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

DocZaius

Founding Member
Return to Monke
Lifetime Member
Jun 23, 2014
8,979
33,175
Founding Member
All these recent reviews of movies without boobs. It almost makes me cry.

El Camino, on Netflix, is a follow-up to the hit series, Breaking Bad. If you were a fan of the show and want to see what happens to Jesse after the events of the final episode, it's worth a watch.

Otherwise, skip it. Don't get me wrong, it fits well within the Breaking Bad universe and the acting, writing and scenery is all top-notch, as you might expect from Vince Gilligan. But as a standalone movie, it only rates a "meh." It's mostly fan-service for people already invested in the characters and there's not much there for casual viewers.

5/7 Dickbutts since I'm a fan. Only 2 if I weren't.

E5Jdn59.jpg
 

Slevin

Law’s Alter-Ego
BANNED
Aug 12, 2014
5,846
15,818
All these recent reviews of movies without boobs. It almost makes me cry.

El Camino, on Netflix, is a follow-up to the hit series, Breaking Bad. If you were a fan of the show and want to see what happens to Jesse after the events of the final episode, it's worth a watch.

Otherwise, skip it. Don't get me wrong, it fits well within the Breaking Bad universe and the acting, writing and scenery is all top-notch, as you might expect from Vince Gilligan. But as a standalone movie, it only rates a "meh." It's mostly fan-service for people already invested in the characters and there's not much there for casual viewers.

5/7 Dickbutts since I'm a fan. Only 2 if I weren't.

E5Jdn59.jpg
Gilligan said it was a love letter to the fans. No other reason to make it other than that. But I agree. It can’t be a stand alone because it doesn’t really explain anything other than the really quick recap at the beginning. You just had to know who people were.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Idk if there’s ever been a character in film or television that was so destroyed by their surroundings and bad luck the way Jesse was. I’m glad they made this for closure.
 

Slevin

Law’s Alter-Ego
BANNED
Aug 12, 2014
5,846
15,818
The Predator (2018)

Ok, so we're on what, the 4th? 5th? installment of the series? At this point you have to accept this isn't going to be top notch. When you have Keegan-Michael Key as one of the key supporting actors, our lead is Boyd Holbrook (who? you'll recognize the face but he's not a lead) and his nemesis is Sterling K Brown (another face you'll recognize, but not a lead), and we have Olivia Munn as the female role of note..lower your expectations.

That said, they all did their roles decently well. But I have to say with B-movie expectations, I was delighted. The storyline moved along well enough with a plot that made sense to progress the series. There is some obligatory suspension of belief (Predator can scan a kids drawing, read his name and school, and know where that is to go get him states away? Ok). Despite my knocks on the cast we have a fun mix of A-Team rejects, who pull off a decent fistful of funny lines throughout. Sterling makes a good villain, dick but you enjoy it. Boyd makes a good lead, sniper with morals. All in all, a pretty good flick. No boobs, but better than B-movie. 7/10.
I thought the new predator was awful. Like terribly awful.

So many new films just have no feel for stretching out a scene. It just kept moving and never developed any kind of feel or created any kind of personality.
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,393
Alita: Battle Warrior (2019)

Futuristic Sci-Fi with a LOT of CGI fighting, like A LOT a lot. If that's what you're into, fine, you'll get it. They blended CGI for androids into real actors and scenes quite well. The characters...you bond with Alita a bit, but beyond that you don't a lot of empathy. The love story is weak. The fight scenes are top notch. The storyline is ok, and yes they set it for a sequel, but I'll bet it is one that is never made. Decent film, and no boobs, BUT we do have Jennifer Connolly as a significant role, and a real nice scene of her in lingerie with some smoking stockings. I've always had a crush on her, but she seems older now...and on the thin side, which ain't bad, but it ain't the girl I had the crush on. She's still got good looks, though. 7/10
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,393
So many new films just have no feel for stretching out a scene. It just kept moving and never developed any kind of feel or created any kind of personality.

Oh, yeah, it never really pulled you in and said 'here is some quality', but there are a lot of films I watch (usually bad ones) just to escape for 90-120min. This one was decent for that, gave a few good laughs along the way. I expect the next one will be worse, but The Predator seemed to exceed my low expectations. I'd call that a win.
 

ThreatMatrix

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Aug 28, 2014
16,540
26,088
Alita: Battle Warrior (2019)

Futuristic Sci-Fi with a LOT of CGI fighting, like A LOT a lot. If that's what you're into, fine, you'll get it. They blended CGI for androids into real actors and scenes quite well. The characters...you bond with Alita a bit, but beyond that you don't a lot of empathy. The love story is weak. The fight scenes are top notch. The storyline is ok, and yes they set it for a sequel, but I'll bet it is one that is never made. Decent film, and no boobs, BUT we do have Jennifer Connolly as a significant role, and a real nice scene of her in lingerie with some smoking stockings. I've always had a crush on her, but she seems older now...and on the thin side, which ain't bad, but it ain't the girl I had the crush on. She's still got good looks, though. 7/10

I know it was cheesy, but I was really pulling for Alita.
 

gingerlover

Junior Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 20, 2014
3,923
4,674
Since the school years has had us extremely busy we haven't gotten to many new things lately. However we finally got to watch Toy Story 4 and lets just say we all felt a little mixed on it.

Toy Story 4 - Bonnie (The little girl in Toy Story 3) is starting Kindergarten and is terrified. Woody, who has been ignored by her for a while, tags along and she creates a new friend Forky. Forky now becomes the most important toy and Woody goes to great lengths to make sure he stays safe while he adjusts to his new life. On a road trip the two get separated and meet new characters as they try to get Forky back to Bonnie. Bo Peep from the first two is back as one of the toys that help them on their journey and in the end Woody is left with a decision to make now that Andy is gone and Bonnie no longer needs him. Anything else would be spoilers, but I think most people have gotten the idea of where this heads from the chatter around it.

I'm torn on this one. I think it truly is a movie you either love or hate. I am in the latter group as Toy Story 3 wrapped up the series perfectly and they could have just kept making the short films to continue the story. For someone who started watching this series in the 90's and then shared it with their kid it kind of took the air out of it for us as it is my family's and son's favorite animated universe so to speak. As a stand alone film it would have been fine, but as part of this series it left me feeling flat and quite honestly not caring anymore if they did future films. Don't get me wrong I would still watch, but it just wouldn't be the same anymore. Say what you want, but the fact that Pixar can still make adults feel this way about cartoons shows how good they are at what they do. Each person that watches this will probably have a different take on it.

Obviously the animation and visuals are spectacular. The new additions were nice, particularly Duke Kaboom (Keanu Reeves) and Duck and Bunny (Key and Peele). If this were the first entry in the series I would have given it a 8/10, but for me with it being the 4th entry I give it a 5/10 due to hating the ending.
 

gingerlover

Junior Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 20, 2014
3,923
4,674

You could have at least posted the new one. In all honestly I truly hope it is good. Tons a rumors and they are packing a lot of stuff into it and supposedly bring back characters from old movies and animated shows beyond what has been announced. The new trailer even showed the Ghost from the Rebels series among the ships there to fight. There is also a lot of talk that tons of carnage among characters, probably the ones people actually like, and the big tease that C-3PO wipes his mind again. I'm curious how many force ghosts will return in this one or if they manage to fit in Ezra from the Rebels cartoon.
 

T REX

Founding Member
Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2014
10,107
7,389
Founding Member
You could have at least posted the new one. In all honestly I truly hope it is good. Tons a rumors and they are packing a lot of stuff into it and supposedly bring back characters from old movies and animated shows beyond what has been announced. The new trailer even showed the Ghost from the Rebels series among the ships there to fight. There is also a lot of talk that tons of carnage among characters, probably the ones people actually like, and the big tease that C-3PO wipes his mind again. I'm curious how many force ghosts will return in this one or if they manage to fit in Ezra from the Rebels cartoon.
Honest mistake...these 3 could've been amazing but episode 8 was awful.

UPDATED MY POST!
 
Last edited:

ThreatMatrix

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Aug 28, 2014
16,540
26,088
Yeah 8 ruined it. 7 was the last one as far as I'm concerned. I don't know what they could do in 9 to save it. With Luke gone it's kind of pointless - not really a sequel anymore.Rey's cute. And Poe is cool, But I can't stand that whiny millenial Kylo Ren. And the rest of the cast can go f themselves too. I'll wait until the fan reviews come out. But if that fat asian chick dies a gruesome death I might pay to see it in theaters.
 

Detroitgator

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Jul 15, 2014
28,240
46,753
Yeah 8 ruined it. 7 was the last one as far as I'm concerned. I don't know what they could do in 9 to save it. With Luke gone it's kind of pointless - not really a sequel anymore.Rey's cute. And Poe is cool, But I can't stand that whiny millenial Kylo Ren. And the rest of the cast can go f themselves too. I'll wait until the fan reviews come out. But if that fat asian chick dies a gruesome death I might pay to see it in theaters.
Yeah, Rogue One was it for me... I don't think I can take Leia floating in space again. As for Poe, I WANT to like him, but nah. I liked the Solo one too, but the actual series... smh
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,393
So, I forgot I watched this already and watched it again this weekend.

Maze Runner 2 - Scorch Trials
Given the premise of the first one, this one picks up and keeps going with the plot but, given the twists in the initial film you keep wondering with every new person we meet which side they are really on. That could be good as it keeps things interesting, but it can also be annoying as you struggle to bond to anyone to care about them as a character. Oh, and the lead continues that 10 minutes of running punctuated by "Wait...." WHOMP. Credit for a few deeper wrinkles with our lead, and again solid monsters and action, but I find myself more annoyed by the storyline. Still, ,good enough to make me want to see the last 2 when they come out.

Second time around, without watching on the tails of the first...meh. If you were into the series, fine. Otherwise, it is a very low quality film. There's explosions, evil persons, and a core team you are trying to follow (as noted above, you don't really care about them all that much). The storyline helps by bringing a bit of depth, but it isn't enough to really make me recommend the film. 3/10

Maze Runner 3 - Death Cure (2018)

In looking at the books, there are now two more to follow. If anyone has any sense, they won't make any more films. This one brings us to a decent conclusion, settles the various character storylines and the overall plotline. I mean, like any film, you could keep going with another if you really wanted, but this doesn't have the attraction of a sustainable franchise. Not even for the die hard book lovers (I am not one of them). Again, do.not.recommend. 3/10.
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,393
Mission Impossible - Fallout (2018)

I thought the reference to fallout was 'what happens after the Ghost Protocol (2011) forgetting that was 2011 but still in the mindset that his team had been outlawed. I was wrong, it builds upon Rogue Nation (2015), and does so fairly well. Same core characters in play, and all fit the storyline quite well, even the villain. There is a bit of a personal line for Cruise's character, but it adds to the plot rather than distract from it. What we end up with is a 2hr non-stop action sequence with plot lines laid within and a bit o'character development. Basically, one solid installment in a well established series and supercharged to about 110%. No boobs, but if you like MI films, this is one to watch - context helps, but isn't required (they explain connections for those who view it as a stand alone or out of sequence). 9/10




Darkest Hour (2017)

Another 2hr film (glutton for punishment, I believe). I've always enjoyed Gary Oldham in various roles - the bad guy of Leon (the Professional) always stands out. To be honest, through the film, it was hard to see him in the role nor to hear him as I have grown accustomed...all I saw and heard was Churchill, which I state as a compliment to his acting. I never knew much of Churchill, the person or his role in history beyond 'some British dude in the wars with a hefty reputation as a leader'. I'll be honest, the first 1:40 felt like a slow trudge of a man unwanted, bumbling his way through a position he wanted but wasn't sure he could handle...and facing tremendous pressure from his own government. It lays some of the historical battles (Calais & Dunkirk) and how they played out, as well as the politics within the 'War Cabinet' seeking peace rather than war. At that 1:40 we witness a significant turning point when he is at a moment of crisis and 'escapes' to be among 'the people' for a bit to gauge their sense of the situation, a moment he then leverages it to a point of his role being one to defend the nation to the last person. Quite rousing, but like all the film, I have no context for the truth vs Hollywood embellishment - on his weakness nor on his strength. Though, as a film, it is quite impressive. Again, no boobs, but for a watch, time well spent. 8/10.
 

Gatordiddy

Member in good standing
Lifetime Member
Jul 23, 2014
11,719
26,477
Darkest Hour (2017)

Saw this on a flight recently but couldn't hear some of the British dialogue... so I watched it again at home.
Very good film and I love the various time sequences of the RAF plane and the boats.
Oldman is fantastic in this one... funny too. And the relationship with the monarchy was a great touch... the Parliament scenes were pretty damn good too.

Totally forgot about the sh*tshow that took place just prior to rescue of the troops with that small brigade trying to hold out against the Germans.
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,393
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Follow up to Sicario (2015) about the drug war with the Cartels, which I did like quite a bit. This takes place years later, but focuses on two characters from the first. We have Josh Brolin as a gov't contractor hired to start a war between the cartels, and he brings in Benicio del Toro as the ultimate tracker and hunter who has his own vendetta with one of the cartel leaders. The premise is that they'll kidnap the leading drug lord's kid, make it look like a rival cartel and send them into an internal war. But, being an off the radar operation things goes sideways, people get double crossed, others pursue personal agendas and we focus on how Brolin handles his mission vs his relationship with del Toro, and how del Toro handles the conflict of the mission vs his own personal vengeance. Pretty good film, IMO, despite the somewhat cheap set up for a subsequent film. No boobs, not too much gunplay and violence, not too deep into dialogue or overpacked with meaningless shooting or killing. Overall, pretty good. 7.5/10.



The Atticus Institute (2015)

Supposed horror or suspense...really not much of either. Presented as 1970's documentary (film is grainy and very 70's) of a science group set up to study psychic abilities, but they come across someone who has power beyond their expectations. Military comes in, tries to weaponize what is believed to be someone possessed, and we end up with an overall sub-meh film. I'll give some credit to the actress of the possessed woman, but everyone else is fairly forgettable. We've seen possession films done better, and overall, there's no redeeming value to watching this. 2/10
 

Detroitgator

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Jul 15, 2014
28,240
46,753
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Follow up to Sicario (2015) about the drug war with the Cartels, which I did like quite a bit. This takes place years later, but focuses on two characters from the first. We have Josh Brolin as a gov't contractor hired to start a war between the cartels, and he brings in Benicio del Toro as the ultimate tracker and hunter who has his own vendetta with one of the cartel leaders. The premise is that they'll kidnap the leading drug lord's kid, make it look like a rival cartel and send them into an internal war. But, being an off the radar operation things goes sideways, people get double crossed, others pursue personal agendas and we focus on how Brolin handles his mission vs his relationship with del Toro, and how del Toro handles the conflict of the mission vs his own personal vengeance. Pretty good film, IMO, despite the somewhat cheap set up for a subsequent film. No boobs, not too much gunplay and violence, not too deep into dialogue or overpacked with meaningless shooting or killing. Overall, pretty good. 7.5/10.



The Atticus Institute (2015)

Supposed horror or suspense...really not much of either. Presented as 1970's documentary (film is grainy and very 70's) of a science group set up to study psychic abilities, but they come across someone who has power beyond their expectations. Military comes in, tries to weaponize what is believed to be someone possessed, and we end up with an overall sub-meh film. I'll give some credit to the actress of the possessed woman, but everyone else is fairly forgettable. We've seen possession films done better, and overall, there's no redeeming value to watching this. 2/10
In the road ambush scene, Jeffrey Donovan’s character points his M4 out the windshield for a second. The bolt of his M4 is clearly locked to rear... ruined the entire franchise for me! ;)

I really really liked the first movie, liked this one plenty enough (and was really worried it would suck), and yes, it obviously set up a third, hopefully they don’t f it up!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    Birthdays

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    31,643
    Messages
    1,615,732
    Members
    1,642
    Latest member
    fishermb