Rate The Last Movie You Saw

I love that one! Amazing display of martial arts, and a fun screwball comedy.

Wonka (2023)


I was pleasantly surprised. It's an old school family musical comedy, in the spirit of Matilda and such. It was far too sweet to mesh up with Gene Wilder's original genius performance, but I was expecting this update to be terrible, and instead it wound up being pleasant.


The villains really steal the show, and the songs help move the weak plot along. All in all it's a C+. Starting from where I expected, that's not bad.

DECEMBER 26, 2023

Migration

You know, I can't even remember the last time I actually saw an animated film in a movie theater! At a certain point in my life, I guess I sort of turned my back on what you might call "kids' stuff." But I had seen the preview for this during an earlier trip to see some other film, and I thought it looked like fun. Plus, I rather like birds. So I figured, what the heck? Anyway, I'm glad I did, because I had a good time, and the kids in the theater also had a blast.

I don't really feel like subjecting this film to any sort of extended analysis, other than to say that the trailer rather effectively sums things up. I'll just say that I was impressed with the voiceover talents on display, from Danny DeVito as the Mallard children's curmudgeonly Uncle Dan to Carol Kane as a rather adorably scary heron named Erin (that's right) to Awkwafina as a city pigeon with an attitude named Chump, and stealing the show is Keegan-Michael Key as the Jamaican Scarlet macaw Delroy!

A good time was had. I don't know if by all, but certainly by me.

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"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid." - Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, High Plains Drifter (1973)

The Cat (1992) A wacky sci fi horror film from Hong Kong about a cat from outer space. The cat is awesome and the film really goes for it. Not everything works well though. Some fantastic sequences make it worth checking out.

Migration (2023)


A lot of us seeing this recently it appears...my daughter loved it, but it was just okay for me. Sensational voice acting and visuals, but the humor and story was pretty amateur.

3.5/5 The actress was sensational. I can see her getting a Best Actress nomination.

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“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Gandhi​

Cat Person just too annoying for me, gave up at the therapist scene.

I totally agree that Jacob Elordi be a fantastic James Bond.

Top Secret! (1984)

By Searchlight Pictures - IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73538302

Next Goal Wins - (2023)

I'm a big fan of Mike Brett and Steve Jamison's documentary Next Goal Wins, based on the American Samoa soccer team, and their efforts to rebound from a world record defeat to at least not be the official "worst team in the world". When I heard that one of my favourite filmmakers was going to make a comedy/drama based on that documentary I thought the result might be quite good. Taika Waititi though, doesn't appear to be in the best place filmmaking-wise, and apart from being a little all over the place, he lays the comedy on a little too thick here and there, and at times seems to be lampooning Samoan culture. I had a few really good laughs - I mean, this guy is too good not to make a comedy without them completely, but compared to his previous output, it's a shadow. Going with the likes of Michael Fassbender to play boozy coach Thomas Rongen means the rest of the cast don't have a natural comedian to play off. Also - the sports genre that this borrows so heavily from is a tired, tired one at the moment. I know it's a step back from special effects-infused extravaganzas, but I still think Waititi could do more to get back to his cinematic roots and write an original New Zealand comedy with fresh young talent - to me it feels like he's burning out. Okay, but nowhere near this guy's usual standard.

6/10


By Inscéal - IMDB, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70151764

The Quiet Girl - (2022)

Rewatch - This didn't lose any of it's power the second time around, and in fact the heartfelt, emotional spell it weaves had me even more under it's influence. Beautiful movie - in the running for the best of '22, and a standout for the decade. It creeps into your soul, and is filmmaking at it's absolute finest.

10/10


By http://www.impawards.com/intl/misc/2...adis_aida.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65554033

Quo Vadis, Aida? - (2020)

Rewatch - Another incredibly powerful movie that loses nothing on second viewing. If this is a realistic portrayal of how UN forces work, then they are absolutely worthless - and cowards. The Bosnian war was so horrific it defies description - you have to see it, and it's results, to understand.

8/10


By http://www.impawards.com/2021/rescue.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68655869

The Rescue - (2021)

Great documentary about the Tham Luang cave rescue, which saved 12 boys and a soccer coach when they were trapped inside a cave flooded with monsoon waters. My review of it is on my watchlist thread here.

8/10

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Whore (1991) 2/5 Has a heart, could have been worse, Theresa's monologue throughout was a little tiring, like the jokes in Horsin' Around, and it felt off when the tone is that way when certain things happen. I'm not saying it should have been a soul shattering bleak-fest, but oh well. Wrapped up nicely at the end, and for a gal who only read Animal Farm she knew about Jekyll and Hyde pretty well.

Fear of a Black Hat (1993)

Girls at 12 (1975) I watched this 30 minute documentary today on the Criterion Channel. I loved it. This was quite fascinating and charming. I just wish it were longer.

Dance of The Drunken Mantis - (1979)

Pretty much a reenactment of Drunken Master, but without Jackie Chan. Still good thou

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

This is one of those features I put in for the kids, but ended up sticking through. It is a fairly stereotypical Disney family film with some very earnest messages. That said, I really enjoyed the creativity of the first chapter, as well as several of Goofy's one-liners in the second chapter. The final chapter is the more "serious" one, but if you're a fan of Mickey, I suppose you'll enjoy the warm and the candy-coated approach to its message.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

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The Music of Regret (2006) This was quite something. Puppets! Meryl Streep singing to a dummy! People dressed as random objects dancing! There is a lot of unusual and memorable stuff going on. Some of it works, some of it doesn't, but it is so unique that you have to check it out. It is only 44 minutes and is currently available to stream on the Criterion Channel.

The Super Mario Bros Movie - 10/10

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1st Rewatch...I have always prided myself on being able to separate the artist's work from his personal life which made this rewatch such an unsettling experience. First of all, this unapologetic look at Richard Williams, the manipulative control freak father of Venus and Serena Williams is mesmerizing from start to finish, thanks primarily to Will Smith's groundbreaking performance in the title role. For years, Il thought Will Smith was incapable of playing anyone but Will Smith, but he proved me totally wrong here. Smith disappears completely inside this role, playing one of the most unlikable characters I have seen in decades. I was not surprised when he received his third Oscar nomination for the performance, nor when he won because he deserved it Unfortunately, Smith ruined one of Oscar's most significant wins with his actions of that night. His performance in this movie is so good that it could have opened up an entirely new career for him. I could have even seen him winning a second Oscar with the right role, but instead his foolish actions on Oscar night have banned him from the ceremony for at least a decade and probably destroyed his career. As far as I know, he has only made one film since this one and I haven't heard about anything else on the horizon for him. And as insensitive as this might sound, I was shocked that at the time this happened, Will and Jada were actually separated at the time, which I didn't know on Oscar night, which puts a whole new light on what happened for me. It's sad because he could have reinvented his career with this performance and now he's cancelled. also have to give a shout out to Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Richard's wife, Saniyya Sidney as Venus and Jon Bernthal as tennis coach Paul Macci. No matter what happened later, Smith deserved the Oscar he won for this film and his performance alone makes it worth watching.

2nd Rewatch...This acid-tongued film version of the classic Kaufman and Hart play still provides consistent laughs since its release over 80 years ago. Monty Wooley reprises his Broadway role as Sheridan Whiteside, a literary critic and lecturer who slips and falls on the icy steps of a small town family and proceeds to turn their lives upside down. Wooley's deliciously over the top scenery chewing seems to get funnier with each watch and he gets solid support from Bette Davis as his loyal secretary, Maggie, a seemingly thankless role that Davis brings an unexpected richness to, Ann Sheridan as a bitchy movie star named Lorraine Sheldon, and Jimmy Durante as a goofy, skirt-chasing movie star named Banjo.

3rd Rewatch...This 2016 Oscar winner for Best Picture seems to improve with each rewatch. This sad and emotionally manipulative look at the growing pains of peer pressure and sexual identity is told on an intimate and tension-filled canvas featuring three different actors playing the conflicted Chirone. I think Ashton Sanders who played teenage Chirone, was robbed of a Supporting Actor nomination and Naomi Harris' work as Chirone's mother is a little too real. Mahershala Ali's Oscar winning performance in a hard to swallow role as a sympathetic drug dealer still works, but for me the strongest part of this movie is the final 20 minutes or so, when an adult Chirone and Kevin are reunited as adults. Rarely have I seen such a sizzling sexual undercurrent under a scene between two men. I am upping my original rating.