Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj (2006):
Good comedy movie that fits right in with the first film.
9/10
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“I really have to feel that I could make a difference in the movie, or I shouldn't be doing it.“
Joe Dante



Was this a rewatch or a first time watch? Predator has long been one of my go-to late night favorites. Though I will admit that I really enjoy the (mostly ignored) sequel Predators--almost as much as the original.



is thouroughly embarrassed of this old username.
Possessor (2020) dir. Brandon Cronenberg

Tries to be slick even though it looks like it was shot on DSLR. Has a couple neat moments visually with some solid effects but they're not all that unique and they don't save the rest of the film looking downright awful. It has an ok premise but it never really gets explored as it just rushes through the plot as fast as possible and feels pretty silly by the end.

4/10



TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (2019)



Say what you will about the Terminator franchise, but their films have not been devoid of risks or bold choices. Be it because of real creative intentions, or just as a result of being cornered by the premise and the story. Terminator: Dark Fate is no exception, as it starts with a literal and figurative bang. The film follows Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an "enhanced" human sent back in time to protect Dani (Natalia Reyes), a young woman that might have an impact in the future, from a new "Terminator" (Gabriel Luna). In comes Sarah (Linda Hamilton), who offers to help Grace and Dani fight the bad guy.

I might be the only one on the face of the Earth, but I'm a huge, HUGE fan of Terminator 3. I think that, despite some tonal dissonance and a somewhat weakly conceived villain, it manages to extend and expand the themes of the first two and should've successfully closed the chapter in the end, perhaps opening the possibilities for films set in the dystopian future? It's a shame that the studio ping-pong that has ensued, with each creative team that takes it going bankrupt forcing them to lose the rights, hasn't allowed for the story to continue in a cohesive and coherent way. Despite what I consider to be "risky" and "bold" choices (mostly regarding the character of John Connor), the franchise seems to be trapped in a loop of nostalgia and innovation, with the end results being more messy than they are effective.

With that said, I went into this with very low expectations other than kick-ass action, and for the most part, it delivered. I thought the action in the first half was pretty much excellent, starting with the fight in the auto manufacturer and finishing in the highway chase. Director Tim Miller handled the camera pretty well, with lots of fluid, continuous shots, as opposed to shaky camera. However, the action sequences do become more chaotic, exaggerated, and CGI-esque as the film continues, with the fight in the plane being particularly weak.

Also, the moment the script feels the need to shove Arnold back in, it pretty much lost me in terms of its story. The justification for his character to still be in it, and the logistics of it, just doesn't work. The script also tries to juggle the themes of fate/free will, nature/nurture, and overall purpose, but it doesn't fully succeed either. The saving graces are, like I said, the action and some solid performances from most of the cast. But with yet another film bombing, and another studio being in jeopardy because of it, the fate of this franchise seems to be dark indeed.

Grade:
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VIY (1967)
A film about the occult



This Soviet film follows Khoma Brutus (Leonid Kuravlyov), a student monk that is put under the spell of a witch, only to find himself tasked later to lead a 3-night vigil over her dead body. Found this to be more interesting than it was "good", but it was still effectively creepy, eerie, and haunting; particularly in its last act. I hate to repeat a term I used in the past review for Terminator: Dark Fate, but during the first two acts, this film also has some tonal dissonance between comedy and horror. But where it succeeds is in creating a haunting ambiance and a weirdly unsettling vibe, especially during its last act. The special effects here were impressive, and the performance from Natalya Varley was pretty good.

Grade:



Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) - 8/10

Not quite as out there as Blazing Saddles but very fun none the less.



Revenge of the Ninja -


I have a high tolerance for cheese, but this movie made me realize I have a low tolerance for sleaze. There were times while watching it when I longed for the class and sophistication of Samurai Cop or the movies of Andy Sidaris. It stars Sho Kosugi as Cho, who along with his mother, his young (and actual) son Kane and American friend Braden leave much-too violent and offensively stereotypical Tokyo for L.A. - which is obviously Salt Lake City - to open an art studio. We soon learn, though, that the studio's collection is not what it appears to be. To be fair, the movie's action scenes - save one which I'll discuss later - and their martial artistry are impressive. They are tense and exciting and made me care about their outcomes. Even so, that does not excuse the wretchedness and ugliness found in the connective tissue that strings them together. Besides having scant character development and shoddy production design, it features every kind of tastelessness you can imagine such as racial stereotyping, misogyny and child endangerment. Believe me, I'm not against movies depicting such material, but there's a problem when their depiction is tone-deaf, humorless and irresponsible like it is here. As for that "other" action scene I mentioned, it starts with Cho and ally Dave going to a park to question some ex-cons about who is interested in their studio. While a decent rumble ensues, they leave with so little to show for their time and effort that it ends up being one of the most hilariously stupid and pointless scenes in a movie I've ever watched. Again, barring this sequence, the action is above average, so if you don't mind if the quality or taste of the content between fights in movies like this one is much worse, you will probably enjoy it on the whole. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself calling your parents, hugging your pets, cleaning your house or donating to charities afterwards.



More catch-up...

THE GOOD DINOSAUR (2015)



Exceedingly charming film about a young dinosaur that gets lost in the wilderness, and befriends a young caveboy in the process. This was a choice for the kids, but I really enjoyed it as well. The animation was pretty good and the story was very simple and endearing. The moment where both Arlo, the dinosaur, and Spot, the caveboy, share the stories about their families put a lump on my throat

Grade:



TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (2019)

Be nice if they had literally any idea of what to do with the franchise instead of baking on the name and on Arnold. The new terminator lady was awesome and they should have focused on that instead. It would also be great if all those fancy-schmancy, super advanced new models could do something other than shoot and punch. At this point, nothing works, because time travel breaks everything, and every evil terminator is the same. Just pull the plug.



INVADERS FROM MARS (1953)
A film about Mars



Cheesy scifi film from the 1950s about a kid (Jimmy Hunt) that witnesses a Martian saucer landing, which results in several residents, including his parents, being overtaken by the aliens. Part of the whole 50s film craze about the Space Race and the Cold War, the film manages to create a light sense of dread and uncertainty about the intentions of the characters and their real nature (who has or hasn't been taken over), and the overall direction, camera placement, framing, etc. is pretty good. Unfortunately, most of it is wasted as it has its characters "going in circles" for most of its duration, without really showing anything. Sure, the film is mostly breezy and short, but even so, it takes too long to get things going and when it does, it's very schlocky. I don't mind low production values, but here you can see how the director wastes time with tons of stock footage about tanks and the military getting ready for an attack, as well as some sequences of the human characters running around the alien caves trying to escape, which are apparently put on loop. The look of the alien thugs is a mixture of laughable and creepy, but I kinda like the whole look and feel of the spaceship.

Grade:



Be nice if they had literally any idea of what to do with the franchise instead of baking on the name and on Arnold. The new terminator lady was awesome and they should have focused on that instead. It would also be great if all those fancy-schmancy, super advanced new models could do something other than shoot and punch. At this point, nothing works, because time travel breaks everything, and every evil terminator is the same. Just pull the plug.
I agree. This is on every writer/director's shoulders, but like I said, it's also a result of the constant studio ping-pong with the franchise. The franchise is "cursed", cause every studio/creative team that takes it ends up going bankrupt and forced to sell the rights. As a result, there's no unified creative mind behind it all and no coherent backbone to the story.

McG and Co. tried to do something new in Salvation by setting things in the dystopian future, but the end result was dull and lifeless, whereas both Genisys and Dark Fate tried to have it both ways in terms of trying to advance the story while trying to retain the nostalgia of the first films, both with messy/uneven results.

Given the track record, I don't know how any studio would dare to pick this up again, at least for the next 10 years. Let's hope so.



Was this a rewatch or a first time watch? Predator has long been one of my go-to late night favorites. Though I will admit that I really enjoy the (mostly ignored) sequel Predators--almost as much as the original.

This was my first time watching this movie...friends had been recommending it for years and I kept avoiding it because, for some reason, I was sure I would hate it, but I was so wrong.



This was my first time watching this movie...friends had been recommending it for years and I kept avoiding it because, for some reason, I was sure I would hate it, but I was so wrong.
Awesome.

I haven't seen the second film, but like I wrote earlier, I'm a fan of Predators (I really like both Alice Braga and Laurence Fishburne, both of whom star in it).

If you can get your hands on the director's commentary for Predator it is both wildly entertaining and very informative.



I've been re-watching so of my favourite Marvel films. Excellent stuff.


Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).



4.5/5 Stars.



Captain America: Civil War. (2016)



4/5 Stars.



Thor Ragnarok (2017)



4/5 Stars.



Avengers: Infinity War. (2018)



4.5/5 Stars.



Avengers: Endgame. (2019)



4.5/5 Stars.



INVADERS FROM MARS (1953)



Cheesy scifi film from the 1950s about a kid (Jimmy Hunt) that witnesses a Martian saucer landing, which results in several residents, including his parents, being overtaken by the aliens. Part of the whole 50s film craze about the Space Race and the Cold War, the film manages to create a light sense of dread and uncertainty about the intentions of the characters and their real nature (who has or hasn't been taken over), and the overall direction, camera placement, framing, etc. is pretty good. Unfortunately, most of it is wasted as it has its characters "going in circles" for most of its duration, without really showing anything. Sure, the film is mostly breezy and short, but even so, it takes too long to get things going and when it does, it's very schlocky. I don't mind low production values, but here you can see how the director wastes time with tons of stock footage about tanks and the military getting ready for an attack, as well as some sequences of the human characters running around the alien caves trying to escape, which are apparently put on loop. The look of the alien thugs is a mixture of laughable and creepy, but I kinda like the whole look and feel of the spaceship.

Grade:
Aw, I love that film. I wrote it up for my movie thread before Corrie was nuked from orbit.
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Thief, any plans to revive the monthly challenge here?
I thought about it, but since we just got here, I didn't want to "rearrange the furniture", so to speak. I'm still doing it, and I mentioned the new categories in my podcast, but I don't know if I will start a thread here. Maybe for 2021, but it also depends on what I will do for that year.



Aw, I love that film. I wrote it up for my movie thread before Corrie was nuked from orbit.
There's an undeniable charm to it, but it can only take it so far. Still, I don't regret watching it and would even give a mild recommendation for sci-fi fans.