What ELSE (other than KUNG FU) has everyone been watching?

[Koravec]

The Jacket - A psychological thriller, and the definition of one, on the long list of predictable ones, ie: The Machinist and Dream House. Of which Daniel Craig is also in this one (who must really have a thing for playing crazy people!) looking more like James Bond than he does in the Bond movies. Really not a fan of Aiden Brody, at least not for a role like this. Also stars Keira Knightley, who I was excited to watch the film for, but she really doesnt make it easy for her fans (poor acting chops). Directed by John Maybury, who I also saw his Edge of Love movie up to the point where the blu ray stopped working (used with deep scratches) with a similarly lackluster directing and Knightley performance.

That being said, there isnt much going for it in the way of cinematography imo. What is understood of the story is predictable, the rest is confusing and unexplained, for reasons of how/why the protagonist is able or placed in the future for moments. The movie doesnt really know what it wants to do, opting for a very Jacob's Ladder-esque theme of the 'disposable' military personnel. Jacobs Ladder is shot much better than this film and more worth the watch. But then again I was thinking about this, what if someone said about a martial arts movie, "Don't watch this because Meals on Wheels is better". Has a Brian Eno soundtrack (never been crazy about), but feels more like he composed one or two pieces for it, movie mostly plays without music as I recall. (I was wrong about Edge of Love, went back and watched some of it and the direction was actually great. Ill have to find a clean copy)

Lords of Salem - I havent seen much Rob Zombie. Didnt realize this would be as campy as I found it. The shock value appears up to par with what Id expect from him. Cool setting, I like the podcast theme and female lead dreadlocks look. The day by day aspect of the movie was nice. I liked it enough, but also really not that remarkable of a movie in the slightest way.

The Nun - I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. Nothing too unexpected in terms of a horror movie, but its a good watch if your in the mood for a classic style horror. The soundtrack sounds amazing with its use of chanting vocals. Also saw it in Xd which helps with that. I havent seen any other movies in the Conjuring series, but I figured Id give this a go as it contains some aspects of horror I enjoy; the haunted house/castle vibe, heavily atmospheric, cloaked figures (in this case, nuns). My only problem with the movie are the stupid jokes made by the guy in serious situations feeling out of place and unnecessary. The cinematography is great as well, perfect kind of movie to kick off the fall season. 

Edited September 25, 2018 by Koravec

[DrNgor]

Leatherface (2017) - A prequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, just as the previous Texas Chainsaw 3-D was supposed to be a sequel to the original. Both of them ignore the 80s/90s sequels and the Michael Bay-produced remake and that film's prequel. In that way, it's similar to how the 90s and 00s Godzilla continuities would frequently hearken back to the 1954 film for context. This film starts in 1955, with little Jed Sawyer celebrating a birthday party with his family. Things take a turn for the morbid when we discover that the cake is little more than some animal's intestines covered in frosting and that it was made for the guest of honor, some guy tied to the chair who had been sequestered by the Sawyers for trying to steal their pigs. After the family randomly kills another person--this time, it's the sheriff's daughter--Jed is taken by the authorities and placed in the 50s equivalent to Protective Services (the DPRS, perhaps?). The story in earnest begins 10 years later. I won't say anymore, but we take a detour through two different sub-genres before we finally return to more familiar territory in the last 20 minutes. 

The film is as violent and gory as can be expected for a film of this ilk. It's also rather icky, with one sex scene that would make Jörg Buttgereit proud. There's a light twist at the end of the second act, which ultimately sabotages the drama behind Leatherface's origin. Basically, the script didn't convince me that the man who would become Leatherface is the same person we see in Tobe Hooper's film. That said, it does get a few points for doing something different for most of the running time, as opposed to 2006 prequel-to-the-remake, which got the origin out of the way in the first 10 minutes and than spent the rest of the film covering the same stuff the other films did.

[AlbertV]

The Song of Sway Lake (Ari Gold, 2018): An old record is the object of nostalgia in Gold's second feature film as director. Rory Culkin plays a young man who returns to his family's estate on Sway Lake to find the record because he plans to steal it to honor his late father's memory, taking along his friend, a Russian drifter named Nikolai (Robert Sheehan), but things gets complicated when his grandmother (Mary Beth Peil) returns with the intent to sell the estate. The film is about having to let go of the past for all three central characters, set in the 1990s but has such great performances from the trio and a great nostaglic-style (1920s, 30s) score by Gold's brother Ethan. The film was shot in 2014, but Gold spent over three years editing the film so he would get it right. The film was the last performance from the late Elizabeth Pena as Marlena, a Cuban refugee who becomes the grandmother's housekeeper and confidant.

Five Fingers for Marseilles (Michael Matthews, 2018): A Western-style drama set in a shanty town of South Africa. After a self-imposed 20-year exile after killing two corrupt Afrikaner policemen during the apartheid era, a man returns home in an attempt to live in peace. However, he finds the situation that once plagued his home has gone from bad to worse, with the inclusion of both a local gang, old friends becoming rivals, and those who won't let go of apartheid. Pretty good drama shot in both English and Sethoso language, and a finale that ends in a Western-style action piece.

Beyond the Sky (Fulvio Sestito, 2018): A documentary filmmaker sets out to disprove the theoty of alien abduction. However, when he meets a young woman who claims to be abducted every seven years on her birthday, the filmmaker decides to play along with the ruse only to get something more shocking. Travis Walton, the focus of the 1990's film Fire in the Sky, appears as himself in the film, which has some good performances by Ryan Carnes as the filmmaker and Jordan Hinson as the young woman. The film was shot on location in some actual UFO conventions with the extras being those who attended the conventions. Pretty decent film that takes some of the UFO tropes but does not relegate to going overboard like others.

Edited September 26, 2018 by AlbertV

[Rodolphe Dux]

Ivan's childhood by Criterion : A complete visual poetic masterpiece by Andreï Tarkovsky. Like many Tarkovkï's, one of the most beautiful movie ever made.

First Purge : Well, the first purge movie was subversive and promising, the second is awesome and badass thanks to Frank Grillo, the third is disappointing and way too soft, and the First Purge is just another PC-police authorized & compatible BS. I won't waste more disk space and CPU time to write about such an atrocity. Acting is good though. 

Edited September 26, 2018 by Rodolphe Dux

[DarthKato]

May Payne (2008, Film Version) Got this for Christmas a few years back, and just now got around to watching it. I heard it was bad, but I'm a fan of the games, so I thought I give it a shot. Turns out that this movie is as bad as everyone says. I only got through half of it, before I started feeling like I was wasting time watching this steaming pile of garbage. Defiantly recommend staying away from this one.

[AlbertV]

Sleep No More (Phillip Guzman, 2018): A sort of anti-Flatliners about medical grad students who, after the supposed suicide of a fellow student who was part of their experiment to prove that after 200 hours of sleep, your brain will be re-wired to "start all over", decide to take on the experiment themselves...with disastrous results. Set in the 80's, there's a good soundtrack, great performances from the young cast (Christine Dwyer's Holly reminded me and even sported a look similar to Brat Pack-era Demi Moore), and in a nod to the era, director Guzman made a film within a film in "Night Vulture", a cheesy slasher film viewed by one of the students.

Housewife (Can Evrenol, 2018): After seeing Mandy, I found this Can Evrenol film almost just as insane but with one major difference. In this film, a wife, still traumatized from a terrible childhood memory, goes to a seminar run by a cult known as the Universe of Love and Magic. Unlike Linus Roache's Jeremiah Sand in Mandy, the ULM leader Bruce O'Hara, played by David Sakurai, is more charismatic, starting with a dance scene that reminded me of his role in Liza the Fox Fairy (which he plays a Japanese rock star ghost...I saw a few clips and laughed my butt off) . It is disturbing sporadically until the final ten minutes, where it becomes so insane that my mouth dropped throughout the entire sequence and if a scene can do that without making myself vomit, then I consider the film good for what it was. I would put this film in a double bill with Mandy. LOL

[DiP]

Dr. No (1962) - 8.5/10

From Russia With Love (1963) - 9/10

Predator (1987) - 9/10

Rear Window (1954) - 10/10

[DarthKato]

Had a bit of a movie marathon today. Trying to get through some movies that I've bought and never got around to watching(Or haven't watched in a long, long time). 

Dream House (2011) Great Psychological Thriller movie staring Daniel Craig. I really enjoyed this one. 

Secret Window (2004) I know this film gets a lot of hate online, but I love this movie. Probably my favorite Johnny Depp movie. 

House (1986) One of my all-time favorite Horror/Comedy films. Its was really nice to go back and watch it again after all this time(Close to ten years since the last time I've seen it). Still holds up well and is a lot of fun. I actually noticed that it seemed very similar to Evil Dead 2, which is most likely one of the reasons I love it so much. 

 

[Takuma]

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (USA, 1970) [DVD] - 4/5
An absolutely insane 60s hippie party skin flick Hollywood satire musical shocker about a girl band taken under his wings by a crazy music producer while the protagonist is seeking her share of family inheritance in a soap opera storyline, all played with a poker face as it should be! Rated X by MPAA upon its release, presumably for "excess" because there isn't really anything X rated (one bit of hard violence, frequent but brief topless nudity, no graphic sex). I can hardly believe this film even exist. Would make a great double feature with Spring Breakers.

What Have They Done to Your Daughters (Italy, 1974) [BD] - 3.5/5
Cynical follow-up to What Have You Done to Solange sees schoolgirls in peril again. This one, however, trades away all the romanticism and is also more of a poliziotteschi that giallo. Effective and political, but also depressingly dark and void of Solange's magic. I suppose I'm getting old as some of the cruelty is getting hard to take.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (USA, 1985) [DVD] - 3.5/5
Unexpectedly good horror sequel full fun effects and homosexual subtext, once it gets past the dull opening 30 minutes. I'm not sure if it stands the test of logic, but it's so original compared to your average slasher sequel that it's better not to think about that.

Child's Play (USA, 1988) [Hulu] - 2/5
Seminal but frustrating piece of 80s horror, occasionally entertaining but full of irritating characters acting like idiots. Amazingly enough, this was banned in Finland back in the day (Finland had its own "video nasty" craze that extended to both video and theatrical releases in the late 80s / early 90s, probably influenced by the UK) despite being remarkably tame in terms of violence.

[Gaijin84]

Once Were Warriors (1994) - Depressing but excellent film dealing with some heavy subjects: alcoholism, domestic violence, poverty, etc

[DragonClaws]

49 minutes ago, Gaijin84 said:

Once Were Warriors (1994) - Depressing but excellent film dealing with some heavy subjects: alcoholism, domestic violence, poverty, etc

 

It's a great film, but one I'd pass on watching again.

 

There's a sequel if you are interested @Gaijin84?, which I've never got round to viewing.

 

[Gaijin84]

20 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

There's a sequel if you are interested @Gaijin84?, which I've never got round to viewing.

 

Been attempting to find it for a somewhat reasonable price, but the general reviews were not very good... i think I'd rather read the book

There is a third book too, Jake's Long Shadow, that completed the trilogy in 2002.

 

I knew he looked familiar, but I didn't realize Morrison played Jango Fett until I dug a little bit more.

Edited October 3, 2018 by Gaijin84

[DragonClaws]

17 minutes ago, Gaijin84 said:

I knew he looked familiar, but I didn't realize Morrison played Jango Fett until I dug a little bit more.

 

If you watch the Empire Strikes Back, they've even re-dubbed Boba Fett's character with his voice. Not that Fett said a lot, two lines at the most?.

Morrison is an actor, who turns up in a lot of varied roles, from DTV stuff, to Hollywood blockbusters, and everything in between. He's set to appear in the up-coming D.C flick Aquaman next, with Jason Momoa.

While he doesnt star in The Tracker with Ray Winstone, he's still very good in a supporting role. The last thing I watched him in, was Hrd Target 2, playing yet anohter villian.

 

[DiP]

Goldfinger (1964) - 9/10

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - 9/10

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - 8/10

[DragonClaws]

 

Fast & Furious 8(2017) - a.k.a The Fate of The Furious - Charismatic International terrorist Cipher(Charlize Theron), deviantly acquires the high-speed skills of Dom Toeretto(Vin Diesel). Forcing him to turn against the very team/family that's backed him up for all those year's. Cue lots of big action set pieces and explosions aplenty, in this two hour plus actioner from Director F.Gary.Gray(Law Abiding Citezen), who worked with Diesel on one his best movies, Man Apart(2003).

Despite being accustomed to the new F&F film making approach, since catching the franchise reviving Part 6. This movie certainly delivers, in terms of even more far fetched adventure's. There's a great supporting cast in the fiesty form of Michelle Rodgriuez with Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russel, Scott Eastwood. and even a minor cameo by Helen Mirren. Whom I'm guessing will return for next years's Hobbs and Shaw spin-off flick?. There's a very faint plot line that runs through this, but ita hard to be overly critical. You know what you’re getting yourself into, when you seek out one the films in this franchise. The presence of series Stalwart, the late Paul Walker, and his on-screen partner, are sorely missed. This-movie, was clearly going for a more downbeat mood, but this only add's to it.

Fans of the series will enjoy this, it's like Michael Caine’s Italian Job, after being put on a six week intensive cross-fit training program. I'm probably the only one still waiting for a F&F cameo by Herbie.

 

Guns out, Vin Diesel, in a promo still from the film, you dont get arms like that, from simply fixing racing cars.

 

 

 

Iron Clad 2: Bound by Blood(2014) - The epicly bad, and very loose sequel to the popular hit IronClad(2009), with wooden Tom Austin standing in for James Purefoy as Guy the Squire. Joining him is a gormless, poker faced Hubert(Tom Rhy's Harries), who's face never changes, wether someone attacking him with an axe, or he's watching someone get their head lopped off. Huberts ask Guy, and his only friend Berenger(David Caves), to help him defend his dying father's small castle. Actor Tom Austin challenges Rhy's Harries, in a who can act the most wooden. It says a lot, when your film prop sword, steals more scenes than you do. If you haven’t guessed already, this DTV sequel, is very little going for it.

It's a fantastic example of bad movie making, with more shakey cam than a McG/Paul Greengrass triple bill. Making the action un-watchable, maybe some of it was nicely staged?, you just cant tell, amid the zooming, quick cuts and CGI gore. The movie just fails on every level, it's not even entertaining in a bad way. Do yourself a big favour, and just re-watch the first movie, there's nothing to miss here. Even excellent Shakespearean actor Danny Webb(Henry V), really struggles to breath life into his role. Spending most of the runtime pulling funny faces, when he's not bashing anyone over the head with his mace.

 

Tom Austin, and his award winnng movie prop.

 

 

 

 

[Koravec]

Ghost Ship- Eh, pretty lame and boring in my book. The cool lenticular cover makes up for its contents.

A Ghost Story-If you thought the screaming mask from scream or hocky mask from Jason were classic depictions of a horror killer (come to think of it Micheal Myers and Freddy are really simple as well). This film takes it a step further and goes for the classic simple sheet over body with cut out holes for eyes halloween costume. Which may seem like an easy shtick or cash grab if it hasnt been done to death already, but as the movie plays out it is cleary apparent that thats not the case. Also the movies not really even a horror, despite the feeling of dread and existentialism it may cause its viewers.

It explores the wanderings of a soul after its life in the world and in between a next life (whatever that may be) trapped reminiscing over loss and confused about whats next, AKA a ghost.  

Some scenes play out what seems far too long, particularly near the beginning, but as it comes nearer to the end, those long scenes become more justified. With very little dialogue, I felt it could have done with even less (didnt find the party scene that necessary, though it could have been).

Anyway, Ive developed a bad habit of screwing around on my phone near the beginnings of films if Im not positive how promising theyll be or not attached to the story/characters (pretty much did this all the way through Ghost Ship). I can tell a movie is good, or at least doing something interesting for me when Id rather watch it than whats on my phone, and this is no exception, I started to become very glued to the story near the 3/4 mark. Nothing too mind blowing, however, Im glad I watched this one.

[AlbertV]

Johnny Gruesome (Greg Lamberson, 2018): What happens when a heavy-metal, horror film loving teenager is on the deep end only to be murdered and yet has his death made look like an accident? Come back from the dead and seek revenge of course! Lamberson adapted his own 2008 novel and did triple duty as writer, producer, and director of the film. There are some zany one-liners from the titular Johnny, played by "young Jack Sparrow" Anthony de la Torre (he played the young version of the Johnny Depp character in the last Pirates film) and some pretty interesting methods of death, one left with some comic relief. Now I'm definitely planning to read the novel.

[Koravec]

Murder on The Orient Express [2017]- Well I wanted a good train movie to immerse myself in, it was between this, train to busan, and finishing Railroad Tigers. I decided to choose this after being curious since seeing the trailer and because Johnny Depp and Daisy Ridley were in it. Turns out I would have been better off choosing either of the other two. I was barely immersed in a 'train' sort of film experience, as soon after the ride gets going the train breaks down. I was also very unimpressed with all the shots in the film that saw. 

What I really wasnt impressed with in the film was the fact that its essentially a detective mystery, the definition of one. Of which the original probably came out in a time where that was more prominent? This is okay but what doesnt work for me about this is that we dont meet or see any background of the characters suspected of the murder. Takes away any of the fun or interest of suspecting who committed the crime. Also the person murdered early on the movie is Johnny Depp, which takes away from his screen presence. 

I have a high tolerence for sitting through lackluster films or ones Im not too interested in, but because of the issue I had of the characters not being introduced before investigated for murder by the detective, I couldnt.

First Man- Very dry and impersonal movie. What scenes are personal come across as so insignificant and out of place in regards to the rest of the movie that they felt like they coukd have been cut. 

What the movie is, and what I also appriciate about it in some ways is a succession of missions leading up the landing on the moon. Which makes the story told in a way similar to a book of some sort. This method of story telling was put in place in a way that ended up taking up a lot of time. There were times where I was watching it unaware that the current mission they were on wasnt the one to the moon landing, which could have been me just not paying enough attention, Im not sure. 

Edited October 31, 2018 by Koravec

[DrNgor]

I've had a 4-day weekend and a giant monster movie marathon for it (just copying my Facebook remarks):

Colossal (2017) - So I'm having a post-Halloween, pre-Day of the Day giant monster marathon today, so I started off with this film. Despite being labeled as a comedy in some places, it's really a dark (in some places) drama in which the giant monster is a metaphor for both alcoholism and abusive relationships (director Nacho Vigalondo claimed it was a metaphor for Gamer Gate).

Anne Hathaway puts in a great performance as a woman who tries to overcome her own failings as a person, only for the men in her life to bring her down at every turn. In the end, she rises to the occasion to save her own existence, and the city of Seul, South Korea while she's at it. The more feminist types will enjoy watching the female protagonist come out on top without help from a stronger male, while giant monster fans should appreciate that director Vigalondo understands that giant monsters don't need to be a stand-in for only nuclear weapons/Hiroshima/Nagasaki.

Kong: Skull Island (2017) - The marathon continues with KONG: SKULL ISLAND, which I hadn't seen since it was in the theater. This movie was intense enough that I think it barely skirted away with an PG-13 rating. I like how the filmmakers had the unmitigated gall to throw in a shout-out to CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST of all things. The action sequences are excellent by any measuring stick and I'm glad we didn't get the usual menagerie of prehistoric beasties roaming the island. I still think GODZILLA '14 was a better *movie* movie, but this was a lot of fun. Plus, two out of the three black guys in the movie survive. Huzzah!

Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - Movie #3 is JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM. While the initial press for this was positive, there was a lot of fan backlash after it came out. Most of it has to do with characters making rash and dumb decisions in the third act, like how Ted "Buffalo Bill" Levine just *has* to get a indoraptor tooth for his necklace...he should've suffocated it with a sphinx moth first. Strangely enough, although movies often use a night setting to mask the inadequacies of the CGI, the CGI in the last act feels choppier than the earlier scenes on the island. I'm glad that we got an allosaurus, a carnotaurus and a baryonyx. And releasing a pachycelphalosaurid on a crowd of shady types during a dino auction is comedy gold.

So, we have a huge laboratory beneath a mansion filled with monsters. Sounds like RESIDENT EVIL to me. But then, we already had RESIDENT EVIL with dinosaurs, it was called DINO CRISIS. Shall that be the subtitle of the third film in the trilogy?

Power Rangers (2017) - This one surprisingly wasn't terrible. It's certainly the best of the three Power Rangers movies I watched this year. It's thankfully bereft of the dialog that made me want to kill myself in POWER RANGERS: NINJA STORM and the dated CGI that made the 1995 film so goofy. It's true that the movie starts out as The Breakfast Club, then becomes Super Hero Origin Story #753, and doesn't have any real action until the last 30 minutes. The martial arts is limited (sorry Author Scott Blasingame) to a brief fight against some rock monsters and a few flashy kicks, although much of it is dressed up with CGI. That said, I found the characters surprisingly endearing.

Jason the Red Ranger is essentially Emilio Estevez from The Breakfast Club. Kimberly the Pink Ranger reminds me A LOT of Amy Jo Johnson circa 1993, and her character is something of Molly Ringwald. Billy the Blue Ranger is now a black kid who comes across as a Sheldon/Asperger's type (in three of the four movies I've watched today, the black guy is the nerdy character). Trini the Yellow Ranger is now a Latino girl who's also a closet lesbian; I wished they would've explained her name by saying it was Maria de la Trinidad, and thus prefers "Trini" for short. Zack the Black Ranger is an underachieving Asian kid who sacrifices good school performance to take care of his bed-ridden mother. The last two get a few moments to emote, but the emotional crux of the film is Jason and Billy, with the latter shining.

Pulgasari (1985) - So I wasn't able to watch any movies yesterday (although I did go to the temple), but my giant monster marathon continues with PULGASARI, the infamous 1985 movie produced by North Korea, more specifically, by the late Kim Jong-Il. I'll post a review that has the story of the film's production in the comments.

Long story short, the government (circa 1200 AD, judging from the headware people use) is oppressing the farmers as they are wont to do. There's been a famine and now the government wants the blacksmith to transform all the farm tools into weapons to fight the rebels. A blacksmith creates Pulgasari, an indestructible minotaur-looking golem who eats iron, to protect the downtrodden peasantry. But as the monster gets bigger, the quantity of iron it consumes overwhelms the protection it offers.

I find this film interesting metaphor for government bureaucracy, which exists to provide services to the citizens and lives on our taxes, but without producing any actual wealth for the State. However, as the bureaucracy grows (especially in Brazil, where public servants have very high salaries and receive their full salary on retirement, as opposed to the rest of us, who have a salary cap for retirement), the public projects for the people's benefit that should be funded by our taxes, aren't, because of the money needs to fund the machine.

[DragonClaws]

 

Warning: This may contian spoilers, for those who havent seen the film.

Liability (2012) a.k.a The Hitmans Apprentice - Jack O'Connell, Talulah Riley, and Tim Roth, star in this better than average British crime film. O'Connell is an obnoxious deliquent teenager, who gets his only kicks stealing car's. His hard done to mum(Kiersten Wearing), is married to a small time gangster(Peter Mullan), with a holds a very dark secret. Tim Roth is the nameless aging hitman, whom O'Connell is tasked with driving around. In an attempt to get him away from the joy riding. That might bring un-wanted attention, to his stepfathers business.

This is not a gun blazing actioner, but a well paced, solidly directed film, with strong performances, from all the cast members involved. Talulah Riley and Peter Mullan having two stand-out performances. Mullans is great as nasty, sadistic gangster, with only money and sick perversion on his mind. Actress Riley is also great as the strong minded and very capable character, who is never given a name. She soon set to appear alongside Vin Diesel in Bloodshot, which is currnetly filming. Certainly onne for fans of indiependent British cinema.

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by DragonClaws

[ShaOW!linDude]

Watched a couple on Netflix.

Apostle (2018) Directed by Gareth Evans. The only actor I recognized was Michael Sheen.

The movie is set in the early 1900's. A cult has set up a community on an island, and a man infiltrates it in search of his sister who is being held for ransom. Having to fake his way through knowledge of their beliefs, he soon discovers that they worship a ancient pagan deity which the cult leaders also happen to have captured, forcing it to provide for them while exercising their will over the commune.

The trailer looked good and I was sold on the fact that Evans directed it. The cinematography is good using a palette of muted tones to capture the harshness of this cult commune on a stony island. Initially the story is quite intriguing and suspenseful, too. The acting is very good. The end becomes tension filled with the collision of subplots. However, ultimately I was left underwhelmed. For me, there was a lot left unexplained and portions that just didn't make sense to the plot. Things like that always irk me. I, for one, don't like movies where I'm left trying to figure out just what was going on. Filmmakers aren't doing me a favor leaving me with a story that I have to fill in with suppositions. 

Hold The Dark (2018) Stars: Alexander Skarsgard, Jeffrey Wright, Riley Keough, James Badge Dale. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier.

A retired naturalist and wolf expert is summoned to Alaska by a woman who has lost her son to a pack of wolves. While the naturalist hunts for the boy, the woman's husband returns home from serving in the Iraqi War. But as the truth of the boy's disappearance comes to light, the father goes on a rampage.

Again the trailer looked good. It's another film shot with muted tones depicting the harshness of a poor community that dwells in the wilderness and tundra. Skarsgard, as the father, exudes killer calm in every scene. The plot is pretty intriguing as it unfolds, and yet, once again, there are things that don't add up or are left unexplained. So I am underwhelmed and disappointed at the end of another movie.

 

I nabbed a DC animated film that I didn't even know was suppose to be coming out.

Constantine: City of Demons (2018)

This is the character John Constantine, a private investigator specializing in the occult. He's hired by a friend from the past to find and free the soul of his daughter. It's a very interesting story, full of wildly garish creatures, and some neat depictions of sorcery in action. I'm probably one of the few who enjoyed Keanu Reeves' Constantine, so I've always been interested in the character, though I confess to never having read any of the graphics or comics he's been in. I did enjoy seeing him used in DC's animated Justice League Dark. However, there are no other standard DC characters featured here, except those associated with the Constantine story line. This is a much darker tale with some rather adult themes, and it has a really "crime noir" essence to it. If you're into animated features, I think you'll dig this one.

[Drunken Monk]

6 minutes ago, ShaOW!linDude said:

Hold The Dark (2018) Stars: Alexander Skarsgard, Jeffrey Wright, Riley Keough, James Badge Dale. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier.

A retired naturalist and wolf expert is summoned to Alaska by a woman who has lost her son to a pack of wolves. While the naturalist hunts for the boy, the woman's husband returns home from serving in the Iraqi War. But as the truth of the boy's disappearance comes to light, the father goes on a rampage.

Again the trailer looked good. It's another film shot with muted tones depicting the harshness of a poor community that dwells in the wilderness and tundra. Skarsgard, as the father, exudes killer calm in every scene. The plot is pretty intriguing as it unfolds, and yet, once again, there are things that don't add up or are left unexplained. So I am underwhelmed and disappointed at the end of another movie.

This film annoyed the shit out of me. I thought there was going to be some interesting twist (or even point) to the film and it was basically, “We’re all a bit like wolves sometimes.” No pay off whatsoever. Not to mention the film was mundane and meandering.

It did have one of this year’s best shootouts though.

[ShaOW!linDude]

On 11/4/2018 at 2:23 PM, Drunken Monk said:

It did have one of this year’s best shootouts though.

Yeah, that was pretty brutal.

[DragonClaws]

 

Deadpool(2016) - Very late to the Deadpool party, what little I knew about the character, came from fan comments on this forum. My better half came home with the DP 1&2 box-set, and we decided to give the DVD a whirl last night. By no means a bad movie, found it far more entertaiing than I thought it would be, being a newbie to the whole character etc. Thought this might grab the hearts of more non Marvel fans?. You could see Troma studios producing this back in the 80's, though I'm sure they would have gone all out. It clear this wasnt aimed at the younger fans of Marvel, though I doubt many parents will have realized this. I don't mind crude jokes, but making a joke of molestation and a certain joke involving a small hand, were a step to far for me. Hypcritically I enjoyed the shock humour of the Bad Santa films, but it here it just seemed different here, some-how?. Gina Carano, gets little to do, yet again, other than look mean and nasty. Ryan Reynolds was clearly having the most fun out of everyone. They should have ditched all the four wall breaking, though thats just my opinion. I dont feel this deserved the hype it got, but at the same time, I dont understand why it was ripped apart so much either, by the Marvel haters appreciation society. Not sure what other fans think, but some of the violence looked toned down in places too. Felt it also borrowed a lot from the style and humour featured in the Kick-Ass flicks. British actor Ed Skiren made for a strong villian, in AJAX. With Morena Baccarin also supplied strong support, as a very different kind of love interest, as stripper Vanessa.

 

Deadpool, the super assassin, who's like a suped up ninja, with a sense of humour like George Carling.

Edited November 11, 2018 by DragonClaws

[Drunken Monk]

22 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

They should have ditched all the four wall breaking, though thats just my opinion.

 

That's Deadpool's thing. He's well known for his fourth wall breaking in the comics. If they'd left that out I imagine fans would have been upset.

I watched Crazy Rich Asians last night and for a film that really isn't my "thing," I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only was it a well told story, the film felt important. Not a white (or black) face in the entire thing.
Michelle Yeoh was great as the matriarch of the family and the two leads put in real solid performances. I'd be happy if Awkwafina never got another film role but I fear she's just going to go on to bigger and better things sadly. She's bloody horrendous.
All in all, a very enjoyable film. Low on comedy but high on romance and drama. I definitely recommend it to those who don't mind a slice of the lovey dovey stuff.