Rate The Last Movie You Saw

I'd only disagree with that to the extent that, I''d elevate it a step. A filling is relatively minor but Otto goes all the way to a root canal.

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The Matrix Reloaded - (2003)

I didn't miss anything, but I'm not quite sure I understood all of The Matrix Reloaded - and I even took a crash course before embarking on the 2nd and 3rd films of the original trilogy. I think what really threw me was the choice Neo (Keanu Reeves) makes when confronted with the 'Architect' (Helmut Bakaitis) because it didn't seem to bring on the consequences it was meant to. Otherwise this is a kind of jumbled mess of a second installment - much more unwieldy than the first film. You've got vampires and ghosts in it, and Zion looks like it's one big rave. There's a lot of 'setting up' for the third film, so not all of the plot strands have a satisfying payoff. It basically deals with parts of the Matrix that have gone wrong and been 'exiled', a kind of virus propagating through it in the form of Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and an imminent attack on the real-world human enclave of Zion. My old brother-in-law is in there somewhere, appearing in Zion as an extra - but there are literally hundreds of extras in the Zion scenes, so I was left with lots of maybes but no definite "that's him!" when looking out for him. This still has some great action scenes, which save it from being a complete write-off.

5.5/10


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The Matrix Revolutions - (2003)

The Matrix Revolutions provides a grand send-off to the trilogy and brings to a close what is essentially one four and a half hour film released in two halves. A lot of the more jumbled, confusing stuff is left behind after a segment which takes place in a 'hard to figure' train station on a line which connects the real world to the matrix. From then on we're left with two equally compelling stories - the defense of Zion from the attacking machines, and Neo/Trinity's journey to the machine city where a final confrontation will take place. Neo's trump card is the Smith virus running rampant through the Matrix. Sacrifices are made, and all of the high concept philosophical metaphor stuff is put down so we can focus on humanity's final struggle in a war that appears to have lasted eons, the Matrix having been reset time and time again once 'The One' brings everything to the point of no return. I really liked Revolutions - I hadn't seen it, since I gave up on the trilogy after seeing Reloaded at a cinema and walking away disappointed.

7/10

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The Nice Guys (2016)

Great movie. Action comedy. Nothing to complain about. You'll enjoy it.

85/100

The Limey (Steven Soderbergh, 1999)



I'm not a massive fan of Sodebergh because I don't think he's a very interesting visual filmmaker. When I think of Out of Sight, yeah the casting is good and the script is cool enough, but it doesn't leave the lasting cinematic impact of something like Jackie Brown.

Yet despite my complaints, there's something about his experimenting within the medium that keeps drawing me back to him. I stuck this on because I wanted something swift to watch before bed and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

A strange film, mixing archive footage from some old Ken Loach film for Terence Stamp's character, then using Pete Fonda's Easy Rider persona for his opposite. Really interesting editing, cool music, it's so simple: stripping back everything to a few basic elements, filming and seeing if you can make an entertaining film through editing. Worked for me.

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Latest watches:
The Ghost And Mrs Muir 1947
Bride Wars 2009
Trading Places 1983 +
Sands Of Iwo Jima 1949
Black Book 2006

Famous Faces: Marlon Brando - 9/10
Really good!

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Anchors Aweigh (1945)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

He's had a good career. He did the funny on film and TV. He did the serious in Saving Private Ryan. The zenith of his career was playing opposite a volley ball. But I don't want to see him anymore. I'm tired of the Tom Hanks film. I don't want to see him land lanes or command tankers, or escape the apocalypse. I'm just done. It's time to let some other actors eat.

[rating]3.5[/Rasting]

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13 Hours : The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi - (2016)

Libya - who would have wanted to be there in 2012? Most countries had pulled all of their diplomats out amongst all of the civil strife, but the United States still had a diplomatic compound and a secret CIA base. Sure enough, on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, militants from Ansar al-Sharia attacked the compound, and when half a dozen of those super soldiers they write books about went to defend it, they happened to lead the troublemakers to the CIA compound, leading to a siege situation. It was messy. 13 Hours features Office buddies John Krasinski and David Denman as warriors who question why they're so far away from their families in a strange land, risking their lives when their children miss them at home.

I have very mixed feelings about 13 Hours. When it came up in my particular selection of movies to see, and I saw it was produced and directed by Michael Bay, it gave me significant pause. There is not one single Michael Bay movie that I like. Now, admittedly, I've only seen 4. Before I knew what he was like, I went to see Armageddon, and absolutely loathed it. I had to see Pearl Harbor - it was one of the big releases of 2001. Pearl Harbor sucked. The two original Bad Boys movies were okay - but I didn't particularly think them praise-worthy. I've never seen any of his Transformers movies - they look terrible. I haven't seen The Rock - and I realise most people would say that's his best film, but for some reason that one has escaped me. So - when I considered what I was about to do, I did think that perhaps I might be wasting my night. What was worse was the probability that it was going to be packed with jingoism, as most of his movies are.

My evaluation? It's an extremely well-made movie. It wasn't boring. If you were to excuse certain historical aspects, you could even call it a good war film. That streak of dumb that you usually see in Michael Bay films isn't in this, and if you watched it not knowing who the director was, you would never guess it's one of his. I nearly turned on the film when I read that it was "criticized for its historical liberties" - but that doesn't quite mean any of this was made up. The Libyans didn't like the way this kind of portrays American Gods walking among filthy, barbaric and stone-age cave people - but these ex Navy Seal, Special Forces 'best of the best' American military contractors, with the best equipment available, will make anyone look like a cave person in comparison. Plus, the Americans don't always come off as infallible in this. One CIA guy didn't like the way he was portrayed in the movie, but apparently most witnesses say he did what he did.

In the end I was left thinking that this was a strangely mature war film from a guy that's burned too many bridges with both audience and critics. He brings Mitchell Zuckoff's book to life with considerable skill, and without the tiresome "hoora!" "lets go!" silly stuff. A lot of people call it his Black Hawk Down, and of course that's exactly what I was thinking while watching it. I can imagine that many turned away when they heard who was making this - and I can understand that. He followed it with another damned Transformers film. I'll stick up for 13 Hours though. It wasn't as bad as I feared it might be.

7/10

Death Proof (2007) -

While this is often considered to be Tarantino's worst film (even Tarantino himself admitted it's his weakest film), I've always had a strong appreciation for it. Most negative reviews I've come across praise the climaxes to both halves, Kurt Russell's performance, and the grainy look of the film, but criticize the film for being too talky and too slow. I don't think these criticisms are entirely sound though and don't matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of what the film gets right.



I also consider Stuntman Mike to be a great horror villain as, like Dracula and the villain in The Vanishing, he presents himself as a normal person in public. He seems friendly, he's talkative, and the girls in the first half find him charming. The way he lures his first victim into his car with his charm and snappy dialogue is rather unnerving to watch unfold. This buildup makes both him revealing his true colors to Pam and especially his breakdown in the final act all the more shocking.

An element which doesn't require much defending is the technical craft (even most naysayers tend to agree it's one of the film's strengths). The aforementioned grainy look of the picture does a fine job at matching the cheaply-made look of grindhouse films and, pared with the leisurely pacing, it's hard not to think Tarantino knocks it out of the park. Also, the climactic action scenes to both halves are equal parts intense and thrilling. The car chase at the end, in particular, is one of the best car chases I've ever seen in film.

Overall, I would definitely include this in my top 3 Tarantino films and, while I get that some viewers may find it too slow, I think it does a handful of interesting things and there's quite a bit to unpack from it which isn't often brought up.

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The tonal shift screwed this film. It went from slasher horror to Road Runner vs. Coyote. Mike makes the mistake of attacking the cool chicks (or what Tarantino imagines the coolest chicks are) and the table not only turn, but the tone shifts to the point of a genre shift. He was trying to pull a from Dusk Till Dawn, but we just wound up with overly chatty girlz serving as mouthpiece for Tarantino's love of old film and TV. He's talented, but he's not as talented as he thinks he is. He really needs an empowered collaborator to "run" when the "pass" isn't working on the field and to say "no" when he gets excessive.

Good write-up. I really liked this movie. To the point of repeat viewings. For all of Bay's failings I think his major (only?) strength is big, action set pieces and he really nails the claustrophobic, frenetic, close quarters combat scenes. You should try watching The Rock. I agree that it's Bay at his most relaxed and self-assured. Try The Island too if you haven't. It's big dumb fun. And it's certainly better than something like the Fast and Furious flicks.

I just watched A Cry in the Dark. That movie is ****in wild.

The tonal shift won't work for everyone, but as I brought up in my review, I think the tonal shift was the point of the film and the tables being turned on Mike makes sense given the characterizations the second set of girls had compared to the first set of girls. If the film had stuck with the tone of the first half, it might've come off as the film repeating itself, so I think mixing it up was a good move. Plus, Tarantino's cameo in the film is, of course, excellent as usual...jk

That an idea has a formal appeal or seeming appropriateness does not mean that it is the right choice for a story. Even if it is a workable choice for a tale, you still have to stick the landing. There was, for example, a lot of formal planning and execution that goes into Jeeper's Creepers. One formal idea was that of stripping down the monster, a slow reveal to increase terror, a dark strip-tease. We meet the monster in the truck (Duel in miniature), then we meet the man clad in black, and finally we meet the naked demon. Formally, it makes sense. But you still have to stick the landing.

Anything is possible, but consider the many films we already have to compare to which show the innocents turning the tables on their tormentors (e.g., Desperate Hours).



The danger of the wild tonal shift is that the fabric of the filmic dream is very delicate in some places. The film is a lie. We want to be lied to. We agree to turn off part of our brain to be entertained. And the illusion works, in large part, because of a sense of transportation by immersion, the sense of "being there" in another world (insert old gravely movie trailer voice -- "In a world, where the dead no longer stay dead..."). Change the tone sharply and that sense of "being there" changes and the experience sours. I think part of the reason Last Action Hero didn't land was that it was too meta. Our fictional characters lives in a weird cartoon meta-world that kept hanging a lantern on the artifice of it all. It's hard to sleep when the movie keeps reminding you that you're dreaming (i.e., dreams so often evaporate when we realize we're in one).



And, for me, the nature of the tonal shift was a little too self-indulgent, and a little too obvious.



MEW is pretty cool, but Tarantino only loves her for her feet. She gets left behind to apparently get sexually harassed (assaulted?) by a redneck cave troll. Sorry MEW, you're cute, but not a cool chick warrior with a deep understanding or abiding interest in stunt work and muscle cars.



Abernathy is the audience surrogate. She receives the invitation to adventure and gets an education about cool stuff (e.g., the stuff Tarantino eulogizes in this film an Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).



Kim and Zoe are our top cool chicks. They are Tarantino's surrogate. They say directly what he wants to say to the audience. By my lights, this act of seduction seems a little too much like masturbation. But, as they say, different strokes for different folks.

The Rebels: Marlon Brando - 9/10

Sunday in New York (1963)

5th Re-watch...Felt like watching a classic today and somehow landed on this one. Still say Grace Kelly stole the Oscar that should have gone to the legendary Judy Garland for her enchanting performance in the second of four versions of this classic Hollywood story. Garland is so magical in this movie that it's easy to not notice how James Mason matches her note for note as faded matinee idol Norman Maine...he's heartbreaking in that scene at the Academy Awards. Garland's rendition of "The Man That Got Away" still gives me chills. It's also easy to forget how good Jack Carson is as the cynical studio publicist Libby