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

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,359
Blow the man down

This one is on Amazon prime. The thing I like about it is it's 90 minutes and doesn't
waste time with parts of a story that aren't relevant. Two young ladies, early 20's
lose their mother. After the funeral one gets drunk at a local pub and ends up
going home with a guy that is a killer. She runs and ends up killing him. With
help from her sister they dispose of the body. Overall it's well acted and has
a decent plot. The older woman from the Americans is great in this one.
It's a slightly better than average thriller, B-.

Sounds like Thelma & Louise
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,359
Wish I Was Here (2014) <Netfilx>

Wife picked a flick when the kids were gone for the night, so...

Written by Zach & Adam Braff, Directed by Zach, Starring Zach...but it's decent. You'll recognize him, and his wife, and the grandpa...but that may be it.

Central character is a father figure in California named Aidan Bloom. A struggling actor, married to an office working wife (Kate Hudson), with two kids (daughter about 12, son about 8). The main story pivots around him coming to terms with his life, a moment brought on by his father being diagnosed with late stage cancer. Grandpa was funding the kids' private Jewish school and no longer can as his funds will go for treatment. So, Aidan is confronted by his wife to send them to public school (he is scarred from his experience and can't allow it) or start home schooling = at least, that's the line they advertise with. There's more dynamics with the wife hating her job, but doing it to support the family and his 'dream' of acting that isn't going well at all. Wrap in Aidan's brother who hasn't talked to their dad in a year due to father-brother each believing the other hates them while Aidan plays middle man. There ya go, that's pretty much the story. Now, the delivery, is better than the train wreck I described. The writing has a lot of really good humor in it, particularly lines given to the kids (young son asks if they are going to bury grandpa in the yard with Whiskers); and a lot of Jewish references which plays quite well regardless of your beliefs. There's also a lot of good emotion in it as we see the husband(dreamer)-wife(fed up supporting), grandfather-son-brother, and even the wife-grandpa dynamics play out towards grandpa's eventual demise. Along the way, the kids are aware, but not bludgeoned with the situation. All in all, not a bad date film if you don't mind a sobbing partner at the end.

ThreatMatrix = nadadamnthing other than some midriff on Kate for about 5 seconds.
 

Alumni Guy

Newbie
Lifetime Member
Nov 7, 2015
2,473
6,688
Uncut gems

Probably the best movie I've watched on netflix. It was very good.
Adam Sandler is a jewelry dealer and gambling addict with his own little shop in NYC.
Kevin Garnett plays himself , and becomes interested in the prize possession Opal, Sander has at his shop.
Sandler's character is a basket case, always living on the edge with massive debts to dangerous
people. His own wife hates his guts, and she has every reason to. Yet you find yourself
rooting for the guy. I highly recommend this good flick, A-.
It was a good movie, but the movie makes you really feel the stress that Sandler’s character feels. It’s enjoyable in a not enjoyable way, if that makes sense.
 

ThreatMatrix

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Aug 28, 2014
16,540
26,088
Uncut gems

Probably the best movie I've watched on netflix. It was very good.
Adam Sandler is a jewelry dealer and gambling addict with his own little shop in NYC.
Kevin Garnett plays himself , and becomes interested in the prize possession Opal, Sander has at his shop.
Sandler's character is a basket case, always living on the edge with massive debts to dangerous
people. His own wife hates his guts, and she has every reason to. Yet you find yourself
rooting for the guy. I highly recommend this good flick, A-.
Love it or hate it film. I didn't finish it.
 

gingerlover

Junior Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 20, 2014
3,923
4,674
More time spent with the family streaming things

Phineus and Ferb: Candice vs the Universe (Disney Plus) - Basically the same plots as before, but Candice is abducted by aliens and the boys have to save her and the planet. My son was really into this show so he was pleased. It wasn't as good as some of their other ones, but it was descent. 7/10

The One and Only Ivan (Disney Plus) - Wife refused to watch because it had old animals that pass away, but my son was really into this one. Loosely based on a true story of a Gorilla who is saved by poachers when young and adopted by a man who turned an old mall into a circus. Obviously not the best living conditions, but he cares for them. When a new baby elephant arrives they all long to remember the days of their freedom, try to escape and get the circus shutdown. There is then a happy ending for all.

Not sure how much of the story is true about the quality of his care, but this gorillas was in the Atlanta Zoo so I know I have actually scene him in real life. Has a good voice cast (Rockwell, Jolie, Devito etc) and Bryan Cranston plays the caretaker well. 7/10.

Once Upon A Time In Venice - Bruce Willis, John Goodman and Jason Mamoa. This was a direct to video movie that for its budget was better than expected with some humor. Bruce Willis is a retired cop that is now a PI. John Goodman is his longtime friend that runs the surfshop and Jason Mamoa is the drug dealer he becomes entangled with. The main plot is that his dog is stolen and he has to make deals with everyone to finally get him back with lots of inter winding plots. If bored it will entertain, but if you miss this one your life will still be complete. 5/10

Playing with Fire - The John Cena kiddie fireman movie. Younger kids will like it. It has it's moments and a few things are spot on. Basically three orphans end up at a tightly run mountain rescue that Cena runs. Kids do kid things and all the characters come to love them. Also has Leguizano & Keegan Michael Key. However some of the funniest moments are from another former wrestler that doesn't talk in it. Kid Score - 6/10 Adults alone score 3/10.
 

Gatordiddy

Member in good standing
Lifetime Member
Jul 23, 2014
11,719
26,477
we watched a couple over the past few nights:

The Way Back - released in March of this year.
Not a huge Ben Affleck fan but he was excellent in this one.
Basic premise - construction worker/alcoholic but was a one time basketball phenom back in the day.
Gets asked to coach his old high school basketball team, which has basically sucked since he left.
Overall - good story line and not really the ending I expected so it actually was a welcome surprise.
No boobs - and plenty of adult language.

If you care: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.
8/10

The Tree of Life - 2011
Not sure how I missed this one. It's a Terrence Malik film so it's going to be a little vague, sort of but not really religious, deep and wtf at times.
Stars Brad Pitt as a 50's era dad - with a wife and three boys.
The dynamics between Pitt coming to terms with his limitations and expectations of himself and how it affected his family is very powerful and in a way disturbing. Sean Penn plays the grown up oldest son and narrates a little of the film. He's actually pretty good in this one as well.
There are scenes that blow me away - mainly dealing with Malik's own take on the whole creation of the world and the differences between the characteristics of Nature versus God's grace.
I'm probably going to have to watch this again to see what I missed the first time.

If you care: 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
8/10
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,359
Sex After Kids (2013)

Indie film, and it shows. I can't even give you a storyline or plot....it's just following about 8-9 people through their relationships and reconnecting with others as they deal with life after having kids. Some are single, we have a gay couple and a mixed couple and a pair of grandparents. Some have some relatable issues, but at the get-go if you do not have kids you will NOT like this movie. If you DO have kids, there are plenty of laughable moments; however there isn't a lot of flow to the film as you jump from one set of people to another to another and back again. They do interweave, but we started off with a 10min scene that felt like it was dragging and wasn't going anywhere. Some foul language, no real sex (cinemax level of fakery for a bit), but overall a step below meh. Cannot recommend, even if you have kids and nothing to do with 90min of your life (is that even possible?). 3/10.

ThreatMatrix = a few good looking women, but best you get is a few poses in lingerie. Pornhub ftw.
 

gingerlover

Junior Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 20, 2014
3,923
4,674
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War - The end of the current run of DC animated films in a shared universe they have been doing since 2013. This one has a lot and is not for smaller kids. Basically everyone gets killed or mangled in some way. DC has done an amazing job with their animated films the last 20 years. The most recent ones share a continuity, but are also able to be watched as one offs and you will not be lost. Anyway to the story for this one.

Darkseid has been laying waste to planets across the universe so the Justice League, led by Superman, decide to take the battle to him. However he finds out and it is a trap. Darkseid now has an army of parademons that are merged with Doomsday's DNA. Our heroes don't stand a chance and very few make it out with their lives and the rest are either brutally killed or tortured into servitude. After their defeat he comes to Earth and takes out the Teen Titans. Superman is spared, but depowerd so he has to live with the guilt and can't do anything about it.

Cut a few years later and Constantine and the Demon hang out getting drunk every night from guilt. They are approached by Superman and Raven with a mission to try and save what is left as they are taking the magma from Earth's core and it needs to be stopped. They also recruit Robin (Damien Wayne), Swampthing, Batgirl, Batwoman, Batwing, Shazam, Steel, Superboy, Lex Luthor and the Suicide Squad to help them. From here it gets into spoiler land, but their are many brutal deaths as some of the missions they have do not allow them to get out alive. They then have to take on not only Darkseid, but their former friends and Raven's demon father at one last chance to save humanity.

This movie is pretty good and the ending leaves it open for them to start a new chapter, even if it seems bleak for the survivors at first. Once again if the DC live action films could come up with something close to being as good as some of their animated movies they would be doing well. 8/10.
 

Gatordiddy

Member in good standing
Lifetime Member
Jul 23, 2014
11,719
26,477
We caught the Tom Hanks - Mr Rogers movie this weekend.
It was actually pretty good - even though it was a loosely, very loosely based account of an interview Fred did for Esquire back in the 90's. Hanks of course turns in his usual stellar performance.
I won't give the plot away, but it really centers around the Esquire writer and how Mr. Rogers influenced his relationship with his father.

8/10 -
sans boobage but worth the watch
 

jdh5484

Founding Member
Just Beat UGa
Lifetime Member
Jun 30, 2014
9,271
30,803
Founding Member
Just watched The Social Delima on Netflix. Very apropos for 2020. Documentary/ interviews with former early social media app movers and shakers. Scary evolution. Well worth the watch.
 

gingerlover

Junior Member
Lifetime Member
Sep 20, 2014
3,923
4,674
Been a while so I figured I would post a few that I have seen. My 10 month old was crawling around with our remote one day and managed to order HBO. Took advantage of it while we had it.

The Good Liar - Ian McLellen and Helen Mirren star. About a con man and his past coming to light as he woos his next con, a widow played by Mirren. This movie is very interesting to start and then gets slow for a twist you see coming a mile away. 6/10

The Kid who Would be king - A retelling of the King Arthur story. The kid is his ancestor who pulls the sword to fight a returned threat. Think pre-teens saving the world. Kids will like it more. 5/10

Bad Education - Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney as the superintendents of a prosperous school board who have embezzled millions over the years. They are finally found out by the school newspaper who stumbles upon it while writing a story about a construction project. Focused to much on side stories that didn't move the plot as usual because they had to do with SJW stuff. 6/10.

Ad Astra - Been talked about a lot on here. It sucks. Turned it off after an hour and just read what happens. To slow and boring. 3/10

Downhill - Ferrell and Eleine from Seinfeld as a married couple. Their marriage is on the rocks at a ski trip and they just argue the whole time. 4/10

Terminator: Dark Fate (Prime) - Lets just erase everything that previously happened so we make sure to change the narrative that a woman is who saves the world. Turned this one off halfway through and just read what happened. 4/10

Spies in Disguise - Toon where Will Smith turns into a Pigeon. Not horrible and the kids liked it. Basically funny spy stuff while hes a bird. 6/10

It: Chapter II - Loved Tim Curry in this role growing up and Pennywise is such a great horror character. They did a good job with these movies, but man the final act sucked. 8/10 before the finally brings it down to a 6/10.

Stuber - Batista is an undercover agent that has to have an Uber driver take him around as he tries to uncover who killed his partner. They of course argue over his toxic masculinity and he becomes a better person. Actually had more funny parts then I was expecting. 5/10

Jojo Rabbit - The one where Hitler is the kids imaginary friend. I know Hitler is not funny, but I could not help but laugh at some of this. A kid who is dying to be part of the Hitler youth finds out his mom is hiding a jewish girl. He has to help protect them while fighting with his imaginary friend. Dark turn at one point for a comedy and Sam Rockwell is as fantastic as always. 7/10

X:Men: Dark Phoenix - What a great way to end the Fox movies before the MCU takes them over. This was just more of them not understanding the source material. 4/10.

Good Boys - Tried to be positioned as Superbad with middle schoolers. Wow kids in middle school use curse words. Next. 5/10

Hubie Halloween (Netflix) - Adam Sandler is a genius. Secure a huge deal with Netflix that keeps you and your buddies paid nicely. Show up to have a vacation with all of them while you film a movie. Basically he is the town idiot and on Halloween a lot of people that are mean to him go missing. You see it coming a mile away and the side stories are as ridiculous as ever. Its a typical Sandler movie. Man to have his life. 4/10.

The Devil All the Time (Netflix) - Thought this would be better with the cast. About a family in West Virginia through the years and what they have had to endure from the local preachers and such. Not what I expected. Long, drawn out, incoherent and has an unnecessary kill a dog scene. great cast, crappy movie. 4/10

The Outpost (Netflix) - Really good military movie that is intense. Outside of Orlando Bloom has a lot of people you know, but don't know their name. 7/10

Inherit the Viper (Prime) - A family in Kentucky has a legacy of drug running. However the youngest sibling screws up and things start to close in on them. Now will the family stay together or fracture and can they get out of the life generations gave them. Has Josh Hartnett who I didn't even know was still around. 6/10

Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Ok. Movies with monster fights are always cool. Have to turn off all the rest of it though as its just more lets kill everyone for the good of the planet crap. Waiting to see how they screw up Godzilla vs Kong. Plot 4/10 Monster fights 7/10.
 

Gatordiddy

Member in good standing
Lifetime Member
Jul 23, 2014
11,719
26,477
Embarrassed to admit this, but I had never seen High Fidelity with John Cusack.

Since it's a 20 year old film, I'll spare you all the details, but Jack Black was phenomenal. 7/10

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel... good couples flick - 7/10

Somewhere - Stephen Dorff stars in it... (Sophia Coppola - the Lost in Translation writer/director).
Really enjoyed this one 8/10 - contains some ThreatMatrix goodness too.
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,359
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel... good couples flick - 7/10

Somewhere - Stephen Dorff stars in it... (Sophia Coppola - the Lost in Translation writer/director).
Really enjoyed this one 8/10 - contains some ThreatMatrix goodness too.

What are they about, for those of us that don't know?
 

Gatordiddy

Member in good standing
Lifetime Member
Jul 23, 2014
11,719
26,477
What are they about, for those of us that don't know?

The Marigold hotel is about where 7 retired Brits go to India to a retirement hotel that looks a heck of a lot better in the brochure. They try to make the best of it and it goes thru how each of their stories play out.
Dev Patel is the kid who's trying to resurrect the hotel while entertaining the new arrivals. There are some great actors in this one: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson to name a few. It's both touching and funny along the way. The everyday scenes of life in India is also impressive...

Somewhere:
Stephen Dorff plays a Hollywood superstar who begins to question the meaning/purpose (or lack thereof) of his life. His ex dumps off his daughter for an indefinite period of time and he adjusts to being a Dad, while at the same time trying to make sense of where his life should lead. The only downside? In one scene his brother is wearing a tinercee vols shirt... but other than that, solid flick. Don't let the kids see this one though... got some boobage in it.
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,359
13: Game of Death & 13 Sins

Basic premise = someone reaching the bottom of bottoms gets a phone call from an unknown offering to pay them to do challenges as part of a game. First challenge is to swat that fly buzzing around (tip off out of the gate they are watching everything everywhere), and bingo our guy gets a few hundred dollars. For a larger prize, simply eat the fly. No harm in that, right? Easy money. Then, if you wish to continue, you commit to being in the game. Basic rules are you can't tell anyone you are playing, anytime you quit or try to discover who is running the game it ends and you lose all winnings to that point. The challenges rise in offensiveness and prize money, but you don't know how far things will go.

= = =

poster-780.jpg


Ok, so made it through the original called 13: Game of Death aka 13: Beloved (2006), found it lacking somewhat. Props for a novel concept (I'm not aware of an earlier version or use of the plot), but it definitely showed it's age and second world production (Thailand). Something about the lead kept me drawn in, like I knew him from something else (checked his filmography, nothing recognizable), and I kept wanting to see the next task or level of the game. Unfortunately, some of the tasks got skipped visually (referenced when he was speaking with police), despite being easy to pull off in a non-CGI movie. Granted, some of the tasks were quite entertaining = hauling a dead body from a well, or the clothesline scene. But the escalation in difficulty didn't quite flow, nor did it match real well with the anxiety of our lead character. And, towards the end we have two semi-twists that didn't sit all that well with me.

That they allowed the girl into their inner world simply didn't make sense. The only point was so they could have an explanation given to the audience thru her as to the who and why. And while that's needed, it was a weak way to do it. Moreover, that reveal didn't carry a lot of weight with what appeared to be some billionaire teenage kid giving it :\

Also, the final challenge, to have his opponent put up a fight to be declared winner? C'mon, there was never any indication there was another player, unless I missed it. Moreover, the quick way the ending played out was quite disappointing, in that I was rooting for our lead to finish things out, to see if he was truly rewarded or not. Instead, they chose to have him wrestle with his humanity = I know that was the purpose of the whole film, but it just didn't work for me in this instance.

I'll give this a 4/10 for originality, some humor, and a few good challenge scenes.

= = = == =

13_Sins-512636874-large.jpg



And, watched the 2014 remake 13 Sins. Was hoping nearly a decade, and a US production, would invigorate it, step it up a few notches, and really make it worthwhile. 25min into it I paused, and didn't bother to come back until a day or two later. It was THAT good. :| The lead actor is almost familiar (I watch a lot crap and B movies...he's not memorable), his girlfriend is very familiar but unnameable, his father is a common old man actor you'll recognize. Throw in Ron Perlman whom I have an affection for but who doesn't really care big roles (his is minor, and overall meh) and another actor they bring in for the third act (Pruitt Taylor Vince = you'll recognize him). Bottom line = not an all star cast, not really a star cast, but not completely unknown. This helps some. The writing had me disappointed for the first half, no real step up in challenges, but they did lay this as an iteration in a series of games played for a century at least. This breaks it from a stand alone, doesn't necessarily tie it to a sequel of the '06 one, and leaves the door open for others (possible, not likely, certainly not advised). However, the second half DOES step things up a bit. Plotline swaps out drowned body in the well for something more appropriate, doubles down on the clothesline scene, and spends the third act bringing you and the lead up to speed on a competitor in the game. I didn't really see it coming, but I was guessing along the way (and it wasn't a complete surprise). There are a few quick twists at the end (knew what was coming with Perlman because I'd seen the '06 version, but liked what he did with the guy who got 'in the know'). Once we understand who the competitor is, and the two face off in a final challenge, even THAT brings a small and appreciated twist. I'll give props for the writing improving things a bit. Final verdict = 5.5/10
 

Gator515151

Well-Known Member
2018 Pick 'Em Champ
Aug 16, 2018
1,948
5,685
Watched Call of the Wild last night on HBO. I saw it last year at the theater but been wanting to watch it again.
I love the movie, maybe because I have the same kind of bond with my dog Spider that Harrison Ford has with Buck. There aren't many of us who sit and carry on a conversation with their dog on a regular basis.
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,359
Watched Call of the Wild last night on HBO. I saw it last year at the theater but been wanting to watch it again.
I love the movie, maybe because I have the same kind of bond with my dog Spider that Harrison Ford has with Buck. There aren't many of us who sit and carry on a conversation with their dog on a regular basis.

Dogs tend to not interrupt, especially if you are talking TOO them (giving them attention). Wish my wife was better trained.

As for the movie, do you just like it, or is it a good recommendation? For the family, or date night with the wife, or just guy time?
 

Gator515151

Well-Known Member
2018 Pick 'Em Champ
Aug 16, 2018
1,948
5,685
As for the movie, do you just like it, or is it a good recommendation? For the family, or date night with the wife, or just guy time?
I'd recommend it. Good story, no foul language, no real violence, no sex....damn can't believe I like this movie. Like I said earlier, I have a personal tie with the movie, I don't know that someone who has never really bonded with a dog would feel it.

A couple of possible negatives, If you watch the movie expecting it to be a typical Harrison Ford movie you will be disappointed. The movie isn't about him, the dog Buck is the star. Ford doesn't even enter the plot until the last half of the movie. Also some people thought the computer generated dog was a bit unrealistic. I disagree, it was as close to real as could be expected and you would never in 1000 years get a real dog to do the things Buck does or catch the right facial expressions with a real live dog.
 

TLB

Just chillin'
Lifetime Member
Jan 6, 2015
13,740
25,359
I'd recommend it. Good story, no foul language, no real violence, no sex....damn can't believe I like this movie. Like I said earlier, I have a personal tie with the movie, I don't know that someone who has never really bonded with a dog would feel it.

A couple of possible negatives, If you watch the movie expecting it to be a typical Harrison Ford movie you will be disappointed. The movie isn't about him, the dog Buck is the star. Ford doesn't even enter the plot until the last half of the movie. Also some people thought the computer generated dog was a bit unrealistic. I disagree, it was as close to real as could be expected and you would never in 1000 years get a real dog to do the things Buck does or catch the right facial expressions with a real live dog.

Cool. Wife got her first dog ever, I'll set her up for date night. Thanks for the info.
 

Zambo

Founding Member
Poo Flinger
Lifetime Member
Jun 12, 2014
12,898
32,445
Founding Member
Watched Call of the Wild last night on HBO. I saw it last year at the theater but been wanting to watch it again.
I love the movie, maybe because I have the same kind of bond with my dog Spider that Harrison Ford has with Buck. There aren't many of us who sit and carry on a conversation with their dog on a regular basis.
It was a good movie by itself but it was annoying the way they re-wrote Jack London's classic book with a millennial flavor to take a lot of the killing out and insert political correctness instead. For instance, when Buck fights Spitz in the movie he just body-slams him and Spitz skulks off into the woods and you never see him again...in the book Buck rips Spitz's throat out and kills him. Many similar examples like this where they water everything down. I guess in today's world the book would trigger people too much. Still, the way they combined human actors with CGI was pretty impressive and the overall gist of the story was the same and it was an enjoyable movie.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    Staff online

    Forum statistics

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