Last Movie You Saw, Name & Review Movie • Page 173

My kids wanted to watch “Honey We Shrunk Ourselves” last night and that has got to be one of the laziest movies ever made.

 

Argylle - 3/10. An extremely dumb plot that was not early as clever as it thought it was, and clunkily excecuted to boot. Borderline nonsensical at times, and some really out there, silly action scenes. Also felt far too long. It started okay then just went off the rails and there was a post credits 'twist' that just made the whole thing fall apart even further. For the cast and budget, a major flop.

 

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil - 7.5/10
Feels a little dated at first, but I am so pleased to report this holds up in a very proto-Cabin in the Woods (despite the fact they were probably being filmed at the same time). Such a funny and unique premise, very solid execution aided by perfect casting of Labine and Tudyk. The woodchipper death is an all-timer.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife - 4.5/10
A mess. There are some things to like here -- the score is wonderful, and McKenna Grace is a star -- but this is a movie so indebted to its source material that it forgets to be an actual film. The exposition is actually kind of nice, but by the time we get to any conflict, it just repeats the plot of the first film (right down to having its own C-rate Slimer). But look, Reitman says, we have the font from the original movie! You guys like that, right? And the old car! It's dusty now! And we brought the original Ghostbusters back in uniform for 15 minutes of almost completely unearned screentime, including the dead one!

It's frustrating because if you really dig through the pieces, there is probably half of a good movie here somewhere. But to get there, you would have to drop some of the CG effects, fix the major scene that takes place inside of a WALMART (complete with external shot), come up with villains that have any amount of emotional weight or menace... etc.

I think the film is best summed up by the way the original Ghostbusters respond to Egon's ghosts. In the context of the movie, it's a look of disbelief, but from an audience perspective, you're watching three legacy actors react to their actual dead friend's likeness being brought back for a new Ghostbusters installment with a kid named Podcast. It's completely insane, but not in the way you'd hope. Ghostbusters Afterlife seems well-intentioned and may occasionally hold your interest, but it ultimately feels uncanny and soulless.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks - 6.5/10
So much better than it has any right being. I loved these movies as a kid and it makes sense now seeing the severed arm scene and like a dozen practical effect shriekers being blown apart by elephant guns. It's a bit of a rehash that borrows elements of Jurassic Park, and obviously, it's missing the charm and star power of Bacon, but the rest of the cast mostly shows up to work here. Bonkers in the best way and maybe some of my favorite creature design of all time.

 

I goddamn love Tucker and Dale. So silly, so good.

 

They thought about doing a sequel and still would do it, but apparently the script that was written for it sucked.

 

Splice - 7/10
Spent this viewing trying to figure out whether this film took itself way too seriously or was self-aware schlock, and in all likelihood, the answer falls somewhere in between. Some of the characterization and looks are dated (one scientist with very 2008 scene hair wears a v-neck under his lab coat), the dialogue is silly, and I'm not quite convinced it knows what its message is. But as a film, it evolves into something disturbing, shocking, and original, and that's definitely what matters most here. It looks pretty good, the lead performances are solid, and the practical creature design and performance behind Dren are genuinely unsettling. For better or worse, you won't forget this one.

Sympathy for the Devil - 6/10
Another Nic Cage-led RLJE film that makes the best of its low budget, and honestly, they do shockingly well with a lot of these. Maybe it's the fact that Cage can waffle between A24 films and these genuine B-movies, or crank up the mania he's known for at the snap of a finger, but for a relatively minor thriller with some really questionable accent work going on, this easily held my attention for 90 minutes. It's two characters, some bad green screen driving, a lot of tense back and forth, and a twist or two. Fun enough to justify its existence without overreaching.

Leviathan (1989) - 7/10
The Thing (and Alien) comparisons are inescapable, but that's not exactly a bad thing. If you're gonna rip someone off, you might as well rip off the best, and this movie knows exactly what it is: The Thing, underwater, starring Robocop, Ernie Hudson, and the burglar from Home Alone who isn't Joe Pesci. Some of the effects are genuinely gross, and some of them, not so much, but they show the creature just enough to sell it. I think I'm just a sucker for the techy-y 80s set design with nonstop beeping, square buttons, and outdated computer graphics. A fun home viewing.

 

Assumed the subject was the 2014 Leviathan at first, leading to immediate confusion

 

X 10/10

I don’t watch a lot of ‘slasher horror’ films but god damn was this good! I liked how it touched on ageism, mental illness, longing for love and comfort. A lot of great messages sewn through a porn shoot gone wrong on a texas farm in the late 1970s, kid cudi was in it! Awesome cast but mia goth doin dual roles defiantly stole the show! Highly recommended even if you aren’t into those kinds of movies, this one is done really well and there are a lot of homage to films within the genre.


Pearl (prequel to X) 10/10

after X I had to check out the origin story and I was blown away at this companion piece, its set during the end of world war I amidst the influenza pandemic (Spanish flu) this one shows more the family dynamic of the title character and how she longs for something more, it touches on illness and isolation and wanting more but limited with what you are givin in life. You can watch them each on their own but they go well together in my opinion. I saw they are working on a third film, a direct sequel to X and I will defiantly be checking out that whenever it comes out.


I streamed X on Netflix & Pearl on Paramount Plus if you want to watch them.

 

Saint Omer (2022) - The women are feeling it and I'm feeling this movie. Culture, generations, gender, there are always barriers inferring with our underlying urge to understand the human condition, to understand ourselves and connect with each other. Beyond the external barriers the limits of our own mind and memory leave us wondering.

Blackberry (2023) - Good for a product film not that good for a Matt Johnson film. Watching interviews it seemed clear this was the one for the studio so they'd let him finish his TV show. It starts strong, very funny and I enjoyed Denis yelling at the dorks. His best works twist and mold their form, eventually Blackberry fizzles out never really escaping the genre trappings.

 

where did you watch it at? i wanna see it still!

 

It’s on AMC+ according to the JustWatch app

 

King King (1933) - 9/10
An insane film experience, especially through the lens of someone watching in the 1930s. Incredibly violent with unbelievable effects work for the time. Some stilted acting, and they don't quite succeed at making Kong a sympathetic character, but it has to be seen to be believed.

 

There's more personality in the stop motion of that era than in far more realistic and expensive modern effects. Kong is alive, man.

And "that era" is a misnomer from me anyway. Ray Harryhausen wouldn't get his first job in film until freakin' 16 years later. That's how ahead of it's time that movie is.

 

Suitable Flesh - 6.5/10
Fun! Silly. I never say shit like this, but Heather Graham is hot as hell, not to mention really great. Points for keeping the tone of the Gordon Lovecraft adaptations. It's corny, but mostly in a good way. The ending is obvious and gets a key moment between the two doctors wrong, but that's me nitpicking. This was mostly a very horny good time, even if it isn't particularly scary.

 

Just saw Turning Red on the big screen, I'm so glad this was my first time experiencing this movie, these are finally getting the theatrical release they deserve (Just wish I could have caught Soul)

 

turning red is great! caught it years ago on disney plus!!

 

Leo - 7/10
Sure, I have a soft spot for Sandler, and it helps that my wife felt like watching something cute, but not only was this cute, it was genuinely funny! And pretty original! Even the songs didn't take themselves too seriously. Just a very wholesome family film with some big laughs, minus the baggage of a Disney cinematic universe or whatever. Check it out.

Twister - 6.5/10
It feels strangely less consequential nearly 30 years later, especially when stacked next to other blockbusters of the time, but it's still a nostalgic thrill-ride full of great performers. That Amblin charm goes a long way. It also feels like a very cool 100-minute truck commercial.

 

anatomy of a fall - 8/10. how the fuck did they pull off that dog scene?

 

I love that’s everyone’s first take away from the movie lol

 

That dog really should get an academy award

 

Anatomy of a Fall - 9/10

what a fucking movie. can’t wait to own a physical copy.

and yes, that dog gave the performance of a lifetime

 

I hate renting things but maybe I'll rent that tonight and finally watch it

 

I watched it on plex for free

 

ok

 

try it