Recently watched movies!

[DannyBeane]

[klen7]

Yeh, 28th for showings near me

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

4/20 for Colossal for me.

[Benjamin Haines]

[lhb412]

The Howling

Yeah, another movie I've been wanting to see for about 16 years but have somehow avoided. Not as awesome as American Wererwolf (which came out the same year) but a clever and interesting monster movie. I actually think I like the beginning of the movie the most, before the more overt monster-y stuff happens: with the botched police sting, the back and forth between Dee Wallace and the news station. Robert Picardo kills it as what is essentially the main werewolf even though he doesn't really have that much screen time.


Also, if you're a fan of old monster movies this film is worth its weight in gold in cameos (Roger Corman, Forry Ackerman, Kevin McCarthy, and a several more).

[Dr Kain]

The Accountant - Far from perfect, but still a damn good movie. Too bad I missed it in the theaters because it was a great watch. The story did slow down a bit, some of it was predictable, and the narrative got slightly convoluted in the last act, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I also laugh that this movie pretty much starred Amanda Waller, DareDevil/Batman, Jameson/Gordon, Hellboy's boss, and Punisher. :lol It was a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon relaxing after the busy few weekends we have recently had, so I'm going to give it an 8/10. If you find yourself with the ability to watch it, definitely do so.

[Dr Kain]

Your Name - This turned out a lot better than it could have as it was really thought provoking and well written. It also approached its interesting themes with intelligence and it didn't dive into your normal anime tropes, which was also a bonus. The characters were all likable and it was well paced. Also, for being a Funimation dub they pretty much used one of the LA studios to dub the movie, which was strange. It was a great dub too. One couple that were next to us had seen it in Japanese and said the dub was equally as good. My only complaint is that the story was a bit predictable, but it didn't hinder the enjoyment one bit. I give it an 8/10.

The BFG - Another movie I wished I had gone to see in theaters because was fantastic. I've only read some of the original story, but outside of a few instances, it seemed quite accurate to what I have read. It was well done and the acting was great. 2016 was the year of child actors. I want Disney to go and adapt every Dahl book into a movie like this (even if the book has already had adaptations). It was fun, it was serious when it needed to be, and it was just a blast to see overall. I give it a 9/10.

[klen7]

I have tried to watch BFG twice and have fallen asleep 3 times. The second time I woke up with the Queen and corgis drinking the fizzy drink and just gave up. Since you enjoyed it, did you think that it needed to be over 2 hours long?

[Dr Kain]

[MekaGojira3k]

[lhb412]

^I kinda wish the film's central premise of a resort for werewolves was dropped and the film just focused on the Picardo werewolf as the film's chief villain and source of scares.

[Dr Kain]

I couldn't get into The Howling either when I watched it last year. My g/f loved it though, but she saw it when she was a kid. I guess this is one of those movies that nostalgia is what makes it good.

[lhb412]

^I think it suffers a bit in comparison to American Werewolf (which is a perfect movie) as well as Joe Dante's later, better movies like the two Gremlins and Matinee.

Anyway, today was the last day of my vacation so I went to the movies!

Your Name

The Japanese anime mega-blockbuster that managed to beat Shin Godzilla at the box office! I kinda wrote this film off at first because I felt the character designs were rather bland and it seemed like another teen-centric anime from Japan. I'm glad I gave it a chance, even if I think I'd like it a whole lot better if I was closer to the age of the main characters (which is something I think about a lot of anime). Two high school students, a boy in Tokyo and a girl in a small, rural town, begin switching bodies randomly. Every few days they'll wake up as the other person and live out the rest of that day before going to sleep and returning to their own lives. Soon they get a handle on the switches, leaving messages and instructions for each other to find to make the situation easier. With each's respective talents and different temperaments they end up actually improving each other's lives - and then halfway through the film something else happens and I don't want to give it away.

By the way: both this and Shin Godzilla are essentially post-3/11 movies that deal in their own way with tragedy of the disaster. It's rather explicit, and I was really surprised by this. I had no idea that would be an element in the film.

Get Out

Ah, now I'm only a few months behind everyone else. I'm getting better.

It's kind of insane that it's taken this long for a horror film with a black main character where the monster is white people. I mean, it seems so obvious, right? Well, I suppose being clever means grasping the obvious that everyone else has missed. In a way this kinda reminds me of American Werewolf in London: both by a writer/director known for comedy, a best friend who plays a big role in the story (and steals every scene he's in), and both films have a lot of comedy in it but it doesn't really merge into 'comedy horror' like Evil Dead II or something. The horror is pure horror, you know?

[lhb412]

Got up early and watched Gamera: Guardian of the Universe this morning, which is something I'm sure you all empathize with. When you get the itch you just have to watch a kaiju film!

[canofhumdingers]

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - seeing this in the theater I walked out saying it might be my favorite Harry Potter film yet. After rewatching it at home, I've figured out why. Its totally a quintessential Doctor Who episode wrapped up in the clothing of the Wizarding World! Seriously, think about it. A strange, quirky British guy travels to a new, unusual place with a box that's bigger on the inside. His mis-adventures lead him to make companions with a human who turns out to be more extraordinary than his humble introduction implies and a couple of aliens (witches). He gets into more trouble than it seems he can handle only to outwit and outmaneuver his enemies with the help of trinkets like a yo-yo (okay, yo-yo monster) and his "lowly" (in the eyes of their peers) friends. In the end, he saves the day and everyone (friends and enemies alike) in a spectacular display of showmanship that no one could have predicted. He also understands, empathizes with, and wants to save the monsters everyone else fears and wants to destroy. He even wears a piece of "celery" on (under) his lapel!

Doctor Strange - if Fantastic Beasts was Doctor Who in different clothing, Doctor Strange was Marvel's version of a Harry Potter film. I won't draw as many parallels as above, but all that magical sorcery felt very potter-ish at times. And then, the grand finale was straight up from Doctor Who! .

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

Fantastic Beasts- This was actually a few weeks ago. This was my first time watching the movie and I really enjoyed it almost more so than most of the Potter movies.

Independence Day Resurrgence- I was a little hesistant to watch this after rewatching the first last year and finding it really doesn't hold up to well but I was surprised by this one. It's actually a pretty decent sequel.

[Dr Kain]

Anne Hathaway stars in a new film that features a giant monster that she is somehow in control of. However, is this movie a Kaiju fans dream come true or was it poorly mismarketed? Watch this review to find out.

[Rody]

Your Name hit all the right marks for me. What looks like a goofy gimmick plot is actually a very finely written, intelligent narrative that takes an entirely different dramatic turn halfway in, and transforms the story into something really special. It's a beautifully made film that's funny, as well as (almost?) heartbreaking. I've never really cried during a movie, but this one had my stomach in a knot of suspense for the entire third act. Makoto Shinkai said he was striving to create a "universal" film, and I think he succeeded. It's still Japanese in some of its sensibilities, perhaps, but with its themes and epic visuals, Your Name could totally be a blood relative, of sorts, to the likes of Pixar or European works like The Secret of Kells. As of this post, the movie has reportedly made $4 million here in the States. Keep going! Bravo, Shinkai!
Grade: A.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
This is a very old, color-tinted silent, psychological thriller about a madman, a sleepwalker, and a mysterious string of murders in a small town. While the shock and thrills this movie presents are quite tame by modern standards, the film is a great exercise in expressionist art style, and it's essentially one of the forerunners of the crime thriller. Kino's restoration is, presumably, complete; those with an interest in film history should certainly give this one a look.
The twist at the end is priceless!
Grade: B.

Start the Revolution Without Me!
Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland play two pairs of mismatched identical twins - one pair raised as peasants, the other pair raised as nobles - who become caught up in political unrest and ultimately play key roles in starting the French Revolution! (?!)
This film isn't totally cohesive - and it's ending honestly seemed like a cop out - but Wilder and Sutherland deliver two splendidly funny performances (each!), and overall the film is a chaotic delight. It's nothing great, but it's pretty good. I was well amused.
Grade: B-.

...And no, I haven't seen Colossal yet; I haven't even looked.
Your Name has left me so sated I haven't been paying much attention to what's in theaters; but I figure I should try to see Colossal if only to support another monster movie. It certainly looks interesting.

[mr.negativity]

[klen7]

^ interesting retrospective on Austin Powers there

[lhb412]

I remember being vaguely aware of the first Austin Powers when it was released, but it felt like it was the second one where it really exploded and felt like some kind of phenomenon.

[Benjamin Haines]

Before the second Austin Powers was even out, I remember a lot of adults at my family's church were sharing the first movie with each other on VHS.

[lhb412]

The Killer

John Woo's Hollywood films (and general rip-offs of his style) were ubiquitous in the '90s when I was a kid, but I always heard his Hong Kong stuff was better and never actually checked out that claim and today I did and damn this movie is good! At first I was skeptical, because I thought I'd seen Woo's style blown up and genericized to hell and back so I thought the awesomeness would be somehow diminished but I was wrong and that's because it's not all action: It's all about codes of honor and friendship! I was totally invested in the story of a hitman (Chow Yun Fat) who abides by codes of honor working for criminals who have left honor behind while a renegade cop stops at nothing to catch him even as they grow to admire each other!

[lhb412]

The Legend of Drunken Master (aka Drunken Master II)

The fight scenes, stunts, and gags are so amazing that I was able to get past the mistimed dubtitles that this film is saddled with on Netflix.