Rate The Last Movie You Saw

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

The Long Goodbye. Elliott Gould is Philip Marlowe, a shambling private eye who begins looking into the death of a friend, apparently having committed suicide after murdering his wife. Good performances and well made (and an extra point for an early non-speaking screen appearance by none other than Big Arnie as a Mob heavy!) but curiously pointless and decidedly non-exciting early 70s detective story.

The biggest plus this film has going for it is the chemistry that Johnson and Hart have with each other, it elevates a mediocre script and brings a few laughs to an otherwise, harmless comedy.

Bob was once a bullied geek in high school, but now he's a CIA agent and built like a rock (pun intended). He's coming home for the high school reunion and meets up with Calvin, the only person who was nice to him. Yet Bob has other intentions and wants the help of Calvin to uncover the identity of a terrorist known as the Black Badger. Things get complicated when the CIA tell Calvin that Bob is the Black Badger and they actually need his help to bring him in. Who does Calvin believe and what can he do to make it out of the situation alive?

Here is a comedy that is the definition of basic. The set-up, execution, laughs all feel tepid and if it were not for the two leading men, who knows if this film would have been as successful as it was. My money is on no. Johnson has done comedies before, he's charming and has the comedic chops needed for this type of role. Something seemed off to me though, maybe it was the way the character was written or Johnson's interpretation of it, but seeing him play insecure or nerdy didn't sit right. He's very timid in his line delivery, maybe it's all my years of seeing the most electrifying man in sports entertainment scream into a microphone that I found it hard to believe his traits here.

Hart on the other hand, does the exact same thing he's done in every other film. Sure he'll get a couple laughs, but when is he going to do something different? Maybe the remake of The Intouchables will showcase his other talents, but right now when you go into Central Intelligence, expect your typical Kevin Hart film. The two of them together work very well and is the highlight of this film.

Looking back, I can't recall any specific funny moment, just bits and pieces. Hart, nervous on the phone and throwing on a British accent to seem natural got a chuckle out of me, but is that it? Without memorable comedic scenes, this film falls to the sidelines. Add onto that, predictable plot developments and lazy writing, you have yourself a forgettable comedy.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Nostalgia (1983)


I really wasn't in the right frame of mind for this, so it will need a rewatch. Some of the imagery is textbook Tarkovsky and is stunning to see but I found this very difficult to follow.

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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

I've been putting this one off for a cpl weeks now, hope I don't find it quite as inaccessible when I do finally get round to it. If you don't mind me asking Sam is it really that complicated a watch or was it more a case that you just couldn't give it full attention for whatever reason?

I think even at my best it would be a struggle for me. Might be fine for an intellectual such as yourself though Chyp.

Pmsl - I'm well and truly screwed then
Oh well, at least some of the imagery will be nice - I'll just look at the pictures

Jack the Giant Killer (1962) – 4/10 (…but far from being all bad. Hope to post my reaction soon).

The male viewers may really squirm at one point, brutal.

Let me guess. Is castration involved?

It happened in the original, the remake and probably the remake's sequel...so sure.

Of course but an extra special castration with added ripping, in close up.

Lovely.

Oh ! I remember it, it was hilarious !

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"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."

- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke

I laughed too, don't think that was the correct reaction...

The Martian (Video rating below)

The Nice Guys (2016) -

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Letterboxd

Frantz (2016)

Housekeeping (1987)

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A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman's bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That's why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown...