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

ufcfan4 said:
I love Sleepy Hollow. Glad you enjoyed it. I actually feel like it’s one of Burton’s best. That era of the late 80s through the late 90s was probably the peak of his career.

Completely agree that the visual aspects are terrific. But, again, with Burton, already known for that sort of thing, his production designer collaborator, and the excellent cinematographer Lubezki, there’s no surprise that it’s a slam dunk.

To its credit, though, it’s more than just impressive imagery. Depp is phenomenal, one of his best performances. And this was Depp adding eccentricities to a character without going too far off the rails. Captain Jack and Wonka were bigger box office juggernauts, but I applaud this nuanced performance more. When I first saw the film in theaters in ‘99, I thoroughly enjoyed it and remember thinking that Depp was utterly funny. But watching it now, you can appreciate how Crane is a fully realized protagonist. His skittish nature and some of his reactions (seeing the spider under his bed for instance) are patently funny, but his character is also intelligent, dedicated, and heroic.

Christina Ricci and Mark Pickering are thoroughly likable and help to enhance the movie. They play off Depp very well. The movie is also stacked with great actors in supporting roles- Miranda Richardson. Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Martin Landau cameo, Michael Gough, Christopher Lee (RIP to those five), Ian McDiarmid, etc. I think Burton has said that this was his attempt to make a tribute to the Hammer horror films. Sadly, I’ve never seen any of those, but if the presence of Lee and Gough is a part of that, then I have tons of respect because they are awesome in this movie. Lee has maybe three minutes of screen time but he commands attention. He also credited Burton with reinvigorating his career and opening up the opportunities for Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

Walken’s cameo, goes without saying that it is spot on great. Perfect choice.

If I have one complaint
I feel that Miranda Richardson’s plot doesn’t really hold to scrutiny. The revenge against the Van Garretts and the resentment and envy toward the Van Tassels makes total sense and is handled well. But why does she have to go to all that trouble to conceal with widow Winship’s involvement if, ultimately, she inherits everything anyway, thus drawing attention to her as a possible culprit, which she seemed hell bent on avoiding. If concealing the line of succession to the widow was so important, then why didn’t she have Gough destroy the modified will rather than just hide it??

Still, Richardson is so good, that you barely notice. Her scene where she reveals herself as the villain would potentially be a sequence weighed down in plot explosion dialogue that it might be clunky but she acts that scene so well that it’s actually one of the most memorable and effective parts of the film, in my opinion.
.


Classic/10

Excellent film to watch during this time of year.
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yeah I always preferred the more reeled in version of Depp in stuff like 9th gate or Brasco and so on, compared to his more bombastic characters. Crane feels like a good balance of the two Depps.
 
Tickled (2016)

Surprisingly suspenseful documentary investigating some thinly veiled fetish offer claiming to be a competitive sport before turning into a true crime documentary about excessive lawfare, creepy threats and harrassment. Would recommend.

10/10
 
Reality Bites (USA, 1994)

American romantic-comedy drama written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Stiller, and Jeneane Garofalo. The film is commonly thought of as one of the quintessential Gen X movies of the 90's, alongside Clerks and Slackers.

The film centers on four friends who have recently graduated from college. Lelaina Pierce (Ryder) was the valedictorian of her graduating class and is shooting a verite style documentary about her friends. Troy (Hawke) is a would-be intellectual and musician who quickly ends up living on Lelaina's couch because he cannot keep a job. Vickie (Garofalo) is Lelaina's actual room-mate and is quietly alarmed that she is now a manager at a GAP store.

The film initially concerns itself with the group of 20-somethings facing disillusionment in the face of adult life. Their dreams, however vaguely conceptualized, clash with the reality of low paying jobs and financial insecurity. The second half to the film is driven by a love triangle between Lelaina, Troy, and Michael (Stiller), a low level executive who works at a MTV type television channel.

This film should be a hallowed part of my teens but I have never liked it that much. Lelaina is the cute girl who "dabbles in photography" and thinks that she is an artist because her friends, and men who want to fuck her, say that her photos are great. Her documentary looks to be poorly shot and features entitled and self-absorbed people talking in ways that will make them cringe in a few years. That is normal enough but certainly not the sign of an emerging artist or, frankly, somebody with anything interesting to say.

Troy is a fuck up who passes off his failures by convincing himself that every setback is because he refuses to sell out. He is sure that he is smarter than everybody else because he answers the phone by saying things like "hello, this is our winter of discontent" but he was unable to finish his degree and he is too stupid to get away with stealing a single snickers bar at work. More concerning is that every time he feels a pang of jealousy about Lelaina, he channels it into degrading insults designed to hurt her feelings and undermine her confidence.

Michael is a bit boorish but he is also a nice guy and the only person who goes out of his way to actually help Lelaina achieves her goals. Troy instantly dislikes him because of sexual jealousy. Fair enough. The rest of the friends are not much better. That is apparently ok because Michael wears suits and has a job and is therefore a sell-out.

I can relate to to their discontent. It is the thought that they are represent a special generation who is grappling with these issues for the first time that comes across as so self indulgent and myopic. Lelaina and Troy would fit in easily enough with Benjamin Braddock or Holden Caulfield. We have all felt lost at times as we move into real adulthood. I hope that I was not as annoying as the characters in this movie.

Ryder and Hawkes are quite good. Probably better than they should be given the limitations of the script.

The soundtrack is A+ 90's.

Rating: 5/10 (that includes a generous allotment for Ryder being so hot and the soundtrack being so good)

 
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Civil War 2024--7/10
This was beautifully shot, decent cast. The plot revolves around a press team going to try to get to DC to interview a third term authoritarian President, during the midst of a Civil War. They encounter a lot of violence and battles along the way. It is hard to figure out who is fighting who, and what caused all of this mess. The movie is bleak and dour in tone. Not much joy here. Left me sad and depressed, because this is a scenario that could happen.
 
Desert Fury (USA, 1947)

American film noir directed by Lewis Allen and starring Lizabeth Scott, Mary Astor, John Hodiak, Wendell Corey, and Burt Lancaster.

The most notable thing about this film is THAT IT IS SO GAY. SO GAY! In an era where Hollywood had to act like homosexuals did not exist, Desert Fury is unsubtle in being about one and a half homosexual love triangles.

The plot is melodramatic, overwrought, and not particularly interesting. Gangster Eddie Bendix (bisexual top) shows up in the small mining town of Chuckawalla, Nevada with his sidekick, Johnny (bitchy bottom). The two gangsters are down on their luck and looking to hide out for a bit.

Eddie gets involved with a local 19 year old woman named Paula, who is the daughter of casino owner "Fritzi". Johnny is not happy about this development. Fritzi knows Eddie from her criminal past and does not approve of the relationship either. It is implied that Fritzi and Eddie were once romantically involved. The weird part is that Fritzi seems to have a semi-sexual interest in her own daughter as well.

In the middle of all this is failed cowboy and current sheriff Tom Hanson (Lancaster). Tom is also interested in Paula but is resentful of Fritzi's meddling.

If this all sounds a bit complicated, it is easy enough to follow in the film itself. Everybody wants to fuck everybody else and at least half the characters are queer.

The film is one of the early films with "technicolor" and it still looks lush today.

Nothing else translate to the present day very well. The plot is mundane, the acting style is dated, and the dialogue is wooden. Really the only reason to watch it is to see how obvious queerness was captured in noir films of that era.

Rating: 4/10

 
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The Handmaiden (Korea, 2016)

Psychological thriller directed by Park Chan-wook.

Set in the Japanese occupied Korea of the 1930's, the film is a sophisticated and twisting story about a complex con game wherein a young pickpocket named Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) is enlisted by a conman posing as a Count (Ha Jung-woo) to help swindle an heiress, Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), out of her fortune. However, nothing is as it seems in this tale of deception, where alliances shift and secrets unravel.

The plot is audacious. The performances are equally mesmerizing.

The film looks even better. Early on there is a scene where a car is driving through a forest to a large mansion and it looks so... cinematographic. If this mundane scene looks this good, I knew that I was in for a feast. Park Chan-wook’s meticulous direction is on full display, with every shot framed like a work of art, steeped in rich period detail. The cinematography, helmed by Chung Chung-hoon, is both lush and intimate, capturing the opulence of Lady Hideko's estate and the claustrophobic intensity of her inner world. Every shot of this movie looks incredible.

This is masterpiece level film making.

Rating: 9/10

 
Dragonlord’s Review of VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (Spoilers)

Bottom Line: If Sony Pictures set the Knull storyline from the very first 2018 movie, Venom: The Last Dance would have been a more satisfying viewing experience instead of feeling like a retconned, hastily put-together threequel.

26ev86n.png


[Warning: The review contains open spoilers but the movie is not that good or worth watching that you might as well read the spoilers.]

Venom: The Last Dance opens with an exposition prologue on the origin of the alien symbiotes. Apparently they were created by Knull, a powerful deity who was betrayed by his own Symbiote creations and then trapped in some desolate world. For some reason, Venom carries the Matrix of Leadership, I mean, the All Spark, I mean the Codex within him and is the key to freeing Knull from his prison. It’s not properly explained how Knull can’t escape his prison when he has an army of super powerful creatures called Xenophage at his disposal or how Knull can effortlessly create intergalactic portals with ease. Even for a popcorn comic book movie, you have to double shut down your brain for this film to overlook some questionable elements in it.

Remember when they teased a Venom crossover with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the post-credits scenes from Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home? Well It turned to be a bunch of nothing burger as Eddie Brock/Venom is sent back to the Sony Spider-Man universe with nothing to show for it. Eddie/Venom’s multiverse trip somehow alerted Knull to their presence and teleports one Xenophage (even though he has many Xenophage at his disposal) to Venom’s location. While in Mexico, Eddie/Venom sees a televised news report where he’s wanted by the authorities In San Francisco in relation to what happened in Venom 2. Eddie says they need to lie low and thinks they should go to somewhere where no one would look for them. Despite being already in Mexico, they decide to go to New York City. Couldn’t the writers (Tom Hardy himself and director Kelly Marcel) at least put some modicum of effort in trying to make a cohesive movie.

The Xenophage tracked and attacked Eddie/Venom while riding on top of an airliner. Eddie/Venom barely managed to escape from the Xenophage. It’s revealed later that whenever Venom fully transforms into his full form, the Xenophage can instantly locate the Codex energy signature within Venom. So Venom tells Eddie that they should not transform into the full Venom form at all cost. But when they meet their friend Mrs. Chen in Last Vegas, Venom disregards all logic and changes into his full Venom form so that he can dance. The Xenophage naturally shows up a few seconds later. There’s so many lapses in logic just to move the plot along.

There’s also a special forces unit from Area 51 that is hunting Venom. They already have several symbiotes in their custody and being studied. They allowed a symbiote to merge with the almost dead cop from the end of Venom 2 so that they can interview the alien symbiote. The special forces managed to capture Eddie/Venom and returned back to their base. The Xenophage ends up on the base and all hell breaks loose. The other symbiotes escaped and merged with the humans to fight the Xenophage. Most of the symbiotes are killed in the battle. Knull sends more Xenophage to the fray. Venom sacrificed himself to drag all the Xenophage to the hyperacid shower to kill them. Venom apparently died also. In appreciation of his help in fighting the Xenophage, Eddie is cleared of all charges from the government and is a free man. Eddie goes to New York and reminisce about the times he spent with Venom. And the movie ends.

I am not a big fan of Sony’s Venom franchise and I don’t have any sentimental attachments to Eddie and Venom in this Sony universe. That’s one of the major reasons why I wasn’t really invested in what was going on with the characters in Venom: The Last Dance. And I have to admit that every fiber of my being just rejects this Venom franchise because I have always believed that Venom should be introduced as a villain and as a Spider-Man foe. So that might explain my bias against the film. With that said, I did somewhat enjoy Eddie and Venom’s relationship in here and their interaction with each other. Venom looked adorable when it was on high alert after finding out a Xenophage was after them. And if I was attached to the character, Venom’s sacrifice play at the end would have moved me more.

Fans of the first two Venom movies and fans of symbiotes in the comic books will probably find this film more enjoyable than me. They’ll certainly have a blast when the Klyntar (the different colored symbiotes) shows up. But since they didn’t set this up in the first movie, the notion of good and noble symbiotes felt out of the blue since it was established in the first movie that the symbiotes are alien monsters searching for planets to devour their inhabitants. In the big fight at the end, one of the symbiotes managed to chop a Xenophage's head by using a blade from a chopper. They really nerfed the symbiotes here because all they did was just stab the Xenophage multiple times instead of using their appendages to form into a big scythe and slice the Xenophage's head.

The Xenophage as a Terminator-type symbiote hunter worked for me a bit. I especially liked the way they dispose of their prey when they eat them and blood and body parts rapidly fly out of the back of the creature’s head like a lawnmower or woodchipper. But seriously, if Venom just didn't change into his full form, he would have been practically invisible and would have been able to avoid detection for decades. Venom transferring to different animals was cute. The horse Venom sequence was fun. Venom dancing with Mrs. Chen was charming. The hippie family that Eddie meets midway and how they come into play at the end felt unnatural and forced. Venom standing straight doesn’t work. For me, he looks better hunched. Knull’s appearance at the beginning felt like the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker where they just shoehorned the Palpatine storyline. Knull was treated like Thanos before Infinity War where we just watch him sitting down.

There are two post-credits scenes. The mid-credits scene show Knull back in his homeworld vowing to destroy Earth. I don’t know what Sony is planning to do with this but it’s a safe bet that they don’t really have concrete plans for Knull and just like their approach in making these Spider-Man spinoff movies, they’re just throwing anything at the wall and hoping one of them will stick. Too bad because Knull looked good, like a white-out vampire version of Iggy Pop and it would have been interesting if they did an MCU version of The King in Black event. The other post-credits scene shows the bartender (Dani Rojas from Ted Lasso) that was detained at the base, alive and escaping the base.

I hope this is one of the final steps in Sony abandoning their stupid Spider-Man spinoff movies where they give Spider-Man villains their own movies and make them the good guys. It’s like Sony got hold of the Masters of the Universe rights and decide to give Skeletor, Beast Man and Evil-Lyn their own solo movies and making them anti-heroes. So fingers crossed that this indeed the last dance (yeah right).

RATING: 5/10
 
Dragonlordxxxxx said:
Dragonlord’s Review of VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (Spoilers)

Bottom Line: If Sony Pictures set the Knull storyline from the very first 2018 movie, Venom: The Last Dance would have been a more satisfying viewing experience instead of feeling like a retconned, hastily put-together threequel.

26ev86n.png


[Warning: The review contains open spoilers but the movie is not that good or worth watching that you might as well read the spoilers.]

Venom: The Last Dance opens with an exposition prologue on the origin of the alien symbiotes. Apparently they were created by Knull, a powerful deity who was betrayed by his own Symbiote creations and then trapped in some desolate world. For some reason, Venom carries the Matrix of Leadership, I mean, the All Spark, I mean the Codex within him and is the key to freeing Knull from his prison. It’s not properly explained how Knull can’t escape his prison when he has an army of super powerful creatures called Xenophage at his disposal or how Knull can effortlessly create intergalactic portals with ease. Even for a popcorn comic book movie, you have to double shut down your brain for this film to overlook some questionable elements in it.

Remember when they teased a Venom crossover with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the post-credits scenes from Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home? Well It turned to be a bunch of nothing burger as Eddie Brock/Venom is sent back to the Sony Spider-Man universe with nothing to show for it. Eddie/Venom’s multiverse trip somehow alerted Knull to their presence and teleports one Xenophage (even though he has many Xenophage at his disposal) to Venom’s location. While in Mexico, Eddie/Venom sees a televised news report where he’s wanted by the authorities In San Francisco in relation to what happened in Venom 2. Eddie says they need to lie low and thinks they should go to somewhere where no one would look for them. Despite being already in Mexico, they decide to go to New York City. Couldn’t the writers (Tom Hardy himself and director Kelly Marcel) at least put some modicum of effort in trying to make a cohesive movie.

The Xenophage tracked and attacked Eddie/Venom while riding on top of an airliner. Eddie/Venom barely managed to escape from the Xenophage. It’s revealed later that whenever Venom fully transforms into his full form, the Xenophage can instantly locate the Codex energy signature within Venom. So Venom tells Eddie that they should not transform into the full Venom form at all cost. But when they meet their friend Mrs. Chen in Last Vegas, Venom disregards all logic and changes into his full Venom form so that he can dance. The Xenophage naturally shows up a few seconds later. There’s so many lapses in logic just to move the plot along.

There’s also a special forces unit from Area 51 that is hunting Venom. They already have several symbiotes in their custody and being studied. They allowed a symbiote to merge with the almost dead cop from the end of Venom 2 so that they can interview the alien symbiote. The special forces managed to capture Eddie/Venom and returned back to their base. The Xenophage ends up on the base and all hell breaks loose. The other symbiotes escaped and merged with the humans to fight the Xenophage. Most of the symbiotes are killed in the battle. Knull sends more Xenophage to the fray. Venom sacrificed himself to drag all the Xenophage to the hyperacid shower to kill them. Venom apparently died also. In appreciation of his help in fighting the Xenophage, Eddie is cleared of all charges from the government and is a free man. Eddie goes to New York and reminisce about the times he spent with Venom. And the movie ends.

I am not a big fan of Sony’s Venom franchise and I don’t have any sentimental attachments to Eddie and Venom in this Sony universe. That’s one of the major reasons why I wasn’t really invested in what was going on with the characters in Venom: The Last Dance. And I have to admit that every fiber of my being just rejects this Venom franchise because I have always believed that Venom should be introduced as a villain and as a Spider-Man foe. So that might explain my bias against the film. With that said, I did somewhat enjoy Eddie and Venom’s relationship in here and their interaction with each other. Venom looked adorable when it was on high alert after finding out a Xenophage was after them. And if I was attached to the character, Venom’s sacrifice play at the end would have moved me more.

Fans of the first two Venom movies and fans of symbiotes in the comic books will probably find this film more enjoyable than me. They’ll certainly have a blast when the Klyntar (the different colored symbiotes) shows up. But since they didn’t set this up in the first movie, the notion of good and noble symbiotes felt out of the blue since it was established in the first movie that the symbiotes are alien monsters searching for planets to devour their inhabitants. In the big fight at the end, one of the symbiotes managed to chop a Xenophage's head by using a blade from a chopper. They really nerfed the symbiotes here because all they did was just stab the Xenophage multiple times instead of using their appendages to form into a big scythe and slice the Xenophage's head.

The Xenophage as a Terminator-type symbiote hunter worked for me a bit. I especially liked the way they dispose of their prey when they eat them and blood and body parts rapidly fly out of the back of the creature’s head like a lawnmower or woodchipper. But seriously, if Venom just didn't change into his full form, he would have been practically invisible and would have been able to avoid detection for decades. Venom transferring to different animals was cute. The horse Venom sequence was fun. Venom dancing with Mrs. Chen was charming. The hippie family that Eddie meets midway and how they come into play at the end felt unnatural and forced. Venom standing straight doesn’t work. For me, he looks better hunched. Knull’s appearance at the beginning felt like the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker where they just shoehorned the Palpatine storyline. Knull was treated like Thanos before Infinity War where we just watch him sitting down.

There are two post-credits scenes. The mid-credits scene show Knull back in his homeworld vowing to destroy Earth. I don’t know what Sony is planning to do with this but it’s a safe bet that they don’t really have concrete plans for Knull and just like their approach in making these Spider-Man spinoff movies, they’re just throwing anything at the wall and hoping one of them will stick. Too bad because Knull looked good, like a white-out vampire version of Iggy Pop and it would have been interesting if they did an MCU version of The King in Black event. The other post-credits scene shows the bartender (Dani Rojas from Ted Lasso) that was detained at the base, alive and escaping the base.

I hope this is one of the final steps in Sony abandoning their stupid Spider-Man spinoff movies where they give Spider-Man villains their own movies and make them the good guys. It’s like Sony got hold of the Masters of the Universe rights and decide to give Skeletor, Beast Man and Evil-Lyn their own solo movies and making them anti-heroes. So fingers crossed that this indeed the last dance (yeah right).

RATING: 5/10
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These films are fucking stinking, every single one of them.
 
Trap (2024) 5/10

***Mild spoilers***

This one sucked me in in the first half and then completely lost it in the second half. Hartnett was really good but the movie just gets progressively more ridiculous. It also lacks the big "twist" that M. Night is famous for trying, even when they don't work. To top it off it's one of those movies that seems to end like 3 or 4 times with the final ending explaining nothing.
 
High & Low - John Galliano (UK, 2023). Documentary film about British fashion designer John Galliano. Galliano was a famous clothing designer for the French fashion house, Dior. He was known for his creativity, rockstar lifestyle, and commercial success. It all came crashing down when he was caught on video making anti-semitic remarks. The documentary attempts to plot Galliano's rise to the pinnacle of the fashion industry as well to examine if he deserves the opportunity to rehabilitate his image. Solid documentary but nothing special. Rating: 5/10

WolfCop (Canada, 2024). Horror-comedy about an alcoholic small town cop who becomes a werewolf. It really should have been a lot more fun. Rating: 3.5/10

Trap (USA, 2024). M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller about a serial killer caught up in a police manhunt during a music concert. The concept is fun. The film becomes increasingly ludicrous and by the 3rd act is is utterly ridiculous. Yet... I still had a good time and I kinda liked it. Rating: 5.5/10
 
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Timecrimes (Spain, 2007)

Low budget science fiction film written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo.

I will not take the risk of ruining any of the plot by discussing it here. Suffice it to say, it all centres around time travel and causality loops.

I usually love time travel movies and I was really looking forward to this "hidden gem". Unfortunately, the film did not deliver. Time travels movies require a suspension of disbelief. Ok. But the overall set up for this one is particularly dumb. Then the main character goes out of his way to do other dumb things, seemingly for the sole purpose of being able to allow the plot to happen.

It is low budget and it looks low budget and that is ok but I wish that the acting was better.

Worth watching for fans of the genre. Everybody else - skip it.

Rating: 5/10


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Satan Wants You (2023)

A documentary about the Satanic Panic of the 1980's. I had high hopes for this when i started watching but it ended up being extremely disappointing. It does a very good job going into detais about Michelle Remembers, but completely falls flat about any other details of the entire moral panic. False convictions as a result of it are covered briefly, but that's about it. No in depth look at the influence on the entertainment industry (music, dungeons & dragons, video games) and absolutely zero mention of the related real satanic crimes (Richard Ramirez, Ricky Kasso, etc.).

4/10

Not boring but not very informative.
 
mb23100 said:
Trap (2024) 5/10

***Mild spoilers***

This one sucked me in in the first half and then completely lost it in the second half. Hartnett was really good but the movie just gets progressively more ridiculous. It also lacks the big "twist" that M. Night is famous for trying, even when they don't work. To top it off it's one of those movies that seems to end like 3 or 4 times with the final ending explaining nothing.
Click to expand...
Just watched this one as well. Same complaint. First half was great, Hartnett plays the role perfectly and was engaging and charismatic.

Movie completely fell apart in the last half but more so the last quarter. Ending was a non ending and just ruined the overall movie for me.

3/10 for the movie. 8/10 for Hartnett
 
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