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

The Wild Pacific (2016)

Take a tour of the largest body of water on earth, the vast Pacific Ocean. It is a beautiful look at living lifeforms in the Pacific Ocean. Examine the Galapagos Islands reptiles, a tortoise and a lizard. Also absorb a whale and a shark roaming beneath the sea. I am particularly fond of this type of documentary as it is important we care about our ecosystems, environment, fish and animals.
 
Now You See Me(2013)
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Jess Eisenberg
Directed by Louis Letterier
4.5-5/10

Not sure how this movie became such a successful box office hit. Maybe because of the stellar cast. Personally, I found it pretty hokey and contrived and had trouble suspending disbelief for the sake of fun. The ending was especially ridiculous.

It's about a group of four magicians/con artists who run elaborate illusions/scams/thefts mostly for the benefit of those who have been financially wronged. They are pursued by a bitter FBI agent with a past whose magician father was exposed because of a former magician turned debunker and who later died in a trick gone wrong. It's believed by an Interpol agent assisting the FBI that the four magicians, known as the Horsemen, are part of a mysterious group of magicians know only as The Eye. Together, they try to catch the four at what has been said will be their final show.

I can handle a few unbelievable scenes in a movie but this flick had far too many.

Not recommended.
 
BisexualMMA said:
THE HOSTAGE HEART (1977)

Suspense TV movie starring Carl Weathers, Paul Shenar, Loretta Swit and occasional Best of the Worst MVP Cameron Mitchell. Some bad guys including Carl take over a hospital operating room where a billionaire is having heart bypass surgery to hold him for ransom while he is receiving the surgery. Again...can't mistake this one for anything other than a TV movie but it has a charm to it. They really had some quality names in these network movies on their way up (or down).

5.8 / 10.
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Cameron Mitchell! He shows up in so many B-movies it's unbelievable.
 
revoltub said:
When evil Lurks (2023)

-

solid horror film. Maybe one of the better ones I've watched in a while. I do think it has elements that might have already been done better in other films. But this one remixes things well enough to make them it's own. And it's under an hour and keeps things moving and good enough to be invested in.


7.2/10 range
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It's all in sub-titles though, right?
 
revoltub said:
Yojimbo (1961)

-

I'd been meaning to get to more Kurosawa films since I've only seen Seven Samurai. Plus this one was famously remade as Fistfull of Dollars so I figured I'd start with this one.

It's a well done film. I'm not sure exactly but right now I'll say I think I prefer fistfull of dollars. But I really need to rewatch that one because it didnt stick with me the same way as for a few dollars more or tgtbtu.

Toshiro Mifune is the best part without a doubt, an anti hero who plays two sides against each other but might be a "nicer guy" than even he believes. Good amount of comedy mixed in and some solid samurai action.

I cant say it blew me away the same way Seven Samurai did. But overall I think it was worth a watch to see how Leone was influenced by it.

7 range I'd say.
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Give Rashomon a try. I saw it years ago and remembered liking it.
 
ANGELS IN AMERICA (2003)

Miniseries from the early 2000s by Mike Nichols, one of the premier big screen directors of decades past. It is billed as starring Al Pacino, Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep, but despite this list of Oscar regulars it is Jeffrey Wright that steals the show.

The problem with the miniseries is there are too many storylines for me and too much going on. The throughline / most interesting parts are a young man dying of AIDS in the 80s and also an old man (real life controversial figure Roy Cohn played by Pacino) dying the same way at the same time. Then there are some storylines that get equal time but are less necessary and less interesting (Mary Louise Parker as the wife of a guy figuring out he is gay, Patrick Wilson as that guy figuring out he is gay, Meryl Streep as the mother of the same guy).

It also seems to delve into masturbatory type stuff like opening with Meryl Streep playing a bearded Rabbi and some long winded soliloquies from angels and so on, as well as political ramblings that aren't really to the point of the throughline. People are dying of AIDS here...I don't really need to know what the characters who aren't sick think of Newt Gingrich.

The stakes are so high with people actually dying that all of the other stuff seems kind of like a waste of time.

It is worth a watch and received much critical acclaim but I think you would spend less time and get more bang for your buck by watching Citizen Cohn with James Woods from the early 90s for the story of Roy Cohn and Longtime Companion from 1990 or so for a story about gay dudes dealing with and dying from AIDS.

6.5 / 10.
 
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AFanNotAFighter said:
Now You See Me(2013)
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Jess Eisenberg
Directed by Louis Letterier
4.5-5/10

Not sure how this movie became such a successful box office hit. Maybe because of the stellar cast. Personally, I found it pretty hokey and contrived and had trouble suspending disbelief for the sake of fun. The ending was especially ridiculous.

It's about a group of four magicians/con artists who run elaborate illusions/scams/thefts mostly for the benefit of those who have been financially wronged. They are pursued by a bitter FBI agent with a past whose magician father was exposed because of a former magician turned debunker and who later died in a trick gone wrong. It's believed by an Interpol agent assisting the FBI that the four magicians, known as the Horsemen, are part of a mysterious group of magicians know only as The Eye. Together, they try to catch the four at what has been said will be their final show.

I can handle a few unbelievable scenes in a movie but this flick had far too many.

Not recommended.
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I dont mind it but yeah it isn't realistic. If it isn't something you can get past then the second is even worse
 
revoltub said:
I dont mind it but yeah it isn't realistic. If it isn't something you can get past then the second is even worse
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I enjoyed both, the 1st more than the 2nd, but I don't need realism in these types of movies. I just need to be entertained.
 
revoltub said:
I dont mind it but yeah it isn't realistic. If it isn't something you can get past then the second is even worse
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I don't mind lack of realism to an extent but the beauty of real magic is that it's believable. None of the "magic" in the movie was at all. Not even close. I actually saw part of the second one before I watched the first and just figured the sequel was bad like many are but it was just as dumb as the first one.
 
Misery (1990)

-

Decided to circle back to this one after watching it for the first time a few years ago.

I dont agree with some critics who say it is all Kathy Bates and Caan was miscast. I think he's almost perfect in the role. A lot of great little nuances in the performance especially his reactions and facial expressions that say a lot without any dialogue needed. Its actually funny because he does a similar type of thing when reacting to Will Ferrell in Elf. The guy definitely mastered the "I think this person is insane" facial expression to a T.

Bates is definitely the MVP though. One second she is obnoxiously chaste saying things like "heavens to betsy" and refusing to curse. Next second she goes completely psycho. I think the film does a good job of never letting Caan or the audience be sure of what will set her off. Something you think will, doesnt, something you think wont, does.

I also like the side plot going on with Richard Farnsworth and his deputy wife trying to look for Caan. Not as interesting as Bates and Caan stuff but still necessary to have for the story.

The last couple minutes of the film i think maybe couldve been handled better. There is a major time skip that brushes over what I think is something they could've shown but I guess it really isnt that big of a deal.

8/10 range
 
revoltub said:
Misery (1990)

-

Decided to circle back to this one after watching it for the first time a few years ago.

I dont agree with some critics who say it is all Kathy Bates and Caan was miscast. I think he's almost perfect in the role. A lot of great little nuances in the performance especially his reactions and facial expressions that say a lot without any dialogue needed. Its actually funny because he does a similar type of thing when reacting to Will Ferrell in Elf. The guy definitely mastered the "I think this person is insane" facial expression to a T.

Bates is definitely the MVP though. One second she is obnoxiously chaste saying things like "heavens to betsy" and refusing to curse. Next second she goes completely psycho. I think the film does a good job of never letting Caan or the audience be sure of what will set her off. Something you think will, doesnt, something you think wont, does.

I also like the side plot going on with Richard Farnsworth and his deputy wife trying to look for Caan. Not as interesting as Bates and Caan stuff but still necessary to have for the story.

The last couple minutes of the film i think maybe couldve been handled better. There is a major time skip that brushes over what I think is something they could've shown but I guess it really isnt that big of a deal.

8/10 range
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James Caan was awesome. I don't think he would have been out of place with an Oscar nomination of his own.

They also did a great adaptation from the novel. Kept the throughline, separated the wheat from the chaff and streamlined everything.
 
revoltub said:
Misery (1990)

-

Decided to circle back to this one after watching it for the first time a few years ago.

I dont agree with some critics who say it is all Kathy Bates and Caan was miscast. I think he's almost perfect in the role. A lot of great little nuances in the performance especially his reactions and facial expressions that say a lot without any dialogue needed. Its actually funny because he does a similar type of thing when reacting to Will Ferrell in Elf. The guy definitely mastered the "I think this person is insane" facial expression to a T.

Bates is definitely the MVP though. One second she is obnoxiously chaste saying things like "heavens to betsy" and refusing to curse. Next second she goes completely psycho. I think the film does a good job of never letting Caan or the audience be sure of what will set her off. Something you think will, doesnt, something you think wont, does.

I also like the side plot going on with Richard Farnsworth and his deputy wife trying to look for Caan. Not as interesting as Bates and Caan stuff but still necessary to have for the story.

The last couple minutes of the film i think maybe couldve been handled better. There is a major time skip that brushes over what I think is something they could've shown but I guess it really isnt that big of a deal.

8/10 range
Click to expand...

I finally watched this movie from start to finish a couple of years ago (I knew the story well enough but had only watched parts of it on tv at different times).

Really well executed film. No fat to cut.

I did not realize that some people thought that Caan was mis-cast. He was great! Perhaps at the time people associated Caan with hyper-masculine roles?
 
eddymotto said:
I finally watched this movie from start to finish a couple of years ago (I knew the story well enough but had only watched parts of it on tv at different times).

Really well executed film. No fat to cut.

I did not realize that some people thought that Caan was mis-cast. He was great! Perhaps at the time people associated Caan with hyper-masculine roles?
Click to expand...

It was well known at the time that James Caan wasn't the first choice. Nearly every age appropriate A-list leading man turned down the role, same as the lead in Cutthroat Island. But at the end of the day, I don't think anyone would have done it better than James Caan and only a few might have done as well (like maybe Michael Douglas).

I think if anything being associated with hyper masculine tough guy stuff worked in the favor of the movie in having Caan debilitated and handicapped. He also was completely believable as a novelist...like a physically idealized Stephen King or something. Quite a departure from someone like Sonny Corleone.
 
eddymotto said:
I finally watched this movie from start to finish a couple of years ago (I knew the story well enough but had only watched parts of it on tv at different times).

Really well executed film. No fat to cut.

I did not realize that some people thought that Caan was mis-cast. He was great! Perhaps at the time people associated Caan with hyper-masculine roles?
Click to expand...

Honestly I just read one article title that said he was miscast and figured it was one of those things everyone said about it.
 
BisexualMMA said:
It was well known at the time that James Caan wasn't the first choice. Nearly every age appropriate A-list leading man turned down the role, same as the lead in Cutthroat Island. But at the end of the day, I don't think anyone would have done it better than James Caan and only a few might have done as well (like maybe Michael Douglas).

I think if anything being associated with hyper masculine tough guy stuff worked in the favor of the movie in having Caan debilitated and handicapped. He also was completely believable as a novelist...like a physically idealized Stephen King or something. Quite a departure from someone like Sonny Corleone.
Click to expand...

Douglas would have been great too. But at least he has fatal attraction
 
revoltub said:
Honestly I just read one article title that said he was miscast and figured it was one of those things everyone said about it.
Click to expand...

If I remember right he was considered "adequate" in the role but it was widely seen as the Kathy Bates show. I think people really underappreciated James Caan's responsibilities in selling the whole story.
 
revoltub said:
Misery (1990)

-

Decided to circle back to this one after watching it for the first time a few years ago.

I dont agree with some critics who say it is all Kathy Bates and Caan was miscast. I think he's almost perfect in the role. A lot of great little nuances in the performance especially his reactions and facial expressions that say a lot without any dialogue needed. Its actually funny because he does a similar type of thing when reacting to Will Ferrell in Elf. The guy definitely mastered the "I think this person is insane" facial expression to a T.

Bates is definitely the MVP though. One second she is obnoxiously chaste saying things like "heavens to betsy" and refusing to curse. Next second she goes completely psycho. I think the film does a good job of never letting Caan or the audience be sure of what will set her off. Something you think will, doesnt, something you think wont, does.

I also like the side plot going on with Richard Farnsworth and his deputy wife trying to look for Caan. Not as interesting as Bates and Caan stuff but still necessary to have for the story.

The last couple minutes of the film i think maybe couldve been handled better. There is a major time skip that brushes over what I think is something they could've shown but I guess it really isnt that big of a deal.

8/10 range
Click to expand...

Horror is my least favourite genre. Well maybe musicals. Anyways, even with that bias Misery is ine of my all time favourites. Kathy Bates is terrifying and the scene with the poison wine is a masterclass in tension. Great flick!
 
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