Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | {Insert Appropriate Seasonal Greeting Here}

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Saw Furiosa or whatever last night and what a boring snorefest. 2.5/10

(I watched a few other films I didn't comment on, but that one was just too much)

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Another end of the month, another case of me rushing to watch a Walter Hill movie before it leaves Tubi (though I know full well it'll be back in another month or two). Finally caught Hard Times, which was Hill's debut. Along with Johnny Handsome, I'd put this among his underseen gems. Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Strother Martin in Depression-era New Orleans hustling bare-knuckle boxing bouts for cash. HIll's sense for setting is there from the jump. A lot of great scenery (the fight settings kinda remind me of fighting game backdrops — this one's in a factory, this one is on the deck of a boat, this one is at some sort of outdoor party, etc.). The action is lively. Hill's not in a rush to finish a fight and the foley work makes you feel the fleshy punches. It's a snappy script (I particularly enjoy every languid syllable that rolls gently out of Martin's mouth as the opium-addict doc). Hard men with honor. Desperate men hooked on action. Basic, but really satisfying stuff. Coburn gets to be chatty and shifty and Bronson, who is always more of a great presence than a good actor, is, for my money, at his best here. He's a weathered old oak with few words, but he makes every one count.

Bad Lieutenant. Abel Ferrara is perhaps the patron saint of grimy pre-Giuliani New York City. His films are flush with bad people, worse cops, violence, prostitution, drug use, etc. There's a real verisimilitude (Ferrara himself was a heroin addict), but they guy also has a knack for giving you a good, compelling "story." I use quotes because it's not always the story per se. He's more than willing to let actors loose and that makes for an interesting watch ("entertaining" doesn't always apply, though King of New York is a blast). Here it's Harvey Keitel playing a howling raw nerve of a corrupt cop. We watch him commit nearly every professional (and personal) sin imaginable, but when he looks in the face of true forgiveness, will he be able to start to right his wrongs? It's a deeply unpleasant, uncomfortable film, but Keitel is committed if you can stomach it. And again Ferrara manages to thread the needle between trash and art.

Legend. The good: I really like the vibe and look. Rick Baker's makeup and Tim Curry's performance are fantastic. The bad: Kinda dull. Recycled ideas and character types just done much better elsewhere. The ugly: Poor Tom Cruise. Can't decide what's worse here, his teeth or his bare legs. I heard somewhere that this is one of the movies that he just doesn't acknowledge. I can see why.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Watched We Need to Talk About Kevin again the other day. Reviewed it a while back so I'm not going to go through that again.

An excellently uncomfortable film. Strong acting all around, solid sound track, and an overall twisted plot. Ezra Miller really kills this role, no pun intended.

 

[Babe Ruth]

The Boys in the Boat (2023)

A standard issue sports underdog movie. Based on the true account of an American rowing team, that won gold at the '36 Olympics.
Good casting, inspiring piece of history. But just very basic underdog movie. Streamed it on Prime..

 

[Osprey]

Starcrash (1978) - 4/10

Credit to Roger Corman for noticing the success of Star Wars, being one of the first to rip it off and putting his heroine in a slave bikini years before George Lucas. Bond girl Caroline Munro's character Stella Star (seems redundant) gets captured early on and sentenced to manual labor in a black swimsuit, then continues to wear it even after she escapes and for most of the rest of the movie, but I'm not complaining. That and her other outfits are probably the highlights of the movie. If you do take your eyes off of her, though, you'll notice a Luke Skywalker wannabe who has unexplained special powers and fights with a lightsaber and a wholesome droid with corny sayings and a funny accent. Yes, this movie has no shame. Then, there's a baby-faced David Hasselhoff, whose acting is actually better than most of the cast's (which says a lot) and Christopher Plummer, who has easily the best acting, but perhaps the worst agent. The dialogue is atrocious and the plot doesn't make sense. The space battles have simplistic effects and it's hard to tell what's going on in them. The spaceships and space stations look like those spray-painted cups with glued-on macaroni that you made in kindergarten. One of the characters has green skin, but parts of the actor's neck are left exposed. There isn't enough time to list everything that's incompetent, stupid or just bad about this movie, but at least that made it consistently hilarious. I'm not sure that it's "so bad it's good," but I enjoyed laughing at it and am giving it a higher score than it probably deserves because of that.

---

Maximum Overdrive (1986) - 5/10

People get stuck at a truck stop by trucks that don't stop. You could say that it's a semi fun movie about the dangers of self-driving cars. Stephen King originally warned us in 1983 with Christine, but I guess that it wasn't taken seriously, so he personally directed this film a few years later to really drive home the danger that we might be in. Seriously, he could probably point to it as an example of the dangers of doing drugs because he claims that he was "coked out of his mind" during production. That would explain some things, but so would having no clue what he was doing as a first-time (and last-time) director. The trucks and other vehicles have more personality than the human characters and King seems to have more fun directing them, too. The movie is at its most entertaining when the vehicles are pretending to be alive and causing mass destruction, and at its worst when it focuses on the humans and tries in vain to create believable drama or even dialogue. It's also at its best whenever the soundtrack made up entirely of songs from AC/DC (reportedly, King's favorite band) is playing. If you're down for listening to some hard rock while some heavy metal obliterates buildings, cars and people, it's entertaining enough. It's just too bad that there isn't much more to it than that.

 

[Babe Ruth]

View attachment 878197
Starcrash (1978) - 4/10

Credit to Roger Corman for noticing the success of Star Wars, being the first to rip it off and putting his "Leia" in a slave bikini years before George Lucas. Bond girl Caroline Munro's character Stella Star (seems redundant) gets taken prisoner early on and is forced to do manual labor in a black swimsuit, then continues to wear it after she escapes and for most of the rest of the movie, but you won't hear me complaining. That and her other outfits are probably the highlights of the movie. If you do take your eyes off of her, though, you'll notice a Luke Skywalker wannabe who has unexplained special powers and fights with a lightsaber and a wholesome droid with corny sayings and a funny accent. Yes, this film has no shame. Then, there's a baby-faced David Hasselhoff, whose acting is actually better than most of the cast's (which says a lot) and Christopher Plummer, who has easily the best acting, but perhaps the worst agent. Besides the acting, the dialogue is atrocious and the plot doesn't make sense. The space battles are poorly edited, have crude effects and might trigger seizures. The spaceships and space stations look like those spray-painted cups with glued-on macaroni that you made in kindergarten. One of the actors has his face painted green, but parts of his neck are left exposed. There isn't enough time to list everything that's incompetent, stupid or just bad about this movie, but at least that made it consistently hilarious. I'm not sure if I'd say that it's so bad that it's "good," but I certainly enjoyed laughing at it.

I'm surprised (& disappointed) I've never heard of this..
Thanks for mentioning, I'm gonna try to find and stream it..
The image you posted, has a Gil Gerard' Buck Rogers feel to it.

 

[Osprey]

I'm surprised (& disappointed) I've never heard of this..
Thanks for mentioning, I'm gonna try to find and stream it..
The image you posted, has a Gil Gerard' Buck Rogers feel to it.

I hadn't heard of it until recently, either.
It's on all of the usual ad-supported services (Roku, Tubi, Crackle, Freevee, etc.).
Yes, it did feel more like Buck Rogers than Star Wars, and Munro's character reminded me of Erin Gray's character more than Leia, but it pre-dated Buck Rogers by a year.

 

[Chili]

Picnic at Hanging Rock-1975

'Everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place.'

Valentine's Day, 1900 and a girl's school in Australia sets out on a picnic. Seems like a great location for the outing although there is a mysticism surrounding the area. The girls are warned about possible dangers although four girls do set out to explore the rock. Only one will later return...The author of the novel (Joan Lindsay) based the story on a dream (or dreams) but it comes across as a real incident. When I heard the pan flute, thought of Once Upon a Time in America and it was performed by the same brilliant artist (Gheorghe Zamfir). The score sets a tone for the film. Very well done mystery.

El Cid-1961

From the era of historical epics, another one starring Charlton Heston (he was quoted once saying that he didn't have a face for modern films). 11th century tale of Roderigo Diaz de Bivar (Charlton Heston as El Cid) leading defense of his Spanish homeland against the North African Moors. There is an on and off love story with Cid and Doña Ximena (Sophia Loren) which is distracting from the main plot at times because of the much larger story. The scale of some scenes, truly a 'cast of thousands', is awesome including a 'to the death' jousting match and massive battles. Beautifully shot on location. It's not Ben Hur, still an impressive film.

The Crying Game-1992

The film begins with the kidnapping of a British soldier, Jody (Forest Whitaker) in Northern Ireland. While he is being held and realizing his dire situation, the soldier opens up to one of his captors, Fergus (Stephen Rea) sharing details of his personal life . The story later shifts to London where Fergus tries to find the special friend Jody spoke of (Jaye Davidson). Feels like two separate stories (which later merge) and with significant plot twists to keep things interesting. Davidson, who wasn't an actor is very good here. Well done thriller, original.

 

[Nakatomi]

Cinema Paradiso - 4/10

Even the shorter Director's Cut, which I understand to be the one that gets all the praise and is beloved, is too long.

About the best thing I can say is there are some amazing shots of Sicily to be enjoyed. But all in all, it is pure, unadulterated schmaltz. I took a long time to get around to this "classic" and don't feel like I would've missed anything had I never seen it. Oh well.

 

[Babe Ruth]

I hadn't heard of it until recently, either.
It's on all of the usual ad-supported services (Roku, Tubi, Crackle, Freevee, etc.).
Yes, it did feel more like Buck Rogers than Star Wars, and Munro's character reminded me of Erin Gray..

Thanks. I streamed it on Tubi. I did see the Star Wars influence, including Hasselhoff's lightsaber fight with the two robots.
After watching it, my closest comparison would be, it felt like a poor man's Flash Gordon.
It was funny that the Erin Gray character's prison uniform consisted of high heel boots, a bikini, and big earrings.
It seemed like a lot of available effort was put in to the special effects(?) And if nothing else, Starcrash is a good (aesthetic) time capsule of late 70s sci-fi..

Incidentally, you notice the credits were overwhelmingly Italian last names.. was there such a genre as spaghetti sci-fi?

 

[Osprey]

Incidentally, you notice the credits were overwhelmingly Italian last names.. was there such a genre as spaghetti sci-fi?

Yeah, it was an American-Italian co-production and was filmed in Rome. Most of the crew was Italian, including the director, who was credited under an Anglicized pseudonym. Most of the cast was English-speaking, but, interestingly, the British lead actress (Munro) was dubbed because they wanted her to sound American. It's hard to notice, though, because the dub is well synced to her lips.

There were other spaghetti sci-fis from around that time. There were also spaghetti post-apocalyptic films that tried to capitalize on Mad Max, like The New Barbarians, aka Warriors of the Wasteland, which you can find on Prime and YouTube, if you dare.

 

[Unholy Diver]

Yeah, it was an American-Italian co-production and was filmed in Rome. Most of the crew was Italian, including the director, who was credited under an Anglicized pseudonym. Most of the cast was English-speaking, but, interestingly, the lead actress (Munro) was dubbed, despite being British, because they apparently wanted her to sound American. It's hard to notice, though.

Yeah, there were other spaghetti sci-fis from around that time. There were also spaghetti post-apocalyptic films that tried to capitalize on Mad Max, like The New Barbarians, aka Warriors of the Wasteland, which you can find on Prime and YouTube, if you dare.

Though it was not Italian, and pre-dates Mad Max, I have a soft spot for A Boy and his Dog when it comes to lower grade/cult post apocalyptic movies

 

[Osprey]

Though it was not Italian, and pre-dates Mad Max, I have a soft spot for A Boy and his Dog when it comes to lower grade/cult post apocalyptic movies

I watched it for the first time a couple of years ago. It wasn't what I expected. Also, according to my review, it takes place in 2024.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Everyone knows what a POS Spacey is, but that doesn't take away all the excellent work he did. I am happy with him not getting work anymore because he is a predator, but he is one of the best actors in the last 30 years, screen and stage.

 

[CDJ]

Babes (2024)

Your wife/girlfriend/baby mama will probably love it. Not super relatable as an unmarried childless dude in his 30s but still entertaining and funny. Good cast, good premise. I was hoping I’d like it as much as Bridesmaids and while it fell short of that movie I still found it to be of quality. Easy watch. Touched on things like the evolution of friendships over time, PPD, and the chaos of parenthood.


7.2/10

 

[Nakatomi]

Cruel Intentions and Law Abiding Citizen. Both trash.

 

[CDJ]

Cruel Intentions and Law Abiding Citizen. Both trash.

Law abiding citizen is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s a garbage movie but f*** it Gerard butler and Jamie Foxx are so cool

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Another end of the month, another case of me rushing to watch a Walter Hill movie before it leaves Tubi (though I know full well it'll be back in another month or two). Finally caught Hard Times, which was Hill's debut. Along with Johnny Handsome, I'd put this among his underseen gems. Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Strother Martin in Depression-era New Orleans hustling bare-knuckle boxing bouts for cash. HIll's sense for setting is there from the jump. A lot of great scenery (the fight settings kinda remind me of fighting game backdrops — this one's in a factory, this one is on the deck of a boat, this one is at some sort of outdoor party, etc.). The action is lively. Hill's not in a rush to finish a fight and the foley work makes you feel the fleshy punches. It's a snappy script (I particularly enjoy every languid syllable that rolls gently out of Martin's mouth as the opium-addict doc). Hard men with honor. Desperate men hooked on action. Basic, but really satisfying stuff. Coburn gets to be chatty and shifty and Bronson, who is always more of a great presence than a good actor, is, for my money, at his best here. He's a weathered old oak with few words, but he makes every one count.

Bad Lieutenant. Abel Ferrara is perhaps the patron saint of grimy pre-Giuliani New York City. His films are flush with bad people, worse cops, violence, prostitution, drug use, etc. There's a real verisimilitude (Ferrara himself was a heroin addict), but they guy also has a knack for giving you a good, compelling "story." I use quotes because it's not always the story per se. He's more than willing to let actors loose and that makes for an interesting watch ("entertaining" doesn't always apply, though King of New York is a blast). Here it's Harvey Keitel playing a howling raw nerve of a corrupt cop. We watch him commit nearly every professional (and personal) sin imaginable, but when he looks in the face of true forgiveness, will he be able to start to right his wrongs? It's a deeply unpleasant, uncomfortable film, but Keitel is committed if you can stomach it. And again Ferrara manages to thread the needle between trash and art.

Legend. The good: I really like the vibe and look. Rick Baker's makeup and Tim Curry's performance are fantastic. The bad: Kinda dull. Recycled ideas and character types just done much better elsewhere. The ugly: Poor Tom Cruise. Can't decide what's worse here, his teeth or his bare legs. I heard somewhere that this is one of the movies that he just doesn't acknowledge. I can see why.

Love BL and have no idea what Herzog was doing when he clearly ripped it off (and then denied it) with his Nic Cage re-imagining. I think Keitel's performance is one of the greatest ever in that film.

 

[Nakatomi]

A Simple Favor - 7/10

The plot got beyond far fetched, but it was fun enough before dragging in the second half. Whoever was in charge of wardrobe for Blake Lively was having a ball.

 

[Raging Bull]

Cinema Paradiso - 4/10

Even the shorter Director's Cut, which I understand to be the one that gets all the praise and is beloved, is too long.

About the best thing I can say is there are some amazing shots of Sicily to be enjoyed. But all in all, it is pure, unadulterated schmaltz. I took a long time to get around to this "classic" and don't feel like I would've missed anything had I never seen it. Oh well.

I'm not a fan of it either, but the score is absolutely terrific.

 

[CDJ]

The Watchers by Ishana Night Shyamalan (2024)

M.Night’s daughter made her directorial debut at 24/25 with this one. It’s not reviewing well with critics but is getting a more middling score from audiences. I kinda liked it to be honest- its origins lie in Irish lore, the setting was beautiful, the monsters were genuinely creepy, It was nice to see Dakota Fanning…I forgot she existed! She did good. The crazy old lady from Tarot was in it too. She plays the same kinda character in every PG-13 horror movie apparently.

You can tell it’s written and directed by a Shyamalan, the end started to lose me a little but she did a better job than her dad did in some of his movies in terms of getting things back on the rails imo.

I went 6.0/10

Not gonna agree with critics every time and if I did then where is the fun in that?

 

[PK Cronin]

IF - 4/10

Saw this one the other day and it wasn't good. A good premise with poor execution that at times became a jumbled mess. I'm not really sure what the moral of the story is at this point and seemed to want to go in 4 or 5 different directions and never picked one. Plot holes were all over the place, which is slightly expected for a kids movie but this was too much for me. The acting is mediocre considering the cast as well. The visuals were nice and that was the largest positive. Wouldn't recommend and I don't think I'd ever watch it again.

 

[sr edler]

The Apartment (1960) by Billy Wilder – 10/10

This film's fantastic. I don't think I need to say much more.