Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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Sanjuro - (1962)

This sequel isn't as good as Yojimbo, though it has one hell of a score which really elevates the film and gives the samurai a sense of exciting camaraderie and purpose. Toshiro Mifune's rōnin has a dirtier kimono and seems that little bit more sloppy in manner and appearance - but is also that little bit more tuned towards doing good rather than just being in it for himself. This was much more serious and lacked the quirky characters that populated Kurosawa's previous film. It ends with a fantastic 'duel' in which Mifune and the lead villain played by Tatsuya Nakadai face off against each other without moving for what feels like forever. If I hadn't of watched Yojimbo the day before, I might have been excited by this film and I'm trying not to dampen my enthusiasm about it too much by the fact it didn't live up to my expectations after the very different former film.

8/10

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Oh my.
Was this bad.
Whatever my standard for "The Worst MCU Movie", it has been reset.
Thor: The Dark World? Iron Man 3? Masterpieces of cinema next to this. The Citizen Kane and Vertigo of super-hero movies alongside Eternals.
My goodness.
I don't know that there's even really any point in me saying why. It's absurdly bad in so many ways it's easier to try to whittle out a few positives than try to describe all the negative. I mean, it's not quite The Rise Of Skywalker bad, but it's kinda in that territory if that gives you any idea. Kinda the same kind of bad just coming up a bit short of it.
One wonders, how do you take a story by Neil Gaiman, put it in the hands of an Academy Award winning director, give it a very strong cast, know that it is a lynchpin for the future of your massive franchise, spend all the money on it, and deliver something this bafflingly bad?
Honestly, if I were them, I would throw this on the garbage heap, pretend it never happened, and move on.

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Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Mississippi Grind (2015)

Nobody - I'm a fan of Bob Odenkirk and Better Call Saul and I had heard good things about this. Or maybe it was more pleasant surprise at him being able to carry an actioner. And it is a passable entry into the "retired bad-ass is roused from his slumber by trouble showing up on his doorstep" category. I can even recognize why some people would prefer it to something like the John Wick or The Equalizer films. This isn't as grim as those while also dealing in the same carnage and mayhem. I thought it was serviceable enough but it's still kind of lower tier JV football/minor league baseball.

Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell, a bit of a downtrodden everyman and seemingly stuck in his own Groundhog Day like causality loop. He shares space on a bed with his successful realtor wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), takes the same travel mug of coffe to an accounting job at his father-in-law Eddie Williams (Michael Ironside) business. Same routine, day in and day out.

Until one night Hutch is awakened by a noise downstairs and runs across two armed robbers. He goes out of his way not to escalate it but his son scuffles with one until Hutch defuses the situation. He's then crapped on by just everyone including his son, the cops who show up, his A-hole neighbor and his obnoxious brother-in-law at work. You can see something building inside him but it isn't until his little daughter mentions that her kitty cat bracelet is missing that he snaps and sets out to track down the tattooed pair of robbers. It doesn't provide him the release he's so obviously looking for but a bus load of thugs does.

As it turns out one of the guys he tangles with is the brother of (and here's a tiresome trope I mentioned in another thread) deranged Russian gangster Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksey Serebryakov). The world building is sort of lackadaisical with numerous plotholes that could be considered hard to ignore. A significant character suddenly pops up at the most opportune moment (with no proper setup IMO). And even though Odenkirk's character is established as being very cavalier about taking punishment he does end up on the receiving end of what should be numerous incapacitating injuries without slowing down.

But there is a sort of jaunty air running throughout and everyone looks like they're having fun. And it's good to see guys like Michael Ironside and Christopher Lloyd onscreen. It won't win any awards for originality but it's a suitable diversion.

75/100

Groundhog Day

Becky (2020)

I do like the concept of having this young teen girl kill the evil home (or cabin) invaders. It's just disappointing how bad the writing is. Considering how much thinking Dominick has put into his plan, it's infuriating how he doesn't seem to make a single reasonable decision the whole film. And what's the point of the damn key anyway? Why not just pick the lock? Oh, and I would have preferred if Becky had been a little more likable. I guess it was kinda fun, still.

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And considering I've been a Marvel fan.
Though, after the last several standalones (Spidey aside), I just don't know that I'm not ready to declare the MCU finished.

'Nightmare Alley' (2022)

Not a poor film and not one I really enjoyed. It's just ok. Maybe because I really liked the original when I saw it a few years ago, so it didn't really get hyped for this.

Del Toro's worlds are also a bit fake and full of caricatures. Something I find really hard to get past these days.

I'm pretty much in agreement. The most glaring problem is that the heroes are incredibly boring. Are any of them interesting enough to be the focus of a solo movie? I highly doubt it. On top of that, the average performance is not only flat, but also monotone. The first image that comes to mind when I think about this movie is Gemma Chan's character looking like a deer in headlights. It also doesn't help that the most prominent color in the movie's color palate is gray.

Plausibility also makes it very hard to care about what happens, i.e.

Yup.
Though I think the biggest crime of the film, as has been the case in a LOT of Marvel movies going all the way back to The Winter Soldier, is the editing. Cuts happen too fast for the audience to feel anything, frequently they are unnecessary and only exist to create the feeling that something is happening even when it's actual a quiet thoughtful moment, and you have to think that Zhao shot a lot more character-based footage that is lying on the floor than is on this screen. The first hour is just continuous exposition with the camera jumping from one dump to another. The camera (acting as the audience's eyes obviously) is never allowed to linger on anything ever, even if that is exactly what the film needs to be effective.
Now, this is not the only crime of this film but it is one that even some friends of mine who are not nearly as film-savvy as this group was struck by. They walked out of it and I asked them why and the first thing they cited was the editing, a complaint I've never actually heard them make about another movie.

looks cool

I haven't seen it yet, so this is just my preconceived notion, but that's the impression it gives... based on trailers, marketing, etc. That of being pretentious and boring.

Those are the two words I'd use to describe it if I had to.

Someone on Letterboxd described it as an epic superhero movie that plays in the background of another movie. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Black Sea (2014)

I thought, effective story of fools gold at sea. Jude Law is pretty engaging as the man that has given his life to the sea either for the forces or contractors. When he is let go with less than an adequate payoff he proceeds to plan an audacious robbery with other submariners.
Lots of familiar faces and a nice claustrophobic atmosphere, particularly hetween the Russian section of the crew and British (with additions like Irishman Michael Smiley and Aussie Ben Mendelsohn). Good ending.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin aka Shao Lin san shi liu fang (1978) When I first saw the 7.7 rating on IMDb I thought, "Really?" and as I watched it, I realized, "Yeah, really."

Chia-Hui Liu plays young San Te, who, like many others of his village, his family murdered and his school attacked by ruthless Manchu. Escaping, he makes his way to the Shaolin Temple to learn Kung Fu via the 35 Chambers so that he may not only return for revenge but to create a 36th Chamber to teach people so that they may defend themselves.

This may be the most fundamental trope regarding revenge via mastery of skills; it is exceedingly well made. The training with the Shaolin Monks takes up the whole second act of this film and is so very worthy of the time spent.
It is not a quick montage, but San Te's steadfast dedication to each Chamber of Endurance and Knowledge traverses a couple of years. Thus, giving far more credibility to his advanced skill than what has become an instantaneous gift with many following films and other genres using the "montage of learning" trope.

It is said, I happily confirm, this is in the top echelon of old-school Kung Fu movies and warrants each and every accolade regarding it.

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

The Thief (1952)

This is a good example of an espionage thriller with noirish photography. It’s chief uniqueness is that there is no dialogue or speaking in its entire 86 minute run time. There are two instances of the written word in the form of a note and a telegram, but otherwise only heard are the ambient sounds of the big city, the telephone, and the wind.

Ray Milland provides an impressive performance as a nuclear scientist in Washington, D.C. who passes clandestinely acquired photographs of documents via a handler to foreign agents in New York. We suspect that Milland drew on his earlier turn at silent acting in 1945’s The Lost Weekend. His handler is played very effectively by Martin Gabel, known for his association with Welles’ Mercury theater, and who was also recognizable as a regular panelist on the long running TV show, “What’s My Line?”

The spycraft elements in the film have been imitated again and again in other productions, but in 1952 they were surely fresh and interesting to audiences of the time.
The intricate direction was by Russell Rouse (D.O.A,, Wicked Woman) which featured a novel method of presenting a spy film. The noirish photography was provided by Sam Leavitt (The Man With the Golden Arm, Anatomy of a Murder). Leavitt captured the black and white ethos of the big city, and was particularly memorable showing settings and angles within the Empire State Building. Some of the street shooting was done without a permit photographed by hidden cameras in boxes and vehicles.

An interesting facet of the picture is that there was no initial character development, so we don’t know what type of individual Milland’s is, nor his private life, nor are we told what precipitated his decision to become a spy, although we learn of his character in the end.

It’s interesting to see how this movie was done, and to see the results of some of the best in the business. Available on YouTube.

Doc’s rating: 6/10

1st Rewatch...It's the heartbreaking and extraordinary performance by Sir Anthony Hopkins that anchors this frightening and sad drama that deservedly won Hopkins a second Oscar. The beautifully layered, Oscar-winning screenplay cannot be overlooked...it requires a little work from the viewer, but it is so worth it.

Yay!