Rate The Last Movie You Saw

'The Killer' (2023)

I'm not seeing what other watchers and critics are here. The opening 20 minutes are fascinating, but then the film just ambles from one set piece assassination to another. I'd hoped this was a film aligned to Melville's Le Samourai but it feels more like a polished Netflix James Bond. Is there any need for CGI clouds and planes? I have to think that this film wouldn't be rated anywhere near this highly if it wasn't a David Fincher film.

The Killer 2023
Directed by David Fincher


Just imagine having done so much killing, following a strict regime, scrutiny, putting your mind through a philosophy behind & into it, just so you miss your shot, once, and have to experience the at most pain, brought to you by a lawyer's office, of two people, all this paid by an old hippie old man working in NYC finance, with no hard feelings about it. Why, and for whom, do you work for?

I Married a Witch (1942)

The Little Mermaid (2023)
6.5/10.
There were a few changes in the plot from the original cartoon which strengthened it. Some of the acting was not good, although I thought Melissa McCarthy did a good job as Ursula (she even sounded like Pat Carroll who voiced Ursula in the original). Overall, I wonder if the live-action remake was really worth it, especially when half your characters are animated anyways and 3/4 of the movie is CGI.

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Boldly going.

When Harry Met Sally… (1989)



Decided to finally watch it after @Corax claimed it was one of his 10 favorite movies.

A middling, normie American romcom, though better than I expected. I was afraid it's gonna be a nightmare to finish, but I finished it with no problems. It's just that it made no impression on me in any way. And I thought that the footage of some old couples had a deeper meaning than the ending of the film seems to suggest. I was like: "Is that really it?", what a lazy gimmick!

Not a terrible movie, or anything. It's just that I'd take any Hong Kong romcom over it any day.

But yeah, I think that for me, to love a film from this genre, the film has to be either or both of the following:

1. Made before 1970.
2. Made outside of the Western world.

There are some exceptions to this, but that's what they are: exceptions.

PS: It's shocking to see Prince Leia dump Han Solo for an Italian guy with a mustache.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

4th Rewatch...This apocalyptic drama from 1973 still holds up pretty well thanks to an edgy and disturbing story and the performances of Charlton Heston as a cop who doesn't always play by the book and the final feature film appearance of the legendary Edward G Robinson, which should have earned him an Oscar nomination. The climax doesn't hold a lot of surprises, but the path the story takes to it is quite effective.

1st Rewatch...One of Albert Brooks' most underrated films. He and Julie Hagerty play upwardly mobiles who decide to liquidate their assets and travel the country in a Winnebago. Unfortunately, during a stop in Vegas to renew their vows, Hagerty gambles away all of the couple's money. Brooks' screenplay displays flashes of brilliance, though it does sort of cop out about 2/3 of the way through. His chemistry with Hagerty is solid though. My favorite scene is when Brooks tries to talk the casino manager (brilliantly played by Garry Marshall) into giving them back their money...this scene puts me on the floor every time I watch it.

6th Rewatch...I've always found endless rewatch appeal in this movie, but I found myself distracted this time, thinking about everything that has come out during the last few years about how difficult Chase is to work with and how so many celebrities can't stand the guy. On the other hand, Beverly D'Angelo is the only constant in the franchise besides Chase (and she looks unbelievably beautiful in this one), so apparently she doesn't have too many issues with the guy. All that aside, there is no denying Chase's skill with physical comedy, but if you watch closely, his best acting in the movie comes during every scene he shares with Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie. Every moment Chase and Quaid spend onscreen together is comic gold and this has officially become my favorite film in the franchise.

Umpteenth Rewatch...40 years after its release, this film is still rich with laugh out loud vignettes in this lovingly mounted story of a little boy who wants nothing but a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. How can you not laugh at Flick getting his tongue stuck on the telephone, or Randy showing Mom the proper way to eat mashed potatoes or dad battling the water heater or trying to sneak a piece of turkey before dinner. Not to mention the battle of the lamp. And how about the staff at the Chinese restaurant trying to sing "Deck the Halls"? There's a reason that TBS shows this movie on a 24-hour loop starting on Christmas Eve and ending on Christmas Day.

You're a tough audience, but I'm glad you gave it a shot. I guess I'll ask for your top 5 Hong Kong romcoms.

1st Rewatch...a fantastic movie that nobody saw. This lavish biopic about composer Cole Porter is so imaginatively mounted and so bold in its attempt to present the real Cole Porter that we actually see Cole and Linda attend a screening of the 1945 Cole Porter biopic Night and Day. Porter's career and marriage to Linda is presented in fantasy form, a stage musical. Kevin Kline is Oscar-worthy as Cole Porter and he creates a lovely chemistry with Ashley Judd as Porter's Linda. This film makes no bones about the bisexuality of the subject but doesn't paint him as the villain in the relationship. According to this film, Linda knew what she was getting into when she married Cole, not to mention the real life Linda was a lot older than Porter. The musical numbers are imaginatively staged and I loved the way contemporary singers like Elvis Costello, Alanis Morrisette, and Sheryl Crow were utilized in some numbers. Fantastic movie that never got the acclaim it deserved.

I wouldn't say I'm a tough audience at all. I love every second movie I watch.

Here's 6 along with trailers. All directed by Johnnie To:

The Eighth Happiness (1988)

The Fun, the Luck & the Tycoon (1990)

Needing You... (2000)

Love on a Diet (2001)

我左眼見到鬼 [My Left Eye Sees Ghosts] (2002)

單身男女2 [Don’t Go Breaking My Heart 2] (2014)

By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51260410

The Daughter - (2015)

I didn't have much time to watch films yesterday and I wasn't sure about this selection I'd made. Writer/director Simon Stone helmed The Dig in 2021 - a film I see mentioned quite often here, and one that I think draws both positive and negative responses. Well, The Daughter (an Australian film which gets a lift from the star power of Geoffrey Rush and Sam Neill) wasn't impressing me at first - it felt a little soap opera-like with it's mundane melodrama, dragging a little bit. Later though - it's final act and conclusion was stupendously emotional, had a lot of gravity and really resonated very heavily with me on a personal level. I couldn't help be impressed once I'd seen the brave sucker punch ending to this. It's just about families and secrets that bubble to the surface once Christian Nielsen (Paul Schneider) comes home from the United States for his father Henry's (Rush) wedding. Henry is marrying much younger 31-year-old Anna (Anna Torv) - connected to this trio are another family, the Finches consisting of father (and Christian's best friend from university) Oliver (Ewen Leslie) his wife Charlotte (Miranda Otto), their daughter Hedvig (Odessa Young) and Oliver's father Walter (Neill). When Christian (a recovering alcoholic) falls off the wagon, he reveals a terrible secret that will rip everyone's lives apart. Based on Henrik Ibsen's 1884 play The Wild Duck, this pulls all of the threads together in it's finale, and does so in a masterly way. It deserves a bit of credit for that. It's also 95 minutes long - so if you're strapped for time (like I was) it's a good go-to. Left me satisfied - but made me work for it.

7/10

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SF = Zzzz



[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it

I think I saw this last year, really intense little noir that gets overlooked imho.

Oppenheimer (2023)

A great telling of the quantum mechanic legend that is J. Robert Oppenheimer. His struggles to create a defining moment in history and one that really starts the arms race with consequences professionally and privately. The acting is excellent, especially Cillian Murphy as the titular character who must be a stick-on for an academy award. At 3 hours I decided to watch in 2 sittings but it didn't drag at all, in fact, I thought the end of the pic was rather brief in comparison to the lushness of the rest of the production. Nolan has done a great job here. There may be inacuracies and I'm a child of the 70s that recalls the mini-series on BBC and this does not disappoint in comparison.

Five Nights At Freddy ‘s (2023)

When you realize there is such a massive market for this movie and you are so far removed from it. That opening weekend instantly guaranteed a sequel and good for Josh Hutcherson to be attached to this property.

The Marvels (2023)


Judging from the trailer, I did not have high expectations. It was nevertheless yet another disappointing movie from the Marvel franchise and a far cry from better Marvel movies such as the Ironman trilogy and Infinity War.


Identity politics aside, the movie just fall plat. Same rehearsed jokes, no coherent plot and a very boring antagonist. The acting in this movie is mediocre. As the lead in this movie, Brie Larson absolutely fails to impress and does not seem to have the acting abilities to pull it off. The blank stare gets boring quickly.


If you're somewhat of a fan of the "Universe", the postcredit scene does provide some solace.**


3/10

Night on Earth (1991)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

80/100