What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[jimmy boo]

Bull........low budget British revenge among criminals film with David Hayman and Neil Maskell. Very violent and very good.

[Squalor Vic]

2 hours ago, jimmy boo said:

Bull........low budget British revenge among criminals film with David Hayman and Neil Maskell. Very violent and very good.

Ending was a bit out there 

[jimmy boo]

2 hours ago, Squalor Vic said:

Ending was a bit out there 

I had to Google it!

[Miguel Sanchez]

Event Horizon (1997): Lawrence Fishburne leads a spaceship to the skies above Neptune to find a ship long thought lost. Sam Neill is on board and explains it travelled through a wormhole and came back, bringing hallucinations, gore and general unpleasantness. Lots of extremely stylish sets, a horrifying premise and Jason Isaacs are let down by studio meddling (it was rushed out because Titanic was delayed, I'm not sure where the audience crossover was), some weird characters and Morpheus playing the whole thing like a robot. If I saw this when I was 12 it would have scared the shit out of me, but I didn't. Still, it's the sort of sci-fi that should be made now.

In the Loop (2009): The Thick of It featuring Tony Soprano. Some characters from the TV show return as is. The rest return as is but with different names. The problem with making a feature length version of The Thick of It is that there are long gaps between the sweary Scottish people, and these are filled with Americans who aren't funny. 

Mouse Hunt (1997): Two brothers discover their dad left them a house. The house has a mouse in it which evades all their attempts to kill it. Classic slapstick farce, and a nice throwback to my childhood where I no doubt wore out the tape. Dumb, not as funny as I remembered, but a welcome nostalgia trip. 

Ghostbusters (1984): And on the subject of tape. The biggest difference between watching this now, streaming in HD and on tape on whatever television I had 20 years ago is seeing how all the scenes from the end outside of the main set are paintings. Good paintings, mind.

Mean Girls (2004): A homeschooled girl who is clearly a genius despite having the Janitor from Scrubs for a dad goes to school and hits literally every single American high school cliche imaginable. She makes two friends, one of whom is quite clearly a man in his thirties. Some laughs, a performance from Lindsay Lohan who seems very aware that it's a breakthrough for her, and finally some context for so many references I've seen over the years. Felt oddly shallow by the end, but not in a Plastic way.

Casino Royale (2006): James Bond sells Smirnoff, Omega (not Rolex), Sony electronics, Ford and Aston Martin (owned by Ford) while playing a game of poker which as far as I can tell lasts about a week, and features handy running commentary for people who've never stayed up all night watching PokerStars on Channel 4 while hideously depressed and wondering just how hard it could be? I'm no Bond historian, and I've seen Daniel Craig's films much more than anyone else's, but I really can't connect this character to any of the others I've seen, and it definitely feels like a good thing. There are times where it suffers from the problem I had with the Mission: Impossibles - too many big setpieces which don't really seem connected to one another but it somehow comes together well enough.

[TheScarf]

Parasite (2019). My first rewatch since seeing it in the cinema when it was released. Simply, one of the greatest films of all time. 

[scottsdad]

Off to see Oppenheimer tomorrow, with Scott...and his girlfriend.

Taking the girl to the pictures is one thing - but this movie? With his dad?

[MSU]

158 The Farewell (#90 in the A24 series) -- Such an incredibly simple and emotional movie that succeeds in pushing many of my buttons. Awkwafina is immense as Billi, a Chinese-American who goes back to China to see her beloved grandmother who is unaware that she has Stage 4 lung cancer. Lulu Wang's direction and writing uses a very light touch to examine the cultural differences and societal expectations between the US or really the West, and China, as Billi is conflicted by her love for her grandmother who she thinks deserves to know what is wrong with her. I just adored the way this movie moved and how beautifully it was shot and presented, and how it realistically moved between languages. There's a little sting in the tail at the end that I wish hadn't happened, but otherwise, I found it a bit of a triumph and a welcome reminder of how good Awkwafina can be. 9/10

159 The Death of Dick Long (#91 in the A24 series) -- Daniel Scheinert, out of off of Daniels, directs this odd wee story, which apparently has its basis in a true story, which on its own doesn't sound that remarkable until you actually sit down and watch the movie and then it's oh my fucking god. It's funny, intriguing, and deeply disturbing as a group of friends who play Nickelback covers for fun -- FOR FUN -- lose one of their buddies in suspicious circumstances and it's these circumstances, and the attempts to cover them up, that provide the intrigue. Reminiscent of Scheinert's Swiss Army Man and Coen brothers' back catalog, it's entertaining stuff and on the one hand it's hard to understand how it made so little money, but on the other hand, it makes all the sense in the world. 7/10

160 The Last Voyage of the Demeter -- Alien set on a boat with a vampire should be a better movie than this. It opens at the end and then recounts the events that led to the conclusion. We've all seen this done before rather well but here it just drains any lingering dregs of suspense. Based on the captain's log section of Dracula, it tells the tale of the ship and its crew hired to transport a consignment of wooden boxes from Romania to London. It's all just fine, there are some really heavy emotional moments, but the decision-making of the crew leaves a lot to be desired and Dracula really would be scarier if he didn't look like a peckish version of Dobby the House-Elf. 5/10

Edited August 14, 2023 by MSU

[Mark Connolly]

3 hours ago, scottsdad said:

Off to see Oppenheimer tomorrow, with Scott...and his girlfriend.

Taking the girl to the pictures is one thing - but this movie? With his dad?

This is not going to be awkward at all...

[TxRover]

John Wick 4…enjoyable ultra-violence. Quite enjoyed the ending, watching the fight up the steps at Sacre Coeur while remembering climbing those very same steps…also reminded me of:

 

[Lex]

Watched Hell or High Water at the weekend, one of the best movies I’ve seen for years. So much so that when it finished and the Mrs went to bed, I rewound it and watched it a second time. Only 1 hour 40 long but packs plenty into it. The extreme violence never seemed frivolous either.

[ScotiaNostra]

1 hour ago, Lex said:

Watched Hell or High Water at the weekend, one of the best movies I’ve seen for years. So much so that when it finished and the Mrs went to bed, I rewound it and watched it a second time. Only 1 hour 40 long but packs plenty into it. The extreme violence never seemed frivolous either.

Thats a really great movie, a classic really isnt too far to say imo. A modern day western classic

Edited August 15, 2023 by ScotiaNostra

[scottsdad]

19 hours ago, Mark Connolly said:

This is not going to be awkward at all...

She has backed out. 

I said to Scott, why don't you just take her? I can go another time. But no, she's apparently gone off the idea of the film altogether. 

Thank God. That would have been cringeworthy. 

[Mark Connolly]

4 hours ago, scottsdad said:

She has backed out. 

I said to Scott, why don't you just take her? I can go another time. But no, she's apparently gone off the idea of the film altogether. 

Thank God. That would have been cringeworthy. 

The bits I'm thinking of probably would have been more awkward if it was just you and your son, tbf...

[coprolite]

Monsters (2010)

Low budget sci fi posing a predictable rhetorical question. 

Watched following some clickbait ad piece recommending it. 

Was actually good. The monsters were pretty shit and shit CGI but they used the old Jaws trick to good effect. 

Not a fan of the bit part actors (hispanic) being billed as speaking extras and not properly credited while the waspy leads got their own individual billing. 

Still, decent enough watch, quite low key and naturalistic with engaging (but dislikable) characters. 

6/10

[JustOneCornetto]

(59) Jealous Guy: The Assassination of John Lennon (2020) – Sky Documentaries

Having recently read the James Patterson book, The Last Days of John Lennon, I thought it’d be good to compare this doc to the book. While Patterson’s book is 90% about Lennon this film is more about Chapman with most of it narrated by his biographer, Jack Jones. Certainly a lot more information and background about Chapman but you get the feeling that Jones is trying to use the doc as a platform to give the murderer brownie points in his latest (2020) parole hearing which turned out to be his 11^th failed attempt. Being a John Lennon fan, I hope Chapman rots in jail and no way will he win his next appeal (13^th) early next year. 6.5/10

(60) Faithfully Yours (2022) – Netflix

Decent enough Dutch thriller somewhat spoiled by the ludicrous final twist. Two friends sneak off for secret affairs using each other as an alibi to deceive their husbands. Something happens to one of the women which means the other is in all sorts of trouble with the police and the two husbands. Keeps you guessing throughout and I would have given a 7 but for the ending. 6/10

(61) Girl In the Box (2016) – Paramount+

Based on the shocking true story about a girl, who is hitchhiking to see her friend, picked up by a married couple who enslave her and treat her to 7 years of torture and depraved sexual abuse. The man in particular, who has been called ‘the most dangerous psychopath ever’ is pure evil but the film gives the impression that there’s an element of Stockholm Syndrome. Luckily, he is eventually brought to justice but it really is an unimaginable scenario. 7/10

(62) Kes (1969) – Film4

It’s a long time since I watched this but it really does stand the test of time. Ken Loach’s debut film sets a high standard and he captures, perfectly. working class life Up North in the 60s. We all know the story about young Billy who trains a kestrel and finds he has a purpose in life but it remains a fine film with a fantastic performance by David Bradley who plays Billy. 8.5/10

[DA Baracus]

Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse

Highly enjoyable film. Sequel to the sensational 'Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse' (one of the best comic book films ever, and indeed one of my favourite films). It picks up from the previous film and borrows a lot of the elements that made the first one so good, adding in some extra things (can't say more without spoilers). Loved all the wee nods/winks/etc to previous Spiderman stuff.

Talking of spoilers

 

I thought that it was rushing towards an ending, so when I saw that this was basically 'part 1' it made much more sense.

 

Like the first one this had some great humour, some great characters

 

Spider Punk, Spider Cat and Miguel were all excellent, as was The Spot

and a cracking soundtrack.

Edited August 19, 2023 by DA Baracus

[Miguel Sanchez]

Men in Black (1997) The Fresh Prince leaves school and gets a job being a policeman for aliens. The aliens are everywhere. Hilarious, and surprisingly good CGI for the time. This might also be the first time I ever saw Tommy Lee Jones on film, and I'm going to guess he's looked like this his entire life.

 

Ghostbusters II (1989) This film starts with some of the Ghostbusters going to a children's party as entertainers. The children are unhappy at this. A bit ironic, given this is almost certainly purely a children's film. It's alright. It's also an example of the internet ruining things, because when you watch this as an unconnected child you think Vigo might actually be real. It's a letdown to find he isn't.

 

Cape Fear (1991) A Scorsese adaptation of the Simpsons episode where they join the witness protection program because Sideshow Bob is stalking them. The one thing I always find with Scorsese films is they're just inherently watchable. There's nothing fancy going on with the picture, you just sit and you're drawn to what you see and what the people are doing. In contrast, this film has a distracting musical score (which admittedly I can't take seriously because of the Simpsons), Robert De Niro with a silly voice and loads of random zooms and camera movements that look like something from one of those Bollywood scenes that goes on forever. I think the ultimate problem is there was no real sense of threat from the stalker. The scene in the school was creepy, the rest was just silly.

 

Quantum of Solace (2008) I like this film. I think it's good. Well, one time I watch it I'll think it's good, the next time my mind will wander and I'll be online after half an hour. The opera scene and the plane fight scene are great. The villain is good because he's not a typical Bond villain. The girls are interesting rather than just window dressing. Even the theme song sounded alright this time. This is a very 2023 assessment, but trying to present an inherently political plot in an apolitical way leaves it a bit unclear. Do you know what this film is about? Do I, having finished it twenty minutes ago? Of course we don't. 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Gran Turismo (2023) Young man from Wales survives being terminally online and having Geri Halliwell for a mother to become a racing driver.

You know when you watch a documentary or a biopic (or even an adaptation) about something you're really passionate about and you sit looking at all of the things they get wrong, and you end up leaving underwhelmed? I first played a Gran Turismo game in 2001. I've spent thousands of hours over the past four or five years racing and watching streams and top level GT competitions. Naturally, then, I'm the right person to provide an objective assessment on the Based On a True Story tale of Jann Mardenborough, who competed in a program run by Gran Turismo and Nissan in 2011 to get a seat in a real race car. 

There are good things. The scenes involving cars are all... well, real. I've read a bit about how they were filmed (Mardenborough was his own stunt driver) and it's really great to see a film about motor racing featuring actual driving. Le Mans and Le Mans '66 (the former featuring scenes of the actual race) are probably the best examples of motor racing being properly depicted in films but this is genuinely right up there with them. The acting is all great too. Archie Madekwe is good as a young guy who becomes determined to prove himself. Orlando Bloom is surprisingly good as a bit of a chancing wheeler dealer who convinces Nissan to let someone who's only ever played a video game into a real car. David Harbour is the best turn as the cynical, jaded former driver turned engineer who ends up believing in the kid with a dream. Geri can't act any more than she can sing. 

Some things I disliked go beyond my own knowledge of the story and medium. There are four separate races in the film where Jann gets the race result he needs on the last lap, with a split-second run to the finish line. When he competes in GT Academy, the instructors and some of the competitors are mean to him. Some of the competitors in GT Academy are girls. When he gets the race seat with Nissan, his own pit crew tell him he's a geek and he shouldn't be there. When he's racing, there's another guy who's arrogant and stuck up (driving a gold chrome Lamborghini sponsored by Moet champagne) who literally drives into Jann on more than one occasion. It doesn't really take any knowledge of motorsport to know that these things range from fanciful to outright ridiculous. 

The two main things I felt the film lacked were context for Jann's career and, oddly, references to Gran Turismo. When he's trying to qualify for GT Academy he plays the game, but sees himself in a real car. When he's racing for real, he sees the game. It's neat way of showing how the two fields can overlap. But outside of Orlando saying (more than once) that Gran Turismo is "the most realistic driving simulator ever created" (it really, really isn't) the game ends up getting lost as time goes on. The film is about the person so this is understandable, but I think more could have been made about how he honed his skills first. The film may as as well start by saying "he played this a lot and got really good and now he's about to be in a competition". I'm saying this with my Gran Turismo fan hat on, obviously. The film also doesn't make any reference to the other people who became racing drivers through the GT Academy in other years, which is a real shame.

When he does qualify from GT Academy and starts racing we don't get much explanation of where the races are, what the competition is or even what he's driving. I don't know if there was a licensing issue here (although it's based on a true story the film as a whole largely glosses over the fine details) but even a voiceover and twenty second montage before the first race would have been enough. "This is your car, a Nissan GT-R GT3. It can go this fast it's got this much power..." and so on. The film inevitably builds towards a climax at Le Mans and the same applies here. It's the hardest race in the world! Alright, care to explain why? Or what he's driving here? And if Le Mans is the toughest race in the world on the toughest track in the world, then what exactly is the Nurburgring, where he drove and crashed and killed a spectator? 

Also, all scenes at "Le Mans" were filmed at the Hungaroring in Hungary. You can tell because that whole track is about the same size as the pit lane building at Le Mans. If you don't know anything about motor racing, this is fine. Even knowing why it was like this, it made my teeth itch.

I didn't really have any expectations about this going in. I just went to see it because I like Gran Turismo. By its own nature the concept is something I could easily pick holes in. Some of these are excusable, some just make me frustrated because it seems like an easy thing to have added or changed. Either way I think this actually did end up being better than I expected, and the critical response seems to agree with me. If anything that just makes it more frustrating, than I can just see one or two improvements.

[DA Baracus]

Joy Ride

A lazy assessment would be 'Female Asian Hangover'.

If you think that, please do better.

 

Very enjoyable movie. I liked it mainly because it's very funny throughout. There are numerous moments that had me laughing out loud.

[Fullerene]

8 hours ago, Miguel Sanchez said:

Cape Fear (1991) A Scorsese adaptation of the Simpsons episode where they join the witness protection program because Sideshow Bob is stalking them. The one thing I always find with Scorsese films is they're just inherently watchable.

Cape Fear is a remake of a 1962 film starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum.