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

[eddymotto]

Under the Silver Lake (2018)

Neo-noir film written & directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), starring Andrew Garfield (Spider Man), and distributed by A24.

Set in 2011 LA, Sam (Garfield) is a 30-something out of work hipster who spends his day watching old movies, playing old video games, staring creepily at almost every woman who he meets, ignoring his forthcoming eviction for non-payment of rent, having occasional sex with his girlfriend/fuck buddy, and carefully analyzing 7 months of Wheel of Fortune episodes to see if Vanna White is sharing a code via how she tilts her head during episodes.

While spying on his female neighbours with binoculars, Sam becomes enamoured with his new neighbour Sarah (Riley Keough). Sarah is the sort of stereotypical blonde LA pixie girl who dances around alone with her dog at the pool and joyfully shares her conviction that eating saltine crackers with an orange juice chaser is an under appreciated snack. She is really pretty and so all of her tics are considered charming.

After briefly meeting Sam, Sarah abruptly disappears. Sam becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her. This leads Sam on a rambling journey around LA where he uncovers mystery after mystery and conspiracy after conspiracy. He discovers that the world really is filled with secret messages and codes.

Sam himself remains an enigma and an unreliable narrator. The film leaves open whether Sam is a hipster man-child who's odd conspiracy obsessions are ultimately proven to be correct or a violent and deluded paranoid schizophrenic who quite likely is the notorious Dog Killer terrorizing Silver Lake. Sam spends much of the film as a laid back slacker stuttering his way through conversations interspersed with violent outbursts (he violently attacks 4 people in 3 different episodes, including 2 children and an old man. On the other hand, all of them had it coming to some extent).

What is clear is the movie itself is filled with references, codes, and secret messages. I probably only picked up 5% of them but there are layer after layer of stuff embedded in the film, from references to old movies to coded messages on menus, t-shirts, etc. I can only imagine the Reddit threads that must be dedicated to this movie.

When I watched this movie for the first time I was left perplexed by the ending and unsure what the film was even about. But this is the sort of film that gets stuck in your head. I have watched it a couple of more times since then and now I think that the film is a brilliant puzzle box and an incisive critique of both LA and conspiracy enthusiasts.

Rating: 8.5 (but be warned that this is a divisive love it or hate it film)

As an aside, the film contains one of the funniest lines savaging the mindset of the ultra rich in LA. Sam is talking to a member of a death cult for men rich & crazy enough to consider themselves modern day Pharaohs.

Sam: "And then you... die?"

Death Cult Guy: "No, then we ascend"

Sam: 'To heaven?"

Death Cults Guy" "no... not Heaven... something much more exclusive"

I laughed my ass off. The concept of a modern day death cult basically selling the idea of a VIP Heaven for the ultra rich is so, so perfect.

 

[revoltub]

Blade Runner 2049.

5/10

A far cry from the Ridley Scott masterpiece. Do not consider it canon to the Blade Runner universe.

I thought it was genuinely good but definitely not as good as the original

 

[Starman]

I thought it was genuinely good but definitely not as good as the original

It just didn’t feel like the Blade Runner universe to me. Even Ford didn’t come off like the Deckard we knew.

It was a bit too post-apocalyptic as well. We never saw that kind of massive destruction in the original Blade Runner. I guess you could argue those ruins always existed outside the city, but we didn’t see it pr even get a hint of it in the original.

I also didn’t like the Tyrell Corporation being replaced for no reason whatsoever, or Blade Runners suddenly being replicants themselves. (I know Scott says Deckard was, but it was always an open-ended question.)

A lot more stuff, but basically I liked it, but I did not love it. I can’t imagine giving it a rewatch anytime soon. The original is in the top 10 of all-time great movies. This one is nowhere close.

 

[the ambush]

Tommy Gunn should have never punched Uncle Paulie like that.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Tommy Gunn should have never punched Uncle Paulie like that.

At least Rocky finally got to pay Paulie back for saving him from Thunderlips.

 

[BisexualMMA]

I also didn’t like the Tyrell Corporation being replaced for no reason whatsoever, or Blade Runners suddenly being replicants themselves. (I know Scott says Deckard was, but it was always an open-ended question.)

That's kind of a running pointless thing in these sequels. Terminator 3 actually mocks Cyberdyne. Alien: Resurrection has Weyland Yutani being bought out by Wal Mart. Just pointless neutering of a good villain for a punch line.

Blade Runner 2049 at least didn't make a mockery of Tyrell but yeah there was no reason to have that change really. Although I am kind of glad Jared Leto wasn't the son of Tyrell like in Tron: Legacy.

Harrison Ford did kind of come off like old good guy action hero as opposed to the Deckard from the first one but he did have thirty whatever years to marinate in the past so at the same time I have a hard time picturing a Deckard thirty years later that was a lot like the old Deckard. The first movie ends with him having to rethink a lot of stuff after being spared by Rutger. I can kind of picture Deckard throwing his badge into the ocean like Keanu at the end of Point Break.

Anyway I liked 2049 a fair bit. Definitely delivered for me compared to stuff like the recent Star Wars and Terminator sequels which unfortunately are the context for these sorts of things.

 

[Starman]

That's kind of a running pointless thing in these sequels. Terminator 3 actually mocks Cyberdyne. Alien: Resurrection has Weyland Yutani being bought out by Wal Mart. Just pointless neutering of a good villain for a punch line.

Blade Runner 2049 at least didn't make a mockery of Tyrell but yeah there was no reason to have that change really. Although I am kind of glad Jared Leto wasn't the son of Tyrell like in Tron: Legacy.

Harrison Ford did kind of come off like old good guy action hero as opposed to the Deckard from the first one but he did have thirty whatever years to marinate in the past so at the same time I have a hard time picturing a Deckard thirty years later that was a lot like the old Deckard. The first movie ends with him having to rethink a lot of stuff after being spared by Rutger. I can kind of picture Deckard throwing his badge into the ocean like Keanu at the end of Point Break.

Anyway I liked 2049 a fair bit. Definitely delivered for me compared to stuff like the recent Star Wars and Terminator sequels which unfortunately are the context for these sorts of things.

Oh yeah, compared to the shit sandwiches served up by Alien, Terminator, and Star Wars, Blade Runner 2049 is a timeless masterpiece.

That said, both Alien and the Terminator produced all time great sequels. I wouldn’t put Blade Runner 2049 anywhere close to those two in terms of quality.

 

[I Am Legion]

Guardians of The Galaxy 3. 6/10

The only moments of joy were Drax's 1 liners. Without him the movie is just a dark and depressing exercise that did not have the Magic of the 1st 2. Also losing Rocket for most of the movie hurt. What they did with Gamora was not great, and how they ended it with her was even worse. I liked the look of Nowhere and the few characters there. But they cameoed some interesting characters they did nothing with. Still decent in you do love the team. But disappointed in the final result.

 

[eddymotto]

Cutter's Way (1981)

American neo noir film starring Jeff Bridges (looking young and handsome) and John Heard.

Richard Bone (Bridges) is a small time lothario living in Santa Barbara. His car breaks down late at night and he observes another car stop to throw something into a garbage bin. The next day a murdered woman is recovered from the garbage bin and Bones becomes a suspect in the crime.

Bone comes to suspect that local rich guy JJ Cord (amazing name for a rich guy!) is the real murderer. Bones confides this to his close friend Alex Cutter (Heard), a well educated angry drunk who was crippled while serving in the Vietnam War).

Cutter becomes obsessed that Cord is the murderer and drags along a mostly unwilling Richard Bone into various schemes to prove it.

Rating: 4/10

Apparently this is a beloved thriller from that era but it just did not work for me at all. I liked the ending and Bridges was quite good. Mostly though I found the characters difficult to believe and therefore the plot to lack suspense. I wonder if the way the characters acted would have made more sense to a viewer in 1981.

 

[huskylord]

Prometheus (2012): 7/10
Alien: Covenant (2017) 6.5/10

Both are re-watches, but a first time with my son. Both are Good (not great) with Prometheus having such potential, but always devolving into insanely stupid actions by people that can be chalked up to writing that could have been better.
I like how they set the stage, add to the history, back story, etc......but it feels like every Alien movie has to have the exact same elements (lead female giving warnings that are ignored, space crew of motley characters, never trust an android, slimy guy sneaking an alien back,etc., using the space/cargo doors to blow them out., etc......)

Anyways, I won't hate on them, but seeing the potential they could have had just makes me wish there was more.

Give me more Engineers!

 

[I Am Legion]

Sound of Freedom 7/10

Well done, but absolutely heart wrenching. You are on an emotional roller coaster--anger, disgust, joy. Not something I will ever watch again, but I will recommend it to everyone. Child trafficking is the most abhorrent thing I can imagine as a parent. If I had a very particular set of skills, that I acquired over a long career, I would make it a nightmare for people that do that shit. The cast was excellent.

 

[eddymotto]

The Night Eats the World (2018)

French zombie film (there is not a huge amount of dialogue but it is almost all in English).

The protagonist, Sam, visits his ex-girlfriend to pick up some tapes he left behind when they split up. He walks into a big party at her flat and her new boyfriend. Sam ends up in a backroom sorting through his stuff and falls asleep. He wakes up in the morning to a city that has been overrun by zombies (in this film the zombies are fast).

The film follows Sam as he tries to survive while being trapped in the apartment, both physically and mentally.

The movie does not cover any particularly original ground but it is well executed and lean (94 minute).

Sam does not have any special survival skills but he is logical and resourceful. For example, when he is forced to clean out a zombie filled apartment in order to get more food, he cuts a small hole in the door so that he can shoot the zombies who are inside without exposing himself to attack.

The film focuses more on Sam's mental deterioration as he is forced to live in solitude. I read the movie as an extended metaphor to Sam's previous relationship. At the beginning of the film, Sam's girlfriend has clearly moved on (new boyfriend and having a big party at her flat) while Sam seemed introverted and distracted with getting his stuff back. That is, she has moved on but Sam is stuck. In the same way, Sam becomes stuck in the apartment where he can survive but is completely cut off from potentially finding other people. Sam is choosing to survive in a stunted life rather than taking the risk to find something better. He sometimes lashes out in self destructive ways because he is lonely but he is also afraid to venture out from his comfort zone.

Rating: 7/10. Solid zombie flick.

 

[eddymotto]

Prometheus (2012): 7/10
Alien: Covenant (2017) 6.5/10

Both are re-watches, but a first time with my son. Both are Good (not great) with Prometheus having such potential, but always devolving into insanely stupid actions by people that can be chalked up to writing that could have been better.
I like how they set the stage, add to the history, back story, etc......but it feels like every Alien movie has to have the exact same elements (lead female giving warnings that are ignored, space crew of motley characters, never trust an android, slimy guy sneaking an alien back,etc., using the space/cargo doors to blow them out., etc......)

Anyways, I won't hate on them, but seeing the potential they could have had just makes me wish there was more.

Give me more Engineers!

I remain convinced that there is a potentially great film lucking inside Prometheus. Unfortunately, that is not the film that made it onto the screen.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Prometheus (2012): 7/10
Alien: Covenant (2017) 6.5/10

Give me more Engineers!

I wasn't a huge fan of either film but they both had some virtues. The only things I liked about Covenant were the David / Walter stuff and the couple minutes where David arrives on that Engineer cult planet. They should have made a movie about that flashback...as you say, more Engineers.

I'd have been pretty interested in a Ridley Scott sci fi movie like Prometheus about seeding life on earth and then meeting those unhappy makers eons later. I would have liked to see that and don't know why it really had to be linked to the Alien universe at all.

 

[the ambush]

The Octagon

Scott James (Chuck Norris) is a martial artist who single handedly diverts a plan for a ninja training camp creating terrorists. Scott James (Chuck Norris) exhibits his fighting skills in both unarmed and armed combat. In a final fight Scott James (Chuck Norris) faces off with bitter rival, Seikura (Tadashi Yamashita). Thumbs up!

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

The Octagon

Scott James (Chuck Norris) is a martial artist who single handedly diverts a plan for a ninja training camp creating terrorists. Scott James (Chuck Norris) exhibits his fighting skills in both unarmed and armed combat. In a final fight Scott James (Chuck Norris) faces off with bitter rival, Seikura (Tadashi Yamashita). Thumbs up!

I saw that one in the theater lol

 

[eddymotto]

Paris, Texas (1984)

A true masterpiece and one of the greatest American road movies ever made.

A man dressed in a loose fitting suit wanders through Texas scrub land before eventually collapsing inside a remote convenience store. The man remains mute when he wakes up but a local doctor finds a telephone number among his possessions. They phone the number and speak to Walt Henderson who lives in LA. Walt identifies the silent patient as his brother Travis, who disappeared without warning about 4 years ago.

Walt travels to Texas to pick up Travis and try to unwind what happened to Travis and his wife. Complicating matters is that Walt and his wife have been caring for Travis' son, Hunter, who was abandoned by his parents when they disappeared.

Rating: 9/10

 

[the ambush]

In Showdown, Billy (Billy Blanks) is a former cop and now in a position as a high school custodian. Lee (Patrick Kilpatrick) is a local martial arts instructor with a scar on his face who grunts and rubs off as cartoonish. Ken (Kenn Scott) and Tom (Ken McLeod) agree to a regulated fight, Ken is trained by Billy and Tom is trained by Lee.

The formula for Showdown is the exact same as Sidekicks.

 

[revoltub]

Rewatched "stand by me"
-
Been a bit since I saw it all the way through.

It has several memorable moments that still hold up, characters and sense of adventure still hold up. But I think even the more understated scenes are good. Thinking about it I cant think of a scene in the movie that bothered me or I felt needed to be cut.

One of those that feels grounded and simple but also has a soul and dreamlike quality to it. It's not perfect but I dont think it's heavily flawed in any area either.


8.5/10 maybe

 

[koquerelle]

I just rewatched Marathon Man. Amazing acting, amazing cinematography by Conrad Hall, amazing editing and amazing soundtrack. For those who haven't seen the movie, it's a thriller that manages to be as creepy as a great horror film.