Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Raindog]

The Spy Who Loved Me: 1977. Roger Moore. When I was young, this was on HBO all the time. It's the Bonf flick with the Lotus that turns into the submarine. The plot is a re-hash of You Only Live Twice if you swap out space capsules for submarines. It is a fun movie. Moore is very watchable. The Bond gal, XXX, is very attractive and can act. Plus, it is the first movie with the Bond villain, Jaws. 7.5/10

Golden Eye: 1995. Pierce Bronson. The first of the Bronson Bond films. He rescued the series from the terrible Timothy Dalton run.  The movie has a great cast: Judy Dench (her first as M), Michael Kitchen, Famke Janssen (watching her as Xenia Onatopp, a woman who can kill with her thighs is worth watching the movie for on its own), Alan Cummings, and Sean Bean, but the film is flawed. Despite great action sequences and a killer car chase with a tank, the whole film is based on a racist plot line. Bean is cossack. It is in their people's blood to betray others....... Really?  7.5/10

 

[Romans832]

My understanding is that a lot of the first Bonds were all named in jest to things actors said or did during filming of current film or previous film.

"Never Say Never Again" was in jest at Sean Connery for saying he'd never do another Bond movie and proceeded to do the next one...

[Raindog]

1 hour ago, Romans832 said:

 

"Never Say Never Again" was in jest at Sean Connery for saying he'd never do another Bond movie and proceeded to do the next one...

This is true!

[Guest]

Saw Captain Marvel

So 9yrs after the 2010 census which determined that women are in majority, they finally pulled off a super hero film with a strong female lead character.

It was good. Worth seeing.

Acting is rather "meh", the plot is very simplistic, and the protagonist uses too much cgi. These prevent it from being a truly good film.

Still it has its moments and they pulled off a strong female lead, and that is an accomplishment because Hollywood has really been struggling to make those in hero films.

EDIT: Looked up that census info again. Women were in majority in 2000, too. So I was wrong in that respect. I didn't go further back. But makes above success more significant.

[Munkie]

On 3/9/2019 at 1:19 PM, Raindog said:

Despite great action sequences and a killer car chase with a tank, the whole film is based on a racist plot line. Bean is cossack. It is in their people's blood to betray others....... Really?  7.5/10

It's been a while since I've seen it, but I don't recall that at all. Was it an actual plot point that as a cossack he's genetically predisposed to treachery? Or was that just something somebody said to hurt his feelings because he betrayed his country? 

I just have a hard time believing that the stated reason for why he was a double agent is because he's a cossack and that's just what they do. Never mind the racist connotations, that's just horrible script writing in the first place. I can't imagine Goldeneye ever considered one of the best Bond films if the plot is "the bad guy is bad because he can't help himself." That's just not interesting or compelling in any way.

[Raindog]

3 hours ago, Munkie said:

 Was it an actual plot point that as a cossack he's genetically predisposed to treachery?

 

 

Bingo!

There are a few, very cringe-worthy lines. If you substituted a protected class for Cossack, the movie would never be shown today.

[Munkie]

3 hours ago, Raindog said:

Bingo!

There are a few, very cringe-worthy lines. If you substituted a protected class for Cossack, the movie would never be shown today.

Weird. I'm gonna have to check that out again.

[Yarbicus]

Captain Marvel 7.5/10
Solid and enjoyable. Reminded more of the first Iron Man than of any other more recent movies. Smart to go a little lighter since Infinity War was so damn heavy. Brie Larsen kills it, for sure.

[WestRider]

Dead Story: So much wasted potential. So many plot threads left dangling. And that's not even taking into account that a couple of those dangling plot threads. Or the fact that the mother in law is way, way scarier than the ghost. My main takeaway is that the actress playing the protagonist reminds me of Deborah Ann Woll, while the dude playing her husband feels looks and feels like a cheap knockoff of Nicolas Cage, which I would not previously have thought possible.

Evil Dead (2013): Maybe this got hyped up too much for me before I got around to seeing it, but I was honestly a bit underwhelmed. Not a whole lot, I still liked it quite a bit, but it was described as being absolutely amazing, and it wasn't quite there for me. Mostly due to the middle-late section, which focused too much on Daniel and Eric. Daniel is too feckless, can't carry a scene like Ash can. Eric is just annoying(in addition to being the one who goes way beyond usual horror movie idiocy and directly causes everything that happens), and it took far too long for him to get killed.

[Romans832]

Captain Marvel - 8.5/10 - Great movie, loved all the Themes, how wicked cool.

 

[WestRider]

Riddick: Mostly good. It drags a bit in places, particularly at the start, and they kill off his dog, but other than that, it's good stuff.

They Remain: Wonderfully atmospheric slow burn horror. The plot doesn't really hold together, but the atmosphere and the performances are great. Sort of reminded me of The Alchemist Cookbook in that regard.

[Guest]

Godzilla 3: The Planet Killer (anime film on netflix)

4/5

So I really liked this one. They wrapped up their trilogy quite nicely with this one. A solid ending for a japanese film. Would be rated higher, but it doesn't have re-watchability, which is a big thing for me. 

I will note that it's very metaphysical in it's plot and if you don't like that sort of thing mixed in, you'll probably hate this one. Of the 3 films in the series, this one has almost no action scenes, which makes it a bit odd. I liked their inclusion of metaphysics and the lack of action was nice, but I respect that many don't so just giving a warning. 

[WestRider]

Gremlins 2: Four words - Robert Picardo with hair.

Big Bad: Surprisingly fun, and much better than I was expecting. There's a good level of self-awareness and genre-savviness. It's not played straight, but it's not constantly nudging and winking at us, either. Kinda cheesy, but not too bad. Reminded me a bit of early Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in terms of the overall vibe.

[WestRider]

Captain Marvel: Excellent. It's not perfect, but most of my criticisms boil down to A) I'm kind of bored with Origin Stories, and B) They screwed up their timeline on at least one of the pop culture references. I really want to see Danvers and Thor go up against an absolute horde in Endgame, basically something like the opening scene from Ragnarok, but doubled.

[Duckman]

On 3/29/2019 at 3:38 AM, WestRider said:

Captain Marvel: Excellent. It's not perfect, but most of my criticisms boil down to A) I'm kind of bored with Origin Stories, and B) They screwed up their timeline on at least one of the pop culture references. I really want to see Danvers and Thor go up against an absolute horde in Endgame, basically something like the opening scene from Ragnarok, but doubled.

I'm just curious.  Which pop culture reference did you find anachronistic?  I was not playing careful attention so I am curious.

[WestRider]

3 hours ago, Duckman said:

I'm just curious.  Which pop culture reference did you find anachronistic?  I was not playing careful attention so I am curious.

Come as You Are. It wouldn't have been anachronistic if it had been somewhere on Earth, but it was played when she was with the Supreme Intelligence, and they'd said that environment was shaped by her deepest mind. She'd only been on Earth for a couple of days since 1989, not long enough for Nirvana to become something rooted so deeply in her mind.

[Munkie]

Finally got around to watching Suicide Squad.

Not great, but I didn't understand the hate it got at all. I was expecting to be subjected to Jared Leto's over-acting all movie long based on what I'd heard. He was barely in the movie and the character design was way more over-the-top than his acting.

Maybe it's just the incredibly low expectations I had based on what I'd heard, but when it was over I just shrugged and thought it was merely fine.

The quintessential 5/10.

[InfestedKerrigan]

1 hour ago, Munkie said:

Finally got around to watching Suicide Squad.

Not great, but I didn't understand the hate it got at all. I was expecting to be subjected to Jared Leto's over-acting all movie long based on what I'd heard. He was barely in the movie and the character design was way more over-the-top than his acting.

Maybe it's just the incredibly low expectations I had based on what I'd heard, but when it was over I just shrugged and thought it was merely fine.

The quintessential 5/10.

Will Smith is who lead the anti-Leto march. I thought he was fantasic with what he had to work with.

[Munkie]

1 hour ago, InfestedKerrigan said:

Will Smith is who lead the anti-Leto march. I thought he was fantasic with what he had to work with.

I see....did he create all the memes and whatnot himself, or did he commission people to?

[rudra34]

Captain Marvel (8/10)  I enjoyed it more than a lot of Marvel movies, though there were places that could have been improved.  Still, I'd definitely watch it again and we will probably end up adding it to our collection.

Aquaman (6.5/10)  I wanted to like this a lot more, but the pacing in DC universe movies is still just awful.  No matter what the subject matter is, every scene is rushed and earnest.  They try to cram so much seriousness into every single moment and it totally takes away from any breaks or comedic relief that they've attempted to sneak in.   I'd rate it lower but giant sea creatures and crab people bump it up because reasons.  

[Yarbicus]

4 hours ago, Munkie said:

Finally got around to watching Suicide Squad.

Not great, but I didn't understand the hate it got at all. I was expecting to be subjected to Jared Leto's over-acting all movie long based on what I'd heard. He was barely in the movie and the character design was way more over-the-top than his acting.

Maybe it's just the incredibly low expectations I had based on what I'd heard, but when it was over I just shrugged and thought it was merely fine.

The quintessential 5/10.

I just watched Aquaman and feel much the same.  It's not that the movies are necessarily bad, they are just stupid.  The characters make stupid speeches and stupid decisions.

I'm still trying to figure out Marvel managed to make the Captain American, the most boring boy scout relic of the 40's , into the compelling hero he has become but DC can't do anything even remotely like that for Superman, potentially the greatest super hero of all time.  The actually make progress with Aquaman but he goes overboard on the bro-tasm.

[Munkie]

3 hours ago, Yarbicus said:

I just watched Aquaman and feel much the same.  It's not that the movies are necessarily bad, they are just stupid.  The characters make stupid speeches and stupid decisions.

I'm still trying to figure out Marvel managed to make the Captain American, the most boring boy scout relic of the 40's , into the compelling hero he has become but DC can't do anything even remotely like that for Superman, potentially the greatest super hero of all time.  The actually make progress with Aquaman but he goes overboard on the bro-tasm.

I think DC movies just lack heart. They'd fit in perfectly fine with the kind of comic movies we were getting 15-20 years ago. They are what they are and accomplish what they're going for but just don't have that secret sauce that some of the better marvel movies have that make them special.

I've got to completely disagree with you on the Cap vs Superman front. Captain America, himself, isn't a particularly interesting hero but he's a narrative gold mine. Being out of time and out of place he offers the chance for an introspective look on the state of America now vs the idealism of a bygone age. This, specifically, is what made Winter Soldier so good. Caught up in the post 9/11 world of paranoia and desperation to protect everyone from ever-present super criminal and terrorist threats, Shield was willing to go to ever more extreme lengths of espionage, invasions of privacy, and hovering death machines to neutralize threats before they materialize...and the dangerous precedent that sets.

On top of that, he offers the "zero to hero" narrative that is so deeply ingrained in American culture. We're absolute suckers for that arc.

Superman on the other hand is a walking, talking, leaping over a building with a single bound (actually, [big bad swear word] it, let's just make him fly) cheat code.

He was born with godlike powers and writing stories where he's believably challenged is difficult to do. You have exactly 3 avenues:

1) Use kryptonite. An incredibly rare (yet as readily available as the story requires) mineral. An Achilles' heal that's been used many, many times for over 80 years isn't intersting.

2) Have him fight an equally powerful godlike being. As if one god wasn't unrelatable enough. The scale of destruction and the epic fights can be cool artistically but it's kind of an empty story.

3) Have someone get leverage on him and undermine his power. This is the trickiest to write in a convincing way, but also the most engaging. The miniaturized city of Kandor is probably the best example.

Superman is difficult to write because you have to find a way to humanize him. Cap is easy to write because he's a juxtaposition in a can. He can express the societal angst many of us feel and it's immediately relatable. Even if his idealism is naive, he occupies a head space many pine for.

Holy wall of text, Batman!

[Yarbicus]

I agree with most of what you said except for the "easy to write" part of Capt America. Getting all of what you said into a story with enough action to keep a modern audience interested is very hard. Just look at the DC movies. But the Cap movies are consistently the best of the best not just in the MCU but in movies in general.

I am actually really excited to see how Clint Barton fairs in Endgame. I loved what they did with him in Ultron and want more.

[Munkie]

16 hours ago, Yarbicus said:

I agree with most of what you said except for the "easy to write" part of Capt America. Getting all of what you said into a story with enough action to keep a modern audience interested is very hard. Just look at the DC movies. But the Cap movies are consistently the best of the best not just in the MCU but in movies in general.

I am actually really excited to see how Clint Barton fairs in Endgame. I loved what they did with him in Ultron and want more.

Easy to write was the wrong way to say it. I just mean there's a lot to work with there. Superman doesn't have nearly the same level of built in narrative devices. Using him for Cold War allegories is about the only ready-made narrative he's got, and that's a little dated at this point.

[Munkie]

Us. 

Really, really well done.

I'm not a horror movie guy, not in general. This one, as with Get Out, manages to find the right balance of enough tension but without being an exhausting slog, and violence without being an indulgent gorefest that makes it accessible to people who don't want to watch horror for the sake of watching horror. 

Duality. Watch it with duality in mind. Damn near everything in it, dialogue, images, or themes serve a dual purpose. Even the title itself. This is what makes it better than Get Out, IMO. The social commentary of Get Out is fairly obvious. While it's clear that there's a social commentary in Us, what that message is requires a little bit more investment from the viewer.

I need to watch it again, and hopefully soon. It's lousy with easter eggs and hints and I can't help but feel there's so much more to pick out in a second viewing.