Recently watched movies!

[Hybrid Gojira]

Daikaiju Gamera - The film started with a bang. It was interesting and held my attention. Then it felt like it literally stole plot points directly from Godzilla, even specific scenes, and the middle and third acts had too much that draggggged on. For a movie with a run time of an hour an 18 minutes (if memory serves), it felt more like 2 hours. Tonally, the film can't decide what to do with Gamera. Is he a savior of children? Or does he kill, quite intentionally, everyone he sees? Because aside from Toshio (sp?), Gamera is basically a ruthless monster who really needs a Snickers. Everything after Gamera stops attacking the city sucks. So yeah, it had some really interesting bits, some very plagiarized parts, and then some really dull and tonally confused pieces. Meh.

[klen7]

My favorite HK director in recent years has been Johnnie To. His films Election and Election 2 are as close i will come to comparing a film to The Godfather and The Godfather 2. Both very good films, with a third planned for release in 2018. The movies were confusing released in the US as 'Election' and 'Triad Election' despite the second being a direct and poetic continuation of the story... to confuse matters they were released along with another completely unrelated film (by a different director) as "The Triad Trilogy" in the US... this unrelated film stars Andy Lau and is titled 'Triad Underworld'.. all three films were put on the same single sided Bluray disc... I watched Triad Underworld for the first time last night... in a lot of ways the first half of the film reminded me a lot of the HK action films of the 90s... but there wasnt much action to be seen, just "cool" camera shots and club scenes, which became a staple of the genre during those years... overall not much happens in this film, and then there is a huge twist in the final 5 minutes that turns the entire movie upside down... i really wonder if the movie would have been better served by leading with this revelation rather than saving it as a twist... as it stands, i couldnt tell you if its a good movie or not without a second viewing.

[lhb412]

The Killers (1946)

Two assassins come into a small town, the Swede (Burt Lancaster) knows they're coming for him, and he lets them kill him without trying to run or fight. It's this acceptance that strikes an insurance investigator as strange, so he goes on a quest that involves meeting the man's acquaintances, childhood friends, and criminal associates. From then we got a series of slightly out of sequence flashbacks that fill us in on just what happened to this guy.

Great noir. It plays like a combination of Citizen Kane (released several years before) and Out of the Past (which came out the following year, but it's based on a book so I have no idea who, if anyone, is intentionally ripping off who).

The Killers (1964)

This intended-for-TV movie (that ended up being released theatrically) is nowhere near as good as the earlier version, but it puts an interesting spin on the story, has a great lead performance from Lee Marvin, and it was directed by Don (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry) Siegel.

[Dr Kain]

I loved the original version of The Killers.

Jaws - A cinematic masterpiece. That's all I have to say. 10/10.

[Dr Kain]

Secret Life of Pets - Funny, yet dumb, The Secret Life of Pets is not even close to having as much complexity or thought provoking measures as the movies that have been released by Disney this year. As such, don't go into this expecting to have the same quality we have gotten from both Zootopia and Finding Dory this year as there is none to be had. What we did get was a simplistic, basic movie about stuff that happens with some dogs. It is fun, but by no means great. You could do much worse this weekend though with the likes of Mike and Dave, as is though, it is just something that kids will definitely enjoy while most adults will probably find themselves bored. Overall, I give it a 7/10 and there is nothing after the credits, just a scene during them. Once that scene is over, you are good to go.

Oh, and I'm not sure if it is because I'm tired of the Minions, but the short before the movie was predictably generic and boring.

In a Lonely Place - This movie was... wow, just wow. Amazing. It isn't my favorite Bogart movie or Noir, but this may be my favorite performance from Bogart to date. He shows so many different sides to his acting ability with the character he plays in this that he is absolutely stunning. The story itself is very interesting and different for a Noir becasue nobody truly gives a crap about the murder that occured, only on how it is affecting this man's personal life and relationships. He is pretty much a loaded gun who needs to go off at times be it for good or bad. Truly remarkable as he is clearly a man suffering from PTSD that refuses treatment. The complexity of the story is well told and grants us a fine piece of cinema and one of the best movies to kick off the 1950s. Overall, I give this masterpiece a 9/10 as its only flaw is being a little slow moving.

[jellydonut25]

I can't stand The Minions.

[Hybrid Gojira]

[lhb412]

^A lot of people list Barugon as their favorite old Gamera movie because it's the most solidly serious, but I agree that it just drags too much. I also think it's too much of a downer for what it needs to be. I don't think I'll budge from my position that vs. Gyaos is the strongest Showa Gamera film.

[Dr Kain]

[klen7]

A couple of rewatches for me this weekend.
Watched The Raid: Redemption last night. The dub is really rough, i had only seen it subbed previously. The martial arts in this film are ridiculously brutal.
Watched The Raid 2: Berandal tonight. I really like that it picks up where the first ends and expands the story. The dubbing is a lot better in this one.

Who would have thought two of the best martial flicks in the past 5 years would come out of Indonesia.

Also after seeing the choreography and action by Yayan Ruhian and Iko Uwais, it really seems that they were completely wasted in Force Awakens. Maybe Donnie Yen will get a better chance to shine in Rogue One

[Hybrid Gojira]

[O.Supreme]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) -OK before I get all the "You want those 2 1/2 hours back" , just here me out. I am by no means no Michael Bay fanboy, but I have been a Transformers fan since the very beginning (May 1984) . I have not watched this film in quite a while because of the stigma it holds, generally agreed upon by most fans and non-fans alike as the worst of the series so far, despite the fact that it made the most money domestically...Anyway, yes it has serious flaws... Sam & his parents are painfully annoying. Of the 4 entries, this one probably has the most juvenile and gutter humor. All that being said however...The Visual Effects are actually quite amazing. Remember this was actually nominated for an academy award for Visual Effects, and somehow lost to The Golden Compass, which was a travesty. But when I compare the effects of this film, with that of Age of Extinction (which I was high on because of the *improved* human casting) the effects are really, really bad. I mean I was told by others how shoddy some of the effects in AoE were, but I had to compare it with something else. I mean in AoE the Autobots/Dinobots look like they got all the effort, while the digitizing Decepticons look awful, especially Galvatron in many shots. But pretty much all the VFX in RotF look really great. Basically this gives me hope. Someday maybe...I will get the Transformers film I would like. Its not just a matter of getting *rid* of Bay. I think you need to get rid of everyone an just start fresh. Also a really good film would take place on Cybertron and/or a series of alien worlds and involve minimal to zero human characters.

[mr.negativity]

[jellydonut25]

I loathed Revenge of the Fallen the one and only time I've seen it so much, I quit on the series at that point and have never returned.

[O.Supreme]

[lhb412]

Gilda

Loved it! This is an iconic noir, which I thought was strange at first because it seemed like a romantic melodrama with some crime/thriller elements (much like Casablanca, a film this resembles somewhat, is a romantic melodrama with war movie elements), but I saw more noir in this film as it went on. The dialog is just spectacular; it's like tennis with each character spiking their lines at each other. It's a movie that could satisfy you if you look at it entire straightforwardly, but if you're inclined to dig a little deeper there's a whole lot that's ambiguous about it.

[Dr Kain]

You know, it's weird as I loved Revenge of the Fallen the day I saw it in the Imax. I would argue why it was a great movie whenever someone said it was awful. I even bought it on BD the day it came out. Unfortunately, I was too busy to watch it, so I didn't get to watch it until two years later and holy crap, that movie was just down right dreadful.

Anyway,

Dr Strangelove - That was one strange ass movie. I never knew Kubrick ever did a comedy, let alone could pull one off. It was great. George Scott was fantastic and I love the facial reactions he would give whenever he was being dumped on by the president. There were some areas of the movie that I felt completely lost with though, especially when it came to some of the dialog between the mad general and Peter Seller's Lt character, but other than that, I laughed my ass off quite a bit. I'm not sure whether I want to give it a 7 or an 8 because I can't figure out if I loved it or just liked it. This is definitely one that will require a second viewing in the near future.

[lhb412]

^The crazy general's beliefs are a (slightly) exaggerated version of some things actual far-right conspiracy theorists believed back then - combined with the character's transparent sexual dysfunction. Think of it as Kubrick's statement and the seemingly all-to-prevelent paranoid nutzo politics (I wish I could say things are better now). Seller's character there is just trying to keep it together and not get on the bad side of this lunatic while at the same time get the information he needs out of them.

[lhb412]

The Blob (1958)

This is a powerful nostalgic experience, as I haven't watched this completely since I was 7 years old or so. It left a big impression, and it still does - I mean, it's a very low budget independently produced monster movie, but it's a lot smarter than many other films of that type from the '50s in that it's filmed in vibrant color, makes nice use of it's small town location (instead of simply looking cheap), snagged a great lead in a pre-fame Steve McQueen, and just has such a great idea of a monster! Is there a single cleverer idea for a monster than The Blob?

Of course, I would have loved to have seen more of the titular Blob, and maybe heard more of Burt Bacharach's theme music.

[Dr Kain]

Jem - WTF did I just watch? Man, suddenly Bayformers doesn't seem so bad anymore. Neither do the GI Joe movies. None of this movie made any sense even without it being based on an 80s cartoon. And did they seriously sequel bait? That's cute that they thought they were going to get a sequel. I'm giving this pig turd a 2/10 and I'm not even sure why I'm giving it a 2.

[lhb412]

The Kid (1921)

This was my first Chaplin movie a few years ago, so it's interesting seeing it again after becoming more familiar with his work. It was a landmark: Chaplin's first feature length film, and it revolves around the combo of humor and sentiment that would become Chaplin's bread-and-butter. I like how simple it is compared to his later high-concept comedy epics, and there are moments of perfection in here (like the chase sequence where protective services try to take the Tramp's adopted son away from him).

[jellydonut25]

Tex Montana Will Survive - From the director of The Battery (an excellent micro-budget zombie film, that was the first zombie movie in a LONG time I'd seen actually do something I'd never really seen done before in the subgenre), comes a comedy about a disgraced survival show host trying to prove his doubters wrong. It can occasionally be a bit hit-or-miss, but given that it has an even smaller budget than The Battery (The Battery was made for like $6,000, Tex Montana came in around $1,500), is JUST Jeremy Gardner in front of the camera for 90 minutes, and was mostly improvised, it's a pretty good little movie. It wears a little thin after a while, but it's an impressive achievement and continues making Gardner a talent to keep an eye on. 4/5

EDIT: Not sure why I posted when I had like 4 other movies:

Doomsday Book - It's an anthology movie about three apocalypse/post-apocalypse/future stories. The first is a DECENT zombie thing, with a score that brings it all together satisfyingly. The second is directed by Jae-woon Kim (A Tale of Two Sisters, I Saw the Devil) is EXCELLENT. It's spectacularly written and shot, proving Kim's talents as a storyteller and director. The third is fun, but not great. It's a little hard to describe without giving it away, but basically a meteor is bearing down on the Earth and a family is in their bunker, waiting to survive the impending impact. Overall, it's not a great anthology film, but I got it for like $2 and at that price, it's not horrible. 3/5

Aaah! Zombies! - Low-budget zombie fare about people who become zombies, but don't realize it. They all look and act and talk normal to one another, and all the normal people look different. It's a fun concept, and it does a few interesting things with it. Enough at least such that it holds your attention for its 90 minute run time. 3/5

Krull - I'd never seen this before, and I was actually expecting something different (more space-oriented) but as low-budget fantasy films go, Krull is a fun ride that harkens back to a different era of filmmaking with location shooting and sets and costumes and makeup and it's an overall satisfying experience. 3.5/5

Sunshine - A very interesting movie about a mission to drop a mega-bomb into the heart of the sun in order to create a new sun, since ours is dying. It's a bit clunky at times, a bit predictable at others, and not incredibly well-acted, but it's got some really good scifi ideas, a good plot, and some great atmosphere and directing to tie it all together. 4/5

Deadpool - Just checkin out my blu-ray. It's a testament to how much I like this movie that I put it on thinking I'd start cleaning and doing things around the house and at several different spots found myself plunked down on the couch, watching. 4.5/5

Kick-Ass 2 - I hadn't seen this since theaters. I don't know if it was because my memories of it put my expectations fairly low, or what, but I feel like I enjoyed it quite a bit this time around. 3.5/5

Big Man Japan - My first time seeing this. I like all the wacky, trippy, inexplicable monsters and the battle sequences, but it's maybe a bit TOO dull outside of them. I understand that's kinda the point, and it is fairly well-written, but it's actually maybe done just a tad too well and it can be a slog to get from one battle to the next. 3.5/5

[jellydonut25]

I have MORE (man, I've been watching a lot of movies lately)
The Brothers Grimsby - This is a BAD movie, and if you don't Cohen's style of comedy, you'll hate it...but at times, I found myself chuckling. Sort of a guilty pleasure kinda thing for me, I guess. 2.5/5

Anomalisa - It's a movie that I recognize as good, but just not for me. I wanted it to go further with its forays into more head-trippy stuff (it's all stop-motion, and every person's face has these weird lines on it, like their jaws could fall off at any time, and it's teased like twice but nothing ever happens with it). Instead, it's just a movie about a guy who's wrapped up in himself to the extent that he hears every person's voice in the world as the same voice (I think it was Tom Noonan's voice) except when he occasionally finds a woman interesting, but he then quickly grows tired of that too...because he's a dick. 3/5

Boy and the World - A beautiful, touching movie about a small village boy who heads out into the world to try to find his father (who has left in search of work) and winds up growing up out in the harsh, industrialized world. This movie is beautiful, unique, and will hit you right in the childhood without pulling punches and cheating like so many films do these days. I only wish it hadn't felt the need to hammer us over the head with a message towards the end of the movie by reverting to the use of live-action footage instead of keeping it animated. 4/5

Holidays - Anthology horror starting with Valentine's and ending with New Year's Eve.
Valentine's Day is an okay, fairly straightforward, somewhat EC type story
St. Patrick's Day is....I don't know what the hell it is. A woman gets impregnated with a snake then has a trippy dream about it being born and everyone worshipping it or something...
Easter has potential but ultimately just goes for low-hanging fruit and then doesn't have a really satisfying end. It has too much potential mythology and doesn't develop ANY of it enough.
Mother's Day is pretty stupid and bad and predictable. A woman gets pregnant EVERY time she has sex, no matter how much protection she uses, and she always terminates the pregnancy so then when she goes to a holistic ritual, it's all these women who WISH they could get pregnant so they kidnap her and force her to have the baby, and then it ends with the same shock ending as De Palma's Carrie.
Father's Day - THIS IS THE ONE TO WATCH. Man, if it had a better ending, this would be one of the best short horror pieces I've seen in some time. It still KINDA is, but its ending is bad. SOOOOO good until that last few second though.
Halloween - The worst excuse for an EC-type story of turning the tables I've ever seen. This had no redeeming qualities AT ALL...and then at the end, SURPRISE, it was directed by Kevin Smith. Ha! Even further proof that this guy is a hack.
Christmas - This had a cool idea, and played out interestingly enough. I enjoyed it for what it was.
New Year's Eve - Feels like an afterthought after the Christmas one, but it's okay.
Overall, Holidays is hard to recommend, except for people who are BIG fans of anthologies and also for those interested in checking out the Father's Day segment and then just checking out in general. 3/5

[Dr Kain]

Wow, that is a lot of movies you watched today.

I figured The Brother's Grimsby would be bad the moment I saw Cohen. That guy hasn't done anything even remotely funny.

[O.Supreme]

Battle in Outer Space - I have tried really hard to be open minded because I really to appreciate the effects of Tsuburaya, and to be sure, there is a charm to the Showa films that can never be repeated. But for some reason, any film that does not have a kaiju in it will make me fall asleep without fail. I managed to get through it, and while the last 15 minuets or so have some truly amazing effects, I found the plot to be nonsensical overall.