by jellydonut25 » Thu Jul 26, 2018 4:28 pm
The Endless - I really liked this one. Two guys escape from a cult and then return several years later after receiving a cryptic message and find out there might be more to the cult's ideas than they once realized. 4/5.
You Were Never Really Here - Eh. Phoenix is good. The movie is just kinda there. 2/5
Winchester - BORING. The house itself is the most interesting thing and I don't really feel like there was quite enough of it. This put me to sleep. 1/5
Revenge - With Craig Zahler's films (Bone Tomahawk and Brawl in Cell Block 99) I feel like I'm watching an exploitation movie that is somehow more; something that takes off from an exploitation starting point and elevates it to another level, borderline legitimizing exploitation cinema. With the Grindhouse 'franchise' movies, I feel like I'm watching something...maybe not LESS, but certainly less earnest. It's all wink wink and nudge nudge and 'missing reel' and gimmicky stuff...it's still kinda fun, but it actually doesn't feel anything like legitimate exploitation cinema. Revenge is. It's not elevated, it's not winky, it's just exploitation. The good news being that unlike a sadly large number of trashy grindhouse movies, it's entertaining pretty much wall to wall. I don't think it's quite as amazing as reviews are making it sound, but if you can roll with a few of its punches, you should have a good time with it (assuming you're interested in the first place). 3.5/5
Isle of Dogs - This didn't do it for me. It felt too...simple. None of the arcs really felt earned, it just felt like things happened because 'that's what happens next.' Plus, it's witty but not funny, and that's just not always my jam. It was fine, but not amazing. 2.5/5
Another Wolfcop - I don't want to be TOO harsh, because you head into WolfCop and Another WolfCop knowing they're trashy, winky, crap. But at the same time, it wouldn't kill them to have an actual ending and aim higher in humor than "Here's a werewolf penis." It ends up feeling like, when stuff DOES land, it's by accident. Not as novel or enjoyable as the first one, but it also moves at a pretty breezy pace and I basically had enough fun with it. I liked the practical effects work on display and the buckets of blood. 3/5.