Rate The Last Movie You Saw

This is one of the first movies if not the first, where I was old enough to realize that A-list Action movies could absolutely suck, bomb, shit the bed, fail in every way, and make me absolutely want to leave the theater before it even ended. Which we discussed in the theater.
I had already become a little bit discerning, I guess, some may be surprised to hear that I thought Predator was brutally hokey when it came out even though it was somewhat amusing.
But I had never seen a truly bad A-list actioner until Broken Arrow.

The most exciting thing about Broken Arrow is watching Ebert convince Siskel to change his rating from a thumbs up to a thumbs down. I think that's the only time that ever happened.

That is probably the key point with which Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) addresses his fellow cardinals as he kickstarts the titular conclave to elect the next pope. And doubt is something that Lawrence is certainly plagued with; from self-doubts about his own faith, to major doubts about the motives and agendas of the cardinals present and those that are frontrunners to become "the most famous man in the world".

Contrasting with the nature of the event and what is expected of the people involved, Conclave is plagued with secret scandals, gossip, backdoor machinations, backstabbings, selfish ambitions, and even an opportune explosion. All of those reinforce Lawrence's doubts in himself and the process. To add to that, a previously unknown archbishop arrives out of nowhere claiming the backing of the deceased pope.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

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@Wooley
“But I had never seen a truly bad A-list actioner until Broken Arrow.”

@Torgo
“The most exciting thing about Broken Arrow is watching Ebert convince Siskel to change his rating from a thumbs up to a thumbs down. I think that's the only time that ever happened.”

Did you like any of Woo’s other action movies? I thought The Killer (the original, haven’t seen the remake) and Face/Off were good. Hard Target isn’t memorable, but I enjoyed it because I love “The Most Dangerous Game.” Never saw Mission: Impossible 2. None of these films is as good as Speed, Die Hard, First Blood, or T2.

Btw, I miss Siskel and Ebert. I’ve liked very few critics as much as I liked them.

Mark

Yes, very much so. I love Hard Boiled, the original The Killer and his two A Better Tomorrow movies. Once a Thief is silly, but still fun. Face/Off is the only American movie of his I really like, sadly.

Whether or not you're also obsessed with Hong Kong action movies, you might enjoy this review thread I put together.

this is something but also kind of nothing. looks like everyone had fun tho.

@Torgo
“Whether or not you're also obsessed with Hong Kong action movies, you might enjoy this review thread I put together.”

Thanks, I’ll check it out. Admittedly, I’m normally not familiar with action movies made outside the U.S. The Killer is probably the only HK action movie I’ve ever seen, and I saw it once 26 years ago and only because a classmate practically pushed it on me. He recommended it and even loaned me the movie without me asking him to. Still, I enjoyed it.

Mark

The Defiant Ones (1958)



The best thing about streaming is that you can impulsively click on a title and start watching without knowing what to expect, and this has made The Defiant Ones a wonderful experience.
It doesn't take long to figure out what the main premise is going to be, and for a moment I feared it would be one of those annoyingly forced-funny "buddy" stories.
But this film isn't from the 1980s or 1990s, it's from 1958 and back then they had a much better sense of humour.
In some ways this film reminds me of the no-nonsense attitude of Billy Wilder's Ace In The Hole - critical and cynical, with shades of absurd humour and unexpected moments of poignant drama.
It's precisely that kind of non-genre that makes these old films incredibly lively and entertaining.

The Defiant Ones features the issue of racism, and how could it not, but it really hits home when the story enters a moment of ease and the only significant female character assumes that she wouldn't have to feed the black man.
It's the ongoing action-reaction that allows the characters to learn a little bit more of themselves but not necessarily take advantage of it.

There are several laugh-out-loud funny moments in the simplicity of the chained characters tumbling down or beating each other up, in other moments it looks frustratingly tense.
The chase patrol delivers the quirkiness with the red tape decision making and the particular concern for the dogs.
Off the top of my head I can't think of any other movies that end with an exclamation.

I haven't seen many films starring Tony Curtis or Sidney Poitier therefore it also felt like killing two birds with one stone. Incidentally, for many years I thought Tony Curtis was a British actor but maybe I confused the name with Tony "The Way To Amarillo" Christie.

Con Air (1997)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

5th Rewatch...Instant action classic about a cop who steps up when a madman plants a bomb on a bus that will detonate if the bus goes below 50 MPH. This film is still as exciting as it was the first time I watched it. Keanu Reeves created a brand new career for himself as an action hero with his detective Jack and moviegoers were introduced to Sandra Bullock as the innocent passenger who ends up behind the wheel of the bus, not to mention the late Dennis Hopper playing one of his greatest psychopath character, the demented ex-cop Howard Payne.

1st Rewatch...A rather meh MGM musical about a bathing suit designer (Esther Williams) who travels to South America for business with her sister (Betty Garrett). Sis is determined to marry a famous polo player named Jose O'Roarke, but meets a masseuse named Jack Spratt (Red Skelton) who she mistakes for O'Roarke. Meanwhile, Williams meets the real O'Roarke (Ricardo Montalban) and pretend to be interested in him to keep him away from her sister. The plot is mundane and Esther is dry docked for most of the movie though she does generate chemistry with Montalban. The film won the Oscar for Best Song for "Baby It's Cold Outside", which is the best thing about the film. There's also a whole lot of running time wasted on Xavier Cugat and his orchestra but hardcore Esther fans might enjoy it more than I did.

1st rewatch...This exquisitely mounted romance epic ranks up there with great movie love stories like Gone with the Wind and The Way We Were in this story of young lovers (Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams) brought together and torn apart by one circumstance after another. The chemistry between Gosling and McAdams is off the chain and there's solid support from Sam Shepherd, James Marsden, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, and especially Joan Allen.

Put this in my queue. Never seen it.

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

IN A VIOLENT NATURE [2024]

honestly such an amazing and fresh take on the slasher genre, which generally tend to be very flat.

10/10

I liked The Killer. I thought Face/Off was absolutely ridiculous but I couldn't call it bad. I rolled my eyes a lot but I expect that was intentional. But I thought Broken Arrow was just atrocious.

I've heard nothing but great things about this one, have not as yet had the opportunity to see it.

The Defiant Ones is great...I waffle as to whether this or The Boston Strangler is Curtis' best performance.

The Apprentice (2024)


My expectations for the film weren't high, but the film ultimately turned out to be ok.

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This movie was excellent...a link to my review:


https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/...-conclave.html