What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[54_and_counting]

@Frankie S

Think you missed the point about "come and get your love" being the last song of guardians 3

For the audience it was the way to tie up the guardians arc as we started it, quill stops running away, gamora finds her place in the universe again, nebula and drax find the family they wanted/lost

But as for Rocket choosing the song, it was almost a way to honour his best friend (along with groot) the one who done whatever it took to save his life, it was one of quills favourite songs and rocket adopted it as a honourable memory of his friend

[Pocketman]

On 11/06/2023 at 23:27, MSU said:

 

123 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts -- I had successfully navigated 49 trips around the sun without seeing a Transformer movie or accumulating any real information on the matter other than Michael Bay is creepy, and these robots can turn into cars for a reason that may or may not have been explained at some point. If there had been ANYTHING ELSE new in the cinema this week, this run would've been extended. The plot, such as it is, is about an important thing that will allow something to happen that might be good or might be bad depending on which color of eyes the possessing robot has. Half of that thing has been found in a New York museum which brings the two humans who give a shit about any of this stuff together. Anthony Ramos is Noah, who has been tasked to steal a car that's been parked in the museum for reasons. Dominique Fishback is Elana who works at the museum and is underappreciated and she's the one who finds the thing. Upon discovering alien robots that can turn into cars and stuff, neither of them seem remotely fazed by the experience so they all go to Peru where a number of UNESCO world heritage sites will be destroyed, and I will be encouraged to feel an emotional connection to a dead robot. I have no idea if this finished product is anything like director Steven Caple Jr's vision -- although I've seen Creed II so I can guess -- and I can't estimate the joy any of the five writers experienced while hearing their overly earnest words brought to life. It's hard to imagine that any of them thought their efforts represented time well spent. 2/10

We should add "and why?" to the title of this thread : ))

This point here (and this is not a dig at you - as I enjoy your reviews - but it reminded me of one of my peeves) highlights how I enjoy the more "discerning" of move-goers (usually emailing into say Mayo and Kermode's movie podcast) tying themselves up in knots and coming up with a completely implausible reason as to why they paid good money and sat through the latest god-awful blockbuster. 

Anyway, the very first Bay Transformers film was fantastic. Overlook some lewd shots of Megan Fox and the movie completely stands up and is built around a boy and his car. It had a simple plot, was funny, great action sequences, fantastic soundtrack (which hasn't been replicated in any of the other movies) and the freshness of the Autobots/Decepticon appearances, with Optimus standing out in his cartoon heroic form (helped by bringing Cullen back on board to voice). I'll die on this (review) hill!. 8/10

Every other Transformer movie that followed with the exception of Bumblebee (which is almost a retread of Transformers) is an absolute boring mess that do not capture a semblance of the merits of the first movie. As a result and despite a few attempts I I have not seen them all in their entirety and tbh I couldn't tell one apart from the other apart. I haven't seen RotB yet and am in two minds as to whether to do so as it is marketed as a sequel to Bumblebee and I did like the director's Creed II (though they missed a trick by not entirely focusing on Ivan Drago's story in that. I digress) - however the reviews are mixed/not great, yours included. 

[JustOneCornetto]

(40) Monsieur Lazhar (2011) – DVD

A French-Canadian film about a primary school teacher who is hired after a much loved teacher dies in tragic circumstances. It’s a well-trodden plot about an inspirational teacher but it has a bit more about it as Mr Lazhar is dealing with his own problems but is able to eke out the emotions and feelings of the young children. Have to say the kids are all pretty good and it was an enjoyable watch. 7/10

 (41) Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975) – Talking Pictures

Peter Weir has made some great films and this is up there with the best of them. Very much my type of film, ethereal, full of mystery and symbolism. You get that sense straight away when you are told that the event happened on Valentine’s Day 1900 when a bunch of schoolgirls from a fee-paying school head out for an afternoon picnic. Three of them and one teacher somehow go missing and despite all the efforts are never found. This is one of those films you can watch over and over and come to a different conclusion in your own mind each time. 8.5/10

 (42) M (1931) – Youtube

Always a bit wary that the film quality, especially one from over 90 years ago, is going to be crap, but have to say it was excellent. This is a real classic and very much a landmark film in the history of film. Fritz Lang started making films as part of the German Expressionism but this one in particular developed the new genre of Film Noir. Peter Lorre is a child murderer at large and when the police seem to be getting nowhere the criminal underworld gang together to plan on catching him and dishing out their own form of justice. Lorre always looks creepy with his bulging eyes and his performance, as he pleads for forgiveness, is outstanding. Really recommend this to anyone who loves film noir. 9/10

[MSU]

1 hour ago, KingRocketman II said:

This point here (and this is not a dig at you - as I enjoy your reviews - but it reminded me of one of my peeves) highlights how I enjoy the more "discerning" of move-goers (usually emailing into say Mayo and Kermode's movie podcast) tying themselves up in knots and coming up with a completely implausible reason as to why they paid good money and sat through the latest god-awful blockbuster. 

That's fair, and I can be a snob with some franchises while absolutely and willfully ignoring the shortcomings of others. I definitely went into this with lowered expectations. Mrs MSU who has more of a connection to Transformers, although mostly the cartoon when she was a kid and through Bumblebee, enjoyed it more than I did but still came out of it fairly non-plussed, and the wee laddie that was sitting next to us in the packed IMAX screening somehow fell asleep. I dunno if I could recommend it, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it if you do go see it.

[Mark Connolly]

The Flash

Spoiler

Been a long time since I walked away from a DC movie thinking "I really enjoyed that". They generally promise much but fail to deliver, but this is properly enjoyable.

A sort of take on The Flashpoint Paradox, with some good cameos, including a few that you never saw coming. Ezra Miller may be a fucking oddball, but they are excellent as Barry, while Keaton proves once again that he is the best Batman.

It would be a surprise if this wasn't the end of the "Snyderverse", but at least it finally got a decent film.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Transformers (2007)

Stupid, ugly, obnoxious and incomprehensible. Shia LaBeouf was all of these things and was by far the only tolerable thing in the movie.

[BFTD]

6 hours ago, KingRocketman II said:

Anyway, the very first Bay Transformers film was fantastic. Overlook some lewd shots of Megan Fox and the movie completely stands up and is built around a boy and his car. It had a simple plot, was funny, great action sequences, fantastic soundtrack (which hasn't been replicated in any of the other movies) and the freshness of the Autobots/Decepticon appearances, with Optimus standing out in his cartoon heroic form (helped by bringing Cullen back on board to voice). I'll die on this (review) hill!. 8/10

"Michael Bay's Transformers was great, and the robots looked really good, but they should've left out the perv shots of Megan Fox" is easily the most mirror universe take I've read on here.

Trying to think what would beat that. I really enjoyed The Thing, but they should've cut out the alien and focused more on the lingering shots of empty hallways?

[Miguel Sanchez]

35 minutes ago, BTFD said:

"Michael Bay's Transformers was great, and the robots looked really good, but they should've left out the perv shots of Megan Fox" is easily the most mirror universe take I've read on here.

Trying to think what would beat that. I really enjoyed The Thing, but they should've cut out the alien and focused more on the lingering shots of empty hallways?

Some of us prefer to get sexual excitement from things like pornography, or actual relationships, or the vague concept of human interaction rather than being delighted that a literal idiot is dressing a school-aged female character in as tight and revealing clothes as possible and making a point of showing her in an assortment of sexually suggestive positions.

Still, I haven't reviewed the second one yet, or the ones with Mark Wahlberg making statutory rape jokes.

[Miguel Sanchez]

Anyway

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Almost legible plot, completely illegible robots, stupid, slightly racist, extremely perverted and still ugly.

[BFTD]

6 minutes ago, Miguel Sanchez said:

Some of us prefer to get sexual excitement from things like pornography, or actual relationships, or the vague concept of human interaction rather than being delighted that a literal idiot is dressing a school-aged female character in as tight and revealing clothes as possible and making a point of showing her in an assortment of sexually suggestive positions.

Still, I haven't reviewed the second one yet, or the ones with Mark Wahlberg making statutory rape jokes.

Not many, judging by the reactions when that film came out. It was literally the only thing people seemed to enjoy.

I swear that film started that strange trend of lingering abdomen shots. Michael Bay has very strange tastes.

[Pocketman]

12 hours ago, BTFD said:

"Michael Bay's Transformers was great, and the robots looked really good, but they should've left out the perv shots of Megan Fox" is easily the most mirror universe take I've read on here.

Trying to think what would beat that. I really enjoyed The Thing, but they should've cut out the alien and focused more on the lingering shots of empty hallways?

 

11 hours ago, BTFD said:

Not many, judging by the reactions when that film came out. It was literally the only thing people seemed to enjoy.

I swear that film started that strange trend of lingering abdomen shots. Michael Bay has very strange tastes.

I think there is a fair bit of unintended projection going on here 

[SweeperDee]

Michael Bay films are fucking shite. Thought this was common knowledge.

[accies1874]

I've only seen Armageddon from start to finish, and bits of Pearl Harbour and the first Transformers. None of these since I was a kid though. 

[Bully Wee Villa]

Just looked at his filmography and the only one I've seen is The Island. First half fairly interesting sci-fi premise. Second half tedious sub-James Bond wannabe action nonsense.

[accies1874]

Shit, I've seen The Island too. Agree with the above.

[Miguel Sanchez]

Armageddon is great. The Rock is a Nicolas Cage film were Nicolas Cage isn't the most ridiculous person in it despite playing a guy called Stanley Goodspeed. The Island I saw when I was 14 and features Scarlett Johansson in a skintight white onepiece in varying states of distress, so I'll not hear a word against it.

[Mark Connolly]

The Rock is an absolutely magnificent film.

I agree he should have stopped after that though

[BFTD]

The Island was a remake, so Bay gets no credit for the premise there.

Supposedly his instructors at film school considered him one of the most talented students they'd ever had, but his real talent seems to be tapping into what the mass markets wants. Which is massive amounts of explosions, editing that causes confusion and panic, expensive CG that somehow looks impressive and painful simultaneously, depressing racial/gender stereotypes from yesteryear, and no thought required whatsoever from what little story exists. He's one of the most successful filmmakers ever, up there with Spielberg and James Cameron.

He was also behind all those Aughts remakes of classic horror films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, so there's that. Thankfully someone seemed to persuade him that hot sexy shots of young women might be a bit inappropriate for the latter; a film about teens discovering they were abused by a maniac at nursery school.

[Miguel Sanchez]

The Island was a ripoff, not a remake. They settled out of court.

[Miguel Sanchez]

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

I can't do the brief, glib reviews any more. This was stupefying. I've seen bad films before. I've seen films I couldn't follow before. I've seen films where I didn't care about what was happening before. The second film was apparently panned much more than this and the first, and I'm not sure how. There's an irony that in a film about warring robotic aliens coming to Earth that absolutely nothing that happens bears any resemblance to any sort of reality ever experienced by anyone in the history of humanity. No one in this is real, and look who's in it. John Turturro! John Malkovich! Patrick Dempsey! Alan Tudyk! Frances McDormand! She has three Oscars! She didn't when she did this and she seems to be doing a bad Jane Lynch impression, but look at the names! People you've heard of who can actually act! Maybe it's a joke. An elaborate ruse. They all treat what's going on with the contempt it deserves. Kelsey Grammer is in the next one. Sideshow Bob, that'll improve things.

You might have noticed if you've seen a Michael Bay film, but do me a favour if any of my reviews have intrigued you enough to give these a try. Count how many shots you see where the camera doesn't move. I don't know how people can watch these and not suffer from motion sickness.

I checked the time as I was watching this and I was 1 hour 50 in. It felt like I'd been there for years. It felt like I'd been getting battered round the head by the robots too. Endless. Horrible. Ugly. Stupid. Insulting. Perverted. At least it wasn't racist.