Last Movie You Saw, Name & Review Movie • Page 154

Dwight Frye. Literally a specialist in that exact part. Dude's all over the Universal horror movies.

 

Is that the Wolfgang Petersen erotic thriller Shattered? I hope so. That movie is bonkers.

 

Yessir lol, watched for With Gourley and Rust's current Yuppie Nightmare season. It is totally a hat on a hat on a hat, but it's so insane that it's hard not to appreciate it.

 

The Killer - 8/10

God damn what a fun movie. Surprisingly funny—there were about a half dozen laugh out loud moments at my sold out screening last night. As two obsessively precise people, Fassbender and Fincher are such a great pairing. I look forward to insufferable college freshman quoting Fassbender's character as if he's someone to emulate ala Tyler Durden.

 

can’t wait to see that

 

Is it going to be available for rent outside of Netflix?

 

The Killer... Kills

 

Oh yeah I genuinely loved it. The story is so implausible but it's told with such style.

 

The Menu (2022) - Willy Wonka without the Oompa loompas, Saw without the traps.

Taking it on its own terms as a satirical dark comedy horror. As satire it attempts systemic criticism of the service industry by attacking the moral failures of individuals, individuals so cartoonishly created they become unrelatable strawmen, devolving into an even more toothless version the classic conservative approach to social commentary “The system is fine, you need Jesus.”
As a comedy I didn't find it funny, the we don't see the characters do anything so the dialogue feels forced and overly explanatory, rushing to announce who they are and what they've done to create setups while fisting through its ideology, in some cases circumventing the process and we get the punchline first and the explanation after, even less funny.
As horror it lacked creativity and messed up the pacing. The reveal starts off with a bang, gets off track and petters out. They are 2 instances of not telling/not showing. The chef announces that “the men can now try to escape but if we catch you…” they get caught and put back in the room after the women finish their girls night scene. Nicholas Hoult being humiliated but then requiring additional unheard whispering to make him kill himself. That scene is also a rehash of the sous chef suicide.
The Cgi fire finale was unsatisfying. Visually it felt like it should have streamed straight to netflix.

Compliments to Ralph Fiennes as the Chef. After 40 mins with the cutout prop guests we start seeing a interesting character. It takes a specific lense to start viewing food as art and compressing that through the corrupting force of the service industry created a compelling villain and narrative.

 

Wayne's World - 9/10
Maybe the most formative comedy of my life? It's definitely the first VHS I remember owning (technically, my brother's). Kind of like a proto-Anchorman in terms of how often we'd quote it growing up, but it still feels like the ultimate comfort comedy. The fourth-wall stuff still feels so fresh and impactful to my sense of humor. Ed O'Neil absolutely killed me this time. "He blows goats" is funny, but "I have proof" is somehow even funnier. Movie just constantly goes the extra mile. Incredible cast. Garth > Wayne.

Wayne's World 2 - 7.5/10
I'd be lying if I said it wasn't slight diminishing returns, but it has some of my favorite lines between the two movies.

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines - 6/10
I'm glad my expectations were appropriately lowered, because as someone who really enjoyed the 2019 remake, I didn't hate this! I wouldn't call it a good movie, per se -- there's lazy writing and some pretty rough performances -- but I love seeing Native actors on screen, David Duchovny is great, and the concepts/themes of a cursed town that might not let you leave and the way parents protect their children from violence (whether it's a war or sour earth that will bring back the dead as vessels of pure evil) really worked for me! This also felt like a solid bridge between King's source material and the film adaptations. Give me an even crazier sequel and we'll be in business.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 9/10
Watched with a live score by the Erie Philharmonic. I welled up a few times and I'm not even a huge Harry Potter fan. Seeing a film with live music is just so powerful, especially when it's probably one of the first five films you ever saw in theaters. The lightness and sense of wonder off-setting the danger in this one really puts it above the last four films. Anytime there's practical effects on screen, they steal the show; I don't think it gets much better for kids' films than the life-size chess scene.

Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor - 8/10
Shockingly effective and creepy, especially considering the second film was so bad that I never bothered to watch the third. It's always bittersweet when a filmmaker returns to form based on ambitious failures, but boy am I selfishly glad that's what happened here. Very minor complaints that mostly mirror the small issues I have with the original film.

 

Five Nights at Freddy’s - 5/10

 

Friday Nights At Freddys

 

Fred’s five nights

 

Five Guys at Freddy's

 

FIVE GUYS?

YOUR BED TO FIVE GUYS?

 

Not my first viewing by a long shot, but was lucky enough to see The Last Waltz in theaters yesterday during the one-day-only release for its 45th anniversary.

What is there to really say? A 10 out of 10 and the greatest concert film ever made.

 

Wayne's World 2 is a rare sequel on-par with the original. "I had to beat him to death with his own shoe..."

 

"Garth, do you want to go out with me?"

"Where to? I'm low on gas and you need a jacket"

 

Showing Up 8/10
Good art isn't a a result of any particular genius. It comes from consistently putting in the hours finding a rhythm as you refine your craft. This film does such a great job of illustrating all the ways life can get in the way of creating art, even on a low stakes level like a small gallery opening. I have family and friends in the Portland art scene (in fact the sculptures are made by my MIL's friend) and many of these characters feel pulled off the street. They are as exhausting to be around as depicted in the film.

 

BlackBerry - A really well-done take on the company origin story subgenre that seems to have randomly exploded in the last few years. In many ways, it feels like a parody of that type of movie while still taking the subject matter seriously. At its core, it highlights the struggles between creative passions and the ambitions of corporate middlemen and how the latter ends up destroying the former through compromise and recklessness. I loved it. Howerton stole the show.

Mean Streets - It's very easy to see why Robert DeNiro became a generational star. His performance really elevates the whole thing to a high level. It's a really great film examining the struggles between personal ambitions and feeling tied down by a need to take care of loved ones.

Elemental - I really enjoyed the look at diaspora and the conflicts it sets up between immigrant families and their new communities and among themselves. The details in the animation and just the thought that went into how these different elements would have to live once personified were creative and brought the whole thing to life. The love story aspect didn't really work for me though, so it brings it down a hair. Still, a fun family movie for sure.

 

How is Blackberry not on streaming yet

Also I love Matt Johnson but seeing him shit on Evil Dead Rise while promoting a flash in the pan kind of movie made me want to see it less

 

Blackberry rules.

 

Super late October round-up. Only reviewing first-time watches, but also did re-watches of The Birds (9/10) and Eraserhead (9/10).

Demons (修羅) - 6/10 A Ronin gets swindled by a geisha and then sets out on a path of self-destructive violence. It is brutal, unpredictable, and unapologetically relentless. Set entirely at night, it mirrors the darkness that engulfs the Ronin as he struggles to escape from relentless cycles of pain and suffering.

The Telephone Box (La cabina) - 6/10 A 30-minute short originally produced for Spanish TV that starts as a lighthearted comedy and then slowly morphs into something a lot more sinister. Drags a little bit towards the middle, but the ending is a lot of fun.

Don’t Look Now - 5/10 A case in point where a film lauded by those with similar tastes to mine ends up falling completely flat for me. I couldn't buy either of the leads as grieving parents, and the film's attempts to build tension in the final act didn't work for me either. Venice is pretty, though, and there's a great sex scene.

The Wicker Man (1973) - 10/10 After watching the 2006 remake starring Nicolas Cage (not the bees) when I was 13, I decided that I never had to watch the original because I am an idiot. I am the dumbest human being on planet earth. This ruled so hard. It never once falters and just continues growing stronger and stronger until the sun sets on not Nicholas Cage crying out to a god who won't answer his prayers. Everything about this was perfect.

Phantom of the Paradise - 8/10 I find De Palma to be incredibly hit-or-miss, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this, but it was a lot of fun. A composer writes a rock opera about Faust and then makes a Faustian bargain with a record producer who has also made a Faustian bargain to continue living like Dorian Gray. The split-screen scene was really cool, and there are some genuine bangers in the soundtrack. Enjoyed this a lot.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 6/10 If I had watched this for the first time as a teenager, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. Pleasantly surprised by how camp and over-the-top it was, but don't think it needed 14 separate musical numbers.

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma) - 8/10 Finally got around to watching this. An exploration of power and cruelty that serves as an indictment of those who choose to turn a blind eye to the atrocities happening in front of them. Had to watch this over the course of the day as it was too much to handle in one sitting.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown - 2/10 It feels like there are two completely different movies going on here. The first is a pretty decent slasher, which, for some inexplicable reason, only takes up about 15 minutes of the overall runtime. The second is one of the worst police procedurals I have ever seen in my entire life that genuinely put me in a bad mood.

House (Hausu) - 10/10 Oh, so everyone was right about this, huh? It feels like the entire film making process must have operated under the premise that if a concept can be conceived, it can be achieved. 90 minutes of pure, unbridled cinematic creativity and a joy to watch from start to finish.

 

Agree with a lot of those but especially the praise for The Wicker Man and the disappointment for Don't Look Now.

 

Arrival - 9/10
So close to being subjectively perfect to me, whatever that means. Some of Renner's dialogue is so out of place that it actually keeps the film from getting there, but otherwise? Looks and sounds excellent. Adams is perfect casting. The alien and ship design rocks. Broad or not, the message is one I really needed to hear to the point where I'll even ignore the dog whistles and Nolan-esque flash-forward scene. A great, mostly realistic sci-fi drama.

Shutter Island - 8.5/10
So much about this movie shouldn't really work but does due to Marty's aesthetic choices, skilled pacing and understanding of atmosphere. It's not a feel-good movie, but the vibes are just impeccable. Much sadder than I remembered with a beautiful score and a perfect last exchange between characters. It's good, and while it may not be Scorcese's best, it's pretty close to being great.