Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Year of the Dragon (1985)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

As a lifelong fan of musicals, I'll tell ya - Joker: Folie à Deux isn't much of a musical. It isn't even much of a movie.

This time, the joke's on the audience. And it isn't even remotely funny.

This is one of those movies where the behind-the-scenes featurettes are guaranteed to be more entertaining than the movie itself.

It's a 2-1/2 hour compilation of mostly awful or pointless scenes adding up to... nothing, really.

The movie tries to provide a "shock" ending and, well, good luck avoiding spoilers for this one, because they're going to be out there and they're going to be hard to miss. And it is very unlikely, once word gets out, it will make people want to even watch the movie.

It's a real shame, because it's obvious that WB spared no expense in getting a first-rate supporting cast and a very good crew. The building materials to make a decent movie are all there - but there's just no story.

You could probably get a 5-year-old to come up with a better and more entertaining story than what passes for one here: it's basically Joker being put on trial for what he did in the first movie. That's it.

And then there's the absolutely worst thing about the film: what it does to the character of Harley Quinn (called "Lee" here). There have been some pretty good depictions of the character in other movies and animated series. But here, it isn't even much of a character: it's just an excuse to get Gaga in the movie, and use the character's actions for convenient plot turns.

The Joker sequel doesn't work as a musical, doesn't work as a courtroom drama, doesn't work as a psychological thriller, and frankly, it just doesn't work at all.

Even the use of IMAX format here is completely wasted - which is particularly maddening since this movie comes just a week after the greatest masterpiece of the year, Coppola's Megalopolis, which made such excellent use of the format.

It is really very sad to see fine character actors like Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan and Zazie Beetz wasted in tripe like this.

Hands down, the leading candidate right now for worst movie of the year.

In 1946, a serial killer dubbed as the "Phantom Killer" started terrorizing the residents of Texarkana. In a period of four months, he attacked eight people, murdering five of them. These crimes, and the fact that he was never captured, created an air of dread among the residents of the town who didn't dare to come out at night, something that inspired this film.

The main thing with the film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be; whether it is a quasi-documentary, a crime thriller, a slasher, or a cop comedy. Most of the moments depicting the attacks of the serial killer are well executed and effectively scary, but then that is undercut by a goofy cop crashing cars in the creek, with wacky banjo background music.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

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Catching up on some titles from the weekend...


Tenney, 1988





Look, this thing is a total piece of crap, but I love it nonetheless. Fits snuggly into the so-bad-it's-good catalog of 80s horror, even if it doesn't quite reach the legendary status of stuff like Troll 2. I just had to put this on Friday night after a chance encounter at work with two of the film's cast. As soon as I get a frame, I will proudly display my signed one-sheet. Excellent makeup and a fun soundtrack complete the package in this cult classic trash horror.



Gore, 2023





Anyone else here miss Attack of the Show!? This documentary is a love letter to a freer time, a more offensive time, a silly time. Film Threat's Chris Gore does a great job covering the rise and fall of G4 TV, and its flagship hour of over-the-line nonsense, Attack of the Show!. Where else could you see two morons slam 11 shots of Cholula hot sauce in an attempt to one-up each other? Participate in a a live colonoscopy with commentary? Watch a scantily clad Olivia Muff jump into a giant pie? The Mayans were right: The world ended on December 31, 2012.



Cunningham, 1980





Ah, 1980. The year we were blessed with a low budget suspense flick chock full of bad acting, cultural appropriation, braless wonders, and one hell of an original score. I doubt the tiny crew of actors and crew had any idea what sort of cultural zeitgeist they would start with this little film. By picking up the ball that had started rolling with Black Christmas and Halloween - that of the Killer's POV as he stalked his victims - Friday the 13th cemented the formula of the genre for the next decade. The funny thing is that this franchises main draw - its infamous hockey mask wearing killer - wasn't even in the film. I mean, he was, but more so as a catalyst for the slayings, himself a victim of alleged neglect by horny camp counselors.

Most people cite Friday the 13th Part 2 as the strongest of the bunch, and they certainly have an argument, especially since most of the films are pretty bad, but I will always hold the original in the top slot for its inventiveness and reliance on actual suspense. It's actually a pretty damned great little film, IMO. Was it diminished by an endless parade of crappy sequels? Probably. But I still put it on every year in the fall, and I never grow tired of it.

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God, what a creepy poster

3rd Rewatch...With each rewatch of this film, I am finding a lot more to like than not in this ambitious, could-not-be-done, remake of the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical. This is the first thing that Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner did right. They approached this musical as if the 1961 Oscar winning film version didn't exist. All the scenes and songs have been returned to their proper place in the original Broadway libretto. It was also nice the way Spanish has been peppered into the Sharks dialogue providing a sense of realism to their exchanges with Jets. was also impressed with the way this screenplay gave minor supporting actors like Officer Krupke, Anybodys, and especially Chino, a little more depth then they had in '61. It was also nice to see the five lead roles played by actors who could actually sing. The only actor in the '61 version who did all of his own singing was George Chakiris. As for the musical numbers, the orchestrations are a little on thin side, but serviceable, as is Justin Peck's choreography, which doesn't even touch Jerome Robbins' work in the original. Hated "Gee Officer Krupke" in this version and even though I preferred Robbins' choreography in the original, I think "Cool" is a much more effective storytelling tool in this version. If the truth be told, the musical highlight of this film is "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love". I wish the care put into this number had been put into the rest of the musical numbers. Ansel Elgort does an admirable job with the complex role of Tony and I like that his vocal takes on "Something's Coming" and "Maria" didn't sound like an opera singer. Ariane DuBose's ferocious Anita dominates the screen whenever she's on it, more than worthy of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress that she won and I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved Mike Faist as Riff and Josh Rivera as Chino. This movie is a real feast, Mr. Spielberg, we're not worthy.

Gru and his family trying to readjust to their new lives at the idyllic Mayflower community is just one of the many subplots this film tries to juggle. Most notably, there's Gru's attempts to connect with his young son who seems to hate him. Meanwhile, Gru's minions are transferred to the Anti-Villain League headquarters where five of them are turned into superheroes as part of a new project. Finally, there's also the young girl who admires Gru and is blackmailing him into helping her start her supervillain "career".

The thing is that most of these subplots feel like loose strands that don't connect with each other. The family's struggles to fit within Mayflower falls into some very predictable "fish out of water" tropes, the thing with the young neighbor that blackmails Gru feels like a somewhat unnecessary detour while Maxine Le Mal's plan feels underserved. And let's not mention the five Minion superheroes, which feels like an entirely different film setting things up for an actual different film.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

The above is the closing line of an iconic monologue from Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin), a narcissistic surgeon sued for malpractice in this wicked neo-noir thriller. Malice follows Andy and Tracy (Bill Pullman and Nicole Kidman), a young couple whose lives are sent into a spiral after they meet "God". The above is probably the most iconic scene of the film, but the film still packs plenty of wicked lines and moments in what is, overall, a pleasant piece of "twisty" candy.

The story and the script were co-written by Aaron Sorkin, which is quite evident once you get a glimpse of the crackling dialogue and the intricated plot turns. The film starts off with the threat of a serial rapist that is terrorizing the campus where Andy works, but the film then takes you into a labyrinth of red herrings, misdirections, and again, twists and turns that when you turn your head to look back at, looks nothing like how it started.

Grade:


Full review in my Movie Loot

Speak no Evil (2024)

Pretty quick (2 years) remake of the Danish chiller. Young-ish couple having marital issues meet another of a similar age on holiday and decide to keep in touch (and visit) once back in the UK. All goes well until the visiting couple and their daughter become increasingly concerned with Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara's (Aisling Franciosi) libertine passive/aggressive actions, not to mention bullying their mute son. It's a bit of a pot-boiler and reminded me of the gem "the Comfort of Strangers". Inevitably the ending is not as dark as the original lest our sensibilities are shook.

A Different Man is the kind of absurdist-surrealist black comedy that, once upon a time, could only have been made by a master director like Luis Buñuel.

But it is, in fact, the 2nd film from writer-director Aaron Schimberg, who was born with facial disfigurement and has stated he tends to gravitate towards narratives that focus on similar people.

The film has 3 absolutely fabulous performances, starting with Sebastian Stan, a man whose life undergoes the most radical transformation after being given a miraculous cure for the neurofibromatosis he was born with.

Stan is best known to mainstream audiences as "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so many moviegoers might be surprised to see just how much range he actually has as an actor (Between this and The Apprentice, he's practically guaranteed an Oscar nomination).

The other top performances in the film are those of Adam Pearson, an actor who actually does have neurofibromatosis; and Norway-born Renate Reinsve, who was also fabulous as the star of The Worst Person in the World.

To reveal more about the relationship between these three characters might spoil many of the most wonderful moments in the movie; let's just say that it may not be what most viewers might at first assume.

Even with A24 distributing this film, it may have trouble finding an audience during its theatrical run, but if you have a taste for sophisticated and witty films, then you really should run, not walk, to any theater near you where it might be playing.

By May be found at the following website: http://www.carteles.metropoliglobal.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2608693

Good Night, and Good Luck - (2005)

History repeats. The events of Good Night, and Good Luck feel familiar in some ways - it's about a TV news program, headed by Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn), that has to take a monumental risk in exposing the shenanigans of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy - a man long lost in paranoid communist conspiracy theories, lies and a lack of morals. Courage was needed because, the way things were at the time in the United States, going for a brutal take-down could go very wrong if the spell McCarthy had on the U.S. Senate wasn't broken. Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr. and Frank Langella all bring an understated maturity to their roles, and betray a tension on par with the 20th July plot in 1944 to kill Hitler as they go to air and wait for the repercussions. Over a series of broadcasts McCarthy was exposed as a liar, and his notions were clearly shown to be ridiculous, immoral and unlawful, thanks to great, professional journalism. Thankfully, there was no internet back then. So, a great profile in courage, and a very nice (probably the best) directorial effort from George Clooney.

8/10

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I'll be running! This looks like my kind of movie.

Casper (1995)

Where have I seen this post before 🤔

I. too got the impression that it improves with repeat viewings

The Wild Robot
8.5/10
A good little modern fairy tale. Probably the best movie I've seen so far this year, animated or otherwise.

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Boldly going.

Mollner, 2024





May deserve a bit of a higher rating, but I am still letting this one marinate. Auteur craftsmanship abounds in this gripping, intense thriller molded in a style that is a blend of Lynch and Tarantino at their best and most seminal.

Structurally inventive, anchored by a pair of stellar performances from the leads, there is a lot to like here. This will go right to the top of my shortlist of best films of the year, in no small part due to the sumptuous cinematography, lensed by a guy we are used to seeing in front of the camera, Giovanni Ribisi! If this is his first film behind the camera, he did a hell of a job. Color is punched way up, with scenes soaked in washes of color or accented with bold strokes of red and yellow. One scene is entirely awash in neon blue, another drenched in red. I must mention he shot the entire film on 35mm, as well.



I won't comment on the details of the narrative, as this film is best experienced knowing as little as possible, but I had to comment on some of the wonderful artistic choices. I would also warn any viewers that have trouble with depictions of sexual violence that they may want to skip this one.

Didn’t like this as much as you did but Baldwin and Kidman are excellent.

Superman II follows the struggles of Kal-El (Christopher Reeve) to adapt to normal life on Earth, which includes handling his feelings for Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Meanwhile, a trio of Kryptonian criminals escape from their prison in space and decide to wreak havoc on Earth. As a result, Kal-El has to make some tough decisions if he actually cares for "these Earth people".

The thing is that the way that these three storylines are executed doesn't necessarily make them fit in the best way. I read a bit more about the conflicts between original director Richard Donner and his replacement Richard Lester, but I don't know if that's the main reason for that disjointedness. Whatever the reason is, those three sometimes feel like three different films.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot