Last Movie You Saw, Name & Review Movie • Page 123

The Wolfman (Joe Johnston, 2010)
5/10

Look, I have a bit of a soft spot -- I think the performances are mostly good and I appreciate the callbacks to Golden Age Universal -- but I can't say this is a good movie with a clear conscience. It's okay with some surprisingly violent kills, but it stuffs an unnecessary (and pretty nonsensical) twist into a runtime almost twice the length of the original. The film can't decide whether it wants to be nostalgic or scary and winds up feeling mostly silly due to already dated CGI effects. A well-intentioned swing and a miss.

 

Power of The Dog (2021)
I love westerns but hate looking at Benedict Cumberbatch's face, its creepy and I don't like it. Happy to finally see on screen characters repulsed by his presents and him suffering a fate as gruesome as his face

 

Damn dude. Going a little hard on the Batch there

 

Tildas going to get it if Memoria ever sees light of day in Australia

 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (David Blue Garcia, 2022)
7/10
So the bar for Texas Chainsaw sequels is pretty low. I don't think any of them really match the sheer brutalism of the original, so I think the best sequels either go a totally different direction (like TCM 2) or try something so insane, it succeeds at its own game (The Next Generation). And shockingly, I think this one kinda does both. I went in with really low expectations, but without thinking too hard (because it is very dumb), it's probably the most enjoyable, non-original sequel in one of my least favorite horror franchises. The "social commentary" is extremely hit or miss, but the gentrification angle actually really benefits the setting. It's shot well, the kills are great, and most importantly, it doesn't take itself too seriously. 75 minutes of mean-spirited fun and southern hospitality.

Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021)
6/10
I liked this okay, but I was definitely whelmed considering how good the trailer was, and as much as I hate to be that guy, the people defending the ~ weirder ~ parts of this film (which are intentionally so and okay to have an opinion about) are being pretty insufferable about it. Great performances all around aside from the casting of Penn, and both leads are endearing enough to pull you into their engrossing back and forth, but I didn't love the loss of connective tissue between scenes, which felt sloppy at times, and honestly felt that the episodic subplots mostly pulled away from my interest in Gary and Alana's story - a story that, again, I'm not quite sure how to feel about. It is somehow both extremely human at times and somewhat alien at others. Licorice Pizza is funny and more enjoyable than not, but the number of pieces it's missing makes it difficult for me to overlook certain elements of the story.

Funhouse (Jason William Lee, 2019)
3/10
Really feeling for the AI they forced to watched every episode of Black Mirror in addition to all nine Saw movies before making it write this strange hunk of shit.

Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight (Ernest R.Dickerson, 1995)
7.5/10
The kind of fun, genre-defying (action horror comedy?), practical effects filled fever dream that rarely gets made anymore. These movies are special, warts and all.

Tales From the Crypt: Bordello of Blood (Gilbert Adler, 1996)
8/10
Went in with tempered expectations and honestly enjoyed this even more than Demon Knight. It pulls over the comedy and the practical effects from its predecessor and expands on the setting. Pure fun, and yes, I regret to inform you that Dennis Miller is funny and a solid lead for this kind of flick. Shocked that this came out the same year as From Dusk Till Dawn considering the similarities. Is it a hot take to call these TFTC movies the original Grindhouse double-feature?

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (Kurt Kuenne, 2008)
10/10
One of the best to do it. An absolutely gutting true crime doc, but also a love letter to the friends, children, parents, and grandparents we leave behind. Equal parts infuriating and incredibly effective.

 

Some people have been saying I need to go out more and talk to people my own age. Here are some movies I watched with mum and her thoughts on them

Moneyball - she didnt know who Jonah Hill was and hates data but likes a big fat underdog. She didn't like when the coach wasnt sticking to the plan because she'd do anything Bratt Pitt says. She liked the ending but couldn't believe the data was actually useful.

A Time to Kill - Very excited for this one, big fan of justice and had read the book. Didn't watch the rape scene but loved the movie, when asked about her favourite part she said her favourite part was how it was just like the book.

 

Deep Water - 5/10

 

All Hands on Deck (2020) - 6/10

Alice Adams (1935) - 7/10

Benedetta (2021) - 7/10

 

Watchmen (2009) - 7.5/10

Eyes Without a Face (1960) - 9/10

House on Haunted Hill (1999) - 7.5/10

The Godfather (1972) - 9/10

 

Everyone watch Everything Everywhere All At Once it is one of my most favorite moviegoing experiences I've ever had

 

yes it is

 

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (Junta Yamaguchi) - What a delightful movie. The way they use time time travel in this is so low stakes, but that really adds to the charm and cleverness of it. It gets a little too silly at a certain point, but overall I highly recommend this to anyone. It's just a hair over an hour and only a few bucks to rent.

 

Everything Everywhere All at Once - 9/10

 

The Sky Is Everywhere - Fun and interesting visually, but it fails to reconcile the teen melodrama with the theme grief. As a result the whole thing really drags for a sub 2hr movie.

The Tender Bar - I suppose it's worth the watch for some of the performances. In particular, it was nice to see Ben Affleck not playing a depressed brooding man for the first time in a while. But the narrative is extremely unfocused and it comes off as a bit of a mess as a result. It was very weirdly edited too. I'm not sure why it intercuts between the adult and young version of JR in the first half, it didn't seem to add any value.

 

Memoria - 7/10

beautifully shot with impressive performances all around, but perhaps a bit too ambiguous for its own good.

 

Pleasure - 7.5/10

 

Romeo and Juliet (1936) - 5/10

 

Ambulance - 5.5/10

 

It is very early in the year, but The Tsugua Diaries is a strong contender for the best film of 2022. Admittedly I was sold within two minutes with yet another incredible musical choice by Miguel Gomes. I wish his name was up there with the other masters, but this Memento-style reverse chronology is not going to really expand his audience.

 

Been on a big blockbuster kick lately. I think I will enjoy EEAAO even more on rewatch.

Avatar - 8/10
Everything Everywhere All At Once - 7.5/10
The Empire Strikes Back - 8/10
Jurassic World - 6.5/10
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - 7/10
The Wolf of Snow Hollow - 8/10

 

The Black Phone - 8/10

 

A couple this week…

Funny Girl (1968) - 9/10, excellent acting singing by Streisand

Thor: Love and Thunder - 8/10, very divisive movie, but the jokes landed with me and k loved Jane Foster as Thor.

Last Night in Soho - 8/10, the ending was more horror than I expected, but I still enjoyed the movie. Very well made.

 

The divisiveness around Thor is surprising to me. I didn't think it was great by any stretch, but it felt pretty on par with the average MCU movie. Admittedly, I'm not the biggest MCU fan to begin with.

 

A few DVD rewatches. Did a Margot Harley double-feature with Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad a couple days ago, then did Everything Everywhere All at Once Yesterday. The behind the scenes for all of these, especially the latter, is absolutely delightful.

I haven't seen TLAT yet but I loved Ragnarok and enjoyed basically everything I've seen that Taika's been involved in, and obviously I like superhero shit. I haven't been following the discourse, how is it divisive?

 

At least to me, it seems like people don’t like how comedy-heavy it is. I know comedy and jokes are in all MCU movies, but this one even more. People who want serious superhero films won’t like it.