What movies have you seen lately? Now with reviews!Movies 

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Over the weekend I watched 30 days of night (on Max). It's a fun film in a great location and scenario: What would happen if a remote town in Alaska got besieged by vampires during a month without sunlight? However, the vampires' motivations and behavior (like in so many movies) are shallow at best or contradict each other: If they have 30 sun free days of reign, why eat most of the town on day 1? They seem too feral to have a viable plan for later

Anyways, best not to overthink these things too much: 7/10 for me.

On Sunday I opted to give Marvel's Thunderbolts a chance and I was pleasantly surprised and even got involved with the characters and the plot, which in many ways mirrors the first Avengers movie. I didn't watch any previous movie/series that are referenced but it really was unnecessary (Although I may have to watch Captain America: Brave New World when it hits Disney+).

The standouts here are Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova) who tackles her role with gusto and goes into the dark memories/feelings I wish her sister Natasha Romanoff explored in her own movie, Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes) who goes into full Winter Soldier mode in one of the many good action sequences (which felt more practical than virtual) and Bob (no spoilers). 8.5/10 for me and I'm looking forward to Fantastic 4: First Steps.
 
iu

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

There's nothing negative for me to say about this. Absolutely nothing. I won't lie, I grew watching Godzilla movies not for the characters or other monsters (unless your name was Mechagodzilla or Ghidorah lol), I watched it the man himself, Goji. But this takes the characters and makes them not only likeable and relatable but it makes you care about them. There are movies in the franchise far and few in-between where you care about the characters, but none like this.

It's a callback to the original movie from 1954 albeit taking place in the mid to late 40's. Standouts are, of course, Koichi (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) and Noriko (Minami Hamabe). Koichi is a kamikaze pilot that feigned an issue with his plane because he couldn't bring himself to do it; a choice that winds up haunting him for the entire movie (among other things). Noriko is a woman who adopted a child at the mother's dying request (why did I immediately think of Aerith from FF7 with this? :lol: ) and happens upon Koichi, whom, as if by fate, takes the child and protects her for a bit. Okay, fine, Noriko was running from some people and Koichi stopped her; she gave him the baby and ran off.

She's surprised he didn't leave the baby and the two sort of just...stick together from that point on.

What was Goji like? Terrifying. Unapologetically destructive, absolutely maniacal, and his roar is epic. Also, his atomic breath is...I've never seen his breath do anything close to that before (this won't last long, see the next review) and it was great. In the worst possible way. Godzilla spends very little time in the movie, much like the original, but when he's onscreen you're paying attention. Did I mention he can regenerate? Yeah, that's pretty damn important here. :lol:

10/10. No notes. Can't wait for the sequel.

iu

Shin Godzilla (2016)

Remember what I said about Minus One Goji having the most destructive atomic breath I had ever seen? Yeah, no, that singlehandedly belongs to Shin. It's not even a question. It's a bit of a process but it goes from black smoke covering an area > flames igniting said smoke across said area > the fire concentrating itself in a PURPLE LASER BEAM that absolutely cuts through buildings like a superheated blade through butter.

This is a bit of a slow burn because Godzilla is so incredibly interesting in this that you just want the focus to be on him all the time, and when it switches back to the humans that will drive the plot forward you're kind of like "No, go back!". So in that sense this is much, much closer to the more traditional Goji movie. :lol:

It's a Godzilla that quite literally has limitless potential and can evolve to adapt to its surroundings as necessary. Oh, did I forgot to mention it can focus the purple laser beam of awesome death through its dorsal fins and tail!? Yeah, Shin is the freakiest of the designs (at one point it basically has googly eyes and it's funny but at the same time you hear it roar and you're like..."Okay, maybe it's not funny") but it's probably the coolest as a result.

8/10. Not enough Godzilla. Weird how that's a criticism here but not for Minus One, huh? Watch this and you'll understand. I absolutely recommend this but you have be aware ahead of time that this is a slow burn. If you're familiar with the franchise this won't bother you one bit. If you're new, just be patient because it will pay off.
 
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Watches this on Disney+ last night.
If anyone has watched Eddie Murphy in Norbit, the disgusted face his adoptive father makes is how I felt watching this.

I liked how it was filmed, but the story wasn't as good as Falcon & The Winter soldier series. Even written like Civil War would have been better. The Leader wasn't really showing how bad he is. The make up didn't feel like he was a bad guy. Just a messed up looking dude.

I feel the Sidewinder character didn't even need to be in the movie. Just seemed to be speeding through the characters with not recalling how they were in the past MCU movies.

No rating. I hate to say it, but I'd almost put The Marvels above Brave New World. It's not bad, it needed to be rewritten with more meaning.

Edit: See? I forgot the end credits.
The end credits was a non issue. Don't even need to pay attention it.

And also to answer the question is Captain America Brave New World required to watch before Thunderbolts*/New Avengers? No.
 
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Watched this last night and really liked it, probably the best modern Western movie I‘ve seen so far. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are fantastic and the showdown was really well done. Great movie!
 
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Released yesterday on D+

Actually really good and interesting take on the Alien / Predator Universe.

A look back at the different Human warriors which the Yutaja interacted with over different time periods.

A little far fetched but what’s a little fun and physics bending when it comes to a sci-fi action film.

It was nice to hear Michael Biehn’s voice back in the franchise since Aliens.

8/10 for me as I’m not a fan of the Art Style / Animation
 
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I can't get over the fact that Affleck's voice sounds like Milton from Office Space. Why that was changed from the first movie I don't know but it was not for the better.

4/10
 
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Somewhere between a B+ and an A-

The first two stories were good, almost great. Very strong. Really liked the main characters.

The third story was the weakest for me. It's weird how taking liberties with physics didn't bother me in the second story, but made me eyeroll in this one. Character was mildly annoying.

Final story was OK.

A pair of spoilers were a gut punch.

The art style was decent and animated well. I hope we get more. Good to see Michael Biehn joining Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton (RIP) in the Alien/Predator/Terminator club, even if it's just his voice. Louis Ozawa was Hanzo in Predators (2010)? Nice!
 
Ballerina was great fun.

The action scenes felt slightly more grounded than John Wick except for one part but I like how they really differenciate between John Wick and the main character. The plot is kind of weak but that's expected for these kind of movies.

8/10 would love to see a sequel where they tighten things up.
 
TB
I can't get over the fact that Affleck's voice sounds like Milton from Office Space. Why that was changed from the first movie I don't know but it was not for the better.

4/10
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I really enjoyed the original The Accountant, but the trailers for this sequal didn't make me want to watch this one. They made it look too much like a generic action movie, which was more the twist part of the original film. It also looks more like it focuses on Jon Bernthal's character, rather than Ben Affleck's who was the much more interesting one of the two.
 
TheCracker
I really enjoyed the original The Accountant, but the trailers for this sequal didn't make me want to watch this one. They made it look too much like a generic action movie, which was more the twist part of the original film. It also looks more like it focuses on Jon Bernthal's character, rather than Ben Affleck's who was the much more interesting one of the two.
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Like usual, I didn't watch the trailer or read reviews (never do for any movie, really). Bernthal is a lot more of a main character but it does still center around Affleck.

Regardless, as much as I liked the first one, I don't think I'd recommend this one. My wife actually watched 2 before I did but I never asked her what she thought of it.
 


It was weird. But still good. Not what I expected after the first two movies. I enjoyed myself anyways. And looking forward to the next installment coming in January 2026 already.

The start of the second part seemed kind of random at first but it made for a good story anyways.

The kid actor is really good.
Jody Comer and Ralph Fiennes don't disappoint either.

Not as many jump scares as I had feared. Very few actually. Kind of gory sometimes but I guess that's to be expected. Some great landscape visuals. And even a bit of humour in between.

And the word lad. A lot of the word lad. Good lad. I was wondering if the American and international audience even knows what it means.
 
Yesterday I rewatched Jaws for it's 50 anniversary. It's funny how the movie that terrorized me as a 5-year old (on an ill-advised trip to the local drive-in with my parents and kid brother) over time became my absolute favorite. I won't scuba dive though!
 
Nacho Libre
Yesterday I rewatched Jaws for it's 50 anniversary. It's funny how the movie that terrorized me as a 5-year old (on an ill-advised trip to the local drive-in with my parents and kid brother) over time became my absolute favorite. I won't scuba dive though!
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I was four years old when I saw it with my family and didn’t put my feet down during the movie. I had very short bath times. :lol:
 
Got back just over an hour ago from 28 Years.

Thoroughly enjoyed. Great thing is you really don’t need to know the first two films but it’s bonus if you do.

Split into two acts the first is a setup and basic character building intro. Despite the setting being in a small community it didn’t feel this way so was a little disappointing and could have been used to better add claustrophobia and tension, putting the viewer on edge before the second act.

The second act was the best for me. More of what I actually expected, and Voldemort shows his kind and caring side which was nice.

The end sets up the next film. However it’s a little odd and those who know when you see the film will know. :lol:

Some have drawn comparisons to the Cuarón film "Children of Men" and I’d have to agree.
 
Yesterday I watched How to Remake (ahem, Train) your Dragon and I had a great time time at the theater. It sticks to the original message of challenging established dogmas, reaching out, and accepting and embracing different opinions and abilities.
 
On Wednesday I rewatched Gattaca (streaming, on Max), a science film from 1997 that was prescient in many ways and still holds today. And for car aficionados, it has electric Studebaker Avantis buzzing around, which makes absolute sense. 9/10.

Bonus: In my search for horror movies that actually scare me nowadays, I stumbled upon My best friend's exorcism (Amazon Prime). It has its moments, but unfortunately it can't decide whether it want's to be a scary teen comedy or a horror movie with comedic undertones (like Evil Dead 2, one of its inspirations) so the changes in tone are both abrupt and insincere. It's too bad because the central characters are likable and their performances are good, all things considered. 6/10.
 
For the weekend I watched Heretic (on Amazon Prime) on Sunday: An older professor-type/self-styled theologian played by Hugh Grant terrorizes 2 female missionaries of the Latter Day Saints church. A mark of great acting is how Hugh Grant can be both charming and menacing/terrifying at the same time just by small changes in his intonation and mannerisms. 8/10.

I also watched Presence (Amazon Prime), directed by Steven Soderbergh (of Ocean's 11 and Contagion fame, among others). It's a supernatural drama with the novelty that it is viewed through the eyes of ghost (but not like The Lovely Bones) that follows a somewhat disfunctional family into a newly purchased home, which is also the sole location of the film. It has some interesting ideas, but the ghost that haunts the flat above me and I agree that the movie could have been tighter. Mmm, 7.5/10.

I started watching Poor Things (Disney+) and got to the second act. It's a somewhat difficult watch so far and I'll explain why after I finish the movie. Update: I finally finished the movie with a very satisfying ending, all things considered. The best description I can give is that it's a fantasy tale part Frankenstein, part Pinocchio.
 
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Yesterday I watched F1 and had a good time at the theater. It takes its inspiration from Top Gun Maverick/Days of Thunder so don't expect any realistic representation of the sport, and that's ok IMO, and the cameos are superfun to watch and the soundtrack is killer. 8.5/10
 
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Oh what a frustrating movie. Not as scary as the first two.

Be prepared for more nudity than the first two. Also, after a weakness in the survivors island is pretty much shown and explained, nothing comes of it later on, after one close call. For the writers to fill the movie with all of what happened and then to deliver the ending, it was like why bother?

Supposedly the next movie is coming out in January 2026. Hopefully it’ll be a better two hours.
 
A friend recommended that I watch The Bad Guys. It was very good, love the art style! And with the second one coming out soon, I know she's excited to see it.
 
I saw The Truman Show for the first time a little over a week ago, I really liked it! It's prime Jim Carrey and still feels ahead of its time, especially when you consider the "Twitch IRL" streamers we have today.
 
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On Sunday I watched Sinners (Max), which I've missed on theaters. I loved the period, atmosphere, and the music, but I felt the vampire threat was rather conventional (and the climax is similar to From Dawn till Dawn). IMO they had material for a complete miniseries where they could've developed the time period, backstories, and lore. Still, a quality movie... 8.5/10.
 
I tried to rewatch Van Helsing, but I just stopped at half. I didn't remember it was this bad, but then again, I didn't remember much of it. Bad plot, bad 2000s CGI, bad chemistry, bad acting (Kate Beckinsdale can't act), the worst Dracula put on film, and basically humorless, even unintentionally. 4/10 just because the production design is good and the editing keeps its moving fast and coherently, at least.
 
Today I watched the new Jaws @ 50 documentary (National Geographic, on Disney+). It really is just complementary to the more complete "The Shark is Still Working" that was released for the 30th anniversary of the film (available in the Blu-ray and in YouTube), but it has one really surprising and candid statement from Steven Spielberg, and it's a nice homage to everyone involved, many of which have since passed away. 8.5/10.
 
Watched the JAWS documentary last night. Good stuff!

Came back from seeing this with the fam.
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If only Disney did what DreamWorks did.

Me and my wife felt it wasn’t worth the trip to the theatre. My daughter felt it was. Definitely good to watch. Only two things I didn’t like: I really didn’t like the casting for the twins and they changed/added/amended/extended a part with Astrid when the final battle was beginning. Didn’t need to be there, but didn’t break the scene either.
Scene for scene, shot for shot and line for line, had everyone in the theater enjoying it. A group of teenage girls next to us were whispering to one another slight changes with characters having been swapped positioning!

Just gotta say it’s a shame Disney messed up their remakes. I feel the theatres would be empty if Dreamworks followed Disney. Though I’m not sure I’d watch remakes of the second and third How to Train Your Dragon in live action. Those were just ramped up in scale and awesome to watch as they are.

DreamWorks did work their magic to keep the movie true to the original. Graphics are as expected. The wardrobe is real good. That team would have to get an award for their work. All the actors other than Ruffnut(Tuffnut could have been a bit more like the animated self) were cast well.

Last thing, me and my wife give it a 9/10. Mainly because of what I mentioned at the start. Plus, the music seemed too low and didn’t have the impact to hype the drama unfolding and seriousness of some scenes like the original.
 
I watched Audition for the first time about a week ago. Quite good, easily my favorite Takashi Miike film so far... though admittedly I haven't seen very many.

Planning to pick up the pace of my movie viewing, now that I've put together a... checks notes... 2400-ish movie "shortlist":

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(using glossy brochure paper for sharpie-ability.)

If anyone wants to see/judge the full list, here ya go:
Any mistakes you might find are obviously intentional, for the purposes of plagiarism detection.
 
Lain
I watched Audition for the first time about a week ago. Quite good, easily my favorite Takashi Miike film so far... though admittedly I haven't seen very many.

Planning to pick up the pace of my movie viewing, now that I've put together a... checks notes... 2400-ish movie "shortlist":

View attachment 1465016View attachment 1465017
(using glossy brochure paper for sharpie-ability.)

If anyone wants to see/judge the full list, here ya go:
Any mistakes you might find are obviously intentional, for the purposes of plagiarism detection.
Click to expand...

I only watched Audition once, but it has that scene that stays with you (kiri, kiri, kiri...) 13 Assassins is my favorite Takashi Miike film.

On Sunday I watched K-pop Demon Hunters (Sony Pictures Animation via Netflix) and it was a joy to watch and hear, even if I'm not into K-pop. 8.5/10 for me, I would have rated it higher, but I felt some character/story bits were underdeveloped (sequel maybe?)
 
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B

Corny and earnest. Nice. The characters and their interactions with one another felt... right, to the point where I didn't really care that the story and action bits were mostly just so-so. The typical Gunn trope of quips and music drops were toned down a bit. The last couple minutes before the credits rolled were pretty great.
 

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