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

[BisexualMMA]

THE GREAT DEBATERS

Directed by and starring Denzel Washington...based on the true story of a groundbreaking black college debating team in the 1930s. Competent but pretty by the numbers story and you can kind of feel Oprah's hand as a producer with a Hallmark movie sort of ambience combined with Jussie Smollett's sister delivering her debates with an overly worked up MLK Jr. impression given the situation her character is in.

There are too many character subplots...too much high school type drama within the team and it all working out so everyone gets their chance to contribute. The direction is quite competent but also not particularly inspired. Solid movie overall but not especially high up the list on either Denzel's resume or movies dealing with racism.

6.3 / 10

 

[Fluffernutter]

The Wasp Woman (1959)

Aging owner of the cosmetics company hires an eccentric scientist to use wasp "royal jelly" to create injections that will turn her youthful. However, the side effect turned her into a wasp at night killing people.

It was Susan Cabot's last film role. Just before the CIA assigned her to date the former king of Jordan.

7/10

 

[Fluffernutter]

The Crybaby Killer (1958)

Jack Nicholson's first movie part. He plays a kid that was bullied. While getting sucker punched by the local bully, he grabs a gun and shoots the bully and his stooge (stooge told Jacks character that it wasn't a real gun, but it was).

Fleeing from the cops, Jimmy takes in three hostages (one is an infant). The police try to get him to release the hostages.

For some reason, the side characters try to blame the girlfriend/ex-girlfiend who is at the center of the fight for the trouble Jimmy is in. Seemed like she was thrown under the bus.

7/10

 

[the ambush]

Kickboxer 2

Fighter David Sloane is the brother of Kurt and Eric, and gradually moving up the ranks in professional kickboxing. In the aftermath of a kickboxing gym burning in Los Angeles, David Sloane rehabilitates and is pitted in a fight against bitter rival Tong Po. A part of the movie I disliked was the suicidal rope training technique when David jumped off the building rooftop with only a rope in-hand.

 

[AFanNotAFighter]

The Wasp Woman (1959)

Aging owner of the cosmetics company hires an eccentric scientist to use wasp "royal jelly" to create injections that will turn her youthful. However, the side effect turned her into a wasp at night killing people.

It was Susan Cabot's last film role. Just before the CIA assigned her to date the former king of Jordan.

7/10

Her son was a midget who killed her after she went completely apeshit.

 

[eddymotto]

Allied (2016)

WW2 romance-spy drama staring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.

Pitt plays Max Vatan, a London based Canadian spy who meets and falls in love with Cotillard during a mission. Given that they are both spies during wartime, doubts eventually surface as to whether they are truly who they say that they are.

The film feels like it is one part romance drama and one part spy thriller and neither element really ignites. Pitt's character is mostly dull and does not seem very good at following orders or keeping secrets, skills that you would expect to be important for a spy (although him being Canadian does explain some of this).

Pitt and Cotillard do not have great chemistry and so the romance element is mainly driven by them both being really good looking and also being the main characters in the film.

The entire movie is competently made and acted. In the 3rd act, there is real uncertainty and suspense about the motives of the main characters.

Rating: 6/10

 

[Fluffernutter]

Her son was a midget who killed her after she went completely apeshit.

- she was shopped around the foster care system as a child.

- PTSD due to being assaulted in the system.

- while trying to make it in Hollywood, was asked to accompany the King of Jordan while he was in the US getting foreign assistance. (Before his official visit to the US, he contacted DC to let them know ahead of time that he would like to be accompanied while in LA)

- declassified memos have shown that the CIA pressured her to sleep with him.

- this lead to an affair with the King.

- this lead to getting pregnant with their son.

- king does not recognize the kid, but sends a monthly stipend to her.

- kid is born without a pituitary gland. So, is prescribed enough drugs to turn him into a Pride Fighter.

- they both lived in squalor and she became a hoarder.

- she had such bad PTSD that her phycologist had to break it off.

- kid claims that he was woken up by her ranting about her own mother and was hitting him with a barbell.

- her son (according to him) wrestled the barbell away from her and hit her with it. She died.

 

[AFanNotAFighter]

- she was shopped around the foster care system as a child.

- PTSD due to being assaulted in the system.

- while trying to make it in Hollywood, was asked to accompany the King of Jordan while he was in the US getting foreign assistance. (Before his official visit to the US, he contacted DC to let them know ahead of time that he would like to be accompanied while in LA)

- declassified memos have shown that the CIA pressured her to sleep with him.

- this lead to an affair with the King.

- this lead to getting pregnant with their son.

- king does not recognize the kid, but sends a monthly stipend to her.

- kid is born without a pituitary gland. So, is prescribed enough drugs to turn him into a Pride Fighter.

- they both lived in squalor and she became a hoarder.

- she had such bad PTSD that her phycologist had to break it off.

- kid claims that he was woken up by her ranting about her own mother and was hitting him with a barbell.

- her son (according to him) wrestled the barbell away from her and hit her with it. She died.

Wow! And I thought my life sucked when my parents wouldn't buy me a Corvette when I finished high school.

 

[BisexualMMA]

SOUND OF FREEDOM

Good movie. Jim Caviezel plays a real life man who took substantial personal risks to rescue children from human trafficking rings.

It is beyond me how anyone in their right mind or with a moral compass can consider this movie to be controversial.

7.8 / 10

 

[revoltub]

SOUND OF FREEDOM

Good movie. Jim Caviezel plays a real life man who took substantial personal risks to rescue children from human trafficking rings.

It is beyond me how anyone in their right mind or with a moral compass can consider this movie to be controversial.

7.8 / 10

I've been hearing good things about this one. Also not very good things from critics who've called it akin to a conspiracy boomer's wet dream.

Haven't seen it so can't say myself but interested to watch it. General audience seems to really love it.

 

[BisexualMMA]

I've been hearing good things about this one. Also not very good things from critics who've called it akin to a conspiracy boomer's wet dream.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Venn diagram of pundits saying that and pundits defending Cuties has a pretty large degree of overlap. When being against child trafficking is considered political...shit has gone off the rails. Political weirdos.

 

[revoltub]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Venn diagram of pundits saying that and pundits defending Cuties has a pretty large degree of overlap. When being against child trafficking is considered political...shit has gone off the rails. Political weirdos.

Yeah we've come to a strange place in society where stuff like human trafficking is considered part of right wing conspiracy.

 

[revoltub]

Vivarium
-

I liked a decent amount of the film. It kept me invested for a lot of the time and it has a nice atmosphere to it. Thought Eisenberg and Poots were both very good in it.

The initial premise of the film is interesting, sort of a 1408 type of thing where they can't escape the housing development they are in.

However that initial premise is pretty much time skipped over and we get a film that takes place at a point past where the main characters have already somewhat accepted their fate. It is a very thematic type of film, with not a lot of explanation as to what is going on so you kind of have to fill in the gaps yourself.

By the end of it I got the knack of what was going on and it made sense, but it still needed a little more to round out the story and fill in a major plot hole.


I guess my overall thought of the film is that it is one where the focus between theme and story are off balance in the former's favor. So in the end you get a film that is pretty interesting but I feel like the director felt like he was too good to let it delve into any "popcorn" type elements or more explanation which I feel would've helped the film a bit.

I'll give it around a 6.

 

[eddymotto]

Vivarium
-

I liked a decent amount of the film. It kept me invested for a lot of the time and it has a nice atmosphere to it. Thought Eisenberg and Poots were both very good in it.

The initial premise of the film is interesting, sort of a 1408 type of thing where they can't escape the housing development they are in.

However that initial premise is pretty much time skipped over and we get a film that takes place at a point past where the main characters have already somewhat accepted their fate. It is a very thematic type of film, with not a lot of explanation as to what is going on so you kind of have to fill in the gaps yourself.

By the end of it I got the knack of what was going on and it made sense, but it still needed a little more to round out the story and fill in a major plot hole.


I guess my overall thought of the film is that it is one where the focus between theme and story are off balance in the former's favor. So in the end you get a film that is pretty interesting but I feel like the director felt like he was too good to let it delve into any "popcorn" type elements or more explanation which I feel would've helped the film a bit.

I'll give it around a 6.

It has been a few years since I saw this film and I definitely liked it more than you did. More of a 7+ movie for me. Creepy AF.

 

[RedBeard_]

Vivarium
-

I liked a decent amount of the film. It kept me invested for a lot of the time and it has a nice atmosphere to it. Thought Eisenberg and Poots were both very good in it.

The initial premise of the film is interesting, sort of a 1408 type of thing where they can't escape the housing development they are in.

However that initial premise is pretty much time skipped over and we get a film that takes place at a point past where the main characters have already somewhat accepted their fate. It is a very thematic type of film, with not a lot of explanation as to what is going on so you kind of have to fill in the gaps yourself.

By the end of it I got the knack of what was going on and it made sense, but it still needed a little more to round out the story and fill in a major plot hole.


I guess my overall thought of the film is that it is one where the focus between theme and story are off balance in the former's favor. So in the end you get a film that is pretty interesting but I feel like the director felt like he was too good to let it delve into any "popcorn" type elements or more explanation which I feel would've helped the film a bit.

I'll give it around a 6.

I think it was the purpose of the film to keep you guessing what the final result was going to be until the end. I found it really interesting and really well played although...

Spoiler

I have never felt more defeated at the end of a film than this one. It's a real kick in the dick.

 

[revoltub]

I think it was the purpose of the film to keep you guessing what the final result was going to be until the end. I found it really interesting and really well played although...

Spoiler

I have never felt more defeated at the end of a film than this one. It's a real kick in the dick.

I thought the ending was good but also kind of dumb when I thought about it a little more.

 

[revoltub]

It has been a few years since I saw this film and I definitely liked it more than you did. More of a 7+ movie for me. Creepy AF.

There are a few creepy moments for sure.

 

[eddymotto]

I think it was the purpose of the film to keep you guessing what the final result was going to be until the end. I found it really interesting and really well played although...

Spoiler

I have never felt more defeated at the end of a film than this one. It's a real kick in the dick.

as I recall, it was also a darkly clever critique of a stereotypical suburban dream. a young couple becomes trapped in a crushingly boring and generic neighbourhood with a baby that they did not want and the husband's response is to literally work himself to death on a pointless job

 

[RedBeard_]

as I recall, it was also a darkly clever critique of a stereotypical suburban dream. a young couple becomes trapped in a crushingly boring and generic neighbourhood with a baby that they did not want and the husband's response is to literally work himself to death on a pointless job

I never thought of it as a metaphor before, but that is a great point.

 

[revoltub]

as I recall, it was also a darkly clever critique of a stereotypical suburban dream. a young couple becomes trapped in a crushingly boring and generic neighbourhood with a baby that they did not want and the husband's response is to literally work himself to death on a pointless job

Yeah basically and i think it explores these themes fairly well. I dont have a major problem with thematic focused films in general but in this case I think it lacks something in the gaps.

Compared to something like under the skin which is also very thematic and metaphorical but also felt whole within it's purely narrative aspects.