Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Does Will Smith get to slap Martin Lawrence??..

By http://impawards.com/2009/invention_of_lying_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24198626

The Invention of Lying - (2009)

Ricky Gervais was the golden one at this high point in his career, and his directorial debut attracted some far-out stars like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill etc. etc., but the end product feels a little too neatly packaged despite some great ideas nearly blossoming into something. Gervais has an undeniably great comedic talent - even genius - but he's simply not a great filmmaker. People just assume that if you're that funny you can make a really outstanding comedic feature - but you still need to have skills in different areas if that kind of transition is going to come off. It's still a lot of fun though, to see one megastar after another show up for a moment or two of silliness in this forgettable disappointment. It's a shame because it starts to explore the invention of religion and how it's related to the invention of lying - and seeing that amazing moment of possibility fumbled, dropped and squandered really hurts. Also - where are all the damn laughs?

5/10


By [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27150847

Certified Copy - (2010)

An examination of perception and how valuable it is when defining something as original or not - via two intelligent, vibrant people played by Juliette Binoche and opera singer William Shimell walking around Tuscany. Another amazing film from Abbas Kiarostami. Full review here, in my watchlist thread.

8/10

__________________

The Structure of Crystals - 6/10
If you're going to invite me for a meal, don't serve me bones.

And I don't give a shit about crystals. Science is boring. Especially a lecture.

It's too bad, because he's made some good movies. "The Constant Factor" being the first one that comes to mind.

__________________
https://www.youtube.com/c/LoyalOpposition

Yes, I couldn’t wait & forked over $20 to watch this.

LOVED IT! I knew Marisa Abela would shine in this (she’s great in Industry). As the movie progresses, she became even more like Amy. Couple of times Amy was singing but turned out it was Marisa (even though she had never sung before). She so looked like her too.

So frickin sad Amy died so young. Such a waste.

__________________
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

2nd Rewatch...Pleasant remake of the 1950 Spencer Tracy classic which finds Steve Martin stepping into Tracy's shoes as the aggravated title character who is not so much upset about the expense and headaches involved in putting this wedding together as he is at the thought of losing his little girl. Martin is charming here and Diane Keaton brings a richness to the mother of the bride that was absent from the original. Martin Short is a little much as the wedding planner, but a small misstep in a solid remake.

5th Rewatch...This film has endless rewatch appeal for me and has become the film with my favorite Clint Eastwood performance (and his diection is nothing to sneeze at either). He plays a recently widowed war veteran who is one of the few caucasian residents in a racially charged Asian neighborhood who gets involved with a pair of Korean siblings and some dangerous Korean gangs. That scene at the neighbors' house where Walt is with a houseful of Koreans who don't speak English never gets old and the ending destroys me.

I should take another look at this.

1st Rewatch...I don't know, Eddie must have really needed the money. Eddie, Regina King, Anjelica Huston and Steve Zahn deserve better than this.

Bad Boys - Ride or Die

__________________
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Gandhi​

i really loved it and its soo funny and loved the ending :P

Created Equal: Clarence Thomas In His Own Words (2020, Michael Pack)



Solid, but not perfect, documentary about the life of perhaps the greatest and most tenured current United States supreme court justice. Aptly named, the documentary uses justice Thomas himself to narrative and explain and tell stories from moments in his life as well as digging into the foundations of his jurisprudence. The film spends a decent portion - the first half going through his childhood in fatherless home deep in poverty, to living with his grandparents, and then going onto college where he wrestled with far left radicalism before being taken up by libertarian Ayn Rand leanings until he finally settle into Reagan conservativism. What works is the thematic core and center of the film as each of the stories he relates gives insight into how his mind and decision making works and how despite being a victim of racism, he refused to be confined by it.

The second half largely focuses around his senate nomination hearing in 1991 and digs into the details and recounts the "high tech lynching" he had to endure during the process. Some great archival footage, as well as footage from films like The Fountainhead and To Kill a Mockingbird, where he saw comparisons between his own treatment to that of Tom Robinson in the novel and film.

I remember seeing this documentary show up on youtube and watched a few minutes of it a year or so ago, but never went back to watch the entire piece. Thomas has been in the news today quite a bit as a sole dissenter in a 2nd amendment case and seeing him be slandered in the media made think back to this documentary and piqued my interest and memory that I needed to watch the entire thing.

Now, whether a person loves or hates Clarence Thomas is beyond the point. The fact is, he is a man of convictions...again whether or not you agree with those convictions, there's no doubt he has them. There's also no doubt that Clarence Thomas will go down in the history books as one of the all time most prominent judges, so to hear such an individual outline their jurisprudence and allow their "mind to be picked" in documentary form is always welcome. The narrative is tight and the musical choices and reprisal of the "Moon River" score is delightful. How the documentary interviews Thomas to distill his values of family, his country, and God and connects it to his jurisprudence is well done.

The only real weakness of the documentary is that is does seem to exist in a very closed-off or contained form... he's interviewed, his wife is interviewed... but that's about it. I know the title says "In His Own Words," but I do wonder how much of this could have been improved by intermingling his words with those of his colleagues, legal minds, historians, etc. Also at times it does feel a bit rushed. For instance he mentions two individuals he had conversations with and acted as teachers and mentors to him early in the Reagan administration where he really began to dig deep into the founding documents and their meaning. Also for a documentary that does a sound job of exploring why he believes the way he does, it only very briefly skims over what he believes. Yes it mentions originalism, but it hardly goes deep into what originalist interpretation of the Constitution is and perhaps other historical justices that have also subscribed to it. This would have given the documentary more perspective into his jurisprudence. The ending does seem abrupt and rushes through the last 5-10 minutes once it is done covering the confirmation hearing and the Anita Hill debacle. The ending feels like it's missing something, and while it does a great job of tethering it all to the influence and teachings of his illiterate grandfather, it just fills like it is void of going back to the founding principles of the nation or the historical connection. If any film could benefit from discussion of the writings of Jefferson, Thomas Paine, John Locke, or Tocqueville, this would be it, but it is void of such things sadly. Still, a wonderful, though flawed documentary about a great man.

Grade: B

__________________
"A candy colored clown!"
Member since Fall 2002
Top 100 Films, clicky below

http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=26201

By impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10400679

Saints and Soldiers - (2003)

What this film does well is imbue each character with a layered personality, and develop relationships between them - so when this or that soldier dies in an horrific fashion, some emotions stir. It's amazing how many films fail at that. Other that that big critical plus this is a fairly middling World War II story set during the Ardennes offensive (The Battle of the Bulge) during the latter stages of the conflict. Five combatants (4 Americans and one British pilot) find themselves behind enemy lines, and must deliver some critical intelligence before the Germans capture one of the largest ammo dumps in the Western theater of operations. The cast are all unknowns (and the production company helmed by Mormons), but overall it's not a terrible war picture. I like that there's more drama than shooting and wanton destruction, but moments of tension and action do regularly heighten whatever is going on between these guys at any given time. There are plenty of big budget features that could learn a lesson or two from this more modest effort.

6/10

Paradise (2023)

__________________

[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

Inside Out 2


We all know Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger. Now meet the new emotions:


Fear
Sadness
Joy (but selfish)
And a third Fear


As my icon may tell you, I absolutely adore the original, but this one feels like a cash grab, with a direct to streaming level plot.


That said, the visuals are absolutely amazing. The amount of detail they put into the real world segments is some of the best CGI I've ever seen. I love the small details, like giving the teenagers small amounts of acne. Riley even has some faded acne scars on her cheek.


The plot does pick up a bit in the third act, and it still tugs at a few heartstrings, but it's an unnecessary rehash of the original, with "new emotions" that are really just slight variations of the originals.


"C+"

Civil War - (Alex Garland, 2024)

8.5/10. Jesse Plemons is everywhere it seems.... which is great, love this guy. Nick Offerman should have more screen time.

__________________
There has been an awekening.... have you felt it?

The Exorcism - 5/10.

Slow burn that kinda fails at the end. I prefer Crowe in Popes Exorcist over this.

__________________

2nd Rewatch...Director Ron Howard's masterpiece, this 1995 Best Picture nominee is an often heart stopping docudrama about the doomed space flight that implies that it might have been doomed before it even happened. Howard tells this epic story from all viewpoints, not just inside that doomed capsule. It's still mind-blowing to me that the film received a Best Picture nomination and the director didn't even get a nomination. Howard also assembled one of the most perfect acting ensembles to serve this story. Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan received supporting nominations, but the entire cast works at the same level with one purpose...to serve this spellbinding story. This movie gets better with each viewing.

1st Rewatch---Didn't play as well as it did the first time. I really liked the intimacy of this re-telling of the comic book legend that initially focuses on Cal-el's issues dealing with who he is once it is revealed as well as the fact that, in this story, Lois Lane meets Superman before she meets Clark Kent, but a couple of plot points nagged at me throughout this viewing. I didn't really understand why it was so secretive about Jorel's plan to turn earth into another Krypton. And if Krypton was such a superior race of people, why did General Zod have to wait for Superman to reveal himself? As such an allegedly superior race, shouldn't they have been able to find him with minimum difficulty? The final pissing contest between Superman and Zod, which happens after Manhattan (Metropolis) is destroyed went on way too long and the final slap in the face to the viewer is in the final scene where we learn that, once again, Lois Lane is fooled by a pair of glasses. The film features first rate production values though. Henry Cavill is properly chiseled as the title character and the perfect marriage of actor and character is created with Michael Shannon and General Zod. Kudos as well to Russell Crowe as Jorel and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. The re-thinking of the legacy works, but it takes way too long to get where it goes.

Giant from the Unknown - 1958 scifi/horror featuring a number of familiar character actors including well traveled Western star Bob Steele and scifi veteran Morris Ankrum. The film opens in the mountain town of Pine Ridge, California where the locals are up in arms over cattle being found mutilated. A local rancher is the latest victim and there's talk of the deaths at Devil's Crag being supernatural in nature. The town's Sheriff Parker (Steele) orders everyone to stay away but suspects that geologist Wayne Brooks (Ed Kemmer) had something to do with the ranchers death. Archaeologist Dr. Frederick Cleveland (Ankrum) and his daughter Janet (Sally Fraser) show up in town to research a theory he has about a Spanish expedition that had traveled into Devil's Crag 500 years before.

A group called the Diablo Brigade had mutinied and split off from the main expeditionary force in search of gold and were led by a man named Vargas, AKA "The Diablo Giant". Brooks tells Dr. Cleveland about some Indian artifacts he found in the same area along with a lizard long thought extinct. It had been sealed up inside a rock and Brooks theorizes that it had been in suspended animation. That's the main hurdle the audience is expected to get past in order to buy into the movie. Once you're there the Diablo Giant is introduced and he's played by Buddy Baer, the brother of former heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer. To Star Trek fans he'll bear a passing resemblance to Lt. Worf. It's an interesting enough take on the typical monster-menacing-the-townsfolk trope but not enough to make for wall-to-wall thrills. Still though it wasn't completely inept. Having seen more than my share of ineffectual sci/horror entries I thought this was passable entertainment.

65/100