Rate The Last Movie You Saw

2nd Rewatch...Have never understood why this movie doesn't get the attention it deserves. This slightly fictionalized look at the marriage of writer Nora Ephron and Watergate writer Carl Bernstein is deliciously entertaining thanks to the performances of Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson in the starring roles. They bring a refreshing realism to the proceedings that almost feels improvised...watch the scene where they celebrate the news of Rachel's pregnancy by eating pizza and singing every song they can think of with the word "baby" in it. Mike Nichols has also surrounded them with an extraordinary supporting cast that includes Jeff Daniels, Stockard Channing, Maureen Stapleton, Catherine O'Hara, Richard Masur, Steven Hill, Joanna Gleason, and Kevin Spacey. The screenplay is a little fuzzy, but with that cast, you just don't care.

1st Rewatch...This lavish HBO TV movie was even more entertaining on rewatch. This dazzling and intimate look at the stormy romance between flamboyant showman Liberace and dog trainer Scott Thorsen is riveting entertainment from opening to closing credits thanks to a superb screenplay based on a book by Thorsen that actually provides a pretty balanced look at what happened between these two guys. Liberace is not painted as some big gay orgre who lured innocent Scott into his lair. Michael Douglas' interpretation of Lee earned him an Emmy and Golden Globe and Matt Damon's explosive performance as Scott is a total eye-opener, unlike anything we've seen from the actor. The film also features stunning costumes and makeup (Debbie Reynolds is unrecognizable as Lee's mother). Must see entertainment for Douglas and Damon fans.

1st Rewatch...This big budget Bond spoof provided Melissa McCarthy the perfect vehicle for her underrated acting skills as well as her natural ability to make people laugh. Watch her reaction when her boss and unrequited lover (Jude Law) is murdered. The film also features a fall on the floor hilarious performance from Jason Statham, stealing every scene he's in playing a character satirizing his own onscreen persona. It goes on a little longer than necessary, but it's still a lot of fun and probably McCarthy's best film.

1st Rewatch...One of Albert Brooks' most imaginative and ambitious projects. He plays a high powered executive who is killed in an accident and finds himself in some sort of Gomorrah-like purgatory where he must defend the life he lived before progressing to the next level of eternal life. Brooks' screenplay, like most his work, is edgy and challenging and the chemistry he creates with Meryl Streep might surprise you. The finale made my heart full. Upping my original rating.

Sound of Freedom - (2023)

Don't know how much of it is true, probably very little. But as a movie, it is entertaining.

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There has been an awekening.... have you felt it?

A Most Wanted Man 2014
Directed by Anton Corbijn


Phillip's last film; portraying a character most could identify: alone, practical, unpretentious, self-effacing, honest, naive, workaholic. A spy in Hamburg, in the midst of terrorism alarmism pos-911, essentially, a film about one’s good intentions in the middle of everyone’s climbing the ladder.


Locke 2013
Directed by Steven Knight


Location, one vehicle, one character, the entire film. A tale of accountability, responsibility, evading ghosts. A civil engineer, in the verge of a large business deal for which he's responsible, receives a call, accountability, instead of running away, he faces it, a decision that can cost him everything. The difference between a man, and a boy.

Although the cast changes through the series all of them are very entertaining. Its sort of bitter sweet, you have to learn to let go. Rating them is the most difficult part.

Glad to see Terminator 2 got the highest rating.

Knock at the cabin
7/10.
It doesn't quite jive with Christian ideas, but other than that, it was pretty interesting.

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Boldly going.

Marvin's Room (1996)

Killers of the Flower Moon 2023 Excellent performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro. I don't think the film needed to be 3 hours and 26 minutes though. It felt too long. Although this isn't top tier Scorsese, it is still a very good film.

I watched this Friday night and thought it was a lot of fun. I'm a sucker for a story that centers on siblings, loved the general premise, and I adored the direction that they took Will Ferrell's character.

Also, while I knew that this was a silly movie, I appreciated how early on they established that the dog was going to be just fine.

The Blair Witch Project follows three students (Heather, Joshua, and Michael) that ventured into the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland to record a documentary on the Blair Witch and ended up disappearing. Shot in the style of "found footage", the film presents what they recorded as if it was found a year later, in a much decidedly *not* happy ending.

But beyond the parts in the woods, I think the film does a great job setting everything up in the first act. I think the "interviews" with the townspeople are really effective and do a great job at putting you on edge. There are some fortuitous things, like the little child covering the mother's mouth when she starts to talk about the Blair Witch. I also seem to recall that the filmmakers didn't want the Mary Brown (Patricia DeCou) interview to be so grainy, and yet, I think that adds a whole different level to that moment.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

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Several years after the events of The Blair Witch Project, James stumbles upon an online video that he believes shows his sister, Heather, alive. Determined to find her, he recruits a group of friends, including documentarian Lisa (Callie Hernandez). What they find, though, might be more than what they came for.

Despite that, the film does manage to effectively build a sense of dread. It might rely too much on cheap jumpscares, to the point that even one character says at one point "can everyone stop doing that?". But beyond that, there is enough here to make it feel unsettling and creepy, in terms of atmosphere, setting, and visuals. The last act in particular has a couple of really intense sequences, particularly one with a character crawling through an underground tunnel that had me squirming and fidgeting all the way through.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

By https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....5,1000_AL_.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54231436

American Made - (2017)

Another true story from the U.S. of a meteoric rise and crushing fall - as the C.I.A. does everything it can to prevent Central American nations from 'turning', and being ruled by communist regimes, agent "Monty Schafer" (Domhnall Gleeson) recruits hotshot pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) to take aerial photos - soon enough he's running guns and drugs, buying information, and trying to hide the ridiculously large sums of money he's making. Director Doug Liman's second collaboration with Tom Cruise after Edge of Tomorrow makes the most of the sheer insanity of the situation - the Nicaraguan Contras the agency is trying to train and arm are more interested in American sunglasses and boots than fighting, President Reagan and his wife Nancy declare war on drugs as one of their agencies aids it's import in massive quantities - in the meantime, Barry tries to stay one step ahead of the DEA, FBI and Attorney General. It's an adventure for what was a bored pilot, but to me it just looks like a stressful life with no end to the running, and fight for survival. Sarah Wright Olsen, Jesse Plemons and Caleb Landry Jones are great inclusions. Fun and informative - with an eye to the lighter side of this frantic, fantastical situation - played out in the shadow of the closing stages of the Cold War.

7/10

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Look, Dr. Lesh, we don't care about the disturbances, the pounding and the flashing, the screaming, the music. We just want you to find our little girl.

The Marvels (2023) omg its was soo amazing i really enjoyed it, brie larson did amazing job and Iman Vellani who plays ms marvel did amazing job also i loved her action scenes and loved her humor im glad this is her 2nd marvel movie she deserves it and teyonah parris was so amazing it i loved her on wandavision, zawe ashton OMG she was amazing as a villian im so happy its her first marvel movie and im happy that shes married to tom hiddleston in real life and omg i loved this movie soo much . this movie doesnt deserve hate and im glad my cinema was so full and everyone was cheering

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Well Hollywood has done it again...they just gender-swapped a crime in the film Anatomy of a Fall. The story is about a husband who suffered a mysterious fall and the wife who is brought up on charges for said fall. The film basically lifts the barebones elements of the Michael Peterson trial (which has already been adapted on Netflix and HBO) so this time we get the lady version of it.

And frankly it's not bad...but it's not excellent either. This is yet another film that had it been 2 hours it could have been a masterpiece. This is a film with a number of kick to the stomach moments in it...but it's offset by a two and a half hour runtime. This movie is longer than the Verdict (1982) but tells just a fraction of the plot. This sucker is long winded.

The characters in the film are good...not great. The filmmaker has this charm where everyone basically speaks a different language...the victim is a French professor the accused is a German novelist so everyone has to speak in English including the half blind son. Sadly the film is always spelling things like that out and not just leaving the viewer to embrace the quirks. All of this adds to the runtime and takes away from any sort of tempo. You never get any sense of momentum with the story.

But the film's not bad..it's good. It's anchored by Sandra Huellers remarkable performance as the accused. All the actors are no names...though the star of the film is the dog Messi. That pup should get a special Oscar for her work in the film. I would recomend waiting for Streaming release and watching it over a week in 30 minute increments