this after it felt like it was on my Netflix list forever. Again, similar to Priscilla, it was a film I looked at and appreciated for what it was but didn't feel the emotional connection that I wanted to from this type of story, and as a child of divorce I was surprised at how disconnected I was from it all. I guess, at the end of the day, I just didn't enjoy spending time with the characters, which I know is part of the point. They're all so completely wrapped up in their own shit after the break down of the marriage, which is exactly what happens in the midst of a traumatic life event like this, but they were all so awful to each other in their own way, with little redeeming qualities otherwise, that again I just didn't really care about any character arc. What I did appreciate, however, was how every line out of Jeff Daniels' mouth reminded me of Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums. Though it did just make me wish I was watching that movie instead, at times.

3 - Book of Love

Catch this on Sky Movies as I was flicking through. Truth be told, I only ended up watching it as my partner said "this is shite!" about five minutes in and I kept it on out of stubbornness as I felt it was too early to judge. (Funnily enough, despite saying she was heading for a shower five minutes later, she stayed and watched the rest of the film with me.) This is, almost objectively, a rubbish movie. If I see something so predictable the rest of this year I'll be surprised. I was even able to predict, beat by beat, exactly how it would end before we'd even reached halfway. But having said all that, I appreciated for what it was. It was a romcom that was purely about comfort. A decent amount of laughs, nothing in the way of distressing drama and characters who, although admittedly one-dimensional, didn't make me want to climb through the screen and punch them. The definition of a hangover movie for me.

I've got a review for Godzilla Minus One coming, but it's too good to type away about at 2.30am while I'm half-pished, so I'll leave that till next time. (Spoiler: I think it's f****ng brilliant)

[What Was The Last Movie You Watched?]

On 12/01/2024 at 10:29, accies1874 said:

3. Priscilla - Cinema

Not sure if this counts as a 2024 release here. A few places have it as being released in the UK on January 1st, but I'm pretty certain there were screenings before New Year. I'll go with Google though and put it as 2024. 

I really liked this. The plot kicks off immediately with Priscilla sitting in a diner before some guy asks her if she wants to go to a party at Elvis' gaff. I can sometimes find this a bit off-putting when they don't give you some necessary time getting to know the main character's normal life before it gets turned upside down, however it worked really well for me here as the first chunk of the film feels like a dream - a kind of fictionalised whirlwind romance between a star and a normie. It's clear that Priscilla thinks that being attached to Elvis gives her life value and she becomes lost when that's taken away from her, kind of like a drug. 

When she moves to Graceland with Elvis longer term, it becomes obvious that that whirlwind romance was just that. Life is suddenly much more boring (Coppola's speciality) and there are a bunch of visual things to indicate that she doesn't belong there. Firstly, she looks absolutely tiny compared to Elvis and his posse, who are perfectly empty characters, something that is drawn attention to when the maid comes into the room and is the only one in that scene to meet her at the same eye level. It also uses colour nicely to make Priscilla pop or blend into a frame, giving off the impression that she doesn't really belong there. There's one scene where Elvis destroys an old house in Graceland because it's bringing down the vibe, and Priscilla is, from what I remember, the only one wearing a white and black outfit which is the same colour scheme as the house's exterior, drawing a connection between her and this other thing that Elvis carelessly destroys once he's bored of it. I could be wrong about that but it sticks out in my mind. Finally, the cinematography gives a haziness to a lot of the interior scenes and strong backlighting through the windows, and Graceland itself is a gated place closed off to the world. These things made me think that Priscilla is both letting a world full of life pass her by to live this one with Elvis, and also that she's getting to experience a world that so many dream to experience - and it's really dull. I know those are kind of conflicting ideas, but they're the crux of Priscilla's development as she learns to forge her own path. I watched May December the night before I saw this and that's actually an interesting counterpoint depicting what could've happened to Priscilla if she stayed with Elvis. They're two really different films with completely different qualities, but they also link up well in terms of subject matter. 

I hadn't seen Jacob Elordi in anything until Saltburn, but I like the confident creepiness he has in both that and Priscilla. Again linking to May December, he gives off a slightly similar vibe to Charles Melton's character in that film; both of their lives have been greatly affected by their environments and that has bred these men who have the veneer of cocksureness but have a real immaturity bubbling underneath. Cailee Spaeny is, as far as I remember, in every single scene of the film, which is no mean feat given that she needs to both hold her own while blending into the superstardom of Elvis Presley. Both performances really worked for me, even if Elordi's accent reminded me a lot of Nic Cage in Raising Arizona. 

 

This is an excellent review and gave me a better appreciation of the film than I initially got out of it.

To be fair, I did respect it as a work of art and was impressed by how it was put together and the leading performances. But for me it was one of those films that you sit and quietly respect rather than be entertained by.

Sophia Coppola did a terrific job in bringing the story to the screen in the most true-to-life way possible and still making it entertaining enough across 110 minutes, but purely as a means of entertainment I was a little underwhelmed. But I concede that's down to my own preference when it comes to movies.

[Returning players - better or worse?]

14 hours ago, Tony Wonder said:

Up until the injury against Celtic Berra was miles better than his first spell IMO. And then unfortunately he was never the same after.

Berra was a genuine Scottish football POTY contender in the 2017-18 season. I'm convinced if the team weren't utter pants and limped to a sixth-place finish he would've got a nomination at the very least. For context, we finished 24 points behind an Aberdeen side that was maybe the best non-Old Firm side of the past decade but conceded only two more goals (37-39).

'If a comet was headed for earth, Christophe Berra would head it away' etc etc.

A real shame what became of him after the injury in that Celtic game. Even though it wasn't an ACL or Achilles, it clearly finished him as a player at the top-flight level, and I've barely seen an injury transform a player negatively so much this century.

As for the theme of this thread in general, Skacel was the first name which came to my head. A hero in his first spell, a proper club legend in his second. As someone already mentioned, that St Mirren game will forever stay with me. 1-0 down, reduced to ten men, win 5-2 because he scored a hat-trick FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX! Mental.

[Elgin City 23-24]

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. I'm looking for an Elgin City fan to come on a Patreon podcast to talk about their season so far. I wondered if anyone in here would be happy to stick their hand up or recommend someone for it?

(And before anyone says the ECFC Podcast, that account has us blocked on Twitter so doubt they'd be up for it  . No idea why. Each to their own, I guess.)

[A View From The Terrace.]

Hey everyone,

As you’ll know, I don’t post on here very often, but I’ve had a few drinks tonight while the wife snores loudly beside me on the couch so I thought, ‘what the hell?’.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who watches the show and especially those who recommend it to others and continue to champion it. I really don’t say this lightly but I thought tonight was one of the best shows we’ve done, which is why I broke my usual rule of not reading comments/forums (I truly believe in the old advice of ‘you should treat praise and criticism just the same’) to come on here and have a quick read.

And that’s it really. Without guys/girls like you the podcast wouldn’t exist and neither would the TV show, so I just wanted to express my gratitude for that.

Take care everyone.

Fowler x