Film Reviews - what have you seen lately, what did you think?

TLB

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Us (2019)

Latest Jordan Peele horror, same guy that brought us 'Get Out' which I liked (didn't love, liked). This one has good qualities, moreso than bad ones. Basic premise follows a young girl who confronts something in a house of mirrors, comes out silent for awhile (presumeably PTSD), then grows up to have a family of her own (husband, young teen daughter, son about 10-11). Family rents a beach house, near where the childhood trauma took place (odd she never shared any of it with her husband, though she is filled with dread at heading there). One night, four persons show up on their driveway and begin attacking them. I'll try not to give away spoilers, but the four are evil dopplegangers of her and her family. The movie is primarily a survival 'horror' story of sorts, but it folds in a deeper explanation at the end that is given a lot of justified criticism.

The most appealing aspects of 'Get Out' were the feel of it - imagery, references, speech patterns, the authenticity of 'something isnt right' but believable characters trying to figure out what is going on; with a good sprinkling of humor. 'Us' replicates the feel with a lot of subtle references, some not so subtle (gloves anyone?) but driving with a point kinda, and a good dose of humor throughout whilst still maintain a general feel of 'wtf is going on'; not in the way that leaves you frustrated and lost but wanting to understand and follow along.

The Good: Cast was well selected and did the roles very believably (though the dopples were easier for most), the humor was great, the tension of the chase was solid. The Bad: There are themes (all dopples wear red jump suits, one glove, scissors) which aren't explained*. The Ugly: Rather than leave open ended explanations on things for viewer interpretation on the who-why, we get a detailed discussion between our main character and her dopple. This just opens a ton more questions that AREN'T addressed; we'd have been better making our own assumptions. This twist-punchline to the plot is a little bit obvious in coming, and unfolds to leave you questioning which side of the line we're on at the very end. Decent, just a half step behind 'Get Out', 6.5/10.



*I use imdb a lot, in part to understand things I missed or confirm I understood what I saw. In this case, I was reading imdb trivia while watching the film, which led to a lot of spoilers that go in depth explaining all these themes. I'll admit, it ruined the back half of the film a bit for myself, but it also explained things that would have left me with NO explanation from the film in some cases. My point is that the holes are filled by fans online, if you want them.
 

TLB

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Identity (2003)

This is one that didn't get a lot of attention, but remains near the top of my list of favorites. One of the few I'd be wanting to re-watch periodically, so I did :D The film opens with lawyers gathering for a midnight review of 'new evidence' for their client, scheduled for execution the following morning. They argue the newly discovered log books, lost in the evidence rooms, lends credence that their client is suffering from multiple personality disorder. The film then quickly switches to John Cusack driving an actress (Rebecca de Morney) through a rainstorm in the desert where the roads have washed out. They, along with a few others, end up gathered at a motel in the middle of nowhere. This is a significant jump from the opening, as if you just started watching a different film. However, as the night progresses, more and more folks arrive until there are about 10 stranded at the motel together including newlyweds, a cop (Ray Liotta) transporting a prisoner (Busey), the hotel manager, a hooker, and a family of three. Then, one of them ends up dead. As the characters try to protect themselves and find the killer, more continue to die - there's even an in-story reference to Agatha Christie's 10 Little Indians, for those that remember that one (more homage than a remake). Most of the faces you will recognize, but you don't really grasp what's happening until near the end when Cusack flashes out of the rainstorm and finds himself sitting with the lawyers....and then he flashes back to the motel. I don't want to put anything more that may spoil it, but this is one of those thinkers I've been wanting for a while, keeps you hooked throughout. This won't wow you with horror on the killings (they aren't the point, so much as who survives), nor is this a special effects bonanza. It's a story, with a good plot, good acting, and a great twist at the end (I'd forgotten about it). No boobs, but gets my rare 9/10.
 

Theologator

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Finally watched Creed II on Sunday. Thing is, I knew exactly where it was going but I still got pulled into it entirely. Really enjoyed it. Definitely worth a rental (I saw it for free.)
 

Captain Sasquatch

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Watched a couple of recent Oscar contenders for the first time this week.

Hell or High Water - Starts off like your typical Western cops and robbers caper, ends up having several clever twists along the way and turns into a really effective antihero film. Didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, but it was VERY good.

Jojo Rabbit - My goodness this was good. Taika Waititi is quickly climbing my list of favorite directors. It's tough to pull off a satirical comedy about Hitler and World War II while also making it incredibly poignant at the same time, but he did it. He definitely earned his Adapted Screenplay Oscar, as well. Really looking forward to whatever films he makes in the future.
 

gingerlover

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The Hustle - it had Anne Hathaway but turned out to be a poor reimagined Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels. 4/10

Midway - this was a nice movie and told a great story that I never really knew. My only issues was some of the cast were just not very good. 6.5/10

Hobbes and Shaw - who doesn’t love a throwback to the buddy team up movies of yesterday with the big muscle guys. Has the action and humor. Plot, well it’s no worse than a lot of other action movies. This is a have fun and don’t think about it movie. 7/10

Ford VS Ferrari - This movie was fantastic. It was one of those that pulled you in and you didn’t drift much. Having such a stellar cast helped this one. 9/10
 

TheDouglas78

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Us (2019)

Latest Jordan Peele horror, same guy that brought us 'Get Out' which I liked (didn't love, liked). This one has good qualities, moreso than bad ones. Basic premise follows a young girl who confronts something in a house of mirrors, comes out silent for awhile (presumeably PTSD), then grows up to have a family of her own (husband, young teen daughter, son about 10-11). Family rents a beach house, near where the childhood trauma took place (odd she never shared any of it with her husband, though she is filled with dread at heading there). One night, four persons show up on their driveway and begin attacking them. I'll try not to give away spoilers, but the four are evil dopplegangers of her and her family. The movie is primarily a survival 'horror' story of sorts, but it folds in a deeper explanation at the end that is given a lot of justified criticism.

The most appealing aspects of 'Get Out' were the feel of it - imagery, references, speech patterns, the authenticity of 'something isnt right' but believable characters trying to figure out what is going on; with a good sprinkling of humor. 'Us' replicates the feel with a lot of subtle references, some not so subtle (gloves anyone?) but driving with a point kinda, and a good dose of humor throughout whilst still maintain a general feel of 'wtf is going on'; not in the way that leaves you frustrated and lost but wanting to understand and follow along.

The Good: Cast was well selected and did the roles very believably (though the dopples were easier for most), the humor was great, the tension of the chase was solid. The Bad: There are themes (all dopples wear red jump suits, one glove, scissors) which aren't explained*. The Ugly: Rather than leave open ended explanations on things for viewer interpretation on the who-why, we get a detailed discussion between our main character and her dopple. This just opens a ton more questions that AREN'T addressed; we'd have been better making our own assumptions. This twist-punchline to the plot is a little bit obvious in coming, and unfolds to leave you questioning which side of the line we're on at the very end. Decent, just a half step behind 'Get Out', 6.5/10.



*I use imdb a lot, in part to understand things I missed or confirm I understood what I saw. In this case, I was reading imdb trivia while watching the film, which led to a lot of spoilers that go in depth explaining all these themes. I'll admit, it ruined the back half of the film a bit for myself, but it also explained things that would have left me with NO explanation from the film in some cases. My point is that the holes are filled by fans online, if you want them.

Both the wife and I thought this was a fine film, but disappointing due to "Get Out" it was too predictable.
 

ThreatMatrix

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The Hustle - it had Anne Hathaway but turned out to be a poor reimagined Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels. 4/10

Midway - this was a nice movie and told a great story that I never really knew. My only issues was some of the cast were just not very good. 6.5/10

Hobbes and Shaw - who doesn’t love a throwback to the buddy team up movies of yesterday with the big muscle guys. Has the action and humor. Plot, well it’s no worse than a lot of other action movies. This is a have fun and don’t think about it movie. 7/10

Ford VS Ferrari - This movie was fantastic. It was one of those that pulled you in and you didn’t drift much. Having such a stellar cast helped this one. 9/10
You still don't know it.
JFC don't get your history from movies.
 

ThreatMatrix

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1917 aka Finding LT. Blake - Honestly felt like I was in the trenches with them. Actually more like I wish I was in the trenches with them because it would have been a helluva lot more interesting two hours. This movie is known for being filmed as if one-shot. I got news for the filmmakers, there's a reason for making cuts. So we follow our intrepid explorers as they see some rats, some dead people, a plane crash (yay!), get shot at a few times, some stuff blows up then Lt. Blake is found, or not found, not gonna reveal the big reveal. Then the movie ends.
 

TLB

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Go Karts (2020) <Netflix>

Family in lockdown, let the movie and game nights begin! Son chose first, and picked a film from this year nobody has seen. It's an Aussie made film, so if that offends you, or you don't like subtitles, consider yourself warned. Film begins with mom and son moving to a new town, kid is invited to a local's birthday party where his mom encourages him to make new friends. He goes to the go kart track, has a run in with a tall blond bully who is the area's top racer and his two sidekicks that don't get any lines, but one has been practicing his evil laugh so he gets to do that throughout the film. Also, he meets a love interest, as best it can be for kids in the 13-15 age group. Of course, his crush is the sister of the bully, and the neglected child of the rich family as dad runs a pro racing team, outfits his son with the best gear and vehicle, and the daughter pushes brooms lamenting how she could make the go kart faster and is summarily dismissed. Our hero returns to the beat down track where the owner, a retired ex-racer, gets talked into letting him work in trade for driving time as the kid has no money. First job, water the track with a back-pack pump tank. Second job, paint the shed with a brush on top of your head. Third job, wash all the karts but use your feet. Do you see where this is going? If not, he even makes mention of Mr. Miyagi as he'd doing the painting. Why am I giving all this spoiler detail? Because if you've seen Karate Kid, you've seen this without the accent. The writers have to be just out of high school with how blatantly this is copied. Swap go karts for karate, accents, and add in a side comedy-romance storyline for the single mom and you're there!

Teen kids film, plot you already know. No skin, a little comedy, and absolutely not worth your time. I can't say it's a bad movie, it's actually done fairly well with the acting, directing, etc. It's not bad, it just has nothing to offer to make it 'good'. 4/10.
 
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Just saw "Ford vs. Ferrari' and really enjoyed it. True story of Henry Ford II, vs. Enzo Ferrari. in around 1963. Ford tried to negotiate w/Mr. Ferrari and basically Ferrari insulted Ford stating he didn't want to be associated with slow, cheap cars, etc. Ford then hired the best mechanics, designers & drivers and set out to beat the ferraris in Daytona, Sebring and LeMans. Matt Damon played Carroll Shelby, American Car designer & Christian Bale played the driver Ken Mills. Fantastic racing scenes.
 

gingerlover

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Uncut Gems - Adam Sandler's movie that got him all types of nomination hype. I found his character highly annoying, but I think that was the point. He plays the part of a jewelry dealer that gets in money trouble from gambling away other peoples money and items and is trying to hit that big score that gets everyone out of trouble. It deals mostly with him moving things around. The ending was a little bit of a shocker, but not surprising when you think about it. The woman that play his girlfriend is an absolute smokeshow that I have never seen in anything before. No boobs though :(. At the end of the day I don't get all the hype. 6/10

Junanji: The Next Level - The whole gang is back with new characters and enemies. It starts out with the 4 kids from the last one planning to meet up on Christmas break after their first year of collage. One of them had a bad year and comes home to his ailing grandfather (Devito) and his former business partner (Glover) arguing in his house and him sharing a room with Grampa. He accidentally goes back into the game when thinking about how he felt at the time. When his friends try to help him the hilarity ensues as one is left behind while the two old men are sucked in and they are now all different characters than they were the last time with new abilities and weaknesses. The one left behind then has to find Tom Hanks kid to help her as well.

This movie is still fun if not as good as the last one. Watching the Rock and Hart act like old men is probably some of the best stuff in the movie. Will they all find each other and save the day to escape Jumanji? It is a fun little family movie to watch if stuck at home and on that scale I say 7/10.

Judy - My wife is a huge Judy Garland fan and wanted to watch this. Do yourself a favor and just stab your eyes and ears out so you don't have to pay attention. This movie sucked and we turned it off halfway through. 2/10.

The Lion King (2019)
- Just watch the animated movie. Same thing but better. 4/10
 

gingerlover

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Just watched Knives Out- fantastic.
no boobs.
9/10

Watched last night and agree as well.

Frozen 2 - what a drop off from the first one and way to many songs this time. Elsa has another “change” that I’m sure signifies something but the movie overall wasn’t much better that some direct to video sequels they have done.
 

Gatordiddy

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And just watched- Ready or Not.
Fun movie- and funny
lead actress was great.
8.5/10
 

ThreatMatrix

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Parasite - Is a movie. Guess it won some awards which should have been my first clue. But the kids are quarantining here and they picked. We wanted to watch a scary movie and as you all know I find Koreans scary. Actually I think Delos owns North and South Korea and they've populated it with robots. But a digress. Parasite is in Korean with Korean actors. So be prepared to read. Plot is poor family weasels their way into working for a rich family. That's pretty much it. I said before that this was a movie which may be misleading since movies generally have a beginning, middle and end. This had a beginning. And it did end. It had funny parts. But honestly I don't know what the point of it was. I will not watch it again. 'Cept maybe in hell.
 

ThreatMatrix

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I'm not much of a movie guy but due to current circumstances I finally broke down and got Netflix.

For my first feature presentation I watched The Irishman. Figured I couldn't go wrong with DeNiro, Pacino, Pesci and Scorsese directing.

I was sadly mistaken. It SUCKED! What a snooze fest. Slow, boring plot and old, slow-moving actors who looked ridiculous with their digitally de-aged faces on their decrepit old bodies. As Blaine and Antoine used to say, "HAAAAATED it."
Sloooowwww. Like Dinero thought it was his last movie and didn't want it to end.
Third movie in as many months I didn't finish watching.
 

AugustaGator

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Anybody watch The Platform? Looks to be a Spanish flick. Pretty apropos.
 

Zambo

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Talked the wife into watching RUSH on prime last night. Formula 1 movie about the rivalry back in the 70s between Niki Lauda and James Hunt. Great movie. The wife enjoyed it even though she's not a big race fan or anything like that. Not a technical movie. Mostly human drama that follows the nerdy, analytical German Lauda as he routinely crosses paths in the hyper-competitive world of racing with the flamboyant, good looking party animal Hunt. A good deal of the movie deals with the horrifying crash Lauda had at Nurburgring and his difficult recovery from the massive burns that resulted. Pretty sure anyone here would like this movie.
 

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