Movies Rate and Discuss the Last Movie You Saw v.16

[Dirt Road Soldier]

The Accountant, 2016

Starting Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, JK Simmons.

4/5

On its surface it's another 'regular joe is apparently a world class killer' type movie, but this one adds kind of a fun layer to it with Afflecks character suffering from Autism. Plus they go into detail as to how, and why, he became the mathematical genius accountant for the world's biggest and worst people. There's a lot going on in the movie, and more than one sub-plot going on even if you don't realize one of them till the end. Plus the ending has one twist that's kind of hinted at through the movie, but one that kinda comes out of left field that makes total sense looking back at the movie. Overall a great movie that doesn't hinge it's idea entirely on the action scenes, but also needs great storytelling to get the job done.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

some quick hits from last weekend (had an acid+alcohol fueled 7-movie marathon w/ some friends right after UFC 300) & this week:

Spontaneous (USA, 2020) - 3.5/5
View attachment 1040581

coming-of-age horror rom-com about two teens falling in love Senior year of high school... amidst an unexplained pandemic that is causing their fellow classmates in the graduating class to explode. i liked this movie a lot & think it's safe to say it's an underated gem in the coming-of-age subgenre. it had genuine laughs & feels, & the blossoming relationship at the center of the film developed in a way that felt genuine & relatable, all while being wrapped up cleanly in its absurd premise. recommend if you're into this kinda thing. i think @Pliny Pete would dig it

Thrashin' (USA, 1986) - 2.5/5
almost pooped myself when Josh Brolin's name popped up in the opening credits. almost pooped myself again during the sex scene because my friend & i were laughing so hard. my pants were spared, but i'm pretty sure i popped a rib.

Gleaming the Cube (USA, 1989) - 2/5
i still don't know what it means to gleam the cube.

Double Trouble (USA, 1992) - 1/5
laughed every time i saw David Paul's ridiculous outfit (a kid-sized Raiders crewneck sweater & mom jeans), but never at any of the comedy. Roddy McDowell was good as always (he's a great ham in schlocky low budget affairs), but him & the aforementioned outfit wasn't enough to distract from yet another trash Barbarian Brothers effort.

Mannequin Two: On the Move (USA, 1991) - 2/5
Kristy Swanson is gorgeous as ever, but Meshach Taylor as Hollywood stole every scene.

Kart Racer (Canada/Germany, 2003) - 1/5
most enjoyable thing about this droll kiddie movie was imagining it as a Jacob's Ladder scenario the entire time

The Limey (USA, 1999) - 3/5

Menashe (USA, 2017) - 3/5

The Marvels (USA, 2023) - 2.5/5

A Haunting in Venice (USA, 2023) - 2.5/5


recently downloaded this. been high up on my must-watch-ASAP list


i made a thread when the trailer dropped, but it got moved to the war room, so i deleted it.

You rated The Marvels higher than Trashin and Gleaming the Clube

 

[eddymotto]

After Hours (USA, 1985)

American black comedy directed by Martin Scorsese.

Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is a lonely and bored NYC office worker. He is the sort of guy who reads Tropic of Cancer while eating alone at a diner.

He is surprised and pleased when the whimsical Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) flirts with him. She invites him to check out work from an artist friend of hers. Despite already being after midnight, the horny Paul heads downtown (SoHo) to see the artist and hopefully hook up with Marcy. The artist turns out to be the sexually aggressive Kiki (Linda Fiorentino) who works at a huge loft that she shares with Marcy.

Paul gets caught in a nightmare of bad luck and finds himself desperate to go home but unable to escape the clutches of SoHo.

I would call this film a black comedy but it generates a lot of anxiety. Paul is a bit of a dick at times but we can feel his exasperation and desperation because he just wants to go home.

Rating: 7/10

 

[HenryFlower]

You rated The Marvels higher than Trashin and Gleaming the Clube

because The Marvels was a perfectly “OKAY” movie. Thrashin’ & Gleaming the Cube are totally fun crapfests fueled by nostalgia vibes, but they are by no means good movies.

zero-G kittens was a better scene than anything in the latter two. facts.

 

[Michaelangelo]

 

[revoltub]

Cherry 2000 (1988)

-

Overall I had a good time with it despite the flaws. The robot girlfriend vs human girlfriend plot still holds up in today's world of AI girlfriends and looming sex robots. It's not Bladerunner or anything in that regard but still have to give it credit for relevancy.

It is presented as a scifi action movie, which it is, but the film is essentially a romance film at heart. I thought it worked, for the most part due to Griffith and Andrew's having decent enough chemistry and both coming across as likeable and easy to root for. Though neither will blow anyone's mind from a pure acting standpoint

Respectable 6.4 range. Flawed but fun.

 

[Peteyandjia]

Monkey Man (2024)
I thought I was gonna love this but it was just......alright. Billed as an Indian John Wick but it was nowhere near as memorable as those movies. It was just an okay action movie.
6/10

I felt the same at around a 6, they are churning out these revenge actions movies like crazy too so they really gotta bring something new to the table which is tough since John Wick 1-4 has covered alot most recently.

As soon as I saw the trailer, where they highlight him saying "... Yeah."

I was like, fuck you bullshit ass movie. There is only one John Wick. Don't be trying to rip off the greatest action franchise of this century, like right after it just ended, with this half-ass wack-ass ripoff.

It's like they're trying to release the Bollywood clone in the same country now. Fuck outta here. I would rather just rewatch an actual Wick again

 

[eddymotto]

Five Element Ninjas (Hong Kong, 1982)

Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by the great Chang Cheh.

The Martial Arts Alliance (the good guys) are challenged for martial arts supremacy by Chief Hong and his students (the bad guys). At first it is all fun and games as the Martial Arts Alliance wins the first 9 bouts in a row.

Hong brings in a Japanese samurai as his ringer. The samurai wins his bout and then goads his opponent into committing suicide from shame. None of the losers of the previous 9 bouts felt compelled to kill themselves after losing and so this is a new wrinkle to the contest.

Stuff happens. The samurai vows that his ninja clan will seek revenge on his behalf.

A cycle of violent killings and revenge ensues.

This is an absolute upper tier kung fu movie. The wig game is exceptional, the fights are incredible, there is blood everywhere, and the costumes are unrivalled. The good guys wear white outfits that show cleavage in the front and are offset with little white capes in the back. Before fights they drop the capes and you just know that shit is about to get real. The regular ninjas mostly wear black ninja garb but when they fight in formations (gold, wood, water, fire, earth) they bring out special little super cool outfits. The best ones are clearly the gold ninjas who wear such shiny yellow uniforms that they can blind their opponents. This film was not even nominated for costume design at the Oscars and this will go down as one of the all time snubs by the Academy.

Cheh leans into the gore throughout the film. One of the good guys has to fight with his intestines hanging out. The injury is the result of him being stabbed repeatedly in the groin and ass. Despite his bravery, he accidentally steps on his own intestine and this proves to be a fatal mistake in the fight. If you do not recognize this as peak aspirational cinema, you should stop watching movies altogether.

The main female character, Jenko, is an unusually interesting female character for a kung fu flick. She is sexy and complicated and gets an actual character arc.

Spoiler

Jenko is a female ninja and she infiltrates the Martial Arts Alliance by pretending to be beaten by a man. The crazy thing is the dude is straight out punching her in the face in front of the good guys and only one of them has any interest in intervening. The main protagonist is like, "nah dude. Let them sort this out themselves. We have guarding to do". Later the Clan Leader says "best not to get involved in other people's problems". It is not easy being a woman in a kung fu movie. Even the good guys are mostly indifferent to you being savagely beaten in public.

This is a straightforward kung fu revenge movie. There is so much going on that the hero's revenge is relegated to the 3rd act. The only thing missing is a lengthy sequence where the hero learns new skills to overcome his adversaries. What we miss in that area is more than made up for with epic ninja fights and bloody deaths. The final scene is absolutely legendary. Great ending.

Rating: Bona Fide Kung Fu Classic