Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Rouge (1987) - A tragic romance; commenting on the rigidness of traditional family (and social) rakings while crossing time to tell of an unforgettable ghost story (they seem to be Stanley Kwan's thing; look also Center Stage)... The score is pretty great and Anita Mui as Fleur is simply captivating... 8/10.

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HEI guys.

By http://www.impawards.com/2024/beetle...ice_ver11.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75976584

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - (2024)

Here it is finally! Surprisingly, I didn't completely hate Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which I was really fearing all the more after a terribly wobbly and unfunny first half - but somehow Burton or something or someone really switches into gear and salvages what could have been a lot worse. It really feels like this has had 30 minutes or so cut out of it for pacing reasons, which on the one hand worked fine, but on the other left me feeling like I'd been short-changed considering what modern belated sequels usually deliver. It's sane 104 minutes adds to the feel that this film's sensibilities and tone make it a sequel that feels like it could have been made in 1989, and I'm sure nobody would have questioned anything if it had of been made back then. Soul train? Only filmmakers in their mid-60s could think such dated inventiveness deserves so much attention and repeated call-backs. Talking about too much attention - when certain jokes flop, it doesn't help to sustain the joke for a long period of time, making us shift uncomfortably in our seat, praying the film can continue some time in the near future. Sad to see Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe wasted in roles that promised so much more. All that said though, Keaton has enough charisma to bring this old classic character back to life (that line in the original : I've seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT... - that's one of my favourites.) What amazed me was that some of the jokes really worked, and that there was so much more energy in this than I expected - nobody is embarrassed to be here, and although some narrative twists really don't work, it mostly fits together surprisingly neatly. I was actually enjoying myself at times - almost had to pinch myself to be sure that was really happening. A mixed bag to be sure - the very definition of a mixed bag - but it wasn't awful by a long shot (just awful at times.) Overall, it's worth seeing if you feel the urge to do so, like I did.

Winona Ryder - I didn't think that was a really great performance, but I hope the audience loves you regardless and you do okay.

6/10


By https://neweuropefilmsales.com/featurefilms/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71834776

Godland - (2022)

Godland doesn't totally rely on it's stunning photography - it has a lot more going for it - but that is one aspect that really sets it apart. I found it ironic that Iceland should have so few witnesses to it's splendour and magnificence, but I guess that's one of the reasons it's kept that beauty intact up until now. It's as if the God that Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) believes in made that place for those who can appreciate what it takes to survive it and still have faith this all means something. Full review here, in my watchlist thread.

8/10

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Set in the small desert town of Perfection, Tremors follows Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward), two friends working odd jobs that are trying to get out of town to find something better. That is until the town starts being attacked by three giant creatures from under the g-oddamned ground. It's up to Val and Earl, along with geologist Rhonda (Finn Carter), to stop the monsters while trying to save the people of Perfection.

This is a film I've seen dozens of times since I was a kid. It was a constant staple on TV, so I was very familiar with it. However, it has been a good while since I last saw it, so I decided to travel to Perfection once again, and what a fun trip it was. Tremors manages to strike such a great balance between action, adventure, thrills, and humor that not many films succeed at.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

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Rebels of the Neon God (1992) 9.5
Tsai Ming Liang debuts with a masterpiece

Based on the popular novel and set in Italy at the beginning of the 20th Century, Pinocchio follows the adventures of the titular character (Gregory Mann), a wooden puppet created by Geppetto (David Bradley) after the loss of his real-life son in a World War I bombing raid. Through the movie, Pinocchio embarks in a journey which includes a stint in a circus, time at a military youth camp, performing for Mussolini, and ending up in the belly of the terrible Dogfish.

That dark tone permeates the whole film. Pinnochio is still charming and naïve, but he's also reckless and careless as he keeps on finding ways to die and come back again. The "ghost" of Carlo is constantly hanging above the choices of Geppetto and Pinocchio, along with the impending doom of war upon them. As interesting as those layers might be, I do think the film hits a few bumps as it tries to juggle the struggles of Geppetto and Pinocchio with both the stories of the circus and the military youth camp.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

Tigerland (2000)

This is a decent and watch-able outing for Collin Farrell, playing the rebelious Bozz that has been conscripted to go to fight in Vietnam. He tries all sorts of antics to point out the futility of the titular training camp and is openly hostile to his seniors (as they are to him). Joel Schumacher's film is pretty blunt and the story of Bozz is interesting but otherwise it is just a run of the mill drama. The ending is unsatisfying also.

What would you do if all of your friends started to literally blow up in front of you one by one? What if you're the next one? That is the premise of this unique film. Blending aspects of romcom, coming-of-age, dark humor, and horror, Spontaneous focuses mainly on Mara and Dylan (Katherine Langford and Charlie Plummer), two teenagers at Covington High that are thrust into the unexpected situation described above.

I was trying to complete one of the categories of my challenge that asked for a romantic film; a good Internet friend recommended this, and imagine my surprise when instead of a romantic film, I found a really powerful exploration of trauma and grief through the eyes of these two lovestruck teenagers. It's always refreshing when you stumble upon a filmmaker that can walk that fine line between genres, and Duffield here does an acrobat job, walking between romance, comedy, drama, and horror, without it feeling like an overstuffed mess.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

Body Double (Brian De Palma, 1984)

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Sixteen Candles (1984)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

The Cremator -


I typically begin short reviews with statements like this: what the unholy hell. Like, I enjoy psychological films, but I have never seen one so consistently disturbing throughout. And it's all done through the eyes of one character! Excellent psychoanalysis and excellent filmmaking. This is EASILY a prime example of a film that doesn't need development from everyone else. Top 100, and I finally found a 100/100 for 1969.

Werewolf by Night follows Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal), part of a secret group of monster hunters gathering to win a mysterious gem by defeating a powerful monster. The twist? Russell is a werewolf himself, but will he be able to control that part of him if it comes to that?

But aside from its ties to any bigger universe, this was a pretty interesting experiment. Director Michael Giacchino and cinematographer Zoë White wisely use black and white cinematography and a unique directing style, which gives the film a look reminiscent to the Universal Monster films.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

After watching Luca with the kids, I decided to check out this short. Ciao Alberto follows the attempts of Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) to win the approval of Giulia's father, Massimo (Marco Barricelli), with whom he lives now. This relationship is one of the subplots I admired from the original film, so I appreciated the opportunity to revisit it and focus on it.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

Set concurrently during the events of Up, Dug's Special Mission follows the titular dog (Bob Peterson) as he tries to track the mysterious bird, Kevin! When he fails, the other dogs try to assign him random tasks to keep him occupied, only to have them backfire on them.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

Strange very good movie from Austria. Lead actress really good.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Beetlejuice follows Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), a young couple that tragically end up dead and stuck in their country home. When an eccentric family from New York try to move in, they are determined to get them out, even if it means hiring the titular character (Michael Keaton) with the above credentials. But, do you think he's qualified?

This is a film I've seen lots of times since it came out. I still wouldn't consider myself a hardcore fan, but I've always enjoyed its odd and quirky approach. Which is why we decided to give this one a shot with the kids, and see how well they liked it. As far as I'm concerned, I've always thought the film makes some great use of set design, production values, makeup and costume.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

How did the kids like it, Thief?

Set about a year before the events of A Quiet Place, Day One follows Samira (Lupita Nyong'o), a terminally ill woman trying to survive the first days of the alien invasion in New York City. She is joined in her survival journey by Eric (Joseph Quinn), an English young man that came to study law ("It's the one thing I was supposed to do"), but who will end up doing much more.

As the invasion starts and the aliens are unleashed, Sam is determined to get to Patsy's pizzeria to get one last slice of their pizza. Something that we find out later has a deeper meaning to her than just good pizza. It is quite rare and remarkable to get not only a horror film, but a horror prequel, that rely so much on emotional character development instead of plot, and yet here we are.

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Full review on my Movie Loot

They liked it well enough. I think the younger one asked to rewatch it the next day, or so my wife told me. Overall, my appreciation is that it's on that mid-tier for them, which means films they enjoy but they don't necessarily ask to revisit over and over, or keep talking about over and over.

This is pretty much everything you'd expect from a modern-day Indian action flick: it's a 3-hour-long (with intermission) soap opera with plenty of heartfelt moments, very broad comedy, and a few musical numbers here and there.

Vijay, who is 50, has a dual role that has him playing both father and son; there must be some serious de-aging VFX or great makeup being used, because it didn't take much suspension of disbelief to accept him playing a 24-year-old kid.

This is already the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024, so it's definitely a big hit back in India, while the Indian diaspora in the U.S. seemed to be very excited to be able to watch this in IMAX.

Oh, there's a touching tribute to the late Vijayakanth, which was reportedly made using Artificial Intelligence. He is definitely missed!

Chopping Mall gives you just that. A bunch of horny teenagers being chased around a mall in the middle of the night by killer robots. The film starts with the presentation of the new security system to the mall public, which includes three robots programmed to stop criminals. After that, it introduces us to the cast of teenagers; four couples, that decide to stay at the mall for an impromptu party, only to end up terrorized by the robots.

Now, don't come to the film expecting great performances or character development, cause you won't get it. Pretty much all the teenagers are one-dimensional characters and half of them are a$$holes. None of the boys really stand out, except for Mike (John Terlesky) as the most a$$hole-y and Ferdy (Tony O'Dell) as the least a$$hole-y. As for the girls, Allison (Kelli Maroney) is the geeky, "virgin-like" one, which gives you a hint of how the plot will progress.

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Full review on my Movie Loot