Rate The Last Movie You Saw

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Cliffhanger (1993) - 7.5/10
Cop Land (1997) - 8.5/10

Stallone movies outside the Rocky/Rambo cannon, these are some pretty solid entries. I remember seeing Cop Land in theaters when it came out but not really understanding it because I wasn't aware at the time. It's pretty par for James Mangold who I now realize has carved out a fairly decent library of directorial efforts. Cliffhanger is a good addition to Sly's early mid 90's efforts.



Well, you liked it more than I did, but I have a sort of soft spot for it. I think it struggles a good bit, and honestly since it's been a few years since I've seen it I can't be more specific than to say it feels like it has a lot of great moments and a lot of others that make it feel like a DTV movie, but I think the things it gets right it gets very right. So I was willing to say that it fell on the positive side of the balance but with a lot of teetering back and forth yet definitely something I would watch again.
There are a lot of things that on hindsight probably don't make much sense, but it makes up for it with a hell of an ambiance.
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Victim of The Night
There are a lot of things that on hindsight probably don't make much sense, but it makes up for it with a hell of an ambiance.
I can go along with that.



Victim of The Night


Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975

I've seen this one twice in the theater, and really enjoyed both times. This was my first time watching it alone, just as a film.

It was a very different viewing.

For starters, the movie is genuinely funny on its own. Something that I think gets lost a bit in the theater setting is that the movie makes intentional and effective use of silence and pacing--harder to pick up on when a crowd is filling most of those silences.

I'd also forgotten just how much of the movie is music and how quick the pace feels and how much I actually like many of the songs.

Tim Curry is . . . otherworldly in his role. Every time I watch the movie I'm stuck by the effortless combination of sexuality, winking sarcasm, and the altogether outsized nature of the performance.

I was in a weird combination of feeling slightly manic and kind of dazed last night after giving blood at the end of a long work day and during a stormy night, and this was the perfect movie for my mood.

You have made Wooley so happy, not only with seeing it again and liking it, but with understanding some of the things about it that make it so enjoyable on its own. I actually won't watch it with a large audience anymore, never again. Because, as you say, the movie is too funny and well-paced on its own to be distracted from it. I've seen it so many times now, likely over 30 times, that I know every line and I actually love the dialogue so much that I get irritated if someone even talks during the movie. The music is so great and really the short second-act speeds the movie along nicely into the big, exceedingly weird third act before the movie's conclusion.
If you're ever able to see the British version, it contains one more scene at the end, a musical number before the house takes off that's very short but actually makes it feel like the movie has a sort of denouement. It really improves the film as a film in my opinion.



I know every line and I actually love the dialogue so much that I get irritated if someone even talks during the movie.
LOL. Don’t ever see it in a gay NYC movie house. Because they know every word of the movie & will recite the entire thing.
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The Killers - This is the 1964 version with Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager in the title roles. They kill John Cassavetes and Marvin's Charlie Strom character can't stop wondering why Cassavetes' character Johnny North didn't try and get away but simply accepted his fate. He and his partner are also undeniably curious about the one million dollars in loot that Johnny supposedly absconded with after double crossing his partners. About half of the story takes place in flashback as the two hitmen find and interrogate the pertinent players. I only got to watch a bit of the 1946 original with Burt Lancaster but based on that alone it came off as the superior movie. I'll have to catch the rest of it when I can. But this one does have it's good points mostly having to do with the cast. Cassavetes was primarily known for his directorial prowess but he was also a pretty good actor and Angie Dickinson makes for a great femme fatale. But it's Marvin that anchors the whole thing. He makes what other actors struggle to get across look effortless. Not only the menace but the implication that there's a lot going on underneath his reined in exterior. Ronald Reagan is the weak link unfortunately. I never had much use for him as a politician but he was certainly a third rate actor. 80/100



THIR13EN Ghosts



It is a bit Ghostbusters



and Poltergeist
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You have made Wooley so happy, not only with seeing it again and liking it, but with understanding some of the things about it that make it so enjoyable on its own. I actually won't watch it with a large audience anymore, never again. Because, as you say, the movie is too funny and well-paced on its own to be distracted from it. I've seen it so many times now, likely over 30 times, that I know every line and I actually love the dialogue so much that I get irritated if someone even talks during the movie. The music is so great and really the short second-act speeds the movie along nicely into the big, exceedingly weird third act before the movie's conclusion.
If you're ever able to see the British version, it contains one more scene at the end, a musical number before the house takes off that's very short but actually makes it feel like the movie has a sort of denouement. It really improves the film as a film in my opinion.
I think that it's a movie that invites commentary and reaction with the deliberate, in-your-face way that it's shot (the stark edits, the looks directly to camera, etc). But I certainly enjoyed watching it on its own.



I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)





This felt very Lynch-inspired, never thought I’d say that about Kaufman. He is usually the definition of idiosyncratic, but here he is, with a very Lynchian set-up -
WARNING: spoilers below
very Inland Empire , especially the moment when the parents disappear from the living room and then re-emerge as their much older selves
. Also reminded me of The Exterminating Angel at the midpoint stage when Louisa/Lucy and Jake can’t leave the house. I did feel it was a bit too disjointed, but the characters were great and the chemistry between them (and occasional lack thereof) felt very believable.*

I like Jesse Plemons (though in my mind he’s permanently tied to Breaking Bad), Jessie Buckley - less so. But what has really jarred is how awful the fake ageing was in the penultimate scene where Plemons sings. I can understand why one wouldn’t want to use CGI, what with the Avatar associations, but surely Kaufman of all people could have done better? I may have noticed this because unlike some reviewers, I didn’t feel the film was a rumination on ageing any more than other aspects of existence. Overall I liked it, though. Good film.



The Wicker Man - Yet another in what must be a shamefully long line of cult films I had never watched. First off I'm not a big fan of musicals so I was increasingly discomfited by all the Renaissance Fair crooning and what not. But luckily it's easy to tune out *fast forward* But the rest of the film moves along at a good clip. Police Sergeant (and devout Christian) Neil Howie shows up on Summerisle island after receiving an anonymous letter claiming to be from the mother of a missing girl. The locals take turns either stonewalling him or playing mind games and he quickly finds out that they practice a form of paganism. He is eventually led to the community's leader, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) who tries to explain the reason they have chosen to worship different gods. Howie will have none of it and everyone's true motivations are eventually revealed. Watching Lee cavort in a yellow turtleneck and mod haircut is worth the price of admission alone. 90/100

WARNING: "third act" spoilers below
At first glance Howie is not a very sympathetic figure. Rigid and chauvinistic, he is painted as a deserving target. But then when Lord Summerisle reveals how and why he has come to be there it is shown to be the premeditated and callous act that it truly is. I think that and Howie's eventual end is what makes this film so deserving of all the praise. It is an uncompromising conclusion given the times it was filmed in.



Victim of The Night
LOL. Don’t ever see it in a gay NYC movie house. Because they know every word of the movie & will recite the entire thing.
Yeah, I've been to a lot of those kinda shows in my life but no more. Now I just want to enjoy the movie.





Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975

I've seen this one twice in the theater, and really enjoyed both times. This was my first time watching it alone, just as a film.

It was a very different viewing.

For starters, the movie is genuinely funny on its own. Something that I think gets lost a bit in the theater setting is that the movie makes intentional and effective use of silence and pacing--harder to pick up on when a crowd is filling most of those silences.

I'd also forgotten just how much of the movie is music and how quick the pace feels and how much I actually like many of the songs.

Tim Curry is . . . otherworldly in his role. Every time I watch the movie I'm stuck by the effortless combination of sexuality, winking sarcasm, and the altogether outsized nature of the performance.

I was in a weird combination of feeling slightly manic and kind of dazed last night after giving blood at the end of a long work day and during a stormy night, and this was the perfect movie for my mood.

one of the good movies



The Wicker Man - Yet another in what must be a shamefully long line of cult films I had never watched. First off I'm not a big fan of musicals so I was increasingly discomfited by all the Renaissance Fair crooning and what not. But luckily it's easy to tune out *fast forward* But the rest of the film moves along at a good clip. Police Sergeant (and devout Christian) Neil Howie shows up on Summerisle island after receiving an anonymous letter claiming to be from the mother of a missing girl. The locals take turns either stonewalling him or playing mind games and he quickly finds out that they practice a form of paganism. He is eventually led to the community's leader, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) who tries to explain the reason they have chosen to worship different gods. Howie will have none of it and everyone's true motivations are eventually revealed. Watching Lee cavort in a yellow turtleneck and mod haircut is worth the price of admission alone. 90/100

WARNING: "third act" spoilers below
At first glance Howie is not a very sympathetic figure. Rigid and chauvinistic, he is painted as a deserving target. But then when Lord Summerisle reveals how and why he has come to be there it is shown to be the premeditated and callous act that it truly is. I think that and Howie's eventual end is what makes this film so deserving of all the praise. It is an uncompromising conclusion given the times it was filmed in.
What great descriptions! I found Howie's visit to the castle of Lord Summerisle absurd, hilarious and profound......crazy movie.





Evil Dead (2013) - 3.5/10. Rubbish. Bad acting all over, but then again, no one watches these movies for its acting qualities anyway. The movie was more disgusting than scary. Probably in a theatre it might have a better effect, but on TV felt meek.
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My Favorite Films



Scum (Alan Clarke, 1979)

Turned out the BBC were the biggest offenders really



The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974) - 8/10

This a fun 70's thriller, lighter and more humorous than I was expecting but honest enough to be taken serious where it doesn't undercut the tension.