Rate The Last Movie You Saw

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Ten years ago I saw this movie in theaters, back then I'd have rated it higher but now I give it a lower rating. This films strength is in its visuals and better dialog could've made it a true classic but altogether I say 71/100.

71/100

Critical Mass (1971) -

Prolonged scenes of yelling usually of yelling usually wear me usually wear me down, but me down, but the stylistic but the stylistic elements Frampton stylistic elements Frampton utilizes here Frampton utilizes here convey the here convey the meaningless of the meaningless of arguments between of arguments between couples really between couples really well. The really well. The repetition of The repetition of the dialogue of the dialogue matches the dialogue matches the repetitive nature the repetitive nature of their nature of their yelling. The their yelling. The audio not The audio not matching up not matching up with the up with the picture represents the picture represents how, though represents how, though the couple though the couple is saying couple is saying a lot saying a lot of words, lot of words, they're not words, they're not meeting eye not meeting eye to eye eye to eye or saying eye or saying anything of saying anything of substance. The of substance. The various cuts The various cuts to black cuts to black represent how black represent how they're just how they're just blindly yelling just blindly yelling at each yelling at each other (the each other (the improvised dialogue (the improvised dialogue matches this dialogue matches this element really this element really well). Overall, really well). Overall, it's my Overall, it's my favorite film my favorite film I've seen film I've seen from Frampton seen from Frampton so far. Frampton so far.

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Great movie.

I was really bowled over by this Danish/Dutch horror movie last year.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - (2023)

Franchise films can get a little tired and feel familiar over the journey, but it's nice to see that the third Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't veer too far off the tried and true formula that made the first two films so good. It's not quite as funny, but still has that slightly silly edge to it - and it's a narrow course for James Gunn to hold without getting ridiculous, going for laughs all the time or losing perspective on the emotional journey our various characters are on. This time we focus on Rocket (Bradley Cooper) - where he came from, and the nightmare past he has to confront in this to survive. I saw this at a newly built "Xtremescreen" which also had pretty extreme sound, apparently to match the mammoth screen's size. Guardians of the Galaxy movies are noisy to begin with - but I was in the spirit of this thing, and had fun. I had a few laughs, and the only downside was that the familiarity and repetition means it's not as fresh as it was at the start. A mammoth movie with all the explosive sci-fi action and comedic fun you'd expect - it's fair to say it holds no really big surprises aside from Rocket's sad, sad origin tale, but it's a worthy addition to the franchise.

7/10


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Deadpool - (2016)

I've had trouble getting into this, and struggle a little with Ryan Reynolds' comedic delivery, which always sounds the same - so, it took me several tries and false starts, but I've finally seen Deadpool properly. I liked it - but felt very let down by the last phase of the film. For something so unconventional, I felt it was a really cheap trick to just give us your standard good guys up against the equally matched and numbered bad guys finale fight. I felt like some producer somewhere demanded an ending like this - which gave a feeling that this was no different to any number of other superhero films. If you're going to have a fourth-wall breaking, completely unconventional and wildly wicked film like this, I'd expect the end of the film to keep that kind of tone.

6/10


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Deadpool 2 - (2018)

I felt that Deadpool 2 was a pretty big improvement over the first film, and this time it's no-holds-barred insane tone was consistent throughout the whole film. I laughed a lot, which is something I didn't expect when I sat down to watch these films, and there was a real sense of excitement by including the likes of Zazie Beetz, Hunt For the Wilderpeople's Julian Dennison and Josh Brolin in the cast. I think that Deadpool 2 is one of the better offerings that this overstuffed comic book superhero deluge of films have brought us. It's one I'd loved to watch again one day soon - I felt it was something akin to The Suicide Squad.

7.5/10

If Tom Jane leaned into Texas hero cliches any harder, he'd transform into Foghorn Leghorn.

John Malkovich isn't far behind in chewing the scenery in a performance that echoes KGB from Rounders.

5/10 Mustaches

Damn, I was going to say something about Will Poulter in my short review - I'm a bit of a fan, what with his performances in the likes of Detroit, Midsommar and The Revenant. He just kinda becomes irrelevant as the film goes on, as we learn that's he's far too simple-minded to be any kind of threat, and I forgot about him. I was excited he was in it.

Recent watches:
The Desert Rats 1953
The Bounty Hunter 1954 +
Liberation: The Battle Of Berlin 1971
Things To Come 2016 +
The Lucky Texan 1934
Von Ryan's Express 1965
Passenger 57 1992

Mamma Roma - 8/10
Re-watch.. It was also on TCM. Must be some Italian Mother theme. As much as I liked Sophia Loren (especially with Marcello Mastroianni), I preferred Anna Magnani.

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American Madness - 6.5/10
Even at 75 minutes, it's not edited well. Too much crying, phone calls, shouting, not enough human interaction. The first half hour was really good, but then it kinda loses steam. Capra just getting his feet wet with Walter Huston, but it doesn't touch any of the "Mr." movies.

The Constant Factor - 7.5/10
A riveting movie about an honest man. Available on Prime/Mubi.

The Blue Gardenia (1953)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

You make a good point. Loren hit the U.S. like a cyclone, and she was wildly popular especially in the '60s-'70s. But apart from Two Women and a few other roles, IMO she was best at light comedy. There was hardly a more voluptuous actress ever in films. It was impossible to take one's eyes off of her!

But Magnani was a real heavyweight actress, best in emotional or heavy dramatic roles. She made far more movies in Italy than in the U.S. She's been described as "volcanic", which is probably an apt description.

By The cover art can or could be obtained from IMP Awards., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31516814

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - (2011)

Seems longer since the second reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise came out. At first you wonder how on earth Caesar and his ragtag bunch of intelligent apes can possibly take over, but then the clever side-plot involving a man-made deadly virus comes into play. It's a stretch having both the means of the apes becoming smarter and our demise linked together (they're part of the same formula) but I've seen much bigger fictional coincidences. This was an improvement over the Tim Burton reboot - it must really hurt when your version is scrapped and a completely non-related new one is called for, but that ending was so wacko, it was like there was nowhere to go from there. Still, this version only manages to be your average origin story which explains how the apes gained human-like intelligence and knowhow, and why mankind fell. It looks great, and was nominated for a visual effects Oscar (won by Hugo) - things start to get really interesting in the second film. This one was a very solid base from which to build a new series of these films from.

6/10


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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - (2014)

This was an epic in every sense of the word, and while the complexity of the characters included in this film skewed towards the ape side, there's nevertheless a lot going on with the various personalities involved, and a believable sense of what a clash of species would really be like in the real world. I'd been well used to finding it hard to control my suspension of belief with these films, but having a human population that's dwindled to Last of Us proportions, and an ape society that's finding it's feet, I could really buy in. The effects were great (it lost it's Oscar nomination again, in a crowded field, this time to Interstellar), and the story involving and interesting. The only part that stuck out was the unreasonable coincidence of the humans bringing an injured Caesar to his old home when they pick a house at random. Otherwise, we have an Apes film here that manages to get as much dramatic gravitas from the CGI ape components as it does from the straight human actors. I loved the way it examined prejudice, within the context of an exciting sci-fi and action blockbuster. It just works really well, and is my favourite of the modern-day Ape films.

8/10

Hard Target (1993)

I missed this one back in the day so it was a nice treat to see a decent action movie from that time. Not Van Damme's best but has many good qualities and could've been a little better.

67/100

THE COVENANT 2023 Guy Ritchie

2h 3m | Thriller | War | Action
Writers: Ivan Atkinson, Marn Davies
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr, Emily Beecham

Not what I expected and nothing like Ritchie's previous work so literally 'outstanding'.
Great performances wouldn't be surprised if both Gyllenhaal and Salim get a nomination.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - (2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is the third part of the popular Marvel franchise that is made on the adventures of a ragtag team. The film delivers on its promise of action, humor, and heart, as the Guardians face new threats and old enemies.
The film express the feeling of friendship as each character struggles with their past and their future. It is a fun, thrilling, and emotional ride that will leave you satisfied and entertained.
6/10

It carries that Pixar vibe (John Lasseter is one of the producers) and it's simple and fun.

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Anna was tough, but vulnerable in ways. She could always see through someone's bullshit, usually with a cynical laugh, or the face she would make.