Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Siege -

This is a tense and uncompromising Canadian thriller set in Halifax during a police strike that actually happened. A gang of domestic terrorists take the opportunity to enforce their own brand of justice at a gay bar. When something unplanned happens, a witness manages to escape, fleeing to an apartment where the neighbors are taking refuge. What follows isn't quite on par with the 1976 Assault on Precinct 13, but it comes pretty close.

The best movies like this one have heroes who are severely unequipped and villains who are...well, not, which this one fully realizes. Only a couple of the neighbors have experience with weapons, and what's more, their inventory is limited, and the movie's decision to show how limited it is inspired since it makes every shot count. Except for Cabe (Doug Lennox), the gang's Lurch-like boss, the villain actors resemble people you would not give a second look if you walked past them on a sidewalk, which I believe makes them scarier for how they demonstrate the banality of evil to a T. As for the moments of payoff (and setback), they're as unpredictable as they are brutal.

This is an obviously low budget movie, and while it cuts deeper than many similar movies with higher budgets I've seen, some aspects, such as its comical sound effect for a gun firing, make it hard to take seriously at times. Also, some characters make uncharacteristically dumb decisions out of convenience and little else. Other than that, it proves that just because a movie has a "sploitation" label (in this case, Canucksploitation) does not mean it should be immediately side-eyed. Oh, and hopefully not to spoil the ending too much, but it could make a certain Rage Against the Machine song come to mind.

Very brave performance by Sofia Kappel as Bella in that one.

Latest watches:
Annie 1982 +
Hidden Agenda 2001 +
Father Brown 1954
The Hot Snow 1972
Ghosts Of War 2020 +
Meteor Moon 2020
Girls Trip 2017 +

Very. Can’t imagine what her parents think. She’s a grown woman, but, still.

What did you think of the movie?

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My very short review at the time:

Brave, yeah that's the word.

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Go - (1999)

When Quentin Tarantino made Pulp Fiction in 1994, he ended up influencing an entire new generation of filmmakers. Go seems to fit the mold in a very obvious way, with various interconnecting stories, one told after the other. At certain points the stories intersect, and you'll end up understanding more about a different story when the one you're watching comes into contact with it. Drug dealers, Vegas strip joints, gangsters and narcs - the various characters get themselves in over their heads, and violence often ensues - but despite that, there's still a necessary lightheartedness to Go, and it has a fun feel to it. No Doubt's "New" was the big single tie-in, and the video for that song features the same kind of rave the film's plot revolves around. Doug Liman had directed Swingers and has gone on to have a decent career, with the likes of Edge of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity being on his resume.

7/10


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The Stratton Story - (1949)

You'd think having a leg amputated would end a career in any highly competitive sporting league, but Monty Stratton (James Stewart) makes a surprise comeback as a pitcher after an unfortunate hunting accident in this true-story biopic. The Stratton Story is kind of bland and plods along during an hour-long set-up portion which tells the story of Stratton's marriage and rise up the ranks in the Major League as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox - it improves markedly when we get to the grist of his sudden, shocking predicament, and the way he overcomes an almost impossible obstacle. My James Stewart impression still isn't there, but I get a little better each time I try it.

6/10


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Beaches - (1988)

Beaches might be sappy and formulaic, but it's still a well made weepy that will break down the defenses of anyone willing to sit down and give it a fair go. It focuses very clearly on the theme of friendship, telling the story of a lifelong platonic love between characters "C.C." Bloom (Bette Midler) and Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey) which has it's ups and downs, but is fully realised and well written. If you think of your own friendships while watching this movie, you might need a box of tissues handy - but if you're a complete cynic, you might spot the strings being pulled quite easily. As far as 80s dramas go, it stands out because of some pretty decent musical numbers, and the two leads really commit themselves. This film was popular, but walloped by critics - I thought I'd hate it, but surprisingly didn't.

The song "Wind Beneath My Wings" was an Australian hit for Colleen Hewett before Bette Midler came along and drowned her version out completely.

6/10

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The Eight Mountains is Felix van Groeningen and his wife Charlotte Vandermeersch's latest film. Van Groegingen directed 'Beautiful Boy' and the brilliant 'Broken Circle Breakdown'. 'The Eight Mountains' though is a different beast. Based on the book of the same name written by Paolo Cognetti it charts 25 years or so in the lives of two best friends who meet in a tiny village in the Italian alps. The two friends Pietro and Bruno seem inseparable as they more or less live a mountain life but they are different. Pietro is the lead character and via his narration we see themes of self doubt, self discovery, regret, belonging. The cinematography is obviously therefore brilliant with vast sweeping mountainous landscapes and lakes.

But what makes this film stand out is the writing. The dialogue and the moments of deep emotion are truly brilliant. The film itself explores family, friendships in small communities but asks the viewer to think about their life choices......who did life correctly? Who made the right choices? Who won at life? Who conquered it? Along the way are relationship dramas and some tragedy but by the end I was left philosophising over a magnificently emotional picture.

'The Eight Mountains' is one of the most profoundly beautiful and moving films I have seen in recent years. Stunning film.

9.2/10

I thought I’d seen most Ti West films but I never heard of In a Valley of Violence. This movie is kind of awesome. I wasn’t expecting it to be as funny as it is. The first scene with Gilly made me think the whole thing was going to be a comedy because he’s such a ****ing joke. Mary-Anne was surprisingly endearing. The whole thing feels less like a western and more like everyone playing old west, if that makes any sense. I think I loved it.

Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff - 6/10
35-yr old teacher who is still a virgin seeks psychiatric help as she's having a breakdown. But it only gets worse. If made today, I think it could make some money.. if it's done right.

Funny in the first scene, the lodgers ask to see a Marlon Brando, and one of the lodgers is Jocelyn Brando, who was blacklisted for years.

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I had the exact same thought when I watched it. But, like you, I ended up really liking it.

I rated it about the same as did you. Horrible miscasting of Liam Neesom as Philip Marlowe, and the Marlowe character is one of the first in memory to use the Chandler shamus' name in a non-Chandler story.

Here is some commentary:

Marlowe (2022)

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Love the Beast - (2009)

Following on from Beaches in my "movies I wouldn't have ordinarily watched" series comes this Eric Bana film, Love the Beast. An excessive love for cars is a part of Australian culture that I was particularly immune to, so this documentary about Bana and his beloved 1974 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop, which he first purchased at the age of 15, didn't seem overly attractive. I did enjoy the glimpse we get into Bana's personal life, family and friends. Eric Bana is a person who has basically won life's lottery - and it's given him freedom to do whatever he likes with his hobby - his car. He completely modifies it into a full on motorsport vehicle, and crashes it at the 2007 Targa Tasmania tarmac rally, completely destroying it. No bother - he has the cash to rebuild it 100 times over. I thought the documentary was very well made, but the inclusion of the likes of Dr. Phil and Jeremy Clarkson rubbed me the wrong way.

5/10


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The Devil's Own - (1997)

I don't know. You watch movies like The Devil's Own and think to yourself, "Was that any good? No. Was that a really bad movie? No." - it's these movies that the little memory men in your head don't even bother filing away, so that when you come across the title 7 years later, and recall that you did watch it, you can't remember a single thing about it. This was a production with many, many writers and a bunch of producers who constantly interfered - so by the end it's cobbled together minus what would have made it work really well. Harrison Ford is a New York cop who accepts an IRA supremo terrorist (Brad Pitt) into his home without knowing who he really is. Pitt's character is a good man however, which is where the moral ambiguity will come into play late. Of course, Pitt staying there puts Ford's family at risk, with Treat Williams playing an arms dealer who wants his money, despite a late cancellation of Pitt's stinger missile order. If you live in a movie, don't marry Harrison Ford - because your family will probably be in some kind of danger pretty frequently. This is a very conventional and predictable film which could have done with more tension and conflict - with both Pitt's and Ford's characters being such all-around nice guys, there's not as much friction as a thriller should have. The villains make very brief appearances, and we know nothing about them.

5/10

Loved this very strange movie, which I’ve never seen before. Always thought it had steamy sex scenes, but it doesn’t at all.

The physicality of the rôle that the male lead had to endure is amazing.

48 Hrs

Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte play opposites in on of the 1st cop "buddy" movies I'd say. It was funnier when I was younger but now I can see it as a paper thin plot (apart from the main 2 characters' interaction). It sure didn't plod but relied too heavily on the "opposites" theme rather than the plot. Black guy in White bar, White guy in Black bar etc....of it's time.

Porn is seen by the young as a legitimate way to make a living and become famous nowadays. Sad but true.

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Random Hearts - (1999)

Well this was a doozy. We often talk about chemistry, and never was there any less than what Harrison Ford and Kristen Scott Thomas had in this steamy, mystery-teasing romantic drama that should have been a lot better. It's a 133-minute slow burn to nowhere, with Washington, D.C. police sergeant Van Den Broeck (Ford - why does he always have to play a cop?) and Congresswoman Kay Chandler (Thomas). They both find out their spouses were having an affair when the plane they were on crashes, and their stories exposed. Perhaps this was one of those productions where the two leads hated each other, for it seems that way. Ford grumbles, and Kristin stares - two modes that seem to forgo acting altogether. Many reviewers call the film boring, but I don't mind a story that can examine grief, betrayal and anger by having two characters wander lost in a maze of recrimination and pointless searching for answers - if I have three-dimensional characters with actors who are really selling it. Unfortunately, Random Hearts doesn't have that.

4/10


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Hollywood Homicide - (2003)

Let's start with the positive - Hollywood Homicide ends with the chase to end all chases - a marvelous tour-de-force that seems to last around 20 minutes and has Detective K.C. Calden (Josh Hartnett) and Sergeant Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford - why does he always have to play a cop?) chase two suspects until the suspects split up, whereby the chase splits into two separate strands. The chase features some of the film's best humour, and is a great action set-piece all by itself. Okay, now the negative - pretty much all of the rest of this film is doo-doo, and while I'd gladly watch that chase again, I could never bring myself to watch the first 100 minutes again. Comedy falls flat, and the plot wants to jump into a dozen different places at once, spoiling any rhythm and pace it tries to maintain, and making it disjointed. The partners are trying to solve a multiple murder in Hollywood, while Gavilan has a side-job as a real estate broker, and Calden teaches yoga and wants to be an actor. We get it - Hollywood is a weird place. Lots of cameos in this - Smokey Robinson, Robert Wagner, Frank Sinatra Jr., Eric Idle etc etc. Another Ford misstep.

5/10