The Netflix Experiment [Archive]

TheUsualSuspect

11-09-13, 07:59 PM

I have decided that I don't use Netflix enough and there are way too many movies I've never heard of on it, so I'm going to put it to better use.

Twice a week, I shall watch a film on Netflix randomly, close my eyes, press the direction buttons around a bunch of times, land on a movie and watch it no matter what it is, with some rules of course.

No TV shows, stand up specials or films that I have already seen

So, the film has to be something I've never seen before, it can be a documentary, a foreign film or a film in the 1313 series (http://www.imdb.com/list/BdD6KWsSXbk/) (I hope not).

I've been super busy with work in Toronto, wedding planning and being tired (who knew being tired can keep you busy) so this is not only an effort to make me use Netflix more and watch more films, but an effort to get me posting around these parts more often.

Let the adventure begin?

wintertriangles

11-09-13, 08:07 PM

Completely aleatory is interesting but not sure if it's efficient for enjoyment/growth/education, you can still alter this to something better. There's a lot of crap on there too you know.

Nevertheless I'll be a keen reader.

Yoda

11-09-13, 08:12 PM

You could alleviate the aleatory by restricting it to things Netflix recommends, or something. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes. Cool experiment.

mark f

11-09-13, 08:27 PM

Watch all the movies I like. :)

bluedeed

11-09-13, 08:33 PM

Watch all the movies I like. :)

Only if you list them all.

TheUsualSuspect

11-10-13, 01:51 AM

Week 1 - November 8th, 2013

American Mary

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/american_mary_poster-1-1-218x340.jpg

Mary is a medical student trying to become a surgeon. She is smart, skilled and beautiful. Low on money, she applies at a strip club, but ends up having to save the life of a tortured man instead (don't ask). A dancer, with a face full of plastic, gets a hold of her resume and calls her up, asking for a favour. This favour lets Mary use her medical skills and earns her big cash. Things seem to be going well for Mary, her instructor even invites her to a party....but good things don't last long. Mary is drugged and raped at the party and takes it upon herself to get revenge, using her....medical skills.

So this is a rape revenge film that seems uninterested in either of those things. Both of them happen in the middle of the film and are not really revisited again. There is a detective that is looking for the instructor, but not much else. She never takes revenge on the other doctors at the party. Instead this new feeling of power makes her open up her own body modification business. Doing the weird and abnormal things that other surgeons wouldn't normally do. Tongue splitting, limb exchange, horns....this film reveals a whole subculture of the grotesque and weird.

I feel like the film doesn't really have much of a story to tell. It relies on making you squirm a bit with the medical scenes, which are tame and short. We have no connection to our lead, and there is no climax. The film goes around aimlessly through the motions of what a movie should be. I found the most interesting and creepy thing about the film are the two woman who have gone to the extreme with the plastic surgery that their faces look like porcelain dolls.

Character relationships are thrown together and make no sense. The detective on the case never really pursues Mary, so there is no suspense of "will she get caught".

There are makings of a good cult film here, unfortunately American Mary falls short in far too many areas to be considered so.

2

seanc

11-10-13, 09:38 AM

That sounds awful. You a braver man than me going through with this experiment.

Nausicaä

11-10-13, 10:01 AM

^ It's nothing special but not awful(if you meant American Mary there). For some reason American Mary got a lot of hype among the Horror community, high praise and everything. Don't know what all the fuss was about really...

Mr.Sparkle

11-10-13, 05:35 PM

There was a bit of hype surrounding this film, then it came and went with a whimper. I agree with TUS in that the film could have been so much more had it gone to the extremes that it deals with. It almost seems like the film was afraid to push the envelope.

foster

11-10-13, 09:32 PM

damn man if you want to watch a netflix film then watch The Man From Nowhere!!

skizzerflake

11-10-13, 11:45 PM

Arcanis

11-11-13, 02:01 PM

This is actually very similar to what my girlfriend and I have been doing for the last several weeks (we put every movie that we want to see, but haven't, in a bucket and pluck one out at random when we want to watch something). I never thought that somebody else would end up having the same idea. I look forward to seeing what other movies you end up watching.

Upton

11-14-13, 12:25 PM

You should keep this going because it's a fun idea and there are some good, under-the-radar movies on instant right now. To be fair to you though I also would've given up if the first movie I had to watch was American Mary

honeykid

11-14-13, 03:40 PM

Watch all the movies I like. :)
I agree with mark. Watch all the movies I like. :D

^ It's nothing special but not awful(if you meant American Mary there). For some reason American Mary got a lot of hype among the Horror community, high praise and everything. Don't know what all the fuss was about really...
These words and TUS's review do seem out of the ordinary as, as Nausicaa said, this caused a bit of a stir with the horror community over here and I've been interested in seeing what it was all about. I still am, but my enthusiasm's been tempered.

Mesmerized

11-14-13, 07:17 PM

I have decided that I don't use Netflix enough and there are way too many movies I've never heard of on it, so I'm going to put it to better use.

I have Netflix streaming but I find that I download torrent files for free and watch those more often. Netflix needs more content to keep my interest. I'm losing interest in Netflix.

TheUsualSuspect

11-18-13, 12:28 AM

Week 1 - November 15th, 2013

That Guy....Who Was In That Thing

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/guything.jpg?t=1384661822

Ever see a movie and see some guy, not the main star, usually a supporting character and say to yourself, "I've seen that guy before, he's in that thing!!!" Welcome to the documentary that explores those guys.

Xander Berkeley, Bruce Davison, Zeljko Ivanek, Paul Guilfoyle, Gregory Itzin, Wade Williams, if those names don't ring any bells, their faces will. Each one of these gentlemen have been in high profile tv shows or films and when they immediately appear on the screen people utter the title phrase to themselves. Years ago J.K. Simmons would have been in this film, but the guy has broken out from the THAT GUY moniker into his own.

The film interviews a few actors, their reasonings for becoming actors, their "one role" people seem to remember them from and what they hope the future lies in store for them. The film becomes more informational to the viewer on how actors get jobs, how they keep jobs, how the get fired, etc. It's not all glitz and glamour, these guys point that out. These gentlemen have recognizable faces, but still have trouble finding work.

What makes the film interesting is hearing their insight on Hollywood and the stories they tell. So often we have interviews with the A-list celebs going on about whatever film they are promoting. These guys are promoting nothing, they tell their stories and that's it.

Some people might be turned off by the fact that the documentary is simply talking heads and nothing else, but I think those going into this film know what they are getting into. This film could even be something aspiring actors can view before deciding whether or not they want this lifestyle. They might even change their minds.

I knew about 90% of the people they interviewed, and it got me thinking of people I would have included. I guess I'll have to wait for That Gal....Who Was In That Thing.

3

mark f

11-18-13, 12:43 AM

I gave it 3 too. :)

ScarletLion

11-18-13, 07:00 AM

I did my own Netflix experiment today. I wondered whether it was worth signing up to Netflix - so I picked 15 random movies to see if they were on Netflix in my region. Only 1 of them was! (Adaptation). I was staggered to find that movies such as Scarface, 500 Days of Summer, Temple of Doom and Gallipoli weren't on it.

Arcanis

11-18-13, 10:58 AM

That Guy Who Was in That Thing sounds pretty interesting. I think that I'll have to check it out.

cinemaafficionado

11-18-13, 11:20 AM

It's interesting how Netflix tries to seperate it's new releases from it's streaming. I like to use their streaming directly to my big TV but rather use Red Box for new Dvd releases. I've pretty much seen all the older stuff Netflix has that interests me. Got tired of recommending movies to them. They could certainly improve their Asian stock. I have more Asian movies than Blockbuster and Netflix put together.

TheUsualSuspect

11-23-13, 12:27 AM

Week 2 - November 18th, 2013

Parental Guidance

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/parentalguidance.jpg?t=1385094449

Billy Crystal and Bette Midler star as two grandparents who must watch over their grandkids whom they are kind of estranged from. Their daughter is high strung Marisa Tomei, who desperately tries to raise her kids the exact opposite of how she was raised, which makes it difficult for the grandparents to do their thing.

Billy Crystals first lead role in over a decade and the man still stretches for a joke. Whenever he is on screen he doesn't seem to know when to be quiet. He has this need to fill the air with talking, no matter how funny or dull it is. I do think he can be funny, if given the right material. Analyze This was a great film that let him play to his strengths, Parental Guidance is a sad attempt at cashing a paycheque because he hasn't been in the spotlight in awhile. Throw Bette Midler into the mix and you have a recipe of two stars who are past their prime and not knowing it. I will say this though, these two are indeed the funniest people in this movie.

The kids fill out the cliched roles nicely. The too hard on herself daughter, the suffers from some form of anxiety middle child and finally the out of control brat youngest. All three have their own set of problems, some might say due to the parenting, and voila, overcome them when their grandparents watch them for a few days. This is stuff that you'll find in family fare, which makes sense since this is a family film. So expect the littles ones to enjoy this, but you might not.

There is a scene where Billy Crystal and Bette Midler teach the kids a game called "kick the can", how these kids thought this game was fun was beyond me. Try kicking a ball around instead. Why are these kids so weird? Well, for starters, they are filthy rich due to their father's technology inventions. The house itself recognizes when people enter and speaks to the house guests. So right off the bat, they are overprivileged. Second, their mother is hell bent on strict rules that strip them away of any fun, sugar and sense of wonder. Their childhood is being robbed by her and she doesn't even realize it. Tomei is the worst addition here, the character is badly written and she does herself no favours being in this mess. Tom Everett Scott has the easiest job ever as he is hardly in the film and Tony Hawk makes an appearance because he is still hip and now right?

My girlfriend enjoyed it, she said it was surprisingly funny and heartfelt. Maybe I'm an emotionless robot, she's told me that before, but Parental Guidance is a train wreck that involves one too many musical numbers for me....and there was only the one.

1.5

cinemaafficionado

11-23-13, 12:46 AM

OOps, Suspect, you might have posted in the wrong thread ( even though it is your very own ):)

TheUsualSuspect

11-23-13, 12:47 AM

How did I post in the wrong thread?

cinemaafficionado

11-23-13, 01:35 AM

You posted your movie review under the Netflix Experiment Thread

mark f

11-23-13, 01:59 AM

The review is part of the experiment. :)

Frightened Inmate No. 2

11-23-13, 02:24 AM

yeah, parental guidance was pretty awful.

TheUsualSuspect

11-27-13, 11:47 PM

Week 2 - November 21st, 2013

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/hansel.jpg

This film simply did not work for me and for many reasons. The style of the film and the tone simply didn't mix together positively. The film looks like The Brothers Grimm, another film I hated, but feels like an updated Matrix style rip off.

Hansel and Gretel, two kids who defeated a witch are now adults. They hunt witches for a living with special gadgets and the know-how. They are hired to track a witch and discover something sinister. Can they stop this evil witch and her evil plan? Muahahahahah!!!!!

Renner seems like he's an auto-pilot. Maybe his mind was more focused on his OTHER franchises, he's got both Marvel and Bourne to deal with, so he's checked out from the moment you see him. Arterton seems more into it, but even that is not enough for these two characters. At least Famke Jensen seems to be having a bit of fun, most of the time when an actor gets the opportunity to play an over the time evil villain, they have fun with it and excel.

Hansel & Gretel is pretty violent, with lots of blood and adult language. I had no idea it was restricted. I thought it was PG-13, and found myself taken back by the blood, gore, language and brief nudity. Not a film for kids...not a film for anyone really since it's such a bore.

1.5

seanc

11-28-13, 12:05 AM

Every time I see this thread pop up I feel bad for you before I even see the choice.

honeykid

11-28-13, 12:11 AM

Interesting. I've not seen this, but I thought it looked bad and had no interest in seeing it at all. Then it was recommended by one of my g/f's friends. She said it's really stupid and obviously played for laughs. I've still not seen it, but I know I'm going to at some point. Everything you've said is pretty much what I thought it'd be, but I do think I might enjoy it a little more. I guess we'll see. :)

TheUsualSuspect

12-02-13, 10:00 PM

Week 3 - November 26th, 2013

Would You Rather

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/wouldyourather.jpg?t=1385949020

A simple title, with a simple premise, for a simple film. Would you rather stab the person next to you in the leg with an ice pick, or whip them 3 times with a stick? These questions are asked as a psychotic millionaire invites down on their luck guests to his house for a sick and twisted game of Would You Rather.

The oh so reliable Jeffrey Combs plays the twisted villain here, who enjoys other people's misfortunes. Here he hosts a game with some unsuspecting participants. He asks them do to something, it starts off small. He asks a vegetarian to eat meat, when they refuse he offers them $10,000. Next he offers alcohol to a recovering alcoholic, etc, etc, until the real game begins. Once the guests realize what they got themselves into they try to leave, but it won't be that easy.

Brittany Snow, the lead female we are suppose to root for, is stuck in this game. She joined because her brother needs a transplant or an organ, or he will die. She's desperate and will do anything, harm herself, harm others, anything. As will the other players, which include Home Alone's John Heard and former (?) porn star Sasha Grey.

Think of this film as Saw where the victims have a choice in which way they want to die. Some of the ideas behind the torture are interesting, slicing an eyeball open, holding a firecracker in your hand as it goes off, holding your breath underwater for two minutes, but the film shies away from the torture. Does this make it more intense or cringeworthy? Not in the least. People who watch this type of stuff want to see the teeth pulled out, not the allusion to it.

Would You Rather doesn't really ask any important questions about the decision we must make in the fate of a loved one. It has a simple story it has to tell and it does so. The film would have been more interesting if it went this route, asking the audience to play the game with it. Asking what would you do in this situation. These questions are ignored and we are given a lame twist ending that you can see coming moments before it is revealed. Don't even get me started on the uselessness of the doctor character. Argh.

2

honeykid

12-03-13, 02:05 AM

This appeals to me so little that I barely made it through the review.... Not that it was your fault. The premise was enough to have me thinking about not carrying on.

Daniel M

12-03-13, 09:01 AM

Elena House

12-06-13, 09:29 PM

There are lots of interesting movies on Netflix, but the interface sucks. You will never be able to get a handle on what they have by clicking all those dumb-ass scrolling things. There are several third party search sites worth checking out -

hackingnetflix.com

instantwatchdb.com

instantwatcher.com

It looks like a fun experiment but I could never find the time to see movies I'm not interested in because I have soooooo many that I want to see.

I only have Netflix at home so if I'm not going to Redbox I usually am scrolling through the Netflix interface. These 3rd party search sites sound like a good shortcut. Thanks Skizz.

Haha. It wouldn't even let me quote Skizz's post because it has links and I don't have 25 posts yet. (that is also why I can't reply to you in a PM yet Donuts, because I have to have 10 posts for that. soon.)

skizzerflake

12-07-13, 07:11 PM

It looks like a fun experiment but I could never find the time to see movies I'm not interested in because I have soooooo many that I want to see.

I only have Netflix at home so if I'm not going to Redbox I usually am scrolling through the Netflix interface. These 3rd party search sites sound like a good shortcut. Thanks Skizz.

Haha. It wouldn't even let me quote Skizz's post because it has links and I don't have 25 posts yet. (that is also why I can't reply to you in a PM yet Donuts, because I have to have 10 posts for that. soon.)

Yeah; I ran across that 25 post minimum and did a real quick 25. I guess it's intended to keep the spammers and trolls away.

Sexy Celebrity

12-07-13, 08:13 PM

Would You Rather

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/wouldyourather.jpg?t=1385949020

Think of this film as Saw where the victims have a choice in which way they want to die. Some of the ideas behind the torture are interesting, slicing an eyeball open, holding a firecracker in your hand as it goes off, holding your breath underwater for two minutes, but the film shies away from the torture. Does this make it more intense or cringeworthy? Not in the least. People who watch this type of stuff want to see the teeth pulled out, not the allusion to it.

This was better than any of the Saw movies. A simple movie, but one that I thought was brutal and intense despite being simple. It felt more real than Saw -- like it could actually happen. Saw is way too elaborate with the set pieces, like the victims are all stuck at a macabre amusement park. This was about rich psychos who just held people at gunpoint (including a wheelchair bound old lady) at a dinner table and forced them to torture themselves or others till only one of them was left alive. It made me uncomfortable and sad and angry.

Daniel M

12-07-13, 08:34 PM

It made me uncomfortable and sad and angry.

Sounds like your reaction to the 90s list.

Sexy Celebrity

12-07-13, 08:46 PM

You can have some rep for sitting through these god awful reviews and actually putting in the effort for writing about them, maybe it's time you rethought your plan here :p But yeh, the last film sounded pretty bad, well... generic modern torture nonsense, and as you say it was probably a bad decision to cut away from the violence considering that is what most watch them for.

Maybe a lot of people do, but I find that idea nonsense. A lot of people look down on "torture porn" but I see it as just another expression of making a horror film and killing people off in them.

Would You Rather -- and other films like it -- are watched because they show us how dark and twisted and vulnerable and fleeting life actually is -- and can be. It's tapping into the reality that our lives are frail and other people actually could kill us. That we're trapped in bodies and experiencing this thing called life which can turn into something greatly upsetting. They show us that death is coming for us all -- horror movies just show it happening to unlucky people who experience death in the worst way. It's a way to make us better appreciate our lives and what we have -- that's what these torture porn movies always do -- they usually come with a message that you should make better decisions with your life and not end up trapped in horrible situations, such as with these horrible people who would want to kill you. It's not just about enjoying the death scenes and watching the blood and torture. The people who DO really enjoy such things are messed up.

TheUsualSuspect

12-12-13, 12:18 AM

Week 3 - November 29th, 2013

Sleepwalk With Me

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/sleepwalk.jpg

An independent comedy about a comedian on the road doing his stand up routine while trying to deal with his sleepwalking problems. This film, written and directed by Mike Birbiglia is based off his real life experiences.

Sleepwalk With Me doesn't have a lot going on so some might find it boring, but it's a sweet and sometimes funny film that will please those indie loving crowds that want something other than Tony Stark on their television.

The sleepwalking bits are comical, having the character jump out of his hotel window or wake up in a room that looks like a tornado ripped through it, but it's the likability of Birbiglia that sells the film. He's an everyman with a sense of humour and he does a good job balancing the comedy and the struggle of trying to keep a job while on the road away from your loved one.

Being a comedian isn't easy, it's probably one of the hardest jobs in the world. Making people laugh, on a daily basis and dealing with drunks who think they are funnier. Nothing can kill a moment like dead air and you need to be quick on your feet to deal with situations like that.

The film feels very self aware and doesn't go for big laughs. It's a honest film from a filmmaker who directs and stars in his own film about his own life.

3

TheUsualSuspect

12-12-13, 12:38 AM

Week 4 - December 3rd, 2013

Stoker

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/stoker_movie-poster-2013.jpg?t=1386736634

Stoker owes a lot to Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, so much that a character in the film is actually named Uncle Charlie. The two films share a lot in common in Chan-wook Park's english debut.

Stoker tells the story of a young socially awkward girl named India, whose father just died. His brother decides to visit in their time of grief and she sense something dangerously mysterious about him, which she finds infatuating.

Written by Wentworth Miller, yes, of Prison Break fame, the script is surprisingly well written and with the aid of Matthew Goode, Stoker delivers an unnerving antagonist in Uncle Charlie. A man sweet, handsome and innocent on the outside, but hiding some deep dark secrets within. Not everything is roses, since people who seem to know his past are very uneasy around him and tend to disappear.

Stoker has a lot of things that stand out, visually the film is crafted by a master. Chan-wook Park, whom you may know from his other films; Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and Thirst, delivers yet another visually impressive film. Park is known for violence, but here he holds back and instead, he builds tension and thrills through the characters. When violence does erupt on the screen, it's that more effective.

I must point out the sound design though, as it is something that not many people tend to notice, but Park purposely put front and centre here. It's so detailed and fine tuned that it feels like a character itself. Key elements are sharpened with the ear when paid attention to.

The film has it's faults, no doubt. It's cold, very cold. Not a single character in this film will you be able to connect to. They are written that way, they are acted that way and they are directed that way. Mia Wasikowska plays India and Nicole Kidman her mother. Both seem overshadowed by the suave Goode with his piercing eyes. I've never seemed to be smitten with Mia Wasikowska's work. She always comes off as wooden as a board, she's lucky that it works for the character here.

There is enough mystery to unravel here in the story to be intrigued. The film reveals bits and pieces at the right moments, leaving you with this uneasy feeling that just won't go away. A welcomed surprise.

3.5

honeykid

12-12-13, 09:21 AM

Stoker is something that I've been fairly interested in seeing and having you rating well helps. However, the fact that you've mention my second favourite Hitchcock film in relation to it helps even more. Looking forward to it now. :up:

Arcanis

12-12-13, 12:29 PM

Stoker's streamable now? Well, I know what I will be watching in the near future.

It's good to see that you've hit a stretch of movies that seems better than what you were initially experiencing.

Mesmerized

12-12-13, 12:52 PM

Stoker's streamable now? Well, I know what I will be watching in the near future.

Are you sure it's there? I searched Netflix and Stoker is not available.

TheUsualSuspect

12-12-13, 11:32 PM

I watched Stoker on Canadian Netflix, which regularly has different content than American. I was actually wondering when this was going to come up. Since I can readily watch American Netflix as well through my computer. I'll throw up which version I watch from now on.

Mesmerized

12-13-13, 12:04 AM

Arcanis

12-13-13, 01:39 AM

TheUsualSuspect

12-14-13, 10:54 PM

Can you access both Netflixes through one membership or do you have to purchase both?

One membership. I simply downloaded an ADD-ON for firefox, MediaHint, which unlocks American content including Hulu, NBC.com, etc.

TheUsualSuspect

12-19-13, 11:11 PM

Week 4 - December 5th, 2013

The Factory (American)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/93d79f3b-6b90-46c9-8fd7-b1464819e56f.jpg?t=1387699598

A man keep kidnapping hookers and it's up to John Cusack and Detective Morgan, I mean Jennifer Carpenter, to save them. Things take a turn for the worst when Cusack's daughter is mistaken for a hooker and kidnapped. Now it's personal, right?

The Factory has one thing going for it and it's how subtle it foreshadows key things. I give it credit for that because when the final credits were rolling I sat back with some form of appreciation. Other than that this is practically another forgettable thriller that hit direct to video.

Cusack doesn't seem believable in the detective role. Maybe thrillers just aren't his thing, but he seems miscast. It doesn't help that the script is uninspired. A mix between a police procedural and torture porn, The Factory is messy from start to finish. What hurts the film even more is that a lot of the characters are unlikable. Cusack's daughter does nothing but cry and complain BEFORE she is kidnapped. It's hard to have any sort of emotional connection to these people, on either side.

The film throws us a twist ending that, if you paid attention to those subtle foreshadowing moments, you'll be proud of yourself for picking out. Otherwise it might come out of left field and leave you cheated with some of the implausibility of it all. In order for a lot of the film to work, you have to accept coincidence as a key factor.

2

honeykid

12-19-13, 11:39 PM

Cusack's daughter does nothing but cry and complain BEFORE she is kidnapped.
You mean she's a girl. ;):D

BTW, the pic isn't showing properly.

Mr.Sparkle

12-20-13, 01:26 AM

Pic works for me.

Another stinker of a film with an inane ending.

TheUsualSuspect

12-20-13, 01:30 AM

You mean she's a girl. ;):D

BTW, the pic isn't showing properly.

Mhmm, I am hosting it from photobucket. It should be fine...

honeykid

12-20-13, 02:00 PM

I only get the picture from the top down to John Cusack's nose. This means I can also see, what I presume is, the top of Jennifer Carpenter's head. :D

TheUsualSuspect

12-22-13, 04:07 AM

How about now?

honeykid

12-22-13, 04:50 PM

Yep, it's there now. :):up:

TheUsualSuspect

01-02-14, 12:20 AM

Week 5 - December 7th, 2013

The Guilt Trip (Canadian)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/guilttrip.jpg

An inventor goes on the road and decides to take his mother with him.

I like road movies, there is something about them that feels adventurous even if they don't go that far. Maybe it's the constant movement, the fact that they have a destination, or that they are crammed into a small vehicle, but I tend to like a lot of road movies. The Guilt Trip is not one of them.

Seth Rogen is the inventor and Barbara Streisand is his overbearing mother. Overbearing and annoying, not only to Rogen, but to the audience. The I'm so proud of my son and am oblivious to rational thought is overdone here and takes away from the comedy. Rogen and Streisand play well off each other, which somewhat saves this film from total damnation.

The laughs are almost non-existant and whatever life lesson the film tries to shove down your throat is banal. You'll roll your eyes at a lot of the film and by the end of it wonder why you chose to sit down and waste away the time, when maybe you could have enjoyed a nice beverage or watched paint dry.

1.5

The Gunslinger45

01-02-14, 12:21 AM

Mr.Sparkle

01-02-14, 12:41 AM

Cool. Hated it too.

Mr.Sparkle

01-02-14, 12:43 AM

Hated it a lot actually.

TheUsualSuspect

01-02-14, 12:44 AM

Week 5 - December 11th, 2013

Killing Season (Canadian)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/KillingSeasonposter.jpg?t=1388550622

The script for this film was an online contest winner, there were multiple bids to produce it and it finally landed John Travolta and Robert DeNiro to star. Knowing that both of these actors have done nothing of note in the past few years, I had little hope that this film would hold my attention.

Both men are veterans of the Bosnian War, one from each side of the fight. One of them claims to be a victim of the war and has sought out the other to exact his revenge.

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, of Daredevil and Ghost Rider fame, the film offers no real sense of tension, which is a huge miss for a cat and mouse film where people's lives are on the line. You can tell the film had next to no budget when the green screen pops out at you. All the money must have been spent on the two leads, who seems to be sleepwalking through their roles.

People will laugh at Travolta's accent. DeNiro again tries to be a tough guy, but forgets he's past his prime. The two are friends, then enemies, then friends again. One has the upper hand, then the other, then back to the other, it's a teeter-totter of predictable actions.

I'm almost certain the film ignores actual history for whatever set up the writer had here. Ignore this film, move on and remember the better days of Travolta and DeNiro.

1.5

TheUsualSuspect

01-13-14, 12:14 AM

Week 6 - December 13th, 2013

Maniac (Canadian)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/Maniac-2012-poster.jpg?t=1389499657

The remake of a 1980's horror film with the same name stars Elijah Wood as a deranged serial killer who scalps his victims.

I have not seen the original film, but since it is a horror film and from the 80's, I can only assume I'll love it. Here we have a revamped version with Wood as the main character. He can do creepy, when he undersells it, watch Sin City for that. Here is plays it a tad over the top. There are many films when the serial killer has mental issues and to me, every actor thinks that just playing the character 'weird' is more than enough to tell us he is off-kilter. It doesn't work for me here.

What is interesting is that the film is almost completely told from his POV. It's an odd choice, but it works. Sometimes we will escape from his perspective and see his actions as a third party. THE POV restricts us to be with the killer all the time, sometimes it can feel claustrophobic.

There is some gore for those looking for some blood. He scalps numerous women and places those scalps in his mannequins. Yes, the creepy serial killer owns a mannequin store. :eek:

The overall experience of the film feels more like an experiment in the genre than trying to tell a story. So, if you're looking for something that feels out of the ordinary in terms of the genre, check it out. Otherwise, I feel like the majority of the people can skip this flick.

2.5

TheUsualSuspect

01-13-14, 12:25 AM

Week 6 - December 20th, 2013

Contagion(Canadian)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/220px-Contagion_Poster.jpg

"You see, this film is really scary. More than you're creepy horror films"
- My Girlfriend.

And she's right.

Contagion is about a virus that spreads and kills quickly and I can honestly say that I feel the film depicted the most realistic way we as humans would deal with this pandemic.

The film is jam packed with an all-star cast and not a single one gets to shine in the limelight. This is an ensemble piece that is not afraid to kill people once the virus hits.

Soderbergh is a unique director that will give us a studio piece, than something completely different that no big time director would think of doing. One year you gets Ocean's 11, another year you get Bubble. Is it safe to say that no one can really predict this guys next move? Contagion feels like a Hollywood piece, it has the right ingredients, yet the outcome isn't something that you would expect. The film is not exciting, riveting and thrilling. It's a realistic look at what we can expect from an outbreak of a virus that we have never seen before. Something we don't know how to deal with. Something that will scare the living hell out of you and completely change the world we live in.

Kudos to the epilogue that shows us how this whole thing began and how easy it is to infect others. A simply handshake can be deadly.

3.5

TheUsualSuspect

01-13-14, 12:36 AM

Week 6 - December 13th, 2013

A Good Day To Die Hard (Canadian)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/diehard5.jpg?t=1389500877

I never thought a Die Hard film could be boring...

The thing that made the original Die Hard exciting was that he was a regular die caught in an irregular situation. He wasn't a Stallone or a Schwarzenner, he was a nobody. This is 4 sequels later and John McClane is the Terminator. He can be blown up, flipped over in not one, but two car crashes, thrown from a helicopter through a glass window building, shot at, jump off a building, fall through more glass windows and God knows what else...and be perfectly fine.

A Good Day to Die Hard feels like a script someone found in a pile at a studio and through the Die Hard title on it. I really liked Live Free Or Die Hard, John McClane (the MOFO member) didn't. He felt that the film did not feel like a Die Hard picture. I get that feeling with this entry. This is no longer Die Hard, this is random action film starring Bruce Willis.

The change of environment doesn't really do the film any favours. The addition of his son this time instead of his daughter is even worse. Now we have father-son hate bantering going on. Also, how many times does Willis have to remind us he is on vacation? Once, twice, three times maybe? It felt like once every 15 minutes. A car chase sequence that is excessive to the point of boredom. Plot twists you can see coming a mile away and a flat out boring, uninteresting and overall stupid villain add up to make this, not only the worst Die Hard entry, but one of the worst films of the year.

Skip this garbage and hope to God that they go back to basics in the next entry.

1

TheUsualSuspect

06-09-16, 09:00 AM

REVIVED!!!!!

honeykid

06-09-16, 10:48 AM

Bring it on you crazy married man you. :cool:

Iroquois

06-10-16, 09:09 AM

Must've been one short DVD shelf.

TheUsualSuspect

06-10-16, 09:12 AM

Must've been one short DVD shelf.

So...as I posted in the picture thread, the wife and I recently put up some new shelfs in our new home, then put our dvds in it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/DSCN2491.jpg

She came up with the ambitious idea of watching EVERY SINGLE one of them, from first - to last.

Not once a day, but whenever we decide to have a movie night, we would go from #'s, to the A's, then the B's....till we hit...what is it, Zoolander?

Plus I'm lazy.

Iroquois

06-10-16, 09:19 AM

Ya got me.

Topsy

06-10-16, 10:38 AM

Great reviews.i really enjoyed reading them!

TheUsualSuspect

06-13-16, 07:54 PM

That Awkward Moment

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/That_Awkward_Moment.jpg/220px-That_Awkward_Moment.jpg

1

You know that awkward moment when you're watching a film and you really hate it, but you just don't turn it off because you have nothing else to do? Or the fact that you said you would randomly watch a netflix film, that's my situation with this one. An unfunny take on a stupid premise. 3 friends decide to stay single. No matter how good a relationship may be, they will do what they can to stay single. Hilarity is suppose to ensue, but it does not.

The formulaic comedy does the cast no favours. Zac Efron is the player" of the group, avoiding long relationships anytime a woman asks the 'so' question. "So where is this going?" "So what are we doing?", that's when he drops them from her sex index. Of course he runs into a beautiful and funny girl who challenges his whole system and his friends notice how in "love" he is, but when things get a little too serious, he runs away. Can he fulfill the romantic comedy troupes and win her back with inane romantic poetry that somehow always works on the women in these stories?

Let's take Miles Teller next, the goofy friend who is in a 'hush-hush' relationship with a common friend. He can't tell his friends so he lies to her in order to keep up with the plan. Do you think she's going to find out? Do you think if she does find out that she gets angry at him and HE has to win her over too? Do you think she falls for whatever poetry that he has to say in order to get back into her pants?

Lastly we have Michael B. Jordan, the cool friend who has been married forever and doesn't know how to get back into the game after he finds out his wife has been cheating on him. He tries desperately to win her back. Will he win her over? Or will he start a new life with a beautiful woman he met at the bar?

Nothing about the film surprises you, nothing about the film makes you laugh. It hits every weak and cliched beat it needs to and this wouldn't be so terrible if it didn't try to subvert the very same genre it falls into. That Awkward Moment is a misfire.

TheUsualSuspect

06-13-16, 10:42 PM

Tammy

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/40/Tammy_poster.jpg/220px-Tammy_poster.jpg

1

Does anyone else think that Melissa McCarthy has run her course with these crude comedy roles where we constantly laugh at how fat she is, how ugly she is and how crass she is? Truth be told she's a very likeable person, but she relies on the same routine over and over again and this time the well has run dry.

Her husband is leaving her for another woman, her boss has just fired her and now Tammy wants to just drive away from it all. Grandma demands to come along, it's her car after all. The two squabble with each other, get drunk and throw obscenities each others way. When Grandma gets herself in jail, Tammy goes rogue and robs a fast food joint to help get her out. That's the best summary for tis poor excuse for a road movie. McCarthy can be great in comedies, she stole the show in Bridesmaids and ever since then Hollywood has been pushing her down our throats. Spy was a surprise hit and compared to this drivel, is comedy gold.

Sarandon plays the alcoholic grandmother and is probably the best thing about the film. She has decent chemistry with McCarthy and the role feels natural to her. It does seem a little odd that she is a grandmother in this film because Allison Janney plays her daughter. a 13 year age gap makes these roles a tad unbelievable. Nevertheless, Sarandon shines in this film, despite the poor script and even poorer jokes.

Tammy is a skip. Avoid it like the plague. Jokes misfire, constantly. The thrown together story is tedious and everyone involved seems a little bit embarrassed. Or at least, I felt embarrassed for them.

mistique

06-14-16, 06:41 AM

I love the idea of this experiment, but I feel so bad for you :D

earlsmoviepicks

06-14-16, 09:38 AM

Love this thread and the reviews US, That summing paragraph for the Awkward Moment review was gold

MovieMeditation

06-14-16, 04:06 PM

it hurts seeing how much you have suffered through the duration of this thread....

And you revive it!? What the f*ck is wrong with you? :p

gcaceres

06-22-16, 04:13 AM

My mom watches the indian movies . i watch the foriegn movies, Though my mom did love beverly hills chihuahua 3. we're a honduran family

TheUsualSuspect

07-22-16, 11:38 PM

Before We Go

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e7/Before_We_Go_Poster.jpg/220px-Before_We_Go_Poster.jpg

2.5

Chris Evans gives us his directorial debut in a small film about two people who spend one night together in NYC. Nick, played by Evans himself, is a musician and plays his trumpet at Grand Central Station when the beautiful, but clearly distraught Brook, played by Alice Eve, comes running through to catch the last train. She misses it. She also accidentally broke her phone. When he decides to chat her up he finds out her purse was stolen earlier and she must, absolutely must, get home tonight. Throughout the night these two discover secrets about each other, fears, goals and everything else that would make someone potentially fall in love, but do they?

I'll admit something here that might get my movie viewing card revoked. I've never seen any of the "Before Trilogy" films and even I know that this film borrows heavily from them. I don't know if I would have enjoyed this more or less, but for the most part, this film is genuine.

Most of the film works based on the charms of the two leads. Evans has always had that charm to him and he puts it to full effect here. The relationship between the two only has hints of romance. Evans, smartly, side steps the obvious romantic choices for something more real. I appreciated that. His directorial effort is nothing to shake a stick at. The script doesn't call for anything fancy, so it comes off as too easy a choice for him to start with. Shoot two good-looking people roaming around NYC, not too hard.

The script tries to find ways to make it impossible for these two to separate. Broken phones, no money, broken noses. The shortcomings here are few, but noticeable. I feel that fans of the Before films will either despise this film for being too familiar, or appreciate it as a "little-brother" of sorts.

TheUsualSuspect

07-23-16, 12:05 AM

The Fundamentals of Caring

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3b/The_Fundamentals_of_Caring_poster.jpg/220px-The_Fundamentals_of_Caring_poster.jpg

3

Have you ever watched a film that was full of sappy cliches and knew was emotionally manipulative? Yet you seemed to not care and was invested and entertained by the end result? That's my feelings towards this Paul Rudd film, which tries extremely hard in a lot of areas that I wish it would just relax.

Ben, played with emotional disconnect from Rudd, is a retired writer who seems to be running from his devastating past, decides to become a caregiver. He is given a problem child of sorts, 18 year old Trevor, who suffers from muscular dystrophy. Trevor needs assistance for almost everything, he can't even wipe himself after using the washroom. This part of the film is devastatingly sad and shows the painstakingly difficult task some people have to go through on a daily basis. If this film left me with one thing, it's that a job as a caregiving is something that I don't think I would be able to handle.

Trevor is all talk and no bite. He likes to swear, push people's buttons and prank others. He can't do much else and takes joy in seeing others be uncomfortable. Ben rolls with it and they seem to hit it off. When Ben discovers that Trevor wants to see the deepest pit on earth, the two hit the road. This is when this film becomes a cliched on the road flick. Beautiful strangers, car troubles and bad food all fall in line here. All that is forgiven because the chemistry between Rudd and Craig Roberts, who plays Trevor, is the backbone of this film. They work extremely well off each other

Selena Gomez turns in a surprisingly decent performance as a hitchhiker whom Trevor takes an immediate liking to. Her story feels a bit underwritten and near the end, the film simply just drops her character. The film's faults are pretty evident and while I was watching the film it was obvious they were trying to check off every "indie" film vibe they could think of.

Fundamentals is a lightweight comedy with depressing subject matter. It does a decent job of making you laugh, mostly due to the performances and by the end, you'll have a smile on your face.