His opinion would be in the minority based on most of the reviews I've seen so far.
What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread
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Drithius
Magic & Loss
1 week to go, aint reading reviews or watching new trailers until then. Ridley, don't fail me.
N
NewDArt
Guest
Beauty and the Beast 6/10
I would say it was completely redundant - but at least it was well executed. Nice casting and well made. But I saw it in 1991 - and didn't really gain anything from seeing it again.
Under Sandet 7/10
Decent danish movie about how the danish government forced young german soldiers to clear several beaches of mines after the WW2 occupation ended.
I would say it was completely redundant - but at least it was well executed. Nice casting and well made. But I saw it in 1991 - and didn't really gain anything from seeing it again.
Under Sandet 7/10
Decent danish movie about how the danish government forced young german soldiers to clear several beaches of mines after the WW2 occupation ended.
Pibbur inspired me to watch Pink Floyd live in Pompeii.
Music is amazing, but the state of the art 'effects' make me laugh!
Water's screaming in Careful with that Axe Eugene makes my hairs rise!!
Music is amazing, but the state of the art 'effects' make me laugh!
Water's screaming in Careful with that Axe Eugene makes my hairs rise!!
SleepingDog
Sentinel
Alien: Covenant
I watched this recently, ten days ago, and thought that it was a good film. The downside was that I had worked out the ending before it happen.
One of the problems with sequels is that it means that you know that if the crew member looks into that "flower" something nasty may happen. I found myself wishing them to get lucky. The pre-knowledge can be good but it can reduce the "horror" factor if you know who the "bad guy" is likely to be.
Anyway I would give it a 4 out of 5, worth a visit.
PS I tend to prefer my films to be completely stand-alone since it is often years from one film to another. TV is better, imo, at telling long involved stories.
I watched this recently, ten days ago, and thought that it was a good film. The downside was that I had worked out the ending before it happen.
One of the problems with sequels is that it means that you know that if the crew member looks into that "flower" something nasty may happen. I found myself wishing them to get lucky. The pre-knowledge can be good but it can reduce the "horror" factor if you know who the "bad guy" is likely to be.
Anyway I would give it a 4 out of 5, worth a visit.
PS I tend to prefer my films to be completely stand-alone since it is often years from one film to another. TV is better, imo, at telling long involved stories.
N
NewDArt
Guest
Alien Covenant 2/10.
Exactly as bad as I thought it would be - which is rare. It didn't serve as a good sequel to Prometheus (which should have been very easy) - and it absolutely sucked as a prequel to Alien.
I was really hoping (against hope) for some kind of explanation for the events of Prometheus (specifically, the point of eliminating humanity and how in the world the magical all-purpose black goo is supposed to work and why THAT isn't considered the ultimate biological weapon).
Now, as a stand-alone film - I might have been generous and rated it 4/10 because it's slightly more entertaining than Prometheus, but I have to take the lineage into consideration.
Interestingly, I actually liked the "twist" relating to the creation of the Xenomorph - and if Ridders had given two shits about plausibilty instead of going genile - I think that might have added something cool to the franchise.
But no.
Characters remain utterly, utterly stupid in order to serve the terrible, terrible script.
Once again, the two points are for:
1. Michael Fassbender
2. Visuals
Exactly as bad as I thought it would be - which is rare. It didn't serve as a good sequel to Prometheus (which should have been very easy) - and it absolutely sucked as a prequel to Alien.
I was really hoping (against hope) for some kind of explanation for the events of Prometheus (specifically, the point of eliminating humanity and how in the world the magical all-purpose black goo is supposed to work and why THAT isn't considered the ultimate biological weapon).
Now, as a stand-alone film - I might have been generous and rated it 4/10 because it's slightly more entertaining than Prometheus, but I have to take the lineage into consideration.
Interestingly, I actually liked the "twist" relating to the creation of the Xenomorph - and if Ridders had given two shits about plausibilty instead of going genile - I think that might have added something cool to the franchise.
But no.
Characters remain utterly, utterly stupid in order to serve the terrible, terrible script.
Once again, the two points are for:
1. Michael Fassbender
2. Visuals
N
NewDArt
Guest
Life 6/10.
I quite liked this one. The script is a thousand times better and more original than Covenant - which just about makes it OK. Sure, there were leaps of logic and the occasional stupid act - but it was clear that an attempt was made at plausible characters and happenings, which is usually all I need to immerse myself.
Atmosphere was great, the alien was neat - and the cast worked well. Even Reynolds - which was a surprise, as I don't care for his acting in general.
The ending was an obvious twist that wasn't necessary. I would have probably rated it 6.5/10 if not for that one.
Definitely a much more engaging experience than that other one.
I quite liked this one. The script is a thousand times better and more original than Covenant - which just about makes it OK. Sure, there were leaps of logic and the occasional stupid act - but it was clear that an attempt was made at plausible characters and happenings, which is usually all I need to immerse myself.
Atmosphere was great, the alien was neat - and the cast worked well. Even Reynolds - which was a surprise, as I don't care for his acting in general.
The ending was an obvious twist that wasn't necessary. I would have probably rated it 6.5/10 if not for that one.
Definitely a much more engaging experience than that other one.
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The next batch:
Logan
Wolverine's endgame as a noir western thriller mix. The action is much more brutal than in other X-Men films. Logan is a worthy last movie for Jackman as Wolverine. A good movie which leaves enough room for the actors and kicks ass when the action starts. Not necessarily a movie I have to see again anytime soon, though.
7.5
The Founder
Enjoyable and surprisingly critical biopic with Michael Keaton as the McD "founder". Keaton is still very good at mixing different emotions into one scene.
6.5
Kill 'em All
The new van Damme movie, directed by his long-time stunt coordinator. This is a very uneven movie. Kudos to the director and the producer for trying to stand out of the B-movie crowd with a more demanding formal structure. Most of the movie is told as a flashback by a woman with incomplete information. Good idea. When it works, it makes things much more interesting. Here comes the big problem: This director doesn't know how to get decent acting out his his actors! You know you have a problem when the experienced name actors Peter Stormare and Maria Conchita Alonso perform less convincingly than van Damme!
Most of the action is good, with the exception of the terrible gun play in the first few minutes. VCVD and Daniel Bernhard still know how to punch somebody in the face. The clever formalities are hit or miss. A few times things even slow down to create suspense before the next confrontation.
A reliable TV director for the dialog scenes probably would have made Kill'em All a good movie. Now it's still much more interesting than the run of the mill B-action flick, because it disguises its story with a touch of The Usual Suspects.
6 - With a little bonus.
Sleepless
Sleepless is a good, fast action thriller about a corrupt cop, who has only hours to return a bag with 25k H to get his son back. The movie was a completely undeserved flop, IMHO. There's only one problem with Sleepless: It's a remake of a French movie with Tomer Sisley (Largo Winch) - and the original is more consequent and even better! The first half is very similar, the second half varies things a bit.
7 - Add 0.5 to 1 if you don't know the French original.
The Great Wall
Beautifull and naive fantasy movie, but nothing special beyond the technical aspects. A Chinese garrison defends the wall against monsters. Maybe JRR Martin was inspried by this old Chinese story.
5
XXX 3
Below average. Both older movies are way better.
3.5
Resident Evil 6
Similar to the last ones. The ending for the story arc is satisfying. So this is a safe bet for fans the of the series.
6
John Wick 2
More budget, much higher body count, MOTS. Good entertainment . I prefer the first one though.
7
Logan
Wolverine's endgame as a noir western thriller mix. The action is much more brutal than in other X-Men films. Logan is a worthy last movie for Jackman as Wolverine. A good movie which leaves enough room for the actors and kicks ass when the action starts. Not necessarily a movie I have to see again anytime soon, though.
7.5
The Founder
Enjoyable and surprisingly critical biopic with Michael Keaton as the McD "founder". Keaton is still very good at mixing different emotions into one scene.
6.5
Kill 'em All
The new van Damme movie, directed by his long-time stunt coordinator. This is a very uneven movie. Kudos to the director and the producer for trying to stand out of the B-movie crowd with a more demanding formal structure. Most of the movie is told as a flashback by a woman with incomplete information. Good idea. When it works, it makes things much more interesting. Here comes the big problem: This director doesn't know how to get decent acting out his his actors! You know you have a problem when the experienced name actors Peter Stormare and Maria Conchita Alonso perform less convincingly than van Damme!
Most of the action is good, with the exception of the terrible gun play in the first few minutes. VCVD and Daniel Bernhard still know how to punch somebody in the face. The clever formalities are hit or miss. A few times things even slow down to create suspense before the next confrontation.
A reliable TV director for the dialog scenes probably would have made Kill'em All a good movie. Now it's still much more interesting than the run of the mill B-action flick, because it disguises its story with a touch of The Usual Suspects.
6 - With a little bonus.
Sleepless
Sleepless is a good, fast action thriller about a corrupt cop, who has only hours to return a bag with 25k H to get his son back. The movie was a completely undeserved flop, IMHO. There's only one problem with Sleepless: It's a remake of a French movie with Tomer Sisley (Largo Winch) - and the original is more consequent and even better! The first half is very similar, the second half varies things a bit.
7 - Add 0.5 to 1 if you don't know the French original.
The Great Wall
Beautifull and naive fantasy movie, but nothing special beyond the technical aspects. A Chinese garrison defends the wall against monsters. Maybe JRR Martin was inspried by this old Chinese story.
5
XXX 3
Below average. Both older movies are way better.
3.5
Resident Evil 6
Similar to the last ones. The ending for the story arc is satisfying. So this is a safe bet for fans the of the series.
6
John Wick 2
More budget, much higher body count, MOTS. Good entertainment . I prefer the first one though.
7
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Ripper
Зичу Вам успіхів
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I thought the Hollywood remake was rubbish. Definitely recommend the French version, and avoiding the Hollywood one.
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For most of these never heard and to be honest, don't even plan to watch ever.
I mean John Wick 2? After the mediocre first installment, I'd rather watch Beethoven or recently released Max 2 (of course I won't, but examples of trash are needed):
XXX3? There is a second movie too? Look, from the first movie I remember only some bald untalented lead's line "smoke will kill you". No way I'm gonna give a shot to a sequel of that junk.
etc etc, in all honesty I don't blame txa here, it's just titles in past few months, half of year, feel not interesting and as if everything is just garbage. People are forced to choose between stuff they'd normally skip if there was anything better out there. Maybe the best idea currently is to stick with good old movies filmed when Hollywood knew how to make great stuff. Or, hell, watch dancing/singing acts in Bollywood spams, at least one would get themself enough laughs to justify watching.
I mean John Wick 2? After the mediocre first installment, I'd rather watch Beethoven or recently released Max 2 (of course I won't, but examples of trash are needed):
XXX3? There is a second movie too? Look, from the first movie I remember only some bald untalented lead's line "smoke will kill you". No way I'm gonna give a shot to a sequel of that junk.
etc etc, in all honesty I don't blame txa here, it's just titles in past few months, half of year, feel not interesting and as if everything is just garbage. People are forced to choose between stuff they'd normally skip if there was anything better out there. Maybe the best idea currently is to stick with good old movies filmed when Hollywood knew how to make great stuff. Or, hell, watch dancing/singing acts in Bollywood spams, at least one would get themself enough laughs to justify watching.
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I just came back from Alien: Covenant, and I'm not sure what to say. I went in with low expectations, after hearing a lot of people being disappointed. And while technically it was ok, and even looked very good in places, I thin it's main issue is how it was almost about nothing. I mean, the only major issue it tackled was the explanation about how the xenomorph got to be, which I didn't hate, but I'm not a fan of either. It was kind of meh.
But other than that, it was pretty much meaningless. The only thing I'm really disappointed is that it kind of too a 180 turn from what Prometheus was about. I mean, there was almost nothing about the Engineers.
But other than that, it was pretty much meaningless. The only thing I'm really disappointed is that it kind of too a 180 turn from what Prometheus was about. I mean, there was almost nothing about the Engineers.
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That's what you get when producers listen to all those who for whatever reason couldn't understand what Prometheus stood for. Sadly, movies today are generally only about earning $, it's a sad thing to see impossible to come from Hollywood stuff like Graduation pwning everywhere - and it's Hollywood that did make stuff like that until recently. I'm not saying all is lost, apparently Hollywood made an unique disfunctional family approach with a movie titled Get Out, not sure however, didn't watch that one yet, but will try to as soon as possible.
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I just saw it, and yeah, it's surprisingly brutal and visceral. I've never been a big fan of the Marvel film universe, but Logan is pretty good.
There was one thing that didn't sit well with me though..
The way Charles Xavier was killed. It wasn't a worthy ending for Professor X. It reminded me of Kirk's death in Star Trek: Generations. It didn't seem fitting for a character of his stature.
N
NewDArt
Guest
A Cure for Wellness 7/10
A true original. That's rare - and it's absolutely beautiful to look at. Acting was strong, too - and I especially enjoyed the antagonist.
Plot was too convoluted for its own good, though - and though I could simply be too stupid to "get it" - I suspect most of it was kinda redundant. But it kept me interested throughout its rather long runtime (2½ hours).
The horror elements were very mild for the most part, but I was surprised by a couple of rather disturbing scenes. Definitely not a movie for the more Puritan American audience
Also, it's not hard to see this was done by a director that was hoping to direct an R-rated Bioshock movie!
Definitely the best horror-themed movie I've seen since The Witch.
A true original. That's rare - and it's absolutely beautiful to look at. Acting was strong, too - and I especially enjoyed the antagonist.
Plot was too convoluted for its own good, though - and though I could simply be too stupid to "get it" - I suspect most of it was kinda redundant. But it kept me interested throughout its rather long runtime (2½ hours).
The horror elements were very mild for the most part, but I was surprised by a couple of rather disturbing scenes. Definitely not a movie for the more Puritan American audience
Also, it's not hard to see this was done by a director that was hoping to direct an R-rated Bioshock movie!
Definitely the best horror-themed movie I've seen since The Witch.
vurt
serial 𝓶𝓸𝓭𝓭⻤
Logan 6/10. Didn't like the bad guys at all, really boring and unoriginal in every way. I was also expecting something else than the standard formula for super hero movies / x-men, since reading a little about it and seeing many positive reviews, but it was exactly what you would expect. It's slightly more dark and more brutal (depending on what you compare to, X-men can usually have a rather dark theme, but they're usually not as brutal). Overall the movie was really meh but watchable and decent for the genre i guess.
N
NewDArt
Guest
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1/10
Ok, so I finally watched this old "classic". I've been putting it off for ages and ages - but I always knew I had to watch it eventually.
Oh… my…
I think the score speaks for itself.
Ok, so I finally watched this old "classic". I've been putting it off for ages and ages - but I always knew I had to watch it eventually.
Oh… my…
I think the score speaks for itself.
N
NewDArt
Guest
The Wicker Man (1973) 8/10
Pretty fantastic. Very unconventional horror movie that really gets under your skin in a subtle but fascinating way. It reminds me of Bioshock Infinite in how it uses a bright and cheerful setting to provide contrast to an extremely dark subject matter.
“I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d, I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago, Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.”
Pretty fantastic. Very unconventional horror movie that really gets under your skin in a subtle but fascinating way. It reminds me of Bioshock Infinite in how it uses a bright and cheerful setting to provide contrast to an extremely dark subject matter.
“I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d, I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago, Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.”
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:lol: Wow, I thought we had similar taste in movies since I have often agreed with things you have said in the past, but the original TCM is all-time favorite. The ultimate American gothic horror movie!
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I can understand how someone seeing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre now for the first time wouldn't be impressed. It had a considerable amount of shock value for it's time, but that was 1974.
I saw it sometime in the mid 80's and remember being pretty creeped out, but I was also very young at the time.