What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[DA Baracus]

Last night I watched Superman 3.

Did so because I've been listening to a podcast that discusses shit films recently (How Did This Get Made) and heard the episode featuring this film yesterday.

An absolute wreck of a film, but fairly amusing. There should be zero threat to Superman but he somehow acts even dumber than he does in the phenomenally overrated first two. There's no super villains here. There's no clever plan. It's just a rich guy, his sister and Richard Pryor who is quite good at using computers, and their plot is to control the world's coffee supply. Superman could, and should, have this nonsense sorted out in about 2 minutes, but instead we get just 2 hours of fucking pish.

The film opens with a 5 minutes slapstick comedy routine involving numerous pratfalls and prop comedy. The term 'comedy' should be used lightly here though.

Many, many liberties are taken, such as a single computer being able to control pretty much anything, Richard Pryor skiing off of a skyscraper (and being absolutely fine), everyone not knowing that Superman's weakness is kryptonite until a lassie says she read about it in a magazine interview (so Superman revealed his biggest secret in a fucking interview?!), using tar to fill in the formula for making kryptonite in a lab, Richard Pryor getting half of the plot from the back on cigarette packets and multiple other pish.

This is the one where Superman turns heel, but instead of a terrifying super villain, we get a daft wee high school level prankster who 'fixes' the leaning tower of Pisa, blows out the olympic torch and gets drunk in a bar where he flicks peanuts at glass bottles. Oh aye, and he shags some lassie who somehow survives.

This leads to a scrap in a scrapyard, between Superman and Clark Kent somehow. It's incredibly goofy and cheesy, but Clark prevails and banishes bad Superman, and now becomes good Superman once more.

There's some other bollocks here such as a sub plot romance with Lana Lang, a woman turning in to a robot, acid, a 'supercomputer' being made after Pryor draws a children's level 'sketch' of it on a napkin, stupid coincidental contrivancies and hot air balloons.

A fucking ridiculous film with multiple plot holes, riddled with inconsistencies, rife with campy, cheesy acting and featuring an absolute goof of a hero. His costume remained cheap and cringey as with the first two films, although at least like them this one didn't take itself so seriously.

Superman as a character is the worst, as really he should be indestructible and, given his powers, under zero threat and able to deal with anything. 

[stevieKTID]

1 hour ago, DA Baracus said:

Last night I watched Superman 3.

Did so because I've been listening to a podcast that discusses shit films recently (How Did This Get Made) and heard the episode featuring this film yesterday.

An absolute wreck of a film, but fairly amusing. There should be zero threat to Superman but he somehow acts even dumber than he does in the phenomenally overrated first two. There's no super villains here. There's no clever plan. It's just a rich guy, his sister and Richard Pryor who is quite good at using computers, and their plot is to control the world's coffee supply. Superman could, and should, have this nonsense sorted out in about 2 minutes, but instead we get just 2 hours of fucking pish.

The film opens with a 5 minutes slapstick comedy routine involving numerous pratfalls and prop comedy. The term 'comedy' should be used lightly here though.

Many, many liberties are taken, such as a single computer being able to control pretty much anything, Richard Pryor skiing off of a skyscraper (and being absolutely fine), everyone not knowing that Superman's weakness is kryptonite until a lassie says she read about it in a magazine interview (so Superman revealed his biggest secret in a fucking interview?!), using tar to fill in the formula for making kryptonite in a lab, Richard Pryor getting half of the plot from the back on cigarette packets and multiple other pish.

This is the one where Superman turns heel, but instead of a terrifying super villain, we get a daft wee high school level prankster who 'fixes' the leaning tower of Pisa, blows out the olympic torch and gets drunk in a bar where he flicks peanuts at glass bottles. Oh aye, and he shags some lassie who somehow survives.

This leads to a scrap in a scrapyard, between Superman and Clark Kent somehow. It's incredibly goofy and cheesy, but Clark prevails and banishes bad Superman, and now becomes good Superman once more.

There's some other bollocks here such as a sub plot romance with Lana Lang, a woman turning in to a robot, acid, a 'supercomputer' being made after Pryor draws a children's level 'sketch' of it on a napkin, stupid coincidental contrivancies and hot air balloons.

A fucking ridiculous film with multiple plot holes, riddled with inconsistencies, rife with campy, cheesy acting and featuring an absolute goof of a hero. His costume remained cheap and cringey as with the first two films, although at least like them this one didn't take itself so seriously.

Superman as a character is the worst, as really he should be indestructible and, given his powers, under zero threat and able to deal with anything. 

Is that the one where he bicycle kicks a missile?

[Bully Wee Villa]

That's Superman IV. Superman III is great, and I won't hear otherwise.

How can you not enjoy this? Cinematic perfection.

 

 

[accies1874]

13 hours ago, BFTD said:

Aye, but he was back in 1984 too!

Yeah that's true. I suppose some of his... forthrightness might be a bit more apparent nowadays. 

[accies1874]

186. Halloween (2007)* - Digital Rental

Yes ok, it’s absolutely pants. The characters are complete voids, there’s none of the original’s tension, the technical craft is all replaced with shaky closeups, the music doesn’t fit the style and is only there because it’s so iconic etc etc. It’s garbage.

What I will say is that the overarching idea of how environments shape a person was done in a moderately interesting way that makes the violence feel a tiny bit less like it's just there for the hell of it. I was a bit perturbed as to what the purpose was of the 50-odd minute section giving Michael Myers a backstory, but it makes a bit more sense in retrospect and might not just be trying to sympathise with a serial killer. Essentially, if We Need to Talk About Kevin is the Champions League of exploring these ideas, then Rob Zombie’s Halloween is the Lowland League.

This is part one of the Halloween franchise extravaganza. I’m doing it in a slightly different order so as to not peak with the very first film.

187. Halloween II (2009)* - Netflix 

Wtf did I watch? It’s like a CSI Miami director had just been on a David Lynch binge and wanted to apply it to the Halloween franchise.

188. Halloween II (1981) - Lionsgate+

I don’t mind this, although my thoughts haven’t really changed since I first saw it last year. It’s an epilogue more than it’s a sequel, and when it’s continuing the story of the first one it’s actually quite fun (except the big reveal), but almost everything in the hospital is reminiscent of daft British horror films from the 50s/60s – I know a lot of people have a soft spot for them but I’m not a huge fan. Not everything in the hospital is bad, though, as there are a couple of quite inventive kills and reveals, and I enjoyed the pre-horror stuff when they were just establishing the characters. The film wouldn’t be any worse off if they wrote out Laurie though.

189. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)* - Lionsgate+

An enjoyable entry that probably wouldn’t have provoked as strong reactions (positive or negative) in the general public if it weren’t a Halloween film. It’s got some really good moments but also has a campy atmosphere and two boring central characters (they really rushed into the sex scene, eh?), and I actually feel that if they had the courage of their convictions and didn’t lean into the silliness then they could’ve had a legitimately good horror rather than some schlock.

190. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)* - Lionsgate+

Pretty awful. It teases you towards the end with the potential of a home invasion movie set in the Halloween franchise, but that never properly materialised. “A town full of beer bellies running around in the dark with shotguns” is quite funny though. Should’ve just made a film about them.

191. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)* - Lionsgate+

2 tried to be a continuation, 3 tried to separate itself from the franchise, 4 tried to ‘get back to basics’ by aping the first. With no. 5, we are now firmly in the territory of them not giving a f**k and transitioning into ridiculous daytime TV, disposable junk centred around Donald Pleasance giving an all over the shop portrayal of a plot device and a wee kid who was silly in 4 but, well, I don’t even know how to describe the character in this one. I don’t even know how to describe the film tbh – nothing makes sense in my head when thinking about it. I actually had to read the Wikipedia page to remind myself how it ended.

It's irredeemably terrible.

Edited October 28, 2022 by accies1874

[BFTD]

Superman 3's a classic example of a film you know is bad, yet just has so many memorable scenes that you can't help but enjoy it. Not sure if you need to have seen it when you were a kid; it might just seem bafflingly terrible to younger audiences. It also features one of the most terrifying scenes in any film aimed at kids, when the lassie gets pulled into the machine and turned into a cyborg. It's so notoriously horrible that it's been cut from the TV versions for decades, and it wouldn't surprise me if the DVD/Blu-Ray versions have been edited to keep the certificate down. Seriously, it's disturbing as f**k.

Halloween 3's genuinely the best in the series, other than the original. Straddles the line between being goofy and sinister, but it's a lot of fun. I discovered recently that, when our hero is banging his younger sidekick in the hotel room, the woman in the next room is the actor's real-life wife, and apparently she was cast without anyone realising they were married.

Edit: also, Rob Zombie's Halloween film felt like he really wanted to make a prequel, but he couldn't get funding for anything less than a full remake, so that was the compromise. I don't remember a fucking thing about the sequel to it.

Edited October 28, 2022 by BFTD

[Mark Connolly]

17 minutes ago, BFTD said:

Superman 3's a classic example of a film you know is bad, yet just has so many memorable scenes that you can't help but enjoy it. Not sure if you need to have seen it when you were a kid; it might just seem bafflingly terrible to younger audiences. It also features one of the most terrifying scenes in any film aimed at kids, when the lassie gets pulled into the machine and turned into a cyborg. It's so notoriously horrible that it's been cut from the TV versions for decades, and it wouldn't surprise me if the DVD/Blu-Ray versions have been edited to keep the certificate down. Seriously, it's disturbing as f**k

Superman 3 scared the absolute shite out of me as a kid

[BFTD]

41 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

Superman 3 scared the absolute shite out of me as a kid

[dysartrovers]

Fully recommend the greatest beer run of all time. Very entertaining

[accies1874]

Superman 3's a classic example of a film you know is bad, yet just has so many memorable scenes that you can't help but enjoy it. Not sure if you need to have seen it when you were a kid; it might just seem bafflingly terrible to younger audiences. It also features one of the most terrifying scenes in any film aimed at kids, when the lassie gets pulled into the machine and turned into a cyborg. It's so notoriously horrible that it's been cut from the TV versions for decades, and it wouldn't surprise me if the DVD/Blu-Ray versions have been edited to keep the certificate down. Seriously, it's disturbing as f**k.
Halloween 3's genuinely the best in the series, other than the original. Straddles the line between being goofy and sinister, but it's a lot of fun. I discovered recently that, when our hero is banging his younger sidekick in the hotel room, the woman in the next room is the actor's real-life wife, and apparently she was cast without anyone realising they were married.
Edit: also, Rob Zombie's Halloween film felt like he really wanted to make a prequel, but he couldn't get funding for anything less than a full remake, so that was the compromise. I don't remember a fucking thing about the sequel to it.

That is amazing. Maybe they're into that idk, but I'd say he got the better deal than getting melted by a zapper.

You should find random clips of the second Rob Zombie one on YouTube and try to decipher what's going on.

[DA Baracus]

I saw Superman 3 via Amazon (rental) and it had the aforementioned scene of the lassie being turned in to a robot.

Can definitely see why it would scare kids but as an adult it's just fucking ridiculous. She just gets a few bits of metal and some wires glued to her face and in the space of about 3 seconds somehow becomes a robot who can fight Superman. Total comedy pish.

Edited October 29, 2022 by DA Baracus

[BFTD]

In case anyone's curious about what we're talking about, here's a clip. Take a look at the fucking comments!  

 

[BFTD]

37 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

I sae Superman 3 via Amazon (rental) and it had the aforementioned scene of the lassie being turned in to a robot.

Can definitely see why it would scare kids but as an adult it's just fucking ridiculous. She just gets a few bits of metal and some wires glued to her face and in the space of about 3 seconds somehow becomes a robot who can fight Superman. Total comedy pish.

TBF, Fifers grow up sacrificing their neighbours to the angry orange ball in the sky, so I doubt anything committed to celluloid holds any fear for you.

[Bully Wee Villa]

Another absolutely fantastic scene, from a film full of them. We haven't even discussed Superman shagging Pamela Stephenson and getting pissed up and smashing up a pub, yet.

[BFTD]

I don't know if I ever realised that was Pamela Stephenson. I have vague memories of experiencing strange new feelings when watching her scenes as a wee boy.

[Theroadlesstravelled]

Barbarian. 2022

A woman finds her AirBNB rental is actually a doorway to a horrifying realm of suffering and madness.

No bad 7/10

[Chewing Taffies]

2 hours ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

Barbarian. 2022

A woman finds her AirBNB rental is actually a doorway to a horrifying realm of suffering and madness.

No bad 7/10

Sounds like my holiday to Blackpool a few years ago

[accies1874]

192. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)* - Cinema

A brilliant script on the whole: emotional and funny with great character exploration that makes you think. I think a lot of other films would’ve had Colm (Brendan Gleeson) as the main character but seeing things through Padraic (Colin Farrell) changes it thematically. It’s all existential, but Padraic’s perspective means that you’re watching existentialism consume a dim, dull man who’s on an island away from the war across the water while he hides from the banshee. A bit like Decision to Leave, it pits two fundamental human qualities against each other and sees what happens, and that conflict is well defined enough that it’ll probably split viewers on who they side with.

Farrell and Gleeson are what you’d expect – absolutely brilliant and carry the diverse tone. That tone was strange for me as I would’ve been interested in seeing the small-scale stakes contrasted against how important the events are to the characters, but the tone reaches a point where it matches up with the subject matter to become very dreary. It felt natural and was the story McDonagh wanted to tell – and he told it well – but I wasn’t quite prepared for it.

I didn’t love the film though and I think that’s because the filmmaking often felt sluggish. It’s very pretty, although the projection I saw was too dim, but the conversations in particular just felt a bit boring. I’m not sure if it was a pandemic shoot or a stylistic choice to depict isolation and the fracture between the characters, but there were a few points where it very much felt like the actors weren’t occupying the same space (this is obviously common but it shouldn’t be apparent). Seeing something as fluid as Decision to Leave and then watching this (let’s ignore the Halloween garbage for a second) probably made it more apparent. I mean, the director deservedly won Best Editing for Sound of Metal but it wasn’t clicking here. It’s a boring observation to link it to McDonagh’s theatrical background, especially when he did In Bruges and Three Billboards which are great, but it wasn’t that it didn’t feel cinematic; more that some of the cinematic aspects weren’t working for me.

[jimmy boo]

192. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)* - Cinema
A brilliant script on the whole: emotional and funny with great character exploration that makes you think. I think a lot of other films would’ve had Colm (Brendan Gleeson) as the main character but seeing things through Padraic (Colin Farrell) changes it thematically. It’s all existential, but Padraic’s perspective means that you’re watching existentialism consume a dim, dull man who’s on an island away from the war across the water while he hides from the banshee. A bit like Decision to Leave, it pits two fundamental human qualities against each other and sees what happens, and that conflict is well defined enough that it’ll probably split viewers on who they side with.
Farrell and Gleeson are what you’d expect – absolutely brilliant and carry the diverse tone. That tone was strange for me as I would’ve been interested in seeing the small-scale stakes contrasted against how important the events are to the characters, but the tone reaches a point where it matches up with the subject matter to become very dreary. It felt natural and was the story McDonagh wanted to tell – and he told it well – but I wasn’t quite prepared for it.
I didn’t love the film though and I think that’s because the filmmaking often felt sluggish. It’s very pretty, although the projection I saw was too dim, but the conversations in particular just felt a bit boring. I’m not sure if it was a pandemic shoot or a stylistic choice to depict isolation and the fracture between the characters, but there were a few points where it very much felt like the actors weren’t occupying the same space (this is obviously common but it shouldn’t be apparent). Seeing something as fluid as Decision to Leave and then watching this (let’s ignore the Halloween garbage for a second) probably made it more apparent. I mean, the director deservedly won Best Editing for Sound of Metal but it wasn’t clicking here. It’s a boring observation to link it to McDonagh’s theatrical background, especially when he did In Bruges and Three Billboards which are great, but it wasn’t that it didn’t feel cinematic; more that some of the cinematic aspects weren’t working for me.

I was planning on going to an actual cinema for the first time in years and pay actual money to see this but it appears Ayr odeon is the only cinema in Scotland not showing it and I ain't staying sober to drive to Kilmarnock!!

[accies1874]

I saw it at an Odeon so that's quite surprising. It's definitely worth watching eventually and is certainly gonna get a bunch of awards nominations in the new year. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by accies1874