Last Movie You Saw, Name & Review Movie • Page 158

Man I haven’t even opened my boxset

 

Scrooged - 7/10
Tonally confusing, alternatingly absurd and scary, and above all, unhinged. That's probably why I like it so much, even if I'd be hard-pressed to call it a good movie.

Fool's Paradise - 6/10
This has to at least partially be a case of audiences expecting one thing and getting another, right? I mean, I wouldn't call it a good movie -- it's an extremely broad satire that is largely missing jokes -- but it's admirable, sporadically charming, and certainly competent. The film looks great and Jon Brion knocks the score out of the park. Adrian Brody seems to be playing himself. It's easy enough to swallow that I could see myself, and others, revisiting it as a comfort watch.

Master Gardener - 7/10
Only a madman would even attempt this, and only Schrader would pull it off semi-successfully.

Sisu - 7.5/10
It's nothing revelatory -- the trailer, which advertised this as "from the producers of John Wick" and "90 minutes of fucking Nazis up," did not lie -- but damn is it about as good as a John Wick knock-off with Nazis can be. The lack of depth may hit or miss for some, but third-act CGI aside, this movie looks great and absolutely delivers on the gore and creative kills. The kind of movie where you see a pick-axe and just know it's gonna go through someone's skull regardless of how impractical. The rewatchability of this thing feels through the roof.

 

Sisu is dumb fun

 

Arrival - 9/10

what a phenomenal movie.

 

Sexy Beast 7/10 - I got a little too high before watching this. Ben Kingsley gave me an actual panic attack. I had to stop it and finish the next night.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) 9/10 - The best final shot in movie history?

Arrival is amazing. My wife was pregnant with our first kid when we saw it and it absolutely destroyed us. We were just hugging and ugly crying in the car afterwards. I've never had such a visceral, emotional reaction to a movie like that.

 

if that movie doesn’t make you ugly cry then you’re dead inside

 

I actually didn't enjoy the first one much at all and though the second was an improvement to very solid, so this one really took me by surprise. Just right to the nuts and bolts of good blockbuster filmmaking.

I was very mixed on it the first time I saw it but after some re-watches I now think it does a really admirable job trying to reflect the fragmented feeling of channel-surfing (now infinite scrolling) reality. It also doesn't flinch from showing how callous he really is before the transformation. Probably because of that, I actually now find Murray's final speech very moving/affecting. It doesn't quite have the words for the feeling, in a way that feels really genuine.

 

Rubber - 7.5/10

 

Started Fellowship of the Ring last night after having not watched LotR in probably 10-15 years. Opted for the theatrical version. I know people adore the extended cuts, but I've been on the fence about even revisiting them (just not a huge fantasy guy), so the theatrical cuts seemed more accessible this time around. So far, so good!

 

watched the extended versions when I had covid a couple of years ago. I don't really have an opinion on which is better but damn what an achievement those movies are

 

yeah, they very well may be better, I'm just already intimidated by what in the theatrical three-plus hour cuts lol

 

Cronenberg has always been a massive blind spot for me. Wanted to watch all of these during Spooky Season but ended up being too busy.

Scanners - 6/10 Man uses his autistic superpowers in a fight to the death against his brother, who is also autistic. I read that Cronenberg had to write this as he went along, which is particularly evident in Michael Ironside's storyline, which makes almost no sense. There's some decent gore here (the head explosion scene and the final battle between Cameron and Darryl Revok), but I was pretty bored by most of this.

Videodrome - 5/10 A collection of half-baked ideas thrown together in a meaningless narrative that felt as subtle in its messaging as a bad episode of Black Mirror. Not a fan.

Hellraiser - 3/10 Took a break from Cronenberg to watch this and was surprised by how much of a snore fest it was. It picks up a bit after Julia finds Frank, and there's a really cool shot of Clare Higgins covered in blood in the bathroom after murdering a random stranger in her attic. Starts to get boring again as soon as Kirsty meets The Cenobites in the hospital and stays that way until the end. There are lots of cool practical effects here, though.

The Fly - 7/10 "Fly vs. Fly" was my least favorite Treehouse of Horror segment growing up, so I always avoided this. It turned out to be a lot more character-driven than I was expecting. Both leads were fantastic, and Goldblum's slow Metamorphosis into Brundlefly was genuinely terrifying at times.

Crash - 5/10 An interesting concept that quickly devolves into a predictable narrative. Shock value takes precedence over substance, and any examination of the emptiness of sexual excess and infidelity is discarded for sensationalism. The film's emphasis on external, carnal pleasures becomes tedious, and the characters lack any real depth.

 

shots fired!

 

I mostly agree with you on Scanners and Videodrome but I liked Crash

 

watch Eastern Promises

one of my favorites of his

 

I wish I liked his stuff more, because there is some decent body horror in all of his work that I've seen. Will try to go into Eastern Promises with an open mind haha.

 

Cronenberg rocks. Scanners is more of a vibe/mood movie for me, it's a little slower than you'd expect, but Videodrome is an all-timer and Crash is one of my favorites of his. I'd give both an 8.5. The Fly is great too, but less conceptual and ever-so-slightly more commercial (it's still gross as fuck). The Brood is my favorite of his. That Hellraiser review is baffling to me too, but considering Crash is kinda like Hellraiser for car guys, I suppose your opinion tracks

 

I also didn't like og Hellraiser, but I watched the newest one first, so I might be in the minority

 

It’s fine

 

Videodrome 5/10 was a jumpscare for me.

That and Crash are 5/5s for me.

 

5/10 was me being generous!

 

Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, and A Dangerous Method are all still on my list to watch. Fly was alot of fun but definitely felt more approachable for Cronenberg. Scanners was a slog for me im guessing its only for his biggest fans, yet im still interested in seeing his immediate previous film the Brood, by word of mouth. i remember liking Videodrome but wouldnt be surprised if it has been aging poorly lately. Existenz is one i hated. been wanting to re watch Crash for a while now but havent prioritized it at all.

 

his son looks to have picked up the mantle. Possessor looks like an insane film.

 

it’s a good one

 

I do echo thinking Scanners was pretty sub-par, probably would have got more out of it as a entry point versus being the 6th one I saw.

Also, I'm super, super high on The Dead Zone