The Movie (and TV show) Watching Thread

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Watched The Shadow (1994) because of April Daniels's scrapped adaptation of the character. All in all, it was actually pretty good, which makes me sad that Daniels won't be able to make her version until 2026 at the earliest (when The Shadow becomes public domain--thank you, Disney, for pissing off Republicans and ensuring that copyright law doesn't get extended).

EDIT: After watching it again, I've come to the conclusion that it has a lot in common with Doctor Who (1996). Both films were '90s attempts at rebooting an old IP (whether its last major attempt at relevance was 36 years ago [Invisible Avenger, 1958] or 7 [Survival, Season 26, 1989]) written by those with a history in the field (David Koepp grew up on the Shadow radio stories, while Matthew Jacobs was the son of Anthony, who portrayed Doc Holliday in season 3's The Gunfighters and allowed his son to visit the set). The titular characters of both films were played by one of four acting brothers (Alec Baldwin and Paul McGann, respectively), and a key item was made out of beryllium (whether it was a sphere or a clock). Both films underperformed expectations and plans to expand upon what we got were scrapped.

[Orwell]

Watched Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs today, not really scary, but good nonetheless I was much more scared by Se7en then The Silence of the Lambs, but both were amazing movies. I've now seen all but 1 of the IMDB top 25 movies, only missing Parasite which I have no intention of watching.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Watched Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs today, not really scary, but good nonetheless I was much more scared by Se7en then The Silence of the Lambs, but both were amazing movies. I've now seen all but 1 of the IMDB top 25 movies, only missing Parasite which I have no intention of watching.

Why not? You're really missing out. 'Parasite' is excellent.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Watched Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs today, not really scary, but good nonetheless I was much more scared by Se7en then The Silence of the Lambs, but both were amazing movies. I've now seen all but 1 of the IMDB top 25 movies, only missing Parasite which I have no intention of watching.

Why not? You're really missing out. 'Parasite' is excellent.

Yup, Parasite is really clever. I do like South Korean films.

[T'Chenka]

only missing Parasite which I have no intention of watching.

This is more cringey to read than most of the stuff blue avatars post here. Please watch it. Netflix Canada, use a VPN.

[T'Chenka]

I found out that 1985 classic European WW2 film "Come And See" is free to watch on Youtube, so I did so. The first third / half has some moments that I feel are mediocre, either due to editing, directing, or acting, but there is also a lot of really good stuff in there. The second half of the movie on the other hand is just great overall. Excellent stuff. Highly recommended, and like I said, you can watch it for free on youtube with a quick search.

I'll give a light 4.5 stars out of 5, close to 4.0 stars.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Watched Bullet train yeah we need speed rail in this country too replace Amtrak with Speed rails, it's gonna be replaced anyways

But, all that crashing at the end they would have been burned to pieces, it was another Fast and Furious movie but Brad Pitt is the star because they made it just like Fast and Furious

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

I watched 'Prey' last night. As someone who wouldn't consider myself a fan of the 'Predator' or 'Alien' series at all really, I've gotta say that it was actually pretty good. I especially enjoyed the use of atmosphere and the Native American actors were top tier. Solid A- movie for me.

[T'Chenka]

Nope re-watch: 7.5 / 10

Watching tonight: Irréversible by Gaspar Noé.

[T'Chenka]

 Irréversible
2002
director Gaspar Noé

7.5 (almost 8.0) / 10
= 4.0 / 5 stars

Very good film. Seems like the kind that benefits from repeat viewings. The first 20 minutes were disappointing but it gets so much better from there. A very disturbing film and not for everybody... you should either go in ready for ANYTHING, or google the controversial scene in the movie to see if this is the kind of film you would consider watching.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Irréversible
2002
director Gaspar Noé

7.5 (almost 8.0) / 10
= 4.0 / 5 stars

Very good film. Seems like the kind that benefits from repeat viewings. The first 20 minutes were disappointing but it gets so much better from there. A very disturbing film and not for everybody... you should either go in ready for ANYTHING, or google the controversial scene in the movie to see if this is the kind of film you would consider watching.

I like the style of that film, but it is very disturbing, and for a film that would because of its style benefit from repeated viewings it's a bit annoying that the content is so disturbing which discourages one from doing so.

[Continential]

Just finished watching Come and See, the first of the movies on Atun-Shei's movie list:

I think it is one of the greatest films of all time as it illustrates what it meant to be a Belarusian partisan and illustrates how bloody war is. I won't spoil more but I think more people should watch it and it has changed a little bit of me inside and I am sure it will be a movie I will never forget. 

[Meclazine for Israel]

As a science fiction fan, I loved it, but i could imagine that it would not be everyone's cup of tea.

Nope (2022)



The sub-plots were interesting. He always interjects his films with extreme violence to darken the mood, even if it adds nothing to the story, it is the evidence of the threat that the remaining cast members are being exposed to.

I like Jordan Peele's movies. "Get Out" and "Us" were excellent.

[T'Chenka]

Recently watched :

Heat (1995)
8.5 / 10
extremely good film, seems SLIGHTLY overrated in film community though

Barbarian (2022)
7.0 / 10
very good horror film, slightly overrated though, avoid spoilers, go in blind

[Progressive Pessimist]

I saw 'Red Rocket' the other day. From the director of 'Tangerine' and 'The Florida Project.' I liked both those movies, but this one is the best to me. It's his most focused film while still retaining his signatures like including many non-actors and analyzing the lives of America's overlooked underclass in very uncomfortable and transgressive ways.

Like the other two, it's a bit of a hard watch especially since this movie is mostly a character piece about a charismatic, though sleazy, lowlife, aging ex-porn star who has had to leave the industry after getting into legal trouble and put his life back together in his old working-class Texas hometown. It all culminates in him seeing his way back into the industry with grooming a 17 year old girl into becoming a porn star like him, after becoming his girlfriend. It's very gross but very intriguing all the same and a lot of that is due to the character of Mikey Saber (played excellently by Simon Rex) being one of those "love to hate" characters.

It's also possibly the most subtle anti-Trump movie ever made, which is especially in contrast to how mainstream Hollywood can beat audiences over the head with anti-Trump messages. The entire film takes place in the backdrop of the 2016 election. Characters are constantly watching coverage of the election and "MAGA" signs pop up every now and then. And it's appropriate because Mikey Saber essentially is Trump and throughout the film shows how he, like Trump, manipulates and connives his way into situations that benefit him and his narcissism at the expense of others. It's an analysis of ego-maniacs essentially.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this film and it's probably my second favorite film on 2021, as dirty as it made me feel. Weirdly, a lot of films like that seem to appeal to me.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Dirty Harry: 1/5

Wait Until Dark: 5/5

Everything Everywhere All at Once: 5/5

Nope: 3.5/5

[Middle-aged Europe]

As a science fiction fan, I loved it, but i could imagine that it would not be everyone's cup of tea.

Nope (2022)



The sub-plots were interesting. He always interjects his films with extreme violence to darken the mood, even if it adds nothing to the story, it is the evidence of the threat that the remaining cast members are being exposed to.

I like Jordan Peele's movies. "Get Out" and "Us" were excellent.

I liked Nope too.

It's pleasure to watch Peele's distinct auteur style which, this time, also happens to pay hommage to the early Spielberg (Nope is basically "Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets Jaws", I guess). He's also very effective at being scary while using minimalistic means.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Just watched Top Gun: Maverick

I liked the first two minutes.

Never realised how closely they were going to copy the original, but leaving an uninspiring shell of a movie.

[Comrade Funk]

Definition of a classic.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

When we were in middle school, my mother had us watch The Bridges of Madison County with her. We hated it, finding it to be a snooze fest that wasn't worth revisiting. And spent the last 15 years mocking her for hyping up such a film.

I had it downloaded from Netflix just in case I ever had a long haul ride, and that happened today. And I sobbed and sobbed in public. I've never really believed in soulmates (which makes me cringe in West Side Story, for example), but seeing an accidental 4 day adult romance naturally develop and become lifelong yearning has given me pause, especially as it plays out in context with the very real conflicts of competing desire, goals/values and duties.

I'm not sure I've ever had such a radical rating change. We've always faulted my parents for not introducing us to enough culture (ironically something that also frustrates the children in this film off-screen), but this is one rare case where we actually were exposed to quality but simply lacked the life experience to even begin to appreciate it as preteens.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Just watched I Am A Hero (2016).
Great work. Of course, I understood the cultural context and I could get a lot out of it...

[LBJer]

Just watched Top Gun: Maverick

I liked the first two minutes.

Never realised how closely they were going to copy the original, but leaving an uninspiring shell of a movie.

Speak for yourself.  I thought the film adhered to the basic template of the original but took it to a whole new level.  Like Mannheim Steamroller's version of the Christmas song God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

[T'Chenka]

The Great Beauty (2013) - 8.5 / 10

This is really something... an artsy Terrence Malick-esque affair but also a bit of a character study and a thesis on the magic of life and the meaning of life. Directing and cinematography is unreal, and the city of Rome itself is one of the two main characters. Beautiful film.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Considering the relevance of 'Lord of the Rings' again, it's kind of funny timing that I have finally been able to watch Peter Jackson's infamous splat-stick horror-comedy, 'Brain Dead/Dead Alive' (yeah, it has two titles, the latter being its North American title for some reason).

I've been wanting to see this movie for 15 years or so due to it being the apparent crown-holder for "goriest movie ever made." And it's always eluded me. I finally found the North American version on Youtube and am so glad I've finally seen it. It is as disgusting as I had heard with its fantastical ultra-violence. I would say that it competes with the 'Jackass' films when it comes to how often I winced. I didn't vomit though. Supposedly audiences who saw the film when it came out and were given barf-bags in the theater. But if you have the stomach for it, I recommend it.

Even beyond the gore it's just a fun and comical movie that wants to have fun and does not give a f***. Picture 'The Evil Dead' but on crack, PCP, and steroids. It's also fun enough to watch in just seeing Jackson's transition from being a gore-freak to a serious director who oversaw one of the best trilogies in cinema, and especially fantasy, history. And much like with the effects from those films, the effects in 'Dead Alive' hold up, though are sometimes very fake and obvious at other times. But it's excusable given the film's overtly comedic tone. It's a straight-up cartoon with exaggerated, detailed, graphic violence.

My only real gripe was a missed opportunity with the ending. I don't really want to go into it though because I don't want to spoil this film for any of you interested in it. The less you know going in the better a time you'll have. We've seen a lot in cinema in the thirty years since this film came out, yet it may still be capable of shocking some viewers.

I would also put it among my favorite zombie movies alongside the aforementioned 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Shaun of the Dead' (the latter of which was heavily influenced by 'Dead Alive' and you can very clearly see those inspirations when watching Jackson's film) Mostly because I kind of hate zombies. I find them played out in every form of media (especially video games), and never really even cared for some of the "classics" that defined the genre such as 'The Night of the Living Dead,' 'The Return of the Living Dead,' and the 'Dawn of the Dead' remake. I haven't seen the original though, I'm still open to giving that one a chance. But I digress. The point is, 'Dead Alive' was an experience that I really enjoyed and was worth the fifteen year wait to see it.

[Comrade Funk]

Anyone see Funny People (2009)? Underrated Sandler film. Ofc it has the typical Apatow overlength and nepotism, but it really works imo.