Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Johnny Mnemonic, 1995

Step on up to this film's portrayal of the horrifying future of . . . January 2021.

Yes, imagine my surprise when someone in this film mentions the current date and it's something like January 2021. The movie's portrayal of a near future is, above anything else, a fascinating window into the limits of imagination when it comes to the future of technological advancement.

Johnny (Keanu Reeves) is an information smuggler. Using an implant in his brain, he stores valuable information until it can be safely downloaded. In exchange for the ability to use the implant, he has given up his long-term memory. As the film begins, Johnny takes on one final job to earn enough money to get the implant removed and restore his memory of his childhood. But the job proves more complicated than expected, and involves a vast conspiracy related to a plague that has infected half of the population.

I know that Keanu Reeves gets a lot of crap for his acting sometimes, but I think that this is a good example of a film that didn't know how to use its main character. The script, which is adapted from a William Gibson novel, struggles to portray characters who feel like actual people.

A huge part of the issue here is the clumsy world-building. About every other conversation feels more like an exposition dump than anything a person would actually say. It's not uncommon to get lines like "So she has NAS?" "Yes, NAS, also known as Nerve Attenuation Syndrome. The same disease that has infected half the planet. No known cure, and huge companies getting rich off of treating it."

Reeves (along with co-stars Dina Meyer, Henry Rollins, Ice-T, and even Takeshi Kitano) are so frequently saddled with clumsy dialogue that it's hard to connect with them or empathize with them. Kitano probably does the best with his role--the head of a large pharmaceutical company whose daughter died of NAS--but that's due to a lot of heavy lifting on his part.

As for the vision of the future? Yikes. Probably the worst moment of the whole thing is when Reeves has to go exploring on the internet. Donning a ridiculous VR-type visor and a pair of gloves, Reeves is forced into an absurd mime act whereby he must act out "physically" interacting with the internet. Years later, Minority Report would do a much better job of showing similar technology. But Johnny Mnemonic seems worried that the audience won't understand anything that isn't shown in the most literal sense of the word. Late in the film, a computer figure says that she is being "burned out" of a database, and we are helpfully shown literal flames dancing around her figure.

There are some innovative glimpses here and there, such as when Johnny discovers that one of the underground hackers is actually a dolphin. There's even some good humor, like when Johnny discovers that the aforementioned dolphin will be performing the delicate brain-straining operation to download the secret information. There is also the occasional interesting image, like a huge pile of plastic-wrapped mannequins or a series of trenchcoated men lining up to take an elevator (echoes of The Matrix probably make this moment seem cooler than it actually is).

Mostly this movie is too silly to enjoy as "real" sci-fi, but not silly enough to hit the heights needed for cult fun status.

I don't think I got this movie. It's just people complaining all the time, ALL THE TIME

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The Midnight Sky (2020)

It’s hard to say which is more precarious: a writer directing his own film, or an actor directing his own film. In this case George Clooney might have been better off selecting someone other than himself as director; or at least investing in a different screenwriter.

The first hour of this film is very engaging. Earth has somehow suffered an unidentified apocalypse which has killed most of its population but for an isolated few. A core of that group has decided to flee the planet in a Noah’s arc type spacecraft, alrhough their destination is not mentioned. Clooney’s character, an aged scientist with terminal cancer, has opted out of the exodus due to his health and age, and has elected to remain by himself at the Arctic base. The first part of the story shows Clooney’s spacious environs and his daily routines, and sets the tone of the film.

He suddenly realizes that a previous space ship which was on a mission to a distant habitable planet and back is not aware of the apocalyptic circumstance on Earth, and must be warned not to land, but to return to the other planet. From that point on the film bounces back and forth between Clooney’s final peril in the arctic station and the life and events occurring on the returning space ship.

It is during the rest of the film where it seems familiar-- reminiscent of other better done space stories. We get a bit of a space soap opera with a pregnancy, philosophical discoveries, and an obligatory fatal accident during a repair outside the spacecraft. These somewhat trite side stories inevitably take away from, rather than enhance, the impact of the story. Felicity Jones as the pregnant astronaut was somewhat wasted in a poorly written role.

During the time that Clooney is maintaining his life as well as continuing his quest to warn the unwitting astronauts who are heading for Earth, a surprise character is introduced-- a little girl who has evidently been accidentally left behind by the group who have fled. Her character is played by the darling Caoilinn Springall, whose lovey eyes and facial expressions are captivating. We won’t reveal the significance of her character so as not to reveal the plot line.

There were a few glaring implausibilities in the film, the most obvious was that the story takes place in 2049, but the scientific sophistication and space travel depicted could not possibly have been discovered within a mere 28 years from our present day. In a tense scene an Arctic radar station suddenly starts sinking into the water beneath the ice it rests upon, sloshing water into the housing, and eventually submerging Clooney along with his life prolonging medication. But the radar station would not have been built upon a frozen body of water, and in any rate the ice would be several feet thick, not the several inches portrayed in the scene. When he emerged from the water he would have been frozen to death in a few minutes. But that circumstance was glossed over.

There was an ambitious score by the veteran Alexandre Desplat, but it’s weight overshot the integrity of the story. Putting it another way, the vaguely cliched story, most especially the one taking place on the space ship, did not have enough quality to warrant such dramatic music.

Clooney has enough heft as a bankable star to attract funding to his projects, but he might be better served returning exclusively to some of the fine acting portrayals he’s been known for, and to leave production to someone else. The Midnight Sky had the makings of a good film, but came up short due to the screenwriting and direction.

Available on Netflix and other streaming services.

Doc’s rating: 5/10

"This is my house!"... "This is our turf!"... "This is our country!"... "This is our planet!"... Films are full of examples of groups of people proudly and loudly proclaiming their place and their right to defend it whichever way they see fit. From Home Alone to Independence Day, to name a few. This British film puts a slight spin on it by putting a teenage street gang on one side and a pack of dog-like aliens that land on their block in London. As the teens realize what is happening, they don't hesitate to go out to protect their place, probably not fully realizing what they're up against.

I had read good to great things about this film for some time, so it's been on my radar for a while. I'm glad to say it was a pleasant surprise. What the film might lack in depth, it more than delivers in intensity and thrills. Even though they are essentially "thugs", there's an infectious energy in the gang that you can't help but root for. They are led by Moses (John Boyega), who apparently craves to be recognized one way or the other; whether it's by the group of friends that follow him or the leading drug dealer in the block that ends up recruiting him or just by the way he and his friends take care of things on "the block".

I had seen Boyega before he blew up with Star Wars since he had a small supporting role on Season 9 of 24, and I could see then that he had the necessary chops to be a good actor. But I was surprised by the restrained ferocity he brings to his role. On the other hand, we have Jodie Whittaker as Sam, an young nurse that is robbed by Moses' gang in the opening scene but who ends up reluctantly paired with them as they fend off the aliens. Whittaker manages to create a great balance between fear, vulnerability, and poise against the gang first, and the aliens second. The rest of the members of the gang also share the same confidence needed for their roles, even if they all don't have excellent acting chops.

Debuting director Joe Cornish manages to make the most of a relatively small budget by maintaining a simplicity to the alien creatures. His direction is not necessarily flashy, but it's efficient and energetic. There are some subtle and interesting tidbits about racial differences and social inequality in the script that hint at Moses mindset. Even if they are not fully explored, I'm glad they are there. It's a way to understand what "the block" is about and why they "take care of things" their own way, which is ultimately a sense of identity and belonging that you can't get anywhere else, and which makes you protect it at all costs; whether it's "the block" or Planet Earth.

Grade:

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I've been meaning to check that one out for some time. I guess it's pretty solid, eh?

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Yes, it is. Short and breezy. A lot of fun. It's on Tubi.

Big fan of ATTACK THE BLOCK and I feel terribly old now that it's turning 10 this year.

ok boomer

That's zoomer jargon with your tik toks and your viscos and I'm gonna need you to get off my lawn

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Evil Under the Sun - I really enjoyed this movie. It was a bit surprising too because I was underwhelmed by the recent version of Murder On the Orient Express with Kenneth Branagh playing Hercule Poirot. This one has Peter Ustinov as the Belgian sleuth and he in turn is simply marvelous. Actually the entire cast is outstanding. I haven't seen this many campy performances in a movie since I don't know when. Maybe Flash Gordon? But whether it's Ustinov as the persnickety Poirot or Roddy McDowall as an effete author and scandal monger or Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg as rival divas or James Mason and Sylvia Miles as husband and wife theatrical producers everyone seems to be having a great time. They throw themselves into their roles with great gusto.

Poirot is hired by millionaire Sir Horace Blatt (Colin Blakely in yet another colorful performance) to track down Arlena Stuart Marshall (Rigg). She's the woman to whom he gifted a large diamond as an engagement present only to have her break off the engagement and keep the diamond. When he finally gets it back it turns out to be a fake. Poirot follows her to an exclusive hotel on a Mediterranean island run by Daphne Castle (Smith). From there it's just a case of setting up the players in what inevitably will turn into a murder investigation. Nothing new under the sun for aficionados of drawing room mysteries but the locale and the cast of peacocks make for an engrossing two hours. 90/100

I'm gonna watch this soon. Just getting round to any major stuff I missed from last year.

What would you say were your rough top ten films? I've tried to follow your posts the best I can so can roughly recall quite a few ratings, but wanted to check if I've missed anything. I know we definitely have some crossover where we enjoyed stuff like Mank, Chicago 7 and Bacurau

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Have you checked this thread?

Invasion of the Saucer Men, 1957

I mean, just get a good look at that poster.

I've actually put off checking this film out because how could it possibly live up to the promise of that poster? Those wonderfully disproportionate heads! The vibrant green! Those big eyes!

Of course, the film can't and doesn't live up to the promise of the poster, but it was still a fun enough ride.

A couple of teenagers out at the town's local hook up spot are heading home when their car hits something. Given that earlier in the film several characters mentioned spotting UFOs, it's no surprise when we discover that they've hit an alien. But when another town resident turns up dead, the teens are in trouble with the law as they try to convince the local police that they hit an alien and are not responsible for the death of the other man.

The best thing that the film has going for it is its sense of humor. It's clear from the beginning that this movie is meant to be silly, and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the comedic twists and turns in the film. For example, after killing the alien the couple notices some other aliens hitting the man's car. Later, the astonished young man declares that the aliens intentionally dented his fender to help frame him for the death of the local man. "It's a frame job!" he declares. There's also an entire subplot about a farmer being protective of his prize bull. Oh, and the weapon of choice for the aliens is . The alien costumes, when we do see them, are pretty ridiculous. But it works out okay because the film isn't actually expecting us to take them seriously as a threat.

The downside to the film is that it seems determined to keep the aliens off screen for as long as possible. This means spending a lot of time with the teenage couple on their various adventures. And the couple is . . . okay. Neither of them have personalities that are overly winning, and frankly I don't even really remember their names. The young woman talks almost exclusively about when they get married and when she has babies. This is like her only defined trait. (There's also a kind of icky part where they are at the hookup spot and she sees something that makes her scream and someone from another car tells him, "Ease up, Johnny," and another guy yells for him to "Go for it, man!". Ha. Gross.)

The film is very 50s, for better or for worse. There's a subplot about a secret government agency whose job is to keep the people from knowing about aliens and alien spaceships. This is a fine and funny concept, but the two main characters of this subplot are just as poorly defined as the leads. The best defined character of the whole thing might just be the farmer and his sassy bull.

An easy watch. Not highly recommended, but not a time-waster, either.

Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior, 1981

I had it on good authority that I would really enjoy this entry in the Mad Max, and sure enough I really did.

Following the events of the first film (which honestly wouldn't be necessary to enjoy this one), Max (Mel Gibson) roams the dystopian Australian outback with his dog, searching for food and gasoline. When he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between a (relatively) peaceful group led by a man named Pappagello (Michael Preston) and a destructive, violent road gang led by the masked Humungus and his main enforcer, Wez (Vernon Wells), Max must decide how much he is willing to extend past his initial transactional agreement with the group. Also along for the ride is a wacky helicopter pilot (Bruce Spence), a warrior woman (Virginia Hey), a paraplegic mechanic (Steve Spears), and a feral child (Emil Minty).

It's funny to think that the main strength of a movie that features flamethrowers and outlandish, bondage-inspired costumes is a less is more approach, but I found that the main heft of the film comes from a certain degree of minimalism when it comes to the main character. There are a lot of movies about tough, cynical men surviving in post-apocalyptic landscapes--and in 99% of them it just takes the right helpless woman or helpless child (or both) to open their hearts. But this isn't a film about Max transforming into a husband or father figure.

From beginning to end, Max never lets go of a certain degree of aloofness. And it makes sense. He has suffered a terrible loss and has no wish to open himself up to that pain again. The film repeatedly offers out possibilities to Max: the feral child, the straight-forward and awesome warrior woman, the pilot. All of them offer that chance for connection--fatherhood, romance, sex, love, friendship. And the great emotional heft of the film comes from the way that you can see some part of Max responding to them before choosing to close himself off again. There's an honesty to this response to trauma--Max is a tragic figure, and the emotional distance he keeps from the other characters is part of his survival. Significantly, none of the characters who represent this potential--the child, the warrior woman, the pilot--are ever given names. I've always gotten weird vibes off of Mel Gibson (even before the whole wishing rape on a woman and using racial slurs thing came to light), but here that nervous, strange energy is put to good use. Gibson does a great job at portraying a man who depends on his outsider status for the sake of his sanity.

Then there's the world-building, which I thought was pretty great. Given the bleak situation, some choose to try to rebuild--the more peaceful group--while others seem only interested in a nihilistic grab-bag approach. I read in an article (so feel free to correct me if this is wrong) that the writers (including director George Miller) wanted to portray a society where gender roles have lost their meaning. Thus Wez's romantic companion, originally a female character, became the Golden Youth. The Warrior Woman apparently was originally meant to be a male character. (This gender parity only extends so far into the film itself, as the only victim of sexual violence is a female character). But this world building also creates a landscape in which Max has no home. He cannot open himself up to the optimism and community of the peaceful group, nor can he ignore his conscience and become a ruthless scavenger like the violent gangs.

One aspect of the film I wasn't sure how to interpret was all of the blatantly gay or homoerotic content. Everything form the fetish leather outfits to the chain that the Golden Youth wears, to the fact that one of the parts of the violent gang is called the Gayboy Berserkers. The violent gang is almost entirely male (with a handful of female characters in the background and one female character used in a visual gag), and I couldn't tell if this was meant to be a commentary on their philosophy (ie there is no need for a balanced society and reproduction because they don't care about the future and long-term survival) or what.

The last thing that I appreciated in the film was the portrayal of violence. It is a violent film, to be sure. Characters are burned, stabbed, shot, crushed and so on. But what makes the action hit hard in this movie is the "routine" and inelegant and arbitrary nature of it all. Characters in this movie are as likely to die accidentally (falling off of a moving vehicle or being hit by a truck) as they are to die doing something noble. And when the main action scenes get going, a character we care about deeply is just as likely to die in a quick scene with little comment as some random extra. There aren't any "heroic" deaths in this film. Yes, characters die doing noble things like defending their companions, but it's always ugly and unfair and cruel. No more so than when (MAJOR SPOILERS) .

Overall I really enjoyed this one. Mad Max Fury Road is probably one of my favorite films from the last 10 years, and this one had a lot of the same dynamics that I loved about it.

This is for the same type of viewer as Becky which I watched a couple of days ago, but this 80's throwback is a hell of a lot more fun. Guys hanging at their VFW defend their lives against crazed junkies looking for their stolen dope. There is so much violence that the battles with the drug fiends resemble something out of a zombie movie. Definitely recommended as long as you know what you're getting into.

Um, wut?

Me too, considering I was already 40 when I saw it the first time.

Pop, you haven't seen Attack The Block? It's quite fun.

While I actually rather enjoyed Branaugh's Poirot (and Finney's too) and look forward to the next one, I have always enjoyed Ustinov's version of the character and both Death On The Nile and Evil Under The Sun.