The Movie (and TV show) Watching Thread

[Orwell]

I watched remember the Titans and Coach Carter last night I'll probably watch Invincible and Rookie of the Year tonight.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

I tried watching Downsizing, couldn't go past the 15 minute mark due to the atrocious dialogue. I also watched a few movies but none of the ones I hadn't already seen were particularly amazing

Batman Begins 5/10
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 4.5/10, it has quite a few fun moments but a lot of it felt like q regular episode that went for too long and the live action scenes weren't great (but I've never been a fan of that pirate guy)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 6/10, an unusual take on a familiar tale, quite interesting and generally fun despite some clear issues
Mute 5/10, really cool looking, some interesting characters, and a few fun scenes, but the "main" plot is fairly mediocre and generic below the shiny surface
Coffee and Kareem: 5/10
Spirited Away 6/10
Toy Story 3 (rewatched)

Gerald's Game 6/10, a good movie with an unusual plot that manages to stay suspenseful through most of the movie, very good acting by the two main characters, although it would've easily gotten a 6.5 if the last 10 minutes were cut completely

[Progressive Pessimist]

I tried watching Downsizing, couldn't go past the 15 minute mark due to the atrocious dialogue. I also watched a few movies but none of the ones I hadn't already seen were particularly amazing

Batman Begins 5/10
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 4.5/10, it has quite a few fun moments but a lot of it felt like q regular episode that went for too long and the live action scenes weren't great (but I've never been a fan of that pirate guy)
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 6/10, an unusual take on a familiar tale, quite interesting and generally fun despite some clear issues
Mute 5/10, really cool looking, some interesting characters, and a few fun scenes, but the "main" plot is fairly mediocre and generic below the shiny surface
Coffee and Kareem: 5/10
Spirited Away 6/10
Toy Story 3 (rewatched)

To most people your rating here is probably sacrilege, but I agree with you here. It's animation is incredible, as is the creativity but it's narrative is just so confusing and vague. Honestly, I tend to think that way about most Studio Ghibli films with some exceptions like 'Castle in the Sky' and 'Ponyo' which are much simpler stories.

And I talked about 'Downsizing' before, I was with it right until they introduce a Vietnamese woman and the movie forgets about its science-fiction premise. It's a shame because Alexander Payne is one of my favorite directors. It was a disappointment.

[RI]

I can't remember the last movie I watched; I don't think I've seen a single one since COVID. I love movies and miss them, but it's just not possible until my kids get older.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Still shocked that Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) holds up.

[T'Chenka]

Pet Sematary (2019)

Meh.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I got a few more:

Michael Clayton: I saw this for the first time, and it was fine. It came off like a lesser David Fincher thriller. I really don't have much to say about it (weird, I know).

Beaks: A low budget, boring-ass Mexican-Italian 'The Birds' ripoff. It was yet another bad movie that I was hoping would deliver on having entertainingly bad moments, but was ultimately just dull. It was also kind of distressing to watch since you saw the birds in question (mostly pigeons in this case, by the way, which are nowhere near as intimidating as the ones in the Hitchcock movie) being abused, injured, and shot for real. It's horrible! Though I think the birds in 'The Birds' did the same thing. But at least Hitchcock knew how to shoot the movie so that I was still thinking of our human characters instead of how badly I feel for the birds. Watch 'Birdemic: Shock and Terror' instead. I think it's slightly overrated as far as good-bad movies go, but it is still worth seeing and getting some laughs out of it.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: I tend to find most Hollywood biopics fairly forgettable if they don't add something new to the typical formula. Thankfully this one did with cute little models of the cities that the movie takes place and even going as far as to film a somewhat surreal dream sequence. And of course, it's impossible to dislike Tom Hanks, one of the most likable people in the world, playing another of the most likable people who ever lived, Fred Rogers. Hanks only slightly looked like Rogers, and only slightly sounded like him but I was surprised to have still bought him as someone so iconic. Maybe it was entirely because of that inherent charm, or maybe it's because Hanks did actually seem to nail the mannerisms. Interestingly, he also kind of reminded me of a benevolent Hannibal Lecter with how he tries to learn about others' psychology.

 Obviously Hanks is the core of the film, but the conflict with the journalist and how Rogers tries to help him through some internal strife, while nothing particularly new or ground-breaking in biopics, still managed to be heartwarming and moving. Sometimes it went a little too far though, there was quite a bit of schmaltz in the film that became a bit too much for me at times. Also the entire movie's narrative needs to be taken with a grain of salt as far as being "a true story," as with most biopics, and in that sense it might feel a bit manipulative. It's another problem I have with most biopics.

 In spite of all that, I just couldn't help but fall for the movie's heart-tugging. I got really misty eyed in parts, though I wasn't all-out bawling like I was from one of my favorite documentaries of the last decade: 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' about Fred Rogers and his life. What can I say? I'm a sucker for Mr. Rogers, as most cynical adults who grew up with his show probably are. It's probably why he's having a renaissance (a Rogerssaince?) of sorts right now. The world needs Mr. Rogers more than ever it seems, yet we can never have him back outside of our memories of him. He is like the anti-Donald Trump, who I would declare as the symbol of our miserable time; with how altruistic, empathetic, self-aware, and thoughtful he is in comparison to the current President. They're both interesting companion pieces though, I recommend watching them both back-to-back, if you can, especially because the biopic outright remakes some moments from the documentary and adds to it. Though I think I prefer the documentary overall.

[The Dowager Mod]

We have been binge watching every Milla Jovovich movie in chronological order.

[T'Chenka]

We have been binge watching every Milla Jovovich movie in chronological order.

I hope you like Hellboy (2019). It isn't great but IMO it isn't the steaming pile of s___ that critics say it is.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Animal Kingdom is free to watch on iView until Aug 18th.

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/animal-kingdom

Remarkable film based on a true story.

[John Dule]

Also, MASSIVE spoiler ahead:

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[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

I don't know what I expected.

[Wikipedia delenda est]

Saw The Godfather and Part II. Amazing movies worth all the praise they get. Vito's death scene in particular was deeply moving and something I'll never forget.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Reruns of sutcomes I watched in the 90s and early 200s, how many movies can you watch over and over again, Justice League,  Avengers and Fast and Furious

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): 7/10
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): 8/10
Ant-Man (2015): 7/10
Captain America: Civil War (2016): 7/10
Doctor Strange (2016): 7/10
Guardians of the Galaxy (rewatch) (2014): 8/10
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017): 7/10
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): 7/10
Thor: Ragnarok (2017): 5/10
Thirteen (2003): 9/10
Revenge (2017): 9/10
Black Panther (2018): 7/10
Avengers: Infinity War (2018): 8/10
The Mountain Between Us (2016): 7/10
Utøya 22. Juli (2018): 10/10
Ghostland (2018): 3/10
Mandy (2018): 9/10
Booksmart (2019): 7/10

[T'Chenka]

1977 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Not nearly as good as I had hoped. A good movie. Not amazing, not even close to "E.T.".

1989 The Dream Team
An "average" film (in a good way) and just that, nothing more. Keaton and the script's comedy are good.

2001 Wet Hot American Summer
Funny but akward and cringe humour mostly. Sloppy script but also seems intentionally sloppy.

2008 Mamma Mia!
Not a good film but it's way more entertaining than it has any right being.

2014 How To Train Your Dragon 2
Pretty good film. Not amazing, not great, but definitely above average.

2020 Disclosure
"Not bad" / "kind of good". They got into illogical politics a bit and not a great doc really.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

How dare you criticize one of Meryl's brilliant works.

Mamma Mia! was one of the most egregious cases of anti-Meryl bias that dominates the industry and makes her so criminally underrated. One of the 50 or so movies I would just watch again-and-again before my post-March 15 experimentation sessions. If you don't tear up with her skills on "The Winner Takes It All" then you have no soul.

(Of course, it's even better on Broadway! That goes without saying and cannot be pinned on Meryl. She does her best to help me relive those memories.)

[Mr. Reactionary]

Im in a group doing 3 themed movies a week.

This past week was movies about making movies so we did Argo, the Disaster Artist, and Hail Caesar.

[T'Chenka]

How dare you criticize one of Meryl's brilliant works.

Mamma Mia! was one of the most egregious cases of anti-Meryl bias that dominates the industry and makes her so criminally underrated. One of the 50 or so movies I would just watch again-and-again before my post-March 15 experimentation sessions. If you don't tear up with her skills on "The Winner Takes It All" then you have no soul.

(Of course, it's even better on Broadway! That goes without saying and cannot be pinned on Meryl. She does her best to help me relive those memories.)

Meryl is pretty good, though there is a bit of over-acting going on. Most of my complaints are about the script and director. Most actors were okay or good.

[Progressive Pessimist]

How dare you criticize one of Meryl's brilliant works.

Mamma Mia! was one of the most egregious cases of anti-Meryl bias that dominates the industry and makes her so criminally underrated. One of the 50 or so movies I would just watch again-and-again before my post-March 15 experimentation sessions. If you don't tear up with her skills on "The Winner Takes It All" then you have no soul.

(Of course, it's even better on Broadway! That goes without saying and cannot be pinned on Meryl. She does her best to help me relive those memories.)

Meryl Streep is an incredibly talented woman who can do just about anything...except sing, at least then. She got better in other musicals I've seen her in since though. I'm sorry but between her and Pierce Brosnan both being terrible singers, the lack of a real story, annoying characters, and way too many songs- 'Mamma Mia!' is one of my least favorite movies ever and reminds me of why I tend to dislike most musicals.

If it makes you feel better though, the sequel, 'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!' is a lot better for reasons I can't really figure out. Maybe it's because it has an actual plot and some character development even as the songs are still pointless. Though the singing overall is way better too, even from Brosnan and Streep, and especially Lily James who is pretty much the de facto main character here. My friend and his girlfriend made me watch it when I was hanging out with them one day, much to my chagrin, but I was surprised at how much better it was than the first one. Don't get me wrong though, it's still not fantastic or anything, but it's watchable and entertaining enough. Maybe I'm just not a big enough Abba fan to really enjoy these films.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I despised the sequel, one of the worst movies ever in spite of my endless love for Cher. I know the first is done comically and is not genuinely great, but the Broadway nostalgia probably only helps it. The music is very uninteresting in the sequel except for Waterloo.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I despised the sequel, one of the worst movies ever in spite of my endless love for Cher. I know the first is done comically and is not genuinely great, but the Broadway nostalgia probably only helps it. The music is very uninteresting in the sequel except for Waterloo.

Eh, I'm not like devotedly defensive of the sequel, I can understand that. But clearly we have two vastly diverging opinions on this franchise as a whole.

[Lumine]

Rewatched A Fistful of Dollars, liked it even more than the first time (minus the insufferably annoying child), made a lot more sense as well for some reason. Tempted to watch Yojimbo soon to compare both films.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

El abrazo de la serpiente (2015): 5/10
Skate Kitchen (2018): 8/10
Hjartasteinn (2016): 9/10
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018): 7/10
Heathers (1989): 10/10
Captain Marvel (2019): 6/10
Thoroughbreds (2017): 6/10
Avengers: Endgame (2019): 8/10

[Progressive Pessimist]

The Town that Dreaded Sundown: a 1970's exploitation film about the real-life Texarkana phantom killer that is supposedly considered one of the first slasher movies ever and was popular at drive-ins at the time. There is a reason that it isn't considered a classic like 'Halloween' or 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' though and that's due to some really distracting dubbing of dialogue, bad shooting of the death scenes that could have otherwise been scary, some bad comedy that muddles the film's tone, and numerous goofs like seeing cameramen in the background. It could have been good under a better director, especially considering how scary the killer looks. He wears this sack over his head and apparently inspired Jason Voorhees' look from the second 'Friday the Thirteenth' movie. When I learned that it was directed by the guy responsible for the 'Boggy Creek' series (which I know of from 'Mystery Science Theater 3000') it all made sense why this fell short.

Shakma: the world's least intimidating baboon that underwent animal testing that made him more aggressive (for some reason) ripping apart LARPing medical students in a tower who are playing a game hosted by their professor, Roddy McDowell. No, that isn't a madlib. That's this movie. Sadly it's duller than it sounds, I didn't hate it though. But what I did hate was one character named Bradley who has the most irritating delivery of lines I think I have ever heard. Everything he says is delivered in a way that makes him sound like he is attempting a stereotypical gay male voice combined with what sounds like he's having phone sex. Everything is said very breathily, nasally, and slowly while also loudly chewing gum, and every time he came on screen and talked I wanted him to die. Thankfully he is the first one that Shakma the baboon kills. I have never been so satisified with a character dying on screen. By the way, the attack scenes are poorly shot here too. I was actually kind of surprised at how this movie didn't pull any punches though. One would expect that the main hero's love interest and the innocent teenage friend wouldn't be killed-off, but they were! leaving him as the only one left who is implied to die anyway after the final confrontation. It was an oddly effective surprise, I'll give it that. And I didn't warn you about spoilers because there's no way you're like me an seek out B-movie schlock like this.

Tiptoes: I have heard so much about this movie and its infamy and while I can't quite say that it lives up to expectations it is truly an oddity. What would otherwise be a generic romantic comedy-drama with a positive message about showing little people as everyday, ordinary people is kneecapped by many peculiar choices and a sloppy, unsatisfying script.

 I highly doubt that the director (who actually went on to renounce the film after his cut was rejected by its producers) was an actual little person who understood how to write characters with that condition because everything in this movie just rings hollow. For instance, there's a subplot about Peter Dinklage, (who should have been cast in Gary Oldman's role, but I'll get to that) who is French for some reason, and Patricia Arquette playing an unexplainably weird character (seriously I can't describe what she is exactly supposed to be) being in a relationship that ultimately adds nothing to the plot and goes nowhere. It was probably meant as a way of showing that little people can have relationships with normal-sized people, both good and bad, which is a fine message but just distracts from the main pot which already sort of explores that theme.

The main plot involves Matthew McConaughey and Kate Beckinsale having a child out of wedlock and grappling with the fact that their child could suffer from dwarfism which is part of McConaughey's genetic makeup as his parents and twin brother (played by Gary Oldman, who is eleven years older!) are all little people. That's actually a decent premise but then the details rise to the surface and make it truly incompetent. For one thing, McConaughey has somehow never told Beckinsale about his family after being together for long enough to be engaged and then she finally ends up meeting the brother and learning of the family's secret. From then on the movie just goes all over the place, I am almost struggling to describe it like with the apparent implication that McConaughey is cheating on Beckinsale only for that to never come up again after the next scene. There is just a lot of "what?" and "why?" moments in this movie that never seem to register until you're done watching it. One weird moment that bothered the s*** out of me was after Beckinsale takes a pregnancy test and then awaits the results in her kitchen while the test rests on top of her damn coffee mug! Ew! What the f***? Why not just have her read it in the bathroom? I really don't know with this movie.

I have to address the casting controversy though of the 5'11'' Gary Oldman being cast as a little person. I don't think it would have been as upsetting to people if it was executed better, especially since this movie has a very large and inclusive cast of little person actors in many roles. In fairness, Oldman captures a couple small idiosyncrasies of how little people move while also delivering a decent performance, as would be expected out of an actor like him, but to make him look like a little person they just have him walk on his knees and stuffed what might as well be a throw pillow in his shirt to give him a humpback. When he sits on a couch they also have very obvious fake legs in place of where his real ones should be. The only time it looks convincing is with distant shots of the back of him and such where an actual little person stand-in is used instead. It's just jarring and a truly bizarre casting choice, especially with so many other little people already cast in it and also for supposedly being McCounaghey's twin brother yet being visibly much older. Oldman might be of more blame though than initially thought, apparently he was a major factor in getting this movie made due to an apparent want to play a little person. I think though that it was all just a big scheme so he would get to make out with Kate Beckinsale. I can't say that I blame him though because I had forgotten how damn attractive she is until watching this movie (sorry to sound so shallow but oh my god is she hot! even with some truly weird hairstyles and outfits in this film). And in the interest of balance, McConaughey gets shirtless many times and even wears tight fitting briefs in some scenes. So there's titillation for female audiences too.

I wish this movie was better though because little people probably deserve more visibility in films, especially with how few there are that are actually about them that aren't exploitative. I wouldn't mind seeing a film like this made by a competent little person, or even someone with general expertise on the subject, instead. It's another film that didn't have to be as mediocre as it ended up being.