Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Fallen (1998)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

By IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57168198

The Equalizer 2 - (2018)

Pretty much what you'd expect here, if you've seen the first Equalizer. Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) sees a lot wrong with the world today, and he does his bit to solve it by breaking bones, making pretty bad contusions, stabbing, shooting, burning or otherwise hurting those people that make us really mad. When someone murders friend Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) you better believe there's going to be more work for the coroner than he can handle, meaning a cancelled fishing trip. McCall is a human terminator, and can sense a butterflies wings flapping 5 miles away with his epic concentration, so no matter what you plan to do, he's going to break your arm before you can explain yourself - keep out of his way. Breaking bones is like popping bubble-wrap for him. He just can't stop at one.

6/10


By Poster found at http://www.impawards.com/1985/jewel_of_the_nile.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8198300

The Jewel of the Nile - (1985)

There's some slick Hollywood packaging around this Romancing the Stone follow-up, but a real lack of screenplay punch or narrative excitement. Set-pieces include a getaway through Arabian streets in a jet, a train chase, Michael Douglas wrestling an African giant and a Batman trap. Not one memorable line is uttered - and this seems a case of Michael Douglas and Lewis Teague doing just enough to not completely alienate the audience. The characters are enjoyable, despite never landing a knock-out blow (or, come to think of it, any blows at all.) Billy Ocean's 'When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going' was unstoppable though.

5/10


By from imdb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9009202

The Murderers Are Among Us - (1946)

The Murderers Are Among Us captures a moment in time unique in world history. A nation remaking itself from the ground up. Nothing needed to be faked or exaggerated, and there's a grim sense of fascination I have regarding how people survived this terrible situation after years of Hitler's rule. Full review here, in my watchlist thread.

8/10


By It is believed that the cover art can or could be obtained from the publisher or studio., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26528095

Poison For the Fairies (Veneno para las hadas) - (1986)

I really loved this movie, and was blown away by the ending - what a great pair of child actresses as well! Oh, and well done to Ana Patricia Rojo for what looks like handling a really, really big spider. I shuddered at the thought of that. Full review here, in my watchlist thread.

9/10

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Amongst plenty of other films, I've watched two very different masterpieces this week:





Sansho the Bailiff and All That Jazz.

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All the actors are very good. I finished the movie, but have no idea what it was about.



Very good movie & with a strange true story. Two leads very good especially the woman.

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

Cognetti, 2023





I recall watching the original Hell House LLC back around the time it came out, and it was a pretty engaging little low-budget found footage flick. Creative staging and deft wielding of the camera made for some effective tension and scares. When the second one came out, we eagerly fired it up, but I don't remember much about it save that is wasn't anywhere near as good. At that point, I pretty much wrote the series off as all done.

I was poking around on Letterboxd looking for title to add to my watchlist for the Movieforums 31 Day Halloween challenge, when I noticed the 4th film in the series with quite a bit of positive feedback. Since it was also available on Shudder, it was an easy add. Boy, am I glad I put it on the list.

My wife adores the first film, so when I mentioned the 4th might actually be worth a watch, she insisted we get right to it. IMO, this film surpasses the original, with a couple of fantastic sequences that had us both stuck to the ceiling like frightened cats as we watched. Our actual cat didn't even wake up from his nap, but his brain is the size of a walnut, so what does he know.

The entire film is really effective, again using minimal resources and creative camera work to maximum effect. The acting from the smaller cast her is for the most part good, even if I found one of the leads to be ultra-annoying at times.

Fun location and several riveting scenes make this one a must watch for any fan of the found footage subgenre.

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2nd Rewatch...This flawless blend of racial dram and the business behind show business just gets richer with each viewing. This is an often too up close look at the beginnings of gangster rap through the group NWA and infighting with Dr Dre, Ice Cube, and Easy E that eventually destroys the group. Love the scene where they perform "F**k the Police" even though the Detroit police have instructed them not to and the scene where the police stop them make them lie on the ground until they are rescued by their manager (Paul Giamatti) still makes my blood boil. There are standout performances by Jason Mitchell as Easy E, Corey Hawkins as Dr Dre, and especially O"Shea Jackson playing his real life father, Ice Cube.

Sansho the Bailiff is indeed great. I still haven't seen All That Jazz.

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October 1, 2024

MEGALOPOLIS (Francis Ford Coppola / 2024)

Well, now... I must say I don't quite really know how to begin with this one! For one thing, I'm not even going to try making my usual canned plot summary, because I couldn't really do it justice at all. Suffice it to say, it takes place in a kind of alternate-universe mash-up of modern America and the Roman Empire (that is, if the latter had never fallen), and Adam Driver portrays a futurist architect named Cesar Catalina who has a grand vision of a futuristic city whose residency could potentially improve human existence.

The first thing I've got to say is, it's got an awesome cast. I've always liked Adam Driver a lot, and he makes an engaging protagonist here. And it's really cool to see Coppola working with Laurence Fishburne once again, who plays Cesar's driver and assistant. (He's also responsible for the film's narration, which I must say I got strong Morpheus vibes from, although I know that wasn't really Coppola's intention.) Giancarlo Esposito plays Mayor Cicero, who starts out being Cesar's adversary but warms up to him over the course of the story. Of course, part of that has to do with the fact his daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) has fallen in love with Cesar, and becomes his partner in his dream project. Jon Voight portrays Cesar's rich uncle Hamilton Crassus III, Aubrey Plaza plays Crassus' new wife Wow Platinum, and Shia LaBeouf plays Crassus' treacherous nephew Clodio Pulcher. Also look out for Dustin Hoffman, Talia Shire, and a whole slew of other noteworthies.

My reaction to Megalopolis is admittedly something of a mixed one. First of all, it's the kind of movie you feel really awestruck by, and even somewhat honored to be in the presence of. Not only is this the kind of movie about which you can say, "They don't make 'em like this anymore", but it's the kind of grand visionary fever dream that people have rarely had either the bravery or the resources to pull off at all at any point in cinema history. And for that reason alone, it is to be treasured. It has a genuinely experimental, even borderline-psychedelic quality to it which makes it stand out from practically anything else out there in American multiplexes today. While Coppola definitely avails himself of all the present-day digital FX technology has to offer, it possesses a very loose, improvisatory energy to it (very much reflected in the acting styles sometimes). It also has - and this is truly amazing for a story that was originally conceived in the late '70s - a real "Where are we now?" quality to it, drawing parallels between the decadence of ancient Rome and where America is today. It deals very much with class struggle, conspicuous wealth, politics and an interrogation into the very definition of "progress". But if that makes Megalopolis sound like some kind of overly socially conscious, heavily dystopian "message movie," rest assured that while it does have that side to it, it's also weirdly uplifting and you really do walk out of the theater on a bit of a cloud, feeling like there just might be hope - not only for America, but the world at large. It's the kind of movie that's very forward-thinking and very entertaining... at least for those who can keep up with it.

Having said that, however, the movie also feels somewhat misshapen and unwieldy at times. Perhaps it's the sort of movie you need to watch more than once. (On second thought, there's no perhaps about it. I think I do need to see it again, and I plan to do just that when the 4K release drops.) While there is much about the movie that is a glory to behold, it only loosely holds together, and one often has the impression of watching a very unique and idiosyncratic visionary folly. But hey! Those are often some of the most fascinating types of projects in the history of moviemaking. I myself have always had a strong appreciation of the work of John Boorman, who has always been very much respected as the man who directed classics like Point Blank (1967), Deliverance (1972), Excalibur (1981) and Hope and Glory (1987), but who has also made quite a few visionary "follies" of his own, such as Zardoz (1974) and Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), that have often caused reviewers to question the man's very sanity. But truth be told, as imperfectly wayward as Zardoz and The Heretic are, they still rank among my favorite movies of all time, and overall I'd much prefer watching them over any sane, sober, well-intentioned mainstream package deal that ticks of all the right boxes. And I have no doubt that those people out there who have watched it feel much the some way about Coppola's Megalopolis.

Sooooooo... the question then becomes. How does this rank in Francis Ford Coppola's filmography. Well, admittedly not having actually seen each and every one of Coppola's films, I honestly couldn't say. Is it as good as The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1990), The Conversation (1974) or the mighty, fearsome Apocalypse Now (1979). Well... no, not quite. But comparing this movie to any other film, even Coppola's own, kind of seems unfair, because it's so much its own unique animal. One thing's for sure, if this were to end up being Coppola's final film (although hopefully he might have another in him), I couldn't imagine a better or more representative capstone for such a fascinating career.

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"Well, it's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid" - Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, High Plains Drifter (1973)

"I'll let you be in my dream if I can be in yours" - Bob Dylan, Talkin' World War III Blues (1963)

I have watched this 4 times already, and keep finding new things with each viewing.

The story really is exceptionally well thought out, though maybe it might not seem that way at first.

At this juncture, I consider it Coppola's ultimate masterpiece, without a doubt.

Joker: Folie à Deux
(Todd Phillips, 2024)

I'm not sure why people are acting like this was the worst thing ever. Maybe I just have shit taste (I've certainly been accused of that more than once), but I thought this was decent. Mind you, it's far from great, but I think it could have been a legitimately good movie if they'd been a lot more ruthless with the editing. I thought the performances were solid, I really liked the look of it, and there was definitely some potential with the story. It's just that there wasn't enough going on and the movie dragged a lot in some places. I think cutting it down by about 30 minutes would've helped considerably.

Also, after having just spent months watching musicals (my least favorite genre), I can say with absolute certainty that I'd sooner rewatch this than slog through a revisit of some of the other films of the genre I've seen. I didn't think the singing was out of place and was never annoyed by the songs themselves, though of course they did contribute to its pacing problems.

So yeah, I won't be seeing this again in the theater but I don't think it's a total waste of time or anything and I'll certainly give it another watch at some point.

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Maxxxine (2024)

The third (last?) chapter in Ti West's "X" series, and in many ways it feels like it.
There's not enough suspense in it to call it horror, and it also doesn't really work as a whodunit slasher.
It looks terrific as a greatest hits of 1980s nostalgia, and the more I think about it the more it reminds me of the "Hollywood" novels written by Jackie Collins, Harold Robbins, Sidney Sheldon etc.
Those stories also dealt with themes like ruthless ambition, sleaze and gory violence.

But whatever the X series is meant to be, Maxxxine definitely qualifies as a "homage" film, and I think the trick is to use the genre's tropes in a clever or unexpected way.
That's not what happens in this film, and even though it harps on about the importance of fame, the character of Maxxxine doesn't really get fleshed out, so to speak.
Ironically, it's the motive of the antagonists that presents an interesting dilemma but that only happens in the last part of the story.

It's The Lonely Lady (1983) meets Hardcore (1979).
Very good looking and atmospheric, mildly entertaining but not very satisfying.

6/10

minus

Yeah....I'm one of those people who think Joker: Folie a Deux was just awful. I'll never have those 2 1/2 hours back. Between a lame plot line and Joachim Phoenix chewing every piece of scenery in sight there was not a moment I liked. So Joker has a crush on Harley Quinn. OK. Both of them get to indulge their sociopathic tendencies and somehow no matter how awful they are, there are squadrons of sycophantic followers who cheer them on.

I think we already knew that. Really, minus two popcorns is probably a high rating. It would have been four, except the look and FX in the movie are good. I found myself shifting in my seat, taking a bathroom break to get away from it, looking around at the empty theater and wondering why I came when I had been in the nearby food hall, eating some pad thai, having a beer and listening to some soft jazz.

Just WHY is Phoenix doing this to himself? Between his emaciated appearance and doing that so he can portray a vapid, violent character, what's up with him?

There's probably several million reasons he might have done it....

I actually had no trouble keeping up with it. My mindset when I went in there was to pay attention to the story more than the visuals.

Yeah. Unfortunately, I'm cynical enough to have a good guess what those reasons are. All things considered, I'd probably do it too, although looking physically as bad and emaciated as he looks would make it a blow to my ego.

The Wild Robot





A gorgeous movie, that succeeds on pulling on heartstrings while still finding time for existentialism. Yes, they make quite a few 'Disney-esque' contrivances,, allowing for talking animals and such, but I'm still quite impressed with the movie. DreamWorks may overtake Pixar/Disney as the studio best at making family films that's art, instead of just making sequels and spinoffs.

In all fairness, Pixar tried quite a few original films, only for audiences to stay away. Then they went back to make a sequel and, presto, audiences came back in droves.

You can't blame the studios for audience preferences.

Elemental had legs and turned a profit, but I see your point.


Sadly, Onward and Soul just weren't that good, in my opinion. Even Elemental was marginal, feeling more than a bit like a re-skinned Zootopia. It had enough heart and feels to make it worthwhile though. And Luca and Turning Red went right to streaming, thanks to Covid.