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

[Theologator]

It's the reports of preachiness that are keeping me from seeing it. I just can't stand being preached to be anyone, let alone Hollywood. Tell me a story, show the good and bad and let me make my own damn decision.

I hear you. But if you’re into the broader narrative leading to Infinity Wars you should give it a chance.

SPOILER ALERT - read no further if you don’t want to hear the following.

The main preachy point is that Wauconda has been too isolated and should share its wealth with the world. Some characters suggest that means taking in refugees, others fear that will ruin their way of life. It’s fairly presented.

The bad guy wants to harness their amazing vibranium-powered tech to exact revenge on behalf of Africans oppressed around the world. T’Challa and allies fight that, wanting to pursue a peaceful reconciliation of all peoples based on our common humanity.

The ultimate effect is, after the fight is won, that they develop a first-ever foreign aid and development program “like other countries.” That transcends the other arguments.

I’m conservative and did not find this objectionable. I didn’t agree with all of it but it wasn’t Hollywood leftism shoving their neo-Puritanism on me. As a set-up for infinity wars, it urges toward unity kind of like Independence Day.

Edit: It’s no more preachy than the Captain America movies.

 

[gingerlover]

Blade Runner 2049 - Liked the first one, but was never a super fan of it. Finally saw this, but was worried that Scott would screw it up as bad as he has the Alien franchise. The effects are great, but also stay true to the original. The story got slightly confusing at times and ran a little long. Basically it follows the previous where the previous film was going. The blade runners are hunting down the fake people and killing them off. They have since upgraded their models to more obedient versions as well. The big payoff comes from the knowledge that one of the originals was able to have a child despite the fact they were supposed to be sterile. The movie is about trying to unravel that mystery.

The movie was pretty descent, but a little long at almost 3 hours. Gosling was a little bland at times, but I think that was by design with his character. The revelations weren't that grand and not sure what the point of certain characters even were, but it played well. Would have been better if kept to around 2 hours or a little more. There were some boobs, but nothing to go crazy about. Can't remember if they were harmed. 6.5/10 for me on this one. If i was a bigger fan of the original I might have a higher rating.

 

[gingerlover]

When We First Met (Netflix) - Stars adam devine (you know who is he is you look him up) and is a romantic comedy type things. Basically the kinda funny butterfly effect. The movie starts out in 2014 and he runs into a girl at the party. He thinks they are hitting it off and at the end of the night gets locked in the friend zone. It then fast forwards to 2017 and she is engaged and he's heartbroken. He finds an old photo booth that allows him to go back to relive the night they met in hopes of changing the future. He goes back 4-5 times and each time things come out screwy in some ways in the present depending on how he acted that night and the following years leading to him waking back up in 2017. One of those can you really change the past without screwing up the present type things. He learns life lessons and all of that. The movie is a descent throwaway you have an hour and a half to kill and there is literally nothing else on. If you go your life without seeing this you will be ok as well. It's a solid 5/10. You can skip it or see it and your life will not feel any more blessed or empty.

 

[TheDouglas78]

Spider-man:Homecoming (2017) - I didn't know what to expect with this with Spider-man (2001) being pretty solid and The Amazing Spider-man being a boring suckfest. Tom Holland the kid playing Spider-man actually acts like a kid, which helps the role of Peter Parker. Michael Keaton as the Vulture was pretty good. I really couldn't care about the character of the Vulture, but the script and acting made him relatable. The action was decent (not special) and the story was decent. The music was also a solid point. The third act was a little bit of a let down after a solid first two acts, but it was worth a watch. I would give it a solid 6.5/10.

Add bonus, my daughter spend the rest of the evening signing Blitzkrieg Bop.

ThreatMatrix Matrix: no boobs were seen or harmed in this movie.

 

[TLB]

Angel on My Shoulder (1946)

The concept of a second chance at life has been played out in several films over the years, but this one must have been one of the early ones given when it was made. In this one, a gangster "Eddy Kegal" is released from prison only to get killed by his long term partner who has taken over the operation. Our lead spends some time in hell, then is approached by "Nick" with a chance to get even with his old double-crossing partner if he will ruin a judge for Nick in the process. Eddy comes back as the judge, but through ignorance and stubbornness, fouls up each attempt by Nick to actually ruin the judge. I'll delete my spoiler here, but simply say the story is the point of the film - it isn't preachy, but it is good at telling the story and developing Eddy as a character you care about.

It's 1946, so no boobs, and I'll have to say the acting is about a B+ along with the writing and direction in general. Not a great film, but a good one. If you liked other films of the same premise you ought to watch this one.

I first watched "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty in the early 80's as my first exposure to this theme. But this was based on a good guy simply taken early by a mistake on the part of an angel wanting to spare him the pain of an accident (from which he wasn't intended to die). So he was a good guy, put into the body of a millionaire who was murdered. This romantic comedy was bit more light hearted, and didn't get real deep into characters or motivations, the lead just got a millionaire's life and while he could get back into shape and be the QB he was supposed to be prior to his 'accident', there is some humor screwing with the two who bumped him off and a bit of romance thrown in. Ultimately, he's subject to an oops and gets another fair chance. This was (poorly) redone with Chris Rock in "Down to Earth" in 2001. Even the 1978 "Heaven Can Wait" wasn't an original in that it was a remake of the 1941 "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" with a boxer, rather than QB, as our poor soul taken too soon and looking for a new body. What I liked about "Angel on My Shoulder" is that he is guided by the Devil seeking to use him and his desire for revenge, as opposed to the others that allow a 'mistaken taken early' to inherit a truly deceased body. In Angel, the judge isn't dead, just ill for a bit when Eddy steps in. The others were faced with owning the body going forward and losing any memory of their previous life, whereas here Eddy never gets to stay, he is only 'alive' again to do certain (evil) things for himself and Nick before returning to hell. There is a lot more personal growth for Eddy than the others faced, and he allows us to see someone change who they are even after death. There's still some good humor in the verbal jabs between Eddy and the Devil, but what I really liked was this different approach and focus on Eddy - who he is and what motivates him, before his death and after. Not to spoil things, but the film closes with him blackmailing the Devil...how many movies can claim that?

Like I said, a good but not great film. If the premise interests you, give it a go. If not, you won't miss much. 7/10

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Very enlightening review:

 

[gingerlover]

Watched 2 movies last weekend on Neflix

Big Bear - A guys gets dumped right before his bachelor party, but still goes to party with his friends. From there you have an hour and a half of suckfest. Sad thing is that a few of the guys in the cast are actually really funny in other stuff. Not even worth writing anything else about it. 2/10.

A Futile and Stupid Gesture - This is about the story of Doug Kenney who was one of the founders of National Lampoons Magazine. Will Forte plays him and the cast is full of familiar faces. While you would think would be more comedic it really wasn't and thats not a bad thing either since it was looking at his short life and time in the fame. It explores his hand in helping to launch the careers of guys like Chase, Murray, Belushi, etc as well as the impact the magazine had at the time. How Animal House changed things and how hard he took it when Caddyshack was initially a flop. The one weird thing was seeing other actors play guys like Chevy Chase, but the guy who did Bill Murray could do a spot on impression even if he didn't look just like him. Not sure how accurate anything in it is other than how much cocaine Chevy Chase did, but its worth a look. On a side note, and its not necessarily a bad thing, but there is a reason this is on Netflix and not in a theater. Before netflix existed it would have been a made for TV movie. Not saying that is a bad thing, but that's the type of feel it had to it. 6/10 and worth checking out.

 

[Gatordiddy]

Watched 2 movies last weekend on Neflix

Big Bear - A guys gets dumped right before his bachelor party, but still goes to party with his friends. From there you have an hour and a half of suckfest. Sad thing is that a few of the guys in the cast are actually really funny in other stuff. Not even worth writing anything else about it. 2/10.

A Futile and Stupid Gesture - This is about the story of Doug Kenney who was one of the founders of National Lampoons Magazine. Will Forte plays him and the cast is full of familiar faces. While you would think would be more comedic it really wasn't and thats not a bad thing either since it was looking at his short life and time in the fame. It explores his hand in helping to launch the careers of guys like Chase, Murray, Belushi, etc as well as the impact the magazine had at the time. How Animal House changed things and how hard he took it when Caddyshack was initially a flop. The one weird thing was seeing other actors play guys like Chevy Chase, but the guy who did Bill Murray could do a spot on impression even if he didn't look just like him. Not sure how accurate anything in it is other than how much cocaine Chevy Chase did, but its worth a look. On a side note, and its not necessarily a bad thing, but there is a reason this is on Netflix and not in a theater. Before netflix existed it would have been a made for TV movie. Not saying that is a bad thing, but that's the type of feel it had to it. 6/10 and worth checking out.

This Kenney guy was apparently a comic genius - I’ll have to check out your recommendation. Thanks Ginger.

“Kenney had a small role in Animal House as Delta fraternity brother "Stork," with only two lines of dialogue. Stork's key scene is in the big parade climax, when he sabotages the drum major and leads the marching band down the alley”

Kenney died on August 27, 1980, aged 33, after falling from a 35-foot cliff called the HanapepeLookout. Police found his abandoned car the following day; three days later, Kenney's body was discovered stuck between two jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff. His death was classified as accidental by Kauai police. About Kenney's death, Harold Ramis famously quipped that Kenney "probably fell while he was looking for a place to jump".
National Lampoon's tribute to him was an editorial by Matty Simmons and a cartoon showing a sign next to the edge of a cliff with the inscription, "Doug Kenney Slipped Here.“

 

[gingerlover]

This Kenney guy was apparently a comic genius - I’ll have to check out your recommendation. Thanks Ginger.

“Kenney had a small role in Animal House as Delta fraternity brother "Stork," with only two lines of dialogue. Stork's key scene is in the big parade climax, when he sabotages the drum major and leads the marching band down the alley”

Kenney died on August 27, 1980, aged 33, after falling from a 35-foot cliff called the HanapepeLookout. Police found his abandoned car the following day; three days later, Kenney's body was discovered stuck between two jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff. His death was classified as accidental by Kauai police. About Kenney's death, Harold Ramis famously quipped that Kenney "probably fell while he was looking for a place to jump".
National Lampoon's tribute to him was an editorial by Matty Simmons and a cartoon showing a sign next to the edge of a cliff with the inscription, "Doug Kenney Slipped Here.“

It actually goes over the Animal house part a lot in that movie and the reasons he was specifically there. All of this was a little before my time so I found it really interesting.

 

[Zambo]

One of Storks two lines is one of the better lines in the movie: Well what the hell we ‘sposed to do you moron?

 

[gingerlover]

A couple on Amazon I watched over the last few weeks I forgot to put on here.

Jungle - Based on true events, but the description made it sound like they would be fighting off jaguars and anacondas. Basically Harry Potter and two other guys go to the Amazon to find adventure. They hook up with a tour guide that has some anger issues and make their way deep into the jungle. From there a few incidents happen and the guide turns back with the weaker of the three to help him find civilization. The other two continue the adventure, things go bad, they get split up and Harry Potter almost starves to death.

At 2 hours this movie was about an hour and a half to long. It sucked and was slow and boring. 3/10.

Killing Gunther - Gunther (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the worlds greatest assassin. A team of other assassins plan to try to kill him. He's always one step ahead and they are picked off one by one in comedic ways as well, they are idiots.

The movie is written by and stars a bunch of SNL people from the newer seasons. They aren't very funny in the movie and the movie isn't very funny. Arnold probably has the better moments as he pokes fun at himself and seems to have fun doing it. this was another suckfest 3/10.

 

[gingerlover]

Bad Match (Netflix) - A guy love using a dating app for one night stands. One night he meets a girl who is a little clingy. While trying to ditch her she calls him out on some things and starts messing with his head. Some crazy lady stuff ensues. Needless to say as his life is being ruined he starts to unravel and gets crazier the deeper in trouble he's getting in.

This is your typical Netflix filler movie. Your life is fine without it, but if you have a few moments then watch it. Basically the very end had a little twist that saved the movie and how it makes you feel about the whole thing afterwards. 5/10. No boobs.

 

[Theologator]

It actually goes over the Animal house part a lot in that movie and the reasons he was specifically there. All of this was a little before my time so I found it really interesting.

Heard some of his story years ago. He was regarded by Harold Ramis as the most talented writer at National Lampoon. He was prone to depression, so some of his friends think it was suicide.

 

[Theologator]

Blade Runner 2049 - Liked the first one, but was never a super fan of it. Finally saw this, but was worried that Scott would screw it up as bad as he has the Alien franchise. The effects are great, but also stay true to the original. The story got slightly confusing at times and ran a little long. Basically it follows the previous where the previous film was going. The blade runners are hunting down the fake people and killing them off. They have since upgraded their models to more obedient versions as well. The big payoff comes from the knowledge that one of the originals was able to have a child despite the fact they were supposed to be sterile. The movie is about trying to unravel that mystery.

The movie was pretty descent, but a little long at almost 3 hours. Gosling was a little bland at times, but I think that was by design with his character. The revelations weren't that grand and not sure what the point of certain characters even were, but it played well. Would have been better if kept to around 2 hours or a little more. There were some boobs, but nothing to go crazy about. Can't remember if they were harmed. 6.5/10 for me on this one. If i was a bigger fan of the original I might have a higher rating.

I’ll see it eventually, but the feel you describe is how I took the first one. Cool casting of a future world, great piece, but slow & plodding. I actually fell asleep in the first one.

 

[TLB]

Primal Fear (1996)

This has long been a favored movie of mine, and I was fortunate to find time to watch it again recently. We have Richard Gere who plays a hotshot defense attorney in Chicago, who in an opening discussion of a case comes to discover his gangster type client is fighting to save his neighborhood from some rich politician development investors. That's out there, but the thread isn't pulled enough to ruin the plot. We then shift to a live shot of a person covered in blood running from police. This turns out to be Ed Norton in his film debut as Aaron Stampler, a 19yr old runaway accused of murdering the Arch Bishop for whom he was an altar boy. There are plenty of character connections throughout, as Gere jumps at the chance to take the high profile case (pro bono), the appointed prosecutor (Laura Linney) was selected primarily because she used to date Gere and her higher ups are using whatever they can to get a death sentence. Not to ruin the plot, but that earlier thread of rich politician development investors can be found here, and later it touches on the Arch Bishop. That's all well and good for a storyline, but the real key to this film is Norton's performance as a stuttering simpleton accussed of murder that can't be imagined to hurt a fly....until another personality emerges. I won't say a lot more, but Norton's performance, and how he and Gere play their respective roles is great and gives you that twist at the end, that kick to the gut you suspected but weren't exactly correct about...Norton is awesome in his first film role. See it.

The only boobs are of a late teenage girl being directed in a porn shot with Norton and another guy - this is evidence video tape that comes up through the course of the trial. The boobs aren't hurt, nor are they even played with. It is a brief shot, with some guy's buttcheeks blocking the other half of the scene, and then we move on.

If you like films that involve legal discourse and discovery, twists with multiple personalities, or just like Norton in general - see this when you get a chance. Granted, it's 20 yrs old, so it isn't going to blow you away, but for it's time, it was worth the watch. 8.5/10

 

[gingerlover]

Wakefield - stars Bryan Cranston as a middle aged man who marriage is on the rocks. Jennifer garner is his wife and they argue frequently and his teenage daughters show him disdain. One night the train breaks down and he walks home. He goes up to the garage attack to scare the raccoons off and he starts observing his family. He decides to disconnect from life and live up there observing. This goes on for a while until he realizes he loves her and tries to figure out how to come back even though most think he is dead.

The movie is 90% Cranston narrating and is slow and boring. Skip this movie as you know garner shows nothing but side boob and Cranston becoming a hobo is not redeeming. No matter how bad it was I stuck through it to see how it ended. You will probably be disappointed. 3/10.

 

[gingerlover]

The Beguiled 2017 - stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kristin Dunst, and Elle Fanning in this remake. He’s a union soldier in the civil war who deserts when injured. Winds up at an all girls school and the women start to fight over his affection.

Ten minutes in I felt I had scene this before and sure enough it was a remake of a Clint Eastwood movie from 1971. Stick to the original on this one. I actually turned it off after 30 minutes as it wasn’t very good. 3/10

 

[MidwestChomp]

Primal Fear (1996)

This has long been a favored movie of mine, and I was fortunate to find time to watch it again recently. We have Richard Gere who plays a hotshot defense attorney in Chicago, who in an opening discussion of a case comes to discover his gangster type client is fighting to save his neighborhood from some rich politician development investors. That's out there, but the thread isn't pulled enough to ruin the plot. We then shift to a live shot of a person covered in blood running from police. This turns out to be Ed Norton in his film debut as Aaron Stampler, a 19yr old runaway accused of murdering the Arch Bishop for whom he was an altar boy. There are plenty of character connections throughout, as Gere jumps at the chance to take the high profile case (pro bono), the appointed prosecutor (Laura Linney) was selected primarily because she used to date Gere and her higher ups are using whatever they can to get a death sentence. Not to ruin the plot, but that earlier thread of rich politician development investors can be found here, and later it touches on the Arch Bishop. That's all well and good for a storyline, but the real key to this film is Norton's performance as a stuttering simpleton accussed of murder that can't be imagined to hurt a fly....until another personality emerges. I won't say a lot more, but Norton's performance, and how he and Gere play their respective roles is great and gives you that twist at the end, that kick to the gut you suspected but weren't exactly correct about...Norton is awesome in his first film role. See it.

The only boobs are of a late teenage girl being directed in a porn shot with Norton and another guy - this is evidence video tape that comes up through the course of the trial. The boobs aren't hurt, nor are they even played with. It is a brief shot, with some guy's buttcheeks blocking the other half of the scene, and then we move on.

If you like films that involve legal discourse and discovery, twists with multiple personalities, or just like Norton in general - see this when you get a chance. Granted, it's 20 yrs old, so it isn't going to blow you away, but for it's time, it was worth the watch. 8.5/10

Norton was awesome in that movie. He is a very good actor and wish he was cast in more movies.

 

[gingerlover]

Norton was awesome in that movie. He is a very good actor and wish he was cast in more movies.

I think he’s great but is supposedly very hard to work with, which is why marvel replaced him.

 

[gingerlover]

Coco - Was a little hesitant on this one at first. This is probably the first Pixar movie since The Good Dinosaur I wasn't that excited about because I'm not real familiar with the subject material and the whole day of the dead thing never really interested me. That being said I thought the movie was fantastic and the last ten to fifteen minutes are amazingly heartfelt. Basically in that last little bit Pixar does what they like to do to adults while children still enjoy the movie with all its colors and songs.

The film is that his ancestors stopped allowing music in the house and became shoemakers after his great great grandfather left them to pursue a music career never to return. He then thinks he is related to this big star from the past and goes to compete in the talent show, but when "borrowing" a guitar is sent to the land of the dead for punishment and can only return with the blessing of his family. Here he meets many lost relatives and searches for his great great grandfather. The majority of the movie is your typical kids flick. On the run, trying to find something, songs and dance etc. The last ten minutes though are an emotional gut punch when he finally sorts everything out. Before I had a kid this movie would have just been another on the list I had seen, but after becoming a father a little switch went off that made me feel more when I watch certain things.

Great movie for both kids and adults. Good family time movie and possibly prepare an excuse ahead of time for why your wife catches you wiping your eyes. 8/10. In my personal opinion this might be the best Pixar movie since Toy Story 3.