Last Movie Watched.... The Xenforo Edition

Discussion in 'Movies, TV and Music' started by Val1, May 4, 2012.

  1. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    I recommend the original, ABC TV Movie of the Week version.

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    I suspect it's better in the original French, compared to the dubbed version that ABC ran.
     
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  2. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    I didn't care for this at all. It was too derivative of Sleeping with the Enemy, and thus it wasted the invisibility angle. And the trailer gave away all the most suspenseful moments so I was just connecting the dots.
     
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  3. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    unnamed.jpg

    Ready Player One

    I read the book and watched this movie in conjunction with my god daughter. The book is a hot mess and if I'd paid money to watch this movie I'd have been pissed.

    There was one interesting moment, and it was a throw away line, not found in the book. The action takes place in a dystopian future that resulted from "the corn syrup wars". I've never seen corn syrup as a proposed cause of the apocalypse.
     
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  4. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
    Dir. Cathy Yan

    [​IMG]

    Following her break-up with the Joker, Harley Quinn struggles to find a new life for herself. Her troubles soon greatly increase when word of her new single status reaches the criminal elements in the city and many of the people Harley angered and/or wronged come for revenge now that she is now longer under the protection of the mad clown. One criminal who takes particular interest in her is Black Mask. It is her dealings with Black Mask that put her onto the path of another group of women, who each have a reason to want to get even with the man. Can the eclectic bunch form an alliance to defeat their common enemy?

    Most of the appeal here is in the cast. Margot Robbie is delightful as Harley and I also enjoyed Jurnee Smollett as Black Canary (very much makes the role her own) and Mary-Elizabeth Winstead (wonderful and funny in her goofy understatedness) as Huntress. Unfortunately the very good work of the cast only elevates the material so much and the writing itself is fairly forgettable. I kind of wish these actresses had been better served screenplay wise. Still one of the better recent(ish) DC movies I've seen (which is still faint praise I know).
     
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  5. Ismitje

    Ismitje Super Moderator

    Dec 30, 2000
    The Palouse
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When I was a senior in high school in 1985, William Zabka (aka Johnny the bully from Karate Kid) was the speaker at our Baccalaureate ceremony. He was a nice guy and gave a nice talk.

    Incidentally, he's an Oscar nominee for Best Live Short Film, 2004.
     
  6. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    The_Greatest_Showman_poster.png

    The Greatest Showman

    Yawn. I must be like Dr Cox on Scrubs: I just do not care for Hugh Jackman.

    This show is incredibly earnest and wears its heart on its sleeve but it is surprisingly generic. P T Barnum has to be one of the most interesting people in American history and yet we get no real sense of him, other than he was seriously dissed as a kid and spent his life trying to catch up with the rich folks. It's bloodless.

    Also, I didn't realize that Never was performed in the show as a performance piece. It is a thoroughly modern song (and completely vapid when you actually look at the lyrics) and it destroys any historical setting that the movie is trying to create.

    As I said, this is a generic movie about an entertainer. It could have been so much more.
     
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  7. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Onward.jpg

    Onward

    OK, so I did catch this before the Corona lockdown and it was completely average. Lots and lots of references to Dungeons and Dragons, so that was fun for this old nerd, but that's about the extent of it.

    One huge disappointment: Pixar outsourced the famed short to the Simpsons. What an utter disappointment.
     
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  8. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    Bloodshot (2020)
    Dir. Dave Wilson

    [​IMG]

    Ray Garrison is an elite soldier who after completing a successful mission in Africa is apprehended by a group of well-armed men upon his return to his wife in Italy. Both him and his wife are hostages, until they are both shot for Ray's refusal to give out information about the operation he just finished. He wakes up in a hi-tech facility and is informed that he in fact died but was brought back to life with experimental nano-bot technology. These nano-bots have also given him superpowered abilities like increased strength and a Wolverine-like healing ability. Initially without his memories, flashbacks to his final moments send him on a rampaging vendetta against the man who killed his wife. But is everything quite as it seems?

    I'm not at all familiar with the comic books this is based on so I cannot say how it compares to the source material. I do think I have seen some of the themes in this movie handled better in other recent movies, beit a human adjusting to augmentations ("Upgrade") or the concept of an essentially immortal warrior ("Blade of the Immortal"). This is more or less just a Vin Diesel action vehicle with a sci-fi layer on top. Guy Pierce is clearly in "pick up the check" mode. Sam Heughan, a very charismatic screen presence on "Outlander" is fairly forgettable here, perhaps hampered by having to do a (unconvincing) American accent. I was interested in Eiza Gonzalez' character but the screenwriter had no interest in exploring her story, she essentially only exists in relation to Garrison/Bloodshot. Not the worst 110 minutes I have ever spent watching a movie but not sure I'd recommend this to anyone else.
     
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  9. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    It didn't take him long to reach that stage of his career, did it?
     
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  10. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    He occasionally still tries (e.g. Brimstone) but in stuff like this he is pretty much just going through the motions, yeah.

    I think his last truly great performance might be in "The Proposition". Which is fifteen years ago now!
     
  11. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    We're getting old, my friend. LA Confidential is 22 years old. Before reading your post, I would have guessed it 15 - 17 years....
     
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  12. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    Armored Car Robbery (1950)
    Dir. Richard Fleischer

    [​IMG]

    This is a movie about... an armored car robbery!

    A career criminal who is very careful about hiding his real identity nevertheless has an underground reputation for being one of the few men who has successfully pulled off an armored car heist. He is assembling a team of criminals around him to pull of another job. One of the men on his crew is the husband of the woman he is having an affair with. After successfully pulling off the robbery, they become prime targets for the cops because they killed a police detective during their escape. The detective's partner in particular is desperate to bring the men to justice.

    Decent entertainment. It's a pretty straightforward story, told with no fringes but generally well-acted. Features more naturalistic dialogue than you'd expect from a movie of this era, especially in the way the cops talk to each other. William Talman is good as the main antagonist.
     
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  13. fischerw

    fischerw Member+

    Sep 15, 2004
    Joplin, MO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No way-- see Animal Kingdom. It's ten years ago. Ok, so still a long time, but Guy Pearce is incredible in that.
     
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  14. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    Never seen that but will try to now!
     
  15. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    The Gentlemen (2019)
    Dir. Guy Ritchie

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    Michael Pearson is a wealthy American living in the UK who rubs shoulders with the jetset and the gentry alike. The public secret is that he has made his fortune by being the biggest weed dealer on the island. Only he is growing tired of the realities that accompany a life of crime and is looking to cash out by selling his entire enterprise. He has found a prospective buyer in a fellow Yank, a man who already deals drugs in the US but is looking for a foothold in the UK market as well as a steady supply of quality weed. The rumors about Pearson mulling a sale act like blood in the water to other criminals and various chancers who all imagine they can carve out a piece of the pie for themselves.

    This is a Guy Ritchie film in the mold of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch", only in spite of the top notch cast, it's fairly forgettable fare. It's a testament to Colin Farrell's talent that he can be enjoyable even in a subpar film. And Hugh Grant is happily chewing scenery as a sleazy private detective looking to cash in. But this is nowhere near as good as Ritchie's best ever film ("The Man from U.N.C.L.E."). A bit of a letdown, if I'm being fair.
     
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  16. Chesco United

    Chesco United Member+

    DC United
    Jun 24, 2001
    Chester County, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Cloverfield (2008)-A monster movie where the monster is mostly unseen. Shades of 9/11. Followed by 2 sequels, which I haven't seen.
     
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  17. Chesco United

    Chesco United Member+

    DC United
    Jun 24, 2001
    Chester County, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Hotel Rwanda (2004)-Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is a hotel manager during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. He shelters over a thousand refugees. Not a movie I care to see again, though critically acclaimed.
     
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  18. Ismitje

    Ismitje Super Moderator

    Dec 30, 2000
    The Palouse
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Note to self: skip the apocalyptic genre during Covid-19 unless I want Mrs. Ismitje to basically curl up in an unresponsive quivering ball.

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. Chesco United

    Chesco United Member+

    DC United
    Jun 24, 2001
    Chester County, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)-Hadn't seen this one in a while. Decent Bond flick. There were a few plot holes.
     
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  20. Serengeti_Boy

    Serengeti_Boy Member+

    Sep 15, 2009
    Serengeti, East Africa
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Tanzania
    I felt black canary and huntress should have had more everyone instead of Renee Montoya. She does not really drive any thing forward plot wise.
     
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  21. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    Yeah, probably the least interesting character (within this film not within the larger universe).

    I do think they definitely put some of Bertinelli's goofie awkwardness from Gail Simone's BoP run into the movie.
     
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  22. Chesco United

    Chesco United Member+

    DC United
    Jun 24, 2001
    Chester County, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Free State of Jones (2016)-Pretty good flick. Newt Knight (Matthew McCounaghey) takes over Jones County, MS during the Civil War. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mahershala Ali are good in supporting roles. Unlike Newt Knight, I wouldn't cheat on Keri Russell.
     
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  23. Chesco United

    Chesco United Member+

    DC United
    Jun 24, 2001
    Chester County, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    I am Patrick (2020)-Pious tale of St. Patrick. John Rhys-Davies stars as old St. Patrick. Good to see some academics interviewed for the film. Decent use of an hour and a half.
     
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  24. Belgian guy

    Belgian guy Member+

    Club Brugge
    Belgium
    Aug 19, 2002
    Belgium
    Club:
    Club Brugge KV
    Bad Boys for Life (2020)
    Dir. Adil & Bilall

    [​IMG]

    Mike and Marcus are no longer young men, with Marcus even becoming a grandfather. Whilst Marcus has accepted the passing of time and is even mulling retirement, Mike still seems stuck in the same frame of mind as always and he is disgusted by his partner's potential plans to give up his gun and badge. Things get complicated when an attempt on Mike's life becomes Marcus' catalyst to truly retire from the police force, whilst for Mike it becomes a motivation to continue to work in the hope of bringing to justice the man who tried to kill him. This drive a wedge between the long-time friends. Adding to Mike's problems, his gun-ho tactics are deemed obsolete in the modern day police force and marquee cases are instead given to a task force led by his ex-girlfriend Rita.

    I really liked this. As a sequel, it's definitely better than Bad Boys II and it might be my favorite movie out of the three. Thematically this is really a movie about aging and adjusting to the new realities of life (in that regard it reminded me a bit of Lethal Weapon IV only this is a better film). The old chemistry between Lawrence and Smith still works and it was great to see Joe Pantoliano back as the Captain too.

    There is also a Belgian connection, with the directing duo of Moroccan-Belgian sensations Adil El-Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Them getting to do this makes a certain kind of sense. Whilst thematically some of their Belgian movies suggested an admiration for the works of Spike Lee and John Singleton, stylistically it is clear that their inspirations have been the likes of John McTiernan, Tony Scott and yes, also Michael Bay. I was also amused by the fact that they could not resist giving themselves small cameos, though I'm guessing international audiences will have missed those (Bilall is the guy hitting on Rita inside of the club whilst Adil is the guy whose car gets commandeered by Mike outside of the club).
     
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  25. Chesco United

    Chesco United Member+

    DC United
    Jun 24, 2001
    Chester County, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Escape From New York (1981)-Amazingly, I've never seen this one before. Pretty good and critically acclaimed flick. Kurt Russell is excellent as Snake Plissken.
     
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