Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Nothing with vomit?

Not that I can think of. I try to avoid icky, gross out films.

I haven't watched Meet the Feebles since college, I think. Should really revisit it at some point.

You could kind of say that Mr Jackson has gone on to somewhat bigger things.

Low-key amusing movie from Finland.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Was this your first Kaurismäki?

Nope, but don’t ask me the titles.

Forgot to mention: stuntman couldn’t make it so Sutherland did his own stunts, which is amazing. He damn near killed himself.



@AgrippinaX, have you seen this? You might enjoy it.

Curse of Chucky follows Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif), a young woman whose family starts being haunted by Chucky (Brad Dourif). Released 9 years after the batshit craziness of Seed of Chucky, the film brings the franchise back into the horror basics of the original with a mostly dark and somber tone. As much as I enjoyed the silly shenanigans of Bride and Seed, this is a change I really appreciated.

Aside from the tone, the film has a very patient pace. Mancini really takes his time to build up suspense and create a sense of dread. It even makes you wonder if this is a Child's Play film at all, cause Chucky doesn't really reveal himself until almost the halfway mark. Although that might seem like a bad thing, I really enjoyed the tension and fear that oozes through that first half of the film.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

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I think it's the only pre-LOTR Jackson film I haven't seen, but a lot of online friends speak highly of it.

The Ace of Hearts -- 1921 -- a little on the odd side, and that's a good thing. 4/5

Laugh Clown Laugh -- 1928 -- challenging to get through, but a 5/5

i really enjoyed it , it made me cry twice and gosh loved the top cast in this movie.

Host follows a group of friends that, for some reason, decide to perform an online séance. However, most of them are taking things lightly, not "respecting the spirits", until things start to go awry and weird stuff starts happening around them. Since each of them is in separate locations, it makes it harder both to know what's happening on the other side, but also harder to help.

Those gimmicks might lend themselves for some cheap execution, but here it works. There were a couple of times where I literally jumped off my seat, which is what we want from a horror film. Host has a lot of things on its favor. The premise is uniquely executed, the performances are solid, the sense of dread is genuine, the jump scares feel earned and organic, but most importantly, with a runtime of just an hour, it doesn't overstay its welcome.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

1st Rewatxch...Despite Ricky Gervais being the creative force behind this darkly spirited satire, this film just doesn't work for me. The film takes place in an alternate universe where everyone tells the truth and the concept of lying doesn't exist. Gervais plays an unemployed screenwriter who, in an effort to prevent being evicted from his apartment, tells the first lie ever and decides that this is the way to improve his life. Unfortunately, some parting words to his dying mother are overheard and challenged making him an international celebrity for all the wrong reasons. That first lie he tells should not have worked making the rest of the film difficult to invest in. The premise here is clever, but Gervais' screenplay doesn’t commit completely to the premise and sends some very disturbing mixed messages. I also don't like the way the woman Gervais' character loves (Jennifer Garner) uses and manipulates him the way Jenny used Forrest in Forrest Gump. There is an impressive supporting cast including Louis CK, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jason Bateman, but this film is just too all over the place to provide solid entertainment.

1st Rewatch...I think I enjoyed this more than I did the first time I watched it. Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones play Kay and Arnold, a couple who have been married for 31 years, but the romance is gone from their marriage and now sleep in separate beds. Desperate to bring romance and intimacy back to her marriage, Kay signs up Arnold and herself for a week long couple counseling in a cozy New England hamlet run by a renowned therapist and author (Steve Carell). David Frankel, who directed Streep in The Devil Wears Prada brings a delicate and nuanced feel to the story. So much of the story is told through the characters' body language. Watch Streep and Jones' physicality when Carelll brings up certain topics. One thing I really loved was when Arnold told Kay he didn't want to do this, she says she's still going whether he comes or not. The journey that Kay and Arnold make in this film is a joy to watch and we're given a false start near the end that makes us want to scream at the screen that I didn't see coming. Carell, Jones, and especially Streep light up the screen here. Make sure you stay tuned through the closing credits.

Early in the month, I had the chance to watch a 1932 Pre-Code film called Kongo. Well, West of Zanzibar is an earlier silent adaptation of the same material. Starring Lon Chaney as Phroso, the film follows his journey to the depths of the African jungle in his attempt to seek revenge against the man that left him paralyzed.

West of Zanzibar is actually very similar to Kongo. Obviously, they're based on the same story, but the whole script, look and feel of the film is very much the same. So having seen Kongo first, I have to admit there was a sense of "been there, done that" to it. This film follows pretty much the same beats so there were no surprises in it, and I think the more raw, "Pre-Code" approach from the other film benefitted the story.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

That's the offended response from Dr, Ziska (Lon Chaney) after being called "mad". But then again, that's what you get when you perform mad experiments on unsuspecting people. He is "the monster" in the title. The film, however, focuses primarily on Johnny Goodlittle (Johnny Arthur), a meek but determined amateur detective, who sets out to investigate the numerous kidnappings happening in the countryside.

Johnny's investigation takes him right into the abandoned sanitorium where Ziska performs his experiments. Considered as one of the first films within the "old dark house" sub-genre, the film does make good use of the setting with our hero trapped in the house, along with his love interest Betty (Gertrude Olmstead) and his rival (Amos Rugg). There are some pretty cool setpieces and well shot sequences, especially in the last act, that I'm sure were probably really scary back in the day.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

Murder in a Teacup (2024)

A documentary film about a serial killer that used his self-taught skills on pharmacology and toxicology to attack friends and family. Then after serving time in a mental hospital, his colleagues at his new place of employment. It's jaw-dropping how, even in the latter case it was put down to water faults or even a localised virus in the workplace. Fortunately this Nazi worshipping headbanger left a full diary under his bed where the only code was using his victims initials instead of their full name. Hardly the Enigma code huh? Truly shocking in suburban Bovingdon in the 70s.

Oooof, I was way below you on this one Gideon, didn't get on with it at all, maybe a rewatch.