Rate The Last Movie You Saw

true

29th Hall of Fame

The Year My Voice Broke (1987) -

This was a good coming-of-age movie which resonated with me quite a bit. It successfully captures the feelings of growing up, first love, and jealousy which are relatable for many people, me included. When I was Danny's age, I was in a similar boat as him in certain respects and my background helped me to relate to his character quite a bit. I also found Trevor memorable. While he and Danny had their differences with each other, they were still able to get along reasonably well. One gets the impression that, though they're not close friends, they're able to tolerate each other due to their shared attraction to Freya. Speaking of which, Freya is a fine character as well, even though she's not quite as memorable. She gets into some risky situations, faces the consequences of them, and attempts to recover. Not a whole lot to dig at with her, but she isn't bland by any means. For instance, that she's a soul mate to Danny is probably her most memorable trait. Technically speaking, the film is pretty good as well. The usage of natural lighting, particularly for the scenes which take place at evening where you get golden hour light, look really pretty. The paranormal aspect to certain scenes was a nice touch as well (even though I wished the film would've done a bit more with this aspect). The only reservation I had is with the noticeable disconnect between Danny's actions and how the movie wants you to feel about his character. Throughout the film, his love for Freya remains consistently creepy, with him spying on her changing clothes, stealing her underwear, and attempting to hypnotize her so he can look up her skirt. While I normally don't mind unlikable characters, I think the movie asks you to feel sympathy for him in the ending and that connection wasn't there for me. I also think the film tries to convince you that Danny is a better romantic partner for Freya than Trevor, and that fell flat for me as well. In spite of that, however, I did enjoy the movie quite a bit. While teen romance films aren't necessarily my favorite type of film out there, this one ranks amongst the better ones I've seen.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

Damn. I felt that elements of it were great, and super enjoyable. I won't add to that, lest I dig myself in even deeper.

__________________

By Paramount Pictures/ Bad Robot/ Skydance Productions - http://trekmovie.com/2013/04/12/star...-next-tuesday/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39092660

Star Trek Into Darkness - (2013)

Having Star Trek Beyond lined up for a viewing meant I had to dust this off and watch it from start to finish, and I know liking or hating certain Star Trek films can be contentious, but I think Into Darkness might be the best of the rebooted franchise so far. By the way, are we meant to read the title as "Trekking into darkness"? There's no colon. Anyway, that really doesn't matter. Some of the things that might have had some of us rolling our eyes I liked - all of the references to Star Trek II, Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan - but okay, that "KHAAAAAAAN!!!" bit was a little too much. There seems to be many implicit references to 9/11 in this film, and the grittier feel that gave the film was right up my alley. Peter Weller gave the kind of creepy vibes that are essential for a good villain as well. My only complaint would be that some of the action scenes went on for far too long, which meant the tension in them couldn't be maintained. I tell you, when you do that the audience will go from being on the edge of their seat to slightly impatient then bored. Apart from that you have a decent Star Trek film here - at least in my book.

7.5/10


By Paramount Pictures - https://www.movieposter.com/poster/M...ek_Beyond.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50376447

Star Trek Beyond - (2016)

I'm afraid this one lost me a little bit - although you could put that down to it being the second new Star Trek film I watched on the same day. Perhaps I was a bit trekked out by the time this was wrapping up. It's just that, this one followed the formula a little too closely, and as such it didn't feel like it was adding anything new to the franchise. Just one of those 'treading water' franchise films which adds a new villain and adventure very neatly, which is completely resolved within the film itself. I like there to be some kind of connection to the series, and some kind of consequences beyond the film and it's universe. None of the characters go anywhere - it's the most episodic of the three new Star Trek films. I liked Idris Elba in this, and the fact that Leonard Nimoy's death was paid tribute to within the film. It's not a total loss - just not as good as the first two reboot films.

There hasn't been a Star Trek film since. This one didn't perform as well as expected at the box office - and Tarantino's entry doesn't look like it'll materialize - though the 4th of the rebooted series is meant to begin shooting later this year.

6/10

I thought the acting, especially Amy Madigan and Michael Pare was very intentional, intended to be like acting from another time period in movies, like so much of the film. I mean, the movie is Art Deco AND Rock and Roll, and I don't just mean what's in any given frame, I mean its identity, its soul, and Hill leaned pretty hard into it, is this pastiche of times and this 1940s looking Chicago with its 1950s cars and motorcycles and its motorcycle gang that's from sometime in the 40s 50s and late 70s/early 80s, not to mention its very forward-pushing 80s soundtrack. I think the acting was a part of that, totally deliberate. Which is not to say that Pare is James Dean, but they wanted some of that and some of the 50s-60s tough guy and Madigan is a post-war brat, but what War? WWII? Korea?
I dunno, I think it's a really cool flick that somehow gets glossed over by people who see its surface charms and frailties but haven't dug into it enough to see how much craft and imagination are really at work here and how this movie isn't like anything else out there.

Prey 2022



I came into this movie with some apprehension due to how much I enjoyed the original Predator movie from 1987. My biggest concern was would they ruin the legacy left by the original movie, mostly due to the fact that this is a prequel, unlike the other's in the franchise. To my surprise however, I was pleasantly surprised.

There is so much to like about this movie, from it's beautiful scenery, it's highly entertaining action sequences, it's stellar acting (led by Amber Midthunder) and how it actually paid homage to the original. The story, much like the original was simple and got straight to the point, and it didn't overcomplicate anything with lengthy or unnecessary dialogue. It also didn't do overboard with the easter eggs and references. I really cant excuse movies which make you pause to show off references to previous instalments of the franchise, even at times when they dont make sense. This movie did none of that which was refreshing.

I highly recommend this movie. If the younger generation was to watch movie first and follow up with the original from 1987, it would not be a disservice at all. Looking forward to the sequel to this and seeing how they tie in more of the predator lore.

4/5 Stars

__________________
Movie Reviews!!
--
Being John Malkovich

I certainly have nostalgia for the film but really I've tried to look at these films I feel that way about critically when I re-view them and this is one of the ones that I have to call a complete success. I was pleased to see how much my boy Ebert liked it, though sourpuss Gene didn't so much.

Ha! Wonder how I got them crossed? Rosanna was Toto's muse, obviously (mine too).
Thanks.

I been meaning to see this since it came out and just never have pulled the trigger.
You have moved it up my queue.

Nice try Wooley, but we know you're on two dates at the same time with both Arquette sisters. Like an '80s sitcom or the end of Doctor Detroit.

You come by your fandom honestly and as far as I'm concerned that makes it unassailable.

It loses something in translation but there's a slang phrase in Spanish, "tiene pega". It's the female version of something like that Seinfeld episode when Kramer caused a Latvian orthodox nun to renounce her vows. He had "the kavorka" - the lure of the animal. I'm not 100% sure what "tiene pega" means but whatever it might be, the Arquette sisters had it.